336 A.G.E. Peninsula Tank

[bag151]

Well after half a year of being patient, saving, and planning everything I can think of I am ready to take the plunge. I am planning on submitting my order to AGE this week for my tank. Just need to make a few final decisions. I currently live in a loft so I have a open floor plan, this is great because it allows me to arrange things how I would like them. The Tank will act as a room divider between the living room and my bedroom. The aim of this new endeavor is to provide a suitable environment for my obsession with SPS as well as fish. I will post the stock list at a later point but it revolves around Tangs, Anthias, and gobies.

Display Tank: The Tank will be a 72x36x30 three side viewable tank with a pvc base and the three main panes will be Starphire. It will have 2x 2in drains ( a little overkill I know) and 2 returns ( 1in sea swirls) fed by a sequence snapper.

Second Display Tank: I have planed to add a second tank at a later time which will be a 46g zero edge aquarium that will be tied into the main system. This tank will be dedicated to a blue carpet anemone and clams. I decided that I would never again allow a anemone into my main system after I had gone on vacation and returned to discover that my fav. fish, a 8in Sohal Tang, had vanished and my long tentacle anemone was very fat and happy. I have no proof that he did in fact eat him but I will never trust one again.

Sump: The sump is designed to manage the nutrient export of my tank through the use of a large skimmer as well as a refugium. The sump is also designed to allow all incoming water pass through a filter sock.

Nutrient Export:
Most important factor IMO is the use of a good skimmer, after alot of deliberation I have decided to go with a Bubble Master 250 as my skimmer. The sump is designed to support a wide range of in sump skimmers when the ever evolving skimmer market presents itself with a new option. There is also a 30g refugium tapped into the main return line for low flow. I will also be incorporating Ozone into the system through the use of a Ozone Reactor for that final polish.

Flow:
Currently I have stockpiled 4 ecotech marine vortechs as well as a sequence baracuda. I also have alloted for two tunze 6200's when they become a requirement for the tank. The sequence barracuda will be plumbed in as a closed loop running through a ocean motions 4 way.

Lighting:
The main display will use 2 lumenarc III pendents with 400w 20k MH and 2 PFO HQI mini pendents with 250w 10k bulbs for a balanced color scheme. The third PFO pendant will be used to light the overflow tank. I also have a few vho icecap ballasts to provide actinic supplementation. Moon lighting will be taken care off by a large array of actinic & blue led's that I am having shipped in.

Temp Control:
With such a large influx of heat due to lighting I will be using a 1/2 hp jbj artica chiller on a independent closed loop as well as my home ac system to cool the tank.

Calcium/alk:
Well since they tend to run together I am using a geo calcium reactor coupled with a geo kalk reactor to maintain proper levels.

Humidity:
Since a vented air duct outside in my case is not an option I will be ducting the air through my dehumidifier that did a great job on my previous 180g tank.

The pictures below are a rough mockup of the system but is built to scale. I will finish them and make them shiny when I get a chance .

Any advice or insight on my design is welcome. Just hope I haven't over looked some fatal flaw

 

[mcliffy2]

I also live in a loft, and have now pretty much decided to do an in-wall build to hide all the equipment in my 2nd bedroom. I've had a semi-large (125g) tank for 8 months, and doing maintenance under a cramped cabinet is just a pain and it seems like water inevitably gets spilled on the floor, so getting the sump elsewhere was a huge priority in my next system. Have you thought about trying to locate the sump in a spare bedroom or somewhere? Also, what floor are you on? Just curious how you evaluated what size tank your floor could support?

 

[bag151]

I only have one room so there is no second bedroom to hide the equipment in and I don't want to sacrafice my only closet to equipment. I had no issues really with cramped working conditions because I made sure to plan around them in my 180g. The stand is 42 in tall so I have plenty of vertical height and I can get underneath the tank from 3 sides which is great. One of my favorite things about this place is the sealed concrete floors. No worries about split water & and I have peace of mind that the floor is structurally sound. I live on the ground level in a high rise complex so the floor is a reinforced slab. I am guessing at least 12in thick post tension slab. Something I left out of my discussion earlier was my canopy, it uses 2 linear actuators & a frame made out of aluminum profile to lift the canopy up. Really makes a big difference in a 30 deep tank.

 

[mcliffy2]

Looks pretty cool. Another idea I would kick around would be doing the tank rimless and open top, and hanging the lights from your ceiling - its a very cool modern look that would keep with the open feel of a loft. Either way this looks like a build to follow.

I remember now the lofts in H-town having concrete floors (I lived there for 6 years)...up here they are all hardwood. I think I'm going to build a plywood box to set my sump in and seal it, or something to keep spills off the floor - I have too many salt stains as it is.

 

[stdreb27]

I guess I just don't understand loft on the ground floor. I'd really like the open look. As long as you don't have people putting stuff in there.

 

[bag151]

Well I do like the rim less look, but it was an extra grand as well as some of the fish I will be keeping tend to be carpet surfers. I am going to seal the base of my stand as well, I am using a 1/2in sheet of PVC and poly-welding a 3in lip around the rim. The stand will also be elevated by plenty of leveling feet so in the even of water making it under the tank it can be blown out by a fan.

