Looking sweet! Best shots I have seen of your tank. Obviously this is not a cheap hobby, but there are ways to design things to be more efficient.
I save a bundle just on lighting alone. Same with pumps. I also use gravity wherever I can. But, I had the leisure to design the system and its room any way I wanted. I spent a great deal of time on that, and am happy to report that as far as efficiency is concerned, it worked out very well.
I left an extra line off my manifold so that I could install a ground loop if needed, but so far that hasn't been the case. I did have a few days last Summer between 82F and 83F which started a die-off of the Mexican Turbos and eventually developed into a near tank crash, but if I didn't have those in the tank, it never would have happened. That was a livestock issue more than an equipment issue.
Plus I allow my tank temp. to fluctuate more than most reef keepers. I will allow it to go down as low as 76.5F. The blowers come on when it gets over 78F which increases evap. rate, kalk top-off, and keeps the tank generally under 80F. One big plus is water volume. Because it is large, it takes a lot of energy to over-heat it. And because I am only using 3000W of lights and one main return pump (no closed loops), that keeps the heat impact down.
I think you are getting a lot for your money to be honest.
How are you going to manage such a size!
