Last updated Oct 14, 2002
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The copyright for contents of this article and the accompanying photographs are owned by Fred Hamilton and are used here with permission. Mr. Hamilton may be contacted at fredhamilton@fuse.net
Fred Hamilton's 1000 Gallon Tanks
I own two 1,000 gallon fish tanks located in my fishroom in Cincinnati. Pictured below is one of them: a tank devoted to Tanganyikan cichlids. These tanks serve as a source of endless interest to fish keepers; once word of these tanks became public on the Internet, I started receiving hundreds of questions, from as far away as Australia and Singapore. In the hope that my experiences with these tanks would be at least interesting to browsers of the GCAS website, here are some questions and answers.
Question No. 1: Why?
About 25 years ago, I agreed to care for my supervisor's giant fish collection during his two-week trip abroad. The centerpiece of the collection was a 500 gallon aquarium, completely homemade, in which lived some interesting fish called "cichlids." I survived the experience, but developed an addiction which has stayed with me, and grown, over the ensuing years. Within a week I had purchased my own aquarium... a 15 gallon slate-bottomed beauty (now very rare). But over the years, I never forgot the 500 gallon tank, and the very large fish (Tilapia tanganyikae) who lived there.
After embarking on the hobby, I quickly learned that cichlids happen to be large. While there are many exceptions, a majority of cichlids sold in the pet store at 1" will eventually grow to at least 4 or 5 inches. Even a one inch cichlid, I learned, will occupy a territory of 10 to twenty square feet in the wild. I was eventually forced to conclude that the fish deserved a home more in keeping with their natural habitat, with the type of "floor space" and depth which would hopefully allow me to see behavior which a smaller tank could not permit. Added to that, I developed a taste for the even larger members of the family: the Tilapia, cichlasoma, and others which reach the size of small cats.
Original drawing 1
Original drawing 2
Question No. 2: How?
These tanks measure 12 feet by 4 feet by 3 feet. They are built of 6" thick concrete and 1/2" plate glass, bonded together with a special type of silicone-based sealant typically used to weatherpoof large buildings. Read detailed plans for exact measurements.
About 1984, I built my first concrete tank: a 500 gallon tank which served as a real "learning experience." It now sits empty in a home I sold in 1988. Pictured above is a "construction" view of my first 1000 gallon tank built in about 1989 which, I believe, is still in operation, although I moved out some time ago.
 
Concrete forms Unfinished aquarium
The first step is creation of very durable wooden forms to hold the wet concrete. For the technically oriented, note that the fishroom is constructed with "greenboard" drywall, which resists the inevitable high humidity in the fishroom, and high-mounted "GFIC" outlets which are designed to prevent accidents from the occasional contact between water and electricity. A floor drain is also a "must" for maintenance.
The photo on the right side, shows the tank after the concrete forms are removed, but before a finishing coat of concrete is applied, glass panes are installed, and the air and water lines are put in position.
Air, water, light and power added
Lenghtwise photo of the tank
This is a lengthwise view of the finished Malawian tank built in 1996. As pictured above, each tank, in addition to having its own individual water supply via PVC plumbing, is supplied a separate PVC air line which brings air from a blower located in a distant part of the house. Each tank has three large airstones connected to the air supply, and each tank has three 300-watt heaters, each with its own GFC oultet. The tanks are connected, by means of a PVC "overflow" device, to a floor drain. There is no other filtration in the big tanks. Each tank is illuminated by floodlights which hang from electrical conduit mounted on the ceiling for convenience, flexibility, and safety.
Left side of Malawi tank
Right side of Malawi tank
Question No. 3: Who?
The tanks are designed for African river fish and lake fish from Tanganyika and Malawi... and so, each is supplied with one ton of "creek stone" from a local landscape supply house. Each contains about 150-200 fish, not counting tiny fry.
The Malawian tank has quite a group of fish. From the lake, it has Pseudotropheus macropthalmus, P. zebra (red), P. crabro, P. acei, Dimidiachromis compressiceps, Cyrtocara moori, Nimbochromis livingstoni, N. venustus, Copadichromis borleyi, Aulonocara baenschi, Melanochromis auratus, Labidochromis coeruleus, and Pseudotropehus aurora. From African and nearby rivers, I've added Sarotherodon mossambicus, Tilapia buttikoferi, Oreochromis alba, Paratilpia polleni, Synodontis eupterus, Synodontis angelicus, and Distichodus sexfasciatus.
The Tanganyikan tank has Neolamprologus brichardi (daffodil and "regular"), Tropheus Duboisi ("Maswa" and narrow white band), Tropheus moori "Kasabae," Cyprichromis sp., Boulengerochromis microlepis, Cyphotilapia frontosa (six-stripe), Lamprologus tetracanthus, and Julidochromis transciptus.
There are other tanks in the fishroom, in which can be found Haplochromis obliquidens, a Red Devil (butterfly pattern), hyrid Labidochromis, Labidochromis sp. "hongae," Pelvicachromis pulcher, one bluegill, one green sunfish, twelve longeared sunfish, a pair of Boulengerochromis microlepis, and my most recent addition, ten hybrid Cichlasoma.
Finished tank!!
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