My 600L Malawi aquarium

Hi Guys, I already posted this in the general discussions forum but I thought I should post it here too for all the Malawi owners etc. Please let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3zgRRXs-YUA

 

Wow, that is all i can say. This is really stunning.

 

Looks good man!!

 

Awesome! Well done!!

 

on my wish list

 

Thanks Guys, this is the first of many projects to come

 

Beautiful Tank!!! :love:

A friend of mine is planning on building his own tank. Will you please tell me what the thickness of the glass is that you used for your tank, where you bought the glass and roughly what the glass cost?

Regards man

 

Calculate Aquarium Glass Thickness | Aquarium Tools

 

Look really great, well done!

I'm strugling with algae.... in my malawi tank

 

@RFSwanepoel

Thanks man!!! Excellent calculation page!!

 

I have been custom designing for like 3 months now for a Marine Set-up
Let me know if you need more info.
Also not sure but from what I understand you should build with a Minimum of 2.5 safety rating Mine is at 4... And keep in mind your bottom should be thicker so if you build with 8mm your bottom should be 10mm at least.
Are you (Your Friend) doing a sump set-up?

 

And if you are willing to drive 400km (PTA) to pick up a tank then contact Moolis at Petstop His Quotes are well worth it and he would advise you about all the details you need

 

How long do you keep your lights on and are they on a Timer ?

 

From 7-8am , 1-2Lunch , 5- 10 pm

Jip they are on a timer.

 

Please post pics when you done, even while you're not finished yet :amuse:

Thanks. They don't mention this information on that website that I saw of...

Lol, its really for a friend (",)... I don't think so. I have a normal External Canister Filter set-up, he'll probably go for the same...
Do you think that a guy like yourself could start a thread explaining why one would want a sump set-up vs a normal external filter??? I'm such a noob when it comes to the technical, "water-chemist" type of stuff, lol!!

I'm going to pop into Petstop on Saturday. I'll speak to one of the guys there...


Thanks again for all your advice!!!

 

@Rickus

Got another million Questions for you then.

Is there any light coming in other than the tank lights?
How often do you do water changes ?
Have you got a Planted tank?
And how often do you siphon?
Also your feeding times how often do you feed and are you sure you are not over feeding?
How big is the tank and how many fish do you keep in the tank?
How old are your lights if you don't use LED?

Test your nitrate and phosphate levels in the tank and your tap water...
Have you got any Acei's ?

 

I don't really know ?
I am also on Canisters lol
Just asked coz on a custom build if you have a sump there are a whole lot of new calculations that come into play with your return pump. "Head loss" You might end up buying a return that is to weak or to strong and the pipe sizes makes a difference eg: if you have 1" plumbing you can max have +/- 300L per hour flow depending on your head loss. There are calculators out there for all this.

In a Marine set-up a sump is a must but not to sure about FW set-up...

 

I did pick up a cool idea on MASA today to DIY a way to remove Nitrates from your water.

 

no

Here is a thread on my tank:
http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?11024-Malawi-Neighbourhood

thanx for all your help.

 

You need to get a Test kit. Algae lives off Nitrates and Phosphates.

Well everything seems good otherwise.
Your lights might be getting to the end of their life span and getting to weak which will also lead to Algae growth try adding 2 extra hours in to the light times over the next week. Not all at once. like extra 15minutes a day.
Or get new tubes.
It's seems too be either lights or Nitrates ?
Might also be to much waste in the tank, Siphon with every water change if you can.