Ready? New 955g tank
 

Well I did it. Purchased a used 955g on eBay, I will be driving to St.
Louis this weekend to pick it up.

Size: Tank 10'3" long 3'10" wide 3'3" tall Fluidized Bed 6' tall 6" wide
(cylinder) Reservoir Bed 7' long 2' wide 2' tall.
Pictures and description on ebay at
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MEWA:IT

I really don't have enough room for the 250 Gallon Reservoir Tank/Sump that
comes with the tank, and want to compact the sump/filter.

1) I really don't know much about "Fluidized Beds". I have searched google,
and found some general discussion but most of the topics were comparing
other kinds of filters. I am a picture kind of guy, does anyone have a link
to a website with drawings and an actual description of the process?

2) I read that sand is the media of choice for the Fluidized Bed. What
kind? Silica, Beach Sand w/quarts? My minnow tanks use crushed lava rock
and support thousands of fish in 120 gallons of water. Might this make a
good filter material?

3) NetMax, will the Reservoir Bed described here work for your idea of an
undergravel space to suck up the detritus? (Continuous Gravel Filter)

4) What will I need for a pump to circulate & operate this filter? I read
one article that used a 100 gph pump but that seems way to small, I was
thinking about 1000 to 1200 gph, am I headed in the right direction?

5) I read that fluidized beds deplete the oxygen in the water, will I have
to circulate the water and use spray bars at the top to keep the surface
moving? Will this be enough or will I need to add an air pump and a LARGE
airstone?

6) This is a game fish aquarium, so the fish are used to a wide variety of
water temps. In the winter I can keep the water temp in a 120g tank around
66 to 68 degrees, but in the summer the temp rises to the HIGH 70's. Will
1000g react the same? I know it will take longer to heat up, but any idea
if I will need a chiller for this tank?

7) 10,000# of tank, gravel and water. Stands? Concrete Blocks? Lumber?
How will I need to support this tank?

8) Using the gravel and filter media from the old 120g tank, how long do
you think it will take to cycle this much water?

More questions later THANKS for your input.
JOhn

Congrats on that monster tank. Wow. I don't have a clue on most of your
questions except perhaps the temps. I think you can expect pretty much the
same as a smaller tank in the same conditions. The water will just heat and
cool slower.
Bill

"John " wrote in message
...
Well I did it. Purchased a used 955g on eBay, I will be driving to St.
Louis this weekend to pick it up.

Size: Tank 10'3" long 3'10" wide 3'3" tall Fluidized Bed 6' tall 6" wide
(cylinder) Reservoir Bed 7' long 2' wide 2' tall.
Pictures and description on ebay at
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MEWA:IT

I really don't have enough room for the 250 Gallon Reservoir Tank/Sump
that comes with the tank, and want to compact the sump/filter.

1) I really don't know much about "Fluidized Beds". I have searched
google, and found some general discussion but most of the topics were
comparing other kinds of filters. I am a picture kind of guy, does anyone
have a link to a website with drawings and an actual description of the
process?

2) I read that sand is the media of choice for the Fluidized Bed. What
kind? Silica, Beach Sand w/quarts? My minnow tanks use crushed lava rock
and support thousands of fish in 120 gallons of water. Might this make a
good filter material?

3) NetMax, will the Reservoir Bed described here work for your idea of an
undergravel space to suck up the detritus? (Continuous Gravel Filter)

4) What will I need for a pump to circulate & operate this filter? I read
one article that used a 100 gph pump but that seems way to small, I was
thinking about 1000 to 1200 gph, am I headed in the right direction?

5) I read that fluidized beds deplete the oxygen in the water, will I have
to circulate the water and use spray bars at the top to keep the surface
moving? Will this be enough or will I need to add an air pump and a LARGE
airstone?

6) This is a game fish aquarium, so the fish are used to a wide variety of
water temps. In the winter I can keep the water temp in a 120g tank
around 66 to 68 degrees, but in the summer the temp rises to the HIGH
70's. Will 1000g react the same? I know it will take longer to heat up,
but any idea if I will need a chiller for this tank?