Stdreb- It's not a true loft just a more open footprint. Not really worried about stuff making it in there, just stuff making it out. Enclosing the hood also allows me to duct the humidity more effectively through my dehumidifier. I think what drives me nuts with open top tanks is accidentally looking into the light, hard to enjoy the tank with blue spots floating in your vision. It has been done very well by Naka & Invincible but at this time its not for me, my open top tank will be a overflow tank

 

[bag151]

Time for an update, They started manufacturing the tank today which is great. I purchased the tank through AquaDaves in College Station, who is dealing directly with AGE. Should be done in 4 to 6 weeks.

I ended up going with the external overflow which will be great for space in the tank and I have 2.75in overflow thickness so the tank can support two Tunze wave boxes. I also am relocating the water storage tank to be outside of the stand and will eventually go underneath the overflow tank.

Hopefully we are welding the stand up next weekend so we can get it over to be Rhino Lined next week.

 

[thor32766]

great I wish I could have had external boxes. I always hated how much space the internal took up.

 

[bag151]

Just need to figure out a way to black out the box so you don't have to stare at the standpipes.

 

[bag151]

Well for the moment there might be a change of plans, there is another tank that is 2in shorter width wise that AGE as already been made, it is an external overflow which I can live with. I am just waiting on details particularly the price.

I just may be going with ADG( Aquarium Design Group) after my experience at Fish Gallery this weekend. Fish Gallery is the store front of Aquarium Environments which also includes Aquarium and Glass Exhibits, who makes the tanks for the group. On Saturday I was at the Houston Fish gallery with David Rains(Aquadave) who I am purchasing my setup through. David has a account with AGE and deals with the stores regularly. David was introducing me to Roger who is the Houston fish gallery owner. We were chatting about business and David told Roger about the tank that Tom (head of AGE) is making for me. Roger pointed out that there was a similar tank already made that we might be interested in. So after talking it over I decided I need some more details and that we would be in touch with Tom on Monday. As we were getting ready to leave we were chatting and Roger proceeded to royally Tick me off. There in the middle of the store he called me a spoiled little rich kid and he told Dave that he needed to sell more setups to people like me. He continued insulting me to my face and I was in shock, I didn't even say anything. I am fuming now, I work very hard for my money just like everyone else and I don't really feel like paying someone a good sum of money who is going to insult me. I might just take my money else ware. I don't have anything against Tom or anyone else I have met associated with AGE but this deal has really rubbed me raw. You guys need to work on your customer service.

-Brett

 

[stdreb27]

ADG lets Marsh reef have their meeting in their place, so that is nice. They have an awesome reef tank for one of their displays that I absolutely love!
I'm curious why did he go off calling you a spoiled rich kid? This is too good of a story to not tell the whole thing.

 

[bag151]

Well Rodger started the conversation with you should keep bringing the rich college kids in from college station. Then he assumed that I was spending my parents money and that I was some spoiled college kid and proceeded to say it to my face. This was after we had talked about the tank that they are building for me. He just assumed that I was in college because David deals in College Station.

I suppose since I am only spending over 3 grand on a tank thats not enough money for him and he can walk all over me.

I have never meet Rodger before and I didn't say more then a hand full of words during our conversation so he had no cause to say that. The way he acted gave me an opinion of him that ranks with used car salesmen and ambulance chasers.
Where I am going to get screwed is I already payed for half of the tank so I doubt that they are going to give that back real easy.

 

[boozeman]

:eek1: wow

 

[jjackson]

Yeah its an amazing thing when somebody would treat a client that way... even if you were a spoiled rich kid would you really want someone saying it to your face?....

 

[stdreb27]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11708884#post11708884 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bag151
Well Rodger started the conversation with you should keep bringing the rich college kids in from college station. Then he assumed that I was spending my parents money and that I was some spoiled college kid and proceeded to say it to my face. This was after we had talked about the tank that they are building for me. He just assumed that I was in college because David deals in College Station.

I suppose since I am only spending over 3 grand on a tank thats not enough money for him and he can walk all over me.

I have never meet Rodger before and I didn't say more then a hand full of words during our conversation so he had no cause to say that. The way he acted gave me an opinion of him that ranks with used car salesmen and ambulance chasers.
Where I am going to get screwed is I already payed for half of the tank so I doubt that they are going to give that back real easy.

lol, what an ass. rich college kids.
Dang us kids who finished college and got a good job. Hey who do you work for in the oil field?

 

[bag151]

I work for Ryder Scott Company, I do volumetric reserve estimations and such.

 

[jjackson]

ie... surfs reefcentral most of the day....

 

[bag151]

I wish! Some people got to work everyday instead of skipping class and playing with there toys all day James.

 

[bag151]

Ahh the saga continues, it appears that Tom is ignoring Dave's phone calls. It really sucks that they have such a good design because if they didn't there is no way in hell I would deal with them. They have wasted 3 weeks playing email tag to get this tank started. Their customer support sucks.

 

[aggie4231]

I'm sorry about your experience with Roger. I used to work for him at Aquarium Environments. He does make assumptions way to fast. He really doesn't mean anything harmful towards anyone, unless you **** him off or something similar(which I've seen happen). I have even made some costly mistakes before and I'm still on Rogers good side. I would take whatever comments he said with a grain of salt.

The only reason, he might of made the assumption is because you are going through AquaDaves (college station) and not Fish Gallery.

I would really still consider going with AGE. I think ADG might end up more pricier.