Dudester’s 450g corner in-wall and tank room – help with design
- Thread starter Dudester
- Start date
LoneStarSA
New member
lol I think he said he isn't moving in till early 09
reef / aholic
New member
Mike - "Hurry up and finish the house so we can get on to setting up the tank".
Dudester
Premium Member
Funny you should ask, Clint, I actually DO have an update.
The tank room floor was covered with a 2-part epoxy garage material, with a light sand slip-resistant texture. It looks awesome and I can see how it will be very easy to keep clean. With the floor completed, I drove to Dallas to A.G.E. in a rented truck to pick up the tank, stand and sump. Tom at A.G.E. was a wonderful host and he showed me around the entire shop. I saw several 1,000+ gallon tanks that he has built, and they are being shipped all over the world. Tom's shop is very impressive to say the least, and he's an incredibly nice guy who obviously takes a lot of pride in his work. This is my 3rd A.G.E. tank and I can't imagine owning a tank by any other manufacturer. It's the shizzle. Tom will definitely be building my frag tank when I'm ready.
The tank, stand and sump were loaded into the truck with a fork lift with ease, then secured for the drive back to Austin. I arrived at the new house with everything intact and 7 friends ready to help unload. Thanks to Clint (fishypets), John (KingfishJohn) and the other guys who don't surf RC and don't need to be named, but I do appreciate everyone's help immensely. At any rate, we first unloaded the stand and got it into place. In this first pic you can see the epoxy floor covering for the tank room. The vertical pipe behind the stand will be cut off and is where the floor drain will eventually go. You can also see the cutouts for the drains and returns that are on the bottom of the tank.
This next pic shows the stand from the inside of the tank room. Here you can appreciate the irregular shape of the stand. I did this in order to maximize space, as the stand actually wraps around one of the columns. The sump will project out on top of that extension, which will be below the external overflow. To the left of that column is where the utility sink will be installed.
Next, the Starboard bottom shelf cover and sump were taken into the house, but these weren't put onto the stand yet to allow for leveling using the adjustable feet on the stand. I've put this on hold for now until my builder confirms it's in exactly the right location before completing the final corner column and cabinetry around the tank.
So all's good up to this point. We then tried to unload the tank, and with 8 strong guys I thought this would be difficult, but doable. I was wrong. That thing is incredibly heavy, and in the end I just couldn't risk having anything bad happen. If it broke or even got scratched, I would have to replace it (on my dime, of course), and more importantly it would delay the completion of my new home. So we wisely aborted the tank move and it rested in the truck overnight.
The next day I enlisted the help of my landscaping company, thinking they would provide a Bobcat, a fork lift, or some other machine to help get the tank into the house. Instead I got 10 very strong men in support vests, and together we lowered the tank onto a dolly, then rolled this into the house adjacent to the stand.
Once there, we were able to lift it up onto the stand and slide it into place. It was incredibly difficult and I'm SO HAPPY that we didn't try it with 8 guys the night before. It would have ended in disaster for sure.
Here's the tank on the stand. I still need to level it, and I got a new 6 foot level for that task.
The tank room floor was covered with a 2-part epoxy garage material, with a light sand slip-resistant texture. It looks awesome and I can see how it will be very easy to keep clean. With the floor completed, I drove to Dallas to A.G.E. in a rented truck to pick up the tank, stand and sump. Tom at A.G.E. was a wonderful host and he showed me around the entire shop. I saw several 1,000+ gallon tanks that he has built, and they are being shipped all over the world. Tom's shop is very impressive to say the least, and he's an incredibly nice guy who obviously takes a lot of pride in his work. This is my 3rd A.G.E. tank and I can't imagine owning a tank by any other manufacturer. It's the shizzle. Tom will definitely be building my frag tank when I'm ready.
The tank, stand and sump were loaded into the truck with a fork lift with ease, then secured for the drive back to Austin. I arrived at the new house with everything intact and 7 friends ready to help unload. Thanks to Clint (fishypets), John (KingfishJohn) and the other guys who don't surf RC and don't need to be named, but I do appreciate everyone's help immensely. At any rate, we first unloaded the stand and got it into place. In this first pic you can see the epoxy floor covering for the tank room. The vertical pipe behind the stand will be cut off and is where the floor drain will eventually go. You can also see the cutouts for the drains and returns that are on the bottom of the tank.
This next pic shows the stand from the inside of the tank room. Here you can appreciate the irregular shape of the stand. I did this in order to maximize space, as the stand actually wraps around one of the columns. The sump will project out on top of that extension, which will be below the external overflow. To the left of that column is where the utility sink will be installed.
Next, the Starboard bottom shelf cover and sump were taken into the house, but these weren't put onto the stand yet to allow for leveling using the adjustable feet on the stand. I've put this on hold for now until my builder confirms it's in exactly the right location before completing the final corner column and cabinetry around the tank.
So all's good up to this point. We then tried to unload the tank, and with 8 strong guys I thought this would be difficult, but doable. I was wrong. That thing is incredibly heavy, and in the end I just couldn't risk having anything bad happen. If it broke or even got scratched, I would have to replace it (on my dime, of course), and more importantly it would delay the completion of my new home. So we wisely aborted the tank move and it rested in the truck overnight.
