Headline: "Relative noob puts big tank in office"

[dstockwell]

Welcome back

 

[rhitee93]

personally I would go with the 3rd party overflow option. like modular marine or the like.
there is no way I would run a tank these days with out full siphon and E drain. I remember back in the day when stand pipes where the think and OMG they where so loud.

so 1 full siphon 1 E drain & 102 holes for return depends on how fancy you want to get.

External 3rd party overflow w/ a third emergency drain hole would be my go to. Quieter, more room in the tank for what you actually care about, and the emergency drain just gives you piece of mind for very little added cost.

You guys are talking about the boxes that mount to the back and use a horizontally drilled hole in the tank back, right? I'm more comfortable with the idea of the connections being under the tank than behind it, but I'll look into those. I need to wrap my head around the overflow plumbing options anyway. I started watching a BRS video about the 3 popular styles last night, but it was too late in the day for me to process it...

 

[Ironwill723]

Have you looked at Waterbox Aquariums?

Here is an example of one...

 

[itgoeson]

Ok this is maybe out there but a 6’ peninsula really gives a lot more fish options. Could you move the desk to make that fit somehow? Maybe like this (sorry for the awful sketch)?

 

[Devaji]

You guys are talking about the boxes that mount to the back and use a horizontally drilled hole in the tank back, right? I'm more comfortable with the idea of the connections being under the tank than behind it, but I'll look into those. I need to wrap my head around the overflow plumbing options anyway. I started watching a BRS video about the 3 popular styles last night, but it was too late in the day for me to process it...

yes that's it. it gives a cleaner look to inside the tank then the big box overflows. even more important on smaller aquariums.
either way you do it you will still have have bulk heads with pipes either under the tank or on the back. but what ever you feel comfortable with.

Have you looked at Waterbox Aquariums?

Here is an example of one...

his trying to keep is money in the good ol USA and support the local economy.

Ok this is maybe out there but a 6’ peninsula really gives a lot more fish options. Could you move the desk to make that fit somehow? Maybe like this (sorry for the awful sketch)?

I fully support this idea. all tho he did say he might be moving to a new building in 3 years.


@rhitee93 some how I am invested in this project...haha curious to see what you go with.

 

[Ironwill723]

his trying to keep is money in the good ol USA and support the local economy.

WATERBOX USA, LLC is out of Orlando

 

[rhitee93]

Ok this is maybe out there but a 6’ peninsula really gives a lot more fish options. Could you move the desk to make that fit somehow? Maybe like this (sorry for the awful sketch)?

I appreciate the effort and suggestion! That's probably a bit more of a rearrangement to my office that I want to undertake.

@rhitee93 some how I am invested in this project...haha curious to see what you go with.

Lol, I'm just glad someone's interested. This has got to be the most boring build thread of all time so far.

I got off the phone with Joe at Glass Cages a little while ago. He's going to adjust my build slightly and requote. If all goes well, I'll order the tank and stand later today!

 

[rhitee93]

Well, stage one is complete. Tank and stand are ordered from Glass Cages.

48"x24"x24" tankg (~120gal)
Low iron front glass
eurobraced
3-hole internal overflow (centered in back wall)
36" high stand from their Fine Furniture line

I've got a few weeks to figure out the rest of the system. Time for some scotch...

 

[Devaji]

Well, stage one is complete. Tank and stand are ordered from Glass Cages.

48"x24"x24" tankg (~120gal)
Low iron front glass
eurobraced
3-hole internal overflow (centered in back wall)
36" high stand from their Fine Furniture line

I've got a few weeks to figure out the rest of the system. Time for some scotch...

nice man! gonna be a nice tank for sure and classic size too.

 

[Devaji]

WATERBOX USA, LLC is out of Orlando

yes that is there US office and studio but everything is made in China. ask them

 

[Ironwill723]

yes that is there US office and studio but everything is made in China. ask them

No thanks...I don't really care about that Made in the USA stuff anyways. Everything is made in China anymore. Good luck though to the OP on the build.

