230 Gallon In the Making Biotype

[Second Hand Pat]

It's home. My new 230 acrylic tank which is my Mother's day, birthday, anniversary, christmas and anything else for the year of 2011 is finally here. It rode very nicely in the tank. Hubby elevated the stand and tank with three 2x6 boards above the wheel wells so we could use the full size for the bed.

Still in truck


Ready for cleaning/sanitizing.


Sump


Stand in dining room waiting for it's new placement in the family room. Darn stand is heavier then the tank.

[Second Hand Pat]

Pictures taken before tank breakdown. I forget to take a picture of the overflow in action. Besides cleaning and some furniture rearrangement I need new bulkheads.

Bulkheads


Pump


Sump inlets.


Sump

[deepflyball]

Pat looking good there. I 2 am thinking about moveing up to a 220-240 gal tank, but not sure i want a sump. Had them before just not sole. Seems like if you are feeding meat they get real nasty in a hurry. Have you any ideas on where its best to shop on a large tank, and your thoughts on the sump . Thanks so much Jerry

[geodehunter]

Pat, Congrats on getting your baby home!!! I bet you were happier then a kid in the candy store.

[Second Hand Pat]

Thanks Jerry, this was a craigslist buy. I paid a bit more but the tank was very clean and the owner was proud of it and maintained it nice. Some of my other craiglist tanks required a lot more work to get them up to decent shape. Hubby and I rebuild/restained a stand and canopy last summer for my 100 gallon oceanic.

All I have is sumps. When I feed frozen foods including BH mix I thaw it in a small cup before feeding and release it gently in the water column for feeding. Yes, it does spread the BH out a bit more but gives all the fish a chance to eat. I generally do not have it end up in the sump.

Regarding pro/cons in a sump. Pro are more water volume, super oxygenated water and a place to hide all the goodies like a heater. DIY sumps can be cheap. Cons are they are noisy (some of the newer designs are more quieter), and one or more overflows in the tank and more opportunities for leaks (similar to a canister filter). I am sure there are more and bet more folks will chime in.

[Second Hand Pat]

Pat, Congrats on getting your baby home!!! I bet you were happier then a kid in the candy store.

Yes Robbie, I'm tickled pink.

[Melissa]

Whooo Hoooo!!!!! Sweeeet tank Pat!

[ZX10R]

Good buy can't wait to see what you do with it

[Darrell Ward]

Nice tank Pat. Since it's torn down already, you could convert that old fashioned trickle filter to a modern bio reactor really easy. just get some Kaldness media, and a saw.

[Sean Buehrle]

Pretty sweet pat. I like trickle filters, the heater can go in there so not in tank. Ive never seen anyone put bioballs in the drip plate, thats a new one on me. As far as the sheet prefilter goes they are a breeze to clean, just grab the drip plate and head to the sink and spray with the hand sprayer, easy peasy. Another good thing about sumps is you can fill the sump and shoot the water right in the tank. Thats a nice tank, cant wait to see what you do with it.

Congrats


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[Northwoods Discus]

I'm just a little envious, well a lot envious. Congrats Pat on the find. It should look awesome. Are you going wilds? I am dreaming up a little project like that as well. Will be looking forward to see what you do so I can steal some ideas.
Bill

[Second Hand Pat]

Whooo Hoooo!!!!! Sweeeet tank Pat!

Thanks Melissa, not as sweet as your with that 3D background and those beautiful wilds.

Good buy can't wait to see what you do with it

Thanks Sean

Nice tank Pat. Since it's torn down already, you could convert that old fashioned trickle filter to a modern bio reactor really easy. just get some Kaldness media, and a saw.

Thanks Darrell, cut the top off. More like a 3 chamber sump used for reef tanks?

Pretty sweet pat. I like trickle filters, the heater can go in there so not in tank. Ive never seen anyone put bioballs in the drip plate, thats a new one on me. As far as the sheet prefilter goes they are a breeze to clean, just grab the drip plate and head to the sink and spray with the hand sprayer, easy peasy. Another good thing about sumps is you can fill the sump and shoot the water right in the tank. Thats a nice tank, cant wait to see what you do with it.

Congrats

Thanks Sean, actually all I have is sumps. The blue is the tray is a filter pad.

I'm just a little envious, well a lot envious. Congrats Pat on the find. It should look awesome. Are you going wilds? I am dreaming up a little project like that as well. Will be looking forward to see what you do so I can steal some ideas.
Bill

Hey Bill, I saw your thread. This tank is exactly what you are looking for. Took me six months to find this and definitely worth the wait. Yes, I will be doing wilds. Either Alenquers or Tefes.

[Darrell Ward]

An easy way to make a fluidized bio reactor out of it, would be to remove the two chambers, and wedge 4" thick Poret foam across the sump from top to bottom, making a divider, and extra mechanical filtration in one. Put your Kaldness bio media in the divided area, add air stones, and replace the pre-filter. It may be useful to put Poret foam under this pre-filter to the water line in the reactor as well, to cut out the noise of running water. The water would drain from the tank through your drain hoses, enter the pre-filter, drain into the fluidized Kaldness bio media, leech through the Poret foam into the pump area of the sump, and be pumped back into the tank. It works great, I have my 240 set up this way, only my sump is an old 55 gal. aquarium. (Note: I eventually removed the pre-filter altogether from my setup, and just let the drains exit under water in the reactor to prevent the water noise. All mechanical filtration is done by the Poret divider. It's just much simpler, and the tank water is just as clear. That 4" thick foam traps everything, and can go a long time between cleanings. Amazing stuff. I clean the sump every few months anyway, so it's no big deal.)

[Disgirl]

That will be quite a tank Pat! Big as the old fashioned phone booth on it's side. Will look forward to following the tank set up, good luck with it all!
Barb

[TURQ64]

I'm plus one one the fluidized bed idea...I've been running wet/dries for 25 years, and now I'm changing them over one at a time, as I can see the advantages already..P.S. I didn't know you had this one up your sleeve..have fun with it!