shark tank build design

[crazyelece]

I am currently starting to lay out the build designs for a tank I wish to house a small shark or ray in. The size will be 7x4x2.5

What I am wondering is for this type of tank should I set up a closed loop for additional flow? Where would the best location of the overflows be? If a closed loop is good where is the best location for the returns?

This tank will be up against a wall so everything (plumbing wise) will come up from the bottom.

Can anyone with experience with shark/ray tanks add their opinions on this? Also any comments on hardware, layout, etc. that I just may not be aware of, any "tricks of the trade" so to speak, when designing a shark/ray tank would be most welcome.

[mitzel]

I don't know how much comparison you have done price wise . But glass cages offers a 8x4x2 tank thats a 500 gallon tank and its ver comperable to the price of materials to build the same tank . And they will drill it to your specs . I'm planning on going this route insted of building my tank . I'm planning on doing three overflows two to filtration and one to the closed loop , that I plan on plumbing to return on the fron corners of the tank . No matter what you'll have to play with the angles of flow to make sure your not getting dead spots in the tank . As Your rock work could effect flow in the tank .

[crazyelece]

The only problem with someone else building the tank is getting it into position. I am going to put the tank in my basement on the concrete slab and I don't know how feasable it is going to be to carry a tank (especially a large tank) down the steps and through the doorway. I have gottten 4x8 sheets of drywall down there so I know I can get acrylic sheets down there. Will glass cages build on site?

Also for placement of overflows and stuff the tank will be viewable from front, left, and right sides. I was thinking an overflow in each back corner and one in the center of the tank if I can get the rockwork to hide it. I'm going to be drawing it up on a CAD system so I can play with the placements and then check what it will look like.

[mitzel]

I don't belive they do onsite construction.

I'm going to do an overflow center of the tank and then split the difference on each side .

[crazyelece]

Does anyone have any peronal experience with flow rates in these tanks? Do they need the 20-30x turnover like reefs do or should they be less like seahorse tanks?

Also anyone have experience with skimmers for tanks this size? Good brands and models?

[DragonMorayEels]

crazyelece, you are in an area were you get many answers and at most the answer you will get is the more in turnover rate you have be the better and in this I have to say is a delusion/speculation on ones part for years ago I too thought in this way.

For you will be needing a good deal of water currents and would have to be making large water changes.

At most you can have in a 7' tank, be cat sharks. Also you best to decide in if you go with cat sharks or a pair of small growing rays in which case you not need anything inside the tank other then a soft gravel bed. But if you do go with the idea with rays, do have as larger sump you can so it holds as much LR.

Small tanks for small growing catsharks or rays is best off the tank be a species only tank, you not enough room for both, not forever that is.

And even with cat sharks, you can and do need some amount of LR and again best a larger sump to hold more LR.

Depending on the people and company, you can get as large a tank you can buy, far larger then 7' and it can be put in, in sections.

[crazyelece]

I'm stuck with the 7' As it will be between a doorway and a post for the main beam on the house. I'm building the tank mainly for a banded bamboo shark that I hatched from an egg. It survived birth and in now starting to eat regularly. I told myself that if I could get it to survive I would get the larger tank. I have to finish the remodeling but hope to start the tank by the end of summer. So I know it will house this guy. I still have to research tankmates but I was looking at some tangs, some wrasses, small stingray like the yellow, puffer, and some others. I haven't researched the compatability of everything but it will all be dependant on the bamboo as it will be his tank. Right now I'm trying to design the hardware (flow, lighting, filtration, etc.) around the bamboo's requirements.