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12/12/2008, 12:30 AM | #1 |
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my turn - 525
alright. wanted to wait til i had some good photos to show you guys and here we go..
i'd pegged this spot for a tank when my wife and i first looked at this house. it will nicely divide my living/dining rooms and a great attention grabber as guests come through the front door. the planets aligned and we're finally able to build the tank we wanted. the tank we had built is 96x42x30 and made of 1.25" acrylic. it has 4" eurobracing and no crossbracing. it will be viewable on 3 sides and the internal overflow contains two dry boxes which will house vortech motors and hide their cables. the tank will be plumbed to a fish room located directly below it, in the basement. equipment so far lights - 4 400w reeflux 12k bulbs in lumen bright pendants driven by dimmable coralvue ballasts flow - 4-6 mp40w return pump - reeflo xxx. planned on a barracuda but have since moved the fish room closer to the tank so i might not need quite that much.. the substrate will be made up of a 5" dsb (probly), marco rock, marshall island and pohnpei live rock. about 200lbs live, the rest dry. here are some of the pics i have so far.. this is the stand my uncle and i built. woodworking is another hobby for me so i'm looking forward to skinning it. my wife and kids, stress testing the frame.. the buds getting ready to lift the beast onto the stand. the tank weighs 900lbs+ and the builder showed up nearly an hour early so there were only five of us there to get it off the truck. fortunately, no one was killed, but most importantly, the tank wasn't damaged . the crew's all done! next on the agenda is building the new fish room. i'd originally planned to just plumb the tank to the existing fish room, but it's at the other end of the house. building a new one, closer to the tank, will pay off in the long run and let me learn from a few mistakes i made on the first. i'll try to keep up with pics as i go but here's a first draft - sketchup style.. please give any feedback you'd care to share and thanks for watching ..
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- jason homepage -> build thread.. Current Tank Info: 525g display with several supporting subsystems.. |
12/12/2008, 12:39 AM | #2 |
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Just want to be the first to say.... congrats!
Please give dimensions and your tank stocking preferences!
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Jordan My tank gets DRUNK every morning Current Tank Info: 150 Gallon w/ 100 gallon sump; 240 gallon |
12/12/2008, 12:53 AM | #3 |
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Great build Jason..... LOVE when you say quote "fortunately, no one was killed, but most importantly, the tank wasn't damaged" unquote
That already tell us where the priority is
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Ed ~ Art is an adventure into an unknown world, which can only be explored by those willing to take the risks. ~ Current Tank Info: Ed Reef’s Shallow Crest Inspired ART |
12/12/2008, 02:09 AM | #4 |
Moved On
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Los Angeles & Montebello
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Great tank, this is going to be a great build...I can feel it in my blood
Those dimensions are close to what my next tank will be (96x48x27), which leads me to my question. Currently my 225g is 30" tall and I can't reach to the bottom back of the tank which is 24" deep and I have pretty long arms. I realize you have access from both sides but do you anticipate that being a problem in the future with placement of corals? And lastly, what are your livestock plans, mixed reef, sps only? types of fish? Can't wait to see what's next - Jesse |
12/12/2008, 10:18 AM | #5 |
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Awesome.....love the dimensions!!
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______________________ Greg ~ June 2015 TOTM ~ ~ April 2010 TOTM ~ |
12/12/2008, 10:20 AM | #6 |
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thanks guys. i'm stoked..
rnc - 96x42x30 ed reef - lol.. i told my buddy he had to throw himself under the tank if we started to lose it. he was completely caught in the tractor beam of coolness inherent to bigger reef tanks. 'yeah man, no problem'.. i've really enjoyed your build thread btw. thank you for taking the time to keep it up. tangwich - thanks man. keep those karmic thoughts comin.. i've designed the stand to have a 6-8" ledge all the way round the tank so it's pretty easy for me to jump up there and reach in as necessary. i also have tongs for the times i'm feeling less athletic. i'm still working on the 'canopy' but my design should allow me a good deal of access as well. i'm planning for sps/lps. some of which i'll be migrating from existing tanks. the tank was originally designed to house a gorgeous alessandrathus ambrosious from the genus mermaidicus but the wife killed that idea so i'll probly throw some tangs in there.. current fish moving to the new home will be: sixline wrasse - lucy flame hawk - wife just calls him 'the bastard' kole tang - (no name yet) sailfin tang - samiam fish i believe i'm inheriting from a reefing cousin: purple tang - poon yellow tang - queso white cheek tang - commando i've never really considered myself a fish guy so i haven't given much thought to the rest of the list.. i dig achilles/naso/dussumieri tangs but i guess i'll need your help to flush out the complete list. lots of time left for that tho..
