220 Gallon Cichlid Tank Build

[roydooms]

I like the setup. The black sand will make the decor and fishes colors pop out. Loving the LED lights. You mentioned that you'll try a couple real plants. Are you still going to do that? Can't wait to see the complete setup. Keep us updated Michael

 

[WendiDell]

I wouldn't worry about your decor, if I were you. You have a great eye and even outside the tank it looks beautiful.
As far as real or fake plants go, I tried a couple real in the beginning and my Cichlids dug em up and thrashed them. Mine are all fake now and the fish leave them alone.
You have to be picky about the fake ones though. Some look great and some look like ....But as with everything else you've done I think you'll make great choices.

 

[BigJim]

I really like the LEDs. it's a good look.

If you're going with SA cichlids, I'm with mfd concerning the plastic plants. I got tired of cleaning mine and eventually they just start falling apart. Live plants are a good challenge.

 

[hdultra]

Thanks for the comments. I'm putting in AFRICAN CICHLID's. My 55 gallon has 19 of them. It's time to move some of them out because they have outgrown the tank. I think I will put some fake plants here and there just to give it dimension.
Later I will try some Java Ferns just to see what happens. The LED's are going to be hidden so that when you look at the tank you will not be able to see the bulbs.

Thanks for the comments Rookie, Roy, Big Jim, Mandy and Wendi.

 

[hdultra]

I bought one of these reef keepers to control everything in the tank.
It will switch on and off lights. Control times for the FX5's.
Also will control the heater I bought.

The RKE system includes two PC4s; that's 8 outlets to control! You also get an SL1 that will allow you to monitor pH, ORP, temperature and two switches; not to mention a free temperature probe and pH probe.

I'm a electronic freek, I love gadgets.

Rookie I already know, It's a waste of money..... LOL

 

[WhiteDevil]

MFD is 1000% correct, at the end of the day its YOUR tank and YOU gotta look at it.

I see the layout pic above and to me it look awesome, I dig the backlit cavern ALOT. I think you just gave me some ideas for my turtle tank and the rockwork I need to always re-do in there.

I got a few ideas for egg crate comparibles, how opposed to having powerheads in the tank are you? I used to run a RUGF system using marineland 660R powerheads and to be honest a year later when I cleaned the tank out there was NO dirties under the plate at all, this will protect as well as give you more filtration and flow, heck you can even cut a spot out for your LED lights too.

I just know that tons of crap get stuck in the egg crate and it got real frustrating at times to clean up.

 

[roydooms]

I bought one of these reef keepers to control everything in the tank.
It will switch on and off lights. Control times for the FX5's.
Also will control the heater I bought.

The RKE system includes two PC4s; that's 8 outlets to control! You also get an SL1 that will allow you to monitor pH, ORP, temperature and two switches; not to mention a free temperature probe and pH probe.

I'm a electronic freek, I love gadgets.

Rookie I already know, It's a waste of money..... LOL

Nice! I want one. LOL. Aren't you going to run both fx5s at the same time? You going to let one rest then turn on the other one?

 

[hdultra]

MFD is 1000% correct, at the end of the day its YOUR tank and YOU gotta look at it.

I see the layout pic above and to me it look awesome, I dig the backlit cavern ALOT. I think you just gave me some ideas for my turtle tank and the rockwork I need to always re-do in there.

I got a few ideas for egg crate comparibles, how opposed to having powerheads in the tank are you? I used to run a RUGF system using marineland 660R powerheads and to be honest a year later when I cleaned the tank out there was NO dirties under the plate at all, this will protect as well as give you more filtration and flow, heck you can even cut a spot out for your LED lights too.

I just know that tons of crap get stuck in the egg crate and it got real frustrating at times to clean up.

I don't think that RUGF will work with Cichlid sand. I'm not against power heads. Years ago I had a RUGF system. I think with the sand allot of the waste will be trapped by the FX5's and also with Vacuuming. On this tank the sand will not be as deep. I'm thinking about a inch.

 

[hdultra]

Nice! I want one. LOL. Aren't you going to run both fx5s at the same time? You going to let one rest then turn on the other one?

I'm thinking of staggering the run time. During the day I think I will run both.
And at night have one shut down while there is sleep time. It's just a thought in my mind right now. I'm sure I will get some advise on that.

It make sense to me thou.

 

[WhiteDevil]

OH, see I didnt read all 14 prior pages(had to speed read havnt had my comp since mid december).

Can you take a few different pics of that cavern for me? Id really like to build something that same scale in my turtles tank. I am working with shale from lowryder and a few chunks of large rocks and a 6" terra cotta pot to keep the basking surface above the water line.

Its not a good idea but I did put 120 pounds of play sand on top of my ugf plate before I put the powerheads on. I tried it hooked to twin AC70 hob's but the second I plugged those 660R's in, it was like a nuke went off in the tank, pretty cool to watch but yeah it was not an option anymore after that.

 

[BigJim]

I'm putting in AFRICAN CICHLID's.

Thanks for clearing that up. With africans I think I'd skip the plants altogether and just build a giant rock structure. One of my LFSs has 75G african tank set up with a lot of Texas Holey rock and it looks really good with just the rocks.

 

[Tim Wheatley]

I'm thinking of staggering the run time. During the day I think I will run both.
And at night have one shut down while there is sleep time. It's just a thought in my mind right now. I'm sure I will get some advise on that.

It make sense to me thou.

