Aquastudent's 135g Aquarium

AquaStudent

AquaStudent

CCA Members
Hello CCA.

I've finally gotten a monster tank (monster for me at least). It's a 135g measuring 6'x18"x24".



I'm currently in the middle of a roommate swap. We'll have that sorted by the end of the week.

Projects on the list are
1) Cleaning the tank
2) Re-silicone
3) Clean stand - Stain/Paint?
4) Build lighting fixture in canopy
5) Decorate - I'm going hiking for some wood! Woohoo Adirondacks!
6) Sump build

The filtration will consist of an FX6 and a DIY Sump featuring a fluidized bed.

The stock plan is currently South American aggressive cichlids. I currently want to have a festae (Red Terror) as the centerpiece boss fish. Accompanying the centerpiece may be a few firemouths, severums, and a bichir.

I'll update when updates are available.
 
AquaStudent

AquaStudent

CCA Members
spazmattik said:
Awesome. Do you have a canopy or lights yet?
Click to expand...

I do have a canopy although I'll need to do a little restoration on it. Nothing that shouldn't take more than a few nails. I'm debating whether or not to paint, stain, or leave the stand. There are a few blemishes but it honestly is the best looking of all of my stands :p

I don't have a light in the canopy so I'll need to figure out what I'm going to do with that. I built a fixture for my 55g using shop lighting and I'm thinking of doing the same thing here. I can't see myself spending a couple hundred on LEDs for this tank.

@ Fish - I have a polyupterus senegalus (Dinosaur Bichir)
 
AquaStudent

AquaStudent

CCA Members
Here's an update on the tank. I stripped out the silicone and tried re-siliconing the inside. I did this by myself but I wasn't quite able to move quickly enough. One of the edges was thick and bumpy. By the time I got to that corner the silicone had started to cure and I messed up with the process. It appeared to crystalize and wasn't clear.

I decided I needed to do this completely correct. I took another few hours to scrape out the new silicone. My roommate came back a couple days ago and he helped me with the siliconing. I gooped and he smoothed. It looks **** good now.

It's been curing for about 48 days. The vinegar smell has disappeared. I don't want to do a fill test just yet. Today a few friends and I are planning on going on a hiking adventure. Hopefully we'll find some nice driftwood for the aquarium.

I also want to take a trip to Lowes to pick up a 2x12 to replace a piece in the canopy that's rotting, some paint for the stand and canopy, and an extra bottle of spray paint for the background. I want to spray the background today or tomorrow then fill test the following day.


Thank you to the fellow CCA members. I've nearly locked in the stocking list. It's now a matter of tracking them down and finding the best way to get them.

2x Severums


2x Chocolate Cichlid - Hypselecara temporalis


4-5x Geophagus (pictured is Geophagus argyrostictus)


1x Polyupterus Senegalus (I already have him)
 
AquaStudent

AquaStudent

CCA Members
So I'm having a bit of a dilemma. I was planning on doing a sump for this project. Originally, I intended to build a PVC overflow (or two) following the common design found on MFK and UrauJoey's YouTube channel. It doesn't siphon the water out but does need to hold a siphon to remove water.

overflow.gif

I would make pipe C slightly taller than the top of E.

However, since I have the tank empty now, I was looking into what it would take to drill the aquarium. A LFS offers drilling at the rate of $35 for the first hole and $20 for additional holes. They also have the bulkheads and overflow boxes.

Is drilling the aquarium worth the extra hassel of transporting up to the LFS and paying $55 + bulkheads and overflows instead of ~$30 for PVC (possibly a bit more for building a second overflow)?

I don't like the permanence of drilling but it can be safer.


Also for an update on everything else. I picked up supplies to repair the canopy, build the light fixture, and paint the stand/canopy. I also have two cans of spray paint for use on the background. Everything is ready to go except for the overflow discussion.
 
Last edited:
dogofwar

dogofwar

CCA Members
Yes - get it drilled. Worth the $55 to me, especially since you're not going to drill a bunch of tanks.

