~200+ gallon in-wall, both sides open, reef build - Long term project

[MarsRover]

Hey everyone,

I have decided to start planning by big build. I figure i am about a year off from actually having this tank but since it's going to be a major project i need to start planning.

A little about me, I recently purchased a house, i am located in the San Gabriel Foothills, about 25 minutes outside of LA. I'm an engineer working for NASA. I did reefing and worked at an exotic fish and reptile shop all throughout high school. Then in college i stopped reefing and now that i have been settled in LA for 2.5 years with a steady job, it's time to get serious.

I presently have a ~50gal oceanic tank with MH & T5's. It has been going really well but space has always been an issue. I want to go to my forever tank. I'm anticipating having the new tank in question for at least 10 years.

The location i want to build it is in a wall between my living room, family room, and dining room. The idea is to have at least two sides visible. This is 100% a load bearing wall. I have not yet taken the walls off yet to see what madness lies beneath. Additionally, the floor is crappy hardwood floors ontop of a concrete slab, so at least i have that going for me. Downside is the concrete is likely not flat underneath (ugh... don't ask...) so that will need to be in the game plan as well.

As i said, BIG project.

So on to the fun stuff!

LOCATION: The wall presently behind my fish tank is the wall in question.

Going to have to put some sort of architectural column on one or both ends of the fishtank unfortunately....

I'd have a cabinet for storage and sump under the tank (basically on the ground) and openable louver style doors on either side at the top that allows tank access and storage of lighting.

Ideal Display tank dimensions so far that i've measured are as follows: 60"x24"x36" (the 36 inches may be negotiable... depends on what is under the wall and how much access i'll be able to allow myself)

By my calculations, 60"x24"x46" ≈ 1872.84 lbs ≈ 224.42 gallons of H2O

Soon i will get some CAD models together to start virtually building.

Anyone know where i can find a tank of roughly these dimensions for a good price? Acrylic or Glass? If Glass what kind?


Thanks folks! Really looking forward to this adventure

 

[runJE]

Good luck, I'll be following along

 

[MarsRover]

Made decisions

Made decisions

Going with an Acrylic and Glass Exhibits 60"x30"x30" tank.

Will be having it drilled for bean animal style overflow with OUT an over flow box. Heres why: The over flow box options will take entirely too much realestate with this design. I am going for a centrally located style (no overflow attached to a wall) because walls will all be visible for display.

I have gone through several iterations of designs as well as speaking with Chris at A.G.E. I think I want to do at least one column of rock work, maybe two. Here are the options i've been playing with:

Cylindrical Overflow tanks (excluded now because they would be prohibitively expensive for A.G.E to make for me)

 

[MarsRover]

Second options, the idea of Chris of A.G.E. was to just have the naked standpipes, no overflow box, and i would support the standpipes with rockwork built around/integrated into them with cement bonding it all together into my towers.

I decided i did want to go with the "on fifths" design. Where the center of the overflow was on an intersection of fifths of the length and width. I still hadn't decided on 1 vs 2 though.

So here was design #1 for standpipes.

I realized that the smallest circumscribing cylinder of this stack was still pretty large. and if i wanted two (one on each side, offset on opposite sides of the width-centerline as shown with the overflow boxes above) this would take a lot of space and building a tower around these would take up even more space! so i had to think of something else....

 

[MarsRover]

So i came up with this design, technically the bulkheads of the standpipes are in the same locations as the straight-pipe design option (#1) but with version #2, the main airspace diameter of the standpipe system is smaller and i think that matters more. The top will have to, at the very least, have the rock work flare to encircle the standpipe tops, and the bottom of the standpipes likely will be covered mostly by sand and then the rockwork tower's "apron", but i think this buys me more space.

I still hadn't decided on one vs two of these "bulkhead clusters".

Going back and forth on having them just drill both locations of clusters but then i could always "cap" off one side if i decided when it got here and put the plumbing in that i didn't want both. Capping would involve just using ball valves on the underside of the bulkheads. Leaving in the flexibility.

