Mammoth's 325 A.G.E. Build

Black Mammoth

Black Mammoth

Premium Member
I don't even know where to begin, but I can tell you that I'm very excited! Some of you may know/remember that I wanted an 8' long inwall tank. I have had a few minor setbacks here and there, but I'm finally starting the build. I'll start off by listing the specs of the equipment. After that I'll show you where the tank is going and what I have to do. Then I'll give you the history of the build up to this date. Yes, there is some history despite nothing being done yet :rollface:

Display:
  • 325 gallon - 96L x 30W x26T built by A.G.E. (purchased from Sean at Fins & Feathers)
  • Starphire on 3 sides; front and 2 end pieces. I believe that it will be 1/2" glass because of the height, but ultimately it is up to A.G.E.
  • 60" External overflow on the back (Calfo style)
  • 4 Drains from the overflow
  • I need to call Sean and ask about putting some returns in the Eurobrace. I forgot to mention that to him.
  • There shouldn't be any centerbraces
Stand:
  • 96 x 30 x 30 powder coated black steel stand with leveling feet and a plywood deck made by A.G.E.
  • The stand is a cantilever stand. It overhangs by 4.5" on the front so the tank will be flush with the drywall.
Flow:
  • 1 x Tunze 6200, 3 x Tunze 6100 on a 7095 Multicontroller. I might swap one of the 6100s for a 6200, but I'm going to see how this works first (one 6100 I got from WAMAS and Reef Central member SJM817 and the other 3 from another Reef Central Member)
  • ReeFlo Dart for the return pump (I still need to get this. I'm keeping my eye out for a used one. If I don't see one, I'll either see if I can get one from Fins & Feathers or Blue Ribbon Koi
Lighting:
  • 16 x 54w T5s overdriven with IceCap 660 ballasts. Meaning that I'm using 8 x 54w 48" on each side of the tank. Initially I was going to go with 20 (10 on each side), but since I'm overdriving them, this configuration might work. If it doesn't, I'll add 4 more (2 on each side). I got this from Sean at Fins & Feathers
  • I will also use IceCap reflectors (I'll either get them from Fins & Feathers or use the WAMAS connection)
  • I will decide the bulb selection later (I'll probably get them from Reef Geek)
  • I will use either ball bearing PC fans or possibly a bigger fan on each end.
  • DIY LED moonlights
Filtration:
  • ATI BM 250 skimmer. There seems to be mixed reviews on this skimmer. Either people love it or hate it. For the price, I thought I would give it a try. If it doesn't work out, I might go with Grey Seas Aquatics. I'll figure that out later. (I also got the skimmer from SJM817)
  • No UV. I didn't really see much benefit with this on my 90g. Maybe I'll change my mind later.
  • 4 filter socks on the overflow (Got from a group buy that WAMAS member ArtC setup)
  • Shallow Sand Bed probably 2"-3" in depth
  • About 300lbs of live rock. Probably a 50/50 mix of Marshall and Tonga. (Most of the Marshall is coming from my 90g that I got from Fins & Feathers and I got the rest from WAMAS member DEEPBLUE)
Sump/Refugium:
  • I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do. I think I might wait until I get the tank and stand installed before deciding on what to do. I was initially thinking a 125g.
  • Cheato will be used in the refugium.
  • I might go with a deep sand bed and mangroves.
Supplementation:
  • This is up in the air right now. I might go with Grey Seas Aquatics for a Kalk Stirrer or Calcium Reactor (if they make one).
Miscellaneous:
  • I already have a lot from my 90g. I already have heaters, 100GPD RO/DI system, storage containers (may get bigger ones), and auto top off system
  • I might add a controller of some sort
  • I may need a chiller, but I'm going to try and get by without it.
  • Fan for the fish room wired to a humidistat to help remove humidity and heat
The tank will be in my basement. Currently my 90g is against a wall and it is wired and partially plumbed through the wall to the unfinished fish room. The new tank will go in that wall. As you can see below, I'll have to move the door and do some drywall work. The stand isn't that dark. I think it was the flash on the camera that made it look so dark.
BrightTankWalliv.jpg


