The big tank back in action!

[CanadaPleco]

Well after being empty for I think 6 months nearly exactly I decided today that screw it, I'm filling it back up! I moved the tank a bit, not easy at all, it weight between 400 and 500lbs empty. I centered it on the wall, it used to be pushed to the right side. Took out all the gravel and put in 150lbs of 3m quartz tan colour sand. Its not going to be nearly enough sand, but at least the bottom is covered about .5 - 1".

Now what am I going to put in here? Well I have around 20 L134's that are going in for grow out, as well as some L114's and a few other plecos. Stuff seems to grow REALLY fast in this tank, I guess more swimming space or something. Debating putting in the 2 x 12" L14's as well, I really really like the way they look, very cool fish!

For top swimmers, nothing as of yet, if anything a big school (200+) of rummy nose tetras.

The sump still isn't setup at all, hopefully that will happen over the summer time, so filteration will be a whack load of hydro sponge 5's reticulated and regular.

I am filling up with my tap water on cold which is a few degrees above freezing (205' deep well, its COLD) so will take a couple days to warm up to room temp, then I will throw in a couple heaters and snap some pics. Its not going to be pretty but functional :)

[MsGardeness]

Sounds awesome! So filling it today... how will you cycle it and when do you anticipate putting fish in it?

[CanadaPleco]

I just move in cycled filters and it is not a problem... I always have at least 20 or so hydro sponge 5's that are nice and dirty :)

[CanadaPleco]

4 tester fish just added. whoooo, nice hearing the sound of bubbles in the office once again.

[MsGardeness]

Woohoo! What type of 'tester' fish?

[Jkhuu]

Nice ! No feeling like getting a tank going eh ?

[CanadaPleco]

a hand full of L37's are my testers, they are wilds that I brought in a few months ago.

Yep John, cannot wait to have the pseudas in there so I can see them all day long and make them grow fast fast.

[CanadaPleco]

Stocklist in the tank as of June 19. Lets see how fast the L134's grow in here :)

25 x L134 (2-2.5")
4 x L37 (3-5")
2 x L14 (10-12")

[CanadaPleco]

Well I have finally started work on the sump for this tank! I am using a standard 75g tank.

This evening I drilled the 2" hole in the side that the pump will be hooked up to. It went well, no cracking so all is good.

I have drawn up what I am likely going to do for the sump now. It's a little different then most, but I think it should work out quite well.

Starts out the water coming in goes through a 200 micron filter sock, then up through some poret filter foam. From there it will run over the drip plate and rain over 450 pot scrubbies (the main bio filteration). Then through some Eheim media and some more foam. There is a decent size area at the end of the sump where I can place heaters and what not. I will for sure be putting in a number of hydro sponges in there to begin with (tired of looking at them in the tank). From there I am going to use another chamber idea that will hold 2" foam in place before hitting the pump. This should stop any small fish from getting sucked into the powerful pump.

Side View
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1389

Top View
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1388

[Jkhuu]

Very nice Rich.

[2wheelsx2]

Wow...quite the sump.

[Pamelajo]

and where are the pics of the tank? or did I miss them??? ;-/

[CanadaPleco]

Pot scrubbies are in, all 600 of them! Now to order up some glass and get this sump built.

[bunnyrabbit]

What is a pot scrubby?

[CanadaPleco]

They are used to clean pots and pans :) They work great as bio media and are cheap.

http://ovas.ca/images/articles/diy_trickle_filter_bitterman/8.jpg

[CanadaPleco]

well long time in the process here, summer is a little insane for me and it is winding down now finally. I have now gotten around to measuring out and ordered the glass needed to make this sump happen! About time too, I had to hook up a large eheim to the tank to function as some mechanical filteration (its filled with pot scrubbies and filter floss only).

Hopefully I can have the glass in my hands in a week or so and get this project rolling along quickly!

As far as stocking in the tank it now contains the following:

Blue Eye Pleco (15")
2 x L14 (12" or so and pretty confident they are a pair)
1 x L26 (8")
1 x L37 (5")
6 x L97, which I think are actually L320's as they are turning all black. (they are only here for grow out purposes)

6 x Geophagus Altifrons "Xingu" 4-6" range
5 x Red Hook Silver Dollars (5")
4 x Red Shoulder Severums (3-5")

[MsGardeness]

Sounds great! Can't wait to see everything!

