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  #1  
Old 09-16-2010, 08:56 PM
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Default MitchM tank build

I received back the CAD drawing for it today.
Hopefully it will be here in about 6 weeks.
Acrylic tank size is 96L X 48W X 30H. 600 gallons.



Circulation planned is to use 4 1" SeaSwirls in each corner (holes in brace predrilled) powered by a couple of ReefFlo pumps on closed loops (intakes are 4 holes along bottom of back wall) The idea with the SeaSwirls is to keep the top water zone moving well.
For a sump return I am planning on about 3500gph, return location yet to be determined.
I'll be supplementing tank flow with some Vortechs. I plan on putting in a 4" DSB and see how far I can push circulation over top of the sandbed.

I already have a few Luminarc III 400W lamps. I'll start out by putting 2 over the tank over the access holes. I also ordered lexan lids for the openings. I'll see if I can get a PAR meter and see how much of a difference the lids make.
I don't plan on supplementing the lighting.
Who knows, maybe there will be some plasma lights sometime in the future!

This is going to be a fun winter!

Mitch
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Old 09-16-2010, 10:57 PM
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Wowza, that's some tank! Looking forward to seeing where this goes.
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Old 09-16-2010, 11:24 PM
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Love the dimensions and love the acrylic!

My only concern (and it's too late now) is the acrylic thickness. Hopefully, it is 1" thick, but that will leave you unable to use the Vortechs which I believe won't work on 1" acrylic. I would bet that a 96" x 30" panel would deflect if it were 3/4" thick.

Get some of these large strainers for those intakes. Like these (on the right, NOT like the ones on the left)... These don't clog up or create dangerous suction like the smaller ones do.


These strainers only come in female threaded, so put a female threaded bulkhead in and shorten a threaded nipple so that the strainer fits as snugly as possible against the bulkhead. Have a couple extra so you can just swap them out to clean them.

Nice...How many sides are you going to have viewable?...and what are the plans for your fishroom?
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400 gal reef. Established April, 2007. 3 Sequence Dart, RM12-4 skimmer, 2 x OM4Ways, Yellow Tang, Maroon Clown (pair), Blonde Naso Tang, Vlamingi Tang, Foxface Rabbit, Unicorn Tang, 2 Pakistani Butterflies and a few coral gobies

My Tank: http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=28436
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Old 09-16-2010, 11:44 PM
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The new MP60 will work on 1" thickness
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Old 09-17-2010, 12:04 AM
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I was thinking of the MP60's already.

The tank is 3/4". I asked Tenecor if by switching to 1" I could reduce the size of the bracing, but they said no. It would only give a thicker appearance to the acrylic. For the price (and added weight) it didn't seem worth it.

Untamed, I did see those strainers on your tank build and want to get those. You got them from U.S. Plastics, didn't you?

This tank is going in my workshop, so the fish room options are pretty much open. No restrictions for height or space.
3 sides viewable, with a blue back.

Mitch
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Old 09-17-2010, 12:28 AM
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Nice tank, I am suprise you didn't go with 1" acrylic. With that height and width, 3/4" won't give you the piece of mind that 1" would. If you have decided to go this big, why stinch on the most important part.
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Old 09-17-2010, 09:39 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MitchM View Post
I was thinking of the MP60's already.

The tank is 3/4". I asked Tenecor if by switching to 1" I could reduce the size of the bracing, but they said no. It would only give a thicker appearance to the acrylic. For the price (and added weight) it didn't seem worth it.

Untamed, I did see those strainers on your tank build and want to get those. You got them from U.S. Plastics, didn't you?

This tank is going in my workshop, so the fish room options are pretty much open. No restrictions for height or space.
3 sides viewable, with a blue back.

Mitch
Yes, I think it was US Plastics. They were difficult to find and I had to order them from the US...that much I recall.
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400 gal reef. Established April, 2007. 3 Sequence Dart, RM12-4 skimmer, 2 x OM4Ways, Yellow Tang, Maroon Clown (pair), Blonde Naso Tang, Vlamingi Tang, Foxface Rabbit, Unicorn Tang, 2 Pakistani Butterflies and a few coral gobies

My Tank: http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=28436
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Old 10-18-2014, 08:59 PM
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I'm really sorry to hear this Mitch.

I kept that species myself for close to a decade (9 years? I think?). Over that time it was responsible for a number of tank wipeouts. The last time the emotional toll was too much so in a fit of weakness I decided to sell it. Unfortunately it never survived the transition into a new tank so I felt responsible and sad for that loss too. Every time I see this species somewhere I feel that loss all over again. They truly are magnificent but such a cost to keep.

There was a time I might have washed my mouth out with soap for saying these next words but ...... 600g would make one incredible planted few tank!!!
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Old 10-18-2014, 09:30 PM
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Thanks Tony.
My wife is actually encouraging me to redo the saltwater tank, but like I said, if I can't properly intervene in an emergency, I don't want to do it.
The anenome was stuck in the powerhead for a few hours at least. I shut off the MP60 and let it be. It managed to crawl out and retreated to an upper dark corner of the tank, along with it's clownfish. It was brutal watching as the clownfish were able to swim in and out of the slits in the body of the anenome.

Still, the anemone has survived but the clownfish need to be kept away as I feed it. The clownfish will remove any food that the anemone tries to eat.

I found a 600g fw setup by a doctor over in India that looks to be successful:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...highlight=600g

I have a lot to learn about fw water circulation and lighting though. I have my 2 4' ATI hybrids that are probably overkill for fw. Maybe just changing the bulbs and reducing the intensity will work.

We will see.
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Old 10-19-2014, 11:34 PM
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The solution is simple, really.

Bury one of these bad boys somewhere: http://www.rainharvest.com/norwesco-...k-102-wide.asp

Bam! 100% water change, whenever you like.

What's the frostline? It can't be more than 8 feet or so.

No need to thank me, I like to think of myself as a problem solver.

In all seriousness if there was anyone who could get away with a buried 2500 mixing tank somewhere, I would have guess that was you

Frankly I wish I could somehow get a buried 500g tank under my deck and be able to use it year-round. I totally empathize with the "want to intervene in an emergency". Well even without emergencies, there are times you just want to do a big/significant water change. I just changed out 50g out of my 65g FOWLR yesterday, you wouldn't believe how good it looks today. That same volume however is a "regular/weekly" waterchange for my 280g and when things aren't going right, it's really only a drop in the bucket. There are many times per year I find myself wistfully wishing I could changeout 150g-200g (or more) at a time, but I just simply don't know where I can put that much water to mix it up. So I do feel the pain of "sometimes a bigger tank isn't necessarily better" sentiment.
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