600gal . the plaining process .

C

camaroboy8691

New member
so after about 6 months of getting into this hobby i find myself buying a big tank a 600gal one . im the kind of guy who is all or nothing pretty much and i found a pretty good deal on a 600 acrylic . with 2 75gal sumps . so i went for it . orginally i wanted maybe a 300gal . but what the heck .

so here i am now with only the know how of a small tank {current tank is a 70gal with 20 gal sump} im trying to get input of all the equipment i need .my small tank just has 1 pump , a skimmer , a fuge built into the sump ,2 power heads, a chiller and t-5's thats pretty much it . nothing fancy like wave makers and calcium reactors and stuff like that . so im new to the equipment needed for a big tank. i watch my water very close and it seems to never change . i do 10-15 gal water changes weekly and clean the sand bed

with that in mind, i feel i am ready for a big tank . the big tank i am getting is 96" long 48" deep and 30" tall . should make for an awsome display tank . im thinking minimal rock in the big tank maybe 2 islands, one on each side with maybe an arch conecting the 2 . maybe a big cave under each island . that would be cool . then the rest of the live rock in the 1 sump . then the other sump have a fuge built into it .

i do alot of reading on here about pumps , lights , wave makers . timer systems . etc . and everyone has something a bit differnt .

so what im basically looking for help on right now is picking the correct parts for this . id like something automated . where i just need to feed my fish and do a water change monthly .


i really appreciate your time reading this . and i cant wait to start ordering parts and getting everything in line so i can make this happen by the end of the year .

thanks
 
Sounds like Romans tank...good luck...BUT I'm not so sure about 'just feed the fish and monthly water change' part. You may be in for a little shock!
 
chasekwe said:
What are you planning to keep in the tank?
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fish and corals . as far as types of fish . not really sure . in our 70 gal we have paired false percs . 1 gold strip {yes i know he shouldnt be there but he sits in the anomone all the time} 1 yellow tang , lawn mower blenny , cardinal fish and thats it along with a cleanup crew . also have corals

the big tank im plaining on maybe trying to get a school of fish . and then not really sure on anything else .

Sounds like Romans tank...good luck...BUT I'm not so sure about 'just feed the fish and monthly water change' part. You may be in for a little shock!
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link for romans tank ? i might have seen it but just in case

i know its not that simple . but the more automation the better basically like an auto water top off . and i seen someone mention about a skimmer that cleans itsself ? not sure how pricey that is but its an option .


before to many people critize me for wanting to do this . i do understand it takes work and its just not let it go and forget it . like i stated im very maticulas about the 70 gal . doing water checks every other day and water changes weekly along with sleaner the skimmer daily and things like that . i love my fish tank and consider it a huge investment and treat it like that .




that being said . let me have it ! lol
 
For what it's worth went I went from a 55 gallon to a 350 gallon 10 years ago I actually found that it is easier...... and proportionally it is cheaper. Still, as we all know, the key to a great reef is consistency. Keep it up and keep the levels steady and you will be fine. IMHO, I wouldn't do acrylic unless it's too late. I can tell you from experience it is a nightmare, and with that big of investment, wouldn't you want the best? Get glass........
 
i know its not that simple . but the more automation the better basically like an auto water top off . and i seen someone mention about a skimmer that cleans itsself ? .......that being said . let me have it ! lol
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Well I do know what you're talking about...I'm in LA about 6 times a yr. for over a week at a time, so I too want everything to 'take care of itself'. My skimmer is not self cleaning, but it does dump all skimmate directly into household plumbing, as well as tank and ATO both having emergengy overflows tied into house drains. While I'm away, my daughter need only feed and LOOK at everything, thank God, 5 years, never a problem, while away........I meant that I thought you bought your tank from Roman Ogee
 
bige11 said:
For what it's worth went I went from a 55 gallon to a 350 gallon 10 years ago I actually found that it is easier...... and proportionally it is cheaper. Still, as we all know, the key to a great reef is consistency. Keep it up and keep the levels steady and you will be fine. IMHO, I wouldn't do acrylic unless it's too late. I can tell you from experience it is a nightmare, and with that big of investment, wouldn't you want the best? Get glass........
Click to expand...

everyone says the bigger the tank the easier . but if a problem does arise its usually a nightmare trying to get it back under control . this is why i am plaining now .

as for the tank . i didnt buy it new . got it used . it was made by *******e so its a good tank . i would have went glass . but i think i got a decent deal on this tank .