The PVC overflows work great for low-flow applications but I wouldn't trust them over for a sump and the long term...

Matt

AquaStudent said:
So I'm having a bit of a dilemma. I was planning on doing a sump for this project. Originally, I intended to build a PVC overflow (or two) following the common design found on MFK and UrauJoey's YouTube channel. It doesn't siphon the water out but does need to hold a siphon to remove water.

overflow.gif

I would make pipe C slightly taller than the top of E.

However, since I have the tank empty now, I was looking into what it would take to drill the aquarium. A LFS offers drilling at the rate of $35 for the first hole and $20 for additional holes. They also have the bulkheads and overflow boxes.

Is drilling the aquarium worth the extra hassel of transporting up to the LFS and paying $55 + bulkheads and overflows instead of ~$30 for PVC (possibly a bit more for building a second overflow)?

I don't like the permanence of drilling but it can be safer.


Also for an update on everything else. I picked up supplies to repair the canopy, build the light fixture, and paint the stand/canopy. I also have two cans of spray paint for use on the background. Everything is ready to go except for the overflow discussion.
Click to expand...
 
AquaStudent

AquaStudent

CCA Members
Bunch more updates I forgot to mention.

I do think drilling is the best option in the long term but I just can't do it right now. I also meant to check to see if the sides were tempered (that would make this whole decision a lot easier). At the moment I'm going to stick with my original plan and go with the DIY PVC overflows. If I build them correctly they should be just as reliable as a drilled overflow without the permanence.

Today I got a bunch of stuff organized. The canopy is giving me some trouble. The base 2x12 is soft on one end so I was going to replace it. Trouble is I didn't think about how I'm getting it off. It turns out the screws holding it all together have had their heads rusted away. I can't unscrew them. That makes things difficult. I put that off to the side and will work with it some more in a couple days when I've had time to think.

Also, I painted the background. As bad of a decision of not drilling it may be spraypainting in my livingroom is worse. I wish I had a better option but there's just no way I can move the **** thing. Open windows and a couple fans helped a bit but I definitely didn't want to hang out in that room for very long. I just hope the vapors didn't spread to the other residents in the building. I'd hate to get on his or her bad side.



I also have the FX6 ready for installation. I was going to set it up on my established 55g African Cichlid tank then realized that I need to plan out how to cut the tubing. I should be able to set the filter up tomorrow but I didn't want to rush it today. I think having the filter intake shorter and the return longer would be the best.

Also, my friends and I went on an adventure yesterday. We looked on GoogleMaps for a nice place to park and wander around in the wilderness along a local river. We may have been trespassing and got a bit muddy but it was a fun time. We found a few nice pieces of driftwood that I'm going to inspect more closely. There are a few downed trees in the woods by my complex that also show potential. Once I decide on the best option I'll begin sterilization and soaking.

Tomorrow, after I finish grading the rest of the lab reports, I'll work on cleaning out the stand and painting it black. Depending on the time situation I may also try leak testing. I'm confident it'll hold water but I really wish I could test it outside...slow and steady wins the race I guess?
 
AquaStudent

AquaStudent

CCA Members
dogofwar said:
The PVC overflow won't be as reliable as drilling the tank.

Matt
Click to expand...

I completely agree but the sump project is something that's awhile away (if it even happens). I'd use the sump more as an extra biological filtration section (fluidized bed and wet/dry) with very little mechanical filtration. It's not something that's going to need a ton of flow because it's more of a side project.

I do agree that drilling is the long-term better option so I'm not going to justify my course of action other than I'm sticking to my original plan and I can't move the tank up to get it drilled (and I'm not paying an extra $50 for them to do it at my place). If I had a drill (other than my Dremel) it'd consider doing it myself.
 
dogofwar

dogofwar

CCA Members
An alternative is to direct the outflow of your FX6 into a rubbermaid on top of your tank (or other, more attractive container) filled with bio materials. This is exactly how I filter my 180g SA community (except it's an FX5).

