8'x2'x3' 260 gallon acrylic build. Could use input on setup

[HeaDnShoulderS]

So this has been a dream setup for years. Ended up getting a 8' wide 2' deep and 3' tall given to me by a good friend and starting to set it up. Still have to drywall everything in and polish the tank but it's getting there. Have a dedicated 20 amp circuit and water source that will be behind the tank. Water will be dechlorinated from the whole house filter. Space behind the tank is about 12'x3'. Going to automate as much as I can as far as water changes, top off, lights, pumps, etc with a hydros system.

Filtration- Tank has 2 12"x6"x34" overflow boxes with 2" bulkheads on the backside. Was thinking of running the overflows to a 55 gallon drum with a 10 gallon trashcan on top. Fill the 55 gallon drum with some type of bio media. In the 10 gallon trash can, would build a plate to hold several filter socks. Would then plumb a piece of 2 " pvc from the bottom of the 55 gal drum to a pump that would feed a ultima 2000, from the ultima would be a pool cartridge filter, then a return to the tank. From the wash outlet on the ultima, i'd plumb it to another 55 gallon drum with a sump pump to pump it to an ibc tote outside to water plants/veggies/flowers. Also would plumb an overflow from the filter barrel to the sump barrel, just in case.

With the overflow boxes, was thinking of doing a hybrid hmf/sponge filter in each a few inches below the bulkheads. Just seems like a waste of space not using them for something else. Any thoughts here?

Lighting will be 4 fluval 48" 3.0's.

Co2 is still a maybe. Got everything to run it from a previous build but undecided.

Tank is gonna primarily be a community tank with tetras, loaches, cory cats, pictus cats, barbs, danios, angelfish, and a few other oddballs. Will also have basic live plants like java moss, val, java ferns, anubias, guppy grass and swords.

Trying to automate and keep everything as maintenance free as possible. I'm a quadriplegic in a chair and most help for this hobby has to be hired out. But at the same time, it's a hobby I've been into since a kid and very enjoyable. I'm open to any suggestions and feedback. Been lurking on this forum for 10+ years just gleaning info. Looking forward to actually contributing a build.

 

[FJB]

That is a sweet looking tank. The stand looks very well made and very strong. Whatever is cooking in the oven looks good too.
I look forward to seeing the progress of your project. Good luck!

 

[sokolis]

This is bigger than 260 BTW

More like 360
Nice set up

 

[HeaDnShoulderS]

This is bigger than 260 BTW

More like 360
Nice set up

Yeah, it is a 360. Just a typo on my part, can't figure out how to edit the post title. And ty.

 

[phreeflow]

For automation, check Apex controllers from Neptune Systems. It can control and automate feeding, lighting, pumps, water changes, etc and monitor temps, ph, leaks, co2 and a lot more.

 

[Dégatdeau]

Sweet tank and good luck, I'll follow your build

 

[HeaDnShoulderS]

So, started getting into the tank and noticed the top plate was cracked in two places on the left side by the overflows where it Narrows down to 2 in. The front section was also coming unbonded from the front plate of acrylic. Took the circular saw and cut that section off the entire top. I've got a piece of 24-in by 32 in half inch cast acrylic along with about 56 ft of half inch square cast acrylic rods and a gallon of weld on 40. Going to reinforce all the seams and redo that portion of the top . The tank originally came with a 2 in right angle Steel frame that sat over the top of the tank. Didn't realize that was going on underneath it until we popped it off to start polishing. Hopefully this can be fixed. Will probably set it up outside when we fill it for the first time for a couple weeks in the garage just to see if it will hold up.

Polishing acrylic has definitely been a learning experience. Probably have about 15 hours into the tank and really should have just sanded the whole thing down completely with thousand Grit, 2000 grit, then go through your steps with the Novus. We tried to spot treat some of it and it just doesn't come out with the same clarity. We did a small section doing the above method and it came out looking brand new. If you get a tank and are wanting to polish it, I'd recommend to do the complete tank in Thousand Grit and then 2000 Grit. We would use the Thousand Grit side to side and then go over it with the 2000 grit up and down. Then we would go through our stages with the Novus, it comes out looking pretty much brand new. All the old dirt and build up gets completely removed and you're left with version material. Hopefully be able to get some more work done over the next weekend.

