Beginner Tank Setup Guidance Needed.

Hey yall, I am new here and posted up a few weeks ago in the introduce yourself section and got a lot of great advice and good direction on some of the ins and outs of a great setup so I figured id share with everyone and not take this journey alone......

(Back story to now)
So the GF has wanted to start a fish tank for awhile now and I am finally ready to start one more costly hobby (work is my first with good ol tooling), but I digress.

So I have found a 150G tank for one heck of a deal on CL and will be picking it up on Thursday. it has been used for Salt water but I will be scrubbing it down and cleaning it out well to use for freshwater. I like that it was a salt tank because it leaves the future open for a salt setup due to its already been drilled.

my next purchase is an aqua-Link #2020 sump for the tank, I will have to play with the plumbing for it and order hoses once I have the tank in the house so that I may measure and mock it up. I am open to suggestions on pumps to run it, don't know where to look as to what's good or bad, but I do know I want the pump external if I have the room and I think I will.

also in the sump battle I am really confused as to how to rig up a UVB sterilizer due to the fact I want a black Knife fish, if I had it my way we would have an Arowana, but the GF doesn't like them and I think the tank is on the small side for one (from my research). but the one fish I will have will be that knife fish since this is being done on my dime (she don't like the Knife fish either). but any advice or pro tips as to how to install a sterilizer will be greatly appreciated.

Tank heaters, I know I will need them, just don't know how I want to "rig" them up. the sump I want has a spot to evenly flow the water over one and I could set the temp high so that by time the water is pumped to the top, it would be at the correct temp... or stick 2-4 in the tank and deal with the god awful look of them in the back... suggestions would be appreciated...

so what am I missing yall? what Pro tips do you have to offer to make this a smooth and banging setup?

thanks yall

here is a photo of the tank as well!!!

Fishtank

• Scherf
• Sep 3, 2018

new to me 150G

 

Fishtank

• Scherf
• Sep 3, 2018

new to me 150G

Beautiful tank!!!!

 

Beautiful tank!!!!

thank you ma'am!!!

christ on a cracker, I found another issue I need to look at, and that's my floor plan to make sure I don't go collapsing my living room floor..... god bless.... well good thing I know how to jack and add support to the floor in the crawl space....... last time I was down there though I got into a scuffle with a few neighborhood cats and a opossum.... NOT looking forward to going back down there...........

 

Scherf Good Idea. The tank itself when full of water is around 1,300 - 1,500 lbs not including the stand, substrate and hardware. Good Luck!

 

Scherf Good Idea. The tank itself when full of water is around 1,300 lbs not including the stand, substrate and hardware. Good Luck!

ya I literally read about it in another beginner thread on here and I would have never thought about it.... but I will have a square 150 tank rather than a 150 long. but I still wouldn't mind putting a few 2x6's across the joists supported by some cinderblocks. heck maybe even "jack" it an 1/8th of an inch just to compensate for the weight of the tank and setting of the support in the dirt

 

Check out the youtube channel "The king of DIY"....he has years of DIY aquarium project videos including sump builds, filter builds, stand builds, tanks builds etc. His older video are more of the DIY project tutorials. Newer videos feature him building an entire separate building to house all his tanks. I'm sure he's got some videos that'll have some good info relating to your projects.

 

I would not put a arrowana in a 150
as for the ghost knife I don't care for them but I would recommend a chiclid tank if your into large aggresive fish

 

I would not put a arrowana in a 150
as for the ghost knife I don't care for them but I would recommend a chiclid tank if your into large aggresive fish

not into aggressive fish per say, its just different is the main thing.... cause don't get me wrong, schooling fish is a very cool idea to me as well.

 

You could use a digital controller for the heater(s). Small inconspicuous probe goes in the tank and feeds the controller that tells the heater(s) when to cut on and off.

Good luck! We're all counting on you!

 

You could use a digital controller for the heater(s). Small inconspicuous probe goes in the tank and feeds the controller that tells the heater(s) when to cut on and off.

Good luck! We're all counting on you!

I figured I would use a herp stat or something of that nature. my understanding of tank heaters is that its better to use multiple smaller ones incase of failure and overall power use.

 

I figured I would use a herp stat or something of that nature. my understanding of tank heaters is that its better to use multiple smaller ones incase of failure and overall power use.

