# Coffee Table Aquarium - PITA!



## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

You should stock it with fish that eat anything. That way, all the leftovers can be dumped in the tank and you won't spend so much time minding the dishes!

All joking aside, it's very cool and will certainly charm your guests.


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## tuffgong (Apr 13, 2010)

I think it looks great. Hiding the canister would be ideal, but not sure how you would hide your hoses.


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## WeedCali (Jun 21, 2010)

thats a pretty neat setup!


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## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

That is truly unique. Do you know how many gallon it is?


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

The undergravel filter can be made to work great. Just turn the tubing grid upside down, so the holes are on the bottom, then run the flow down to the filter and up out through the substrate. It is then a reverse flow undergravel filter (RFUG). If you have about 2 inches of a substrate like swimming pool filter sand, it works very well for keeping the water very clean. Now, start dosing the water per the EI method, and you should be able to grow most of the plants used in planted tanks.

The problem I see is maintaining the tank, keeping the glass cleaned, pruning, plucking away dying leaves, etc. all without wrecking your back. So, I don't want one of those, but it should look great if well maintained and if you keep a Chiropractor on call.


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## fresh.salty (Jul 2, 2010)

Hoppy said:


> The problem I see is maintaining the tank, keeping the glass cleaned, pruning, plucking away dying leaves, etc. all without wrecking your back. So, I don't want one of those, but it should look great if well maintained and if you keep a Chiropractor on call.


That was my first thought. Can't imagine hands and knees maintenance happening on schedule. Best bet for me would be all real sloooow growing plants.

I'd consider getting a couple of store bought UGF and doing the reverse flow. Not a lot of coverage in those widely spaced pipes. And maybe better powerheads, they're pretty cheap here.

I'm not even sure the cord to feed any of the power to a table in the middle of the room would fly in my house let along a canister filter sitting next to it.


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## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

It looks nice, but I personally prefer my tanks to be eye level. It already bothers me how short my stand is for my 10g.


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## kingfisherfleshy (Jun 4, 2010)

I have always thought these were sweet. Good luck getting everything to work. Has the potential to be awesome I would say.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

yeah, best to get a pump or one of those faucet water changer thingy that escapes my mind at the moment. Water changes won't be fun otherwise.


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## kingfisherfleshy (Jun 4, 2010)

Python.


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## luke20037 (Jan 24, 2010)

looks really good! Ive seen a similar table in maiden head aquatics, was really tempting!


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## msnikkistar (Mar 23, 2010)

Dang, that is a nice looking coffee table.

Now, how to con my husband. hmmmm


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## MlDukes (Nov 24, 2009)

Very cool. Ive seen these tanks before, "filtration aside" this is the best looking design yet.

The easy route would be to buy a better UGF and pumps.

Personally i never take the easy route...  I have a tendancy to overdo everything. But heres my thoughts:

Do you have a basement? If so i would see about drilling it and running tubes through the floor to a sump or canister filters below. You could also hide the wires this way. another option might be to turn 2 of the columns into overflows w/ the pumps located in their current positions. Pulling water off the top and pumping it back out at the bottom or better yet pumping it into a RFUGF. you could pack the columns with your choice media too. this would prevent any surface scum which would be unsightly in a tank like this. 

Looking forward to more pics.


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## Reginald2 (Mar 10, 2009)

I'm pretty jealous. I've always thought those tanks were pretty cool. I think that I can safely say, on behalf of the rest of us: more pictures please.

also, it sounds like your first apartment already has more furniture than mine ever did.


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## SearunSimpson (Jun 5, 2007)

If you want it to be pretty simple, I would just stick to the usual slow plants like crypts/anubias/microsoreum. Or, if you stay away from plants and go crush coral, you could do a fun little shelldweller tank.


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## leonroy (Sep 4, 2009)

Reginald2 said:


> I'm pretty jealous. I've always thought those tanks were pretty cool. I think that I can safely say, on behalf of the rest of us: more pictures please.
> 
> also, it sounds like your first apartment already has more furniture than mine ever did.


