am i the only one thinking on an 800g with a decent budget i presume, there would be much better options in equipment? same for aquascaping?

The more critical the aquarium installation, the more imperative it is to go with dependable aquarium products

Nope, this aquarium does not live up to the house. It’s actually crap. They needed a rimless minimalist look, and they ended up doing some ridiculous out-dated look. Aquarium builders really need to re-evaluate how they design their aquariums. If I asked for something on par with my house and they delivered that crap, I would have told them “thanks, but no thanks”

 Oh and lots of sponges that will probably perish.

That’s right!

Bingo. This is why most hobbyists fail when they try to get into the installation/maintenance business. Most clients can’t tell which coral is $1000 and which is $100, but they think it’s pretty badass that their lights can simulate a lightning storm. For a lot of these clients the awesomest acro doesn’t hold a candle to a neon green hammer.

Add to this that the shape and location of the tank was probably dictated by an architect or interior designer. We all know that wide and deep tanks are best, but they’ll insist on tall and skinny every time. That leaves precious little options for good aquascape (I have a client with a 60x30x40 peninsula that needs to be redone — nightmare shape!).

Signature Jeff Turner Aquarium.  This is what has worked for him for 30 years probably or more,  and he sticks to it to a T! I personally think it’s a beautiful setup, with beautiful looking live rock, and a signature look that is very impressive.  We all have our personal preferences, so we should not bash one style for another, but appreciate each one for it’s functionality and style.  Many ways to be successful, and this is a proven model….he has hundreds of tanks to prove it.  Anyway……Nice video and appreciate this piece.

Speaking of tall and skinny, I can’t help but to think of the “feng shuei” aquarium in the first season of Tanked. This thing was so deep!

Jealousy brings out all the haters and arm chair designers/scapers. If you want to show him how it’s done, please buy a 16.5 million house and design a suitable tank. Till then, keep dreaming. 

I couldn’t hang with the guys in the NFL, NBA, or MLB or any other pro sport, I don’t have the skill set to do so,  however me knowing when I see someone playing bad doesn’t have ANY less validity just because I am not as good as those players.

That said, I don’t think this tank is horrible.   People need to remember these are not rich people who design an aquarium that they want, otherwise you get tanks like Peter Hyne, Pieter van Suijlukom,  Ching chai, etc etc..    what we have here is someone with money who wants a tank, and is has sold to him what a big tank should be by a designer.  

 People are calling it crap, that’s the problem and what screams jealousy to me. We all have our own opinions on what equipment we’d use given a large budget (which wasn’t even disclosed) but that doesn’t mean others are crap.

Sometimes keeping it simple and smaller in scale is what’s best for a homeowner who isn’t an avid hobbyist.

i didnt start this thread as a flame or to be derogotory, we’ve been doing aquariums and installs on a professional level in the Toronto area for close to 20 years, also 15 years of salt only retail. we have done some kick ass tanks in some homes worth the same money as the op. i would never use 2 asm skimmers, bubble king if there’s a budget, or MRC to clean that water. is just looks like 1980s reef tank with the wall of rock. i think theres better options in both aquascaping and equipment. 

A triumph over many client requests.

I have seen hobbyists throw money into systems with the top lights, equipment, corals, etc., and from an outsider, the tanks looks cluttered and not really appealing to the average person.

This aquarium strikes a nice balance and considering the flow of the house, works well. I would NOT put an open top aquarium in a house like that, would just look out of place. I think RAD did a great job that probably included mitigating the clients desires with a reasonable and maintainable system that both them and their guests will enjoy.

While not exactly a wall, there’s still going to be a lot of buildup under those piles after a couple years. I’ve taken apart old rockwalls and piles and found 1″+ of detritus, even after years of using a Mag-7 on a stick to blow stuff out at every weekly service. This is why I think the convergence of the minimalist aquascape/wide and shallow/prop pump movements has been such a fundamental change for the hobby and the industry (and this is one field where the industry has always lagged the hobby).

What really surprises me about this install is the media bags. I just don’t think that’s a professional way to do things in a tank this size.

 I would like some info on that chiller installed inside the cabinetry. I hope they put some monster ventilation in there.

 This is mostly true Jake. Where as advanced aquarists are concerned about the rarity of a specimen, clients are more concern about the movement and coloration. I can’t say that I really blame them. I have client’s that will spend $600 on a coral…..but it needs to look like $600 to them.

 Haha, yes. I get this all the time. Some clients want to get involved in the vision and others will just stay back and let me do my thing. My default is to create something that an advanced hobbyist would appreciate because I design them in mind that many people will be looking at it. Of course it will never make everyone happy but that is the beauty of this hobby/profession. Many times the client might make a suggestion (ahem, demand) that is just frustrating, but if you want that contract you have to find out how to compromise.

The space was originally designed to house a fireplace! And the builder/designer suggested that RAD provide an marine aquarium for this large space. Several other local companies did try to convince the owner to install a static marine aquarium display in this space, and of course at lower costs for the fake coral insert type aquarium. The slab is 8 inch thick concrete, poured a 1.5 years ago, and a remote filtration room was not an option. I do have to say that ASM skimmers are an easy fit for us as their sister company in Miami has them readily available and back up motors, if needed, are a piece of cake in a day for us.  Not a Bubble King budget.   Water cooled chiller = no heat load in cabinet. Media bags were initial, now have PM reactors installed with fluidized CPE. Also a triple head Fauna Marin dosing pump with Thrive CA/ALK/MG was installed back in Feb. Rock was large MARCO slabs with CRF/Sea Life aqua cultured large pieces.  The owner LOVES the aquarium and pays for twice weekly service, it’s a spec house for sale and anyone with enough dough can change the filtration however they personally would like to when they buy the house. RAD custom glass fishbowl is 1 inch thick bottom, 3/4″ Low Iron faces, external overflow with two MP 60′s fitted next to overflow and the dimensions are 
76 X 51 X 47 tall, they originally wanted it 60 inches tall!  As a custom design/builder you can’t run every project like it was going into your own home.  There is a lot to be said about a healthy LPS and Soft Coral aquarium from an aquarium services aspect. Fortunately it did not become another TV show tank with a client believing the artificial interior and plastic tank is the way to go!
Living the dream, spending OPM doing what we love to do……… One reef or jellyfishbowl at time.  More to come in the near future