Reeftanks6
Active member
Looking really good will definitely be following your thread!
The Begining! 300DD build in-wall and basement fish room.
- Thread starter DeepSeaBeauti
- Start date
DeepSeaBeauti
Will Fielitz
Ive been studying stands now for at least 2 years. Now first off I'm not a structural engineer so I cant give definite facts here but, Here are what I based my decisions on.
1. My 125g long has been supported by a steel stand for 5 years now. The stand is 1/4 angle iron. I'ts only supported in the corners. If you look at the middle of the stand it has a gap of at least 1/8th".
2. With wood I did not want to run the risk of a middle brace for whatever reason putting pressure on the middle and causing it to fail. With it in the corners if something sagged or grew it would do the to to sides from the corner.
3. The glass itself is made to support itself. Have you ever been able to flex a piece of glass from the edge? It would be like trying to tare the glass in half.
4. The frame is doing a decent amount to support the tank.
I know I'm going to hear a mouth full from a bunch of ppl about how the stand is not going to be sufficient, but believe me. Less wood holds up the room around this tank lol, and it weights much more then the 3,000-3,500 lbs I imagine will be held up. The tank will be supported from the basement to carry the load to the ground and prevent the tank from moving threw the floor.
A lot of DIY stands are way over built. After looking at the factory stand for this tank I feel completely confident in the design here.
DeepSeaBeauti
Will Fielitz
Yeah the desk Idea is turning out better then I could have imagined. Luckily I use mostly a laptop now so having a monitor in the tank will not be an issues, lol. There was an episode on TV where they mounted TV's into a display tank. I don't want to look in my tank and see a bunch of couch potato fish watching TV rather than swimming around. haha
DeepSeaBeauti
Will Fielitz
Basement
Basement
I'm starting to lay out a plan for the basement room. I'm working on a sketch to plan where I need to put walls that will also serve as support for the tank above.
Here are a couple of scary views of the basement as it is today. Within the week I will begin taring down the plaster celing, cleaning the floor and starting to frame the walls up. This is going to be a lot of work.....
View towards the back left wall. The oil tanks are to the left just under the tank. Fortunatly the floor joist run the length of the room so the wall I'm planing to build ~6' 6" off the wall to turn the oil tank section into the boiler room/section.
This is the view back from the wall where the oil tanks are.
I hoping by the winter to have my boiler and hot water heater converted to gas. I'm installing a HE unit that will go in place of the oil tanks. With it so close I plan to use that system to warm my tank water in the cold winter months. At least that's the plan so far...
Basement
I'm starting to lay out a plan for the basement room. I'm working on a sketch to plan where I need to put walls that will also serve as support for the tank above.
Here are a couple of scary views of the basement as it is today. Within the week I will begin taring down the plaster celing, cleaning the floor and starting to frame the walls up. This is going to be a lot of work.....
View towards the back left wall. The oil tanks are to the left just under the tank. Fortunatly the floor joist run the length of the room so the wall I'm planing to build ~6' 6" off the wall to turn the oil tank section into the boiler room/section.
This is the view back from the wall where the oil tanks are.
I hoping by the winter to have my boiler and hot water heater converted to gas. I'm installing a HE unit that will go in place of the oil tanks. With it so close I plan to use that system to warm my tank water in the cold winter months. At least that's the plan so far...
DeepSeaBeauti
Will Fielitz
OK so I think I picked my return pump. Reeflo Hammerhead/barracuda hybrid. This should more than handle the head I'm going to need and still be able to run other equipment off of it.
Next question is what size should I run my drain/overflows. I'm going to modify my corner overflows for either a Herbie or the beananimal and run the return over the back. The tank comes with two 2 inch dorsal style pipes but is reduced to 1" to go through the bulk head. Should I run a larger style drain pipe? What do you guys recommend for drain pipe size with the mod running a full siphon?
Next question is what size should I run my drain/overflows. I'm going to modify my corner overflows for either a Herbie or the beananimal and run the return over the back. The tank comes with two 2 inch dorsal style pipes but is reduced to 1" to go through the bulk head. Should I run a larger style drain pipe? What do you guys recommend for drain pipe size with the mod running a full siphon?
Sharkdog22
New member
hahahaha thats awsome
Sharkdog22
New member
How many return lines are you going to have from your tank is the first question? I got 4-1" drains on mine, with that 3200gph pump running it. Right now it is just running that and nothing else yet and the drains are keeping up with it.
I'm guessing the system will be hard pipped? make sure make sure make sure you put glue on both ends of the pipe and give them a little twist when putting them together. I thought I was generous with my glue but I did not twist them to make sure the glue was solid all around and I have little pinhole leaks that I'm dealing with right now where the pipes connect. It will put you in a bad mood real fast when you think your tank is ready to go and be up and running then you got to go back and fix things like that, and possibly replum some of it.
I'm guessing the system will be hard pipped? make sure make sure make sure you put glue on both ends of the pipe and give them a little twist when putting them together. I thought I was generous with my glue but I did not twist them to make sure the glue was solid all around and I have little pinhole leaks that I'm dealing with right now where the pipes connect. It will put you in a bad mood real fast when you think your tank is ready to go and be up and running then you got to go back and fix things like that, and possibly replum some of it.
Sharkdog22
New member
I don't remember if you answered it already or not but what lights are you/have you gone with?
