Filtering for 400G Tank?

[John Lange]

New Project 72" X 36" X 36" = 400G Plywood Aquarium. I will be keeping FW
Game fish in this tank and need to design an economical and quite filtering
system for this tank.
http://www.garf.org/news21p3.html#jake

I am planning on spending less than $1000 on the tank $150 on the background
and decor, and would like to do the filters for under $200 or $300

Idea's?
Someone mentioned swimming pool (sand) filters?

Why do I want such a big tank??? Meet Finnegan and the Boys.
These pictures are poor, but you'll get the idea...
This is my 120G 60" X 18" X 24"
http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0002.JPG
http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0003.JPG
http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0004.JPG
http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0005.JPG
http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0006.JPG
http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0007.JPG
http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0008.JPG
http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0009.JPG
http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0010.JPG
http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0011.JPG
http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0013.JPG

[Dinky]

"John Lange" > wrote in
message . ..
> New Project 72" X 36" X 36" = 400G Plywood Aquarium. I will be keeping FW
> Game fish in this tank and need to design an economical and quite
filtering
> system for this tank.
> http://www.garf.org/news21p3.html#jake
>


A tank that size should have a large filtration system, rather than just an
H.O.T. or a canister. However, that would likely put you over budget.
I would like to go with powerfilters, since fish of that size are going to
create a large amount of organic solids waste, and PF's are easier and
quicker to service than canisters. However, with the size of that tank,
you'd need 4 or 5 of them. I'd look at perhaps a pair of large Magnums with
Bio-wheel attachments.
Another option would be a wet/dry Sump with Overflow similar to what
you'd see on a marine reef tank. I ran a 125 gallon freshwater tank on a w/d
for quite some time, easy to maintain. You could build one yourself for
about 100 bucks, (plus the return pump).

hth

billy

[RedForeman ©®]

Probably a wet/dry application, based on what some large tank reefers do....
get a 55g tank and partition it off, using filter, bio-balls, and a large
pump to return water.... just a shot....

--

RedForeman ©®





"John Lange" > wrote in
message . ..
> New Project 72" X 36" X 36" = 400G Plywood Aquarium. I will be keeping FW
> Game fish in this tank and need to design an economical and quite
filtering
> system for this tank.
> http://www.garf.org/news21p3.html#jake
>
> I am planning on spending less than $1000 on the tank $150 on the
background
> and decor, and would like to do the filters for under $200 or $300
>
> Idea's?
> Someone mentioned swimming pool (sand) filters?
>
> Why do I want such a big tank??? Meet Finnegan and the Boys.
> These pictures are poor, but you'll get the idea...
> This is my 120G 60" X 18" X 24"
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0002.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0003.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0004.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0005.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0006.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0007.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0008.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0009.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0010.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0011.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0013.JPG
>
>

[RedForeman ©®]

what about a pond pump, aren't those suppposed to be a high volume pump??

the rubbermaid idea is a good one, but I'm anal enough to not like the
aesthetics, and what's expensive about a 55g? then again, what I paid, and
the cost of a rubbermaid tub, I see the reason....

--

RedForeman ©®





"nanoreef" > wrote in message
. rogers.com...
> RedForeman ©® may have written:
> > Probably a wet/dry application, based on what some large tank reefers
do....
> > get a 55g tank and partition it off, using filter, bio-balls, and a
large
> > pump to return water.... just a shot....
>
> No need for the expensive 55g tank. There are some nice plans to use
> rubbermaid containers, plastic buckets, etc. google for DIY wet
> dry. The expensive part is the big return pump. Look at what the reef
> guys are useing. For a 400gal tank you probably want a good external
> pump to really move the water.
>
>

[Jim Morcombe]

If possible, you should change the shape so that the depth is only 24".
Why not increase the length by 50%.
Or perhaps double the length and also reduce the width to 24" as well.

With a tank that is 36" deep, small jobs like adding a new plant become
major exercises.
You probably don't realise how often you shift around rocks and so on. Once
you have an aquarium 3' deep, you can't shift decorations around on a whim.
You have to wait until you do a 50% water change.

