snowman1235
Seedling
Hi all,
I've had discus aquariums for many years, but in simple and small settings, starting with 50g and moving 100g about 8 years ago. Now I am planing a ~330g "dream" project. I would really appreciate some advise from people more experienced with larger tanks here.
A) EXTERNAL VIEW:
- The external dimensions of the entire set-up are 243x78x265 cm
- Aquarium external size is 243x65x80cm; this gives approx. 1250L – 330g volume.
- the aquarium is a “window” inside a white wooden cabinet, which looks like an extension of the walls from left and right; on the right side the wall continues into the kitchen and on the left side, there is a glass sliding door that slides behind the cabinet
- the cabinet is made from a steel cage construction with wooden panels / doors mounted on it
- immediately above aquarium there will be one cabinet “door” across the entire 240cm length (and 40cm in height), which would open upwards (vertically) to allow for aquarium maintenance; at the top of this 40cm opening there will be the first shelf and below the shelf a LED lighting fixture will be installed.
- above and below the aquarium there will be standard cabinet doors (4x 60cm wings)
B) INTERNAL CONSTRUCTION:
- the cabinet is made around a “steel cage” which gives strength to the construction. 4cm wide steel will be used.
- 5 vertical steel lines are at the back to hold the cage and 3 vertical lines are in front (to allow easy access to the cabinet); there is no steel connecting the front part where the aquarium “slides” in… the entire upper part is held with the vertical steel lines at the back
- the bottom part (rack to hold the aquarium) is 70cm tall from floor to the base of the aquarium; this includes: 2x 4cm for steel and on top of the steel rack there is a 4cm wood panel and on top of that a 0,5cm foam layer; aquarium then sits on top of the foam layer.
- the length of the aquarium is 243cm, but the length of the steel frame is 240cm; this allows for a 1cm “sound insulating” foam on each side plus 0,5cm wood cabinet cover. Therefore, the steel frame is slightly shorter than the actual aquarium length
- equally, the width of the aquarium is 65 cm, but the width of the steel cage is 67,5: 4cm steel frame at the back of the aquarium, and 63,5cm steel frame underneath the aquarium, which allows for additional 1,5cm for sound isolation and wooden cabinet doors in front.
- the entire steel construction cabinet stands 9cm away from the wall; this is because on the left side of the cabinet there is a hallway and there is a glass sliding door mounted there which slides behind the cabinet (small sketch at the bottom right); the glass door has 1,9cm space from the wall, then there is 5,7cm frame of the sliding door and 1,4cm space from the steel frame of the cabinet; total distance from the wall to the steel frame of the cabinet is, therefore, 9cm. The sliding glass door slides 144cm behind the aquarium, leaving 99cm space on the right hand side for plumbing.
- Including this 9cm distance from the wall, the side of the cabinet has a 73cm width, which includes 65cm length of the aquarium, 4cm steel frame and 9cm space.
- Aquarium is made from 15mm glass; the 243x65x80(70) is the external dimension of the aquarium; internal dimension is reduced for the thickness of the glass.
C) PLUMBING AND SUMP: A view from the rear side of the aquarium
- a the rear one can see the aquarium (top) and the sump (bottom) and the plumbing between
- the sump is laid on a 4cm wooden base plate which is on the iron cage construction
- the sump’s external dimensions are 120x50x50cm with 1cm thick glass
- the aquarium will have 4 x 1,5” holes drilled at the top: 2 holes for the “overflow” system and 2 holes for the return pipes
- 2 overflow pipes are going into the sump (left) and one is going directly into the drain (in the wall behind the aquarium); on the main overflow pipe (full syphon), there is a “Union ball” valve to control the flow (not drawn)
- the overflow will be Reef Savvy 24” or Synergy “ghost overflow” style
- the return pipe comes from the right side of the sump from the pump; the return pipe is split with a Y split and then goes to left and right side of the aquarium where a 1,5” hole is drilled; before the Y split, there is also a “Union ball” valve to control the flow (not drawn)
- the return pipe will be Red Dragon 3 Mini Speedy with 5m3/h (1300gph) flow
- where necessary, all pipes should have 45 degree angles – no 90 degree elbows (except at entry/exit of tank)
- in the sump there are also 2 heaters and next to it there is a CO2 reactor which connects to the return pipe
AUTOMATIC WATER CHANGE:
- in the left side of the sump there will be a small additional pump connected to a timer; this pump will pump the water out through a separate hose directly into the drain
- in the right side of the sump there is an incoming hose with fresh water coming in; this hose has a solenoid valve connected to an optical water sensor; when water sensor detects water level drop, the solenoid valve opens and fresh water flows in.
Main questions / concerns:
- please comment on the general plumbing set-up; am I missing something important? Would some modification of this design be more optimal?
- Where should the holes be drilled for the return pipes to enter the aquarium? I am worried about potential power failure – is there a situation where the holes are drilled too low, and the power failure causes the pump to stop and the water to flow back into the sump, overflooding it?? What are measures to prevent this?
- how to properly plug-in the CO2 system / reactor? I want a nicely planted discus tank and would like to ensure sufficient CO2; but I do not want this to limit too severely the flow rate.
- I have a nice unused 36W Aquamedic Helix Max UV steriliser… I wanted to install this as well on the return pipe, but I do not see many UV sterilisers being used any longer… What is a general consensus? Should I install it in addition to the CO2?
Any comments / thoughts / suggestions HIGHLY appreciated!
