Help with 600 Gallon Tank build

[Ecj340]

Im new to this hobby. Im the type of person that when I do something I put all my effort into doing things right and better than the average joe. Recently I decided to get into this hobby. I have been doing a lot of research and I feel confident that I can do this. I have a budget of 10k and with help from my fellow members I feel I can have a spectacular aquarium . I like to take the DIY route and I just purchased a used ATM 600 gallon 120 x 36x 24 acrylic tank. Now I have to figure out the proper equipment to buy. I work from home and this has my top priority so I will be updating this thread regularly. Here are the pics of me bringing home the Tank. I have never moved anything of this size before so I was learning on the fly. I know i did a bunch of things wrong but the tank is up and that is all that matters to me

 

[myerss]

Nice big tank..... and you already have coral.

 

[discus510]

wait till u gotta clean the tank. at 36" H its going to be a pain to clean. and at only 24" Deep its going to a pain to get in

 

[viggen]

Nice tank.... like mentioned the depth will look sweet but be a PITA to clean, I have a 120x30x30 & it's a PITA to reach the bottom on this tank. Also, for filtration sizing & all that stuff I would suggest you look at the actual gallons of the tank & not the inflated 600g number. If you use the calculator (that is if those are the correct dimensions 120x36x24), it's about 450 gallons.

You should easily be able to get this up & running for that money. What do you plan on putting in it? Full blown reef or do you want to go more towards a FO/FOWLR route?

 

[dzfish17]

Welcome to RC. I came up with 450g too. FWIW its more common to list length, width and then height when discribing dimensions. Is this going to be a FO or reef tank? I would use a closed loop to move water in the lower portions of the tank. Youre going to need a big skimmer also.

 

[Ecj340]

wait till u gotta clean the tank. at 36" H its going to be a pain to clean. and at only 24" Deep its going to a pain to get in

I dove head first into this hobby by purchasing this huge used tank while not knowing anything about aquariums, as I never had one or even paid that much attention to them. I recently purchased a new 7500 sq ft home and I felt it was missing something. That something is my new love, DIY aquarium So now that I know more about this hobby, yes I see its going to be a pita to clean. Getting inside is inpossible because of the fake reef insert. The fact that its 44h" not 36" is my first DUHHH!. I have to learn to take things slow and READ READ READ before I buy something this big and expensive!

 

[Ecj340]

Nice tank.... like mentioned the depth will look sweet but be a PITA to clean, I have a 120x30x30 & it's a PITA to reach the bottom on this tank. Also, for filtration sizing & all that stuff I would suggest you look at the actual gallons of the tank & not the inflated 600g number. If you use the calculator (that is if those are the correct dimensions 120x36x24), it's about 450 gallons.

You should easily be able to get this up & running for that money. What do you plan on putting in it? Full blown reef or do you want to go more towards a FO/FOWLR route?

I want to make this a FOWLR since it already has a fake reef insert.. The tank is drilled for closed loop. Should I get a DART for the closed loop or is the Dart Gold better for my size tank?

 

[fixmgood]

Don't be in a rush.Come to Reefapalooza on 22nd and 23rd of this month and you can talk to a bunch of vendors and hobbyists who can also give you advise
reefapalooza2011.org

 

[Ecj340]

Don't be in a rush.Come to Reefapalooza on 22nd and 23rd of this month and you can talk to a bunch of vendors and hobbyists who can also give you advise
reefapalooza2011.org

Thank you so much for the info. I will be definitely go check it out.

 

[Ecj340]

Lets talk sump, Should my sump include a refugium? How many gallons should the sump be?. Under the tank I have the following space 116 x 34 x 18 to put the sump and equipment. Since I have to buy everything I want to make sure I buy the correct equipment so in a year from now I don't have to upgrade. I just want to make sure I buy equipment that is watt friendly as my electricity bill is in the 500 range monthly and I don't want to inflate that more. I will most likely do LED lighting. I like the Dart pumps because of the low watts hopefully the gph from those pumps will suffice my set up. Any recommendations? for skimmer, pump for closed loop, return pump,

 

[Dustin1300]

With a 10k budget your going to have a hard time getting LED lighting too. T5s might be a good solution for you on a FOWLR. I would also always recommend a fuge and its size matters more than the size of the sump. The sump's volume should hold the equipment you'll need and is really just a place to hide you equipment from the tank (Skimmer, heaters, and probes in your case).