Window Well Aquarium

[RanDX14]

Had an adventurous day yesterday hunting for driftwood. This river has been flooded for 5 yrs and is now between its banks. It looked like a war zone with all the fallen trees but the driftwood selections were amazing!!!
I should have plenty to chose from when I start aquascaping.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Had an adventurous day yesterday hunting for driftwood. This river has been flooded for 5 yrs and is now between its banks. It looked like a war zone with all the fallen trees but the driftwood selections were amazing!!!
I should have plenty to chose from when I start aquascaping.

Super jealous... amazing picks!!

 

[Fishmanic]

You should sell some of that driftwwod on ebay or in our classified area of the forum.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

You should sell some of that driftwwod on ebay or in our classified area of the forum.

He could get upwards of $100 per piece!

 

[RanDX14]

I was able to make some progress this weekend. Sealed the glass in last week, installed and sealed the liner on Saturday and applied the final seal around the liner and glass today. Now I have to wait 7 days to let it fully cure before I can start leak testing.... although I could possible start leak testing my bulkheads and filteration, I'd just have to keep the water level below the liner and glass sealant..... this could be the longest 7 days of my life lol ?

 

[RanDX14]

Still waiting for the silicone to fully cure.... tempting to move forward but this is undoubtedly the most critical step.... waiting for it....wait for it....
I was able to finish plumbing the filter to the tank. I was also able to leak test the bulkheads and a portion of the filterarion, keeping the water level below the bottom glass edge in the tank. So far so good. ?

 

[RanDX14]

Started leak testing the glass and the rest of the filtration this week. One variable I'm not sure how to account for is evaporation. Since this tank is an open top and outside I'd expect some evaporation but how much and how fast?
I have no water inside the house but there is a possibility that water could escape through the liner/glass seal and into the ground. After about 30 hrs the water level was down about 1/8".
It has been dry and hot outside and with the old plastic cover over the window well it could get rather hot in there.

 

[Uberhoust]

You have an awesome source of wood. Hope your aquarium works out, quite the project.

 

[RanDX14]

A little tweaking yesterday. I found the source of my water loss. Since I didn't have the drain lines glued into the bulkheads I was getting water seepage through those pipes into my filter. After a couple times of draining and refilling I now have the entire tank filled and filteration running. It hasn't been quite 24hrs but so far no water level changes.
I also added some of my smaller pieces of driftwood to see how well it would keep the excess liner in place and how challenging it would be to keep it submerged. After the water clears I'll update with some more pics.
If all goes well if like to get the liner pulled a little tighter and then mount the top cover frame to the house, which will help keep the excess liner in place. I'd also like to drain it once more to get the big piece of driftwood in place.
Btw. I used a gallon meter when I was filling, the water capacity of tank only is 350, I figure I'll have around an additional 120 gal in the filtration.

 

[RanDX14]

Well, it's been 4 days and the water level change I'm attributing to evaporation.
The plan is to drain it on Saturday, aquascape it and fill it for what will hopefully be the last time. If all goes well I plan to get the inside window trimmed out also.

I've been experimenting with some bubble walls this week. I think it will be a nice effect shimmering with the lights as it works its way around the driftwood.

 

[Tacocat]

Well, it's been 4 days and the water level change I'm attributing to evaporation.
The plan is to drain it on Saturday, aquascape it and fill it for what will hopefully be the last time. If all goes well I plan to get the inside window trimmed out also.

I've been experimenting with some bubble walls this week. I think it will be a nice effect shimmering with the lights as it works its way around the driftwood.

What fish do you plan to add once it's finished cycling?

 

[Sunnyspots]

That is such a brilliant idea from your wife! I would love to do something similar - even have a suitable window - but how are you managing the temperature difference between the outside wall of the tank and inside wall of it?

 

[RanDX14]

@Sunnyspots This project started out with the intent to keep it a cold water system, replicating my koi pond. I am using a similar filtration theory, lava rock, and live plants. I believe I have enough water movement to keep the temp at a fairly consistent temp, inside and out, around the upper 60's.
@Tacocat I am planning to stock it with peanut koi, they are about 1" to 2". It would be fun to watch them grow out and develop their color and patterns. Once they get larger I could relocate them to my outdoor pond or sell them to the local pond/aquatic store.

 

[RanDX14]

@Tacocat Actually, I've had a bag of lava rock in my pond for the past couple of months cycling, so the tank should be mostly cycled once I move that bag of lava rock to the window well filter.

 

[RanDX14]

@Sunnyspots If you wanted to heat a system like this I would think you could use some rigid foam before putting the liner in. Since this is fairly deep in the ground it should hold the heat pretty well.