# The Monster Tank Club



## TheFishGuy

I had an idea whilst reading jawi's thread to start a monster tank club. After serious thoughts I've come up with some requirements:

1.) 300 gallon minimum. This does not include your sump. The reason the cut off is 300 is because 240's are so popular and easily purchased.

2.) It's got to be a D.I.Y. tank. No spoiled brats here, you had to have worked for your prize. Unless of course your tank is soooo awsome that we have to let you in the club.

3.) In order to prove you belong to this club you have to post a picture with your first post in this thread of your tank. Also list some stats on it, you know, since they're so impressive :lol: Here's your opportunity to show off your giant tanks. Also Lomax may join even though _technically_ he doesn't have a tank at the moment.... He'll have another soon enough.

4.) Spread the word, if you know of monster tanks, they must join this club. They don't have a choice :lol:

5.) I can't really think of another requirement except that I'm willing to bend the rules to join the club. So show off your tank here, and if you're part of the peanut gallery and would like to comment, feel free, but I'd like to keep the pics stricktly of monster tanks.

Here's my 800, it's 14' long, 36" from front to back and 30" from top to bottom. The filters volume is about 132 gallons. It consists of three 44 gallon cans which house the sump pump and bio media. It's got four five gallon pails that are used as pre-filters.


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## Jawi

Lomax doesn't have a tank at the moment????   What happened? Did he finally move house? He is probably going insane without his tanks. Poor guy.

Anyway, you know my tank. Still a work in progress.


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## TheFishGuy

Yeah he moved to texas....


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## Old Hippie

> It's got to be a D.I.Y. tank. No spoiled brats here, you had to have worked for your prize.


I'm thinkin' it should be renamed "The DIY Monster Tank Club". Some of us may have worked _for_ our tank but not have _constructed_ the tank. But either way, I'm out. 8)


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## imusuallyuseless

> 1.) 300 gallon minimum. This does not include your sump. The reason the cut off is 300 is because 240's are so popular and easily purchased.


Guess i better get to lowes :?


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## imusuallyuseless

> 1.) 300 gallon minimum. This does not include your sump. The reason the cut off is 300 is because 240's are so popular and easily purchased.


Guess i better get to lowes :?

EDIT:


> I can't really think of another requirement except that I'm willing to bend the rules to join the club.


How about 268.15789473684213 gallons???


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## imusuallyuseless

Ooops double post  :lol:


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## lomax

some pics of my old tanks may they rest in peaces

The stand for the 600g featherfin tank










The pic shows the leveling cement drying.
This is the tank almost finished, i still need to get the glass and put on the frame as i wanted to do the background first BEFORE i put the glass in.










This is the tank and canopy all done, i just had to add the right side panel but i wanted to fill and test it first. YES i went this far before i knew it would hold water 










First fill 










At its peek before the front frame started to leak










After i fixed the first leak and the fern jungle started to grow










At this point i desided to take apart my 150g tall tank to make a new bigger tank.
i lowered the water level till i had about 350gs in it and a fern started to grow out of the top of a piece of drift wood i put in to replace the fake one that poped up. something must have worked really good as all the live plants took off like crazy and the featherfins went into a non stop breeding cycle. This lasted 9 more monthes with a very slow leak till i got all the fist moved into the 750g post and beam tank.

Post and beam 750g was made with the stand as one unit and bolted and epoxied at the same time.










My mistake in trying elasto Seal










I tried the bubber juck it leaked i tryed pond liner and it leaked and after i lost most of my hair i fiberglassed the heck out of it abd it held! 

I started on the background but this time with fiberglass and NO styrofoam










I took eack group and used them to make the background and the overflow and cover the ugj system.










Can you spot the overflow :lol:










Background all done with real rocks in the front and fake plants epoxied down over the UGJ and a Layer of sand epoxied on the floor.










Fill day came fister then i wanted as the 600g started to leak faster and i was worred about a complete failure so fish had to move into there new home before the outside filters were hooked up. yes i had 2 ac500 running for a few days and a mag950 pushing the UGJ as a temp pump till i got the sequence 3500gpm hooked up to the 3 nuclear filters and the home made leaftrap bio filter. :lol:










Short term filtration set up










I pumped water from the 600g to the 750g and moved the old filters over so no cycleing needed










Fish were not happy to move from there jungle and roots tank to this bright open tank, they took days to get there color back.










And yes i had a ton of rainbowfish in with the cichlids 










I wish i had pics of the teardowns but it was too sad to take them apart

But i have a new much BIGGER house and some many places to put a huge tank :lol:


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## Demon_fish

Heres some monster diy tanks for ya

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... php?t=9026
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... php?t=8952
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... php?t=1777
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... hp?t=23529

if only i had them all


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## Jawi

I've seen those before. What a huge project it was to construct. It gave me some peice of mind with my tank thou. The 15,000Gal tank has 3/4" thick glass. It holds back a height of 6 feet of water and has been doing so for 10 years without problems. My 3/4" thick glass is only holding 4 feet of water and to think I was a little worried about that.


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## Forker

Have fun...I only paid for mine, didn't build it.


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## illy-d

Yah, this is a cool thread IF you have a Monster Tank... Just for a minute try to put your self in our shoes - if you could convert our 'tank envy' into a viable energy source you could power the west coast of the USA!!!

How would you feel if you were sitting at nudist beach with your wife and John Holmes strolled by in all his glory???

Well, that's how we feel watching you guys flaunt your massive tanks....

-----

Just kidding of course - I see it as inspiration!


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## Forker

illy-d said;


> Just kidding of course - I see it as inspiration!


Which...John Holmes, Monster Tanks or Both? :lol:


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## ikevi

Some day, I will own my house and likely buy a huge ass tank. (What like that 810 from glasscages) Though how the heck does one make a stand for something like that? Have someone poor cement for it?

Anyways it will interesting to see if there are any her that I havenâ€™t seen yet. (And yah I shouldn't feel sore with "only" my 135 and my 75 but yah I figure getting into tanks is better than buying new computers every year.)


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## TheFishGuy

Let's see some pics Forker, I suppose you could join


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## Forker

All I did was work hard to earn the money to have it built and then designed into a new home I was building (or to be clear, having it built. This is a thread in the DIY area, which means I wouldn't qualify, and that's understandable. My hat is off to all of you who take on this kind of project and succeed at it. Here's a pic anyway:








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## TheFishGuy

My wife wants to know if you're single, because if you are she could be :lol:

You'd have to take the kids too....


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## TheFishGuy

Forgot to say that I remember seeing this tank and wanting to shoot pool with you.... NICE BILLIARDS ROOM!!!! Wet bar too?


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## chefkeith

This thread could also be called "Monster Leakers Club". I'd join, but none of my diy tanks have ever leaked. Of coarse, I'm just kidding.


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## TheFishGuy

By the way.... mine wasn't leaking, just my brain was because I was expecting it to leak....  :lol:


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## chefkeith

lol. 
Actually one of my water-bridges lost it's siphon before and my river tank started over-flowing. This happened because I accidently put an air-stone underneath the water-bridge while doing some gravel vac'ing. The airpump is on a timer and the turned on at about 2am. It probably took a few hours for the bridge to lose it's siphon. Anyways, I woke up hearing a waterfall type noise. When I saw what was happening I quickly turned off all the pumps/filters. The 1st thing I noticed was that a water-bridge was empty, then I saw where the air-stone was.

