My 1400 litre project!

[F15hguy]

So now comes the fun part - filling it up for the first time!!

Just my 2c on filtration:

For a tank like that in an office I would use two Eheim 2080. They are rated for 1200L each and would be soooo quiet and would only need a clean every 3 months or even longer. Especially if you go with light stocking.

Buy them from Germany for around NZD 460 each incl. shipping - DONE! (buy media here)

You could always add a DIY surface skimmer to one of them

crossing fingers for you, always fun the first fill on a big one

(remembering 2200L x 300W x 1200H office divider, scary filling that one)

[hovmoller]

Really? Which site do you get deals like that from??

Here:

http://www.aquaristikshop.com

Very reliable. I have bought there several times.. they ship using DHL. When you register and fill in that your adress is NZ then prices change to exclude VAT.

Just be aware of the NZD 400 customs import rule whatever and the fact that anything electrical will come with a european plug (round ones). Voltage/hertz etc. is the same.

[jasonnz]

So now comes the fun part - filling it up for the first time!!

Just my 2c on filtration:

For a tank like that in an office I would use two Eheim 2080. They are rated for 1200L each and would be soooo quiet and would only need a clean every 3 months or even longer. Especially if you go with light stocking.

Buy them from Germany for around NZD 460 each incl. shipping - DONE! (buy media here)

You could always add a DIY surface skimmer to one of them

I have the FX5 already - I'm going to use it with media and use the AO1200 as a mechanical filter for now. I will keep an eye on things and if we need to make changes - we will make changes.

For some reason I just didnt want any holes anywhere in the tank but the top 8) - I had heard a lot of horror stories. I am going to clean up the intakes - cables etc with some capping .. and just play around with positions until we have everything working well. Then I can work on concealing things.

Exciting news today - I ordered a crane load of gears to get the ball rolling .. update shortly on

- substrates

- hardscape

- Water changes

- Co2

- heating

- lighting - very exciting.

a little later tonight i will post updates.

[jasonnz]

Lighting:

Have talked to people about LED setups , MH and Fluorescents... Although I would like to go with some LED's it's still very DIY and I am have read some real horror stories about people having issues getting the wrong types of LED lights - going too far and getting massive algae problems and spending thousands perfecting the art. I have the time and dont mind spending some money - but I'm going to start with Fluorescents. Once these are in place and the tank is up and running - I will play around with some of the LED's on the market and test the capabilities - while not having to rely solely on them to keep the tank running. Remember the tank will be tropical planted - so lighting is quite an important aspect of the setup.

For this tank I am going to run 4 Glo T5 HO Lighting System 48 Inch Twin - These units come with built in reflectors and a handy suspension kit for hanging from the roof.

I will run them together like so == on the tank.

For bulbs - to start with I am going to run 4 x Hagen Life-Glo High Output T5 46"/54W - and 4 x Arcadia T5 Freshwater Plant Pro 54Watt/46" bulbs. I was going to run 6 Plant Pro's but I was afraid I wouldnt have enough white light in the tank to make the fish look pretty. We will see how this goes - I can always play around with different bulbs.

I am planning to add some LEDS to this also - but I don't want to rely on them this early in. There is so much else to be doing - I know the T5 bulb setups work - so that's what I am going to start off with.

[jasonnz]

co2 :

I'll run a standard setup for Co2 - obviously co2 can be a bit scary for some people - but I have a little bit of experience - I've ordered everything but a diffuser. For that I am going to build an inline reactor for the Co2 - which should only take a few minutes with some bits from the local hardware store...

I will post pics of the build once it's done (prolly next weekend).

[jasonnz]

substrates:

The important thing for me - with the size of the tank - is that I get a good solid base down for the plants to root into - a base which is full of nutrients and will be able to provide over the next 24 months or so .. without too much intervention.

I also needed to choose which type of heavy substrate i was going to lay down - visually this is quite important.

First up I will be laying some .. JBL AquaBasis - then using a sprinkling of JBL Florapol. Now neither of these products are strictly required for me to get my tank going - however the plants will thank me for it.

