260G/1000L in-wall entrance feature

[Luno]

**Disclaimer** - this tank is a very slow build in a house not yet completed. Thread will not move quickly expect 3-6 month wait for actual wet tank

Background
Currently building my dream house, which I am in involved in every detail basically designing it myself, with my brothers company building it and me being involved every step of the way. The house has been a very long and drawn out experience as well as a ridiculously costly experience being well and truely over budget, but I won't settle for anything less than my vision.

Objectives
- feature at the entrance to the house
- heavy sps/ full sps reef
- feature fish

System

Display Tank
In wall starfire and one viewable side. 84Lx30Dx24H

Sump
Glass 60Lx24Dx24H split into 3 sections. skimmer section, refugium and return.

Stand
Custom build undecided on wood or metal most likely wood.

Lighting
3 x Ct 180w marine led
2 x 6ft 2 bulb T5HO

Water movement
Return pumps - 2 X Jebao DCT 6000 DC
Gyre - Jebao CP 40
Wave makers - 2 x jebao SW8 + 1 x SW4

Filtration
Skimmer - Marine Sources Monster 2500
Refugium - undecided what to go in
Uv sterilizer - bedarry undecided what unit/s
Reactors - carbon and biopellet

Cooling
1 x hailea 500
1 x hailea 300

Heating
2-3 x eheim jager 300

 

[Luno]

Where the tank is in the plans

A hole in the wall for the tank

House should be lock up by Christmas

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

Looks awesome. Have you considered two viewable sides so you don’t have to stand by the front door to enjoy it? For guests, the entrance is a amazing, but you should get as much viewing time for yourself!

 

[Luno]

Looks awesome. Have you considered two viewable sides so you don’t have to stand by the front door to enjoy it? For guests, the entrance is a amazing, but you should get as much viewing time for yourself!

Hey man! Sorry didn't actually explain it haha. The tank basically lives in the garage it's gonna get framed out and made its own little room in there so I can insulate it better and stop gas fumes and dust from entering the system. But on the entrance side it will just look like it's in the wall. That's why the one viewing side technically you won't have any space at the rear to view. I originally wanted to have it viewable from the side aswell but with the open void it again was an engineering nightmare to holding the floor above it without having structural strength in the corner.

 

[Luno]

Also I'm a bit of a multiple tank sort of person ha. So upstairs will be 2 more tanks for me to sit and enjoy. One if I can do it how I want will be quiet unique. Across spare space on a big marble bench will be an acrylic lava lamp style tank with jelly's but that's a fair way down the road!

 

[Luno]

I have windows and doors! All plumbing and electrical rough ins are done. Brick and cladding starting this week. Doors turning up this week. So closed up house by Christmas. January/feb finish date then it's tank time.

Also this is what happens when you want to live in the city but don't want to hear city noise! Double glass doors and windows each 25mm thick!

(Tapatalk won't let me upload video so here's a series of photos to show how the doors work)

 

[Luno]

So bricks have been held off do to weather have had nothing but rain! So fingers crossed rain stays away and bricks and cladding can be done this week coming!

Electronic locks turn up this week, has having a play with them pretty happy. These go on every external door.

Top level when I went to check all the wires are in the right place

City views from the back deck

 

[Luno]

Actual tank stuff!
Being as it's a new house build plumbing could be planned into it and was. The below diagram shows how he plumbing is run

The red lines are to and form the chillers. Not there are actually two runs out and two runs in for 2 separate chillers

The purple line is a line in from my 1000L IBC which will contain NSW for water changes which will be hooked up to an auto water change system

The green line is a drain line connecting up the rest of the waste water. Old water from water change and if there is a flood will drain here

The blue line is a line in from a 100L storage container which my RODI will fill to another 100L container beside the tank as my ATO reservoir. This will be controlled through a series of float switches to constantly keep fresh RODI supplied.

 

[Luno]

The side of the house that the chillers and NSW IBC my ducted aircon unit also lives. Basically everything that needs to be hidden away out of sight is down that side. I will be building a housing for my chillers from left over materials from the house to match the house, same cladding and roof material. With a mesh venting system to allow the air to flow through and remove hot air.

Not included in the plans as will happen after tank is in. Will be a sliding door system to block the tank from the garage while allowing maximum access.