 

[rhitee93]

And so it begins...

I ordered an ro/di system and my first 50lbs of dry rock (Marco) this morning. I'll probably let the credit card cool down a bit before I start buying the rest of what I need.

One of the guys on the BRS youtube channel mentioned this book, and I found a copy on everyone's favorite auction site. I'm old(school) and like book so I bought it. So far it seems like a good read.

I've started compiling an equipment list, and will post that in a few days for comments. I'm sure this will be the sort of thing that generates 2 opinions for everyone who cares to comment, but I'm pretty much starting from scratch, so I'll take it

One pot I'll stir up now is about tank cycling. I've read a lot on here and other places and have only been able to conclude two things:

1. There are a lot of very strong opinions about this.
2. It's done differently now than when I setup my last tank 20 years ago.

I know this isn't going to be a popular choice, but I am very drawn to starting this with primarily dry rock. That will give me a lot of time to play with the aquascape, which I find an attractive option. My LFS has a lot of rock wetted out in their system that I could use to seed things, but as a bread maker and beer brewer, I kind of like the idea of seeding the system with the bacteria I want rather than just depending on wild bacteria to come in.

It seems one of the big arguments against dry rock is a diatom bloom?

 

[rhitee93]

Well, my RO/DI system came in last week, so I headed into the office for a while today to get it setup. I just went with a 5 stage for now, but I plan to buy another filter housing and add a second DI stage once this first filter is ready for replacement. I'm pretty sure my water company uses chloramines, so I need to make sure these are the super-duper carbon filters before then as well.

While I was breaking in the water system for a couple of hours, I started playing with the rock I have so far. The piece of cardboard is the same size as the footprint of the tank I ordered. The top of the highest arch is just under 18". My tank will be 24" high, but I don't know what the actual water level will be, so I'll probably try to keep the rockwork lower than what I have in the pics.

This is all just dry stacked for now. I'll sit and look at it while I'm at work this week, and make tweeks. Please chime in with suggestions!

There is about 90lbs of rock sitting there right now, so I am thinking I am going to need more. The tank is 120 gallons, and the sump I ordered is another 30. I think conventional wisdom would say I need another 50-60lbs of rock, but this is dry rock which will weight quite a bit less than traditional wet rock. I'm thinking I'll squeeze a bit more in the DT, and maybe put some bio-blocks in the sump. Does this sound reasonable?

Oh, yeah - I ordered a Trigger Obsidian 34" sump. I saw one on an open package discount at Bulk Reef, and decided it was a good starting point. I like the idea of a manual reef mat roller for now, and apparently it is upgradable to an automated version. I also saw an Tunze Osmolator on sale for 20% off, so I popped on that as well. So much for letting the credit card cool down...

 

[rhitee93]

I've been thinking about water storage. I probably won't go the Brute trash can route since I'll store water in a lab near my office that people will see often. I'll have to spring for something a bit more "Industrial" looking. How much water should I try to keep on hand for a system with ~150 gallons in total? I could get a couple of 55 gallon drums, but that feels like a lot. Then again, that wouldn't be enough to create the salt water for my first fill.

 

[ryanjohn1]

Well, my RO/DI system came in last week, so I headed into the office for a while today to get it setup. I just went with a 5 stage for now, but I plan to buy another filter housing and add a second DI stage once this first filter is ready for replacement. I'm pretty sure my water company uses chloramines, so I need to make sure these are the super-duper carbon filters before then as well.

While I was breaking in the water system for a couple of hours, I started playing with the rock I have so far. The piece of cardboard is the same size as the footprint of the tank I ordered. The top of the highest arch is just under 18". My tank will be 24" high, but I don't know what the actual water level will be, so I'll probably try to keep the rockwork lower than what I have in the pics.

