Well it is true, I broke down my 120 gallon aquarium and sold all of my aquarium equipment and supplies except for a few essential items in hope to one day enter the hobby again after what I wanted to be a long hiatus. However lurking on the aquarium boards just left me teetering on the edge of wanting to return. And since I'm starting this thread you obviously what decision I have made. I want to build my dream aquarium. One that was thoughtfully planned out by integrating some of the best ideas in the hobby all into one massive plethora of aquatic goodness. But the best part about this build is that I plan to manufacture the majority of the aquarium and the necessary equipment personally. This will indeed be a lengthy project but definitely one that is worth effort that will be placed into it. So I hope everyone enjoys tagging along and as always questions, comments and constructive criticism is always welcome.
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Jasonanatal's 120 gallon "Custom Built by Myself" Reef Aquarium.
- Thread starter Jasonanatal
- Start date
Jasonanatal's 120 gallon "Custom Built by Myself" Reef Aquarium Update.
Hypothetical Schematics and Reasoning Behind the Design
I have included some schematics containing the basic design of the new 120 gallon Reef Aquarium. Please remember that majority of equipment will be manufactured by myself so it will definitely take me longer than normal to bring this project to completion. I'm still on the fence about wether the actual aquarium will be constructed out of 3/4 inch Acrylic with "Euro Style Bracing" or 3/4 Starphire Glass. The aquarium itself is being placed in my office/bedroom so I can enjoy the beautiful reef during the day while working as well as enjoy the shimmering moonlight at night. I will hopefully start construction on the stand this weekend but it is my 2 year anniversary this saturday so I will be spending the majority of the time with my wife.
Schematic - Front view for the design of my dream reef aquarium Project.
Schematic - Left view for the design of my dream reef aquarium project.
Schematic - Rear view for the design of my dream reef aquarium project.
Schematic - Right view for the design of my dream reef aquarium project.
Schematic - Equipment view for the design of my dream reef aquarium project.
Hypothetical Schematics and Reasoning Behind the Design
I have included some schematics containing the basic design of the new 120 gallon Reef Aquarium. Please remember that majority of equipment will be manufactured by myself so it will definitely take me longer than normal to bring this project to completion. I'm still on the fence about wether the actual aquarium will be constructed out of 3/4 inch Acrylic with "Euro Style Bracing" or 3/4 Starphire Glass. The aquarium itself is being placed in my office/bedroom so I can enjoy the beautiful reef during the day while working as well as enjoy the shimmering moonlight at night. I will hopefully start construction on the stand this weekend but it is my 2 year anniversary this saturday so I will be spending the majority of the time with my wife.
Schematic - Front view for the design of my dream reef aquarium Project.
Schematic - Left view for the design of my dream reef aquarium project.
Schematic - Rear view for the design of my dream reef aquarium project.
Schematic - Right view for the design of my dream reef aquarium project.
Schematic - Equipment view for the design of my dream reef aquarium project.
The drawings look nice, good luck with the project. Just some comments to help you think through the project.
One a 2x4 vertically is much stronger than 2 on their sides.
How are you going to get the skimmer in & out of the sump for maintenance? There's not much room above it.
I would think about putting both the upper and lower shelf on draw slides so they can pulled out for easy access.
I would also look into feeding each one of those reactors from a manifold off of the drain line and eliminate all those pumps.
You need to consider how you're going to reach into the tank with that height? Obviously you can use 2 ladders and a plank. But that is going to get very tediuous over time. Especially when all you need to do is turn one frag upright from being knocked over.
Just some thoughts.
One a 2x4 vertically is much stronger than 2 on their sides.
How are you going to get the skimmer in & out of the sump for maintenance? There's not much room above it.
I would think about putting both the upper and lower shelf on draw slides so they can pulled out for easy access.
I would also look into feeding each one of those reactors from a manifold off of the drain line and eliminate all those pumps.
You need to consider how you're going to reach into the tank with that height? Obviously you can use 2 ladders and a plank. But that is going to get very tediuous over time. Especially when all you need to do is turn one frag upright from being knocked over.
Just some thoughts.