So I'll need to finish off the unfinished room. I'm going reframe the room so I have a little more room for the tank and my supplies. Part of the tank will also go under the stairs. So I need to reframe that part of the room and bump it out another 2 feet. The first thing I will do is run 2 20amp lines to the fish room. I want the fish tank on its own circuits. That is more than what I really need especially since I'm running 12awg wire. Anyway, after electrical work (including the fan), I will need to do some plumbing. I need to move my utility sink and supply lines to where the refrigerator is located. I will also need to move the vent pipe and drain as well. Actually, I probably can't finish hooking up the drain until the tank is installed. Anyway, after that I will insulate the room. I'm doing that for noise isolation. After that, I will be putting up a vapor barrier. Then I will finish off the wall with HardiBacker. I was going to use DuraRock, but HardiBacker is a little easier to work with. Finally, after that I will is fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) to cover the walls and ceiling. My goal is to really contain the moisture in the room and use the fan to help remove the moisture from the room. If that isn't enough, I may change it out later with an air exchanger. I already have the duct running outside, so it's just a matter of hooking up the fan. Here is a picture looking through the door showing the fish room and beyond. Don't worry, the mechanical room will not be part of the fish room :D
LookingIntoTheWall.jpg


Now this is looking back at the door. This is the wall where the tank will be at.
BehindTheDoor.jpg


Finally, here is a picture of the utility sink area. I'll have to move that and reframe that so the tank can partially sit under the stairs there. There isn't a lot of room, but it will fit. Besides, I'll only have a 1.5' in the tight area under the stairs.
UnderTheStairs.jpg



So some of you know that I've been wanting to do this for awhile. I initially wanted to buy a used tank, but I had several leads fall through. I won't get in to all of them, but either I was a day late or I never heard back. I then thought about going acrylic with NAGA, but I wasn't a big fan of acrylic. The price difference wasn't enough for me to go acrylic. So I decided to get a new tank because I spent a long time trying to get a used tank of this size and I wasn't able to. I started to get some quotes. I got a quote from Aquarium Obsessed first. However, after some research and PMs I received, I decided not to go with them. Then I thought I would check Miracles Aquariums. I couldn't believe how much they wanted for the tank and they didn't even spec it for what I asked :eek: I was thinking about going with GlassCages knowing some of the risks involved, but I couldn't get an external overflow. I then thought, "What the heck, lets see what A.G.E. can do!" I was afraid to do this, because I was under the impression that they were expensive; compared to GlassCages that is true, but they were way cheaper than Miracles Aquariums. I was thinking I would have to go with John at Kingfish Aquariums because they were the only ones I knew that dealt with A.G.E. But I decided to check with the WAMAS LFS sponsors to see if they can order an A.G.E. tank or know of another custom glass builder. I rather give the local guys supporting us some business. Unfortunately, just about everyone I called couldn't help me. I got advice from get acrylic to get the new Marineland tank to get a GlassCages tank. I then remember hearing that Sean at Fins & Feathers doing a large tank sale earlier in the year. So I thought I would give him a call. After he did some leg work, he was able to order me one. I came in on the December 31st to pay him for the order. So I'll probably get it in a 3 - 5 weeks. He'll keep me posted on that and some movers. So I really need to get cracking on my build out.

Well that's all I have for now. I'll be continuing to post updates on here. Feel free to ask questions or give advice.
 
Looks like its going to be awesome man, congrats! :thumbsup:

I take delivery on my AGE this week or next, and I'm super excited. I did go through John at AGE, later to learn that a few of my LFS could've ordered me a tank... but John is great so it was really a moot point (I'd already ordered anyway ;) ) Miracles also quoted more than AGE to me, and A.O. was a little bit less. For basically the same reasons AGE was the winner.

Congrats again on the upgrade :D
 
Shaun, so happy to see you are finally starting your new tank setup! It looks like you are off to a great start. I know you have done your research and it will turn out well. Good move going with AGE.

I'll keep an eye on this and can make suggestions if it will help.

Some random ideas:

One thing I see right away is the DI on your RO/DI setup. Scrap that horizontal DI and get a proper 10" vertical canister.

A big Rubbermaid stock tank would be nice for the sump if it would fit under the stand.

For Kalk supplementation, IME, its a lot easier to just mix it in the topoff container rather than messing with a reactor.

A controller is a great idea. I think I've mentioned to you how much I like mine.


Nice job on the build thread so far. Lots of hyperlinks!
 
