The biggest tank I could get down my basement steps build (315 gallons)

[SaracensRugby]

Ok, I guess I will start a build thread since I just placed my order for a Custom Aquariums 315 gallon tank. Dimensions will be 84 long by 36 wide by 24 high. I have a 90 degree turn in my basement steps and this is the biggest I could get down without having to take a wall out. To make sure, I built a couple mock ups with 1x2's and enlisted my wife to help move them down. 96" long was just took close for comfort with 500lbs of glass at risk. She was not thrilled at the assigned task as well.

This tank will go in the same spot as the attached tank (127 gallons), with the sump behind the wall in our storage unit. I am going to do things a little different I suppose, using two rubbermaid stock tanks to house all equipment, as well as a separate refugium. A 150 gallon stock tank will house the skimmer, a bunch of rock, dosing equipment, trident, and return pumps. Connected to that will be a 50 gallon stock tank that will be a dedicated refugium with mangroves, cheato, and whatever other creatures I can place in there. I want the refugium to be a little ecosystem unto itself.

Lighting: I was conflicted about this. I thought about a 60" ATI 8 bulb fixture, but that would leave 1 foot on each end with no real light coverage. I started in the hobby with LEDs (Hydra 26HD on 60 cube), but bombed out with that due to constant finicking with settings (newbie). Currently have ATI T5 and am very happy with the fixture, but they don't make a fixture to cover 84" (I know I could get a couple fixtures, but that gets expensive with bulbs and fixtures). I like the ATi Straton and Orpheks, but I would need at least 4-6 of them to cover this tank, to the tune of 4k minimum. Not in my budget, nor is "light" worth that much to me given all of the important things in the animals overall health. So, I haven't used MH to this point, and after doing some research I picked up a 72" Giesemann Spectra at a great price from a reefer who was getting out of the hobby. He plumbed in 2 kessils as well, so I have the best of all lighting solutions I figure.

Equipment:
2 MP60s
2 MP40s
1 Trident
1 undersized skimmer (for first year or so)
1 UV
Apex with a couple EB832s
Probably more that I can't think of right now

Attached are picks of my current SCA 60x24x20.5 tank. Was doing really good before a move this past summer, and lost all my SPS (sticks and encrusting monti's) due to alk swings and neglect due to frustration of moving a tank myself (no fun, at all). My rock nems continue to spawn randomly, and RBTA's continue to split so that's good.

I am starting with fresh dead rock, since my current 5 year old rock has some pests, the main one bring tiny clove polyps that have taken over a lot of the rocks. So I am cycling these rocks that I bleached to oblivion, in the stock tanks for a couple months now.

So, next steps are as follows:

1. Build a stand
2. get an electrician put a couple outlets in our storage unit area
3. Put holes in walls.
4. transfer nems and fish to stock tanks/sump when new tank arrives.
5. Move it all over to new tank
6. 74 more things that I haven't thought of yet

More to come soon.

 

[blaxsun]

Good luck with the tank move. I see lots of buddies, pizza and beer in your future.

 

[SaracensRugby]

Thanks. I will probably have to get movers to take this down the steps, cross that bridge when I get there. Here is rough and dirty sump setup, just using it to cycle rock right now. Also, something I picked up to drink while I build the stand. I will push these stock tanks against the wall behind it, which will have the tank on the other side.

 

[jepuskar]

Funny, I'm sort of in the same situation...I have two 90 degree turns to get a tank into my basement. Have built a mock up out of 2x4s and enlisted the help of the wife to test it out. How are you doing your stand? King of DIY way with 2 x 6s? Did Custom give you an idea of how long it will take? I'm thinking of going with them as well.

 

[SaracensRugby]

Funny, I'm sort of in the same situation...I have two 90 degree turns to get a tank into my basement. Have built a mock up out of 2x4s and enlisted the help of the wife to test it out. How are you doing your stand? King of DIY way with 2 x 6s? Did Custom give you an idea of how long it will take? I'm thinking of going with them as well.

I am doing King of DIY out of all 2x6s. I am figuring out how I want to skin it, maybe with some nice piece of maple/walnut type wood. Will post as I make it here in the coming week or two. Maybe some type of acrylic panels.
Custom said 8-10 weeks, but since I am not getting a stand possibly/probably quicker.

 

[Freenow54]

Thanks. I will probably have to get movers to take this down the steps, cross that bridge when I get there. Here is rough and dirty sump setup, just using it to cycle rock right now. Also, something I picked up to drink while I build the stand. I will push these stock tanks against the wall behind it, which will have the tank on the other side.

Bourbon on the rocks lol

 

[jepuskar]

I am doing King of DIY out of all 2x6s. I am figuring out how I want to skin it, maybe with some nice piece of maple/walnut type wood. Will post as I make it here in the coming week or two. Maybe some type of acrylic panels.
Custom said 8-10 weeks, but since I am not getting a stand possibly/probably quicker.

