thelizardkin
New member
if this tank gets to be too much $ i will make it a flower or freshwater tank
huge tank planning
- Thread starter thelizardkin
- Start date
hpfunk
New member
Don't do it!
Don't do it!
YOU DID THE MATH?
BRICKS? You are joking right?
You would need structurally designed reinforcing re-bars tied into the footings to insure the thing doesn't come apart and kill someone.
I am sorry but I am baffled with your estimate. Unless you are a D-I-Y genius and have access to tones of freebies, I don't see how you build a functioning reef tank on this budget? I currently have a one year old 180g and keep track of most of my purchases. There is more than 10K into it if you count everything. 4.5k and rising in coral alone in 180.
Do you plan on collecting all your live stock your self? To stock this tank you will want 30k to play with at least, unless you like the barren tank look.
Not trying to be funny but for 10k you should consider a nice koi pond outside. I estimate and plan commercial construction projects for a living (not aquariums), and I strongly recommend that you reconsider the scope of your project. Don't do it especially if you do not own the structure you intend on building in.
You are kidding yourself if you think you will get out of this project for 10k, by the looks of your planing your are gearing up for 100k in damages to the house alone.
Don't do it!
YOU DID THE MATH?
BRICKS? You are joking right?
You would need structurally designed reinforcing re-bars tied into the footings to insure the thing doesn't come apart and kill someone.
I am sorry but I am baffled with your estimate. Unless you are a D-I-Y genius and have access to tones of freebies, I don't see how you build a functioning reef tank on this budget? I currently have a one year old 180g and keep track of most of my purchases. There is more than 10K into it if you count everything. 4.5k and rising in coral alone in 180.
Do you plan on collecting all your live stock your self? To stock this tank you will want 30k to play with at least, unless you like the barren tank look.
Not trying to be funny but for 10k you should consider a nice koi pond outside. I estimate and plan commercial construction projects for a living (not aquariums), and I strongly recommend that you reconsider the scope of your project. Don't do it especially if you do not own the structure you intend on building in.
You are kidding yourself if you think you will get out of this project for 10k, by the looks of your planing your are gearing up for 100k in damages to the house alone.
darb85
New member
:headwally::headwally::headwally::headwally::headwalls::deadhorse:
dzfish17
New member
When I read through your thread a song by supertramp came to mind
Dreamer, you know you are a dreamer
Well can you put your hands in your head, oh no
Dreamer, youre nothing but a dreamer.
Seriously though, I would plan, and dream about something this big for at least a yr. before pulling the trigger. I'm going to have to agree that your numbers are off a bit. I definitely would reconsider a reef tank of this magnitude.
Dreamer, you know you are a dreamer
Well can you put your hands in your head, oh no
Dreamer, youre nothing but a dreamer.
Seriously though, I would plan, and dream about something this big for at least a yr. before pulling the trigger. I'm going to have to agree that your numbers are off a bit. I definitely would reconsider a reef tank of this magnitude.
ENTMogul
New member
To put things in perspective. I am in the midst of designing a new house and have three custom aquariums going into it. One of them is 15,000 gallons and just the acrylic, cement, and filtration is costing me half a million. This does not include maintenance, rock, fish, the usual.
My opinion is don't BS yourself on the price because in the end you will end up having a huge disaster on your hands.
just my 2cents.
RandyFolds
Reef Troll
To put things in perspective. I am in the midst of designing a new house and have three custom aquariums going into it. One of them is 15,000 gallons and just the acrylic, cement, and filtration is costing me half a million. This does not include maintenance, rock, fish, the usual.
My opinion is don't BS yourself on the price because in the end you will end up having a huge disaster on your hands.
just my 2cents.
That's what I am talking about...
Paying someone else to do it, OP would easily be in for $150-200k. He could take two years and do it himself for $40k, but 10?
ange062
New member
Sounds like a troll IMO, or just severely uneducated. I've got $3k into a 28g, good luck with the 4k+ gallon!
d3hree
New member
To put things in perspective. I am in the midst of designing a new house and have three custom aquariums going into it. One of them is 15,000 gallons and just the acrylic, cement, and filtration is costing me half a million. This does not include maintenance, rock, fish, the usual.
