Drum Roll Please...... 8000 gallon tank build

G

GoBigOrGoHome

New member
I give you the reason for my user name:
Presenting, the ~8000 gal tank build.

I'll present more pictures later, but here's the tank itself, with me inside it for size comparison. The dimensions are 16'x9'x9'(but the tank will only be filled to 7',6").
I'm looking for ideas for filtration, anyone's thoughts on whether or not 1000w halides are needed to light all the way to the bottom, etc. There is an area behind the tank, along with an ~10'x10' room next to the tank where filtration and maintenance will be taken care of, and we're planning an 8x4x4 acrylic sump, acrylic is already sitting, ready to be glued. It is plumbed with 4x2" outlets on the bottom in each corner facing down the 16' width of the tank, and 4x3" outlets closer to the middle on each 9' end, again pointing down the 16' width of the tank. The PVC at the top is the 8" overflow, and will be cut to whatever length we decide to keep the water level at. I'll post pics of the monster skimmer and the view from the 8'x6' viewing window in the basement, and a picture of the tank from above on the balcony that looks down on it a little later. Any questions about other specs, just let me know, any comments are appreciated.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=261813&size=big&papass=&sort=1&thecat=500

Don't worry, as this thread goes on, my picture taking skills (and my uncle's), along with my picture posting skills will improve.
Again, thanks for any comments.

showphoto.php
 
Last edited:
Wow thats about 8170 gallons. Thats going to take some major flow, lights, heaters god pretty much everything.. I hope you have the tank separate from the rest of the house. Not sure if you ever seen Mr 4000s tank.. But the moisture from it destroyed his home and he ended up having to take it down..Good luck with it..
 
Last edited:
Yup. I suppose I should've included this in the picture, but this is separate from the house, as a part of a pool room which will be equipped with an industrial dehumidifier and great ventilation system. The tank's edge is about 18" above the floor, and there will be an ~8" lip around the whole edge to prevent chlorinated water from getting in, and along with a little self-control, that shouldn't be a problem. I say ~8000 gallons, because if the tank ends up being +/- an inch from where we plan on putting it, that will change its end volume by about 90 gallons, so there's really no way of saying the total volume of the system. Plus 8170 sounds kinda lame, and I'm not really seeing where you get that number from.
Saw Mr. 4000's thread a few months ago. Sad story. I am certain that won't be a problem in this case, however. As far as flow goes, we're shooting for ~100,000 gph. We've got some ideas in mind as to how to achieve that, but if anyone's got any ideas, they are welcome.
 
Last edited:
I know it's totally irrelevant but on my calcs I got 8078 gallon :)
16x9x7.5

I want to follow this one for sure!!!
Keep us posted...
 
Yes, 8078.4 gallons would be the exact volume, if we filled it to exactly 7 feet 6 inches, and had no livestock or rock and sand, and the sump added 0 water volume, and if the texture of the walls didn't eliminate/add a tiny bit here and there. Everything here is just so highly variable that I'm just going to stick with 8000 gallons, when in reality it will probably have a total volume of more like 8400-8500 with the added filter volume.
 
So wait, will you be able to go underwater in your pool, and view into the tank? THat would be sick, but i could see heating issues with that.
 
water movement on a dumping reef type wave like the reeftank and the Georgia aquarium? I would go with natural light, 1000k halides can get insanely expensive. I would look into some of the commercial protein skimmers that are in the 10 foot range in height.
 
Already have a skimmer, and its not quite that big, but its about 9 with the collection cup, 7 without. There will be some natural light, as the pool room has windows for 360 degrees around, but supplemental lighting will be a must, and solatubes or skylights are more than likely not an option. Cost on lighting is not a huge issue here, just wanna know if anyone thinks that 400w could light it enough to illuminate the bottom for viewing, not for photosynthesis.

The viewing window is in an open room in the basement, kind of a second living room w/ couches and a bar and whatnot. That'd be cool through the pool, but there's too much space between the pool and the tank for that. The window is 8'x6', if i didn't mention that before, recessed into the basement wall, with a stone frame.
 