Still scheming on the filtration. I'm honestly thinking about taking an 8-ft stock tank and making it the sump versus trying to do what I originally intended. With the stock tank, it just gives you that much more volume and filter options, let alone media capacity. Could fit an 8-ft stock tank in there and then put Unistrut down the sides to build a trolley that would slide back and forth across the stock tank. This would also provide a platform to be able to reach and work in the tank. Could also get away with putting a couple sheets of marine grade plywood over the top of the tank for the time being and could probably still walk on it.

Was also talking with an older local guy here that runs reverse flow under gravel filters on all his planted tanks. The idea definitely has me intrigued, but doing it right on a tank this scale kind of dumbfounded me. I think I might have a way figured out to pull it off. Was thinking about taking a booster pump for residential homes in order to maintain water pressure. Would then make a grid with soaker hoses that would fit the bottom profile of the tank. Probably space them out about every inch and a half to 2 in. Then cover them or wrap them with drainage pipe fabric. On top of that would go a bunch of lava rock, some zeolite, nylon mesh bags of Aquarium soil, and a 2 to 3 in cap of black sand. If the booster pump is running at about 60 PSI, should give me about 450 gallons of water per hour being pumped through the gravel bed.

You guys have any comments or suggestions, I'm all ears.

 

[HeaDnShoulderS]

 

[HeaDnShoulderS]

Started propagating some Java moss, Java ferns, guppy grass, jungle val, and anubias for the tank. That mass in the middle of the 46 gal bowfront is a bunch of Java fern and moss that hasn't been trimmed/cleaned up in 3 months or so. There's prolly 50 or 60 Java fern cutting I could pull off and put on a bin to grow out. The Java moss is prolly 3 or 4 good handfuls. In the shallow bin under the counter, have a bunch of Java moss growing on fiberglass mesh. Kinda hoping I can just cut sections off to glue on rocks/wood. We'll see.

Also ordered $400 worth of 1/2" cast acrylic square rods, sheets, and a few odd pieces to finish the top plate, reinforce all the seams, and build lids. Grabbed a gallon of weld on 40 too. Still have a bunch of polishing/sanding to do though.

 

[HeaDnShoulderS]

Got the drywall up around the canopy and stand. Have the door for the space/closet behind the tank, just haven't put it in yet. Also setup an indoor pond to keep and grow out some of the plants. Put about 12" of substrate in it to start colonizing some of the bacteria and will put it in the tank to get a head start on cycling it. Has two sponge filters, a uv sterilizer, 150 watt heater, and a 6' fa spec beamswork light running it right now. I scorched about 15 cuttings each of anubias barteri and windelov java fern trying to grow them in totes. Trimmed everything back to the rhizome and they seem to be recovering. Between the light being too intense and adding too much hydroponic fertilizer in the bins, it melted them pretty bad. Decided just to go with what I know and go from there by using a stock tank to make a pond. Have about 20 cutting of anubias nana petite, 20 anubias barteri nana, 60 windelovjava fern, and a softball size mass of java moss growing in there. Everything is glued to lava rock pieces.

Kinda stuck on lighting for the tank. I'm second guessing the fluval 3.0's between the price and it still might not be enough lighting. Kinda leaning towards using some rgb flood lights, like 800-1000 watts worth. I'll have a deep substrate bed and it should bring the depth up to 28-30" from the top, but that's still pretty deep.

Have also been reading more into Dr. Novak and anoxic filtration. With the idea I have in running a soaker hose from under the substrate and pushing water up thru it from the sump filter at a slow rate, I'm kinda thinking I could take advantage of his theory by layering my substrate in the same manner he does his filter baskets. I dunno, just something I'm scheming on.