I've chosen to use two main substrates in the tank, the first being Seachem Flourite Black Sand ( I would have liked to use this on it's own - but I do actually like the idea of a coarser looking substrate in the bottom of the tank) and the second being Seachem Flourite Black. After a few months - all the sand will have settled below the coarser material so my thinking is really around providing that nutrient rich base for the plants.

Here is an idea of what the substrate will look like in the tank. (although in that pic its black sand).

Very keen to hear thoughts about my direction here.

[jasonnz]

Heating :

I have purchased 2 x jager 300 watt heaters. I understand all sorts of options exist for heating - but again - that's an area i can play with later on - for now I just want something that I can drop into the tank and turn on.

Obviously 1 heater is not quite enough ( being rated for a max of 1000 litres ) but 2 heaters will not only keep my water nice and warm - but also provide some backup should one heater fail. I have plans to upgrade and do some pretty cool things with heating - but that won't be for a good little while yet.

[jasonnz]

Most fish shops us some kind of water pressure controlled device for cleaning tanks and completing water changes.

I would like to automate things a little more in the future - but I have decided to pick up this kit from Hollywood Fish Farm for now - Marina Aqua Vac Water Changer.

For those of you who don't know how this works - it just threads onto a tap - when you turn the tap on - the unit uses the pressure to either "suck" or "fill" your tank. Water and fish waste disapears straight down the drain. No buckets or mess.

I use prime at the moment for treating my water before changes currently - that will just continue.

[jasonnz]

Hardscape -

Heading to stone and water world this weekend to see what we can find in terms to rock .. still no idea what I am looking for - and until we have everything in one place and we get to our planting weekend - we are not going to have a clue as to the final look.

My wife and are have planned an adventure on Sunday to hunt down some exotic looking woods for different effects in the tank ..

All we know is that all the toys and sculpture like things will be coming out of the tank and the entire aquascape will be as natural looking as possible.

[jasonnz]

Access to the tank :

WOO - 800 is quite deep and is going to provide some challenges when working on the tank .. - but I have had a little plan from the start to ensure we have access to every bit of the tank without having to climb in..

With the water level reduced slightly - it is possible to lie flat across the tank and reach down to the bottom. Obviously we dont want to put any weight on the tank so i present to you my working platform (which will be stored in the storage cupboard).

Not actualy picture - but will look something like this :

[jasonnz]

Very keen for comments and feedback.

[FraserNZ]

substrates:

The important thing for me - with the size of the tank - is that I get a good solid base down for the plants to root into - a base which is full of nutrients and will be able to provide over the next 24 months or so .. without too much intervention.

I also needed to choose which type of heavy substrate i was going to lay down - visually this is quite important.

First up I will be laying some .. JBL AquaBasis - then using a sprinkling of JBL Florapol. Now neither of these products are strictly required for me to get my tank going - however the plants will thank me for it.

I've chosen to use two main substrates in the tank, the first being Seachem Flourite Black Sand ( I would have liked to use this on it's own - but I do actually like the idea of a coarser looking substrate in the bottom of the tank) and the second being Seachem Flourite Black. After a few months - all the sand will have settled below the coarser material so my thinking is really around providing that nutrient rich base for the plants.

.

I have a mix of both sachems flourite sand and fluorite black in my tank, I think it works well. The only problem I have found is its very cloudy when you first add it to the tank. The other problem is the cost, my tank is only 140L and it required 3 bags. I would hate to think what yours would cost to fill!

[FraserNZ]

I'm guessing you will have to spend $2100 just on dirt

[jasonnz]

I'm guessing you will have to spend $2100 just on dirt

Yeah - I knew when I started that a planted tank was going to cost some money - so I've got that side of it covered. I don't think anyone wanders into a monster tank build without expecting to spend some money.

Thanks for your comments - great to hear that it looks good in your tank .. any pics?

[Adrienne]

This sounds great and when I get back to NZ I would love to come and see it sometime

My 450 litre tank is 60cm deep and the T5HO - I have two double units so 4 bulbs all - up does not get through the depth sufficiently to do encourage growth on the high light loving carpet plants although they do grow very slowly.

