Adam's 450 GALLON REEF TANK BUILD!

[Adamc1303]

I was reluctant to start this thread since I didn't actually order my tank yet, but here goes! I am planning on a 305 gallon glass tank. The dimensions will be 84" long X 30" deep X 28" high. The tank will be 3 sided starfire with an external overflow and euro bracing. In the past I have had many reef tanks, the last one was an Elos 120xl that I broke down 3 years ago. I sold my tank because my first child was on the way and we lived in a small apartment and needed the space. Since then I moved to a larger house. While renovating my house I put a few things in place for a future tank. I have 4 20 amp breakers wired to my tank and what will be a fish room in my basement using GFI outlets. I also have a water line plumbed to my tank room for a sink along with a floor drain in place for emergencies. I also had a 6" I beam put in under the floor joists I thought the tank would be resting on. The beam is 96" long and is held up by metal posts which are on footings in my basement which is concrete.

So why am I staring this thread right now? Because I need some help. First off there are allot of new equipment and technology that wasn't around 3 years ago when I took a break from this hobby. I have questions regarding some stuff and would love input and recommendations for things. I also have some setup and design things I am not sure about and would really appreciate some guidance and input.

It turns out the I beam installed isn't exactly where I think I want it to be. My house is built of wood. This isn't a new construction house and I have 2 x 9's going across my house (26 feet wide) that rest on a center beam. The joists are spaced 16" apart. The tank will be going against an exterior wall. The depth of the tank is 30". The I beam was placed roughly 40" to 42" away from that same exterior wall. After accounting for sheetrock, insulation and a radiator cover (more on that in a minute) I will be around 12" away from the tip of the wall (where the joists rest on the foundation walls. If the 30" deep tank rests 12" off the wall and comes out to 42" then it's sitting on the tip of where the I beam under it is, at best. Is that going to pose a problem? Is it a big deal that I beam isn't centered under the tank or at least under it at all? I figure the tank filled with water and rock plus the stand and other equipment should weigh approximately 3500 pounds! If there is anyone on here that has experience with structural stuff that can chime in I would greatly appreciate it.

My next question: I am going to get a metal stand that is 44" high. As previously mentioned my sump will be in my basement. The wall I want the tank against has a 6 foot radiator. 4 feet of that radiator will be behind my tank. The radiator including the cover is 24" high. My stand will be made of metal. Do you think the heat coming out of the radiator will have any negative effects on my stand, silicone or glass on tank, pvc or flex spa plumbing lines or cause the water to get hot? I am going to post a picture in a minute. The wainscoting is 42" high my stand will be 44" so the bottom of the tank after plywood and foam should be at like 45" and the top of the radiator cover is 24". It's a water system so it doesn't mist steam like a steam system, but it still heats up (that's what it's there for).

Thanks in advance for your help. We are going to have a sick time building this tank. I am a sick human being and once I get started I won't stop. I will spend money I don't have. I am self-employed so I will often "work from home" and just become totally irresponsible while I build this thing lol! I just can control my-self, I admit it! I am also and equipment junkie. It doesn't take more than "œthat's awesome" for me to make impulse purchases (with money I shouldn't be spending lol) FYI were expecting again and the due date is in 6 weeks right when the tank drama will start!

 

[Adamc1303]

Here's a link to my old Elos tank. I loved that thing.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1303032

 

[Adamc1303]

Picture of the wall the tank will go against and the radiator in question.

 

[JBarnes]

Your joists are running perpendicular to your tank? Typically if the tank is close to the support of the joists (exterior wall) and they run perpendicular then you should not need a support beam. If you put a support beam under the joists you want it running along the front of the tank not towards the back of the tank. But, given the fact you are against a exterior wall and perpendicular joists I see no need for additional support.

Jerry.

 

[SPotter]

Hey Adam....I'm tagging along.

Did you decide on a tank builder yet? I still owe you pictures of my overflow.

As far as the radiator goes....since its steam heat I would be a little concerned about condensation building up under that portion of the stand. Would it be possible to replace that radiator with a new smaller one or even see if they can replace that one with a hot water base board unit or....take the whole thing out all together.

 

[sfsuphysics]

This isn't a new construction house and I have 2 x 9's going across my house (26 feet wide) that rest on a center beam. The joists are spaced 16" apart. The tank will be going against an exterior wall. The depth of the tank is 30". The I beam was placed roughly 40" to 42" away from that same exterior wall.

Is that I-beam parallel to the wall? Because if it is, and I'm reading this right the joists are perpendicular to the wall in question and the Ibeam in which case I wouldn't worry since you have 2x9(?)s spanning a width of only 40". Now a question might be what is holding the I beam up

As to the radiator issue. My gut says don't put it against that wall if you're not willing to move the radiator. If you cover it up you'll basically get one area that gets really hot, and the radiator itself will be fairly useless because you're blocking the window. I have forced air but I seem to recall radiators are near the window because the cooler air drops and displaces the heated air from the radiator in essence creating a convection effect.