About my fishtanks, I built 2 of them with acrylic. I built the 4 water-bridges with acrylic also.
My water-bridge tank system has a 40 sq. ft footprint in all and holds over 400 gallons of water. The tanks are in a U-shape formation. 1 picture can't fit everything. I do have a video though-
Click here to watch My-Fishroom-Movie

or


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## Pollution

thats alot of fish tanks. i cant wait till i cant have that many "BIG" tanks and its crazy how there all "hooked" together



chefkeith said:


> lol.
> Actually one of my water-bridges lost it's siphon before and my river tank started over-flowing. This happened because I accidently put an air-stone underneath the water-bridge while doing some gravel vac'ing. The airpump is on a timer and the turned on at about 2am. It probably took a few hours for the bridge to lose it's siphon. Anyways, I woke up hearing a waterfall type noise. When I saw what was happening I quickly turned off all the pumps/filters. The 1st thing I noticed was that a water-bridge was empty, then I saw where the air-stone was.
> 
> About my fishtanks, I built 2 of them with acrylic. I built the 4 water-bridges with acrylic also.
> My water-bridge tank system has a 40 sq. ft footprint in all and holds over 400 gallons of water. The tanks are in a U-shape formation. 1 picture can't fit everything. I do have a video though-
> Click here to watch My-Fishroom-Movie
> 
> or


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## Forker

TheFishGuy, tell the Mrs, she's better off where she is, after all, you're in the 'Monster Club' and I'm not...what more could she possibly need to be happy :!:

Out the sliding doors on the right and around the corner is a family room with a full wet bar with wine cooler, fridge and ice maker...my wife said she wanted that stuff closer to her, but I think she just wanted to be able to count my number of trips to the bar per hour


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## TheFishGuy

:lol: :lol:


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## rch

Forker said:


> All I did was work hard to earn the money to have it built and then designed into a new home I was building (or to be clear, having it built. This is a thread in the DIY area, which means I wouldn't qualify, and that's understandable. My hat is off to all of you who take on this kind of project and succeed at it. Here's a pic anyway:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/URL]


Wow, that's awesome! We are wanting to do something very similar but it would be a wall cabinet more or less (so we can move it later) and it won't be nearly as grand. That is just... wow!


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## FeatherfinFan

Can I join your club? I've built a couple 480s (for other hobbiests) and have a few DIY links here and around the web, also I have this cool pic of me & AdKonings w/ his monster 500Gal DIY 
BTW, awesome tanks on this thread 
















And my DIY, 300 gallons, but it's 2 tanks that look like one (a 110 & a 190). So can I join?? please!!


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## TheFishGuy

> And my DIY, 300 gallons, but it's 2 tanks that look like one (a 110 & a 190). So can I join?? please!!


I'm not sure man.... This is a tough one... How do we know that's really Ad? You are from Roswell.... Are the two tanks connected by a water bridge? It'd be a no brainer if they were....

What do you guys think? Should we let Brad and his life-size cut out of Ad join? Did you build that tank for Ad? Do you have any pictures of your other DIY tanks? Haz come you don't have a monster tank?

Here's a hint.... Lie to us about the water bridge...


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## frank1rizzo

Well if FeatherfinFan can't get in, I have no chance!!!

I bought a used 300 glass tank, and the bottom glass cracked in half during the move.

I DIY'ed the repair, and built a custom stand/cover.

Is that close enough??? I'm thinking probably not.


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## Forker

TheFishGuy
I think the only way this is going to work is to create two different levels of membership, for example; 
Full Member = anyone who builds their 300+ tank from the ground up.
Associate Member = Everyone else with a 300+ who can claim having done anything at all :lol:


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## frank1rizzo

Forker said:


> TheFishGuy
> Full Member = anyone who builds their 300+ tank from the ground up.
> Associate Member = Everyone else with a 300+ who can claim having done anything at all :lol:


 :lol:

I feel like I am in middle-school all over again.  I was never picked last for soccer, and I'm not going to settle for "second-class-citizen" in the MT-club. TFG better make me a "full-member" or I'm gonna take by ball and go home. 8)


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## chefkeith

Featherfinfan's tanks / articles inspired me to build my tanks. IMO, Featherfinfan and McDaphnia deserve all the props in the world for making this diy forum what it is Today.

The votes are in. TFG wins awards for "Most Entertaining Post" and the "Biggest Diy Tank". Lomax wins award for "Best Tank Design" with his post and beam tank. Jawi wins "Comeback Tank Builder of the Year" award. Forker wins award for "Most Jaw Dropping Tank". If that was my fish room, I'd be selling autographed prints of it. Bell wins award for "Best Potential Tank" with his everlasting plans to build a river tank. Mandruch gets the highest of all honors, the â€œBest in Showâ€


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## TheFishGuy

Who made you president? J/K sounds good to me :lol: By the way, what about an award for the longest, most viewed thread *EVER !!!!!!*

I'm going to pm mandruch to invite him to join, go and pm others....

I agree that FFF can be a member of the club  I just wanna borrow that life-sized cut out of Ad...


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## TheFishGuy

> Well if FeatherfinFan can't get in, I have no chance!!!
> 
> I bought a used 300 glass tank, and the bottom glass cracked in half during the move.
> 
> I DIY'ed the repair, and built a custom stand/cover.
> 
> Is that close enough??? I'm thinking probably not.


My wife says... Quit being a cry baby.... you can join too :lol: Repairing a tank bottom is no fun, I know, I've done it... Did you repair the tank yourself?

By the way.... She's says she's done being pregnant and you all are gonna have to put up with her bad attitude :lol: She's Not the president either..... she's the queen :lol:


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## imusuallyuseless

> Did you repair the tank yourself?


 He sure did, even got useless advice from some useless idiot that goes around posting everywhere pretending to help people, while he's really just being a jerk :?


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## bell

chefkeith said:


> The votes are in................. Bell wins award for "Best Potential Tank" with his everlasting plans to build a river tank.


sweet 
the river tank will be approximately 630 gallons not counting the sump volume which will be between 100-150gallon.
hoping to purchase my plywood/epoxy mid-sept


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## Forker

I'm truly humbled 

Here are a couple of more shots of my tank lighted at feeding time...









Notice my over population problem of yellow labs, I started out with only four! Since adding my Malawi Eye Biter, no new fry have survived, but those that were beyond the fry stage before he was introduced, seem to being doing just fine...unfortunately  He is a relentless hunter of fry and actually it's very entertaining to watch him stalk them until he final darts out and grabs one. If he misses he immediately goes looking for another one to hunt, but when he nails one, he does a victory lab around the tank.


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## mikmaze

OK, not a tank, but I did build this for a client, it is 70 feet long, 50 feet wide, the falls you see are 30,000 gph, there is a seperate stream that comes in on the lower right of the pic that has its own upper pond next to a putting green and is fed by another 10,000 gph pump..... the pavers you see are at 4 inches above waterlevel, makes for great reflections of the surrounding horizon..... pond is partialy spring filled, but is entirely lined. As for fish, the owner was more into sports fish so there are a few bass in there and stuff for he bass to eat. If this does not belong, let me know and I will delete this and simply add a compliment to the tanks ahead of me.


