twin 90's

[ricosuave]

Originally Posted by mseepman

If you want to see what it looks like, PM me and I will send you the link.

Thanks for the pics. Do you have any difficulty doing miantanence? the tank you showed me was 48" tall, right?

Originally Posted by PHLOUNDER

As far as depth of a tank goes, anything beyond 30" deep will be a problem. A five feet deep tank would be very impractical - not to mention extremely expensive. Both for lighting issues and you won't be able to reach the bottom - unless you have diving gear handy.

I can understand you wanting something unique, but unless you have a good bit of DIY experience, this could be an expensive endeavor for you, because it costs to redo stuff that doesn't work right.

I would go with Patrick's suggestion and get a 200 gallon reef ready tank and have a mixed reef. Put the tank at a comfortable viewing level in wall and make it like a big picture window to the ocean. That's what I would do - if I had the room. I actually had a 200 once and it was my favorite size tank. A 200 gallon in wall tank full of corals and colorful fish is a definite WOW factor!

The more I think about this the more I realize this is why I asked first. I never thought about "headroom" to work on the lower tank but I still want to do something along the lines of MDP's 55(the one with the 5gal bucket over it) Keep it simplistic as far as support equipment goes.

30" for the tank would still seem a little short for what I have in mind. How can I figure how much light will reach the bottom if I decide to go with a taller tank? I figure that for the look I want in the room I am building, the minimum height needs to be 36".(With all the woodwork, ie: wainscotting and such, It really needs to be that tall) I can live with 36" tall as long as I can go long, like maybe 80" or so, and of course I'll need around 30" deep for scaping.

[mseepman]

Hey Ricosuave,

The tank I showed you wasn't mine, it's a tank from a local forum that I've inquired on before. The guy that has it is named Shane and yes, he has a lot of trouble with maintenance. He's currently debating turning it into a fish only tank with Bare bottom and putting in a 120 long for a mixed reef tank. You will notice from the pictures that all he has are basic corals because even with 2 400W MH he's too deep to keep them going.

I think a 210g or larger tank will give you a lot of room. The AGA210 is about 30" deep and that's a lot as you can't reach the bottom without some help.

[phlounder]

You mentioned being worried about being able to afford the support equipment. Why don't we start at square one. How much are you wanting to spend on this project? What is your ceiling for hemorrhaging cash? That will determine a lot.

[DaveK]

I usually tell people that they will spend $35 to $50 per gallon of water in the main display tank by the time they get the tank all set up and stocked. As estimate for your system, with two very large tanks of about 100 gal each, is about $7000 to $10000. This doesn't even begin to consider the special feature you want.

My point is that unless you are willing to spend that sort of money on your system, plan something a bit more modest. This is not a hobby where you can go cheep on the equipment side of things, and still expect good results. While you need not get every silly thing out there, you do need top quality basic equipment.

[ricosuave]

Originally Posted by phlounder

You mentioned being worried about being able to afford the support equipment. Why don't we start at square one. How much are you wanting to spend on this project? What is your ceiling for hemorrhaging cash? That will determine a lot.

Originally Posted by DAVEK

I usually tell people that they will spend $35 to $50 per gallon of water in the main display tank by the time they get the tank all set up and stocked. As estimate for your system, with two very large tanks of about 100 gal each, is about $7000 to $10000. This doesn't even begin to consider the special feature you want.

My point is that unless you are willing to spend that sort of money on your system, plan something a bit more modest. This is not a hobby where you can go cheep on the equipment side of things, and still expect good results. While you need not get every silly thing out there, you do need top quality basic equipment.

Affording the equipment would not be any problem. I'm more interested in doing something radically simple like MDP's 55g"test" tank. Frequent water changes(for a combined system of around 290g) of about 30 - 40 gal per week should be adequate. I'm just want to skip all the reactors and specialty items as I have zero knowledge of these products. I believe it can be done simply. The only support equipment I want would be skimmers and refugiums/sumps.

You all have convinced me that one large display will have the desired effect. only question now is of what size/dimensions.

And, BTW, thank you for your opinions, they have helped me so far to make what should have been obvious choices(obvious for ya'll, not for a novice like me)

So...if you had YOUR choice of any size/dimensions what would it be?

[Patrick™]

If you want a simple tank like MDP's then I would still suggest the 200 gallon and two peristaltic dosing pumps that take the larger tubing and set up a continual water change system. That is going to be the next step for my tank.

Here is a link to my local club forum, check out this tank he is building!

270g Starphire build thread (pic intensive) - TCMAS

[ricosuave]

Originally Posted by Patrick™

If you want a simple tank like MDP's then I would still suggest the 200 gallon and two peristaltic dosing pumps that take the larger tubing and set up a continual water change system. That is going to be the next step for my tank.

Here is a link to my local club forum, check out this tank he is building!

270g Starphire build thread (pic intensive) - TCMAS

Thats a very complicated system. awesome, but looks like lots of maintenance time. I could do something like that if I paid someone else to maintain it. But, I do like your idea of continuous WC's. I'll have to add that to my research list.

[ChuckG]

That's a DIY'ers dream. That dude is the bomb. Didn't completely read it, but I will.

[DaveK]

Originally Posted by Patrick™

...

Here is a link to my local club forum, check out this tank he is building!

270g Starphire build thread (pic intensive) - TCMAS

I took a look at the tank and it's installation. I got to admit the tank and workmanship looks excellent. I do recommend reading the thread, simply because it is an impressive build.

On the other hand I'm bothered by a few things. I believe the design is overly complex, and will become a major maintenance headache. There is just way too much plumbing, too many different types of lighting, a very complex sump, and special constructed acrylic parts. I can't help but get the impression that the person is trying to incorporate every filtration system known to the aquarium hobby into his reef.

A couple of other things I would question, but are not necessarily wrong. One is the massive amount of metal fittings and chains in the lighting. I see that as a possible problem if it rusts or corrodes and drops stuff into the tank. The other is the use of pressure treated lumber around the system, as this could leach some preservatives into the system if it gets wet and drips into the system.

The real proof will come after we see the tank up for a year or two, and what is being kept in it, and what the maintenance schedule is.

[phlounder]

One word - overkill.

With all of that technical stuff and gadgets everywhere, he puts the returns on the bottom of the tank under the rock and sand - with only a siphon break hole to keep 270 gallons of water in the tank, should the power go down. Murphy's Law will eventually drain this thing down on his kitchen floor - while he is on vacation. Some guy named "Patrick" had to point that out to him.

If you want a long thread to read, this is a similar type of overkill project from our reef club. This tank is a 600 gallon tank / 1300 gallon system. Pics start on page 2, I think. He lives in New Orleans and claims he is paying for this with FEMA money from Katrina. Your tax dollars at work....
600 Gallon Reef