730g In-Wall Display
- Thread starter tgreene
- Start date
palmer373
New member
lol ya i read that, reread this whole thread in 2 hours and was on glasscages for a few hours looking at tanks. there is a 130"x27.5"x30.5" tank of GC so im curious why he went with the 36" tall tank besides bigger=better. the extra 6" would be nice with aquascaping and stuff but its mroe water for the light to penetrate.
I helped move this tank and have been around a lot while he was setting it up. I think the reason he chose the height was for a couple reasons it was the biggest tank they offered and when he put it in the wall he covered around 6-7 inches on the top and bottom with drywall and a granite lip. if he had gone 30" in height he would have lost a lot more viewing space.
Robb in Austin
New member
Just read the whole thing; impressive to say the least. Congrats on all of it!
How about some pics now?!
How about some pics now?!
tgreene
Reefer
100% correct on both accounts!
1) I wanted the largest possible system that I could have in my new house, period!
2) My disire was to have the lowest exposed portion of the tank about 2" above the 3-4" sandbed so that there was no possibility of Cyano stains in the front of the tank, below the sand. Also so it would never be possible for the magnetic cleaner to pick up sand grains which would obviously scratch the glass.
To the guy asking about the Orca Pro-II skimmer, I do not have 1 of those... I have in the past owned an Orca-250 however. I use an Octopus FDNW-400 on this system, with Ozone, UV and Carbon as well.
Turf Scrubbers..? Obviously I do know what they are, and I would have no interest in them unless my system was at least 4 times larger than what it is... If we ever move however, we're already talking of something in the neighborhood of 10-12 thousand gallons minimum with a 2nd-story catwalk-like access under a glass roof... With a diving platform. NO, I'M NOT KIDDING!
Updated photos..? I just bought a new Nikon D90 which has amazing white balance controls pretty much just for tank photography, so as soon as I'm a bit more proficcient with it and I've had a chance to dive my tank to clean and re-arrange the corals the way I'm wanting them (they have all just been "drop placed" so far), then I will begin properly photographing it.
Thanks again for all the interest, and as I've stated in the past, if anyone is ever in the area and wants to check it out, fell free to contact me to do so. The Jackson, TN reef club is planning a visit in March.
-Tim
palmer373
New member
Turf Scrubbers..? Obviously I do know what they are, and I would have no interest in them unless my system was at least 4 times larger than what it is... If we ever move however, we're already talking of something in the neighborhood of 10-12 thousand gallons minimum with a 2nd-story catwalk-like access under a glass roof... With a diving platform. NO, I'M NOT KIDDING!
if you have spare time http://www.algaescrubber.net/forums/
im curious why you say "I would have no interest in them unless my system was at least 4 times larger than what it is...". to me it sounds like your saying ATS's are for LARGE tanks but people have scrubbers on 14g biocubes. not picking a fight, just confused :hmm2:
tgreene
Reefer
Again, I'm very familiar with them.
It's my opinion that the efficiency of a specific element within a system, is often dependant on the size and available space. It's also for that very reason that I no longer recommend to those that seek my advice and opinion on skimmers, that they bother wasting their time with them on anything smaller than a 150g system. A better alternative, IN MY OPINION, is Ozone, Carbon & adequate water changes.
Just because something can be done, doesn't mean that it should be!
FWIW: I've been known to be paid quite handsomely for my advice and opinions, and more often than not it's because numerous others gave the wrong advice first, and/or because someone read about something somewhere and thought that it was the latest and greatest way to achieve what was thought to be a better method. The ocean utilizes foam fractionation (skimmer), Ozone & natural filtration via sand & rock, and tidepools (small systems) are cared for by tidal changes (ie: water changes).
-Tim
It's my opinion that the efficiency of a specific element within a system, is often dependant on the size and available space. It's also for that very reason that I no longer recommend to those that seek my advice and opinion on skimmers, that they bother wasting their time with them on anything smaller than a 150g system. A better alternative, IN MY OPINION, is Ozone, Carbon & adequate water changes.
Just because something can be done, doesn't mean that it should be!
FWIW: I've been known to be paid quite handsomely for my advice and opinions, and more often than not it's because numerous others gave the wrong advice first, and/or because someone read about something somewhere and thought that it was the latest and greatest way to achieve what was thought to be a better method. The ocean utilizes foam fractionation (skimmer), Ozone & natural filtration via sand & rock, and tidepools (small systems) are cared for by tidal changes (ie: water changes).
-Tim
tgreene
Reefer
Actually, NO, I really don't think that you do...
My system is 1200 gallons, and the fish room itself is very small considering the system size. In order to be even remotely feasible for a system of this size, a Turf Scrubber would have to take up a large amount of space, and would increase the humidity level substantially.
Regardless of what someone may think, this system is very technically well thought-out and designed for maximum efficiency within the space allotted, using isolated humidity and environmental control systems.