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## ikevi

Hey Forker how tall is that tank anyways? I am guessing 3 feet, but I can't tell for sure.


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## FeatherfinFan

> I agree that FFF can be a member of the club I just wanna borrow that life-sized cut out of Ad...


Thanks FishGuy, but that's actually a cardboard cutout of me that Ad asked to borrow 
And yes, the tanks did have a water bridge (I just got it installed, lol)
BTW, awesome pond mikmaze, I think 30Kgallons might qualify as a monster, but you might have to put in a small viewing window, lol


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## Forker

It's 40 inches deep, it's set up on a high stand, so the top of the tank is at 7 feet and when you stand in front of it, normal eye level is in the center of tank.


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## frank1rizzo

TheFishGuy said:


> Repairing a tank bottom is no fun, I know, I've done it... Did you repair the tank yourself?


Tell me about it :x

Yea I repaired it myself, that's why I thought I might be able to squeese in. :lol:

Here is my repair. 

















And after the DIY stand and acrylic tank cover


















Not as big as your monster TFG... but I like it.


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## bell

i like the mixture of white/blue lighting


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## TheFishGuy

It's a very nice looking tank Frank, I like it  They're all better than my monster at the moment seeing as it's sitting half full with 1/4 of the decor in it :lol: As faras the pond goes..... No dice man... First there's no cichlids in it, and second there's no viewing through a transparent medium..... Very pretty though.... Don't delete it!

About that water bridge... I'd really like to see pictures of it


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## mandruch

Here is mine in summary.

The glass:









The stand in progress:









The stand done:









The bottom glass on the stand:









The glass duct taped:









The background in progress:









The background completed:









In the wall before the failure: :x 









Back in and not leaking, but still doing water changes for one more week: :thumb: 









Filter: Has been revised. The return is now PVC and is doubled up going into the tank.


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## frank1rizzo

Very cool!!!!

:thumb:


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## TheFishGuy

Simply a gorgeous tank! Great work mandruch


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## mandruch

TheFishGuy said:


> Simply a gorgeous tank! Great work mandruch


Thanks. It's not so gorgeous right now. Acrylic fortifier turns white under water, so my background looks like it has snow on it. :x No, it's not that bad, but it's not what I want. I'm in contact with quicrete for a viable solution. Just another small setback.


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## TheFishGuy

It happens, it's a diy.... They're never done...


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## mandruch

Here is a video so you can get the real effect.

http://www.andruch.com/UT/fishtank300.wmv

or get the big files here:

http://www.andruch.com/UT/DSCF2543.AVI
http://www.andruch.com/UT/DSCF2544.AVI


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## AF_medic

Alright, seeing as we have some new DIY tank threads in the works, I thought that I'd bring this Monster tank thread out and blow the dust off of it. I hope to see some new finished tanks put up here soon!


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## TheFishGuy

Ok, I'll make another one :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## AF_medic

nice, excellent commitment to the team! :thumb:


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## Sham

Well I'm 90% finished my tank project and it fits the criteria of this thread. Around 330g twin window plywood tank with 6x2 front frame, 2x2 internal corner strengthening, 4x2 external rear wall ribbing, 12mm glass ....
Need to fit the stand doors, finish the sump filters and plumbing then shes ready.


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## TheFishGuy

Sham said:


> Well I'm 90% finished my tank project and it fits the criteria of this thread. Around 330g twin window plywood tank with 6x2 front frame, 2x2 internal corner strengthening, 4x2 external rear wall ribbing, 12mm glass ....
> Need to fit the stand doors, finish the sump filters and plumbing then shes ready.


Cool.... What are you waiting for... get er done!


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## AF_medic

Yeah man, it looks great! I can't wait to see it all finished up! You'll have some happy fish, that's for sure! What are the dimensions on it?

I feel kinda bad sitting here prodding people on to finish their big DIY tanks, while I have only made plans for my tank, and it'll be under 300g at that! 6ftlongx3fthighx2ftwide =~270g.

My plans are to make mine so that I can still get it in and out of doors easily. My occupation requires frequent moves. military. and those dimensions are what I picture not getting stuck in some narrow base housing hallway. but, that'll have to wait until I get transferred back to the states next year.

but hey, the more of you put your tanks up in here, and the more incentive I'll have to strive to join the club! and the bigger knowledge base I'll have to pick from when I run into snags!


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## TheFishGuy

Why not make the tank 8' long medic?


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## Sham

The dimensions on my tank are 81'x32'x31' thats internal which equals an actual 347g. Been building the tank on and of for a few weeks to get to the present stage. Now I'm waiting for the silicone to set before giving her a test fill.
I won't have this tank set up till the end of the month cause I'm going away for a week shortly and that will hold things up but hey I'll post again when she is all up and running with a few cichlids in it.


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## TheFishGuy

What are usin' for filtration...


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## toffee

Forker said:


> I'm truly humbled
> 
> Here are a couple of more shots of my tank lighted at feeding time...


Hey Forker, have you resolved your nigh nitrate situation? I remember you talked about it in another thread.


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## dr. greenthumb

i've only built a 120G diy tank

nice tanks everybody.makes me want to get out of school even more so i can start that concrete tank i've been dreaming about for years 8)


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## Sham

TheFishGuy said:


> What are usin' for filtration...


I have a pair of 1000 gph pumps I intend to run of a big sump under the tank. Over flows are in the back of the tank ready for hook up.
Filled the tank today and it is holding water fine


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## TheFishGuy

NICE... pics?


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## AF_medic

TheFishGuy said:


> Why not make the tank 8' long medic?


Making it 8 ft would make it hard to get in, and out of any room with a tight corner. such as a hallway. making it 6ft would allow me to stand it on end, and take it in that way. 
TFG, you're a carpenter, how tall and wide are most doorways?

Sham, congrats on the test fill. that must have been nerve wracking. unless of course you knew what you were doing.


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## BinaryWhisper

80 x 32 inches


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## Sham

AF_medic said:


> TheFishGuy said:
> 
> 
> 
> Why not make the tank 8' long medic?
> 
> 
> 
> Sham, congrats on the test fill. that must have been nerve wracking. unless of course you knew what you were doing.
Click to expand...

I was and still am very confident that this tank will be good and solid for a long time to come. That said though it did make me a little nervous when I realized just how much water the thing holds. Then on the first fill it did make a few creaking noises which was un nerving as well  
But all that water must weigh a heap and some settling of the stand and tank is to be expected I guess.
My tank is just short of 7 ft cause I hunted down the glass then built the tank around it. As we know the glass is a major cost factor.  
Making the front frame out of 6x2 was a good idea but I should have epoxied it before fitting it to the main body. Lining internal corners with 2x2 and using lots of screws really stiffens the whole thing up. Don't go nuts with screws in the plywood but in the strengthening timber you can add a few more. Plenty of other good advice out there, put it all together and you won't fail :thumb:

Here is how I braced the back of the tank. The top brace joins the back brace and the window divider on the front making for a very strong join in the middle of the tank. I cannot see any flexing with the tank full to the brim. Lining internal corners made the tank noticably stiffer though and to my way of thinking an extra seal at the seams as well.


