770 Gallon Monster Setup
- Thread starter aldiaz33
- Start date
I've noticed that the water clarity after a 50% water change is much better versus doing a 20-25%, so I mostly just do the large scale changes for aesthetic reasons. I'm guessing it's just that a 50% change removes so much more total dissolved solids. If I were to use nitrate levels alone to determine how much I should change out, I could get by with the smaller percentage, but I like the awesome water clarity and my lawn/plants in the yard love the extra water.
I like larger water changes too for the fact that if you calculate 50% per every 2 week vs %25 per week; the 50% keeps nitrates lower. For example if the tank gathers 25 ppm per week- for 25% changes; 18.45 ppm after first week change, 32.81 ppm after second week change. For 50%; 25 ppm after first week, 25 ppm after second week water change. Just for example though
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
That makes sense, especially if you're using the water for something else. It doesn't make sense to put good tap water on the garden when it could be going into your aquarium and the old water onto the garden. I'm in a similar situation really, with the pothos and pond matrix my water changes are all about removing physical waste and improving water clarity, the nitrate dilution is just a bonus!
It might just be in my head, but I think my fish are more active and appear healthier with the larger scale water changes. They seem to hit pellets harder after a water change and that may have something to do with the lower Nitrate levels.
Yeah, the only water my back lawn gets is aquarium water and it's lush. I need to hop on the Pothos craze...I'm just not sure how well it would do in the winter time when the air temps get down into the 50sF.
Even with air temps in the 50's the pothos should do fine, especially since the roots will be in warmer water.
Wow this tank has really evolved from goldfish to a tropical fish paradise. I really love the dynamic and the movement of the different species in the tank and big kudos to you Alex for making it work. I totally agree with you and all the others that say that lots of smaller fish in a nicely set up tank look much better then a few big monsters in a bare bottom glass cage. You should definitely try pothos in the tank, it helps both with nitrates and with the overall aesthetics of the tank with the wines falling down the sides. Maybe you could try a couple hardy aquatic plants too , like anubias or ferns, smth you could firmly attach to the driftwood since the cichlids will surely uproot anything else and it would be a lot of trouble for you to keep rooting them back in the substrate cuz of the height of your tank.
Great info and tank setup. I just finished reading you entire blog, I had only read the first 30 pages before I started my build. My tanks foot print is the same as yours. I just don't have the extra 13 inches on the top. I Used your stand as the model for mine, thank you for the pictures. I saw the level problem you had and I used 11, very large, fine threaded bolts as feet and welded nuts into the bottom beam to screw them into. I just have to use a big wrench now. My Mechanical engineer friend assures me that the bolts will not push through the concrete. So far its made it easy to move the tank around. ( I can move it empty by myself)
I live in Mesa AZ and the tank is in the basement. My friends that have large tanks, say I don't need a heater, but I'm not sure. When you were not using a heater how much lower was the Room temp than the tank during the really cold days?
I don't have quite as cold a winter as you have, but they are close. My basement can get to 60 degrees in January. What do you think, should I think about a heater?
Thank for your input.
E-Jay
I live in Mesa AZ and the tank is in the basement. My friends that have large tanks, say I don't need a heater, but I'm not sure. When you were not using a heater how much lower was the Room temp than the tank during the really cold days?
I don't have quite as cold a winter as you have, but they are close. My basement can get to 60 degrees in January. What do you think, should I think about a heater?
Thank for your input.
E-Jay
Good to know. Thanks for the info!
Thanks for the kudos. I am going to give Pothos a try. I'm not sure I'll be able to keep live plants in the tank because of the Silver Dollars. They chew on my plastic plants, so I'm pretty sure they would destroy real plants.
Hey E-Jay- I've been following your thread and love your dedication. You will not be denied! Cutting through floors, concrete, and re-bar if necessary...you're not messing around-haha.
The adjustable feet for the stand is genius. I wish my stand had those.
In regards to whether or not you need a heater, a lot will depend on how much heat your equipment adds. It looks like you are running dual UV's. What's the wattage on those? They may actually be enough to keep the temps up in the winter. I would still recommend getting a heater just in case you ever need to raise temps (ex- to treat an Ich outbreak). I've been happy with my heating system (six 300W Eheim Jagers on a Ranco Temp Controller), but you can also go with the titanium heating rods on a Ranco Controller. I bought my heating equipment from Jehmco: http://www.jehmco.com/html/heaters.html
Looking forward to seeing your tank setup.
I'm not growing my pothos in the tank for similar reasons (still hoping to get a group of Uaru!), mine are growing out of the sump under a 12w energy-saver bulb in a desk lamp and doing just fine. I can't see the air temp being a problem for them, but if your house/tank room gets that cold I'd be looking to invest in some good insulation and a more energy/cost efficient heat source!