I have a small update. It isn't quite worthy of pictures, so I'll post them when I make more progress. I wasn't able to work on the build out as much as I wanted to due to other obligations, but here is what I was able to get done:

- Get the room mostly cleaned out (probably around 90% clean). This included moving the 55g and the ~200lbs to the mechanical room.
- Started to move the framing on two of the walls. I want to move the rear wall back another 21". I know that isn't much, but I don't have much space and that will help. I'm moving the side wall closer to the insulation by a 2 -3". The builder didn't move it as close to the wall as they could. Like I said, 2 - 3" will help a bit. The back wall is almost moved. I was trying to keep the wall in tact so I wouldn't have to rebuild it, but that was kind of dumb. The reason is that I have to frame out a door on the back wall and on both the back and side wall, I need to change the spacing of the studs. I think they are at every 24" (basement). I'm going to use HardiBacker, it only comes in 5'x3'. So I'll need to reframe it to support that; at least I should do that.

I hope to get the reframing done and the electrical done before the weekend. We'll see how that goes. Knowing me, I probably won't finish it until the weekend. After I get this done, I'll post some pics. The biggest issue I'm going to have with framing is the current fish tank. I need to move it out of the way so I can make the large hole and frame that section out. I'm trying to hold that off as long as possible to last because we all know moving a tank is a pain. I forgot to order my fan this weekend. So tonight I'm going to try and order that and new filters & membrane for my RO/DI system.

BTW, I was looking at the Rubbermaid containers, but I don't think that will happen. The 300g is too big for the room. Then I looked at the 70g and I think that might be too small. I will have to double check. I'm thinking that I will figure out the sump after I get the tank. I have some ideas, but I'm not sure if they will work until the stand comes in.
 
 
Last edited:
Mammoth,

I'd say head up to TSC (Tractor Supply Company) and pick yourself up a rubbermaid 100g stock tank (~$80).

As for additional RODI equipment, I'm sure you're still up with WAMAS, just talk about doing another GB and I'm sure quite a few folks will get on board.
 
Thanks guys. I'll probably PM you asking a few questions about the RO/DI setup. LOL, I forgot to check the commercial Rubbermaid website...doh! My friend's dad works there and can probably get me a sweet deal. I'm 99% sure those are made in Winchester, VA.
 
Re your RODI - the other thing you'll want to do is unclip those DI housings and orient them vertically with bottom up flow. Make sure the housings are packed very tightly with the DI resin. It doesn't look like that is the case now.

If you are going to replace your filters, you really don't need two carbon blocks (unless you have an unusual problem you are trying to address). On god quality carbon block is sufficient for most tap water. Do you have chloramines in your tap water? If not, You could leave your third (the left one) prefilter housing empty.

Those RODI units don't come with a pressure gauge - that would be a good addition to help you know if 1) you have enough pressure to run the system, and 2) if your prefilters are clogging.

Russ
 
Wow, it has been awhile since I've given an update. Unfortunately, I haven't had a lot of time to work on the build out. I'm starting to feel the pressure as the tank is getting closer to the delivery date; which I'll have to check on in the next day or so. Here is the progress since the last update:
  • I have most of the framing done. I still have to cut the holes in the wall for the tank and frame those out. I will also need to put up some furring strips in a few places.
  • I ran 3 20amp lines from my room to my panel. Only 2 of them are for the fish room. I also installed the boxes for the new duplexes (outlets). I hope to wire up the duplexes and the panel tomorrow.
If the wiring doesn't take too long tomorrow, I also hope to break down my current tank. I need to break it down so I can move it. Currently, it is in the way of where I want to make my hole in the wall for the tank. Once that is done along with the framing & electrical, everything else should move pretty fast. When I get the framing and electrical completely done, I'll post new pics :)
 
I have an update and this time with pictures! :) So I made a HUGE mistake, but it can be fixed. As I probably mentioned, or you already figured out, I have a bit of a height restriction because of the stairs. About 2 feet of the tank will be under the stairs. This isn't ideal, but I feel that it will be manageable. Anyway, I was looking at a 30 - 31" tall tank initially, but with that height, I needed the stand to be around 30". I ended up going with a 26" tall tank which means I could go with a taller stand. Well, when I ordered the tank I ordered the 26" tall tank with the 30" tall stand...doh! I didn't catch it when reviewing the plans from Tom at A.G.E. Unfortunately, I found the problem when I started to frame out the side wall. So I called Sean at Fins & Feathers explaining the problem. I ran a few things by him as fixes, but he said he would give Tom a call to see what can be done. I'm not entirely sure since the stand was supposed to be coming back from powder coating this past Monday. Anyway, we are waiting a call back from Tom to see what can be done about raising the stand another 5". I figured that the worst case scenario is that I can buy 12"x12"x2"T cement blocks and raise the stand off the floor by 4". Sean seems pretty confident that Tom can fix the issue. We'll see. I'm just happy that Sean is helping me with my bonehead mistake.

