# My DIY 120 Rimless Tank =]



## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)

Hello guys,

I'm nearly 100% done so I thought I would post some pictures of my tank.

Hope you guys like it  Feel free to comment whether it's criticism or some advice !

Take care


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## Daniil (Oct 30, 2009)

Very nice 
Pic #3 is that overflow on the side?


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## hariom (Sep 2, 2008)

well,
the mopani wood looks nice though some close ups of the tank will also be nice. we'd like to know more about your setup...and hardware. the aquascape should create some awesome depth once the plants start filling in.
Hope the floaters are doing well!

good luck!


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## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)

Daniil said:


> Very nice
> Pic #3 is that overflow on the side?


Yesssir, it's an overflow. I wanted to save some space + didn't want to "butcher" the look of the rimless tank with some BIG BOX full of crap


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## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)

hariom said:


> well,
> the mopani wood looks nice though some close ups of the tank will also be nice. we'd like to know more about your setup...and hardware. the aquascape should create some awesome depth once the plants start filling in.
> Hope the floaters are doing well!
> 
> good luck!


yeah you're right I owe some explanation ...

First of all I want to say that I tried to keep it as low budget as possible so it's NOT perfect. It's the 1st time I made a tank of this size so once again it didn't come out as a store bought tank, however since it's a DIY I was able to make it to suit my needs, taste and budget 

42"x31"20" front back and bottom glass made out of 5/8 sheet, sides made out of 0.5"

Lightning: 2x 150W HQI ( one is 6500K and other is 8000K )

Heating - substrate coil

25lb CO2 tank + ph controller

Filtration: DIY filter made out of 33gal long tank

Substrate : mineralized top soil + laterite + eco complete + some ordinary "river pebbles"

some of the live stock: SAEs + school of corydoras + 4x Hypselecara temporalis, 2x Laetacara curviceps, 2x Pelvicachromis pulchers, 1x Mesonauta festivum, 1x Apteronotus albifrons ( awaiting for 5x Ancistrus sp. albino and hopefully will get some more festivums 

It's a young set up, plants are just getting used to the new home =) so I won't post much about water parameters since it's not like I'm having any crazy growth in there

Take care


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## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)

couple more pics


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## AquaDean (Oct 29, 2009)

Nice!! Really Nice, bet it was a bear to lift around with that thick glass. I like the over flow out of the tank, great idea!


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## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)

AquaDean said:


> Nice!! Really Nice, bet it was a bear to lift around with that thick glass. I like the over flow out of the tank, great idea!


Haha, yeah brother - it was a B.... to move but I luv it =] There is no bending your back when you lift this otherwise it will crack  You should've seen the sheets of glass I dragged from craigslist which I used to build this tank ... oh man :X BUT the best part is ... they were FREE !!!

And thanks, the overflow wasn't exactly MY idea ... I researched tons of overflows and something external like the one that I made suited my vision the best so I went ahead with THAT design!


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## Taytay (Jan 2, 2010)

Very nice job with the aquascaping and great job overall. I like your driftwood and plants. What plant is that with the tall, thin stem and a big leaf at the top? And how did you get glass for free??


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## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)

Taytay said:


> Very nice job with the aquascaping and great job overall. I like your driftwood and plants. What plant is that with the tall, thin stem and a big leaf at the top? And how did you get glass for free??


I believe you're talking about Echinodorus grandiflorus.

Craigslist : Free Stuff


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## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)




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## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)




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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Looks like it's filling in. Man, I can't believe you made this! ..and free no less! Pretty amazing!


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## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)

Tex Gal said:


> Looks like it's filling in. Man, I can't believe you made this! ..and free no less! Pretty amazing!


ha, thank you !

well I had to pay for the silicone ... and had to get some beer for my friends who helped holding the sheets of glass as we were putting them together 

I'll be making another one like that ... even bigger ! Wish me luck =]

update pic


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## teacherthomas (Jul 14, 2006)

What are the dimensions of the overflow box? Do you find the size good for cleaning and getting at the bulkheads?
Can you show pictures of the overflow on the tank and running?


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## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)

teacherthomas said:


> What are the dimensions of the overflow box? Do you find the size good for cleaning and getting at the bulkheads?
> Can you show pictures of the overflow on the tank and running?


