550 Gall Specs & Placement

[TheWoos]

Hellooooo, I'm building a new Monster Tank and am not sure where in a room i want to place it, which will then determine whether i go with a Custom Peninsula or In-Wall Tank along with where i will put the sump. I will have a dedicated "fish room" for the sump depending on where the tank goes.

I.m a little crazy but this will be my first Saltwater tank EVER, coming from Freshwater 20 years ago. A developing medical condition is limiting my mobility so i need a new in home hobby. Not worried about budget based on a tank < 2000L (600G). Structural Engineer coming Monday to advise ppsf but on Concrete Slab so not too worried.

I have attached floor plans but i spend ALL my time in my living room so want it viewable in that room with the TV and PC (which i will placed based on where the tank goes.) Just need your opinion aswell as why you would put it in that location !!! Floor Plan attached to help...

First Post on the forum but plan to be here for a loooong time Based in Sydney, Australia....

 

[Reef By Steele]

Issue I see is that your proposed fish room isn’t adjacent to your room you want to put the tank in, so without a lot of plumbing/pumps I don’t see you being able to locate your sump there.

Not seeing what is around the room makes it hard as well, as it can be nice to locate it where it is a focal point when entering a room. That being said, I like the idea of having it built into one of the kitchen walls maybe in such a way that it is view able from three sides in the living room and the “back side” through the kitchen wall, especially if anyone spends a significant amount of time in the kitchen. Maybe configure it with a middle overflow so it can be rockscaped to hide it and not block viewing from any side. Locate sump and equipment underneath.

 

[TheWoos]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. The two most likely solutions i have at the moment are:

1. I think this is what you were suggesting (Diagram 2)..... Remove the wall between the Kitchen/Living Room up to the line of the Bedroom, insert a green drywall to run across the gap and then replace the wall with a 3m (10 feet / 120") Peninsula X 100cm (3.3 feet / 40") (W) x 67cm (2.2 feet / 26") (H).

2. Replace same wall with a half-wall to run piping from the same sized peninsula at the end of the wall into the living room. Would still have to put up a false wall to feed piping into the Fish Room

The positive of both is i would already have a doorway into the cavity behind the tank for piping and accessing the Overflow.

But which one !!!!

 

[Reef By Steele]

I didn’t realize you were definitely planning to remove the entire kitchen wall. That makes it a lot easier. I like the placement where it runs perpendicular to the kitchen as you get the wide viewing area from the sofa and walking into the room from the other side, but the distance will require larger pumps I believe. Horizontal runs won’t increase head pressure as much as verticals but it probably add some resistance.

However if you or anyone else spends a lot of time in the kitchen, I would then choose the other layout where the kitchen and the sofa both view the long sides.

 

[TheWoos]

Looking at a closed loop + assistance from a couple of MP 60's and a Gyre.

Current proposed custom tank spec instructions im getting quotes on.

Tank Specs	3000mm (L) x 1000mm (W) x 670mm (H) Peninsula - 2040L (530G) (Cost to put 22mm glass on bottom to increase safetly factor to 5 ? / 19mm ) / Short "Coast to Coast" Bean Animal Overflow with 2" Bulkheads w/ Unions (to allow for an elevated Sump in another room) (similar to Ghost Overflow by Reefsavvy) / Eurboraced with Tongue for Net / Sectional Net Lid / Armoured Seams
Sanking Plumbing	2" Piping Outflow to remote sump - Dual 1 1/4" return w/ gate valves & check valves (Vectra L2) (Tank to Sump (approx 26 feet ) / Animal Bean 2" Sched 80 Bulkheads / 4 port manifold w/ Union Gate Valves at Sump / Lots of Union Fittings / Return to Reefmat1200 + housing / Swap 90,s for 2 x 45's where possible from Overflow
Closed loop (glass end tank circulation)	2 x Schedule 80 Bulkhead Intakes 1 1/2 inch just below bulkhead below midway on sides / strainers / Vortech L2 Pump / 1 1/2" Piping in/1.25" out / 3 way-split above pump into 3 x 1/1/4 inch lines, each with ball valve / 3 x 1 1/4" Shedule 80 Bulkhead into tank (Middle of tank @ 60, 120 & 180cm) /3 x Y split Random flow pipes. Will have 1-2mm sand / 1-2" layer base
Steel Stands	1m (39.37") Steel frame Tall Stand w/ layer for Tank 100% Level Steel Stand for Tank - 2. 100% Level Steel Stand (specs below) / Joinery details below / custom PVC driptray across span inside base of stand and 10cm high rim in the bottom of both the stands to catch SW from slow leaks. No storage required, just leak protection and room for closed loop
	Sump Stand Calculation - (Tank Height 1m Stand + 67cm Tank - Outflow Boxheight to bulkhead ((Assume OF emergency drain conservative 150cm off ground)) - 26 feet of 2" Piping Min 1/2" per foot = 13" decline (33cm) = Sump Stand < 117cm - 45cm Sump Height = Max Sump Stand of 72cm - Go with 50cm High Stand for Sump - Please verify flow before building sump stand
Sump	567L Sump (180cm (L) x 70cm (W) x 45cm (H)- Refugium / Room for up to 4 Pumps / Octo Regal 250-S (I will buy) / Micro Bubble Baffle / Space for Live Rock - Biomedia Segment / Return Section to house 2 x Vectra L2 + Room for 2 additional pumps / Sump Lids to reduce humidity/evap / No ATO Res
Deliver and Install	Unpack, Bring Inside, Tank lift and level, Place Aquascape, Test plumbing for Sump and Tank inc. leak test

The wall between the kitchen and Living is a brick wall so couldn't run plumbing through it as it is now. Will either beam and replace with half wall or remove entirely and replace with Peninsula. I have a medical requirement for the sump to be elevated, as much as possible.

And proposed primary equipment:

Lights	6 x XR30 Gen 6 + AI Blade Glow x 2 + AI Blade Grow x 4) mounted either side of XR 30's as Grow-Glow-Grow)
Skimmer	Octo Regal 250-S
Pump	2 x Vectra L2 pumps
Reefmat	Possible at 1600 L (RS1200 designed for up to 1200L)
Powerheads w/guards	2 x MP 60's + 1 x Maspect Gyre XF350 Twin Pack (2)
RODI Filter Unit	Reef Pure Ro Systems Premium 6 Stage 100GPD (378 litres per day)
Heating & Cooling (Climate Control+ (L)) - 2000L Max	Eheim ClimateControl+
Heating redundancy	1000W Titanium Heater

Run by a GHL controller since APEX doesn't support Australian Electrical Outlets.