# 240 Gallon thoughts and considerations



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Filtration, lighting, and substrate will be your highest costs in a low tech planted tank.

I'm going to guess you'll need around $2000+ to set it up.

VERY rough estimate:
$500-800 lighting (you'll need more than 200 watts no matter what kind of fixture you go with, probably more in the neighborhood of 300-400 watts)
$500-600 filtration
$500 substrate
$300 misc (plants, decor, etc)

What type of foundation does your house have? If it's tile over concrete slab, you're probably OK. Pier and beam may be iffy... if the tile is over a wood subfloor you may need to have a contractor look over and possibly make some reinforcements.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

> VERY rough estimate:
> $500-800 lighting (you'll need more than 200 watts no matter what kind of fixture you go with, probably more in the neighborhood of 300-400 watts)
> $500-600 filtration
> $500 substrate
> $300 misc (plants, decor, etc)


That's at the BARE minimum. I'm sure you know how costly this hobby is, since you already have two tanks. 
The lights might even be more than $800.. depends on how long your tank is and how high of a quality you want the fixtures to be.


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## topfrog007 (Dec 30, 2007)

$2,000 *Whistles to self*
Jeez, I'm going to need to find some way to make that more like 200.00 =) 

Here are some ideas I was playing with:

For substrate I'm thinking of using Schlutz aquatic along with some Turface pro league. Turface is only like 20.00 for a 50LB bag. Only problem is that last time I had to get it in red. Yuck. 

For filtration I think I might use a Jebo 839 ... 
http://cgi.ebay.com/JEBO-829-839-Ex...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a4cd0af73

It's basically a Chinese knock off of an Eheim. 
I've had a Jebo in my 55G for about a year and a half and haven't had any problems at all. I realize that the 839 is for up to 200G tanks, but I plan on having some big rocks/wood as well as not stocking the tank anything near it's potential for a long time. 

I happen to live in a good location for drift wood/sandstone so it might take a while and plenty of hikes, but I think I can find some good pieces for Decor.

I think Lighting and plants/fish will be my biggest costs. But luckily I can add plants/fish slowly over time. 

Any ideas for a cheapy lighting system? I'm open to all types of ideas.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

If you're handy with DIY you can make your own fixture. Otherwise, they're a pretty penny, and I think you'll be hard-pressed to find anything less than $400 that's worth the $$.

I owned a Jebo... once... I wouldn't risk it on this tank unless you get 3 of them, minimum (hopefully you'll be able to keep at least 2 running at a time...)


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I have done my 125 for around $800, including the tank. There are ways to cut that cost down a lot. I might get yelled at for some of these suggestions, but that is ok.

A soil substrate with turface cap is a good way to go. I know a guy around here who has had great success for more than 20 years with just river silt. With a low tech set up, you wouldn't have to add many ferts because the soil is pretty packed. 

Filters, you can watch craigslist for a deal. I got an xp3 for $25. Those are few and far between, but it can work out nice. Some powerheads can keep your flow up if you are underfiltering your understocked tank. You can add another filter later. Just make sure you keep up on your water changes.

Lights might hurt Since it is a built in tank, you must have some DIY skills. You could probably do something with parts from homedepot or lowes. I think they have 4 ft plant bulbs in t8. You could put up 4 or 6 and probably do ok.

For fish and plants, find a local club. You can get some good deals on plants. You might not find the fish you want though.


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## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

lauraleellbp said:


> Filtration, lighting, and substrate will be your highest costs in a low tech planted tank.
> 
> I'm going to guess you'll need around $2000+ to set it up.
> 
> ...


.....$500+ for lighting?

T8 shop lights are $20 each excluding bulbs. x4 = $80, 8 bulbs total, 32W each, that's 256 watts. $120 total with bulbs? T12 fixtures are half the price, you could use those instead. The reflectors aren't great, but you could DIY it and improve them a lot for not much money. 

For substrate, mineralized top soil is cheap, cap it with pool filter sand or 3M colorquartz, almost undoubtedly a lot less than $500.



AzFishKid said:


> That's at the BARE minimum. I'm sure you know how costly this hobby is, since you already have two tanks.
> The lights might even be more than $800.. depends on how long your tank is and how high of a quality you want the fixtures to be.


A standard 240 is 8x2x2

Why are you assuming he needs T5/metal halide/PC lighting? He said the tank will be low tech.


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## topfrog007 (Dec 30, 2007)

FSM said:


> A standard 240 is 8x2x2


Oh, he said this one was custom. But the measurements are:
Length = 72"
Depth = 24"
Height = 32"

Since it is higher than a normal 240, does that change the lighting requirements?


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

It can. All depends on what you want to grow. Maybe you will want to look for metal halides. With it built into the wall, you could put something together yourself since aesthetics are not as critical.