My opinion is don't BS yourself on the price because in the end you will end up having a huge disaster on your hands.
just my 2cents.
Wow, looking forward to reading your build thread!
This build is possible. Cut it down to 16x4x4 and it will be easier. Is there a specific reason that you wanted the 8 foot width?
The easiest way to get that type of volume would be to use a rectangular above ground swimming pool, but you will only have top down viewing. I know of several people who have put viewing windows in their pools, but they were only 2x3. These make great shark tanks.
There are some beautiful DIY ray lagoon build threads that could get you started.
I have a very large build underway right now for a gray smoothhound, and a 6'x6'x30" lagoon planned. I am currently building a quad Beckett skimmer that will run off a Reeflo Dart. I picked the pump up used for $150 from a LFS that was closing. I will have $300 in the skimmer when it is finished.
Deals can be had on equipment if you are patient and look.
I am also using DIY salt. My shark tank would be over $1000 in salt alone just to fill it.
The easiest way to get that type of volume would be to use a rectangular above ground swimming pool, but you will only have top down viewing. I know of several people who have put viewing windows in their pools, but they were only 2x3. These make great shark tanks.
There are some beautiful DIY ray lagoon build threads that could get you started.
I have a very large build underway right now for a gray smoothhound, and a 6'x6'x30" lagoon planned. I am currently building a quad Beckett skimmer that will run off a Reeflo Dart. I picked the pump up used for $150 from a LFS that was closing. I will have $300 in the skimmer when it is finished.
Deals can be had on equipment if you are patient and look.
I am also using DIY salt. My shark tank would be over $1000 in salt alone just to fill it.
hpfunk
New member
+1 on the TROLL
+1 on the TROLL
I didn't know what a troll was, so after asking my buddy who plays WOW, I now believe this is the case for this thread.
Any one who reads and post on this forum knows better than that...But its amazing how this thing attracts comments...including mine.
Grate job on starting a Troll thread, I think it is hilarious now!
+1 on the TROLL
I didn't know what a troll was, so after asking my buddy who plays WOW, I now believe this is the case for this thread.
Any one who reads and post on this forum knows better than that...But its amazing how this thing attracts comments...including mine.
Grate job on starting a Troll thread, I think it is hilarious now!
sfsuphysics
Active member
Not to jump on the "don't do it man" band wagon but... don't do it man
But to relate a story on costs...
I got a bunch of cheap tiles to redo a laundry room, about 99 cents per square foot (cheap but not TOO cheap), ceramic jobbers that would hold up to moisture and what not. Figured the room was about 40 square feet, should cost me about 40 bucks, I was going to do it myself after all. Then you start adding in things like backer board, thin set, mortar, etc, and it ended costing quite a bit more than $40. Closer to $200 when all was said and done.
So moral of my story is while you say you can get cinder blocks for a buck a piece, you'll end up spending way more than that to get them stacked in such a fashion such that they can structurally hold back the pressure of all that water.
When you have to go about making your tank, while it might be cheaper than having a pro-make it, it often involves quite a bit more than what you think.
But to relate a story on costs...
I got a bunch of cheap tiles to redo a laundry room, about 99 cents per square foot (cheap but not TOO cheap), ceramic jobbers that would hold up to moisture and what not. Figured the room was about 40 square feet, should cost me about 40 bucks, I was going to do it myself after all. Then you start adding in things like backer board, thin set, mortar, etc, and it ended costing quite a bit more than $40. Closer to $200 when all was said and done.
So moral of my story is while you say you can get cinder blocks for a buck a piece, you'll end up spending way more than that to get them stacked in such a fashion such that they can structurally hold back the pressure of all that water.
When you have to go about making your tank, while it might be cheaper than having a pro-make it, it often involves quite a bit more than what you think.
RandyFolds
Reef Troll
You can spend $3k on a nanocube, or you can spend $3k on a 180g. It all depends what you want, but 5,000g for $10k will not happen.
A buddy told me about this thread, and I was like, yeah, it is possible that it could be done, but once I saw OP's plan, I definitely got on the other side of the fence.
OP, think about doing a lagoon or something you can afford rather than getting into a project that will never be completed.
ENTMogul
New member
This is the last time I am commenting on this thread but I'll tell you a story.
