Ace22

I installed a 500 gal tank in the livingroom of my 130 yr old home. It has been there for 8 yrs with no issues. I sistered all the floor joists then ran 6x6 beams across and put in 6 teleposts with a 24 " square steel plate under each post. In order to somewhat protect the hardwood floor I placed the stand on 3'4 inch plywood.

Very Nice!

I use an Aqua Ultraviolet (UV) Water Sterilizer on my 350 gal tank. I have had it running for 6 yrs now trouble free. I have had no disieses or algae since I installed. Make sure you size it properly according to your pump size the volume of the tank and the results you are looking for. I use a 57 watt. One article on sizing can be found here http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=16+2148&aid=2855 another here. http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/aquariumuvsterilization.html If you get one which is not sized correctly or have the wrong flow you have wasted your money. Better to overkill.

My mostly African Tank

I have broken every rule and have over 40 species from vic Malawi and tang all in the same tank... As long as you keep things crowded and give lots of places where timid fish can hide you can get away with many things. Fish do have there own dispositions. Do things slowly. Have a backup plan in case some fish don't fit in. The end result might make some purist cringe but my tank is stunning.

I am betting on holding

I bought a 450 gal from a guy in Calgary and used Jays Moving to ship it to Moose Jaw. There was some stairs involved at the Calgary end. All went smooth till they put it in the warehouse here in Moose jaw then the Moose Jaw crew took over. They showed up at my place without the right equipment to unload it. I got a frantic call from the wife saying they want to know if there is room in the garage for it DOH. I went home and helped them unload with some pry bars and dollys I had. When it came time to lift it and get it in the house they balked. I got some of my money back and got 10 friends to help me get it in the house.

Welcome to the forum. You will not be dissappointed with the people here or the amount of information. Enjoy!

I have a 380 gal tank with a 100 gal sump. I have a 500 watt catalina in the sump with a temp controller which seems to keep the temp rock steady without running all the time. I cant imagine the size of tank you have that requires 1000 watts of heat. If I remember correctly I bought from a company in california through ebay. If you place the heater in the sump you should get even heat. Also you mention your sump is full to the top....this is usually not a good practice because of possible back siphon on a power failure. I have check valves in my system to prevent the siphon but I would not trust them as they have been known to fail.

Heres a link to my tank live. I try and keep it up for a few weeks but it is a free service so you have to put up with a quick ad and mediocre quality. Thanks for having a boo. http://www.livestream.com/lilredbarn

I have used brass check valves on my sump and they have been in service for a couple of years. I use plastic or nylon where I can because they are cheaper.

Both safe and prime are manufactured by seachem. Product Description Safe™ is the complete and concentrated dry conditioner for both fresh and salt water. Safe™ removes chlorine, chloramine and ammonia. Safe™ converts ammonia into a safe, non-toxic form that is readily removed by the tank’s biofilter. Safe™ may be used during tank cycling to alleviate ammonia/nitrite toxicity. Safe™ detoxifies nitrite and nitrate, allowing the biofilter to more efficiently remove them. Safe™ is non-acidic and will not impact pH. Safe™ will not overactivate skimmers. Use at start-up and whenever adding or replacing water. Sizes: 10 g, 50 g, 250 g, 1 kg, 4 kg Why It's Different Safe™ is the dry version of Prime® and shares all of it’s advantages; however, Safe™ is even more concentrated than Prime®. I haven't used Safe but I swear by prime. If I lived in Edmonton I would be all over the group buy of Safe! I do a 75% water change monthly.