600 gallon Acrylic Reef

[dugg]

I am having a new roof built on my house this spring, and having 4 solatubes installed over where i plan to put my built in tank. Hopefully not for nothing lol. There is a thread in the advanced topic forum about solatubes, that is very interesting. There are several people using them on all types of tanks, that are reporting extrmely good growth on both soft and sps tanks. I was figuring a savings of around $150 to $200 a month on electricity alone. Granted there aren't as many sunny days in Oklahoma as there are here, but they can be easily supplimented for the cloudy days. Also i haven't been able to find the other thread that i originally read about the tubes, but it was about fiberoptic lighting, and had several solatube lighted tank pictures posted in it. The moonlight pictures are awesome to see. You can actually see the moon at the surface of the tank, and the clouds floating by on a cloudy day.

Also on another subject all together, i talked to Prater today, and he said to tell everyone HI.

 

[dugg]

rogert, the pictures come up blank at first, but they do pop up after a few seconds.
If you can't get them to work from this thread, the pictures are posted in the advanced topic forum, under a thread about solatubes, on page 10, about half way down the page. Also if you can get the search function to work, look for a thread on fiberoptic lighting. There are lots of photos in that thread showing solatube tanks.

The solatubes shimmer like MH lighting, and the rays move across the tank as the sun crosses the sky, highlighting different areas of the tank as the day passes.

 

[rogert]

dugg, It worked after I gave it a chance, we still only have dial up where I liveand it is a pita. I am going to look at the rest of those threads
Thnx

 

[dugg]

If you can catch the search function working, look up a thread, i think it's called Fiberoptic lighting for a reef tank? It has some very interesting information on both fiber optic lighting, and solatubes. That thread has some excellent pictures posted in it.

They still have dial up? lol I remember it well.

 

[pwhitby]

Well hopefully my tank is in the beginning stages of construction, time to move attention to the room it will go in.

Several people asked me at the meeting on sat how im going to do it. Well, my dining room is long enough to partition off about 7 feet and leave a good size remaining. I plan to put a partial wall up with the tank inset, but not behind the wall. That way I can make a surround about the tank, with cupboards below, or even book cases or something, and have doors above for access.

Here is the basic idea:

the tank pipework will run across the floor through the back wall into my garage (the pink colored area at the far rhs). In there will be the sumps, refugium, chiller, reactors etc.

Paul.

 

[dugg]

That is going to be beautiful Paul. If i put a tank like that in my dining room, i would be fat i no time. You would never get me out of there. Just staring and eating 24/7. You are making it real hard for me to wait on building mine lol, i can't wait to see your's finished. I am sooo jealous, and the wife is sooo nervous lol.

 

[pwhitby]

a long way to go before water goes in....but all in due time.

 

[pwhitby]

Several people have asked me where I am getting the tank from. I shopped around a great deal before deciding on where i was going with. I ended up going with ART, a local store in Oklahoma city. Gary Walker, the owner, has had a couple of tanks come into his shop that I had the chance to look at. The last one he had in was a nice 8 foot acrylic tank, the seems were very well done and the whole tank was put together really nicely. The person he uses is in Dallas and they have a long standing relationship. Both Gary and the manufacturer were really easy to deal with and answered a whole slew of questions before we decided on the final layout. Overall, I have been really happy with what i have seen and the ordering process.

Gary has a lot of expertise on large tank setups having worked on installation of some HUGE tanks across the country. if you get chance, swing by his store and look at his photo collection. When you have to dive in a tank to clean it.....then you know it qualifies as big.

Paul.

 

[aaparkr]

I volunteer to assist if I am off work. I take instruction well and can handle a lot of weight. Do you have a target date? I'm off Wednesday and Sunday most weeks. I could be there by 6PM any day, but I suspect you would be finished with the heavy stuff by then. I will be out of town in the middle of October too.

Tony

 

[pwhitby]

I just received a couple of pictures from ART, forwarded from the manufacturers.

This is the back panel, overflows have been cut into it. * feet long, 30 inches tall

this it the top panel, partially cut.....8 feet by 4 feet.

and here it is with all the openings cut.

Ill post more as and when I get them.

Paul.

 

[padixon2]

jealous already....scuba party at pauls house when he gets it set up, haha

 

[drjrose]

It is hard to type while salivating. I hope to hear back from ART soon.

 

[pwhitby]

I just received a second round of pictures:
heres the front, cut, ready to be added.

here are partially assembled pics of the front:

the side:

and the back panel showing the detail of the overflow. The overflows are on the back, and are to be added.

Regards,

Paul..

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

Paul, what is an estimated time of arrival at your house with this behemoth?

 

[pwhitby]

Either next week, or first week in nov. I have to go out of town in 10 days for a week, so will not be about to move it then.

P.

 

[MyMonkey]

Odd. I am going oit of town on the 23rd for 7 days as well. We are headed to St. John. Woohoo!

 

[pwhitby]

here is another pic I just received. The top and bottom are on, just waiting on the overflows.

im getting excited.

 

[xouttheeyes]

What a monster!!

 

[bigB]

I am excited for you paul. I cant wait tell its up and pumping at the christmas meeting :bounce1: :bounce1: :bounce1: :bounce1:

 

[pwhitby]

Hey Bil, the December Meeting will probably be at TimVs home.

As far as monsters go...heres the tank That Gary is working on....makes mine look like a baby....

im glad I have no pumps this size, 7 hp.

it was because of Gary's experience with large tanks I chose him to help with the design and layout of my new system.....as I said, this one makes mine look teeny weeny.