Heheh, thanks. Will put some more pics up and keep this thread updated.

One of the nice things about living in London is that the people here throw out perfectly good furniture...(Generally it's lousy but sometimes and I am not even kidding - you get antique, hardwood furniture, thrown out onto the street for passers by to take - it's great 



MlDukes said:


> Personally i never take the easy route...


Amen! 




MlDukes said:


> Do you have a basement? If so i would see about drilling it and running tubes through the floor to a sump or canister filters below. You could also hide the wires this way. another option might be to turn 2 of the columns into overflows w/ the pumps located in their current positions. Pulling water off the top and pumping it back out at the bottom or better yet pumping it into a RFUGF. you could pack the columns with your choice media too. this would prevent any surface scum which would be unsightly in a tank like this.


I do indeed have a basement  I'm drilling under the floor this weekend and fitting some good plastic plumbing fittings so I can stick all the filtration equipment downstairs.

Thinking of using the legs as overflows to a sump. ie. drill two holes underneath the tank inside each column and make a few long slits in the columns near the top so the water overflows into a sump in the basement. Not sure at this stage, but currently I have two small pumps just circulating water inside each column from the bottom hole to the top (with mesh covering the intake holes of course  )

I'm trying to figure out whether to use a sump with filter baskets or buy a few, decent canister filters and use those instead...


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## justahobby (Sep 3, 2010)

That's awesome.. stunning. And we need more pics honestly. 

If you weren't drilling your floor, I would suggest a rug (for the tubes) and cabinet/ end table to hide the filter....


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## MlDukes (Nov 24, 2009)

leonroy said:


> Amen!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Great minds think alike! roud:

Ups and downs:

A big advantage especially with this tank, is that overflows would eliminate any surface residue/scum build up. But... generally sumps are a bad idea with planted tanks as they gas off excess Co2.... however... w/ low tech, overflows can actually add Co2 (Tank Co2 levels will never fall below room Co2 levels). Plus a sump can hide added components - heater, ATO, etc. 

Then there is the option to use canisters.... ??? If there are any thoughts of pressurized Co2 Canisters are the way to go. Other than that I dont see any major advantages/disadvantages here. Canisters would be playin it safe-er - less worries about something failing IMO.

This build sounds fun! :biggrin:

Looking forward to more pics


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

An alternative to the Eheim external filter might be an Eheim 2252 internal filter, at least it isn't sitting on the floor and you don't have to drill holes!


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## leonroy (Sep 4, 2009)

So, the weekend was productive to say the least. I got my dad over to help (DIY-ing with aquariums gives plenty of good excuses to spend time with yer dad!  and all the DIY stores had the parts I needed in stock.

First pipe fittings:
I knew copper was a big no-no due to its toxicity to fish. I also figured it would lose too much heat to its surroundings; a problem in the wintertime since in England, pipes under the floor get very, very cold.

The existing Eheim filter uses 22mm hose which was fortunate since plumbing fittings are usually 15mm and 22mm in the UK and meant I had plenty to choose from. I settled on using 22mm plastic pipe throughout with John Guest pushfit fittings.

I've had my fair share of experience building water-cooled computers for fun (mostly ) and used John Guest push fits wherever possible. They're plastic, of excellent quality, come with a 25 year guarantee and are available at all big home improvement stores.

My shopping list consisted of:

Elbows:
Coming from the school of die hard water-cooling you learn that every single fitting, heck every extra inch of pipe even, adds an incremental pressure drop. This equals less flow and hence less effective cooling. So as you can imagine fitting elbows, a real no-no in the water-cooling world, went against every fiber of my being. Of course - this being fish I'm trying to keep alive, not a computer - I did what I had to do 










Pipe inserts:
These are absolutely mandatory. The compression of the fittings on the pipe can cause it to deform. Hence the need to reinforce every cut end of pipe with one of these.










