Curiousity struck me this morning

[blindkiller85]

First off, I can't do this right now and was wondering for the future or if it had been tried for non natives. My personal goal is to live on a spring fed lake in the next 10-12 years. And that's stretching it for me, but no one knows what the future holds.

I was wondering about more or less making an aquarium an extension of a lake. Pump water in, return puts the water back. Obviously for stability in the tank will have to run a mechanical filter, UV and a heater as even Florida lakes get into the sub 60 degree range in the winter time being spring fed it may not rise above 70 in the summer too, depends on the lake. Algae would be a problem hence the UV. But my goal in life is to live on a spring fed lake, which there are many of them in central Florida. For keeping any diseases in the tank and out of the lake if they are present another UV going out should be in order as well as a good QT period.

What I've been pondering is low flow for this 10% for a tank, so lets call this a 1000g tank. 100gph total in and out. 100gph into a sump for mechanical, then inline heater, and an inline UV being last and into the tank. Return going through an inline UV and then into the lake. Even at 100gph it really won't turn all of the water over in 10 hours. But it should in a day with a circulation head in 1500gph range.

Question is would it or could it work with some modifications, mind you this is a 10 minute brainstorm after getting a call that it's too wet for us to work today.

 

[HarleyK]

Howdy,

With that fast of a "drip system" you won't need filtration. It's total turnover twice per day. What you'll need is a heck of a heating system that warms up over 1.6 gallons per minute. Seems technically not feasible...

HarleyK


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[raideranch]

This is how the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas runs 8+ million gallons of saltwater exhibits

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[castro1212]

I'd be concerned with the way it hears because normally the water stays within the system and remains continually heated. The way with this tank the heater would be just heating new water continually. It would have to heat up the tank before the water goes out then also have heat the new water that comes in


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[Drstrangelove]

The only issue I see is having tropical fish subjected to local organisms and vice versa. If the fish in the aquarium were native to the lake, that would be pretty swell. Otherwise, I think you'd need to heavily UV the water coming in to address native organisms and out to address tropical organisms or any possible fry.

Sounds pretty out of the box thinking mate.


Okay, as an addendum, some locales have restrictions on things like this that might affect you, primarily when you have a physical connection between 2 bodies of water where one contains non native species. Not sure if it applies here. Seems to me like you'll want to not return any water from the tank to the lake, but I've never looked at this being a cursory study.

 

[Cicho]

Howdy,

With that fast of a "drip system" you won't need filtration. It's total turnover twice per day. What you'll need is a heck of a heating system that warms up over 1.6 gallons per minute. Seems technically not feasible...

HarleyK


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Technically it can be done, but financial viability is questionable and borderline decadent.

 

[blindkiller85]

The only issue I see is having tropical fish subjected to local organisms and vice versa. If the fish in the aquarium were native to the lake, that would be pretty swell. Otherwise, I think you'd need to heavily UV the water coming in to address native organisms and out to address tropical organisms or any possible fry.
Sounds pretty out of the box thinking mate.

Okay, as an addendum, some locales have restrictions on things like this that might affect you, primarily when you have a physical connection between 2 bodies of water where one contains non native species. Not sure if it applies here. Seems to me like you'll want to not return any water from the tank to the lake, but I've never looked at this being a cursory study.

Thank you. And I fully agree on the UV. Would be an expensive UV system, at 50+ watts and 100gph it will neutralize any and everything I would imagine. Probably looking at about 1-2 thousand dollar UV system with around $500 bulb replacements a year. If such a thing exists because most bigger sterlizers have a minimum flow requirement too, generally not 100gph.

As far as returning to the lake, would have to see with the per lake requirements and like I said, I would have another on the backside. Because I do care, but if I could not do this I would definitely have to lower the "drip" system on this. It's simply too much water for the lake to compete with, absurd sewage cost and would leave my property a mudhole at 100gph or 2400 gallons a day. I would think on any lake above 50 acres that the return of some hotter water in the winter would have little to no effect on the lake. Much like filling up my 125 with straight cold water in the summer time has maybe .4 degree effect on a 30% WC.

Technically it can be done, but financial viability is questionable and borderline decadent.

That's what I was thinking as well. The only way I see it working is (2) 20amp circuits for heating and pumps. 125g sump (72x18x23) with four 18 inch cube chambers each with a 300w heater and an inline 1000 or 1500w heater on the back end. Basically aiding the large inline so it doesn't get wore out as a 300w submersible is a lot cheaper. Only other way for a constant source and not buying more electrical equipment is a gas heating system, but I think I'd be more afraid of the gas bill than the electric bill for a constant heating source. And would still have to have electric as a backup and assurance of temperature.

Chain of lakes here locally that I fish with a depth finder for temps I've seen the low at around 58-64 and the highs 80-85. 2700+ acres of interconnected non-springfed lakes which I would never use for any tank as there are a lot of treatments performed on this lake because of rapid development and poor planning in the area leaving to a ridiculous amount of stormwater run off. None the less they have blue-green algae that over the past 4 years has killed a lot of good fishing spots, not to mention the 250+ carp they introduced into these lakes.

 

[Rivers2k]

I saw a house in Long Island that the center of the room was a large round SW aquarium even had small sharks. you could only view from the top and it was connected to the ocean. I don't know how they regulated heat or anything I didn't get to talk to the owner. I do know water change was done by high tide and low tide I could see that much.

So this is a big assumption it seems as though it could be done on a lake. But there are a bunch of variables you will have to take into account that a standard aquarium wouldn't have to deal with.

 

[harleyboy]

Umm don't think it's legal to divert water from a body of water unless you owned water rights but might be different where you live. Maybe where you say live on means your are the owner as it's on your land is this what you are saying


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[BuffaloPolypteridae]

^ I was about to say the same thing

IF you own the body of water and live in an area where the water temp year round is good for sub tropicals then you might be able to do like goonch or northern mahseer.. I can't think of many other non native things for that

Now if you were to change your idea to a native tank it would be AWESOME

Sturgeon, big gar, big carp would be awesome. Flathead cats, blue cats, etc.

Hell if its big enough and you don't mind feeding live for life some pikes would be cool


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