Reel North
New King of Quarantine
Well, it's finally time to get my build thread started. I'm not going to be getting the tank until somewhere in the fall, but there will be an awful lot going on in the meantime. I'd like to record it here and look forward to the adventure with you all.
To start it off - the tank.
I've spent the better part of 2 months calling tank builders across Canada, and asking a ton of questions on Reef Central. I exchanged a few On my way! with Uncleof6 about glass thickness on a large tank, and needless to say, he had a strong opinion. I'm glad I listened. I will sleep a lot better at night. All the quotes I was getting for the tank were in 1/2" glass. I figured this would be fine since all the online charts say it would be. The thing I really want to avoid is a seam leak of a full failure of a panel. :deadhorse:
I spoke at length to Derek at Miracles Aquarium, a custom builder about an hour and a half from my house. I'm sure most of you know who they are lol. I asked him about the safety margins of going with half inch glass and he wouldn't even consider building a tank of this size out of 1/2". He explained to me the process, the materials and the things that Miracles does to make a top of the line, safe and functional tank.
After getting the other tank builders to quote in 5/8", Miracles was right in the ballpark for pricing.
I eventually got over the price, which in the grand scheme of things is the cheap part of the hobby. I decided if I was going to lay down my hard earned money I wanted a top of the line tank, built to my specifications, that would fit my budget, but also make a beautiful showpiece in my home. I didn't want to put an 8 track in a Porsche lol.
My final dimensions on the tank are as follows
84 Long x 36 wide x 24" tall. It will have a notched, tempered back and a coast to coast external calfo overflow. The overflow will be drilled for a bean animal. Since it will be viewable primarily from the front, it will have a front panel of Starphire glass. The tank will be eurobraced top and bottom as well.
I will be sitting down with Derek in the next week or 2 to finalize everything and lay out some money to get the ball rolling
Flow
Currently, I have a maxspect gyre 150 and 2 vortech MP40s. Those are good for about 10000 gph in the tank, which is 30x. I'll start there, and will be adding some more flow as required. Which WILL be required as my sps is filled in
Skimmer
I'll be using my MRC 3 skimmer that is on my current 150 gallon. Currently I'm using the Mag 24 that came with the skimmer, and I have to be honest. It works ok, but after talking the Jeremy at MRC, a pressure pump really makes it a beast. I picked up 2 used iwaki 55 pressure pumps for a song. 1 for the skimmer and one for a spare !!
Return pump
I just picked up a Reeflo Super Dart Gold. It will run good flow, and has enough punch to feed some reactors if required.
Sump
I'm still trying to figure out the sump. I have an old tank that I cut apart. The glass edges are a bit of a mess, so if I had it cut down, it would give me about 18" of depth. The sump would be about 27" wide and 6 ft long which will provide enough space for a nice Refugium, reactor section and return section.
Lighting
I'm sticking with my 250 watt metal halide lamps with T5 actinics. I found 3 mag PFO ballasts which I will use.
I'm likely to be getting some larger reflectors and moguls to get the spread I need on a 36" wide tank.
The stand will be DIY built from 2x8 and 2x6 and 2x4.
I'm debating on making it an in wall, or make a really fancy stand. We can visit that issue as we move along!
Feel free to comment. It's going to be quite the ride!
To start it off - the tank.
I've spent the better part of 2 months calling tank builders across Canada, and asking a ton of questions on Reef Central. I exchanged a few On my way! with Uncleof6 about glass thickness on a large tank, and needless to say, he had a strong opinion. I'm glad I listened. I will sleep a lot better at night. All the quotes I was getting for the tank were in 1/2" glass. I figured this would be fine since all the online charts say it would be. The thing I really want to avoid is a seam leak of a full failure of a panel. :deadhorse:
I spoke at length to Derek at Miracles Aquarium, a custom builder about an hour and a half from my house. I'm sure most of you know who they are lol. I asked him about the safety margins of going with half inch glass and he wouldn't even consider building a tank of this size out of 1/2". He explained to me the process, the materials and the things that Miracles does to make a top of the line, safe and functional tank.
After getting the other tank builders to quote in 5/8", Miracles was right in the ballpark for pricing.
I eventually got over the price, which in the grand scheme of things is the cheap part of the hobby. I decided if I was going to lay down my hard earned money I wanted a top of the line tank, built to my specifications, that would fit my budget, but also make a beautiful showpiece in my home. I didn't want to put an 8 track in a Porsche lol.
My final dimensions on the tank are as follows
84 Long x 36 wide x 24" tall. It will have a notched, tempered back and a coast to coast external calfo overflow. The overflow will be drilled for a bean animal. Since it will be viewable primarily from the front, it will have a front panel of Starphire glass. The tank will be eurobraced top and bottom as well.
I will be sitting down with Derek in the next week or 2 to finalize everything and lay out some money to get the ball rolling
Flow
Currently, I have a maxspect gyre 150 and 2 vortech MP40s. Those are good for about 10000 gph in the tank, which is 30x. I'll start there, and will be adding some more flow as required. Which WILL be required as my sps is filled in
Skimmer
I'll be using my MRC 3 skimmer that is on my current 150 gallon. Currently I'm using the Mag 24 that came with the skimmer, and I have to be honest. It works ok, but after talking the Jeremy at MRC, a pressure pump really makes it a beast. I picked up 2 used iwaki 55 pressure pumps for a song. 1 for the skimmer and one for a spare !!
Return pump
I just picked up a Reeflo Super Dart Gold. It will run good flow, and has enough punch to feed some reactors if required.
Sump
I'm still trying to figure out the sump. I have an old tank that I cut apart. The glass edges are a bit of a mess, so if I had it cut down, it would give me about 18" of depth. The sump would be about 27" wide and 6 ft long which will provide enough space for a nice Refugium, reactor section and return section.
Lighting
I'm sticking with my 250 watt metal halide lamps with T5 actinics. I found 3 mag PFO ballasts which I will use.
I'm likely to be getting some larger reflectors and moguls to get the spread I need on a 36" wide tank.
The stand will be DIY built from 2x8 and 2x6 and 2x4.
I'm debating on making it an in wall, or make a really fancy stand. We can visit that issue as we move along!
Feel free to comment. It's going to be quite the ride!