7) 10,000# of tank, gravel and water. Stands? Concrete Blocks? Lumber?
How will I need to support this tank?

8) Using the gravel and filter media from the old 120g tank, how long do
you think it will take to cycle this much water?

More questions later THANKS for your input.
JOhn

http://honors.montana.edu/~weif/firs...luidized.phtml
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/...d_Filters.html

Here are a couple of good sites explaining the FBF & how it works. It is
basically a SUPER biological filter. It uses grains of sand to provide a
space for the beneficial bacteria to grow on. The surface area provided by
millions of individual grains of media in constant suspension, allows
virtually complete nitrification in one pass.
--
Craig
________________________________
www.CanadianCray.tk
www.Bluecrayfish.com
"John " wrote in message
...
Well I did it. Purchased a used 955g on eBay, I will be driving to St.
Louis this weekend to pick it up.

Size: Tank 10'3" long 3'10" wide 3'3" tall Fluidized Bed 6' tall 6" wide
(cylinder) Reservoir Bed 7' long 2' wide 2' tall.
Pictures and description on ebay at
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MEWA:IT

I really don't have enough room for the 250 Gallon Reservoir Tank/Sump
that comes with the tank, and want to compact the sump/filter.

1) I really don't know much about "Fluidized Beds". I have searched
google, and found some general discussion but most of the topics were
comparing other kinds of filters. I am a picture kind of guy, does anyone
have a link to a website with drawings and an actual description of the
process?

2) I read that sand is the media of choice for the Fluidized Bed. What
kind? Silica, Beach Sand w/quarts? My minnow tanks use crushed lava rock
and support thousands of fish in 120 gallons of water. Might this make a
good filter material?

3) NetMax, will the Reservoir Bed described here work for your idea of an
undergravel space to suck up the detritus? (Continuous Gravel Filter)

4) What will I need for a pump to circulate & operate this filter? I read
one article that used a 100 gph pump but that seems way to small, I was
thinking about 1000 to 1200 gph, am I headed in the right direction?

5) I read that fluidized beds deplete the oxygen in the water, will I have
to circulate the water and use spray bars at the top to keep the surface
moving? Will this be enough or will I need to add an air pump and a LARGE
airstone?

6) This is a game fish aquarium, so the fish are used to a wide variety of
water temps. In the winter I can keep the water temp in a 120g tank
around 66 to 68 degrees, but in the summer the temp rises to the HIGH
70's. Will 1000g react the same? I know it will take longer to heat up,
but any idea if I will need a chiller for this tank?

7) 10,000# of tank, gravel and water. Stands? Concrete Blocks? Lumber?
How will I need to support this tank?

8) Using the gravel and filter media from the old 120g tank, how long do
you think it will take to cycle this much water?

More questions later THANKS for your input.
JOhn

"John " wrote in
message ...
Well I did it. Purchased a used 955g on eBay, I will be driving to St.
Louis this weekend to pick it up.

Size: Tank 10'3" long 3'10" wide 3'3" tall Fluidized Bed 6' tall 6"
wide (cylinder) Reservoir Bed 7' long 2' wide 2' tall.
Pictures and description on ebay at
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MEWA:IT

Interesting that the ad says 995g, but the dimensions yield 955g and the
actual water capacity after the thickness is 875g (if filled to the
top) - but that's still one tank of a tank ;~). If you ever need to
medicate or do any calculations, I would use 850g (accounting for the
substrate and rock work) and add the sump capacity if being used.

I really don't have enough room for the 250 Gallon Reservoir Tank/Sump
that comes with the tank, and want to compact the sump/filter.

1) I really don't know much about "Fluidized Beds". I have searched
google, and found some general discussion but most of the topics were
comparing other kinds of filters. I am a picture kind of guy, does
anyone have a link to a website with drawings and an actual description
of the process?

Water is pumped up through the tube, and the sand grains lift up to allow
the water to go through. The end result is that there is a tiny gap
between most of the grains of sand allowing the water to pass between
them. You can modify it in a number of ways, keeping a few principles in
mind i) that the tube should be relatively narrow (relative to flow, so
you don't have dead spots in the sand becoming compressed and anaerobic),
ii) the flow is not so great to cause sand to significantly exit the
tube, iii) the flow must be even and uninterrupted, and iv) do not let it
get choked with any debris (must be at the output of a mechanical
filter). The surface area of the sand grains becomes coated in bacteria,
so you have a tremendous biological capacity in a FBF.

