Tips for keeping a HUGE reef tank...

[SPR1968]

The best advice I can offer is to plan every single system in minute detail, and I mean everything from water changes, auto top off everything, and automate as much as you can, but without allowing something like Apex complete control.

I run 2 big tanks, one around 500g and I have hardly anything to do apart from monitor them, and change rowaphos and carbon every 4-8 weeks

Water changes are done with DOS and I have a large container that’s refills either automatically although I tend to manually control this.

Oh, and don’t under estimate the cost, and as already said, get the best equipment you can afford.

And go as big as you can fit it, because your an addict at this level and you’ll want to upgrade again for your fix!

I’ll repeat this, for effect, oh the cost!! Lol

 

[ca1ore]

Seems to me most of the advice in this thread applies to tanks of all sizes LOL. What’s different about the really HUGE tanks? To me, a HUGE tank implies 1,000 gallons plus so at 450 I’m not there yet. Perhaps the most important thing is to make sure the place you plan for all that weight can handle it. My modestly sized 450 weighs in excess of 4,000 pounds. Necessary equipment scales with the size of the tank, so be prepared for a very large skimmer and pumps that will move many thousands of gallons per hour. The latter list isn’t very long. Equipment for a HUGE tank really doesn’t fit under a stand ..... not well at least. If you’re going to go really big then a dedicated fish room is a necessity for me. I don’t find that cost scales directly with size .... larger volumes of water hold temperature better, though circulation becomes even more important. Also, don’t feel the need to ‘fill’ a large tank right away. Let corals grow and include plenty of open space as part of the aesthetic.

 

[FishTruck]

I would second the effort to minimize maintenance hassles as much as possible... make sure that every part of maintenance can be done without putting yourself in an uncomfortable position

1. glass is easier to scrape than acrylic
2. think twice before going more than 30 inches tall
3. come up with an automatic water change system - or some other alternative - with capacity to make lots of new water quickly so you don't need to use buckets
4. a remote equipment room is a must - in my opinion
5. protect the house - spills and evaporation are no joke with really big tanks
6. make sure all your plumbing is easy to access

 

[Sallstrom]

Do the plumbing and filter/sump area so you can change stuff and modify it along the way.

Think through the size and how you can reach everything. Tanks deeper then 80-90 cm are not very nice to work with.. Even with tongs(the Deltec tongs(I think it was) lasted about one week at work..).

Have enough algae grazers and other “helpers” so you won’t need to scrubs the rocks or clean the sand.

Great advice above on glass instead of acrylic windows! Much easier to clean IMO.

Go with a method like Triton and just do water changes if something is really off. Saves a lot of time and saltwater mixing I think.

Add more flow then you think is needed.

Add a sump or two for future experiments(could be for macro algae, sand beds, nursery, etc). And make them easy to get to.

You don’t have to have 10x turn over rate. You could go much lower than that IMO.

A couple of thing from the top of my head. I’ll add more later on

 

[McPuff]

The key is to have LOTS of money available! :0) But seriously, it's going to be expensive no matter how much DIY you can accomplish.

I agree with a lot of the points made in previous posts. One in particular is to have a separate "fish room" to have all of your equipment, etc. I use the utility room in my basement and it works out very well. I can't imagine trying to shoehorn everything under my stand. Just not possible.

Making enough saltwater has proved to be tougher than I had anticipated. I only have a 35 gallon container for mixing saltwater and it's usually fine. But I really do need something probably twice as big for my 300 gal display. Right now, I struggle with a location for another 65 gallon vertical tank, but at some point (soon) I really need to do that. Mind you, I don't do water changes very often but I still find myself making saltwater more often than I'd prefer to keep up with QT, TTM, water changes, etc.

Have the biggest sump you can comfortably fit in your space. I had a undersized sump for 4 years and finally upgraded it two weeks ago. Eventually came to the decision that I needed to DIY one out of plywood in order to fit the space I had, but also maximize that same space. It ended up being a great decision and one I should have brought to fruition much sooner.

 

[atomic081]

Here are my suggestions:

My biggest suggestion for any tank: Place the tank in the room you are in the most. Be it your kitchen, living room, family room, office! Most monster tanks are in a basement or first floor because of the weight. You will enjoy a smaller tank that you see daily more than a bigger tank you see a few times a week!

Having a Fish Room is a must for big tanks. Big tank require big equipment! I thought my 10x24 would be big enough and now I wish it was bigger.

PLAN PLAN PLAN......then PLAN some more. make sure your sump is big enough for the tank to turn off and not overflow, make sure all your plumbing heights are correct before you start, make sure all your electrical is adequate (multiple circuits!!)

I went a different route than most on the equipment. I did but quality equipment, I just bought it all used from people I trust and it was not as expensive as most tanks. Good quality brands such as Tunze, Vortec, and Neptune will treat you right.

Lastly, MASTER a smaller tank before you upgrade to a big one. Make sure you know how to use dosers, calcium reactors, skimmers, ATO, refugiums, UV sterilizers, etc..... Rarely do we get a second chance at a monster tank. Make sure you have done it all before on a small scale.

ASK QUESTIONS!!!!!