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## AlaskanDad (May 17, 2009)

My only experience is with my 150g and it's working out well.

I dumped regular Schultz top soil underneath 3/8" Pea Gravel from Menards. Total cost for 250 lbs of gravel and top soil was less than $25. The water is crystal clear and the plants are growing well. I couldn't ask for more.

This doesn't HAVE to be expensive...


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## Aquarist_Fist (Jul 22, 2008)

topfrog007 said:


> My question is, what considerations need to be made for this 240G tank? It's pretty heavy, will I be safe to put it on my tile without it breaking the tile?


Well, it's a ton. Literally...


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

If you're handy with DIY you can save $$ all kinds of places.

You'll need to make your own fixtures, filters and substrate, however, if you want to come in under $200.

Yes, it's do-able IF you DIY it. Tons of DIY threads in that forum for you to check out. You can definitely put together a quality DIY setup with adequate planning.

If you _don't_ DIY it, $2000 IMO is a conservative estimate for buying decent quality ready-made equipment.

FWIW, in a 240gal tank, I don't think light from T8 bulbs will penetrate deep enough to support much plant growth. I think you'll need T5 or preferably T5HO.


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## topfrog007 (Dec 30, 2007)

lauraleellbp said:


> FWIW, in a 240gal tank, I don't think light from T8 bulbs will penetrate deep enough to support much plant growth. I think you'll need T5 or preferably T5HO.


I was afraid of that too, especially since this 240G seems to be a bit taller (32") than most 240G.

Does the 1.5W-2W per gallon rule that is often used for low tech plants scale to tanks of this size? If so, I'm going to need between 360 - and 480 Watts for this tank? Possibly more since it is higher?


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## bigpow (May 24, 2004)

I've a 240 gallon and my only advice to you is Don't get the GLASS tank.

Mine is acrylic/plexi and it's already heavy at 250lbs empty.
To move a 240G glass tank, you'd need a lot of people or a mini forklift.


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## topfrog007 (Dec 30, 2007)

bigpow said:


> I've a 240 gallon and my only advice to you is Don't get the GLASS tank.
> 
> Mine is acrylic/plexi and it's already heavy at 250lbs empty.
> To move a 240G glass tank, you'd need a lot of people or a mini forklift.


It's too late for that. =)

Plus it was too good of a deal to pass up, even if I don't necessarily have the money to complete it yet.

Your 250 is a planted tank I assume? What are you using for lighting?


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## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

the shop lights are 4 feet long, so they won't work.

6 foot catalina PC fixtures are a good deal, 6x65W is $235


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## Raul-7 (Oct 17, 2003)

If you don't have the money to setup right away, take it slowly. The last thing you should do is rush a tank build especially on an aquarium this size.


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## bigpow (May 24, 2004)

topfrog007 said:


> It's too late for that. =)
> 
> Plus it was too good of a deal to pass up, even if I don't necessarily have the money to complete it yet.
> 
> Your 250 is a planted tank I assume? What are you using for lighting?


Not planted.
My 125g planted is already a handful.

I don't have either the money or time to do a 240g planted.

I once estimated the rough cost to make my 240g planted: $1000 for 2x Eheim 2080, $1000 Cheapie (insufficient) T5HO lighting, more with proper lighting (MH). Not including all the necessary pumps, plumbings, etc. 20lbs+ CO2 cylinder with manifold to spread the injection points, etc.

Ridiculously expensive. Not to mention very time consuming. 
The 240G is so tall, it's not easy to work with.
Weekly trimming alone, will be a full day job.


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## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

have you considered Diana Walsteds method of planted aquariums? it is simple and i have setup all my tanks this way and had no problems. im a person of simple and cheap fun and when i got into aquariums this was a def. route that i wanted to go. i setup a 55 for about 100 bucks thats with lights and simple filters. google her up and you will find she has a book well worth reading. things are online about her as well so you should be able to setup a simple lowtech tank like you want. good luck bud i will check in soon.


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## topfrog007 (Dec 30, 2007)

problemman said:


> have you considered Diana Walsteds method of planted aquariums? it is simple and i have setup all my tanks this way and had no problems. im a person of simple and cheap fun and when i got into aquariums this was a def. route that i wanted to go. i setup a 55 for about 100 bucks thats with lights and simple filters. google her up and you will find she has a book well worth reading. things are online about her as well so you should be able to setup a simple lowtech tank like you want. good luck bud i will check in soon.


Yeah, I looked closely between using Diana's method and Tom's method. my 55G has been using Tom Barr's no water change, no c02 method for almost a year and a half and apart from a few algae blooms due to be being on vacation has been working fine! Plant growth is slow, but other than topping the water off every few weeks the tank needs zero maintenance. 


@FSM, I found the 6 foot Catalina PC fixture on their website, and it definitely looks like an option as it's the cheapest pre-made fixture I've found that can supply a decent amount of light. So thank you for that!