Well I do know what you're talking about...I'm in LA about 6 times a yr. for over a week at a time, so I too want everything to 'take care of itself'. My skimmer is not self cleaning, but it does dump all skimmate directly into household plumbing, as well as tank and ATO both having emergengy overflows tied into house drains. While I'm away, my daughter need only feed and LOOK at everything, thank God, 5 years, never a problem, while away.
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i am self employed so im somewhat on the move constantly . howver i never really leave for more than 3-4 days . and can have someone watch over the feeding while away but the other stuff i dont think i would trust to many people . this is why i have a chiller on my 70 gal . when im not here it gets hot as heck in the house becuase im cheap and dont like to waste energy on the a/c in the summer time . but thats another story .


so with something like this .

what am i looking at for equipment ?

from what im reading most people have 2 pumps . 1 for closed loop . 1 from the sumps to the main tank .

obviously the biggest skimmer i can get . looks like the octopus is a pretty good one ? thoughts ?

what about the little things like calcium reactor ?

what about c02?

lights ? no idea there


what about a wave maker ? im plaining on putting bulk heads in the bottom of the tank to get alot of movement so do i still need a wave maker ?


ok i gotta get goin quick . but ill be back .

thanks
 
albano said:
just to be sure...this is NOT Roman Ogee's old tank?...if it is, then you have two 75g surge tanks, not sumps! Also I have had acrylic tanks, since about 1991, probably over 12 of them, would not go back to glass http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1690813&highlight=600g+surge
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wow . ya know i didnt even see him listing it on here . i seen it on ebay then contacted him . but yes i bought his tank . and thats not his real name so i wasnt sure .


now im sure roman is reading this . so whats the differnce in the surge tanks ? i thought a surge was a sump ..... school me please ! lol
 
WHAT do you mean...that is not his real name!!!! JK...read his thread...with the surge tanks you won't be needing a closed loop or wave makers...but the set-up will be different that most setups...for example the surge tanks have to be mounted ABOVE your tank...read the thread, BTW I'm also going to use Roman's surge design on my new 650g system
 
albano said:
WHAT do you mean...that is not his real name!!!! JK...read his thread...with the surge tanks you won't be needing a closed loop or wave makers...but the set-up will be different that most setups...for example the surge tanks have to be mounted ABOVE your tank...read the thread, BTW I'm also going to use Roman's surge design on my new 650g system
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i just did some quick reading . this setup looks like the hot ticket . im going to have roughly 9ft ceilings where this tank is going so i should be able to mount the 2 tanks above .... this should be pretty darn cool . just gotta read read read to avoid any mistakes .
 
albano said:
thats the spirit!, you DO have a great setup, people will be begging to come over to see it in action, Congrats, Good luck, and when can I come over to see it?
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hmm when can you come over ? sometime around the end of january thats when everything should be up and running . but your always welcome to come over anytime to help . i usually have beer in the soda machine . lol
 
lol. This all still kills me! :wildone:

So there's a lot to go over. A lot. Unfortunately its 1a.m., so I have to keep it brief for now, but I will go over more tomorrow and even post a bunch of pics. A little food for thought for now..

