noob in need of help... 730 gallons

[ceeej31]

okay im planing a 730 gallon 8'x4'x3' plywood tank, any tips on inexpensive heating, lighting, and filtration?

[arribapirate]

im probably gonna say what every1 is thinking with this,

if you are spending the time and money to build a 730gal tank dont cheap out on the accessories..... mainly because you will probably have to redo it all agian very soon.... filtration you might be able to use like a large pond or above ground swimming pool filter but will probably need other items to help filter, heating you could also probably use a small pond or pool heater... i have seen a few DIY heating systems.... and lighting i would guess you could find on Ebay or Craigslist......

thats just my .02

[ceeej31]

thanks,
what would you think about useing two fluval fx5s for filtration

[buckeyefinance]

That size of tank is going to need more than 2 fx5'. Not sure how many but I would think 4 or so, depending on the fish you are going to keep and bio-load.

[jcardona1]

Yeah I dont think 2 FX5's are gonna cut it!! As mentioned, I would go with a pond filter - maybe a pressurized bead filter...

[ceeej31]

im planning on stocking it with
1 silver aro
8 oscars
4 pike cichlids
9 red hook sds
2 motoros
3 freshwater cudas
1 lima sn
and 1 royal pleco
:headbang2:headbang2:headbang2

[ceeej31]

how much would a pressurized bead filter cost:confused:

[jcardona1]

how much would a pressurized bead filter cost:confused:

Well that depends on what you want. I run an Advanced bead filter for my 3,000 gallon koi pond. That one is rated for 10K gallons and cost me $1,775, but its has all the bells and whistles including a large air blower.

There are some on eBay rated for 2k gallons that start at about $400, see here:

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&catref=C6&from=R10&_trksid=m37&satitle=bead+filter&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=95350&sabfmts=1&saobfmts=insif&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=34%26fsoo%3D2

[ceeej31]

ok im gonna go with that one and how much would you say a heater would cost?:confused:

[jcardona1]

ok im gonna go with that one and how much would you say a heater would cost?:confused:

Hmm, not sure on that one. Never had to heat up that much water! I know they make pond heaters but I dont know what they go for. My koi do fine in the CA winters!

[jloos1988]

im planning on stocking it with
1 silver aro
8 oscars
4 pike cichlids
9 red hook sds
2 motoros
3 freshwater cudas
1 lima sn
and 1 royal pleco
:headbang2:headbang2:headbang2

awesome stocking...that prolly what i would do with a monster tank. more catfish though, with a tank that size you gotta go with some big cats ! :)

[ceeej31]

thanks i was thinking maybe a niger aswell but they might get too big

[muckieman]

check out arl's 700gallon plywood tank i think he spent like 3k on it. good luck and welcome to MFK.

[ceeej31]

thank you, that thread was partly responsible for inspireing me to do this:)
i want mine to look similar to his but less elaborate
it will probably be alot less money to all those asian aros must have cost a ton:D

[klowd123]

wow weee.. let us know when you're going to build it..too bad my house only can max out at 540 gallon.. sigh~~~

[voss345]

your stocking sounds good, i would take the cudas out the equation, just as there not very aggressive and dont think they could stand up against the pikes
maybe add a tiger shovelnose and cut back on the oscars and get a couple mono or ocell pbass

[ceeej31]

ok the new stoking plan i have decided on is
no more pikes
no more oscars
only one ray
everything else the same
maybe 1 or 2 pbass
and possibly a payara
:headbang2:headbang2

[ceeej31]

also the tank will be in the same room as my tortoises indoor pen (for the winter) and the room will be heated because of this does this mean i can just keep the room heated to heat the tank:confused:

[mithesaint]

also the tank will be in the same room as my tortoises indoor pen (for the winter) and the room will be heated because of this does this mean i can just keep the room heated to heat the tank:confused:

I'd run a 240 circuit to the room, and install a large baseboard heater. That's a little more efficient in terms of electric use, AFAIK. Good luck.:popcorn:

[Danh]

Its normally a better idea to heat the room than the tank intself.

I would make a DIY sump for the tank. A nice big settling chamber that the tank overflows in to with some big very fine sock filters, then 100g or so of bio media, then 5k-10k gph of return pumps.

[ceeej31]

just so you know the room will be in my basment which is currently unheated
and how much would the baseboard heater cost:confused:

[pgray006]

well firts of all be sure what ever you decide to use, you have enough power for it all. i had to put in a seperate breaker for my tank. I found at the big hardware stores that some of the shop lights with t8s looked good for cheap. other than that pond filters and such

[ceeej31]

thanks, but does anybody know if there are any problems with my stocklist
a silver aro
red hook silver dollars
freshwater cudas
a lima sn
a royal pleco
a redtail fei feng
and a scomb

[PoopSmart]

Better not do the royal in the plywood tank, woods their favorite.


There are very few epoxy mixtures that they can't chew through.

[amehel0]

yeh beadfilters or pool filters all the way

[ceeej31]

ok i wont do the royal, do you know of any other large pleco species (besides the comman) that are under $30 and would do well

[ceeej31]

i made some changes to the plan
the tank will now be: a 10'x4'x3' garf
i will still use the same filtration that i had planned
still working on finding some good lighting
still havent quite figured out heating

[ilikewomen]

I think u should just get natives,or a pond filter\pond heater if u have alot of money to spend.Pikes,catfish,and bass really aint that bad.

