My 125 Gallon set up

[The Zigman]

Hi everyone!

This is what I have so far,
This is a 6' 125 gallon glass tank I picked up cheap, I built the stand, and canopy. There is a compact flourescent fixture in the canopy that powers 2 96 watt 8800k Sunpak lamps. The Fluval FX-5 is piped into the canopy with some beverage system hose, and PVC pipe. I'm not finished with the pluimbing yet, but the 2 valves will be used to drain the aquarium, and fill with wather from the RO system in the basement. No buckets for me. The fill hose is 1/2 inch and i am putting a 300 watt inline heater there to preheat the water, then it is "injected" into the output of the Filter. the other valve will run into a drain in the basement. Hopefully changing water will be a simple operation. I made a few mistakes and put too many elbows in the plumbing, and the Fluval's output is less than it should be, I am going to make some changes to increase the flow rate of the filter.
Anyway, I plan to plant this tank with some medum to small filter sand as substrate and some black rock from the local landscape supplier (is this a good idea?) I need to find some chunky Peices of driftwood as a centerpeice for this tank, and then some smaller pieces to place around the back of the tank.

let me know what you think.
Thanks, Brian

[Buckdog]

Nice setup. Looks good so far.

[erin14]

Okay so, i'm jealous... I love the color of the wood also. Looks good, we need more pictures!!!

[The Zigman]

I didn't realize there was a photo gallery section, probably should have posted this there, sorry about that. Anyway, I am hoping to add some substrate and plants and get this thing filled soon, I'll put up some more pics then.
The wood was supposed to be black to match my desk, but for some reason, I couldn't get the stain to set that dark. Thanks for the comments though.

[Malefic23]

I wish I could build stands like that.... Nice set up. Have you got a theme or biotope figured out yet?

[OscarMan82]

that will be one nice lookin tank when all is said and done, can't wait for more pics.

[Rometiklan]

That's just a sweet setup. That would be a real joy to set up and maintain. I'm thinking about building a similar wooden canopy for my new 55 gallon. Post pics when you can.

[shaggbark]

Really nice...keep us posted!

[The Zigman]

I re plumbed the filter and added a 16 watt UV sterilizer. I straightened out some of the curves to incrrease the flow from the filter. I have the fill valve plumbed into the basement. All I have to do now is plumb inthe drain, (I'm using a garden hose.. I will be able to pump water from this tank into another tank with this hose, or drain the tank into the main house drain in the basement. it should be a sweet set up.

Share your thoughts..

[Mgamer20o0]

did a great job on the stand.

[The Zigman]

Thanks.. The stand is all red oak, beleive it ot not, and I stained it with Minwax ebony. Its got about 6 coats of crystal clear polyurethane on it. The doors are actually galvanized sheet metal, I took a grinder to them and swirled a pattern in the metal removong the galvanize. They I sprayed them with clear enamel (didnt wanna take the chance of spraying them with polyurethane and having it yellow out). I am going to put an eclipse 12 in the space between the two cabinet doors...

[Rbishop]

Looking good!

[The Zigman]

So i re plumbed most everything, added the fill valve and drain, re plumbed the fill line to bypass the water softener, then added the lights. There is a 6' compact flourescent fixture in the canopy with 2 34" 96 watt 6700K bulbs.. This thing lights up mu whole home office, my neighbor thought a UFO crash landed here yesterday... I also added 2 LED light Pucks... Got them from menards for $20.. Thought they would make a pretty cool moonlight simulator.. I tried to take some PIX.. Let me know what ya think.. Tanks only has water right now...

The LEDs are not as bright as they look in the picture.. also only the LEDs turned on in the 2nd picture...

[The Zigman]

I can fill or completely drain this tank in about 20 minutes.. the whole setup actually worked out better than I had hoped! Fill water is "injected into the output from the filter, thus (hopefully) mixing the temperatures so there shouldnt be any drastic temperature changes...

[charlie4486]

that's awesome. can't wait to see some fish in there.

[The Zigman]

Me either! Hopefully Santa likes me this year. I've been good!!

[The Zigman]

Thought I'd update with an "under the hood" shot at the lighting...

there are 2 34" 96 Watt 6700K bulbs in the fixture, and 2 LED puck lights.. Might add 2 more pucks... We'll see how it goes.

Hopefully the fat man in the red suit, you know the one with the friggin reindeers, is good to me this year....can get this thing livin..
Lost my job a while back, and now money's a little tight..

Will the PC's be enough light for a planted tank? Its 24" deep.. They are 6700k Ultra daylights...

[williedee]

looks great. sorry bout your job, hope things get better with the new year!

[jm1212]

awesome!

[Loulou]

Wonderful tank! :) And I'm loving (and getting inspired by) the plumbings of your filter! :)

What will you stock the tank with?

[The Zigman]

Planning on Discus... and friends!

[Loulou]

So you will be making it a planted tank, right? It's going to be interesting to see your journal entries on this - I have no knowledge nor experience of planted tanks. This should be a good learning experience. :)

[The Zigman]

Started spending the gift cards that I got for christmas, and I got some new wood...


The other store was out of the substrates I wanted, so I'll have to wait till Wednesday when the next shipment comes in.

[FISHSHROD]

nice setup , I like the way you are approaching your water change system:grinyes:

[The Zigman]

Yes, It will be planted, with injected co2...

I am trying to make this tank a pleasure to operate, something that I can enjoy without spending countless hours of maintenance on it.. fish will be coming soon though... yes... here fishy fishy fishy!!!

