Joe's Starfire 210
 

I have been working on this build since April. I have what I think is about 90% of the materials that I will need to get this tank up and running but I am sure that many more surprises will pop up.


The Old Tank
I currently have a 75g with a 20g sump. I love it and it is really showing the signs of a maturing tank. Good sps growth and healthy fish. I wanted a tank for about the last 10 years but my wife didn't give in until my 40th. I ran a saltwater tank when I was in university and missed the tranquility it provided. Short sightedly we thought that the tank would be great in what might some day be our dinning room and although it is a great focal point, lugging water and other tank maintenance is tough when you have to go through the entire house.

The New tank.
I have a couple of tangs and wanted to get something that would be adequate for them and future fish. Length wise I wanted at least 6ft. I had visited Green Spotted Puffer's tank and I liked how wide it was although he suggested 30" I'm going with 28". I have two 250MH and I didn't want to upgrade the ballasts so I thought the maximum depth could be 24". So those are the dimensions. 72X28X24 =200Gallon.

Sounds great! I've been planning a big tank upgrade for a long time too so I know how you feel. I'm looking forward to this thread. Post lots of pics as you put it together.

Where are you getting the tank made?

Demolition
 

I don't know if the second floor would hold a 200g tank and we were planning on refinishing the basement so I went to work on planning our new "Family Room" to include our fish family members.

The basement room is about 14X28 and we mostly used it for junk storage and piano. A year ago a pipe that led to the kitchen burst and I had to take down the valance on the right to get to the pipe to fix it.

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...t/IMG_3910.jpg

I know many would have just fixed the valance but the 1970s paneling had to go.

My plan was to put the aquarium against the far wall where the piano sits. Behind the wall is a cantina in the garage. In the floor of the cantina is drain. Unfortunately there is about a 30" concrete foundation a third of the way up the wall. The rest is wood frame so I figure I could somehow drain over the foundation into the drain to make water changes easier.

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...t/IMG_3921.jpg

On the right side of the wall is a shutoff that leads to the outside hose so that you can turn off the sprinkler without going outside. I figured I could tap into this line and run a line to the ro/di near the tank.

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...t/IMG_3985.jpg

I had to use a pressure fitting as I had a tough time getting around the back to sweat the joint properly and I was afraid I would burn down the house if I got too aggressive with the torch. The line went perfect I just needed to get it to where the tank would be. I knew that the wall was going to be behind book cases and the tank so the easy thing to do was to cut the drywall, drill the studs, and run the line. All went well and I even patched the drywall good enough that the cuts aren't noticeable.

I will be building the tank myself. I have the glass and I built the sump and things went pretty good. I hope I am not biting off more than I can chew though.

Wow, you're braver than me.

You must have a drawing of what you are putting together...would love to see that on the thread.

I bet this is going to be one very interesting build!!

Taggin along.:biggrin:

Subscribing :-). Who can resist a large tank build?!?!

Certainly not someone who has a tank like yours!!:biggrin:

In the second pic, there is about a 1.5 inch copper pipe that could be used as a drain.
I do not know if that is close enough to your aquar. though.

Unfortunately it is on the opposite side of the room.

Demolition - Cont.
 

I removed the remaining paneling and valance.

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...t/IMG_3919.jpg

There wasn't any insulation where the foundation is, or between the two stories. I built out the wood frame and added 1.5" foam board insulation to the foundation. Now everything is flush and I have very deep window wells.

The floor is 3/4" plywood on 2X4 sleepers. It doesn't provide much thermal protection and I didn't think it would support the tank. I had the tiles tested and they are asbestos containing so I couldn't rip the entire floor out. I sealed the entire area and cut out the floor where the tank would be.

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...t/IMG_3987.jpg

In the picture you can see the new water line run. The other hole is where I ran some Cat5e for the aquarium controller to hook up to the internet. You might also noticed the paint color, yes that is RL Spa Blue. It makes you just want to relax, maybe even do some Yoga. The portion that will be behind the book cases didn't get hit with the brush yet.

Tagging along too.. :biggrin:

Installing the Floor
 

I couldn't rip up the old floor due to the asbestos. Since I had a sub floor in place I wanted to nail the new floor instead of float. Without going to a true engineered wood I found a bamboo floor that I liked the look of and was suitable for below grade installation.

