ThePremiumAquarium Posted April 6, 2009 Author Share Posted April 6, 2009 Awesome thanks for the suggestion. I purchased some of the larger all white ones and am going to cut some 4" x4" white tumbled marble down to 3/4"-1". I made sure to get the same weathered looking marble like the small ones that you use. I just wanted to make sure that they were white. It seems that it really makes no difference. I may return the squares I bought and go with the small precut variety. Still though, incredible price either route. Atually for 9 x 4" sqaures it was only like $5.98 or something. I think I could get more than 80x 1" squares out of each $5.98 bundle! Rediculous compared to what I was using before. Garrett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 The 1/8" extrude would be just fine, and very inexpensive! The flanges will be a piece of cake, and all of the acrylic for them can be found in the scrap bin for almost nothing! I think your 21 tank system sounds awesome! I would do it with 18 20h tanks for the added width and length. 3 rows with 6 tanks. each row would be just over 6' wide. What is your plan for flow on these tanks? With all of the plumbing required, I don't think the Snapper will be able to handle it all... How are you going to set the overflow and returns up? Im excited to see this!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted April 6, 2009 Author Share Posted April 6, 2009 I like the sound of inexpensive materials! I thought about using 20g tanks aswell, but with the room that I have, 10g tanks over a 6ft stand is about all that I can manage. Plus the added height would be kind of tough and I am not sure how much room I would have to work with until I hit the ceiling. The plumbing will be kind of cool. I will be running the snapper to 14 of the tanks. 7 will drain directly into the sump, the other 7 will drain into the 7 below(algae and mangrove tanks) them and then those 7 will drain into the sump. Sounds a bit confusing, but should work out well. I know some tricks that will really help amp flow up and still allow for the smaller more energy efficient setup. Depending on how much flow I get, I may need to add another pump, but I think with 10g tanks I should be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishmanmike01 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 [language filter] Garrett 20X 10 gal tanks and you call that small?(nutty)Sound like you have a great setup all worked out.Let me know when it is all setup and I will bring what I can to get you back in action! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted April 7, 2009 Author Share Posted April 7, 2009 Mike, I will definately keep you in the loop. I am excited to show the system off once it is all set up and worth showing off lol. How is the 210g doing? I made some major headway today!!! Probably the toughest part of getting this whole thing set up was finding space in my parents super clutter of a garage. My dad and I speant the entire day cleaning, reorganizing, and making room for the new system. I will have a lot more room than expected so that will be nice if any future additions are needed Now that I have one giant truck load ready to go to the dumps and another truck ready to go to goodwill, I now think I am on track to set this bad boy up! Tomorrow I will work on getting the stand in place and hopefully will pick up a few tanks to start some drilling. I went by a local farm and feed shop and picked up a 100g trough to use again as a sump. It should work pretty well and the price wasn't too bad. I couldn't find any 150g troughs as I had hoped so the 100g will just have to do lol. 300+ gallons of system water should be sufficient to keep things from getting too far out of wack. Pics to come soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishmanmike01 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Cant wait to see it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coralreefaquarist Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 pics pics pics(wife) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertareef Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 ... I went by a local farm and feed shop and picked up a 100g trough to use again as a sump. It should work pretty well and the price wasn't too bad. I couldn't find any 150g troughs as I had hoped so the 100g will just have to do lol. 300+ gallons of system water should be sufficient to keep things from getting too far out of wack. Pics to come soon... Sounds like good progress Garrett - can't wait to see the setup pics! Ahh yes, the advantage of having a garage... I doubt I could get away with a 100 gallon trough for a sump in our dinning room (enforcer) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 Worked pretty hard to get things started today. First I went out to Home Depot and purchased the rack for the tanks. Then I stopped by Petco and purchased several 10g tanks. I could only fit 5 in my car with the rack in there, so I figured I would go back and grab some more. I got the stand all setup next to the sump the way originally intended. Looked pretty sweet but I didn't quite realize how tall I would have to set the first level of the system in order for it to properly drain into the sump. This forced the other two levels up quite a ways. When I got tanks set up on each of the levels, I was pretty close to one of the houses cross beams. I didn't really like that idea since I would have very little room to work in the top tanks once the lighting fixture was on. Also 10g tanks are not 10" from to back as their label suggests. I figured in an extra 1/4" for each tank to take into consideration the bracing. Turns out that they are actually closer to 11 1/4". This means that only 6 tanks could fit on each shelf, bring the number of tanks down to 18 which isn't too bad. I decided to move the shelf so that it was perpendicular to the wall as apposed to backed up against it. This made a lot more sense but I still wasn't pleased with the overall height of the system. I got to talking with my dad and did some brainstorming. This lead to something the wife was not going to be too happy with. Yes more spending Instead of 1 shelving unit with 3 levels and 18 tanks, I opted to go with 2 shelving units with 2 levels of tanks. This setup allows for a couple of extra tanks as well as a much more reefer friendly height. Now I can actually see well into the top level tanks! I also have a couple of extra shelves for equipment and or future additions(naughty). So the total of tanks at the moment are 22 instead of 21. I decided to replace 4 of the 10g tanks with 2 20g long tanks. This should be pretty cool for slightly larger corals or a bit more swim room for fish. I ended up having to go to a couple different Petco's and had to make 3 trips in order to get all of the tanks back to the house. I didn't get around to drilling any tanks yet but will start that tomorrow and then proceed to the next step on the list. Here are some pics representing something of what it will look like once setup. I plan on painting the backs of the tanks that are on the wall and leaving the backs clear on the ones that are not against a wall. This way I can look into the tanks from the back as well(kind of peninsular). Tanks against wall with sump: Perpendicular to wall: Side shot of both shelves: Some equipment clutter: More to come tomorrow hopefully... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef-fisher Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Lookin good! Let me know if you need any help... