Building My 50,000 Gallon Monster Mega Tank

[Good_Times]

Do you have any large rays in the 50K?
I was browsing fishing world records and came upon this truly giant SA ray that I didn't even knew existed. I think these guys would grow astonishingly large in your setup with all the abundance of food.

http://www.myfishing.ru/records/rec1.jpg
http://animal.discovery.com/fish/river-monsters/images/short-tail-stingray-324x205.jpg
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcToAvck7QDRm3TEgvZWfEVBnHK9pubCZcE8dw3zkoqBMLy9G24t
http://www.fishing-worldrecords.com/skates_rays/Potamotrygon brachyura.html

 

[C L O W N K N I F E]

Amazing!! That is my dream tank lol!!

 

[arapaimag]

Do you have any large rays in the 50K?
I was browsing fishing world records and came upon this truly giant SA ray that I didn't even knew existed. I think these guys would grow astonishingly large in your setup with all the abundance of food.

My tank really is not big enough for big rays like that.

I had a small ray in it 16 years ago but he got eaten. So I only keep smaller rays in my 15,000 and none in the big tank.


There is a company in Germany that sometimes brings the big rays in and also a lot of other interesting fish.

http://www.amazon-exotic-import.de/Imports.html

 

[HackJob]

When you started this thread 6 years ago, you had issues with rusting, and only expected 10yrs from the concrete, at this point it's 14-17 yrs. How is the concrete holding up? Are there any other major issues?

And I must say that this is the envy of most fishkeepers. This is truly one of the follow your dreams threads.

 

[arapaimag]

When you started this thread 6 years ago, you had issues with rusting, and only expected 10yrs from the concrete, at this point it's 14-17 yrs. How is the concrete holding up? Are there any other major issues?

I think the concrete worry will always be there.

I experienced a leak on one wall where the concrete and the steel meet starting in 2008 while I was at the Stingray Symposium that summer. My daughter mentioned it had occurred to me when I returned. By the time I got home it had stopped leaking (It had been a very slow drip speed leak). Over the next 2 years it occurred off and on with a leak for a couple of months then it would stop completely by itself for a few months only to start up again. Seasons had no real effect.

Last fall my son in law had one of his co workers who seals leaking basements come over. He drilled small holes every few inches in the joint from the floor of the tank to the 9 foot level from the viewing side of the tank and injected an expanding material. It sealed the joint and I have no leakage at all now.

I do have had a small leak in the silicone on only one panel at the 8 foot 10 1/2 inch level. I think the silcone above that level has dried and shrunk causing a small water dripping speed leak when the tank is filled to the 9 foot level. I have not found anything that will stick to the silicone to fix it.

However if I keep the tank level down about 1 and a half inches I have no problem at all.

There must be lots of big basement fish tanks in the North East USA this year...............with the help of the big tropical storms filling a few.

 

[HackJob]

true to that, I guess quality workmanship in the building truly lasts. One other question, how often does someone get in there and clean the bottom? I imagine that every now and again there has to be a fish that is to big to be consumed floating around in there.

 

[arapaimag]

true to that, I guess quality workmanship in the building truly lasts. One other question, how often does someone get in there and clean the bottom? I imagine that every now and again there has to be a fish that is to big to be consumed floating around in there.

I don't believe the tank was made with the knowledge that some of the hobbyists on this site have in construction today but it was done with the with what was available in 1994.

The tank will not last forever and I was aware of that when it was planned and being built.

Tanks being constructed with the knowledge and products available today will last longer.

Yes sometimes a large fish dies and when it floats it will be collected out with large nets. Some of my fish are quite old and are perhaps passing their best before date.

 

[Poloboy]

I like !

 

[Good_Times]

Why did you expect it not to last as long ? Doesn't concrete get stronger with time and exposure ? I saw this documentary once, where they built a huge dam wall, i think it was the Hoover dam, and they said they reckon it's now many times stronger than the day it was built.

 

[Good_Times]

Sorry meant to say exposure to water

Oh and another question . In the early days of the tank you stated that the lava rock was a big help in bio filtration, and that you even switched of the filters and ran the tank just on air-stones. I have also heard that the lava rocks "clog up" with time.
So would you reckon there still efficient and play a big role in bio filtration in your setup ?

By the way I love your tank, and I think the thing I like the most is that it's an ecosystem with predators and prey, and theres enough food and shelter for everyone to coexist and even some to reproduce. To me it's amazing to hear that even guppys live in there. Very nice