180 project with Movie Room. PICS Included...

[fe342185]

Hi All,
Just want to start by saying thank you to all of you who make this site and hobby possible. I would still be using bioballs, hang on the back filters and overpriced acrylic filters if it weren't for all of you.

So here we go....

Currently I have a 65 gal reef with few SPS, LPS and softies. In addition I also have a 225 FOWLR. I plan on combining the 2 when I complete the setup at the new place.

Equipment List:
180 AGA non-reef ready drilled for CL and overflow
55 gallon DIY sump
3x ROIII 250DE with phoenix 14k
4way oceansmotions
2 dolphin 2100 for return/skimmer and closed loop
Barr aquatic CR2100 calcium reactor
MTC250 skimmer customized with recirculating pump
2x 500 watt titanium heaters
Reef fanatic float switch

About a month ago I started construction and 95% of the work was done by me alone. My GF and father helped paint hold stuff up.

Goals:
1/2 bath added to the loft (3rd Floor)
Run a dedicated line for aquarium
Take down celing of dining room on second floor to add additional floor joist where the tank will sit
Install a utility sink behind the aquarium
Tile aquarium floor
Paint the entire house
Construct a home theater in loft.


I have come very close to finishing all of my goals... Here are some of the shots... BTW - The pink is just a primer....



http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0185.JPG
This is the dining room shot. Directly above is where the tank will go. The plumbing is for the bathroom and utility sink above. All the plumbing is new except for the 4" cast iron. The smaller pipes were the vent lines and water lines.


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0190.JPG
The tiled floor and the start of the stand.
This room used to be one big open space. 22' x 15'. All walls and doors were added as well as the tiles since it used to be carpet.


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0191.JPG
The stand had to be made this way since I could not level the floor as much as i wanted. There was a slight dip but hopefully the floor joist will not move anymore after the reinforcement I did. (Doubled up on the floor joist and boldted them together every 18".


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0197.JPG
The tank came from petland. They were the cheapest and the in home delivery was only $25. Well worth it since it is going on the third floor. That same night I drilled 3 holes with a diamond bit.


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0203.JPG
Here is the stand built with some of the face installed. 1x6's were used. The canopy has an additional shelf above for the projector and audio/video equipment for the home theater.

[fe342185]

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0205.JPG
Just another tank shot showing the holes for the closed loop and overflow. The overflow box was constructed from 3/8ths glass cut by a glass shop. The durso will be built in. I wanted to avoid manufactured overflow boxes since they rely on powerheads/U-tubes that may fail and I have neighbors below.



http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0208.JPG
Here is a shot of the opsosite wall. It is the other half of my dream. My own screnning room. Only the border is complete. The pink is a primer for the red thats still to come. The ceiling will remain black and the actual screen itself will be painted just until I can affor a real screen.


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0209.JPG
Just another shot of the screen.


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0212.JPG
Here is a shot from the bathroom next to the tank. I put a window above the toilet where the tank can be viewed from. I plan on putting blinds there eventually but I figured it would be unique.


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0217.JPG
A shot of the stand ready for paint. It will be painted to match the room paint since a theaters focus should be the show and not the stuff around it. That goes for the tank and the movie room.


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0222.JPG
Shot of the sink behind the tank.


The plumbing parts are on order and will be here sometime next week. I will post more pics once its painted or when significant progress is made.

RD

[Genin]

man if i had a tank viewable from my toilet, i'd never leave, lol. great idea so far. sounds like a fun room.

[Aquaduck]

Put a mirror on the wall opposite the tank in the bathroom and you can watch the fish while you're on the crapper.

Nice job! I wich I had the time/money to do a project like that. My basement is in desparate need of a large tank and a projector screen. Green with envy....

[Gundo5000]

unique idea

[huskerreef]

this will be a great combo of fun, I have the fish room and projection screen combo and its awesome..go with the stewart firehawk screen:)

[thor32766]

wow that is sweet!!!!!

[fe342185]

Aquaduck - I wish I could put a mirror there. It will probably just get a shower curtain then the ugly drums for water changes will be behind. In a way it will look like a full bath.

huskerreef - I wish I had the budget for the firehawk screen. For now it will just be painted with Behr silver screen. BTW- the projector is a panasonic PT-900U and it looks great so far on a painted wall. I'm sure its better on a firehawk tho.

thor32766 - Thanks

[taxman95]

I have the AE-900 and Firehawk in my room with my tank as well.

Does a great job on the ambient light. Only issue is some light going through the hole in the hood for the fan onto the screen when the MH are on, but that will be solved when I upgrade to a larger inwall tank next year.

[Pomachantus Paru]

Man, you got to be carefull, if your farts are toxic you could kill your tank, so be sure to overskimm.:D :D :lol: :lol: :lol:

[dougie]

awesome setup, very jelous! keep the pics comin.
Good luck with it!


Cheers.

[dougie]

also............do u really need a 1000w of heaters? the electricty needs of a larger tank, lighting,pumps, etc, are really starting to scare me! dont think ill b able to aford my dream 300g.:(

Cheers.

