1000+

[Yo-han]

I bought a new house a few weeks ago and leaving my rental appartment on the 4th floor in a month, so finally time for a bigger tank!

The tank:

Here is the thread from my current 400L tank: http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/dutch-nature-style.27848/

A few things I wanted to do different than my previous tank. First of all, I no longer wanted an open tank. I love the look, but I didn't liked the fact that I lost a few fish and am limited in the species of fish I could pick. Another thing why I want my new tank to be closed is that with such a large tank, I get too much evaporation. And third, I wanted it opti-white!

I don't like a standard hood either so the cabinet will go all the way up to the ceiling. Something like these aquaria from Oliver Knott, but no see-through:

Mine will be in a corner in front of an 195 cm wall. So will be 195 cm long. The depth is still an ongoing battle with the misses. I want at least 80 cm, but she wants it to be 60 cm as max. The height can be as much as I want, but for easy maintenance I want a max of 65 cm. I'm no small guy, but my arms can only reach so far So it probably will be 195 x 80 x 65 cm. It will be viewable from the front and left side.

I tried making some Google Sketchup renderings, which wasn't easy, but here they are:
The two door version:

Three door version:

Filtration:

I want a sump. I want the flexibility and want to play more with filter media (if Niko ain't replying on this one someone call an ambulance) And I would love to have the sump in the room behind the wall. This will make maintenance easier and also make the tank more silent. But off course, this means drilling some rather large holes in the wall. So maybe it will be placed in the cabinet, not sure yet.

The pump I picked as a Jebao DC 12000. I picked this one because I know people who used it for their reef tanks and it is very silent. It does 12000 L/h and is electronically adjustable. After taking the head pressure into account, it will leave me with a nice 10x flow but could be tuned down if needed.
The overflow will be a bean animal style overflow with the entire depth of the tank as an overflow, see rendering:

Sump in the room behind the aquarium:

Lighting:
The lighting I'll be using will be the same from my 400L. This is a dimmable 6x54W T5HO. But this is only 120 cm so I'll probably supplement it on the sides. Not sure how, but I was thinking about the LED floodlights. A 20W 6500K on either side will probable look good, but perhaps someone with experience with these lights can chip in

Rest of the equipment:
UV and CO2 off course. Probably in a closed loop on the sump with my Aqua Medic reactor. 3-4 heaters in the sump, to prevent overheating if one breaks and to prevent under cooling if one breaks. Since working in an lfs I've seen so many tanks being destroyed by overheating or undercooling (more of a problem with reef tanks), when only one heater was used. Perhaps I setup my dosing pump again, not sure yet.

Inside the tank:

Lots of wood with ferns and mosses. Stems on the back and low plants in the front. Sand in front and aquasoil in the back. Separated by stones and plants. Working in an lfs, I certainly will be visiting the wholesale where we get our hardscape from!

The fish will be the same as I have now, perhaps some bigger schools (now around 20-25 per species), and I'll add a small school (of about 12-15 fish) of one bit larger fish. Always loved denisonii's, but I've seen them grow to 15-18cm which I find a bit large for my tank, but not sure yet. Another beautifull fish would be Dawkinsia rohani, but these will be hard to find:

We have some beautiful altums in one of our showtanks at work as well

Anyway, you get the picture, if someone thinks he knows a better fish, please do tell.

Not sure when the tank will be setup, but as fast as possible

 

[Deano3]

oh this is very interesting and will be great to see develop best of luck and keep pics coming and progress

 

[Yo-han]

Thanks! But this won't be up any soon. I first need to get the key, paint the house and move everything. After that I go to Malaysia for a month (perhaps find some nice Crypto's and Bucephalandra's for the tank). If there is any money left I start with the tank right away, otherwise it will go a bit slower. Either way, I'll get the tank!

 

[kirk]

I like your vision.I certainly prefer the white to the wood effect. I don't think I could live with all that cabinet unless it was a see through tank as a room divider. Cheers kirk.

 

[Yo-han]

I like your vision.I certainly prefer the white to the wood effect. I don't think I could live with all that cabinet unless it was a see through tank as a room divider. Cheers kirk.

Now you sound like my girlfriend

But what do you mean with 'white to the wood effect'?

