[burdenpi]

Well here is the plan. This is a built-in entertainment center courtesy of our home builder. We couldn't talk them into not building it and our TV didn't fit in it. So we are going to make the most of it. I would prefer to get a bigger tank but this is the only spot approved by my wife and is in frequent viewing range (i.e. near the TV).



I have read this forum extensively so hopefully some of it has stuck with me. But being such a newbie I will take any of your opinions or thoughts of when I may be making a mistake. The first and most obvious issue is the wealth of electronics below the future aquarium. I don't have the option to move them since the whole house stereo is hardwired in there. But I do have a plan.

The picture says 36" tall, its actually only 30" tall so with a 22" tall tank I would have 8" elbow room.



Below the aquarium and the electronics is our unfinished basement. So I should be able to build a rack and locate a sump/refuge/skimmer/chiller(if needed since the basement stays fairly pleasant even in our sometimes 95 degree summers). I will plan on a slightly larger pump than normally needed to account for the extra pump height needed to pump the water up. It should be no more than a 12 foot rise. I plan to use flex PVC to avoid loss from Tee's or 90's. The good news is I can pretty much find any old glass aquarium to use for the sump, I plan to silicon in baffles, etc to make my own sump. And if I can get a big enough one it can accommodate the back flow when the pump is shut off.



One solution I have for the leak risk over the electronics is to tile in the sides, back and bottom of the opening and put in a drain that goes to our basement drain. So if per chance it does develop a leak it will head straight downstairs.




so I guess my questions so far would be:

1. are there a lot of issues with bulk heads leaking or once you get them set are they good to go? I am considering a siphon overflow which will keep the return closer to the top of the tank where I can monitor it but this is still up in the air for me.

2. do you think that with an opening height of 30" that going with 22" tank height is enough room to work? I will make the lights so as they can be easily removed. And absolute worse case scenario I could drain the tank to service it. I could bring it down to 20" tall but this is really cutting into the gallons and beauty of it all.

3. What size external pump would you look for in this setup? I found a place to calculate head loss but dont have a clue what it means.

4. Can I run everything in one set of supply and return lines. I would like to minimize the in and out lines to reduce chance of leaking. At most it would go to the sump, skimmer, built in refuge, maybe through an in-line chiller, then back up to the tank. I would also probably have a built-in self contained wave maker with some power heads and a controller.

5. at the estimated size of 38"x20"x22" do you think I would have enough room for a tang or two. (i know 36"x18"x"24" is 65Gal) I have seen others pictures and love the fish but wouldnt want to torture them in a small tank. The sump could be as big as 60gal or so, but I know that doesnt help for swimming room in the display.

Long post, love the site, this will be a long process for me but just taking it one step at a time for now. Appreciate all of your suggestions and help.

[NATIVEVAMAN]

In some respects you have the perfect set up especially with the basement for your sump.I would definatly not use a siphon for the overflow there tendancy to cause floods is historic and monumental.22 inch's is a workable heigth but it wont be easy and it does limit the size of live rock pieces you can put in the tank.I would build a nice table in the basement for sump/fuge.Just put it right under the tank.there are plenty of pumps that will lift water that high.You might want to go with 1 1/4 inch drain and 1inch return to increase the flow a bit.depending on the left over room at the top you might not be able to use metal halide lighting because even if a mh unit would fit it might be to close and cause heat problems.However t 5's will work just fine and you wont need a chiller.I am currntly working a 65 for my sweety and she insists on a pair of tangs. I am hoping that if we get them small they will acclimate to the tank size.But by the time they get big I will have a 135 running.

[Tonz of fun]

Im officially jealous. I agree with Nativ. It says in your signature that your doing about 65 pounds of LR. I would do twice that much...

[mtfabel]

Sounds like you got your wok cut out for you. 2 Tangs in a tank that size will eventually become a problem even if you get them when they are small. Im not sure what size pump to tell you to get but there is a pump head loss calculator in these forums somewhere.
http://www.reefbuilders.com/blog/200...ter-aquariums/

Just enter what elbows and 45 you think you might need and the vertical feet from your sump to your tank and you should be able to get a pretty good idea what size pump to get.

I dig the photoshoped fish tank you got in the opening.

[Tonz of fun]

Wanna sell me the couch lol Just Kidding.

[Tonz of fun]

Oops wrong picture.

[burdenpi]

the couch should be on craigs list soon, so get ready to get your offer in :-)

[burdenpi]

Originally Posted by mtfabel

Sounds like you got your wok cut out for you. 2 Tangs in a tank that size will eventually become a problem even if you get them when they are small. Im not sure what size pump to tell you to get but there is a pump head loss calculator in these forums somewhere.
http://www.reefbuilders.com/blog/200...ter-aquariums/

Just enter what elbows and 45 you think you might need and the vertical feet from your sump to your tank and you should be able to get a pretty good idea what size pump to get.

I dig the photoshoped fish tank you got in the opening.

Well so the tangs are out but the pictured shark should fit ok?

I looked at the site one of you recommended Geothermal Aquaculture Research Foundation Home Page and am thinking of building the tank myself.

[burdenpi]

Originally Posted by burdenpi

the couch should be on craigs list soon, so get ready to get your offer in :-)

as a side note, sold all couches on craigslist the same day i listed them. two love seats, two couches, two ottomans, on lazy boy and now have an additional grand towards the setup. ;-) got to love craigslist???

[Tonz of fun]

Haha I was only kidding lol. I had to get all new stuff like 2 months ago.

