Basement 280 Gallon Build:

[Seth81]

True the shower doesn't have to be center to the shower especially with a tiled shower. But the slab has a hydronic radiant floor heating system, so there is no way I will be moving that drain!

Yeah maybe front access is all that's needed? Maybe also go to 90" so there is room on the sides so I can mount some power heads?

Originally Posted by sphelps

You can move the shower, the drain doesn't have to be centered, it can offset to one side but the framing would be a little weird unless you widened the whole bathroom. Either way that would allow for the extra space needed. Also busting up concrete and moving drains is actually very easy just saying.

But if it was me I'd probably just make the tank 36" or even 30" deep to allow for the overflow, some plumbing and whatever else. Access from front is really for the best anyway. Every once in a while you'll need to scrap and clean near the seams of the glass, would be a nightmare from the back on that size of tank. Some stuff in this hobby is hard enough, doing it backwards doesn't seem like the smartest way to enjoy it.

[sphelps]

Yeah for sure front access would be sufficient, pretty much like most tanks are situated. You would still have decent access to part of the back as well though, 58" out of 90" is basically two thirds so most of the tank can be access from behind as well.

Just a quick thought for the shower, if you extend the bathroom wall 6" down the page, and center a 36"x36" shower pan on the drain and put a 12"x36" bench on bottom of page side you'll gain a little more clearance (6") for the tank would negatively effecting anything else.

[Seth81]

Yeah the bathroom and shower could be shrunk down. So I think this could work, but I will have to go to site to make sure I'm okay for the shower drain.

If my drawing is accurate, I should be able to accommodate a 96"x30"x30" with about 24" behind the tank and about 3.5" on the the sides (the 8'4" measurement is between the posts)

Any thoughts about this layout if it works? I still am not sure about allowing for front access to top and bottom and what if any material to make any cabinetry out of. All I know is I want to use some material that is already in use in the house so the tank looks like it is suppose to be there.

[sphelps]

That layout looks pretty good and if you stick to only 30" wide back access only won't be terrible if it's too challenging to make front access work with your finishing plans. You'll have lots of time to figure out those details relating to access and finishing but some cabinetry type finishing that matches what was used elsewhere (kitchen, bathroom, wet bar, etc) is one option. Few examples:

[Myka]

Your new layout looks really good Seth! I like the photos Steve posted up too. Not rock work you were wanting, but I think the above photos are more modern looking anyway.

[Seth1981]

Yeah I think my wife prefers to use the same material we've used for our kitchen cabinets, just gotta source it, or find someone who can. But that's a far off problem.

I went to the new house today to measure where all the rough ins are, and found that the builder for some unknown reason put the drain directly under the fish tank and not in the spot as per the plan drawings.




Ugh, so I am sure this will be a bit of a fight with the builder!

I guess I should have seen it in this pic, also see why I can't move the shower very much?



I had planned on using the area under the tank for a large sump with a huge refugium, so having that drain there will be very problematic. I guess I will see if the builder is able to move it. UGH

[Seth81]

So I am still wrestling with the builder about that floor drain and what can be done. So I will have to wait a bit to finalize the fish room layout and tank dimensions.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I want to do differently this time around, and what lessons I learned from my current setup, what worked well and what didn't. So I thought I would take a second to write them down.

1. Automatic water changes probably saved my fish from my work schedule.
2. ATO only works well when you do not relay on level switches!
3. Install a drip tray under the sump and all external plumbing!
4. I feel that I wasted a lot of money on chemicals for coral growth
5. External pumps will leak, it's only a matter of time (reeflo hammerhead)
6. DIY LED fixtures was fun to build but not worth it in the end
7. No more tanks over 30" tall
8. Add fish and coral slowly to system
9. Sump design worked well: Always ensure there is enough surge capacity in the event the return pump fails and the overflow plus 1 or 2" from the tank fully drains into sump.
10. Had two outbreaks of Ich, not sure if the UV sterilizer helped slow the spread, but only lost 2 fish to Ich over 3 years.
11. Low iron (Starphire glass) scratches easily.
12. Need more flow! The turn over rate I had was 10x the tank volume an hour, but more/better power heads would have helped in my previous tank.
13. Went through a ton of GFO/Carbon, and had to change media more frequently then I would have liked. Planning on building an Algae turf scrubber and use two BRS jumbo carbon reactors.

[gregzz4]

Have you thought about moving the fish tank wall out a few feet ?
This will give you the space you need to have full access from behind.

I also like Steve's idea of having the tank flush on the viewing side with some full-access panels.
And the portal is a must for anyone with an in-wall build !!! Great idea Steve

[Seth81]

That wall can't move because of the stair case. As is, the wall is pretty close to that bottom step. I could jog the wall at the end of the bedroom, but I think that may look a little odd.

Originally Posted by gregzz4

Have you thought about moving the fish tank wall out a few feet ?
This will give you the space you need to have full access from behind.

I also like Steve's idea of having the tank flush on the viewing side with some full-access panels.
And the portal is a must for anyone with an in-wall build !!! Great idea Steve

[Seth81]

So I've been giving a lot of thought about what I want to do differently this time around. And perhaps I am getting waaaaay ahead of my self here, but I really enjoy the designing and engineering side of this hobby.

So I really want to try to use Algae turf scrubbers as the primary means of nutrient export. Reduce water changes, and reduce GFO use. I was thinking of two really big ATS's. One of my goals is to be able to leave the tank by itself for up to two weeks without having anyone do anything except maybe feeding.

So I was toying with the idea of plumbing the overflow drains to the ATS for efficiency. Then ATS to sump. But maybe that's not a good idea to go directly to the ATS because of potential clogging issues. Maybe its better to have a dedicated pump, although the electrical costs to run a separate pump would be approx $90 a year plus a $300 - $400 pump.

Anyone on here use an ATS? Anyone plumb it directly from the overflow?