2) I read that sand is the media of choice for the Fluidized Bed. What
kind? Silica, Beach Sand w/quarts? My minnow tanks use crushed lava
rock and support thousands of fish in 120 gallons of water. Might this
make a good filter material?

I don't think an FBF is an FBF unless you use sand. The water causes the
sand bed to become 'fluid' hence the name. Substituting other media just
makes it into a regular biological filter.

3) NetMax, will the Reservoir Bed described here work for your idea of
an undergravel space to suck up the detritus? (Continuous Gravel
Filter)

I don't think so. Their reservoir bed appears to be a sump.

4) What will I need for a pump to circulate & operate this filter? I
read one article that used a 100 gph pump but that seems way to small,
I was thinking about 1000 to 1200 gph, am I headed in the right
direction?

It's going to depend on your fishload, but 1000 to 2000 gph is the
ballpark. Game fish are more carniverous, so with the extra food given
you will need more than the usual filtration. The FBF does the
biological, but you will need serious mechanical filtration and a good
flow to pick up their waste.

5) I read that fluidized beds deplete the oxygen in the water, will I
have to circulate the water and use spray bars at the top to keep the
surface moving? Will this be enough or will I need to add an air pump
and a LARGE airstone?

With cool water, your O2 levels will be higher to start with. I would
speculate that the O2 use would entirely depend on fish-load and the
quantity of fish food you are using, so I think you should be able to
adjust this as you go along.

6) This is a game fish aquarium, so the fish are used to a wide variety
of water temps. In the winter I can keep the water temp in a 120g tank
around 66 to 68 degrees, but in the summer the temp rises to the HIGH
70's. Will 1000g react the same? I know it will take longer to heat
up, but any idea if I will need a chiller for this tank?

I suspect that on a daily basis, you will not see this tank change
temperature significantly. It will settle on the average temperature
(per 24 hours) with a significant lag time spread over a few days
(especially if you insulate unseen sides). I hope you don't need a
chiller, and if you do, design it for your application, so if all you
need is something for a few weeks, there are other ways (ie: stainless
steel lines and a circulating pump between a coil in your sump and your
meat freezer ;~).

7) 10,000# of tank, gravel and water. Stands? Concrete Blocks?
Lumber? How will I need to support this tank?

Beer cases, start drinking. Seriously, tank weight (750lbs?) plus 875g x
8.75lbs/gal (7,665) plus rockwork (250lbs) = 3.9 tons. Stands are easy,
make sure the floor will take it. Personally I would not use concrete or
cinder blocks as they can crumble too easily if the weight is poorly
distributed. Lumber works fine, making several box frames (ie:4x4) and
fastening them together, and then a layer of plywood and expanded
polystyrene on top. I would get quotes on a welded steel frame stand.
Not pretty (add some wood, aluminium or stainless steel sides), but they
leave a lot of usable space underneath. Holding it up is not really the
problem, it's holding it up uniformly that's the challenge. You want the
10' length evenly supported (so if using beer cases, make sure the
bottles are all the same size ;~).

8) Using the gravel and filter media from the old 120g tank, how long
do you think it will take to cycle this much water?

If the fish load of the new tank is the same as the 120g (ie: you moved
the fish over), then the cycle might not be of any significance. I'd do
test measurements for a few days while feeding a little less.

