Coral Tank from Canada (1350gal Display Tank)

[nineball]

damnit, I was supposed to be researching information for my new build, and sure enough I spend 3 hours reading this one.

Peter I live in Georgetown and would LOVE to give a hand when you start putting that tank together. My god that tank is going to be awesome. I always say a tank is not big enough until you can keep a mermaid inside and I think you could fit on in there. Whats the rule again 1" per gallon? you could keep at least a nice 6' blonde mermaid in there.

If you are a blond 6 ft mermaid you can move in tomorrow........otherwise you have to stand with those guys over there who are wearing flippers and goggles and doing far too much giggling for my taste.

Your offer of help is noted, appreciated and stored for future reference.

Peter

 

[Chago09]

If you are a blond 6 ft mermaid you can move in tomorrow........otherwise you have to stand with those guys over there who are wearing flippers and goggles and doing far too much giggling for my taste.

Your offer of help is noted, appreciated and stored for future reference.

Peter

hahaha :beer: to that. Where do you do most of your shopping? Oakville Reef Gallery? are they the ones building this for you?

Did you have a tank before this one?

I have so many questions, the tank is just amazing. Anyways off to sleep, this damn work thing keeps getting in the way :thumbdown

 

[nineball]

Peter,

All I can say is you have inspired so many people in such a short amount of time. I am 20 years old right now, and I hope that with a life time of hard work I will be able to accomplish something as great as you have. I am looking forward to following this build for many years to come. All I can say is thank you so very much for your inspiration.

Nik Gonzales

Great to have you here Nik. I admire your strength of conviction that when you get old you might try something like this. My advice?.........Don't wait, its worth getting a head start. There's stuff you can get a head start with and that's a 'can do' attitude. I know you think this is a build based on personal wealth, but there are far too many examples in this forum of proof positive that money does NOT guarantee success. If I had to choose one quality over another, attitude trumps money every day of the week. Some of the best tanks on this forum are less than 300 gal. So size doesn't guarantee success either. Its not that any of this is cheap, its not. Even the more modest tanks properly planned and executed can be leadership candidates for the rest of us. So why wait, start planning and since your 20 yrs old, keep dreaming and don't look back.

Finally a sincere thanks for your compliment. Your enthusiasm is all anyone doing a build on this forum could ask for.

Peter

 

[dudley moray]

this is amazing !!!! can i work for you ?
also i think a marine grade epoxy is the way to go for protecting your wood spar is ok but epoxy is bullet proof !

 

[N-dog]

Great to have you here Nik. I admire your strength of conviction that when you get old you might try something like this. My advice?.........Don't wait, its worth getting a head start. There's stuff you can get a head start with and that's a 'can do' attitude. I know you think this is a build based on personal wealth, but there are far too many examples in this forum of proof positive that money does NOT guarantee success. If I had to choose one quality over another, attitude trumps money every day of the week. Some of the best tanks on this forum are less than 300 gal. So size doesn't guarantee success either. Its not that any of this is cheap, its not. Even the more modest tanks properly planned and executed can be leadership candidates for the rest of us. So why wait, start planning and since your 20 yrs old, keep dreaming and don't look back.

Finally a sincere thanks for your compliment. Your enthusiasm is all anyone doing a build on this forum could ask for.

Peter

Thank you for your words of wisdom Peter

 

[Dtronic]

Fantastic thread. Thank you for putting in the time and energy it take to keep it going.
I should go work on mine lol.

 

[iluzhun]

Petet,

Just finished the first 40 pages of Chingchai's build. I have to say thank you for recomending an excellent read. I will continue to read from start to finish. Again I aplaud you for inviting all of us into your home and making us truely feel like a valued part of this build. You serve as an excellent example of what this hobby should be about. Not just keeping fish and corals in a glass box, but to truely create an environment that fosters health in it's inhabitants while giving a pleasing view to all.

 

[Anthonius]

I cant find the words to type... I mean I know nothing good happens in a reef fast but I am so fricken excited to see this thing filled!!! Im tagging along excellent looking tank and amazing pics moving it in with the crane hahaha. Beautiful house by the way.