[burdenpi]

Scored at the LFS, $599 for a used 65 gallon, MH 2x175W 10000K lights with 2 x 96w VHO ant's, protein skimmer, sump, plumbing, light timer, two new power heads, pump, weird falic looking intake. Here are some picture:



This looks slightly falic?




Just looking for your thoughts. Is the skimmer a piece of crap, should I ebay it? Or give it a shot? I am going to ebay the sump, since I have the extra room I want to buy a used tank and take advantage of the extra gallons for filtering. The lights are already on ebay, maybe I can get some of the aquarium cost back?

eBay: Metal Halide Light 2 x 175 Watt, 2 x 95 VHO 10,000 36" (item 320138939577 end time Jul-24-07 22:36:54 PDT)

[glampka]

AquaC makes very good equipment. The Urchin is the sump version of the Remora. It's rated for a tank 20-75 gal. I'd give it a shot & see how it performs. Normally you want to get a skimmer that is rated for twice the size of your tank. Take a look here: AquaC - Protein Skimmers!

[RyanG]

Travis, your going to want to soak all the equipment (except electronics of course) in a water and vinegar solution. This will remove all the salt creep and most other stains on it. Vinegar is safe for fish too, unlike bleach or other household cleaners. You can use the water and vinegar solution with a razor blade to remove the old coraline algae as well.

Tank looks good, was it running at the LFS lately? Or has it been in storage for a while? If so, fill it up to check for leaks.

[Tonz of fun]

That would be my biggest fear when buying a used tank. Imagine building it into the wall and doing all the work then your tank developing a leak...

[RyanG]

This has been moved to the current forum.

[NATIVEVAMAN]

I have had a question on my mind for two days now but forgot to ask.What is the base that the tank is sitting on made of?I saw that hole in the base and lloked like it could be drywall or composition board.Niether of those would make a good base for something that will end up weighing around 700 pounds.

[burdenpi]

Thanks for all the info. The base is drywall and below that is 1/2" OSB plywood, below that is a 2x4 frame. I have the same weight concerns. I have some pictures of the setup while it was being built and I think it will be OK or possibly might be a total disaster. I am going to fill it up very slow and see what happens.

It was built to hold a TV, but our TV didnt fit, so thats where the aquarium option came into the picture.

As far as the possibility of leaking. The owner of the LFS sold the tank to a customer a few years back and it was also built in. Then the LFS owner bought the tank aback (not sure why). It was setup when taken out of the customers home. I have his guarantee of no leaks, so I feel alright there. I think I will set it up outside just to check.

Thanks for the info on the skimmer, I'll give it a try and see what happens. Thanks also for the tip on the vinegar and water to clean it. I knew I would need to clean it all, just didnt know how. Thanks again.

[burdenpi]

Vinegar bath today, filled up tank to top, 65gallons and added 2 gal vinegar (thanks for the tip RyanG) soaking all non-electrical equipment. I also plugged in the heater to circulate the water/vinegar and I will scrub it later. No leaks so far. I also plugged in the heater to test it and possibly help loosen things up.

Plugged the external pump in and it sounded like a coffee can full of rocks. Only ran it 10 sec dry just to test it, might be fine once its pushing water but I am going to get another one in either case. Going with a 850 GPH or so for the height. Just sold the original MH lights on the bay for $250. Hope to find a used 60 gallon to make the sump and hopefully have some water circulating by mid august.

As a followup, the opening is drywalled, below that is ½ OSB plywood supported by 2x4’s on about an 18” span. I guess I should fill it up slowly? Watch for cracks or some indication it doesn’t like the weight? If I didn’t hate drywalling and texturing so much I could redo it, but I do so I hope not to have to.



Refuge which is to be replaced with a 60 gallon and look for this on ebay soon

Here are some pictures of the entertainment center being built. I think I mostly somewhat kind of feel all right about it holding over 700 lbs of damaging saltwater over a couple thousand dollars worth of electronics stored below. Yesh, I feel fine.

[burdenpi]

I scored a used 55 gal on craigslist. $45 and the guy had it filled so I know it doesnt leak. Went by the glass shop and they are cutting baffles for me, should be ready tomorrow. I asked if they would drill for a bulkhead but they thought the back might have been tempered so they would do it, but at my risk. I held off for now, thought I would look for another solution. At this point I am either going to look for a submersible or some type of overflow setup, or a self-priming which someone else already suggested.

[burdenpi]

Here are some updates:

I assume this is the algae bloom I was looking for? There are a lot of bubbles coming off the rock and sand, is this normal? I know I am supposed to be waiting, but does anything look out of order?

Here is the return from the display:


Here is the sump:


Here is the entire basement setup, before the massive cleanup and organization it needs:


Here is the tank setup with the 10K's and actincs lit up:



Here is the tank with the moonlights on:

[burdenpi]

Here is the aquascape:


Now for the ugly...please tell me the rock isnt ruined. I took out the shrimp as suggested:




Here is the closed loop, waiting for a bigger pump to arrive:

Here is my light setup, I put in on cabinet drawer slides to enable it to be pulled out for service:

[thelastmucci]

That is an insane tank looks like you did your homwork...great job.

[chriis716]

nice work!!!

[cappy290]

Travis it looks very good. I would say that your rock is fine just need to put a clean up crew in to get rid of the algae.

[Jeremy0322]

Is there any other way to get a cheap tank online. Craigslist does not work for someone that lives in PA. Everything that i have seen has been in Colorado or Texas or California and it would be 300 dollars to ship it to me and about 500 dollars to go there and get anything...lol.