chunkylover817

well maybe im getting ahead of myself, but the owner of some new place i work at just sold me his 300 gal long aquarium!!! whooo!!!!!!!!ahhh!!!!!! luckily for me, i ended up working for him, imagine if i wouldnt have...... im giving him 750$, i can give him monthly payments too!, so anywayz, i was wondering, does anyone have any neat ideas that i can make for this monstrosity... oh and btw, hes including filters and lights! i swear imma have a heart attk as soon as i get it!! wish me luck pplz X)

also, another question, does anyone know of any good places they recommend for building stands to withstand such weight??

Avi

Okay, Chunky...here's my recommendation...The first thing to do, is to look into and make a make a decision as to how much of a commitment you're willing and able to give to a planted tank, because there are different approaches and people are successful in the various approaches. So, for example, do you want to have a low tech planted tank? This would be far less expensive for you but you'd be somewhat more limited in the kinds of plants you'd be able to keep. Or, do you want to go higher tech with pressurized CO2 and more lighting, etc. which would require some more attention to your tank but enable you to keep more varieties of plants? Personally, I would suggest that you go higher tech but it's really a matter of individual choice. In either, you'd get plenty of help and advice right here.

hooha

^^^^^^ good advice. You can also look into 'medium tech' - high light with CO2 and a soil substrate capped with SMS/flourite/etc. With a tank that big if you go high tech with a lot of stem plants maintainence is going to be a killer.

As for the stand, something that big I wouldn't risk trying to build your own, I would get one that's pre-built. Personally I would always be worrying about the stand failing and 7 bathtubs-worth of water all over the house....but that's me

Avi

Well, "medium tech" seems to be pretty cloe to "high tech" but we're on the same page there. And, hooha's makes a good point about making sure that you make sure that your flooring for your 300-gallon tank is definitely capable of handling its weight.

chunkylover817

yep, im sure the floor can hold quite alot of weight, and no!!! i was never planning on building my own stand, especially this being the first if i WAS to build one

i was thinking i would go low tech, not sure yet, just not that crazy bout stems plants and how they melt at the bottom naturally as they grow and all the colors they give, i pretty much want just a fully green tank, of course with about a 100 rummynose chasing each other in and out of plants

jaidexl

I'd think about plant species and the scape, too. That is going have an impact on the required level of maintenance the same way high light and CO2 will. A tank with an Elatine carpet, and stems as you mentioned, is going to be a lot tougher to keep up with than one full of rhizomes. Grasses and mosses might be somewhere in the middle save a few tank buster species. A biotope tank with floating plants and a bare bottom, bare wood or stone hardscape would be about the easiest and still be considered planted.

What about a 300gl Iwagumi or Wabi Kusa... or riparium? I would so love a chance to think outside of a 300gl box.

Nerbaneth

I'm not usually a big fan of iwagumi, but a 300gal one would be IMPRESSIVE! and simple.
-Danny

chunkylover817

ew.... a 300 gallon iwagumi....hmmmm :/

dont worry im sure you will be able to play around with a big tank too!

chunkylover817

i agree on the simpleness of the design of an iwagumi, i was thinking that i was going with a low light planted tank

BUT! now ive been told that he was going to include lights( supposedly metal halide)(but we'll see)

chunkylover817

heres a pic of what i just got today!note: the overflow filter tank isnt pictured, will post soon!