Triple-S Fish Ranch - 1700gal 164” x 48” x 56” SPS peninsula build

[kegogut]

I think I'll have to go straight to scuba. I imagine it will be very awkward to raise back up to get a breath once I get into a coral placement position even if I do have a spotter holding my feet. It occurs to me that perhaps this tank is a bit crazy.

lolz you just now realize this tank is a bit crazy and not when you needed a crane to get it in?! That behemoth is insane. :spin1:

I cant imagine when its all said and done and you have that thing up and running and you can see thru it with that view you have up on the hill. You can die happy because your dreams will have come become a reality. :thumbsup:

 

[sengson]

I think I'll have to go straight to scuba. I imagine it will be very awkward to raise back up to get a breath once I get into a coral placement position even if I do have a spotter holding my feet. It occurs to me that perhaps this tank is a bit crazy.

Mark aka Mr Saltwater Tank had an Austin client that used this gear to do maintenance on his tank (6' diameter x 8' tall).





{ pics taken with permission from Mr Saltwater Tank's FB page: http://www.facebook.com/mrsaltwatertank }

 

[pmrogers]

Return pump options

Return pump options

For those following this thread but not the equipment forum, I've posted my current thinking on return pump options here.

 

[sfsuphysics]

double post grr.

 

[sfsuphysics]

I think I'll have to go straight to scuba. I imagine it will be very awkward to raise back up to get a breath once I get into a coral placement position even if I do have a spotter holding my feet. It occurs to me that perhaps this tank is a bit crazy.

Well you have options... you could put corals on smaller rocks, then just drop them to the bottom, you could put larger LPS corals and drop them on the bottom, or if you have the water storage space simply drain 2-3 feet of water, put the stuff on and you're good to go, when you're done just pump the water back in (you will have a beefy mucho large sump right? ). Last option is to start practicing with telescopic pincher tools and epoxy.

 

[Timfish]

Mark aka Mr Saltwater Tank had an Austin client that used this gear to do maintenance on his tank (6' diameter x 8' tall).

That's a Hookah setup with an air pump instead of a scuba tank.

 

[AFord]

Amazing house and tank as others have already stated.

What are your stocking plans for a tank this size?

 

[bluewateruk]

more please sir

more please sir

any updates ? photo holic here

 

[Elliott]

very nice build, subscribed! :thumbsup:

 

[pmrogers]

Well you have options... you could put corals on smaller rocks, then just drop them to the bottom, you could put larger LPS corals and drop them on the bottom, or if you have the water storage space simply drain 2-3 feet of water, put the stuff on and you're good to go, when you're done just pump the water back in (you will have a beefy mucho large sump right? ). Last option is to start practicing with telescopic pincher tools and epoxy.

Thanks for the ideas, sfsuphyics. I hadn't considered the tank draining option. Unfortunately, at 800g the sump is probably too small to hold more than about 18" of DT water by the time you factor in running water level and the top 4" or so being unusable.

Amazing house and tank as others have already stated.

What are your stocking plans for a tank this size?

Thank you, AFord! I'm planning a detailed post later on stocking plans. Mainly tangs, anthias, and chromis, nothing too exotic.

any updates ? photo holic here

Sorry, nothing picture worthy. This week is all about tearing down the 750 so we can start phase 3 of the fish room. So far, I've distributed the RBTAs and softies to local reefclub guys, gotten the rest of the rock out, drained the main tank. Need to have everything drained and disconnected by Saturday so the 750 can be moved out.

very nice build, subscribed! :thumbsup:

Thanks so much for joining, Elliott! Your build is one of my inspirations. I plan to 'borrow' a few of your ideas

 

[pmrogers]

Mark aka Mr Saltwater Tank had an Austin client that used this gear to do maintenance on his tank (6' diameter x 8' tall).

That's a Hookah setup with an air pump instead of a scuba tank.

Interesting, I didn't know there were non-scuba options for breathing under water at depths greater than 12". Air pump plus hose sounds much simpler and cheaper than scuba. I'm just looking for the easiest way to breathe comfortably in 3' of water for 5 or 10 minutes at a stretch.

 

[silver17jo]

awesome build cant wait to see it after its completed, up and running for a while

 

[kegogut]

The air pump/hose thing does seem alot easier than having to deal with a tank.

 

[sirreal63]

Fantastic build! One of my favorite areas of Austin as well. I am enjoying the build and seeing all of the Austin people who don't post very often paying a visit.

 

[Timfish]

Interesting, I didn't know there were non-scuba options for breathing under water at depths greater than 12". Air pump plus hose sounds much simpler and cheaper than scuba. I'm just looking for the easiest way to breathe comfortably in 3' of water for 5 or 10 minutes at a stretch.

Functionally I don't see a difference between using a piston or diaphram air pump for painting face masks and a scuba tank. I would use a 2nd stage scuba regulator/mouthpiece so if something screwy happens you don't end up trying to inflate your lungs with the airpump (although you probabaly would make the national news and get a Darwin nomination :-D ). The regulator also stops the airflow so you don't constantly have bubbles in your face. It's also surprising how much bubbles disturb things sometimes when you're working up close to the rock so being able to hold your breath to stop them is helpful. With the ulterior motive of seeing your 1700 I've volunteered to help move your old 750 so I'll bring my setup along for you to look at.

 

[ericta000]

this is going to be awesome build, I'm speechless!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Epicreefer]

Sorry to have not yet posted pics of the monster tank but it's been a bit of a crazy week with work and a two day drive. Some pics will be up soon.

As for the scuba/hooka idea, scuba is a very bad idea in an aquarium. Youe fectively add 18" to your back making it hard to maneuver and run the risk of distorting the rock or scratching glass. Snorkel is bad because well nothing in reef keeping takes less than 2 minutes and you'll spray salt water everywhere when surfacing. The hooka is the way to go but a quality compressor can be expensive. We usually use a standard scuba setup but with a 50' hose between the tank and regulator, effectively a hooka system but on a tank. At 3' of water the tank should last you 2 hours or so, talk to any dive shop and they should be able to set you up for around $1k for a top of the line set up, less for what you need. Talk to a dive shop and don't diy it, something like 2psi can cause deadly damage to your body.

 

[Timfish]

Really looking forward to see this build come together. Now I'm trying to figure out how to squeeze something that size into my 900 sq ft house :lmao:

 

[muttley000]

Simply incredible!

 

[Epicreefer]

You can see the defined dark spot in the middle up top. These lights I believe the spacing between the 4 rows is 24", 48", 24" and you can see between the 24" rows there is no dark area, a little bit on the right side if you know what your looking for. That window is about 5'x7' and the lights mounted about 1' above the top of the field of view. With 3' of height to blend I think 36-40" between same colored lights should give enough overlap to eliminate the spotlight effect. In person it's harder to see the dark area and really only a reef keeper sees it but its one of those things you'll see with a shallower tank. Of course this picture is way more blue than in person as well, the iPhone enhanced some things.