Behemoth planted tank

Client trashed it last week.
Left for a week, the CO2 tank ran out and he did not catch it.

So now it'll be a clean up job and rescaping. Things grow back pretty quick, but a large tank is a lot of work to fix. I'll be going down there the following weekend to do that and replant.

And to train some folks on how to use the CO2, set up a email notifying system for the monitoring system, pH+KH reference/DO/Temp/Lighting. He has a local guy that can take care of things when he's out of town so I'll be training him on 1001 ways to screw up CO2 and then see if he can find and fix the problem(A test).

Like most tanks, especially larger ones with sumps etc, it's all about the CO2 gas.
The client wants to try Gloss in place of HC, oh brother.........lots of weed trimming. I'm bring a bunch of the Green geko crypt to fill in as that Gloss will not last too long I'm afraid. You can do all sorts of things, but if you neglect/do not have the folks that are able to diagnosis issues, then you are going to have issues.

But that's why they hire folks like me.

I personally would not have a tank this large.

2'Tall, 3-4ft front to back, 12 ft long would be ideal for a large tank.
I'd just build it like a pool with one front viewing pane, a greenhouse surrounding it so I would not have to use much light. I'd have 6x400w E ballast MH's as well for more light during winter etc and at night perhaps.

Regards,
Tom Barr











Regards,
Tom Barr
 
It's not wasted, I get paid, I get to redo designs, I get to clean things up and develop it better.

It's ultimately up to the clients and how they want to manage things.
Some want me there every week(but cost a lot), I can really dial a tank it very well if I go weekly, but if the client wants to do the tank and have many other things pulling at them, are just moving into the residence/do not live there often, then they will have issues.

I am going to address things and retrain some folks that will tend the tank/and the client is going to live at the residence permanatly now.

So the longer term results will be good from here on.
The larger the tank, the larger the problem when things go wrong.

But applying such methods to scaled down small tanks allows me to have better management at the small scales as well.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
Totally speechless.......... It has to be the BEST looking tank I have ever seen. But just so I can gawk, what was the appx. total cost( everything: fish, tank, plants, etc) of the "mini ocean"( too big to be called just a tank)??? thanks pics PLEASE, don't make me beg!
 
I put 6 CO2 lines fed by 2x 20 lb tanks.
He goes through them fairly quick and while a large 100lb tank would be better, transporting them is a lot more and there's no place to put such a massive Tank, so we use several of these under the stairs.

Try carrying a 50 or 100lb gas tanks by hand sometime:)


Regards,
Tom Barr
 
At work, I have a tank cart for that :)

Seriously, maybe it's time (for your client) to consider having a #100 tank outside and just a single 1/4" SS line running to the manifold under the stairs. Keep a spare strapped to the same exterior wall, switch 'em when the one's empty and have the spare replaced by Airgas or whoever (they do deliver).
 
Can that cart tank be drug across a natural wood floor without ever a scratch?
Not cheap to fix some of the floors/carpets, how to get up over stairs, also, cannot go get the tank's yourself etc.

They also will not fit in the location he has for them.

I suggested a 100lb tank in the wall out side where the folks could come etc. They would not go for it.
I've also nags for a CHAIN AND PROPER TRANSPORT AND STORAGE ETC AS WELL.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
AquariaCentral.com