Big Tank Questions

[Clyde]

I recently purchased a 350 gallon tank and expect delivery by January 20. I currently have two 125 gallon tanks, so I have a plan for the set up.

My main concern is with proper heating, do I need two small heaters, or will one large heater work. I am using Eheim 300 Watt water heaters in the 125's and have had good luck, so would be happy using two Eheim 300 watt heaters, but wonder about titanium heaters with a controller. Any product recommendations are welcome.

My other question is with the water changes, I spend more time than I would like now, so will need to get a large diameter hose to speed things up. I think a 1 inch hose will will work, but wanted to ask before I buy something. I am not in a hurry, because the tank has not arrived yet.

Any other recommendations are welcomed as well.

Thanks

[barberking12]

i would use 2 heaters one on each side of tank. unless you plan on putting them in the wet/dry

[eklikewhoa]

There's some discussion about pros and cons of using two heaters vs. one and it seems like a toss up.

Will you be using a sump/wet-dry under this tank?


As for water changes, if there are no drains for the tank and you want something to move around then some PVC to make a hook with strainer and some large diameter hose (2"+) will dump the tank in no time.

[RonR.]

Congrats on the new tank!!!!! I have 2 500w titanium heaters sitting lengthwise on top of my sand bottom in my 180g 6x2x2 glass tank. They are controlled by a single stage Johnson ETC. This is a commercial grade controller that's set to kick the heaters on when the water temp hits below 77 and raises my water to 79 degrees. I'm setting up an Apex Aquacontroller to create a redundancy for my heaters. I'll let my Johnson unit continue to control the heaters, but if my water temp hits 84, the Apex will cut power to my heaters before my wc moba colony and fry are cooked.

I do a weekly 50% water change so that's 90g. I have a 25 foot python. I think the hose diameter is 5/8". I have the python attached to a pvc gizmo (LOL) that has a submersible pump at the end of it. The submersible pump will take 90g of water out in about 8 minutes.

What takes the longest is refilling my tank. It takes about 45 minutes to replace that 90g of water.

In your new set-up I would get a larger diameter hose. Ask the folks here that are using the larger diameter hose. Not sure what type of hose they use........the clear one that's fish/food safe. Some of those outdoor hoses may be coated with stuff to prevent them from cracking.....that may be harmful to your fish.

Not sure if I can post the vendor where I got my titanium heaters and pvc set up from. It's mail-order. Pm for the vendor contact.

[eklikewhoa]

Don't think there's any problems with linking on this site like how other forums are.

post them up Ron!
I'm looking for a new heater soon too for my new tank.

[mistahoo]

Go for the vinyl tubing at HD or Lowe's. Safe, but you might want to run some water through it first to wash out any debris.

[New_Cichlid11]

I would use only one heater, what kind of filters are u running? If any big large pump like eheims or magnum 12 and above chances are that it will keep ur water at a stable temp. Also as suggested above it would build a Pvc drain to a 1 in hose it will drain the tank in mere mins. Also u can put a valve on it so u can take it to your other tanks without losing suction.

[RonR.]

Don't think there's any problems with linking on this site like how other forums are.

post them up Ron!
I'm looking for a new heater soon too for my new tank.

EK and others, here goes............I bought my titanium heaters and my pvc water changer from jehmco.

http://www.jehmco.com/html/heaters.html

The model number of my 500w heaters is TSH-500-LC. Scroll down about 1/2 down the page. Bought them several years ago. You need to get a controller since these don't have an internal thermostat.

Here's the Johnson single stage controller I have:

http://www.etcsupply.com/johnson-a419abc1c-single-stage-prewired-p-123.html

Call them up and tell them you're going to put the probe in an aquarium. I had my probe sealed to protect it.

My pvc gizmo is called a Safety Siphon. The model number is

JSSSP-FGHT.

Here's the link:

http://www.jehmco.com/html/safety_siphon_aquarium_drain.html

You get the idea. You could probably make one on your own. My original submersible pump lasted 5-7 years so I just replaced it with a higher rate one. For a larger tank I would probably go 3/4" pvc (or bigger) and follow this design. I think my replacement pump is a Maxi-Jet 3000. I bought it new for around $100. You can go smaller or bigger based on your budget.

If I've broken any forum rules here, I apologize in advance. Just trying to help my fellow fish heads.