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## Toby_H

Wowâ€¦ so I guess my 300 Gal Rubbermaid doesnâ€™t count.

You guys sure are inspiring thoughâ€¦


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## TheFishGuy

BinaryWhisper said:


> 80 x 32 inches


6' 8" I'd agree with, but most doors around these parts are only 30" wide. But consider flooring and door stops you might as well take an inch off of the width and two inches off the hieght. So yeah, make the tank 6" longer :lol: BUT, The tank could still be 8' because the ceiling will allow for it when going through the door on an angle. C'mon man, you're supposed to shop for places to live and keep you fish in mind as your first priority. My wife was so mad at me because I wouldn't put a bid on a house because the 240 wouldn't have made the turn into the basement :lol: I bought a leather couch a many years ago and to get it through the door I had to take my saws-all and cut the entire door and frame out :lol: So make that tank as big as you want and I'll come over with my saws-all :lol:


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## AF_medic

TFG, you and your saws-all will definitely be invited to the door cutting ceremony!

Sham, I like the flex bracing on the back of your tank. good idea.
I still have a year till I can make mine, I'll see if I can't design it so I can be in the 300+ diyclub.


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## TheFishGuy

O Yeah... the bigger the better... Secretly I want mine to fail so I can build it bigger :lol: Maybe I'll drill an 1/8" hole in the bottom :lol:


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## dr. greenthumb

i have been planning a fish room for the past year,all i need is a concrete basement


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## fish-photo-train

i have been on the fish word like for 3 years,the largest was 110 galons,i have no experience that all in large tanks so i need some one to tell me what kind of pump i will be needing for 750 galon tank?


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## lomax

sequence pumps are great, you need to think about running cost far more then what the pump itself costs. i find 3600gph was about right, but you can get away with less it you plan the pluming out very well. i used big canisters so, it does not take as much gph to drive then a sump system.


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## fish-photo-train

yes i am also concern about the runing cost
will the 3600 gph be reflected on my cps bill a lot?
something i did not mencion is the fact that the tank is 4 feet tall but only be on an stand 1 1/2 feet tall,so the higtest level to reach for the pump will be 5 1/5' foot tall.
you think tha if i drain from the tank to the wet and drain to have the filtration and aereation done,then after this cicle i can pump it back to the tank with a magnun 350,using just little bit of carbon,so it will be just used like a pump not like a filtration,that way it will have better flew of water,will that be enough or not.


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## lomax

canister pumps are very slow and weak, they are made to pump in a closed loop.

the 3600gph sequence i use is 130watts and is very low power use per gph. i have not seen many canisters pump do more then 300gpm, any faster and they do not work well. this is at zero head pressure as the water droping in the pipe acts to balence the water going up, if you have a open sump the pump now has to push up. only way to overcome this is to have the sump at the same level as the tank.

you need to think about how you are going to do filtration better, as a 750g tank needs a huge amount compared to a 100g. it is the fish load and the much higher amout of water movement that is needed.

this is how i would do it

get a 200$ pool sand filter with backwash flow, it will do both fine filtration and bio filtration in one step. use a 4000gph to run the sand filter and get a 2400gph pump to run a ugj system, with a real deep tank you are going to need lots of lift to get the bottom clean and the waste up to the overflows. you also need a good ugj system as cleaning a 4 foot deep tank is possible to do by hand by it is a real pain. this seams like a lot of pumps but the head pressure and the sand filter will knock the 400gph pump down to around 1500gph fine to do a big spray bar. the 2400ghp ugj pump will only deal with pipe made head pressure but still will fall to around 1800gph, you need 150 to 180 gph per ug jet to move the water in a deep tank. this give you around 10 jets, seems like over kill but you need lots of lift and and a good turn over of the water as a deep tank has very low surface area to volume.

you maybe able to build a great 750g tank for well under 500$ but the suport stuff will still cost over 500$ you need good pumps that cost 150 -200$ a high compasity filter 200-300$ and anouther 100$ for a few 500watt heaters and 100$ for pipes fiting values ect. you can save money if you do some of it DIY but you will still be stuck for the pumps and heaters.

i kept my cost down by using ebay and craigslist looking for used items, or waiting for items to go on sale. i had 3 nu-clear canister that cost me around 150$ getting them i used a double leaf trap as a bio filter cost 75$ used and 150$ for the sequence pump on sale at azponds. about 100$ in pipes and values and 50$ for two used 500watt heaters.


----------



## fish-photo-train

hey,iomax,i was reading the requariments to be part of the monster tank club,is that rigth,that you have to earn it building your own tank,so if you buy the acrilic tank already build,and you work your butt hard to set it up,stand,filtration solucion,pumps,decoracion,back graund,plants,grow your fish,that does not count enough?
to keep your envoriment runing on


----------



## imusuallyuseless

This is the DIY folder after all. I've built 3 tanks and that still doesn't count, so i doubt buying one will. In any case it's TheFishGuy's thread so plead your case to him. I believe he said he's be willing to make exceptions, better be one [email protected]$$ tank though.


----------



## fish-photo-train

the point is that i been on fishy stuff,so far for about 3 or 4 years,i am a family man with 3 kids
and a wife to carry around :lol: 
i have never bougth a new tank,even i have runing rigth now 110,55,45,10 gallons,the razon why,is because the hobby is expensive,at least for my earnings and a beatifull family to support,my first tank was a 30 gallon,i paid 5 dlls for it
thas why i was eble to buy it,the rest of the tanks i got them the same way on garage sale,add on the newspaper,checking here there,i do not want you to start crying as you read my story  but is been a realy hard time trying to get here,any one who cross my door goes wow wow they freak out with my tanks,with the breading sistem that i have they go creazy,with fish diferent size,femeales preagnet,and the so natural look of my tanks.
since last year i start having the feeling to go big,but i was thinking 200,the more i read about tanks,i knew the bigger the better,but the prices i could not aford them,then sudenly
last year my fishys start breeding, and i start getting all this small tanks.
at this time i have raise probably 600 fish,in a period of time of 8 months.
the past 6 months i was day and nigth searching for a realy big tank,i just i could not afford a new one,i was willing to drive up north for some like 8 hours but people who got them for sale did not want to drive 4 hours south,soo is been a search day and nigth on computer,news paper,here there,that does not count :x 
finaly rigth before cristmas,my efford had a reward i hapendd to find this 750 gallons acrylic tank,8'x3'x4' one inch thick,with 80 gallons sump,with iron stand 1 1/2 hour from my house.
i will not tell you how much i paid for it,i do not want you to fell bad,about how much all of you have been spendind buildind yours tanks :lol: just kidding
hey guys i would feel dumb if i would not have go for it,because a knew a tank this dimencions
and acrylic would be easy more then 3 thousant dlls.
i will finish latter i got to go to church


----------



## fish-photo-train

i am back from church: well the guy i bougth this tank from,have the tank on a big trailer for months,he could not bring it down the trailer some one load it for him when he got it ,with a crane.
iron stand 3 foot high,and the tank 4 foot high,also probably did not fit on the door at his home.
the tank it self empty is 1250 pounds,plus the weigth of the iron stand and all roten wood around it,i have been working my buut realy hard,i already took off, all the rotten wood,making modificacion to the stand,to be able to move it,have the tank suspended on the air to sand the bootom part and make the modificacions,now the stand is 1 1/2 'foot tall,so the stand and tank will be like 5 1/2 tall plus the canopy maybe 6 foot tall,the sump will be to the side using a total space of 10'x3'.
and i still have probably to change the front door on my house, for one of those that are doble doors,to make it fit.
i dont even know if is going to leek or not yet.
i knew i would have to deal with all this when i got it,thas why the man sold the tank.
i am probably working or doing i little bit more that i was specting.
if thas not working on my tank,what would it be?
some one who has the money just find a dealer buy it brand new,and get some one to deal with all this things i am going trouth.
i still have a long way to go probably 2 more months.
and is just been lately that i discover this forum,probably like 2 weeks.
to late i guess,what should i do,sell the tank and start building one in order to be qualifided to the BMC :zz: 
it will probably cost me more to build it i am sure about it,for the coment that i readed so far on the forum.
like how much will cost to build one on this dimencion with stand?


