Setting up a used 450 gallon tank

deeboi

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Oct 9, 2009
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yes thanks. i'm just doing extra planning for my filter/sump. so i ask a lot questions here about it. there are a lot of ideas here, and it's probably not easy for the regular reader to understand what i'm saying with out pics...lo...any ways thx.
 

SpeshulEd

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Just had an idea...with the holes on the back of the tank, you could do a very short 90 degree bend right at the bulkhead. Have the bend right at the bulkhead and then have the pipe/strainer face upwards. That would mean less water would drain from the tank.
|_|
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| < Kind of like this where the far left is tank wall and to the right is the pipe.

You could have the pipe go down.
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| | < Then put a hole near the top to break the suction when water drains that far.
| |

Sorry for derailing your thread Egon. Lets see some updated photos to get us back on track.

:popcorn:
 

Egon

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Jul 4, 2007
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deeboi;4220707; said:
how did you plumb your returns? also how did you make it so the returns break their syphon. in one of my tanks the return goes over the edge, and i drilled it on the inside to break the syphon. what i'm working with is direct holes at the top of the tank, which i'm gonna use as returns, but...looking for a way to make sure the returns don't syphon/overflow the sump.:WHOA:

sorry no de-rail..
My sumps have PVC pipe in them to support the Peg Board and all the bio balls. The PVC pipe is just a water proof frame, I had extra so I built shelves and stuff to hold the filter media.

My two returns are drilled right into the top of the acrylic tank. The picture of my 360 tank shows the schedule 80 bulkhead and pipe (gray) with out the flexible clear hose coming from the pump. The 450 tank has the exact same return plumbing I just don't have a pic. You can also see the two overflows and they spill over into the horizontal pipe and then they drop down to the sump.

The drawing is another way to make an overflow.

NEW 500 GAL PLUMBING.jpg

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Egon

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SpeshulEd;4221987; said:
Sorry for derailing your thread Egon. Lets see some updated photos to get us back on track.

:popcorn:
Not a derail at all. This thread is about plumbing my 450. All very good questions and right on the subject. Keep the questions and answers coming! I'm loving it :D
 

Egon

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Behind the gar you can see the return "waterfall". I removed the loc line you see in the picture above just to prevent the siphon effect when I turn my pumps off for feeding. The return works great and looks great. No siphon at all.

The only actual updates I have are stocking: My dream fish I've wanted for ever: the AUL :headbang2 . I also got a new T gar, GG, and Niger cat. You can see the growth on the Niger. That's the same fish just two months of growth. I took the pictures in the exact same spot in the tank. I've had the Black Aro for over a year now and it's growing great! A good mouser :D

Cheers all......

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SpeshulEd

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Such a nice tank! Was that the tropical gar from craigslist, where the person thought it was an alligator gar?

I really need to work on my tank. Mine looks like junk compared to yours.
 

Egon

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SpeshulEd;4222525; said:
Such a nice tank! Was that the tropical gar from craigslist, where the person thought it was an alligator gar?

I really need to work on my tank. Mine looks like junk compared to yours.
Yes that was the CL add :) I picked up the Niger at the same time. $100 for both :headbang2 edit: maybe it was $120? Can't remember but still a great deal

For me, now that I've done it, the background was a great idea and really improves the look of the tank. It was hard work, time consuming and expensive, if ya asked me at the time "it was the wife's idea" and I wasn't happy about it. She didn't want the "laboratory" look if the tanks were going to be in the living room. :screwy:
Now algae is starting to grow on the surface of the background. It gives it more color and depth. She's a genius! The tank looks great. Thanks for the complement.
 

SpeshulEd

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Nice job on the gar and niger. I really need to watch CL more.

The background looks awesome. I wish I had the patience to do that. My goal for this weekend is to redo the sump and plumbing on mine. Hopefully I can add some driftwood shortly as well.
 
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