310 mega matrix planet aquarium build

[solor]

Hello,

First some history followed by some questions at the end.

I am in the process of purchasing a 310 gallon mega matrix aquarium. I opted for the pvc Bottom with the external overflow and the heritage stand and canopy.

I currently have a 180 gallon Marineland and will be transferring everything over in a couple of months.

I am on a crawl space but currently renovating the entire living/dining room all the way down to the wall studs and floor joists.

with the 180 gallon tank and 125 gallon sump I dug down about 15” into the crawl, placed a concrete paver, floor jack and 4x6 treated lumber across the front with the home foundation supporting the back. Worked very well for 3 years.

I had good success with sps and fish, but pending the move I sold essentially all the corals and kept all the fish. Eventually I will be firing CaRx back but not for awhile.

So now for the questions.

Tank foundation.

The new location is not on an outside supporting wall and the joists are running horizontal to the tank this time.

Current plan is to do the same thing with the solid concrete blocks buried 18” into the crawlspace with 1 floor jack on each end of the 8’ span using a 4 x 6 Pushing up on the flooring itself. I plan on doing this for the front and back of the stand.

The sump and tank will be about 400 gallons over a 8’ X 30” area.

Will that be ample support?

One concern I have is that the tank will be sitting on top of LVP flooring with a cork backing. I am unsure if it will compress the flooring unevenly causing issues...

Is it safe on LVP?

Lighting:

I have 2 hydra 52’s non HD, 2 Vegas, and 4 reg old hydras.Wondering if running all 8 would be overkill when I add back the SPS...

Was thinking about running the 4 hydras in the front and the two 52’s in the back middle with the Vegas on the back ends.

I also considered selling the reg hydras and buying 2 of the 48” gen2 aquatic life T5 hybrids.

Would the hybrids really be better than using 4 more leds?

Return pumps.

I am currently using a Varios 8 on 82% as a return pump.

Will I need 2 return pumps do to the additional volume?

I like the idea of redundancy but at $415?

I really don’t know what the stock external overflow can handle... I tend to oversize the drains and setup a beananimal style drain into 1 7” sock.

Thanks for taking the time to skim/read this and all questions comments welcome

 

[solor]

Before the SPS sell off

 

[Devaji]

Hello,

First some history followed by some questions at the end.

I am in the process of purchasing a 310 gallon mega matrix aquarium. I opted for the pvc Bottom with the external overflow and the heritage stand and canopy.

I currently have a 180 gallon Marineland and will be transferring everything over in a couple of months.

I am on a crawl space but currently renovating the entire living/dining room all the way down to the wall studs and floor joists.

with the 180 gallon tank and 125 gallon sump I dug down about 15” into the crawl, placed a concrete paver, floor jack and 4x6 treated lumber across the front with the home foundation supporting the back. Worked very well for 3 years.

I had good success with sps and fish, but pending the move I sold essentially all the corals and kept all the fish. Eventually I will be firing CaRx back but no

So now for the questions.

Tank foundation.

The new location is not on an outside supporting wall and the joists are running horizontal to the tank this time.

Current plan is to do the same thing with the solid concrete blocks buried 18” into the crawlspace with 1 floor jack on each end of the 8’ span using a 4 x 6 Pushing up on the flooring itself. I plan on doing this for the front and back the stand.

The sump and tank will be about 400 gallons over a 8’ X 30” area,

that be ample support?

One concern I have is that the tank will be sitting on top of LVP flooring with a cork backing. I am unsure if it will compress the flooring unevenly causing issues...

Is it safe on LVP?

Lighting:

I have 2 hydra 52’s non HD, 2 Vegas, and 4 reg old hydras.Wondering if running all 8 would be overkill when I add back the SPS...

Was thinking about running the 4 hydras in the front and the two 52’s in the back middle with the Vegas on the back ends.

I also considered selling the reg hydras and buying 2 of the 48” gen2 aquatic life T5 hybrids.

Would the hybrids really be better than using 4 more leds?

return pumps.

I am currently using a Varios 8 on 82% as a return pump.

Will I need 2 return pumps do up the additional volume?

I like the idea of redundancy but at $415?

I really don’t know what the stock external overflow can handle... I tend to oversize the drains and setup a beananimal style drain into 1 7” sock.

Thanks for taking the time to skim/read this and all questions comments welcome

love the planet 310 I was thinking of that a while ago too.
you safest bet would be to get a engineer out to tell you for sure. better be safe than sorry eh?
if you are going with reno down to the studs i think it would be pretty easy for him.her to tell ya what you need and have it down.

best of luck!

