Time to upgrade our Large mixed reef tank

extremeshannon · 09/24/2017, 12:08 PM

Well it is time for me to restart my tank due to Dino Flags. This thread is not about the allergy problem but about the upgrade possibility’s. I believe I did good on my first go around with this tank set up and seems to be running great. But I have the opportunity to make it better. A few things I want to achive

Quiet down the display tank area. It is pretty loud
Make the stand better and easy to work with
Clean up sump room / area

That is what I would like to achieve.

About my system.

The Display tanks are in the basement on a cement floor. This is the main hang room of the house and it is a finished daylight basement. We have 2 210 Gallon tanks right next to each other. Long story how this ended up being 2 tanks. We have a sump room/area in the garage. The garage is higher than the basement. About 6 ‘and we have piped up and through the wall to the sump area. A transfer tank / sump is under the tank. This is where my overflow goes to when pumps shut down. It is a 125-gallon tank with 4 external return pumps 2 going to display tanks and 2 go to garage. I can shut down a single display tank to work on it and the other one will still run.

Sump area/garage
We built a 150 gallon sump/refugium with a deep sand bed

Upgrades

Display Tanks

Ghost overflow I have read is dead quiet. Or something equivalent
New metal Stand for Display Tanks. This will allow for more room under the tanks and hold the finish would better for easier access.
New exhaust fan. One that will be able to draw the moisture out of the tank area.
New Lights and replace my large DIY LED lights.
Less rock in the display tanks. I put way too much in the first time. I am thinking about using marine pure blocks in the sump so I can have less in my display tanks.

Transfer tank / sump

I will make a basic sump that is larger, where all overflow lines go in middle and water goes to outside chambers for return pumps. Also, the Water top off floats are in here.
New DC pumps that are supposed to be quiet to replace the pan world pumps
What else can I do to quiet this down?

Sump area/garage

Smaller sump/refugium. Better design and allow some more room for equipment.
Redo stand everything is resting on.
Close off the area from garage
Setup automatic water change with Apex Neptune?
New light for refugium Thinking - H380 Halo II LED Algae Grow Light - Kessil

This is a start of the thought process. I will be tanking down one tank in the next 2 weeks and moving the few live things to my quarantine tanks

extremeshannon · 10/02/2017, 01:14 AM

We have decided to replace our two 210 gallon tanks with a 12 foot tank. We are getting prices on built tanks and glass to build our own.

Any suggestions on who to buy from would be great.

if we build
What type of glass should we use?
how thick should the glass be?

Thanks

MarylandTang · 10/02/2017, 04:45 AM

Shipping from some of the popular builders in the lower 48 States might be pricey to Alaska, so you might consider talking to a local builder.

If you are building it yourself, a 12 foot DIY tank is a monster undertaking! 3/4" glass is the minimum you want. Remember that a tank of that size could easily by 500 gallons, which would be 4000 pounds of water, plus 500 pounds of rock, 50 pounds of fish, 1000 pounds of tank/stand, etc.

You might consider building a smaller tank (sump or frag tank) first before you embark on something that only the most experienced builders try.

d-man · 10/02/2017, 06:58 AM

Glass thickness depends mostly on height. My 40" x 144" glass panel is 3/4". Granted it's a plywood build so there is about 2" of glass past the wood frame window all the way around

My overall dimensions are 145x32x43"

09/24/2017, 12:08 PM	#1
extremeshannon Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Palmer Alaska Posts: 235	Time to upgrade our Large mixed reef tank Well it is time for me to restart my tank due to Dino Flags. This thread is not about the allergy problem but about the upgrade possibility’s. I believe I did good on my first go around with this tank set up and seems to be running great. But I have the opportunity to make it better. A few things I want to achive Quiet down the display tank area. It is pretty loud Make the stand better and easy to work with Clean up sump room / area That is what I would like to achieve. About my system. The Display tanks are in the basement on a cement floor. This is the main hang room of the house and it is a finished daylight basement. We have 2 210 Gallon tanks right next to each other. Long story how this ended up being 2 tanks. We have a sump room/area in the garage. The garage is higher than the basement. About 6 ‘and we have piped up and through the wall to the sump area. A transfer tank / sump is under the tank. This is where my overflow goes to when pumps shut down. It is a 125-gallon tank with 4 external return pumps 2 going to display tanks and 2 go to garage. I can shut down a single display tank to work on it and the other one will still run. Sump area/garage We built a 150 gallon sump/refugium with a deep sand bed Upgrades Display Tanks Ghost overflow I have read is dead quiet. Or something equivalent New metal Stand for Display Tanks. This will allow for more room under the tanks and hold the finish would better for easier access. New exhaust fan. One that will be able to draw the moisture out of the tank area. New Lights and replace my large DIY LED lights. Less rock in the display tanks. I put way too much in the first time. I am thinking about using marine pure blocks in the sump so I can have less in my display tanks. Transfer tank / sump I will make a basic sump that is larger, where all overflow lines go in middle and water goes to outside chambers for return pumps. Also, the Water top off floats are in here. New DC pumps that are supposed to be quiet to replace the pan world pumps What else can I do to quiet this down? Sump area/garage Smaller sump/refugium. Better design and allow some more room for equipment. Redo stand everything is resting on. Close off the area from garage Setup automatic water change with Apex Neptune? New light for refugium Thinking - H380 Halo II LED Algae Grow Light - Kessil This is a start of the thought process. I will be tanking down one tank in the next 2 weeks and moving the few live things to my quarantine tanks __________________ Shannon (Alaska) Dual 210 Gallon DT, 125 Gallon Sump remote, QT, Frag Tank = 650 Gallons Now I play chemist with my tank till its right.

10/02/2017, 01:14 AM	#2
extremeshannon Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Palmer Alaska Posts: 235	Display Tank We have decided to replace our two 210 gallon tanks with a 12 foot tank. We are getting prices on built tanks and glass to build our own. Any suggestions on who to buy from would be great. if we build What type of glass should we use? how thick should the glass be? Thanks __________________ Shannon (Alaska) Dual 210 Gallon DT, 125 Gallon Sump remote, QT, Frag Tank = 650 Gallons Now I play chemist with my tank till its right.

10/02/2017, 04:45 AM	#3
MarylandTang Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Maryland Posts: 19	Shipping from some of the popular builders in the lower 48 States might be pricey to Alaska, so you might consider talking to a local builder. If you are building it yourself, a 12 foot DIY tank is a monster undertaking! 3/4" glass is the minimum you want. Remember that a tank of that size could easily by 500 gallons, which would be 4000 pounds of water, plus 500 pounds of rock, 50 pounds of fish, 1000 pounds of tank/stand, etc. You might consider building a smaller tank (sump or frag tank) first before you embark on something that only the most experienced builders try. __________________ __________________ 90 gallon, Kessil AP700, 2x MP40s, Apex, Trigger34 Variety of fish and RBTAs; Coral-curious...

10/02/2017, 06:58 AM	#4
d-man Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: San Diego, ca Posts: 2,732	Glass thickness depends mostly on height. My 40" x 144" glass panel is 3/4". Granted it's a plywood build so there is about 2" of glass past the wood frame window all the way around My overall dimensions are 145x32x43"