440 Gallon Custom Drop-Off Reef Tank

So a bit more info: The rock structure will be live rock with a PVC substructure, covered in pond foam and formed Polygem Zoopoxy #307 LITE and custom latex press molds to give the appearance of actual live rock. I'm going to have the pieces cut on a CNC waterjet to ensure accuracy of ±.003" and perfectly leveled cuts on each axis.
 
fjr_wertheimber said:
Thanks, CyclistMT, I think you may be (partially) right. I'm definitely losing one of the pillars on the lower level but keeping one (I want at least one pillar at the bottom to serve as a remind of our dive trip at Steve's Bommie on the Great Barrier Reef), and I'm toying with shrinking the pillars on the top level to just small, short rocks (kinda mini-mini-bommies, if you will... LOL).
Click to expand...

I totally understand and besides, it's your tank, not mine and it should definitely be a reflection of it's owner. The beauty of a 3 sided viewable tank is that if your view is obstucted from one side, you can move around to the other and see what's there. It's like a garden path where you can't see around the corner, but if you keep walking you'll discover something new.
 
This is awesome! I saw your post on ARC and here. Looks like an amazing design idea. I am not far away up 35 so if you ever need another set of hands I would be more than happy to help out just to see this set up. Keep up the good work on detailing the design.
 
Hey, thanks for the offer of help, lotusstar. I'm actually up in Temple quite often (at the VA clinic up there) and I'll definitely take you up on the offer once I've got everything in place. I think it's gonna be pretty incredible.
 
Okay, so just a few updates. I put together a mockup of the new tank will go into, so we can figure out furniture, etc. Also, Wendy wanted a nano tank for some h. barbouri seahorses, so I mocked up a tank for her from the scrap cut to make the L-shaped pieces for the main tank. It will definitely be the stoutest nano EVER, as it's 24"l x 16"h x 12"w, made out of 3/4" low-iron glass. LOL It'll have a sump underneath with a WAY oversized skimmer for the tank size, to accommodate the nastiness that seahorse tanks create.

You'll pardon me if the models aren't exact, but I just wanted to make sure I was giving myself enough room for the Alpha 300 Kone skimmer, for the two HY5000 returns, and also to check the placement of the four Vortech pumps (2x MP40wES, 2x MP60wES). The two 40 gallon tanks up front are going to be quarantine tanks, the water jugs are for top-off water (and will be pulled from with an auto-topoff turning on/off an Aqualifter pump. The large portion of the sump towards the front will be a refugium/frag area. Oh, and I added 2" tabs with holes for attaching the wood facing on the stand.

Anyone see anything I'm missing, something I could improve or you think I should change?
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Excellent mockup of the room and tank. Looks like you will have plenty of room under the tank. One question though. Is it a 2 side viewable? For some reason I was assuming it was a peninsula 3 side viewable. Either way you are really doing your homework. Should be excellent.
 
No, it's definitely three -side viewable. The large archway leads to the stairs and front door, it's not just a cutaway. Glad you like it!
 
So the skimmer and return choices are made :)

Have you considered setting up a propagation tank, instead of 2 quarantine tanks? As in, 1 prop tank and 1 qt, plumbed, to make it easier to transfer dt water to the qt?
 
Actually, Bello, the two QT tanks will have lines from the return pumps, so that I can open a portion of the return flow to refill the QT tanks after I siphon out any detritus on the bottoms of the tanks. The right hand side of the refugium will actually have trays for frags and will be lit by LEDs on the same schedule/intensity as the lights up above, to allow me to grow out frags that will be able to be immediately placed in the display tank without them going into shock.

Yeah, lotusstar, it should look awesome as you come in the front door. The cool part is, as you walk up to the front door and look into the room with tank, the angle is such that you won't see the big tank at all, just the seahorse nano, so it'll be a huge shock to see the massive tank right as you enter.
 
Are the QT tanks for fish or inverts?

If they're for fish, I dont know I'd want them plumbed into the system in order to be absolutely sure that any parasites are completely isolated from the main display.

I would think that it would be easy enough to fill it with tank water or preferrably with fresh ASW using a powerhead and some 1/2 inch tubing.

Obviously with the QT tanks where they are in your plans and you mentioning they will siphoned out regularly for detritus, you can access them....I would just avoid plumbing in whichever one you will be using for fish to avoid the possibility of allowing parasites thorugh the plumbing into the main system.

For my QT, (All fish go through a minimum 30 days QT before going into my display) I just use a 20H glass tank. I keep a few (4-5) bioballs floating in my sump at all times so that I can use them for bio filtration if need be at a moments notice for any fish QT concerns. I just use an Aquaclear HOB filter with all the filtration innards removed, and put the bioballs in it...viola, instant Bio filter and gas exchange/Water movement device for the QT which only has PVC fittings in it for the fish to take shelter in.

Actually, now that I think about it, Ich has a life stage where it falls to the bottom of the tank and attaches to whatever it lands on for a few days...therefore, it could hitch hike into your system on an invert as well.

I'd honestly just keep the QT tanks completely isolated from the main system, plumbing wise. Safer and less plumbing for you as well.

Just my two cents, and I'm really looking forward to watching this build progress.

Nick
 
Hey maxxII, I think you misunderstand. I completely understand the need to have the QT tanks separate completely from the main display system, that is, after all, the whole point of having a quarantine system.I'm going to have a line from the return pumps of the main tank run to the QT tanks with a valve, so it will stay closed all the time, except for when I need to fill the QT tanks, there is no return flow from the QT to the display or sump. That way any new additions to the tank are acclimated to the environment (water-wise) they'll be in once they're in the main tank system.
 
Ahh...makes more sense now.

You going to make it an over the side output from the pump to the tank? If you keep the plumbing completely out of the water (of the QT) its the same thing I was talking about, just easier & faster to fill on your end.

Yup, I misunderstood....sorry about that.

Nick
 
Yup, you're trackin' now. Nothing to be sorry for, man, I appreciate you trying to help out. Please, if you see anything else you think I might be messed up on, let me know; I'd rather explain the how/why of why I'm doing something a certain way, then to have people not tell me they think something is wrong because they assume I knew something.
 
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