DIY breeding tank ideas

NinjaPenguin

NinjaPenguin

AC Members
Feb 18, 2007
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Johannesburg, South Africa
I'm toying with a few ideas for a customized 40 to 50G breeding tank and would appreciate your input. Heres 2 ideas I have come up with so far...

breeder_tank2.jpg


5 compartments seperated with perspex/acryllic sheet. Water is drawn though a common pipe fitted with sponge filters, past heater, through powerhead and UV, then returned via spray bar.

Question: Will it draw water in equal amounts or drain the compartment closest to it faster than the furthest compartment?

2nd idea...
breeder_tank3.jpg

Based on the HMF Mattenfilter design - Water is drawn through sponge filter foam into a common channel past heater, through powerhead and UV, then returned via spray bar.

Comments & suggestions will be much appreciated! :)
 
I think if one compartment draws more water it will eventually slow down because the foam would eventually get a little more clogged. If not cleaned too often I would imagine that they would eventually even out. What might be easier is to put screen or sponge in the compartment dividers to allow water to flow between them. This would solve any uneven water flow.
 
Jörg said:
Which species of fish do you want to raise/breed that you need a UV-lamp?
Click to expand...

Hi Jörg

At the moment we are being overrun by guppies, mollys, pearl gouramis and swordtails - no real need for UV there but extra tank space desperately needed. We've made an arrangement with a LFS to take them off our hands in exchange for tanks & food etc.

I'd like to focus on smaller african species like labs and kribs next as theres some serious money to be made there and the UV will give the fry a slightly better chance of making it to adulthood free of disease. We (Wife and I) are not thinking profit but more along the lines of having a self sustaining hobby that we both really enjoy.

Hope this makes sense! :)

Thanks for the link - really helpful! :)
 
Hi ninja,

I like the second option but would replace the filter media with a perforated screen (if you can find one small enough for the fry you have) and put your foam filter on the end of the channel closest to the pump intake. That way you have a smaller filter to clean and when its out of the tank for service, you don't have to worry about fry swimming into the center channel. This suggestion is, of course, if I correctly understood what you're trying to do. Another option is to have some sort of slip-in divider that restricts the movement of fry while servicing the filter. Maybe this helps, maybe I'm off my rocker...but that's my 2cents. BTW...waay cool tank design so far!
 
hatcheridiot said:
Maybe this helps, maybe I'm off my rocker...but that's my 2cents. BTW...waay cool tank design so far!
Click to expand...

Thanks hathceridiot! You are making a lot of sense so if you off your rocker then I must be too! :)

I'm trying to build a miniature prototype to test all the theories before committing to the real thing - will keep the thread up to date as I make progress...
 
My two sense for the for the filter bar... if your concerned about it draining 1 faster then the other.... maybe do a test run with marking the water lines.. if there is a significant differnce.. you could always chang the amount of restriction smaller or bigger to even things out
 
Heres an update

Blended all the kewl ideas I've been given here on AC and settled on the following setup:

breeder_tank4.jpg


The red divider will work as a level control - not allowing the water level in a specific compartment to fall below it. Water is trickled up through the air driven filter pipes a la Stefan Hermsen link. Parts will be scavenged from this type bio filter or made from scratch

I decided that since I have 6 tanks the UV sterilizer should rather be portable and have come up with the following brainwave...

portable_sterilizer.jpg


The dirty and clean water tanks are 5G/25L jerry cans and the inlet can be either an overflow type pipe for running the sterilizer for a couple of hours, or a gravel vac for quick cleanups and water changes. This should save me having to traipse through the house with buckets of water and the mopping up of spilled water afterwards.

If all goes according to plan i'll be buying the glass and acryllic early next week. Can't wait! :)
 
Nice job, can't wait for pics.....you will be providing progress/build pics yes?
 
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