Monster tank idea (need some help)

[Eläköön]

Hello all, i am thinking of undertaking the building of a real Monster fish Tank.

the tank will be 10'x5'x3' (1122.07 gallon(US) and i am thinking of having all kinds of olarge fish in there but before i can think about creating the tank i need help on setting up the filteration and lighting etc.

ive never done anything like this before so i will need your expert advice

the tank will be on a solid concrete basement floor and i would like the tank to stand on the bottom of the groun 5' high, so how would be the best way to install a filter system? if i was to build/get a stand for the tank how would i go about finding out the strength etc. sorry if these all seem like stupid questions but i want to put in my research properly before doing this so i can be well informed and have a good end result

thanks in advance everyone

 

[Noto]

As far as filter placement goes, you have three major options: filter lower than tank (obviously not practical in your case), filter above tank, and filter on same level as tank. Each has pros and cons.

Filter lower-

pros: water is gravity fed to filter, and is filtered before reaching pump, so there is little chance of clogging; filter can be placed beneath tank, saving floor space

cons: requires large pump; may be difficult to access

Filter higher-

pros: water is gravity fed to tank, so you don't have to worry about siphons; filter can be placed above tank, saving floor space; good placement if you have food-producing refugium in filter

cons: requires large pump; requires prefilter on pump to prevent clogging; may be difficult to access

Filter same level-

pros: water is gravity fed to filter, so little chance of clogging; easy access; smaller pump may be used

cons: takes up more floor space

Either a same-level or filter-higher system can use bottom drains to feed the filter. This is good because (a) it's simpler than standpipes and siphons, (b) waste and debris will be swept into the drains by the incurrent, and (c) it is very easy to install a drain valve to allow emptying of the tank for water changes, etc. However, bottom drains are not so good for sand substrates.

As for lighting, you should probably investigate metal halide lamps. Most fluorescents are not intense enough to provide good light penetration.

 

[Eläköön]

Very informative insight on the filters thankyou very much, im liking the idea of a overhead filter because the room is tall so there wouled be enough room to stack one above the tank.

 

[spiff]

You could incorporate the filter into part of the tank as well, as others have done. Maybe even size the filter areas to accommodate DIY filter "cartridges" like large plastic containers that suit the purpose that would be easy to remove.

 

[cvermeulen]

Wait, wait. You're going to make your tank 10 feet long, 5 feet tall, and 3 feet deep? And you want it to sit on the floor, But you have questions about the stand? It doesn't sound like you've put a ton of thought into what you want exactly. If I'm getting your drift properly, a 5' tall tank will be extremely difficult to maintain, and will need to be built quite heavily.

If you're putting it on a stand, I'd suggest a few fx5's or a sump. If it's sitting on the floor, then I'd suggest an internal filter or an overhead filter.