The LAST big upgrade

[michika]

As requested I'm making a separate thread to document our last big upgrade from our current 180g grow out tank to a ~450g display system in the basement of our Calgary home.

We have decided that we are upgrading to a 10ft long by 2ft tall by 3ft deep glass in-wall tank. Right we we have decided on a coast to coast overflow in the back which will probably only have a depth of 6-10" depending on the plumbing.

Our goal is to light this tank with a combination of MHs and T5s. Part of our decision to go 3ft deep rather then the original 4 ft is the opportunity to reduce the number of MHs/T5s we require (and the electricity bills),

We got a quote back on the stand, and are just waiting on some details before officially placing our order. I'm amazed at the price quoted, and after some checking around, I don't think we'll do better for quality, price, or service. I'm feeling pretty confident on placing this order. At least with a stand on hand we can fit it into place while the renos are ongoing, with minimal worries over it getting damaged.

The tank will also have a sump, refugium, frag grow out tank, frag QT, and fish QT systems. We also have plans to encorporate an auto-water change system. We expect most everything to be run off our Reef Keeper Elite.

I have budgeted about $10-$15K for the build and stocking of this tank from start to finish. We also expect to pay an additional $300-$500 per month in maintenance costs, electricity, water, supplies, etc.

On January 11th, 2009 we made the first physical steps towards renovating our basement. Really by renovating I mean actually making it functional because its one of those 1950s basements with nothing in it.

This is the outlined area where the tank will be sitting. It will share the same room as our entertainment area. We plan to have two panes visible, the front, and the right side.