[st0l1]

nice setup , I like the way you are approaching your water change system:grinyes:

+1 Great set-up. I'm looking forward to seeing some life in there. :)

[elementkid65]

lovin that plumbing ----easy defined

[The Zigman]

Ok so I was looking for a small tank to put in the space at the bottom.. a 10 would be small, Petsmart has a 16Gal bowfront, and thew eclipse 12 both for $99. The bowfront is just the tank and light, no filter. Is the additional 4 gal worth the extra cost? Opinions??

[Sy229]

Ok so I was looking for a small tank to put in the space at the bottom.. a 10 would be small, Petsmart has a 16Gal bowfront, and thew eclipse 12 both for $99. The bowfront is just the tank and light, no filter. Is the additional 4 gal worth the extra cost? Opinions??


Z-Man,
First of all, great looking stand and canopy - I may borrow your idea for the small 'area' lights - I have some under the kitchen cabinets but never thought to use them with the tank. The plumbing concept is outstanding - Makes me wish I had a basement to drain down into. My simple plan is to use an in-line pump w/ garden hose out the front door and onto the lawn on the weekends.

As far as the smaller tank goes, I assume this is for a sump underneath. With your skills, have you thought about assembling an acrylic one to your own specs?

Keep us posted with your progress and great set up ideas!

[The Zigman]

No not a sump, just a small quarantine tank..
I dont think I could build one cheaper than $100.

[The Zigman]

So I'm settin here lookin at the wall behind my tank, and decided I wanted a black background. Was going to paint it, but since I own a sign shop, I decided to vinyl over it..I can remove it later too.. Here are the pix...

My RO system finally arrived, as did my heaters, and I bought 75# of gravel, and some driftwood.
I'll be workin on this soon, Look for more updates!

[bethkira2000]

Sweet, love the stand, the plumbing is great, and great idea or the background. I can't wait to see what else your going to do with it.

[The Zigman]

Another pic of the background...
And, I re plumbed the fill line again, now I have 2, one for RO water, and another straight from the tap. See the 2 blue valves on the back wall of the pic below. I can top the tank with straight tap water, or all RO water, or a mixture of both...
now I have all of the other stuff shown below to install.. Still need some rocks, and would like more driftwood. Still hafta get a storage tank for the ro'd water too.

[The Zigman]

Can you even see my heaters?

There are 3 of them in there, all set at 86 degrees for discus..

150# of substrate. it is darker than it looks in the pix..

I need more driftwood, and tons of plants. Should I bother with any eco complete type substrate? there is none in the tank..

Please share your thoughts. :headbang2:

Thanks!

[bluerat]

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_33_15.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxuk101MXGB) keep the updates coming

[The Zigman]

So I'm settin here lookin at the wall behind my tank, and decided I wanted a black background. Was going to paint it, but since I own a sign shop, I decided to vinyl over it..I can remove it later too.. Here are the pix...




This is 3m 7125 2 mil cast sign vinyl, It is normally used for vehicle graphics and signs. For me it was cheaper, and easier than using paint.

BTW I used 150# of substrate. Bags were 50#, I thought they were 25#

[The Zigman]

Loaded the trays in my Fluval FX5.

Took it apart, and was suprised to see it full of rust, My water has so much iron in it, it is unbeleiveable, anyway, i rinsed everything off as best I could, and loaded the trays. I am really unsure of this, so please let me know if I did this correctly..

Tray #1, Just activated carbon, I am going to take this out in a month or so, and replace it with biomax.

tray#2, A finishing pad, and 2 boxes of biomax, still room for more too, need about 4 more boxes...

Tray #3, This just has 2 finishing pads.


Please let me know what you think.
Thanks!

[nmrsco]

awesome setup nice work I cant wait to see it finished

[svf]

Amazing! I am loving this thread!!!! I especially love the galvanized steel doors with the designs - in the very first pic, I thought they looked like frosted glass.
I am assuming that you will be moving your RTS, Pleco and Barbs to this tank when you get it cycled. Why don't you use your 10 gallon as the quarantine? Just a thought. ;)

[The Zigman]

So I temporaraly set up the Reverse osmosis system. I just want to see some water in the tank.

The RO will be stored in a 309 gan holding tank in the basement. I have everything set up and finally got the leaks fixed. I'm going to let this flow, and see how muck water I have in the tanks after work tomorrow... Yeah, I said work, I finally am starting my new job.. Maybe I'll have some money to get some fish now!!

[theotheragentm]

That is one awesome RO system.

[The Zigman]

Thanks,

That is supposed to say 30 gallon storage tank...

[The Zigman]

Anyone still reading this?

[The Zigman]

friggin RO still leaks...

[mphunk]

Where is the RO leaking from? The membrane seals? Are you using a check valve between the output line and the Storage? Is that storage tank lined with an epoxy? Sorry, I just work in water treatment and am curious. PM me if you want free tech advice!

[SoCalDiscus]

Your setup looks awesome. That is the way to do water changes. Depending on the type of discus you want to keep you may want to think about changing the background color on the tank. So, it might be a good thing you can change it relatively easily. Discus tend to act similarly to chameleons in that they can change their color to blend into their surroundings. This means that fish that look great in the store can look really dark in your tank with a black background. Another issue is peppering. With pigeon blood strains they get peppering, and a dark background, even dark wood, in the tank can cause them to show more peppering. Some of the peppering is irreversible. And I have ruined a few $100 fish.

