Discussion of LARGE tanks: It's happening! 196 gallon custom glass tank....

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

So Intrepid Partner is extremely enthusiastic about my fishkeeping hobby, to the point where he wants to buy me a HUGE Peninsula tank (where he would build the cabinet and lighting rigs). 

This is super exciting to me but also very intimidating as I've never had a large tank - only 20 gallon and below. It is a dream to have nothing but Nano fish in this tank, all peaceful no aggressives. Large schools of Harlequins, Silver Tip Tetras, Rummy Noses, Neons, some smaller Plecos, Cory and of course Otos. Intrepid Partner would like to see more Bolivians and maybe German Rams (though I know they can be a little moody). 

He's talking 150 to 200 gallons (I see a lot of 125s here). 😱 This isn't happening RIGHT NOW but could happen in the nextt 6-8 months maybe longer as it's in the zygote stages. 

I'm not really aware of anyone on this forum with this large of a tank but I'm sure there has to be one! If that's you please tell me about your tank, your experiences, regrets, positives etc. 

Anyone with opinions on large tanks in general. Experience with BRANDS also a bonus. So far we've looked into Red Sea and Waterbox brand aquariums, please add to our list if you are aware of others or if you have experience with either brand let me know. We're leaning towards Waterbox due to the US standard plumbing sizes. We would prefer low iron glass which both of those brands offer. 

I'm also interested in resources/links to learn how to maintain these large sump systems, this is part of the intimidation factor for me. 

Please help me out! Thanks in advance!  🙃

 

Edited October 6, 2023 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[anewbie]

Aquariums come in different standard size and heights; i would avoid 24 inch tall aquariums and if you have shorter arms; limit to 18 - standard heights seem to be 12, 16 (not common but 40B and similar); 18 (20 h, 29, ...), 21 (75 and similar), 24, and taller.

-

I have a 120 which is 4x4x2 (ft) and the height is annoying - this is a not too old picture (it is over stocked but primary stocking are festums, angels and clown loaches) - they will get a new home in approx 8 weeks with some going in 550 and others in a 450. Anyway for the larger aquariums if you are buying pre-made marineland and aqueon are the major brands. For custom made aquariums my research suggest custom aquariums is the best bang for the buck (i only like glass aquariums). My 120 (below) is a marineland aquarium on a rj enterprise stand. I find the marineland tank to be decent build relative to the smaller aqueon i have (not sure if this is a brand thing or size thing). You should be aware of weight factor and if the location is suitable for the weight as larger aquariums get very heavy very fast. My 120 is powered via canister filters (fx6+eheim 2227); but all future aquariums will either be matten filters or sump - i've decided i hate canister filters. I was going to do my 180s with mattern filters but custom aquarium woudln't warranty them if i modified them (glue in the support to hold the sponge); so i bailed and went with sumps with them - but in the future if i get more 180s i will use matten filters (you can look at swisstropical website for explanation). 

@Mmiller2001recently got a large aquarium from somewhere but not sure where. 

Some interesting standard sizes:

125 gallon is 6 feet long and 21 inches high - I can't find a standard aquarium size that is 21 inches or lower and greater than 125 gallon - if you go 24 inches high you can go up to 180 but i strongly recommend you get something 18 or 21 inches high depending on arm length.

-

If you get a custom aquarium (glass cages, custom aquariums, ....) you can get any size that makes you happy. I'm making my custom aquariums 4 feet deep (front to back) since i like a lot of depth - the 550 is 10 foot long. 

-

The thing is that for a planted aquarium you have to manage the plants so you will want to be able to reach the bottom easily. As for stocking - that is up to you - i prefer smaller fishes - the only fish larger than an angelfish i would consider (personally) is a chocolate cichild but most of my fishes will range from 6 inches to 1 inch - even in a large aquarium - oh one other large fish i will be adding (to the 440) is a group of geo - likely mirabllis if i can find them.

 

If you are ok with acrylic (I'm not); then there are other vendors to consider but do a lot of research - one issue you run into with a bad vendor is they are too thin and will bow over time and eventually fail.