I've got a digital controller and it will manage up to 1,000 watts of heaters so roughly 10 amps? It only has one outlet but you could put a powerstrip on it and then plug in however many heaters you'd need.

Edited to add: Power use isn't going to change much, it takes X amount of energy to heat Y volume of water to Z temperature. Multiple heaters will help a bit but I suspect it is negligible.

 

I've got a digital controller and it will manage up to 1,000 watts of heaters so roughly 10 amps? It only has one outlet but you could put a powerstrip on it and then plug in however many heaters you'd need.

ya that's what do with my herp stats for all of my snakes, easy as heck to do with the racks

 

What a GREAT project - I Like your very systematic approach!

My two cents:

1. Learn about UV sterilizers
   . This guy is so down to earth on why you need a UV sterilizer and how to do it properly. I have mine connected after my filter - i.e. the pump pushes through the UV sterilizer flowing from the bottom upwards. Just remember to put some taps on the pipes to be able to clean the sterilizer and change the bulb.
2. Have a look at flow heaters. They work well with large volumes of water. I have been testing one - it maintains the temperature quite accurately and can be located on the output from the pump to the tank.
3. Try to build in some form of redundancy i.e.:
   1. not everything on one circuit breaker so if for example the heater trips the circuit breaker, then the pump for the sump continues working
   2. piping - if there is something that needs to be cleaned regularly have a bypass. eg to maintain water circulation in the event of the sump being taken off for cleaning or maintenance.
   3. heating - use two heaters - when one goes down, the other will maintain the required temperature
4. Lighting - LED for low power consumption with separate timers for white light for viewing and blue/red light for plant growth or evening romance
5. No fish until the tank is fully stabilized and cycled!

Good luck and keep us posted on this interesting project.

 

ya I feel as though staying as organized as possible will help keep things smooth. thanks for the video link, it really does help. don't know why there aren't many articles on it other to not have it on when doing your initial cycle lol.

also I don't plan on having live plants in the tank at the moment though.

as for having thing on one plug, I don't want to but unfortunately with the old house I am in, I am pretty sure everything is on one breaker though lol. ill have to look it over but I have over loaded the kitchen before and it shut down most of my plugs though out the house...

 

ya I feel as though staying as organized as possible will help keep things smooth. thanks for the video link, it really does help. don't know why there aren't many articles on it other to not have it on when doing your initial cycle lol.

Agreed - this is by far the best video on the subject and Ryan (if I remember right) just talks of the top of his head - he is a supercharged encyclopedia!

I am pretty sure everything is on one breaker though lol

Unfortunately this is one of the burdens of an old electrical installation.....
I am sure you will do a GREAT job and am really keen on seeing your progress - so please update from time to time!

 

When you do set up your tank an Oscar or two would be lovely. Could also throw in Jack Dempseys, Severums, or Green Terrors to go along with the Oscars. Careful to not overcrowd. It is a gorgeous tank and I would love to see pictures of it all set up

 

will do and will keep everyone informed and post up photos, tomorrow I go and get the tank, finally have some time off, wish it was a full day. college and two jobs really takes a toll on one. is it sad I look forward to the 3hrs round trip to just be able to sit in some silence !!!

oh and with getting the tank tomorrow, I can then order my sump! this part of the tank I have been very intrigued by. as for an external pump, what type of volume should I look for it to be moving? from my understanding its best to over shoot and be at least 3.5x the volume of the tank.... so a 150G tank should have at a minimum 450GPH... is this correct?

 

at least 3.5x the volume of the tank.... so a 150G tank should have at a minimum 450GPH... is this correct?

Yes, but you need to read the pump specs properly.
The rating of the pump will be given for zero head i.e. if the water is coming out of the pump without having to lift the water up. There should be a graph to show the head vs the volume/hr. So for example if a pump is rated 450GPH, at zero head and you will have your sump below the tank, you will need to look at the GPH of the pump at the height the water is lifted - from the sump to the point of entry into the tank (around 4 feet I would imagine) - just measure it once the tank is in place.
To give you a simple example, a lot of cheap pumps are rated 350GPH and then 200GHP at 3 feet head.

