helgymatt

Hi everyone,

So it's spring break and since I'm not in Florida, Mexico, or Jamaica enjoying the sunshine, I have nothing to do with my time but spend countless hours on forums trying to plan my next aquarium. I would be enjoying my time outdoors this week, but unfortunately March weather in Iowa is not cooperating.

In a few months I'll be buying a 75 gallon rimless aquarium....likely from glasscages.com Rather than having filter intakes and outakes hanging over the top of the tank, I want to install bulkheads and keep everything OUT of sight.

Although I want to do everything right the first time to have adequate filtration power and flow throughout the tank, I want to maintain some kind of budget. This means not buying the Cadillac system, and not buying the geo metro, but the middle class system. If that makes any sense at all!

The tank bottom will be 48"X18" (your standard 75 high).

Here are things I am trying to decide on:

1. Have 2 or 4 holes drilled? With four holes I would have an intake on each side and outtake on each side. I'm thinking this would give me the best overall flow, but I hate the idea of having to drill more holes that needed and buying more bulkheads and then trying to hide them later on. Two holes would allow for 1 intake and 1 outtake.

2. Filtration. This is what I am really stuck on. I want GOOD flow so how much or how big of a canister filter do I need? I don't know much about head pressure and all that so if someone could explain this that would be great. If I have 4 bulkheads I would likely install 2 canister filters....probably something like 2 xp3 or xp4's. I have also been thinking about getting one (or two if I should) ocean clears with an external pump. There are so many different ocean clears and pumps that I don't know where to start. Tom Barr has done this on his tank...
http://www.barrreport.com/general-pl...-thus-far.html. Is one ocean clear going to provide enough biological and mechanical filtration? If so, what would be the best solo ocean clear?
I will also be running a heater and co2 reactor inline with this system.

I have been struggling to find ideas and pictures of peoples closed systems like this. I thought this would be a good opportunity for people to share photos of systems they have done and provide some details about experiences. Ideas for what works and what would be done differently would help a lot. I'm also interested in what people have done for lighting on rimless 75 tanks. I have thought about a generic version of TEK lamps or build a wood frame and install the DIY AHsupply compacts I currently have on my 55. I would then suspend this over the aquarium.

And lastly, I would eventually like a nice stained oak stand, but that may have to wait a year or two, especially since I still live in an apartment and would want to wait to stain something NICE until I settle down somewhere more permanently. I also am not a master woodworker, and would not know how to build NICE oak stand, and I do not have the money right now to buy one. I do think I can build something decent with MDF,etc. and some black paint to go along with my minimalist rimless style. Here is something I may try to replicate... http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...%3D1%26hl%3Den

The filtration is the most important issue to me right now, but feel free to make comments suggestions about the rest of the topics I have brought up.

Thanks a lot,

CraigThor

I currently use a sump. I like the possibilities over a canister and easy of maintence. With bulkheads you could easily hide everything. I have a DIY 100 micron filter sock that has a tube hanging below water level in my sump so there is no oxygenation with it. I also keep all of my bio material submersed in a egg crate/ light diffuser box. I built my sump for very little from a 29g tank. Here is the break down on my costs:

DIY PVC overflow(don't need with built in overflows): $20

DIY Sump: $98

29g Tank $50
2.5g bioballs: $25 bought 5g for $50.
Eggcrate material: $12
DIY 100 micron filter sock: $16

Return pump: Quiet One 2200 ~600 gph at 0 head $20 used

DIY PVC Reactor: $15

DIY Spraybar: $10

Misc PVC ball valves/ odds and ends: $20

Total: $183

Add in a Rex Griggs Best Damn Regulator/ Mix of Ferts for PPS classic with a used 5lb filled CO2 tank from a local distrubuter: $300

For $500 I have a massive Filtration with a sweet CO2 setup. I will be starting the PPS Classic dosing this weekend as I need to find some good mixing bottles.

I can post as many pics as you need of my system there are also some in the aquascaping forum with the thread I started yesterday. I can give you whatever help you need also as I love DIY stuff.

Craig

helgymatt

I have been told you can't use bottom of tank bulkheads in sump situations....Not sure why, but I think Tom Barr said this somewhere. If someone knows otherwise, please speak up!

Although that looks like a very nice filtration system...I am all about simplicity! That looks like a lot of "stuff", and to me a canister would be much more user friendly.

Thanks for sharing your set-up Craig!

CraigThor

You would have to run a pipe straight up to the tank water level you want, I also know glassccages can build a glass overflow higher up on the back wall. They have soe pictures of it somewhere on their site.

Craig

Diana K

If you want to stick with canisters you do not need a drilled tank. However, If you do want a drilled tank, @ 4' long, I would have 4 holes.
I have seen some very nice planted tanks with a spray bar at the top of each end, aimed just a little downwards. The surface ripples just enough to keep away any surface scum.
I have run 2 canisters (Fluval 404s) on a 125 gal. They were not quite enough for what I wanted to do so I added a sump. I would not go with Fluvals, any more, though. Rena XP3 seems better.
My 72 gallon bowfront has a Fluval 404, a small Eheim (more like I am keeping it cycled, it is worthless on this size tank as a filter) and a sump with a 300 gph pump.

helgymatt

Does anyone use ocean clear filters?

helgymatt

So I purchased a iwaki 882 gph pump and an ocean clear 340. It should arrive next week. I also ordered a glass cages rimless 75 gallon with two bulkhead holes on the bottom of the tank. $300 shipped...that seems like such a good deal! I almost got their stand, but I can't spend any more money right now. I think I'll build my own stand with MDF and paint it black.

I don't plan to set-up the 75 for a few months, but I might hook up the pump and filter to my 55 to get the biofilter going. I'm sure I'll have to tame this thing down on a 55 or else it will be like the Colorado river in there!

jazzlvr123

I use an ocean clear for my 75 gallon and its by far the best filtration ive ever had on a tank mainly becuase you get to choose the pump you want to run the water through. eheims, fluvals, XP4's circulation rates all die after prolonged use. add a RIO or quiet one pump and you'll never have to worry about your circulation slowing dieing, and if it ever does all you have to do is replace the pump not the entire filter which can be way more costly. so to sum it up ocean clear is by far my favorite closed loop system available most people use it for salt but it works great for FW plated tanks becuase there is no such thing as over filtration. either its adequate or not.

hoppycalif

Please take a lot of photos of the Glasscages tank and let us see what their quality in rimless tanks looks like. I have seen a few photos already, but I keep hearing that their tanks aren't of great quality workmanship.

jazzlvr123

tom barr got a glasscages tank for his 180 and the 2 things I noticed that the trim work at the top was far from adequate kinda an eye sore and some spots and their silicone work is blotchy and excessive it really took away from the look of the tank. I remember him telling me if he could he would have junked the glasscages tank from the get go and gone with an ADA 180. but im just speaking from one tank I saw maybe the work on yours was better