Valves:
I figured valves would be essential if I wanted to replumb or disconnect any equipment but I wasn't prepared for the lack of choice here in the UK. Nearly every single valve sold has some brass or copper in it and most plastic valves are only 15mm not the 22mm I was planning on using. Fortunately John Guest make these humongous, all plastic things and my local DIY store had some in stock:










Pipe:
I like to go overboard, so it was barrier PEX pipe for me. No straight lengths were in stock (GRRRR), so a huge 25m coil had to do:










Pipe cutter:
Wouldn't get very far without this:











And finally one large drill and one very long 25mm drill bit:
Ahhh, Victorian homes. Full of character, (full of draughts) and with walls thick enough to withstand an invasion. I needed to drill through the cellar wall into the cavity beneath the living room floor - this naturally required a very large drill machine and one very long drill bit (24" long):










With all the tools, and bits and pieces out of the way, we began:

To start with I evaluated my existing equipment:
1x large canister filter
1x large UV steriliser
1x large Iwaki pump
1x large mess behind the sofa










The above concoction of over-engineered parts led to the aquarium in the centre of the room via two thick 22mm pipes (and a multitude of wires and air line) trailing across my living room floor.










We cracked open the floor boards, and began the drilling (by 'we', I mean my dad - hey it's his drill machine… 










Three 25mm holes, two for the aquarium pipes and one to run a conduit with some network cable to the media centre (while we're drilling we might as well!)
The final 10mm hole was drilled for CO2 line.










My dad had the bright idea of laying some conduit inside the hole to protect the aquarium pipe from getting scuffed or damaged by the brickwork. So after cutting two pieces of conduit with flanged ends we had some beautifully lined holes to push the aquarium pipe through.



















The coiled roll of PVC pipe took some doing to straighten, and after an hour with the wife's hairdryer we finally got it straight enough to push right up to the aquarium. Push fits are great in that they take less than ten seconds per fitting to connect (if that), and after connecting all the fittings we were ready to move the filtration equipment to the cellar….


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## Reginald2 (Mar 10, 2009)

This project just went hardcore. Excellent. *fetches popcorn*


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

wow.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Reginald2 said:


> This project just went hardcore. Excellent. *fetches popcorn*


Make room and share the popcorn, please? *squeezes in on the couch to watch*


Have you decided if you're drilling the tank yet? If it were me I'd totally want to get as much of that tubing under the tank and out of sight as possible...


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## Sushieraser (Jul 28, 2010)

Drilling a tank is always risky. A better move would be to drill the corners, allowing water to flow in through inconspicuous holes in the waterproofed corner, then down to the basement to the pump then sent upward and out into the tank from the opposite corner.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

Sushieraser said:


> Drilling a tank is always risky. A better move would be to drill the corners, allowing water to flow in through inconspicuous holes in the waterproofed corner, then down to the basement to the pump then sent upward and out into the tank from the opposite corner.


Drilling a tank is really not that risky. I did it to a 40B with a cheap ebay bit and literaly 10 minutes of research. 

As long as it isn't tempered it is pretty darn easy.


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## MlDukes (Nov 24, 2009)

Sweet! You dont waste no time. cant wait to see the finished build! oh and the tank too. lol

Keep us posted!


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## leonroy (Sep 4, 2009)

Sushieraser said:


> Drilling a tank is always risky. A better move would be to drill the corners, allowing water to flow in through inconspicuous holes in the waterproofed corner, then down to the basement to the pump then sent upward and out into the tank from the opposite corner.


I would love to drill the tank and have all the pipes and wiring hidden beneath the base. A free standing tank in the middle of the room, lit, bubbling away, no wires, no whirring machinery beneath...but I think I'm going to have to really consider whether it's worth drilling the base and cracking it considering that the tank is too expensive to replace and too difficult to fix (it's got a plastic and wood base under the glass all held in place with tons of aquarium sealant).

I'm thinking of drilling a corner, but that might make the tank crack if someone bumps it and it moves since the pipes will be pretty rigid.

At least if the pipes are beneath they can be heavy duty, flexible ones.

