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New Tank Journal


Bruce

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I have decided to start a journal for my new tank. It will be for you guys to see how I put it all together and what equipment I used as well as for myself. To look back on what I did and perhaps to see what good/bad things I did and to see how I could improve for my next project. Also to get feedback from you guys to think what I could do to improve the tank or make it work better. Ok, lets start....

The plan;

To setup a large tank designed for Lake Tanganyikan cichlids, specifically featherfins, sandsifters, cyprichromis and perhaps some shellies....oh and a pair of gobies.

The planned tank is 8ft long, 2.5ft wide and 2ft high. The extra width will allow more room for the bowers of the foai and also generally allow more sand area for all other fish. By keeping the height to just 2ft it allows me to keep the glass thickness lower than if it was 30" high.

As for the stand I want it to be higher than usual at 900mm, this will allow better viewing. I am also going for metal as it will give me increased strength with the extra height and overall better strength. I'll cover the metal is pine boards to make it look like a display cabinet. The hood will be homemade but I may not have a cover on it, just a tall rim about 30cm high, this will cover up the lights and anything else on top on the tank and also make the tank look a bit bigger.

Filter will also be huge, I'll be using a 4'x18"x18" sump filled with wool, filter matting and seachem matrix. The pump size I'm not sure on at the moment but I think either a pondmaster sedra 7400 l/h or a 10000l/h one. The 10000 might be a bit of an overkill. The outlets will probably be a PVC DIY spraybar painted to disquise with the background. The inlet will be two corner weirs, both with 45mm holes.

As for decor, I am going to be covering the whole back half with a universal rock latex background, this will go around the weirs aswell to cover them. The substrate I am after is a white sand such as lime sand. For rocks I am using a rock called serpentine. It is grey and bumpy and fits together well. I'm also planning to attach some anubias to the rocks, preferably the varient barteri and possibly also some vallisneria.

Other equipment will include lighting...a 4ft and 3ft reflector, a 300W jager heater, a fluid bed sand filter, UV sterilizer and perhaps a vortex diatom filter :unsure

Before I can get anything for the tank I need to first add extra floor support and also clean up the spot where it's going (that includes painting). Also, the removal of an air conditioner is needed <_<

I will post some pics tonight of the space and the floor, I will try and add the support tonight.

Bruce

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Thanks nova, I will post pics as soon as I have them. Yeah, I have sourced all that sorta stuff, the only thing I still need to find is the stand.

Bruce

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Thanks guys!

I forgot to say before, the air conditioner also needs to be moved.

Here are some pics...

Tank Spot

IPB Image

Tank Spot again

IPB Image

Foundations

IPB Image

Air Conditionder

IPB Image

Bruce

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Is that going to be strong enough?

My thoughts exactly!!

Are the foundations up to holding that much weight Bruce?

I spoke to Karl last night and he is making some enquiries about the stand.

Cheers,

Brett.

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I had the structural engineer come to look at the foundations last night. That pile of bricks are the bricks for the other foundation that will go inbetween those ones there.

Toufic- the bedroom is being painted at the moment.

Bruce

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The planned tank is 8ft long, 2.5ft wide and 2ft high. The extra width will allow more room for the bowers of the foai and also generally allow more sand area for all other fish. By keeping the height to just 2ft it allows me to keep the glass thickness lower than if it was 30" high.

Your rational for restriking the height of your tank is sound. However, I would take the hight of this tank higher as the proportions will be visually poor to the length. Having the extra width is a great idea, a bigger foot print is better than extra height as this is the O2 exchange area. However the extra cost involved in getting the tank to say three foot will never be regretted (unless you intend to move it), and if you intend to have cyprichromis, they will come into their own and you’ll really see some depth discrimination with them if they have some height in the tank to choose from. I have learned with my big tank that smaller standard height large tanks are really only 2D, where as having the extra height makes the depth a usable feature for fish such as Cyprichromis (which come into own), and is like making the tank 3d.

pondmaster sedra 7400 l/h or a 10000l/h one. The 10000 might be a bit of an overkill.

You absolutely, positively, definitely cannot have overkill with water flow. Firstly you pump may be moving 10,000 lph, but you are not taking into consideration water flow lost through head, bends in piping, and so on. The pump on my big tank does 12,000 lph (not to mention to other Eheim 1060s), but I’d be getting about 10,500 lph when taking these factors into consideration. The fish in the tank have ABSOLUTELY NO issues dealing with this current. It is not like you are making your tank into the watery equivalent of a wind tunnel, you will be shooting a jet (assuming one entry) of water that reduces the further it gets from entry. Fish can choose to swim in or out of this jet, and remember too- this is their element and they are designed by evolution to handle it.

a fluid bed sand filter

Would be really unnecessary in this tank.

I would be concerned enough about your flooring to get a builder/engineer for a professional opinion. You’ll be spending many thousands of dollars on this tank if you follow through with it, and it won’t matter how well you complete it if it sinks into the floor.

Craig

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Although I would like the extra width the cost increases considerably due to an increase in glass thickness. Also I would not be able to get it into the house.

10000 it is. The other reason why I was going for the sedra was the brand name. The 10000l/h pump is a no name.

I already have the filter so I might as well use it.

Bruce

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  • 1 month later...

Nothing has really changed since last time, I have only just finished painting the bedroom so now I can start painting the alcove where the tank will live (I hate painting!).

The reason why I am going 2ft high is also because the latex background is only 600mm high so it wouldn't fit otherwise.

Still trying to get a metal stand made up, was quoted $660 the other day, how does that sound?

Bruce

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$660 sounds expensive to me, any reason you have a preference to metal as oppossed to a cheaper option like DIY wood for around $100ish?

It means you can spend more on other things like filters or fish....

Cheers

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Theres no way I would be even thinking about a DIY wooden stand for this tank.

Bruce, you would probably find that a custom built timber stand for this tank would be less expensive than the quote on the metal one. I have my 8x2x2 on a standard 8x2 stand from my lfs and its great. No issues with it at all.

One thing that I would suggest is that if/when you stain and seal your stand that you take the time to cover every millimeter of it because I'm guessing that if your like me once its in its never going to be moved again!

HTH,

Ben

:thumb

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What would the price be on a store bought stand to suit? It would have to go close to $450 I would think.

I am guess they would be using 50x50x3mm tube, if so, $660 sounds close to the mark. Materials would cost about $200. A day in the shop to make it would come close to $400, add GST and you have just spent $660.

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Theres no way I would be even thinking about a DIY wooden stand for this tank

You would obviously need to be an experienced DIYer. :)

What would the price be on a store bought stand to suit? It would have to go close to $450 I would think.

I am guess they would be using 50x50x3mm tube, if so, $660 sounds close to the mark. Materials would cost about $200. A day in the shop to make it would come close to $400, add GST and you have just spent $660.

You've got to remember Josh that with the $660 Bruce is looking to spend he still doesn't have a nice finish with hood / doors / stains and lacquers so for me it still going to be a whole lot cheaper. <_<

Cheers

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I have got a pretty good idea of what he is getting for his $660. :roll I was just stating that IMO it was a fair price for a metal stand.

Josh

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I think with a project like this there wouldn't even be room for taking a risk on a stand made by an "experienced DIYer".

The amount of weight in a tank that size plus the weight in the sump, rocks and substrate needs to be distributed as perfectly as possible. If the setup was on an even slab then things would be slightly different.

Ben

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