# 330 liter aquarium journal



## Amirk (Oct 25, 2008)

Hello people.
Me and dad started to build an all DIY aquarium 2 weeks ago.
measures 110X50X60 centimeter.
This is what we came up with untill now








































































































































theres still alot to do and i didnt even started to get the parts that keeps a normal aquarium running like CO2, lights, heaters, filters and much more.
but this just gives an idea of how it should look at the end.
I thought about giving up on the filter and build a DIY sump that will fit inside the cabinet, what is the smallest sump i can use for this size of tank?

Cheers. :drinkers:


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## orlando (Feb 14, 2007)

A DIY Master!


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## insomniaclush (Jan 14, 2008)

Catfish


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## gravy9 (Aug 28, 2008)

Wow. Awesome.


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## ghengis (Jun 11, 2008)

insomniaclush said:


> Catfish


Dang! Stole my line!!

Although, I'd have said _Plecostemus Felineous_.... 

...as for the sump, I think the general rule is to base it on one third the size of your main tank, so 100-110L should be about right.
Although, I can't see why you couldn't have something smaller, if you need to fit a small space. A few people believe that you can lose alot of your CO2 with a sump as it gasses off easily. Something to consider.

Nice work, btw!


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## Amirk (Oct 25, 2008)

Thanks all..
yeah iv heard about this problme with sumps thats why im still not so sure about it yet.

also what do you think about the tank itself?
some guys started to scare me saying the 3 supporters on the top are not enough and i should have used more.
what do you think? will this be enough? i whould not want it to crack on my head in the middle of the night :boom:


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## foofooree (Mar 11, 2007)

Great tank! I love DIY tanks


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## Amirk (Oct 25, 2008)

Hey all
i need some help with the lightning issue...
i was looking around today for T5 and found out they are VERY expensive.
well not the lamp itself its more the electronic transformer (i belive its called) that is the problme.
6 36W T5s will coast me like 300$!!
and will only get me 216W for 330 liter tank which is not alot.

What do you think about these bulbs?
55T (or more) Daylight flourescent.
http://www.yinfo.co.il/eurolux/english/bigpicture.asp?cat=1&code=6#p

i cant put like 6 of them inside that will give me 330W for 330 liter tank.
will they do the work?
or i MUST have T5 for best reasults?

Thanks


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## Amirk (Oct 25, 2008)

:help:


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## gravy9 (Aug 28, 2008)

I'd recommend that you go with T5 HO which will help in going with a minimal number of bulbs due to it's tremendous light output. As for the bulbs, I'd recommend Giesemann Midday along with Giesemann AquaFlora for plants. With you being a handyman, I'd recommend that you get the ballasts, reflectors and the end caps for building the fixture yourself. Check out the DIY Section for the T5 HO custom build instructions.

As for using the CFL bulbs, I did think about building one myself, but due to the compact structure of the bulb build, the efficiency of the amount of light getting into the aquarium is low, even with the use of a reflector. If you calculate the amount of light that you need in the aquarium and do the efficiency math, I would assume that you'd come ahead with the T5 HO and with a good looking fixture too.

Hope this helps.

regards,
Ravi


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## ghengis (Jun 11, 2008)

What wpg were you aiming for? I only ask, because it looks like the 216w on 330L will be good for 2.5watts per gallon. Using 330w on 330L is closer to 3.8wpg. Will you need that much light?


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## Amirk (Oct 25, 2008)

Thanks ravi, i guess i should realy just put some more cash in it and go for T5 for maximum reasults.

i realy donty know if i need that much light... i never had a planted aquarium before but i read alot about it now and as i understood it should be 1 watt per one liter of water for best reaults... dosnt it?


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## ghengis (Jun 11, 2008)

It really comes down to what, exactly, you plan to grow. Some plants might require that sort of wpg (3.8 ), but (going on my own limited knowledge) I'd think 2.5wpg would be plenty for 90% of aquarium plants. One thing to remember, is that if you have alot of one particular growth element (say light), you need similar levels of the other elements, like fertilisers, CO2 and tank upkeep. Alot of light, with little CO2, ferts and upkeep would be a mess of algae. It all needs to equal out. 

I reckon you'd be safe with the 2.5wpg. Especially if you've never had a planted tank and are just learning the ropes. I have a similar wpg on my 70L (2.6), with Flourish Excel and DIY CO2, and I need to trim the plants every two weeks!

