Then There Was ................... The Tank !!!
All 360 Gallons of it!
The Tank by itself is 8 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 2 feet tall !!!
When completed, the full length of the aquarium will be...
10 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 7 1/2 feet tall !! The total amount of water that will flow thru both the display tank and the filtration system is approx. 450 gallons!
"Making of The Tank" !!!
From the Beginning (Summer of 2007).....to the End (December 1st 2008)...well the End for now !
Just some of the statistics:
The tank has over 175 pounds of gravel and over 300 pounds of boulders.
The water in the display tank weighs close to 3002 pounds.
The half inch glass weighs close to 100 pounds.
The water pump pushes 4000 gallons of water per hour, which allows the water in the display tank to recycle once every 1 to 1.5 hours.
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Click a pic to expand it
The main body is made out of 22/32" X 4' X 8' BC Pine.
This is the bottom reinforced by 2x10's & 2x12's
(Geothermal Aquaculture Research Foundation) GARF's advice... screws should be spaced every three inches for support. 
The Bottom of The Tank....that's about 530+ screws to reinforce the bottom of the tank.
The Bottom of The Tank
The Tank upside down
The Bottom of The Tank
The Backside/Upside down reinforce by 2x4's
The sides reinforced by 2x4's
The Tank on it's side
These will be the corner decorations on the front of the tank (in front of the 1/2 inch thick glass).
Trying to give you an idea of the size...this is a large size garbage can!
Yepper..that's me! 
The fiberglass mixing station. FYI: 2 gallons of resin/hardener will be used with the fiberglass cloth!
Mixed resin, hardener, and filler, to fill in all cracks before I could start fiberglassing.
The Filling of the Cracks and Crevasses
Proper ventalation!
Had to have everything close by since the fiberglass resin dries in 20 minutes.
The first layer of fiberglass cloth on the bottom of the tank without the resin/hardener.
The first layer of fiberglass cloth on the bottom of the tank without the resin/hardener.
The first layer of fiberglass cloth.
FYI: Total Fiberglass on inside = 30 Sq yards of fiberglass cloth, + 50 yards of 3" fiberglass tape !!
The first layer of fiberglass cloth on the bottom of the tank.
The first layer of fiberglass cloth on the bottom of the tank.
The first layer of fiberglass on the sides.
The first layer of fiberglass on the sides.
The first layer of fiberglass on the sides. There will be a total of 5 layers of fiberglass on the inside of the tank.
The third layer of fiberglass on the sides without the resin/hardener.
The third layer of fiberglass on the sides without the resin/hardener.
The plumbing pieces for the overflow side. The extra 2 black pieces are the bulkheads for the water return side.
The 1 1/2" Bulkheads! 3 for the overflow side. 2 for the water return side. 
Kind-a gives you an idea of how big these bulkheads are.
Just one of the bulkheads plus ball valve for the overflow side.
One of the top caps plus a t-joint connected to the bulkhead for the overflow side.
One of the top caps plus a t-joint connected to the bulkhead for the overflow side.
Holes for the bulkheads on the overflow side.
Holes for the bulkheads on the overflow side.
Holes for the bulkheads on the water return side.
Holes for the bulkheads on the water return side.
This is the "Fish Safe" epoxy paint. It's a 3:1 ratio mix of paint + activator.
WOW!!!! The first coat of epoxy paint! It's pretty, pretty, pretty!!! :)
Epoxy paint is also a sealer for the tank.
The inside of the tank will have 5 coats of paint....And Yes, it's really that glossy dry!
This is one of the spray bars attached to a bulkhead for the water return side. 
Once it's dry...small holes will be drilled into the long piece, which will create a gentle flow of water back into the tank.
Both spray bars....drying!
This is extra 1 1/2" PVC in case I need it later. :)
The outside of the tank has been painted with 2 coats of epoxy paint.... and The 1/2 inch thick glass has arrived!! 
All 92 x 22 1/2 x 1/2 inches of clear glass! And It's HEAVY!
The corner decorations have been installed.
And finally the glass front is put into to place with tons of 100% Fish Approved Silicone!!
All the bracing that was put into place to hold the glass while the Silicone cures for a week.
The permanent plumbing for the overflow side.
The tank side of the overflow.
Overflow side with removable side panel for easy access. 
The tank with both removable side panels in place. This makes the full length of the tank
The wood pile for the base stand of the aquarium.
The frame for the base will use (21)-4ft 4x4's; (4)-10ft 2x4's; and (28)-3ft 2x4's; along with various screws and lag bolts!
Base construction actually started in the garage...but its 4" to big to fit thru any of the doors to the house!
Soooo..it was torn down, moved into the house, and rebuilt in the room where it will live.
Look at the 55-gallon tank that is dwarfed by the size of the base stand! The big fish in that tank is The Big Guy! He's 12" long!
<--- The Big Guy is a "Bala Shark" and one of the big reasons for building this tank! He's not full grown yet.
The 58-gallon and 30-gallon tanks in the back...the other reasons for building this monster tank!
This is one of the two 45-gallon tubs that will house the filtration system for the tank! 
The frame for the stand is complete!!
The two 45 gallon tubs that will serve as the filtration system.
This drawer cabinet will be the first stage in the filter system. The bottom tray is filled with 8 gallons of Bio Balls.
Starting...
All bottom seams are holding!
The water is sitting just below the three overflow pipes. 
The Stand has been moved to where it will live. The moving company will move the tank into place.
These are metal electrical box covers that I used as spacers to level the 4x4's that will support the tank.
Operation "Monster Tank Move" complete!!! 
The tank with the removable "unfinished" side panels on!
Yepper... that's me in the tank!
Just an idea of how big the tank is! 
This explains a bit how the overflow system works, and the reason for the design.
More on the overflow pipes design.
This is a picture of what is needed to get the plumbing and filter working.
The formula for how many gallons the pump needs to push to recycle the water once every hour taking into account the loss of 100 GPH per foot head pressure going to the water return.
The first stage of the filter. This houses the sponge material and the charcoal.
Emergency, Main, and Secondary lines coming from the overflow box.
The 3 lines coming from the overflow side. The main line is in the middle. All 3 lines are submerged.
The 1 1/2 inch tubing the carries the water.
The 2 lines for the water return that goes to the spray bars in the tank.
The temporary hood.
The hood houses the 4 (48")fluorescents and the 5 LED moonlights.
That's a VERY happy 
The Big Guy and the other 2 Bala Sharks
This is Plato! He's a 16 inch long Plecostomus.