-

When you price a larger aquarium - you have to consider how you will light it and how you will mount the lights. There are a lot of options from super expensive (ghl 7004/7006) to super cheap (flood lights on amazon - $40 a shot). For my new aquariums I'm using a mixter of ghl (they were extremely expensive) and ai new blade. i like the blade in that it comes in longer lengths for larger aquariums  - though i only needed the 4 foot units - you can get 6 and (i think) 8 feet units. It is a new product - i can say from the 30 inch unit i picked up to test on a 29  it is fairly strong and pretty decent balance - but i haven't had it long enough to comment on robustness - i prefer it to wrgb2 and plant 3.0 so if it turns out to be durable as the plant 3.0 i'll be pretty happy with them.

 

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by anewbie

[Mmiller2001]

Look at Innovative Marine. I would love the Red Sea Reefer peninsula, but as @anewbie mentions, lower height is a blessing and shallow tanks are so awesome. Imo of course.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

On 4/18/2023 at 12:15 PM, anewbie said:

would avoid 24 inch tall aquariums

We're onto the tall = hard to maintain. We both have very long arms but if I can avoid being up to my armpits it would be nice but I would sacrifice a little discomfort for a beautiful tank. So honestly it's not completely out of the question but we are aware this can be a problem so it is high on the consideration list for sure. 

On 4/18/2023 at 12:15 PM, anewbie said:

The thing is that for a planted aquarium you have to manage the plants so you will want to be able to reach the bottom easily.

Agreed. I think with this Peninsula design we're doing a peninsula scape inside the tank from high/wide to low/narrow. My plan is to use only easy grow plants, Java Ferns, Anubias and for the few plants that will need planting build the scape around a planting area that can be built up with substrate in the middle. Think: Plants in pots that are hidden by scape but the "pot" will be natural hardscape attached to each other. We may use Val or Amazon Swords because they get large for the "potting" area. 

I only want to do small fish. Nothing bigger than a Bolivian or Bristlenose Pleco. 

 

On 4/18/2023 at 12:15 PM, anewbie said:

custom aquarium (glass cages, custom aquariums, ....) you can get any size that makes you happy. I'm making my custom aquariums 4 feet deep (front to back) since i like a lot of depth - the 550 is 10 foot long. 

Hope you're planning on starting a journal on these large aquariums! We're going "custom" in the sense that they are made to order but it appears they make them in "standard" sizes. We were looking at the 180-200 gallon range. Because it's a Peninsula tank he wants it as a divider between rooms and we are well aware of the weight involved with a tank this large so he's planning on engineering/shoring up under the floor and building a super sturdy stand (Overheard him saying "I'm not taking their crappy particle board stand in my house!"). He builds custom cars for a living and is also good with wood so I'm not too worried here. 

On 4/18/2023 at 12:15 PM, anewbie said:

you are ok with acrylic (I'm not);

Neither are we, we both want low iron glass

 

On 4/18/2023 at 12:15 PM, anewbie said:

consider how you will light it and how you will mount the lights.

Also something we've thought of. He has some available electrical above the where the tank would sit already. I personally was considering pendant lighting, LEDs of some kind that will support plant life. Research on that will happen. There are "standard" lights for some of these tanks but they all seem to be set up for Reef tanks and not Freshwater so, it seems that there are inevitable modifications. 

This is a link Intrepid Partner found for Waterbox's Penninsula Tank in which they set up a freshwater tank (with fake plants, no thank you) but they wanted to apparently prove it can be done (it is also similar to what we want to do as far as where the hardscape and REAL plants would be): 

 

 

On 4/18/2023 at 1:57 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

Innovative Marine. I would love the Red Sea Reefer peninsula,

I will look into that brand thanks. Yes the Red Sea and Waterbox Peninsulas are definitely nice tanks they seem very similar other than the Waterbox has American plumbing sizes which is a consideration. 

Edited April 18, 2023 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[Biotope Biologist]

First I LOVE peninsulas! Also check out Kaity’s video on how she uses hers as a room divider:

Second I used to have a 128g Hexagonal “table tank” in college. The guy I bought it from was moving to India to teach tech so I practically stole it from him. I digress. With big tanks get a ton of hardscape. You aren’t going to use all of it, like the video above you need it to kind of see where you like stuff. Big tanks help you display large driftwood pieces or beautifully sculpted rocks.

 

Get a sump! Seriously they are so much easier to work with and if SO is feeling confident have him build it. Tell him it’s kind of like building a custom oil setup (I too enjoy cars).

 

Love the fish ideas! With that big of a tank a huge school of tetra of whatever species is going to look mesmerizing. If only smol species, might I recommend glass cats? A big school (20+) of them in a large tank actually makes them far mor confident and they are quirky to say the least… just know they are a bit fussy with food preferring frozen or live over flaked foods.