[Pamelajo]

Looking forward to seeing pics!!

[CanadaPleco]

The glass has been ordered and will be here on friday! So plans to build the sump will be over the weekend.

Must order some parts from http://flexpvc.com/ now to get the plumbing all ready to go.

[2wheelsx2]

That's a pretty cool site. I'll have to bookmark it.

[CanadaPleco]

That's a pretty cool site. I'll have to bookmark it.

Its a great site, have ordered from them a few times before. If they dont have it, nobody does it seems.

[shiva]

Wow, that tank sounds amazing. That group of Geophagus Altifrons will look stunning when mature.

[CanadaPleco]

Wow, that tank sounds amazing. That group of Geophagus Altifrons will look stunning when mature.

They already do, LOTS of colour to them and getting better by the week!

[CanadaPleco]

Okay I have the sump finally almost all done. Waiting on a few more parts to come in for the plumbing then it will be up and running.

http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1471

The left side here will have the 2 x 4" filter socks. Just need to get to the hardware store and get a couple feet of 4" abs. Turns out 4.5" abs will hold the socks perfectly, and a lot cheaper then having some acrylic device made. 450 scrubbies in here also :)
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1470

Another full shot, left to right (filter sock area and heaters), 2" thick x 17x17" poret filter foam, 450 pot scrubbies, 4" thick poret foam 8" high 17" long. Then in the last there is some eheim media and I will be placing 6-8 sponge filters as well.
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1469
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1468

[2wheelsx2]

Nice setup. I forget, what size sump is that? 50 gallon?

[CanadaPleco]

75g... 48x18x18"
Pump is a Reeflo Blackfin 3600gph

http://www.reefbuilders.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/blackfin.gif

[Zebrapl3co]

Hmm ... you might want to have a second option other than those plastic scrubbies. They work OK, but it's a bitch when it's time to clean them.

[jlloydb]

Hmm ... you might want to have a second option other than those plastic scrubbies. They work OK, but it's a bitch when it's time to clean them.

hey Rich: i have two fish boxes (styro removed for xtra space) filled with blue bio-balls for anyone needing. i will be driving south mid sptember, so can drop off at a 11s exit for you. if anyone else is interested, just pm me. :)

[MsGardeness]

If it helps, I can be a go-between if you want the blue bio-balls, Rich - I can hold them here for the next time you are in Barrie.

[2wheelsx2]

Why do you guys say the scrubbies are a pain to use? I find them very easy to clean. I just spray them down with a hose.

[CanadaPleco]

I have never had a problem with the scrubbies either. Used them in another sump for a few years now and a garden hose and a couple mins and they are all clean. James I may take you up on that offer! Can never have enough filter media, that is for sure!

[Zebrapl3co]

I find that it gets harder and harder to be cleaned propertly. The problem is that it traps alot of poop inside making it a nitrate factory. I had to clean it out every month or 2 just to lower the amount of nitrate dumping back into the tank. It gets to the point that I have to spend more time to clean it properly, otherwise, I know for sure, I'll be doing it again next month. And like I said before, it takes a long time for me to clean them. Compare to the blue balls where I just dump them into a bin, shake it and then dump them back into the filter. It's saves me alot of time. The filtration advantage of the scrubbies is great, but it's not by as much as what the paper promises. Some times, a concept only sounds good in the paper, but may not be very practical in use.
Then, there is the lead problem I have to worry about. Plastic without lead cost twice as expensive as cheap plastic with lead. These are made and sold for the dollar store. Chances are, they are the cheap plastic with lead in them. Lead it bad for your fish. It causes reproduction issues. Pleco for some reason is more subceptible to lead and other metal poisoning. Yonge fish can will grow up twisted and deformed.
Sorry, maybe it's because of the fish I am breeding. This is something I've had to watch out for more than most people.

[CanadaPleco]

Thanks for the info. I am hoping to avoid those problems though by having 2 large filter socks and a large sponge before the water even hits the scrubbies. I will keep everyone updated though as this goes on.

