Your Dream Tank? (Where to buy a custom built tank?)

jm23

jm23

Active member
Well you wouldn't be a true reefer unless you were thinking about an upgrade on your tank, that is unless you are that guy in WI with 20,000 gallons, who knows maybe he has an upgrade in mind too. Anyway while I don't plan on upgrading for several more years (the wife just shakes her head) I was just having fun brainstorming what the ultimate dream tank for me would be. Of course within my financial means and space I have available. My plan as of now is a glass 120" x 48" x 27" (673 gallons) Peninsula Style tank with an external overflow box.

So a few questions for you all:

1. Where would you recommend having such a tank built? (Any personal experience would be great, otherwise any companies that you know of)

2. Starphire or regular glass? or should I really consider acrylic? Why?

3. Having spent most of the last year setting up my first tank, I have replaced way too much equipment because it was either insufficient or didn't work for what I was trying to do, that being the case what equipment would you have to have on your dream build and why?

4. If you could start all over again from scratch what would you do or not do and why (kind of goes with #3)?

While I am most interested in the answer to #1, I thought it might help those just starting out to answer the other questions too, besides I am sure you guys have some great ideas or recommendations that I haven't thought of yet as well. Let the daydreaming begin.
 
DD

DD

"Rambo"
jm23 said:
Well you wouldn't be a true reefer unless you were thinking about an upgrade on your tank, that is unless you are that guy in WI with 20,000 gallons, who knows maybe he has an upgrade in mind too. Anyway while I don't plan on upgrading for several more years (the wife just shakes her head) I was just having fun brainstorming what the ultimate dream tank for me would be. Of course within my financial means and space I have available. My plan as of now is a glass 120" x 48" x 27" (673 gallons) Peninsula Style tank with an external overflow box.

So a few questions for you all:

1. Where would you recommend having such a tank built? (Any personal experience would be great, otherwise any companies that you know of)

For me personally, I'm going to have Matt at Sho Tank handle all the logistics of the build. He has great suppliers and will customize the setup for me exactly the way I want it.

2. Starphire or regular glass? or should I really consider acrylic? Why?

Depending on if I do a peninsula, or an in-wall tank, I'm leaning towards all glass. I'm leaning more towards the in-wall though because that's what I've always wanted. I'd do the front panel only as starphire. Weight won't really be an issue because my father is a contractor and has one of the best carpenters I've ever seen. I'll have him beef the floor up and do a great deal of the finish work.

3. Having spent most of the last year setting up my first tank, I have replaced way too much equipment because it was either insufficient or didn't work for what I was trying to do, that being the case what equipment would you have to have on your dream build and why?

Equipment wise, I would go with a basement sump, a huge fuge, a closed loop (strictly because it would be prohibitively expensive for mp60's), and two very large water holding vessels. I'd have both vessels connected together with pumps (still haven't figured out the exact details of this yet). Lighting is still up in the air. I'd be leaning towards doing a massive DIY led and having it controlled by the apex. I have a pretty cool sunrise to sunset idea I'd like to try and implement, where the lights light up from the left of the tank and continue onto the right. Again this part is another that's only conceptual. Calcium reactor for sure. On this size setup, not having one would be a disadvantage.

4. If you could start all over again from scratch what would you do or not do and why (kind of goes with #3)?

Hard question to answer. I'd definitely incorporate a calcium reactor for such a large setup. They are a close to set it and forget it until the co2 runs out setup.

While I am most interested in the answer to #1, I thought it might help those just starting out to answer the other questions too, besides I am sure you guys have some great ideas or recommendations that I haven't thought of yet as well. Let the daydreaming begin.
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I like where you're going with this. I've been slowly mentally planning my upgrade for when I get a house next year at some point. I'm planning on going big, 9-10' L, 2' W, and 24" T. Not sure the gallons on that, but it'll be exactly what I've always pictured as my dream tank.

I've taken a crack at your questions above.
 
jm23

jm23

Active member
That was exactly what I am looking for, thanks for the response. I definitely want to hear what you guys are dreaming up! Keep em coming.
 
L

LemontReefer

Member
my next tank is going between the master bath and the jacuzzi bathtub/ stand up shower as an inwall part of the shower 48 wide 30tall and 8 feet long weight is mainly why to make it easier with the install , im going eurobraced and thicker acrylic so its easier to maintain and get to things in the tank.
 
FlyinBryan

FlyinBryan

New member
I never thought of going that wide or that height. I think 24" look stubby and 31" takes alot of light power to punch through. I dont have alot of room but was thinking of buildg a false wall to house it. I'm at 150 now but 210 was always the dream. Even though i went big out of the gate, its of course not big enough. New dream is 96x31x31 aprox 385gallon. With 6' -7' sump and massive dsb refugium!! Now im thinking too much!!
 
