KimP

Very nice!

I'm in too, great idea Mitch

I'm so sad to read this I bought my first coral from him, and several after. Such a nice guy and so helpful. I'm going to miss him around here.

Looks very nice. I'm looking forward to the video!

Wow, now that's a tank! Looking forward to seeing what you do with it!

Also, I was planning on using something like cement board on the inside. Blocking moisture from getting into the wall won't be a problem, I'll just need to vent the sump for the sake of it not being so damp in the cabinet.

Thank you! I was hoping you'd see my post and comment. And I'm so glad I'll be able to just get all of that out of the way. The 2x4s are laying flat, so it makes sense they're just for holding up that ledge. Well that makes things a whole lot easier. I'll think about the idea of moving an outlet up into the arch. I have 4 kessils and each have a big power supply.

This does seem to be the best choice, I just chicken out when thinking about how that might affect the wall structurally. I'm pretty confident at least part of it is load-bearing. I don't know too much about construction. I'm definitely considering cutting out those studs in the middle though. That seems safe enough and the tank stand should offer more structure to the wall in place of them. I need to learn more about it.

I just measured the openings in between the studs, and it's 15", 15.5", 15" wide and 7" front to back. That wire leads from the other outlet, on the dining room side, to the outlet in middle of where I want the stand, on the wood floor side. I'm planning on moving this outlet that's in middle of the wall I'll be taking out, to the inside of the stand where all the electrical will be. I'll have it switched over to a gfi relay (I think that's what the electrician called it) since a dedicated circuit is nearly impossible in this location (and I don't feel it necessary).

Ha! Says the guy with no kids yet, lol! Really though, I'm going to give it my best shot. It'd be nice to have the stand framed out by then at least, if not the tank here too.

Equipment list that may or may not be used on the tank, from the top down: 4 a360n Kessils, 2 a360w Kessil Hopefully there won't be any powerheads, but I have a couple big controllable Tunze's that I'd use if needed Closed loop with a Waveline DC 10000 II for variable speed flow controlled by the Apex 2 return pumps, mag 5s, one of which has a manifold that will run: Chemipure Blue possibly biopellets in the future if needed Skimmer - Tunze ComlineDOC 9006 and am pretty happy with it. I'll stick with this one for now even though it's probably undersized. Bubble Magus 3-channel dosing pump - dosing alk and phytoplankton Ultralife UV 16W - may use if needed Tunze ATO 12" custom spectrum BML strip used to light the sump. Currently it's lit 24/7 Heater - Controlled by the Apex. Apex Jr to control the whole thing with temp & pH probe. 2 Penn-Plax Silent Air B11 battery operated back-up air pumps. 1 for tank 1 for sump I think that's about it! I'll update as things change.

This may prove to be one of the slowest builds in history, but here's it goes!! We bought this house in Dec (thanks JeeperTy) and right away I noticed this arch, visible from all of downstairs and some of upstairs, that is screaming "please put a tank here!!!". The opening is 50" wide and the current plan is to leave the wall mostly alone, and build the stand around it. In this pic you can see there is a little divider wall and I want this side of the stand to come out even with that. So that limits me to 11" on each side and a 30" x 48" tank. Yesterday I managed to get a hole cut in the wall to peek in and see how it's constructed, and where any wires are located. Here goes nothing!! And here's what I found top bottom It's constructed just how I expected. I was able to put that rectangle right back into place to keep curious kiddos out. I'm glad that part worked out! Timfish handled the move of my 90gal from the old house and while he was here I enlisted his help with this new build. A couple things we talked about are: having an external overflow, closed loop for circulation, leaving the wall studs as-is (figure something out with that wire) and having a sump possibly in 2 or 3 parts and have it run in between the studs, having drywall on the green side so it looks just like it was part of the house all along, and on the kitchen side having the stand be skinned in cabinetry that matches the kitchen. It'd be nice to have a section separate for the controller and other electronics. I plan on only accessing the tank on the tile floor side, but I plan on having access on the hardwood floor side too, just in case it's needed. Trying to think of ways to do that with drywall. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I'd like to get the tank ordered asap. Now that we know what the wall looks like, we can plan where any holes might go, and I can get the tank ordered and drilled. The lights will hang from the arch and if I can do it, I'd like to have the wires for the lights go strait into the wall and run down inside the wall. Tim mentioned using a tray that the lights would poke down out of to keep things really clean looking vs the bar they hang from now. That's about it for now! I'll list the equipment I have and general plans for the tank later. Everything in my current tank will transfer. Thanks in advance for any input. I'll need lots of advice on this one!

Are you running carbon? Just in case it was the sea hare.

That stand is beautiful!

Very nice!

I've read Timfish recommend running the sterilizer off of its own powerhead that's placed in the DT, right near the sandbed to catch the most ich. (I hope I repeated that correctly Tim) As far as how much heat, I don't know. Personally I was at my limit of how much I can cool my tank without a chiller, so any added heat was a deal breaker. I'd imagine you don't have to worry about it with a chiller.

Heat can be a downside. It's the sole reason I've never hooked mine up. I have it ready to go the second I might need it though.

I don't have those particular chalices. All of the ones I do have are in full light but near the bottom of the tank way at the side. I think yours will be fine in semi shade, just move them in more shade if they start fading. Can you post pictures of your chalices? I'd love to see what they look like!

I looked into these a couple years ago when I was really into nps corals. They have terrible survival rates but I remember there were some promising results with the Fauna Marin foods. Those seem to be what the best nps tank keepers use. The blueberry gorgs are sure beautiful! I'm interested to see how they do!

Yes they both sold, one to you, one to wizard and he sold that one already to someone. I'm sorry you're having trouble with it :/ I wish I could help!

That's awesome, thanks!

Lol, it is just like a drug deal, esp the nights when person after person comes to the door just to exchange money for little baggies. I've wondered what the neighbors think. Or when the transaction includes some kalk or other white powder in a bag!