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Step by step directions for building your own 2700 gallon aquarium with a radiant heater. Choose a location that best fits into your basement. Try to pick a spot near a floor drain and plumbing that can be easily extended if needed. The overall outside dimensions with stand are 27Long x 5’4” wide x 5’ high. With the inside dimensions 315"x55"x36" for a total of 2700 Gallons. The filtration is an Ultima II 6000 filter by Aqua Ultraviolet powered by dual Reeflo Hammerheads (Running in parallel) which will produce around 6500 gallons per hour. Filter is designed to handle 600 pounds of fish and 6000 gallons of water. PART 1 Building the aquarium PART 2 The plumbing PART 3 The radiant heater PART 1 Building the aquarium Complete Parts list: o (10) 10' treated 2x6s o (33) 10' 2x6s o (33) 10' 2x8s o (120) 10' 2x4s o (9) 4x8 3/4" sheets of plywood o (5) 10' 4x4s o Screws o Dow 795 Sealant o Dow Pimer C o Pond Armor o Max ACR & Thixotropic Epoxy o Fiberglass Cloth o Bondo o 3x Acrylic Windows (8’x3’x1” thick) o 4x 30watt LED Flood lights Total Costs: ~$7500 which is less than $3.00 per gallon. All content including text and photographs are protected by law - Copyright 2012 by www.VLDesign.com

PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

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Page 1: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

Step by step directions for building your own 2700 gallon aquarium with a radiant heater.

Choose a location that best fits into your basement. Try to pick a spot near a floor drain and

plumbing that can be easily extended if needed.

The overall outside dimensions with stand are 27’ Long x 5’4” wide x 5’ high. With the inside

dimensions 315"x55"x36" for a total of 2700 Gallons.

The filtration is an Ultima II 6000 filter by Aqua Ultraviolet powered by dual Reeflo

Hammerheads (Running in parallel) which will produce around 6500 gallons per hour. Filter

is designed to handle 600 pounds of fish and 6000 gallons of water.

PART 1 – Building the aquarium

PART 2 – The plumbing

PART 3 – The radiant heater

PART 1 – Building the aquarium

Complete Parts list:

o (10) 10' treated 2x6s

o (33) 10' 2x6s

o (33) 10' 2x8s

o (120) 10' 2x4s

o (9) 4x8 3/4" sheets of plywood

o (5) 10' 4x4s

o Screws

o Dow 795 Sealant

o Dow Pimer C

o Pond Armor

o Max ACR & Thixotropic Epoxy

o Fiberglass Cloth

o Bondo

o 3x Acrylic Windows (8’x3’x1” thick)

o 4x 30watt LED Flood lights

Total Costs: ~$7500 which is less than $3.00 per gallon.

All content including text and photographs are protected by law - Copyright 2012 by www.VLDesign.com

Page 2: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

This was the original design I used to build my aquarium I just expanded it x3.

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Page 3: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

All content including text and photographs are protected by law - Copyright 2012 by www.VLDesign.com

Page 4: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

First thing was to put down a layer of Pressure Treated 2x6s that I would build the tank on

making sure it was square then using a Ram Set I secured the boards to the floor.

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Page 5: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

Next to be installed are the vertical risers using 2x6’s placed 10” on center then 2 layers of

2x6 overlapped in the corners for added stability

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Page 8: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

Over top of those I used 2x8 as horizontal joists and again 10” on center and placed directly

over top of the 2x6 risers.

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Page 9: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

AN IMPORTANT NOTE: There are additional 2x8 supports on each end to support the

plywood as well as the frame of the tank. Basically the layout on the 2x8 is as follows

X-XX---X---X---X---XX---X---X---X---X---XX---X---X---X---X---XX---X---X---X---X---XX-X

The double joists are for additional plywood supports where the seams would end up.

The height measurement for my base worked out to be 23” tall. This was based on the 2x6

base + 12" 2x6 studs + 2 layers of 2x6s + 2x8 joists = 23" tall

The first run of 2x4s were put down then I started the flooring using 3/4” plywood and with

2” deck screws about every 6”-8” to secure the plywood to the wood joists below.

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Page 14: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

After the flooring of the tank was done it was time to start framing the walls of the tank

itself but now using 2x4’s. The walls were stacked on top of each other laying flat on the

widest part of the 2x4. We then screwed down from the top to the 2x4 below forming a

much more rigid wall this way. Don’t forget to overlap the corners for strength.

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Page 15: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

The overflow openings in the wide walls measure (6" x 6")

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Page 20: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

The 2 4x4 supports were added to the front at this point and additional bracing was done

later on.

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Page 24: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

Next the ½” Plywood was added to the walls for even more strength.

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Page 25: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

Extra support for the bottom of the 4x4s for the front viewing area looks like this:

A Lag bolt was run down at an angle from the front or the two center supports into the

base.

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Page 26: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

¾” plywood was used where the bulkheads were at for extra strength around the

bulkheads.

For added support I anchored the back wall to the concrete foundation which took out all

ability of the back wall to flex.

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Page 27: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

Used a 6" lag bolt (3/8") to mount the 4x4 brackets into the top of the uprights for extra

strength on those.

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Page 28: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

After the plywood was complete I used Bondo to cover all the screw holes and seams. I now

think this was a mistake and suggest you use Epoxy on the screw holes and then Epoxy and

fiberglass cloth on all the seams at this point.

Here is where my photos will be out of synch. You see I applied the pond armor first then

discovered that the Bondo didn’t stick well to the Pond Armor and some micro cracks in that

epoxy were created by the pressure of the water and caused leaks. To fix them I had to add

the Epoxy & Fiberglass cloth afterwards. It should have been done in the first place but

since there were no how to docs I didn’t know this at the time. So ignore the colorations of

the Pond Armor on the plywood and just pretend the Pond Armor isn’t down yet.

