Building a hillstream tank.
Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 10:20 am
I'm the guy that was hoping to keep loaches with turtles...
I was convinced I should build a new tank
I looked here:
http://www.loaches.com/articles/river-t ... ld-design/
and here:
http://www.loaches.com/articles/a-river ... hrough-it/
and found Martin Thoene wrote some really good articles on building a hillstream tank.
Here are my questions:
1) When I build this thing, do the pond pumps need to be as strong as he suggests (733 Imp.Gal/Hr, 879 USG/Hr, 3300 L/Hr)? I have some 200 USG/Hr pond pumps already sitting around.
2) Do people who have this style tank have problems with the loaches getting stuck on the pond pump intake sponges?
3) What about substrate? I was intending to not fill the tank all the way, use 3/8" (9mm) smooth pea-gravel on the pond-pump outlet side (upstream) of the tank with built up rock structures. I want to have the outlet of the Fluval 305 filter I intend to use splashing down a rock structure that breaks the surface. Then I intend to use a smooth sand near the intake for the Fluval and the pond pumps (downstream) for those loaches that like to bury themselves in sand.
This is a 35 gallon "breeder" tank (shorter and wider than a traditional tank) I am setting up.
I was convinced I should build a new tank
I looked here:
http://www.loaches.com/articles/river-t ... ld-design/
and here:
http://www.loaches.com/articles/a-river ... hrough-it/
and found Martin Thoene wrote some really good articles on building a hillstream tank.
Here are my questions:
1) When I build this thing, do the pond pumps need to be as strong as he suggests (733 Imp.Gal/Hr, 879 USG/Hr, 3300 L/Hr)? I have some 200 USG/Hr pond pumps already sitting around.
2) Do people who have this style tank have problems with the loaches getting stuck on the pond pump intake sponges?
3) What about substrate? I was intending to not fill the tank all the way, use 3/8" (9mm) smooth pea-gravel on the pond-pump outlet side (upstream) of the tank with built up rock structures. I want to have the outlet of the Fluval 305 filter I intend to use splashing down a rock structure that breaks the surface. Then I intend to use a smooth sand near the intake for the Fluval and the pond pumps (downstream) for those loaches that like to bury themselves in sand.
This is a 35 gallon "breeder" tank (shorter and wider than a traditional tank) I am setting up.