My Plywood Build 250 Gallon

[john73738]

I have been doing some research on overhead filters myself and it seems to me that the pro's defenately outway the cons.
I will be getting a 560gal tank next weekend and plan on putting three overhead filters on it using 45gal rubbermaid containers.
as far as how much bio is enough, i have never been given a straight answer on that so i try to stick to 2 to 3 scrubbies per gallon but i am deffinatelly not a pro on the subject.

Yours if the thread that got me thinking Thought about 20 longs but my tank is only 24" wide. 6" too wide to do front to back like I am thinking. Could do 4 10's having 1 pump feed 2 tanks.

hmmmmm...... Lots to consider, must think fast starting back up tuesday....

Bear

 

[xdragonxb0i]

hey john, have you decided how your going to install the glass

 

[bomber]

I saw this thread this week but did not have time for it. Work only gave me time to read the first 6 pages and I am still impressed at Your Creation and Drafting skills. That software looks sick, bro. What is it?

 

[john73738]

hey john, have you decided how your going to install the glass

Yes, Since I have decided on using epoxy I will just silicone in the glass. All that needs to be done is to rough up a little.

I saw this thread this week but did not have time for it. Work only gave me time to read the first 6 pages and I am still impressed at Your Creation and Drafting skills. That software looks sick, bro. What is it?

Google Sketch up. Free version. It has it's quirks but great to use, and easy.

 

[broken]

I was thinking and one thing that you may want to do is put some kind of prefilter for your pump with an overhead filter because the water will be going through it before it gets to your tanks on top.

 

[xdragonxb0i]

epoxy? what are you gonna use? What made you decide not to use pond coat

 

[john73738]

Pond coat is a fine product, but I want to just silicone the glass in. Reading too many horror stories of problems where the glass is concerned. Gonna pay maybe $30 more for the epoxy, and the tank will not be moving, and I want a color other than black/brown. When I do my pond I will use PC, but for inside epoxy is it.

 

[john73738]

OH, and using west systems marine epoxy

 

[Valous]

John keep up the great build. As far as how much bio media you need really depends on what your stock looks like. You might have answered the question of what your stock is but trying to remember everyone's stock is a hard thing specially when I am upgrading my 55 gal to a 220. But keep up the good work and use the best of the days off.

 

[CJH]

Gonna pay maybe $30 more for the epoxy...

I'm sure you're already aware of this, but epoxy should end up costing quite a bit less than Pond Coat. More expensive on a per volume basis but cheaper to waterproof on a square foot basis since epoxy is 100% solids and only needs about 1/5 the total wet mil thickness that PC needs.

Just wanted to mention this in case you were assuming a tank needs as much epoxy as it does PC.

Assuming no fiberglass reinforcment, shoot for around 20 mils thickness with epoxy. One chemist at West Systems calls this overkill but did admit to me that 20 mil thickness is a good way in insure any given part of the tank will have 10 mils thickness which is generally what's needed to waterproof a plywood and account for the fact that plywood varies a lot in surface smoothness.

A gallon of epoxy will coat 80 sq. ft. of plywood with 20 mils of cured epoxy. Since it is 100% solids wet mil thickness and dry mil thickness are considered equal.