Looking for opinions

[s_kelley]

Ok so I picked up a 300 gallon Rubbermaid trough. Its a six foot wide circle. I was planning on upgrading my sump from the 100 gallon koi pond I am using to this 300. Looking at it I am thinking there is a ton of room for a sump and something different. I saw on another certain reef website a guy used the same Rubbermaid as his tank and it looked really cool. Do ya think that I can section it off somehow with eggcrate or something? I was thinking half sump half lagoon kind of thing. Sand, rock, coral, fish, etc. Maybe a frag section? I mean I got a six foot circle, its huge! Just not sure whats possible, never seen anything like that before. I have most of the equipment already, just brainstorming.
Let the opinions fly!!

 

[s_kelley]

A pic for those that haven't seen one before.

 

[jokersplayground]

i was going to get one and do it as one huge refuge/lagoon type of thing. i was going to have a deep sand bed with a ton of rock with caves that can be seen from the top. i was gunna have a blue or red carpet with true perks, a bunch of chromis and what ever would look cool from top down. and then i was going to have mangrove trees some on the rocks and some in the sand. along with being on the sand bed i was going to have coco worms and a bunch of clams as these two things are great as natural filters. thats what i was going to do.

 

[MrX]

Kiah (Michele) at Oceanus has one of these huge stock tanks plumbed into her system (under the cellar stairs). It's full of coral and fish, well, was the last time I was out there.

Why bother partitioning it? In my 100G stock tank I just made a wall of rock in the middle, put about 2" of sand on once side, then tossed in some chaeto and CuC.

I think trying to mount eggcrate or something else in there with all the angles/indents/etc. would be difficult.

 

[s_kelley]

Rock wall sounds interesting. I was more thinking of keeping any livestock out of the skimmer and refuge section. My skimmer is a in the tank reef octo so its gotta go in there somewhere. Have a pic of what you did with yours?

 

[jokersplayground]

Rock wall sounds interesting. I was more thinking of keeping any livestock out of the skimmer and refuge section. My skimmer is a in the tank reef octo so its gotta go in there somewhere. Have a pic of what you did with yours?

you can build a stand and have egg crate built around it so fish cant get near it. i didnt actually build it. thats what i wanted to do if i went that route

 

[s_kelley]

Saw this a while ago and its what got me thinking
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eh-qkT00uI

 

[s_kelley]

you can build a stand and have egg crate built around it so fish cant get near it. i didnt actually build it. thats what i wanted to do if i went that route

That's actually a really good idea, definitely gonna be doing that

 

[jokersplayground]

please keep me in the loop. i have this huge pic in my head how it would look. but i just don't have the space for it

 

[dz6t]

Does Michele's tank have egg crate in it? I don't remember but that is a amazing tank. I was too focus on the giant hippo tang in it when I was there.

 

[s_kelley]

You guys know me and build threads! Im brainstorming right now but this will more than likely happen

 

[jokersplayground]

Saw this a while ago and its what got me thinking
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eh-qkT00uI

thats what i have. but mine is a 60 rimless shallow tank lol

 

[s_kelley]

I was thinking a big tang or angel would be awesome, my shallow reef upstairs is far too small for any tangs
Hiller has that awesome Vlamingi up for sale too!
Well 300 may be too small for that guy but it had me thinking
maybe some not so reef safe stuff downstairs and pure reef upstairs

 

[MrX]

Rock wall sounds interesting. I was more thinking of keeping any livestock out of the skimmer and refuge section. My skimmer is a in the tank reef octo so its gotta go in there somewhere. Have a pic of what you did with yours?

There are some pics in my original build thread: http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php?119091-MrX-s-120G-Build

Does Michele's tank have egg crate in it? I don't remember but that is a amazing tank. I was too focus on the giant hippo tang in it when I was there.

I don't recall any egg-crate in her giant stock tank. I don't think she uses it as a sump, more for water volume and corals/fish.

 

[Flame Angel]

Wow! I am jealous. You can see the amount of flow. Similar idea I was thinking of going with.

I was going with 180g DT that would dump into a 75g slimmer/refuge and then down to the 150g Rubbermaid.

All still in the planning stage.

I can only imagine how big the 300g Rubbermaid is.

 

[s_kelley]

Should be pretty cool, the things is so huge it barely fits through the doors.

 

[mchartier]

When I used the 100 gallon one I made a stand out of PVC to elevate a large brute container I used as a fuge I just drilled the side at the height I wanted. Worked great, I miss having the basement sump.

If I had the 300 I would throw a deep sand bed and multiple haddoni's or a mertinsii carpet with a group of orange or pink skunks.

 

[s_kelley]

Ok so ive cleaned up the fish room so it can accommodate the new giant sump. Anyone ever take on something like this and can give advice?
I have about 150 gallons of water and prob 100lbs of live rock in there as well. I need to transfer it all over to the new sump, add more water, and the do all the plumbing.
Thinking I may have to use barrels and stuff to put everything in while I make the transfer, if I put it all in the 300g then I will never be able to move it into position once I take apart the other stuff.
Looking for suggestions

 

[P-Nut]

Sand, some rocks, and add a couple of sharks and rays.
That is big enough for the smaller sharks.

Heat loss during winter will be big, if you just keep fish you can always insulate it with a couple of holes for regular lights.

 

[mchud]

Michelle's tank does not have egg crate in it. It is the sump for her display tank upstairs. The nicest sump I have ever seen. I have done the same with my system, I have 1 150 Rubbermaid in the basement set up like hers. The 300 is such a cool tank. Good luck on your set up