Extra-Large Tank Upgrade Project to begin
- Thread starter sixxer
- Start date
birdman204
New member
Better slow down on emptying them beers, lest the rebar be laid askew.
Sixxer, Kings Island? My mother lives about 1 mile Birds eye view, visiting her in summer as a kid, I remember getting nightly fireworks shows. Now that I think about her house, a basement would have been WONDERFUL for a tank build. What was the thinckness of your foundation? How strong will it need to be for a tank of this size? I mean, we're talking some serious weight distribution here, for a foundation.
H20ENG - Riding's riding, It's almost as much fun for me just riding down the street, (well ok, not really). Hey your WR was what got me wanting a thumper. See you on the trails!
Sixxer, Kings Island? My mother lives about 1 mile Birds eye view, visiting her in summer as a kid, I remember getting nightly fireworks shows. Now that I think about her house, a basement would have been WONDERFUL for a tank build. What was the thinckness of your foundation? How strong will it need to be for a tank of this size? I mean, we're talking some serious weight distribution here, for a foundation.
H20ENG - Riding's riding, It's almost as much fun for me just riding down the street, (well ok, not really). Hey your WR was what got me wanting a thumper. See you on the trails!
TANGBOY5000
Premium Member
Nice rebar work, keep it up.
SpaceFish
Premium Member
Well I don't have a concrete mixer but I can bring a big *** wooden spoon! 
Hey Sixxer, looking back at the pix, it looks like you tore down a wall? If thats the case then are you going to build another one around the viewing area?(in wall tank) And that leads to my next question, where is this room at in basement? What I saw before was a play area. I'm just wondering what the rest of the room will be like.
~R
Hey Sixxer, looking back at the pix, it looks like you tore down a wall? If thats the case then are you going to build another one around the viewing area?(in wall tank) And that leads to my next question, where is this room at in basement? What I saw before was a play area. I'm just wondering what the rest of the room will be like.
~R
SaltwaterNovice
New member
Sixxer:
Heres a little present for ya.
Check out this website. http://hettick.netfirms.com/1000gallontank.html
It chronicles, with detailed pictures, comments and prices, the construction of a 1000 gallon concrete tank from start to finnish. "Rbell47's 1000 Gallon Tank"
His tank seems to be very similar to the tank that you want to construct. Note the "keyways" he made to keep the walls from "pushing out". I do not know if this is necessary but it seems like a good idea.
Hope this helps.
Good luck.
Best,
Brian
Heres a little present for ya.
Check out this website. http://hettick.netfirms.com/1000gallontank.html
It chronicles, with detailed pictures, comments and prices, the construction of a 1000 gallon concrete tank from start to finnish. "Rbell47's 1000 Gallon Tank"
His tank seems to be very similar to the tank that you want to construct. Note the "keyways" he made to keep the walls from "pushing out". I do not know if this is necessary but it seems like a good idea.
Hope this helps.
Good luck.
Best,
Brian
MarkS
Premium Member
SaltwaterNovice said:
I do not quite understand his reasoning for doing this. It makes sense if the walls were made separate and placed onto the dry floor, but the walls are poured onto the dry floor. Basically, the keyways have no effect since the tank is now 100% solid with no gaps.
his tank wasn't poured all at once from what i read. he did the each wall in fact in several pieces. looking at the keywalls i'd have made them even deeper.
can anyone say whether or not this multi-pour process is very safe? when i undertake my own project i'd like to do it in one solid piece. does pouring a piece up to another or on top of another really cement those halves together very well?
i've never worked with concrete. this method seems easier than trying to pour walls and floor in one go not to mention the forms would have to be made to allow everything to be poured at once. that alone seems to me to be difficult.
brett
can anyone say whether or not this multi-pour process is very safe? when i undertake my own project i'd like to do it in one solid piece. does pouring a piece up to another or on top of another really cement those halves together very well?
i've never worked with concrete. this method seems easier than trying to pour walls and floor in one go not to mention the forms would have to be made to allow everything to be poured at once. that alone seems to me to be difficult.
brett
Shoestring Reefer
New member
I think (but I may be wrong) that basements are poured by first pouring the floor, then pouring the walls. And they seem strong enough.
carpetride
Premium Member
Sixxer, if your looking for some ideas on the rest of the basement you might want to look at the thread started by hrck He's got a nice view and even better watering hole
MarkS
Premium Member
Most skyscrapers are built in that fashion. The foundations are poured, then the first floor (actual floor, not first story) followed by vertical concrete support beams and walls, followed by another floor, etc., etc., etc. When the concrete drys, it is as though it was one solid piece.
