150+ gallon tank build

Froc3's 160g Plywood Tank - Updated May 18, 2009

Well, as the title says, the opportunity has come up for me to build a 150+g tank in the wall in the basement. As I doing renovations to the basement, it was suggested that a space in the wall would be available to build such a project. The space is 65 inches long and height is a non-issue other than lighting costs. I have a 250w MH for starters, but i'm thinking 2 feet tall with probably 2 more lights of 150w for either side with the 250w in the middle. I'm planning on going with a 2 pump return setup in case one breaks down. I would like each of the returns to put out at least 500 gph each after head has been deducted. A question i have is about my skimmer. I believe it's rated to 150g or so, but if i put a larger powerhead on it, would that increase it's capacity, or are skimmers based on water capacity? I'm planning on about 200 lbs of rock, with a somewhat shallow sand bed. The sump is still in the process of being worked out, but i'm going to use it for equipment only, so that helps with space management a little. If anyone has any advice on where i can get this equipment at a lower cost that would be great. If anyone has used lighting that i can possibly purchase that would be great also. If not, that's fine, there is always ebay Don't expect fast progress here, it's going to be a loooonng process.

 

Cool can't wait to see some pics froc

 

We are well into setting up a 120g display for a mixed fish/reef with a refugium/sump capacity of 100g... as for skimmers, we have opted to set the Aqua C EV120 on the shelf and use a PM Bullet-3 instead. We did consider over driving the Aqua C but, in the end, we want a system that is consistent and reliable....

As for pumps, one is a 5000 gph to run the equipment and tank return, the other is a 3600 gph to run the closed loop recirc through an Oceans Motions 4-Way. 500 gph sounds a bit small....

 

Well, there will be 2 of them running it, so it will be a little over 1000 gph. And as for pics, like i said it will be a while as i don't know whether i want to try to build a plywood tank or buy an acrylic tank.... the tank size will be pretty much custum as the length will have to be 65 inches... and that's kind of the first step As for the skimmer, a friend offered me his skimmer that he was using on his 55g. So i might be considering running 2 skimmers as well. We'll see..

 

We found that space for equipment was a premium...and many pumps & fans make much noise....We did not realize just how much noise until we had shutdown the 75g and were sitting in the living room looking at the "hole" that was left after the tank was gone....

One of our goals for the 120g is that the room stays quiet! This does mean more expense...

 

Yeah, this tank is going to go in between the living area in teh basement and the "new" fish room. All noise "should" stay in the fish room as all the walls in the fish room are insulated, other than directly around the tank. This should help. Hopefully going to go get some 3/4 inch exterior grade plywood tomorrow and get a feel for how it's going to look. I'm thinking of an exterior overflow as it will be easy to put in because it's not glass

 

Does anyone have any experience with Pan World pumps. I'm looking at the 150PS i believe it is... At any rate, plywood has been bought and is in the garage. I had the lumberyard cut all the pieces for me and the bottom fits perfectly into the space i plan on putting it in. Once i make actual progress i'll post some pics. I've decided, through lots of research, that a fiberglass liner won't be necissary. The marine epoxy should suffice for sealing the plywood and the plywood itself should be strong enough for the height i'm making the tank. If anyone has any reasons i may have overlooked for the fiberglass lining please chime in. The sump will either be my old 40 or i may try to get a 20 long for the sump.

 

The GARF website has good plans for plywood tanks. Type in your dimensions and they will provide a materials list, cutting plans, and detailed instructions. They suggest a 2 part marine grade epoxy, expensive but probably worth it. The last thing you want is to skimp on construction and or materials and have 150 + gallons of water on the floor in the middle of the night. If you haven't been to the site yet it's worth the trip. Lots of info. Good luck and post pics as you can.

 

Way too small for a 150g, doesn't matter if you have two. The power consumption you will have with the two you could power a 3k to 4kgph pump and it would cost less to run.
You are going to be surprised to see how much gph it takes to move a large volume of water to keep the tank healthy.

 

Ok, so i'm going to need 15-20x turnover through my sump? I was thinking around 5-7x turnover would be enough... I purchased a 1250 gph pump. I'll look for something a little larger then.
Thanks guys. I found a guy locally that has built 400+ plywood tanks before and he's going to guide me through this build.