500 Gallon 120x34x28 In-Wall w/ Side Views + Fish Room

[Blue Tang Clan]

Hi gang, this is my journey toward a new tank build which is part of a new house build. I expect to have keys to the house by May 2019, and I hope to have water in the tank a month later.

Display dimensions: 120x34x28
120" long is because I want to have Tangs that prefer long distance open water, like Hippos and Powder Blues
34" wide will fit through a 36" door
28" deep allows me reach the bottom without a snorkel. I am 6'4 and have long arms, but my 25" tall 90 gallon is already a challenge to get things in the back/bottom.

Display Style:
The tank will be similar to an in-wall tank, but instead of being flush up against a contiguous wall, the "wall" will be wrapped around the tank. It's a little more work, but if you're starting from scratch... So, in-wall, but with a 34" protrusion into the room. Normally, you would only get the long view from being behind the wall, but I want everyone to be able to look through 10 feet of reef action!

Aquatics Lab:
The Aquatics Lab (Fish Room) will be 16'x16' -- this is a true privilege, and I am excited to be able to build a dedicated room with floor drains, plumbing, and all of the necessary support equipment to make this a great display tank.

Both the display tank and the fish room will NOT be "in" my house for "Oh $@%#!!" leak risk reasons -- instead it will be connected but on its own separate slab, next to my garage slab. I haven't seen my design before on these forums, but I'm sure it's been done before.

I view this build as a collaborative effort with everyone here on the site, so don't be shy about posting best practices and lessons learned from your own builds!

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

Here is the plan for the tank room, and why it's different than many setups.

The room will be positioned OUTSIDE of the foundation of the house, on a separate slab, similar to (and parallel to) the garage. But, you'll be able to walk from one room to the other as if they were connected and part of the same house. If there are any tank leaks, they will be caught be a trench/channel drain that divides the Fish Room from the Morning Room. So, no damage will come to the house, even if the glass cracks. [Ignore some of my markups, I'm still waiting on final architect drawings.]

Goals:

• The display can stay on the main level for maximum viewing, while still having a basement for the house
• Keeping it separate from the house mitigates damage risk from any potential leaks
• Concrete slab eliminates weight concerns for display, holding tanks, etc. -- lots of water!

 

[kinggeorge818]

Here is the plan for the tank room, and why it's different than many setups.



The room will be positioned OUTSIDE of the foundation of the house, on a separate slab, similar to (and parallel to) the garage. But, you'll be able to walk from one room to the other as if they were connected and part of the same house. If there are any tank leaks, they will be caught be a trench/channel drain that divides the Fish Room from the Morning Room. So, no damage will come to the house, even if the glass cracks. [Ignore some of my markups, I'm still waiting on final architect drawings.]



Goals:

• The display can stay on the main level for maximum viewing, while still having a basement for the house
  
• Keeping it separate from the house mitigates damage risk from any potential leaks
  
• Concrete slab eliminates weight concerns for display, holding tanks, etc. -- lots of water!
  

Wow looks like this is going to be a breathtaking tank when it's done! Can't wait to see


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[Blue Tang Clan]

Thanks KingGeorge -- I'm hoping to take a few cues from your playbook; you have an incredible build!

I'm starting to chronicle things with YouTube videos, starting with my humble beginnings in a 90 Gallon.

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

A question on overflows:
I want to have a long long skimming area. Modular Marine can actually do a 96" custom version, which would be insane. Here is a pic of the 60" version.

The question is, since the overflow is so long, does it make any sense to have an extra pipe put in so I could potentially do 2 siphon overflows? Not 6 pipes, but 4 total. I really don't think I want to do two separate overflows, as tuning two can be tricky and I don't want 6 pipes. Is 4 doable? 2 siphons, one ball valve trickle, and an emergency?

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Hi Blue Tang.
Having a long tank for your tangs to swim is awsome. I know mine loved to swim.
Here is a pic of my old system that may give you some ideas. Tank was 7' x2.5' and 3' tall.
I had viewing from the front and the left end. Being a diver, I enjoyed the view from the end, looking down the 7 foot length, the most.
The cabinet on the right held my 6' tall skimmer.