I'm still looking for a cheaper lighting option though, maybe something DIY.


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## bigpow (May 24, 2004)

I have the Catalina Solar T5 HO 48".
I like it. But you'll find a lot of people don't like catalina lights (low PAR, etc).

Balance tank and low light are all cool.
My 14g is balance (no water change, no CO2, 2WPG, sponge filter, etc).
It's been running non-stop for the last 4yrs. Water is always crystal clean. Sponge filters cleaned every month or so.

However, I didn't have any luck setting up balance tank for my 20g, 55g and 125g. 
For me, it's a lot harder than as the tank size gets bigger (contrary to the logic).

When I got to 125G, I realized that I had to have pressurized CO2 and higher lights to prevent the plants from massive die-offs (the same plants thriving on low tech 14g, 20g and 55g). The same goes with filtration, I had to double the filters and add water pumps for circulations.

Good luck with the build.


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## kvntran (Feb 16, 2008)

My brother setup his 200G+ tank very economically, and it works.
The most expensive part and hard to DIY is the filter, but like someone already mentioned, CL is the answer.

He got an Eheim pro 3 for under $100.00, yes it's time consuming to wait for deals, but if you don't have a lot of money to spend and not in hurry to setup your system, you will get some great deals simply by waiting.

Lighting is another issue. But he found that Costco has floodlights for cheap. They are Light of America, 65W, 6500K, for under $10.00 bucks each! For low light tank, you would need just 7 or 8 of them. That's 500W for under $100.00

For substrate you can simply mix some potting soil, plain dirt, some clay, then cap it with regular pebbles or gravel found in your local construction companies. I think it's $11.00 for 100lb.

With time on your side, your tank will be stable and balance itself out if you do water change frequently.

Please keep us posted. Thanks.

Kevin


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## bigpow (May 24, 2004)

I got 4 of those Costco $9.99 Lights of America 65W 6500K floodlights.
Funny thing is, if the bulbs break it'll cost $15 (Homedepot), that's why I got a few of those fixtures without bulbs. Remove the cover and drill a few holes on top, the bulbs will last much longer.
I use them for my 14g and 20g.

On my 55g (18" tall), they barely enough to lit the bottom of the tank -> very low light.

That's where the Catalina Solar T5HO came in.
Make no mistake, it's the cheapest 48" T5 light you could get - thus not really the best.


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## kvntran (Feb 16, 2008)

bigpow said:


> I got 4 of those Costco $9.99 Lights of America 65W 6500K floodlights.
> Funny thing is, if the bulbs break it'll cost $15 (Homedepot), that's why I got a few of those fixtures without bulbs. Remove the cover and drill a few holes on top, the bulbs will last much longer.
> I use them for my 14g and 20g.
> 
> ...



Agree, T5HO should be better because it's much cooler than CF.

I mounted 2 of those Costco lights under the hood of my 40G tank shown below, and it's not that bad at all, pretty decent for $20.00


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## topfrog007 (Dec 30, 2007)

kvntran said:


> Agree, T5HO should be better because it's much cooler than CF.
> 
> I mounted 2 of those Costco lights under the hood of my 40G tank shown below, and it's not that bad at all, pretty decent for $20.00


It's so cheap that maybe I'll try and get some of the floodlights you guys mentioned. However my tank is nearly twice as high at 32" ... =(

I'm wondering if I can build a cheap T5HO option for less than the price of the Catalina that FSM mentioned above @ $235


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## topfrog007 (Dec 30, 2007)

Just found what seems to be a pretty good deal locally on CL.

"Reef lighting: 3 x 175 watt halide plus two VHO - $250 "

I've called the guy and it's not mounted in a fixture, so I could buy this and make a quick DIY fixture. 

The ballast has switches to let you use 2 of the halides, all 3 halides, and a couple other combination's.

So what do you guys think, would this work for my 240G? I'm mostly worried about not having enough light at the substrate since the tank is 32" high... Thoughts?


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## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

bigpow said:


> I have the Catalina Solar T5 HO 48".
> I like it. *But you'll find a lot of people don't like catalina lights (low PAR, etc).*
> 
> Balance tank and low light are all cool.
> ...


I hadn't heard this, do you have any links to stuff I could read?


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## S&KGray (Nov 12, 2008)

If you are willing to make a DIY hood maybe these might work for you:

Sunblaze T5HO Striplights


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## topfrog007 (Dec 30, 2007)

I will look into those s&kGray.

Any thoughts on the 3x175watt + 2 vho kit I mentioned above?


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## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

That would be plenty of light. Are the bulbs actinic though?


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## topfrog007 (Dec 30, 2007)

Started a photo journal of the tank, it is located here:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals-photo-album/91981-240g-low-tech-woodscape-cheap-possible.html#post894544


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