DeepSeaBeauti
Will Fielitz
Right now the plan is to use solar tubes and supplement with LED's since here in Ny the sun is not very intense during the winter months.
Just and update for others:
So once again the tank build has been delayed due to major amounts of water getting into my basement. The fix so far has been to install gutters on two sides of my house, put in window wells and add drainage to get the water away from the foundation. After several weeks of drying the basement up, cleaning mold the room is almost ready to be built to hold up the tank and keep a clean room to house all the equipment.
In other exciting news my return pump came in yesterday but I missed the Mail Man and will be going this afternoon to pick it up. I think things will progress much faster once the room is built in the basement.
Sharkdog22
New member
ahh thats right I remember you saying that before. I just did not feel like going back and reading past comments. That is diffide ntly the cheaper way to go on the energy front. Im looking at the kessil 350s lights but not to sure, none of my LFS have any of them running on any tanks so that does not help me. And I'm not about to go on a 400 humm maybe ill like them kick.
DeepSeaBeauti
Will Fielitz
Heres the pump!! I cant wait to see this thing in action. "Baracuda/Hammerhead" Reeflo
<a href="http://imgur.com/zcCqq"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/zcCqql.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" alt="" /></a>
I'm hopping to get this build back on track this weekend.
<a href="http://imgur.com/zcCqq"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/zcCqql.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" alt="" /></a>
I'm hopping to get this build back on track this weekend.
DeepSeaBeauti
Will Fielitz
Good to see even my simple build has inspired! Yeah I think it will be a great setup. I probably wont be able to get any work done but it will be nice. lol
DeepSeaBeauti
Will Fielitz
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DeepSeaBeauti
Will Fielitz
I'm finally back on the built. Ive got the support wall built into the basement not. I have to re level the tank upstairs since I moved the floor back up to level. My task now for the next few days is too move all of the electrical spider-webs that come with adding electric to a house that's over 100 years old. And then move radiator pipes up into the ceiling and the radiator in the office/Display tank room to the other wall.
Ill take some pictures tonight. I have to try and plan my layout of how to plumb everything down to the filter room, where to put outlets, where to place my sumps and pumps.
Ill take some pictures tonight. I have to try and plan my layout of how to plumb everything down to the filter room, where to put outlets, where to place my sumps and pumps.
DeepSeaBeauti
Will Fielitz
Here is the latest rendering of the layout. Im trying to figure out where to run electric and plumbing runs.
<a href="http://imgur.com/7lG30"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/7lG30l.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" alt="" /></a>
<a href="http://imgur.com/7lG30"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/7lG30l.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" alt="" /></a>
DeepSeaBeauti
Will Fielitz
I know I have not updated this much in a while, and whats a build without progress. But ive been laying low around here lately and looking at everyones great builds trying to get an idea of layout and to better plan things so this only has to be done once. So without further ado here are some pictures of the sump room in the basement.
This is the room the houses the oil tanks that eventually will be removed once my heat is converted to gas. Everything will be relocated to this room.
This is a bad picture of what I started with
This shows some of the electrical nightmares I had to deal with. My house is still 89% nob and post!
The framed door opening
Added a light the the future boiler room
The wall opposite of the chimney. I will put shelving here for the washer dryer
This is the room the houses the oil tanks that eventually will be removed once my heat is converted to gas. Everything will be relocated to this room.
This is a bad picture of what I started with
This shows some of the electrical nightmares I had to deal with. My house is still 89% nob and post!
The framed door opening
Added a light the the future boiler room
The wall opposite of the chimney. I will put shelving here for the washer dryer
DeepSeaBeauti
Will Fielitz
The heating system was added to my house long after it was built in 1905 so all the pipes run under the ceiling. Ive spent the last few nights moving them up into the floor joist bays.
Here is the one pipe relocated up and out of the way. I could not believe how expensive 1-1/4" copper fittings were!!!!
Here is the one pipe relocated up and out of the way. I could not believe how expensive 1-1/4" copper fittings were!!!!
DeepSeaBeauti
Will Fielitz
Now I need to figure out what everyone thinks is better before I put drywall up.
Should I run the electric outside of the drywall and in just receptacle boxes and conduit? Or should I run it in the wall and hope that's where I want it and make it work if anything is moved? Any help in the area would be great since as soon as im done with the heat pipe and radiator move im going back to finishing the electric and then drywall!
Its finally coming together!!
Should I run the electric outside of the drywall and in just receptacle boxes and conduit? Or should I run it in the wall and hope that's where I want it and make it work if anything is moved? Any help in the area would be great since as soon as im done with the heat pipe and radiator move im going back to finishing the electric and then drywall!
Its finally coming together!!
DeepSeaBeauti
Will Fielitz
Now I need to figure out what everyone thinks is better before I put drywall up.
Should I run the electric outside of the drywall and in just receptacle boxes and conduit? Or should I run it in the wall and hope that's where I want it and make it work if anything is moved? Any help in the area would be great since as soon as im done with the heat pipe and radiator move im going back to finishing the electric and then drywall!
Its finally coming together!!
Should I run the electric outside of the drywall and in just receptacle boxes and conduit? Or should I run it in the wall and hope that's where I want it and make it work if anything is moved? Any help in the area would be great since as soon as im done with the heat pipe and radiator move im going back to finishing the electric and then drywall!
Its finally coming together!!
