Johnsteph10
New member
Well, due to a number of people asking and my own desire to document everything, I have decided to post (yet another! :eek2: ) build log of a large tank. Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry. Blame my friends.
I just wanted to thank all of the LIRA members/friends who have been more than helpful, melev for his excellent (and ridiculously long and detailed) thread, fliger, gregt, tedinator, and others from the Large Tank forum for whom I am greatful for ideas (Don't worry, I'll drop more names as this thread progresses!).
I'll try to keep this entertaining as well as educational and fun..not just "here is my equipment with pretty pictures" thread. Though, I do like pictures.
And I'll start out at the very beginning (though I am not that far yet).
A little history (cue in the fancy SW theme..)...A long time ago in a state now far far away...I've had a fair share of tanks in my time (from a 5g nano to a 120g..and everything in between). My wife did not like the number of tanks - yes, she did say that quote...and yes, I have survived her wrath multiple times for posting that.
Because my marriage is important to me (at least that's what my wife tells me to think), I had to agree after moving to NY to cut down my number of tanks. I said, "Fine." (that's a direct quote...I know because I wrote it down. ). I want a big tank.
As a result, I had to have a house with a basement (not a problem here on Long Island). I would build a fishroom. I would have a big tank.
After doing a LOT of research, I ended up going with James at Envision Acrylics rather than going with a glass tank. IMHO, unless you have the resources to built it on site, glass is simply not an option. I initially wanted a longer tank (like 8 feet or so) but after discussing what my final goal was...he made the suggestion of a shorter but wider tank. I had not really thought too much in that direction although I did love wide tanks for aquascaping reasons.
After a lot of consideration, I ended up going with a 6 foot long x 4 foot wide x 27 inch tall eurobraced acrylic tank viewable on 3 sides as a peninsula style tank jutting out from the fishroom (currently under construction). Why those dimensions?
Basically I chose them because I would still be able to reach the center of the tank for maintenance reasons. I also went with that height because 1. James recommended 1 inch acrylic for no bowing at all and he felt going higher would require thicker acrylic if I wanted the tank (over)built correctly. and 2. I'm only 6 feet tall and no, I do not have gorilla arms (despite the baby picture in my avatar).
This was in the end of Feb./early March. The tank would be delivered June 9th - oddly enough, timed the day after we closed on our new house up here (strange, huh? Please don't tell my wife it wasn't an accident).
After a long and drawn out process (Yellow Freight company's inability to deliver as promised coupled with a lazy butt driver and NO help), the crate made it into my garage (only because the former owner was a sheriff and had friends in all of the right places..thank you Mike!).
Here's a pic of the 5 feet wide, 7 feet long, and almost 3 feet tall 1000lb crate sitting in my garage:
I promise lots more pics and details to follow at this Yet-Another-Build-Log continues...(Isn't that the name of a Soap Opera?).
Please feel free to comment, question, suggest, abuse, or talk about related or unrelated stuff here.
Future posts will include details about the tank with some really cool ideas, steel stand, fish room building, water movement, skimming, LR from ReeferMadness (freakin' awesome LR! and incredible customer service), the Aquatronica aquarium controller, lighting, air exchange and humidity control, etc. Lots of info, I promise.
John
I just wanted to thank all of the LIRA members/friends who have been more than helpful, melev for his excellent (and ridiculously long and detailed) thread, fliger, gregt, tedinator, and others from the Large Tank forum for whom I am greatful for ideas (Don't worry, I'll drop more names as this thread progresses!).
I'll try to keep this entertaining as well as educational and fun..not just "here is my equipment with pretty pictures" thread. Though, I do like pictures.
And I'll start out at the very beginning (though I am not that far yet).
A little history (cue in the fancy SW theme..)...A long time ago in a state now far far away...I've had a fair share of tanks in my time (from a 5g nano to a 120g..and everything in between). My wife did not like the number of tanks - yes, she did say that quote...and yes, I have survived her wrath multiple times for posting that.
Because my marriage is important to me (at least that's what my wife tells me to think), I had to agree after moving to NY to cut down my number of tanks. I said, "Fine." (that's a direct quote...I know because I wrote it down.
). I want a big tank.As a result, I had to have a house with a basement (not a problem here on Long Island). I would build a fishroom. I would have a big tank.
After doing a LOT of research, I ended up going with James at Envision Acrylics rather than going with a glass tank. IMHO, unless you have the resources to built it on site, glass is simply not an option. I initially wanted a longer tank (like 8 feet or so) but after discussing what my final goal was...he made the suggestion of a shorter but wider tank. I had not really thought too much in that direction although I did love wide tanks for aquascaping reasons.
After a lot of consideration, I ended up going with a 6 foot long x 4 foot wide x 27 inch tall eurobraced acrylic tank viewable on 3 sides as a peninsula style tank jutting out from the fishroom (currently under construction). Why those dimensions?
Basically I chose them because I would still be able to reach the center of the tank for maintenance reasons. I also went with that height because 1. James recommended 1 inch acrylic for no bowing at all and he felt going higher would require thicker acrylic if I wanted the tank (over)built correctly. and 2. I'm only 6 feet tall and no, I do not have gorilla arms (despite the baby picture in my avatar).
This was in the end of Feb./early March. The tank would be delivered June 9th - oddly enough, timed the day after we closed on our new house up here (strange, huh? Please don't tell my wife it wasn't an accident).
After a long and drawn out process (Yellow Freight company's inability to deliver as promised coupled with a lazy butt driver and NO help), the crate made it into my garage (only because the former owner was a sheriff and had friends in all of the right places..thank you Mike!).
Here's a pic of the 5 feet wide, 7 feet long, and almost 3 feet tall 1000lb crate sitting in my garage:
I promise lots more pics and details to follow at this Yet-Another-Build-Log continues...(Isn't that the name of a Soap Opera?).
Please feel free to comment, question, suggest, abuse, or talk about related or unrelated stuff here.
Future posts will include details about the tank with some really cool ideas, steel stand, fish room building, water movement, skimming, LR from ReeferMadness (freakin' awesome LR! and incredible customer service), the Aquatronica aquarium controller, lighting, air exchange and humidity control, etc. Lots of info, I promise.
John
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