MY FIRST 250 Gallon DIY TANK

N

naddu4u

AC Members
Dec 10, 2009
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Doha, Qatar
Here goes!!! After some thorough experimenting and research and reading tons of threads from many forums including AquariaCentral. I a Newbie have come to the conclusion that building my own tank from scratch DIY style is the only way I can be fully satisfied and appreciate the value of a Fish tank. After all compare the pleasure and sense of achievement u gt about ur own creation, with that of a ready made setup.

Pics will follow soon... for updates my Discus pair just laid eggs last nite, i didnt even kno these guys were a pair till my friend dropped by n noticed,
literally screaming at me for still keepin em in the same tank as ma other discus!!!! :o I didnt know!!! neways he are some pics of my present experiment tank.... its a 65 gallon 150cm- length x 40 cm breadth x 50cm height. By the looks of it am not happy. Its being filtered by an AquaOne Aquis 1000 canister filter. no lighting, or canopy was placed keeping in mind it was only experimental.

The new Tank Dimensions are 180cm L x 80 cm B x 80cm H. Measures upto 250 gallons. Glass of approx 14mm thickness would be my choice as wood sounds risky for a newbie like me....

This project will be running in phases.
1st phase is building the Stand skeleton
2nd Phase is building the Glass tank with overflow unit
3rd Phase is the Sump with Wet/Dry filtration
4th Phase is the Plumbing
5th phase is the Canopy with Lighting (Moon light including)

Guys please stop me and lemme know where I go wrong. I might be goin slow on this project bcos of my work timings and other responsibilities but please bear with me....
 
rithunder916 said:
sounds good and just remember to take it slow. Research and make sure everything's perfect before you start.


MIke
Click to expand...

Thanks alot Mike, appreciate it alot... Just bought 2 sheets of 4x6 Plywood and 6 pieces of 4 meter wooden blocks of 3"x3". Will measure and mark everything tomorrow as its my off. Prolly might even start the cutting and mock setups.
 
PICs and video of my Discus laying Eggs

Happy New year to all...

Sorry for not posting much but here are couple of pics i took while making the stand... slightly set back due to financial reasons... will have to reconsider the size of my tank... ne suggestions for a decent size community tank. Currently holding on discus fish in my 70 gallon tank (Dimensions 150 cm length x 40 cm width x 50 cm height) I find it too short so wanna go for something taller around 80 cm to a meter tall... neways here are a couple of pics of the stand more to follow by tomorrow....

check out also my Discus laying its eggs..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AssaQX32_Zg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DYr2qNU5ME


cheers

PS: PLEASE COMMENT and suggest me ne ideas for improvement...

DSC04600.JPG DSC04601.JPG DSC04602.JPG DSC04603.JPG
 
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Looks great dude! It's hard to pin down a "good size" for a community tank, as you can have a decent community in almost any sized tank. The real question is what kind of fish do you want to keep in the tank (is it specifically for the discus?) and what is the best size for them.

Good luck with the project. Keep posting updates, I can't wait to see the progress!
 
Tank size

jbradt said:
Looks great dude! It's hard to pin down a "good size" for a community tank, as you can have a decent community in almost any sized tank. The real question is what kind of fish do you want to keep in the tank (is it specifically for the discus?) and what is the best size for them.

Good luck with the project. Keep posting updates, I can't wait to see the progress!
Click to expand...

Yes its specifically for Discus and tetras, more specifically for plants n aqua scaping.

Becos adult discus are almost 6" in size, (they are most oval than round) i need to have enough space in the tank to keep atleast 10-15 of them with ample space to swim... keeping all these in mind i figured that a tank with dimension of 180x80x80cm wud be sufficient. The problem however lies in the cost and thickness of the glass. For this specific dimensions I will need atleast 18-20mm thick glass which is not cheap in this part of the world (Qatar, Middle East) Can neone suggest me websites where i can gt them shipped for cheaper rates....?
 
Great vid! Thanks for sharing!

On the stand....are the horizontal members joined to the uprights with mortise and tenon joints..can't quite tell. If so great..if they are just butt joints you may want a jack stud under them to help support them.
 
horizontal members

Rbishop said:
Great vid! Thanks for sharing!

On the stand....are the horizontal members joined to the uprights with mortise and tenon joints..can't quite tell. If so great..if they are just butt joints you may want a jack stud under them to help support them.
Click to expand...


I was thinking of keeping them so i could have the lighting hung from the members but i figured its more of a hassle so had them cut off, more pics will follow soon...
 
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