I actually tore my tank down, razor bladed the black paint off, and rebuilt the overflow box in order to change from black to a white background. I even got rid of my fluorite and switched to light sandy color substrate similar to yours. It does make a big difference with the fish. I'm sure there are others who will say the same thing. However, if you want to stick to strains that don't get peppering such as heckels, leopard snakeskins, blue diamonds, etc, then you can get away with the black background. I have seen white, light blue, and even light green backgrounds work very well. By the way, if you choose a white background, it will be a light blue anyway if you use actinic lights to help balance the colors. Here are 2 pics of the same tank, one with the black BG, one with white. I think the fish show off better on the light background, but that is just my opinion. This was my first time using a light background and I probably wouldn't go back. The only downside is the algae is more visible on the light background than the dark, and running a tank a discus temperature can lead to more algae issues. Of course, your UV sterilizer will help with that.

http://www.socaldiscus.com/Images/posts/94gal_BLKBG.JPG

http://www.socaldiscus.com/Images/posts/94gal_WHTBG.JPG

[The Zigman]

the Ro leaks where the plastic fittings thread into the plastic on the filter, the DI canisters to be exact. The tank is plastic lined, it says it is certified for drinking water.

what causes peppering?

[SoCalDiscus]

Hi Zigman. This is Jen. Eric posted last night about the background, but I thought I'd write back about the peppering. As he said, we have ruined a few very nice fish with a dark background, and have learned the hard way what to watch for.
Peppering (or small black spots) is found in the pigeon blood strain. Pigeon Bloods are set apart from other discus by the lack of black bars. When a discus is frightened, stressed, or sick, they show thick black vertical bars which helped them blend into their natural habitat. Pigeon Bloods lack these and instead have peppering. The bigger and darker the spots, the more likely they are to be permanent. The smaller greyish flecks will usually go away and are often a result of them trying to blend into the background or showing signs of stress.
Genetics plays and important role in peppering, but environment heavily influences what actually shows up. A pigeon blood discus in a bare-bottom tank, in good water conditions, and healthy may show no peppering at all. But that same discus dropped into a dark environment can and probably will start to develop peppering. However, because you started out with no peppering, it will most likely be the reversible stuff. I have found the darker the background, it is more likely that permanent peppering will form. If you ever see a pigeon in a bare-bottom tank with more than a tiny bit of grey flecks on its face, skip it. They are going to be prone to developing the larger, black, permanent spots.
Working with a light background and light substrate can be a good compromise between bare-bottom and darker tanks.
Hopefully this answers you question, but if not let me know.
Good luck, and have fun.

[pinkertd]

The pigeon blood based discus also pepper up once they start to spawn. All discus darken and their slime coat increases in preparation for the fry to feed on. With my white butterfly male will probably never be all white again. He's too busy with all the females in my tank!:grinyes:

[SoCalDiscus]

The pigeon blood based discus also pepper up once they start to spawn. All discus darken and their slime coat increases in preparation for the fry to feed on. With my white butterfly male will probably never be all white again. He's too busy with all the females in my tank!:grinyes:
Yeah, I totally forgot about that. My immaculate male checkerboard has a few permanent marks since his first encounter. But thats okay he's going to be a devoted daddy. (Mom on the other hand needs to grow up a little more.)

[The Zigman]

I plan on this being a heavily planted tank. They should be able to hide in the tall plants... I dont think I really want a white background, but dont want any peppered fishes...

[boomerjr91]

Very nice. You have inspired me on my 125. You da man.

[The Zigman]

Well, finally got the glass wet, and added and a few plants:
The PVC plumbing is temporary.

[Lupin]

Nice.:)

[The Zigman]

I see lots of posts about Moon Lights. here's what I did:

I bought these little under cabinet LED light pucks from Menards, there were 3 in a pack, with the transformer, and a switch for $20. They have glass lenses, I coloerd the glass blue with a sharpie marker, nad mounted them in my canopy. Very clean and inexpensive. i want to post a video, because I think it will show more accurately how the lights look.

In the last pic you can see the difference it made coloring the lenses blue..

[Lupin]

Wow! That looks fantastic!

[The Zigman]

Anyone else have this problem?
Think I need a maid...

[Lupin]

Why do you have two laptops?:confused:

[The Zigman]

Why do you have two laptops?:confused:


Nope not on this desk, only 1 laptop, but 2 monitors...
See?

[irishspy]

I see lots of posts about Moon Lights. here's what I did:...

Clever DIY job with those lights! :clap:

Is that tank a bowfront, or was that just a bit of lens distortion?

[The Zigman]

nope, not a bowfront.

[H3D]

SWEET TANK!

[The Zigman]

I'll be addin some fish soon... got the cycle stated....

[Temo]

nice

[The Zigman]

thought I'd upload a few pix of what I'm lookin at.
added a few more plants, added CO2. bought some boispira today also. Hopefully will have something swimming in there soon, besides the algae.. maybe some oto cats...

[beeZer350]

lol, nice shark pic

[The Zigman]

Ok, Heres what I want to put in this tank..
Let me know what you think.

10 Black Neon Tetras,
10 Cardinal tetras,
10 Rummynose,
8-10 juvinile Discus- the primary reason for this tank!
5 Oto cats
Unknown plecostimus (bushynose?)
Maybe a few corys
10 Cherry & Amino shrimp (10 total? More?)


