Planning stage for 300 to 450 gallon, could use a hand!

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morecarrotsplease

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 2, 2010
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Indianapolis
Hi all!

About 3 years ago I made a big move and gave up the fishkeeping hobby. Prior to the move I had researched a build and wanted to grow from my 150 gallon to at least 300 gallons. Years later, I'm finally in my own house again...I finally got a great deal on a 60 gallon, got it set up with some beautiful fish. Instantly, I'm back where I left off. I have the perfect space for a 9-10 foot long tank and I am ready to undertake this project. Now, to pull this off I have to have 100% preparation before I take step one. I've reviewed many threads and have a generally good idea of what to do, but I still have loads of questions.

Primarily, what are the best 'go-to threads' or resources for a build. I like how people leave recommendations open-ended, but I'd really like to find a source that says "these are the plans, this is the sealer to use, this is the .... et cetera."

With that I suppose I'll explain my measurements and get feedback. I am currently deciding between 9 and 10 feet long. The space I have leaves just a touch over 10 feet, enough to reach back and adjust the thermostat that would be on the side of the tank. For the width I am planning on 2 feet, and height I am undecided on 2 or 3 feet tall. Anybody have any thoughts?

I have no problems with people talking to me like a builder noob, at this point I am! One thing I would like to do is take down as much information and make a formal set of building plans; something I have had trouble finding in this stage of the process, and in the past when I was researching.

Thanks for reading this lengthy introduction, and thank you to my future contacts for all assistance presented!
 
there is a bunch of 300-450 gallon builds. dunno how many r those dimensions tho - one thing to consider on a 10" long tank tho. are you going to do one huge pc of glass, or 2-3 smaller veiwing windows? you want veiwing windows just on the front or on front and sides? plywood and glass/acrylic tank or all glass/acrylic? @ 10' long and only 2' wide, thats going to limit the fish you can get unless ur just not interested in fish that get 2-3 ft long. if not then 2 ft is fine but you really have to consider that, last thing u wanna do is build the tank and be like "damn, should have went wider". also got to think if you want framing on the inside, or the outside. do you want a tank that can be took completely apart to be moved? i would personaly sit back with a pen and paper and write down ideas - brainstorm it @ first. i dont mind doing a sketch up for you on a cad program if you can tell me exactly what you want.
 
There are several threads in a sticky at the top of the DIY section. There are some great builds there if you have not seen those yet. I just finished a 315G build and you can read about that in the link at the bottom of this post. I dont think you are going to find a single source that will tell you that this is the way to do it. Everyone seems to tweak builds in their own way. I assume you are going to be building this tank from plywood? With the tank being 9-10' long you are either going to be paying premium dollars for 10' plywood or you are going to have to conseal a seam. Just something to consider. You will also need to decide what you are going to use to seal the tank. Epoxys work great but the tank cannot flex when filled or you risk a crack in the epoxy. Liquid rubber is very easy to apply and stetches up to 850% but special considerations need to be taken into account to get the viewing window to seal. Liquid rubber and silicone do not play well together so there needs to be a bridge between the materials. Its nothing difficult, just needs to be done or you get a leak. Then theres the whole filter thing...are you going with a sump or canisters? One think I do recommend is leaving room behind your tank so you can get there. I put mine too close to the wall.
 
Hey guys, first of all..thanks! I already have a lot to think about and this is exactly what I was hoping for when I posted. Let me get to the questions individually, but certainly anybody can chime in.

@verruckt - I absolutely want 1 huge piece of glass on the front, then I thought I'd do plywood for the rest. If that means I should go down on length, then so be it (maybe I can make up for it in height?). What do you think? I haven't called any glass shops, so I know there are standard lengths that create huge price point differences to go out of that range. 2-3 feet long fish are definitely big enough, but I figure it may be best to refer to the experts on size. If any lengths or widths make it difficult, I'd love to hear your edits. Here are the MAXIMUM dimensions that I can do, and if you think it's best to change it...please let me know the best reason and that would be INCREDIBLY helpful. The maximum length is 10 feet, width is 34 inches, and height is....whatever is practical (meaning I still have to get in to net fish, clean the tank, et cetera). Having said that, if you think with these parameters that another dimension tank will be more successful or give a better 'bang for the buck' please let me know.

@BadOleRoss - I'll definitely check out the thread, it will be of huge help. I can definitely conceal a seam to lengthen the plywood, but I'll need to do research on the sealant. For this type of a tank, what is the product you recommend? Do you by chance have a URL to the company sealant? To your next point, I was thinking about doing 2 canisters. I figured if I do 2 canisters graded for 250 gallons that will have me more than covered no matter what the final dimensions end up being. Thoughts on that?

Again, thanks you guys. I'm excited to really start this planning stage; I want to create a complete set of plans before I start anything and I think this is a great start. Another special thank you to verruckt; having cad plans would be absolutely amazing!
 
i would go 10 ft long, 34" wide and 2.5 ft tall - maybe 3. the glass for that is going to be high as hell. when u go up from 1/2" to 3/4" it pretty much doubles in price. the tank im personally building is 70" long, 46" wide and 25" tall. wit that im able to go with 1/2 glass. and @ 90% full thats around 330 gallons or so. i wish i would have sit down and thought it out more before running and buyin materials and starting the build because i have came across some issues. but there taken care of besides the $$$ one :eek:.

check this thread out. http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=288821

as for waterproofing the inside, im using fiberglass. i'm comfortable working with it and get the extra stenght bonus from it. i was going to use fiberglass only on the outside and that liquid rubber material on the inside but its out of my budget @tm. like ross said tho, it has its advantages if you can afford it. there is also something called pond armor, and wetsuit. wet suit is reasonable actually @ like $150 for 5 gallons.
glass wise, www.glasscages.com is about the cheapest i've found it. 1/2" plate glass, $9 a sq. ft. 3/4" plate glass is $21 sq. ft. but them shipping one pc of glass probably won't happen. they wouldn't ship my glass but will meet me with it when they come my way the 22nd of this month.

best thing to do is search that thread for a design you like, scan threw it and look @ the build, the materials, ne problems that occured and the solution.
 
Last I checked, a 10' x 2.5' x 3/4" piece of glass was running right around $1,100 in Indy.

You could buy a nice 540G for less than that price. LOL
 
Pharaoh;4184985; said:
Last I checked, a 10' x 2.5' x 3/4" piece of glass was running right around $1,100 in Indy.

You could buy a nice 540G for less than that price. LOL
Click to expand...

Whew - that's scary, but thanks for the accurate info! What would be the maximum dimensions to keep it at a 1/2 inch on one pane of glass?
 
I think 24" wide isn't nearly wide enough. People don't make 10' long tanks to house 18" fish usually, I'm thinking your planning / hoping for something big, be it Aro's, really big cichlids (Dovii, Umbee) big bottom dwellers, rays... I think you'll want 10' x 3' x 2.5.

I think while 2' wide is really nice, it'll limit you. No point in having such a nice long tank to only house medium sized fish, it would still be a sick tank if you went 2' but you gotta just imagine for a second what you REALLY want to keep in it.. You may have to plan the tank around the fish if what you really want is a huge arrow, or Gar, or something like that.
 
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