Hello there,

dimensions of the overflow are approx 9x9x4

I haven't played much with the box, I was going to put some pipes and stand them up, drill them and then put a sponge over that but it seems totally unnecessary now

cleaning is super easy ( even tho I never cleaned it yet ) all I would do is just to take the top rectangle shaped sponge ( using the one from aquaclear filter ) and rinse it, but seriously all I do is sometimes after trimming the leaves and steams get to the surface and then to the box - that's the only cleaning I do to it.

If you're thinking about making the same box, my suggestion would be to make more openings without compromising the level ... aka when I was building this tank ( it is my 1st of that size and very 1st with an overflow ) I didn't think that the box I will make will be that big, so only one semicircle has been drilled in the side wall - if I was going to do this today I would drill as many as the overflow side could handle - I mean, on the 9inch length of that box I would drill as many as they could fit ( that way you can crank up the flow of your pump possibly all the way up, I can't because the flow tru the one semicircle is limited ( on top of me using a monster pump :X ) ) To be honest it doesn't really bother me, since all I need is a gentle flow, this isn't my mechanical filter it's all about the chemical filtration here. Other than that I'm extremely happy I chose that design and not something other ... if I had the money for some fluval x5 I believe it's called, I would make 2 holes in the side wall and connect the in and out lines tru there - once again that is only if I was using a filter that is enclosed, no sump etc = ]

Hope that answers your question ! pm me if I could be any help !

peace


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## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)

1 month old

thank you to some folks on this forum for hooking me up with Ammannia g. riccia glosso and Rotala w !

ps. any suggestions as of what to do to get my Echinodorus grow would be greatly appreciated !!! I have a bad "luck" whit that plant yet I luv them so much !


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## teacherthomas (Jul 14, 2006)

Thanks, I will take you suggestion an make the opening as big as possible, I noticed a small opening on yours and was wondering why you decided to make it so small, now I know.. 



voytek333 said:


> Hello there,
> 
> dimensions of the overflow are approx 9x9x4
> 
> ...


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## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)

teacherthomas said:


> Thanks, I will take you suggestion an make the opening as big as possible, I noticed a small opening on yours and was wondering why you decided to make it so small, now I know..


yeah, make it bigger but do not sacrifice the height of it - I mean go "wide" don't cut it lower  It looks terrible ( IMO ) then there is a rimless, open tank and the water level in it is couple inches from the top ... not nice =]

but to defend myself lol it's not a biggie if you make it that small either, just make sure that your pump isn't too strong for the overflow + it's not like this filtration is my mechanical filter ... it only takes stuff from the surface so it doesn't really matter that much how fast the flow is ! ( you will need a mechanical filter too ... powerheads are cool cuz they have super strong GPH rates, you slide a sponge on that sucker and voila ! very good mechanical filter + it moves the water in the tank very well !


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## RapidSixGuns (Feb 6, 2010)

yup, i agree with the others....nice, very nice project and finish. 2 thumbs up !!!


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## teacherthomas (Jul 14, 2006)

I might have missed something here, but usually in a planted tank we use the plants as the mechanical filter, and the reason for using a sump would be 1) to increase the water volume when you don't have the space or interested in having a larger tank but you wnat it to be more stable 2) to hide the equipment out of the tank (heaters, cords, intakes, etc 3) to be used as a chemical filtration, with lots of area for good bacteria to be formed 4) as an growing area for new plants, and baby fish 4) to help manage the PH swing / and depleted oxygen level on a tank with lights off as you can have the lights come on in an area of the sump where lots of fast growing stem plant are so that the plants can absorb the excessive nutrients and filter the water as well as remove Co2 and increase water's O2 at night. 5) because the tank came drilled as a reeef tank and you decided what the HECK, might as well use a sump.

In your case you stated that it


voytek333 said:


> it's not like this filtration is my mechanical filter ... it only takes stuff from the surface so it doesn't really matter that much how fast the flow is ! ( you will need a mechanical filter too ... powerheads are cool cuz they have super strong GPH rates, you slide a sponge on that sucker and voila ! very good mechanical filter + it moves the water in the tank very well !


So if you have to add powerheads and sponges to the tank, for filtration and flow, wouldn't you have been better off just using a 1200l/hr canister filter and avoiding the sump? I might be missing something here, so please explain if time.



voytek333 said:


> yeah, make it bigger but do not sacrifice the height of it - I mean go "wide" don't cut it lower  It looks terrible ( IMO ) then there is a rimless, open tank and the water level in it is couple inches from the top ... not nice =] !