[2wheelsx2]

That's what I was thinking. If too much detritus gets through, it's because there is insufficient mechanical filtration, which can be rectified in the sump design. When I clean my scrubbies, I just dump in the tub and turn on the shower head. Done in 30 seconds.

[CanadaPleco]

Well I have had a concern over the past few weeks that I had way to much stuff plugged into a single 15 amp circuit here. All tank equipment, computer (tower, 2 monitors, stereo, etc). Whenever the tank lights clicked on (timer), the entire room dimmed, not good. So today I ran some new stuff just for the tank! Two brand new 15 amp circuits just for this tank. So now I have 30 amps to play with, whooo! Wont be so scared to hookup this big pump now when the rest of my plumbing arrives.

There are 2 GFCI's at the end of the tank giving me the power now. Very happy.

http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1538
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1537

[bcarlos]

Very nice, Rich. Looking forward to seeing this tank up in action. All you need now is a nice super red arowana to occupy the upper water column :)

I like the sump design. Other than scrubbies, I've used lava rock with good success in the past, and it leaches no harmfull products back into the water. If you want to go top notch, contact Eric (screen name EEYY) on arowanaclub.ca-- he's got some bacteria house bio-media, very popular in Asia for koi and rays. It's exppensive, but an excellent product.

Looking forward to seeing some full-tank photos!

[CanadaPleco]

Ya I would love some of that bacteria house stuff. I know it is top top stuff. I cannot afford it at the moment though, been spending too much on little things like $150 to run wire, gfci's etc. It adds up so fast. I think my plumbing parts bill is now around $300 as well. Should be all done soon though. Next step is going to be to make a nice cabinet around the tank, so it gives that 'in wall' look. Also on the horizon is a auto water changer/drip system. No full tank shots, too much gunk floating around without this sump running yet.

Would like an aro, someday maybe. Still not a fan of red aro's tho, I like the BBXB and that Purple CB much better :) Maybe next yr.

[2wheelsx2]

Good job on getting the GFCI's. I wish I had the forethought to do that before I put in the tanks. Now I can't really do it without taking the tanks down first.

[jlloydb]

Good job on getting the GFCI's. I wish I had the forethought to do that before I put in the tanks. Now I can't really do it without taking the tanks down first.

if the receptacles you want to protect are all on the same circuit, then you could buy a gf breaker, and instal it into your panel. it's the bbd, but you will need to return to the panel to reset each time it trips.

[2wheelsx2]

I thought of that, but unfortunately, it's an old house, so the circuits are all messed up. I'm systematically gutting each room and rebuilding it, so some day it'll be all done properly, but unfortunately, the tanks aren't in one of these rooms that have been done (kitchen, bathrooms, and bedrooms).

[CanadaPleco]

A GFCI at the panel is EXPENSIVE too! cost me $40 for the 2 wall units which give me 30 amps.. at the panel I bought a split 15amp breaker, ran 12/3 wire, a junction box near the plug and split the 12/3 into the 2 separate GFCI outlets. The split 15 breaker was $24, so for $65 I did the same that, instead of buying a split 15amp GFCI breaker for like $140.

[CanadaPleco]

All my plumbing parts came today and I actually managed to get it all hooked up and did a test run. OMG this pump is insane, its like a hot tub in the aquarium, so much water was coming down the overflow I overflowed my sump too! Must do a little tuning to get everything working properly. The one good thing about these pumps is you can throttle them back with some valves, which I have before and after the pump so that is not too bad. Now if I can get it slowed down enough and not have it stupid loud and over flow the sump.

Bah, only leak in the plumbing is a faulty gasket on the pump.

I must say working with this flexpvc is INCREDIBLE!

Putting the hangers on to hold the PVC helped the leak a bit, but not much, will try to find a new gasket tmrw. Check valve is in between the 2 copper hangers to prevent back flow when power goes off.
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1540

The spider web of flex pvc will be all cleaned up shortly, as you can see its VERY flexible!
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1541

One of the returns coming back into the tank, 1/2" valves at every return. Would like to get a few Y's for the line loc so I can have more directional flow and make sure no spots are left stagnant.
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1539

Next project is going to be to make some temporary doors for this stand with some insulation on the inside to try and keep the sound of the sump and pump down. The sump does not seem to be too loud, at least no worse then the 10 sponges filters bubbling away (which I cannot wait to get into that sump out of sight).

