Help - Planning a New Tank

[Ob1]

I have a space for a large tank, 7 feet X 2 Feet Wide upto to 2 feet high.

I have been looking at some tanks from my LFS, I do not hold out much hope for impartial advice!

I have some concerns regarding filter types, Overflows, lighting, stands, and general house keeping, fish and layout tips


1. Filters and Heaters.

I thinking of purchasing two external filters total capacity 200+g, what is a gravity filter?

Heating - is their any other options to heating the water apart from the usual heating rods?

2. Overflows – some tank manufacturers offer overflow holes. Are they just for filtering water?

3. Lighting – I do want plants, bogwood and an internal backdrop. Do I need to consider having different lights, which come on at difference times?

4. Stands – I want to purchase the tank and stand together, any advice?


5. General house keeping – thinking of using sand together with a clay layer, I’m still a novice would gravel but easier to manage?

6. Are there any good books on typical tropical fish Habitats – clowns, catfish, angel, and harlequins?

7. CO2 systems will I need one? If so any advice – automatic ones?

8. Tap Water – my tap water has 5mg/l phosphate and approx 20mg/l nitrate. I do not need RO water for the fish I intend to keep, however are there any filter systems for nitrate / phosphate – something I can plumb under my sink just for water changes?

9. Any Tank manufacture recommendation or Shops that specialise in large tanks - within 150miles of Birmingham.

 

[ste2k3]

On a tank this size, you could use a couple of large external filters but a sump system would be much better. I run a sump on my 260 gallon tank. if you look at the price of a couple of large external filters say £250 each, thats £500 without heaters etc. a sump would only cost about £50, £50 for two tank conectors 2 pumps @ £80 and two heaters @ £20 thats £300 plus ridged pipe work and bits and pieces like filter media. its still cheaper and much lower maintanence. the only disadvantage is that ther is a litle more noise produced. I would bulda sump yourself-it's not hard. I built all mine. simply buy the tank and build in the weirs yourself, by getting the glass cut from the local glazers. you will need to get two 11/2" holes drilled in the tank through the base glass. this will lead down to the sump and into the pre filter. which is simple a glass box with no base and no lid. a piece of eggcrate (white acrylic mesh) to support some filter floss. then the water can flow down and then up over the heaters in a small compartment. then it will go over the weir and down through a biological bed. this is a chamber which is filled with a biological media such as alfagrog. to make this, silicone some glass strips on end and put some eggcrate on top of these and then a gravel tidy then the alfagrog. the water will flow down through this and then up a small chamber to make sure that the biological bet is always covered and will then cascade over into the last chamber which houses the pumps. for a tank of your size i would recomend a sump of no smaller than 48"x18"18". for the two pumps use eheim 1060's connected to flexable pipe which can be connected to a hosetail which can be screwed into a 3/4" threaded connector which can be glued using pipe weld to 3/4" pipe. these pipes can be run up to the main tank and can either go through the back glass or over the back glass BUT REMEMBER TO HAVE THE INLETS JUST BELOW THE SURFACE!!!. I will explain why later. then fit the two 11/2" threaded connectors into the holes and silicone in place. you will need a 11/2" threaded connector which will screw onto the threaded side of the tank connector which should face upwards into the tank. a short length of pipe about 19" will be required to bring it to the surface, so water overflows down it. the water level in the tank can then be adjusted by unscrewing or screwing in thre pipe. on the otherside of the tank connector you will need to glue a strait connector on and then glue some 11/2" pipe onto that. then simply run this pipe down using elbows etc to the pre-filter in the sump. this should be repeated with the other hole. the reason the pipes draw water from the surface and the inlets are below the surface is so that if the power fails, then the top surface layer of water drains off and fills the pump compartment of the sump (which should be half empty) and the rest of the water will remain in the tank. just make sure that when you design your sump you calculate the volume of space above the water level that could fill without overflowing and then calculate the ammount of water on the surface of the aquarium to 1" below the lowest inlet/outlet. (using the formula L"xd"xw" divided by 276 to give the volume in gallons.) I will post some pictures in "MEMBERS AQUARIUM PICTURES" of one of my sumps and pipework. for the tank try windsor aquatics. they will diliver to birmingham no problem for very little. you can get the number out of the back of practical fishkeeping magasine. and for all the pipe work, try the aquaworld partnership (01925 483 979). they are in warrington but will probably post all the fittings for you. failing that, find your local marine specalist which should supply the pipe work. it must be marine grade because normal domestic pipe contains anti-algaicides. this all sounds very complicated but its quite easy to do if your not bad at a bit of DIY. it took me a few evenings work to build the sump and two nights to do the pipe work. you can build the stand yourself. just use 2"x2" timber every 2-3' along the front and back. a 2"x2" timber has a compression rate of 8 tons. just use rowaphos in the sump to remove phosphate and nitrazorb in the filter or get a de-ioniser.

good luck

 

[Ob1]

Thank you ste2k3

I really do appreciate the time you have spent replying– cheers. I do like the idea of having a sump and I will consider it, can you tell me more about the noise levels I do intend to have the tank in my main living room.

I will keep an eye out for the pictures.

I understand that the sump will heat the water too? Also please include an image of the overflow system – it sound quite complex

de-ioniser what is it, can it be connected to the sump, or is it something I connect to my tap water supply?

 

[ste2k3]

the noise level depends on how much flow you have going through the tank. if you have 6000lph going through the tank, then it is going to be quite noisy. if you only have 2000lph, it'll be much quieter. there are devices that can be used to silence the overflows. the only noise is from where the water hits the prefilter. this is i the cabinet so you could just insulate the cabinet with polystyrene. I have a 60 gallon tank which is turned over 20 times an hour in my bedroom and I manageto sleep.(just about ). the noise will only be that of flowing water which could be quite relaxing. Another option which is quite popular with reef aquarists is to have the sump iin the next room, but I would only recamend it if you are willing to sacrifice part of the next room and dont mind drilling your wall, but like I say it's only an Idea. you would need to be very keen to knock through your wall-I know I wouldn't. after a while, you get used to having a noise and don't notice it.

A deioniser is a purifyer that you connect to your mains water and will give you better water than de-chlorinated tapwater but not as good as an RO.

ooh yeah, the heaters ar kept in the sump. this has the added advantage that you will have no equipment in the tank.

the pictures are in the members aquarium pictures forum now.