 

For plantscape have no fear botanists are here! Use extra long bonsai trimmers, I believe they make telescoping ones. Never get your hand wet. For algae id use a mag float or adjacent.

[dasaltemelosguy]

On 4/18/2023 at 12:15 PM, anewbie said:

Aquariums come in different standard size and heights; i would avoid 24 inch tall aquariums and if you have shorter arms; limit to 18 - standard heights seem to be 12, 16 (not common but 40B and similar); 18 (20 h, 29, ...), 21 (75 and similar), 24, and taller.

I have a 120 which is 4x4x2 (ft) and the height is annoying..

125 gallon is 6 feet long and 21 inches high - I can't find a standard aquarium size that is 21 inches or lower and greater than 125 gallon - if you go 24 inches high you can go up to 180 but i strongly recommend you get something 18 or 21 inches high depending on arm length.

If you are ok with acrylic (I'm not); 

@xXInkedPhoenixX, I have little to add but these statements above by @anewbie echo exactly what I experience with my 120 at 24" x 24" x 48". 

I'm short and there's no access behind my 120 such that, to reach to the rear bottom center, it is 34 INCHES from the front at the nearest access. So that part of the tank rarely gets as much attention, and I get really wet...although I blame Pythagoras for that one! 🤣 But with some areas nearly 3 feet away, for me at least, it makes lots of things more difficult. 

My tanks are relatively low to the ground and the physical drop to the drainage is only 2' such that siphoning has relatively weak flow. I use my Python to fill but it's of little value for me beyond that. 

I added the Python end piece to this fuel siphon which really upped the flow and makes priming completely effortless. And this can reach anywhere in the tank from any angle. In my case, I have very large fish and they make very large poops which only this siphon can literally suck up the limited height differential. 

48" Siphon w-Pump (Fuel)

I've sworn (a lot) that I'm getting rid of the 120 for all these reasons a dozen or more times but it's low iron and sooooo clear so... 

(I once picked up a 36G bow front that was custom made with (I'm not kidding) Zeiss optical glass. I've yet to set it up but it's so startlingly clear, it almost vanishes. I just can't decide what to do with it, so I've never set it up! 🤪)

But I have benefitted from the buffering a large tank offers when I screw something up as every change, good or bad, takes longer to manifest so it's nice to have more time to rectify my mistakes! 

I realize this is obliquely relevant to this discussion...at best, but I thought I'd echo the frustrations with any tank over 18" high so it's just my 2 cents...OK, more like 1.5 cents! 🙄

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

On 4/19/2023 at 8:01 AM, Biotope Biologist said:

glass cats?

First thanks for all your insights!

I LOVE Glass Catfish SO much but I've always stayed away from them because their pH requirement is low and most of what I keep is in the 7+ range. I'd hate to hurt them so I've never tried (plus my tanks are a bit small for them right now)

I've always wanted a large group of silver tip tetras for their schooling and finger following behavior and Intrepid Partner is always attracted to the Rummies when we go to the LFS so those are musts. 

On 4/19/2023 at 8:01 AM, Biotope Biologist said:

Use extra long bonsai trimmers

😄 Funny! Intrepid Partner and I are big bonsai keepers as well (novices, but we have multiple trees in our care). We have yet to have extra long bonsai trimmers in our tools that just gives us an excuse to go shopping. 

On 4/19/2023 at 8:01 AM, Biotope Biologist said:

Get a sump! Seriously they are so much easier to work with and if SO is feeling confident have him build it. Tell him it’s kind of like building a custom oil setup (I too enjoy cars).

So far the tanks we're looking at come wiith sumps. I wouldn't mind buying them that way and you can trust and believe that if when it does come if he's dissatisfied it will get modified. I'm also sure we could just order tank only, so clearly we need to research sumps and figure out how this is all going to workout for us. 

Thanks for the video link! That's exactly the kind of shape we're going to aim for I'll have to forward that to him too. I can say that Intrepid Partner is a big fan of my tank style which usually includes one unnatural piece/sculpture and the tank is based on and usually named after said object. He loves the tiny Dragon Tank: 

and the Medieval Tank: 

And he loves Angry Man the best: 

So a large sculpture will need to be found. I'm starting to look at long garden sculptures made of resin or stone and will of course have to find out potential toxicity etc. Just one, nothing crazy. Maybe another dragon since they are not uncommon...