For heaters I have 2 300 watts, one is a back up and is set at a slightly lower temp. With the amount of heat the lights put out and Aucklands climate they rarely come on, and just about never come on together.

My bigger issue is in summer when the tank easily makes 32 degrees C.

I run an fx5 on my tank and I do get a few dead spots with the wood and plants blocking the flow. When I return home in a few weeks I will most likely add a second filter.

[Squirt]

Sounds like it is going to be an awesome tank!

If you're looking into a rock scape google iwagumi. That'll give you some good inspiration.

I used a bag of flourite black sand on my 22l and have only got a layer 3" deep.

Looking forward to progress pics :thup:

[blueether]

Access to the tank :

WOO - 800 is quite deep and is going to provide some challenges when working on the tank .. - but I have had a little plan from the start to ensure we have access to every bit of the tank without having to climb in..

With the water level reduced slightly - it is possible to lie flat across the tank and reach down to the bottom. Obviously we dont want to put any weight on the tank so i present to you my working platform (which will be stored in the storage cupboard).

Not actualy picture - but will look something like this :

Have a look at scamp mini scaffolds much better design than the above one for the use that you want. You could then straddle the whole tank setup with ease

You could even hire it (used to work for waipa hire, the cost of one for a day was $36).

They go an extra level up and the braces can either hang (like in the pic) or support (like what you would expect)

See http://www.equiptec.co.nz/products/Mini-Scaffolds

[David R]

I'm guessing you will have to spend $2100 just on dirt

Glad I'm not into the planted thing, I think I spent about 1/100th of that on substrate for my big tank! (3 bags of builders sand from bunnings, about $7 each).

RE the ratings on the Jager heater, don't believe it. It really depends on the difference between the temp of the room and the tank. I only used two 300W Jagers on my 1400L, but it was in a small well insulated room with other tanks. I now have the same two 300W heaters on my 400L tank which is in my bedroom which isn't as well insulated, has the windows open all day and slightly ajar at night and I found one 300W was struggling to hold it at 27C over night (they both come on at night now). That said, the tank has a sump in an open steel stand with no insulation at all.

I'm guessing your office will have some sort of aircon that will stop it getting too cold (or hot), so you'll probably get away with the two heaters, but they may constantly be battling the aircon (assuming the aircon is set around 22-24C and you'll want the tank around 26C).

[hovmoller]

Jasonnz could you tell me at what temp you are planning to keep the tank at and also what the lowest temp your office will get down to?

[jasonnz]

Jasonnz could you tell me at what temp you are planning to keep the tank at and also what the lowest temp your office will get down to?

My tan sits pretty much bang on @ 23 degrees now but I expect to have the temp at around 25 - 26.

[jasonnz]

This sounds great and when I get back to NZ I would love to come and see it sometime

My 450 litre tank is 60cm deep and the T5HO - I have two double units so 4 bulbs all - up does not get through the depth sufficiently to do encourage growth on the high light loving carpet plants although they do grow very slowly.

For heaters I have 2 300 watts, one is a back up and is set at a slightly lower temp. With the amount of heat the lights put out and Aucklands climate they rarely come on, and just about never come on together.

My bigger issue is in summer when the tank easily makes 32 degrees C.

I run an fx5 on my tank and I do get a few dead spots with the wood and plants blocking the flow. When I return home in a few weeks I will most likely add a second filter.

Thanks for the

comments. What would you do differently with the lighting?

[hovmoller]

My tan sits pretty much bang on @ 23 degrees now but I expect to have the temp at around 25 - 26.

Ok so tank at 26... whats the coldest temp your office gets down to?

[jasonnz]

Ok so tank at 26... whats the coldest temp your office gets down to?

It can drop to 18 in the summer

[hovmoller]

Ok so when your office is at 18 degrees it will take 368W of heating to keep your tank at 26 degrees.

This is not taking into account added heating from pumps, lights etc.

So your 2x300w eheims is a good choice for this tank

[jasonnz]

Sweet - yeah my maths came out about the same - I have another small 100 watt as a backup - so we have around 400 watts available should one heater fail for a bit.