Big tanks
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Big tanks
I see several big tank owners on the forum. Can anyone advise how you went about sizing, designing and sourcing the tank? Are there specialists out there that do this? Are weir overflows a good idea with clowns? Anything else to consider?
I have a 220 gallon tank w/75g sump.. 2 overflows moving ~400 gph each.
I based mine on a 4ft length minimum and then price
I found mine is next to new condition on craigs list for less then 1/2 of retail.
The clowns like to hide in the cave behind the overflow boxes.. beyond that they do not even notice them.. if anything they love the current. Since most of their food is sinking or held on the bottom,, there is not much problem with that.. just use a floating ring if you do have floating food.
good luck
I based mine on a 4ft length minimum and then price
I found mine is next to new condition on craigs list for less then 1/2 of retail. The clowns like to hide in the cave behind the overflow boxes.. beyond that they do not even notice them.. if anything they love the current. Since most of their food is sinking or held on the bottom,, there is not much problem with that.. just use a floating ring if you do have floating food.
good luck
I bought a 125 off Craigslist several years ago. When it leaked I tried fixing it, but it did not stay fixed.
Found the same tank on sale in a local store, so bought it.
I like the longer tanks, and not so tall. More floor space for the fish.
Filtration is a sump (300 gph) with self starting 1" PVC siphon. and a Fluval 404.
Additional water movement is a Koralia 4 and the largest PH by Aquaclear. (802 is the old number)
I would highly recommend the Koralia series, but not the Aquaclear PH, nor the Fluval filter.
For tanks much larger than this I would remote the system to a separate room if possible. Not enough room under the tank to stash all the stuff, and have it accessible for servicing.
I also have a pond that is basically 2 ponds connected with a stream. The upper pond is 45 gallons. The stream is a peat moss lined pond liner with a cobbled stream winding through it. Heavily planted on both sides of the stream. The main pond is 250 gallons, 5 Goldfish keep the mosquitoes away. The only filtration is the plants and the stream/peat area. The pump operates the water fall and is surrounded by coarse sponge to keep the worst of the debris away. 500 gph. I really should remote this and have a better screened intake. The pump slows down too often.
Found the same tank on sale in a local store, so bought it.
I like the longer tanks, and not so tall. More floor space for the fish.
Filtration is a sump (300 gph) with self starting 1" PVC siphon. and a Fluval 404.
Additional water movement is a Koralia 4 and the largest PH by Aquaclear. (802 is the old number)
I would highly recommend the Koralia series, but not the Aquaclear PH, nor the Fluval filter.
For tanks much larger than this I would remote the system to a separate room if possible. Not enough room under the tank to stash all the stuff, and have it accessible for servicing.
I also have a pond that is basically 2 ponds connected with a stream. The upper pond is 45 gallons. The stream is a peat moss lined pond liner with a cobbled stream winding through it. Heavily planted on both sides of the stream. The main pond is 250 gallons, 5 Goldfish keep the mosquitoes away. The only filtration is the plants and the stream/peat area. The pump operates the water fall and is surrounded by coarse sponge to keep the worst of the debris away. 500 gph. I really should remote this and have a better screened intake. The pump slows down too often.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.
Happy fish keeping!
Happy fish keeping!
a) You've already decided what you want- big. So now figure out what big is. Look at the space available in your house: dimensions, power-points, floor strength etc... If you've got space for something better/different then a rectangle, then buy the glass and get to it. You can also just build it into the wall, os do the back, bottom and/or sides in something other then glass- plywood, concrete.... whatever. If second hand isn't available check ChefKeith's glass-thickness template.
b) for filters, I'll not be suggesting a sump-system as any lifting pump is going to take a lot of electricity. Sealed canister units can do a nice job, and you don't have to pay to lift the water. Combine with internal power-heads (Koralia or Tunse) to get plenty of motion.
c) decoration is up to you, so long as you don't use sharp stones and have enough hiding/digging space.
b) for filters, I'll not be suggesting a sump-system as any lifting pump is going to take a lot of electricity. Sealed canister units can do a nice job, and you don't have to pay to lift the water. Combine with internal power-heads (Koralia or Tunse) to get plenty of motion.
c) decoration is up to you, so long as you don't use sharp stones and have enough hiding/digging space.
"I can eat 50 eggs !"
ps: mine's a 100g long/show, at 6' long and 2' high, but only 14' thick- not really enough for my larger loach species once they grow up.
It was a give-away and, well, you get what you pay for. I've had to re-build it once already. I love this tank, but to do it again I'd buy a big sheet of 1/2' glass and build it into the same wall with a bigger/better footprint. Maybe next year and/or next house.
A
It was a give-away and, well, you get what you pay for. I've had to re-build it once already. I love this tank, but to do it again I'd buy a big sheet of 1/2' glass and build it into the same wall with a bigger/better footprint. Maybe next year and/or next house.
A
"I can eat 50 eggs !"
craigslist is world wide actually. or so it seems that way when you take a look at the site.
don't buy anything under 100g if you plan on keeping clowns or larger loaches as like grow pretty big and like lots of space. i bought my 125g on craiglist for $150 US. just shop around and keep searching before commiting to something.
Good luck.
don't buy anything under 100g if you plan on keeping clowns or larger loaches as like grow pretty big and like lots of space. i bought my 125g on craiglist for $150 US. just shop around and keep searching before commiting to something.
Good luck.
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