 

[HighChiefKC]

Don't let the wife find out how much the electric bill is...

 

[salty joe]

A lot of good advice here!
A couple things I did that I'm pleased with is heat with gas and add a floor drain to the fish room.

I use a tankless water heater that's controlled with a Ranco. The heat exchanger is 100' 1/2" pex coiled. Saves me a lot of money heating the tank.

The floor drain gives me peace of mind. I also have water detectors on the floor. I also made an emergency overflow that goes into the sink in case something goes haywire and the tank gets too full-I built in an alarm if that happens.

My biggest regret is my fish room is cramped. I also should have swung the door out, like a closet.

 

[radiata]

If your sump room is in your basement, with your DT on a higher floor, don't put your sump (i.e. a Rubbermaid stock tank) on the basement floor. Build a 2x4 stand for it. If you don't, you'll get real tired of stooping or getting on your knees to get into it, especially when you age starts catching up with you.

 

[Bleigh]

Sir, I believe you're looking for the saltwater pool thread.

I definitely heard vic say that their next WWC store was going to have an indoor pool in it on his IG life stream tonight. If they do that, I am moving to wherever that store is going! Epic! (Maybe we can convince him to do a pool large enough for a marlin and finally answer the question enquiring minds want to know!)

 

[radiata]

I definitely heard vic say that their next WWC store was going to have an indoor pool in it on his IG life stream tonight. If they do that, I am moving to wherever that store is going! Epic! (Maybe we can convince him to do a pool large enough for a marlin and finally answer the question enquiring minds want to know!)

If his pool is large enough to swim in, please don't pee in it when you take that swim! It will mess up his ammonia readings like there's no tomorrow!

 

[Bleigh]

If his pool is large enough to swim in, please don't pee in it when you take that swim! It will mess up his ammonia readings like there's no tomorrow!

HAHAHHAHA! No peeing for me!!!

I use to coach swimmers. I had a boy one day swear he was going to pee. (I say boy, he was 18 or 19, young college student.) He asked if the water turning blue was a thing. I said of course not, but urine is yellow and we'll likely see that. He yelled he was going to pee to everyone, as if he had no regrets or concerns. So he peed in the pool. He was swiftly surrounded by a yellow cloud of urine (probably should have been drinking more water - a little dehydrated I'd guess.). He was somehow surprised that his pee was yellow and embarrassed that everyone knew he had peed in the pool despite his loud decree.

Really has nothing to do with the indoor coral pool, but an interesting anecdote all the same.

 

[User1]

If your sump room is in your basement, with your DT on a higher floor, don't put your sump (i.e. a Rubbermaid stock tank) on the basement floor. Build a 2x4 stand for it. If you don't, you'll get real tired of stooping or getting on your knees to get into it, especially when you age starts catching up with you.

I couldn't make the like button enough here. The age part is key as we plan our tanks to last a long time. Just throwing this out there because age is relative.

My current tank was going to be it at 210 gallons and I went with a 30" tall tank. As noted above somewhere think twice . Well back to age and height of tank and lower level sump and a hip replacement, well, limitations are set and things that could be done no longer can.

Enter a new upgrade with age, access, and simplification designed in . Can still pull 240 or so gallons but no matter what as you noted age is something I overlooked. Didn't consider it one bit so wanted to just say it is important.

 

[Laith]

I agree with most of the suggestions already made.

- Planning is key. I spent almost three years planning my setup. And I STILL ran into unforeseen issues when it came time to build and put everything together. All fixable but be prepared.

- Plan to avoid using buckets if at all possible! My ATO container is filled automatically, as is my saltwater holding tank. If you are going to do water changes, AWC will change your life! ;Happy

- As mentioned previously, invest in good equipment. A cheap equivalent of every piece of equipment you want can be found. But overall better to buy once than replace things multiple times.

- Enjoy! ;Joyful

 

[ShepherdReefer]

Some great info, following. We are planning on a 1000-gallon build into our existing home.

 

[salty joe]

Some great info, following. We are planning on a 1000-gallon build into our existing home.

Nice! Is that total system or display tank?

 

[Brittanyjo]

What are your recommendations for a good 600 gallon + skimmer?

 

[New Jersey REEF]

What are your recommendations for a good 600 gallon + skimmer?

Recently, I purchased MRc orca pro 2. Awesome performance!
Also BK 300 is good too for your size tank

 

[Aardvark1134]

Welded aluminum stand. Noone wants half the house flooded with salt water because they skimped on the stand.

 

[salty joe]

Welded aluminum stand. Noone wants half the house flooded with salt water because they skimped on the stand.

Yes but a wooden stand that's beefy works well. I built a header at the top of the stand that runs the 8' length of the tank. I built another header directly below it that rests on the floor and is perpindicular to the trusses. In between the headers are 2x4 studs. I felt that legs resting on the floor would warp the floor from the weight.
Of course, I have a heavy duty beam supporting the trusses directly under the headers. At that point, I installed solid blocking in the trusses.
I do have the luxury of a fishroom so I did not have to be concerned with asthetics. Just plumb and level. But it would not be that hard to put cabinet doors on it. Just a lot more work.