440 Gallon Custom Drop-Off Reef Tank

[Foreverfishy]

Love the idea and following this thread. Question, will the positioning of the lower powerheads help move the water up and back towards the top of the tank. This way when you go to feed the excess nutrients wont settle down there?

 

[fjr_wertheimber]

Thanks, Foreverfishy, yeah, that's the plan, at least. We'll see how it actually works in reality.

 

[palmer373]

Ok I'm a sketchup noob, how were you able to get the skimmer and pumps into google sketchup? Did you design them yourself (If so, amazing!!) or did you import them?

BTW, I thought your first design was awesome but this is amazing. Any idea how soon the tank will be built?

 

[mjhall85]

I gotta say this is going to be an awesome tank once it's done! I am just starting to design myself a new large tank and I never thought about a drop off. I have to say it looks awesome! definitely following along for your build.

 

[trigs]

always loved this idea! nice work!

 

[fjr_wertheimber]

Hey palmer, thanks, glad you like it so far. The skimmer and pumps I found the basis for on Google as Sketchup models, which I then modified by adding another pump and increasing the size to correspond to the size of the Alpha 300. Same thing with the return pumps, I found existing models then just modified them to fit what I needed.
As far as how soon it will be built, well, not soon enough. We're still in talks with a number of manufacturers getting quotes on the tank frame and stand, as well as the CNC and waterjet machining.

 

[rkaiser]

Now I have to get myself another 220 gallons

 

[gitsoe]

this is gonna be so sick!!! hope it all goes as plan, have you read about the other people who tried out this tank? I think the big problem was the deep end and settling.

 

[ktg113]

Tank is going to be great I too love your inspiration tank

 

[fjr_wertheimber]

Yeah, Gitsoe, I read everything I could about drop-off reef tanks, which is why I decided to go with the metal frame and build it as if I were building a plywood tank. That way I don't have to worry about the relatively weak bond of silicone to glass, but rather the stronger bond of silicone being pressed against an external frame by the pressure of the water.

 

[Nonameben]

Oh my god, I would have never thought of this idea for a tank! When I go bigger, I may have a custom built L-shaped acrylic tank just because of this thread. Can't wait to see it progress, following along!

 

[fjr_wertheimber]

A few new renders of the fish room, we finally decided on a paint scheme and flooring. The photos are all ones I took on our dive trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Some of the renders don't have the main tank so you can see the rest of the room better. Gotta love V-ray!

 

[Vince huy]

nice build

 

[JACK733]

So beautiful!

 

[Bello]

That looks sooooo serene!!!!

 

[apuhl20]

so when do you anticipate starting the actual build process?

 

[fjr_wertheimber]

Well, we've already started the process by getting a number of quotes started on the welded sections. We should have a better idea on the cost and delivery timeframe on that shortly. It looks like we might also getting started on painting the room this weekend.

 

[Hexagon Mop]

I have a couple questions/suggestions:
1. How wide is the archway? If the rendering is to scale, it looks like there will be ~3' between the end of the tank and the wall. That will be pretty tight when doing maintenance or when family/guests are moving around the tank looking in.

2. Is the couch for viewing the tank? How far is the tank from the couch? If you are seated at the couch, it seems like your eyes will be looking up towards the tank and may not be very relaxing to the viewer. Especially the upper section of the tank.

3. Have you thought of scrapping the couch and placing the tank against that wall (if logistically possible)? To me it seems like a weird place to put the tank. It's blocking 2/3 of the archway into that room. It looks out of place. How about centering the tank against the couch wall with a couple barstools for viewing that way the room is open makes an "aquarium room". Then place the GBR pictures on the wall where the tank is

The suggestions are only my $.02 and I hope I didn't offend as I am only basing my opinions on a drawing. Where did you dive the GBR? The wife and I dove out of Cairns a couple years ago and have been dyin to go back.

Jeff

 

[fjr_wertheimber]

Yeah, the rendering is to scale (to within 1/16"). There's actually 4' between the end of the tank and the front wall, so really more than enough room for checking out the tank or working on the front glass.

The couch is there for relaxing in the room, not necessarily for just looking at the tank. The tank is going to be a central point of the house, not just the room, which is why it's located where it is. It will be the first thing you see as you enter the house (the front door is directly to the left as you're looking into the room with the tank) and you'll pass it every time you head down the hall to the living room or upstairs to the bedrooms (which, with 3 kids, is quite often). The whole point of the tank (besides, obviously, being a beautiful reef tank) is to separate that room from the rest of the house as a quite refuge to relax in, and to serve as a focal point for the house.

No offense taken, thanks for the input!

We dove the GBR and Ribbon Reefs/Coral Sea out of Cairns. When we went on leave from Iraq she and I decided to do something special on the Army's dime and took that trip. It was amazing, two weeks of diving on the Ocean Quest, Reef Quest, and Taka, including getting out Open Water, Advanced Open Water, and Nitrox certifications, and we absolutely can't wait to either go back or dive elsewhere.

 

[mathusala]

Amazing idea, subscribed.