Have to wait till this weekend before I can even touch the aquarium...work keeps me busy...:icon_mad:


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

leonroy said:


> I'm thinking of drilling a corner, but that might make the tank crack if someone bumps it and it moves since the pipes will be pretty rigid.:


Super simple solution. Use a flexible hose to connect the tank to the rigid pipe. Even as little as 6 inches would give wiggle room and the safety you need. 

I suspect the bottom pain would be tempered in your setup, meaning you can't drill it.


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## syzygy9 (Aug 9, 2010)

leonroy said:


> I'm thinking of drilling a corner, but that might make the tank crack if someone bumps it and it moves since the pipes will be pretty rigid.


How many gallons is this tank...because it looks like it would be 100+. What kind of parties are you having where somebody could bump (and theoretically move) a nearly 1000lb piece of furniture.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

I'm gonna guess no where near 100 gallons. But alas, even a 30 gallon tank weighs 250+ lbs.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

You don't have to use rigid tubing at all- just install some bulkheads to flexible tubing. Very inexpensive and you can get all the parts from any hardware store (except perhaps the bulkheads- I'd get those from Big Als or Marine Depot or something). I think you could leave enough slack in the plumbing to account for the accidental bump...


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## leonroy (Sep 4, 2009)

It's been a week or so with the new setup, and I'm enjoying the extra room I've gained without all the aquarium filter clutter behind the sofa. The pipes also just 'disappear' into the floor which is a little disconcerting but I'm sure I'll get used to it:










My main worry at this point is the filter leaking due to the pressure of the tank above it and the Iwaki pump I've got hooked up pushing water into the filter. Without the Iwaki pump the flow is a little meager, I'll have to run a test to see how many litres-per-hour I'm getting with the Iwaki vs the Eheim, but the difference is pretty noticeable.










I've trying to figure out whether it's better to push or pull water through a the filter. Some people (on this forum and others) say pull, some others push; the Eheim itself pulls water through the filter but since the Iwaki manual recommends keeping the intake clear of restriction I think that putting it first in the loop might be best - for the Iwaki at least.

That said I ended up having to go from the Iwaki MD-20R to the Iwaki MD-15R simply because the MD-20R was creating too much pressure for the Eheim to handle.

MD-15R, MD-20R, MD-55FY, MD-70RZ:









Which brings me to an interesting topic - the much vaunted quality of Eheim filters...meh.

The Eheim 2078 I have, whilst very swish, seems a little poorly designed. To start with; the hose decoupling mechanism jams constantly. The filter leaks air through every seal. Instead of using a good, strong rubber O-ring to seal the lid (like my old Fluval had), the Eheim uses a ridiculously large square foamy rubber gasket. Also when filled it weighs a ton, which would be fine if it weren't for the fact that it's made out of a very brittle plastic - it literally feels like it's going to crack with the slightest movement. Why they couldn't make it as robust as the Fluval FX5 (a filter for almost half the price) I don't know...

That said, it does do what it says on the tin: Filters water. The filter media baskets are excellent as is the filter's capability to handle just about any mess my fish make. Provided you don't tinker with it and plan on using it exactly as Eheim recommend (as the only thing in the loop, directly beneath the aquarium) then it's fine. I just feel a touch disappointed (especially given the price) and feel it could have been oh so much better....

Speaking of quality engineering, I'd love to get my hands on a few Ocean Clear/Nu Clear filters. Those things look the ticket! 

I've already got my new Iwaki pump at the ready! (It's the big one on the right):










Sadly those filters are rarer than rocking horse #@*& in the UK. And shipping them from the US costs $100 per filter (yuck!). It looks like I might have to wait until I head over to the US myself or find an alternative over here. Looking at semi-sealed sump designs for ideas...(at least I'll be able to hide the heater, thermostat and air/CO2 equipment).


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## anda (Sep 8, 2010)

You should place the pump on the outake. Canisters are designed for negative pressure. The seal is efficient if compressed and it may/will leak otherwise. On top of this, the clamps are not designed to hold the pressure. 

