Howard's 400G X-tall reef build.

shse666 · Aug 9, 2013

Back in April the wife and I had started a 210 reef build. However the center brace on that tank broke and despite my attempts to repair the darn thing, it continued to rip the brace off everytime we refilled the tank: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/large-aquariums-180g/115890-howards-210-reef-build-wife.html

Fearing that we would eventually end up with over 200 gallons of fish water in the house, we ditched the tank. I sold it and the old stand for $100.00.

June 15th 2013, I picked up a new tank. This is a 400 gallon extra tall acrylic. Dimensions are 96 L X 24 W X 42 H inches. It is a very tall tank.

Its giant. Here is a 55 gallon drum next to it.

Today after going through 4 local vendors and a door installed on the wrong side, I have the stand in the house.

My friend is on his way over with a Jig saw so we can cut the holes for the drains/returns and closed loop.

Stay tuned. I expect this to be the tallest private aquarium with a build log in Dallas. At least that's my story for now.

Admisison is free. Cups for food for the critters are $10.00 each though.

miyags · Aug 9, 2013

killer tank!!!!

LukeG · Aug 9, 2013

That's a tall tank!

shse666 · Aug 10, 2013

Minor set back. See the 2nd holes there for the template?
Yeah. It lies EXACTLY where the builder but the 2 top braces for the stand down to the last milimeter.

Can't hack up the brace on a tank. Going to have to get some extra acrylic and weld the extra closed loop holes shut.
Grrrr.

Duffam3434 · Aug 10, 2013

Looks like its going to be a fun build! Ill be watching for updates!

kes · Aug 10, 2013

lot of work ahead but what a great start! good luck !

trickedout900 · Aug 12, 2013

Looks like a fun build for sure. My tank is 29/30 inches tall and I put the side of my face in the water every time I reach for the bottom so get your snorkel ready. All kidding aside it's hard to beat the options of aquascaping a tall tank. Good luck with the build.

revhtree · Aug 12, 2013

Looking forward to it!

Usatennisfan · Aug 12, 2013

This looks like fun! How high is the stand? What height will that make the entire tank/ stand? What is the plan for stocking?

shse666 · Aug 12, 2013

Tank and stand should be just slightly over 6 feet tall without a canopy.

shse666 · Sep 10, 2013

Some progress made on the 400.

Stand is in the house now. Took FOREVER to get this built and delivered.

Template for the returns and first closed loop are cut out.

Reflo Hammer Gold arrived and in the house now.

stylaster · Sep 10, 2013

Love my hammer head pump. I use it as my main return pump

shse666 · Sep 10, 2013

Obligatory kids in the tank shots.

Sorry, yer going in!

Maybe not so bad?

Cleaning up around the extra closed loop holes.

Oh yes. There will be noms!

Ready to glue.

trickedout900 · Sep 12, 2013

That tank is a beast. I can't wait to see how you aquascape it.

shse666 · Sep 12, 2013

Right now the wife is telling me that I'm doing a horse shoe shaped twin pillar setup with embedded shelf for all of her LPS.

I think she is out picking matching drapes.

revhtree · Sep 12, 2013

LOL! Yer going in! HA!

shse666 · Sep 22, 2013

Tank is in place and up on the stand!!!!!! One of the suction cups came off of the tank during the lift and my end of it came crashing down on the first attempt.
Thankfully no one was hurt.
I don't have any Mermaid pictures. These will have to suffice.
Censored to protect the not so innocent. Thanks to everyone who showed up this afternoon!

I wasn't going to add a canopy but now I'm pretty sure that I want too. I'm thinking an open top frame in black. Current height is just over six feet tall.

Needlessly censored.

Do you even lift bro? Taking out the weights that we used while gluing shut the extra closed loop holes.

If a 600 lb tank crashes in the forest and only one wife is in the other room to hear it, does it make a sound? (The answer is yes in case you are wondering!)

It was a breeze. How does he squeeze into less than 24 inches of space?

trido · Sep 22, 2013

That tank is so tall it doesn't look 8 feet long. Having a 30" tall tank makes me jealous of the extra height you will have, but you will get real wet whenever you work on the tank. You will definitely need powerful lights for SPS but your fish will love you.