 

Yes, but you need to read the pump specs properly.
The rating of the pump will be given for zero head

completely understood, that was explained to me on Aqua-links web page when looking at pumps.... now what would be considered overkill for a tank? there was one I was looking at that is salt and fresh water safe, and pushes about 750GPH at the head which it dropped to 550ish at 4-5feet but that would be enough to run a sterilizer, inline heater, and a skimmer if I ever go to salt water.

 

completely understood, that was explained to me on Aqua-links web page when looking at pumps.... now what would be considered overkill for a tank? there was one I was looking at that is salt and fresh water safe, and pushes about 750GPH at the head which it dropped to 550ish at 4-5feet but that would be enough to run a sterilizer, inline heater, and a skimmer if I ever go to salt water.

Sounds ok - that would give you enough slack for the sterilizer and heater - not sure about the skimmer. Not into salt water technology so I really cannot tell. Must admit that I thought the skimmer was on a separate water circuit with its own pump........ maybe wrong! Better ask someone else for advice on the skimmer requirements.

 

Sounds ok - that would give you enough slack for the sterilizer and heater - not sure about the skimmer. Not into salt water technology so I really cannot tell. Must admit that I thought the skimmer was on a separate water circuit with its own pump........ maybe wrong! Better ask someone else for advice on the skimmer requirements.

from my limited understanding, they can be either or so internal or external. the internals would drop into your wet/dry sump and remove some of that volume from it due to it being in there or you can have it outside it to not remove that volume.

 

So I literally just ordered my sump from Aqua Link, I went with the #2020 EXT since it will handle a 180g max, while the basic #2020 was for a 150 gallon max. I feel going bigger is better in this situation.

along with the sump, I bought an external pump for the sump that will pump 710gph at 6' that too is overkill, but will allow for growth (bigger tank, accessories, and so on)

heating is still up in the air for the tank... inlines look good, but also there was a point made on anther thread that the sump has a spot for it, so technically I could just use a single heater in it (cost effective) on a water safe thermostat. so ill see what's up when the sump is in and some of the basic plumbing is hooked up..

task for tomorrow, go get tank/stand/hood and move it into the house.... its suppose to rain, hope it holds off till I get back home with the tank and moved into the house!

 

task for tomorrow, go get tank/stand/hood and move it into the house.... its suppose to rain, hope it holds off till I get back home with the tank and moved into the house!

Your choice of kit seems amazing!
This may be obvious to you, but I made this mistake, so I want to share it with you. Before you start putting anything into the tank, make sure you have all the pipes and cables that go behind it. The tank is at its lightest when empty - and this will be the last time it will be this manoverouble for a looooong time My arms were too short and my fingers too thick to do all the work I regret not doing initially. Things like putting piping foam on the intake/output pipes to and from the tank to avoid heat loss during winter ( I have two canister filters under my 125g tank). putting cables into a conduit behind the cabinet on which the tank stands..... just all those things I thought were not as exiting to do as getting water into the tank

 

Before you start putting anything into the tank, make sure you have all the pipes and cables that go behind it. The tank is at its lightest when empty - and this will be the last time it will be this manoverouble for a looooong time

most defiantly, I have to really think about all of it right off the bat to due to the house not having many outlets, so this will be the real struggle.... I never thought of insulating the water inlet and outlets, that's not a bad idea at all. I hope I can rig it up so that I can do the insulation at a latter date just to curb some current costs with the tank.... heck I did the math on how much sand/gravel will cost and couldnt believe it. don't get me wrong my math brought me to ~$150ish for 150lbs of it, but hot dang that's a lot for gravel/sand

 

most defiantly, I have to really think about all of it right off the bat to due to the house not having many outlets, so this will be the real struggle.... I never thought of insulating the water inlet and outlets, that's not a bad idea at all. I hope I can rig it up so that I can do the insulation at a latter date just to curb some current costs with the tank.... heck I did the math on how much sand/gravel will cost and couldnt believe it. don't get me wrong my math brought me to ~$150ish for 150lbs of it, but hot dang that's a lot for gravel/sand

I didn't cost my tank properly initially because I din't realise that there is soooooo much stuff that goes into a big tank. What really caught me off base was the amount of chemicals that go into the tank e.g. amount of prime required for the initial tank set up (I actually did mine without prime initially and just waited for three days as I no oxidising bacteria in the tank anyway!). The next thing that struck be was the amount of water required to top off - if you loose 10% water weekly of 180 gallons, that is nearly 20 gallons of water just to top up the tank! So when you do a WC change of 20-25%, you end up adding 30% water back i.e. in your case 54 gallons! Definitely need to automate the process with a container that you can fill up with water, add prime and then pump it into the main tank (or let it gravity flow into the sump). Make sure you buy a big can of prime to get the proce per gallon as low as possible!