I get comments from people constantly about you should have done this or you should have done that, but to be brutally honest, until you've personally designed and built
a system like this then you really have no clue as to what is actually involved... I'll give you a hint though, it begins with modifying and then mantaining the structural integrity of the building which is housing it all.
I didn't mean to come off sounding like an arrogant *****, though I'm sure I probably did based upon your response.
-Tim
My system is 1200 gallons, and the fish room itself is very small considering the system size. In order to be even remotely feasible for a system of this size, a Turf Scrubber would have to take up a large amount of space, and would increase the humidity level substantially.
Regardless of what someone may think, this system is very technically well thought-out and designed for maximum efficiency within the space allotted, using isolated humidity and environmental control systems.
I get comments from people constantly about you should have done this or you should have done that, but to be brutally honest, until you've personally designed and built
a system like this then you really have no clue as to what is actually involved... I'll give you a hint though, it begins with modifying and then mantaining the structural integrity of the building which is housing it all.
I didn't mean to come off sounding like an arrogant *****, though I'm sure I probably did based upon your response.
-Tim
palmer373
New member
lol your good. you didnt sound like an arrogant ***** but you did sound like you knew what your doing and i applaud you for that. NOW i completely partially (cause i wont understand until i dive in
) understand what your saying. i did ponder about the size of the scrubber for a tank this large and its not feasibly possible for a fish room 7'x13'. guess in this case a skimmer would be better becasue it accomplishes the same things and is a smaller footprint. :hmm: now im off to think..... whyd you go with the skimmer you are using (i forgot which one it is lol)? would you have gone with a different brand? if so why?
tgreene
Reefer
I used an Octopus FDNW-400 skimmer, commonly referred to as an Octo-Quad. It's big!
I had honestly hoped to be able to use an RK1, but it would have been far too large for my fishroom and would have not allowed me to install a QT tank.
I'm in the process of building a far more "upscale" system that is the same size for a friend in her new home, and in doing so I've been working with her architect, contractors, electrician and the HVAC guy... I have been very emphatic about every portion of the build, right down to the density and depth of the concrete floor and the spacing between the rebar for structural integrity. I insisted upon a fiber & polymer binder being blended in, as well as a 3 crown being poured around the perimeter of the room as a worst-case scenario precautionary measure so any spilled water would be fully contained and directed down a large centered floor drain since this home is a million + dollar mansion with an "art gallery" directly adjacent to the fish room. The walls, floor and ceiling will all be covered in large ceramic tile, with mildew resistant drywall and waterboard underneath. The walls (internal and external) of the fish room with be insulated with spray foam for sound and vibration dampening as well as the obvious superior insulating properties. The fish room will have it's own seperated and isolated HVAC system, since the last thing that we want is the salt spray to ever be able to enter any portion of the home, even though this system will be actually be sitting in the center of the home! The access to the fish room will be via a short hallway leading from the utility room with isolation doors on either end, designed to eliminate any possibility of air exchange with the rest of the home. The HVAC system for the fish room is specifically designed for use in corrosive environments.
-Tim
I had honestly hoped to be able to use an RK1, but it would have been far too large for my fishroom and would have not allowed me to install a QT tank.
I'm in the process of building a far more "upscale" system that is the same size for a friend in her new home, and in doing so I've been working with her architect, contractors, electrician and the HVAC guy... I have been very emphatic about every portion of the build, right down to the density and depth of the concrete floor and the spacing between the rebar for structural integrity. I insisted upon a fiber & polymer binder being blended in, as well as a 3 crown being poured around the perimeter of the room as a worst-case scenario precautionary measure so any spilled water would be fully contained and directed down a large centered floor drain since this home is a million + dollar mansion with an "art gallery" directly adjacent to the fish room. The walls, floor and ceiling will all be covered in large ceramic tile, with mildew resistant drywall and waterboard underneath. The walls (internal and external) of the fish room with be insulated with spray foam for sound and vibration dampening as well as the obvious superior insulating properties. The fish room will have it's own seperated and isolated HVAC system, since the last thing that we want is the salt spray to ever be able to enter any portion of the home, even though this system will be actually be sitting in the center of the home! The access to the fish room will be via a short hallway leading from the utility room with isolation doors on either end, designed to eliminate any possibility of air exchange with the rest of the home. The HVAC system for the fish room is specifically designed for use in corrosive environments.
-Tim
tgunn
New member
I used an Octopus FDNW-400 skimmer, commonly referred to as an Octo-Quad. It's big!
Hi Tim,
Are you running the stock impellers in the skimmer? I've got an Octopus TDNW-300 (the 3 pump version). It's offline at the moment waiting for my "next big thing". I did the mesh mod on it and found that the pumps had lots of problems starting up. Just curious what you've done to your pumps if anything.
Thanks!
Tyler
