6 75Gal tanks

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steve0199us

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jul 17, 2008
43
2
38
Queens, New York!!!
Hey All,

So I've been thinking about setting up 6 75gal tanks on one wall in my basement, 13long and 7.3 high. I've been thinking over and over about the layout of the setup. I know the tanks will be stacked on top of each other. I want to keep African Cichlids. Before I start drilling into tanks....
What do you guys think? Would a central system be worth it in this case? Or running individual filters in the tanks? If so, which filter?

I also want to keep this project economically efficient on the electric bill... Another factor I thought of in a central system, if one fish gets sick then it'll spread to other tanks... Well, before I start typing away... What do you guys think? What would the ideal way to go about this project? All ideas are welcomed...!!!

Thks,
Steve
 
i was reading an article on tropheus by ad konings that states if you use a trickle filter even on a central system the chances of disease spreading from one tank to the others is unlikely if the flow is at least the whole system per hour
 
If your going to be adding or changing fish, even occasionally, without 6-8wk quarantine facilities, I'd go with individual filters (AC110/Emperor 400) systems. You could even use a couple lg sponge filters if you keep the bio-load low. If you have the room, you could do 2 tanks to a sump and keep cross-contamination to a minimum.

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colinrobinson;2721537; said:
i was reading an article on tropheus by ad konings that states if you use a trickle filter even on a central system the chances of disease spreading from one tank to the others is unlikely if the flow is at least the whole system per hour
Click to expand...

Can you provide a link to that article please.

Dr Joe

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thanks.. I've been thinking.. I might just go with the individual set ups.. Although it would be easier to clean everything in one go.. I would hate to med all the water at the same time... I think I'll go with a HOB, sponge filter/bubble, and a heater in each.. How does that sound?
 
I would heat the room, but run sponge filters in the tanks. 4 large sponge filters should allow you to stock the tanks normally...

I would invest, however, into a nice air system. A large blower that could be housed in either another room (because they are loud) or in a cabinet that could be heavily insulated against sound. Like, insulated as good at your house... A normal cabinet from home depot or diy with insulation and a few openings for air should be good enough to keep the tanks quiet enough to good viewing.

Otherwise, in the event you did not want to use sponge filters (which are my favorites) and wanted to go the canister route, a Rena filstar XP2 would be good enough for each tank.

As for a central sump system... I would probably do a 30-40gallon sump for 2 tanks each.

sumpformfk.jpg


Something simple... the last 3 baffles are to catch any bubbles so that the pump doesnt chop them up and throw them into the tank as microbubbles...

If you have any questions... feel free to ask
 
I did some serious thinking about the project this w/e... Weighted the pros and cons and decided to go with individual set ups.
My initial idea for the central system was to save on electricity and hassle during the water change process..
But after looking into some pumps to operate a minimum of 1350gph which is only 3times turnover would be 120+watts, maybe more..
Then running 1000watts to heat the water. In addition, I still have to vacuum the poo in all the tanks...
Also, drilling into the tanks and running the plumbing would be a lot of work.
Then my risk sort of did not outweigh my benefits since I will not have a quarantine tank on hand.
So I decided for filtration I would go with AC500s in all the tanks with one of the sponge filters from Jehmco in each tank, W/ 250-300watt heaters...
I could also use the air pump for my other tanks so I can consolidate all the air pumps into one.
The AC500 is 18watts to run, so that'll pretty much equal to one of the pumps I would've required for the sump.
In addition, if I ever decided I wanted to house fish with different water conditions, I could do that.
I will look into a heater to keep my basement warmer, although the boiler is down there, so the room temp is about 70ish....
So what do you guys think of this in the 75gal tanks?!
1 AC500 is each tank
One big pump w/ sponge filters in each tank (Which pump should I get from Jehmco??)
and 250-300watt heaters in each.
With maybe a space warmer down there....

You guys have a link good for a DIY rack? 75gal over 75gal? thks
 
awesome idea
if u breed discus in those tanks :nilly: $$$$$$$$$$$$
 
I think you've got a good plan.

If the basement stays in the 70's, it won't be hard to keep the tanks in the low 80's for the fish.

If your concerned about electrical costs here's a calculator to try http://www.handymath.com/cgi-bin/electric.cgi?submit=Entry input your local Kw cost (unless it's over the national average I just use $.10).

Search the forum for DIY stands, there are several, or think about a real warehouse type rack system (used is pretty cheap and they are very secure weightwise).

.

Actually colinrobinson this is where you got that from
http://www.cichlidae.com/article.php?id=22 but it was for single tanks and they were just considering the lifespan of the parasites (dieing off in the filter).

Nice articles tho ;).

Dr Joe

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