A ~19,000 Gallon Aquarium

[dbend2001]

Good luck!

If you catch some nice fish tomorrow, has the water cleared up enough to risk putting them into the tank? If not, I guess they could spend some time in the fish spa...

Do you know whether it would be legal to collect corals on your dive? Some countries, and some areas within a single country, have very different rules.

You are not allowed to collect corals in some Areas like Buteenah Island
They have the most beautiful corals there, however you are completely not allowed to cruise there or try to fish. You are only allowed to scuba dive without a permit.

Rare Dugongs and other rare turtles are found in the area and since we have so many undeducated/unfriendly people with the environment in the Middle-East, the gov is watching those who are trying to destroy the peace.

It is insane but I dont blame the Government for doing that
Last year, some fishermen killed at least 6 seacows

 

[nahham]

UV or Ozone

UV or Ozone

I was wondering about the water quality and if the choice had to be made between either UV or Ozone, which one is better? Which will be more cost effective? I found this UV sterilizer and thought this price is acceptable.

I was also wondering if I can get UV lights and install them over the first chamber rather than buying a device if the system is mostly closed? The first chamber is currently filled with gravel but will have other filter media soon.

 

[mr.wilson]

I was wondering about the water quality and if the choice had to be made between either UV or Ozone, which one is better? Which will be more cost effective? I found this UV sterilizer and thought this price is acceptable.

I was also wondering if I can get UV lights and install them over the first chamber rather than buying a device if the system is mostly closed? The first chamber is currently filled with gravel but will have other filter media soon.

Those are pond units and are not suitable for saltwater. Try Aqua Ultraviolet. They have metal halide UV units for large saltwater applications. This is one area where you really want to avoid electrical shock. It's much more painful than sticker shock http://www.aquaultraviolet.com/products/uvsterilizers/viper-aquarium

 

[checkx1]

sub'd. Just stumbled upon this thread 19,000g!!. Will be an interesting read I'm sure.

 

[Demonic]

I just saw the new pumps that Tunze came out with and thought of this build. They are awesome looking, 33,000 GPH each.

 

[nahham]

Those are pond units and are not suitable for saltwater. Try Aqua Ultraviolet. They have metal halide UV units for large saltwater applications. This is one area where you really want to avoid electrical shock. It's much more painful than sticker shock http://www.aquaultraviolet.com/products/uvsterilizers/viper-aquarium

The Viper 400 needs a flow rate of 11,667 GPH for it to be reef safe. The 800 series needs 23,333 GPH!!! :eek2:. I don't have and don't want that, do you have something a bit more suitable to my needs in your arsenal?

 

[nahham]

sub'd. Just stumbled upon this thread 19,000g!!. Will be an interesting read I'm sure.

Glad you took the time to post. We are getting there: live rock is coming soon and the fish in the 2 feet of water are doing fine .

I just saw the new pumps that Tunze came out with and thought of this build. They are awesome looking, 33,000 GPH each.

Yeah but those don't compare to the ones I got: 72,000 GPH at 600 watts and, without getting into details, much much cheaper . They should be delivered any day now. Also the Brios I bought can be camouflaged to fit the surrounding without any problems.

 

[nahham]

Good rock bad rock and sand bed

Good rock bad rock and sand bed

I found some rock in the backyard in abundance and was wondering if anyone knows anything about this rock and has an opinion on if it will be good in the tank. Here is a couple of shots:

For a larger version, follow this link.

For a larger version, follow this link.

I also wanted to ask about something that is happening to the sand bed. Here is a couple of photos:

Is this normal/good/bad?

 

[skatezen]

I've been following this thread on and off for a while now and it looks like a great build. I do however have a concern and that is with the waste water management. I understand that the water will be be pumped in from the ocean and then purged back into the ocean. My concern is the introduction of foreign flora or faun, harmful or not, into a nonindigenous biotope. While I would absolutely love to see reefs pop up everywhere, part of being involved in this hobby is to deal with these creatures responsibly. Do you have a way of sterilizing the waste water prior to dumping it back into the ocean or is there a way it can be purged in to a main sewer drain to be sent to a water treatment facility? Please forgive me if I have overlooked this topic previously in this thread.

Jeff

 

[nahham]

I've been following this thread on and off for a while now and it looks like a great build. I do however have a concern and that is with the waste water management. I understand that the water will be be pumped in from the ocean and then purged back into the ocean. My concern is the introduction of foreign flora or faun, harmful or not, into a nonindigenous biotope. While I would absolutely love to see reefs pop up everywhere, part of being involved in this hobby is to deal with these creatures responsibly. Do you have a way of sterilizing the waste water prior to dumping it back into the ocean or is there a way it can be purged in to a main sewer drain to be sent to a water treatment facility? Please forgive me if I have overlooked this topic previously in this thread.

