New tank brainstorm project.

B

bksze

New Member
I am currently in the preliminary stage of building a new home. As part of this new home, I will be incorporating a large fish tank. I want to use this thread as a brainstorm thread to help me come up with any ideas.

I've been keeping fish for 10+ years. Went from a betta tank to my current 260gallon. Still learning and open to ideas. Things are constantly changing as well so I don't even know some of the things available to me. So if you have any thoughts or comments, feel free to speak your mind. Or any concerns you came across when doing your project that you would do differently.

I've organized my questions into 3 separate categories.

1. House

- building from scratch so I will ensure the floor is properly reinforced
- located in a non-walkout basement so logistics of getting the tank down there will need to be dealt with
- I will be asking them to rough in plumbing and drain so that I can have a dripless water change system
- If I run a 500+ gallon tank, will I need a dehumidifier down there? How's power consumption for the pumps/filtration aspects?
- What's the cleanest way to light the tank? I was thinking of having a light figure hang from the ceiling that would be connected to a switch on the wall.


2. Tank

- I will be looking at going 500+ gallon acrylic
- dimensions will be normal rectangular, however I don't know exactly what size it will be as I'd like it to sit well within the confines of my new basement
- I won't be building it in wall


3. Stock

- I have a dilemma with stocking issues
- Currently have 24" aro, 10" datnoid, 16" stingray and 9 big loaches
- I plan on selling the datnoid by then
- Ideally I want to have several arowanas. However i don't know how feasible it is for me to find ones of similar size for me to combine in that tank
- Should I sell the current one I have and then start brand new with a bunch of small ones?


That's basically the gist of it there. Feel free to throw out anything you can think of.
 
Ben is that you? :)

I'd recommend you go with the set up Boydo just did, the 550 Tenecor at 4'X8'X30" is a great tank for sure. You could save some money by having your builders do up a simple wood frame for you. Remember to reinforce the concrete floor where you intend the tank to sit.

I'd recommend you go for a 24/7 water change system, maybe use BWI (sponsors here) to help you out?

I toyed with using two pendalum metal halide lamps once (I used one for a time). It does make for a cool effect as the aro moves in and out of the light/shadows.

On another note, I recall you got a platinum head from Panda way back? I also recall that in absence of WTT it turned out to be a BBXB? Is this the fish you currently have?
 
There i a lot to it but for now I can think of 2 things you can help with your fish room. Use oil base paint for wall and ceiling with mold resistant and have an exhaust fan, it doesn't have to be big, you can just use a washroom fan but connect it to a humidifier auto switch so it will auto turn on at your setting. Also get a separate breaker for the room I would said 40Amp so you can have enough power to do anything you want.
 
As far as getting a monster acrylic in there the fact the house isnt built yet is a HUGE plus..... If you could get it down there before they finish framing it........ you could get just about any size tank you wanted, tenekor makes just about ANYTHING and cheap...... For me to get even a 500 gallon into my basement i would have to tear out my stairs and half of a wall in my basement plus a railing.... Believe me Ive measured every way i could and my 300 was the biggest i could get. As far as lights go would you be getting them on a timer? A wall switch is a great idea, My mom uses an outlet in her basement that is controlled by a switch and runs all her lights from there Its snazzy :)
As far as your aro.... if you plan to do a comm tank i would say start from scratch unless you can find a few larger aro's beforehand and get a few in it all at once but they will fight regardless.
This is an awesome post bro.... I hope to be in your position one day when we build an acrage but for now Ill just keep cursing size restrictions...
 
Cirrus said:
Ben is that you? :)

I'd recommend you go with the set up Boydo just did, the 550 Tenecor at 4'X8'X30" is a great tank for sure. You could save some money by having your builders do up a simple wood frame for you. Remember to reinforce the concrete floor where you intend the tank to sit.

I'd recommend you go for a 24/7 water change system, maybe use BWI (sponsors here) to help you out?

I toyed with using two pendalum metal halide lamps once (I used one for a time). It does make for a cool effect as the aro moves in and out of the light/shadows.

On another note, I recall you got a platinum head from Panda way back? I also recall that in absence of WTT it turned out to be a BBXB? Is this the fish you currently have?
Click to expand...

Hey Theo,

Yea that's the aro I still have. Fish was delivered on my wedding date so there's a bit of sentimental feeling there. Really don't want to get rid of it unless I have to but if I want to do a comm tank, it looks like my only option.

hondas3000 said:
There i a lot to it but for now I can think of 2 things you can help with your fish room. Use oil base paint for wall and ceiling with mold resistant and have an exhaust fan, it doesn't have to be big, you can just use a washroom fan but connect it to a humidifier auto switch so it will auto turn on at your setting. Also get a separate breaker for the room I would said 40Amp so you can have enough power to do anything you want.
Click to expand...

Thanks, these are perfect examples of tips. Stuff I wouldn't really think about until it's too late. I live in Calgary though and the air is constantly dry. I wonder if I'll need the dehumidifier aspect.

hustler said:
As far as getting a monster acrylic in there the fact the house isnt built yet is a HUGE plus..... If you could get it down there before they finish framing it........ you could get just about any size tank you wanted, tenekor makes just about ANYTHING and cheap...... For me to get even a 500 gallon into my basement i would have to tear out my stairs and half of a wall in my basement plus a railing.... Believe me Ive measured every way i could and my 300 was the biggest i could get. As far as lights go would you be getting them on a timer? A wall switch is a great idea, My mom uses an outlet in her basement that is controlled by a switch and runs all her lights from there Its snazzy :)
As far as your aro.... if you plan to do a comm tank i would say start from scratch unless you can find a few larger aro's beforehand and get a few in it all at once but they will fight regardless.
This is an awesome post bro.... I hope to be in your position one day when we build an acrage but for now Ill just keep cursing size restrictions...
Click to expand...


The thing is, I want the tank to be able to leave the house just in case I move in 5 years. It's not likely that I will but still possible and I don't want to not be able to sell my house because there's a free tank that comes with the basement haha.

Thanks for all the comments guys!
 
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I dont see you having condensation problems with the one tank.... if it has lids and the sump is somewhat covered i think you should be fine.
But a small air exchanger hooked up to your cold air vent would do the trick in a pinch if you did.
For removing the tank in the future, Just be mindful of that when finishing/framing the basement..... No corners up the stairs like a straight shot and you would be fine with a 500g
 
since you can reinforce the floor, how about putting this monster tank on the main floor. and build a little fish room in the basement to run your sump. it beats sitting in your basement all day

also dont forget to put in a laundry tub and floordrain in your fishroom.
 
Marowana420 said:
since you can reinforce the floor, how about putting this monster tank on the main floor. and build a little fish room in the basement to run your sump. it beats sitting in your basement all day

also dont forget to put in a laundry tub and floordrain in your fishroom.
Click to expand...

Building a bungalow and plan on having 4 bedrooms upstairs. I want the fish tank to have a comfortable sitting area around it to entertain with. I'm sure my wife would much rather have a TV on the main floor great room as opposed to my fish tank.

Contemplating a flush mount fish tank built in wall but seems to defeat the purpose of having a wide tank.

Also toying with the idea of having multiple tanks on one wall and having the filtration all in the back room. Something similar to the display tanks aquariums use.

Still in the planning phase as we are laying out the plans.
 
Ive seen a few tanks built into a wall on a corner..... That way you see the depth as well as the main pane. If you build a spare room down there its a good option to think about
 
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