scott711 December 5, 2016 December 5, 2016 So over the summer I moved and prior to the move broke all my tanks down in preparation to getting my house ready to sell. I became tankless. So after things settled down (who I am kidding, 2 kids AND a wife, nothing is every settled), I started planning a new tank build. I had a great space for it. I was going to build it so it would sit in the garage and it would have two sides that would be viewable in my living room. I had talked to a few friends trying to figure out what size I wanted. Being height challenged, I didn't want something too tall, but I did want a tank that was long enough and wide enough to support what I had pictured in my head. I was looking around at tank builders and FS section for a perfect size. Fast forward to MACNA and low and behold I see the perfect tank! AGE had a display tank on the floor. The size was perfect. 6ft long, 2 feet tall, and 3 feet wide (270 gallons). It came with some extra goodies (custom screen top, overflow at one end, and powder coated stand, removable vinyl back, and starfire sides). The biggest problem i faced is that I was 3000+ miles from home. Luckily AGE was great, they arranged everything and the tank was shipped to me a month or so ago. I attached 2 pictures of the tank being delivered. The delivery of the tank is another story! Now I am in the planning stages of building a platform to raise the tank and stand up to a suitable viewing height and strong enough to support everything. I am planning electrical, plumbing (no running water except for a hose spigot), and everything in between. I have to build a movable canopy so I can move the lights out of the way if I need to work on the tank.The biggest issue right now is planining the opening in the garage wall since it is a load bearing and a firewall for the garage/house. I talked to a building inspector and have an idea of what I need to do to make sure it is code compliant. I think I have things planned out pretty well, but if anyone has any insight
menglish December 5, 2016 December 5, 2016 That will be a great project. Good luck with the build. I' in the Wheaton area of Silver spring, close by. If you need some extra muscle send me a PM. will be happy to help
Origami December 5, 2016 December 5, 2016 Scott, isn't Justin's tank sitting in a garage wall? He may be able to offer some relevant advice.
AlanM December 5, 2016 December 5, 2016 That's great that it made it to your place eventually after you getting it at MACNA. If you need help setting it up, I can probably help. I also volunteer to put the sledgehammer through your garage wall! Justin's is in a garage, yes. I have seen it many times, but never looked closely to see how he sealed it against air leaks or anything like that.
mogurnda December 5, 2016 December 5, 2016 Hay Scott, Glad to hear you're tanked again. Looks like a beauty. I still have corals for you, and can offer help with lifting.
scott711 December 5, 2016 Author December 5, 2016 Thanks guys for all the offers. I will definitely take you guys up on it since the tank will have to be lifted from the floor to the platform and to it's final resting point on the stand. I am familiar with Justin's setup. I talked to him briefly about it.
Coral Hind December 6, 2016 December 6, 2016 Sounds cool, I'll be following along. The cooler walls, windows, and garage doors can form condensation on them during winter which for me started to cause mold issue. Granted my 600g and large sump had more surface area than what you have but humidity still might be an issue. Besides a de-humidifier you can leave a door or window open to reduce humidity build up but you'll have to use more heaters to keep the tank warm. The best part of having the tank in the garage is spills and overflows were always easy to clean up, just let it run outside.
Cliff Puckstable December 13, 2016 December 13, 2016 Can't wait to see this up and running. Your 120 was amazing.
scott711 January 31, 2017 Author January 31, 2017 I have been meaning to update this thread. A decent amount of progress has been made so far. Still farther behind then I would like. Part of it has to do with the permitting process where I live. I need to post some pictures to coincide with the progress, but so far I have been able to: Build the platform for the tank and stand to sit on. The height difference between my garage floor and the first floor is about 40 inches. I painted the wood with a pool epoxy that resists saltwater and chemicals. Hung PVC wall board to protect the drywall from getting wet. It makes the wall almost waterproof. I still want to silicone the seems. Thanks to Coral Hind!!!! I figured out how to do the electrical for the tank. Here is how it I am doing it:I had an outlet for an electric car in my garage(50Amp). I removed the outlet and ran external conduit with 6# wire for a 100 Amp sub panel. Running several electrical runs to outlets closer to tank (this is still in work).
scott711 April 5, 2017 Author April 5, 2017 wow, it has been a while since I have updated this. I have completed all the electrical, platform, and stand and got a permit for modifying the wall. I ran into a small issue when I cut open the wall and found that the HVAC condenser lines run through the same area as where my tank is going to sit.
AlanM July 21, 2017 July 21, 2017 The wall looks great. Did you make an opening on the adjacent wall to the tank too? I know you were talking about a porthole maybe.
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