Hey guys,
I have not posted here much in the last year but have really enjoyed getting back into the hobby and have made a number of deals on the marketplace filling out my 30 gallon reef.
My basement is being finished currently and things are moving from dreams to serious on a larger tank. Maybe this is blasphemy but I am trying to go fish-only as I have 3 kids under the age of 6 and reefing on this big of scale seems like a mistake right now given how much effort I've put into the 30 gallon. I am aware what I am proposing below is going to be a task in itself but having 200 gal F/O systems in the past I think I will be fine. I am thinking of making it reef convertible as far as lighting etc. I also want to keep a lot of non-reef safe fish.
Guiding principle to the issues I have here is not so much cost but time. I have plenty of time to allocate to the project but I still need to make the most of it.
The space for the tank limits me to about 96" long, and i purposely installed some outlets off the ground and have the wall against my basement utility room so I can get at the plumbing. That said, I don't really want anything to flow over into that room, I'd like most of my filtration/sump to sit under the tank. I am pretty handy so construction/electrical is not an issue, I can work on getting dedicated 20A circuits, etc.
Problem 1 - what tank? I am looking at the Red Sea Reefer XXXL 900 but wanted to go a little bigger. Getting the whole package in one shot and not needing to build a stand would be a time saver, and presumably the sump would fit a sufficient skimmer and all my life support. I have also looked at glass cages and planet aquariums to go a bit bigger, maybe a 96"x30" Wx 30" tall, but I don't know what experience is with these companies. Lastly, wondering if we have any companies in new england that do the tank building on site, because that may solve problem 2.
Problem 2 - how do I get the tank in the house? The bulkhead and door into the room is a straight shot, no turns, but is only 36" wide unless we remove the door frame. The steps down are fairly steep. With something like the XXXL it seems like I'd have plenty of space on the sides, just need the man power and maybe construct a ramp as a backstop to get it down the stairs. Wondering if along the lines of Problem 1 anyone has suggestions on tank movers, or a company that would be good for this kind of operation?
Not a knock on the LFS we have in the area but I have thrown out these questions to a number of stores just to get started and so far have really been told "good luck."
I have a thousand questions but these two probably get me going and if anyone has suggestions on companies to work with on this they probably will answer a number of questions I have. I will post a separate build thread here as things get underway.
I have not posted here much in the last year but have really enjoyed getting back into the hobby and have made a number of deals on the marketplace filling out my 30 gallon reef.
My basement is being finished currently and things are moving from dreams to serious on a larger tank. Maybe this is blasphemy but I am trying to go fish-only as I have 3 kids under the age of 6 and reefing on this big of scale seems like a mistake right now given how much effort I've put into the 30 gallon. I am aware what I am proposing below is going to be a task in itself but having 200 gal F/O systems in the past I think I will be fine. I am thinking of making it reef convertible as far as lighting etc. I also want to keep a lot of non-reef safe fish.
Guiding principle to the issues I have here is not so much cost but time. I have plenty of time to allocate to the project but I still need to make the most of it.
The space for the tank limits me to about 96" long, and i purposely installed some outlets off the ground and have the wall against my basement utility room so I can get at the plumbing. That said, I don't really want anything to flow over into that room, I'd like most of my filtration/sump to sit under the tank. I am pretty handy so construction/electrical is not an issue, I can work on getting dedicated 20A circuits, etc.
Problem 1 - what tank? I am looking at the Red Sea Reefer XXXL 900 but wanted to go a little bigger. Getting the whole package in one shot and not needing to build a stand would be a time saver, and presumably the sump would fit a sufficient skimmer and all my life support. I have also looked at glass cages and planet aquariums to go a bit bigger, maybe a 96"x30" Wx 30" tall, but I don't know what experience is with these companies. Lastly, wondering if we have any companies in new england that do the tank building on site, because that may solve problem 2.
Problem 2 - how do I get the tank in the house? The bulkhead and door into the room is a straight shot, no turns, but is only 36" wide unless we remove the door frame. The steps down are fairly steep. With something like the XXXL it seems like I'd have plenty of space on the sides, just need the man power and maybe construct a ramp as a backstop to get it down the stairs. Wondering if along the lines of Problem 1 anyone has suggestions on tank movers, or a company that would be good for this kind of operation?
Not a knock on the LFS we have in the area but I have thrown out these questions to a number of stores just to get started and so far have really been told "good luck."
I have a thousand questions but these two probably get me going and if anyone has suggestions on companies to work with on this they probably will answer a number of questions I have. I will post a separate build thread here as things get underway.