My new 3tripple build

[Re_Run]

Experience

Have kept various tanks over the years as small as 2g up to about 480

After having had Salt Water tanks since 1988 and leaving them in 2007 due to life changes. Came back to the hobby about a year ago with 5 years off. I just bought my new house and will now have 2 fish rooms one in the house for viewing and, a a custom built room in the garage. The tanks being plumbed through the wall to the garage, the Garage section will be framed in as a tempture controlled filter / frag / Breading area.

Set UP

Tanks

100g Star Fire Miracles tank on one end

120g Star Fire Miracles tank on the other end

220 Acrylic (James) envision 3/4" in the middle

1 FOWLR aggressive fish
1 (center) mixed reef with a very wide selection of corals and fish
1 ending in a SPS LPS no fish at all only cuc

Instead of the normal black stand going with a medium chestnut finish

All plumbed through the wall in to a 14 x 18 room.

The stands will be a bookcase look all of the same color. Dedicated to my mother (my she rest in peace) We have several pieces of solid chestnut furniture in the living room that (my mothers) will be the color base for the cabinets and stands.

Ideally To have a sitting relaxation area where you can sit in theater chairs listen to music or read a book and enjoy the different tanks after a long day at work and decompress.

The goal is to have 3 different styles of tanks


Inspiration

Why not one big one a few friends have asked me. Going to try to have a setting that most reflects my life till now. From a young tank fresh with vitality and ambition (aggressive tank) a mixed tank (symbolizing the marriage to my wife with our wonderful children) and SPS and LPS the years of quite with growth and less distractions.

Wants and needs

I want it to be a fairly low maintenance setup in viewing area. With large over stuffed chairs were you can just sit be alone with your thoughts and enjoy the peace that comes.

I need it be fail safe do to my long work hours that my wife and children can help with, without having to have a large and extensive knowledge of care and feeding. To be a family based hobby that every one Can enjoy and participate in.

Equipment

100g Star Fire
120g Star Fire
220g Envision

3 sumps that will be all interlocking with disconnects that will allow them to be run as individual tank tanks in case of sickness
each sump will have a refugium, skimmer setup

A main calcium reactor with backups in case the need to separate them. A kalk water dossing pump/reactor to martain the pH. and a reefkeepoer to rule them all. 2 500 watt titanium heaters, and a 1/2 horse chiller.

The 2 end tanks will have 4 banks each of 3w LEDs total of 360 watts ea. and one each t5 supplemental 460 blue. With the center having 3 250watt MH and 4 t5 supplemental lighting for dusk and dawn effects

The 2 end tanks will have 1ea 3/4" sea swirls and 1 mp40 with the main having 4 1" sea swirls driven by a barracuda pump

The main return pump will be a hammer head. Having installed a dedicated sub-planel with both 220 and 110 volts. The 220v for the pumps and chiller.


So this is the start of my build will be posting pic's of all the materials this week as we get started.

Time frame to every thing up and running 6 months. Trying as far as the basics, tanks, plumbing done in 2 months. then the rest of time to cycle it and fine tune it..

Any suggestions or comments will be welcomed.

Tank shots and equipment shots will come this week.

Thanks for looking.

I figure that I could do that in feburay.. depending on how this build goes.

Specail note to my wonderful wife.

Thank you for supporting me in this, an allowing me my dream to come true.

 

[SUPPOReefer]

Very ambitious plan. Look forward to seeing the build.

 

[muttley000]

Sounds great, what is the timeframe for the build? Chestnut is a wonderful wood, can't wait to see what you come up with!

 

[Re_Run]

Sounds great, what is the timeframe for the build? Chestnut is a wonderful wood, can't wait to see what you come up with!

The build starts next week, the stand builder has the stand for 220 almost finished then will start on the other 2.

Have on hand

the 3 tanks
both the HammerHead and barracuda pumps
lights for the 120 and 220 the 3rd light is being refurbished at the moment
all 6 sea swirls
2 of the 3 stands are built but having them refinished and modified for this build
1 of 2 mp 40's
2 mp10's for use in the refugium and another in frag tank

this a pic of the 3rd tank that is currently up and running and will be move to the new house but the stand once the otheras are in place will be pulled and redone to match

time frame is 8 weeks to install the new fish room and have the 3 DT tanks and sumps in place(if it done in 12 I'll be happy). the frag tanks LR and breading tanks will come next planning on having a bank or 6 10g breeding tanks for clowns and 2 36x24x16 frag tanks that will come on months 3-4, 1 40g QT and a 10g hosp tank will be set up at the same time as the DT tanks

 

[FuzzyZipperbaum]

About to start a very similar project with 3 tanks....gonna follow along on this one....

One thing I am doing differently is the exact opposite as you are doing with the sumps...mine will be inter connected but only used as an emergency....I am afraid if I run them as one then when (not if) I get a disease or parasite...then all 3 will have it so separation only changes treatment at that point. So they will be on seperate sumps.

 

[Re_Run]

new pics of the stand for the 220 being refinished

should be done and delivered by Thursday 11/08

Replacing the back and bottom pannels, inside will be sealed with silicon and then painted marine white.
The out side get a lite stain of honey chestnut then a satin polyurethane finish that will be scratch resistant and water proof.

 

[cdrewferd]

Wow. Following along for sure. Good luck, can't wait to see it all finished.

 

[Re_Run]

About to start a very similar project with 3 tanks....gonna follow along on this one....

One thing I am doing differently is the exact opposite as you are doing with the sumps...mine will be inter connected but only used as an emergency....I am afraid if I run them as one then when (not if) I get a disease or parasite...then all 3 will have it so separation only changes treatment at that point. So they will be on seperate sumps.

I thought about that but, I perfer the water stability of the larger water volume. Also with having a hosp tank and a QT tank on different systems hopefully that won't happen. Have a strict QT process for all new LS. Made the mistake before of putting an Un-QT fish in a tank an lost about half of the LS to Ich before I could get it under control.. Now every everyone goes through QT, min 4 week corals.. up to 8-10 weeks for fish and inverts. prior to going in the pool.. and hope I won't need it but have a seperate Hosp. Tank for med. treatments.

But I get your point

 

[Re_Run]

Wow. Following along for sure. Good luck, can't wait to see it all finished.

Thanks for you support. Have been looking forward to this for a long time.. Have been thinking and planning and the scrapping the idea and starting over for about the last year. Now with the new house I pulled the trigger.. My wife is getting a little tired of having 2 large tanks in the living room with 2 in the kitchen and several more though out the house.. now the deal is I get one pico in my daughters room a 12 tall in our room and the rest go in the viewing room. I've only talked about the big progject.. but there will be either 3 or 4 smaller specialty tanks in the fish room also. have yet to figure out the setup configueration on those yet.. will work on those once the rest is done. I have a 1.8g, 5g, 6g, and a 40b that will also be finding new homes in the same room.. the 40b will be my pest tank, the 6 is going to be for a mantis, the 1.8 is rics, and the 5g not sure yet. Ideas?

 

[godsdoc]

Can't wait to see how this comes along. It looks to be a great setup. Good luck.