Even an aquarium 3' wide and 2' deep is a pain in the neck. You can't reach
the middle of the tank.

I am building one that is 12' long x 3' wide x 2' deep. What I have done is
to break in up into six sections that are each 2' long x 3' wide x 2' deep.
Each section is conected by a 1' x 1' channel. I designed it this way so
that it emulates a river with six quiet ponds in it where my fish can breed.
However, one major benefit is that I can almost reach the botom of the tank
everywhere.

On the last section of the aquarium, the back wall is only 20" high and I
have built a short overflow spout. The water flows out here and creates a
short waterfall into a clever little wet/dry trickle filter I designed.

The most expensive part of the filter was the filter media. I needed three
pieces that were 10" wide and 24" long by 40mm deep. The stuff I bought
comes in large sheets, but cuts very nicely in a table saw - unfortunately I
can't remember the name of it.

I tried to post an outline of the filter design to one of the groups
previously, but of course you can only post text pictures. If you are
interested, I could try emailing the sketch to your personal account.

The trickle filter sits on top of a sump that does the real filtering and
has a pump to return the water to the aquarium.
The first three sections of the sump will contain filter media, but I
haven't decided what type. Because I have a pretty large trickle filter to
remove any particles before it hits the sump, I hope I will only have to
backflush the sump once a year or so.

Because of the cost of filter media, I am thinking of using three different
grades of gravel from a wholesale nursery. I am also seriously considering
using hardwood wood-chips in one filter because my fish come from an
environment where the water is tea coloured because of the amount of tree
branches and fallen leaves in the water.

You will notice that my sump is not directly under the aquarium as is
usually the case. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, I believe the
sump will be good enough to service two aquariums of this size and to act as
a central filter for both. Secondly, my fish live in a low light
environment and there won't be sufficient plant life to remove the nitrites
that build up. Hence I will dedicate a section of the sump to plants to
remove the nitrites.

Hope this helps.

Jim




John Lange > wrote in message
. ..
> New Project 72" X 36" X 36" = 400G Plywood Aquarium. I will be keeping FW
> Game fish in this tank and need to design an economical and quite
filtering
> system for this tank.
> http://www.garf.org/news21p3.html#jake
>
> I am planning on spending less than $1000 on the tank $150 on the
background
> and decor, and would like to do the filters for under $200 or $300
>
> Idea's?
> Someone mentioned swimming pool (sand) filters?
>
> Why do I want such a big tank??? Meet Finnegan and the Boys.
> These pictures are poor, but you'll get the idea...
> This is my 120G 60" X 18" X 24"
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0002.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0003.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0004.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0005.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0006.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0007.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0008.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0009.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0010.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0011.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0013.JPG
>
>

[Jim Morcombe]

One other comment. I haven't actually read the article on garf yet, but all
the plywood aquarium designs that I have seen seem to rely on using very
thick ply-wood. Maybe ply-wood is cheaper than real timber in America.

Since the leaks always occur at the joins, this is where the strength is
needed.

I user thinner plywood, but glue square lengths of cheap pine all around the
inside joins - except for a small gap around the front of the aquarium so I
can glue the glass in place.

I glue quite a number of pine lengths in place before glueing up the sides
of the aquarium. These lengths then hold the sides in place so I don't need
any special jigs when assembling it.

In practice, I do the assembly against one wall of my garage, but I don't
really need the wall for support.

With the pine reinforced edges, my joins are more than twice as strong as
the ones using just thicker ply-wood.

Jim


John Lange > wrote in message
. ..
> New Project 72" X 36" X 36" = 400G Plywood Aquarium. I will be keeping FW
> Game fish in this tank and need to design an economical and quite
filtering
> system for this tank.
> http://www.garf.org/news21p3.html#jake
>
> I am planning on spending less than $1000 on the tank $150 on the
background
> and decor, and would like to do the filters for under $200 or $300
>
> Idea's?
> Someone mentioned swimming pool (sand) filters?
>
> Why do I want such a big tank??? Meet Finnegan and the Boys.
> These pictures are poor, but you'll get the idea...
> This is my 120G 60" X 18" X 24"
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0002.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0003.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0004.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0005.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0006.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0007.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0008.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0009.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0010.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0011.JPG
> http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0013.JPG
>
>

[John Lange]

I would love pictures / drawings of your filter. Only have 6' to work with
and I am part orangutan 3' long arms. This tank will be on a 2.5' base so
it will be 5.5' high. Eye height for average height people.