More questions later THANKS for your input.
JOhn

No problem John, lots of us have tanks that size (NOT) and we would be
glad to share our experience. For reference though, the only comparably
sized tank I've worked on is here
http://www.2cah.com/netmax/about/mytanks/POND2.jpg at around 800g, and it
used a pool pump and pool sand filter. The waterfall added lots of O2.

hint: Peek into the pond newsgroup. They have lots of experience with
that size. Just don't ask them about lighting, or they'll catch on that
your tank is not a pond ;~). Seriously though, a lot of pond folks do
overwinter their Koi in basement tanks which are in the 700-2000g range,
so some really do have experience & advice on temperature stability,
pumps, filter media in bulk, food in bulk etc.

ps: I am sooooo jealous.
--
www.NetMax.tk

I calculated it to be even smaller. I got 121"L X 44"W X 37.25"H interior
dimensions. Taking into account 1" thick on sides & bottom & 3/4" thick on
lid. I calculated tank dimensions to be this. Your aquarium can hold
gallons of Water. If we assume the water level in your aquarium is 1 inch
below the top then the total gallons would be . This however doesn't take
into account sump & FBF.


--
Craig
________________________________
www.CanadianCray.tk
www.Bluecrayfish.com
"NetMax" wrote in message
...
"John " wrote in
message ...
Well I did it. Purchased a used 955g on eBay, I will be driving to St.
Louis this weekend to pick it up.

Size: Tank 10'3" long 3'10" wide 3'3" tall Fluidized Bed 6' tall 6" wide
(cylinder) Reservoir Bed 7' long 2' wide 2' tall.
Pictures and description on ebay at
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MEWA:IT

Interesting that the ad says 995g, but the dimensions yield 955g and the
actual water capacity after the thickness is 875g (if filled to the top) -
but that's still one tank of a tank ;~). If you ever need to medicate or
do any calculations, I would use 850g (accounting for the substrate and
rock work) and add the sump capacity if being used.

I really don't have enough room for the 250 Gallon Reservoir Tank/Sump
that comes with the tank, and want to compact the sump/filter.

1) I really don't know much about "Fluidized Beds". I have searched
google, and found some general discussion but most of the topics were
comparing other kinds of filters. I am a picture kind of guy, does
anyone have a link to a website with drawings and an actual description
of the process?

Water is pumped up through the tube, and the sand grains lift up to allow
the water to go through. The end result is that there is a tiny gap
between most of the grains of sand allowing the water to pass between
them. You can modify it in a number of ways, keeping a few principles in
mind i) that the tube should be relatively narrow (relative to flow, so
you don't have dead spots in the sand becoming compressed and anaerobic),
ii) the flow is not so great to cause sand to significantly exit the tube,
iii) the flow must be even and uninterrupted, and iv) do not let it get
choked with any debris (must be at the output of a mechanical filter).
The surface area of the sand grains becomes coated in bacteria, so you
have a tremendous biological capacity in a FBF.

2) I read that sand is the media of choice for the Fluidized Bed. What
kind? Silica, Beach Sand w/quarts? My minnow tanks use crushed lava rock
and support thousands of fish in 120 gallons of water. Might this make a
good filter material?

I don't think an FBF is an FBF unless you use sand. The water causes the
sand bed to become 'fluid' hence the name. Substituting other media just
makes it into a regular biological filter.

3) NetMax, will the Reservoir Bed described here work for your idea of an
undergravel space to suck up the detritus? (Continuous Gravel Filter)

I don't think so. Their reservoir bed appears to be a sump.

4) What will I need for a pump to circulate & operate this filter? I
read one article that used a 100 gph pump but that seems way to small, I
was thinking about 1000 to 1200 gph, am I headed in the right direction?

It's going to depend on your fishload, but 1000 to 2000 gph is the
ballpark. Game fish are more carniverous, so with the extra food given
you will need more than the usual filtration. The FBF does the
biological, but you will need serious mechanical filtration and a good
flow to pick up their waste.

5) I read that fluidized beds deplete the oxygen in the water, will I
have to circulate the water and use spray bars at the top to keep the
surface moving? Will this be enough or will I need to add an air pump
and a LARGE airstone?

With cool water, your O2 levels will be higher to start with. I would
speculate that the O2 use would entirely depend on fish-load and the
quantity of fish food you are using, so I think you should be able to
adjust this as you go along.

6) This is a game fish aquarium, so the fish are used to a wide variety
of water temps. In the winter I can keep the water temp in a 120g tank
around 66 to 68 degrees, but in the summer the temp rises to the HIGH
70's. Will 1000g react the same? I know it will take longer to heat up,
but any idea if I will need a chiller for this tank?