[CanadaPleco]

Well it is not a leaky gasket at all, seems as tho there is a defect in the moulding in the pump and the pump is leaking without any preasure or even hooked up. Time to see what Reeflow will do for me.

Leaking Pump :(

http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1548
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1545
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1549
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1547

[CanadaPleco]

Wow is all I can say. Withen 2 hrs I got an email back from the owner of reeflo, they are replacing the peanut housing for me! Very impressed to say the least.

[2wheelsx2]

Cool. Always good to hear that good service still exists nowadays.

[intertan]

btw due to the 14/3 supplying 2 gfci plugs you may have an issue. Being a journeyman electrician I have seen this happen were a big load starts up tripping both plugs. if you ran 2 separate feeds of 14/2 you will be good

generally you should be safe but due to the electronics in the plug who knows what sort of feedback does to the plugs.

[CanadaPleco]

btw due to the 14/3 supplying 2 gfci plugs you may have an issue. Being a journeyman electrician I have seen this happen were a big load starts up tripping both plugs. if you ran 2 separate feeds of 14/2 you will be good

generally you should be safe but due to the electronics in the plug who knows what sort of feedback does to the plugs.

Yes I am aware of this potential issue. Will see how it goes, and if it starts tripping them then I will run 2 separate 14/2's. I don't suspect it will be a big issue though, really the only stuff on the line will be:
2 x 300 watt heaters
1 big pump (draw of 150 w)
lighting (200w give or take)
air pump (almost no power consumption)

[CanadaPleco]

My replacement part finally came in today! So I spent a good few hours getting everything working. All sponge filters are now in the sump, and my gosh does it ever look a heck of a lot better. The sump is pulling out so much of the floating debris in the tank its crazy.. I just love it so far. I have 1 of the 3 heaters in the sump so far, will move the others down in the coming day or so. Only thing I am not so crazy about is the sound from the pump. I will now have to skin and insulate the stand or I'll go insane trying to work down there. Will take some pics in the coming days as it clears more and gets settled in. The LDA105 will have this tank nearly to themselves :)

[CanadaPleco]

Well its FINALLY WORKING! OMG I am so happy... 2 years in the making, and now its working the way it was meant to! Sump is functioning well, could still use some tweats, but that will come in due time. In the last part of the sump I have a ton of eheim media, and 7 or 8 Hydro sponge 5's

http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1699

And the tank, I had to make some ghetto doors and put some pink foam on them, this pump is not quiet at all. But I should know that, its pushing nearly 4000 gph.

http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1700

Heaters, I have gone from 3 x 250w heaters to 1 in the sump and I love it! The pump is hot, it kicks out a ton of heat.

Tank inhabitants: well this is changing drastically right now. I have moved teh 6 x L320's to a 75g tank of their own, the 114's to a tank of their own also. They are each in their own 75g tanks for grow out and spawning. Only big fish left in here are a pair of L14's and a new cave for them too (thanks Jkhuu!). Also have a group of 10 young hypancistrus growing out. So whats going in here you ask? Well some LDA105's! Figure they may grow out faster in here then smaller tank, but honestly not too sure.

For swimy fish I have red hooks which spawn nearly every day, geophageus altifrons xingu, and oscar, red shoulder sevrums and thats about it.

[2wheelsx2]

Let's see some closeups of the fish, once you get the LDA-105's in there. Looking great Rich!

[Pamelajo]

Yes more pics please! Looks good so far.

[CanadaPleco]

Some more pics for everyone.

Here are a few of the sump, 75g 4' tank. I think there are 6 or 7 Hydro sponge 5's in the last compartment.
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1732

The overflow from the tank. its 20" wide
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1735

Overflow again
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1734

My Reeflo pump, and the octopus return lines.
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1733

Tank Left side
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1729

Tank center
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1731

Tank Right side
http://www.canadapleco.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1730

[CanadaPleco]

So today for the first time I actually got to see both of my large LDA105's out in the open eating! I usually feed the tank well after lights out so the super fast eaters don't eat all the food on the plecos. They are larger then I had remembered, and all their fins have healed up nicely from shipping, now to get them to spawn :)

[2wheelsx2]

What size are they now? Aren't they still juvies?