Flow and filtration are probably the 1st things to address. I had this tank as a surge tank and it sounds like that is an option for you. 9' ceiling would be great for the 75s 12-16" above the 600 and still leaving some room to get into them for whatever reason(I never needed to). So if you do decide on the 2 - 75 gallons as surges, you have to plan on having a large sump that you can "barrow" up to 150 gallons from without running the pumps dry. When this what at its prime, I had a 300 tub for a fuge and another 300 tub for a sump. Maybe a little over kill, but it worked great. Problem is the 300 gallon tubs are big. About 4' x 7'.:eek1:

Everything can be downsized here and there, but fuge/sump space can become a limiting factor. Will there be a sump/pump room or were you planning on keeping the filtration under the tank? Depending on what you want/can do, sumps, fuges, surges can all be downsized to accommodate space. The pipe that determines where the surge tanks drains to can easily be shortened to make the surge volumes much smaller. That equals a sump that could maybe fit under the stand, like a 150 tub/tank.

That should keep ya busy until I'm back on tomorrow! :lol: Then I'll post pics and we can go over more of the filtration, whether you're able to do surges or if something like a closed loop and an Oceans Motions would be more ideal. Then we can tackle lighting options and anything else that needs to be discussed.

I must say, its great to see your enthusiasm with setting this up! There is a lot more to a bigger system, but I too think it is ultimately easier. You just have to take some time and plan it right. ;)

I'll talk to ya tomorrow!

David :)
 
david ,

i really think i can swing the surges . ill have enough room . well ok 1st off i have a ton of room . what im doing is taking a corner of my shop roughly a 20x20 section and building an office in it . my shop has roughly 13' ceilings but im going to put the office ceiling around 9' with 2x6's for the rafters so i can store stuff above it it wont be much . but anything out of sight is better than having clutter of the shop floor . so basically everything will be new construction . so i can build or make the room as i need . but it will also be my new office so i cant make it all a fish room . that would be sweet . but i cant so im going to try and make everything somewhat compact . like having the sump under the big tank . and for that i seen some guys get the big plastic cattle troughs at tractor supply . there pretty cheap and hold alot of water so im thinking i can get one of those under the table for the sump, and since the tank is 4ft wide there should be ample room to get something under there . the fuge . im not sure about yet . maybe i can partition off a section of the big sump for it . im not sure . but ill figure something out even if its only alittle 50 gal tank or something to grow stuff in

i agree on the bigger tank taking more plaining but it will all be worth it . just gott make sure i get the right pumps . filters . all the other little things .


with the surges . how big of a pump did you fill them with ? im thinking around a 100gph pump or so would be good ? this way the surges only go off every other hour or so would this be ideal ? or should there be a big pump constantly filling the surges ?

then for the big tank all i would need is one more pump right ?

Hi, I am upgrading soon, i am thinking of getting acrylic, what are reasons i should?
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biggest reason to get acrylic is weight . a glass tank this size would probably come in around 1500+lbs this tank i think comes in at 600ish . alot of people say they sctrach easily and stuff and yes acyrli is a type of plastic so it will but if youe gentle with it and not hard on it you will be fine for a long time

ok i gotta get going ill be back around lunch .

thanks everyone
 
I'd wait for Bulk Reef Supply to have another free shipping event on dry reef rock and buy a crapload of XL pieces from them...this is probably one of the costliest parts of a large tank is getting it stocked with LR....I bought some a couple months ago (25 lbs for $75 delivered) and the prices get cheaper the more you buy.

Roman (DJ) had some huge pieces in that tank before he broke it down, it looked really nice.
 
gig said:
I'd wait for Bulk Reef Supply to have another free shipping event on dry reef rock and buy a crapload of XL pieces from them...this is probably one of the costliest parts of a large tank is getting it stocked with LR....I bought some a couple months ago (25 lbs for $75 delivered) and the prices get cheaper the more you buy.

Roman (DJ) had some huge pieces in that tank before he broke it down, it looked really nice.
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ifound a local guy that took down his tank . he has about 350lbs he wants to sell for 2.50 a lb . he had it out of water for about 3 weeks now im going saturday to take a look at it . i know im a long way off on getting this tank running but im thinking of getting it and getting a big tub and running the pumps in it to cure it so when the big tank is all up and running im sorta ready to go . i know 350lbs is only a dent on what i need so im plaining on buying some big peices . my current 70 gal tank has around 110lb in it so that will also go in the new tank . so with the 350 and 110lbs im already on a good start . im guessing ill only need about 300lbs more to get a good amount .