This is all just dry stacked for now. I'll sit and look at it while I'm at work this week, and make tweeks. Please chime in with suggestions!

There is about 90lbs of rock sitting there right now, so I am thinking I am going to need more. The tank is 120 gallons, and the sump I ordered is another 30. I think conventional wisdom would say I need another 50-60lbs of rock, but this is dry rock which will weight quite a bit less than traditional wet rock. I'm thinking I'll squeeze a bit more in the DT, and maybe put some bio-blocks in the sump. Does this sound reasonable?

Oh, yeah - I ordered a Trigger Obsidian 34" sump. I saw one on an open package discount at Bulk Reef, and decided it was a good starting point. I like the idea of a manual reef mat roller for now, and apparently it is upgradable to an automated version. I also saw an Tunze Osmolator on sale for 20% off, so I popped on that as well. So much for letting the credit card cool down...

I was eyeing that sump up. Glad you grabbed it

 

[ryanjohn1]

If it was me I would only run 2 big storage tanks

 

[rhitee93]

If it was me I would only run 2 big storage tanks

Thanks. Like two 55 gallon drum size, or more like a couple of 30 gallon tanks?

I keep thinking that keeping 30 gallons of salt water and 30 gallons of fresh would allow for a pretty large water change in a short amount of time if an emergency came up.

I'll let you know how the sump works out

 

[rhitee93]

The sump showed up yesterday evening so I took it to the office. It was a bit of a wake-up call. The sump is as big as the last tank I had back in the day...

It looks nicely made. I'll have to put it together some evening this week.

I've been thinking through my start-up plan for the aquarium. Y'all can make one's head spin with all the different opinions on how to start up a tank, but after a couple weeks of studying, it is starting to seem more clear. Just to psych myself up for the next year of effort, I created this timeline: (Very open to critique)

• -------------------- Early May-----------------------
• Tank and stand arrive
  • Finish the stand
  • Stain
  • Poly/lacquer coat
  • Seal/paint interior
• Move stand and tank into office
• Plumb tank and sump
• Arrange Rock
• Add initial electrical gear
  • Return pump
  • Heaters
  • Seneye
  • Powerheads/wave maker
• Add live sand
• Add salt water
  • Mix in tank?
• Bring up to temp with full flow
• Add seed bacteria (turn pumps off for a few hours)
• Add ammonia source
• Monitor 1st cycle
• --------------------------------------- Late May ------------------------------------------
• Add the protein skimmer and filter mat
• Add 2 clowns and a yellow tang
• Feed , maintain, and monitor with no lights for a few weeks
• Add refugium Chaeto and fuge light
• -------------------------------------- Mid-July ---------------------------------------------
• Add other beneficial fish
  • ?
  • ?
• Feed, maintain, and monitor for a few weeks
• --------------------------------------- Mid-August ----------------------------------------
• Add reef lighting and bring up intensity slowly
• Add pods?
• Seed with coraline algae?
• Deal with algae/bacterial blooms
• Feed, maintain, and monitor for a while
• Add final fish
  • ?
  • ?
  • ?
• Feed, maintain, and monitor for a while
• ------------------------------------- October ----------------------------------------------
• Add soft corals
  • ?
  • ?
  • ?
• Feed, maintain, and monitor for a few weeks
• ------------------------------------- January 2024 -----------------------------------------------
• Start adding LPS
  • ?
  • ?
  • ?
• Strive to reach stability through the end of year

 

[Gumbies R Us]

The sump showed up yesterday evening so I took it to the office. It was a bit of a wake-up call. The sump is as big as the last tank I had back in the day...

It looks nicely made. I'll have to put it together some evening this week.

