what is the biggest thing you have to share about your monster tank?

[pdxmonkeyboy]

OK on a serious note curious how many of you monster guys made your tank or bought it?

I made my 600g tank myself. I have a thread here showing it being made. I am also doing EVERYTHING myself. Build the tank and stand, install plumbing, back up generator, all the wiring. It is really not that hard and you save a TON of money. I mean thousands of dollars. Plan to knock down a wall and install a 10' beam this weekend .

Also finding quality used gear and being smart about things will keep costs down.

 

[Devaji]

I made my 600g tank myself. I have a thread here showing it being made. I am also doing EVERYTHING myself. Build the tank and stand, install plumbing, back up generator, all the wiring. It is really not that hard and you save a TON of money. I mean thousands of dollars. Plan to knock down a wall and install a 10' beam this weekend .

Also finding quality used gear and being smart about things will keep costs down.

nice! I might have seen that. i'll have to take another look.. I agree the more one can do themselfs the more $$$ they save!

 

[FishTruck]

OK SOOOO I have been thinking...yes i know....it all starts with a thought right.
about a large FOWLR in the 310-800ish gallon system. that will focus on butterflies, angels ( dwarf & large) tangs

I wanted to ask you monster tank guys:
what is you learned? More than I can type!

what would you do different? Avoid buying BIG fish. There is no tank you can build that looks big with a 12 inch fish in it.

what do you like most? It's a journey that for me is never really done.


what do you like least?

My last tank had fairly limited access. Cleaning the sides of the tank was brutal. I have hopefully solved this with a glass tank and superior canopy access. Avoid a tank height of over 24 inches... or 30 inches if you have long arms.

Also...
Working with fiberglass while making plywood sumps.

did you go too big? I am at my limit this time.... but I think that I know what that is now. My 900 gallon tank is specifically designed to be easier than my 300.

did you not go big enough? My previous tank was not big enough. I was throwing way coral.

what has been your biggest challenge? Time. Every single thing took 2 to 4 x my time budget.

what did you think was going to be challenging but was not? It's been uphill... even on the downhill parts.

what surprised you the most? The time that it takes to get this done.

do you enjoy it as much as you thought? I have been doing this since I was eight years old. I don't know any other path.

was/is is worth it? Yes.

do you have a monthly reefing budget for the tank ( corals/fish/food/power etc. ) I mostly use shady accounting, cost shifting, and denial to manage this part of the process.

did you mess up your house going big? I messed two houses with a 120 and 60 gallon tanks. After that... I put my equipment in the basement.

I built a house around my tank this time. Most houses are not really suitable for a properly sized fish tank - in my opinion... and modifying the space is crucial to getting it right.

if not, what did you do to prevent it?
1. basement sump below the main tank
2. floor drains
3. at least three dedicated circuits to the tank - all cGFI protected
4. carrying buckets is a no go. Make sure your water change plan is robust and easy.
5. ventilation and humidity control

I know lots of questions just thinking out loud here.