kristarockstar Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 We are going to move to a larger house in the fall so I will finally have room for a larger aquarium. I think the largest I have had is 30 Gallons or so. I currently have a 20 gallon long and I like the look of the long, but not too deep look so I was thinking of 5-6 feet long and maybe 18-20" high and wide. So it would be 75 to 100 gallons. It will be a freshwater community tank (probably small schooling fish, shrimp and snails), heavily planted with rock and driftwood for décor. This would be my fancy display tank so I would like as much of the equipment hidden as possible, but as I am new to larger tanks... I have no idea about how these canister filters and sumps and such would be set up. I haven't decided yet if it will be viewable from the front and sides only or if it will be a room divider and be seen on both long sides and one end. I have a bunch of new 46" T5 lights that I would prefer to use for the lighting set up, as I already have them. I was thinking of getting the tank and a metal stand custom made and then cladding it myself. So I am looking for suggestions or guidance on setting up the lighting/hood, filter systems, heating, water changes, CO2 etc and the best way to keep them hidden from view. (behind a panel in the aquarium? or all hidden below in the stand?) I am pretty handy so I could build things if needed. Or any other useful tips when moving to a first large tank? Is there a good book or website that shows an 'ideal' equipment set up? (I really don't like the trickle sound of water if the water level gets lower than my HOB filter, or humming noises. so a quiet system would be ideal) The only tip I have noticed so far is it is good to have two smaller heaters so if one breaks or gets stuck on that it won't get too cold or too hot. Thanks! Just want to start planning now since I have some time on my hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 Take a look thru my journal section. I've done a few large planted tanks in the past. If you have a metal stand with some type of skirting around it, you'll have plenty of space for a canister filter or two and your CO2 canister. I like using hard PVC to pipe my canisters; I give them a quick scuff with some fine sandpaper and paint them black with Krylon Fusion spray paint. I also paint the back pane black. If you're going to make the tank a room divider, check out my Tropheus tank journal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristarockstar Posted February 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 Thanks! Do you set up canister filters by running pipe on the outside of the tank and then in the top? Or are they set up through a drilled hole in the bottom of the tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 I usually do it over the top, but they can be drilled in as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psylant Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 Unless you're going to have the tank seen from all sides, I would probably go over the top, as suggested by jvision. You can buy clear glassware for filter intakes/outputs if you're highly concerned about the look of it. You could also try a sump but I wouldn't suggest it if you're going to be injecting CO2. It will allow quite a lot of CO2 to escape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cainechow Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 You can also get clear PVC and acrylic pipes in schedule 40 sizing from Industrial Plastics and Paint. That way you don't have to worry about glass breakage as much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristarockstar Posted February 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 Thanks! That's good to know. I think painting black or clear tubes would work. So I think I would like to set up one that would be viewable on both long sides. So I think I will do something like Jvisions Tropheus or Cainchows divider tank work in progress Thoughts about hiding or placing heaters in a long tank? Here is what I was thinking: http://st.houzz.com/simgs/9071c0b8028bf61d_4-4228/tropical-living-room.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cainechow Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 If you are going to put in a canopy, then I'd just go with what jvision did. No drilling needed. What about http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/hy-htil300/Hydor+Inline+Heater+%28300+Watt%29.html for a heater? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaykit Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php?showtopic=36368- This was a great build that I've seen in person! Alot of the equipment requirements are going to depend on the size of tank that you want. Also, I wouldn't rule out having a sump, especially if you want this to be a clean display tank. The other alternative is to paint the back of the tank black and then "hide" the tubes and heaters behind rockwork or wood, which is what I currently have done. On my 180g tank (24" x 24" x 72"), I run 2 - fx5 canister filters (up and over the back of the tank) with the common spray bar modification, 2 - 300W heaters, a 10lb Co2 tank with 2 inputs into the tank, and 2 - 4 bulb 36" T5HO light systems end to end. I also have a metal stand with a simple cladding system that uses magnets so that I can easily pull off the front or side panels for maintenance. The 180g is a heavy planted tank with schooling rummynose tetras and cardinal tetras, some congo tetras, rainbows, cories, rams, and of course some plecos. I love this size of tank, because the 24" depth still allows you to get your hand all the way to the bottom of the tank to plant or trim as needed, and the 24" width allows you to play with the aquascape and give the tank some depth and perspective rather that just lining everything up side by side with each other. I loved the 24" depth and 24" width so much, that my next "smaller" 120g tank that I bought also has those same dimensions and just just 24" shorter in length (24" x 24" x 48"). As for the length, you've already mentioned that you're after something with a 72" length and I've found this great for the schooling fish as they are always swimming back and forth from one end of the tank to the other and never running over each other. This style of 180g tank is quite common, so you wouldn't have to pay alot of cash to have it custom built for you either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 I have the heater and intake hidden behind an HMF behind the rocks on my Tropheus tank. An inline heater would be better b/c then you can heat the return water only, instead of heating the water going to the filter... I think it'd be more efficient, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristarockstar Posted March 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Thanks! I like the inline heater and the magnet panels. I was thinking of slate stone cladding around the base and stainless steel or wood for the canopy. I found lots of design ideas but I can't post links to my posts for some reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syno321 Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 Since you're going with a heavily planted tank I'd go with a black HMF with the heater in behind it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 Since you're going with a heavily planted tank I'd go with a black HMF with the heater in behind it. I did this on a 75gal with the HMF powered by a powerhead at the bottom of the filter and CO2 bubbled into the intake of the powerhead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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