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- jason homepage -> build thread.. Current Tank Info: 525g display with several supporting subsystems.. |
12/12/2008, 11:22 AM | #7 |
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Wow, great progess and beautiful aquarium. My only question would be; why did you leave the carpet underneath?
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12/12/2008, 11:30 AM | #8 | |
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Quote:
Thanks for your comment on my thread - didn't know so many people are actually reading it!!
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Ed ~ Art is an adventure into an unknown world, which can only be explored by those willing to take the risks. ~ Current Tank Info: Ed Reef’s Shallow Crest Inspired ART |
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12/12/2008, 12:24 PM | #9 | |
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Quote:
the wife's sweating the required demolition a bit so this is kind of a touchy subject atm. proceeding with due caution and distracting with expensive gifts as needed..
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- jason homepage -> build thread.. Current Tank Info: 525g display with several supporting subsystems.. |
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12/12/2008, 01:00 PM | #10 | |
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Many times these days I see a shallow "box/pan" built that fits the inside of the stand, and paint it with epoxy to seal.
Quote:
Maybe really expensive gifts will sway her opinion...
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-Austin Make your animals Thrive, not just Survive. |
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12/12/2008, 01:37 PM | #11 |
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nice going on that tank and stand
looking good
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The great question... which I have not been able to answer... is, "What does a woman want? Current Tank Info: in the works |
12/12/2008, 03:29 PM | #12 |
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Love the pic with the fur kids!! They are the best kids.
Can't wait to see more Lunchbucket
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Trying to lose weight by walking is like trying to bake a cake w/ a cigarette lighter - Lunchbucket - "Nancy-Boy Extraordinaire" - maxxII- Current Tank Info: 58gal Oceanic RR, 2x400w MH (20k XM and 10k XM), Deltec PF601 Ca Rx, Deltec AP701 skimmer, mag950 return, iwaki 55rlt w/ an Oceansmotions 4-way unit, Tunze 7300 and 6000 each w/ controller, fluidized po4 rx |
12/12/2008, 06:36 PM | #13 |
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Amazing Build, that is quite a project.. cant wait to see more pictures when its done.
Excellent work!!
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URL's are not permitted in signatures. Current Tank Info: 150 Gallon Reef |
12/12/2008, 09:49 PM | #14 | |
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Quote:
thanks all for the well wishes. this is fun to share.. alright, turns out i really suck at pics but here are some more. first a pic of the tank without all my peeps in the way.. thought i'd show a pic of the lifts i rented. there were enough of us that the installation was easy but should anyone else find it useful, these are duct/material lifts and 3 of us could've probly done the job with their assistance. they cost about $50/day each. if your tank is wider than 24" i'd recommend getting the arm extensions that are available for them as well. here are a couple pics of the old fishroom. it's sufficient and many people would consider it a luxury, but i think i can do better with v2.0. after spending last night moving all this i have a great new space to start on 2.0 this plumbing is in the corner of my planned area. does that look like a toilet rough in (at lower left) to anyone else? can anyone give me a good reason not to use that as a drain?
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- jason homepage -> build thread.. Current Tank Info: 525g display with several supporting subsystems.. |
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12/13/2008, 03:29 AM | #15 |
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love the tank, great size! fish room looks great to. good luck.
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Steve Irwin, still my hero, and never forgotten. Current Tank Info: 210 gal, 7x2x2, LED, mp60's. mixed reef. |
12/13/2008, 08:49 AM | #16 | |
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Quote:
I like the lay out plan you have. Best of luck with the new room.
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Sandy ><((((º>`•.¸¸.•><((((º>´¯`•><((((º> .¸¸.><((((º>•.¸. , . .•><((((º>.¸¸. Current Tank Info: 375 Reef, 4) Radion LED lights X30 pro, Apex Fusion, Octo Regal 300 E Skimmer, GEO 618 Calcium Reactor 2) Reeflo Snapper pumps, 2)50g refugium, 2) MP 40's |
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12/13/2008, 06:17 PM | #17 |
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someone requested pics of my vortech housing dry boxes in steve hurlock's thread and thought i'd post them here as well..
the overflow. you can see the dry box chambers on either side. the overflow height will be adjustable to control water height in the aquarium with a nylon screw secured weir that has yet to be installed.. the center chamber with the drain/return plumbing.. the right dry box. you can either drill the bottom to run power cords through, etc.. or leave them sealed and run the cords out the top.. steve gave me some good recommendations when i designed this tank. here's a video of the vortech setup on his gorgeous aquarium..
