This has been a dream project of mine for a few years now, and I've thanfully had some time over the past few months to get the ball rolling. I had the tank custom poured to 8 1/2' X 5 1/2' X 3 1/2'. Moving this thing into its space required a crane truck and some nerves of steel! I'm lucky to have some family members with the kind of equipment and knowledge available to put this thing together.
The heart of the filtration system is a 1 HP Hayward Tri-Star pump that feeds into a Hayward sand filter (media replaced with lava rock and bio media), through an external heater and finally through a 60 gallon above tank sump before re-entering the pond. Because of the power of the pump, I had to build a custom drain bar that disperses suction across the width of the tank (see pic 2). Holes are drilled at the bottom to pull as much debris from the bare bottom as possible.
Once this tank is cycled, it will be stocked with my current P. Henlei trio, with another pair coming later this year.
Enjoy!
The heart of the filtration system is a 1 HP Hayward Tri-Star pump that feeds into a Hayward sand filter (media replaced with lava rock and bio media), through an external heater and finally through a 60 gallon above tank sump before re-entering the pond. Because of the power of the pump, I had to build a custom drain bar that disperses suction across the width of the tank (see pic 2). Holes are drilled at the bottom to pull as much debris from the bare bottom as possible.
Once this tank is cycled, it will be stocked with my current P. Henlei trio, with another pair coming later this year.
Enjoy!