Jeff

Hello Jeff and thanks for stopping by. I would like to thank you for your concern but we already discussed the issue numerous times. Here is a summary:

1. Starting with local variety of fish and coral.
2. No foreign fish and coral will be added to the current setup.
3. Salinity of the Arabian Gulf is 40,000 - 44,000 and temperatures between 20.9 "“ 34.2 C. I'm amazed fish life in such water let alone other stuff.
4. If foreign species are introduced, ample precautions will be taken to make sure nothing goes out that shouldn't as outlined in this thread.

I hope this calms your concerns. Look for previous posts for more information.

 

[digitalchrisg]

I've been following this thread on and off for a while now and it looks like a great build. I do however have a concern and that is with the waste water management. I understand that the water will be be pumped in from the ocean and then purged back into the ocean. My concern is the introduction of foreign flora or faun, harmful or not, into a nonindigenous biotope. While I would absolutely love to see reefs pop up everywhere, part of being involved in this hobby is to deal with these creatures responsibly. Do you have a way of sterilizing the waste water prior to dumping it back into the ocean or is there a way it can be purged in to a main sewer drain to be sent to a water treatment facility? Please forgive me if I have overlooked this topic previously in this thread.

Jeff

From my understanding everything in the tank is going to be local. Putting the line into the sewer may not be up to code, I know where I am at we pay our sewer bill based on our water usage. I have my RODI on a irrigation line so that water won't count towards my sewer bill. What about making a leach pit dumping the water out intot he sand or something similar though? This way it would all go back into the harbor, but you are limiting the amout of life you would be adding to the harbor.

Though, I don't think it really is an issue if everything he has is local, if anything he may be helping the local life spread. What I would be more worried about is the quality of the water coming in. I know he had good test results come back, but that's today. Say some industry a year from now has a spill or something. That is what would worry me, but with the size of this thing I think it is only cost effective way to go.

 

[kcooley]

the sandbed looks like it had some trapped bubbles and those spots are where it escaped from

 

[nahham]

Aquarium Front Design Voting

Aquarium Front Design Voting

I finally had the time to look through who voted for the front design of the aquarium. With all the posters in this thread and only 10 people voted; shame on you

Here is a summary of the votes:

Since the work has not started yet on the front. I will extend the time for people to get their vote in until I am ready to work on the front. Can we limit it to the three in the diagram though: MDF255, MDF1666, and PWJ011.

GET YOUR VOTES IN
(Put your favourite picture of Uncle Sam here)​

 

[GhostCon1]

I like MDF1666 but where do I vote?

 

[nahham]

I like MDF1666 but where do I vote?

Just post what you like here. I still haven't figured out how to make a poll.

 

[j-dizzle]

mdf255

 

[jdrabek]

Mdf255

 

[MarkGrant]

Nahham, what an incredible build!!! I can't wait to see it progress, and to think your tank can hold almost 800 of mine. I wish you much success!

I vote for MDF1666. I also like MDF255, but think the pattern is too small for such a large area.

 

[mr.wilson]

It's nice to back a winner mdf 255.

 

[mr.wilson]

The Viper 400 needs a flow rate of 11,667 GPH for it to be reef safe. The 800 series needs 23,333 GPH!!! :eek2:. I don't have and don't want that, do you have something a bit more suitable to my needs in your arsenal?

Those flow rates are the maximum you can process with a decent zap rate (kill ratio), and are not by any means required flow rates. The slower the flow rate the more efficient the unit will run. The plastic materials are what make it saltwater safe. The stainless steel models won't work in saltwater.

You will notice there is a higher maximum flow rate for freshwater. This is due to the dissolved solids in saltwater. If you are treating the whole display tank then you would need two 1200 Viper units, but if you are just treating the incoming water then the 400 Viper is enough and it can still function efficiently at the 9,000 GPH that your incoming pumps are rated for. Remember the 9,000 GPH will be knocked down to about 6,000 GPH with head loss and friction loss.

You can always use an undersized unit if you aren't trying to kill all free-floating algae and bacteria, but if you can afford it, get a unit(s) that will clear the whole tank.

An ozonizer will do a similar job, as UV sterilizers produce localized ozone. You would need a 10g/hr unit for your tank and it should be added via a gas reactor or protein skimmer. Pick whichever is cheaper UV or ozone.