Wow, big project. 2 things worry me a little though. Well, worry me a lot actually! You keep mentioning COPPER studs in the construction. Are these completely sealed from the tank water? It's just copper plus fish equals dead fish as far as I know. Correct me if I'm wrong.
The other thing that worries me is the front of the tank. How well supported/braced is it? From your pics it looks like it will blow out once full water pressure is applied to it. Again, hope I'm wrong, but had to ask!
And how are you going to access the tank with so little space above it..??
Congrats on all your hard work nonetheless - that's a lot of time, hard work and dedication right there.
And sorry about your Aro - that must have just doubled your costs as well as pissing you off....
Hope it all works out for you, I'll keep tuning in to see how you're doing.