My new display tank for the garage
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Hero
AquaticEngineer
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My new display tank for the garage
by AquaticEngineer July 14th 2011, 1:58 pm
Here's some pics of the tank and stand I just got for free 
There are a few extra holes in it, but I'm going to utilize all the holes towards the bottom of the tank for a closed loop and hook the auto feeder into it. Some of the holes I will have to patch though still.
Tank is made of 3/4" and measures 66"x20"x36"
Had a couple coldwater friends come over and help me figure out where to place this in the garage. I patched over about 7 of the holes in this thing, and started spray foaming in the rockwork. I'm going to use just one of the 110 gallon lobster tanks as a "sump" for this tank.
It will have a closed loop on in that will have a secondary 1/2 horse chiller and the auto feeder I made hooked up to it. It will also be able to utilize all the filtration, and chiller from the lobster tank.
I have from the 15th - 21st off from work for a minor surgery, so I should be able to finish this up and start water testing it by next weekend.
After this tank goes up, I get to start working on the smaller tank for inside the house
There are a few extra holes in it, but I'm going to utilize all the holes towards the bottom of the tank for a closed loop and hook the auto feeder into it. Some of the holes I will have to patch though still.Tank is made of 3/4" and measures 66"x20"x36"
Had a couple coldwater friends come over and help me figure out where to place this in the garage. I patched over about 7 of the holes in this thing, and started spray foaming in the rockwork. I'm going to use just one of the 110 gallon lobster tanks as a "sump" for this tank.
It will have a closed loop on in that will have a secondary 1/2 horse chiller and the auto feeder I made hooked up to it. It will also be able to utilize all the filtration, and chiller from the lobster tank.
I have from the 15th - 21st off from work for a minor surgery, so I should be able to finish this up and start water testing it by next weekend.
After this tank goes up, I get to start working on the smaller tank for inside the house
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by AquaticEngineer July 14th 2011, 1:59 pm
Update on this tank:
We got almost all of the spray foam background done now. Its turning out really cool by spraying it in and then piling rock salt onto it to give it texture. We're also making large piles of spray foam and then packing rock salt around and on top of it while it expands and its making some cool structures.
Its weird, but I dont think I know of anyone who has done a spray foam background directly onto the back of a large acrylic tank, other than public aquariums. I was talking with my buddy last night about this and the only reasons we could think of why was that most people:
1) Already have their tank setup and try to do the panels of foam and then put them in the tank.
2) Most people spend a lot of money on a big acrylic tank and dont want to "ruin" it if they mess up.
I guess thats the plus side of getting a free tank and already having 2 established tanks to hold your livestock
We got almost all of the spray foam background done now. Its turning out really cool by spraying it in and then piling rock salt onto it to give it texture. We're also making large piles of spray foam and then packing rock salt around and on top of it while it expands and its making some cool structures.
Its weird, but I dont think I know of anyone who has done a spray foam background directly onto the back of a large acrylic tank, other than public aquariums. I was talking with my buddy last night about this and the only reasons we could think of why was that most people:
1) Already have their tank setup and try to do the panels of foam and then put them in the tank.
2) Most people spend a lot of money on a big acrylic tank and dont want to "ruin" it if they mess up.
I guess thats the plus side of getting a free tank and already having 2 established tanks to hold your livestock
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by AquaticEngineer July 15th 2011, 6:02 pm
Pufferfreak wrote:Pictures would be nice
I know, I know.....
I'm waiting until its totally finished with spray foam and I can wash all the rock salt off so that the texture is more visible.
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by AquaticEngineer July 17th 2011, 12:53 am
Heres a couple pics of what I have done so far on the foam rockwork. The hands in the pictures are my 3 year old sons, he really wanted to help daddy with the fish tank today
The tank is turned on one of its sides right now so I could get it spray foamed. The water in the pictures is from me spraying out the rock salt, I just let it sit in there until it disolves and then I shop vac it out.
The tank is turned on one of its sides right now so I could get it spray foamed. The water in the pictures is from me spraying out the rock salt, I just let it sit in there until it disolves and then I shop vac it out.
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by moto826 July 17th 2011, 4:27 pm
looking good I'm getting tired of my reef thinking about GoING cold for good this time
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by AquaticEngineer July 17th 2011, 5:15 pm
moto826 wrote:looking good I'm getting tired of my reef thinking about GoING cold for good this time
Yessssss......come over to the dark side.........
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by Hero July 23rd 2011, 2:32 am
Cold side . The background looks nice by the way!
. The background looks nice by the way!
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by AquaticEngineer July 23rd 2011, 2:44 pm
Pufferfreak wrote:Cold side
Thanks, I'll try and post some more pics today. I got a lot more done on it over the last few days. I'm at the point where I need to attach my large pieces, fill it with water to get all the rock salt off, and start painting it.
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by AquaticEngineer July 24th 2011, 1:12 am
Gots some more work done on the spray foam rock work.
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by Hero August 22nd 2011, 2:09 pm
That's going to look amazing when it's filled up! It must be by now considering its been a month since you posted these pictures.AquaticEngineer wrote:Gots some more work done on the spray foam rock work.