 

[solor]

One more from a year ago

 

[solor]

love the planet 310 I was thinking of that a while ago too.
you safest bet would be to get a engineer out to tell you for sure. better be safe than sorry eh?
if you are going with reno down to the studs i think it would be pretty easy for him.her to tell ya what you need and have it down.

best of luck!

The engineer is always the safest bet, but I was hoping that some experienced people could maybe save me $400ish... I had received advice from an experienced builder on the 180 and it turned out very well.

Thanks for the advice though, it is food for thought.

 

[Jerry Barnes]

My brother is a structural engineer. A 4x6 with a 8 foot span will need three jack posts to support 2000lbs. Jack posts on each end will allow too much deflection.

 

[solor]

My brother is a structural engineer. A 4x6 with a 8 foot span will need three jack posts to support 2000lbs. Jack posts on each end will allow too much deflection.

Awesome, thank you! I will be using 3 on the front and three on the back then.

 

[solor]

Anyone have any experience with putting that much weight on top of LVP? (Luxury Vinyl Plank)

 

[Pntbll687]

Congrats on the new upgrade!

As far as leveling the tank and will the floor support it, contact an engineer and know for sure. If you're spending the money to do a renovation down to the studs and joists, having an engineer come in and tell you what it needs won't add much to the overall cost of the reno.

As for return pumps I would go for two, but the real question is... How many returns are on the tank? If it's two or more, go for two pumps. Just one return, then one pump.

For lighting, theres no reason you shouldn't use what you already have. From the pictures you have had obvious success with the setup you have. Hang the lights, rent a par meter from BRS and measure par on your aqua scape and adjust form there.

 

[solor]

Congrats on the new upgrade!

As far as leveling the tank and will the floor support it, contact an engineer and know for sure. If you're spending the money to do a renovation down to the studs and joists, having an engineer come in and tell you what it needs won't add much to the overall cost of the reno.

As for return pumps I would go for two, but the real question is... How many returns are on the tank? If it's two or more, go for two pumps. Just one return, then one pump.

For lighting, theres no reason you shouldn't use what you already have. From the pictures you have had obvious success with the setup you have. Hang the lights, rent a par meter from BRS and measure par on your aqua scape and adjust form there.

I appreciate the input. I need to find out for sure about the return pumps. I am getting the external overflow option and thought I read somewhere that it came with 2 return holes? Not 100% for sure though.

If there are 2 Holes, I am now thinking about adding a varios 6 and using the Varios 8 to run one return and the reactors while using the 6 as redundancy in case one fails with additional flow in the center of the tank.

I am leaning towards keeping the current lighting setup also. Thanks for your thoughts on that.

 

[solor]

Little update,

I ended up using 6 total floor jacks (3 in the front and 3 in the back). Replaced the old flooring with 3/4” plywood under where the tank will be.

Wired in 3 sets of 20 amp outlets on it’s own circuit. Ran two Ethernet plugs into an outlet behind where the stand will be. Rerouted the 4 - 1/4” rodi lines from where the 180 was to the 310 location and out the gang box through a cable cover. They run under the house from the laundry room where the rodi system is and brutes are. Makes for easy topoff and AWC when I used to do them.

Currently plan on using the 8 AI leds as previously stated. I bought another Varios 8 for dual returns (Was predrilled for two 3/4” returns) and will be plumbing in a manifold to run the reactors.

Picked up a 48” signature series Bashsea sump, Bio Reactor 8-30, 4x12 and a 6x12 reactor today. Blue and black.

Plan on running bare bottom and am hoping the Bio Reactor helps stabilize things. Hard to find to many reviews and the ones I did where all over the place. Talked to Bashsea and they call them a “game changer”. Will see. Hope they’re right.

Still have to install the drywall on the walls and ceiling, plaster, paint, install the flush mount leds, chandelier, LVP and trim before I can start on the tank....

Not enough time in the day.

 

[Pntbll687]

Little update,

I ended up using 6 total floor jacks (3 in the front and 3 in the back). Replaced the old flooring with 3/4” plywood under where the tank will be.

Wired in 3 sets of 20 amp outlets on it’s own circuit. Ran two Ethernet plugs into an outlet behind where the stand will be. Rerouted the 4 - 1/4” rodi lines from where the 180 was to the 310 location and out the gang box through a cable cover. They run under the house from the laundry room where the rodi system is and brutes are. Makes for easy topoff and AWC when I used to do them.

Currently plan on using the 8 AI leds as previously stated. I bought another Varios 8 for dual returns (Was predrilled for two 3/4” returns) and will be plumbing in a manifold to run the reactors.