[johnnymisty]

EK and others, here goes............I bought my titanium heaters and my pvc water changer from jehmco.

http://www.jehmco.com/html/heaters.html

The model number of my 500w heaters is TSH-500-LC. Scroll down about 1/2 down the page. Bought them several years ago. You need to get a controller since these don't have an internal thermostat.

Here's the Johnson single stage controller I have:

http://www.etcsupply.com/johnson-a419abc1c-single-stage-prewired-p-123.html

Call them up and tell them you're going to put the probe in an aquarium. I had my probe sealed to protect it.

My pvc gizmo is called a Safety Siphon. The model number is

JSSSP-FGHT.

Here's the link:

http://www.jehmco.com/html/safety_siphon_aquarium_drain.html

You get the idea. You could probably make one on your own. My original submersible pump lasted 5-7 years so I just replaced it with a higher rate one. For a larger tank I would probably go 3/4" pvc (or bigger) and follow this design. I think my replacement pump is a Maxi-Jet 3000. I bought it new for around $100. You can go smaller or bigger based on your budget.

If I've broken any forum rules here, I apologize in advance. Just trying to help my fellow fish heads.

Thanks for the info that siphon is bad arse

[Clyde]

Thank you everyone, I should have included more information on the filtration. I will be running an eheim 2260 and a wet dry and plan to use at least one powerhead to keep water moving. I like the look of the heater in the sump, but recently put one of the heaters directly in the tank. I need to check the sump size to see if a large titanium heater will fit.

I currently do my water changes by siphoning directly into a trashcan, then transfer the water using a submersible pump connected to a garden hose. It is important to have the sponge filer on the intake to keep it from sucking up media, but this method allows me to water my lawn during the summer, but this time of year I just put the outlet in the bath tub. I will make a PVC attachment, now I am just using the end of the hose submerged in water, but the PVC attachment with a valve should make the process easier. If I increase the diameter of the siphon line and use a bigger submersible pump, removing water will be much faster.

I will need to start using safe as my dechloinator to hopefully save some money, but my fish seem to prefer amquel plus. I have tried t treat the water remaining in the tank and as the tank fills I add more dechlor. I would like to start using the trashcan to dechlor just the water to be added to the tank to reduce the use of excess dechlor, but that process seems too involved, due to potential to overflow the trashcan.

I plan on posting pictures once I start adding dish, but that seems like a long way off now.

Thank you for the posts

[RonR.]

Clyde, consider using Prime. I switched over from Amquel about 3-4 years ago. I know you're going to have to treat alot of water..........2x as much as me most likely.

I buy the largest Prime by SeaChem that I can get....it's the concentrated one. The size is 67.6 oz (2 L) It's around $42. I just found an even larger 1 gal size (4 L) for around $75 at Amazon.

I add a capful of Prime for every 100g of new water added. Just to be safe I do 2 capfuls after I've drained the 90g of water out and begin to add my new water. I add my water directly from the tap.

We're going to enjoy seeing your new tank.

[New_Cichlid11]

Same as prime is seachem safe which is more concentrated and does the same as prime. 4 kilos will last u years and only cost like 75 bucks

[newb]

For your heater just use one...your just wasting money otherwise. I deal with BIG tanks everyday and one is plenty. If you are running an Eheim 2260 then just get a Rena 300 watt inline heater. It connects to the return of the Eheim and keeps it out of the tank. For a power head I would use a Vortech MP40w as it has the smallest presence in the tank. With a tank this big skip the chemicals in your water and invest in a carbon bottle that connects directly to your kitchen/bathroom or outdoor water source. You can buy drain hoses from any hardware store. And just buy a quality rubber water hose to fill your tank with. There is nothing in the hose that will harm your fish. Then get a sink adapter so your carbon bottle can connect to your sink and the hose will connect to the bottle. And that's it. Simple is key. If you have any questions on where to find any of these items shoot me a pm. Good luck.

[allysangels]

congrats on the new big tank... i'm sorry if i missed it, but i didn't see any mention of what you plan on stocking?

[SunnyHouTX]

Re: Big Tank Questions

With a tank this big skip the chemicals in your water and invest in a carbon bottle that connects directly to your kitchen/bathroom or outdoor water source. You can buy drain hoses from any hardware store. And just buy a quality rubber water hose to fill your tank with. There is nothing in the hose that will harm your fish. Then get a sink adapter so your carbon bottle can connect to your sink and the hose will connect to the bottle. And that's it. Simple is key. If you have any questions on where to find any of these items shoot me a pm. Good luck.

Exactly what I do, but I still add Seachem Safe as a habit.