250 gallon living room attraction

[thefuz]

Greetings, all. About to embark on an upgrade from a 90 to a 250. Very much interested in opinions and suggestions on my direction with this tank. Planning on attempting to duplicate my current setup/success with a few important adjustments (no MH, remote sump, automatic w/c, and better temperature management - current tank swings ~3 degrees daily). Mixed SPS/LPS with lots of fish. Fish are fun! Here's the general idea...

Display: 84Lx28Wx25H (~250 gallons) peninsula overflow with 1.5" Beananimal drain. 1/2" regular glass with euro-brace top and bottom.
Sump: 100 gallon Rubbermaid, remote in basement.
Skimmer: My Reef Creations MR-2R Beckett skimmer (I'm not 100% on this one due to a few drawbacks like the added heat & electricity of the recirculating pump as well as the challenge of keeping it clean/efficient. Need to figure out if I can supply this via one of the overflow drains. Anyone know if this might work?)
Return Pump: ReeFlo Barracuda/Hammerhead with manifold next to sump (in case I add carbon/GFO reactors later). Planning dual returns (stepped down to 1") on a pair of WavySea wavemakers on the ends opposite the overflow. I'm estimating 17ft of head.
Supplements: MTC Procal calcium reactor. Will stick with dosing pumps and 2-part for starters until the system gets going in earnest though.
Lighting: DIY LED/T5. I got an awesome deal on a pair of Radion Gen3 Pro's a few weeks back and I'm looking to run some configuration of T5 retrofits alongside them. Possible I'll need additional LED coverage along the center but we'll see. Open to suggestions. Considering two sets of 4x36" T5 plus the Radions between them (probably will pick up another pair).
Nutrient Export: Scrubber possibly. Macro algae definitely. I have frag tank running alongside the sump that could be perfect for this application. GFO will be possible via return manifold.
Display Flow: I have a pair of MP60s but thinking about trying Tunze's out.
ATO: Tunze
Auto w/c: Reef Filler pump
Substrate: 1" bed with Tropic Eden Reefflakes Aragonite Sand

Phew. Comments most appreciated!!!

Opening issues are:
1. How's this skimmer? I've heard Beckett's skim great when clean but require lots of attention. The recirc pump is a power hog and wondering if I should be concerned with excess heat?
2. Powerhead placement and how many? I have two MP60s now. How much more flow is needed?
3. The wall to the rear of the tank is the center line of the house with three sistered beams of support perpendicular to the joists supporting the floor. (the joists run perpendicular to the tank). There's a lally column just about at the center of the wall. Is any further support critical or just "nice to have"? There's a finished basement beneath. I need to open up part of the wall anyway to run the drains and return line but I'd like to avoid major construction if possible.
4. Any sand alternatives to Tropic Eden Reefflakes Aragonite Sand? Seems like Premium Aquatics never has this in stock. I'd like to avoid live sand. I have plenty of stuff to seed the bed from my current tank.

 

[Whiterabbitrage]

:inlove: so jealous!

 

[Trainwreck618]

This looks like a fun build. You picked the perfect spot for a display tank, but where will the tv be relocated to? With a tank this large I always suggest consulting with a structural engineer to make sure there will be no issues, you don't want a mistake that large.. Also the mp60's would be solid to place on both ends, I would suggest an mp40 or two along the back so you can have everything at a lower setting since it is in your living room. They get loud when turned up, but at lower levels are not bad at all.

 

[Trainwreck618]

Also if you haven't purchased the 100 gallon sump yet, you may want to step up to 150g. They are not much more at all, and it gives you better options for the future if adding other tanks or gear.

 

[thefuz]

Good suggestion on the MPx's, thanks. I'll need to figure in room for something like that along the back. Still haven't decided whether or not I'll be making an effort to keep the back wall clean. That side of the tank is already painted black, same as my current 90. I do like the negative space created by the clean wall but 7 feet of it might be a b*tch to maintain.

TV is going where the mirror is now.

100 gallon sump is in place and running for a few months. It's full just about to the brim with live rock that has been under a Maxspect Mazarra during that time. Nice and purple. I don't believe I have a enough space to fit the 150 gallon. Tight dimensions between some shelving and the sink next to the sump. Not planning on more tanks for now, other than a frag tank I have running alongside the sump already (some fish and inverts in here now but will most likely use this to host macro algae that I've had good success collecting locally).

 

[polywise]

I would really have someone check out the structure of the house in the area where you are planning on putting the tank. That's MUCHO of weght.

My 300 DD tank is on a outside wall with foundation under it and the joists run perpendicular to the tank just like yours & I still put beam with 2 lali column under the tank. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

[Tradewinds]

Nice tank! It's cool the way you superimposed the tank over the current furniture.

Perfect spot for the tank. How tall is the stand? TV could go over the fireplace.

 

[thefuz]

Yup, definitely having a few qualified folks work out weight mitigation plans for beneath the tank.

Stand is 39" which I'm really excited about. Puts the tank at a great height for viewing.

Google Sketchup was really helpful with the 3D view.

Working on some aquascape ideas so if anyone has come across interesting examples in tanks with similar dimensions that'd be great. I'm torn between a minimalist approach with a good supply of white sea floor or a cascading rubble fall from right to left. Also considering an insert along the back wall to compensate for the lack of access to the rear for algae scraping.

 

[phaze5]

waiting with baited breath

 

[Sn8kbyt]

Looks to be an awesome build!

I gave up on sand and switched to Florida crushed coral by CaribSea, best change I ever made. Not only cheaper, but easier to clean, and always looks good even if you skimp on husbandry from time to time.

 

[thefuz]

I have CaribSea now and while I do like it for the reasons you mention I think I prefer the look of sand. The darker sand is intriguing also but with the black backdrop I think the white will play better. I'm not going with a very thick layer so I can always change it up later (wishful thinking on my part that this will be an easy task, I'll admit!!).

 

[Liavb22]

thefuz, can you guide me to placing the rendering on a real image like you did? I export the file as a jpeg than remove the background in photoshop, but I can't seem to get the "view" properly. the perspective always seems off.

Any help would be a appreciated.

 

[thefuz]

Sure. It was pretty easy with Sketchup. Within the program you can find do a search for preformed designs. There are actually quite a few aquarium renders. Once I found one that was close enough to my tank I imported it and adjusted the dimensions to match. When I was satisfied with those settings, Sketchup has this great feature that allows you to position/scale/skew your render on top of any image. No PhotoShop required! Give it a try. Good luck!

 

[Liavb22]

Thanks!

 

[thefuz]

Water change station on track!

 

[sandyland]

Would it be possible to make this an in wall tank? Not sure what's on the back side of that wall but hat would be sweet!

 

[thefuz]

Great idea but not possible. The basement stairwell is directly behind that area. However, I've been working on designs with a carpenter that pretty much make it seem like part of the wall anyway.

 

[Sn8kbyt]

Water change station on track!

I need to get me some tanks like this!

 

[thefuz]

See if a distributor is close to you so you can save on shipping. These are Ace Roto Mold vertical storage tanks (100 gallon). I obtained mine from RuralKing.com. They were a pleasure to deal with and freight was the most reasonable. That's the real killer on getting these types of tanks. I'm sure there are less expensive solutions but not necessarily this large and unlikely to be graduated.

 

[thefuz]

Update: Wow, it's been a while! Finally got the structural support taken care of!! Sistered joists all the way across and a new column in the load-bearing wall behind/beneath the spot for the tank.

Even made a nice new "window" along the stairwell wall.

Carpenter's working on the stand and such which will eventually look something like this: