1000 Gallon Build- Here we go- Lots of Pictures

[nuxx]

Thank you. I wish I could offer good career advice but all I will say is whatever she decides to do, make it count. Dont half a$$ anything. Obviously the chances of success are higher if you choose a professional field (doctor, lawyer etc). However I know plenty of successful people that never went to college. Just be wise with your education and choose something you are passionate about and something that is marketable.

Was also going to add, do something you love or have interest in.

If you just do something for money, you're likely not going to succeed or hate your life.

All of our businesses over the last decade have involved hobbies or interests of mine and have paid off well in the end

 

[Socaltoaz]

They are flying! 2 days the entire upstairs is done and about 15% of the downstairs. They will have this house drywalled in about a week. Next up is mud and tape. Hope to be finished with drywall by end of april.

 

[Socaltoaz]

Greetings everyone- just wanted to get the community an update on the build. The home is coming along nicely and the drywall is being put up as I type. I would say 90% of the home is done and by the end of the week with about 90% of the mudding and taping should be complete as well. Ill post more photos when there is something substantial to post.

We have installed dedicated electrical power at the tank for all the lights and anything else that might be needed and also have power in the dedicated fish room in the garage. The fish room is foam insulated and there will be green board waterproof drywall that will be placed in the fish room. It will get a couple of coats of epoxy paint to ensure the room stays clean and the salt water from the filtration and sump don’t ruin anything.

As you can see from the previous pictures, the plumbing has already been run from the fish room to the tank and the tank itself is being finalized as I type. The one dilemma I keep having in my mind is the filtration. I’m debating between open and closed loop systems- the debate being to either stick with just the open loop which consists of a center overflow which leads to a large sump which will hold the oversized protein skimmer (looking at doing the MRC Orco III possibly). From the sump, we could also run plumbing to a UV sterilizer, media reactor or anything else I want.

The other additional option is to drill some holes in the bottom of the tank and add a closed loop system. A total of 4 holes would be added (two drains, two returns on opposite ends of the tank) which would go to a closed loop filtration system and be pumped back.
The advantage of the closed loop system is obviously the increased water movement- However Im not sure that I cant just accomplish that with some cleverly placed powerheads and wave makers within the tank to not only provide additional flow but also to help with increased turnover of the water in the system.

The disadvantages obviously are the holes in the bottom of the tank that might leak and this additional loop might be overkill.
I figure in the future if I wanted to add a close loop, I could plump right off my sump into a canister for increased filtration.
Not quite sure what Ill end up doing. In my mind, the oversized sump, skimmer with some UV and media reactors should be enough. Im just not sure if there will be enough flow back and forth.
Ill post an update soon after all the drywall is up and what we end up deciding to do.

 

[slief]

Greetings everyone- just wanted to get the community an update on the build. The home is coming along nicely and the drywall is being put up as I type. I would say 90% of the home is done and by the end of the week with about 90% of the mudding and taping should be complete as well. Ill post more photos when there is something substantial to post.

We have installed dedicated electrical power at the tank for all the lights and anything else that might be needed and also have power in the dedicated fish room in the garage. The fish room is foam insulated and there will be green board waterproof drywall that will be placed in the fish room. It will get a couple of coats of epoxy paint to ensure the room stays clean and the salt water from the filtration and sump don't ruin anything.

As you can see from the previous pictures, the plumbing has already been run from the fish room to the tank and the tank itself is being finalized as I type. The one dilemma I keep having in my mind is the filtration. I'm debating between open and closed loop systems- the debate being to either stick with just the open loop which consists of a center overflow which leads to a large sump which will hold the oversized protein skimmer (looking at doing the MRC Orco III possibly). From the sump, we could also run plumbing to a UV sterilizer, media reactor or anything else I want.

The other additional option is to drill some holes in the bottom of the tank and add a closed loop system. A total of 4 holes would be added (two drains, two returns on opposite ends of the tank) which would go to a closed loop filtration system and be pumped back.
The advantage of the closed loop system is obviously the increased water movement- However Im not sure that I cant just accomplish that with some cleverly placed powerheads and wave makers within the tank to not only provide additional flow but also to help with increased turnover of the water in the system.

The disadvantages obviously are the holes in the bottom of the tank that might leak and this additional loop might be overkill.
I figure in the future if I wanted to add a close loop, I could plump right off my sump into a canister for increased filtration.
Not quite sure what Ill end up doing. In my mind, the oversized sump, skimmer with some UV and media reactors should be enough. Im just not sure if there will be enough flow back and forth.
Ill post an update soon after all the drywall is up and what we end up deciding to do.

Very very nice build!!! I can't wait to see how this turns out. Your home is going to be stunning!

I run a single closed loop on my system that has the return line coming out around my central overflow such that it exhausts under the rocks to keep detritus from settling in the middle of the tank. That closed loop also has my UV Filter connected to it. Having said that, I've had my display for about 20 years now and back then, we didn't have controllable pumps such as my Tunze's or pumps like Ecotechs, Jebao's etc. back in the day, I ran several closed loop pumps on my system just to insure I had good flow. About 5 years ago, I did a major plumbing overhaul on my tank that involved eliminating all but one closed loop pump in addition to replacing my sump with a new custom sump and and adding a refugium. I also replaced my return pump and added a few controllable Tunze's to augment flow. The end result was a MUCH more efficient system with better flow.

I still like having more closed loop for two primary reasons. The first is the flow I get below my rocks. In my case, that really helps keep ny display cleaner and healthier. There are places that a power head just can't reach and under rocks is a primary one. The other reason why I like having it for UV filter. Having it on a closed loop pulling and pushing directly from the display is more effective in my opinion than running it to and from the sump.

