Ross B Reef'n 170 Gallon & Fishroom Megabuild

[Ross B Reef'n]

Hello all you good guys and girls out there!

My custom tank from GlassCages should be done in about a week, and it's about time to get build'n! This tank is going to be built in a wall between the garage and interior of our home, have a total system volume of ~206 gallons, auto top-off, and automated water changes. Before we get too far, here's the list of hardware we're working with:

(#1) Water: 7 stage RO/DI
Tank: custom 44 x 36 x 25 - 170gal
Sump: Trigger Systems RUBY36
Skimmer: 6" Reef Octopus EXT150
Skimmer Pump: Sicce Syncra Silent 1.5
Return Pump: Sicce Syncra Silent 4.0
Lighting:

• Aquatic Life 36in 4x36w T5/LED combo
  • (2) 39W 36” T5 CORAL PLUS
  • (1) 39W 36” T5 BLUE PLUS
  • (1) 39W 36” T5 PURPLE PLUS
• two AI Fifty-two's

Powerheads: (2) VorTech MP40QD
Heater: 300w EHEIM Jagar
Water Storage: (2) 55 gallon HDPE locking lid drums
Water Supply Pumps: (2) Cobalt MJ1200
Water Change/Skimmer Cleaner Pump: Sicce Syncra Silent 1.0
Timers: (3) Hydrofarm TM01715DO Dual Outlet 7-Day Digital
Float Switches: Nxtop PPI-52 Liquid Water Level Sensor
Relays: (2) Uxcell a15062300ux0219 12V DC 8 Pin

Although there hasn't been any hammers to nails yet, the drafting board got a few new lines. Some of the sketches below aren't exactly easy to follow, but I hope some of you are able to follow along with my madness! I'll have a wiring diagram for the automation bits posted later this week.

Floor Plan:

Tank Stand:

Plumbing:

 

[Crabs McJones]

Following along for your progress. Looks to be a good build :) I really like your lighting choice :)

 

[steelwrap]

Welcome to R2R. Looks like a well thought out plan.

 

[Ross B Reef'n]

Our tank was delayed 2 weeks, but this project is still very much alive! In the meantime I've been working on resurrecting my old DIY 3D printer for custom aquarium parts. With that capability in the tool belt, I'm sure the design will change again. With all of that, we'll be on vacation next week. Stay tuned for our return!

 

[Ross B Reef'n]

Just got back from vacation and the aquarium is ready for pickup!

Day 1 demolition:

Interior wall before demo:

Garage wall before demo:

Drywall and insulation removed:

Additional studs installed, prep for opening cut, and cross brace to reduce sawzall chatter:

Water access point:

And that's it for demo today, but here's a pic our of puppy at the beach :)

Will be cutting the opening tomorrow.

 

[Ross B Reef'n]

Day 2,

Cut the opening for the aquarium:

At this point I need to decide if I'm going to re-finish the back side of this wall. If I do, it could provide extra soundproofing to the back of the house, but I would have to be 100% certain of the rest of the layout. Need to sleep on this one.

 

[Seminoles76]

Nice work Ross. Looks really good so far. I’m sure the tank is going to look really good there. Can’t wait to see how it turns out.

 

[Ross B Reef'n]

Nice work Ross. Looks really good so far. I’m sure the tank is going to look really good there. Can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Thank you! My wife and I spent 3 months deliberating on where it should go, and if there was an "easier" place to put it. Where it's going just makes the most sense. It'll be the first thing we see when we come out of our bedroom every day, and its visible from the kitchen and living room. A daily part of our lives!

 

[Ross B Reef'n]

View from the master bedroom:

View from the kitchen:

 

[Ross B Reef'n]

Day 3:

Back (garage) half of the aquarium stand built:

I've also decided that the wall will be finished before I tapcom the stand to the floor.

 

[Seminoles76]

Great choice on the location. So much better when it’s not tucked away and only visible from one room.

 

[Ross B Reef'n]

Great choice on the location. So much better when it’s not tucked away and only visible from one room.

The ocean's in my heart, so it had to be somewhere front and center!

 

[Snitch]

Looks like that spot was made specifically for this project - I can't wait to see how this all turns out -

I helped a friend install a 300DD in-wall, through the garage / living room area and that stand was like 5' or 6' high... took like 12 dudes to lift that thing into place. At almost 7' up for yours, I don't envy getting that up there at all.

 

[Ross B Reef'n]

Looks like that spot was made specifically for this project - I can't wait to see how this all turns out -

I helped a friend install a 300DD in-wall, through the garage / living room area and that stand was like 5' or 6' high... took like 12 dudes to lift that thing into place. At almost 7' up for yours, I don't envy getting that up there at all.

Right?! The back side is a little over 7ft. I've actually considered building a pully system to get it in place!

 

[Snitch]

My friend had something like this to help... - it helped us get the first few feet, then we all had to man handle it. I think he rented it, it was a life saver.

 

[Ross B Reef'n]

I wanted to pickup the aquarium last Sunday, but the lady on the phone told me, "No one will be here on Sunday, and you're going to need a lot of help loading it." I'm picking it up on Saturday, so we'll see just how heavy this tank is!

 

[Salty Lemon]

Good luck! This is an exciting journey for you. :-)

 

[Ross B Reef'n]

Day 4:

Top of the stand 90% done. I forgot to get the plywood at lowes today!

 

[Ross B Reef'n]

Good luck! This is an exciting journey for you. :)

I remeber just finishing tearing down the drywall and thinking to myself, "wow, I'm really doing this!"

 

[Salty Lemon]

I remeber just finishing tearing down the drywall and thinking to myself, "wow, I'm really doing this!"

I had to rearrange my entire house to have my tank where I wanted it. I completely understand. Although, I didn't have to take out drywall. I'm very excited for all the fun you are having. :-)