Shoestring Reefer
New member
So, would it be possible to add a dividing wall (with a hole for a window) to an existing basement, with rebar in the new wall and tying it into the existing walls and floor, and have a big tank? And a whole lotta basement moisture proofing.
TANGBOY5000
Premium Member
It's possible, should you do it, probably not. Could you do it, sure. It might even keep your foundation from cracking and settling since you would have the water pressing out and the earth pressing in.
Shoestring Reefer
New member
sixxer-I hope you don't mind if I dream in your thread.
Considering the cost of a foundation (relative to the cost of an entire home) adding an extra wall with window should not be a big deal. I'm thinking 20' X 5' X 4' high (fish-only), a bit over 3000 gal, I think. Now I just need enough money to build a new home. Actually, here up north I bet that a few hundred square feet of concrete tank in direct contact with the cold winter earth would make heating a challenge, so I wonder if a layer of in-tank insulation would be a good idea?
I think I'm gonna have to, someday.TANGBOY5000 said:
Considering the cost of a foundation (relative to the cost of an entire home) adding an extra wall with window should not be a big deal. I'm thinking 20' X 5' X 4' high (fish-only), a bit over 3000 gal, I think. Now I just need enough money to build a new home. Actually, here up north I bet that a few hundred square feet of concrete tank in direct contact with the cold winter earth would make heating a challenge, so I wonder if a layer of in-tank insulation would be a good idea?speakeraddict
Premium Member
You have a pretty deep freeze line up there from what I found on the net. 24 to 30"
If the tank were below this line, then heating wouldn't be so bad. In fact it would help keep the heat down in the summer.
You would be looking at commercial grade heaters for a tank that size regardless. It would cost you probably 50 to 100 a month just for the power to the heaters!
This is one of the things that a lot of folks don't take into account when building really big tanks; the ongoing cost of power.
I helped (in1992) build a 3200 gallon shark tank in a garage with the glass into the living area of a home in Alabama. The tank was concrete, rebar and chicken wire then coated with water tank paint. The glass was laminated 2" thick. The tank and filter system only cost around $10000. The problem was, even with the very low lighting, the electricity was over $200 a month on a seperate meter.
This is the only thing that has kept me from doing it myself.
When I do an addition in the next few years, I am planning a room that will have it's own a/c unit and have the ability to vent humidity to the outside. This room will house the tank (12 x 6 x 5) the 1000 gallon+ filter system and related.
Just the room will cost in excess of $5000 to build over the rest of the addition, and that is not counting the $10000+ to build the tank and stock it.
I don't mean to discourage you. Quite the opposite, I want to see folks really do this well and be able to keep it instead of tearing it out in a year when they realize the maintenance and ongoing costs are astronomical.
speakeraddict
If the tank were below this line, then heating wouldn't be so bad. In fact it would help keep the heat down in the summer.
You would be looking at commercial grade heaters for a tank that size regardless. It would cost you probably 50 to 100 a month just for the power to the heaters!
This is one of the things that a lot of folks don't take into account when building really big tanks; the ongoing cost of power.
I helped (in1992) build a 3200 gallon shark tank in a garage with the glass into the living area of a home in Alabama. The tank was concrete, rebar and chicken wire then coated with water tank paint. The glass was laminated 2" thick. The tank and filter system only cost around $10000. The problem was, even with the very low lighting, the electricity was over $200 a month on a seperate meter.
This is the only thing that has kept me from doing it myself.
When I do an addition in the next few years, I am planning a room that will have it's own a/c unit and have the ability to vent humidity to the outside. This room will house the tank (12 x 6 x 5) the 1000 gallon+ filter system and related.
Just the room will cost in excess of $5000 to build over the rest of the addition, and that is not counting the $10000+ to build the tank and stock it.
I don't mean to discourage you. Quite the opposite, I want to see folks really do this well and be able to keep it instead of tearing it out in a year when they realize the maintenance and ongoing costs are astronomical.
speakeraddict
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