AlexGs 4200 Gallon Display + 2100 gallon fish room? --- New House = New Build

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AlexG

AlexG

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Update time.

I have been working on the 265 sump a d it's finally looking like a filtration system again.
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mehaffydr

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Update time.

I have been working on the 265 sump a d it's finally looking like a filtration system again.
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No fair doing an update and not revealing the results of the silicone/epdm test
 
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AlexG

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A swim through between his tanks for when he needs to go from one to the other cleaning them from the inside without spilling water on the floor! :p

I was thinking reduce from 4" to 1/2" for a drain line. Should allow for plenty of flow right? @mehaffydr @GBRsouth

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AlexG

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I didn't know you could use pond liner for aquariums
Yes it can be done. This will be the first time I am making pond liner tanks with viewing windows but I am confident it will work. There is a 3000gallon tank on this forum that was using a pond liner that inspired me to try it out over epoxy.
 
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Update time.

Lots going on with the build lately. I am still waiting on my glass to arrive for the frag tank but that is not slowing anything down. I have the canopy built over the 150, return and drain lines run to the sump. The drain for the 150 is almost 50' long. The 265 sump has the Uv Sterilizer plumbed in with new seals and quartz sleeve, skimmer and pumps installed minus controllers and power supplies. The 4" interconnect bulkhead is installed and the old 2" interconnect bulkheads have be reinstalled and capped but will be available for future use if needed. I also have installed the radiant heating system PEX coil in the sump and have done a preliminary test with the controller which was working as expected. I did change out the temp probe on the Ranco controller as it was 3 years old. I still need to get some additional work done on the 265 tops to make them fit with some of the plumbing change. The 200 gallon water storage tanks have been fully cleaned out and fill tested with RO/DI. Finally I have started work on the 700 gallon refugium tank. The stand, bracing, and new front bracing are all completed and I have started work on the canopy of the 700 which should be completed soon. Still lots of work to get done but I am making good headway on this project. here are some pictures of the progress.

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acmonster

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Looking great as always Alex. Thanks for sharing this with us. I can't wait to see the results of the pond liner tank. I've been considering that for awhile and it seems so much more approachable than pond armor and fiberglass.
 
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AlexG

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Update time

I have been busy getting the 700 built out. I summarized what I have been up to below in the pictures.
  • Finished framing the 700
  • Built canopy with FRP panels then disassemble and move to the side
  • Plywood interior of tank 3/4" on side and 2.25" on bottom
    • Cut holes for 2x 2" drain bulkheads only to realize a day later they need to be moved so 2 x more holes are drilled and the old ones are filled in.
  • 3x Custom Threaded rod cross braces installed (Experimental)
  • Removing the plywood from the old glass
    • Cut off top of remaining plywood
    • Cut through 8' of RTV seal with stainless steel wire held by locking pliers on both ends sawing back and fourth
      • This process is a real workout
    • Build a custom stand to hold the glass above the height of the front of the tank so it could be easily slid into the tank once it was prepped
    • get glass onto the custom glass stand
      • It only weights 300+ lbs what can go wrong. I had my wife help steady the glass once I lifted into onto the stand and secured it with a 2x4
    • Cut off the remaining plywood to get the seal exposed
    • repeat the process of cutting the remaining 14' of RTV seal with stainless steel wire and brute force (Its lots of fun when the wire breaks during a pull so its important to not be in a position where you might fall if the wire breaks)
    • Wash the glass off
    • Razor blade off all of the old RTV an use a backlight to make sure its all off
    • clean and repeat razor blade process 3 to 4 times with back light
      • Clean with alcohol and inspect again
    • Clean up because the basement is a mess where the plywood and RTV was removed
    • Silicone seal the inside of the 700 gallon on plywood seems and 2x4 seams to smooth them out for the pond liner
    • Measure the inside of the tank dimensions and draw it all out for the underlayment and pond liner install
    • Layout the underlayment and cut to size
      • Then fold up the underlayment neatly so it can be unfolded into the 3 dimensional shape of the aquarium
      • Install the underlayment
    • Prepare the pond liner on a flat surface
      • Layout all corners and interior seems with painters tape
      • Make 4 cuts to allow corner folding
      • Carefully fold the pond liner to allow it to be unfolded into a 3 dimensional shape with corner folding
    • Install pond liner only to realize that 2 of the four cuts made were in the wrong direction
      • remove pond liner and make correction cuts
        • had another small oops and had to make another cut but it will not impact the liner
        • Carefully fold the pond liner to allow it to be unfolded into a 3 dimensional shape with corner folding
    • Install the pond liner a second time properly folding the corners
    • Cut out the pond liner for the viewing window
    • Install a second layer of pond liner on the bottom of the tank
    • Soak all travertine tiles in hot water for 30min then use a razorblade to remove metal backed stickers along with any other marks by foreign objects on the tiles.
      • Wash with water and scrub with a brush before install
    • Install travertine tile bottom cutting tiles to fit the bottom leaving a 1/4" on the sides near the corners
    • Position glass for its move into the tank
    • add Styrofoam boards to support the glass
    • remove the top brace of the 700
    • slide glass into the take with my wifes help
    • shore up the glass with supports and reinstall the top brace of the 700
This is where I left off on my work tonight. I left out all the trips to the hardware store to get materials. Maybe in a few more weeks I will get to actually put water in some of the tanks in the system. Its going to be a busy weekend of work on the system.
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acmonster

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@AlexG, do you have any links for the trap you built under the utility sink? I'm setting up a sink now in my fish room. I'm finding similar setups for ceramic hobbyists. And a brand called Gleco that sells a smaller container that mounts directly into the plumbing. Thanks again for keeping us all informed of your progress!
 
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