I suspect that on a daily basis, you will not see this tank change
temperature significantly. It will settle on the average temperature (per
24 hours) with a significant lag time spread over a few days (especially
if you insulate unseen sides). I hope you don't need a chiller, and if
you do, design it for your application, so if all you need is something
for a few weeks, there are other ways (ie: stainless steel lines and a
circulating pump between a coil in your sump and your meat freezer ;~).

7) 10,000# of tank, gravel and water. Stands? Concrete Blocks? Lumber?
How will I need to support this tank?

Beer cases, start drinking. Seriously, tank weight (750lbs?) plus 875g x
8.75lbs/gal (7,665) plus rockwork (250lbs) = 3.9 tons. Stands are easy,
make sure the floor will take it. Personally I would not use concrete or
cinder blocks as they can crumble too easily if the weight is poorly
distributed. Lumber works fine, making several box frames (ie:4x4) and
fastening them together, and then a layer of plywood and expanded
polystyrene on top. I would get quotes on a welded steel frame stand. Not
pretty (add some wood, aluminium or stainless steel sides), but they leave
a lot of usable space underneath. Holding it up is not really the
problem, it's holding it up uniformly that's the challenge. You want the
10' length evenly supported (so if using beer cases, make sure the bottles
are all the same size ;~).

8) Using the gravel and filter media from the old 120g tank, how long do
you think it will take to cycle this much water?

If the fish load of the new tank is the same as the 120g (ie: you moved
the fish over), then the cycle might not be of any significance. I'd do
test measurements for a few days while feeding a little less.

More questions later THANKS for your input.
JOhn

No problem John, lots of us have tanks that size (NOT) and we would be
glad to share our experience. For reference though, the only comparably
sized tank I've worked on is here
http://www.2cah.com/netmax/about/mytanks/POND2.jpg at around 800g, and it
used a pool pump and pool sand filter. The waterfall added lots of O2.

hint: Peek into the pond newsgroup. They have lots of experience with
that size. Just don't ask them about lighting, or they'll catch on that
your tank is not a pond ;~). Seriously though, a lot of pond folks do
overwinter their Koi in basement tanks which are in the 700-2000g range,
so some really do have experience & advice on temperature stability,
pumps, filter media in bulk, food in bulk etc.

ps: I am sooooo jealous.
--
www.NetMax.tk

Lets try that again....

I calculated it to be even smaller. I got 121"L X 44"W X 37.25"H interior
dimensions. Taking into account 1" thick on sides & bottom & 3/4" thick on
lid. I calculated tank dimensions to be this. Your aquarium can hold
858.52 gallons of Water. If we assume the water level in your aquarium is 1
inch
below the top then the total gallons would be 809.74. This however doesn't
take
into account sump & FBF.



--
Craig
________________________________
www.CanadianCray.tk
www.Bluecrayfish.com
"CanadianCray" wrote in message
...
I calculated it to be even smaller. I got 121"L X 44"W X 37.25"H interior
dimensions. Taking into account 1" thick on sides & bottom & 3/4" thick on
lid. I calculated tank dimensions to be this. Your aquarium can hold
gallons of Water. If we assume the water level in your aquarium is 1 inch
below the top then the total gallons would be . This however doesn't take
into account sump & FBF.


--
Craig
________________________________
www.CanadianCray.tk
www.Bluecrayfish.com
"NetMax" wrote in message
...
"John " wrote in
message ...
Well I did it. Purchased a used 955g on eBay, I will be driving to St.
Louis this weekend to pick it up.

Size: Tank 10'3" long 3'10" wide 3'3" tall Fluidized Bed 6' tall 6" wide
(cylinder) Reservoir Bed 7' long 2' wide 2' tall.
Pictures and description on ebay at
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MEWA:IT

Interesting that the ad says 995g, but the dimensions yield 955g and the
actual water capacity after the thickness is 875g (if filled to the
top) - but that's still one tank of a tank ;~). If you ever need to
medicate or do any calculations, I would use 850g (accounting for the
substrate and rock work) and add the sump capacity if being used.

