What kind of budget should I be looking at?

[Oompa Loompa]

Well, I had my meeting. He 100% agrees with the idea of a "fish wall!" He told me that sometime soon (haven't decided on a time yet) we will be looking for a location to put it, and to my surprise he told me that he will be paying me to maintain it - likely not enough to quit my job I've got now, but a great way to earn some extra cash!

Expect some kind of build thread this summer

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

If this truly ends up happening, I recommend you make a very good plan and design BEFORE you start buying any materials. Get a really good list of materials required and then do your best to buy them in bulk at a discount.

I hope this all works out well and look forward to seeing pics along the way.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

If this truly ends up happening, I recommend you make a very good plan and design BEFORE you start buying any materials. Get a really good list of materials required and then do your best to buy them in bulk at a discount.

I hope this all works out well and look forward to seeing pics along the way.

Thanks! I'm drawing out designs now, and the next meeting we will be having (unsure of date so far) will be deciding on a budget and a place to put it. This is where I will show him my drawings. I found a great deal online - guy 2 hours away from me is selling 2 perfectly tame macaws for $1,200, including the cage. They talk as well. Blue and gold and a greenwing macaw. I can't wait to get the funding for this aquarium project, so that I can go pick them up (before someone else does)!

 

[Oompa Loompa]

Alright, here's the plan of what I will be setting up

-600 gallon tank, SW, beach fish native to NC's coast (my old history teacher has requested to do this, so I agreed)
-600 gallon monster tank (planned stock is niger catfish, oscar, jaguar cichlid, giant gourami, motoro stingrays, red atabapo pike, black aro, and 5 large bichirs (endli, buettikoferi, weeksii, ansorgiiXendli, ornate))
-75 gallon mini-monster tank (senegal bichir (actually my old one, who's about 5 years old now! gave it to a bio teacher years back), AT dat, indo dat (both growouts), banded leporinus, uaru cichlid, eclipse catfish, 3 denison's barbs)
-75 gallon octopus tank
-Custom 8' cage with a tegu
-Plan on (as soon as I get money) driving to Raleigh to pick up a pair of 15 year old macaws, blue and gold and a greenwing
-Ball python
-Veiled chameleon
-2 white's tree frogs
-Tokay gecko
-29 gallon planted tank
-10 gallon planted tank (dwarf puffer)
-20 gallon reef (soft corals and a tiny bit of LPS)

I will be doing all maintenance now (it appears) for a undisclosed amount of money, except for feedings (can't be there every day)
Updates to come once I get a budget figured out and find a location.

 

[Lepisosteus]

Little advice dont set it up for them. Dont build the tanks yourself. How law suits happen. Good project right idea on the budget

 

[coolkeith]

I'd have an architect and structural engineer draw up the plans since you'll need building permits. This project will need contractors for HVAC, Electrical, and Plumbing. Be sure the location is more than suitable for the animals themselves. No direct sunlight....so and so.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

Little advice dont set it up for them. Dont build the tanks yourself. How law suits happen. Good project right idea on the budget

Yeah, I'm not building anything myself. I will be setting it up myself, not building anything though. Hopefully glasscages will build tanks for the cost of materials, and my grandfather is a welder so he has offered to build steel stands.

 

[Lepisosteus]

Again careful when you set it up im just letting you know what can happen. Make sure the tank is level and all that, if not the aquarium manufacturer will not cover the damage from a failed tank

 

[millerkid519]

How long have you been in this hobby? This is a big project and I hope you know how to cover your ass. Not trying to come off as a jerk or negative you know how everyone is like to sue someone at a drop of a hat.
I would love to help you some day if this is your goal and I'm sure I can make it happen if I knew where you where from

 

[Oompa Loompa]

Again careful when you set it up im just letting you know what can happen. Make sure the tank is level and all that, if not the aquarium manufacturer will not cover the damage from a failed tank

Yeah, the school has an excellent maintenance department that handles a lot of the construction, and I have been in touch with them to help with the build. I'm pretty sure the floor is already level (there used to be a small aquarium there), but checking and double checking (and triple checking!) is something I need to do. As well as making sure temperatures are always relatively stable, and so on and so forth.