More pics
OK. Here is the guts of the perfect tank: A Reverse Flow Over Engineered Under Gravel Filter Tank. Reverse Flow: water goes down the tubes (400g/hr x 3) and pushes the water up into the water column. Over engineered Under Gravel: water comes up through the under gravel filter plate where there are layers of blue/white filter media separated "egg shell" light diffuser (not gonna post a pic..too late) what goes underneath fluorescent lights) x 3, then covered with window screen tucked around the edges. This provides (in my tank) 96 sq ft of filter (bacteria beds). And the water is pushed up into the water column to the reverse power head filter suck up the gunk. I haven't vacuumed my tank in 5 years. Additionally, with 250 lbs of boulders, would create "dead" pockets for nitrates to form. With the egg crate stuff, there is still water circulating under neath. The gravel in the tank is just a veneer...something for the fish (cichlids) to play with and move around...something that is a detriment for traditional under gravel filters. The only way, though, that I can have a planted tank is with "potted" plants, which I have done.
You can see the power heads next to the Oscar and the window screen under him, because they moved all the gravel off the bottom. Additionally, I have 2 x emperor penguin 400 hang on the back filters that do another 800g/hr filtertration with carbon clam shell inserts.
This is the fun part. All that pvc plumbing is the "Verruckt" for fish. I have a "Pondmaster" pond pump (1500g/hr..see garden hose) that just circulates water with the corner spout set at a 45 degree angle. The fish LOVE to play in that down current. The added advantage is that the inlet, which has a filter sponge, filters the fish crap that is coming up off the gravel bed. See the grey square filter behind the white vert pipe.
Lastly...then bed time...to the left of the door you can barely see a funnel waist high. And to the right of the tank, a water faucet. I live in the country, thus no chlorine etc in the water...well water. I don't have to use 5g buckets to do water changes. Using to "Pondmaster" pump, I switch valves to re-direct the "garden hose" Verruckt into the funnel which is piped behind the walls (see first pic) into a sump pump, which pumps out into the yard. Then using the water faucet next to the tank on the right side, filler back up!! To do a 1/2 water change (60g) takes 15 min.
In the end, one doesn't have to go to this extreme. I am lucky in that living in the country with the water issues. Also lucky in having the tank built into the wall with access behind. Having said all that, again lucky, I spend 5 min a day, just in feeding the critters. I don't even have to do that. I have "auto" feeders.
But it is humorous, while the wife and I visit in the man cave, she sits on the bar stools, me at my desk, and she looks only at the fish tank
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Lastly I will suggest a nice fish food recipe: ...opps, just fed a wolf spider to the fish: canned oysters, pink salmon, tuna, white crab, tiny shrimp. Blend carefully (burnt 2 blenders thus far), put in ice cube trays, freeze and feed. That is where the Oscar eats outta my hand. This is a supplement, flakes, algae wafers (bottom feeders) et. al.
PS. the shot glasses on top of the penguin filters are to catch fruit flies. Put in some whiskey as they are alcoholics.
PSS. I don't post much, because I don't have much to add. You all have much more football knowledge then I do. Thus my limited contribution to a football site. Now it is an "official" football thread.