i have an idea

[Morledzep]

I think I get the idea now. I agree you should use the overflow into a sump below also. Perhaps under gravel jets to keep the water flowing in the tank rather than visible powerheads too.. This also handles the issue of getting the water back to the tank.

In my head I am sitting at the table right now.

would the under gravel jets make the water move? i mean like a current that the fish have to swim in? i don't want a strong current, but i want enough that the fish can get some excercise if ya know what i mean.

 

[chesterthehero]

i dont know if you have the tank or not yet.. but you might want to take a lil drive up to global aquatics in ontario (last white building on the north west side.. theres parking in the back).. if youve never been they are friggin HUGE.. fish prices are a bit high and the selection is not the best however i tend to miss half the fish due to his tanks being low..
anyway they have a massive collection of used/new tanks.. i may be wrong about the size but im thinkin it was somwehere around 5x4x2 (maybe bigger) with a center overflow... hes willing to talk if you know yer stuff and even on his used stuff he will sell the tank and stand seperate..
i think the owners name is mike but i could be wrong... they had been setting up a second room in the back a month or 2 ago... i was there on my lunch today and i forgot to look..

 

[Morledzep]

i dont know if you have the tank or not yet.. but you might want to take a lil drive up to global aquatics in ontario (last white building on the north west side.. theres parking in the back).. if youve never been they are friggin HUGE.. fish prices are a bit high and the selection is not the best however i tend to miss half the fish due to his tanks being low..
anyway they have a massive collection of used/new tanks.. i may be wrong about the size but im thinkin it was somwehere around 5x4x2 (maybe bigger) with a center overflow... hes willing to talk if you know yer stuff and even on his used stuff he will sell the tank and stand seperate..
i think the owners name is mike but i could be wrong... they had been setting up a second room in the back a month or 2 ago... i was there on my lunch today and i forgot to look..

yea i've been there.. he had half dead cichla in some of those top tanks and when i suggested he see to their health he went over and grabbed the fish out and looked at it and said, 'it's fine' and walked away.

he's mean, and rude and he doesn't care about the fish and charges too much for them and for his filter equipment, his prices were much higher than our local LFS prices for the filters we were looking to buy at the time. that i bought for half of what my regular LFS charges on ebay.. lol.

anyway, i'll go look at his used tanks, it's a good suggestion, but i can tell you i'm all ready prejudiced against him because of what i've seen in his shop already. i'll try to keep an open mind.. or i'll be well drugged.. one of the two.

 

[Lil_Stinker]

would the under gravel jets make the water move? i mean like a current that the fish have to swim in? i don't want a strong current, but i want enough that the fish can get some excercise if ya know what i mean.

Depends how you do them. Your flow rate & # of outlets. They certainly move the water. Generally used to kick up crap from the bottom to be taken into the filter, thus reducing vacuuming.

If set to appose each other they will break each others current, in series you could make a gentle whirlpool current.

 

[Morledzep]

Just a suggestion, but just do the center overflow into a sump. If you are worried about the pump going out for the loss of electricity then I would suggest a battery backup to plug it into. This way you could have a small cabinet underneath housing everything you could need. I would also make sure that the table top is sealed well. I would hate it if someone went to clean off the table and accidentally sprayed something on it and it ran down into the tank and killed off all the locals.

i musta missed your post before..

the table is not going to be part of the aquarium stand. it is going to attach to the outside, so there is no danger of anything on the table or bar running down into whatever filtration i have under the tank. or leaking into the tank in any way.

i know you guys know very little about me, except what my ex-hubby has told you. But i don't use chemicals in my home, i clean with only natural stuff. for cleaning a table top i use only vinegar and water in a spray bottle. if there is something stuck to it i use salt or baking soda as an abrasive. nothing that could hurt either me, my dogs or my fish.

 

[chesterthehero]

yea i've been there.. he had half dead cichla in some of those top tanks and when i suggested he see to their health he went over and grabbed the fish out and looked at it and said, 'it's fine' and walked away.

he's mean, and rude and he doesn't care about the fish and charges too much for them and for his filter equipment, his prices were much higher than our local LFS prices for the filters we were looking to buy at the time. that i bought for half of what my regular LFS charges on ebay.. lol.

anyway, i'll go look at his used tanks, it's a good suggestion, but i can tell you i'm all ready prejudiced against him because of what i've seen in his shop already. i'll try to keep an open mind.. or i'll be well drugged.. one of the two.

good deal.. and yer right.. it is really hit or miss with that place.. same goes for the guy.. somedays hes cool and cleaning the heck out of everything and making sure everything is tiptop.. other days... well.. not so much..

 

[Morledzep]

ok.. this is NOT to scale or measured out in any way. it's just MS Paint drawings so you guys can see what i see.

one view is from the top with the lid off (the black things inside the tank are representing the overflows), the other is the long side with the lid on. the lid is tapered and the top has doors on each side and the long side is a split door so you can get into one side or the other or both.

inside the top there will be a protected and sealed flourescent daylight lamp. as high up in the top as possible. i want to do this because one of the residents of this tank is going to be a silver arowana, right now she bonks her head a lot when she jumps, i'd like to be able to give her a little room to jump without hurting herself (i don't know how practical this will be in practice).

 

[Morledzep]

ok.. i guess i'll bump this up. still looking for more input.

 

[JoelR]

Make the canopy larger and put shelves inside it for the air pumps. That solves the running of the air lines. That's if you're stuck on putting the sponges in the tank. I'd put them in a sump like the others have suggested.
No matter what you decide with the sponges, I'd still make a larger (taller) canopy. You'll need it to balance it, being that it's going to be so big / tall. It would look like a church without a steeple, without it.

 

[Morledzep]

lol Joel, the only reason it'll work in my dining room at the height that it's at is because of the cathedral ceilings... if i make it any taller i'm going to need a bigger house.. lol.