Hard to say on the 2''x4''x8' wieght...depends on how dry the wood is...
2 Grand isn't even 2/3rds the price of a 360g Acrylic....such a deal huh?
2 Grand isn't even 2/3rds the price of a 360g Acrylic....such a deal huh?
18' x 9' x 3.5' catfish tank build in progress.....
- Thread starter necrocanis
- Start date
I've been able to price compare over a long period of time, and research numerous products to see what's out there. I didn't buy up everything at once, and I believe that talking to everyone on here, gathering opinions, and facts has helped me come up with the best possible solutions to fit my budget. I plan on coating the 200 gal with the gel coat first and doing a fill test on it to get some practice and try to work on any kinks before I do it on the big one. That's part of the reason I've been holding off finishing the 200 gal is that I've thought about it and wanted to test out how well everything I'm doing on the big tank will work on a smaller scale. I might even do a smaller version of the filter made out of 5 gal buckets, and smaller pumps just to see how well it comes out. We'll see though. As always I'll post up pics and keep you guys informed.
I'll probably try searching for some statistics online. yeah, I know what you mean on the price of the 360g. I found that out when I was getting back into the hobby 3 years ago. I opted to buy a 350g cattle trough for $135 instead. With heaters, filters, and the insulated box around it I've spent maybe $1000 in the last 3 years I've had it. I figure I still need around $1000 to get everything I need to complete the filters, and heating.zennzzo;2352997; said:
So how does this sound to you guys for aireation? I was thinking about running the 3 returns in at the top of the tank and have them pushing water down at a 45 degree angle back into the water from above. That would be around 5000 gph each pushing down, unless I still decide to do a rugf then it would only be two. I think that would push a massive ammount of air into the water. Does anyone agree, or disagree with my logic here? I've done the same thing on my 350 gal pond and the water seems to have tons of air in it always. When you shine light in the water you can see the tiny bubbles everywhere. I don't even run air on it unless I'm doing water changes and have the filters cut off. Then I run one in my filter, and one in the tank. Seems to have worked great for the past 2 years I've done it like that. Does this seem logical for the 4000? I know there could be an issue with it cooling the water, but I think this thing will be well insulated enough that it won't be an issue. Especially since I'll be running a 4k inline heater as the heat source on it!
necrocanis;2353093; said:I'll probably try searching for some statistics online. yeah, I know what you mean on the price of the 360g. I found that out when I was getting back into the hobby 3 years ago. I opted to buy a 350g cattle trough for $135 instead. With heaters, filters, and the insulated box around it I've spent maybe $1000 in the last 3 years I've had it. I figure I still need around $1000 to get everything I need to complete the filters, and heating.
So how does this sound to you guys for aireation? I was thinking about running the 3 returns in at the top of the tank and have them pushing water down at a 45 degree angle back into the water from above. That would be around 5000 gph each pushing down, unless I still decide to do a rugf then it would only be two. I think that would push a massive ammount of air into the water. Does anyone agree, or disagree with my logic here? I've done the same thing on my 350 gal pond and the water seems to have tons of air in it always. When you shine light in the water you can see the tiny bubbles everywhere. I don't even run air on it unless I'm doing water changes and have the filters cut off. Then I run one in my filter, and one in the tank. Seems to have worked great for the past 2 years I've done it like that. Does this seem logical for the 4000? I know there could be an issue with it cooling the water, but I think this thing will be well insulated enough that it won't be an issue. Especially since I'll be running a 4k inline heater as the heat source on it!
I think that forcing the water down into the tank from above would be fine. How are the smaller cats going to like 5K GPH droped on there head when they swim under the outlets? I know when they are big it won't be a big deal but what about till then. I knwo you still got some "smaller" stuff for the tank. And I don't think the water wil have that much time to cool running that high of a GPH. all and all it sounds good to me
1793.75 lbs of 2x4s, 27 lbs of screws, 249 lbs of plywood, 2 lbs of black spraypaint, and 18 lbs of subfloor adhessive. So far the total weight of this project is 2089.75 give or take a few dozen pounds. Wiki answers says a pine 2"x4" x 8' is 10.24 lbs, and .5" ply sheets are 49 lbs.
Never thought about that, but one thing to consider is that I have 1900 gph falling like that on them in a 2' water column now, and this will be a little over 3.25' water column with around 4500-5000 gph figuring in how the head height will slow the pumps. The pipes will only sit around 1-2" above water level unless I'm doing water changes. Even my 13" bullhead swims under the outlet for the pond right now with no I'll effects. It actually stays there quite a bit. Only my cats that are 2' and up are going into the big tank to start with. The return pipes are going to be 2" dia so the water will have some force to it, so I might want to think about maybe coming up with a splash plate for one of them maybe. I don't really care how loud this thing is since it's in the garage. I don't think evaporation will be a huge issue since it's fully enclosed, but I'm still thinking of running a vent from the top of the tank to outside. Not sure what can be done there. I know fully enclosed tanks probably have issues with gas exchange.koop171;2353140; said:
necrocanis;2353093; said:I'll probably try searching for some statistics online. yeah, I know what you mean on the price of the 360g. I found that out when I was getting back into the hobby 3 years ago. I opted to buy a 350g cattle trough for $135 instead. With heaters, filters, and the insulated box around it I've spent maybe $1000 in the last 3 years I've had it. I figure I still need around $1000 to get everything I need to complete the filters, and heating.
So how does this sound to you guys for aireation? I was thinking about running the 3 returns in at the top of the tank and have them pushing water down at a 45 degree angle back into the water from above. That would be around 5000 gph each pushing down, unless I still decide to do a rugf then it would only be two. I think that would push a massive ammount of air into the water. Does anyone agree, or disagree with my logic here? I've done the same thing on my 350 gal pond and the water seems to have tons of air in it always. When you shine light in the water you can see the tiny bubbles everywhere. I don't even run air on it unless I'm doing water changes and have the filters cut off. Then I run one in my filter, and one in the tank. Seems to have worked great for the past 2 years I've done it like that. Does this seem logical for the 4000? I know there could be an issue with it cooling the water, but I think this thing will be well insulated enough that it won't be an issue. Especially since I'll be running a 4k inline heater as the heat source on it!
necrocanis;2353184; said:
When doing your return get a 90 elbow and shot the water back to the wall and bounce it off the wall that should spread out the water well enough. Or angle it to the front of the tank and and the angle should be great enough that by the time it reaches the bottom it will not be that strong at all.
why not use some big PVC and run a duct like a drier out the top of the tank. and then just paint the PVC. for the gas exchange.
Yeah I could just extend the return pipes a little where the flow hits the front and that would direct the water flow back and up once it reflects of the front sending the water back up to the filter inlets. Good stuff here. I think I already had most of this planned in my head, I just needed to hear what others thought in case there is a better idea that doesn't cost a fortune! I also like the dryer duct idea. I could do an outlet to the outside of the garage like a dryer duct, and if I ever sell my house I'll just say I had a dryer there at one point lol. There's a 220 plugin I could put it next to, and make it more credible!koop171;2353241; said:
But seriously I think that would work great! Would probably help out a lot on evaporation issues. I'm still going to end up getting a dehumidifier with a continous drip going outside, but that's a different diy for a different time! The ponds creat a ton of evaporation, but they are open top for most of the year. It's not an issue til winter when I can't open the windows to the garage for long periods. Takes time and $$$ to solve all the issues I guess. I think the venting of the big tank will help a lot though.
This thing is soooo huge man.. Been following it for a while now. Great job and i can't wait to see the end result.!
