65 Gallon Acrylic Vivarium Build

[thercman]

Well, after talking to the local fresh water fish guru she suggested that I increase the depth a little bit. The fish will be more visible in their environment that way. I am thinking 5" of water. That means I will also need to incorporate a piece of wood into the water as an escape route for the frogs. The plan is to use a plantable substrate in the bottom and add a plant or two that will extend out of the water when they grow. It should offer a nice transition to the soil that way. As for the filtration, I have done a lot of looking around and have decided to go with Pentair Aquatics in-line modules. One will house the micron filter/carbon and the next will hold the heater. What is nice about these is I can add on to them as needed. I am still undecided on the pump though. I was considering and Eheim 1250/1260 or a Pan World 40px. These may be a bit over kill depending on the head pressure from the filters etc. If it a bit much I can always use a valve and throttle them back a bit. Better to have to much than not enough.

[beckdg]

i am currently running a cascade canister filter on my 55 gal aquarium with an in line heater and uv sterilizer. i think the system works great. when it comes time to clean things i pull out 1 filter, flip the 4 tabs up and pull the baskets out. it's very easy and less labor intensive than many other options... especially one with so many components to open. to put it back is real easy also. you just connect the color coded lines and flip the feed line open. priming is easy, pump 3 times and wait till it stops gurgling, flip open other line and plug it back in.

the cascades are a little different from some other models (they have baskets). the baskets allow you to use any media you want. i am using river pebbles, a cut foam block and 3 or 4 of their pads. this helps if you are like me and don't like giving your money away or you like one media more than another.

i also went the extra mile and bought disconnects for my system so it can be closed between any of my pieces and separated without emptying my tank... these plastic pieces of crap are expensive!!! they do work great though. they were a stock option from another manufacturer but after researching i found them to be the only ones to consistently get good reviews... so i spent the extra $10 or $15 each.

the filter has the pump built right in. the cut off/flow adjust valves are built right in. the push primer is built right in (priceless imo). disconnects are, you guessed it, built right in. it comes with all the tubing you'll probably need unless you go nutty adding things and adding disconnects like i did. even then what you'd need will be real cheap for quality hose. it comes with a couple options for your return (mine had a rain bar and a directional sprayer). for the price and ease of use coupled with the fact that it is hidden in a cabinet... you can't beat it. btw, my heater (300? or 500? watt, i think 5) and my 15 watt uv sterilizer cost me about $130 combined. the filter was like $110 after taxes. my 3 disconnects were like $60 total. so we'll say maybe $300. that is a high estimate, i assure you and enough filtration for like 100 - 200 gallons depending on your setup. i keep shrimp though and you can see what i have in my display tank with them in my signature. keep in mind the tank was redone last near the end of this summer.

i see you have done your homework, but i think that setup will be labor intensive and expensive. otherwise it is a great setup.

if you are interested here is a smaller model that should work for you so long as you choke it a little. there are also other manufacturers who combine the heater and uv filter, but i already had mine. i also like the design of this model due to the primer and the baskets that are good for custom media.

here is a pic for you from early this morning:

[thercman]

Thanks! This is what I was refering to. Pentair Aquatics (Rainbow Lifegard) Inline Aquarium Filter

[thercman]

This weekend I will be acquiring a pair of D. amazonicus that will eventually reside in the new tank. For now they will be kept in a 10 gallon tank until the large one is done. I am sure they will easily disappear in there. These little guys are basically falling into my lap so to speak. I am doing some aquarium work and the frogs are payment.

[beckdg]

nice... payment... don't get any better than that.

[thercman]

The only thing I am a little concerned about with canister filters is I hear they have a tendency to leak. Have you had any similar problems?

[beckdg]

no... i think you just have to be sure to put the lid on straight. i could see how it would be real easy if you don't pay attention at that very moment. just make sure it is on straight and don't force it and you should be fine. i'm sure they would have replacement seals for anyone who may have crimped the seal by cocking or twisting it. that is the only time i am careful throughout the entire cleaning process. i too had heard that they leak b4 buying it, and that's why i am careful.

i got it cause i needed something fast for cheap as my tank had not finished cycling yet, and our vacation was already paid for. the tank was going to be left to my brother in law for the week so i bought automatic feeders, timers and everything. i was so shocked to find out he only killed 1 and maimed 1 fish i didn't even get mad that he had killed my fish when we got back.

now, if the filter died today, i would get another one exactly like it.

[thercman]

Today I got my first frogs! Yeah! Unfortunately they are not D. amazonicus because there were none at the show. So I got my second choice, a pair of cobalts. Right now I stuck them in a 10 gallon tank I had laying around until I finish their permanent home. Here is a picture of the little guys.

[beckdg]

cute, what else can i say?

[Chu'Wuti]

Where the heck do you live? I'm praying for snow!