large reef safe fish

[longliveledzep]

I am a fan of these as well. Vlamingi is my favorite though I think.

Dussumieri's are harder to keep than the rest, just keep that in mind.

Really the possibilities are endless here. Any tang is doable and you could do a lot of them in a large tank like this.

I would be looking into filtration and lighting plans for a tank this big. You are going to need to spend a ton of money to get a massive skimmer and pumps for water movement. You will also need a ton of space for sump, refugiums, and other water volume.

Lighting for this much surface area is also something that will need a lot of planning. You most likely will want to do a combination of lighting. Doing intense halides over the islands of rocks and filling in with other lights for the areas with no coral.

You will most likely need to have a custom made addition on your house made with reinforced cement foundation to keep a tank like this. You will also need your electricity and multiple circuit capabilities customized to handle all the power you will be using.

The costs of all of this and then the costs of upkeep need to be factored in to have a healthy thriving huge tank. I am just brushing the surface on what will need to be done on a project of this magnitude. There are many other things that need planning beyond what I have started to address. IMO this planning is way way more important than stocking the tank. When you get everything up and running and stable then you can look to what to stock your tank with.

the tank is going in the bacement on a cement foundation in the wall and behind it is a very large storage room we have a 400g tank right now so we have some info on large tanks

 

[nonstophoops]

the tank is going in the bacement on a cement foundation in the wall and behind it is a very large storage room we have a 400g tank right now so we have some info on large tanks

Good to hear you have experience with some large tanks. It should be quite a fun and interesting project.

Still, I would have a contractor come out and look at where you want to put it and make sure everything is ok. Basement floors are not constructed to handle the 8 to 10 thousand pounds you will have sitting on it, which is a big difference from even a 400. I assume you are from oregon by the OR in your location, meaning that you are in a place that freezes in the winter. This freezing combined with the weight of the tank will cause the floor to crack and move. When it doesn't it could compromise your tank. That is why I recommend reinforced cement foundation with metal beams driven deep into the ground that will hold most of the weight and resist the summer/winter fluctuations.

 

[FLESHY]

+1 to the above...its one thing to build smaller ponds etc on these foundations as many people have, but once you get to something like this you are not only talking about cracking your floor, but possibly sinking your foundation.

Not good.

 

[longliveledzep]

it would be on a concrete slab in the bacement also would i be able to keep a shark and if so what kind

 

[Otherone]

I have 2 concrete floors underground and with all the large tanks in the fishroom easily 1,000 gal's of water on a concrete and tile floor with no issues from the wieght. All my tanks fresh and salt use Rocks as bio filters. You could probably add another 1/2 ton in rock wieght to my total. Only problems I've come across are upgrading the breakers and when I had an indoor pond, musty hot and humid. I know a few ppl localy that blow my total away. Their basements are completely stuffed with tanks many 1,000's gals.

Here in PA are minimum thickness is 2' of 2A stone under 1.5' of rebarred concrete with another 2" of smooth surface. Are foundations have to be able and do hold up in extreme weather circumstances like blizzards of the century. 1,000 gals of water is a walk in the park compared to 4-8' of snow and ice. Granted there is weight shearing properties involved in the over-all construction of the house but the same holds true for stuctures holding volumes of water.

The cool part about having 2 underground levels is that 1 floor is for fish the second as a basement and water change room. I have a canister pump on the bottom floor that sucks the water from the tanks shoots it right out the side of the house down the drive. And yes my drive has signs of errosion but minimal. Also have another canister to pump the water right back up to the tanks from a 50 gal sump sink. Both have female hose ends so I use a garden hose as the siphon without actually getting wet. I also remember the daze of doing this with 5 gal buckets - was a nightmare.

I'm working on a different system for the 180 Salty. I have a utillity pump in the water change tank that is behind the wall to shoot water into the tank. Draining tho goes into the 50 gal sink and down the drain. I don't want to kill my lawn with salt overload.

I wouldn't have any issues with a 1,000 freshy build but salt YIKES! not sure I could afford that one. Maybe if I win the lottery or find away to re-invent the wheel. My Hats off to ya - best of luck and keep us posted.

 

[nonstophoops]

I have 2 concrete floors underground and with all the large tanks in the fishroom easily 1,000 gal's of water on a concrete and tile floor with no issues from the wieght. All my tanks fresh and salt use Rocks as bio filters. You could probably add another 1/2 ton in rock wieght to my total. Only problems I've come across are upgrading the breakers and when I had an indoor pond, musty hot and humid. I know a few ppl localy that blow my total away. Their basements are completely stuffed with tanks many 1,000's gals.

Here in PA are minimum thickness is 2' of 2A stone under 1.5' of rebarred concrete with another 2" of smooth surface. Are foundations have to be able and do hold up in extreme weather circumstances like blizzards of the century. 1,000 gals of water is a walk in the park compared to 4-8' of snow and ice. Granted there is weight shearing properties involved in the over-all construction of the house but the same holds true for stuctures holding volumes of water.

The cool part about having 2 underground levels is that 1 floor is for fish the second as a basement and water change room. I have a canister pump on the bottom floor that sucks the water from the tanks shoots it right out the side of the house down the drive. And yes my drive has signs of errosion but minimal. Also have another canister to pump the water right back up to the tanks from a 50 gal sump sink. Both have female hose ends so I use a garden hose as the siphon without actually getting wet. I also remember the daze of doing this with 5 gal buckets - was a nightmare.

I'm working on a different system for the 180 Salty. I have a utillity pump in the water change tank that is behind the wall to shoot water into the tank. Draining tho goes into the 50 gal sink and down the drain. I don't want to kill my lawn with salt overload.

I wouldn't have any issues with a 1,000 freshy build but salt YIKES! not sure I could afford that one. Maybe if I win the lottery or find away to re-invent the wheel. My Hats off to ya - best of luck and keep us posted.

I agree with you that it "can be done." That doesn't mean he shouldn't be careful and make sure everything is up to par from an expert before doing it. For all the money that will go into this setup, a small fee for someone to come and check everything out and give him a yes/no on his basement being able to handle it is a good idea. The whole hobby is littered with "someone else is doing it so I can too" type stories which can often times lead to disaster.

The other thing about it looking like everything is fine in your basement is that over time it could slowly be shifting or cracking from the pressure and pressure changes from the winter/summer cycle. You currently can't see the effects of all the weight, but you might be able to someday.

The storms and environmental factors you mention are only brief issues that go away very quickly. Designing something to withstand a pounding for 1 day is different than what you would have to do to withstand a pounding 24/7.

I don't necessarily disagree with you, it is more a case of better safe than sorry...

 

[Otherone]

No doudt - better safe than sorry. I've seen 1st hand enviormentally caused issues with concrete slab foundations, especially those close to waterways.

Don't think it'll be cheap tho sometype of imaging would be needed to see stress cracks and sub-soil integrity.

 

[longliveledzep]

what about a emperor snapper

 

[FLESHY]

Definitely not reef safe. Anything that fits into its mouth is gone. Mainly inverts however.

 

[jtietz]

Vlamingi tang or Achilies tang are my choice. i have a 7 inch Vlaingi tang now in my 210 reef and is the most personable fish i own. but the do get big and can be clumsy knocking down corals.