AND...
I would love a juvinile Black Ghost Knife. but not sure how well he'd fare with the discus. My temperature is now set at 82 degrees...

would it be overstocked?

Please share your thoughts!

[The Zigman]

Oh yeah, And I want some YoYo or Zebra loaches too..

[MustLoveAngels]

yeah looks awesome, and sounds great. i would take the rummy nose out.. just cause i don't like them lol.. but the discus are gonna be amazing. good luck!

:D

[ZSandmann]

I'm afraid that grasslike plant to the left of the Scarlet (Red) Temple is not a full aquatic plant and will eventually begin to rot. I had the same problem, bought a bunch of plants from PetSmart and eventually learned they don't label the ones that are not fully aquatic.

Otherwise the tank looks great!

[The Zigman]

Yeah I knew that after the first one disentegrated.. ow well, the ithers look ok. Plan to get a buncha vals later too..

[Bnoble]

your tanks looks great..how do u like your Fluval.FX5?

[The Zigman]

Than ks for the comment!

The fluval has suprised me, I only paid $189, not that that is cheap, but I guess for a filter this size, it was, Anyway, it is really quiet, and cleans up my cloudy water iin about 20-30 minutes. I wouldnt hesitate to buy another if I needed it.

[AnDr3w]

Than ks for the comment!

The fluval has suprised me, I only paid $189, not that that is cheap, but I guess for a filter this size, it was, Anyway, it is really quiet, and cleans up my cloudy water iin about 20-30 minutes. I wouldnt hesitate to buy another if I needed it.

Good to know! Great tank by the way! :thumbsup:

[The Zigman]

Well, I transferred my 5" common Pleco into the tank, and he's been eatin like a horse. Also bought 8 black neons too, It's finally starting to look like it should.

[Mgamer20o0]

cool

[Temo]

nice

[rich311k]

Looking good!

[rsanz]

Lookin' very good, dude! Keep up the good work. :)

[The Zigman]

So I got a shot of the neons.

[Bnoble]

Nice!

[Derringer]

Well, I transferred my 5" common Pleco into the tank, and he's been eatin like a horse. Also bought 8 black neons too, It's finally starting to look like it should.

That second photo makes the stand look like its bowing in the center ... hopefully its just a resizing issue and is fine.

[The Zigman]

That second photo makes the stand look like its bowing in the center ... hopefully its just a resizing issue and is fine.

I'll double check that, But I think its jst the pic...
The way I built the base, and top of this stand, I would be suprised if it did bow, but not impossible, considering how much water is in there, I figured this whole setup to weigh about 1600#. I even have post jacks in the basement, under the tank.

[LADIBUGGL]

Awesome tank can't wait to see it with the discus.

[The Zigman]

No Bowing on the stand, must be the pic..

[Fishfiles1]

when are you geting the discus

[The Zigman]

not too sure, letting the ank stabilize and mature a bit first. Also want more plants before I get them. Everyone will know.. beleeeeeeeeve me!

[lez]

great reading about your tank good look with it

[The Zigman]

thought I would update the pix.
Not much living in there yet..
crappy cameraphone pix..

[The Zigman]

More Pix

Lousy Cameraphone again...

[Bk718]

Cool tank
Shrimps got a nice hide out

[The Zigman]

its hard to find them little shrimp. They are only about 1/2 inch long right now..
(they think they are in the ocean!)

[Temo]

very nice

[irishspy]

I like that centerpiece driftwood. What are the schooling fish?

[Mgamer20o0]

i would add some more forground plants even if its something like moss shrimp love that.

[The Zigman]

I like that centerpiece driftwood. What are the schooling fish?

Black neons.
I am going to pick up some rummynose, or cardinals this weekend.

[The Zigman]

i would add some more forground plants even if its something like moss shrimp love that.

Want to put in some crypts (red) and some sort of grasslike plants, but cant find them here... Also going to pile up some rocks for the shrimp to hide in... Fine lookin specimins those cherry shrimp huh Mgamer?

[Mgamer20o0]

maybe hair grass? should i put it on my list for you?

[The Zigman]

maybe hair grass? should i put it on my list for you?

will it be ok in 82+ degrees?

[bigedv3]

nice man i wanna see it in action

[Grins]

lol, nice shark pic


That made me laugh too. Great piece of driftwood Zig

[satanpie]

Looks great!That little plant int he driftwood is awesome, im gonna put some bulbs into holes in mine when it sinks. What kind of outlet are you using for your filter? And great job on the stand and canopy, but how do you get n there to mess with stuff, do you have to take the whole canopy down?

[The Zigman]

The top of the canopy opens up.. I have no idea what the little plant is in the driftwood, but the other day it let go and was drifting around in the tank, so I planted it... Hopefully I dont grow a cypress tree in there!! looks like it is dooing better planted though.

Thanks grins!! Was hard to find driftwood that size...

[The Zigman]

MOstly the shrimp, and plants..
No new fish yet..

If the pics look fuzzy, just squint a little bit...

[plantling]

Wow, love that nice big tank. Nice shrimp and healthy looking plants.

[The Zigman]

Does anyone know what the plant in the last pic is? the underside of the leaves are red. In the past week, it has like doubled in size , and has a huge mass of roots on it...

Thanks!

[Bnoble]

nice ZIG!

[Digital]

Tank looks fantastic!

[jczz1232]

Hey Zig if you plan to put juv discus in you tank, you might have to raise the temp a bit. 86-88.