I got the Epoxy & Fiberglass from an awesome company called Polymer Composites,

Inc. on Ebay. Links provided below. http://stores.ebay.com/Polymer-

Products?_trksid=p4340.l2563

First we apply the THIXOTROPIC or NON SAGGING epoxy to all the corners. You may need

to thicken this up for the vertical seams with some Calcium Carbonate Powder

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EPOXY-RESIN-GLUE-NONE-SAGGING-STRUCTURAL-GRADE-1-

GAL-KT-/220594244713?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item335c710c69

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EPOXY-FILLER-IMPROVE-THERMAL-DIMENSIONAL-STABILITY-

/220513516394?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3357a13b6a

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EPOXY-RESIN-AQUARIUM-TANK-PONDS-CONSTRUCTION-1-5-

GAL-/310075939459?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4831f75a83

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Page 31: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

Next we cover the entire tank with a thin coat of Max ACR Epoxy using a HD foam roller.

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Page 32: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

After that first coat cures (4 hours or so) we then apply another coat to the seams and

corners and apply our fiberglass cloth.

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Page 33: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

It wouldn’t hurt to mention that a layer of fiberglass and Epoxy covering the entire inside of

the tank is also not a bad idea.

You then wet in the fiberglass with more epoxy and a brush. Then work out all the bubbles

that you can. I cannot give you advice on how to do fiberglass work since this is my first

time and as you can see I am not that good at it. But making sure there are no bubbles is

very important here and I can’t stress that enough. After another 4-5 hours recoat with the

HD roller and Max ACR.

You can continue to use the Max ACR product (Fully Tintable) until it is thick enough (10 Mil

at least) or you can switch it up and go to your epoxy coating of Choice. I used Pond Armor

but if I were to do this tank again I might not use anything other than the Max ACR.

After the Epoxy is fully cured you can install the windows. I used Dow Primer C and Dow

795 silicone for the windows. You apply the Primer C 20 minutes before you apply the

silicone to help with the bonding to the acrylic.

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Page 34: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

Next we installed the top braces and windows

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Page 38: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

Next, I also installed upper walls using fiberglass wall panels to help keep the moisture in

without needing any covers over the water.

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Page 39: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

All content including text and photographs are protected by law - Copyright 2012 by www.VLDesign.com

Page 40: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

All content including text and photographs are protected by law - Copyright 2012 by www.VLDesign.com

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All content including text and photographs are protected by law - Copyright 2012 by www.VLDesign.com

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All content including text and photographs are protected by law - Copyright 2012 by www.VLDesign.com

Page 43: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

The blocks on the bottom are supports for a divider wall in case I ever need them.

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Page 44: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

Finally we install the background panels from designsbynature.com.

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Page 46: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

Plastic sheeting was installed on the top of the tank to help direct condensation down back

into the tank and keep it away from the upstairs floor joists.

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Page 47: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

Complete tank with Fish. (Will finish the front of the tank when I finish the basement this

summer)

PART 2 – The Plumbing & Filtration

Complete Parts list:

o 1 x Aqua Ultraviolet 6000 Filter w/2” valve

o 2 x Reeflo Hammer Head Pumps

o 2 x 2” ball valves (Single Union)

o 2 x 2” ball valves (True Union)

o 5 x 10’ 2" PVC

o Various Elbows, Couplings, and 90s

o 2x 2” Unions

o 1x 2” Check valve

o 2x 1.5” Check valve

o 3x 2” Bulkheads

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Page 48: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

All content including text and photographs are protected by law - Copyright 2012 by www.VLDesign.com

Page 49: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

All content including text and photographs are protected by law - Copyright 2012 by www.VLDesign.com

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All content including text and photographs are protected by law - Copyright 2012 by www.VLDesign.com

Page 51: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

PART 4 – The radiant heater

Complete Parts list with cost:

o 1 x Grundfos Bronze Circulator Pump

o 1 x ETC-111000 Single stage Temperature Controller

o 1 x 100' 1/2" PEX tubing

o 4 x 1/2" PEX x 1/2" MIP Brass adapters

o 1 x 3/4" Boiler Drain Cock

o 3 x 1/2"x3/4" Bushings

o 1 x 3/4" Threaded T

o 1 x Fem Hose adapter to 3/4"

o 2 x Ball Valve body

o 4 x Adapted ends for valve bodies

o 24' 1/2" insultation

Step 1: Assemble the brass fittings to the drain of the hot water heater. This includes the

ball valves and the PEX connector.

This will be where the water returns into the hot water heater after going through the PEX

tubing. I couldn't get the original drain cock out of the heater so I had to use the hose

adapter to 3/4" fitting to attach it to the T connector to allow the water to return that way.

Step 2: Install copper T into the outlet side of the hot water heater. Then install Valve and

PEX connector.

This will be where the water feeds into the PEX tubing.

Step 3: Assemble the circulation pump and mount it to the wall.

Step 4: Wire the controller and pump together

Step 5: Make final PEX tubing connections between pump and water heater.

Step 6: Plug in controller and set heat points.

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Page 52: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

Hot water is fed into the heating system from the main hot water pipe

Hot water goes into the circulation pump and down to the coil in the sump

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Page 53: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

Circulates though the coil and back out the sump toward the hot water heater

Water then returns to the bottom of the water heater after going through the pex tubing

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Page 54: PART 1 - VLDESIGN · PART 1 – Building the aquarium PART 2

The controller is what tells the circulation pump to turn on and off

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