I really don't have enough room for the 250 Gallon Reservoir Tank/Sump
that comes with the tank, and want to compact the sump/filter.

1) I really don't know much about "Fluidized Beds". I have searched
google, and found some general discussion but most of the topics were
comparing other kinds of filters. I am a picture kind of guy, does
anyone have a link to a website with drawings and an actual description
of the process?

Water is pumped up through the tube, and the sand grains lift up to allow
the water to go through. The end result is that there is a tiny gap
between most of the grains of sand allowing the water to pass between
them. You can modify it in a number of ways, keeping a few principles in
mind i) that the tube should be relatively narrow (relative to flow, so
you don't have dead spots in the sand becoming compressed and anaerobic),
ii) the flow is not so great to cause sand to significantly exit the
tube, iii) the flow must be even and uninterrupted, and iv) do not let it
get choked with any debris (must be at the output of a mechanical
filter). The surface area of the sand grains becomes coated in bacteria,
so you have a tremendous biological capacity in a FBF.

2) I read that sand is the media of choice for the Fluidized Bed. What
kind? Silica, Beach Sand w/quarts? My minnow tanks use crushed lava
rock and support thousands of fish in 120 gallons of water. Might this
make a good filter material?

I don't think an FBF is an FBF unless you use sand. The water causes the
sand bed to become 'fluid' hence the name. Substituting other media just
makes it into a regular biological filter.

3) NetMax, will the Reservoir Bed described here work for your idea of
an undergravel space to suck up the detritus? (Continuous Gravel Filter)

I don't think so. Their reservoir bed appears to be a sump.

4) What will I need for a pump to circulate & operate this filter? I
read one article that used a 100 gph pump but that seems way to small, I
was thinking about 1000 to 1200 gph, am I headed in the right direction?

It's going to depend on your fishload, but 1000 to 2000 gph is the
ballpark. Game fish are more carniverous, so with the extra food given
you will need more than the usual filtration. The FBF does the
biological, but you will need serious mechanical filtration and a good
flow to pick up their waste.

5) I read that fluidized beds deplete the oxygen in the water, will I
have to circulate the water and use spray bars at the top to keep the
surface moving? Will this be enough or will I need to add an air pump
and a LARGE airstone?

With cool water, your O2 levels will be higher to start with. I would
speculate that the O2 use would entirely depend on fish-load and the
quantity of fish food you are using, so I think you should be able to
adjust this as you go along.

6) This is a game fish aquarium, so the fish are used to a wide variety
of water temps. In the winter I can keep the water temp in a 120g tank
around 66 to 68 degrees, but in the summer the temp rises to the HIGH
70's. Will 1000g react the same? I know it will take longer to heat
up, but any idea if I will need a chiller for this tank?

I suspect that on a daily basis, you will not see this tank change
temperature significantly. It will settle on the average temperature
(per 24 hours) with a significant lag time spread over a few days
(especially if you insulate unseen sides). I hope you don't need a
chiller, and if you do, design it for your application, so if all you
need is something for a few weeks, there are other ways (ie: stainless
steel lines and a circulating pump between a coil in your sump and your
meat freezer ;~).

7) 10,000# of tank, gravel and water. Stands? Concrete Blocks? Lumber?
How will I need to support this tank?

Beer cases, start drinking. Seriously, tank weight (750lbs?) plus 875g x
8.75lbs/gal (7,665) plus rockwork (250lbs) = 3.9 tons. Stands are easy,
make sure the floor will take it. Personally I would not use concrete or
cinder blocks as they can crumble too easily if the weight is poorly
distributed. Lumber works fine, making several box frames (ie:4x4) and
fastening them together, and then a layer of plywood and expanded
polystyrene on top. I would get quotes on a welded steel frame stand.
Not pretty (add some wood, aluminium or stainless steel sides), but they
leave a lot of usable space underneath. Holding it up is not really the
problem, it's holding it up uniformly that's the challenge. You want the
10' length evenly supported (so if using beer cases, make sure the
bottles are all the same size ;~).

8) Using the gravel and filter media from the old 120g tank, how long
do you think it will take to cycle this much water?