John

[jaysen]

coming together nicely. looks great!

[shadow1345]

nice
what kind of gravel is that?

[ESOXLUCIOUSS]

have u added any more fish lately

[The Zigman]

nice
what kind of gravel is that?


it is Medium Red Flint filter sand. It comes in a 50# bag for about $20. I love the natural earthy color of it, but cant seem to get a good picture of it..

[The Zigman]

have u added any more fish lately


None lately.. Going to hopefully add some this week!
Maybe get my first Discus!

[The Zigman]

Pickeu up a few new friends at the LFS today.. Spent $30!

I got 4 oto's...

[The Zigman]

And 6 cardinals...
I cant get a decent pic with this crappy camera.. they look like neons in the pix, but they are cardinals!

[The Zigman]

...and 3 tiger barbs that my rainbow shark is busy terrorizing...

[AfroCichlid]

Does anyone know what the plant in the last pic is? the underside of the leaves are red. In the past week, it has like doubled in size , and has a huge mass of roots on it...

Thanks!
Ludwigia repens. Tank is looking great!

[Temo]

nice

[The Zigman]

So there are 10 cardinals, 8 black neon tetras, 5 rummynose (gonna get 5 more!) 4 oto's and a pleco in there..

the light just came on, and the fishes colors werent so great, I'll post better pix later of the fish.

Yeah, I know, I need a better camera. I am taking donations, anyone want to give me an EOS 40D?

[severum mama]

Great pics and aquascape!

[Bk718]

great job ziggy

[flossyfloofloo]

great job given me good ideas for my next tank

do the differnt breeds of tetras school together

keep it up

[The Zigman]

great job given me good ideas for my next tank

do the differnt breeds of tetras school together

keep it up


the cards and rummys school together, but the black neons seem to keep to themselves.

I plan on getting another 5 rummys too....

[BigFishKeeper]

Nice tank. What's going in there?

[The Zigman]

Nice tank. What's going in there?

soon to add some discus...

[bluerat]

sweet ziggy

[MiramichiMob]

Nice tank and great thread.

[The Zigman]

heres a vid clip..
been foolin with this youtube thing, and finally figured it out.

[The Zigman]

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/s1wsw92MjHA&hl=en"></param>
<param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param>
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/s1wsw92MjHA&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

maybe not...

[The Zigman]

I QUIT.

[The Zigman]

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/s1wsw92MjHA&hl=en"></param>
<param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param>
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/s1wsw92MjHA&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

this is stupid...what is wrong with this thing?!?!?
I am only pasting it once, and it shows up on here twice...

[The Zigman]

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/s1wsw92MjHA&hl=en"></param>
<param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param>
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/s1wsw92MjHA&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

[jbowzer7]

Nice tank. I have a 125g that I have two fluval 404's on, but I bought a fluval FX-5 that I was going to use. But my brother talked me out of it, he thought that there would be way to much current. Yours seems to fine, or do you think it is because of your plumbing system you have set up that make it ok. I also like your system for doing water changes. How frequent do you clean the substrate?

[Lady G]

Zig...that looks wonderful!! You did a really good job on it, you know I have never seen black tetras before....really cute! Are they more hardy then the neons?

Oh and nice video too, congrats on figuring it out LMAO!

[The Zigman]

Zig...that looks wonderful!! You did a really good job on it, you know I have never seen black tetras before....really cute! Are they more hardy then the neons?

Oh and nice video too, congrats on figuring it out LMAO!


Thanks!

the black neons were the first fish in the tank, and I havent lost any.. They are pretty active also.
I have 8, and might get some more...

video was a pain in the you know whut...

[The Zigman]

Nice tank. I have a 125g that I have two fluval 404's on, but I bought a fluval FX-5 that I was going to use. But my brother talked me out of it, he thought that there would be way to much current. Yours seems to fine, or do you think it is because of your plumbing system you have set up that make it ok. I also like your system for doing water changes. How frequent do you clean the substrate?


I really restricted the flow when I plumbed the filter in and the UV sterilizer, and then I re plumbed it all (took out all 90 degree elbows and replaced them with 2 45 degrees each), to regian the lost flow..

it is pretty strong, but I dint think the fish or plants mind, that huge chunk of driftwood slows the flow alot too...
I vac the tank anout every 2 days...

[leoslizards]

Looking great zigman! Congrats! :)
I was wondering at what ph level do you keep the water at? Do the tiger barbs bother anyone?

[flossyfloofloo]

thats one hell of a tank zig really made mine look small think all the schooling fish look awsome toghether u really made a good job keep us updated

ps no discus???

[The Zigman]

Looking great zigman! Congrats! :)
I was wondering at what ph level do you keep the water at? Do the tiger barbs bother anyone?


Thanks!! I mix tap and RO water to maintian a PH of about 7.4. the water temp is 85F. the barbs were pretty battered up my a rainbow shark... I transferred them intot he 125 to save them. they pretty much just chase each other around. I havent seen them nip at anyone else yet, but they are still juvies.



thats one hell of a tank zig really made mine look small think all the schooling fish look awsome toghether u really made a good job keep us updated

ps no discus???

Thanks again!! I wanted to add another filter before I added the discus, but i re arranged the driftwood, and now I have better flow and filtratio in the tank, so I think I might be ready for a few now!

[bluerat]

that is a stunning tank ziggy.....awsome!!!

[apelaston]

tank looks awesome...sooooo clean and natural looking--great substrate.