[fe342185]

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0229.JPG
Screen still has to be painted...

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0233.JPG
Another Angle

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0232.JPG
Another Angle

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0231.JPG
Bathroom window needs to be finished.

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Other side of the bathroom where the aquarium supplies will be stored.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0228.JPG
Tank view

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0227.JPG
Another View

Today I will finish the doors and trim and hopefully the baseboard and screen also. If all goes well and the delivery of the plumbing supplies come in early next week then I will have fish in by next Friday. Very excited.

[hifoo]

wow that looks like a very entertaining room. Movies and Fish. The bathroom window is top-notch, very very cool

[iNfaMous_reeF]

cant wait to see it up and running

[steveo32]

dude thats an awesome idea w/ the tank. The theater room is also very nice as well .

[ruiny]

I have the same set up in my basement.
Be sure to put some blinds over the tank.
The bright tank lights will over power the projector and wash out the screen.
Otherwise looking great.
Neat idea with the washroom.

[ruiny]

Also, what did you use to paint the screen on with?

[reefinmike]

good luck keeping people watching the movie!!!!!!!!

[fe342185]

steveo32 - Thanks

ruiny - I may use a thick curtain that covers the front and side of the tank since that will cover the side panel also.
I rolled the screen with a the most expensive smooth roller HD sells. I was afraid the cheap ones will leave some lint behind. When done carefully and without pushing down to much on the roller, it does notleave lines on the screen. Probably would have been better sprayed on but I was afraid that was too messy. FYI. Use flat paint since the satin still gets hot spots.

I got some more painting done today as well as the plumbing parts from HD, Lowes, Marine Depot and AES.

The filter should be completed by tomorrow night along with some plumbing. Pictures are coming soon.

[fe342185]

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0262.JPG
Closed loop and drain plumbing is complete. Excuse the wood. It will be painted eventually. I had to add them since I was so paranoid of bumping into the flex PVC and opening up a joint. I siliconed the wood onto the tank and screwed the clamps onto them.

Thank god after carefully plumbing this I only had 2 minor leaks. All because I tried to cut a corner and used the wrong type of Teflon tape. Supposed to use the pink for water. I used the white and I ended up with 2 leaks. After fixing the 2 leaks I continued using the pink on the rest of the connections and all was good.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0263.JPG
Just before the closed loop I decided to add a Tee to drain the tank directly into the sink. Just for peace of mind I decided to add the 3/4 ball valve before the cheap plastic valve. This valve also has a second function which is to drain the lines if I need to take the pump out of the loop. Notice the valve is lower than the pump itself.
Last think I added to the output of the pump is a Tee to a 3/4 valve. This is just in case I need to add some other device later on.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0274.JPG
OM 4-way. I'm using the version 3 which does 1&3 then 2&4. I put 1&3 on one side on each corner and the other on the opposite. This gave it a true wave action.
Also I added a small valve on top of the durso pipe which will allow me to better control the amount of air.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0271.JPG
Bulkhead for return as well as a hole for the Kent Float valve. I plan on using the float valve way above the water line to eliminate the snails and critter from growing on it. I will be attaching some styro to the end of the float. This will be touching the water surface and the valve itself should remain nearly dry and snail free.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0277.JPG
Sump: Its a 55gallon tank drilled on the back with acrylic dividers and baffles. There are 4 total compartments.
1: Tank drain compartment. This is followed by one baffle
2: Skimmer compartment. Followed by one baffle
3: Refugium: Each side of the refugium is using black acrylic to minimize algae growth else where in the sump. Then followed by 3 baffles.
4: Return pump compartment.
I'm hoping there will be no microbubbles.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0272.JPG
All doors hung and completely painted. Waiting to install the door handles.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0276.JPG
Screen completed and center channel mounted.

Just waiting to get the tank moved over then the carpet can go. The couches are next then movies and a lot of rest.

As for now I will be bringing over the RO filter over and making water over the next few days. Hopefully by Sunday I will have some life in there.

Thank you for following along.

[TCU Reefer]

Very nice project.

I love the idea of viewing from the bathroom.

[matthew112687]

That is awesome. Great job!

[mmd]

ahhh to be rich

[fe342185]

TCU Reefer - I cant wait to start aquascaping for 3 angles.

matthew112687 - Thanks

mmd - I wish I could be rich. If that was the case I would pay someone to do all the construction. Doing drywall is the worst.

[Goldleaf Reef]

Nice Media/room.. you did that all yourself.. you did a great Job

Charge a few bucks to your friends to come over to watch the and you will have the screen before you know it :smokin:

[Arch01]

Looking good. Too bad the tank is viewable from the opposite end of the bathroom... without that, you wouldn't need the blinds since no one would be able to see through the reflection from the front.

[stlouisguy]

Very nice setup. Do you have any concern though of all that evaporation and salt around your elecrtronic equipment?

[fe342185]

Goldleaf Reef - Thanks. My friends like to bring liquor as gifts so maybe I can build a bar somewhere instead.

