huge tank planning
- Thread starter thelizardkin
- Start date
I, too, have seen these tanks. They are not salt water tanks, let alone mixed reef systems. You have been given a lot of advice, much of it sound, all of it for free. I suggest you heed the warnings of those that have posted in this thread. No one is going to knock you for lack of ambition, but ambition alone does not make a successful reef tank.
thelizardkin
New member
by that i ment just the tank without the lighting filter livestock just the cinder blocks rebar glass est
thelizardkin
New member
when and if i get this house so a few months off
thelizardkin
New member
i got a quote on the glass its $2k for 2 8'x4'x1" panes
thelizardkin
New member
I ment acrylic and the window will be 7.5x3
So you got everything wrong except the price? Do I see a trend, developing?
IMO, 1" is not enough, and the placement (closer to top or bottom) will also change the pressure that will be on it! Water pressure increases as the depth (height, top to bottom not front to back) increases.
Online calculators seem to suggest closer to 2" might be the minimum
.
So you got everything wrong except the price? Do I see a trend, developing?
IMO, 1" is not enough, and the placement (closer to top or bottom) will also change the pressure that will be on it! Water pressure increases as the depth (height, top to bottom not front to back) increases.
Online calculators seem to suggest closer to 2" might be the minimum
.
I dont think 2" is necessary but for a 36" tall window he probably should go 1.25" at least. I have a 360 gallon 96"x24"x36" tall that is 1.25" with no bow but there is no water above the top glass like he is intending to do..
thelizardkin
New member
The glass will be higher up but also when you add the cinder block rim that makes the glass alot stronger and If it bows too much I can always add a 2x4 in the middle
thelizardkin
New member
I know you can do this with glass but could I stick 2 panes together to make it thicker
OMG
...I believe there is a thread on RC...about the 'classic' quotes from various other threads ... THIS definitely belongs there!...for sure it will end up in someones signature!This thread is a lot of fun!
CreativeGuy
Creature Morpheus ...
LOL, Lizard tell that one to your structural engineer and see what he says! Seems you know as much about aquariums as you do concrete. A little bit of information is considered dangerous. In your case, it will be disastrous without a doubt. Concrete "strength" is a compressive unit which is only one property of concrete, not how it performs and has to be designed for footings and foundations.
I am a forensic building engineer for over 20 years and know buildings, their systems (HVAC, roofing, building environments and control, water proofing, plumbing) and materials well from the design and construction side of things. You better seek professional (paid) advice and obtained a engineered sealed set of drawings for all aspects of structural elements.
I have been learning and working through a design/build of an original concept for a 300g-ish tank that has "morphed" into a multiple tank system which has about 1,500g in tanks - the largest being a 600g tank; plus it has approximately another 1,500g in the filtration system which consists of various sumps and components. I thought I would get into this hobby and spend maybe $10,000-$12,000 and get a great reef aquarium. As the system changed, that budget doubled. As the building is proceeding that increased budget/estimate will be doubled again by the time I am finished (I hope and pray). That is with a lot of help, being very creative and frugal in purchasing materials and doing the majority of the construction work myself. Yet not skimping on quality or performance.
I read books and forum posts pretty much everyday and do further research on every aspect of the components and engineering for a system trying to do it right the first time. It was hoped to have my system up and running this summer, but I chose to delay things until I could come up to speed with the necessary science, technology and "art" of what a large system involves and learn from the best people I can, heed from experiences of others. Major components are built and being built (with the 600g custom tank, 4-beckett skimmer, bio-filter, and few other components am already over $15k) and the system planning and engineering is taking over a year. Simple math for the "salt" along on a 4,800g a 200g-box @ $45/box is over $1,000; sand is not cheap either, just in my system I spent more than $3k. Your lighting budget could easily chew up $10k as many have indicated here. We all would like to do this hobby on a lot less money or investment of time then in reality it takes.
I am a forensic building engineer for over 20 years and know buildings, their systems (HVAC, roofing, building environments and control, water proofing, plumbing) and materials well from the design and construction side of things. You better seek professional (paid) advice and obtained a engineered sealed set of drawings for all aspects of structural elements.
I have been learning and working through a design/build of an original concept for a 300g-ish tank that has "morphed" into a multiple tank system which has about 1,500g in tanks - the largest being a 600g tank; plus it has approximately another 1,500g in the filtration system which consists of various sumps and components. I thought I would get into this hobby and spend maybe $10,000-$12,000 and get a great reef aquarium. As the system changed, that budget doubled. As the building is proceeding that increased budget/estimate will be doubled again by the time I am finished (I hope and pray). That is with a lot of help, being very creative and frugal in purchasing materials and doing the majority of the construction work myself. Yet not skimping on quality or performance.