The schooling fish look good really cool that the two different kinds are schooling together!

Well done, well planned and I can't wait to see more from you!

[The Zigman]

finally got everything wired, added the last of the hardware, and moved the shrimp tank...

[boomerjr91]

very cool

[apelaston]

that hood looks amazing. The shrimp tank looks good too. They are probably happy with allt he plants you have in there for them!
They should breed pretty good for you and then --based on how you feel about it---your discus would probably appreciate a few for treats now and then ...

[The Zigman]

Oh yeah, Did I mention the shrimp tank is on a drawer?

[DAVIDFBT]

Woooowwww. Those must be some really strong screws/nails. It looks like 100 pounds are being held by relatively nothing.

[The Zigman]

Woooowwww. Those must be some really strong screws/nails. It looks like 100 pounds are being held by relatively nothing.

they're just commercial drawer slides from menards..
rated up to 100#

and there are like 12 screws holding it all together.

[bluerat]

very good zig , love the mini underneath too

[leoslizards]

Great job. Looks even better now. :) I was going to ask you how you were going to clean the bottom tank and then I saw your next post. Good idea with the drawer. :thm:Gives me ideas for my current project. I'm making a fish rack and leaving 12"+ of empty space above the tanks just so that I can get in there and clean them. I'm going to use drawer slides instead now. Thanks! Do they makes them rated for 300lbs?

[Rbishop]

Looking good!

[The Zigman]

Great job. Looks even better now. :) I was going to ask you how you were going to clean the bottom tank and then I saw your next post. Good idea with the drawer. :thm:Gives me ideas for my current project. I'm making a fish rack and leaving 12"+ of empty space above the tanks just so that I can get in there and clean them. I'm going to use drawer slides instead now. Thanks! Do they makes them rated for 300lbs?

Thanks for the smiles!

they make bottom slides good for 100#... just use 3. just make sure theres enough counterweight to keep the rack from tipping if you slide out the top tank...

[Matt30]

Hey Zig!

This is an awesome tank indeed. I am back into fishkeeping after about 20 years. The kid got me back into it. Now I am hooked again! I am hoping to get a larger tank in the future. I have just read all the posts / replies here. Just excellent work! I haven't the handyman skills that you have, but I look forward to continuing to check this site and learning...and in just enjoying your tank coming to life! It's a real beaut!

[The Zigman]

So I replanted some of the swords, and rescaped a bit...

[Temo]

nice

[Lady G]

Awww, I love the little "baby" tank there!!!!

[saltydunc]

very nice tank

[Redneck Woman]

Very nice!!!!!:)

[The Zigman]

Stumbled upon the only 2 pix i took while building the stand...

[Rbishop]

Very nice!

[boomerjr91]

very cool zig. do you have the discus yet?

[The Zigman]

very cool zig. do you have the discus yet?

I have 3 so far, hope to get more this weekend..

there are pix of them here:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=151970

[The Zigman]

on 2nd thought, i need a new camera these pix are crappy..

[OgreMkV]

Just found this thread Zig. That is a sweet tank. You can build a stand for me anytime you feel like it. It's great.

[Alan R]

Found this thread by the link in your sig Zig.

I am considering the FX5 for my 100g African tank. Is that the only filtration you have on your 125 still to date? How is it? Would you recommend it for a 100?

[WaywardSon]

Excellent job - the entire setup looks great! Keep the pics coming ...

[The Zigman]

Sweet! Glad to see this thread is still alive.

Actually the thought of building stands has crossed my mind a few times. Dont know how I would ship them though...

[WaywardSon]

Companies who build stands must ship them ... don't know why you couldn't also! You would likely have to leave them disassembled with instructions, etc. Those 2 pics of the stand build are sweet ... it looks very nice!

[abstract37]

thats a really nice job,like to see pics when it is up and running

[The Zigman]

thats a really nice job,like to see pics when it is up and running

Uh, it is up and running...

[Bnoble]

your tank looks good as always! i guess its been a few months since its been up and running just wanted to know how u like the FLUVAL FX.. have had any problems with it? its probably the bigest filter u can get for a (in house aquarium) correct? at what 400g/h?

[The Zigman]

supposed to be rated at like 960 GPH...
that must be without any media, and I run mine through about 30 feet of PVC pipe and a turboo twist UV sterilizer. But it gets the job done. the polishing pads plug up quickly though...

[TrevorScott]

very nice tank. this thread is inspiring me to do some more work on my tank.

[The Zigman]

Sorry took these with my camera phone...

[Bk718]

getting back to shape. Your swords are looking beautiful.
What happened with the alternanthera bush you had before??

[The Zigman]

things are finally starting to look right again..
need a new needle valve though.

[Bk718]

things are finally starting to look right again..
need a new needle valve though.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Needle-valve-Fine-adjustment-of-Co2-for-Solenoid_W0QQitemZ260221417280QQihZ016QQcategoryZ6 6794QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

which one do you have now?

[The Zigman]

Looks like that one..
Want to get a manifold, and pipe co2 to all 3 tanks...

[Bk718]

Looks like that one..
Want to get a manifold, and pipe co2 to all 3 tanks...

you got it
http://www.greenleafaquariums.com/co2-manifolds-splitters/co2-triple-manifold.html

http://www.greenleafaquariums.com/co2-manifolds-splitters/triple-manifold-bubble-counter.html

[4wildlife]

Hi everyone!