Nice setup given the constraints! Can't you hide the tubes in the legs of the table somehow? Or maybe build a little black box or a length of black ABS pipe to hide them along one leg or between the legs on the side that is less visible? What about the wires? Can't they go in the cellar as well?

:thumbsup:

B.T.W. My opinion on the eheim is that their reputation was built with the classic models. Simple, reliable, silent. The new ones are not as good IMO.


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## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

Awesome DIY project, looking great!
You know, I have been considering putting hole through the wall behind my 55g tank - there's a big, roomy virtually closet on the other side of that wall and that could be a control center where the filter, CO2, power is. It would only add about 20 inches to the tubes.

After watching your project maybe I should go for it!!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I agree, something has to be done about those ugy green tubes. :hihi:

At a minimum couldn't you replace them with some clear tubes from a local hardware store?


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## Loubard (Dec 16, 2005)

And please add hose clamps! 

Loving this project btw


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## FastTimes (Oct 16, 2008)

don't you love buying something expensive and still end up having to do more work to it. Great job with all your diy efforts.


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## leonroy (Sep 4, 2009)

Dave-H said:


> Awesome DIY project, looking great!
> You know, I have been considering putting hole through the wall behind my 55g tank - there's a big, roomy virtually closet on the other side of that wall and that could be a control center where the filter, CO2, power is. It would only add about 20 inches to the tubes.
> 
> After watching your project maybe I should go for it!!


Plan, plan, plan and go for it! :thumbsup: I love the space I've gained in the living room by having all the equipment hidden away. It just makes everything look so much cleaner (and makes the clutter easier to hide - it's great to be able to clean the filter without making a complete mess of the living room  )



anda said:


> You should place the pump on the outake. Canisters are designed for negative pressure. The seal is efficient if compressed and it may/will leak otherwise. On top of this, the clamps are not designed to hold the pressure.
> 
> Nice setup given the constraints! Can't you hide the tubes in the legs of the table somehow? Or maybe build a little black box or a length of black ABS pipe to hide them along one leg or between the legs on the side that is less visible? What about the wires? Can't they go in the cellar as well?


I've moved the pump to the outtake, I think you're right. It's just too much pressure for consumer filters. Commercial grade filters look like they'll be fine but your typical Eheims and Fluvals don't.

My end aim is in fact to drill the legs and have all pipes and wires go directly underneath the tank, but that depends on whether the base of the aquarium uses tempered glass or not.

Loubard I'm mainly using John Guest push fit fittings. No hose clamps required


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## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

leonroy said:


> Plan, plan, plan and go for it! :thumbsup: I love the space I've gained in the living room by having all the equipment hidden away. It just makes everything look so much cleaner (and makes the clutter easier to hide - it's great to be able to clean the filter without making a complete mess of the living room  )


You inspired me, and I did it! Check out my control room thread!


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## leonroy (Sep 4, 2009)

In preparation for drilling and planting the main tank, I of course have to empty it and transplant the fish to a spare tank. To that end I grabbed my old tank from storage, and after cleaning it thoroughly with a mild bleach solution and rinsing it with scalding hot water I set it up and filled it with water.

It was at this point that I realized that with 6 medium sized clown loaches, 5 medium sized Pakistani loaches, two large Angels and an algae eater that my old Fluval 203 (circa 1997) was hardly going to cut it. A trip to Maidenhead Aquatics Wembley store and I had my hands on a stonking, big Fluval FX5.

Now I've had the privilege of owning an Eheim 2078. I have even been in the presence of an Amano Superjet filter (and let me tell you, those things are engineering down to an art form) but this Fluval FX5: It's a class act.

Built like a bomb disposal bin and with a pump powerful enough to empty a septic tank in five seconds flat (probably) this thing is one stonking big beast of a filter.

Firstly it's made of good quality plastic throughout. It comes with kink proof hosing an inch in diameter. It has a very well designed intake grill and its outflow adapter is excellent (none of those tedious spray bars, thank you). To top it off, it pumps water so forcefully at the outlet that it sends it churning over the edge of the tank - if you're not careful.