If the fish load of the new tank is the same as the 120g (ie: you moved
the fish over), then the cycle might not be of any significance. I'd do
test measurements for a few days while feeding a little less.

More questions later THANKS for your input.
JOhn

No problem John, lots of us have tanks that size (NOT) and we would be
glad to share our experience. For reference though, the only comparably
sized tank I've worked on is here
http://www.2cah.com/netmax/about/mytanks/POND2.jpg at around 800g, and it
used a pool pump and pool sand filter. The waterfall added lots of O2.

hint: Peek into the pond newsgroup. They have lots of experience with
that size. Just don't ask them about lighting, or they'll catch on that
your tank is not a pond ;~). Seriously though, a lot of pond folks do
overwinter their Koi in basement tanks which are in the 700-2000g range,
so some really do have experience & advice on temperature stability,
pumps, filter media in bulk, food in bulk etc.

ps: I am sooooo jealous.
--
www.NetMax.tk

Oh yeah here is some more generic info.

LIGHTING
You will need 1710.0 watts of lighting for plants with low light
requirements, 2575.5 watts for Plants with medium light requirements and
3434.0 watts for plants with high light requirements.

Heater
You are going to need a heater (s) with a total capacity of 4292.6watts
(Double this if you are in a cold room or basement.

Filtering
You will need a filter with a flow capacity between 3434.0 and 6009.6
gallons per hour.

It will also have a maximum water weight of 7357.54 LBS.

--
Craig
________________________________
www.CanadianCray.tk
www.Bluecrayfish.com
"CanadianCray" wrote in message
...
I calculated it to be even smaller. I got 121"L X 44"W X 37.25"H interior
dimensions. Taking into account 1" thick on sides & bottom & 3/4" thick on
lid. I calculated tank dimensions to be this. Your aquarium can hold
gallons of Water. If we assume the water level in your aquarium is 1 inch
below the top then the total gallons would be . This however doesn't take
into account sump & FBF.


--
Craig
________________________________
www.CanadianCray.tk
www.Bluecrayfish.com
"NetMax" wrote in message
...
"John " wrote in
message ...
Well I did it. Purchased a used 955g on eBay, I will be driving to St.
Louis this weekend to pick it up.

Size: Tank 10'3" long 3'10" wide 3'3" tall Fluidized Bed 6' tall 6" wide
(cylinder) Reservoir Bed 7' long 2' wide 2' tall.
Pictures and description on ebay at
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MEWA:IT

Interesting that the ad says 995g, but the dimensions yield 955g and the
actual water capacity after the thickness is 875g (if filled to the
top) - but that's still one tank of a tank ;~). If you ever need to
medicate or do any calculations, I would use 850g (accounting for the
substrate and rock work) and add the sump capacity if being used.

I really don't have enough room for the 250 Gallon Reservoir Tank/Sump
that comes with the tank, and want to compact the sump/filter.

1) I really don't know much about "Fluidized Beds". I have searched
google, and found some general discussion but most of the topics were
comparing other kinds of filters. I am a picture kind of guy, does
anyone have a link to a website with drawings and an actual description
of the process?

Water is pumped up through the tube, and the sand grains lift up to allow
the water to go through. The end result is that there is a tiny gap
between most of the grains of sand allowing the water to pass between
them. You can modify it in a number of ways, keeping a few principles in
mind i) that the tube should be relatively narrow (relative to flow, so
you don't have dead spots in the sand becoming compressed and anaerobic),
ii) the flow is not so great to cause sand to significantly exit the
tube, iii) the flow must be even and uninterrupted, and iv) do not let it
get choked with any debris (must be at the output of a mechanical
filter). The surface area of the sand grains becomes coated in bacteria,
so you have a tremendous biological capacity in a FBF.

2) I read that sand is the media of choice for the Fluidized Bed. What
kind? Silica, Beach Sand w/quarts? My minnow tanks use crushed lava
rock and support thousands of fish in 120 gallons of water. Might this
make a good filter material?

I don't think an FBF is an FBF unless you use sand. The water causes the
sand bed to become 'fluid' hence the name. Substituting other media just
makes it into a regular biological filter.

