Mysticalknight
New member
TBD usually means To Be Determined
Triple-S Fish Ranch - 1700gal 164†x 48†x 56†SPS peninsula build
- Thread starter pmrogers
- Start date
techreef
Premium Member
Clearly you put a LOT of thought into your sump design. Very nice. And yeah, when a crane is involved with unloading the tank, it's an epic build project. LOL. Beautiful home. I wholeheartedly agree with your ideas so far. It sounds like you are walking the same path as Dan's Arizona build. I'm looking forward to your progress.
Thank you, chsub. $ are very much a factor, especially running cost over time. While this is a big project, with enough budget (I hope!) to do things 'right', every bit of equipment will be selected with value as well as performance in mind. Regarding LEDs and SPS, I'm confident enough to try them based on the success Peter nineball has had with his amazing system, AEFW invasion notwithstanding. That said, I am still having electrical and HVAC in the canopy sized to allow for lighting plan B: twelve 1000W Radiums.
Thanks, Mysticalknight. Yes, TBD stands for To Be Determined.
Thank you, techreef! I do hope I got the sump mostly right, though I've already come up with a few things I'd do differently:
- add float switch mounts for auto top-off and run-dry
- make first drain chamber accessible for cleaning
FishyFishy69
New member
Six 32" filter socks ....???? I'm thinking you meant different diameters. Are they 7" socks?
I can't wait to see more on this build. It looks incredible!
I can't wait to see more on this build. It looks incredible!
Aqua firemedic
New member
Amazing build, truly epic!
OranguTang
NULL
Mother of....
Super excited to follow this. Looks like a very rewarding journey will unfold.
Super excited to follow this. Looks like a very rewarding journey will unfold.
larcomak11
New member
Mother of all that is holy, this is gonna be intense lol subscribed! Good luck with everything, I can only imagine what it felt like watching that tank on the crane
The Fish Room, plan
The Fish Room, plan
The fish room is being implemented in phases.
Phase 1: enclose most of a garage car bay to create a 16' x 12' area. Move the old 750gal acrylic tank and use it during construction to house both its livestock and the livestock from our 205 reef. Relocate about 600lbs of live rock to rubbermaid buckets to make room in the 750.
Phase 2: extend phase 1 with a 23' x 8' space directly under the new display tank. This room will house the sump, skimmer, reactors, and reservoirs for R/O and saltwater.
Phase 3: tear out the 750, then populate that space with quarantine tanks, sink, lab desk, 12' wall of cabinetry for supplies.
I have a few key requirements in mind for the fish room, mostly the result of lessons learned with our previous tanks:
1.Easy access to all equipment - spread things out and keep them on a single level as much as possible. I learned with the 750 and 205 that having things too packed together makes maintenance difficult, and maintenance that is difficult doesn’t get done as often as it should. When I do have to stack some things like the quarantine tanks I will leave 2' or more of clearance between the top of one tank and the bottom of the next.
2. Complete humidity control - Humidity control for our 750 was a high CFM exhaust fan and supplemental window A/C. This was sufficient to prevent actual rot of drywall or mold, but the salt air still caused exposed metal anywhere in the house to rust: most notably the A/C registers even in the far back upstairs bedroom, and the strings on the grand piano 30 feet away from the tank. The new fish room and display tank canopy share no airspace with the house, have a dedicated 3-ton multi-zone A/C, and a dehumidifier separate from the A/C.
3. Tons of storage - With our previous setup, ‘fish stuff’ quickly overflowed the 6’ x 14’ fish room to take over 2 cabinets in the butler pantry, 2 cabinets in the kitchen, 3 in the utility room. Then progressed on to fill a 6 foot storage cabinet on the back deck, and several shelves in the garage. No, I didn’t really need everything I was keeping, but I did need a lot of it. For the new room I’m hoping that a 12' wall of floor to ceiling, 30" deep cabinets plus a couple of hanging cabinets over the sink will let me keep everything contained to one space.
4. Better Salt Mixing Solution - Our previous fish room had a 7' tall reservoir for mixing salt. Every water change entailed hauling a 60-odd pound bucket of salt up a stepladder then trying to carefully pour the contents of the 12" diameter bucket into an 8" opening. I really don't want to do this twice a week for the life of the new tank. Still working on my solution for this requirement.
Now on to pictures...
Plan view of fish room
Early draft of room layout
Some people use SketchUp equipment and plumbing layout. I prefer "CutUp" (TM). The plan shown here is a bit out of sync with my latest thinking. One slight disadvantage of CutUp is that it isn't quite as easy to back up your work, and I had a rather severe data loss incident in the form of a cat deciding to shred my work.
