Help me plan my next tank!

[MyMonkey]

Well folks. It's time to begin the planning stages of my next build. We are building a new house and the foundation was just poured! :dance: We added a bit of extra cement and rebar in my office where the tank will go. :rollface: I have also a rough in plumbing outlet for cold water and a drain line installed that will b routed under the tank. Space considerations would be that I have the room for a 6ft long tank but I have no room for a fish room. It was simply not viable with the plan we worked up.

My initial stages of planning have determined that I want from around 200 gallons to 300 gallons. I need to have a custom stand and canopy built that I would prefer to be something like this:

I must have all equipment under, over, or beside the stand within a cabinet as an uncluttered appearance is a must. Inhabitants are planned as a mixed reef with some SPS, LPS, and some softies possible. I have always wanted a clam! Fish selection will vary depending on size and coral planning. As far as lighting is concerned I want LED in order to minimize heat in the room. To that end, I also plan on venting some portion of the tanks' heat through the outside wall of the house akin to a dryer vent to help as well.

I am wondering if anyone can offer a bit of advice in a few areas. First, glass or acrylic? I have read many horror stories of both tanks leaking, rupturing etc and can't stand th thought of that. Which is less prone to springing a leak? Next, who should I look to for the manufacture of the tank? Also, on the stand, steel, wood, and who locally does this sort of work? Lastly, what did I miss? I am sure there is something!

I know there are many reefers here with amazing tanks and I would appreciate any guidance with this project. :bounce3:

 

[shaggss]

Hi

You r lucky to be able to plan yr house around yr tank!!!

Firstly I would go glass tank from Miracles. Always loved the look of those. Never heard a bad thing about them. More scratch resistant than acrylic too.

Next would be a Beananimal overflow. Completely silent and 99% flood proof.

Why not T5's? Great diversity of bulbs/colors available. Fully dimmable. ATI PM's are great! And they run very cool too.

Will you need a chiller? that is going to be hard to disguise. What about having it outside?

Good luck.....

 

[MyMonkey]

Hi

You r lucky to be able to plan yr house around yr tank!!!

Firstly I would go glass tank from Miracles. Always loved the look of those. Never heard a bad thing about them. More scratch resistant than acrylic too.

Next would be a Beananimal overflow. Completely silent and 99% flood proof.

Why not T5's? Great diversity of bulbs/colors available. Fully dimmable. ATI PM's are great! And they run very cool too.

Will you need a chiller? that is going to be hard to disguise. What about having it outside?

Good luck.....

Ahh... The skimmer. I had early on planned to run the plumbing for the skimmer up and over the cieling in the entry way to the garage or laundry room etc. The cieling there is 22 feet tall but I can add this after framing and prior to sheetrock etc. :smurf:

 

[Lytehouse]

With the way acrylic scratches over time, I would think glass for sure. Everyone I've talked to that has had acrylic says glass.

Lots of local people are going AGE (Paul,Ed,George and others) and Marineland DD (Doug and others) You would need a lfs to make arrangements for the order.

As far as the skimmer placement, I've seen several threads where people did built in cabinetry like you pictured and put the skimmer in one of the side compartments under the book shelves.

 

[MyMonkey]

AGE and the Marineland are both looking good. I fear the problem will be the extensive cabinets rather than the tank! :reading: I have recieved a few texts, phone calls, and PM"s from old friends on here offering help. Thanks to all of you. This is a great community of very smart people and I am glad to be a part of it. We are about 6 months from moving in so I am just doing the early planning now. However, I will do any plumbing that is necessary before hand obviously.

 

[mikencarol]

We built or new home two years ago. Initally I wanted to build a built in custom stand out of cinder block and cover it with ceramic tile...for our DT in the living room. I changed my mind and now I wish I had of stuck to the original plan. I know it is a permanent decision but I would so like to have a permanent stand covered in the same ceramic as the floor and BIG doors in front for access to the sump/exuipment. DON'T forgrt to have some heavy duty wiring placed during construction for SEVERAL electrical outlets...that's another mistake I made...and now its gonna be alot harder to fix........