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- jason homepage -> build thread.. Current Tank Info: 525g display with several supporting subsystems.. |
12/13/2008, 11:15 PM | #18 |
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Great video, thanks for sharing that.
I would like to hear more about that actual breakdown and details of fishroom sketch.
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______________________ Greg ~ June 2015 TOTM ~ ~ April 2010 TOTM ~ |
12/14/2008, 02:33 PM | #19 |
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Great looking tank. How many vortechs do you plan on using and any plans for additional flow?
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Jason Current Tank Info: 280g peninsular bar, 4 vortechs, 10x80w ATI Powermodule, Orca 250 Pro, Dart Return, geo 618 calcium reactor, Apex controller |
12/14/2008, 02:46 PM | #20 |
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yeah, i'll post more details on the fishroom layout when i get a little further along. still playing with it quite a bit. the room is a little over 12' square so i should have plenty of room. famous last words i know.
i plan to start with 4 vortechs and see what that looks like. i figure i can go as high as 6 in the dry boxes (3 each) before the bottom ones are too close to the sand. i won't hesitate to put more flow at the other end of the tank if i think it's needed but i'd like to see how far i can get with just vortechs in the dry boxes first.
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- jason homepage -> build thread.. Current Tank Info: 525g display with several supporting subsystems.. |
12/14/2008, 04:27 PM | #21 |
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Hello Jason,
Looks as though that TX5 fixture is still working well for you but it is good to see that you went with the MHs for the big display. Looking good.
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12/14/2008, 04:52 PM | #22 |
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hey brandon!
yep, tx5 is great. that 40b really digs those lights. i seriously considered t5's for the big tank (and i may still use them for supplemental as needed) but i'm still hoping for an open top look and i couldn't make them work. if i'd found an easily obtainable 8' fixture i'd have gone t5 for sure. i'm a little curious to see how the 4 lumen brights perform in my case. i don't mind darker sides (might prefer it a bit actually - less wiping, scraping of the acrylic, etc.) but i don't just want a strip of light down the center either. i can mount the bulbs as high as 25" above the water so i should be able to get a good spread. i have an apogee par meter so i'll play with it a bit and see how i do. i remember you recommending a specific magnet for tanks this thick but i can't remember which you liked..
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- jason homepage -> build thread.. Current Tank Info: 525g display with several supporting subsystems.. |
12/14/2008, 05:31 PM | #23 |
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Sounds good. As far as magnets go, we seem to have better luck with adding a dobie pad on the inside rather than using a specific magnet. I don't know if you have seen the thread or not but we go over out basic cleaning method with our magfloat 1000 pro. I would give you the link but we have already hit our max bandwidth for the month. Just like any "acrylic safe" magnet I would never use it straight on the acrylic.
We use those blue shop towels (paper towels) that you can buy at Home Depot, and probably even Auto care shops, between the acrylic and the magnet when we need to get a light dusting of algae off. For diatoms we add in the Dobie pads, which works wonders, the only Kent scrapper work we do is just above the sandbed. You might like going with one of those larger magfloats over a magnavore simply because you will have so much surface area to cover.
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~Brandon W. |
12/14/2008, 06:00 PM | #24 |
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yep, i'm all set with the dobie pads. great tip about the shop towels, i have lots of those around as well.
mag float 1000 pro ordered. thanks brandon..
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- jason homepage -> build thread.. Current Tank Info: 525g display with several supporting subsystems.. |
12/14/2008, 06:28 PM | #25 |
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If that plumbing goes into the sump that is there in the corner, I'd bet there is a cast iron pump sitting in it that would be trashed soon with saltwater.
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90 corner overflow w/basement sump/coptic refug, DIY single beckett skimmer, 2 vho & 2 250w 14k hamiltons MH., fishbowl Innov lunar light system, 1500gph CL. started with a 55 in 4/20/04 upgraded to 90 5/1/07 total system volume 250 gal. Current Tank Info: 90 gal AGA single corner overflow |
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