Heating and filtration for a 345gal tank

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I looked up that link on the algae scrubber, am i right in thinking then the algae will remove so many nutrients from the tank it will become difficult to grow plants? I think also that i will not be able to get the right algae as my lfs's are pretty limited as to what they can get...

 

[andywg]

Sadly the turf scrubber will pretty much out-compete the plants for nutrients. On top of this the action of the bucket spilling the water over the algae tray will dissipate CO2 from the water further disadvantaging the plants.

It really is for if you aren't too bothered about plants and want to cut down on water changes, hence it is more widely used (but not very) in brackish and marine tanks to cut down on salt costs for water changes.

I am yet to discover exactly which algae, though I have a feeling that if you start it up with another filter running the correct algae will grow on its own in the tray (in the same way as it always seems to grow in the tank).

 

[Cossack1977]

its really not that hard to put a filter together for that size tank.

tank-pump-mechanical filtration- biological filtration-tank

use a ARKAL disk filter for your mechanical go for either the super1.5 or the super 2.0 with 400 micron filter. (if you wanted you could put say a 200 micron or a 100 micron after the 400 to polish up the water)

use a fluidized bed filter for your biological. Either make one from scratch or buy one or the best way get a 20"x4.5" pentek clear cartridge housing and mod it. its got a 1" in and out" to mod just add a 1" tube in middle of canister and fill with sand. would cater for a tank from 500-1500 litres if your paranoid add another one and do both in parallel will do 500-4000 litres)

for a pump use either a mag36 or a pondmate 10000. yes there high flow but your after the head height more and just use taps to adjust the flow.

thats basically my setup but im also running UV and CO2 reactor.

This setup will kill any fluval or eheim unit out there regardless if you you use 1 or 5 of them.

super easy to setup and very easy to customize. takes me about 5 minutes to clean the filter from whoa to go(per unit. i have 2 400micron and 100 micron)

 

[andywg]

The only downside to fluidised bed filters is that once the power goes out the sand will compact and become anaerobic, killing off the bacteria in the chamber.

Though I admit, they are a fantastic source of biological filtration while running. I, myself, plan on adding one to my system, but only as an addition to a couple of tanks of alfagrog.

 

[Cossack1977]

The only downside to fluidised bed filters is that once the power goes out the sand will compact and become anaerobic, killing off the bacteria in the chamber.

Though I admit, they are a fantastic source of biological filtration while running. I, myself, plan on adding one to my system, but only as an addition to a couple of tanks of alfagrog.

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but how long does the power need to be out for. i have had 1-2 hr blackouts and when power back up tanks fine.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Ok this is how things are looking at the mo;

a. I cannot obtain most of the heaters/filters everybody has mentioned here, i live in a pretty out of date fish community and most of my lfs are too small to consider stocking most of these things or are bad lfs that i don't go to and don't want to support with my cash.
b. My internet connection is very bad at the mo and i have glandular fever so keeping this page updated is hard but i am very grateful for everyones ideas and help and stuff (thankyou everyone so much!) .

c. I am considering a new plan of action- i cannot find any companys that will make my tank in its dimensions safely i.e the dimensions of the tank, mainly the width, make it unsafe and risks cracking in 6months time. I could sort this out by making more height to the tank but i don't want a tank that i can't reach the bottom of with my hands either.
.... ..... ...
....So....
I have a a fairly local lfs called watermarque/mart who i have noticed sell alot of tank ranging from 100 to 200gallons, i am considering buying 2 180gallon tanks instead of one 345gal tank and juts lining them up side by side- this would make finding filtration and heating alot eaiser and cheaper and i would still have 2 very large tanks in the end.
....
......One of the main reasons why i was originally opting for such a large tank is because of my large plecs. Their ID is a bit uncertain but i believe i have a common, chocolate and sailfin plec. The sailfin could posibly be a common plec but i doubt it at the mo- my original sailfin was ID'd some time ago on here as a sailfin but he isn't quite right- as he has matured he is very light in color and has 13vein thingys in his sailfin instead of the usual 12 found in sailfins apparently...He's either a very unusual sailfin or he is a competely different type of plec.
ID'ing my plecs correctly is very important at the mo as depending on what they are and how big they'll grow will be the deciding factor in wether i remain with the 345gal tank solution or 2 seperate large tanks- i will try to get some pics of them for ID on here and planetcatfish.com soon...