I agree with you there, if you are spending the extra money to buy or build a rimless tank with the thicker glass, why not keep the tank as full as possible (though here in Taiwan with all the earthquakes it is sometimes a lot of trouble cleaning up after with all the water that comes out of a "full" rimless tank


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## medicTHREE (Feb 5, 2010)

teacherthomas said:


> I might have missed something here, but usually in a planted tank we use the plants as the mechanical filter, and the reason for using a sump would be 1) to increase the water volume when you don't have the space or interested in having a larger tank but you wnat it to be more stable 2) to hide the equipment out of the tank (heaters, cords, intakes, etc 3) to be used as a chemical filtration, with lots of area for good bacteria to be formed 4) as an growing area for new plants, and baby fish 4) to help manage the PH swing / and depleted oxygen level on a tank with lights off as you can have the lights come on in an area of the sump where lots of fast growing stem plant are so that the plants can absorb the excessive nutrients and filter the water as well as remove Co2 and increase water's O2 at night. 5) because the tank came drilled as a reeef tank and you decided what the HECK, might as well use a sump.


I know that NPT are popular here, but I disagree with using plants as the mechanical filter. Plants do not remove detrius from the tank. Plants provide a mechanism for breaking down nitrate. They do not effect the build up of mulm in your tank and thus a filter would remove this. On other forums, Sumps are growing in popularity on freshwater tanks. If done right you can minimize the loss of Co2 and maximize your filtration. My understanding of chemical filtration is that which is chemical media(carbon, purigen, nitrate adsorbers). Bacteria is biofiltration.


> In your case you stated that it
> 
> So if you have to add powerheads and sponges to the tank, for filtration and flow, wouldn't you have been better off just using a 1200l/hr canister filter and avoiding the sump? I might be missing something here, so please explain if time.


Sumps offer a much more customizable option to filtration with many great advantages. The only hypothetical disadvantage is co2 loss, and that can be lessened with minimal surface agitation in the sump.


> I agree with you there, if you are spending the extra money to buy or build a rimless tank with the thicker glass, why not keep the tank as full as possible (though here in Taiwan with all the earthquakes it is sometimes a lot of trouble cleaning up after with all the water that comes out of a "full" rimless tank


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## PeterE (Feb 9, 2010)

Very cool tank! I sense having to do something similar eventually, because my budget is microscopic, but that looks great! Your aquascape looks nice too, with the big log. Have fun with it!


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## teacherthomas (Jul 14, 2006)

However, in most cases where sumps are used, and for that matter in most planted tanks, isn't it the "water changes" which remove most of the detrius? In my tanks, the weekly water changes using a siphon to suck out the water and the buildup on the bottom is what keeps the tank bottom looking clean. As well as the cat fish and cory fish swimming around and disturbing the buildup, breaking it to small pieces and moving it into the water circulation where it is sucked up by the filter or broken down further to become a part of the substrate.

Yes, the would be correct, it technically is not chemical filtration but rather biofiltration. Most planted tanks to do really have "Chemical" filtration I have found.

My problem is more I am wondering. If I am spending the money to get a new tank and I have two options. One, a tank with an outside on-the-side or on-the-back overflow, and then a sump or two, a standrad rimless tank with two cansister filters, which would be better.

I see the advantages of the sump to have everything out of the tank, so I don't have to try and hide all the wires and tubes, more water volume and possibly and easier filtration method to clean and maintain.

Disadvantages seem to be, higher cost with plumbing, cost of sump, good pump and more possibility of leaks with all the joints and connections used. The tank has to be drilled or cut to allow for the overflow.



medicTHREE said:


> I know that NPT are popular here, but I disagree with using plants as the mechanical filter. Plants do not remove detrius from the tank. Plants provide a mechanism for breaking down nitrate. They do not effect the build up of mulm in your tank and thus a filter would remove this. On other forums, Sumps are growing in popularity on freshwater tanks. If done right you can minimize the loss of Co2 and maximize your filtration. My understanding of chemical filtration is that which is chemical media(carbon, purigen, nitrate adsorbers). Bacteria is biofiltration. Sumps offer a much more customizable option to filtration with many great advantages. The only hypothetical disadvantage is co2 loss, and that can be lessened with minimal surface agitation in the sump.


