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