 

[MarsRover]

I have officially decided... unless someone tells me that i really should do something otherwise.

I am going to go with one bulkhead cluster. 3, beanAnimal style standpipes placed on the verticies of an equilateral triangle with the return riser pipe in the dead center of the pattern. All 1.5" pipeing.

I figure if i want a second tower i can built it purely out of rocks. I think this one overflow system should provide more than enough return volume capability for this system. Also, having the second cluster in place, not using and having it "capped" off from underneath with gate/ball valves is just asking for an accident to happen.

FINAL DECISION:








I still have the single standpipe cluster centered on "fifths" on one side. this will allow me the flexibility to do a single tower with cantilever/arch outcropping diagonally across the tank OR two towers on opposing fifths.

What do you all think?

 

[MarsRover]

This is what i mean by "centered on fifths"

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[MarsRover]

Drawings sent to AGE. Very excited!

And then I had to decide how tall the stand was going to be so AGE can make that. Pulled out the masking tape with the girlfriend and...well...see attached

Decided on 3' tall. Leaves the top of the tank roughly around my eye level while also leaving plenty of room to build in access through the top of the tank....so I can reach the 30" bottom

Very excited!

 

[MarsRover]

I just set up my BRS 6 stage Universal Plus RO/DI unit outside.

ZERO WASTE! :bounce3: California reefer here

Still need to drill it to the wall but here it is! I have the RO output line coming into my sliding glass door going into a 35gal trash can (temporarily, until it is full, then I'll make saltwater, use, and move the can back outside).

Heres the best part:
My "waste" line is going to a rain barrel up on the upper yard so i can water my plants with the water and not feel bad!

Going to bolt it to the wall behind the tree branch tomorrow!

 

[CrayolaViolence]

Great idea!

 

[rum3002576]

clever idea there

 

[VanJuKy]

Awesome idea. I like that idea so much I am going to install a Tee into my unit. In the winter it will go to drain, and when its warm it will go to my gardens.

 

[Brunzy]

I love the barrel idea for saving any extra water! This tank looks like it's going to be quite an adventure!

How do you plan on hiding your return lines?

 

[Darthv247]

could also use that water for an african chichlid tank

 

[MarsRover]

I love the barrel idea for saving any extra water! This tank looks like it's going to be quite an adventure!

How do you plan on hiding your return lines?

Like this!


Here is a really fast model i put together of rockwork in my system. I obviously won't be building the rock work up so much as i have shown here. This is just a representation of what i plan to do to hide the pipes and build an overflow!

I plan to use Marco rocks and mortar.

What do you all think?

 

[MarsRover]

Do you guys think 1.5" PVC pipe is excessive??? it is really large and takes up tons of space.... Can i get away with 1" and not sacrifice good drainage??

thanks

 

[MarsRover]

the only thing better than CAD is printing CAD 1:1 and putting it in the location. Looking at the 1.5" PVC pipe, its MASSIVE..... luckily i can make some changes to the holes still in the drawings for manufacture......

1.5" PVC as presently drawn:




Do you think going down to 1" pipe on a 230 gal system is insufficient return volume capability?

 

[MarsRover]

So I decided to reduce my pipes to 1". 1.5" was just crazy big and got too close to the walls for my liking. 3x1" drains (full siphon, open channel, emergency) and 1x1" return line (in the center).

I figure, full siphon 1" will do 600-900GPH. If i end up needing more drainage, i can employ that center 1" "return" line as a full siphon drain and i will run return line up through one of the structural columns i'm going to build on either side of the tank that will support the ceiling.



What do you all think?

How much rock do you all think i should buy from Marco? I'm thinking i'm going to go with dry rock this time around......

 

[Darthv247]

I wouldn't run the return line across the middle of the tank. It will always be in your way and block the light. Better to route it around the edges. sides and front or back depending on the side your service access will be.
cool design though. should be nice

 

[Darthv247]

think the main drainage line should still be 1.5 if u want to tune it down with the gate valve no? plenty of bean animal info out there. never done it personally.