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## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)

teacherthomas said:


> However, in most cases where sumps are used, and for that matter in most planted tanks, isn't it the "water changes" which remove most of the detrius? In my tanks, the weekly water changes using a siphon to suck out the water and the buildup on the bottom is what keeps the tank bottom looking clean. As well as the cat fish and cory fish swimming around and disturbing the buildup, breaking it to small pieces and moving it into the water circulation where it is sucked up by the filter or broken down further to become a part of the substrate.
> 
> IMHO it's a waste of time when you need to be "hunting" for "dirt" trying to siphon it tru the hose, I much rather have a powerhead with a sponge which I will clean once a month or so + which will add water current to the tank =]
> 
> ...


and what kind of "plumbing" do you need that exceeds the cost of a carnister filter ? an 8dollar bulkhead or a 5buck hose ? Leaks ? I think you're thinking about the PVC parts that people sometimes use - I do not like nor have those, IMO its better to have everything as flexible as possible, I dislike PVC plumbing. Drilling the glass isn't such a big deal if you get yourself a good drill =] or simply let your glacier do it, you do not want to buy a 40-100 drill just for one hole that you may mess up drilling


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## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)

sump - I made outta idk 33gal long tank which I found on the street one day =] 

on the other pics you can see the CO2 tank + the filtration chambers which I spoke about in the previous post  



Thanks for looking !


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## teacherthomas (Jul 14, 2006)

Voytek, thanks for your answers. They are very helpful to me in doing what i am planning.

Regarding filtration, to be honest I find that it is a little confusing. 
Mechanical filtration, easy. However, when defining chemical filtration, some people say that is only when using carbon or something else that chemically removed stuff from the water. Where as, Biological filtration or Biofiltration is when we use good bacteria to make the tank safe.

Either way, they both amount to the same thing. A good tank. 

I have been saving up for this tank for a while, so I have the money to pay for it, just don't want to waste money buying or setting up something when there was a better way. I see many people stating they are using a sump to "keep the tank empty of stuff" and then saying they had to add a cansiter filter and a few power heads, which seemed strange.

Again I like the simplicity of the sump for cleaning, the larger media area and the fact that I have more water volume. 

Thanks for the information on not using PVC. I will keep that in mind. The flexiable hoses should make life a great deal easier, and cheaper!


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## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)

teacherthomas said:


> Voytek, thanks for your answers. They are very helpful to me in doing what i am planning.
> 
> Regarding filtration, to be honest I find that it is a little confusing.
> Mechanical filtration, easy. However, when defining chemical filtration, some people say that is only when using carbon or something else that chemically removed stuff from the water. Where as, Biological filtration or Biofiltration is when we use good bacteria to make the tank safe.
> ...


No problem man !

As of the filtration ... I think that no matter how good your biofiltration will be, you still want a relatively strong water movement especially if the tank is big ( whether it's really long or so squarish that there might be some "dead" zones ) so you will want a powerhead possibly in the opposite corner of where the return from the sump is ( to force the water to circle better ) ( they are not expensive, easy to clean and they operate at low cost too 

I see your point on defining chem and bio filtration ( I must have generalized it too much before saying that this and that could be called chemical filtration, referring to the whole ammonia cycle blah blah ok we're done with that =)

The bottom line is you gotta make it work best for you, your room space, stand space, your budget and so on.

If you do go with that kind of overflow I suggest two improvements - 1 make the opening wider, 2 add some eggcrate so that when your fish decide to get curious about what's inside the overflow they won't be able to get there  I just lost two plecos who crawled in there with their succker mouths :/ JUST BE CAREFUL to not pick something that is too dense, since that may clog up very easily and the water instead of falling trough the overflow it will flow over the sides 

if you're not using pressurized CO2, I would just drill 2 holes for some huge carnister filter's in and outtake hoses and skip the whole overflow/sump. The fluval X5 I believe looks soo cool =) There is always pros and cons, whatever you go with =]

so, what's your project gonna be ?


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## tunerz (Feb 15, 2010)

Looks great, wish I had the time to do one myself


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## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)

tunerz said:


> Looks great, wish I had the time to do one myself


if you get everything prepared, it won't take you more than 30 min to put it together =)

=] and THANK YOU !