----------



## bell

when you refurbish a tank like that it surpasses most diy tanks and is in a class of it's own, like restoring an old porsche back to glory.....same thing 
any pics? 
start a thread of your project, it'll be very informational to those who wish to do the same


----------



## imusuallyuseless

You and your #@%^ porsche :roll:  :lol:

Even though no one asked i'll give my opinion on this.

Although what you're doing may be alot of work, i don't think it's the same as building a tank from scratch. I also don't think wether you have the money to buy a new tank or not, should be any kind of factor in qualifying for this. As for this...


> like how much will cost to build one on this dimencion with stand?


I don't think anyone could give you an exact price on that, but i bet an acryllic tank that size would be pretty expensive. It would depend on what your local plastic shops would charge you for it. You could probably do a plywood tank that size fairly inexpensively.

PS How much did you pay for it???


----------



## lomax

i could do a plywood tank and stand that size for well under 1000$, but with a nice finished stand and one widow in the front.

the glass is the most expensive part 300-400 just for it. anouther 200$ to seal, the rest on wood, glue, screws, stain and finishing trim.

alot cheaper if you do drylock on plywood, and do two windows in the front.


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## TheFishGuy

Jeeze guys... give em a break :lol: Didn't we already let Forker in with his tank? We'll see if we can get some people to agree with this..... Get some pics up of this tank you got, then get some pics up with fish in it and you're in :lol: My suggestion would be to take a ten gallon, put it in the monster tank you have and throw some fish in the ten gallon. Take a picture of that (since we're all smart a$$es we'll love it) then you'll definately be in...

Useless just has a chip on his shoulder because he's afraid to make a huge tank  wuse  :lol:

If you go back and read this thread you'll see it seems we're letting everyone in :lol: Besides, it's a lot of work keeping a monster tank going diy or not. It sounds to me like the new commer has a heck of a lot of diy projects on his hands to get this tank going... So I say get the picture of the 10 gallon set up in it and you're in....

Not only am I the Monster tank club president I'm also a client!
:lol:

Never in a million years did I think this thread would still be going :lol: You people are nuts....


----------



## imusuallyuseless

TheFishGuy said:


> Jeeze guys... give em a break :lol: Didn't we already let Forker in with his tank?


Didn't agree w/that either. Guess i just don't agree w/exceptions. If i thought exceptions were ok then i'd plead my case, that i built three DIY tanks that total over 300G, that means i had 3 times as many occassions to breathe in silicone, three times as many ideas for stands, filtration, stocking....blah, blah, blah; cry me a river :roll: 


> Useless just has a chip on his shoulder because he's afraid to make a huge tank  wuse  :lol:


Not so, i could easily make a tank big enough to get into this club, but i wouldn't. If anything i'd make it 299G, because i've always maintained that my talents are better used in harrassing the people in this club vs. trying to fit into it  That's the great part about america, when El Presidente decides on something, i'm always there to be a !*@% about it


----------



## bell

imusuallyuseless said:


> but i wouldn't. If anything i'd make it 299G, because i've always maintained that my talents are better used in harrassing the people in this club vs. trying to fit into it


i think it's because your mom would kill ya 

"You and your #@%^ porsche "

well all i have to say on that is i work my ass off for my fish and rear engine german toy.....
and i will be a member of the monster tank club......very very very soon.......did i say very?


----------



## jem454

Can I join? Pease,please, please?
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=130856









[/img]


----------



## imusuallyuseless

bell said:


> i think it's because your mom would kill ya


This is definately true to a point, my mom cringes when i tell her i've had over 500 or 600 gallons of water filled w/fish. The mom situation could be solved by a little creativity though. Wouldn't be impossible to build a tank 72"Lx24"Wx41"H, then build up the outside into an entertainment center to hold the tv and stuff. The footprint wouldn't be much different than my current 180G and it would actually take up less space because it would eliminate the current furniture we use for the tv. The window would still be fairly small so it would even look that impressive/scary for mom from the outside.


> well all i have to say on that is i work my ass off for my fish and rear engine german toy.....


I'm sure you do, but that's hardly the point. I'm not the president or even a member of this club, so i have absolutely no say in this, *but* this is an open forum and i do like to argue occassionaly so here what can i do 8) My first an most important point is that DIY is part of the criteria. If that doesn't really matter then why put it in there??? Or if it does matter, but exceptions are sometimes necessary, then why not make exceptions on other things like size requirement or even the pond issue. Surely nc_nutcase having to use a scuba mask to see his fish from the side is not as easy as just glancing through the front glass of your tank and keeping your hair dry. My second point is what does hard work have to do w/it either. What about someone that paid for the tank instead of building, *but* they 'worked hard' for the money. Who decides what's hard work??? Is it hard work for someone working in the fields all day picking vegetables in the heat??? Is it hard work for a dr. that had to go to school for almost a decade after high school, and works in 30 hour shifts at a hospital??? How about a special ed teacher??? The President of the United States??? A drug dealer??? Can we get a list of what other professions would qualify, because most people(except me) have a claim at 'hard work' so that's nonsense. If this is acceptable what other factors should be used, physical/mental abilities, support or lack of from family members, what type of vehicle used to pick up materials or even how nice or ugly the finished product is. I know, i had a headache, allergies and sore thumb(from playing xbox) on the day i started my latest project so surely that counts for something  All i need is a crappy job(matter of time), bad hair(getting there) and a three leged dog(we'll see what mom says) and i'm almost there. I can't speak on how hard you may have worked on your car because i don't know the exact details of what you've done. I can't find the link i used to have, but there was a guy that started off w/a frame, engine/transmission and suspension and built almost everything else on his own(body panels, wiring, interior, ect.). He bought a bunch of 'how to' videos and taught himself how to weld and use an english wheel along w/other metal working tools. Would you liken the ammount of work and risk you've taken to what he's done??? I'm going to start working on an engine swap for my POS mustang, but that doesn't mean i can go up to the guys that designed/built this thing and think i'm on the same level they are. BTW my engine was also born in germany  My final point is simple, what 300G+ tank isn't awesome, whether it's DIY or not??? So perhaps doing away the DIY criteria is in order, but then i doubt this thread would be appropriate for the DIY folder, perhaps Tank Setup would be better  


> and i will be a member of the monster tank club......very very very soon.......did i say very?


I know i'm not the only one waiting for this.

