DIY Concrete Aquarium 5,000 gallon - Anderson Family Reef

[Chrisv.]

This is just incredible. Your wife is incredibly tolerant. Good luck with your build!

 

[srcleary]

That’s awesome!! I get to work from home sometimes so I love having the tank where I work! Good plan!

I am working to get the viewing panels in this week. I have a 30 day dry time for the silicone while I build out the filtration and fish room. Best case would be in a month or two for water I am going to do a larger version of what I did for the 720 so basically Marco rock covering the closed loop with premium flat rock on top… dreaming of the perfect stack now!! I should be!! Neighbors are all wanting to come swim in it! LOL!

I know you have livestock in some tubes/tanks now correct? What's the livestock plan? Will you seed this tank with existing media to jump start?

I love working with Marco rock. I use Glue Masters glue and sand for all my joints. Works great. And covering the PVC with sand helps to hide it and creates more surface area for bacteria. I think I am at about 500lbs of rock now.

 

[dca22anderson]

I know you have livestock in some tubes/tanks now correct? What's the livestock plan? Will you seed this tank with existing media to jump start?

I love working with Marco rock. I use Glue Masters glue and sand for all my joints. Works great. And covering the PVC with sand helps to hide it and creates more surface area for bacteria. I think I am at about 500lbs of rock now.

I am going to keep a piece of everything I have coral wise and QT it to get it ready to add to the big show. I also have some amazing fish buddies who I can get seasoned frags from to help with initial stocking.

I plan on doing the new reef with Marco Rock & dry rock from my previous tanks.

Your rock pillars are awesome. Love that idea of hiding the joints with sand. It's going to be a giant effort to make the closed loop, PVC and aquablox (something new from the pond world) frame and cover them with all the rock. Should be fun and I'm planning on taking my time to make sure all of the infrastructure is hidden from view! I love this part of the build!!

 

[srcleary]

I am going to keep a piece of everything I have coral wise and QT it to get it ready to add to the big show. I also have some amazing fish buddies who I can get seasoned frags from to help with initial stocking.

I plan on doing the new reef with Marco Rock & dry rock from my previous tanks.

Your rock pillars are awesome. Love that idea of hiding the joints with sand. It's going to be a giant effort to make the closed loop, PVC and aquablox (something new from the pond world) frame and cover them with all the rock. Should be fun and I'm planning on taking my time to make sure all of the infrastructure is hidden from view! I love this part of the build!!

SWEET! I wish I was within driving distance. I'm in Dallas. Would love to see the build and offer a helping hand. Look me up if you are ever traveling through!

 

[dca22anderson]

just some early sketches of options for the sump layout, trying to get it all worked out - thought you folks might like to see…

 

[Cell]

I love the illusion of scale. It all looks so quaint in the drawings until you realize that skimmer is like 4' tall!

 

[dca22anderson]

I love the illusion of scale. It all looks so quaint in the drawings until you realize that skimmer is like 4' tall!

LOL that’s just a quick sketch to show the layout… that’s a 6’ tall wall and a 2’ hole skimmer will be 8’ tall and 24” round body…

 

[dca22anderson]

Cut out the rests for the viewing panel tonight out of an old Tenecor lid I got from the 750 gal!

These are the last pieces I need to install the panels this weekend!!

 

[bpbonds]

Great Build following along for the ride!

 

[dca22anderson]

Great Build following along for the ride!

Thanks for checking it out! Welcome!

 

[dca22anderson]

Didn’t get to the install this weekend had some other things come up but hope to get to it this week, have 1600lbs of Marco rock on its way so I may load that into the tank before putting in the panels! (Everything seems to take longer than you think)

 

[najer]

Didn’t get to the install this weekend had some other things come up but hope to get to it this week, have 1600lbs of Marco rock on its way so I may load that into the tank before putting in the panels! (Everything seems to take longer than you think)

We are sitting over here waiting in no rush what so ever, if you could set up a free mini bar with snacks that would be nice!

 

[Cell]

I'd love to see how big of a pile of rocks 1600lbs is.

 

[New&no clue]

are you putting sand in there as well or bare bottom?

 

[dca22anderson]

I'd love to see how big of a pile of rocks 1600lbs is.

And you will! I'll take a picture once its all in there!

are you putting sand in there as well or bare bottom?

Thinking bare bottom for now but love the look of sand too!

 

[Colton.]

1600lbs of rock?!

 

[FMF0331]

Good Gosh

 

[srcleary]

1,600lbs of Marco rock. Love it!

How many hours do you think it will take to aquascape?

Seems to make good sense to leave the front panel off as you create the structures.

 

[dca22anderson]

1600lbs of rock?!

that's just to start...

1,600lbs of Marco rock. Love it!

How many hours do you think it will take to aquascape?

Seems to make good sense to leave the front panel off as you create the structures.

I will take my time with the aquascape so I plan on a few days.

I think I will load the rock in the tank then install the panels then work on the scape. That way I can do some internal bracing to hold the panels in place while I silicone it. That could change but that's the plan for now.

 

[jandlms]

Love this but does the distinguished wife have you on a budget of any kind or are you winging it? I know you are doing the work yourself but just the materials and equipment costs have to be insane. Any dollar amount you think you stay below?