This is what I have so far,
This is a 6' 125 gallon glass tank I picked up cheap, I built the stand, and canopy. There is a compact flourescent fixture in the canopy that powers 2 96 watt 8800k Sunpak lamps. The Fluval FX-5 is piped into the canopy with some beverage system hose, and PVC pipe. I'm not finished with the pluimbing yet, but the 2 valves will be used to drain the aquarium, and fill with wather from the RO system in the basement. No buckets for me. The fill hose is 1/2 inch and i am putting a 300 watt inline heater there to preheat the water, then it is "injected" into the output of the Filter. the other valve will run into a drain in the basement. Hopefully changing water will be a simple operation. I made a few mistakes and put too many elbows in the plumbing, and the Fluval's output is less than it should be, I am going to make some changes to increase the flow rate of the filter.
Anyway, I plan to plant this tank with some medum to small filter sand as substrate and some black rock from the local landscape supplier (is this a good idea?) I need to find some chunky Peices of driftwood as a centerpeice for this tank, and then some smaller pieces to place around the back of the tank.

let me know what you think.
Thanks, Brian
I would like to see pics of the inside of your canopy. How you mounted the light and glass. Thanks. Great job.

[The Zigman]

I would like to see pics of the inside of your canopy. How you mounted the light and glass. Thanks. Great job.

Somewhere in this thread there are pics of the inside of my canopy.
I will soon be tearing it down, and rebuilding the canopy since I didn't put a glass top on the tank. My tank is old, it has no center braces, so I could not fing a glass lid for the tank.

I have some plans to install a polycarbonate top over the dand to keep the moisture from killing my canopy.

Stay tuned to this thread for updates. I will be upgrading the canopy, lighting, and the filtration on my tank soon.

[The Zigman]

So i moved some of the plants around, and made a few adjustments...

[ProAquatics]

what a transformation!

[onyx5445]

that is incredible

[Bnoble]

still looking good!

[rich311k]

Wow very nice!

[Bk718]

Nice Zig. The swords are very lush.
(your co2 diffuser is loose :P)

[leoslizards]

I see you got a clown loach! :) How many you got?

Btw, where did you get that intake grill from? Looks pretty neat.

[DrNo]

Nice Zig. The swords are very lush.
(your co2 diffuser is loose :P)

Is that the box hanging at the back of the tank? :D I was wondering....
The discus look fantastic and fat; looks great every time you post an update Zig!

[Teeds404]

I love when people diary their tanks from start to present. It is looking good. Discus look heathy and happy. What temp/PH are you keeping the tank at?

[The Zigman]

Is that the box hanging at the back of the tank? :D I was wondering....
The discus look fantastic and fat; looks great every time you post an update Zig!

Yeah there's a redsea 500 co2 reactor hanging bu the tubing above the heater on the back of the tank. It works great, but the suction cups suck... or dont suck, it keeps falling off the glass..



I love when people diary their tanks from start to present. It is looking good. Discus look heathy and happy. What temp/PH are you keeping the tank at?

Temp is 86F
ph is around 7.6ish.. I havent checked in some time..

[yikesjason]

I just read your thread from start to finish. It is amazing, great job.
I am hoping to start a large tank in the next year or so, but I doubt that I will get as advanced as yours. But I would love that water changing system.
I am curious about your co2 set up, you haven't said much about it.

[Redneck Woman]

Very beautiful!:drool:

[The Zigman]

I just read your thread from start to finish. It is amazing, great job.
I am hoping to start a large tank in the next year or so, but I doubt that I will get as advanced as yours. But I would love that water changing system.
I am curious about your co2 set up, you haven't said much about it.


there's not too much to the co2 system actually.
Its a cheap milwaukee regulator, and a Redsea reactor 500.
the reactor works great, but I cant get it to stay attached.

....but I have a plan....

[yikesjason]

Since you are into automating the tank, you might want to look into an electronic solenoid and a ph controller. They will control you co2 and ph levels for you and also probably make your co2 tank last longer by turning it on and off automatically.

[The Zigman]

I have a soloniod, its part of the milwaukee set up.
Its plugged into the lighting timer that controls the daylight bulbs.
Been that way for about a year, and seems fine.

[perry53545]

nice job on the stand and canopy.

[jameshilljr]

this is such a great thread-I'm continually checking it for updates-great job!

[The Zigman]

Well, I'll be tearing the canopy apart soon...
updating the lighting..
Updating the filtration...

updading the hinging of the lids, so Its easier to get into..
it will be fun.

I need some more discus though.

[leoslizards]

Well, I'll be tearing the canopy apart soon...
Why are you tearing up the canopy? Looks great.


updating the lighting..
What kind of lighting are you going for, HO T5's?


Updating the filtration...
Changing out the Fluval FX5 for another system? Would you recommend it? I'm considering getting it or a Pentair Aquatics Rainbow Lifegard system.


I need some more discus though.
Agreed! :headbang2:

[The Zigman]

Why are you tearing up the canopy? Looks great.

Looks good on the outside.. The lids are delaminating, and the inside is judt plain yuck. my tank has no glass lid, nothing to seperate the water from the canopy, since the water is 86 degrees F, it evaporates and is slowly destroying the canopy. I am adding a set of glass lids and a new top frame to the tank.. Watch for the diy, with the tank 1/2 full...