On a final note, my opinions mean nothing and i probably don't mean half the stuff i say, but i don't have anything better to do today, so this killed a few minutes for me.

PS Congrats on the tank jem454 :thumb:


----------



## bell

first....you misunderstood my "work my ass off" comment......which led to a longs ass paragraph LOL

and when i said that fish-photo-train guys tank was in a class of it's own due to his refurbishing i mean just that.....sounds like it was more labor than a diy tank.....
it doesn't really bother me who is in this "club".......we all enjoy our fish

"I know i'm not the only one waiting for this. "................
you have no idea......just remember, bigger is sometimes better.........

and in closing.....and I am only saying because I care - there's a lot of decaffeinated brands on the market that are just as tasty as the real thing. 

enjoy your day
later


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## TheFishGuy

:lol: :lol: :lol:

I know what'll really piss useless off....

ANNOUNCING OUR NEWEST MEMBERS!!

fish-photo-train!!
jem454
bell 
&
imusuallyuseless!!!

Congratualtions for becoming the newest member of the monster tank club which apparently has no real requirements. As president I can abolish all the rules. Kind of like the website monster fish keepers. Which incidently I didn't join the forum until the 800 was complete.  

Ps. My term is up, and when a term is up politicians usually do crazy things..... Who's the next president. To vote on it you have go to the moon. Forget about the moon take a rocket to uranus....

Bye bye


----------



## frank1rizzo

TFG...

What in the world are you thinking??? You can't let jem454 in the club.

Someone needs to tell this guys that those aren't even fish!










This is a monster "TANK" club. Not a monster "CRIB" club. Although I would suspect its easier to raise the kids with them behind glass. I'll have to remember that and suggest it to the wife if we ever have some.


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## Maxi

frank1rizzo said:


> TFG...
> 
> What in the world are you thinking??? You can't let jem454 in the club.
> 
> Someone needs to tell this guys that those aren't even fish!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is a monster "TANK" club. Not a monster "CRIB" club. Although I would suspect its easier to raise the kids with them behind glass. I'll have to remember that and suggest it to the wife if we ever have some.


Lol


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## jem454

:lol: :lol: :lol: 
Kids will be in there first, I cant put my beloved fish in there until I know the water is safe.


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## TheFishGuy

Hmmnnn... this reminds me....

I found it... My daughter Bella helping me clean the 185 before it got set up...


----------



## fish-photo-train

congratulations to the new members:
jem453,bell,and also to my self.
i guess we all been waiting to start a MT for long time.
especial congrats to gem454 your tank look very clean,seem like you are working hard on it,but you will get your reward when you will be looking at your kids face,when it get the fish on it.
bell,good for you are in to the club too,same for me.
and like an any normal family,theres always a black sheep.
congratulations,useless. :lol: :lol: :lol: 
hey gem454 how much have you speend already so far on the tank,just on the tank?


----------



## jem454

> hey gem454 how much have you speend already so far on the tank,just on the tank?


Im guessing $650 for tank and glass. I paid $250 for the 3/4" dining room glass table.


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## TheFishGuy

Jem, that glass isn't tempered is it????


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## jem454

Dont have the slightest idea


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## fish-photo-train

what filtration are you going to use?


----------



## dsiple

If it is a dining room table top glass, chances are it is. I am 95% sure it is. I can't think of one glass top for a table in my store that isn't tempered.


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## jem454

> what filtration are you going to use?


2 fluval fx5's


> If it is a dining room table top glass, chances are it is. I am 95% sure it is. I can't think of one glass top for a table in my store that isn't tempered.


Thats what I was hoping to here. Thanks


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## TheFishGuy

Actually tempered is not what you want... It's plate glass that you want....


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## AF_medic

Tempered is good because it means that it's stronger than regular glass.
However, when tempered glass does break, the entire piece will shatter and explode into a millions tiny pieces. 
regular plate/float glass will crack, giving you some time to perhaps save some of the fish, and perhaps prevent ALL 600gallons from winding up on the floor.

just make sure that the kids don't get BB guns for Christmas next year. :lol:


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## jem454

I figured its a win win situation either way. If its plate, Imright on the border safetywise, if its tempered Im ok.


----------



## fish-photo-train

he guys,would a wet and dry filtration sistem 2'x4' long and wide , 22"tower heigth drain for wet and dry and 16"heigth tower for succion will be enougth filtration for 750 gallons.
i am planing on geting a big a$$ pump,maybe on flee market,garage sale one of those that are used on pool sistems.
may questions is make sentence or sound stupid?
well that is if the wet and dry is big enough to take care of the 750 gallons.
would i be generating a future problem that you can detect on this?
i nedd your expertis


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## TheFishGuy

It doesn't sound big enough to me... I use three 44 gallon barrels....


----------



## fish-photo-train

what size tank?


----------



## TheFishGuy

800 gallon...


----------



## fish-photo-train

can you send me some pictures to look at them and see how the work,how are they conected
how much will that cost me aprox.


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## TheFishGuy

Here's all the explination and pics you'll ever need:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=103294


----------



## luvbonbon

bump

any more members w/ pics?

sorry, my biggest is only a 210, store bought, w/ store bought cabinetry....(really nice though  )

and its housing saltwater fish, so I'm no where near a member


----------



## fish-photo-train

hey.luvbonbon it is not all about size,it is about enjoing,the fish,the water,the set up,the cleaning,the feeding,the ligthing,filtrations,etc.getting around people that enjoy all this interchanging coments,ideas,sugestiouns,diferents points of view,pros and contras that you may not see,but some one will, :thumb:

so stop  and post the pictures of your tank and fish  
  

what do you have in it,rigth now?


----------



## luvbonbon

Well since you insist,

Here's the placement of my 210 in the 'great room'









and the occupants








Koran, and butterfly









Naso the brat









Foxy is in this one , she's such a scardy cat.

also, not pictured are a couple of blue damsels, and clowns, a few crabs.

location of my cichlid tank in my office









and the occupants,


----------



## luvbonbon

BTW, sorry they arenot pro pics .

cheap camera.


----------



## lomax

well here is a nice tank

if you buy i will come to your house and help you fill it AND vote you into the club :lol:

http://houston.craigslist.org/for/268714927.html

we build em big in Texas so says this yankee


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## jem454

First fish in the almost finished 600.
He's so lonely.








[/URL][/img]


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## luvbonbon

lomax said:


> well here is a nice tank
> 
> if you buy i will come to your house and help you fill it AND vote you into the club :lol:


cool !!!

All I have to do is spend 11K and you will come all the way from nice warm Texas to cold as @#$
Illinois to help set it up!

I'd have to make it a shark tank tho.


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## lomax

it would be worth it to see the tank :lol:

there is a company here in texas that makes huge tanks, they sell there stuff on ebay. still to expensive for most DIY, i could make tanks the size they are selling for a 5th the price.

they are some place near me in Houston

http://www.aquariumsforyou.com/

link is for the rich people or if you win the lotto


----------



## toffee

This is in early planning stage. I am thinking of a 10' x 2' x 3' (d) plywood tank (450g), I would prefer for the viewing to be only on one side and use glass.

Questions:

-Thickness of glass to be used? 
-Temper glass?
-I would like as open a top as possible, what would be the minimum cross members do I need on the top?
-what would be the best way to connect glass to the plywood frame? Just use silicon?