The Fish Room, plan
The fish room is being implemented in phases.
Phase 1: enclose most of a garage car bay to create a 16' x 12' area. Move the old 750gal acrylic tank and use it during construction to house both its livestock and the livestock from our 205 reef. Relocate about 600lbs of live rock to rubbermaid buckets to make room in the 750.
Phase 2: extend phase 1 with a 23' x 8' space directly under the new display tank. This room will house the sump, skimmer, reactors, and reservoirs for R/O and saltwater.
Phase 3: tear out the 750, then populate that space with quarantine tanks, sink, lab desk, 12' wall of cabinetry for supplies.
I have a few key requirements in mind for the fish room, mostly the result of lessons learned with our previous tanks:
1.Easy access to all equipment - spread things out and keep them on a single level as much as possible. I learned with the 750 and 205 that having things too packed together makes maintenance difficult, and maintenance that is difficult doesn’t get done as often as it should. When I do have to stack some things like the quarantine tanks I will leave 2' or more of clearance between the top of one tank and the bottom of the next.
2. Complete humidity control - Humidity control for our 750 was a high CFM exhaust fan and supplemental window A/C. This was sufficient to prevent actual rot of drywall or mold, but the salt air still caused exposed metal anywhere in the house to rust: most notably the A/C registers even in the far back upstairs bedroom, and the strings on the grand piano 30 feet away from the tank. The new fish room and display tank canopy share no airspace with the house, have a dedicated 3-ton multi-zone A/C, and a dehumidifier separate from the A/C.
3. Tons of storage - With our previous setup, ‘fish stuff’ quickly overflowed the 6’ x 14’ fish room to take over 2 cabinets in the butler pantry, 2 cabinets in the kitchen, 3 in the utility room. Then progressed on to fill a 6 foot storage cabinet on the back deck, and several shelves in the garage. No, I didn’t really need everything I was keeping, but I did need a lot of it. For the new room I’m hoping that a 12' wall of floor to ceiling, 30" deep cabinets plus a couple of hanging cabinets over the sink will let me keep everything contained to one space.
4. Better Salt Mixing Solution - Our previous fish room had a 7' tall reservoir for mixing salt. Every water change entailed hauling a 60-odd pound bucket of salt up a stepladder then trying to carefully pour the contents of the 12" diameter bucket into an 8" opening. I really don't want to do this twice a week for the life of the new tank. Still working on my solution for this requirement.
Now on to pictures...
Plan view of fish room
Early draft of room layout
Some people use SketchUp equipment and plumbing layout. I prefer "CutUp" (TM). The plan shown here is a bit out of sync with my latest thinking. One slight disadvantage of CutUp is that it isn't quite as easy to back up your work, and I had a rather severe data loss incident in the form of a cat deciding to shred my work.
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Thanks FishyFishy and everyone else who chimed in.
Sorry, didn't make that very clear, did I? Yes, they are 7" diameter. 32" is the length.
RichieWrasee
New member
Wow. Lovely pad and epic build. Just a tad jealous.
OK so this is an easy one.
Take two gated connections. A single inline pump, also. In between this place a smaller 5/10 gallon container. Set it up so that you can fill it with water from the Salt storage.
This will give you a place, lower, that you can add the salt to water and then pump it back into the main storage container, in a higher concentration.
So basically.. from the bottom have a return line headed UP to top, for recirculation works, with a T... hummm let me draw this.
Make sense??
That way the inline pump will draw out the brine/salt mix and drump it in the top of the tank. To be fancy you can open the lower slightly to add water as the pump is running to prevent cavitation or running dry. This setup will also mix the water from the bottom to the top.
Fish room, plan meets reality
Fish room, plan meets reality
Phase 1 did not go as hoped.
Because moving the 750 was going to take multiple weeks due to logistical complications, I arranged for all of the livestock from the 750 to be temporarily housed with a local tank maintenance service.
Unfortunately, the tank maintenance company had a power outage over one weekend and every vertebrate in the tank died except for a snowflake eel. I was crushed. None of the fish were especially rare but many had been with me through multiple tanks over 12+ years.
Nothing to do but carry on, so we proceeded with moving the 750 into the new fish room, tearing down the 205 reef and moving its fish and rock into the 750. Meanwhile, the service guy keeping the rock and corals from the 750 got very busy (or was afraid to face me) and couldn't deliver my remaining snowflake eel and live rock for a few weeks.
