500L tank, help with installing tank and filtration

Non puffer freshwater discussion. Don't tell your puffers, they'll be jealous!
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Nilo1804
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Joined: Mon Nov 23, 2020 5:35 am
Location (country): The Netherlands

500L tank, help with installing tank and filtration

Post by Nilo1804 »

Hey everyone!

So, My name is Niels, I am a 21 y/o Plant Biotechnolgy student from The Netherlands and I quit the hobby 3 years ago when I moved out. I've had 125L freshwater and reef tanks.

I am planning to restart the hobby and I would like to get a Fahaka. Since I am aware of the 150gallon "rule" with enough space to turn I aimed for that as a bare minimum which I am short on on a couple of gallons. Personally I believe a 40cm fish needs more space to roam than 120x60x60cm so a soon as possible (within 2 years) my goal is set on a 200x100x80cm (425gallon) tank.

I'll go for sand, stones and woord, and some Javaferns, Anubais and floating plants.

That all being said, I want to make the setup as good as possible, meaning I want to convert the sump of the marine tank to a biological filter.
However, I have 0,0 experience with that. I am used to the following:
Get a tank, get the plants, fill with tapwater, instal filter, run for 3 weeks, measure water, but fish.

Never installed a tank for such a big (small in the beginning of course) fish though! How do I do this best? How to prepare the bacteria for such a messy eater?

I am planning on starting a applesnail tank (by buying eggs and hechting them so I have tiny ones at the start) for food for the next years and some fire shirmp (Neocaridina davidi) as food for when the puffer is small and applesnails are to big.

Can I feed him on snails and shrimp only in the beginning before he's ready for mussles and stuff?

He'll be the only inhabitant by the way.

One last question: should I post in gallos, inches, Fahrenheit and feet, or can you handle liter, Celsius and centimeters :lol:

I might also be able to remove the sump part and go for external filters but then it's difficult with the overflow, anyone any tips on solving this?

Lots of thanks in advance!!

Regards,
Niels
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Pufferpunk
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Re: 500L tank, help with installing tank and filtration

Post by Pufferpunk »

Welcome!
considering I answer 90% of the posts here (my site--no help) & am in the US, it would be easier to use ones I can understand & not have to convert all the time.

Here are some helpful articles for you to read. You'll especially love the last one, being a "Plant Guy"!

library/water-filtration/fishless-cycling/

library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/

library/feeding/basic-snail-breeding/

library/water-filtration/veggiefiltersrtr/
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
hilux_ie
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Re: 500L tank, help with installing tank and filtration

Post by hilux_ie »

Nilo1804 wrote: Mon Nov 23, 2020 5:50 am I might also be able to remove the sump part and go for external filters but then it's difficult with the overflow, anyone any tips on solving this?
Fluval FX4 & FX6 have utility valves at the bottom to help with water changes - a 10% W/C in my 450l discus tank takes 3 minutes, including tap water top up.
But if you're building a customs tank then all you need are two holes drilled in the upper part of the tank. Spray two L-shaped pieces of pipe black using acrylic paint so they don't stand out, install them so they're on the same level, connect to the mains and you have the overflow ready. :)
Nilo1804
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Joined: Mon Nov 23, 2020 5:35 am
Location (country): The Netherlands

Re: 500L tank, help with installing tank and filtration

Post by Nilo1804 »

Thanks a lot! I'll go for the fishless one, this because I won't be at my tank everyday so daily accurate dosing of NH4Cl (easily available here in The Netherlands since its the key ingredient in licorice candy;). Should I leave the lights out and the room dark during the cycle?

My sump/biological filter will be 40*16*20 (inches :D ) and I will make a compartment to breed snails and shrimp, giving me a biological filter of 30*16*20, which is 28% of the main tank (water level at around 14inches). The pump can be somewhere between 625 and 1250 gallons per hour, how much should I use for this total system of around 140gallons?

One more question about feeding the Fahaka: I am planning on feeding until he has a food belly, and then waiting until it disappears, then maybe wait another day before feeding again. Is that a good idea? I mostly read "Not to much because of liver problems" and "50% snails" But lets say (for example) you want to fully feed a full grown Fahaka, how much do you need? Is that 2 applesnails 2 shrimps? or 5 of each? or even more?

Hope you understand my questions(:

Before he is big enough for stuff like mussels and whole frozen shrimps and stuff he'll get small aquarium shrimp, ramshorn snails, worms and cut up pieces of shrimp thawed in water with garlic.
Last edited by Nilo1804 on Thu Nov 26, 2020 6:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Pufferpunk
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Posts: 32764
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Re: 500L tank, help with installing tank and filtration

Post by Pufferpunk »

How large is the puffer now? I tend to feed daily, to a slightly rounded belly, until the fish is about 3" & then start skipping days. As a full-grown adult, I feed 2x/week.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
Nilo1804
Puffer Fry
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Joined: Mon Nov 23, 2020 5:35 am
Location (country): The Netherlands

Re: 500L tank, help with installing tank and filtration

Post by Nilo1804 »

Well the fish isn't there yet, the tank was about to come this weekend, but after a lot of calculations and trying we couldn't get it up the stairs.. So I decided that the big puffer dream will have to wait for a year or 2 (when I hopefully live in a bigger house with living room)

I am hopefully going to collect a smaller tank that's still cycling this afternoon, will keep it cycling (only not for the 30minute ride) and then throw in a dead shrimp to keep the NH4 and NO2 reducing bacteria going, and then I'll do some drip tests next week to see if there's a good reduction from NH4-->NO2-->NO3. The tank will be home to a T. miurus. A miurus was the original plan to be honest, but the bigger tank that came by diverted that plan towards a Fahaka;).

Thanks a lot for all the information, I'll certainly come back and show some pictures of the miurus and the Fahaka (when I eventually can house one properly!)

Niels
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Pufferpunk
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Posts: 32764
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Re: 500L tank, help with installing tank and filtration

Post by Pufferpunk »

It won\t fit up the stairs? What size tank?
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
Nilo1804
Puffer Fry
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Nov 23, 2020 5:35 am
Location (country): The Netherlands

Re: 500L tank, help with installing tank and filtration

Post by Nilo1804 »

the 125gallon... its student/campus housing;) can't get the turn with a 4,5feet tank weighing ±200pounds
User avatar
Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32764
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Re: 500L tank, help with installing tank and filtration

Post by Pufferpunk »

Stand it on end.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
hilux_ie
Puffer Fry
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Jun 25, 2020 5:20 pm
Location (country): Bray, Ireland

Re: 500L tank, help with installing tank and filtration

Post by hilux_ie »

Nilo1804 wrote: Sat Nov 28, 2020 3:10 am Well the fish isn't there yet, the tank was about to come this weekend, but after a lot of calculations and trying we couldn't get it up the stairs..
Not sure how desperate are you to get it done, but custom-built tanks can be delivered in pieces and glued together at customer's location. It'll cost more, but can be done.
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