Need some answers and advices

Marowana420

New Member
Many members from this forum had told me i need a bigger tank, so i have started to look for a 180g+ tank, and i ran into a few question.

1) Do i need extra support from my basement to handle this weight?

2) With young children in the house should i get glass or acrylic? (safey, scratches, etc...)

3) Is it necessary to put styrofoam under a big tank? and is there something that does the job but looks better?

4) For a 1 tank setup is a sump filter really worth it? keep in mind i have two canister filters that are still working perfectly.


Thanks
 

carcrazy

New Member
Here is my two cents worth:

1) If you place the tank near a load bearing wall (outside wall) then you wouldn't need extra support. If it is in the middle of the house, you may need to place it so that it is perpendicular to the floor joists (to distribute the load amongst them).

2) Glass is much less scratch resistant but is much heavier. You will need 4 guys to carry a 180g tank. But once it is in place, there it will stay. It is highly doubtful that children can topple a 2000 lb tank (heaven forbid). Just make sure you get a sturdy stand.

3) Using styrofoam is a controversial issue. I use it under all of my tanks just in case there is an irregularity in the stand or a piece of gravel found its way on the stand just before I place the tank on it. It would really suck to have your tank crack when you fill it. You could always attach a piece of moulding (skirting) on top of the stand to cover the styrofoam.

4) If you have the room for a sump I would highly recommend one. They are a great place to put your heater and other media. Sumps have a much larger capacity than canister filters and are easier to clean. You can never have too much filtration. A sump can be a rubber maid tub or old used fish tank. If you opt for a sump, make sure your tank has been drilled and has a corner overflow for the sump. I use a Durso Standpipe in all my aquariums as they are very quiet and work well.

http://dursostandpipes.com/
 

Marius

New Member
1) Do i need extra support from my basement to handle this weight?
Unless you have a flimsy floor, anything under 250gal shouldn't be a problem. To have more support place the tank in such way that it sits across the support beams, not along them.


2) With young children in the house should i get glass or acrylic? (safey, scratches, etc...)
Acrylic is safer, more prone to scratches though. Unless you have kids that will hit the tank with a hammer, a 180 has thick enough glass to sustain little "bumps" and it doesn't scratch as easily as acrylic.

3) Is it necessary to put styrofoam under a big tank? and is there something that does the job but looks better?
Styrofoam and "bottom" support is needed only for "flat bottomed" tanks, where the sides actually sit on top of the bottom sheet (like most acrylic). In the glass tank, new ones of course, the bottom is actually "floating", the support of the tank is in the side panels, not on the bottom sheet.

To answer your question: "flat bottom" tanks need support (plywood + styrofoam), while "floating bottom" tank do not. Those 6' long "flimsy" commercial stands being sold at Big Al's are actually solid enough to hold a fully loaded 250gal without any problems.

4) For a 1 tank setup is a sump filter really worth it? keep in mind i have two canister filters that are still working perfectly.
A well built sump trumps any commercially sold canister filter. Considering that one can spend 400$ on a Fx5 or 600+ on Eheims, a sumps most expensive part is the return pump. One can use second hand tanks, or rubbermaid containers and one can customize the sump (wet/dry, sand bed etc) to whatever one's needs are.

I hope I helped a bit.
 
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