im also plaining on doing a shallow sand bed about 1" deep . i like the look of them and how everyone says they are the way to go .
 
camaroboy8691 said:
david ,

i really think i can swing the surges . ill have enough room . well ok 1st off i have a ton of room . what im doing is taking a corner of my shop roughly a 20x20 section and building an office in it . my shop has roughly 13' ceilings but im going to put the office ceiling around 9' with 2x6's for the rafters so i can store stuff above it it wont be much . but anything out of sight is better than having clutter of the shop floor . so basically everything will be new construction . so i can build or make the room as i need . but it will also be my new office so i cant make it all a fish room . that would be sweet . but i cant so im going to try and make everything somewhat compact . like having the sump under the big tank . and for that i seen some guys get the big plastic cattle troughs at tractor supply . there pretty cheap and hold alot of water so im thinking i can get one of those under the table for the sump, and since the tank is 4ft wide there should be ample room to get something under there . the fuge . im not sure about yet . maybe i can partition off a section of the big sump for it . im not sure . but ill figure something out even if its only alittle 50 gal tank or something to grow stuff in

i agree on the bigger tank taking more plaining but it will all be worth it . just gott make sure i get the right pumps . filters . all the other little things .


with the surges . how big of a pump did you fill them with ? im thinking around a 100gph pump or so would be good ? this way the surges only go off every other hour or so would this be ideal ? or should there be a big pump constantly filling the surges ?

then for the big tank all i would need is one more pump right ?



biggest reason to get acrylic is weight . a glass tank this size would probably come in around 1500+lbs this tank i think comes in at 600ish . alot of people say they sctrach easily and stuff and yes acyrli is a type of plastic so it will but if youe gentle with it and not hard on it you will be fine for a long time

ok i gotta get going ill be back around lunch .

thanks everyone
Click to expand...

Great! That's kind of what I did. I took a corner of the basement and made it the "pump room". :D Its roughly 12' x 17' with a cutout where the stairs come down and I had ample room to move around 2 - 300 tubs(4' x 7'), 1 - 100 tub(2.5' x 4'?) a 75, utility sink and some other stuff. I think you can get maybe a 150 under the tank and a 50 or a 100(same base size, 100 is just taller)of to the side for a fuge. Just a starting idea.:)

The 2 - 3" surges was all I was using for flow. I had a Hammerhead external pump(5600 gph?) powering each 75 gallon surge tank. Some flow was stolen to feed the surges on the 75 clownfish tank, but I had lots going to the big surges. I did have the surges upstairs, so I did need something to handle going up 10' or so.. My surges were 3.5' off the top of the tank. It was so intense! Kind of too intense. That's why I was saying having them at 12" - 16" would be better. They would be mMUCH more subtle. For a 3" surge that is.. :lol: With that combo, I wanna say the surges would fire for 20 seconds maybe? Which was enough for the flow to go the full 8' length and hit the 4' end,then go that 4' and hit the other 8' side and go that 8' as well. As soon as the flow circled the entire tank, the surge stopped. It would take maybe a minute to a minute and a half to fill the surge tank and surge again.

When I was breaking it down, I replumbed the 2 surges off of 1 Hammerhead for a little while and it worked out alright. If I removed/capped a vent in the surge tank, they would have worked even better. You could fill them much slower and run another pump for constant flow. That's the beauty of surges. You can have them do as much or as little as you'd like. Lots to think about!


gig said:
I'd wait for Bulk Reef Supply to have another free shipping event on dry reef rock and buy a crapload of XL pieces from them...this is probably one of the costliest parts of a large tank is getting it stocked with LR....I bought some a couple months ago (25 lbs for $75 delivered) and the prices get cheaper the more you buy.

Roman had some huge pieces in that tank before he broke it down, it looked really nice.
Click to expand...

Thanks! The big pieces were so easy to work with and they all looked great. You could even set one all by itself and it looked good. hehe. I actually have 2 pieces left that I need to get rid of. ;) :lmao:
 
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