Which needs the smallest tank?
- Thread starter pseudechisbutleri
- Start date
Sure am, it’ll give the sharks and ray somewhere to hide, so that I won’t need to get a lot of live rock, which is pretty much negligible in an elasmobranch system anyways.
An 8x5 pond would be a great size for a pair of Blackspotted Catsharks, as they typically will reach around 2 feet in length. The 8' length is the minimum recommended for the species, but that 5' width is almost double the minimum recommended width - which will certainly help.
I am not too familiar with that species of ray, but from the looks of it they reach around 18" in total length, meaning an 8x5 pond would be plenty large enough for even a group of them. In that size pond, you could easily keep a trio of both species in there - I might go something like 4 rays and 2 sharks, since the sharks will be a bit more active - especially at nighttime.
Let us know how the setup goes, and be sure to post pics
I am not too familiar with that species of ray, but from the looks of it they reach around 18" in total length, meaning an 8x5 pond would be plenty large enough for even a group of them. In that size pond, you could easily keep a trio of both species in there - I might go something like 4 rays and 2 sharks, since the sharks will be a bit more active - especially at nighttime.
Let us know how the setup goes, and be sure to post pics
Thanks.
However, something I need to remind myself of is that all this planning is only so that I’m fully prepared once I am able to keep sharks and rays, and that I know the costs of doing so. I am currently unable to keep these species in the long term (only very short term, my 55 gallon could only hold a shark for so long) and I do not have a big enough basement (or even a basement at all), nor are there any spare rooms in the house, so there is nowhere to place a large tank.
But with that said, once I am able to do so, I’ll set up this system, and yes Oompa Loompa, I will post pictures.
My question about what sort of filtration system I should set up is still unanswered
However, something I need to remind myself of is that all this planning is only so that I’m fully prepared once I am able to keep sharks and rays, and that I know the costs of doing so. I am currently unable to keep these species in the long term (only very short term, my 55 gallon could only hold a shark for so long) and I do not have a big enough basement (or even a basement at all), nor are there any spare rooms in the house, so there is nowhere to place a large tank.
But with that said, once I am able to do so, I’ll set up this system, and yes Oompa Loompa, I will post pictures.
My question about what sort of filtration system I should set up is still unanswered
For filtration, simply put I would run a sump, with a skimmer and some mechanical/biological media. I can give you a more detailed version of what I would do later on.Thanks.
However, something I need to remind myself of is that all this planning is only so that I’m fully prepared once I am able to keep sharks and rays, and that I know the costs of doing so. I am currently unable to keep these species in the long term (only very short term, my 55 gallon could only hold a shark for so long) and I do not have a big enough basement (or even a basement at all), nor are there any spare rooms in the house, so there is nowhere to place a large tank.
But with that said, once I am able to do so, I’ll set up this system, and yes Oompa Loompa, I will post pictures.
My question about what sort of filtration system I should set up is still unanswered
I agree - a 55 gallon tank could house a blackspotted catshark only up to about 8 inches in length. Any larger and it wouldn't have enough room to turn around properly - definitely wait until you can get the adult pond set up to get any sharks.
Haha if I could keep a shark in the 55 gallon, I would.
I guess that's what I'll run then, a sump with a protein skimmer, a filter sock and some ceramic rings. How powerful should my return pump be?
Also an issue that would arise would be water changes, my RO unit would take an eternity to produce enough water to change. I couldn't collect/buy water because I'd have no way to get the water home. It would be handy if I set up a system that is specifically designed to not needing water changes, perhaps super aggressive skimming?
I guess that's what I'll run then, a sump with a protein skimmer, a filter sock and some ceramic rings. How powerful should my return pump be?
Also an issue that would arise would be water changes, my RO unit would take an eternity to produce enough water to change. I couldn't collect/buy water because I'd have no way to get the water home. It would be handy if I set up a system that is specifically designed to not needing water changes, perhaps super aggressive skimming?
If you wanted to go with a cheaper DIY route (which sounds like what you'd prefer to do, correct me if I'm wrong), I would start with a large sump, maybe a 100-150 gallon stock tank.
Take a large plastic drum, fill it with bio-balls, and plumb this into the sump (water would flow from the pond, up into the top of the drum, trickle over the bio-balls, then flow out of the bottom of the drum and into the sump. Ideally, water would just be gravity-fed from the sump back into the display.