d. I would like to know the proper tank dimensions needed for keeping sailfin, common and chocolate plecs(lets say he is a common in this example as they grow to a similar size and have the same needs)- info on this is very contradictional and varys alot- plantetcafish.com says common plecs only get to 1ft long but many people on here claim they get to 2ft for example.
I have alot of faith in planetcatfish.com info but so do i in some people here. So i would like everybodys info on this area of knolege as its very important to me as i can't go back on my decision in tank size once done and want to to have enough space for these plecs to live out happily in for the rest of their lives- needless to say i am very grateful for any info .

 

[andywg]

The common plecs I have read of getting to 12 - 24". I would err on the side of caution and be prepared for 24". Sailfins are listed as 19+" so again, I'd allow for 24".

IIRC the biggest problem is in knowing which species you actually have. I recall reading that sailfins, commons and P. multidaiatus have a habit of hybridising and as such knowing exactly which species you have can be somewhat difficult.

 

[CFC]

I find it hard to believe that BOSS would be unwilling to build the tank in the dimensions you want and usually the taller the tank the greater the risk of cracking so the fact you want the tank shallower only helps you. BOSS even do tanks which are built from fiberglass on all but the front panel which is glass as a cheaper option than all glass tanks and these would easily be able to support the volume of water you would have. Most LFS dont like to supply custom built tanks as they dont make as much money on them as they do the off the shelf tanks.
Get on the phone and ring a few specialised custom aquaria builders and you will be suprised what can be done.

 

[Paul_MTS]

Eheim Jager make excellent heaters and they rate there 300W up to somehting like 1000l because there so long there's alot more contact space.

also remeber theres a pro 3 filter which is rated up to 1200l

on a tank as large as first stated i would use a sump or 2 with large pumps for return.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

WOOO-HOOOOO !!!!!!

IM GETTING MY TANK !!!!

I spoke to BOSS aquarium manufacturers today after getting fed up with my lfs's, the tank is going to be 6ft long, 4ft wide and 2ft high and is going to cost £810 to get an on site build i.e they are coming around to build the tank in my house, plus an extra £20 to get holes safely drilled for the sump system and i am currently waiting to get a quote on a sump as they said they could set up and build the sump system for the tank for me !
I've placed an order and i am getting the tank built and finished in my home by November the 1st, the glass in the tank is going to be 12mm thick .

Im so excited its finally happening !

So happy .....

 

[Bloo]

WoooooW ! How exciting !

Take some piccies for us during the process !

 

[CFC]

Nice one, i told you BOSS would build it and thats a really good price.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Ok i have just had a phone call back about the sump system, there are going to be 2holes drilled in a sectioned off peice of the tank where the water will go into a weir and into the sump system(which is going to be 3ft long, 18inchs high and 12inchs wide) and the water then goes back into the tank- i will have to buy the pump for the sump myself but they will do and set up everything else.
Im going to send them a deposit of £500 soon to get things started, the total cost of everything is going to be £1092 and 85p- they are also going to check out the stand for the tank which i will be making in brick to make sure it is level and safe for the tank to go on and the tank will be insured for 3yrs, so if it cracks within that time through no cause of my own they pay for it heh .
I also found some hagen(is that the righ brand?) heaters that can heat a tank of 100gals, so i will buy 3-4 of those and put them in the sump system to heat the tank .

 

[CFC]

£242 for a 36x18x12" tank (usually about £50 max) and the plumbing (no more than £50 for some reef safe 2" piping and conections) is extreemly expensive, you could buy the tank and pipes for a fraction of that and set it up yourself. The tank its self is extreemly good value but i feel they are over charging for the filtration, i guess this is where they make their money.

 

[@ombomb]

Take some piccies for us during the process

Congrats on getting it sorted, you've been planning this for ages!