elusive_fish Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Hi, I'm opening a cafe in Christchurch on June 27th and I'm seriously considering putting a big fish tank in the place as a point of interest. Something in the order of 250cm long x 80cm wide x 60cm high = 1200 litres. I really like the idea of putting the right in the middle as kind of a divider - and this means that people could sit on every side of it. Id imagine the only way I could provide power would be to drop a line down from the ceiling. Maybe incorporating it into a false colum What do you guys think of the idea? How would I run filtration? How would I be able to hide any pipes as much as possible, but not limit viewing? What kind of lighting would I put on it? Any additional thoughts/insights/comments are most welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 if you run the electrics through the floor boards, then all the electrics can be under the tank in an accessible corner in the stand. (check with the insurance company for compliance, etc and all that bureaucratic rubbish). filtration can be under the tank, in the stand too. couple of FX5's and a sump and you should be sweet. (over filter cause then you won't have to spend as much time maintaining the tank - which can be awkward as it will have to be done outside of business hours). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinsonMassif Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 If you are going to have a false beam for power, you could incorporate the end of the tank into it. Then have a dark divider overflow, with plumbing running down to a sump/wet/dry filter. I imagine you will need suspended lights also. Ones with fins so the light doesn't spill out into the dinners eyes who are sitting below it. Either that or suspend the lights into a hood on top of the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elusive_fish Posted May 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 if you run the electrics through the floor boards, then all the electrics can be under the tank in an accessible corner in the stand. good idea... but its a concrete floor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Ah. *chucks that idea out the door. :lol: The ceiling it is then. you can get suspension cables to hang lights down. a hood that is hollow from the top can hide away all the electrics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 brilliant idea could you use a tree trunk as the column? sump under tank safety factor on glass may be important for public place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 HFF in albany sounds like they have the sort of setup that you would be after, their sump overflow is in the middle of their big display tank with all the gear underneath hidden, not sure where the lighting comes from tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkles Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 tree trunk would look cool! you could make a big hollow fake tree, with the roots in the tank, filter bits hidden away between them, and the trunk going up to the ceiling with the cables in it. but thats probably far too expensive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 It is hard to landscape an aquarium so it is viewed from either side but looks good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elusive_fish Posted May 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 But surely having 80cm of width certainly helps? It could be against a wall, but if you can sit people on every side it maximises the appeal and makes it that much more interesting, does it not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie841 Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Are you planing on a solid lid or leaving it with a glass lid? If you are using a wooden lid and corner supports that could be hollow to hold the filter hoses and power for the lights Here is an idea I found http://www.fearby.com/products/3dfishta ... shTank.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navarre Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Central sump doesnt sound to hard nor does having a collum at one end ( think redwoods African tank out the back). eddie himsel had a very nice marine tank in his shop years ago that was walk around and it used a central sump system and had suspended lights. Very nice set up Glass safety factor needs to be VERY high and tank needs to be moderately high to stop sticky fingers etc. You can make a central core of rock and background to keep light and provide interest. remember you will need to water change and clean and WAY over filter to help with maintainance so even a 10% water change is a couple of hundred liters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie841 Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Another option is to build a centre divider of rock and plant and light it from within the divider so the landscaping glows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elusive_fish Posted May 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 Can one of the more technically minded people here help me my drawing what the sump design would look like? would the heaters be in the sump tank? If anyone can give specific ideas about filtration methods and lights I would be very appreciative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carznkats Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 Try pming insideoceans as he builds tanks and would probably be the best person in chch to discuss the project Good luck. A sump is a great idea as you can hide all your equipment in it, that includes the heaters.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oeminx Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 Can one of the more technically minded people here help me my drawing what the sump design would look like? would the heaters be in the sump tank? If anyone can give specific ideas about filtration methods and lights I would be very appreciative. This was what I was thinking of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 good pic oeminx, personally i would add 2 heaters to the tank itself, if return pump turnd off the tank will still stay warm also add a powerhead to tank to increase watr flow in tank and lower water level in sump to accomodate extra inflow if pump turns off baffles in sump could be moved to one end or a wet dry tower added to the sump just a personal opinion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elusive_fish Posted May 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 aweseome picture, thank you oeminx. How big would a sump tank be in comparison to the main tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 as big or as small as you like... depending on what you want to stock with? More you stock the more media you will need for filtration... id take a 4ft tank (around 250-300L) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navarre Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 Sump size works on how well your media works and you can do all sorts to help with that..skimers...denitryfing coils...etc etc Bigger is always better in my opinion Nav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 bigger sump means more total water in system, same as top tank but lower water level would be ideal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elusive_fish Posted May 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 bigger sump means more total water in system, same as top tank but lower water level would be ideal Eek! a 2.5m long sump tank? I liked the 4ft idea a lot more I really like the idea of doing this, but taking the time to understand the design and requirements might be the killer. I get posession of the cafe in just over 3 weeks and in the mean time I have to negotiate the lease, determine the branding, design the interior layout and colour, modify the kitchen, set up the business, determine the menu, organise suppliers... and for the next week and a half, still doing my regular job I don't mean to sound lazy, but it would really help me if the kind people on here can post specific links to products (with prices, if possible) The other big question, is that if I can pull this off what kind of fish to put in? My natural lean is malawi cichlids, as they are not only colourful but are active and full of personality. I know it would probably be a shame to have such a big tank without big fish, but things like arrowanas and oscars do nothing for me. Giant gouramis tend to be characters from what ive seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 Get a million DEmasoni's and electric yellows, lol.. the colour contrast is a true spectacle. if you buy the fish from breeders, you may be looking at under $6per dem and under $5 per e. yellow. course you can add other fish too, male peacocks (colour) and red zebras. you will need a lot of fish though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oeminx Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 NZ's entire population of killies would probably fit in there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elusive_fish Posted May 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 Another idea I just thought of, instead of one big tank in the middle of the room. What about I put two three 4ft tanks end-on-end. That way I could put three different displays with different types of fish/aquascapes in each. I could either do this in the middle of hte place, so that tables etc could be arranged on all sides, or at a wall for higher bar seeting in front of it. What do you guys think would be the most visually appealing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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