Thanks for helping.


----------



## TheFishGuy

A 10' tank.... I'd use a 9' piece of glass. 1/2" if it's 2' tall and 3/4" if it's 3' tall.


----------



## mike_302

3 questions:

a) I just like looking at the big tanks... Which member of your club has the biggest? .... TANK!... biggest TANK!....

b)I remember seeing a post onthis website with a pic of some guys aquarium... The person was asking where the pic was from and I think they came to the conclusion is was like.. Iceland or something. The aquarium WAS a saltwater, but it went on a LARGE curve in a special room made JUST for the aquarium viewing. I can't find that post but am curious as to what size (gallons) it was... Was telling a friend about it, but didnt have that tidbit of information.

c) Lets have some "would be club members" history: What is the biggest size privately-owned tank you guys have EVER seen? Info on it?


----------



## sirdavidofdiscus

The fishguy's is by far the largest private aquarium I've seen.


----------



## TheFishGuy

The largest privately owned tank I ever saw was a customer of the pet store I worked at in high school. It was roughly 1200 gallons according to my dimentions and calculations I took back then. It was shaped like this<_>

It was heated by heat lamps, about 30 of them, all of which were on timmers creating a sunrize sunset simulation.... It had a custome made ugf and was ran by four little giant pumps.... I was hired to get it up and running but the guy ran out of $$$


----------



## mike_302

ha HA!! ran out of MONEY! thats hilarious... Put all your money into a tank and can't get it RUNNING! Personally, the alrgest tank I've ever SEEN in real life was a 110 gallon.. I know, pathetic (other than the shark tank at Big als.. but thats not privaetly owned)


----------



## lomax

well my 600g and 750g were not too small, but i just got back from a house auction where the builder put in a 800g tank inbetween the dinning room and the living room, it was not filled but he stacked a huge amount of texas holy rock in it. there reserve prive was 700k so it was just out of my price range. i got the builders number so if i sell i can have him build my next house with a huge tank.

i have seen a few huge tanks, there was one in key west. it was owned by a diving tour guide, we got talking about fish and i told him about my big tanks and he said he had a big tank. next day we went over and seen his tank it was 2500g shark tank that had water going from the canal his house was on. he had fish he just got of off the reef he works at.


----------



## TheFishGuy

Well it was in the house when they bought it and it wasn't operational but they wanted it to be and figured.... "how much could it really cost" :lol:


----------



## mike_302

3 months later... There house is up for auction, along with everything they own, and there son was sold in a slave trade... The women's husband was over at the shelter booking them a space for the night.... "DAM FILTER MEDIA!"


----------



## S4surf

> mike_302 asked
> 
> c) Lets have some "would be club members" history: What is the biggest size privately-owned tank you guys have EVER seen? Info on it?


I have not seen this tank in 10 + years so I don't know if its still running but,

I met the guy at the LFS and he had some africans I wanted so I scheduled a visit to his home. He had bought for cheap money the three sided shell from an instant teller that was being demolished for renovations . He turned it upside down and purchased the front piece to make the tank. It was filtered by two pool/sand systems, one ran the RF UG and the other one was for biological. It was a salt setup that was truely impressive. I don't remember the stated gallons, but it was roughly 10'w 6'd and 10' h. He used to put on scuba gear to clean the algae. 

Steve


----------



## TheFishGuy

> He used to put on scuba gear to clean the algae.


SSSSSSSwwwwweeeeeeeeettt......


----------



## tom from ohio

The largest privately owned tank I have ever seen belongs to this one guy I know here's a link to his tank http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=103294


----------



## mike_302

HAHA! scuba gear! YES!!!!


----------



## fish-photo-train

750 gallons 96"x36"x48"


----------



## fish-photo-train

it took me longer than i thougth to post the pis but here it is. 750 gallons still empty do.


----------



## TheFishGuy

Nice :thumb:


----------



## bentaz

my fish live in a 1300 gl plastic water tank in my court yard, i'm a computer spastic so i dont know how to post a pic of it here but its in my, my tanks bit of the site if you want to look at it.


----------



## BlackShark11k

Finally getting to building my 500. I've been put of, but since I have off this holiday season, i hope to get it done  It will be 48'' wide, 32'' tall and 96'' long. Those demensions add up to something in the 600's, but seeing as the concrete block I'm using to construct it is 8'' thick it wil probably be just 500 gallons.


----------



## CHBGator

Guess since I finally have Fish in My 600G I can apply for the Monster Tank Club.  Tank Dimensions are 96x48x31. Filtration is a 40G trickle with 20G of biomedia and a 30G backup reservoir powered by a Gen-X 8500 Submersible pump (8500 lph / 2250 gph). Additional Filtration is provided by a Fluval FX5. the substrate is Pea Gravel from Lowes for $2.59/bag. There is 400lbs in the tank, I needed a lot because I had to cover the pipes for the UGJ's. Heating is done by 2x 300W submersible heaters. Lighting atm is 4x40W T12 GE plant/aquarium bulbs. The tank was originally built to house Malawi Cichlids but since I had the room I might as well put some monsters in it. I now have 4x 3"-3.5" Baby Silver Arowanas and 2x 6"-7" Glass Knives. There was a BGK but there was an accident with the gravel  . As soon as the Arowanas get bigger I'll put a few cichlids in but I'm still undecided as to what species to put in. I do know they will be SA cichlids. Its still a work in progress I need to put the walls up yet. and finish the ceiling in the fish room behind the tank.

Full tank shot









Left side









Right side









There is still a lot of work to do in the tank. I have more rocks washed and ready I still need Drift wood and some plants. Probably Java Fern, the largest variety of Anubias I can find and some Amazon Frogbit.

lighting









Sump/Trickle









FX5









Cant get any pics of the Glass Knives I'll have to wait till its dark and be quick with the camera. I'll probably get 2-3 more since they like to school. Here are 3 of the 4 Baby Arowanas. They love Cichlid sticks more than anything atm.


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## TheFishGuy

Keep em on cichlid sticks, they'll grow faster, be healthier and live longer :thumb:


----------



## cichlid-fan

300 under constuction, can I be in the club when finish? After see TFG thread and spending three days to read darn thing, and seen other monster tanks, make me wanna go back and start over again. TFG the tank loos great man that for the ideas if I don't mind.


----------



## TheFishGuy

CHBGator said:


> Guess since I finally have Fish in My 600G I can apply for the Monster Tank Club.  Tank Dimensions are 96x48x31.


You're in CHB :thumb: Welcome to the club 8)



cichlid-fan said:


> 300 under constuction, can I be in the club when finish?


I think so.... Let me check the rules....


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## TheFishGuy

:lol: I made the rules and I couldn't remember :lol: Apparently you're in as soon as you post a picture 8)


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## hsean

i just bought this 360 gallon a few weeks ago i have some scratches that i have to remove can i get in the club


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## BlackShark11k

hsean said:


> i just bought this 360 gallon a few weeks ago i have some scratches that i have to remove can i get in the club


Has to be D-I-Y, sorry. Unless of course TFG decided to be nice and change the rules... :lol:


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## TheFishGuy

Well, we've had this debate a few times.... People need to work to pay for their tanks.... soooo... We need to see some pictures...