I read books and forum posts pretty much everyday and do further research on every aspect of the components and engineering for a system trying to do it right the first time. It was hoped to have my system up and running this summer, but I chose to delay things until I could come up to speed with the necessary science, technology and "art" of what a large system involves and learn from the best people I can, heed from experiences of others. Major components are built and being built (with the 600g custom tank, 4-beckett skimmer, bio-filter, and few other components am already over $15k) and the system planning and engineering is taking over a year. Simple math for the "salt" along on a 4,800g a 200g-box @ $45/box is over $1,000; sand is not cheap either, just in my system I spent more than $3k. Your lighting budget could easily chew up $10k as many have indicated here. We all would like to do this hobby on a lot less money or investment of time then in reality it takes.
CreativeGuy
Creature Morpheus ...
@ Dave m I shall be doing a thread on RC as things come together more. It is complicated and difficult for me to "frame up" an encompassing thread. So I am in the midst of setting up a dedicated website for the project (CreatureMorpheaus.com) which will have various webpages for each component or aspect of the project. I have posted questions in specific threads of others about advice or discussion of proposed concepts or equipment.
Although working a bit everyday on the project, it has had to take a back seat to getting somethings (completion of home construction and preparation of my parents' 60th wedding anniversary in a month) before getting back tot the build. Also having to make more money in a tough economy for "recreational hobbies" when way over an initially planned budget has been another factor.
Am holding of on various components as I am looking forward to going to MACNA in Des Moines in September for 3 days to see a lot of new things and speak with technical people (again I believe patience is necessary to do things right the first time).
Joe
Although working a bit everyday on the project, it has had to take a back seat to getting somethings (completion of home construction and preparation of my parents' 60th wedding anniversary in a month) before getting back tot the build. Also having to make more money in a tough economy for "recreational hobbies" when way over an initially planned budget has been another factor.
Am holding of on various components as I am looking forward to going to MACNA in Des Moines in September for 3 days to see a lot of new things and speak with technical people (again I believe patience is necessary to do things right the first time).
Joe
CreativeGuy
Creature Morpheus ...
@LizardKin: I am not trying to dissuade you from doing your project, but you make take heed as a quote from Eisenhower "the plan is nothing, the planning is everything". In my experience in life and my profession as an investigative engineer, listen to many, sift through everything and find pertinent application to your project, and importantly the creditability and experience of the person(s) saying it, research further, make sure that things are based on sound technical merit and stand up to scrutiny and debate, don't overlook experience from failures as to avoid a repeat and above all, use and apply common sense.
If you are planning to use concrete and fabricate the system, there is a lot of considerations you need to take into account from the engineering side of things, but also from the aquarium side. Charles Delbeek (one of the foremost aquarist in the world, IMHO), did a presentation in Toronto a couple months back of their 20,000+ aquarium build and operations and spoke of issues related to the concrete design and materials, including leeching from the concrete and block materials. Something you ought to look into before selecting your materials. Whether it is your 4,800g /$10k project or the California Academy of Science Building ($500M project and only ONE of its exhibits being the 212,000g saltwater tanks), or even the 100g hobbyist tank, surprisingly the design, materials, equipment and components all have to deal with the same factors related to captive reef environments. The intelligent way to go about a build is to know what you are getting into, research it and plan it. In my humble opinion, building a 4,800g system on a budget of $10k-$15k is unrealistic. I jumped in thinking that $20k-$25k would do towards the system I descried above and realistically even in doing it in stages and being creative and scrutinizing every purchase, that budget has to be doubled as there are of lot of incidentals to the home, construction, ventilation, plumbing, electrical, etc., which factor in.
Good Luck with It.
If you are planning to use concrete and fabricate the system, there is a lot of considerations you need to take into account from the engineering side of things, but also from the aquarium side. Charles Delbeek (one of the foremost aquarist in the world, IMHO), did a presentation in Toronto a couple months back of their 20,000+ aquarium build and operations and spoke of issues related to the concrete design and materials, including leeching from the concrete and block materials. Something you ought to look into before selecting your materials. Whether it is your 4,800g /$10k project or the California Academy of Science Building ($500M project and only ONE of its exhibits being the 212,000g saltwater tanks), or even the 100g hobbyist tank, surprisingly the design, materials, equipment and components all have to deal with the same factors related to captive reef environments. The intelligent way to go about a build is to know what you are getting into, research it and plan it. In my humble opinion, building a 4,800g system on a budget of $10k-$15k is unrealistic. I jumped in thinking that $20k-$25k would do towards the system I descried above and realistically even in doing it in stages and being creative and scrutinizing every purchase, that budget has to be doubled as there are of lot of incidentals to the home, construction, ventilation, plumbing, electrical, etc., which factor in.
Good Luck with It.
thelizardkin
New member
it's sounding like the tank won't be as big as i was thinking it will be around 2500g
d3hree
New member
Is that due to physical or financial restraints?...either way I think you might look back on that decision as being a good one in the future and lets be honest 2500g isnt small.
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