125 Gal Filtration Setup Questions (Lots)

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fish-boy13

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 10, 2008
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Canada
Hey guys, Im currently planning on setting up a 125 Gal, but i have a ton of questions that needs answers. Possibly improvements that can be made from my design. This thread may include questions about fish but i figured my filtration should be somewhat built for the type of fish im planning on stocking.

First off its probably a good idea to mention infos for this future tank.
So this will be a freshwater tank, I plan on stocking 4-6 Oscars (w/1 or 2 common plecos) or a ton of mbunas/haps/peacocks. Atm im leaning towards the oscars. As for substrate im planning on using some kind of sand, not sure yet which type but i heard pool filter sand is good/cheap. (Not sure where to get them though)

So a few questions about the Oscars: What type of plecos should i include with them, I figured the common plecos grow to a fairly large size so this will be somewhat decent company with them. If there are better types what type would they be and why? How many Oscars should i be able to stock in the 125 Gal with a decent filtration.

Heres a picture of the tank Im planning on setting up.
Setup-1.jpg


Now my plan is to create a sump filtration for this tank as its main filtration and water circulation. As for the pump that i will be using, the nearest home depot I have in my area is selling Maxflo pumps, that pumps at max 4500 GPH, at 10' head it does about 3200GPH ($226 w/tax). (Is this type of pump somewhat decent/recommended for use of sumps for fish tanks) Now the 10' head is my estimate of how much the length of the water needs to travel to go into the tank. (6' to go up and 4' is the length i plan on using for the spray bar.) I know i have a huge turnover for this tank but i figured huge fish with big poop, a monster filtration is needed, plus i plan on slightly overstocking to prevent aggression between small number of fishes.

As for the overflow box im really not sure how big it should be at least close to 1500-1600 GPH. In terms of the sizes of the slit, LxWxH of the box itself, how far off it should be from the top and sides to make cleaning the sides easier. Any suggestions for this would be great. Now once the size of the overflow box is determined, now i need to know how far off the sides and from the top my tank should be drilled, starting from the bottom of the black trimming?

Now as for the spray bar, should it be submerged or on top of the water. I figured depending on how strong the flow would be if over the water it may be shooting at a strong pressure with holes. But if it was a long slit line would it create a waterfall effect or would it still shoot out at 3200 GPH at a strong rate. Also i have thought about adding holes on the sides and a few smaller ones as well aiming at the bottom of the tank, but would it disturb the sand at the back of the tank a lot like pushing it forward? Also what ways can I set this up so that if there was a power failure the water wont come gushing down my sump if i did end up submerging it underwater?

Also I plan on using ball valves in both the intake and my return line, so that i can perfectly match the flow and return. Also in terms of the maintenance, is their a proper way to turn off the intakes/return line first?

As for my sump/WD i plan on using those plastic drawers to hold my medias maybe 3-4 drawers sitting on a huge plastic containers, now is there any long term problems with using these, maybe leaking out chemicals overtime into your tank? Also i have heard that most plastic containers will bow once water is put in, what are the best ways to support or prevent these, because i plan on using as much as i can of the sump container to maximize water volume within my tank.

In terms of heating would a 200 Watt and a 300 Watt heater do the trick? I will also be using (3x-4x) 34 Watt florescent bulbs. Around 6-8" above the water.

Now everything from the stand and canopy I will be building myself, so if anyone has any suggestions on how to customize it more to my tank needs feel free to throw it in.

Im pretty sure i have more questions, in the near future, but for now this is all i can think of. Im mainly concern on where my holes are to be drilled and the size of my overflow box so if anyone has experience with these please help me out so that i can order it asap. I would like to transfer my fish asap to this bigger tank. Thanks in advance to everyone helping me on this one.
 
Welcome to MFK! I'll try and answer some of your questions. I have used plastic containers for DIY sumps before and I know many others have with no problems. If you are using a large plastic storage container, they will bow from water. You can build a simple rack for it to fit into. It doesn't need to be anything fancy, just enough to hold the sides from bowing. I built a rack system that a 54g container fit into and then secured the rack to a heavy duty drawer system that sides out the front of my stand (made maintenance a whole lot easier!). When you build your stand, just make sure that you leave enough room underneath for the sump to fit easily.