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## hsean

i'll take some pics and post


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## tunerX

~579 gallons o volume. External dimensions so far 111.5x54x66. Internal measurements 96x48x32. Water level 96x48x28 + Two recesses where the glass goes 95x26x1.

184 gallon sump running 50% full.


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## TheeMon

tuner theres another rule, you must post more picsb


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## TheFishGuy

This site's got an aquarium calculator that I use all the time  
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/calculator.php

According to it you've got 556.3157894736843 gallons rolling in that tank of yours. Plus 92 gallons in your sump...... I'd just go ahead and say you've got a 600 gallon tank  :thumb: 8)

Welcome to the club tunerX Are those peacock bass in there?

I like the pile of pots :thumb:


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## tunerX

The two sides with glass in them have 1.5" deep L channels. The extra volume, ~11 gallons per side come from the 96x26x1 inch deep recesses that are left over. I used the greer tank calculator and calculated the main part of the tank then added the two recesses.

Yeah those are Peacock Bass (Orinocensis). They aren't the largest growing of the cichla. I would want another 4 feet of length for the large cichla.

I have a pallet of field stone behind the house, but there is about 12 inches of snow and ice on it so I used a bunch of pots until I can get to them. I already have about 400 lbs of field stone in there and the pile is still pretty small. I am also looking for some drift wood and possibly hyacinth or water lettuce for the top.


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## TheFishGuy

I like water lettuce, but my fish ate it all :lol:



> The two sides with glass in them have 1.5" deep L channels. The extra volume, ~11 gallons per side come from the 96x26x1 inch deep recesses that are left over. I used the greer tank calculator and calculated the main part of the tank then added the two recesses.


technicalities..... it's a 600 :lol:


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## Basolisk

CHBGator said:


> Here are 3 of the 4 Baby Arowanas. They love Cichlid sticks more than anything atm.


You do relise how big Arowanas grow to be right???


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## tunerX

I have seen CHB on the MFK forum. I would imagine he researched his Aros before he bought them.


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## CHBGator

Basolisk said:


> CHBGator said:
> 
> 
> 
> Here are 3 of the 4 Baby Arowanas. They love Cichlid sticks more than anything atm.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You do relise how big Arowanas grow to be right???
Click to expand...

Yep. In captivity most stay around 36"-40" Keeping one is fine keeping 2 and depending on the individual fish's personality you may or may not have aggression issues, keeping 3 and you have a heck of a feeding bill but it also spreads aggression. My hopes were that in keeping 4 that I would get a pair and they would get accustomed with each other since they grew from little 3"-3.5" babies but since 2 were lost to some overly aggressive Four Line Pim Cats I'll have to go get another maybe two. But as most will tell you that keep monster tanks with multiple monster fish it usually comes down to individual personalities of the fish. Lots of people intentionally overcrowd tanks to keep aggression down. The key there is also lots and lots of filtration.


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## OceanDevil

383 gallons according to inside measurements. Likely sold as a 400. 
92.5 x 29 x 33 tall

Has 5 1.5 inch bulkheads behind the overflow.

I have joined the club. More pics when its full.


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## TheFishGuy

Dude... Pic didn't work for me...


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## aussieafricans

hmm well no pics but a mate is getting an 18x3x3 built  
and its ALL glass

BEN


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## OceanDevil

TheFishGuy said:


> Dude... Pic didn't work for me...


MY pic is IMG code and hosted by photobucket.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/ ... G_1771.jpg

try that man 

oh and behind it is a 300 gallon. but it may need some work.


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## TheFishGuy

OOOOOO!!! Very nice! Wanna drop it off here?


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## OceanDevil

TheFishGuy said:


> OOOOOO!!! Very nice! Wanna drop it off here?


haha right. I will now have only a 200, 300, and the 383. I am selling everything else but maybe a 55 hospital tank. Though I can use a sump for that.


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## TheFishGuy

Nice


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## NorthShore

I think I qualify for this rather exclusive club. 

_click da __pic _










Footprint: 8'x3'x2'

Gallons 360 + 40 in the sump = 400 gallons

Tank was built in my basement right on the stand

Lighting four 4-foot Hagen Powerglo bulbs

Filtration

Marineland 360
Aquaclear 500 
DIY 75 gallon wet/dry powered by MAG 12
Ultima II 1000 pond filter powered by a 4800 gph pump

Heaters = 2 300W ebos

Stock

1 RTG Arowana
1 Polypterus Endlicheri 
2 Polypterus Ornatipinnis
1 Datnoides Undecimradiatus 
2 Datnoides Microlepis
1 Datnoides Campbelli
4 Cichla Occelaris
2 Geophagus Dicrozoster
1 Rotkeil severum
1 hybrid syno 
2 Oxydoris Niger
2 Auchenaspis occidentalis
2 Ancistrus temminckii

Am I in or what?


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## dwarfpike

Nope, no pike cichlids ... 

j/k :lol:


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## NorthShore

Pikes would clash with my bichirs. I've already thought about it. Had a chance at some lents recently.


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## TheFishGuy

Very nice North Shore. You're in! Call me when you get to 1000 gallons or better! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Love the Dats by the way, Very cool :thumb:


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## NorthShore

Thanks, TFG. 

Who told you about my 12 foot tank project?


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## TheFishGuy

I have ways of making people talk...


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## iceblue

Finally got the glass for my 350g build. The whole thing is DIY. Tank, sump, stand, filters, hood and background............So, do I qualify as a Monster Tank?


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## TheFishGuy

How wet did you get the floor when you got out? LOL


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## iceblue

Not much. I laid out a couple of towels and did most of my drying off on the side of the stand. It extends 14" either side off the tank...........and I made sure my wife was at work when I did it.

Edit: Given my proportions as of late I also didn't fill the tank up all the way. :roll:


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## cjacob316

Demon_fish said:


> Heres some monster diy tanks for ya
> 
> http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... php?t=9026
> http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... php?t=8952
> http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... php?t=1777
> http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... hp?t=23529
> 
> if only i had them all


I wanna know how that guy got aropaima, are they common to buy?


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## TheFishGuy

iceblue said:


> Edit: Given my proportions as of late I also didn't fill the tank up all the way. :roll:


 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## TheFishGuy

cjacob316 said:


> I wanna know how that guy got aropaima, are they common to buy?


Don't be dumb.


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## TheBanker

cjacob, you can buy them locally in new orleans, a couple weeks back rose garden center had one in stock.


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## TheFishGuy

TheBanker said:


> cjacob, you can buy them locally in new orleans, a couple weeks back rose garden center had one in stock.


That's a good idea, point him in the direction of an impossible fish to keep.


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## TheBanker

lol, when it outgrows his tank, there is another local fella determine to keep them, he goes by nolapete. i wasn't trying to lead him, just letting him know these fish are not impossible to get your hands on.


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## TheFishGuy

You think Pete wants one? C'mon, that's not why he's building his tank and besides the fact his tank isn't big enough. Michael Brice is the only person I know that can keep them.


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## TheBanker

well he has mentioned in the past of his tank being a growout for them, and he has a friend putting togather some 100,000 gallon tanks for some kind nature center i think. i've seen the 5"+ thick pieces of acrylic to make it happen. hopefully they come through with their plans.


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