On 4/19/2023 at 9:09 AM, dasaltemelosguy said:

echo exactly what I experience with my 120 at 24" x 24" x 48". 

Noted!! What will be nice about a Peninsula tank is that all sides should be accessible even if I have to take a deep dive. I'm thinking if we get that tall of a tank we will need to build a shorter cabinet just to make reaching a little easier. We are both well endowed with height, I'm 5'9" and he's over 6' and both long limbed. Doesn't mean we want to be up to our shoulders in water - but becausee we want a large population of nano schooling fish the height would be nice. HOWEVER everyone who has mentioned this has not gone unheard. 

On 4/19/2023 at 9:09 AM, dasaltemelosguy said:

added the Python end piece to this fuel siphon which really upped the flow and makes priming completely effortless.

As a nano tank keeper each of my 6 tanks have their own "nano" syphon and not one is without a built in primer. I will NEVER have a water change syphon without one!!

 

On 4/19/2023 at 9:09 AM, dasaltemelosguy said:

Zeiss optical glass.

Wow! That tank deserves a build and a journal page for sure. 

Edited April 19, 2023 by xXInkedPhoenixX
🙄

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

.....now a work in progress. Intrepid Partner has ordered the tank from Custom Tanks...196 gallons here we come....

[dasaltemelosguy]

On 10/5/2023 at 11:35 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

.....now a work in progress. Intrepid Partner has ordered the tank from Custom Tanks...196 gallons here we come....

This is by no means as sophisticated as what you're proposing but I think it holds some relevance to your project. It was really just a simple, new build because everyone grew so large, I was faced with rehoming or expanding, and the latter won the day because I didn't want to part with any of these guys. The larger of these tanks is the same size as what you're getting, I believe. When I was shopping around for a larger build than my 125, the 240's were too deep for my reach so a 200 gave me just enough depth that I could reach the back...barely. As you'll see, we had an unexpected adventure when the floor started to sag! But with some car jacks...and Advil, it all worked out:

 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

I’m pretty sure @mynameisnobody has some large tanks. Maybe they can chime in and help 

[anewbie]

This is one of my new tanks (550 - as mentioned above 4 feet front to back and 10 feet long;

 

(the angel you see is from the 120 pictured in my earlier post this thread). And these are two pictures from the 4 feet wide 4 feet long aquarium:

 

Taking decent pictures of larger aquarium is definitely more challenging. I think there are a few major factors to consider - glass or not (i'm a glass person) but there are disadvantages esp if the aquarium is much longer than 10 feet; sump or not (I'm mixing on custom aquarium sump solution and would probably re-think things if i were to do it over); height of the stand (esp if you have a sump); do you want to climb a ladder to feed your fishes; height of tank; if planted do you want to go scuba diving to plant the plants; ...

 

[lefty o]

On 10/5/2023 at 1:35 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

.....now a work in progress. Intrepid Partner has ordered the tank from Custom Tanks...196 gallons here we come....

196 gallons will be cool as cool can be!!

[mynameisnobody]

Looking forward to seeing this behemoth. 
 

@anewbie that is an excellent size, great job 

[Galabar]

Recently, I've been thinking about a 72" long x 12" wide x 20" high, stocked with tetras and other small fish.

 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@dasaltemelosguy, thanks I'll definitely look at your journal. I still plan on only doing nano fish in this tank nothing bigger than say a long finned-pleco, roseline shark or silver tip tetra. Everyone of course will have to get along and like similar parameters so that will be an ongoing thing. 

This I think will be an interesting build. Being a custom tank it will be a room divider, Intrepid Partner decided the dimensions and did all the talking with Custom Tanks (low iron glass, and I think he got black silicone). I don't have the current measurements however last we spoke it will be at least 9ft long and will be a bit more narrow than a typical large tank due to the divider title- it will be tall but neither of us are concerned about that. He is going to build the cabinet himself (he works metal for a living building custom cars and used to work in a lumber mill) we've been under the house to look at reinforcement recently and to our delight there is a cement wall all along where the tank will go (as it used to be the wall to the garage but the house was remodeled)- so stability shouldn't be an issue at all. 

This is how it will look in a floor plan the blue is the tank of course: 

I'm actually more nervous about scaping a tank that you can see on 3 sides with 2 of those sides being 9 ft long. Oi. @lefty o it really is going to be cool I'm excited! @anewbie and I can totally see why it's hard to take a decent picture of a large tank. With a tank that is a divider like it will be I doubt any pictures that aren't taken up close are going to be good.

