What's your opinion????

[mccrat]

Hey All!

So all you big reefers out there....I have a question for you....
My DH and I are building a new house and its 'projected' completion date is mid December. I currently have a 90G and its just too small now for what I want. I have the perfect place for a large tank in the new house. A beam under the joists runs directly under the wall and is supported with a tele-post. We talked with the job superintendant and he said that it could take an extra 6000lbs or so on the floor there.

I am dreaming of a 180-220g tank along that wall. The wall is about 7 feet long with no windows close. I have a few issues though. I don't have a spot for a sump/ref and equipment other than the space under the tank. The other side of the wall will sit a large piano and a rec room under the tank so I will have no spot for a sump room.

I guess my questions are these:
1. Is 180 - 220g getting too big to house all the equipment under it? Highest I would probably go with the stand is about 36". Being short sucks! Even at that hight I will be keeping a step stool close by.
2. I LOVE the look of rimless low profile tanks. Low profile as in wide but not too high. Has any of you with rimless tanks ever had a problem with them or wished you went with the bracing along the top?
3. Again, with rimless, to get that awsome effect, a canopy is out of the question. Those who have a rimless, do you wish you had the canopy?
4. I want mostly hard corals in the tank, not sure yet what light I am going to get and if its going to hang from the ceiling or not yet....any suggestions on a good light as the style will also impact my decision.

Again, I am only in the 'dreaming' stage yet and not in the actual buying/building stage. I have a tank builder, just have to tell him what I want but scared to do that yet...no turning back ya know. I am just looking for your opinions out there and what big reefers admire.....knowing what I admire, might not be the best option.

I am sure most of you have seen this guys blog. But lots of very cool scapes here.

http://invincible569.squarespace.com/

Cheers,
Theresa

[invincible569]

That's a cool BLOG!

As for some answers for you.. I would never go back to a braced tank after going rimless. It's an effect you have to see in person that gives it that clean look. I dont regret it one bit. Having a rimless tank cuts the canopy out of the question. There is no reason for it unless you want to hide a lot of lights, but even then, you can build a perimeter above the tank to house those lights without having to cover up the entire rimless tank.

Always get the best light possible. You dont want to spend the extra money later after knowing the other light was what you really wanted. Your lighting is a big key to the success of your hard coral tank.

By the way.. whats a DH??

[mccrat]

Hey You!
Yup, I love your blog...some very cool info there. Thanks so much for your reply! DH stands for Dear Husband.

[invincible569]

You're welcome. Any other questions, let me know.

[reef / aholic]

The only issues I have with my rimless aquarium is larger fish will splash water out and the first few times I was cleaning it at the top, I splashed water out. You can not beat the look!!!

Personally I would go with an aquarium that is 72” long x 30” to 36” wide x 24” height. You should be able to get everything under your aquarium cabinet.

[steve the plumb]

I would worry about two things the limited space you have for a nice sized sump.You can fit a sump but you need room for everything else.I would also worry about what if water gets spilled.It will happen no matter how careful you are and trust me I am careful yet something like a skimmer going nuts can cause you grief.If you can I would either put the tank in the basement and make a sump room or make a sump room in the basement and have the plumbing running upstairs.This way all your stand is empty and you have room to keep food and water ever else you want under there.All your top off and equipment can be downstairs.You can do water changes and clean skimmers away from your tank area.You won't have to worry as much.You can also do a cl so no wires or power heads show.I did it for my tank but I do have to warn you that a cl does take up a lot of space underneath the tank.Plus having the sump separate from the tank gives you space to work on everything.I always hated having to cram into my old stand.I don't have to do that anymore since everything will be located in my garage.

[mccrat]

Thanks for all your replies. Like I said, I would love to have a sump room but that won't happen in our new house and even trying to plumb to the utility room in the basement might be interesting as the builder is finishing the basement for us and we are unable to go in and do any work ourselves while its in the construction phase.

I suppose going wider (30-36") will give me more room under the tank as well. Spilled water always happens with a tank and there is no getting around it where ever the tank stands...carpet or not...as long as your diligent about cleaning it up makes you a responsible fish keeper. I will have to install a water alarm regardless if I keep my 90G or not as its hard wood flooring where the tank will stand.

My brother is an iron worker and said that he would design me an appropriate load bearing stand out of iron that I can frame with wood. Using iron will allow me more room under the tank for equipment without using thick wood supports.

Another quick question.....Do any of you use Styrofoam or the sort under your tank? I have heard mixed reviews of this.

[steve the plumb]

I don't use styrofoam.I don't think you need it if the stand is level.I would try maybe using some type of shower pan on the bottom of the stand at least that way if water spills and you have rubber all around at least it will stay in the stand.I have seen some guys here that have done that.I would also go wider not higher.I had a 30( height) and my arm pits always got wet when you had to move or do something that was near the bottom of the tank.If you build the stand out of iron I think you will save on space.Make sure you build your stand tall enough.You don't want to be cramped in there.If you could I would try to plumb that sump downstairs before the house is done.You won't regret.The house is your you are paying for it.You can do what ever you like.I would speak to him about this.You can maybe use spa flex for the drains this way you can get around hard spots.I would take a look at this because you are paying a ton of money so why not do it right.I good size sump plus all of your equipment in the basement will give you more flexibility.Plus if you ever decide you want a bigger tank your plumbing is done.I would also try to reinforce the floor.Its not hard to do since the house is being built.I am sure the contractor will help you.This is why they make %15.YOU ARE PAYING HIM TO DO WHAT YOU WANT NOT WHAT HE WANTS.Don't let him try and talk you out of things or charge you extra.Its a few more 2x4 and some screws.Its more simple to fix now than later.My biggest regret with my 150 gal tank was there was no room under the stand and my sump wasn't big enough.