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## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)

Crazyness said:


> beautiful


Thank you ! I did a MAJOR trim, the tank looks almost bold now :X

pic will be here soon 

thanks for all comments

Voy


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## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)

here it comes :X big trim - I removed one of the driftwoods and pretty much replanted everythng but the carpet plants

before and after, side view, front view + from above =) 


enjoy =P



Voytek


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## Olskule (Feb 17, 2010)

There seems to be some question in this thread about the different types of filtration. There are basically three types of filtration: mechanical, biological and chemical.

Mechanical filtration is usually only for our pleasure, in that it is simply the removal of particles from the water, making it clearer and cleaner and more enjoyable for us to look at. Generally, the fish couldn't care less, up to a point. Mechanical filtration is achieved via floss, filter pads and in more extreme cases, diatom filters, which remove particles down to the size of even one micron.

Biological filtration is derived through the utilization of beneficial bacteria to break down toxic fish wastes. These bacteria first break down ammonia to nitrite, then another type of bacteria breaks the nitrite down to nitrate. These bacteria are aerobic, requiring oxygen to survive and perform their function. In freshwater, nitrates leave the water via gas exchange at the surface (more easily than with saltwater), but nitrates are also broken down by anaerobic bacteria, thus completing the biological filtration process.

Chemical filtration is accomplished by passing the water through a medium that is capable of absorbing compounds and elements of various types, be they naturally occuring toxins or airborn chemicals (such as fragrances or household chemicals that usually arrive through the air) or any other chemical that may enter the aquarium. Historically, this has been accomplished with basic charcoal, then activated carbon, and now there are other mediums that can provide this function to a seemingly greater degree than even activated carbon. Since chemical filtration mediums cannot discriminate between wanted chemicals and unwanted chemicals, many compounds and elements intentionally added to the aquarium water are absorbed alongside unwanted additions. Ammonia and other nitrogenous compounds, being chemicals, will also be absorbed by chemical mediums to one degree or another, thus assisting biological filtration through non-biological means. This fact, along with the fact that beneficial bacteria can form on chemical mediums, can lead to confusion between biological and chemical filtration.

One main difference between biological and chemical filtration is that biological filtration is an ongoing function of living bacteria on a medium that merely supplies surface area for bacterial colonization, whereas chemical filtration is performed through absorption by the medium, and when the medium has absorbed all it can, it must be either replaced or "recharged".

I hope this helps.

Oh, and congratulations, Voytek, on an excellant job on the build and aquascaping, and absolutely amazing "scavenging" skills! Not only obscenely thick glass, but a freebie 30 gallon tank off the street??? I wish I could find some freebie glass that thick! Did you cut it yourself or have it cut? I once chanced upon a bunch of free 1/4" glass in large sizes, but nothing like your find. I have yet to build tanks from it, but I have made my own tanks before, and I will again (maybe soon). It's great fun, isn't it?

Olskule


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## voytek333 (May 25, 2006)

Olskule, thanks for the break down on the filtration  what I've said before and what I had in mind ( unfortunately ) turned out to be two different things  haha

people in the city throw good stuff out =) and once again I was NOT in a rush, SLOOOWLY collecting everything that I didn't have to pay for  

after getting my hands on 5/8 and 1/2 glass I didn't want to risk it - I brought those HUGE sheets to the glacier and he did it for a very reasonable price.

I always look for some glass :X ppl often ask me to give them my business card lol and I'm like oh no ... I'm just a hobbyist  And yes, it's really fun and very rewarding to make something while being as self sufficient as possible 

Take care and thanks once again !


Voytek


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## goldier (Feb 13, 2010)

Voytek, you really have some talent there, both in creating the rimless tank and designing your aquascape. I like the drift wood rising over the water surface with floating plants around it, so cool. Where did you learn to make such a rimless aquarium at that size, do tell.

I have some smaller sheets of glass, probably can make a 40 gal size tank, would you give me some basic instruction as for how to construct it? Do I have to buy a bottom rim from an aquarium shop? What if I want to make a square aquarium, can I make my own bottom rim? Your 4 vertical corners are black color in the photo, did you use steel posts at the corners to hold the glass panels together? Thanks for the photos and sharing your experiences.


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## ccfishkeeper (Mar 5, 2010)

what are you dosing?


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