Coral Garage Build

[acrocapital]

Recently started picking up some speed on a build I've had in the back of my mind for years now. A frag tank in the garage! The main tank is a 120-gallon fiberglass trough I ordered from Pentair's site. The stand is just something I slapped together with 2x4s from Lowes and latex paint from Lowes as well.

The sump was a bit more DIY than I am used to and I had a lot of fun putting it together with my son. I had a 75-gallon Aqueon tank lying around, and decided to put that to some good use! Found a great acrylic baffle kit on eBay's site.

See below images so far of the progress, I will be sure to keep you guys updated every step of the way! The next challenge I'm running into is trying to figure out an overflow box that would work with this fiberglass tank and its unorthodox shape.

 

[Mschmidt]

Looks good. Since it's for function more than form, could you just use a bulkhead and stand pipe and drain cover so fish don't fall in?

 

[TX_REEF]

I'm jealous you live somewhere the weather allows that, I could never get away with that in Dallas without some serious chillers and heaters!!

 

[acrocapital]

Looks good. Since it's for function more than form, could you just use a bulkhead and stand pipe and drain cover so fish don't fall in?

That's the plan, I thought about doing an overflow box. But with the angles of the tank's walls, that idea got way too complicated and expensive fast. Ended up deciding on bean overflow. This is what I got so far with plumbing. (the 3 tubes behind the tank are my UV & ignore the lack of unions and valves I got lazy lol).

 

[acrocapital]

I'm jealous you live somewhere the weather allows that, I could never get away with that in Dallas without some serious chillers and heaters!!

haha! I am pretty worried about the summers here in California, and my garage door is westward facing so afternoons are brutal. I've installed foam panels in the garage door, a radiative barrier on the roof, & a small solar-powered exhaust fan. Even with all that I'm still worried, went out and got a portable AC unit from Home Depot (can see in one of the photos). Only time will tell I guess.

 

[acrocapital]

Quick update, earlier this week I decided I am going to plumb a 190 I have lying around into this system as well... Enlisted the help of some great friends we moved the tank into the garage last night! Still deciding on how the final layout is going to be, but so far happy with the progress & bonus I can still park my car in the garage.

 

[officialreefbros]

This looks amazing!!

 

[Reefer_kano]

Quick update, earlier this week I decided I am going to plumb a 190 I have lying around into this system as well... Enlisted the help of some great friends we moved the tank into the garage last night! Still deciding on how the final layout is going to be, but so far happy with the progress & bonus I can still park my car in the garage.

Looks good! Eventually I will be doing something like this but in the basement.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along!

 

[acrocapital]

Put the stand together last night for the 190! Now just need to paint everything & plumb. Pushing for a leak test by this weekend.

 

[am3gross]

I don't know if I would park my car in there once the system gets wet. I would be afraid of corrosion happening. I have my sump in the garage now, with the display in the living room on the adjacent wall and I cant keep rust off the tools that I still have in there. I cant get a building built fast enough in the backyard for all the non fish related things to go out there.

 

[acrocapital]

I don't know if I would park my car in there once the system gets wet. I would be afraid of corrosion happening. I have my sump in the garage now, with the display in the living room on the adjacent wall and I cant keep rust off the tools that I still have in there. I cant get a building built fast enough in the backyard for all the non fish related things to go out there.

That's a good thought... I didn't think about corrosion, crud now I'm worried about the tools I have in there now...

 

[acrocapital]

Finally finished the stands last weekend. Leveled everything out last night, highly recommend a laser level for this, especially with the slope in a garage floor. HD had one from Bosch on sale, that combined with a cheap tripod did the job. The next step is going to be plumbing and running a dedicated circuit to power everything.

 

[acrocapital]

Got some cheap 3' LED strips from HD. Going to integrate some kind of physical switch into the stand for those instead of controlling them through the apex.

 

[acrocapital]

Let there be power!
Installed a GFI last night and weather proof cover due to its placement above the frag tank. Got super lucky that outlet pretty much has its own 20amp circuit only sharing with the garage door so I am assuming I don’t need to run a dedicated circuit.

 

[acrocapital]

Got some cheap 3' LED strips from HD. Going to integrate some kind of physical switch into the stand for those instead of controlling them through the apex.

Found this remote switch on Amazon. The right switch lights the 190, middle is the fiberglass, and the left is the pump to the mixing station. Want the mixing station pump to be easily accessible for quick turn-off when doing water changes.

 

[PasoFish89]

haha! I am pretty worried about the summers here in California, and my garage door is westward facing so afternoons are brutal. I've installed foam panels in the garage door, a radiative barrier on the roof, & a small solar-powered exhaust fan. Even with all that I'm still worried, went out and got a portable AC unit from Home Depot (can see in one of the photos). Only time will tell I guess.

I'm on the central coast a bit south of you. My first summer I was pretty concerned about summers, I run some frag tanks and QT etc in my garage which faces south. Insulated door and walls as well, but no attic insulation. Winters we get down in the 20s and summers can touch 110+ on occasion. I run oversized heaters on inkbirds for the winter weather with no issues. For the summers I run 20" box fans over the tanks hooked up to the the inkbirds as well. I never come more than a degree or so off the set temp at 79 with those box fans going, however I do lose a ton to evaporation. Hope this helps!

 

[acrocapital]

I'm on the central coast a bit south of you. My first summer I was pretty concerned about summers, I run some frag tanks and QT etc in my garage which faces south. Insulated door and walls as well, but no attic insulation. Winters we get down in the 20s and summers can touch 110+ on occasion. I run oversized heaters on inkbirds for the winter weather with no issues. For the summers I run 20" box fans over the tanks hooked up to the the inkbirds as well. I never come more than a degree or so off the set temp at 79 with those box fans going, however I do lose a ton to evaporation. Hope this helps!

This helps! Thank you, yes I am worried luckily it doesn't get that cold here high 30s at best. I put a thermometer in my garage last summer and monitored it highest the temp reached was ~100 and that was without the portable AC. This gave me a lot more confidence thank you! Will keep you guys updated through out the summer on my efforts for temp control.

 

[acrocapital]

Sneak peek pic on some of the plumbing, I will post a full breakdown once I get a new return pump.

 

[PasoFish89]

This helps! Thank you, yes I am worried luckily it doesn't get that cold here high 30s at best. I put a thermometer in my garage last summer and monitored it highest the temp reached was ~100 and that was without the portable AC. This gave me a lot more confidence thank you! Will keep you guys updated through out the summer on my efforts for temp control.

You mentioned an exhaust fan, I assume it's in the attic above the garage. I've got an exhaust fan in the gable vent that runs basically the entire summer and I don't think I've measured anything above 90 in the garage, so definitely get a high CFM fan going in the gable if you don't already, definitely worth the cost with what it'll save you on that portable AC going.