Two exhaust fans are included one right beside the tank and one in the garage which will be controlled by a humidity sensor to bring down the humidity as a result of being the garage and produced from the tank, to avoid any problems that arise from high humidity.

 

[Luno]

What I have planned for the sump (60x2x2). Only difference now looking at it is to make the first baffle with the sock open at the bottom. And instead of running a carbon reactor I'm gonna give passive run carbon a go in mesh bags directly under the sock. If that doesn't cut it I will go back to using reactor and place in skimmer section.

Was gonna get a bit crazy but decided to go with simple. I feel a 170L/45g refugium should suit my needs with a skimmer rated for double water volume. Refugium will be feed from a manifold tee'd off one of the returns.

 

[Luno]

I've been putting some thought into a fish list lately. Originally I wanted specific fish, and a list of questionable matches. But since I decided that this tank the sps will be the main aspect I'm cutting down the crazy on the fish list. So where I'm at with what I think I want;

- Foxface
- Sixline wrasse
- green mandarin (once tank is ready)
- pair standard occy clowns
- pair black and white clowns
- yellow tang
- naso tang
- kole tang
- Achilles tang
- Crocea clam
- maxima clam
- pair Coral banded shrimp
- cleaner shrimp

That's about we're I'm at right now. I feel I could do with some more fish that will grow to the 4-6" sort of size but not sure what I want

 

[Luno]

Bricks are finally getting done, upper level cladding will follow quickly hopefully! I swear this house see's a delay in every single stage but it's getting there slowly

 

[Luno]

Bricking is nearly done and cladding on the upper level is going on aswell. Outside should be finished in the next 2 weeks! Finalized and bought the stone tops for the kitchen and bathrooms yesterday. Nice seeing things come together.

 

[Luno]

I keep going back to the stand and builders want a final answer. I was originally going to have the stand made out of house stud, but I don't know now! I keep thinking about a steal stand???

 

[Luno]

Outside nearly done! Just waiting on doors and painter should be finished painting the cladding by the end of the week

 

[S-t-r-e-t-c-h]

Cool seeing this from the ground up!

 

[Luno]

Ok, so been a long drawn out process, so long story short.

Q - Where am I with the house?
A - no where near where I thought I'd be. Interior walls and doors are in plastered and sorted painting either next week or the week after. I simply refuse to not have this house exactly how I picture it, that being something may not work we will sit down and make it work. Something needs to be delayed so the person I want doing the work can do it we will delay. These are some of the reasons a house has taken a year from slab to still
Not completed. And so far become around 100k over initial budget.

Now for the nitty gritty. . . After a fair few financial set backs the 30k I had put aside for tank has been completely eradicated. House is currently projected 50k over current budget which is fine. Part will increase from bank and part I will put in.

My little baby sausage dog had massive surgery and was not expected to make it but she did! 14k down from that but the best money I have ever spent knowing my little girl is with me still.

So basically where does this leave me? Tank money is GOOOONNNNNEEEEEE (insert sad face) the good news if everything stays on track we should move in the end of May start of June. The bad news I will not have a wet tank and running system till most likely September now till I can build up some more cashola.

So because we haven't painted internally yet, till the tank is ready to be placed in this has happened. . . My void for the tank has been covered so there isn't a random giant hole between my garage and entrance.

 

[Luno]

Oh the other good news I've been at the drawing board and came up with a plan to include a medium sized modern style pond at the front door! With a walk over which will use the unused marble and stone, housing turtles and koi fish.

 

[Luno]

So no tank news, I will be starting the smaller tank before I start the bigger tank. A 40g 36x15x18 which will take over my only current running tank a 15g cube. As mentioned in a previous post, sadly the unexpected and dragged out costs of this house have put my big tank back to a September possibly even November/December start line now. But we're getting somewhere I am promised that at the very latest construction will be completed in 8 weeks.

One of my favourite things in this house is these tiles. Basically, anywhere there is a tile (floor, bathrooms, kitchen) this is the tile. And it was one of those things this is what I had to have. So to see most of the tiling completed and the house internals all coming together I'm starting to breathe and enjoy what I have built. Still disappointed with the delay to the tank but that's life.