More than likely FO, but might put some corals in there. Actually, we'll definitely be trying to keep corals, but fish take precedence. If there's a kind of butterfly, trigger, or angel that we want that just won't allow any corals to survive, than the corals will be moved to the sump and that will be that.
 
for some flow you could use some of those new tunze streams that do 8000gph. and you could do some 55gal drum surge tanks too.

forget the tunze (just looked at the pics) i know what you need is a WAVE MACHINE like the ones they use at water parks.

being that there will be 7 feet of water to see you may wanna do the 1000 watters with luminarc MAX on light rails (i could build the rails for ya, hint, hint. :D ) you could always buy a 400watt balast and try it when you do a leak test then if your happy with that buy some more. you would get them befor you fill that sucker full of ro/di. if that 400 watt dont trip your triger you could use it in a 100 gal rubbermaid and grow some wicked cheto :)
<BR><BR><BR>
when its done can i come over with some scuba gear? <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>
 
Well, the 8x4x4 filter is planned to be a fuge, so that is the plan, to start out with 400w, and if they don't work on the main tank, they will be moved to the filter. Regardless, 400w will be used on the fuge, so it won't be a waste to buy them. Ideally, we'd like to use 400w's all around (probably 10-14 of them on the main tank), as my uncle is able to get 400w halides w/ decent reflectors/ballasts for quite cheap.
I've been looking at the tunze's and the polarios and stuff, but they just aren't gonna cut it I don't think. We're looking more along the lines of having some super high output pumps from filter and skimmer through the 3" pipes, probably around 15,000 gph or more, and a CL through the 2" pipes, with another 15,000 gph or so, and that will take care of flow across the sand bed.
From there, we'd like to do something like an MJ-mod to a Quiet One 14,000 or some equivalent large volume submersible pump. We'd like to place one of these in each of the four corners, each pointing at the next, to get a circular flow around the outside of the tank, while still minimizing surface agitation (oxygenation will be done in the fuge, cascade filters, and skimmer), so that it is easy to view from the top. Not sure if it can be done well on a quiet one, but we're going to buy one to find out, and I've got a 6000 and 4000 that I can experiment on for the time being.

As far as lighting rails go, we are looking to conceal the lighting underneath the bench/lip that will surround the tank, which is part of the reason why the tank will only be filled to 7.5', so as to leave 1.5' in which to put the lighting.

Who knows, maybe in a couple years, FVRC could have a scuba diving reef club meeting at the house.
 
This one is going to be very interesting. What kind of "finish" are you using on the concrete walls? How thick is the acrylic/glass window? how is it recessed or framed into the wall? Was this your own plan? or do you have a proffesional aquarium outfit setting this up for you?
 
Looks like a fantastic project! It will have many unique needs that will require innovative solutions, but IMO, that would be half the fun :)

I look forward to seeing the progression.
 
The window will be 3" acrylic (sounds thick, I know, but I've gotten some professional advice on it), and recessed about 18" into the wall with a stone outline.
Here is a pic:
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=261822
I'll have to check on the concrete finish, can't recall exactly. This project has been about 95% DIY, and has been a plan cooking in my uncle's head since he was a kid. Finally getting around to doing it. If you saw his house, you'd understand how much he is in to DIY. The innovative solutions, I expect, will be more than half the fun;)
 
There was a guy on here, wish i remember who it was, that built fan pumps for large public aquariums. They moved upwards of 100,000gph
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

F
Tank stand on castors
Replies
4
Views
334
albano
albano
K
40 Gallon AIO Tank Repair?
Replies
8
Views
250
kingyking888
K
D
DIY Stand Help
Replies
6
Views
391
kharmaguru
kharmaguru
T
Tank Crashing
Replies
19
Views
605
brandon429
brandon429
E
4x2x2 Acrylic reel tank and stand for sale
Replies
4
Views
254
ebe
E
Back
Top