DIY - Projects & Ideas • 300 gallon plywood tank build

[rotccapt]

well i have heard of tanks lasting 20 years it all depends on how water tight the tank is and how it was built.

sorry for the lack of progress on the build i am on a business trip and i cant work on the tank. more to come in another week

[cichlid_crazy]

Any updates?

[rotccapt]

well i have not been able to get any work done on the tank, i just got back this past Saturday. waiting for payday to get the next batch of materials so i can keep working.

[CCichlids]

[rotccapt]

so not much progress but i started designing my sump for this tank. the total water volume will be around 55 gallons

what do you think of the design?

[fusion]

A noob question
What is the purpose of the lava rock?

[Koteckn]

It is a very porous rock and acts just as bio balls would. It is used as a cheaper alternative to bioballs to grow beneficial bacteria. Not sure if it is better or worse however.

Correct me if I'm incorrect but that is what I debated to use in my sump but I decided to go with bioballs (even though they are much more expensive compared to lava rock) just because it seems as if most people tend to use bioballs. This was my only deciding factor really as I mentioned I'm not sure which is actually better.

Just a quick point though... Doesn't lava rock float? Keep that in mind

Howie

[Baggly]

Somewhere on here is a thread that lists bio media by how porous it is. Lava rock is rather inefficient compared to other readily available material. I believe the only pro of lava rock is cost. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think even the five for $0.99 pot scrubbers are more efficient.

[rotccapt]

i have also though about using k1 media in the second chamber but i am still undecided. i think that i would be fin with the first chamber of pot scrubbies but i figured since i have the space more is defiantly better than not enough. so i decided to try the lava rock it is better than nothing

[cantrell00]

I would think that lava rock would be subject to trapping detritus moreso than other bio-mediums also.

[13razorbackfan]

I would think that lava rock would be subject to trapping detritus moreso than other bio-mediums also.

This is what I was going to post as well. I would consider making a wet dry section in the sump and using bio balls. According to Dr. Tim the bio media that is completely submerged is not able to clean itself so that the nitrifying bacteria will start to become smothered under gunk. I would imagine that the small lava rock would be a nightmare to have to remove and clean every so often. Just a thought.

[rotccapt]

since this tank will be in my bedroom i am trying to make the tank as quiet as possible so i will be going with a wet sump. i am doing research on k1 media at the moment and i am thinking about ditching the pot scrubbies and lava rock all together.

[13razorbackfan]

since this tank will be in my bedroom i am trying to make the tank as quiet as possible so i will be going with a wet sump. i am doing research on k1 media at the moment and i am thinking about ditching the pot scrubbies and lava rock all together.

Sounds good to me. Have you thought about putting the media in large mesh bags so you can remove them when needed? I am not sure how big they make the bags and how much media you are using but you could use a few different bags and just snatch them out when you need to clean off some of the buildup.

[kojak76]

Another suggestion you could consider is what I did. I used a mixture of pond matrix and ceramic noodles and put 5 airstones under the compartment I fashioned out of egg crate. It works great and silent too. Not sure about K1, I considered it as well but at the time I did mine pond matrix was cheaper and it filters my 240 great. Just an idea I figured I would put out there.

[rotccapt]

how much pond matrix did you use on your 240? from what i have read i would need 3 liters but i will probably run 4 if that is all i need. does that sound about right. this is much cheaper than the k1 if thats the case