Looking to setup a 500+ gallon freshwater sump tank

AquaJohn

Black Skirt Tetra
MFK Member
Oct 11, 2018
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Hi All,

I’m new here, but have been in the hobby for probably 15 years. My largest aquarium is 125 gallons, so I do not have a lot of knowledge when it comes to monster tanks. I have several Bala Sharks who are growing in my 125 gallon and my goal is to eventually have more space for them to really thrive. My plan is for a 500+ gallon aquarium with some kind of sump with overflow filtration. I am looking for ideas on how to do this. I’m looking to have custom built, a 108x32x40 (long tank), which is about 600 gallons. I am just looking for ideas on how to do this. I really don’t know what I’m doing. I have always used canister filters on my aquariums, but for a large custom tank, I believe this is going to require some type of specialized filtration. Any help would be appreciated.
 

Chefken

Redtail Catfish
MFK Member
Sep 17, 2010
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Harwinton CT
Are you looking for a show tank in your living room or a cheap powerful system for your basement.....Makes a pretty big difference!!
 

esoxlucius

Alligator Gar
MFK Member
Dec 30, 2015
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What's the plan? Is someone building the tank for you, glass, acrylic or is it a plywood build? Are they building the stand for you as well or are you doing the stand? Have you already got an unused tank that you can change into a sump, maybe your 125?
 
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AquaJohn

Black Skirt Tetra
MFK Member
Oct 11, 2018
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Are you looking for a show tank in your living room or a cheap powerful system for your basement.....Makes a pretty big difference!!
The aquarium location is actually in my formal dining area. We never eat in there so there’s plenty of space. But to answer your question, it would be more of a show tank.
 
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AquaJohn

Black Skirt Tetra
MFK Member
Oct 11, 2018
52
23
13
46
What's the plan? Is someone building the tank for you, glass, acrylic or is it a plywood build? Are they building the stand for you as well or are you doing the stand? Have you already got an unused tank that you can change into a sump, maybe your 125?
I’m still debating whether to go glass or acrylic. It would be custom built, but not by me. I’ll let the professionals handle that. There’s a lot of options for building the stand. I have someone who can build a high quality one for a good price. I hadn’t thought about using my existing 125 gallon as a sump. Good idea, but it is extremely heavy and the stand would have to be built in a way to accommodate that.
 
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