Scaping and fishkeeping will be my responsibility. Intrepid Partner, this is his favorite part- geeking out on building and tech. He is very supportive of my hobby and is looking forward to just kicking back and watching it. I'm very lucky. 

Edited October 5, 2023 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Can’t wait to see this come together!! It’s gonna be a beast. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 10/5/2023 at 4:25 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

I'm actually more nervous about scaping a tank that you can see on 3 sides with 2 of those sides being 9 ft long. Oi.

Just do it Filipe style using his mindset: Put stuff in and let it go where it wants to go and it looks good.  Adjust accordingly.  Patience, take your time, etc. etc.
 

 

Here's another... such a versatile aquascaper.
 

 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

OK! Got a chance to talk to Intrepid Partner about the SPECIFICS of the tank he decided to order from Custom Aquariums. Thanks @Cory for pointing us this direction- at first we thought- geez that's a weird/obvious name for a custom aquarium company but looked into as well as many other companies (glass, acrylic) during this process, and they have been nothing but helpful and professional according to Intrepid Partner. They were aware what this build would be from the beginning (gigantic nano fish tank) and have been helpful with recommendations and build ideas. Information I have so far is as follows:

Should arrive around the first part of December. 

Tank will be 7ft long x 22 wide (narrower for the space) x 24 tall this will equal 196 gallons....this is 2ft shorter than we had discussed before which is perfectly OK for me, that's 2ft less I have to scape! The other 2 dimensions are as we had discussed before.

It will be low iron Starfire glass. The tank will be a framed version- he decided not to do the seamless/mitered glass look because well, we live in earthquake country and the frame will help keep it all together. They are painting the end that will be facing the wall and drilled for plumbing (sump), they are also leaving the bottom of the tank "rough" which is fine since we are using substrate. 

It will come with 2x MP40 wavemakers to help circulate the water since it's peninsula style- they are adjustable and since operate magnetically-  easy to move - hopefully we aren't going to be blowing away the fish! He also got 2 corner sump pumps. Tank will come with its own lights and a lid. He also got the heater. 

They like to try and sell you substrate but Intrepid Partner passed on this and told them we would find our own. 

He was given max dimensions so he says he'll be ordering metal to start the cabinet. I can't wait to see what he comes up with. Admiration of Intrepid Partner's skills is a great understatement, he is not only an amazing car builder he's super crafty and artistic. Whatever it is - it will be awesome. He designed and made me this birdhouse for Christmas to give you an idea of the skill level: 

I'll be starting work on fish species and parameter requirements. Similar to @dasaltemelosguy and his massive tanks- considering all needs and trying to find a happy medium. Thankfully it shouldn't be too tricky for me- most of my dream fish are similar in needs just never had enough space to get them. Now it looks like I will!

Edited October 7, 2023 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[Cory]

Sounds awesome, I'll be watching how it comes together. 😉

[tolstoy21]

On 4/18/2023 at 12:50 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

I'm also interested in resources/links to learn how to maintain these large sump systems, this is part of the intimidation factor for me. 

I've built a sump and plumbed it all up, including installing the overflow, and a way for the sump to discharge change water down into my basement slop sink.  This is for my 125. (One of these days I'm going go into the 200s, but that will be a few years yet!)

If you have any questions or need any help, please feel free to reach out.

Cheers,
Nicholas

[tolstoy21]

On 10/5/2023 at 7:25 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

we've been under the house to look at reinforcement recently and to our delight there is a cement wall all along where the tank will go (as it used to be the wall to the garage but the house was remodeled)- so stability shouldn't be an issue at all. 

 

If you need to brace up the floor for the weight, it's not difficult. I did this for my aquarium. Probably didn't need to, but the electrical and gas service sits right underneath. It's doubtful the tank would ever go through the foor or anything, even without the supports.  But if it did, it would probably be 'goodbye @tolstoy21"

Edited October 6, 2023 by tolstoy21

[Odd Duck]

@xXInkedPhoenixX, I must point out one serious mistake.  Your sofa is facing the wrong direction for appropriate tank viewing!  You will clearly need to rearrange the room to correct for this dreadful error!  😆 😉 😂 

This is going to be so awesome and you’re going to do great scaping!  You have enough depth front to back to run “tall” down the middle and have 2 roughly equal depth “faces” from each side.  Or you could do a swooping curve of tall with a deep “face” on one end of each side.  Or if you want more hardscape you could do limited plants enough to highlight the hardscape and provide cover and security with more swim room.