The next tank will be big enough to scuba dive in {GRIN}
JOhn ><> lakemason.com Take out the obvious extra's in my eMail address.
jlange@


"Jim Morcombe" > wrote in message
...
> If possible, you should change the shape so that the depth is only 24".
> Why not increase the length by 50%.
> Or perhaps double the length and also reduce the width to 24" as well.
>
> With a tank that is 36" deep, small jobs like adding a new plant become
> major exercises.
> You probably don't realise how often you shift around rocks and so on.
Once
> you have an aquarium 3' deep, you can't shift decorations around on a
whim.
> You have to wait until you do a 50% water change.
>
> Even an aquarium 3' wide and 2' deep is a pain in the neck. You can't
reach
> the middle of the tank.
>
> I am building one that is 12' long x 3' wide x 2' deep. What I have done
is
> to break in up into six sections that are each 2' long x 3' wide x 2'
deep.
> Each section is conected by a 1' x 1' channel. I designed it this way so
> that it emulates a river with six quiet ponds in it where my fish can
breed.
> However, one major benefit is that I can almost reach the botom of the
tank
> everywhere.
>
> On the last section of the aquarium, the back wall is only 20" high and I
> have built a short overflow spout. The water flows out here and creates a
> short waterfall into a clever little wet/dry trickle filter I designed.
>
> The most expensive part of the filter was the filter media. I needed
three
> pieces that were 10" wide and 24" long by 40mm deep. The stuff I bought
> comes in large sheets, but cuts very nicely in a table saw - unfortunately
I
> can't remember the name of it.
>
> I tried to post an outline of the filter design to one of the groups
> previously, but of course you can only post text pictures. If you are
> interested, I could try emailing the sketch to your personal account.
>
> The trickle filter sits on top of a sump that does the real filtering and
> has a pump to return the water to the aquarium.
> The first three sections of the sump will contain filter media, but I
> haven't decided what type. Because I have a pretty large trickle filter
to
> remove any particles before it hits the sump, I hope I will only have to
> backflush the sump once a year or so.
>
> Because of the cost of filter media, I am thinking of using three
different
> grades of gravel from a wholesale nursery. I am also seriously
considering
> using hardwood wood-chips in one filter because my fish come from an
> environment where the water is tea coloured because of the amount of tree
> branches and fallen leaves in the water.
>
> You will notice that my sump is not directly under the aquarium as is
> usually the case. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, I believe the
> sump will be good enough to service two aquariums of this size and to act
as
> a central filter for both. Secondly, my fish live in a low light
> environment and there won't be sufficient plant life to remove the
nitrites
> that build up. Hence I will dedicate a section of the sump to plants to
> remove the nitrites.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Jim
>
>
>
>
> John Lange > wrote in
message
> . ..
> > New Project 72" X 36" X 36" = 400G Plywood Aquarium. I will be keeping
FW
> > Game fish in this tank and need to design an economical and quite
> filtering
> > system for this tank.
> > http://www.garf.org/news21p3.html#jake
> >
> > I am planning on spending less than $1000 on the tank $150 on the
> background
> > and decor, and would like to do the filters for under $200 or $300
> >
> > Idea's?
> > Someone mentioned swimming pool (sand) filters?
> >
> > Why do I want such a big tank??? Meet Finnegan and the Boys.
> > These pictures are poor, but you'll get the idea...
> > This is my 120G 60" X 18" X 24"
> > http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0002.JPG
> > http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0003.JPG
> > http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0004.JPG
> > http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0005.JPG
> > http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0006.JPG
> > http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0007.JPG
> > http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0008.JPG
> > http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0009.JPG
> > http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0010.JPG
> > http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0011.JPG
> > http://www.noahs-marine.com/Noah_Images/PICS/Aquarium/120/DSCF0013.JPG
> >
> >
>
>