In your case, it's kind of a toss up and to be honest, if I had to do it all over again, I might plan my aquascape differently and do without it. The again, it certainly doesn't hurt to run a closed loop and I'd be really torn if I had to make that decision. I guess in my case, the only compelling reason to not run a closed loop would be power usage. From an overall flow standpoint, I could accomplish as much if not more flow with a Tunze or two and do so with a fraction of the power consumption compared to a Dart or Red Dragon RD3 230 watt pump. But again, flow under rocks and my UV filter trump power savings at this point for me.

 

[dave.m]

Just a personal opinion, but it seems to me that the prime reason to go with a closed loop system is whether or not you can tolerate seeing powerheads in your system. If you want an all-natural vista in your tank then closed loop is the only way to go. If you don't mind having pumps and wires dangling all over the panes of your tank then powerheads would be more flexible and changeable than a closed loop system.

Dave.M

 

[Socaltoaz]

Messing around with schematics. Ive got my consultants proposing differing opinions. I thought I would post my own - Here is a rough schematic of where Im thinking to take the filtration. Not sure if this will be the final. Before we place the actual plumbing, I think Im going to try to get a 3d cad drawing done.

Anyways- here is the schematic:

 

[Socaltoaz]

Just a personal opinion, but it seems to me that the prime reason to go with a closed loop system is whether or not you can tolerate seeing powerheads in your system. If you want an all-natural vista in your tank then closed loop is the only way to go. If you don't mind having pumps and wires dangling all over the panes of your tank then powerheads would be more flexible and changeable than a closed loop system.

Dave.M

I'm curious whether anyone has done a tank without a central overflow??

 

[dave.m]

This one has always been one of my favourites.

Dave.M

 

[Socaltoaz]

Finally! Drywall is going in. Most of the house is done. Drywall inspection was passed today. Mudding and taping beings tomorrow. Getting closer and closer to getting things finished:

Here is a view from the fish tank looking at the kitchen:



And here is a view if I turn around 180 degrees and look at the bar and fish tank. You can see the stand in the back- more on that later. Drywall clean up obviously needs to occur:




And obviously relevant and of interest to this community is the fish room. As I mentioned before, we insulated with foam insulation. It will have its own climate control and we are putting waterproof mold resistant drywall in both the fish room as well as the hood above the tank. For added protection, they also put a vapor barrier inside the fish room so that there are no issues with moisture whatsoever:

Ignore the left over drywall covering the openings where the doors will be. There will be 3 weather proofed doors that can open completely giving full access to the contents inside the fish room:




Here is a vide on the inside of the fish room. Its only 4 feet deep but its long so all the equipment should fit nicely. the area where the sump and filtration will sit is depressed 3 inches with a huge drain incase of any leaks.




A view from the other side. Dedicated electrical circuits and plugs don the back wall. Plenty of juice in there for all the electrical needs. The vapor barrier should be covered with moisture resistant drywall tomorrow:

 

[itche_scratche]

Wow great build

 

[Sonicboom]

The epicness continues! Will be close when you get a sink in that room.

 

[daplatapus]

Sweet! But all I can say is I'm really glad I'm not taping your house, lol

 

[Jesfromdax]

Awesome build I'm subbed

 

[shah1]

This is by far the nice house build and tank build i have seen. good luck

 

[Socaltoaz]

I hope Im not boring everyone with the photos of the house. Until we get the paint done- there isn't much to report on the progress of the tank. The good news is that the texture and taping and plastering is coming along nicely.

Some photos from today:

Here is one of the architectural features of the home - a groin vault. This is down the main hallway of the house. I only post this to show the status of the build- its coming along nicely.




Now on to the fish stuff. Here is the area where the tank will go. On the left is the bar area.




Here is a straight on shot. The tank will sit between the two arches:





The inside of the hood. Lots of power and we have a couple of ventilation units as well:




My fish room in the garage. Getting closer to completion:




A view from the inside of the fish room. Its fully climate controlled:




Im hoping to have the tank in place in about 4-6 weeks. After the paint is done. Ill post more update shots soon.

 

[SPotter]

Wow....i am speechless!!!! The attention to detail is amazing!!!! are you planning this all out on your own or do you have some assistance?

 

[Syho]

Not boring us at all! Keep the pics coming! Very nice!

 

[Sonicboom]

you could show me pictures of bulldozers sitting on dirt and i would be happy, keep the pictures and updates flowing, love this build, even if it is just FOWLER in the reef tank thread...lol

 

[Socaltoaz]

Wow....i am speechless!!!! The attention to detail is amazing!!!! are you planning this all out on your own or do you have some assistance?

I had help from my tank fabricator as well as several consultants. The remote filtration as well as the depressed areas was my idea. As was the ventilation. But Im still getting quotes and bids for the actual installation of the tank.

Not boring us at all! Keep the pics coming! Very nice!

Thank you. It will get interesting after the fish stuff gets started.

you could show me pictures of bulldozers sitting on dirt and i would be happy, keep the pictures and updates flowing, love this build, even if it is just FOWLER in the reef tank thread...lol

Here you go: :beer: The powers that be are trying to convince me to do a full reef. Im not still settled on the final contents of the tank. Who knows, it may be a full blown reef after all.

 

[daplatapus]

Everything looks amazing so far. Very well done. Did the tank dimensions stay the same at 96X48X48? The scale is hard to tell in that room between the arches.
It's going to look fantastic how you built the tank in-between there!