On Wed, 05 Nov 2003 03:22:59 +0000, (((\" John Lange wrote:

HI

I am starting plans for a 1000G tank and am trying to get as much
information in advance as possible. The current question is FILTERS???

Any suggestions? This will be a Fresh Water Game Fish Tank. Crappies,
Bluegills (brem), Trout, Bass and the like. I am currently running a 120G
and the filtering load is quite heavy. Someone mentioned a swimming pool
(sand) filter, but I think it will plug up quickly.

I would recommend a filteration system in two parts:

1. Remove the large particulate matter (big fish = larger solid waste)
2. Remove the nitrates (biological filter incorporating live plants
or algae, bacteria growing surfaces).

For particulate matter, I suggest a wet-dry filter in a sump tank.

For the nitrates, an Algae Scrubber works marvelously. It's has been
invented for use in Sal****er tanks, but, can be used with freshwater
for simply awesome results. They have been used for treating really
bad water (like farmwater and wastewater).

For commercial Algae Scrubbers, I can recommend contacting Inland Aquatics
at http://www.inlandaquatics.com who make a really snazzy one (but it's
not listed on their page, call them and speak to Morgan or Mike about Algae
Scrubbers). These guys are experts and will set you up with a filteration
system that would out of this world (but, for a price, of course).

Other examples:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archiv.../algae0700.htm
http://article.dphnet.com/cat-04/algeascrubber.shtml

Oh yeah, and keep these fish cool. For proper health, they may even
need a cooling cycle during winter where the tank temps go below
60F. I'd recommend against Trout, Sauger or Walleye unless you are
willing to invest in a chiller. Any kind of Sunfish (bream, 'gills,
Crappie) or Bass will be fine without a chiller.

Last, make sure you know your state's regulations about keeping
game fish in home aquaria. You may need to purchase them from a
hatchery to keep them in a tank. The fishes in your tank usually
count against your daily bag limit. And last, keep your fishing license
current at all times.

(No offense here, friend, just reminding you to stay legal).