 

well the tank is more and a little less that I expected but its a heck of a lot more than it is less!

so this tank is a reefers dream! the whole bottom is massive refugium! like it is literally a second tank and half the size of the 150 gallon tank (if I were to fill it till it overflowed).

the less part is it has been used for MANY years, it holds water and does what is should, but the access door to the refugium needs some TLC.

pics to come, still trying to move the girl into the house.... its a kick in the rear by myself so I have a few bodies in route to lend a hand.

 

so looking at the tank this morning, I will have to modify the overflow a little bit on the tank after I finish cleaning it..... it has a dual overflow, one side is higher than the other and also it is basically one big one with a partition to create two. the lower side, had two nozzles for return and no holes drilled for an exit to a sump or skimmer.... so I really don't know what I will do to keep the water circulating in that side of the overflow....

I am going to assume that the smaller side had a pump or draw line for a skimmer would be my guess.

also on the higher side there are two returns to go to a sump... no big deal I can seal one off if id like. but they are low... I will need to add some pipe to them I do believe or balance out the water just right so that its not just dumping into the line out (to the sump). this side also has one nozzle for tank return water.

the base/refugium, actual has 3 porting lines in the back, I would assume for water in/out, and something else seeing that the bottom is a refugium.

I will get more photos, just time has been limited, I will probably have time very very late tonight to get it them or early tomorrow morning...

 

Do get some pic - that should help. What one usually has is two holes on one end to which you connect your overflow box - this acts as a first stage filter to catch stuff from getting into the pipes connected to the sump. The other is what you correctly identified as the return. You seem to have enough holes ....... or maybe I should just wait for some photos to avoid talking rubbish

 

Do get some pic - that should help. What one usually has is two holes on one end to which you connect your overflow box - this acts as a first stage filter to catch stuff from getting into the pipes connected to the sump. The other is what you correctly identified as the return. You seem to have enough holes ....... or maybe I should just wait for some photos to avoid talking rubbish

Well I messaged the guy I got the tank from and it’s purely for circulation.... so with that being said I may have found my way of heating the take with everything hidden

 

Starting with a 150 gallon, I'm jealous.

 

So here is the tank

 

wow you did great to block any glares while taking those pics.

 

wow you did great to block any glares while taking those pics.

Is this sarcasm or being honest? Cause all I did was use my iPhone and turn flash on lol

 

It looks great!!! Can't wait to see it all decorated!!!

 

It looks great!!! Can't wait to see it all decorated!!!

I cannot either, but it may be a little bit, have to rearrange the living room cause the gf don’t like where it’s at, then jack and support the floor lol

 

I cannot either, but it may be a little bit, have to rearrange the living room cause the gf don’t like where it’s at, then jack and support the floor lol

You have to make the GF happy!!! Looking forward to updates.

 

Starting with a 150 gallon, I'm jealous.

Well I won’t really enjoy it, I work too much, it’s more for the gf to have a Hobby and I get to maintain it in what little free time I have

 

Is this sarcasm or being honest? Cause all I did was use my iPhone and turn flash on lol

not really any sarcasm, only a bit of the truth, glares are the hardest thing to keep out of a picture of any sort of glass or acrylic.

 

not really any sarcasm, only a bit of the truth, glares are the hardest thing to keep out of a picture of any sort of glass or acrylic.

Ahh ok lol guess I am use to a lot harsher forums lol and I took these quick as heck not really caring

 

OK, so the first pic is with the overflow box in place and in the second one you took the internal overflow box out - right? Quite cool the way the return pipes go through the overflow chamber and into the tank.
Here's a bit of reading I came across - the article talks about the Durso overflow - just a simple way of getting water noises down in your overflow chamber - you may want to have a look at it - simple to make and definitely worth the effort to reduce water noises.

btw - the pics are technically well taken. It is extremely hard to take pics of tanks without reflections and light spots!

Nice picture of the Sopewith Camel biplane with the radial engine - is that a picture or an etched/pressed imagine in a metal plate?