Hi Guys,
It's taken me about 3 months from start to finish to get this up and running - seems like the longest three months ever, the tank is 750 US gallons which is 10' x 4' x 2.5' - this was my third tank, started with the 55G then to a 210G and here we are now, hope this one can last longer than the others.
I'll try and keep the words as short as possible because it's easier to just view pictures, the tank was made by ND aquatics for those of you based in the UK, they were superb and i'd highly recommend them to anyone whether it's a large tank you are after or a small tank.
The stand i made myself with my friend and my grandad, it's made with concrete blocks and concrete lintels and cost me under £100 so for the size of the tank is very cheap and so strong - anyone who's wondering how to do your stand i'm a complete DIY dummy and managed to, with help, build the stand for this monster.
Anyway let's get the ball rolling shall we?
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That pretty much completes the stand, in one of the images you can see a different lay out, we were short on blocks so kept moving things around to use less and hence there are voids in the stand, it doesn't feel any less sturdy, the outside are stacked one block higher than the inner blocks for the concrete lintel to sit on - the lintel sits on a concrete bed thick enough to make the whole thing flat.
Finally they come and put me out of my misery...
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Here you can see the sump underneath - it is 60x24x18
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We added the wooden supports for peace of mind.
I better add some water but firstly i have to say to anyone to wash your sand before putting it in the tank, i did 40Kg and got fed up with the idea of it and chucked the other 200Kg in - this is my biggest mistake of the hobby to date as it's so difficult to clear.
Don't shout...
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I thought it had settled so i added fish, little did i know my Niger catfish was eager to play in the sand.
Ohh dear...
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It cleared quickly with my drip on max but heating was difficult and i couldn't quite get it 100%
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I added my filer sock and loaded my FX5 up with 5 micron wool and it's almost there, 95% clear i'd say.
The fish are much happier, a friends tank unfolded one day last week and so he had to grab them quickly whilst his girlfriend leaned against the tank holding the front pane on the tank - he threw them in he bath whilst i shot home from work box and net in hand.
They were all fine luckily...
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I've still got a few bits to do, i need more lighting, the stand needs a fancy looking face installing and the hood needs a drop of varnish.
All in all though i've enjoyed it - hope you do to
