Biulding Wood/glass Agressive SW tank. Help

AndrewMack

AndrewMack

AC Members
Jan 17, 2006
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Fleming Island FL
I am getting ready to start my project of biulding my own tank. its going to be a plywood tank with a acrlyic front. I have right now 260watt of lighting. and my LFS told me 260watt would be good for anything except coral on a tank up to 100 gallon. So my tank size goal is 50-100gallon, The fish i was are a humu trigger, any type of eel, any type of lion fish, and maybe something else compatible. the gentlemen at the LFS told me i wouldnt need any type of skimmer or overflow tanks/sumps. So my questions are, What size tank should i biuld for the fish listed, Sense i'll be buying them fairly small( no more then 3'' each) i dont expect to need a huge tank, and what size filter should i look into? brand names and such . Any info is apreciated, thank you
 
The pump I plan on buying is By danner, its called the Skilter 400, this is a picture and here are some details. please let me know what u think
http://www.aquariumselect.com/skilter400.gif

its a filter that filters up to a 100 gallon tank, and also doubles as a skimmer for a tank up to 125gallons.

here is the lighting that i have, its a jebo 260watt 2x65watt day bulbs and 2x65 actinic bulbs, two fans and 4 moonlights. here is a pic

http://i17.ebayimg.com/03/i/04/fa/a4/a5_1_b.JPG

let me know about this stuff please
 
Before you get into the other equipment I wanted to suggest to you:
for a small tank like that you are much better off purchasing a glass tank from your LFS. I say this to you having experience building my own tanks in the past. But, assuming you are going to ignore this and you are doing this because you think you will "save a lot of money," or "already have the materials," or you're "real handy with tools," or "just because I can," or whatever, I will proceed to the next question:
Why are you using plywood? When I made my tanks I used all glass construction and silicone sealer. I could make a 40 gallon pretty easy with salvage plate glass, had for about 10 bucks, then had it cut by a glass company for about 40.00. It was cheaper than using the correct materials required to build and seal a plywood and acrylic tank. Also be advised, acrylic panels can have a surprising amount of bend/bow, and they scratch really easily. I trust you have done your research, just food for thought. As far as size...
50-75 gallons would be okay for a Dwarf Lionfish and a smaller eel.
P. volitans would require 6 foot tank minimum. Triggers will sometimes pick at the long Lionfish fins.
 
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Yes I have done my research on the acrylic, and i agree with you, I just havent had any luck finding a sheet of glass that i could afford, most places want like 200 bucks for a 1/2'' sheet of glass. as for my LFS a 75 gallon tank is 170 dollars, when i estimated my price for a 100 gallon tank it was about 125. im not doing it to save money, just seems fun and unique. will my lighting be sufficient for a 100 gallon tank? I do not plan on getting any corals anytime soon or at all. I did plan on getting a Dwarf lion fish but thanks for letting me know that about the volitans incase i changed my mind. and what about the filter, is the enough for a 100gallon tank, and what about a sump. was my LFS correct by saying for a tank like mine, with no corals and stuff i shouldnt need one. just a good filter and skimmer?
 
Out of curiosity, how do you plan on fixing the acrylic to the ply? Personally I'd drill out for and overflow, thats the easiest type of tank to drill it would put you into a position where you have more options as time goes on (filtration etc.). Also, I don't know about the skilter I had one about 15 years ago, and it wound up just ciculating a tank and not skimming anything. Oh yeah, post some pics I like these kinds of projects.
 
there is a site www.garf.org it gives you full directions on how to assemble the tank.... I have been trying to understand the point an concept of an overflow but im still not sure. what is the point of another small tank? and what all do i need for this
 
You don't need much more stuff. It is all about moving your filtration out or off of the tank. In fact if you want big aggressive fish it's nice to have a big sump so if a particular fish is being a jerk, chuck em in the sump to cool out. But back to the matter, in general you are going to be able to have a better skimmer, if you need to run UV you've got the space, if you ever want to go reef you can.
 
Ohh cool. Well if I biuld my tank , fill it with water and put a cheap filter on it, can i start adding my substrate and rocks? I wont add Fish untill my lighting and all is installed. can anyone guide me to a website that gives instructions on how to biuld a sump, and all the equiptment i will need? I might throw in a few damsels, they will be a snack for the eel or what ever i decide to add first :)
 
Also Can I add about 1'' of play sand and then put crushed coral on top of that? and with aggressive fish like that would i be able to have snails,hermits, anemones? I still want the tank to be colorfull and look good, i plann on making my own rock to save money
 
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