I've had discus aquariums for many years, but in simple and small settings, starting with 50g and moving 100g about 8 years ago. Now I am planing a ~330g "dream" project. I would really appreciate some advise from people more experienced with larger tanks here.
A) EXTERNAL VIEW:
- The external dimensions of the entire set-up are 243x78x265 cm
- Aquarium external size is 243x65x80cm; this gives approx. 1250L – 330g volume.
- the aquarium is a “window” inside a white wooden cabinet, which looks like an extension of the walls from left and right; on the right side the wall continues into the kitchen and on the left side, there is a glass sliding door that slides behind the cabinet
- the cabinet is made from a steel cage construction with wooden panels / doors mounted on it
- immediately above aquarium there will be one cabinet “door” across the entire 240cm length (and 40cm in height), which would open upwards (vertically) to allow for aquarium maintenance; at the top of this 40cm opening there will be the first shelf and below the shelf a LED lighting fixture will be installed.
- above and below the aquarium there will be standard cabinet doors (4x 60cm wings)
B) INTERNAL CONSTRUCTION:
- the cabinet is made around a “steel cage” which gives strength to the construction. 4cm wide steel will be used.
- 5 vertical steel lines are at the back to hold the cage and 3 vertical lines are in front (to allow easy access to the cabinet); there is no steel connecting the front part where the aquarium “slides” in… the entire upper part is held with the vertical steel lines at the back
- the bottom part (rack to hold the aquarium) is 70cm tall from floor to the base of the aquarium; this includes: 2x 4cm for steel and on top of the steel rack there is a 4cm wood panel and on top of that a 0,5cm foam layer; aquarium then sits on top of the foam layer.
- the length of the aquarium is 243cm, but the length of the steel frame is 240cm; this allows for a 1cm “sound insulating” foam on each side plus 0,5cm wood cabinet cover. Therefore, the steel frame is slightly shorter than the actual aquarium length
- equally, the width of the aquarium is 65 cm, but the width of the steel cage is 67,5: 4cm steel frame at the back of the aquarium, and 63,5cm steel frame underneath the aquarium, which allows for additional 1,5cm for sound isolation and wooden cabinet doors in front.
- the entire steel construction cabinet stands 9cm away from the wall; this is because on the left side of the cabinet there is a hallway and there is a glass sliding door mounted there which slides behind the cabinet (small sketch at the bottom right); the glass door has 1,9cm space from the wall, then there is 5,7cm frame of the sliding door and 1,4cm space from the steel frame of the cabinet; total distance from the wall to the steel frame of the cabinet is, therefore, 9cm. The sliding glass door slides 144cm behind the aquarium, leaving 99cm space on the right hand side for plumbing.
- Including this 9cm distance from the wall, the side of the cabinet has a 73cm width, which includes 65cm length of the aquarium, 4cm steel frame and 9cm space.
- Aquarium is made from 15mm glass; the 243x65x80(70) is the external dimension of the aquarium; internal dimension is reduced for the thickness of the glass.
C) PLUMBING AND SUMP: A view from the rear side of the aquarium
- a the rear one can see the aquarium (top) and the sump (bottom) and the plumbing between
- the sump is laid on a 4cm wooden base plate which is on the iron cage construction
- the sump’s external dimensions are 120x50x50cm with 1cm thick glass
- the aquarium will have 4 x 1,5” holes drilled at the top: 2 holes for the “overflow” system and 2 holes for the return pipes
- 2 overflow pipes are going into the sump (left) and one is going directly into the drain (in the wall behind the aquarium); on the main overflow pipe (full syphon), there is a “Union ball” valve to control the flow (not drawn)
- the overflow will be Reef Savvy 24” or Synergy “ghost overflow” style
- the return pipe comes from the right side of the sump from the pump; the return pipe is split with a Y split and then goes to left and right side of the aquarium where a 1,5” hole is drilled; before the Y split, there is also a “Union ball” valve to control the flow (not drawn)
- the return pipe will be Red Dragon 3 Mini Speedy with 5m3/h (1300gph) flow
- where necessary, all pipes should have 45 degree angles – no 90 degree elbows (except at entry/exit of tank)
- in the sump there are also 2 heaters and next to it there is a CO2 reactor which connects to the return pipe
AUTOMATIC WATER CHANGE:
- in the left side of the sump there will be a small additional pump connected to a timer; this pump will pump the water out through a separate hose directly into the drain
- in the right side of the sump there is an incoming hose with fresh water coming in; this hose has a solenoid valve connected to an optical water sensor; when water sensor detects water level drop, the solenoid valve opens and fresh water flows in.
Main questions / concerns:
- please comment on the general plumbing set-up; am I missing something important? Would some modification of this design be more optimal?
- Where should the holes be drilled for the return pipes to enter the aquarium? I am worried about potential power failure – is there a situation where the holes are drilled too low, and the power failure causes the pump to stop and the water to flow back into the sump, overflooding it?? What are measures to prevent this?
- how to properly plug-in the CO2 system / reactor? I want a nicely planted discus tank and would like to ensure sufficient CO2; but I do not want this to limit too severely the flow rate.
- I have a nice unused 36W Aquamedic Helix Max UV steriliser… I wanted to install this as well on the return pipe, but I do not see many UV sterilisers being used any longer… What is a general consensus? Should I install it in addition to the CO2?
Any comments / thoughts / suggestions HIGHLY appreciated!