I built a 12' x 30' sunroom onto the back of my house on the existing patio the previous owner had poured. My house is old and is on a raise foundation. The yellow wall on the right is the original back wall of my house. The sunroom has windows behind the tank which made it easy to get into the tank from the back.

Wish I did have a "aquatics lab" rather than everything under the tank. One thing I did do that helped a lot was after i installed green board on the house walls, I painted it and the concrete floor with a water repellent sealer.

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[cFloor]

This is looking like it’ll be an incredible build and I’m looking forward to following along.
Ps- I’m feelin the name and logo!

 

[McPuff]

Hangin' out, eager to see the progress.

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

This is looking like it'll be an incredible build and I'm looking forward to following along.
Ps- I'm feelin the name and logo!

Thanks! I'm pretty pumped, and I've started making a 1:1 mockup of the fish room in my garage. The Mrs. is not a huge fan of that, but she's been patient so far!

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

I order my stand and it arrived last weekend. It's gorgeous and exactly 120" x 36". The problem is, the tank at 120"x36" will have a 5/8-3/4" frame on the top and bottom, which will extend past the direct support of the stand.

3/4" plywood will be underneath the tank (along with a foam pad) and I can extend the plywood an extra 3/4" all around, but will this present a major issue for supporting the tank?

Technically the glass will be supported, it's just the outer wrap that will stick out below the vertical beams below.

 

[d-man]

It’ll be fine. As stated the weight it all supported and it’s just the protrusion of the frame that isn’t directly on the stand. Plus the 3/4” plywood can handle that extra lil but nooo problem

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

Thanks for the encouragement!

I'm currently talking to Custom Aquariums for the tank, and Modular Marine for the overflow. There are some incompatibilities to be worked out, but both are custom jobs so I'm not too worried about it.

My goal right now is not to have anything under the display tank stand. While there are some conveniences of having a sump down there, putting it off to the side is easier given the proximity to other equipment like the frag tank, chaeto tank, and UV.

I've mapped out my garage (using blue painter's tape) with a 1:1 scale layout of what my fish room will be. It looked so big at first, but then I started adding more and more shelving and gear and it shrank pretty quickly! I'll try to posts some pics videos soon.

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

Here is an update on the 1:1 mockup that I am making in my garage right now. The new fish room will eventually be much better looking!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7mcxIp4kjE

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

A question on overflows:
I want to have a long long skimming area. Modular Marine can actually do a 96" custom version, which would be insane. Here is a pic of the 60" version.

The question is, since the overflow is so long, does it make any sense to have an extra pipe put in so I could potentially do 2 siphon overflows? Not 6 pipes, but 4 total. I really don't think I want to do two separate overflows, as tuning two can be tricky and I don't want 6 pipes. Is 4 doable? 2 siphons, one ball valve trickle, and an emergency?

I don't know if you already worked this answer out, but if you're doing a bean animal design then a single 1.5" full siphon is plenty, plus the emergency and open pipes are there in case something happens.

I made my own 72" coast to coast overflow out of acrylic and used the bean animal overflow design, which I'm extremely please with.

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

This is awesome! If I was more handy with acrylic -- I would definitely do more custom work!

Nice job -- it looks 100% professional!

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

I was amazed at how silent the bean animal overflow is. Our last tank had a dorso overflow and it would slosh water and gurgle all the time. This one is as silent as it can be.

 

[FlatBrokeMedic]

This build is going to be fun to watch, what is the distance between your display and the “lab”

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

This build is going to be fun to watch, what is the distance between your display and the "œlab"

The display tank is actually an in-wall divider between the "lab" and my eating/kitchen area. There will be a door on the side to get in, but mainly it will be 10ft of tank goodness.

Screenshot of conceptual layout attached

 

[nemosworld]

The display tank is actually an in-wall divider between the "lab" and my eating/kitchen area. There will be a door on the side to get in, but mainly it will be 10ft of tank goodness.

Screenshot of conceptual layout attached

that rack system will rust in as little as 6 months, I would build the shelves from wood or powder coat the metal

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

He says in the video that they are "black powder coated".