Maybe someone with greater knowledge could correct me if I'm wrong...??


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## matt1045 (Oct 11, 2008)

tank looks good. I like the cat too lol


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## Amirk (Oct 25, 2008)

hello people.

These days i will be making my DIY substrate.
how tall does the fertilized layer should be? and the unfertilized (kvarz) layer should be?

also i want to make hills here and there.. should they be fertilized too or lets say a 5 inch hill could do with kvarz only?

Thanks


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## Amirk (Oct 25, 2008)

Hood just came on
no bulbs yet.


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## adechazal (Nov 12, 2008)

Amirk, I use a sump system and highly recommend it. Numerous folks have shown that you can easily inject enough CO2 to keep up with the loss due to agitation in a sump. The two major benefits that I tell people about are 1. you can put heaters, thermometers, CO2 pickup/return lines in them e.g. NO equipment in the tank and 2. water level changes due to evaporation occur in the sump and not in the tank.


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## Amirk (Oct 25, 2008)

adechazal said:


> Amirk, I use a sump system and highly recommend it. Numerous folks have shown that you can easily inject enough CO2 to keep up with the loss due to agitation in a sump. The two major benefits that I tell people about are 1. you can put heaters, thermometers, CO2 pickup/return lines in them e.g. NO equipment in the tank and 2. water level changes due to evaporation occur in the sump and not in the tank.


hey adechazal..
Im sure you can inject enough CO2 to keep up with the agitation..
the question is how much CO2 am i going to need to do so.
i dont want be filling the it twice a week. what is the CO2 amount difference usage between an aquarium with a sump and without it?

anyway here are some pics of the hood in place, hope you like it.


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## Amirk (Oct 25, 2008)

Hi.
I wanted to share with you guys some news from my tank.
Water, plants and hardscape was added and for now, this is how it looks like.
hope you like it.

First of all here is the DIY reactor my dad made.


















and the DIY bubble counter.









and the tank.


















9.2









17.2


















Cheers


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## dj2606 (Oct 15, 2008)

Those rocks look amazing. Something about them say mountains in Utah.

Are you going to fill the reactor with bio balls?
Could you also give some details on how it was made?

What are your plans for a foreground?
glosso possibly


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## Amirk (Oct 25, 2008)

hi dj
Thanks. those are quarz (?) rocks. 60 KGs total.
the reactor is already filled with bio balls, i had a photo of the cabinet and the equipment but i cant find it now. ill post a new one tommorow.
the reactor was made out of pvc, my dad used a lathe to do this.

and for foreground i guess Hemianthus callitrichoides and riccia.
i need to finish the cycle and get more plants before i plant it.


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## clearleaf (Oct 4, 2008)

I think the quicker you get some plants in there the better. It will soften the break-in of the tank. 

But yeah, I'm really loving all the work you've put into this. Great welds on the stand and professional work on the reactor. I'd actually like to get a better shot of the reactor 'in action' if you could.

Get some plants in there! Fight the algae! Oh, yea, and I'm very envious of the rocks. They look rather like petrified wood, actually.


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## matt1045 (Oct 11, 2008)

That rock looks awesome. What kind?
Why might I add is the tank not filled all the way? I think it will look better full, maybe you were still working while you took the pics?
Looks great Keep it up


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## Amirk (Oct 25, 2008)

there you go guys.
The cabinet. water into the eheim pro 2028 filter through a 9W UV sterilizer, than water exit pipe pluged into the the reactor. from the reactor back to the tank.









The CO2 is at 45 degrees because i wanted the biggest i could get but it didnt feet inside.
This is what i came up with









reactor


















Cheers


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## Amirk (Oct 25, 2008)

Hi everyone..
Its been a while since i updated in here so here are photos i took today.
Enjoy.














































Thanks


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## hedson_25 (Sep 20, 2005)

wow!


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

thats a very nice tank!!! love the roselines!!!!! want a few myself


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## *Michael* (Jul 23, 2009)

i like the set-up , nice job


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## foofooree (Mar 11, 2007)

It's been a while since I checked up on this tank. Great job! Everything looks great


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I like that last shot especially it showcases that cool rock. That CO2 tank stand is also pretty cool. Is that how you write "CO2" in Hebrew, or is that a brand name on the cylinder?


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## bigboij (Jul 24, 2009)

wow amazing


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