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...t/IMG_3992.jpg

I know this is more of a basement build than a tank build but I am getting there. Trying to build the excitement.

Joe.

In Floor Bonus
 

When I cut away the floor for the tank I was surprised to find either a drain or a clean out.

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...t/IMG_3986.jpg

I am thinking that this corresponds to the drain on the other side of the wall. If it is just the cleanout would it be possible to use it as a drain. I don't know where it would vent to, there was nothing in the wall. There is a bit of concrete on it that I could chip away at.

Any advice would be helpful.


Joe.

I wouldn't open that, best to run a line to the drain on the other side of the wall.

Floor looks nice btw, don't know if you thought off this but it might be a good idea to mark the old floor as asbestos so that any future renovations by other people will know. I'm don't know about residential but any parts in commercial property containing asbestos has to be marked.

Thanks for the input. If I have to go that way I was thinking of just branching off the closed loop and draining to the other side for water changes.

I will try to make a marking somewhere, but the floor is down and nailed. I was thinking of putting a label under the base board as it will have to be removed before they tear up any floor. Hopefully people would test, the sign will save them $50 and a week delay.

The Sump
 

I want to be able to keep everything "fishy" under the tank, including an area for electrical. As the tank is 6ft I figure a 3ft sump would suffice and still give me enough room otherwise.
http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u.../IMG_7478b.jpg
I got the glass cut for a 36X18X18 so potential for 50gallons. Of course when I got the glass cut the first time I forgot to take into account the thickness of the glass itself, so my sides were about 3/4" to wide. After a few practice tries I tried cutting 1" off the sides. The first one went well and straight, the second was good but a bit like a country road. I took out the old belt sander did what I could to clean it up. I siliconed everything together and it was pretty good, the slight curve of the cut made the side piece pivot at about the 1/3 mark on the way up. As I was making final adjustments the top or the bottom would pull away leaving some air bubbles in the silicone. Being a wood worker and having plenty of bar claps I simply clamped the bottom then applied some pressure to the top and things looked better. Of course a second clamp at the top would make things look better still. A couple gentle twists and all air bubbles were out. I sat back and admired my work and about 30 seconds later pop. The long piece broke. Back to the glass shop and attempt #2 but this time I had new sides cut as well.
http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...t/IMG_7480.jpg
I cleaned all the old glass with razor blades and a wire wheel. Once things were clean I dry fitted, re-taped and glued it up. I didn't end up using the corner clamps, got a good deal for 4 at LeeValley but I am happy with the GE 1200. http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...t/IMG_7481.jpg
I just used duct tape to pull it together and it held. Seams were good with almost no bubbles. http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...t/IMG_7482.jpg
I let the tank sit for about 3 days and it looked like there was a small bubble that formed about half way up one side. I did a leak test and the bubble grew until I realized it wasn't a bubble in the seam but a fault or fracture in the glass. A small dime sized portion of the class popped off. I thought for sure the tank would blow again but it held. Left water in for about 2 weeks and everything A-Ok. So I am not sure what to do from here. I crazy glued the piece back in, but I know structurally that does nothing. I was thinking of siliconing one of the small 1" strips over top just to give it some added strength. The water line won't go up to the point but I don't want a weak sump.

The chip could spread into a crack down the road, best to replace the pane. It sucks but better to fix it now than find a flood later.

I know the chip could spread but it is round in shape as opposed to sharp if that makes sense. I know that the extra few bucks to replace the pane of glass is better than replacing the new floor.
This picture is from the long side.

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...t/IMG_7535.jpg

and this is from the end.

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...t/IMG_7536.jpg

When I see those chip pictures it just looks to me like the structural integrity has been compromised.. With that much water pressure over time, I would lose sleep over that little chip, hehe. But then what do I know :-)

Shelps and Kein, Thanks for the advice! I think I just needed the nudge not to be so cheap. The extra $25 for the new pane will be well worth the piece of mind. I ordered the glass today, if I get the time I will cut out the old pane tomorrow.

Sweet! Now we can all sleep at night knowing we won't wake up to another, "OMG my tank exploded! I'm getting out!" thread :-D. Seriously though, that is a very small price to pay for that peace of mind.

The Stand
 

Most of the pictures and work posted was done over the summer. Now things will start to happen in real time. The tank build thread I hope will motivate me to do things in a timely manner.