Anyway, I thought I would post some pictures of my progress. I wanted to wait until all of my framing was finished, but since I hit this issue I figured I should post what I have now. I will begin the final framing tomorrow after work. I've done quite a bit of work, but I probably won't go in to all of it.

I broke down my existing tank and move the fish and corals into my 55g prop tank. I moved almost all of my live rock into a 150g Rubbermaid storage bin which I might use as my sump. I'm not entirely sold on it yet. I might have one custom made to go completely under the stand. If I use any Rubbermaid storage bin, I will have to make a catwalk to go over it to get into the tank. That might be nice to have anyway. I also pulled out the door frame and mostly removed the return air vent. It wasn't hooked up there anyway because of the fish tank.

The first pic here shows where the wall where the tank will be. As you will see, the old tank is gone. The big pieces of tape show where the tank will be. The tape is inclusive. So the bottom edge of the tape on the bottom is the bottom part of the glass. The top edge of the tape on the top is the top part of the glass. This shows the tank with the 4" raise. Obviously, if Tom can work out things the entire thing will be an inch higher. The little pieces above the thicker pieces are inclusive. These represent the opening above the tank. I plan on having an 8" opening above the tank. I hope that an 8" opening is big enough. I'm stealing SERVO's from Reef Central idea for front access. You can see it in his build thread here: SERVO's build thread showing the front panel access

WallWhereTankWIllBe.jpg


I also installed a FanTech PB190 fan kit and hooked it up to a dehumidistat. This fan is over sized for the room, but I think it will work well. Above the fan I put R-19 insulation above the fan for sound proofing. It does a pretty good job. I also started to do the walls with insulation, but I could only go so far until I frame out the rest of the stuff. As I said, the insulation is for sound proofing. It will also some what help keep the heat out from the mechanical room. While I was at it, I removed a vent from the duct work. It was right over where the tank was going to be. I figured if I need it later for AC, I'll put one back in towards the back of the room. I'm also going to put my air return for the HVAC above my sink. I'm going to put a damper on it so it will be closed during the summer and open during the winter. It's my cheap way of humidifying my home during the winter :)

InsulatedCeilingWithFan.jpg


I created an oak box for the side portal view. When I made the box, I realized I had the wrong stand. I also made a mistake in making the box. So I have to make a new one, but that should only take me a few minutes. I'm showing this picture so you have an idea of what the side will look like. It will give you roughly a 22" viewing area. The full 30" can't be viewed because of the support beam in the corner.

PictureOfBadBox.jpg


Here is the back of the wall where the tank will go
WhereTankWillBeBehindTheWall.jpg

BottomWhereTankWillBe.jpg


Here is a clean shot under the stairs. I need to do some framing there because I'm going to put up a wall up there so I don't have to put hardibacker down the entire back of the stairs. If you noticed, I redid the plumbing. I move the supply lines and drain. The drain is assembled, but the last few pieces aren't glued so I can pull them out to put the tank in. The top of the drain has access so I can pipe tank water directly in to the drain for my water changes.
CleanShotUnderTheStairs.jpg
 
Here are some random shots of the room. As you can see, the electrical work is done. I also raised my sink because it was too low for me.
LookingIntoTheNewRoom.jpg

WallWithSink.jpg

SideTankWallWithBox.jpg
 
I'm here with another update. Insulation is pretty much done. The vapor barrier is about halfway done. That will only take me a few minutes to finish up. I'm putting the door frame in now. The hole for the tank has been cut out of the wall. I will probably post pictures of the room right before I put up the hardibacker. I should have everything finished or pretty close to finished by the end of this weekend. I got some pictures of the tank from A.G.E. I didn't post all of them, but I put up some interesting ones :)

Tank without the top or weirs.
DSCN1802.jpg


Tank with the top and weirs installed.
DSCN1831.jpg


Close up of the corner.
EndPiece-1.jpg


Here is the stand.
DSCN1796.jpg
 
I'm here to post another update. It has been awhile. Actually, I've had pictures for awhile, but I've been really busy. The pictures are of the holes in the wall and the room with the vapor barrier up. I'm currently about 2/3 of the way done with "dry walling" (using Hardibacker). Then after that I need to put up the FRP. I picked up the FRP today. It will be a challenge to put up as it has no rigidity to it!

