Hello all I just purchaced a 180g tank and am currently housing my 75g brackish fish in it (hand sized red scat, archerfish x2, seabe mono x2, fw eel, spotted puffer, figure 8 puff, and a datnoid) I got the tank half full atm and I'm really liking how it looks. Ok so for the real question lol. What can I use or diy to filter a half full tank this size?? I would really like to do a 55g sump to house all my hob filters but how would I get the water to and from the sump in this situation. Thanks in advance!!!
180g terriarium tank help!!!!
- Thread starter Brackman
- Start date
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mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
you can purchase a HOB overflow box that will do the job, or better yet, stop filling the tank and have it drilled for a 1/5" bulkhead.
Since are wanting a sump and are only gonna have the tank half filled i would suggest drilling it to. BTW a datnoid is not a brackish fish.
BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
Are you calling it a terrarium because you're only filling it halfway? Tanks sold as terrariums often have a label saying "DO NOT FILL WITH WATER" because the glass is too thin to support the pressure of the water. Just some FYI before a broken tank causes a flood.
+1 of having the tank drilled. Make sure the bottom isn't tempered first. You can either build an overflow out of glass/acrylic or attempt to use a standpipe alone to manage the water level.
Put some big branches in the tank so that they stick up out of the water. Buy some crickets, put them on the branches, and hopefully your archers will go to work.
+1 of having the tank drilled. Make sure the bottom isn't tempered first. You can either build an overflow out of glass/acrylic or attempt to use a standpipe alone to manage the water level.
Put some big branches in the tank so that they stick up out of the water. Buy some crickets, put them on the branches, and hopefully your archers will go to work.
As far as the datnoid, all the research I've done on this fish says they live in the wild in fresh to brackish water so how are they not brackish fish??? Many brackish fish sold in pet stores are brackish or do better in mild brackish. As for the tank the glass is 1/2 inch thick it's an aquarium tank I jus wanna do terrarium for the purpose to watch the archers do their thing and to get some mudskippers and maybe some fiddlers for the puffer to munch on now and again. I regrefully had to fill tank full due to funding atm. I'll check to see if it's tempered but not sure(tank is a used tank). But yea I was thinking bout doing 4 40g intank filters an just hide tem with rock piles to make some waterfalls. And one more question. Do u think one canister filter pulling from tank to sump and another of equal power from sump to tank would work or would the low water level cause a problem
This has me a little concerned about the dat. For one the lfs sold in brackish water tank and every site I've been to says they live in fw to brack in the wild? Where did u find your info? I'll post a link when I find it with this info
#1 you listened to the fish store. 95% of the time they are wrong, make them prove to you there info is reliable. And just because they might cross it in the wild does not mean they live in it. They live there life in freshwater.
Only two dats are documented to live in brackish water, the silver and new guinea dats. But both are capable of living in freshwater. The only requirement is your water has to be high in pH and very alkaline (hard). Otherwise, it will become very susceptible to disease and infection and probably will never thrive in your tank. And many people keep them in fresh and they do fine as they live in both in the wild. So what species do you have? If you have a pic i can determine it.
BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
Good to hear. Many people don't understand the strength needed to contain large amounts of water.
I like the idea. If I had a really tall tank, I'd be all over that.
If this is in addition to a sump, go for it. Otherwise, you'll be drastically underfiltered. Personally, I'd use powerheads.
Generally pumping down from the tank is a bad idea. If your return pump fails, you'll be draining your tank and flooding your home. Conversely, if the drain pump fails, you'll overflow your tank and flood your home. Have you looked into DIY overflows? I've seen some PVC designs that could be adapted to a half full tank. They might be a little tricky to get started, but you could make it work.
Not sure the gph on the 40g in tanks but they say up to 40g. With my tank half full I'm thinking around 80-90g. So u think that 4 filter rated for a 40g wouldn't be enough?? I may swap some fish out to lightn the load a little. I'm just trying to get it started as quickly and cheaply as possibe with keeping the health of my fish in mind!
BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
I'm not sure I like the idea of trying to filter a tank that large with internal filters. Besides, you'd have to redo your rock piles every few weeks to clean out the filters.
1 thing i didnt catch before i would want to address is that the puffers are pigs, they will not munch on a fiddler every once in a while, they will hunt all of them down. If you have enough i have seen the work like a pack and follow the fiddler on land and wait for him to go in the water. Also the datnoid and maybe the archer (not sure about the archer) will find the mudskipper yummy once big enough.
lordofworms
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I have a used 90 gallon that I filled halfway. I used the following to create my own filter.
1) Aquaclear 70 Powerhead
2) Old aquarium gravel cleaner
3) filter floss
4) ceramic rings
5) Old breeder box
6) cheap rubbermaid container (the small kind for salad dressings and the like)
A) Take off the hose from your gravel cleaner and attach one end to outflow of powerhead
B) put ceramic rings at bottom of breeder and attach breeder with suction cups just above the level of your water (waterline)
c) drill a hole in the lid of the rubbermaid container just shy of the diameter of the other end of the gravel hose and force other end into hole of lid about a 1/2 inch. (you may opt to silicon here but I didnt have to
Next, drill or use a heated tip of screwdriver (uisng stove or flame) and poke a bunch of holes all around the sides and bottom of the container itself.
D) Pack/Fill the rubbermaid with filterfloss or sponge (your pref)
E) Place lid back on rubbermaid container and set atop the layer of ceramic rings
F) turn on powerhead.
You can easily change media by taking lid off,replacing filterfloss,putting lid back on.
Here are a few pics. to better show.
it has been working well and am in process of building a diy background to have more of a waterfall effect.(to hide the tubing,DIY filter and all)
I would gather some of the more experienced aquarists here can offer a better solution then what I have, or perhaps add to it with better suggestions. maybe (2) for your size tank?
I can post shots of that when I am done if interested.
the reason I like this DIY version over say one of those storebought reptile terrarium filters is of course the fun in saying "hey I did that" but also because I can adjust the flow/filtering rate, its easy to clean and was affordable (since I already had all the stuff lying around not sure about your situation) and i did the whole project in less then an hour.
1) Aquaclear 70 Powerhead
2) Old aquarium gravel cleaner
3) filter floss
4) ceramic rings
5) Old breeder box
6) cheap rubbermaid container (the small kind for salad dressings and the like)
A) Take off the hose from your gravel cleaner and attach one end to outflow of powerhead
B) put ceramic rings at bottom of breeder and attach breeder with suction cups just above the level of your water (waterline)
c) drill a hole in the lid of the rubbermaid container just shy of the diameter of the other end of the gravel hose and force other end into hole of lid about a 1/2 inch. (you may opt to silicon here but I didnt have to
Next, drill or use a heated tip of screwdriver (uisng stove or flame) and poke a bunch of holes all around the sides and bottom of the container itself.
D) Pack/Fill the rubbermaid with filterfloss or sponge (your pref)
E) Place lid back on rubbermaid container and set atop the layer of ceramic rings
F) turn on powerhead.
You can easily change media by taking lid off,replacing filterfloss,putting lid back on.
Here are a few pics. to better show.
it has been working well and am in process of building a diy background to have more of a waterfall effect.(to hide the tubing,DIY filter and all)
I would gather some of the more experienced aquarists here can offer a better solution then what I have, or perhaps add to it with better suggestions. maybe (2) for your size tank?
I can post shots of that when I am done if interested.
the reason I like this DIY version over say one of those storebought reptile terrarium filters is of course the fun in saying "hey I did that" but also because I can adjust the flow/filtering rate, its easy to clean and was affordable (since I already had all the stuff lying around not sure about your situation) and i did the whole project in less then an hour.
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