 

[lauremf2002]

how about a combo acrylic/glass tank? AGE does those. They are lighter and if you are only viewing through the front of the tank you would only need one glass side. I believe this is how Paul's tank is.

 

[blakers82]

I don't know about leak percentages of glass vs acrylic, but I'd go glass. I've heard nothing but good things about AGE. Marineland has also done well for me in the past. I'm looking for a stand/frame guy myself so let me know if you've found one. Mike has a great point about electricity outlets. Be sure to pipe in plenty. Sounds like you're on to the heat issue, but you may want to have a plan for a chiller just in case.

I think the most significant issue right now would be access. The fact is that you'll have a large aquarium/sump and larger equipment needs and no fish room... And all of it in your lovely office. I'd keep the space and design of the room in mind as you will surely end up doing some maintenance in there.

I will be following your build!

 

[aday2remmbr]

i prefer glass tanks but when it comes to them leaking i would think acrylic would be better since it is molded into one whole piece with no silicone attaching the panels it just seems like a glass tank would have more weak points

 

[Lightsluvr]

i prefer glass tanks but when it comes to them leaking i would think acrylic would be better since it is molded into one whole piece with no silicone attaching the panels it just seems like a glass tank would have more weak points

The biggest (private) aquarium leak in modern Oklahoma history was acrylic... that owner went back with a hybrid tank with starphire glass on the front panel. Also consider euro-bracing. Always go with the voice of experience...

JMO.

LL

 

[Lightsluvr]

Ahh... The skimmer. I had early on planned to run the plumbing for the skimmer up and over the cieling in the entry way to the garage or laundry room etc. The cieling there is 22 feet tall but I can add this after framing and prior to sheetrock etc. :smurf:

Hmmmm... using a pump to feed the typical external skimmer is practical for your proposed plan, but I cannot imagine how you would handle the skimmer outflow back to your tank/sump. Gravity and all that, you know... :twitch:

LL

 

[MyMonkey]

Well, the framing is done and after looking at the planned site of the new tank I am thinking a 180 by Marineland might be the winner. I like the looks of the DD tanks by them but I don't need 3 feet of depth front to back and the extra few inches of height is wasted on me as well, considering I cant even reach the bottom then and don't want to snorkel to clean the thing!

 

[NightShade00013]

I just had a small idea.

Since you are currently building your home and you have a blank slate so to speak it might be a thought to look at a geothermal loop. The ground temperature is always stable and would probably be capable of helping you keep your tank cool during the warmest months without a chiller. Would have to probably setup a controller and pump just to run the loop but I can bet that it will cost a lot less than running a chiller and depending on the loop size could probably outperform it. I am guessing that you would want to talk to someone who deals with HVAC and has done a geothermal installation to have an idea how to set someof it up.

I don't know what your property size is but if you have the room to do it why not? Might look at something like that for your basic home heating and cooling as well. Much more efficient than a standard heat and air unit though may be a bit higher initial cost but the savings over time would well offset the costs.

 

[MyMonkey]

I just had a small idea.

Since you are currently building your home and you have a blank slate so to speak it might be a thought to look at a geothermal loop. The ground temperature is always stable and would probably be capable of helping you keep your tank cool during the warmest months without a chiller. Would have to probably setup a controller and pump just to run the loop but I can bet that it will cost a lot less than running a chiller and depending on the loop size could probably outperform it. I am guessing that you would want to talk to someone who deals with HVAC and has done a geothermal installation to have an idea how to set someof it up.

I don't know what your property size is but if you have the room to do it why not? Might look at something like that for your basic home heating and cooling as well. Much more efficient than a standard heat and air unit though may be a bit higher initial cost but the savings over time would well offset the costs.

That's a good idea but I think I am a bit beyond that point considering the foundation is in place. Not positive on that but will look into it. However, I have determined a spot for a chiller with exhaust access through the wall to the exterior if I must have the chiller.