As for the tank, I'm not entirely sure what is going on with it. Tom at A.G.E. hasn't been very good communicating with us. I'm a bit disappointed in A.G.E.'s service. Since I haven't heard anything like this before about them, I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that this is not normal business. Supposedly, they have some large cylinders that they are working on. Last time I saw pictures of the tank, it looked done except for the external overflow. That was about 2 weeks ago, so I'm not sure what the deal is. He is supposed to send me final pics to make sure everything is right before shipping. It's not really that big of a deal since the fish room isn't done. If it was done, I would probably be a bit upset.

I need to order few things for the tank. I need to get new RO/DI parts and a house sediment filter. I also need to order some Weldon 16 to fix a skimmer cup :( Anyway, here are the pictures. Another bit of bad news, the movers that were going to move the tank backed out. The quotes are starting to get outrageous. Since they are so outrageous, I decided that I'm going to move the tank myself. So I will probably be asking for help. I have some buddies already willing to come over and it shall be interesting. Currently my plan is to lower the tank down the stairs on a sled using a come-along attached to an Explorer :)

Here is a picture that shows where the front of the tank will face. The tank is 26" tall, but I made the opening bigger so I can have front access.
WhereTheFrontWillBe.jpg


Here is a picture that shows the side portal for the tank. I had to recess the tank because of a support beam in the corner. So I built an oak box for it.
SideViewOfPortal.jpg


Here is a picture of the room with the vapor barrier up. This is facing the back of the room.
RoomWithVaporBarrier.jpg


Here is the side wall with the vapor barrier up.
SideOfRoomWithVaporBarrier.jpg


Finally, here is the ceiling with the vapor barrier up.
CeilingWithVaporBarrier.jpg
 
Looks like you're getting closer to a delivery date now.
I've been waiting for AGE to finish my tank now too. I've also had a hard time getting a response back from them over the last few weeks, but finally friday they replied and said that my tank was done and drying and should be ready by the end of the week to ship!

How did you go about getting pictures of your tank from AGE? Did they send those automatically without asking or did you have to request them?
I'd love to see a pic or two of mine!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14665029#post14665029 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hatfielj
Looks like you're getting closer to a delivery date now.
I've been waiting for AGE to finish my tank now too. I've also had a hard time getting a response back from them over the last few weeks, but finally friday they replied and said that my tank was done and drying and should be ready by the end of the week to ship!

How did you go about getting pictures of your tank from AGE? Did they send those automatically without asking or did you have to request them?
I'd love to see a pic or two of mine!
Click to expand...

My LFS and Tom worked that out. I think it is pretty common for them. My LFS forwards them on to me. I'm getting really excited. Although, I'm a bit nervous trying to get this in to the basement.
 
Well I have some good news about the tank move. I decided to talk to someone from the Lovettsville Fire Department and someone from the Fairfax Fire Department. Both are very good things like this. I ran them my idea by them. They liked it, but found something annoying with it. Actually, I thought of the same thing, but I didn't know of a better way. They thought the come-along would be annoying because it is slow taking it down the ramp. They suggested a belaying system with some pulleys and a figure 8. I wish I would have thought of that. They have the equipment and are actually up for bringing some FD guys with them to help me move it down to the basement. It will give them good practice with ropes and some of these techniques. It would save me a lot of money in moving and I could give them a donation for them helping me. I just need to confirm with them that they can still do this. I just need to give them the move date.
 
That eurobrace is thick!! Is that 1"?? Im working with them on a new tank, but im doing something slick to get away from the 1" eurobrace. Do you like the tank quality overall?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14685120#post14685120 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rouselb
That eurobrace is thick!! Is that 1"?? Im working with them on a new tank, but im doing something slick to get away from the 1" eurobrace. Do you like the tank quality overall?
Click to expand...

I don't actually have the tank yet. I'm still waiting on it :( It appears to be an 1" think. I'm not really too concerned about the thickness as long as does the job. He may have had to beef up the eurobrace because of the large opening. Initially he was going to make the top brace with holes for MHs. We told him that we wanted a big hole in the top because we were going to run T5s instead of MHs. So that's probably why he had to make it so thick. Actually, it does sound vaguely familiar.
 
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