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by AquaticEngineer August 22nd 2011, 2:11 pm
Pufferfreak wrote:
That's going to look amazing when it's filled up! It must be by now considering its been a month since you posted these pictures.
LOL, you'd think it would be right?
I decided to do the foam rock over the overflows on the other side, so once thats all done I can start plumbing it.
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by Hero August 22nd 2011, 4:23 pm
Excellent. Are you planning on having kelp in this tank?
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by AquaticEngineer August 22nd 2011, 4:56 pm
I think I will have kelp in the tank since I an lighting it with individually positional track lights and differing strengths of LED lights. I'm going to spotlight the area with the kelp and the areas with with photosynthetic anemones, I'll use lower output LED spot lights with more blue in them to accent the lower light areas.
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by Hero August 23rd 2011, 1:29 am
AquaticEngineer wrote:I think I will have kelp in the tank since I an lighting it with individually positional track lights and differing strengths of LED lights. I'm going to spotlight the area with the kelp and the areas with with photosynthetic anemones, I'll use lower output LED spot lights with more blue in them to accent the lower light areas.
That will be interesting. I expect great things!
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by AquaticEngineer August 23rd 2011, 5:02 pm
Pufferfreak wrote:
That will be interesting. I expect great things!
I hope I wont dissapoint
I just got a little extra cash from selling a tank I got for free last night so I should have enough money to get the little things I need to finish it up.
I also got a 1 horse chiller, a Precision Marine Recirc Skimmer, a couple little giant external pumps, an Iwaki External pump. Also got some stuff I dont need that I'm going to sell, like a CA reactor, a 400W PFO electronic halide ballast, and a dual 400W PFO electronic halide ballast.
All for free
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by Hero August 23rd 2011, 11:02 pm
AquaticEngineer wrote:Pufferfreak wrote:
That will be interesting. I expect great things!
I hope I wont dissapoint
I just got a little extra cash from selling a tank I got for free last night so I should have enough money to get the little things I need to finish it up.
I also got a 1 horse chiller, a Precision Marine Recirc Skimmer, a couple little giant external pumps, an Iwaki External pump. Also got some stuff I dont need that I'm going to sell, like a CA reactor, a 400W PFO electronic halide ballast, and a dual 400W PFO electronic halide ballast.
All for free
Lol at getting stuff for free than selling it
. When do you think you will have the tank up and running by?
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by AquaticEngineer August 24th 2011, 10:55 am
Pufferfreak wrote:
Lol at getting stuff for free than selling it
I'm hoping to be able to work on it this weekend. I'm going to try and mock up what I will need for the plumbing on it and go by home depot. Once I have all the plumbing pieces and the concrete to level out a spot in the garage, then its all a matter of finding time to do it.
So yeah, hopefully this weekend it will be ready for full water testing.
Hopefully.
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by Hero August 25th 2011, 9:21 pm
AquaticEngineer wrote:I'm hoping to be able to work on it this weekend. I'm going to try and mock up what I will need for the plumbing on it and go by home depot. Once I have all the plumbing pieces and the concrete to level out a spot in the garage, then its all a matter of finding time to do it.
So yeah, hopefully this weekend it will be ready for full water testing.
Hopefully.
Hopefully. Then I will have something to look forward to this weekend
.
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by AquaticEngineer September 11th 2011, 11:25 am
Got the closed loop plumbed last night, one more trip to home depot and I should be water testing it.
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by Hero September 11th 2011, 6:03 pm
Nice job on the plumbing. Is that two chillers I see, or a mini-fridge and chiller?
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by AquaticEngineer September 11th 2011, 6:08 pm
Mini fridge on the left for the auto feeder, chiller on the right, and the tank will also be plumbed into one of the 110 gallon lobster tanks that has a 1/2 horse chiller and all the filtration.
Basically, the 200 gallon will be a flow through system and the 110 will act as the sump/filter with a backup 1/2 horse.
Basically, the 200 gallon will be a flow through system and the 110 will act as the sump/filter with a backup 1/2 horse.
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by Hero September 11th 2011, 6:14 pm
AquaticEngineer wrote:Mini fridge on the left for the auto feeder, chiller on the right, and the tank will also be plumbed into one of the 110 gallon lobster tanks that has a 1/2 horse chiller and all the filtration.
Basically, the 200 gallon will be a flow through system and the 110 will act as the sump/filter with a backup 1/2 horse.
I assume that is what the empty hole above the plumbing is for then. Your tank should be very clean.
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Re: My new display tank for the garage
by AquaticEngineer September 11th 2011, 11:05 pm
That was actually one of the old drains that was cut into this tank. It was swiss cheese when I got it. I patched over most of them, and you cant tell at all when you look into the tank.
The connection to the 110 will be made through two overflows I put in to skim the surface water, and a return running into the side of the tank.
In this first picture the cluster of barnacles to the bottom left contains the return that will come from the 110 gallon tank, and the next three photos show the overflows that will dump into the top of the lobster tank.
The connection to the 110 will be made through two overflows I put in to skim the surface water, and a return running into the side of the tank.
In this first picture the cluster of barnacles to the bottom left contains the return that will come from the 110 gallon tank, and the next three photos show the overflows that will dump into the top of the lobster tank.
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