When I upgraded my tank in my Florida home I started out thinking I will use all the old filtration, rock, etc. I said, "I can do this for $1,000 dollars!" I was super pumped for two reasons, one, I was upgrading a tank (who wouldn't be excited ) but two, I apparently thought I was smarter than everybody else and could do it for less.
Make a long story short, this tank now has all new filtration (except for sump), lighting, plumbing, thousands of dollars more in fish, all new rock work, a part time fish guy, and to top it off, I put it in a custom built wall unit, which is 20 feet long. My $1,000 dollars is now closer to $55,000 or $65,000 (need to do the accounting) with monthly expenses around $500 - $800 each month. Yes, this is on a 250 gallon tank.
Top this off with a Manhattan apt and a new house in design, i must be nuts. :debi:
Anyway, moral of the story is, plan accordingly. It's like buying a yacht. I buy a $2 million dollar yacht and I need another $4 million dollars in up keep.
Good luck to anyone who attempts big projects like these (including myself). Only dreamers achieve in this life time, but all achievers mapped the steps to their success.
The end.
When I upgraded my tank in my Florida home I started out thinking I will use all the old filtration, rock, etc. I said, "I can do this for $1,000 dollars!" I was super pumped for two reasons, one, I was upgrading a tank (who wouldn't be excited
) but two, I apparently thought I was smarter than everybody else and could do it for less. Make a long story short, this tank now has all new filtration (except for sump), lighting, plumbing, thousands of dollars more in fish, all new rock work, a part time fish guy, and to top it off, I put it in a custom built wall unit, which is 20 feet long. My $1,000 dollars is now closer to $55,000 or $65,000 (need to do the accounting) with monthly expenses around $500 - $800 each month. Yes, this is on a 250 gallon tank.
Top this off with a Manhattan apt and a new house in design, i must be nuts. :debi:
Anyway, moral of the story is, plan accordingly. It's like buying a yacht. I buy a $2 million dollar yacht and I need another $4 million dollars in up keep.
Good luck to anyone who attempts big projects like these (including myself). Only dreamers achieve in this life time, but all achievers mapped the steps to their success.
The end.
thelizardkin
New member
If I ever do this tank it would be a long way off so I have alot of time to do more research but if I do build it it will be like this guys tank
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...0-5-000-gallon-Arapaima-Gigas-Tank-by-JohnPTC
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...0-5-000-gallon-Arapaima-Gigas-Tank-by-JohnPTC
kdrof
New member
I would suggest that you email this guy and ask how much he has invested.. Do you have the front end loader for all the salt you will need? Listen to everybody on here (I know its not always smart to believe the internet) but in this case i would. I am just putting up my 180g and im looking at about 6k to just get water circulating (the right way) This is with DIY Stand and DIY LEDs.
I apologize for laughing while i read the thread as well.. There are people swimming in his tank.. When I started this hobby I did not know how in depth it actually was. So take some time and read different books, threads and talk to people. I just dont want to see your house get taken out by a homemade Katrina incident.
If you are completely serious about this.. Talk to people and get some quotes on what you will actually need.. And what they suggest would be the most stable and reliable system.
Is there a reason you want to go this big? Did you just come up with a gallon size that sounded good... or is their a particular size wall space your trying to fill? I ask because usually people say i had a 55g and now i want to upgrade to a 180g... they kind of know the ropes of what it took to maintain their previous system and know what they will need to add to maintain a bigger setup... What i am getting at is.. What is the biggest marine setup you have had to this point? If you told me that you had a 1000g and it wasnt enough for you and you were successful with it and wanted to move up thats one thing...but if your just pulling this out of thin air and saying i want a tank like Mandalay Bay in my house (over a million gallons
) then i would reconsider. Just a thought. You can call me an ignoramous, but please post pictures of the build... and the outcome.
I apologize for laughing while i read the thread as well.. There are people swimming in his tank.. When I started this hobby I did not know how in depth it actually was. So take some time and read different books, threads and talk to people. I just dont want to see your house get taken out by a homemade Katrina incident.
If you are completely serious about this.. Talk to people and get some quotes on what you will actually need.. And what they suggest would be the most stable and reliable system.