 

[echopiece]

Hi Peter,

I pretty much troll these boards, but this thread was worth commenting on! I have been in this hobby for a little over a year now and I must say, this build is quite impressive! Since my small 34 gallons of the ocean has been setup, I have barely watched any TV! I can only imagine how many hours of enjoyment this tank will bring not only you and your family, but this community as well!

I am also curious to know what kind of background you have in this hobby with previous tank experiences etc.?

Have fun, and thanks for sharing your journey with us!

Marty

 

[mr.wilson]

Shawn, thank you very much for this. I think I remember a discussion 'somewhere' about off gassing on this very topic and I assume this is the summary of that discussion. Thank you for taking the time to pitch in.

Thank you also for your support, it is sincerely appreciated.

Peter

My pleasure. Just remember I spell it "Shawn" not "Sean" when you are naming the last island

As you know well, there are no easy answers in this hobby and that's what keeps us drawn to this labour of love (addiction/affliction). While the epoxy is pretty much bullet-proof and inert once cured, it will make your oak panels look like plastic. The happy medium here would be to coat the inside and hidden edges with epoxy, perhaps white for reflection, and finish the outer doors & panels with a tung oil product. I use "Deftoil" (Danish Oil) by
"Deft". It will off-gas significantly for a month, but the spring is here and with al that water your HRV will be exporting any VOC's in the long run, however minimal.

I buy the Deftoil from Exotic Hardwoods in Burlington (Harvester & Appleby). http://www.exotic-woods.com/

This will give you the resilience and reflection necessary on the business end of the tank, while delivering a craftsman finish on the aesthetic side of the tank. You can touch it up the exterior of the doors annually with Lemon Oil (Home Despot) to restore the shine lost with salty hands. A weak acid (teak cleaner) will take care of serious salt creep, but it looks like this tank will be well kept.

If you are going all in here, I would look at teak or mahogany plywood at Exotic hardwoods. It's marine grade, booth the glue and the wood, and it has thinner/stronger plies than fir. They hold screws much better than solid wood as well. If you are matching the oak from the bar, then just use a vaneer. Just be careful if you go to that store because you may come out with a van full of Brazilian Rosewood you weren't planning on

 

[Mangodude]

In case it hasn't already been asked, where will you be purchasing rock from?

 

[BennyFrank]

The composition of the four islands will by definition be representative of the primary elements of the four Grand Masters. So David Saxby's and Chingchai's Islands will dictate the choices but there are two Masters still to be chosen by this community and I suspect at this level of performance it would be hard to imagine a crazy Australian Acan or two not making it into the mix.

Peter

Hi Peter,

I was lucky enough to catch this thread from your first post and looking forward to watching it evolve.

As for the other islands; how about dedicating one to newbies? Complete with hair algae, aiptasia, domino damsels, and a tap water top-off system :lmao: I still consider myself a newbie after 5yrs so hopefully no one takes offense.

Keep up the good work!

 

[danielcherian]

How about one for Steve Weast? I know he took his tank down, but it was a great tank. His website is still up: http://oregonreef.com

 

[username in use]

How about an island for Joe Yaiullo?

 

[chrisfowler99]

For the folks who have been hiding behind the curtains just watching please feel free to step out and say hi.

I remember watching chingchai's build as it came together and I am just as intrigued by this one. :beer:

 

[Haksar]

Incredible build!!Wish you all the success and are you going BB.How abut dedicating each island to Mixed reef tank greats, SPS tank greats , LPS tank greats and so on.Just my two cents.

 

[ebonline]

Peter,
Great build so far can't wait to see the rest...

 

[golf nut]

Joe's Tank was brilliant, but you cannot forget Steve Weast.

 

[N-dog]

Joe's Tank was brilliant, but you cannot forget Steve Weast.

+1 he was in colorado last week

 

[Chago09]

I think its pretty safe to say he aint gonna invite me over LOL

We want some more pics