A ~19,000 Gallon Aquarium

[nahham]

Originally Posted by masterswimmer

All the specifications are detailed. Nowhere in the writeup do I see any mention of saltwater application for this pump. Here in the states we are accustomed to seeing our ponds in freshwater, not saltwater. Are you sure this pump is going to be appropriate for your seawater system? I'm doubting it.

Beautiful build. I've been tagging along since day one and I'm mighty impressed. Thank you for sharing the build with us, not just the 'pretty, shiny, end result'.

FYI, you might want to consider the Reeflo Pumps, specifically the Manta Ray Gold. 1-1/2" in/out, it is pressure and flow rated. Commercial Duty pumps come in 1HP, 1.5HP and 2HP.

Good luck,
Russ

Yeah different sites have different "specifications". Here is the site where it specifically says saltwater: http://www.graystonecreations.com/po...ve_pumps.shtml

i looked at Reeflo Pumps and I'm impressed. However, those are external use only and I'm looking for something that I can fit inside the aquarium for water flow. I have 2 pumps that pump into the tank for turnover, those are rated at 40,000 gph or 45,000 gph.. don't remember exactly.

Thank you for showing interest. I made sure I posted everything regarding the build because it is an unusual build (somewhat) .

[Kenneth M Olsen]

amazing.. will follow this project for sure.
All the best from Denmark

[nahham]

Originally Posted by Kenneth M Olsen

amazing.. will follow this project for sure.
All the best from Denmark

Thanks. By the way, very nice tank you have there

[ben1]

holy crap this is awesome !!

[nahham]

Some updates:

We got the concrete and the shuttering (the boards that hold the concrete in place until it dries) broke at one end and we lost have of the concrete.

It was fixed and we got a new batch of concrete and poured it. However, this will delay the project a couple of days.

It looks like I'm going to paint the refugium with epoxy as well just to make sure it doesn't leak. I'm a bit worried about having poured the concrete twice.

[what'scoral]

Salam Alakum Nahham. I take my hat off to you with this sweet tank build. I'll be following this tank build goodluck.

Inshallah Khair

Sanad Affara

[nahham]

Originally Posted by what'scoral

Salam Alakum Nahham. I take my hat off to you with this sweet tank build. I'll be following this tank build goodluck.

Inshallah Khair

Sanad Affara

Wa'alikoum Elsalam. I'm glad you like it. InshaAllah it will be done soon.

[ShellsSD]

subscribing to this thread. WOW and thank you for sharing your build with us.

[nahham]

Hello,

Just thought I'd post how the refugium looks right now. We are done with the walls and working on the "partitions" inside.









I didn't think it will look this big. The final dimensions of the refugium is 5m (16.4ft) x 3m (9.8ft) x 1.4m (4.6ft).

I might be able to use part of it to grow food for the tank, hopefully..

[imarkspeed]

sweet cheese!!

[gman107]

keep posting pictures, you can never post too many !!!! this looks great

[tntneon]

-Hi nahhan ,

- realy awesome what you are making !!!
Gives an whole new dimension to the words "bubbletrap" or "baffel" ,
we just glue a piece of plastic sheet or glass in ower sump , you have to pore a day concrete to have 1 or 2 "overflow walls" .

greetingzz tntneon

[daleKW]

Wouldn't rain effect the salinity???

[username in use]

he said earlier in the thread that they only get Aprox. 2" a year.

[lowlt]

I can't wait to see this with water and the flow through the sump

[daleKW]

Originally Posted by username in use

he said earlier in the thread that they only get Aprox. 2" a year.

I missed that.. Thanks..

Awesome build. That guy hauling the wheel barrel of concrete in that pic is gonna need a protien shake..lol

[mborkush]

I use the pondmaster 4000 for my reef. They are your typical magnetic drive, epoxy sealed pump. They are OK'd for salt water per conversation with distributer. (I can only speak to what I've been told) They are a nice, quiet pump. Only down fall is low head pressure. These pmps do not pack much punch in the power area. If your pumping low head hight its well worth the money. It is probly the cheepest $$ 6000GPH pump out there.