Picked up a 48” signature series Bashsea sump, Bio Reactor 8-30, 4x12 and a 6x12 reactor today. Blue and black.

Plan on running bare bottom and am hoping the Bio Reactor helps stabilize things. Hard to find to many reviews and the ones I did where all over the place. Talked to Bashsea and they call them a “game changer”. Will see. Hope they’re right.

Still have to install the drywall on the walls and ceiling, plaster, paint, install the flush mount leds, chandelier, LVP and trim before I can start on the tank....

Not enough time in the day.

Progress is progress! It's not slays as fast as we want, but it keeps moving forward.

Are all of the outlets for the tank on the same circuit? If they are make sure you have a battery back up for at least on power head. Just in case on the of chance the circuit had a faulty trip and everything is shut down. You could even move one pump to another circuit.

 

[solor]

Progress is progress! It's not slays as fast as we want, but it keeps moving forward.

Are all of the outlets for the tank on the same circuit? If they are make sure you have a battery back up for at least on power head. Just in case on the of chance the circuit had a faulty trip and everything is shut down. You could even move one pump to another circuit.

Good call. I hadn't thought about that this time around. Apex fusion is good about pinging me with power outages, but it would be a good idea to place a power head on another circuit.

Thanks for that!

 

[revhtree]

Wow someone has an SPS blue thumb!! Nice!

And yes if you can place your return pump on it's on circuit from the rest of the tank.

 

[solor]

Hopefully soon I can start posting some pics. Right now the last of the equipment is arriving and just have to do some plastering on the ceiling, painting, shiplap on all the walls, install LVP and carpet and the finish trim... few more weeks if I can just get the time...

Ordered a 40 gallon custom ATO from Bashsea, it is amazing! Also picked up their 8-30 twisted skimmer. Hoping for it to be somewhat silent... A little concerned with it being a Beckett style but some reefers say it is not too bad.

Also ordered 6 hydra 64 hd’s, 2 mp40’s, a Neptune wav, the FMM and a few optical sensors for the ATO.

Picked up an Avast Marine kalk stirrer K2. And all blue and grey pvc for the plumbing.

Fingers crossed the overflow issue is resolved with Planet Aquariums before the final touches are done on the space...

 

[Pntbll687]

Hopefully soon I can start posting some pics. Right now the last of the equipment is arriving and just have to do some plastering on the ceiling, painting, shiplap on all the walls, install LVP and carpet and the finish trim... few more weeks if I can just get the time...

Ordered a 40 gallon custom ATO from Bashsea, it is amazing! Also picked up their 8-30 twisted skimmer. Hoping for it to be somewhat silent... A little concerned with it being a Beckett style but some reefers say it is not too bad.

Also ordered 6 hydra 64 hd’s, 2 mp40’s, a Neptune wav, the FMM and a few optical sensors for the ATO.

Picked up an Avast Marine kalk stirrer K2. And all blue and grey pvc for the plumbing.

Fingers crossed the overflow issue is resolved with Planet Aquariums before the final touches are done on the space...

Kalk stirrer, NICE!! Not many people running them anymore.

 

[solor]

Not sure why they aren't more popular. It is an inexpensive way to supplement Alk, Calc and raise pH at the same time. I don't chase pH, but do like the added benefit since I usually run a CaRx. It may require a little more maintenance on pumps and such, but I think I should be doing that anyways...

I have been running 2 Brute trash cans with water from the laundry room. With the new stand, I have the room to add a 40 gl ATO inside and wanted to use the kalk stirrer to simplify. It also removes the trash cans from the laundry room which makes the girlfriend happy. So a win win

 

[mattgsa]

This looks like a great build

 

[solor]

Long overdue updates.

Had 3 friends help move the tank across the room and up on to the stand. Much appreciated help.

Placed most of the equipment under the stand. Have moved things around since the pic.

 

[solor]

Found out that the wrong overflow was sent with the tank... They drilled for and sent the 16” version...

6 weeks later I received the 20” version, at which point I realized the removable internal weir is over 2” tall... If that was removed it would dump 25 gallons into my sump. Or should I say my stand, since it cannot handle the volume.

They are quality overflows but I can’t risk the flood...

So, I opted to have a custom one made from Modular Marine. This is what I should have started out with. I love the 24” overflow. I only wish I went with the internal box not being removable...

I think the likely hood of the entire box falling off is much lower than accidentally knocking off the other pc though, so it is being installed.

I did buy 1/8” sheet gasket from amazon to place between the outer box and tank. I think that will help minimize leak potential with the back wall being painted black and reduces torx from the plumbing.