However at work we do have radiators and they get significantly hot to the touch, granted yours is covered, but if you enclose an object that is constantly being heated... you're asking for trouble.

 

[iTaboo]

Hi there, I had a 450 in my living room and before I placed it, I was looking for the beams. I talked to some engineers and learned a ton. Can you show me a drawing at to the tank and the beams location and the steel beam. Most wood truss beams can hold 1700lbs depending on how close it is to the main beam and the brand. At worse it can hold 800lbs again depending on the brand. My tank was 8ft long and sat on 5 of them therefor holding a max weight of 8,500lbs

 

[Adamc1303]

Thanks for everyone's response. I really appreciate it. I actually currently have an open permit on my house for an extension I was doing. I got a surprise visit from the buildings departments today, once the inspector was in I asked him what he thought. He isn't an engineer but he does know code and weight and all that stuff and he said I am more then covered.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[Adamc1303]

Hey Adam....I'm tagging along.

Did you decide on a tank builder yet? I still owe you pictures of my overflow.

As far as the radiator goes....since its steam heat I would be a little concerned about condensation building up under that portion of the stand. Would it be possible to replace that radiator with a new smaller one or even see if they can replace that one with a hot water base board unit or....take the whole thing out all together.

Steve thanks fr referring me to Tim! I am pretty sure i will be using him for the tank and sump. I am just trying to finalize the sumo design. I will probably call him at the end of the week to get started. Regarding the radiator it isn't steam, it's just a water radiator just like baseboard heating. The radiator is cast iron and is covered in wood. Radiators on a water boiler work exactly like baseboards, they just stay hotter allot longer since they are cast iron and they hold allot more water so they heat the house much better. So it wont be throwing off steam. I mean my gut tells me to move it but that's such a big jog. I would have to move the plumbing and then fix the wainscoting where the radiator was and where it will be going, that's a huge PITA.

 

[SPotter]

Solution.....order a bigger tank that covers the entire area :dance:

 

[Adamc1303]

loll I actually made the tank smaller. i was going to go with a 96" long originally but I think the 84" will look better in the space. I know "bigger is better" but I think this will fit better. what do you think of the sump. Tim designed it with fuge running at the back of the sump. I fI go with a bean animal drain then I can have the slower drain run through the sumo while the main siphon drain runs through the sump. the section to the far left will just be for top off water and the section after the skimmer section will hold my probes and have a pump plumbed to a manifold that will feed the calcium reactor, ATS, chiller, PO4 and carbon reactors etc... Let me know your thoughts.

 

[Adamc1303]

Let's try that again. Here's the sump.

 

[Adamc1303]

Ok for 3rd time. That was the wrong picture. That was my original sump design. I know I suck at drawing up plans and all that stuff. Let's see if this works.

 

[SPotter]

I can't open the 2nd attachment on my mac. I will try to look at it tomorrow. If you are going to do an ats....you really don't need to have the fuge. I run an ats and no fuge right now. If you can, use the space for the fuge for a water change tank. I have a 65g tank that drains into my sump. The bulkhead from the 65g is as high up as possible on the tank and then it drains into the skimmer section of my sump. I have a mag7 pump in the 65g tank that pumps into my slop sink. I turn the feed line from my manifold to the tank off and turn the pump on. This way I know I won't drain too much water and can do a 65g change in a matter of 15-20mins. Once the tank is filled back up, I open up the ball valve on and the new water slowly mixes back in with the system.

 

[Adamc1303]

I want the fuge to harvest pods, not for nutrient export.

 

[Adamc1303]

What return pumps are people running for these large tanks. With 10-12 feet of head, i think I can drain like 3000 GPH with a 1.5" drain going the bean over flow route.

 

[Adamc1303]

I downloaded a file converter. Hopefully this should work now.

 

[SPotter]

I downloaded a file converter. Hopefully this should work now.

That looks good. My sump is an MRC hi flo sump and its 48x24x24 and do wish it was a little bigger just to have room to get my hands in there. As far as return pump goes..... I am using a blueline 100 but I only have about 6 ft of head loss. I do have the pump turned back significantly. I was orginally told to use a hammerhead but then the guy I used to do my install gave me some good advice and said it would be way too much power for how I was setting things up. I like the blue line also because its a 1" inlet/outlet and makes it easier to swap out pumps if you ever need to.

 

[FuzzyZipperbaum]

Thanks for everyone's response. I really appreciate it. I actually currently have an open permit on my house for an extension I was doing. I got a surprise visit from the buildings departments today, once the inspector was in I asked him what he thought. He isn't an engineer but he does know code and weight and all that stuff and he said I am more then covered.

Thanks again everyone!

Question...did you need a permit to put in a beam? I know he was there for other things but I have to put one in myself.

 

[Adamc1303]

I didn't, because i wasn't changing structure by moving a wall or anything like that. I am simply adding support because I will be having a large and heavy piece of furniture. The DOB is very very tough in NYC, but the permit thing didn't even cross his mind at all.