[ReefJerk]

If it were me (oh how I wish it were...) I would place these in every hidden crevice of the tank. They are only 8 inches high and ~16 inches long and push ~10000 gph.

Best price I found was at http://www.azponds.com/New_webpages/...s_Classic.html

[nahham]

Originally Posted by lowlt

I can't wait to see this with water and the flow through the sump

Neither can I

Originally Posted by mborkush

I use the pondmaster 4000 for my reef. They are your typical magnetic drive, epoxy sealed pump. They are OK'd for salt water per conversation with distributer. (I can only speak to what I've been told) They are a nice, quiet pump. Only down fall is low head pressure. These pmps do not pack much punch in the power area. If your pumping low head hight its well worth the money. It is probly the cheepest $$ 6000GPH pump out there.

This is good to hear. I am not worried about the low head issue because I'm planning to use them submersed.

Originally Posted by ReefJerk

If it were me (oh how I wish it were...) I would place these in every hidden crevice of the tank. They are only 8 inches high and ~16 inches long and push ~10000 gph.

Best price I found was at http://www.azponds.com/New_webpages/...s_Classic.html

Those are a very good alternative. I couldn't find any mention of saltwater application so I emailed the manufacturer. I'll post their answer here.

[nahham]

I've been reading about how much live rock I would need for the tank and it seems 1.5 lbs per gallon is the most common number I came by. Is this right? I will need 30,000 lbs of live rock???

If this is right, and with the price I got for live rock ($6.75/kg) then I will need to pay around $92,000 for rock

Getting the rock from the sea is sounding better and better

[username in use]

The aquarium by me has a 20,000g reef and they didnt use the standard live rock numbers. They started with dry limestone base rock from a quarry in the middle of the country and then added around 10,000lbs of live rock from the ocean which they cured off site for a few months first, but you could do it in tank. I think when you get to this size and these kind of numbers you dont need to follow all the general guidelines for small tanks. Also, with your ability to change large amounts of water on a regular basis you shouldnt need to have as much live rock as what is generally reccomended.

[KarlBob]

Originally Posted by nahham

I've been reading about how much live rock I would need for the tank and it seems 1.5 lbs per gallon is the most common number I came by. Is this right? I will need 30,000 lbs of live rock???

If this is right, and with the price I got for live rock ($6.75/kg) then I will need to pay around $92,000 for rock

Getting the rock from the sea is sounding better and better

1-1.5 lbs per gallon is a rule of thumb for relatively small tanks, on the order of tens or hundreds of gallons, not tens of thousands of gallons. Many rules of thumb don't scale up or down well, and I suspect this is one of them.

Because you have the ability to innoculate the tank with raw or coarsely-filtered seawater, you could pick up the bacterial components of your nitrogen cycle very quickly. As Username In Use pointed out, you could add plenty of "dead" rock, with the best source being ancient coral deposits. A few hundred pounds of live rock should be plenty, as long as you're willing to wait while the dead (a.k.a. "base") rock is "revived" by organisms spreading out from the live rock.

If you can get it, a barge-load of live rock direct from the ocean might be great, but:
A) I think the cost would be outrageous (less so than ordering it from a retailer, but still ridiculous);
B) Your order alone might result in the dynamiting of a significant reef outcrop, if your supplier is less than perfectly ethical/"green"; and
C) Your chance of acquiring undesirable hitchhikers would probably approach 100%.
(Hmmm. Item B might make a good thread all by itself in the Responsible Reefkeeping forum.)

[poposherry]

cant wait to see it

[KarlBob]

Originally Posted by KarlBob

If you can get it, a barge-load of live rock direct from the ocean might be great, but:
A) ...
B) Your order alone might result in the dynamiting of a significant reef outcrop, if your supplier is less than perfectly ethical/"green"; and
C) ...
(Hmmm. Item B might make a good thread all by itself in the Responsible Reefkeeping forum.)

After consulting Nahham (who expressed interest in the result), I've started a thread on this topic in the Responsible Reefkeeping forum.

[Jay180reef]

Wow, I'll be following this build!!!