I would probably start with decisions on fish species, then decisions on hardscape choices and plants.  Take lots of showers.  I do my best tank planning thinking in the shower.  You can practically feel the light bulb go on above my head.  😆  Then I start sketching and making lists.

Be PATIENT looking for your wood and rocks!  Don’t settle for close enough.  Always try for at least “nearly perfect”.  It will BE perfect after you plant it, but don’t settle for something on the hardscape that doesn’t make your heart sing.

You’ve got this!  Looking forward to how it comes out.  BTW, you could fit an actual sword and battle axe in this one!  😂 🤣 😘 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

On 10/6/2023 at 4:04 PM, tolstoy21 said:

If you have any questions or need any help, please feel free to reach out.

I really appreciate that! I might! They are sending their own sump tubs/pumps with this tank. In fact they sent him a youtube video where they converted another brand's tank to their system so he could see how it is set up. Looks simple enough. This will be the first sump I've ever done but I understand the principal behind it- basically like running water through an HOB or something like a Fluval Flex with all it's sponge and media just on a much larger scale. I  just hope we set it up correctly the first time! 

 

On 10/6/2023 at 4:48 PM, Odd Duck said:

Your sofa is facing the wrong direction

I absolutely don't disagree with this, however, I usually sit sideways on this couch so I will still have a view. He, however will likely see the mistake eventually. The other side of the tank is going to be a sitting area that isn't quite mapped out yet. So hopefully we'll figure out a nice way to make it so you can just sit and stare at it. I'm thinking a small table and 2 chairs in the middle of the rug facing that direction. Morning coffee spot. 

On 10/6/2023 at 4:48 PM, Odd Duck said:

lots of showers.  I do my best tank planning thinking in the shower

Ha! Good idea, I mean it is thoughts about a water environment.....

 

On 10/6/2023 at 4:48 PM, Odd Duck said:

Be PATIENT looking for your wood and rocks!  

I will do this. 

[tolstoy21]

On 10/7/2023 at 9:38 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

I really appreciate that! I might! They are sending their own sump tubs/pumps with this tank. In fact they sent him a youtube video where they converted another brand's tank to their system so he could see how it is set up. Looks simple enough. This will be the first sump I've ever done but I understand the principal behind it- basically like running water through an HOB or something like a Fluval Flex with all it's sponge and media just on a much larger scale. I  just hope we set it up correctly the first time! 

I learned a TON about hooking up and using a sump, and how they work from the Bulk Reef Supply YouTube channel. It was my main source of information when I started setting up a larger tank with a sump as larger tanks with sumps are ubiquitous in the reef tank world.!Here's a simple search of their channel -- https://www.youtube.com/@BRStv/search?query=sump setup

If you're not familiar with BRS, they are the CoOp of the saltwater world. They have a lot of very large tank setups well documented and explained.

I made my sump based on The King of DIY's videos, but seems you have the equipment taken care of. The only reason I built a sump was because I like to tinker with things as I find I learn a lot about how things work through the process. 

For me, the trickiest part of using a sump for the first time was getting the flow-rate in and out dialed in so it doesn't make a lot of gurgling noise and runs more or less quiet (well you can still hear gently trickling but that adds a nice ambiance to the room!).

Edited October 7, 2023 by tolstoy21

[Odd Duck]

On 10/7/2023 at 8:38 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

I absolutely don't disagree with this, however, I usually sit sideways on this couch so I will still have a view. He, however will likely see the mistake eventually. The other side of the tank is going to be a sitting area that isn't quite mapped out yet. So hopefully we'll figure out a nice way to make it so you can just sit and stare at it. I'm thinking a small table and 2 chairs in the middle of the rug facing that direction. Morning coffee spot. 

Now you’re talking!  Definitely needs a sit and stare spot on each side.  Lounge and stare works, too.  😆 

On 10/7/2023 at 8:38 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

 I mean it is thoughts about a water environment.....

I never thought about it this way, just know that random tank ideas pop into my head while in the shower.  Unconscious association?  😂 🤣 

I’m so looking forward to seeing how you develop this.  You always seem to come up with a quirk that I never would have thought but it always looks great!