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted April 9, 2009 Author Share Posted April 9, 2009 Thanks Ben! I will probably give you a call before too long. Today I got the bulkhead holes drilled! Tomorrow I have ot pick up a couple more tanks as I broke a few of the 10g during drilling. The glass is so thin which makes drilling quick but cracks more common. 19/22 not too bad. Hope to begin some plumbing tomorrow! This will probably be a couple of days worth of work. Garrett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coralreefaquarist Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 how much for a bag of that blue macro like algae? looks great. wish i was closer id come bug you and mabey help a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAD Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 I will have extra of that available the monday after easter. I can trade some for frags?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted April 9, 2009 Author Share Posted April 9, 2009 LOL. It turned asexual on me and I had to throw it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCR Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 You'r krazy dood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undrtkr_00 Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Just out of curiosity, why are you going with so many small tanks, rather than a few larger ones? Seems like more work... what are the advantages? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted April 9, 2009 Author Share Posted April 9, 2009 There are disadvantages and advantages. In my case I will be growing macro algae varieties in several of the tanks. I would like to keep each species seperate as it will be both easier to maintain as well as harvest. Also, alot of critters don't get along too well with each other. For this, the individual tanks will be really nice. Flow and water turbulance is another concern that can be easily address with many tanks. Some corals like alot of flow while others do not. Having smaller tanks will allow me to grow species to meet their individual demands. In theory, I will be able to create niches for most of the critters I would like to keep but have been difficult or required specific placement in the past. Catching inverts and fish will be much easier in smaller tanks. Premade glass tops will be nice for jumpers. In glass tanks vs. acrylic custom tanks, cleaning the panels will be far easier and will not require as much care to avoid scratching. Alage will grow less on the glass than on acrylic. If there is a problem in one tank, closing that tank off from the system will be easy and will mean that I don't have to close off a large amount of realistate or water volume. The disadvantages are also numerous. It is really nice to look at a larger display and see everything in one tank. Smaller tanks make this a bit harder. Plumbing so many tanks can get a bit tricky. The 10g tanks are far more fragile than larger ones. Large fish will not be able to be housed in this system. Lighting will have to be strategically placed to get a full spread. Cleaning could be a bit more difficult in some cases and a bit easier in others. Idealy I would have customer 72"x18"x10" glass tanks with customer partitions built. I would probably do a couple in a 14" deapth for larger fish and corals. The problem comes in both how expensive this is to achieve as well as finding the craftsmen to built such a tank close to home. I would have it done in acrylic but I would rather never deal with acrylic displays again! I hope this answers some of the questions as to why I am setting it up the way that I am. There are really alot of options and my guess is that the system will evolve over time depending on the needs of what I would like to house. Garrett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undrtkr_00 Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Thanks for the response. Yeah, I was thinking of all the plumbing work (scary), as well as keeping the glass clean in terms of being more work. I realize the primary purpose is not to be a display, so I wasn't thinking about that so much. Creating niche conditions with different levels of flow, etc. will be a bonus. Good luck with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertareef Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Looking good Garrett - I like the new layout. Bummed to hear that blue macro crashed though... I was hoping to score some of that from you. I love blue... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted April 12, 2009 Author Share Posted April 12, 2009 The system is almost completely pumbed and ready for water. I have to finish drains from 2 of the tanks into the sump and then I will be ready to fill it up and test it out. Looks pretty sweet and I think it will function pretty well. Pics to come hopefully Monday. Left the camera at the parents house and wont be over until then. Garrett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coralreefaquarist Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 lights ready yet?or is that next? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downhill_biker Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 its looking awesome man! i really like that you are using a bunch of smaller tanks. your old setup was nice, but this one is going to be a step better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted April 13, 2009 Author Share Posted April 13, 2009 lights ready yet?or is that next? I just ordered a Aqua Medic Aquastarlight Future 2 x 250W + Moonlight fixture used on ebay. We will see how it does. The ballasts are all built in so that should be interesting. I also plan on running another 2x250w MH(the pfo ballast I got from you) with lumenmax reflectors. So in total I will have 4x 250w MH and 2 6ft 4 bulb PFO VHO fixtures. I may also do 1 400w and 1 150w over a couple of tanks each to allow for some different lighting options. Lighting will go up after I get the water circulation going and get some sand and rock in the tanks. I will only run lights on the tanks that have livestock in them to cut back on power. Over time all of the tanks will fill up and more light will be needed which is why I will have all of the lights up and ready to go. I imagine it will take a while for the livestock to be built up. Cutting back on power means extra money for critters which is what it is all about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted April 13, 2009 Author Share Posted April 13, 2009 its looking awesome man! i really like that you are using a bunch of smaller tanks. your old setup was nice' date=' but this one is going to be a step better.[/quote'] Thanks! I think it will be nicer in ways for sure. The problem that I have had thus far is how thin and fragile the 10g tanks are. They are cheap, so replacing them isn't expensive I just worry about them breaking during circulation and with livestock in them. I don't think it will be a problem, but if any break once I start filling them up, I will likely take them all out and just stick with thicker glass tanks like the 20l and 20h. I think I have a total break count of 6 tanks now. 3 from drilling and 3 from plumbing and bulkheads being too tight. My dad helped me and didn't quite understand how fragile they were until he had broken a few lol. Overall though I really like being able to have seperate tanks. Garrett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CA2OR Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Very interested to see how this turns out. Good luck Garrett. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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