No drilling (other than holes in the bottom of the rubbermaid) and more than enough bio capacity.

The key with chocolate cichlids, geos, etc. is low nitrates. I do large weekly water changes and keep the mechanical filtration clean. The top layer of my dump filter is a basket of fluff, which takes about 30 seconds to clean and replace. I also clean the sponges in my FX5 every couple of weeks.

Matt
 
AquaStudent

AquaStudent

CCA Members
Thanks Matt. Are you saying put a rubber maid above the tank and have it drip down? I'm trying to get the picture.

Also curious if anyone has experience with the Drs. Foster and Smith Chlorine Neutralizer. I was going to pick up a bottle of either the Drs. F+S Chlorine Neutralizer (give it a shot) or the 2L of Pond Prime

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5163+5247+5254+25130&pcatid=25130

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5163+5247+5254+5384&pcatid=5384
 
dogofwar

dogofwar

CCA Members
Correct. Return the water from the FX6 into a rubbermaid (or whatever bin) on top of the tank and have it dump back in. Basically a sump on top of the tank.

Much more efficient than a regular sump and doesn't require drilling.

Matt

AquaStudent said:
Thanks Matt. Are you saying put a rubber maid above the tank and have it drip down? I'm trying to get the picture.

Also curious if anyone has experience with the Drs. Foster and Smith Chlorine Neutralizer. I was going to pick up a bottle of either the Drs. F+S Chlorine Neutralizer (give it a shot) or the 2L of Pond Prime

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5163+5247+5254+25130&pcatid=25130

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5163+5247+5254+5384&pcatid=5384
Click to expand...
 
AquaStudent

AquaStudent

CCA Members
Ok. That's what I thought. That would be easy. The trick will be concealing it so that it looks good. Definitely a doable project though. Thanks Matt. The tank is currently the only occupant on a living room wall that's about 5' longer than the tank itself. We haven't set up the TV but perhaps I can get something (or build something) that'll hold the TV and a tub sump. I could run some tubing behind the tank and so long as it has a negative gradient the entire trip we should be golden. That's a later project though.

Update: I got the stand painted. I may put on another coat this evening just to get any spots that I missed while painting and missed on my quick overview.

I have to go to campus today for a lab meeting and research meeting but tonight, when my roommate returns, we will put the stand in location and pop the tank up on it. Tomorrow (I'm assuming I won't have time today) I'll measure out the tubing for the FX6 and get it set up on the 55g to seed it.

I'll then be able to leak test the tank and assuming that goes well add in the substrate and get the driftwood ready. I still haven't decided on which driftwood piece I'll be using. My friends and I picked up a few nice looking ones on our adventure. There are a few pieces I've had my eye on around my place and there is always a trip up to the Adirondacks available. The decoration is something that can wait also.

If all goes well I should be able to get fish in a couple weeks.
 
AquaStudent

AquaStudent

CCA Members
Yes, yes. I've seen a video (I think it was by UrauJoey) where he built one.

I think I've seen refugiums built like that. I may need to rebuild the canopy so I could always add in some extra room for that.
 
AquaStudent

AquaStudent

CCA Members
Here's a thought I had earlier today. I could use pvc with a cap on one end and holes/slits drilled through it (basically making a DIY intake). The pvc intake would be attached to an inline water pump (I could mount it up above in the canopy. That way if it leaks for any reason it won't siphon water out of the tank) The inline pump will draw water out of the tank and into the above mounted sump. The end of the sump will return the water to the tank.

My reasoning behind this is I'd rather have two separate filters running in parallel rather than two in series (reference to circuits). I'm also concerned with how much water I could send through a planter sump like that and I'd rather not dial down the FX6. I could use a lesser pump (maybe 400gph) that will give the water more contact time with the heaters but still enough turnover to treat a lot of water.

Edit: Here's the video from Joey. A little powerhead near the surface may be better. I didn't think the head loss would be that significant...but I also don't need much mechanical filtration. It'll be more for water cleaning (and fun)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFcioRUCa6c
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Capital Exotic Fish
Top