[ethnics]

i think, your dreaming. but isn't it nice to dream? makes us feel like we can do something.

can you afford to build a tank of that size? and keep everyone in it well fed? i am not discouraging you. i am only stating facts, from experience. huge tanks and fish are not for the average keeper. and your still planning, hardly any doing.

[TheFanatic]

i think, your dreaming. but isn't it nice to dream? makes us feel like we can do something.

can you afford to build a tank of that size? and keep everyone in it well fed? i am not discouraging you. i am only stating facts, from experience. huge tanks and fish are not for the average keeper. and your still planning, hardly any doing.

I was thinking the same thing. We see a whole lot of planning on this site. Like, "currently I have my Red Tailed Cat in my 20 gallon high but I'm planning on buying a 500 gallon tank as soon as I can afford it. Once he out grows the 20 I'm planning to drop him in my 55 so that should give me plenty of time to buy a bigger tank."

I'm "planning" on buying a 12'X2'X2' Acrylic tank but my wife would probably "plan" on divorcing me. At least in this house.

In the next one tho I will definitely be keeping an eye out for a nice long basement wall that would be perfect for such tank. Then I just have to explain why it would cost so much to put my dream tank there!!!

[tank125]

i think, your dreaming. but isn't it nice to dream? makes us feel like we can do something.

can you afford to build a tank of that size? and keep everyone in it well fed? i am not discouraging you. i am only stating facts, from experience. huge tanks and fish are not for the average keeper. and your still planning, hardly any doing.

:grinno::ROFL::grinno::ROFL::grinno::nilly::nilly: :nilly::nilly::nilly:



In the nicest way, I agree, it is nice to dream. I just think that if you do want to do this you should probably take $$$ out of the equation and worry about what filters will perform the best, most maintenance free, and most effectively. Then concern yourself with how to cut costs. It might also be easier to focus on one or two fish, not get caught up on the whole stock list thing.

[ceeej31]

I think u should just get natives,or a pond filter\pond heater if u have alot of money to spend.Pikes,catfish,and bass really aint that bad.
i love natives but, i still want to go with something more exotic for my tank, when i get a pond im gonna stock it with natives

[TheFanatic]

:grinno::ROFL::grinno::ROFL::grinno::nilly::nilly: :nilly::nilly::nilly:



In the nicest way, I agree, it is nice to dream. I just think that if you do want to do this you should probably take $$$ out of the equation and worry about what filters will perform the best, most maintenance free, and most effectively. Then concern yourself with how to cut costs. It might also be easier to focus on one or two fish, not get caught up on the whole stock list thing.

Even better, maybe scale back the size if the cost is too much for good filtration, heating and lighting.

I would rather simplify and do something really, really well, than go off and do something on a grand scale but not that well....

[Snakehead23]

I have an fx5 and it works great. You may want to buy 2 though because their made for 400 gallons. (mine's in a 200)

[ceeej31]

filtration isnt a problem im going to get this:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5163+5186+5280&pcatid=5280http://

[ceeej31]

would the second one down work for my tank?http://www.heatingyourpond.com/submersible-heaters.html

[ceeej31]

found what i will use for lighting:):
http://electrical.hardwarestore.com/13-38-shop-lights/lights-of-america-shop-light-463497.aspx#features

[ceeej31]

bump

[soggysandwich]

filtration isnt a problem im going to get this:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5163+5186+5280&pcatid=5280http://
link doesnt work
found what i will use for lighting:):
http://electrical.hardwarestore.com/13-38-shop-lights/lights-of-america-shop-light-463497.aspx#features
you could prob find cheaper, i think homedepot sells 48" shop lights for 8$ you just have to buy bulbs

[ceeej31]

how about now
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5163+5186+5280&pcatid=5280

[ethnics]

still dreaming? fun isn't it?

[tunerX]

Mine has the same footprint. I use two 4 bulb fixtures from HD and use the 6500k bulbs. I was running all 8 and it is pretty bright. I made a box and have them suspended above the tank. I use reflective egg crate to direct the light straight down.

For heating I use 4 1000 watt heaters tied to two temp controlled relays. I use cheapo heaters. I had an expensive aquarium temp system that went bad and didn't want to spend the money to replace it. The relay and temp sensors were bought out of a grainger catalog and were almost free when compared to the commercial unit.

I keep two different 15 amp circuits and split up my lights pumps and heaters between them. The tank is at 84 degrees and has been since Christmas.

[DasArab]

im probably gonna say what every1 is thinking with this,

if you are spending the time and money to build a 730gal tank dont cheap out on the accessories..... mainly because you will probably have to redo it all agian very soon.... filtration you might be able to use like a large pond or above ground swimming pool filter but will probably need other items to help filter, heating you could also probably use a small pond or pool heater... i have seen a few DIY heating systems.... and lighting i would guess you could find on Ebay or Craigslist......

thats just my .02

Almost. I was think there is no cheap way of doing it.

[ceeej31]

does anybody else have anything helpful to add?

[ceeej31]

bump

[bluefish]

Even better, maybe scale back the size if the cost is too much for good filtration, heating and lighting.

I would rather simplify and do something really, really well, than go off and do something on a grand scale but not that well....
I agree on the scaling back a little--quality over quantity. A 200 to 400 gal tank is still a very big tank by most standards. I am building a 96" x 30" x 30" and it is turning out be huge once I started. Much larger than it seems in one's imagination during the planning stage.

[ceeej31]

bump