500 gallon monster from Canada :)

D

DJ_drew

Member
Hey Everyone!

I've been on the forum for a few years now and this will be the first build thread i've done!

Some history first :)

In the past 6-7 years i've had multiple tanks and i've had some in the most unlikely, tiny apartments you could imagine and gotten lucky a few times and not so lucky others including a 10,000$ insurance claim for water damage related to a tank.

i started with a 75 gallon and basically got the "bug" and it just kept getting bigger and bigger.

so far i've owned everything from a 75 to a 125 to 500 and then back down to 280 and 240 and now i've finally settled on an 8' 375 gallon monster with a 90 gallon sump and a 40 gallon refugium.
so roughly 500 gallons total.

i'm hoping to get as much help as i've seen on the forums and it seems like theres tons of knowledgable people on here that are super friendly so i'm definitely looking forward to speaking with you guys!!

i have a bunch of pictures that i will post up shortly!

Drew :)
 
500 gallon monster from Canada :)

Wow drew that's almost exactly what I want for my future tank and set up. Interested in following this for sure.
 
sadly i did not get any pics from the move into the basement as i was to busy helping with the lift haha

and i only decided to make a build thread recently so some of the pics are missing ( building most of the stand )



so i have the basic frame of the stand done and the tank up and i decided based on where the tank is sitting i need to build a "pantry like" cupboard on the right side of the tank seeing as its basically made to be a room divider, so heres the start



My first attempt with the plumbing.
all went well and hooked up nicely but sadly the pumps i wanted to use had no where near the amount of power i need for the closed loop in this tank so i decided to take it apart and redo the pluming to a panworld 250 which is what i was using as a return for my previous 8' tank.

now this leaves me with a dillema, do i use the reeflo hybrid pump thats brand new and sitting in my storage or do i go out and buy something a lot quieter to use as a return pump?

the return goes from the sump right to the top of the tank and goes to 6 inlets that sit on top of the eurobracing and go in to the tank via MPT connections



as you can see here.

the connections are soaking in vinegar at the moment so not hooked up obviously.
what do you guys think? reeflo or something else?

Now to where we stand today.
got all the plumbing for the closed loop done and like the amount of flow the panworld gives me so i'm happy there.

now to finish the skin for the stand.

sorry for the crappy pics phone pics but it's all i've got at the moment :) other battery for nice camera is dead.



i decided to put 3/4" plywood on the doors on the front and frame the inside of them and do the same on the door for the "pantry" only the pantry door has 1/2" ply, as does the the left side of the tank stand.

i also opted to put a shelf around the left side and front of the tank made out of 1x8" cedar and sanded it down.
it looks really good and it smells awesome in the house haha

so far i've been lucky and the girlfriend is happy with the progress but she keeps telling me that she needs fish so i've got a 55 gallon set up in the other room with some of the corals that made it throught the move along with a white carpet anemone and a pair of clowns that are hosting and a show quality chocolate tang which is loving every minute of the solitude haha so as long as that tank stays happy she will be happy waiting for the big tank to finish.

over the next week i will be building the frame for the 40 gallon refuge under the display and plumbing in the sump.

I have a huge euroreef skimmer underneath that i bought from another board member a while back and i'm not sure of the model number but i'm sure i can find it for you guys.

i will be using 3 ecotech radion G2' over the top of the tank so lighting shouldn't be an issue. Just have to get the damn reeflink working!

would like a wide variety of fish in the tank as well as corals, although im not sure what kind if sps i can get away with being that i'm only using 3 radions.

by the way measurements on the tank are 96" x 30"x30" = 375 gallon display

more to come in next few days!

Drew :)
 
Tank is acrylic as well so it only weighs about 400lbs! was really nice to move compared to my previous tank which weighed over 1,000lbs empty haha
 
Nice tank and good luck moving forward!

You said a "white" carpet anemone? You mind elaborating on that?
 
Three radions over an 8ft tank wouldn't be nearly enough for SPS, and might actually be problematic for LPS, clams, etc. When I was looking at them for my 7 ft tank (only 24" wide) I figured I'd need six.
 
ya i thought i might have issues with lighting but this is not going to happen over night so i can always pick up some more radions down the road as well, right now i'm just going with getting the tank up and running and starting slow :)

and as far as i know its your everday run of the mill carpet but i can sure snap some pics for you and you can see for yourself :)
 
sorry for the horrible pic but this is just a holding tank and the way the nem has put itself is a bit of a pain in the *** to photograph lol

 
I actually got the tank on another forum from a member here in canada :)

as for flow i will have the closed loop, the return system, as well as 2- mp40's at the opposite end so i think i should be good. i was also thinking of setting up a small 5 gallon surge for the tank as well but i'm not entirely sure on that idea yet.
 
Cool. I am looking to upgrade, not something quite as big as yours but 200-300g. While I'd love an acrylic tank, there are no acrylic tank makers in Canada.. Also love the overflow on the side. I know you're setting it up against a wall, but viewable on 3 sides is a dream I have but probably much more difficult to do then viewable on just one long side.
 
Andrewkw- ya the tank is made to be a penninsula tank but in the space i have it has to sit the way it does unfortunately :(

i wont complain about it because its such a nice tank!

if you're looking for a big tank i have 2 for sale! one is 8' and totals about 250 gallons and one is 6' and is about 280 gallons
looking for $300 each :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Why do oversized protein skimmers not adequately remove protein from a tank?
Replies
12
Views
2K
Paul B
Paul B
A
55 gallon tank can be drilled?
Replies
15
Views
618
wvned
wvned
M
Refugium for 20 gallon
Replies
7
Views
2K
Guygettnby
Guygettnby
J
PO4 can't get it right
Replies
3
Views
1K
Timfish
Timfish
T
Has anybody bought the wrong size roller filter? Any lessons learned?
Replies
0
Views
317
TripleT
T
Back
Top