3) NetMax, will the Reservoir Bed described here work for your idea of
an undergravel space to suck up the detritus? (Continuous Gravel Filter)

I don't think so. Their reservoir bed appears to be a sump.

4) What will I need for a pump to circulate & operate this filter? I
read one article that used a 100 gph pump but that seems way to small, I
was thinking about 1000 to 1200 gph, am I headed in the right direction?

It's going to depend on your fishload, but 1000 to 2000 gph is the
ballpark. Game fish are more carniverous, so with the extra food given
you will need more than the usual filtration. The FBF does the
biological, but you will need serious mechanical filtration and a good
flow to pick up their waste.

5) I read that fluidized beds deplete the oxygen in the water, will I
have to circulate the water and use spray bars at the top to keep the
surface moving? Will this be enough or will I need to add an air pump
and a LARGE airstone?

With cool water, your O2 levels will be higher to start with. I would
speculate that the O2 use would entirely depend on fish-load and the
quantity of fish food you are using, so I think you should be able to
adjust this as you go along.

6) This is a game fish aquarium, so the fish are used to a wide variety
of water temps. In the winter I can keep the water temp in a 120g tank
around 66 to 68 degrees, but in the summer the temp rises to the HIGH
70's. Will 1000g react the same? I know it will take longer to heat
up, but any idea if I will need a chiller for this tank?

I suspect that on a daily basis, you will not see this tank change
temperature significantly. It will settle on the average temperature
(per 24 hours) with a significant lag time spread over a few days
(especially if you insulate unseen sides). I hope you don't need a
chiller, and if you do, design it for your application, so if all you
need is something for a few weeks, there are other ways (ie: stainless
steel lines and a circulating pump between a coil in your sump and your
meat freezer ;~).

7) 10,000# of tank, gravel and water. Stands? Concrete Blocks? Lumber?
How will I need to support this tank?

Beer cases, start drinking. Seriously, tank weight (750lbs?) plus 875g x
8.75lbs/gal (7,665) plus rockwork (250lbs) = 3.9 tons. Stands are easy,
make sure the floor will take it. Personally I would not use concrete or
cinder blocks as they can crumble too easily if the weight is poorly
distributed. Lumber works fine, making several box frames (ie:4x4) and
fastening them together, and then a layer of plywood and expanded
polystyrene on top. I would get quotes on a welded steel frame stand.
Not pretty (add some wood, aluminium or stainless steel sides), but they
leave a lot of usable space underneath. Holding it up is not really the
problem, it's holding it up uniformly that's the challenge. You want the
10' length evenly supported (so if using beer cases, make sure the
bottles are all the same size ;~).

8) Using the gravel and filter media from the old 120g tank, how long
do you think it will take to cycle this much water?

If the fish load of the new tank is the same as the 120g (ie: you moved
the fish over), then the cycle might not be of any significance. I'd do
test measurements for a few days while feeding a little less.

More questions later THANKS for your input.
JOhn

No problem John, lots of us have tanks that size (NOT) and we would be
glad to share our experience. For reference though, the only comparably
sized tank I've worked on is here
http://www.2cah.com/netmax/about/mytanks/POND2.jpg at around 800g, and it
used a pool pump and pool sand filter. The waterfall added lots of O2.

hint: Peek into the pond newsgroup. They have lots of experience with
that size. Just don't ask them about lighting, or they'll catch on that
your tank is not a pond ;~). Seriously though, a lot of pond folks do
overwinter their Koi in basement tanks which are in the 700-2000g range,
so some really do have experience & advice on temperature stability,
pumps, filter media in bulk, food in bulk etc.

ps: I am sooooo jealous.
--
www.NetMax.tk

"John " wrote in
message ...

I'm speechless. I hate you.

g

Pics, man, pics. Every step of the way if possible. :)

no, you cannot go by the wpg rule with a tank this size. The amount of
light you suggest would burn plants to a crisp ;op

--

Margolis
http://web.archive.org/web/200302152...qs/AGQ2FAQ.htm
http://www.unrealtower.org/faq

"NetMax" wrote in message
...
| much more details though, I'm no expert.
| --

I daresay most of us would challenge that statement.....g