Possibly... the World's Slowest Tank Build

[Johnd651]

So, back in 2012 I had multiple reef tanks, and coral tanks, and all sorts of FW tanks. Being in grad school, and moving around a lot, it was hard to keep moving the tanks, so in 2016 when I moved from Utah back home to NY, I had donated a lot of what I had left, and moved my African Cichlid 55 gallon to a friend's house, who still has the tank going. Now, with my wife and I slowly redoing the house (1886 Victorian Era Farmhouse), I have found the perfect spot for a reef tank. The room is currently in progress, and I have started to do stuff such as add 20A wiring, and extra wood supports for hanging lights. However, with a 4 month old baby girl, work, and life in general the project is going very slowly, and all extra funds go towards the house (vs my fish fund). I will add some pictures later of the room/location, and am looking for any other ideas while the walls are still open.

The plan is something in the 120 gallon range, the wall is 91 inches, but I would like to stick with a 48in wide tank, since a 72 will leave only 10 inches on either end.

Table of Contents
RODI - Post #21
Basement/Plumbing ??? - Post #22
Shopping List - Post #23
My Crazy High TDS (Different Thread)
Finally Got an RO/DI Setup - Post #39
Stand and Bottom Overflow - Post #43
Sump

 

[MERKEY]

Exciting! Slowly following along

 

[gdubs]

Moving, renovating a 130 yr. old house, work and a 4 month old baby. I look forward to seeing how your reef tank project progresses. I'm guessing 'slow' is an understatement.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Love the title..... instantly thought of my own build.

Moved into a house 5+ years ago with everything in my 180 softies reef placed temporarily into 5 x 40 breeders. Everything is still good with that setup except the word temporary took a whole new meaning. Back then I said in 6 months we'll build my dream tank. Well, I have everything except for the tank new itself - in process of getting quotes.

 

[Johnd651]

I thought I had more pictures on my phone, but I guess not. The tank will go between the kitchen and dining room doorways. That's 91 inches edge to edge. I have a double receptacle box in, and the orange is cat6 and rg6.

Anyone use green sheetrock instead of regular around their tank? Anyone plumb a floor drain in under their tank?

 

[BZOFIQ]

91 edge to edge....great size.

If not too late I'd run extra cat6 to the location. These can be used for anything down the line.

Yes, use green or purple sheetrock in wet locations.

 

[Johnd651]

91 edge to edge....great size.

If not too late I'd run extra cat6 to the location. These can be used for anything down the line.

Yes, use green or purple sheetrock in wet locations.

I wanted to keep the tank around 48 though, since i wanted to be able to walk past it without hitting it with stuff like laundry or groceries.

I can run more, but I have a box of network switches that I use all over the house. I figured if I ever needed multiple ports, i would just use a 4 port switch.

With the sheetrock... do people use vent fans to the exterior around their tanks?

 

[JoshH]

Well I think you've got to fight with me and @Fin For that title lol! Loving the plan so far, honestly I would just go with the 6 foot tank. If this is a long term setup you will be much happier in the long run with the extra length. The foot on either side will still give you a bit of room to walk around. Or go with a 60" long tank, it's actually a VERY popular length and what I went with for my new build. I will have a below tank drain in my setup and if you have the ability to install one it certainly won't hurt atall.

 

[BZOFIQ]

I can run more, but I have a box of network switches that I use all over the house. I figured if I ever needed multiple ports, i would just use a 4 port switch.

Extra Cat6 can be used for other things, sensors/switches/monitoring/low voltage/etc etc and that wouldnt work with a switch.

 

[BZOFIQ]

I wanted to keep the tank around 48 though, since i wanted to be able to walk past it without hitting it with stuff like laundry or groceries.

48" What? Don't do it to yourself or you'll have an upgrade itch before you finish building. 60" at minimum like the other posted said.

 

[Jon Fishman]

Custom built man. Custom built.....

 

[JoshH]

Custom built man. Custom built.....

Totallllyyy!

 

[Johnd651]

I had a 8ft x2ftx2ft custom acrylic at one point, and I hated it. I loved the idea of the tank, but I had nightmares of gallons of water on the floor. Every time the house creaked or moaned, I died a little inside. Even getting into it to do anything was a pain and I had to use a ladder.

I am interested in the 60". What are the sizes in 5ft?

 

[Jon Fishman]

I am interested in the 60". What are the sizes in 5ft?