Very nice. I am thinking of doing the same. Getting a quote from Alufab first to see how bad that will be.
Are you using their H2O Overflows or something else? I'm in NW Indiana, what part of Chicago are you in?

 

[SaracensRugby]

I am in the Western part of Chicago, by Naperville. I am using their overflows with their box, I didn't see any reason not to use it. I also got their plumbing package so all the pipes, etc for the overflow come pre cut, saving me time and hassle on that.

 

[SaracensRugby]

Here is what the mockup using 1x2s for the going down the stairs. Should be enough room, will have to pivot the tank once we get to the landing. Also started building the stand based on King of DIY's videos. I am going for 40" high, as compared to my current stand which is 36" high. My wife commented that this seems high, but I wanted to to be closer to eye level and not having to bend over to look around the tank. Am I off with this thinking?

 

[jepuskar]

Very cool. I have 2 landings to get into my basement, but I removed the rail at the bottom one to make it easier...little premature, but I wanted to see how it would come out.

As far as the height, whatever you guys want...obviously the higher the stand the higher the tank, but if it works for you for maintenance, why not?? I think my stand is going to be in the 38" range.

 

[Mellotang]

Sometimes it’s easier to build a crate for the tank, the. You can strap it up and slide it down 2x4 rails or even plywood on the stairs

moving a wood box is a lot easier than moving a glass box

 

[SaracensRugby]

Main part of the stand done. I even added a couple extra supports in the backside of the stand: half for extra support, half for something to nail internal shelves onto.
Still debating how to skin this. Thinking light weight floor tiles to do something different as an option. Maybe PVC panels that look like brick. No equipment for the tank will actually be in the stand, so its really just storage underneath. Could use magnets to hold up PVC panels as they are light, we shall see.

 

[jepuskar]

Main part of the stand done. I even added a couple extra supports in the backside of the stand: half for extra support, half for something to nail internal shelves onto.
Still debating how to skin this. Thinking light weight floor tiles to do something different as an option. Maybe PVC panels that look like brick. No equipment for the tank will actually be in the stand, so its really just storage underneath. Could use magnets to hold up PVC panels as they are light, we shall see.

Roughly how much did that cost you to build?

 

[SaracensRugby]

So far I am probably $300 in wood/supplies for the stand. Depending on what route I go to wrap it, I figure I have maybe another $300 to go. So, about $2k or more less than I was getting quoted for a stand to be built for me.

 

[Dreamscapesaquatics]

Following. Awesome so far.

 

[JonezNReef]

That tank sounds amazing with good dimensions. You seem to have a solid plan and tackling it quite well. The stand looks solid… did you make a choice on the skin for the stand? Also any new progress?

 

[SaracensRugby]

Thanks!
So, Custom Aquariums called me two days ago and said the tank is ready, so that was about 4 weeks earlier than expected. They are holding it for me for 1.5 weeks while I am out of the country, so that's great. They have been very easy to work with.

So I hemmed and hawed on how to skin this. I considered: paint, stick on laminate flooring, wood panel flooring, formica laminate, tile, etc. I ordered the formica, and just wasn't sold based on it needing to be sealed to protect it from damage (corners only). I painted it, but as you can see in the pic, the wood filler was very visible and I wasn't happy. I sanded some of it down, but wasn't happy with paint and final product visually. And, I painted the first stand I made white, so didn't want a repeat. So I went and got some vinyl floor planks, some gorilla construction glue, and voila. The floor planks join so easy and look seamless, and very easy to cut with a table saw. Little more to go to finish it, and have to finalize how I will trim the edges.

I am still debating on how to do the doors. I have some soft close door slides that at this point I want to use, to just have the doors slide left/right, but need to figure out final product of skinning the doors. Will need to do the trim parts first, then I will have my answer on the doors. At this point I think the stand weighs as much as the tank will, so not worried about it failing.

I am having a pretty hard time finding a company to move the tank from my garage into my basement. Most of the LFS don't want to do it, and 3/3 moving companies want nothing to do with it. I pinged out local group and I have some leads on companies to move it 100 feet..... More to come!

 

[jepuskar]

@SaracensRugby Try Bill's Movers <[email protected]> if you already haven't. Not sure if they service Illinois, but they were willing to work with me on getting my tank downstairs.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Love the title of your thread. It says it all.

 

[REEFER-RICK]

Get sucking cups and alot of friends that is how we do it in Nova Scotia easy pleasey , We have moved 560 g tanks 750 g tanks and 350 g tanks with 8 or 10 glass sucken cups good to have friends on hand, Oh and buy the way we an rent them down here you might be able to do the same thing