Suffice to say, I'm very pleased with my purchase.

About three litres of Sera Siporax later, and I had it filled and ready to roll.










I was so impressed with the flow rate of the Fluval FX5 I decided to do some tests on the Eheim 2078, Iwaki MD-15R, Iwaki MD-20R and yes indeed, the mighty Iwaki MD-70RZ - a pump so monumental that the lights dim, the floor shakes and the heavens sing when it is turned on. 

My results are below:

For the filters I tested flow rate with both filters setup as *per manufacturer recommendations*, both setup with no more than 6 feet of tubing and four feet of head:
Fluval FX5:
1991 (lph) or 526 (gph)

Eheim 2078:
600 (lph) or (159) (gph)


For the Iwaki pumps I tested flow rate along the *entire loop* which involves approximately 16 feet of tubing and about 5 feet of head as well as a large UV unit (Aqua Medic Helix Max 55W):
Aquarium > Eheim (impeller removed) > UV > Pump > Aquarium

Iwaki MD-15R: 366 (lph) or 97 (gph)
Iwaki MD-20R: 415 (lph) or 110 (gph)
Iwaki MD-70RZ: 665 (lph) or 176 (gph)

What's rather perturbing is that it wasn't until I hooked up a pump with a maximum head of 70ft and a power consumption of 180W that I regained the Eheim 2078's stock flow of 159 gph.

So now I have a huge pump, which is so frighteningly powerful that I have to restrict the output for fear of watching all the aquarium tubing collapse on itself.

I can also hear it ever so slightly from the ground floor (it's in the basement). Still, at least the water is crystal clear... 










And of course the reason we do all this, the fish:


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## tuffgong (Apr 13, 2010)

Nice work. The last two shots make it all worth it!!


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## LICfish (Oct 9, 2010)

You did a great job. It looks really great.


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## leonroy (Sep 4, 2009)

Well it's been nearly six months and I'm ready to move to phase two of my project. Emptying the main tank, drilling it and replacing the Fluval FX5 and Eheim 2078 with a single, large sump in the cellar.

I've produced what I'm hoping is a simple, and effective sump design:










I'm wondering if the design will provide greater filtration. I might have to extend the size of the sump by 6" to make it 48" long I suppose if I want it to equal an FX5 and 2078 combined.

Any comments and criticism much appreciated.

I've also uploaded the design to Google Sketchup for those who're interested:
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=e67d8871a087f6b62b175b55d11aad3


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## raven_wilde (Jul 12, 2006)

*you said 'apartment' right?*

Holy sweet bejeezus :icon_eek:

All I can think when I see this is: do you have a landlord? does he know what you've done? and how would this even be covered in a lease?

Cuz holy crap mine would be having kittens if I did this!


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## keithy (Jun 8, 2010)

Reginald2 said:


> This project just went hardcore. Excellent. *fetches popcorn*


"Hardcore" would be the word to accurately describe this and was exactly what I was thinking when I saw this thread.


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## leonroy (Sep 4, 2009)

raven_wilde said:


> Holy sweet bejeezus :icon_eek:
> 
> All I can think when I see this is: do you have a landlord? does he know what you've done? and how would this even be covered in a lease?
> 
> Cuz holy crap mine would be having kittens if I did this!


Heheh, thanks for keeping this thread alive. I do have a landlord and they're very accommodating.

I'm actually retiring this tank and ready for something more practical (200g) against the wall. You can see my new journal at 810l (210g) teak root tank.


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## raven_wilde (Jul 12, 2006)

leonroy said:


> Heheh, thanks for keeping this thread alive. I do have a landlord and they're very accommodating.
> 
> I'm actually retiring this tank and ready for something more practical (200g) against the wall. You can see my new journal at 810l (210g) teak root tank.


Yeah, I'm subscribed to the teak root tank, I got through reading that and clicked through to this and was just like WOAH


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Sorry to hear you are retiring the tank, but it would definitely be a challenge as a planted tank. Fish only seems the best for this design.


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