If you were starting from scratch.......

[PedroYoung]

So I am in a unique position. I am rebuilding my house after a fire (total loss) and am going to move my sump to the basement under the 180g diplsay tank. If you were in my situation what would you "have to have" that you don't have now (not equipment, but architectural details)? I am putting a drain under the sump, having a sink and water line run for RO, and a couple dedicated circuits run for power. What else should I be planning for? I am trying to at least get something positive out of this ordeal.
Thanks for your input.

 

[brandon429]

I think the biggest impact to consider would be ways of preventing buildup in the sandbed if applicable

not that sandbeds are bad, i have one very deep its just cleaned often enough so as not to foul, and whether or not it imparts any gas benefits doesnt matter because nitrate is dealt with in other ways. but for a large tank if I was doing over, id consider making any type of approach vs the standard hands off, ever increasing in mass dsb. so many variations can be ran that make them not a diaper. I prefer sandbeds for the look not function

 

[Banes]

Space for fresh and salt water vats for the ever important water changes. Depending on budget a small temporary tank to treat all incoming corals for possible predators. Then to make the wife crazy a frag tank and wet saw.....

 

[143MPCo]

If the sump is going to be in the basement like you stated above and you only want "architectural" recommendations, ventilation both in and out.
Think of it like a bathroom, you'll want to pull humidity out, but also CO2 exhausted by the gas exchange and bring in clean dehumidified air.

You might already have this covered but insulation, to aid in keeping it warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

 

[luke33]

I think you hit the things I would look at adding, drain, large sink (with a disposal) and circuits. Also sorry to hear about the house. If my house had to be rebuilt I'd also add in a tankless water heater since you can add the ventilation easy....not fish related

 

[d2mini]

Generac (or similar) for power failures.
Extra bracing under the tank.

And as stated above... drains, sink, heating/cooling, dehumidifier, and more than just "a couple" dedicated circuits. Minimum of 4. Definitely go with more than you think you'll need.
I would also epoxy coat the floor, using a commercial installer.

 

[PedroYoung]

Great feedback everyone. Please keep them coming. I had been thinking about the ventilation problem, will be sharing the basement with storage and other stuff so don't want mildew. At this point it's pretty cheap to add electrical circuits, as long as I don't fill up the 2 breaker boxes in the budget. Hadn't thought about epoxy coating the floor, sounds like worth looking into (was going with sealed concrete).