Is there a reason you want to go this big? Did you just come up with a gallon size that sounded good... or is their a particular size wall space your trying to fill? I ask because usually people say i had a 55g and now i want to upgrade to a 180g... they kind of know the ropes of what it took to maintain their previous system and know what they will need to add to maintain a bigger setup... What i am getting at is.. What is the biggest marine setup you have had to this point? If you told me that you had a 1000g and it wasnt enough for you and you were successful with it and wanted to move up thats one thing...but if your just pulling this out of thin air and saying i want a tank like Mandalay Bay in my house (over a million gallons
) then i would reconsider. Just a thought. You can call me an ignoramous, but please post pictures of the build... and the outcome.
dave.m
Active member
Keep checking other giant builds to see what they did, but also consult an engineer before you actually begin your own construction. Most of these monster builds did the same. They didn't just pick the size of things or the materials and methods out of the blue. A lot of this stuff comes from an engineer who can verify that what you are doing is sized and built right to meet your goals but also meet building codes. An engineer will sign his name to the recommendations. This may become necessary if you need to pass inspections from your city's building department. It may also become mandatory per your insurance company.
Dave.M
Dave.M
thelizardkin
New member
I would suggest that you email this guy and ask how much he has invested.. Do you have the front end loader for all the salt you will need? Listen to everybody on here (I know its not always smart to believe the internet) but in this case i would. I am just putting up my 180g and im looking at about 6k to just get water circulating (the right way) This is with DIY Stand and DIY LEDs.
I did pm him asking about the cost what he did to the ground the tank sits on and what he does about humidity btw that tank is small compared to some tanks on mfk
I apologize for laughing while i read the thread as well.. There are people swimming in his tank.. When I started this hobby I did not know how in depth it actually was. So take some time and read different books, threads and talk to people. I just dont want to see your house get taken out by a homemade Katrina incident.
It's fine I know you just want to help
If you are completely serious about this.. Talk to people and get some quotes on what you will actually need.. And what they suggest would be the most stable and reliable system.
Is there a reason you want to go this big? Did you just come up with a gallon size that sounded good... or is their a particular size wall space your trying to fill? I ask because usually people say i had a 55g and now i want to upgrade to a 180g... they kind of know the ropes of what it took to maintain their previous system and know what they will need to add to maintain a bigger setup... What i am getting at is.. What is the biggest marine setup you have had to this point? If you told me that you had a 1000g and it wasnt enough for you and you were successful with it and wanted to move up thats one thing...but if your just pulling this out of thin air and saying i want a tank like Mandalay Bay in my house (over a million gallons) then i would reconsider. Just a thought. You can call me an ignoramous, but please post pictures of the build... and the outcome.[/QUOTE]
Right now I have a 420 gallon reef 7x3x2.5 a 210 freshwater 6x2x2.5 and a 240 vivarium 4x2x4
I did pm him asking about the cost what he did to the ground the tank sits on and what he does about humidity btw that tank is small compared to some tanks on mfk
I apologize for laughing while i read the thread as well.. There are people swimming in his tank.. When I started this hobby I did not know how in depth it actually was. So take some time and read different books, threads and talk to people. I just dont want to see your house get taken out by a homemade Katrina incident.
It's fine I know you just want to help
If you are completely serious about this.. Talk to people and get some quotes on what you will actually need.. And what they suggest would be the most stable and reliable system.
Is there a reason you want to go this big? Did you just come up with a gallon size that sounded good... or is their a particular size wall space your trying to fill? I ask because usually people say i had a 55g and now i want to upgrade to a 180g... they kind of know the ropes of what it took to maintain their previous system and know what they will need to add to maintain a bigger setup... What i am getting at is.. What is the biggest marine setup you have had to this point? If you told me that you had a 1000g and it wasnt enough for you and you were successful with it and wanted to move up thats one thing...but if your just pulling this out of thin air and saying i want a tank like Mandalay Bay in my house (over a million gallons
) then i would reconsider. Just a thought. You can call me an ignoramous, but please post pictures of the build... and the outcome.[/QUOTE]Right now I have a 420 gallon reef 7x3x2.5 a 210 freshwater 6x2x2.5 and a 240 vivarium 4x2x4
thelizardkin
New member
I would love to have a tank that dwarfs the dubai aquarium mall someday
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