For pumps, I tend to stay away from pond pumps sold at HD or Lowes (just never had any luck with them for fish tanks). I've used Max 7s and QuietOne 4400. I always lean more towards good filtration in lieu of maximum flow rate. The flow rate in my 135g is about 600gph and it is sparkling clean.

For sand, I also use pool filter sand. You can buy that at any pool store. If they sell pools and pool filters, they will sell the sand. I paid $5 (USD) per 50lb bag. Three bags was more than enough for my 135g.

I know this only answers some of your questions, but I'll let others chime in with their knowledge and experience too.
 
Thanks Tripp. I have actually been reading up a lot the past couple of months here and just recently decided to join and post away.

As for the container i do plan on using some kind of framing with wood to prevent it from bowing in anyway. My only problem btw which is a bit of my topic is the type of paint i should be using for the inside of my stand and how i should seal the whole thing up so that its moisture resistance to protect the wood from rotting. Specific type/brand names that can be easily found at home depot would be great.

Also as for the pump, if anyone has anymore experience with pond pumps for large aquariums please fill me in of their performances in fish tanks rather than ponds alone.

Also im really not sure if there are any near by pool stores where Im from. (Winnipeg) so if anyone is from here and knows a place let me know XD.
Speaking of sand i went to home depot earlier this afternoon and found silica filler sand or something like that, would that be safe to use for fish tanks? Pros/Cons of this sand. I felt it and it seemed like a very smooth sand, not too small not too big.

Forgot to mention, some people are using plastic colored scrubbies instead of bio balls. Now in terms of price which one is cheaper. Also in terms of quality in filtering which one does better? So pretty much pros and cons if anyone has used both fill us in thanks.

Hmm...now a couple of questions answered and a ton more to go, cant wait to start building this thing and get it rolling.
 
If you are shopping at Home Depot, use Behr exterior paint or it you want stain use miniwax with a few good coats of their polyurethane. Either one with give you good protection. I always use stain for my stands. One coat of stain and three coats of poly - never had a problem. I've used Behr exterior paint on a lot of outdoor furniture that I've built. With New England weather year-round, no problem.

I have the play sand from Home Depot in my 55g Malawi tank. I highly prefer the pool filter sand instead. It is courser and much easier to clean and maintain than the fine play sand at HD.

For the pool filter sand check out North West Wholesale Pool and Spas at 1215 Border St. in Winnipeg.

As for the scrubbies vs. bio-balls, the scrubbies are much cheaper. I go to my local Dollar Store and buy them by the ton (like 12 scrubbies for a $1 USD). They work just as well if not better than commercial bio-balls. I pack the scrubbies into their container and then fill any dead spaces with cut up straws. Water is crystal clear and my parameters have not changed at all since I started running my sump. Just make sure if you buy scrubbies that they do not have any soap in them. The ones I buy from the Dollar Store are too cheap to be pre-filled with soap. The ones available at my local supermarket are pre-filled with dishsoap.
 
Thanks, Tripp Ill have to look harder for that pool filter sand, and ill check out that place you mentioned. As for the scrubbies I can easily get them here dollar stores are packed with them XD. Ill give them a quick hot rinse just incase, but im pretty sure they do not have soap.

Also when coating with polyurathane is there such thing as too much? Because i really want to seal it up good. As for the edges, is there some type of caulking that can be used that would be safe?
 
fish-boy13;1929640; said:
Also when coating with polyurathane is there such thing as too much? Because i really want to seal it up good. As for the edges, is there some type of caulking that can be used that would be safe?
Click to expand...

Not really. But three coats should be enough. Just make sure that you sand the stand down properly before each coat. Just a light sanding with a light grit. Each sanding should use a lighter grit (i.e., before first coat, lightly sand with a 250 grit sandpaper; before second coat sand with an 800 grit sandpaper; before final coat sand with 1200 grit sandpaper). That way you will get a real good coat. Don't slop the poly on. I use a foam brush to spread the poly for good coverage.

It you have good joints, there is no need for caulking. The poly will cover the seams up. If you have any gaps, fill with wood filler and stain and poly as normal. If you are using paint, you can use standard silicone to fill any gaps.
 
Hmm, thanks ill keep those advice in mind for i have never done anything like this before so ya.
Well hoping more people would come and help me out so i can get started next week. I still have a lot un-answered so cmon guys keep em coming XD.
 
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