 

[kirk]

Nice to know your girlfriend knows what she is talking about. white / wood effect I was on about the finish of the cabinet. white looks fresh and if you had a big enough kitchen/dinner and plumbed in properly it would look awsome as a feature when dining. Now the wood...... I'd say office at work as it's,dark but that's my opinion/ taste. Cheers kirk.

 

[Yo-han]

Aahh, like that, I was thinking about the wood inside the aquarium. But the cabinet will most probably be white indeed. Although I think a nice kind of wood would be nice as well. But white makes it look less massive, so most likely go for that. The picture were just to display the style of the aquarium

 

[Mark Green]

This is going to look great. The cabinet Oliver Knott has used will be a great idea and in white will make this your show piece.hey good look with the move you must be a happy man moving from rented to owning.

Looking forward to up dates in the future.....

Are you entering iaplc this year?

 

[Yo-han]

Not with my current tank or the new. Maybe with one on my work (lfs)

 

[foxfish]

If you can house the sump behind the tank then you don't want it on the floor, raise it up to tank level and avoid all the inherent problems that go with an under tank sump!

 

[Yo-han]

If you can house the sump behind the tank then you don't want it on the floor, raise it up to tank level and avoid all the inherent problems that go with an under tank sump!

This is the idea indeed, but thanks for the tip, in the rendering it is on the floor indeed. I want a bulkhead through the bottom of the sump as well to easily empty it. And when it is a little higher I can vacuum the bottom easier as well.

Are their any other (better off course) solutions for heating large tanks, or are 4 heaters the safest thing to do?

And anyone experience with LED floodlight? Do you think a 20W is enough to light 80x40 floor area with say 60 cm of water?

 

[NC10]

Looking forward to this one, good luck and all the best with it.

Things I can see:

Don't mess around with 2/3/4 doors etc If you're going to the levels you are with this, you want a nice clean line, no interruptions. It would be a shame to distract from the overall look because of some gaps or lines, especially as you want it white as well. The top part hiding the lights can easily be one piece and just hinged at the top. I'd also make the bottom part one piece as well. It can simply be attached using magnetic catches, hidden slots or even Velcro for example, but would keep the look of it and also allow full access underneath without doors getting in the way. It's just a case of taking it off and leaning it against the nearest wall when you're doing anything underneath.

Sump: If you set the overflow up right and pick the right option it shouldn't really be a problem regarding noise going to a sump positioned beneath the tank. Obviously there's going to be some slight background noise, but not like the Niagara falls. What room will you be connecting to? Is it really worth wasting this room for the sake of a sump? If it's the garage or utility etc then fair enough, if it's another bedroom/study/living room etc it's not worth spoiling or wasting it. Plus all the extra work involved. The pump you intend on using is also pretty err massive What if that one pump you have running the entire system fails? You don't need the 10x flow all going through the sump. Use a smaller pump for the sump and set additional flow up by using a CLS or powerheads etc Aim for the smallest overflow pipe you can get away with as well and don't think bigger is better

Lighting: I can't see you needing any supplemental lighting, just stagger the existing lighting that you're using.

Heating: You're only going to need two decent heaters really IMO 2x 300w eheims for example. Maybe 1 small backup in the display tank if you can hide it well enough?

Height: I'll have to agree with your better half Obviously maintenance and planting will be a whole lot easier the smaller you go, especially because of the depth (width) as well, but going lower will also make the tank appear wider. Something I aim to do in the future, low and wide, but that's purely personal choice, you may like it high and narrow?

Co2: You must know about increased Co2 loss using sumps, but IMO is easily overcome. The only possible way for Co2 to escape any worse than a normal tank is through the pipework. A small thin layer of water flowing through the pipes is going to have a massive gas exchange, good or bad depending on your aim, oxygen vs Co2. Going for smaller pipework lessens not only the noise, but the gas exchange as well. A smaller fuller pipe, or a bigger less fuller pipe lol You'll be having a closed top on the display tank, so having cover glass on the sump will also minimise any loss.

As I've already said, I'm liking the way you're heading with this and look forward to seeing it grow. Good luck mate

 

[Yo-han]

I really really appreciate you taking the time to answer this in such length!

Don't mess around with 2/3/4 doors etc

Well, if the sump ain't gonna be in there, it need to be usable space to put games or a dining set. I think a 2 meter panel isn't very practical. So I definetely go with doors on the bottom half.