Not sure that'll work out too well. I wouldn't want sediment to settle and possibly block things. Also the FX5 clears itself of gases automatically. When you turn it on it'll start and stop a few times, then it'll start/stop every 24 hours to clear them.

The 24 hour check doesn't disturb my fish, but whenever I turn the filter off completely and restart the startup test definitely does. My Silver Dollars try to swim through the glass. You'd be subjecting the fish to that shock every day, my SDs only get it when I rinse the filter out and have it off. Not sure how jumpy Africans are, but the SDs would hate that... My Oscar doesn't pay it any attention though.

 

[WhiteDevil]

I bought one of these reef keepers to control everything in the tank.
It will switch on and off lights. Control times for the FX5's.
Also will control the heater I bought.

The RKE system includes two PC4s; that's 8 outlets to control! You also get an SL1 that will allow you to monitor pH, ORP, temperature and two switches; not to mention a free temperature probe and pH probe.

I'm a electronic freek, I love gadgets.

Rookie I already know, It's a waste of money..... LOL

We got the RKL system, It controls 8 outlets as well I think, I know we are running the Co2,lights and heaters off them and that is 7 outlets right there.

It makes things alot easier to monitor. and on a large tank its a modern marvel.
Here it is running

The other half of the SL1's slaves screwed to the pantry wall on the left(this is all clean now and on their own electrical board)

we are redoing the tank room and pulled all the face boards off the stand, I think I am going to drill a hole and use a desk plug and route all the wires thru there instead of from behind the tank.

half the parameters at a glance, life is good LOL

 

[WhiteDevil]

I gotta agree with TIM on the filter staggering.

 

[hdultra]

Not sure that'll work out too well. I wouldn't want sediment to settle and possibly block things. Also the FX5 clears itself of gases automatically. When you turn it on it'll start and stop a few times, then it'll start/stop every 24 hours to clear them.

The 24 hour check doesn't disturb my fish, but whenever I turn the filter off completely and restart the startup test definitely does. My Silver Dollars try to swim through the glass. You'd be subjecting the fish to that shock every day, my SDs only get it when I rinse the filter out and have it off. Not sure how jumpy Africans are, but the SDs would hate that... My Oscar doesn't pay it any attention though.

The only thought there was power consumption. Yes at start up the pump runs for two minutes and then shuts down to release bubbles. Then at every 24 hours it shuts down again to release more bubbles. Don't you think either way it's going to do it at 24 hours anyway.
I hear you on the sediments, I would think the two mechanical filters in the FX5's would catch most sediments before they get to the Biomax media.

 

[hdultra]

We got the RKL system, It controls 8 outlets as well I think, I know we are running the Co2,lights and heaters off them and that is 7 outlets right there.

It makes things alot easier to monitor. and on a large tank its a modern marvel.
Here it is running

The other half of the SL1's slaves screwed to the pantry wall on the left(this is all clean now and on their own electrical board)

we are redoing the tank room and pulled all the face boards off the stand, I think I am going to drill a hole and use a desk plug and route all the wires thru there instead of from behind the tank.

half the parameters at a glance, life is good LOL

That's a cool setup. Heck that's a science project.

 

[Tim Wheatley]

The only thought there was power consumption. Yes at start up the pump runs for two minutes and then shuts down to release bubbles. Then at every 24 hours it shuts down again to release more bubbles. Don't you think either way it's going to do it at 24 hours anyway.
I hear you on the sediments, I would think the two mechanical filters in the FX5's would catch most sediments before they get to the Biomax media.

The startup test is much worse than the 24 hour one. My SD's don't care about the 24 hour, but as I said they are terrified of the startup. The 24 hour doesn't give time for the siphon effect to give air issues in the tubes, the startup does.

 

[WhiteDevil]

That's a cool setup. Heck that's a science project.

the filters are below the bottom cut off of that pic. I lost alot of pics when my comp went down so Im missing 2 months worth of pics so I got before the before and afters lol.

Its nuts but its doing the job, that bottom pic will be updated next saturday when I move 3 big blues to under the RO on the left and just run them off a mag drive 950 then back under the tank to the UV filter then back into the tank. It was all hard plumbed but had to ditch that to make room for electrical surface lines behind the 210.

 

[Puggle88]

Omg!!!!!! That sounds sooo fricken cool!! How much does owning one of those huge tanks cost? 5,000 bucks? And that kind of cycling set up must take foreverzz! U guys must be fricken loaded. Lol. Id be too lazy and too impatient to take care of a big tank like that any way so when i wanna go see an awsome fish tank i go sit by the cool huge ones at awsome restrants. Lol. My tanks only a 5 gallon, but i still love it. good luck with ur's cuz it sounds to me like all that time and money is definantly worth it! U should randomly put a chubby gold fish in there. Lol jk gold fish are silly. But it would Be cool and kindof funny. Lol but any way GOOD LUCK!

 

[hdultra]

Well people I got the tank up and running finally. I had bought some filter media at the LFS. And put it in there filter system's for 2 weeks. I hope this helps the cycling go a little faster. I put the filter media in both FX5's. And then took my Marineland 280 that was cycled in my 55 gallon tank and set it up in the new tank temporarily. At least until it cycles.

I used prime as the dechlorinate, Temp is 77f.

After 12 hours of running I took water test and they are:

Ammonia .50
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
PH 8.8

The PH is a little high for me. I put a piece of African driftwood in there, hoping it will help bring it down some.

The tank is somewhat cloudy right now.