The next day I enlisted the help of my landscaping company, thinking they would provide a Bobcat, a fork lift, or some other machine to help get the tank into the house. Instead I got 10 very strong men in support vests, and together we lowered the tank onto a dolly, then rolled this into the house adjacent to the stand.
Once there, we were able to lift it up onto the stand and slide it into place. It was incredibly difficult and I'm SO HAPPY that we didn't try it with 8 guys the night before. It would have ended in disaster for sure.
Here's the tank on the stand. I still need to level it, and I got a new 6 foot level for that task.
Dudester
Premium Member
Here's the tank (overflow side) from inside the tank room.
This view shows the region where the tank and overflow abut the column. Such a nice fit - my measurements were perfect!
This view is across the top of the tank, looking toward the overflow. You can also see a couple of the CNC machined holes in the PVC tank bottom for the Hayward bulkheads. That's a tight and very secure seal, no worries at all.
Here's a closer view of the overflow box and dual external waveboxes. Tom crafted really nice, removable covers for the wavebox holes, and they have small grooves inside that perfectly secure the Tunze streams into place. The 3 irregularities you see in the eurobrace are cord keyholes for future powerheads if/when they become necessary. I'll get better pics of them at some point. You might also notice the wave-shaped vents cut out on the wavebox lid. These little customized add-ons are excellent examples of A.G.E.'s craftsmanship and attention to detail.
This is the underside of the overflow box, with two 2" drains and two 1" drains.
And finally, the tank was covered with pink foam to protect it during the last phase of home and tank room construction.
This view shows the region where the tank and overflow abut the column. Such a nice fit - my measurements were perfect!
This view is across the top of the tank, looking toward the overflow. You can also see a couple of the CNC machined holes in the PVC tank bottom for the Hayward bulkheads. That's a tight and very secure seal, no worries at all.
Here's a closer view of the overflow box and dual external waveboxes. Tom crafted really nice, removable covers for the wavebox holes, and they have small grooves inside that perfectly secure the Tunze streams into place. The 3 irregularities you see in the eurobrace are cord keyholes for future powerheads if/when they become necessary. I'll get better pics of them at some point. You might also notice the wave-shaped vents cut out on the wavebox lid. These little customized add-ons are excellent examples of A.G.E.'s craftsmanship and attention to detail.
This is the underside of the overflow box, with two 2" drains and two 1" drains.
And finally, the tank was covered with pink foam to protect it during the last phase of home and tank room construction.
Dudester
Premium Member
Gabriel - Thanks, for the compliment and for offering to help. I didn't call you for the move since I knew you'd be worthless with your gimpy knee and all 
. Hope you're better, BTW.
Bax - Yeah bratha, that's a TANK!
fishypets - Never buy any? I beg your pardon. Them's fightin' words.
I agree with your observation ... this tank is pretty big, but it does look small in the photos, even the one with 10 guys around it. We should put your dog inside to give it a proper sense of scale.
. Hope you're better, BTW.Bax - Yeah bratha, that's a TANK!
fishypets - Never buy any? I beg your pardon. Them's fightin' words.
I agree with your observation ... this tank is pretty big, but it does look small in the photos, even the one with 10 guys around it. We should put your dog inside to give it a proper sense of scale.
bleedingthought
New member
Beautiful!
Dudester
Premium Member
melev - Good question about the innards. I'll probably allow coralline to take care of the cammo for me. I considered putting a piece of thin black acrylic inside the overflow, but then the seam along the perimeter would be even more obvious. My office tank has an external overflow covered with coralline, and that seems to work well. Do you have any suggestions - I'm game?
All of the acrylic and the PVC bottom are currently protected with a film. I'll remove it when I'm ready to add water, and I'll take updated pics at that time. Of course I'll have to start a new thread, because this is a planning thread and will probably end soon.
bleedingthought - Thanks!
Oldtimer - Yep, Tom actually purchased a Wavebox so that he could position the holes perfectly. He initially made the tank with empty holes for the streams, but he thought it looked unfinished so he created those caps. I think this is his first tank with external waveboxes. I need to catch up on your thread, I've been a fan of your setup.
All of the acrylic and the PVC bottom are currently protected with a film. I'll remove it when I'm ready to add water, and I'll take updated pics at that time. Of course I'll have to start a new thread, because this is a planning thread and will probably end soon.
bleedingthought - Thanks!
Oldtimer - Yep, Tom actually purchased a Wavebox so that he could position the holes perfectly. He initially made the tank with empty holes for the streams, but he thought it looked unfinished so he created those caps. I think this is his first tank with external waveboxes. I need to catch up on your thread, I've been a fan of your setup.
Chrisrush
New member
Mike,
Congrats on the move. I wish I would have know you were coming up to Dallas. I would have liked to have seen A.G.E. Looks like I'll have to order a tank and visit in person.
I don't think that the seems will be that visible. I have an external overflow on my tank and a thin black piece of acrylic holding the teeth and you can't see the seems.
Congrats on the move. I wish I would have know you were coming up to Dallas. I would have liked to have seen A.G.E. Looks like I'll have to order a tank and visit in person.
I don't think that the seems will be that visible. I have an external overflow on my tank and a thin black piece of acrylic holding the teeth and you can't see the seems.
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