The top part hiding the lights can easily be one piece and just hinged at the top.

I think this is a great suggestion. I always think too symmetrical

If you set the overflow up right and pick the right option it shouldn't really be a problem regarding noise going to a sump positioned beneath the tank.

Well, if I go for the wet/dry it will sound like the niagra falls But the main noise I was talking about was the two pumps itself. I just want it to be as silent as possible. The room behind it is indeed a utility/washing/storing room. And all space it takes there I get back underneath the aquarium. So not really a wast IMO.

Use a smaller pump for the sump and set additional flow up by using a CLS or powerheads etc

Well, I know I don't need the 10x flow in the sump and your suggestion was the original idea. But I simple want nothing in the main tank except 1 or 2 return pipes. Power outages are rare here and usually take only a few hours. In a worst case scenario I aerate the sump with a battery driven air pump, and thats it Or am I missing something?

Lighting: I can't see you needing any supplemental lighting, just stagger the existing lighting that you're using.

It is one 6 bulb hood, I can't stagger anything. I can raise it and I will, but will the sides be too dark? And if so, how many extra light do I need?

Height: I'll have to agree with your better half Obviously maintenance and planting will be a whole lot easier the smaller you go, especially because of the depth (width) as well, but going lower will also make the tank appear wider. Something I aim to do in the future, low and wide, but that's purely personal choice, you may like it high and narrow?

I love that as well, and I'm setting up a paludarium as well, with the water part low and long. But this will be a river biotope. For this tank I love the height And the height was not the problem of my better half. It was the fact that it takes up too muc of the living room. But I won that battle, so no problem there

About the CO2, I've free CO2, so not really a problem, but will make the sump closed so I don't need to swap bottles constantly

Thank you very much again!

 

[foxfish]

I will draw you a diagram if I have time at home later but, if you can house the filter behind the tank there are lots of benefits apart from loosing gas down the overflow!
As long as you have easy access, some of the key issues would be ... no actual overflow box, very easy & assessable maintenance, daily removal of solids in just seconds & a silent sealed tickle tower.

 

[Yo-han]

I will draw you a diagram if I have time at home later but, if you can house the filter behind the tank there are lots of benefits apart from loosing gas down the overflow!
As long as you have easy access, some of the key issues would be ... no actual overflow box, very easy & assessable maintenance, daily removal of solids in just seconds & a silent sealed tickle tower.

Now you got my attention looking forward!

 

[NC10]

I really really appreciate you taking the time to answer this in such length!

That's ok mate.It seems you've thought it all through well anyway.

If your adamant on putting 10x through the sump, I would really go with 2 smaller pumps then. It's not just power outages, what if the actual pump fails, or if you need to do maintenance on the pump? What if you can't get a spare part for a few days for some reason? You know what I'm getting at anyway. Not only is the one pump providing all your mechanical and biological filtration, but also the entire flow around the main tank as well. If this was out long term, it's not going to be very good

 

[Yo-han]

I was thinking of just buying two for that reason

But if just the pump fails I can keep the sump alive with a small circulation pump and have a 5000 L/u streamer to keep the main tank alive. Not really worried about it, but would be risky indeed.

With a spare 12000, would you still go for 2 X 6000 (remember they are all adjustable to about a quarter of that flow).

 

[foxfish]

I have just sketched this & taken a pic on my phone but it might give you an idea or two.
Basically the sump is in fact more of a reservoir so there is no co2 lose down the overflow.
The pumps will be self priming & the removable sieve catches 99% of the solids that can then be completely removed every day.
The sealed trickle tower is independent & can be kept running during water changes.
I have built many such systems from huge koi filters, reef tanks & of course my own planted tank.

 

[Yo-han]

Needed to look twice to get the picture. At first I thought it was only the sump you've drawn. But the right side is the sideview from the tank, am I right? But this means making a huge hole in the wall behind it to make room for the overflow. Not very practical in my case, but sure is a good design for a pond.

 

[foxfish]

A huge hole?
Depending on flow, you would probably need 150mm x 30mm deep slot cut in the glass rear panel.
The point is have the sump water level at the same height as the tank water level, this can be achieved with round pipe & a shallow overflow box as well.