18' x 9' x 3.5' catfish tank build in progress.....

necrocanis

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Tnx guys. I'm still jobless and on food stamps, but my tax money will help with this build some. I have a job lined out though. Might be working at lowes pretty soon just for the summer until college starts.
 

nitrofish1

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necrocanis;3941693; said:
Tnx guys. I'm still jobless and on food stamps, but my tax money will help with this build some. I have a job lined out though. Might be working at lowes pretty soon just for the summer until college starts.
awesome! maybe you can get a discount on the supplies you need. just do what you live, and if thats building this tank and getting some cats for it, we would love to see you do it.
 

necrocanis

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Might also consider something like this to make it more semetrical. This would give me roughly 325 gals of space to grow fish in. Outside measurements would be 28" x 38" x 91". That's considering I go absolutely as large as I can for right now! Still would be using a little over the last foot for a side-by-side sump design. Might even put the other acryllic panel I have on the backside to make it even with the front. That way when I move I can place it in different positioning and it will still work. Still trying to work out the logistics of a side-by-side filter. Might not be enough filtration for a tank this size.:headbang2

latest design.png
 

john73738

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Open up that side where you are gonna put the filter and for 1 extra sheet of ply you can do this;

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=289711&page=8

It is an over tank filter I am doing for my 250 gallon build. Being just 12" high you could build it out of 1/2" ply instead of 3/4 to save a couple bucks.

Good luck, and good to see you back.
 

necrocanis

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That's a good idea, but I'd have to sacrafice some front to back space for that, and if you guys know me good you'll know that what I'm planning on putting in here will need every inch they can get! hehe. That's the reason I'm plannin the side filter. Might end up having to go a little more than the last foot of the tank though. Might make it more like 45 gals volume for the filtration side. So that would make the tank more like 310 gals. I'm still contemplating how to do it. I would like to incorporate a filter sock or something similar that can be taken out and washed and reused. Might just have to go with some type of other mechanical filtration so that it can fall through a large amount of biological material. I'll have to brainstorm on something for the filter today. I just know that I don't want there to be anything foreign inside the tank. Just the walls rocks water and fish!
 

necrocanis

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How hard is it to cut acryllic? 1" thick acryllic. I have way too many ideas going through my head right now.
 

gomezladdams

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:WHOA: Whoa was I surprised to see this thread bounce back up.Glad to hear the gears turning in your head again,this thread was an inspiration to us all.Hope it all works out for you!Ill be watching,love the new plans!
 

necrocanis

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Tnx! Here's a quick sketchup of an idea I have on the filter. Not sure if the flow rate needs to be adjustable, but this plan just uses two long slots at the top of the water level where the water will flow through onto a drip plate that has some sort of mechanical media on it. It will then drip into the large biomedia chambers below. There will be the small chamber for a heater, and might have to make something to go around the pumps to keep the media from sticking to them and reducing suction. One pump will push out the top to provide maximum areation as it pushes water out at the surface. The other should push out through a reverse under gravel filter. Might even plan out a smaller sump under this tank for a santamonica filter also. Hoping this will be an easy tank to maintain as I won't have tons of time to mess with it when I'm in college. Thinking about 500-750 gph pumps since there will be two. Lol, all these plans I hope I can go through with them.
 

necrocanis

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oh yeah, the pic!

filter idea.png
 
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