They are whatever you want them to be if you have it custom made! My tank is only 18” deep

 

[JoshH]

I had a 8ft x2ftx2ft custom acrylic at one point, and I hated it. I loved the idea of the tank, but I had nightmares of gallons of water on the floor. Every time the house creaked or moaned, I died a little inside. Even getting into it to do anything was a pain and I had to use a ladder.

I am interested in the 60". What are the sizes in 5ft?

Well going from 8 feet to even 6 foot is quite a big step down. And getting into it seems like more of a tank/stand height issue than a length issue to me anyway. There are a few manufacturers tanks that fall into the 60" Category.

The Red Sea
Reefer 525xl is 59" L x 22.5" W x 22" H
Reefer 625xl is 59" L x 25.6" W x 23.5" H

Excellent tanks that have been produced for quite some time now and there are no major flaws in it.

Waterbox has three models...
The Reef Pro 170.4/5 which is 55" L x 26" W x 24" H
The Reef Pro 180.5 which is 60" x 25" W x 24" H
The Reef Pro 190.5 which is 60" x 26" W x 24" H

There are more than likely other manufacturers such as Planet Aquariums and SCA that have stock tanks in similar sizes as well.

Personally I'd probably go custom and suggest a 60" L x 30" W x 20/22" H. My 30" wide (Currently empty) peninsula is super easy to reach from both sides at 17" high so an extra 3 inches probably won't be an issue. This gives you a great length and width for Aquascaping and really gives you that "Big tank" feel, without the big tank. The only real issue with a tank this size is lighting it, it can be tricky to find a good blend of fixtures to cover the width depending on what kind of lighting you want.

For reference @Greybeard's Planet Aquariums tank is 60" x 30" x 18" it's a peninsula as well but yours obviously doesn't have to be.

Build Thread - Greybeard's Wide, Shallow Peninsula

Hi folks. Wanted to start documenting. I'm a firm believer in the saying 'Nothing good happens fast'... This one may take a while. Concept: 60" long, 30" wide, 18" tall 3/4" glass 140g tank, ordered 4/24/17 from Planet Aquariums. 2x H2Overflows and 3/4" Siphon Stopper returns from...

www.reef2reef.com

@Braves Fan has a 60" L x 30" W x 20" H custom tank as well..

Build Thread - Retirement 150g Tank Upgrade

I have been debating on wither or not to take down my old tank and start a new tank ,, at my age I just didn't want to go thru the process of doing it though ,, its a lot of work ,,, but life changes have left me with time on my hands ,, so I figured I would " Just do it " I am fixing to...

www.reef2reef.com

And mine as well also a peninsula...

By the way, no matter what we say, go with what you feel is best. We just want you to hopefully avoid the urge to upgrade down the road and give you some good options to keep your livestock selections somewhat flexible. Although given your last tank experience I think we are safe on the urge to upgrade part lol!

 

[flsalty]

I love how everyone's telling you to go bigger...lol. I'm afraid I have to jump on that bandwagon myself though. If you are anything like me you will look at that extra 21.5" on each side and wonder why you didn't go with a longer tank.

Whatever you chose I am looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Any chance on a shot of the house? I'm a real sucker for Victorian Age farmhouses. One of the reasons why I'll probably move out of South Florida where they hate anything old.

 

[JoshH]

If you are anything like me you will look at that extra 21.5" on each side and wonder why you didn't go with a longer tank.

Not much of a worse feeling IMO. But I do agree, whatever makes him happy is the size of tank he should get, it's as simple as that. And I also agree that were going to need some house pics as well

 

[Johnd651]

House, barn, and the 4 fur babies. As you can see it's a constant construction project inside and out. I'll have to grab some inside pics tonight.

 

[JoshH]

House, barn, and the 4 fur babies. As you can see it's a constant construction project inside and out. I'll have to grab some inside pics tonight.

Beautiful house and fur babies!!!

Oh and if you dig the Waterbox's they have there Blue Friday sale coming up, pretty much the only time of the year Waterbox's Aquariums are on sale, I believe it's 10-15% off.

 

[Johnd651]

Beautiful house and fur babies!!!

Oh and if you dig the Waterbox's they have there Blue Friday sale coming up, pretty much the only time of the year Waterbox's Aquariums are on sale, I believe it's 10-15% off.

I do love the waterbox's, but I will be building a custom stand to match all the other trim work in the room. I am looking for 48" 90g or 120g, but it seems that no one has anything of the size where I am , and won't order it. The biggest I found was 75g for about $250, tank only.