Reply to Jcurry@weesketch.
Jcurry@weesketch, those ideas are definitely some food for thought. I was curious as to as to your thoughts for the piping for this. I'm assuming that you would use true unions with balls valves to disconnect the piping to that the equipment could slide out after being disconnected. Also what would you have in mind for the manifold off the main drain to feed the reactors? To answer your question regarding accessing the aquarium, I have a utility ladder and large tongs to grab things. Plus my bed is right to the left side of the aquarium so I can always stand on that. But I would prefer passing the trouble to keep this design in place. I want to be able to see the entire aquarium standing up without squatting.
Jcurry@wesketch said:
Jcurry@weesketch, those ideas are definitely some food for thought. I was curious as to as to your thoughts for the piping for this. I'm assuming that you would use true unions with balls valves to disconnect the piping to that the equipment could slide out after being disconnected. Also what would you have in mind for the manifold off the main drain to feed the reactors? To answer your question regarding accessing the aquarium, I have a utility ladder and large tongs to grab things. Plus my bed is right to the left side of the aquarium so I can always stand on that. But I would prefer passing the trouble to keep this design in place. I want to be able to see the entire aquarium standing up without squatting.
Yeah true unions with ball valves would work for the upper shelf. For the sump the drain line could empty in the front of the sump. So when you pulled the shelf out the drain line would end up at the back of the sump. One thing I hadn't consider when mentioning the manifold off the drain was the detritus. Detritus could foul each of the reactors and become a maintenance burden.
I like the idea of a tall tank set higher than normal for viewing, but I'm always concerned about the maintenance aspect. I've been sketching plans for a large in wall tank in my basement and since I want the tank to be 30-36" high this is a real concern. Since mine will be in wall I'll just make the stand in the equipment room 18" deeper than tank so I can stand on it. Access to the front side is still a problem. I've toyed with the idea having a double layer of legs. Where the first layer can swing out to support a fascia that swings down to form a platform to stand or kneel on. It could be similar to how a drop leaf table operates or I may just put a counter in front and use it as my home office. Having to go down the hall to get the ladder and tongs everytime you want to do the littlest thing could get old after a while.
I like the idea of a tall tank set higher than normal for viewing, but I'm always concerned about the maintenance aspect. I've been sketching plans for a large in wall tank in my basement and since I want the tank to be 30-36" high this is a real concern. Since mine will be in wall I'll just make the stand in the equipment room 18" deeper than tank so I can stand on it. Access to the front side is still a problem. I've toyed with the idea having a double layer of legs. Where the first layer can swing out to support a fascia that swings down to form a platform to stand or kneel on. It could be similar to how a drop leaf table operates or I may just put a counter in front and use it as my home office. Having to go down the hall to get the ladder and tongs everytime you want to do the littlest thing could get old after a while.
lets build come on. I have some 3/4 inch plexi if you need heavy duty.
Reply to RichT.
RichT, The clearnace from the top of the aquarium without a canopy would be 4 Feet.
RichT said:
RichT, The clearnace from the top of the aquarium without a canopy would be 4 Feet.
Reply to HarryK.
HarryK, thank you for the compliment. I will definitely keep everyone updated but this will be a slow process because of the amount of tools and supplies that need to be purchased over time.
harryk said:
HarryK, thank you for the compliment. I will definitely keep everyone updated but this will be a slow process because of the amount of tools and supplies that need to be purchased over time.
Reply to Lord Viper.
Lord Viper, do you have spare acrylic left over from a previous project or do you sell it normally?
Lord Viper said:
Lord Viper, do you have spare acrylic left over from a previous project or do you sell it normally?
Reply to Aceswild.
Aceswild, it is good to have you tagging along.
Aceswild said:
Aceswild, it is good to have you tagging along.
Nice plan. I hope all goes well.
Reply to Cathm1079.
Cathm1078, thank you for the compliment on my aquarium design. I have started constructing the stand a few days ago and should have some photographs and updates uploaded shortly.
cathym1078 said:
Cathm1078, thank you for the compliment on my aquarium design. I have started constructing the stand a few days ago and should have some photographs and updates uploaded shortly.