Long "River" tank idea

[chrisfraser05]

I was really keen on building a large custom aquarium like the ones you see on here but having thought more about it I've gone off the idea a little.
The problem with the large tanks is due to the depth etc it would be very difficult to plant on the scale I would like.
I really like a heavly planted tank and enjoy trimming and cutting the plants so how about..........

I was going to make a tank that is 15ft long but only 20 inches deep and 18 high.

I intend to use two of these pumps

http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/aquarium-external-filter-2000-l-h-9w-uv-1216-0.html

Both outputs will be at one end and at the other will be overflows down to a sump where the heating will be then the pumps running back to the start.
I would have CO2 injected in where the water gets pumped in.

From the inflow end I would start with heavly planted working along to more sparse planting as the CO2 will be lower and the oxygenation higher. Towards this end I could also use air stones for decorative effect with less impact on planting.

Lastly I was thinking this would give the oppertunity for gradual changes of substrate along the length maybe from some sort of peaty plant biased substrate to gravel to sand simulating the move from up river to the sea thumbs2:

The construction would be ply/epoxy for the bottom, back and ends but I'd use acrylic or glass front, preferably one long pane!

anyone got any ideas or see and major issues?

Also does anyone have links to similar tanks as I can't find ANYTHING!!!

 

[frasertheking]

sounds like a quality idea you have there mate, ive never heard of anything with a gradual hange but would look great, the only advice i can offer is use dividers in the substrate as over time it will mix unless you want a sorta gradual change in substrate.

any reason for the can filters ? if you have a sump already ? you might have issues with the cans as they require water entering under pressure to work
sounds like a great looking tank if all goes well

 

[chrisfraser05]

sounds like a quality idea you have there mate, ive never heard of anything with a gradual hange but would look great, the only advice i can offer is use dividers in the substrate as over time it will mix unless you want a sorta gradual change in substrate.

any reason for the can filters ? if you have a sump already ? you might have issues with the cans as they require water entering under pressure to work
sounds like a great looking tank if all goes well

I was thinking gradual changes to the substrate however might end up using things like rocky outcrops or something to put in natural looking boundrys to start new substrates from.

I was going to run just the canisters but thought that i'd need to find somewhere to put the heaters and I don't like the look of heaters in a tank.
I could replace the canisters with just a water pump (or two) but then I'd have to make my own filter materials etc.... easier just to use the canisters for the sake of the price.

Would the pressure in the sump with the water coming down from the overflow not be the same as if I just took it straight from the tank? I'd have thought it would be the same- a miniscule amount due to evaporation.

The sump would be where I'd see the results of the evaporation too lol

Where in Scotland are you from by the way?

 

[frasertheking]

I was thinking gradual changes to the substrate however might end up using things like rocky outcrops or something to put in natural looking boundrys to start new substrates from.

I was going to run just the canisters but thought that i'd need to find somewhere to put the heaters and I don't like the look of heaters in a tank.
I could replace the canisters with just a water pump (or two) but then I'd have to make my own filter materials etc.... easier just to use the canisters for the sake of the price.

Would the pressure in the sump with the water coming down from the overflow not be the same as if I just took it straight from the tank? I'd have thought it would be the same- a miniscule amount due to evaporation.

The sump would be where I'd see the results of the evaporation too lol

Where in Scotland are you from by the way?

ah did not see your location lol im in edinburgh how about you ?
and the only way i see the cans working is by making the sump higher than the cans so the water level was above the filter to keep the pump primed,
if you went just a sump you could use one large pump and split the return to more than one area of the tank to a co2 reactor ect

 

[chrisfraser05]

Ahhhhh..... I see what you mean now

I was planning using my 80lt tank as the sump with all the heaters in it under the tank then having the two canisters below that again so it shouldn't be an issue.

I might also add some lighting into there so I can use it to grow out plants etc.

I live up in lossiemouth in Moray bud...... Cheers for mentioning about canisters needing to be lower than the sump though Fraser, even though I had considdered putting them under I hadn't considdered the implications of not putting them below it!

 

[frasertheking]

ha no problem mate but if your pumping this with co2 whats your lighting plan? any ideas on stocking sounds like a cool project

 

[epond83]

If you are doing CO2 then i would just not run a sump. Just run intakes and output at opposite ends. Only problem is some canistiers have max length on the hoses. probably too much resistance to over come.

 

[chrisfraser05]

ha no problem mate but if your pumping this with co2 whats your lighting plan? any ideas on stocking sounds like a cool project

I was going to have a shelf about 12" above the tank running the length hiding some T5 lighting or the like starting at around the equivilent of 3wpg at the end where the water flows in at down to about 1 wpg nearer the other end where the CO2 will have been mostly used I'd imagine.

The top end will be heavly planted with various plants in differing groups or small eco systems of their own so to speak then at the other end I was planning having lots of rocks and sand with the odd stem grass or moss.

Think it could be pulled off?

 

[chrisfraser05]

If you are doing CO2 then i would just not run a sump. Just run intakes and output at opposite ends. Only problem is some canistiers have max length on the hoses. probably too much resistance to over come.

Thats another reason I was thinking about the sump. Plus loosing it would mean putting the heaters into the tank or buying expensive external heating.

 

[epond83]

If you are using T5 HO (high output) 3wpg is a lot, wpg rule doesn't work well with anything else beside T12 lighting.

I would maybe get one or a few and pl;ay with how you do the gradient, with good reflectors the can put out a lot of light.

Also depending on how much surrface aggition there is and method of diffusing CO2 you should be able to grow plants the whole lengh. I'm sure it will be lower at the end but less demanding plants can go there. I don't think assuming it will be gone by that point is right.