Arch01 - I thought about closing that end I like the feeling of being able to walk around the tank.

stlouisguy - Salt and moisture was a concern. I put calking around the wood seams before building the media compartment. The fan will be blowing towards the side of the canopy so I hope none of the components will be damaged.

[Goldleaf Reef]

Liquor is good .... real good :celeb3: My friends only bring me problems ..... and leave me with empty bottles

What kind of seating are you planning ? (taking notes so I can copy your idea)

What model is that projector ?

[sullyfish]

Are you planning on anything for the tank should you want to watch a movie with no light ? i.e. covering the tank, turning tank lights off, ect...

I ask this since I am starting a similair project in my basement with a 180 in-wall and I cannot decide what is best in those situations....I know it is hard covering a beautiful reef tank but You just cant watch a scary movie with the lights on, can you ?

Thanks, and very nice set up by the way !

[fe342185]

Goldleaf Reef - For now I will be just putting in a sectional that has 3 recliners and sofabed built in as well as another couch. They are just my old furniture and they do not match the room. I will be re-uphoalstering them until I can afford the propper seating. The projector I'm using is a Panasonic PT-AE900U since it was rated the best in its class and price range.

sullyfish - For now I will just be shutting the lights out until I decide on what to do. Some ideas came to mind though. First is just shades that I can roll down but this will still allow light to bleed through the sides. The second idea was red velvet drapes on a rod that wraps around the corner of the tank. Still unsure at this point.
Maybe I should have gone with my original idea which was to have a motorized screen drop down and cover the tank. Ahhhh.. only if money was not an issue.

[fe342185]

Rocks are transfered as well as the fish that I want to keep. The rest of them are for sale Here. (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=7986208#post7986208)
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0285.JPG

Current Fish List:
Emperor Angel
Blue Face Angel
Majestic angel
Blonde Naso Tang
Yellow Tang
small and a medium hippor tang

Wish List:
Mated Pair True Perculas
some sand sifting gobies (once the POD count rises again)
Some Fairy Wrasses
3 Heniochus


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0293.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0295.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0287.JPG

Float Switch and empty refugium view from front. http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0292.JPG

Float switch view from the back. Styro is used to keep closed even if the valve itself is not submerged in the water. This will at least keep the snails away from the switch and getting it stuck.
BTW - Excuse the markings. I just havent had the chance to get it off yet.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0300.JPG


Calcium Reactor - Barr Aquatic CR1200. Eventually I will put the controller back in and neaten up the electric and plumbing. For now I needed the bear minimum to get the tank up.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0299.JPG

[dougie]

fantastic! :thumbsup: Love the Angels, do u think the emperor will out grow the tank in future?

[fe342185]

dougie - Im sure eventually he will out grow it. For now he is the center piece and I have taken some chances on some of the corals and clams in the tank just for him. I try to feed twice a day just to keep the corals out of their diet.

[dougie]

excellent! emperor's are my favorite angel, would love to own one, but a 55g just dont cut it. Good luck with it mate.

Cheers.

[fe342185]

dougie - Where do you live in Australia? I grew up in Maroubra and my most of my family are in Blacktown and Brisbane now.

[dougie]

fe342185,

i live in Newcastle. how long u been in the states?

[fe342185]

Been here for 12 years

[fe342185]

I havent posted in almost a month since I was extremely busy completing the rest of the house.

I purchased a handful of frags from a local reefer. So far the angels have been ok. The emperor does not bother the frags and actually he protects them. The 2 other angels (Blueface and Majestic) ocaasionally try to sample but the emperor chases them back under the rock. This happens all day.

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The Angels eating Nori strips
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0319.JPG

View from the right Panel into the bathroom. Notice the rocks pretty much gives the privacy.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0320.JPG


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0327.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0328.JPG


BTW - I added 2 sea Swirls to the mix. So the tank has a OM 4-way/dolphin 2100 and 2 seaswirls split from another dolphin 2100. The current insode is chaotic and bordering a sand storm.

[fe342185]

Excuse the ugly furniture. I am having them re-upholestered to match the room. Unfortunately it did not make it on the budget. Also I did not want to throw them away since it has 3 recliners and a sofabed. The corner recliner also has a massage and built in telephone. I know its tacky but they have them.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0330.JPG

View from the top of the stairs
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0331.JPG

This looks over the living room downstairs. Below the tank is the Dining Room
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0335.JPG


Velvet drapes closed and ready to watch a Movie.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/38008mini-IMG_0338.JPG
I could not find curtain rods that had a 90 degree turn to go around the corner so I used 3/4 conduit, some conduit mounting brackets, PVC elbow that I had to shave the inside of, and some black spray paint and now I have matching curtain rods.

[MickZu]

Excellent....................Love it!!

[Goldleaf Reef]

That's nice, real nice you did a Great job.. I know who's having the superbowl party this year ....:beer:

Pleaseing to the eye and functional..

[thor32766]

yeah that is a gorgeous setup!!!!

[Goldleaf Reef]

Any Updates ?