Then came the final, awful bit of this setback. For background, when engaging with the fish kennel service I was crystal clear that my fish and rock were to be kept completely separate from his, in separate tanks, no shared water. This he did as requested. What he didn't tell me was that after the big crash he moved our eel into one of his other tanks. 3 days after he delivered the eel and rock back to me, the fish from the 205 developed spots. Over the next 3 weeks every fish died except for a yellow tang and two chromis.
At that time, I was still planning to re-use my live rock, so I needed to get the fish out of the 750 and let the rock lie fallow for 3 months. This takes us up to current state of the fish room.
Fish Room Entrance
I park right next to the entrance, so no excuses for not checking on things at least twice a day.
The fish-less 750
4 pathetic survivors in a 90gal
The only survivors from our fully stocked 750 and 205: 1 yellow tang, 2 chromis, and an eel. The four 75gal quarantine tanks will go on the left wall with the LED and pump drivers; all drivers and sloppy wiring will be removed. Water level in the tank intentionally low to keep the eel from talking a walk. Wall behind the 90gal will be removed to expose phase 2.
Fish room phase 2
Phase 2 of the fish room is the lower level room with the 3 small windows. Display room is directly above on the middle level. Phase 1 of fish room is to the left of phase 2.
Fish room, plan meets reality
Phase 1 did not go as hoped.
Because moving the 750 was going to take multiple weeks due to logistical complications, I arranged for all of the livestock from the 750 to be temporarily housed with a local tank maintenance service.
Unfortunately, the tank maintenance company had a power outage over one weekend and every vertebrate in the tank died except for a snowflake eel. I was crushed. None of the fish were especially rare but many had been with me through multiple tanks over 12+ years.
Nothing to do but carry on, so we proceeded with moving the 750 into the new fish room, tearing down the 205 reef and moving its fish and rock into the 750. Meanwhile, the service guy keeping the rock and corals from the 750 got very busy (or was afraid to face me) and couldn't deliver my remaining snowflake eel and live rock for a few weeks.
Then came the final, awful bit of this setback. For background, when engaging with the fish kennel service I was crystal clear that my fish and rock were to be kept completely separate from his, in separate tanks, no shared water. This he did as requested. What he didn't tell me was that after the big crash he moved our eel into one of his other tanks. 3 days after he delivered the eel and rock back to me, the fish from the 205 developed spots. Over the next 3 weeks every fish died except for a yellow tang and two chromis.
At that time, I was still planning to re-use my live rock, so I needed to get the fish out of the 750 and let the rock lie fallow for 3 months. This takes us up to current state of the fish room.
Fish Room Entrance
I park right next to the entrance, so no excuses for not checking on things at least twice a day.
The fish-less 750
4 pathetic survivors in a 90gal
The only survivors from our fully stocked 750 and 205: 1 yellow tang, 2 chromis, and an eel. The four 75gal quarantine tanks will go on the left wall with the LED and pump drivers; all drivers and sloppy wiring will be removed. Water level in the tank intentionally low to keep the eel from talking a walk. Wall behind the 90gal will be removed to expose phase 2.
Fish room phase 2
Phase 2 of the fish room is the lower level room with the 3 small windows. Display room is directly above on the middle level. Phase 1 of fish room is to the left of phase 2.
1. Excellent point, rbarn. Our 205 was starphire and I did manage to put 3 significant scratches in it over its 15 year life. Mostly from over eager use of a metal algae scraper. Even still, the first impression on seeing the tank was that it was new and you had to make a point of looking for scratches; contrasted with the acrylic 750 that was half the age and looked like a war veteran. My plan for the new tank is to use only acrylic-safe algae pads and scrapers. My biggest worry for now is losing control of one of the taller aquascape pillars during install.
2. Yeah, I got a kick out of the crane. I was a huge Tonka fan as a kid.
Crane counterweight
The counterweight is 25,000 pounds and had to be delivered on a separate 18-wheeler flatbed.
Crane footing
Apparently even 18" square feet might punch through the asphalt of the street, so they bring 4' steel plates to further distribute the weight.
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Thanks so much, worm5406! I was trying to work out something along these lines, but hadn't gotten to the drawing phase yet.
Do you think I might need more like a 20gal mixer in order to be able to dump an entire bucket in one go?
One concern I have about this approach is whether the flow pump would actually pull from the concentrate reservoir given that there is no flow-through, it's just sort of off to the side. Have you implemented or seen an install like this?
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