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AudraMurphy

New Plans for My Upcoming Aquarium

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Hey Guys!!

OK. So I've been working on my dream tank for several years now and it is becoming a reality. I originally thought I was going to have a 12' x 7' rectangular room but now the room has changed into an odd shaped 15' x 4' x 11' x 10' x 4' room. I was originally planning on a 600 gallon tank but decided reduced it to a 465 gallon after meeting with the architects and finding out how much space would be designated for the aquarium and doing some long hard thinking about how much time I would have for maintenance.

I've attached a couple files of my room with two possible configurations. My system will consist of the display, sump, refugium, frag tank, and maybe a small tank at the end of the frag tank. One configuration has everything against the wall and the other has the frag tank, refugium parallel to the display a little over 3' away. My QT and hospital tanks would be over on the shelving to the right of the water tanks. The shelving pictures is not necessarily what I will actually have but it is just there representing some sort of appropriate shelving.

I'm leaning toward the setup with the frag tank and, refugium sticking out from the wall because I have room for my stand alone sink to wash equipment. I'm working on figuring out my equipment needs as well as figuring out my electrical needs and placement for the outlets. I've been doing a lot of reading but I'm sure there is a whole lot I'm probably missing.

I guess my question I want to tackle at the moment regarding my room configurations is this: is the configuration I'm leaning toward feasible? I've been looking at a lot of builds and have pulled different things from different builds and modeled things after builds I've gotten online and it seems like it's possible but I just need some opinions from those of you with more experience.

I appreciate any and all input!!


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Comments

  1. melev's Avatar
    Both choices have benefits. I really like the wide open area of the first one, but you don't have the sink option which is quite practical. The other choice gives you more room to see the frag tank from three sides though.

    Either one is great! Can't wait to see more of this come to life.
  2. AudraMurphy's Avatar
    Thanks a bunch for the input!! I was thinking the same thing. I like to have a lot of elbow room, but I think in this case I'll like the sink more.

    I've been waiting for almost three years and I'm really excited that this project is finally becoming a reality!! But I have to admit that I am beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed with the project as far as picking the right equipment for this setup and if how I envision it in my mind is feasible. This is the first project I've planned so I want to make sure I get it right since there will be lots of kids enjoying it once it's all said and done.
  3. melev's Avatar
    I agree, it's all about making the right purchases right from the beginning so no money is wasted. Try to think of it as mini projects or stages you need to accomplish rather than trying to take on a massive build. When I did mine, I gutted the room and poured concrete, adding the french drain. That was the first most important project. I had to some some other things like reroute the pipes for the water heater, all part of the mini project. Next was framing the walls. After that, my project was the electrical. Later, sheetrock, tape & bedding, sanding and painting. Then ventilation. Then the aquarium stand. The sump & ATO. Then plumbing -- one section at a time (drains one day; returns the next day; manifold the third day).

    By breaking it up, it's more doable.