265 Gallon Setup

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russwalters

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 15, 2012
11
0
1
United States
Hey everyone, just wanted to get a thread started for my 265 gallon setup. The tank is finally in place, and going through a leak test now. I'm happy to report that it is holding strong! The stand is home built, modelled after the previous stand it was on (was old and rotting out). I copied it board for board, but added a few additional supports and better fastening (glue and screws vs. staples on the store bought stand). Cabinet doors will be added as soon as they are painted as well. I feel very comfortable with the stand, even though it's not as overbuilt as a lot of other builds on this forum. My buddy is a structural engineer and gave it the thumbs up as well.

I am just waiting for the BG from designs by nature to arrive, then it's installation of that, substrate, filters and cycling. I wil be cycling this tank with filter media from an existing 55 gallon tank - so hopefully I'll be able to speed that process up some.

For filtration, since the tank is not drilled (and I was scared to get into that) I am running one Rena XP XL canister and a couple of AC 110's for the time being, I will probably switch over an additional canister later on to replaces the AC's, but I have them now, so I figured I'd use them.

I am planning on using quikrete as my substrate (seen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7_PWBRYTMn8), adding some driftwood, and some DIY fake plants. The background is http://www.designsbynature.net/products-page/slimline-bgs/bj28wa/.

The tank will ultimately be a massive community tank, with a lot of schools of smaller fish. But, I am still looking for some suggestions on some interesting things (larger, more show-y type) to include in my stocking.

I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on my plans, and look forward to sharing the rest of this project with everyone.

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265.jpeg
 
Welcome to the forum!!

Sounds like you have a good handle on setting the tank up.

What type of fish are you interested in stocking? That will help us to give you better advice.

Also, what are the dimensions of the tank?
 
You really should consider using a sump/ wet-dry filter for your setup. You have big openings on the front of the stand and you can maybe slide one in. You can use a hang on the back overflow so you wont have to drill the tank.
 
Deeda - I am planning on doing a community tank with a lot of different types of schooling fish. The tank is 84x24x30

Mike - That was my original plan, but I have read nothing but terrible things about the hang on back overflows and really didn't want to mess with them. Have you had better luck with them?
 
Geo's, clown loaches, jurupari's, a ton of congo tetras, and about 25 corys. Dont forget some plecos too. Keep us posted and good luck!
 
The one thing I really haven't considered yet is what I plan to do for lighting/canopy build. I have no problem buying lights or doing a DIY option. Any suggestions?
 
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