JDP1988

JDP1988

New member
For my next dream build. I really want it be part of the house almost to the point where it looks like the tank came with the house such as an in wall setup or an island in middle of the house between the dinning and living room. I really want to push for a natural sunlit setup to reduce cost of buying lights, replacing them overtime and save on the electric bill. This tank will be made out of acrylic w/ a center overflow. The dimensions would be 6' by '6 by 2' or 4' by 4' by 2'. I really like the cube shape, rather than your ordinary rectangular tanks. Will be a reef/community tank.

jm23 said:
1. Where would you recommend having such a tank built? (Any personal experience would be great, otherwise any companies that you know of)

Far as recommendations I don't really have anything major in mind. The reason being I would find a tank that is all ready built and meets my needs. I am DIY person, but the only type of tank I would build given the time and opportunity would be from acrylic. I wont touch glass just too delicate and one wrong move there goes the whole project.

2. Starphire or regular glass? or should I really consider acrylic? Why?

For my next tank I would have to go with acrylic. Just because it would be more reliable when doing any work on it such as drilling wholes, resealing any cracks, more sturdy. I would rather have a bullet proof system. Accidents happen unexpectedly and the least you can do is try to make things less prone to accidents. Who knows later on with kids the last thing I would want happening to my dream build is finding it destroyed because an object or something got thrown at the glass and it cracked. Who knows?

3. Having spent most of the last year setting up my first tank, I have replaced way too much equipment because it was either insufficient or didn't work for what I was trying to do, that being the case what equipment would you have to have on your dream build and why?

Far as equipment this time. I am really doing my research that way I have to only buy once and I will just have to replace parts as time goes buy like a car. For my next build I am getting everything from Avast Marine such as the skimmer, reactors, ATO etc.. As far as lights I really want to do natural sunlit display, but I would have some DIY LEDs as supplement. If I can't do the natural sunlit I would do DIY LEDs or just Ecoxotic's Cannon LEDs. Ecotech's MP pumps, Mag Drives. My main thing is to keep things simple as possible and run everything of an Apex Controller.

4. If you could start all over again from scratch what would you do or not do and why (kind of goes with #3)?

If I could start all over? Yes, I would start from scratch, but this time do everything right taking all my experience from previous builds. Always starting from scratch with all brand new equipment it is exciting for me. Its like being all over again opening up presents and playing with them all day.

.
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jonnyb4ss

jonnyb4ss

New member
I really like the look of bow front tanks so if I could somehow ever afford it I would love a 6ft -8ft bow front with a custom canopy that goes all the way up to the ceiling, and the trim of the canopy would tie right into the crown molding in the room, someday?
 
frostyjay1

frostyjay1

Active member
I want to do a 9 foot long 3 foot wide and 2 foot deep tank and have it be a wall. I am going to build my man cave, and that will be the wall to separate me from the rest of the family. that way when I lock the door they can just watch me ignore them. LOL
 
L

LemontReefer

Member
31 inches for light penetration thats not really that bad.... just leds or 400 halides in proper reflectors. no problem... ai sol get good par down to close to 4 feet deep. acrylic bullnose peninsula get a basement sump and get 1 or 2 or 3 8 inch tall like 6 foot skimmers...oxygen exchange and dwell time. depending on your gallonage... and get abunch of the jebeao pumps the wp 40 or wp60 pumps not the mp's much cheaper , calcium reactor, kalk reactor, litermeter pump and a reef angel and a few of the brs dual reactors to run carbon and gfo floss, media etc. lights are so many choices leds for efficiency, mh for most growth or use some of each use the leds and supplement with the halides etc. and several mag 5 pumps, and smaller cube tanks to put under it to store ago, water change etc, use the litermetter to do the ato and water changes.......cheapest way to have fully automated bulletproof setup thats energy efficient
 
DD

DD

"Rambo"
If I were to think crazy, like Beverly Hillbillies crazy, I would have this:





This is a massive aquarium with a pool surrounding it, along with a water slide that goes through the middle of the tank as you can see by the tube in the photos!

This is in downtown Las Vegas at the Golden Nugget. I was in Vegas in April and heard about the tank and had to see it for myself lol! Pretty incredible. There were even two bullsharks which I thought was nuts! The pics really don't do the tank justice. It was incredibly massive and deep as well. All of the fish you see in the pic were roughly 3-4 foot long, with the exception of the sharks. There was a massive black grouper that had to be a 50lbs fish.

Next time you're in Vegas make sure to check that out. I was amazed. Wished I got better pics of it but I was fairly hammered at the time lol!
 
steveo9043

steveo9043

New member
DD said:
If I were to think crazy, like Beverly Hillbillies crazy, I would have this:





This is a massive aquarium with a pool surrounding it, along with a water slide that goes through the middle of the tank as you can see by the tube in the photos!

This is in downtown Las Vegas at the Golden Nugget. I was in Vegas in April and heard about the tank and had to see it for myself lol! Pretty incredible. There were even two bullsharks which I thought was nuts! The pics really don't do the tank justice. It was incredibly massive and deep as well. All of the fish you see in the pic were roughly 3-4 foot long, with the exception of the sharks. There was a massive black grouper that had to be a 50lbs fish.

Next time you're in Vegas make sure to check that out. I was amazed. Wished I got better pics of it but I was fairly hammered at the time lol!
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That's awesome looking. A family member just bought a house in Vegas. Never been there so I can't wait to go.
 
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