[CanadaPleco]

What size are they now? Aren't they still juvies?

I got 2 that are like 8-9", I ended up getting lucky one being male and one female :)

[CanadaPleco]

Few stocking changes to the tank today. I have been worried about some of my small plecos getting eaten by the MUCH larger fish in the tank. So this afternoon I took out all the decorations and went on a hunt. to a delightful surprise I found all 9 of the L411's I had put in the tank a few months prior as well as the 3 small L114's which all have solid red tails :). I have moved them together now in a 75g tank with a few other larger L114's where they will be able to grow faster as these big mean fish don't steal all the food before it hits the bottom.

I was shocked that none of the small hypans didn't end up in the sump as they were/are only 1.5-2" TL.

Next time I will get a measurement on the 2 x Megalordoris Irwini's which I am estimating at 9-10" TL now. Soon they will be too large for any of the hiding holes in the tank and I should be able to see them more often.

[CanadaPleco]

Well after being in use for several months now, I am really not happy with the pot scrubbies at all. The filter floss pushes down the drip dray with its weight and in turn squishes the pot scrunnies down to almost nothing. They are doing, more mechinical filteration now then anything :( Change is coming, maybe today even.

Not really happy with this Reeflo pump either, I guess that is why they dont sell this model anymore. Its loud and doesnt like to start.

[CanadaPleco]

LOL changes came! Pics to follow. Took out all pot scrubbies and replaced with bio balls and bio cubes. Moves pot scrubbies into first chamber where they will do mech + bio. Then water goes thru heating chamber, then thru some finer mech, then thru drip tray onto bio balls. then a 4" poret foam block. then the hydro sponge and eheim media chamber and out. LOTS of media. At least 40 gallons worth of media in here now so I'm ready to over stock the hell out of it! :D

The tank is a 75g tank - 4 feet long 18" wide 18" high.
1915

[2wheelsx2]

Nice. Yeah, the pot scrubbers are ok, but are only the best options in terms of price. I've swapped all mine out for Ehfi Subtrat Pro or Seachem Matrix. I think I'll try some Biochem start from Rena Filstar next.

[CanadaPleco]

Ya the scrubbies do the job but not great like you say. I'd LOVE to find some Eheim MECHpro & bioMECH (http://www.eheim.de/eheim/inhalte/index.jsp?key=liniendetail_27600_ehen) Dont think it's available in North America though. The Bio balls area took over 10 gallons of media alone.

[bcarlos]

I know they're expensive Rich, but you should look into bacteria house. I've got them in a few of my tanks and I couldn't be happier. They work great in sumps.

[jlloydb]

hey Rich: if you want to try a fluidized sand filter bed, to help you boost bacterial colonization, i have a 5 foot tall, 6" round clear plexi tower, driven by a mag18. price is $200.00. obo.
it has sand included, with built in choke valve, and runs best at approx. 300gph. the mag18 is perfect, because it has the power to restart the slushie machine after a power out.. :)
i also have a uber groovie uv light, that runs at 150-200gph, for $100.00. obo. it kills everything that flows through it quite nicely.

[CanadaPleco]

hey Rich: if you want to try a fluidized sand filter bed, to help you boost bacterial colonization, i have a 5 foot tall, 6" round clear plexi tower, driven by a mag1800. price is $200.00 :)

Wow, great price! I need more mech filteration in the tank then bio. Sand filters are bomb though.

Brandon, i've heard a lot about bacteria house and some day will get some. That day is not today though.

[jlloydb]

the sand filter also accelerates mechanical break down via friction. in other words, you can collect 'it' to floss and sponges, or you can 'puree it' for faster decomposition towards bacterial consumption.

[CanadaPleco]

Thought I would update with a video of the tank! Finally got off my butt and did a little aquascaping the other day.


http://youtu.be/-PzTaKHGxMc[/url]