Advice for plumbing new 3,000 gallon tank

M@T!@$

Aimara
MFK Member
Feb 23, 2016
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FRP is fiberglass right? I didn't realize that they do those types of tanks. Just curious but is that lighter than acrylic? What is the price ratio to acrylic? Like half the price? Really curious as I am looking into fiberglass also.
FRP- fiberglass reinforced plastic, I would believe it would be way cheaper than acrylic as TANKED built a tank for Tracy Morgan with that type of design, not really sure on price, but the good thing on it is that they can bring it in pieces so it can fit through most spaces and then they put it back together
 

Kellyn

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Apr 18, 2016
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Sorry about the delayed response. We are trying to pack our house up because we have to move out for a few months in order to have the tank installed (along with some other house renovations we are getting done at the same time).

Any pics of those fish?
Yes I have some pics. Will add them at the bottom of this post.

FRP is fiberglass right? I didn't realize that they do those types of tanks. Just curious but is that lighter than acrylic? What is the price ratio to acrylic? Like half the price? Really curious as I am looking into fiberglass also.
Don't know for sure about weight. Price is lower but more than half the price.

FRP- fiberglass reinforced plastic, I would believe it would be way cheaper than acrylic as TANKED built a tank for Tracy Morgan with that type of design, not really sure on price, but the good thing on it is that they can bring it in pieces so it can fit through most spaces and then they put it back together
This is the main reason we are going with FRP over acrylic. We are able to have a larger tank with FRP. With acrylic we would have had to either go with a smaller tank or literally take part of the roof off our house and crane it in from the street.

image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg
 

ragin_cajun

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Sep 8, 2013
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How do you make that nice green carpet of algae grow on the rocks in your tank? I'd MUCH prefer that to the nasty brown kind that I get.
 
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aldiaz33

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Jun 19, 2007
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Looking forward to seeing pix as the build progresses.

A few things to keep in mind for a build this large:

1. Humidity can be a real concern. That amount of warm water can result in some serious humidity problems. Houses have been destroyed by large tanks. It would be best if the tank could be closed off from the living space (not share the same air). You're basically going to have an indoor swimming pool, so you want to avoid high levels of humidity which can result in mold.
2. Maximize efficiency by plumbing the tank with large pipe. I've seen large builds where they used really small plumbing that restricts flow. It looks like the max GPH on the filters you are using is 5,400GPH, so I would use at a minimum 2" pipe in order to reduce friction loss.
3. Insulation is going to help keep your heating costs down. Heating will likely be your biggest expense, so retaining heat will be a huge help.

Please keep us posted. Sounds like an amazing setup.
 

Deadliestviper7

The Necromancer
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Aug 6, 2016
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Think about adding tropical plants above edges of tanks and in shallow water, done right it looks great. For above water on drift and corkwood: mosses, tropical orchids, airplants, bromeliads. Attach them with liquid nails. In shallow water use plants like Thai giant elephant ear and water arum.
 

Kellyn

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Apr 18, 2016
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I really don't do anything to keep the algae green. That tank is right in front of a window that gets a lot of sun. I don't know if that has anything to do with it.

We will definitely consider doing some plants. I like how they look but have always assumed they would be a lot of work to keep looking good. We might have to give it a try with this new tank.

Thanks for all of the helpful advice! We are officially under construction as of today so soon will hopefully start having some progress photos to post.
 
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tomojsg

Redtail Catfish
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Apr 21, 2011
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How do you make that nice green carpet of algae grow on the rocks in your tank? I'd MUCH prefer that to the nasty brown kind that I get.
tanks by the window getting direct sunlight hence the algae
brown algae is from the driftwoods in your tank.
 

Kellyn

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Apr 18, 2016
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Rhode Island
So we are getting close to installation time for the new tank. It's most likely being shipped next week and set up the week of December 12. Before the new tank is installed we have to move the old one out of the way. Our 3 foot arowana and 3 foot red tail catfish both have to be caught and transferred back into the old tank to stay for a few more weeks while the new one is being built and set up.

Any advice/suggestions on stress-free catching and moving of a couple of very large fish? My wife HATES it when we have to catch and move the fish (and she's 7 months pregnant), so I want to do my best to keep her and the fish calm and happy :)

Right now we are leaning toward the pillowcase method...
 

jwd

Aimara
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Dec 1, 2016
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So we are getting close to installation time for the new tank. It's most likely being shipped next week and set up the week of December 12. Before the new tank is installed we have to move the old one out of the way. Our 3 foot arowana and 3 foot red tail catfish both have to be caught and transferred back into the old tank to stay for a few more weeks while the new one is being built and set up.

Any advice/suggestions on stress-free catching and moving of a couple of very large fish? My wife HATES it when we have to catch and move the fish (and she's 7 months pregnant), so I want to do my best to keep her and the fish calm and happy :)

Right now we are leaning toward the pillowcase method...
This is the week! Hope to see an update soon.
 
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