I can only imagine how tricky a 500G would be to clean? I can just manage my 200 without the need of a small step ladder for the hard to reach places...
And i can imagine how much you want a 500G i mean heck im sure a lot of us would, but sometimes its better to reign it in a little... Especially if you still got college and everything else in front of you, a lot in life has yet to happen and im sure a lot will change... Just imagine trying to move a 500G tank from one home to another...
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500 gallon.. i'd go with better fish.
go with 2-3 black or silver arowanas, some peacock bass, and some rays (if they are legal where you are at).
or if you want to do cichlids go with an all male community tank, don't do pairs.
I did not say the utilities cost $500-$600 a month but during winter season my tank runs in the $300 range per month just on energy costs. I'm running about 2000 watts @ $0.097 per kwh during winter. Summer and warmer seasons my tank runs about $130 per month. Idk where ppl get the idea saying it costs $500 per month to run...Also take note my tank is set up in the garage but insulated. Also the OP was planning to build it in his basement and I assume it's unfinished cuz no parent would let u build such a large tank in a nicely finished basement. If a flood happens that's huge money on damages.
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.97 Cents a kilowatt! It's .12-.13 cents a kilowatt here. I'm saving now for the tank. Got more realistic costs of electric according to you guys. I think water is also like .01 per gallon. I can definetly do the monthly fees. Starting to collect the materials as well. Just started to realize how much respect on top of knowledge I can get from this build! Also need a custom tank for this area. Sorry for anyone who doesn't think I should build a tank. But the other good deals on CL are sold. So this is my choice. I can definetly do it with help.
-Andrew
good luck, Just dont give up half way when you realize how much its actually going to cost and what little in come and experience you have to work with. Building something this large is not very easy for someone with little building skills, but if you do pull it off well worth it just saying it wont be easy/cheap.
Andrew, does your dad fully understand what you are going to do? As a parent myself, I am always fully prepared to help my kid; but appreciates greatly that he springs no surprise on me(its still limited, he is still 6).
A better idea since you have no wood working experience is have him look around the DIY section of this forum BEFORE you start so you guys can work together and not be surprised at the amount of work it is going to take.