[Toolguy942]

Steve, If mccrat isn't using a custom builder then she probably can't change anything other than what is on the builder's approved plans as options. We just went through that two years ago here in Florida.

[boozeman]

I know you said you already had a builder but, take a look at the Elos 160xl

[mccrat]

oh....you shouldn't have showed me that! My husband is REALLY going to roll his eyes now!

Yes, Toolguy942, your right, we can't do a thing with the house until its built and the mortgage papers are in our name.

Great idea with the tub pan Steve, I will be doing that....or at least something of the sort.

[mrcrab]

I agree with Steve, go wider than taller 30" is a PITA.

[reef / aholic]

I would look into having your steel stand 35" to 42" high. The other problem you will run into is most door opeing are 36" wide unless you have double doors somewhere in your house.

[hahnmeister]

So why cant you just drill holes to run the equipment in the basement? If you are short... then you can simply have a 24" tall stand and not have to worry. Then the mess is kept in the basement (and you get cooling in the summer).

Otherwise, make the tank no more than 24" tall, on a 36" tall stand. You can do a 48x48x24 tall... or a 8'x2'x2'... those are cool dimensions. You could also make a platform around the tank to walk on... a raised floor. This would elevate you, but leave the tank stand the extra space. The other option is to have the builder drop the floor 6" in that location. Then, you can have a taller stand that doesnt make the tank taller. Then you can have him line it with FRP and seal it, and install a drain bulkhead... so your whole tank would be standing in a shower basin pretty much. This also makes it even easier to run piping down to the basement.

[mccrat]

Like I said, I would LOVE to have it plumbed to the basement but its just not an option. The builder is finishing the entire basement. No dropped ceiling down there either so I have no way to access the plumbing through the walls. Directly below the tank is the rec room and there is no room for the sump where it will come down. Sinking the tank into the floor sounds great too...of course, we are too far into the build stage now for any changes to our plans.

I am pretty sure I will go with a stand that is about 36" tall and a tank that is 6ft long. I am just not sure on how high of a tank...maybe around 20" and the width...no clue.

Hey, do any of you know of an online calculator that you can use to figure out sizes or gallons of tanks? That might give me a better idea of size.

[tattooreef]

6 ft x 24x 20=149.6g, 6ft x 30 x20=187g, 6ft x36x20= 224g

[jdieck]

I would recommend to install the equipment and sump in the basement and now before the basement is finished is the right time to do it as you need to run dedicated power circuits, install drains and sinks plus some lighting in he area plus outside vents and enclosed with insulation in the enclosing walls to reduce the pumping equipment noise.
The only thing you need in between the main tank and the sump is one 2" dia flex PVC line and one 11/2" flex PVC line so it does not have to be right under the tank and you can bury those pipes now before the drywall goes on.

[hahnmeister]

lengthxwidthxheight (in inches) divided by 231 = gallons.

[steve the plumb]

You are in Calgary I am surprised that they won't let you do this.Quebec is very stringent when it comes to the building code but you are allowed to discuss changes with either the salesperson or the builder.I would ask him if he can do something for you since you are spending a lot of money.Calgary is booming.

[michika]

I'm looking to build in Calgary right now and I've experienced the same problems.

Many builders are just so overwhelmed by the orders they have that they just don't have the time to make any changes. Then again the market is slowing down, and hopefully with that so is the demand to build.

[steve the plumb]

It also depends a lot of them don't do good work.When you have such a high demand there are to many un qualified builders.You should also look into sub contracting your own home.It is a headache but if you can find the right people you can get a good job done.I can ask around to see if I have any contacts there.Let me know where you live(PM) me.My boss build restaurants but when you have contacts you can always find someone.I also know some people in the construction industry in Calgary maybe they know of a good builder.I would rush into buying a home when the industry is booming.To many homes are built crappy and you are paying top dollar.I have seen expensive homes here that upset me .You have to be on top of these guys.Lazy and trying to save money and finish as fast as they can so they can get the money.

[jdieck]

Originally posted by mccrat
Hey, do any of you know of an online calculator that you can use to figure out sizes or gallons of tanks? That might give me a better idea of size.

Be my guest

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/volcalc.html

[steve the plumb]

There is a tank volume calculator on the home page left side.Sorry for pushing the builder.Here you can do modifications on model homes before they are built,some builders even keep the ideas and offer them to new owners.You will always pay extra of course.This is where they make more money.Nothing is free.I feel it is your right as a buyer to be allowed to make adjustments to the plans(of course within reason)I can understand in the US as to law suit if they allow you to come onto a job site where construction is going on and there is a chance you can get injured.

[mccrat]

Ddeick, what a great page! Thanks so much!

Again, putting the sump in the basement is NO option at this point...maybe in a different house...years down the road. We were able to customze a certain amount with the house, but were quite limited.

I talked with my husband and we have decided to put everything including the sump in a huge rubbermaid bin with a water alarm at the bottom of it. At least it will give us a few minutes if something happens there.

My husband is a tech person too and we were talking about hooking up the votage to a reader where our pc will dial my cell phone if the water alarm is triggered.

Thanks so much hahnmeister for the formula too!

[steve the plumb]

You can also use a controller.I just got the auquatronica and it has a level sensor.I also purchased an extra one that I will hook up to my return pump.If the water in the sump is to low it will shut my pump off.