In the sump, I'd add a skimmer as well. You could DIY it or just buy one, whichever you prefer.
Sounds like you want to have live rock and some kind of macroalgae in the display - so that will work like a refugium and help a bit with water quality.
Only other thing I might consider would be adding in a few powerheads around the pond, maybe 4-6 of them, for supplemental flow. Change the direction of them up, so water isn't moving in just a circle.
For a return pump, I would run around 2000-2500 gph through it to power the sump, should be plenty. Do you want internal or external?
You could get away with one or two water changes per month, evaporation is going to be pretty high unless you cover the entire pond - which you might not want to do.
Drew
Take a large plastic drum, fill it with bio-balls, and plumb this into the sump (water would flow from the pond, up into the top of the drum, trickle over the bio-balls, then flow out of the bottom of the drum and into the sump. Ideally, water would just be gravity-fed from the sump back into the display.
In the sump, I'd add a skimmer as well. You could DIY it or just buy one, whichever you prefer.
Sounds like you want to have live rock and some kind of macroalgae in the display - so that will work like a refugium and help a bit with water quality.
Only other thing I might consider would be adding in a few powerheads around the pond, maybe 4-6 of them, for supplemental flow. Change the direction of them up, so water isn't moving in just a circle.
For a return pump, I would run around 2000-2500 gph through it to power the sump, should be plenty. Do you want internal or external?
You could get away with one or two water changes per month, evaporation is going to be pretty high unless you cover the entire pond - which you might not want to do.
Drew
Yup, DIY is what I'll do especially if it cuts costs.
Sounds good, I would DIY a protein skimmer, but I would only be able to make an air driven skimmer and I doubt that an air driven skimmer would be able to deal with the bioload.
Could I install an internal sump instead of an external one (I guess it'll be an internal return pump then)? Plumbing and drilling would be less of a hassle, and the system as a whole would feel more "tidy" and "concise" (excuse my OCD). I'm thinking about a large tub or container such as https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/komodo...MIiOuHpbzV2gIVinZgCh0TnQ08EAQYAyABEgKB0vD_BwE, which is 75 gallons (44 x 19 x 21 inches) and could sit inside the main pond? The bioball drum could sit beside the pond, on a stand, receiving water from the sump's return pump, and releasing the water back into the tank?
With monthly water changes, how much water would I need to change, considering the few tank inhabitants, biological filtration and the fact that the tank is just a giant refugium?
Sounds good, I would DIY a protein skimmer, but I would only be able to make an air driven skimmer and I doubt that an air driven skimmer would be able to deal with the bioload.
Could I install an internal sump instead of an external one (I guess it'll be an internal return pump then)? Plumbing and drilling would be less of a hassle, and the system as a whole would feel more "tidy" and "concise" (excuse my OCD). I'm thinking about a large tub or container such as https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/komodo...MIiOuHpbzV2gIVinZgCh0TnQ08EAQYAyABEgKB0vD_BwE, which is 75 gallons (44 x 19 x 21 inches) and could sit inside the main pond? The bioball drum could sit beside the pond, on a stand, receiving water from the sump's return pump, and releasing the water back into the tank?
With monthly water changes, how much water would I need to change, considering the few tank inhabitants, biological filtration and the fact that the tank is just a giant refugium?
Why would you only be able to build an air-driven skimmer?
I think an internal sump would work fine, but personally I think it would distract from the aesthetics of the pond. And of course it's going to take away from the space available to the fish.
The sump is simply to add some volume and to hold room for the skimmer and live rock, if you choose to store some in it. You could take a 55 gallon round drum and set it in the middle of the pond, fill it with bio balls, and have water flow through that. Then run your skimmer externally. You wouldn't need that 75 gallon sump.
It's difficult to say how big your water changes will need to be - your system will tell you what they need to be over time. But as a rule of thumb, I would shoot for as large and frequent as you possibly can. Maybe something like 20% every three weeks. I don't know how deep you are going to have the pond so I'm not sure what kind of volume you'd be looking at.
How do you plan on constructing the pond? Will it be pre-made, or are you building it? What is it made out of? Any viewing windows?
Drew
