Building My 50,000 Gallon Monster Mega Tank

[arapaimag]

I had a few problems with this set up.

It is gas fuelled which should have saved me money on heating the tank but I noticed that it was very slow to transfer the heat with such a small exchanger.

Also the internal filter was too small for the volume of water I use a month.

The vendor suggested a larger filter to be placed in line and although it helped it also is too small and gets clogged in a matter of days/weeks resulting in very poor flow.

I then decided to add the 300 feet of Pex oxygen barrier tubing and use it sort of as a radiator inside the tank.

This is Richard unpacking the tubing.

He loosened about 18 feet from each end and he and Nikki tied up the remaining approx 260 feet so it would remain coiled. We the added a few plastic coated dumb bell weights to make it sink.

 

[arapaimag]

Richard the got in one of the inflatable boats we use to work in the tank and placed the coil near the glass and close to the heater side of the tank. Here is a picture taken in the past of the boats we use.

 

[arapaimag]

Here is a picture of the Rinnai and the top area of the heat exchanger where we will add the Pex tubing and create the loop I wanted.

 

[arapaimag]

Richard cut the top connection off it.

Added 2 copper t's and a valve

 

[arapaimag]

Then a second and third valve and reconnected the two pipes.

 

[arapaimag]

meanwhile until water could be run through the 300 feet of pex it just floated in the area I wanted it in due to the air trapped inside the coil.

 

[arapaimag]

While we were working on the heating coil my mbu puffer (video of him in signature) was having problems in his tank. Advanced age has caused him to be too slow to get the food when dropped in as well some of the larger african males were picking on him. He could kill them with one bite, but he is now too slow turning to defend himself properly.

I placed him in a 180 which I had cultured a large number of snails (ramshorn and trumpet) and I was raising a shoal of Monoductulus sebae and a single Monoductulus argenteus. They were small at about 1" and they kept out of the big guy's way for the first few days.

Then I noticed the puffer in bad shape and saw the shoal of monos attacking him. I have now moved him to a hospital tank where it is easy to feed him (No other fish) and he is getting better.

With the help of MFK Ethan, Becca, and Kimberly from Brantford Ontario the rocks, bogwood, driftwood, plants and fish were all removed from the 810 gallon tank.

My daughter Nikki then cleaned it out and redecorated it for DISCUS and a few other fish. Here is what it looks like now.

 

[arapaimag]

if i had the money i would make on of theses

Welcome to MFK.

You are only 13 now, but I hope you do earn enough money to build a big tank in the future. I looked at your video and your fish look healthy. Convict cichlids don't get big and that's a good thing because they are so nasty they probably would kill everything I've got if the grew to 3 or 4 feet.

I actually have a few gold convicts in both my big tank and the smaller 15,000 gallon also. I also have individuals in a couple of 50 gallon tanks.

Enjoy the site and all the best as a fish hobbyist.

 

[NotoriousSway]

I noticed you have mentioned you have many other tanks, any pictures of them?

Keep up the great work!

 

[FishDogg]

I am pretty sure if i were to do this, my wife would leave me. LOL. Keeps telling me no more tanks then I saw a flier for a 125 gallon Oceanic set up. She said call them. LOL. I rather build a 8' x 3' x 3' aquarium for now. Now, just need to find the money.