I probably would have built the stand of wood but my brother-in-law is a welder and had some 2X2 steel. I figured the strength of the steel and the smaller space it takes up might be a bonus.

We welded up the steel.
http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...CornerWeld.jpg

This is my brother-in-law not using a mask, he is from Naples, where they measure a man's testicular fortitude by their reckless behaviour. He tacked and I welded(I wore a mask!). He is adding corner braces, he insisted that it would help if people tried to shift the aquarium once it was loaded. I told him it wasn't going to happen, he wanted to do it anyway. He repairs cranes! Who am I to argue with an overbuilder.

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...alat/Brace.jpg

He grinded the welds.

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...alat/Grind.jpg


And I spent most of the weekend grinding and using a wire brush taking the stand down to bare metal. I put two coats of primer on and I should be able to hit it with paint tomorrow or this weekend.

Thanks for checking it out.

Joe.

Finished painting the stand when I realized that one of the Corner Braces would be in the way of the overflow drain. I cut it out and hit it with some paint.
http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u.../StandDone.jpg

I was going to leave it like that as I was out of white paint then I thought what would one of those people with the really great set ups do. So I went out and got more paint. Need to get the garage up to a suitable temperature and hit it again to cover up the yellow.

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...lat/Corner.jpg

wow can you make me one? :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

Nicely done! Reminds me of Khaos's overbuilt stand....I love it:lol:

Now THIS is a real man's man!



http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...alat/Brace.jpg

OMG
Quite a bit of UV light there thats for sure. Hopefully he has sunscreen on!

Sweet Build looking forward to further posts and pics.

J

wow your brother in law has balls. well at least he is wearing safety glasses (even though that is still not enough). looks like a cool project

Stand looks really nice. I'm not 100% sure from looking at the picture but it the bottom not flush like the top? Looks like after building a big flush rectangle the thing sits on 4 corner legs? What sort of surface will this rest on?

The feet sit a couple of inches lower than the bottom brace. They have a four inch plate welded over them to help distribute some of the weight. The stand will be sitting on a 4" slab in the basement.

Good old concrete...awesome then! Don't mind me. I'm no engineer. Dropped out after 1 1/2 years but I still like to pretend...was just curious =)

I think it is a good point. I figure it will be about 2000 pounds when it is all said and done. I wanted to build the entire bottom rectangle on the ground to distribute the weight over a larger area but my brother in law insited that the feet will make it easier to level in the end.

I will test fit it in the next day or two but I might have to use some self leveling concrete to prepare the pad if things are off.

Joe.

Lookin' Good Joe!

Can't wait to see it in person..

Skimmer
 

Well it has been well over a month since my last post. Not much new has happened as I have been busy at work and I was waiting to pick up some stuff that I had sent to Florida.

The one Item I am happy with that I timed to be delivered to my hotel in Orlando was a Bubble Magus BM200P. I heard mixed reviews on quality and packaging but I can say that I was quite pleased with the product delivered.

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...t/IMG_7816.jpg

The packaging was excellent and not only did it arrive in great shape to Florida, I then shipped it back to canada and had to stuff all my wife's hair products in the box at the last minute as they were in her carry on and the other bags had already been put on the belt.

I hope to finish the sump soon and get the skimmer on a test run.

Joe

Basic Assembly
 

The Christmas break gave me a little time to make some progress. I had a friend come over and help me glue up the 5 basic pannels.

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...0Build/fts.jpg


There are too many holes in the bottom of the tank to properly leak test so I will have to wait until I get it on the stand and plumb the true unions.

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u.../overflow1.jpg


I was able to get some cut offs at Sabic Polymers for $3 a sheet and debated on using a 1/4 blue sheet or a 3/8 smoked black. I opted for the smoked black. The overflow has 24" of linear overflow minus about 4". With a 1.5" drain I think this should be enough for a Panworld 100XX. The second hole if for the emergency overflow for the Herbie it is for a 1".

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...overflowtd.jpg

Next comes the euro bracing.


Joe

looks great man, coming along nicely

Thanks, it probably won't be as polished as your in wall but I am hoping it will fit well with the calming effect I am going for in the room.

Joe

thanks for the kind words I didn't think that mine was that great.