Large bichir tank questions

[Iamfish]

So I am looking into setting up a large tank for lj bichirs, a florida gar, and a black arowana ( but mainly for bichirs ) but I have a few questions since this would be my first large tank. What tank size would you guys recommend, I was thinking something like 6x3x3? How would you guys filter the tank since it would obviously have a huge bioload. Would you recommend getting a used tank or buying new, and getting glass or acrylic. Thanks for the help

 

[kno4te]

Used acrylic tank. The black aro probably be happy in a 8x4.

 

[tlindsey]

So I am looking into setting up a large tank for lj bichirs, a florida gar, and a black arowana ( but mainly for bichirs ) but I have a few questions since this would be my first large tank. What tank size would you guys recommend, I was thinking something like 6x3x3? How would you guys filter the tank since it would obviously have a huge bioload. Would you recommend getting a used tank or buying new, and getting glass or acrylic. Thanks for the help

Sump would be my choice buy aquarium new glass or acrylic but acrylic would be easier to drill and lighter to move.

 

[Polyaddict86]

Use acrylic, and do sump.

 

[Alexkoj]

For sure get as big a sump as possible (as close to the main tank's dimensions as possible).

Out of curiosity, Polyaddict86 and kno4te , why the preference for acrylic over glass? I do notice acrylic tanks are much more popular in North America whereas glass tanks are preferred in East Asia.

 

[kno4te]

A used tank likely be transportes/moved by the OP. I’d assume local pick up. Better to be acrylic as it’ll be lighter and easier to handle/move. If i remember right once over a certain size the price gets better for acrylic. Most larger tanks will be acrylic so my reason for acrylic. Can go glass if it works out better.

 

[Polyaddict86]

I just learned my lesson were huge water volume acrylic are more hardy and stronger in the long run. Yes acrylic gets scratch but you have almost 0% of it leaking. Plus its easy to move like kno4te mentioned and its easy to drill for plumbing.

 

[Yaponchik]

Hello there,

I'm running a 72x24x24 with a 48x18x20 sump. Water is fed to sump through two 2" overflow pipes. If it's bioload you're worrying about, definitely a sump with a 1:4 or 1:3 ratio with fully cycled, and adequate in volume filter media (there is no standard sizing guideline for this, as far as I'm aware) should do the trick.

You should be good with a 125G sump, but bigger is always better (make sure to account for overflow!)

I would also like to share my experience with my sump's design; while the possibilities for biofiltration are tremendously flexible; (for example, I run 24 liters of pond matrix on the 2nd chamber of my sump, after all the mechanical filtration media, which I know for a fact is overkill but it's my tank after all.) you would have to calculate a surplus amount of biomedia to use in order to ensure good ammonia and nitrite reduction, as based on my experience, they populated the fine mechanical filtration first, before actual biomedia (it takes time, even with a forced cycle i.e. using bacteria in a bottle)

The downside of a sump for me, is if you have minimal to no water movement inside the tank, i.e. your return is just in one place; in my experience with a spray bar that runs the full length of the aquarium and a pump rated for 1920 GPH, with 4 ft. of head pressure = 1600 GPH, and a tank turnover rate of 6.27x per hour, i get sitting fish waste. I am now running an Eheim 2217 subfilter + canister filter in order to alleviate the siphoning of fish waste. Subfilter is filled with mechanical media, while the can is filled with another 4L of pond matrix. I am thinking of getting a wave maker right now to just push the waste to the other side of the tank, in addition to getting another 2217 subfilter + 2217 can, which I would put on the same side of the tank that the current setup is running on, and where I plan to point the wavemaker to push the waste to. I could probably go 3 months without a WC or canister cleaning, and my nitrates won't go higher than 100 ppm; but that's just bad fishkeeping, besides the fact that WC help regulate growth inhibiting hormones of bichirs.

Please keep us updated on your final build that you would execute.

HFK.

 

[magpie]

You could get away with a smaller tank for life if you stick to bichirs and leave out the gar/arrowana.

 

[jaws7777]

The 3 ft height is unnecessary and would make getting into it a little more difficult. 6x3 would be perfect for polys but aro's may need a little more length (never kept aro)

Acrylic vs glass is really preference or whats available to you and your budget. So all things equal i chose acrylic and will never own a glass tank above 75 gallons again. If its not acrylic its not coming in my house. Ive had 2 glass tanks fail on me as well as a 75 gal thats only 2 yrs old and the silicone is already peeling. Acrylic tanks become one solid structure once welded together where as glass is held together with silicone.

Depends on where you live if a used tank would be worth it. Thats said if possible i would choose new. Important in buying used would be to make sure the acrylic thickness is up to par. I went with 3/4 inch panels on my tank.

Definitely go with a sump. Maintenance on a bunch of cans would be brutal when compared to a sump amd swapping out filter socks. The sump can be as simple or as complicated as you want. Totally customizable. I prefer no baffles or compartments just bio, pumps, and heaters. Much easier to work in.

Most important if going with a sump is to decide what drain method your going to go with. Real easy stuff at 1st it might sound like rocket science but we can walk you through it. A well thought out sump/drain will flood proof and easy to maintain.