Please recommend a tank size for my fish list
- Thread starter agreeive?fish
- Start date
agreeive?fish
New member
thanks for they replys.....any more ideas out there
mattsilvester
Team RC
I would perosnally look at a budget for equipment.... or at least a "scope" an let that be your limiting factor.....
For example, the biggest "normal" skimmer that Deltec do is an ap1006: http://www.deltecusa.us/proteinskimmers/ap1006.php
which will cater for a little over 2000 gals of heavy stocking....... and uses "standard" parts, pumps, etc. for example, the pumps are standard eheim 1260's ....... so if something goes wrong with one, its idiot proof to fix......
I know you will have the time to spend, but having it to spend, and wanting to spend it are two different things entirely
...... Fit out the AP1006 with a self cleaning head, and you have a prettty much maintenance free skimmer ..... which not only means less messing around with equipment on your part, it means constant optimised water quality for the system.
The 20x4x4 tank sounds nice, but in reality that would be a full time job...... personally, unless I was paying someone to maintain it, I wouldn't want something that big...... and the fish list you have mentioned, even when fully grown, would rattle a bit in a tank that size......
For your list, and for practicallity sake, I think the biggest I would go is 12x4x4........ even at that rate, if you need to do any kind of maintenance, you will be wading in, waist deep.......
Since space is not a limiting factor, and money is shall we say less of a factor, then in my view time would be what I would plan around....... for example if you said you wanted to be spending no more than 2 hrs a week at it, not including feeding etc. then I would say a well laid out equipment room, with readily accessible equipment is a must..... with as much automation as possible, and in line water change facilites....... That is where I would lay my systems foundations, and then match the tank size to that...... we've already established that your tank will exceed the "minimum" for your wish list......
For example, say you would plan on a weekly water change of 10% maximum. You can get food grade PVC water butts here in Ireland that are 1mx1mx1m..... that is 1000 litres. So, lets say you have one of these in line, then the system volume, including this should not excess 10,000 litres..... or 9000 litres not incl. the in line water butt..... now lets say that your sump & fuge will be 20% of 9000 litres ..... so your tank would then be 7200 litres, or 1900 US Gallons...... which would suit that deltec skimmer I mentioned nicely..... so that would be 15'x4'x'4....... which I feel is still too big, to be honest........ so I would aim at 12'x4'x4'
12x4x4 = 1440 gals
+ 20 % for sumps & fuges etc. = 1700 gal + 270 gals in line water change system = total system vol of 2000 gals, roughly........
skimmer = AP1006 with auto cleaning head........
All you have to do now is figure how to heat it, cool it, and provide circulation......
And a remote back up generator is going to be essential
and personally...... with a water column that "thick" and you are going to need thick glass too..... so I would say starfire glass is a must, and I would say continuous low levels of ozone too..... because even the slightest yellowing of water is going to look aweful in 4' of water...... and will also make lighting look crappy to.....
Lighting...... maybe 4 - 6 no. 400W MH...... positioned 18" in from the front, at 2-3 foot centres should give enough light and penetration to punch through the water column and show off fishes colours...........
Circulation........ closed loops as a must..... simply because in tank pumps, even the monster tunze 6300 need to be maintained......
i would definitely give alot of thought to the bottom..... i.e. sand, barebottom, or some other alternative....... for me, sand would introduce too much of a liability.... if it worked, it would wrok brilliantly, but if it doesn't.......... nightmare!!!!
Looking forward to seeing this conept develop ........
For example, the biggest "normal" skimmer that Deltec do is an ap1006: http://www.deltecusa.us/proteinskimmers/ap1006.php
which will cater for a little over 2000 gals of heavy stocking....... and uses "standard" parts, pumps, etc. for example, the pumps are standard eheim 1260's ....... so if something goes wrong with one, its idiot proof to fix......
I know you will have the time to spend, but having it to spend, and wanting to spend it are two different things entirely
...... Fit out the AP1006 with a self cleaning head, and you have a prettty much maintenance free skimmer ..... which not only means less messing around with equipment on your part, it means constant optimised water quality for the system.The 20x4x4 tank sounds nice, but in reality that would be a full time job...... personally, unless I was paying someone to maintain it, I wouldn't want something that big...... and the fish list you have mentioned, even when fully grown, would rattle a bit in a tank that size......
For your list, and for practicallity sake, I think the biggest I would go is 12x4x4........ even at that rate, if you need to do any kind of maintenance, you will be wading in, waist deep.......
Since space is not a limiting factor, and money is shall we say less of a factor, then in my view time would be what I would plan around....... for example if you said you wanted to be spending no more than 2 hrs a week at it, not including feeding etc. then I would say a well laid out equipment room, with readily accessible equipment is a must..... with as much automation as possible, and in line water change facilites....... That is where I would lay my systems foundations, and then match the tank size to that...... we've already established that your tank will exceed the "minimum" for your wish list......
For example, say you would plan on a weekly water change of 10% maximum. You can get food grade PVC water butts here in Ireland that are 1mx1mx1m..... that is 1000 litres. So, lets say you have one of these in line, then the system volume, including this should not excess 10,000 litres..... or 9000 litres not incl. the in line water butt..... now lets say that your sump & fuge will be 20% of 9000 litres ..... so your tank would then be 7200 litres, or 1900 US Gallons...... which would suit that deltec skimmer I mentioned nicely..... so that would be 15'x4'x'4....... which I feel is still too big, to be honest........ so I would aim at 12'x4'x4'
12x4x4 = 1440 gals
+ 20 % for sumps & fuges etc. = 1700 gal + 270 gals in line water change system = total system vol of 2000 gals, roughly........
skimmer = AP1006 with auto cleaning head........
All you have to do now is figure how to heat it, cool it, and provide circulation
......And a remote back up generator is going to be essential
and personally...... with a water column that "thick" and you are going to need thick glass too..... so I would say starfire glass is a must, and I would say continuous low levels of ozone too..... because even the slightest yellowing of water is going to look aweful in 4' of water...... and will also make lighting look crappy to.....
Lighting...... maybe 4 - 6 no. 400W MH...... positioned 18" in from the front, at 2-3 foot centres should give enough light and penetration to punch through the water column and show off fishes colours...........
Circulation........ closed loops as a must..... simply because in tank pumps, even the monster tunze 6300 need to be maintained......
i would definitely give alot of thought to the bottom..... i.e. sand, barebottom, or some other alternative....... for me, sand would introduce too much of a liability.... if it worked, it would wrok brilliantly, but if it doesn't.......... nightmare!!!!
Looking forward to seeing this conept develop
........
Cantonesefish
with active cooling
You could use queen or tiger conches to keep the sand bed clean.
