I'm setting up a 10'x2'x2' xingu tank, help please.

grokefish · Post by **grokefish** » 23 Sep 2006, 09:35

Ive been toying with the idea of setting up a tank based on a xingu river biotope for a while now, and have decided on tank dimensions of 10'x2'x2' giving about 250gals volume.
I have been supplied some information on water chem. specifics,temp etc. and now I need help on the logistics side.
What I want to achieve is a 'flow' of water if you get my meaning, I want the water to flow from one side of the tank to the other, rather than the current 'circulating'.
so far I have come up with the idea of having under gravel plates with power heads along the bottom and a sump almost the length of the tank underneath in which I will have filter sponges, media etc and a large plant filter.
Has anyone had any experience/sucess with creating this type of current setup?
Do you think a series of drains at one end or one large drain would be best?
At what hieght should I have the outlet(s)
Should I just have a weir across the outlet side of the tank?
Do you think I am wasteing my time with the powerheads and undergravel plates?
Do you think I am wasteing my time?
I have very little experience with sumps and sump volume /water level calculations, Ive only had one tank with a sump and I put my sucess down to luck rather than judgement.
This tank is going in my living room so I have to get it right, 250+ gallons of water on my living room floor will not go down well.
Do you think 10'long 3' wide 1'high would make it easier to get this flow?
Also, what other fish (apart from catfish) live in this river as obviously my favorites, the columbian tetras do not, as my other half will just moan if I have another 'empty tank' i have to put something in there. I've heard uaru are found there, is this correct?
Has anyone been there or got underwater photos?
Thank you in advance for any help on this quest for perfection.

snowball · Post by **snowball** » 24 Sep 2006, 03:24

So I gather you want a slow but constant flow of water from one end of the tank to the other, with no areas where the water flows back on itself or otherwise loops around the tank? I'm sure it can be done, but you will need to move a lot of water!

I would go for a weir overflow along one end, but the tricky bit will be getting the return end right so the water flows out evenly. I would try to make up a false wall / baffle at the other end with a chamber between it and the end of the tank.

For the false wall / baffle I would use something like a 2' x 2' square of fluro light diffuser grid, followed by a similar sized sheet of koi matting. Against this put a wall of artificial rock made of latex or fiberglass etc. In this drill many little holes about 6mm in diameter, or however big you think you can make them without letting fish through or the holes being too obvious. Too small and they may clog over time, to large and the water flow may not be evenly spread.

The water return from the sump would then be dumped back into the chamber between the end of the tank and the false wall, which should be about 4" to 6" wide to allow the turbulent water to settle a bit and spread thoughout the chamber and then (in theory), flow evenly though the koi matting and perforated wall, thus creating the solid current you are after.

I can't draw a diagram but it would go something like this:
End of tank -> 4"-6" gap -> light diffuser (or other rigid grid) -> koi matting -> artificial rock with holes -> flows through tank -> into weir at other end of tank and down to the sump.

I think the main factor needed to get a solid flow of water will be big pumps in the sump. You could probably estimate the total flow required by deciding how fast you want the current to move along the length of the tank in cm per second and then work it out from there.

The overflow will need several large holes to drop water into the sump and if you make the weir the width of the tank, ie 2', then it should allow enough water to get over. However this is something that will need careful consideration and striking the right balance between returning water into the tank and getting it out, while still maintaining the high flow you are after, will be tricky.

Good luck and let us know what ideas you come up with

grokefish · Post by **grokefish** » 24 Sep 2006, 06:09

Thank you, I like the sound of that.
Matt

WhitePine · Post by **WhitePine** » 24 Sep 2006, 06:22

I agree with snowball on the overflow/weir and sump. I don't think it will be as big of deal getting the flow and pump right... it will be more of a deal making sure you don't have a flood on your hands if the pump stops or backs up and the overflow just keeps siphoning. I would check out some of the reef forums and ask lots of questions there. They do lots of overflows with sumps (high currents too) and have this all figured out. My second choice would just be to plumb the pump in line with the overflow with out a sump. Plumb the return back to the other end of the tank via hose or pipes while the pump can be at the bottom of the overflow as long as you have enough room for it and any connections you are planning. I would tell you to go bigger if possible. All my river tanks seem to slow down after some time and need to be cleaned out periodically.

grokefish · Post by **grokefish** » 24 Sep 2006, 14:03

what size do you reakon?
I can up to a 16' in there.