I've been thinking through my start-up plan for the aquarium. Y'all can make one's head spin with all the different opinions on how to start up a tank, but after a couple weeks of studying, it is starting to seem more clear. Just to psych myself up for the next year of effort, I created this timeline: (Very open to critique)

• -------------------- Early May-----------------------
• Tank and stand arrive
  • Finish the stand
  • Stain
  • Poly/lacquer coat
  • Seal/paint interior
• Move stand and tank into office
• Plumb tank and sump
• Arrange Rock
• Add initial electrical gear
  • Return pump
  • Heaters
  • Seneye
  • Powerheads/wave maker
• Add live sand
• Add salt water
  • Mix in tank?
• Bring up to temp with full flow
• Add seed bacteria (turn pumps off for a few hours)
• Add ammonia source
• Monitor 1st cycle
• --------------------------------------- Late May ------------------------------------------
• Add the protein skimmer and filter mat
• Add 2 clowns and a yellow tang
• Feed , maintain, and monitor with no lights for a few weeks
• Add refugium Chaeto and fuge light
• -------------------------------------- Mid-July ---------------------------------------------
• Add other beneficial fish
  • ?
  • ?
• Feed, maintain, and monitor for a few weeks
• --------------------------------------- Mid-August ----------------------------------------
• Add reef lighting and bring up intensity slowly
• Add pods?
• Seed with coraline algae?
• Deal with algae/bacterial blooms
• Feed, maintain, and monitor for a while
• Add final fish
  • ?
  • ?
  • ?
• Feed, maintain, and monitor for a while
• ------------------------------------- October ----------------------------------------------
• Add soft corals
  • ?
  • ?
  • ?
• Feed, maintain, and monitor for a few weeks
• ------------------------------------- January 2024 -----------------------------------------------
• Start adding LPS
  • ?
  • ?
  • ?
• Strive to reach stability through the end of year

This going to be one great-looking tank, looking forward to seeing the progress!!!

 

[ryanjohn1]

The sump showed up yesterday evening so I took it to the office. It was a bit of a wake-up call. The sump is as big as the last tank I had back in the day...

It looks nicely made. I'll have to put it together some evening this week.

I've been thinking through my start-up plan for the aquarium. Y'all can make one's head spin with all the different opinions on how to start up a tank, but after a couple weeks of studying, it is starting to seem more clear. Just to psych myself up for the next year of effort, I created this timeline: (Very open to critique)

• -------------------- Early May-----------------------
• Tank and stand arrive
  • Finish the stand
  • Stain
  • Poly/lacquer coat
  • Seal/paint interior
• Move stand and tank into office
• Plumb tank and sump
• Arrange Rock
• Add initial electrical gear
  • Return pump
  • Heaters
  • Seneye
  • Powerheads/wave maker
• Add live sand
• Add salt water
  • Mix in tank?
• Bring up to temp with full flow
• Add seed bacteria (turn pumps off for a few hours)
• Add ammonia source
• Monitor 1st cycle
• --------------------------------------- Late May ------------------------------------------
• Add the protein skimmer and filter mat
• Add 2 clowns and a yellow tang
• Feed , maintain, and monitor with no lights for a few weeks
• Add refugium Chaeto and fuge light
• -------------------------------------- Mid-July ---------------------------------------------
• Add other beneficial fish
  • ?
  • ?
• Feed, maintain, and monitor for a few weeks
• --------------------------------------- Mid-August ----------------------------------------
• Add reef lighting and bring up intensity slowly
• Add pods?
• Seed with coraline algae?
• Deal with algae/bacterial blooms
• Feed, maintain, and monitor for a while
• Add final fish
  • ?
  • ?
  • ?
• Feed, maintain, and monitor for a while
• ------------------------------------- October ----------------------------------------------
• Add soft corals
  • ?
  • ?
  • ?
• Feed, maintain, and monitor for a few weeks
• ------------------------------------- January 2024 -----------------------------------------------
• Start adding LPS
  • ?
  • ?
  • ?
• Strive to reach stability through the end of year

I wouldn’t mix the water in tank. Even if it takes you a day or 3. Mix in something else