What kind of lighting are you going for, HO T5's?
Since it is a discus tank, and they prefer low light, I am going to add additional power compact fluorescent lighting. These additional fixtures will be on duruin the peak daylight houors, maybe from 11am till 3pm, just to provide more lighting for the plants... might play with some timers for a dusk and dawn effect..



Changing out the Fluval FX5 for another system? Would you recommend it? I'm considering getting it or a Pentair Aquatics Rainbow Lifegard system.

I like the FX5, but cant seem to get that pristine water that I want. thinking about adding a small sump, or building some sort of water polishing filter.

Agreed! :headbang2:
I want about 3-4 more discus in there!

[catnipgal]

Have you thought of taking orders to custom make stands and canopies?

You definately have a lot of talent.

[The Zigman]

Have you thought of taking orders to custom make stands and canopies?

You definately have a lot of talent.

I would LOVE to build some custom stands, If I could find a way to ship them, all would be good...

Any interest?

[catnipgal]

I would LOVE to build some custom stands, If I could find a way to ship them, all would be good...

Any interest?

Definately interested, but not now, I live in a small apartment. I live in the Chicago area, so when I have more room, I'll pm you.

[jimmyt]

zig - very impressive.. I love the sand.. I am in the process of building a 75g custom stand and am very interested to see how you redo the canopy - especially the lighting. Right now I have an all-glass 48" strip light with 40 watts - I am looking into a shop light. I hope to have the stand done and tank running by christmas. is this the sand?
http://www.redflint.com/aquarium_sand.htm - if so where did you get it, I cant find any local distributers here in cincinnati.

jim

[The Zigman]

zig - very impressive.. I love the sand.. I am in the process of building a 75g custom stand and am very interested to see how you redo the canopy - especially the lighting. Right now I have an all-glass 48" strip light with 40 watts - I am looking into a shop light. I hope to have the stand done and tank running by christmas. is this the sand?
http://www.redflint.com/aquarium_sand.htm - if so where did you get it, I cant find any local distributers here in cincinnati.

jim

Jim,
that is the stuff, I have the 1/8 inch small size, not the sand in 3 of my tanks. All of the Mom and pop LFS here sell it. 50# usually runs about $20. Its cheap,and I think it looks great.

[DrNo]

Zig, I have an FX5 on my 125 gallon moderately planted SE Asian and do enjoy the 'pristine' water you're referring to. What kind of filter media do you use? My bottom tray is a layer of Fluval prefilter:

http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/20051020201944/www.drsfostersmith.com/images/categoryimages/thumbnail/au_th_120366_FS31195-i.jpg (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4136+8228&pcatid=8228)

... topped off with a cut-to-size layer of the 100 micron pads from DrFS:

http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/20051021202548/www.drsfostersmith.com/images/Categoryimages/thumbnail/th_s_143937_17540SD.jpg (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4136+4353&pcatid=4353)

The upper two trays are exclusively biomedia. I don't use charcoal. I'm assuming you're complaining about suspended particulates and not coloration. For the latter, UV sterilization is the best thing you can do to improve the aesthetics of water quality, IMO. I rinse out the mechanical inside the filter at least twice a month but don't touch the biomedia.

[The Zigman]

I have the prefilter in the top tray on a blue fluval pad
Biomax in tray #2.
in the bottom tray I have a bunch of polyester floss...

I am going to order those 100 micron pads from DR FS...

[DrNo]

Zig, I have an FX5 on my 125 gallon moderately planted SE Asian and do enjoy the 'pristine' water you're referring to. What kind of filter media do you use? My bottom tray is a layer of Fluval prefilter:

http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/20051020201944/www.drsfostersmith.com/images/categoryimages/thumbnail/au_th_120366_FS31195-i.jpg (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4136+8228&pcatid=8228)

... topped off with a cut-to-size layer of the 100 micron pads from DrFS:

http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/20051021202548/www.drsfostersmith.com/images/Categoryimages/thumbnail/th_s_143937_17540SD.jpg (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4136+4353&pcatid=4353)

The upper two trays are exclusively biomedia. I don't use charcoal. I'm assuming you're complaining about suspended particulates and not coloration. For the latter, UV sterilization is the best thing you can do to improve the aesthetics of water quality, IMO. I rinse out the mechanical inside the filter at least twice a month but don't touch the biomedia.

Sorry had a brain cramp, above post is not correct.... swap the position of the prefilter tray to the top (not the bottom). I also have a 405 and often confuse the line-up of trays for typing purposes LOL.

Zig, I think you may find the micron pad will make the polyester floss redundant....might allow more room for biomedia if you prefer.

[The Zigman]

Yup, I just ordered one of each size microm pad.
Hopefully have them Monday, since this thing is plugged up again...
Grrrr!!

[leoslizards]

I think the Pentair Aquatics mechanical filter AF-94 will do the job but might clog up quick. It's similar to a RO unit. It uses similar cartridges, I think it uses a 5 micron pleated filter.

[The Zigman]

Anyone reading this?

[Bk718]

Anyone reading this?
:confused:

[bl00]

Anyone reading this?

I am :thm:

[leoslizards]

Me too.

[justahannah]

I just read the whole thing start to finish. And if you were in WA (or there was some way to ship something like that), I'd pay you to build me a stand here in a few months when I get a large tank. Or I'll have to learn how to do something similar on my own...that slide out for a quarantine is ingenious! Although I'd probably use it for breeding dwarf shrimp... hmm. Amazing job, I'm jealous and definitely bookmarking this thread.

[jameshilljr]

keep the updates going...this is an awesome thread!:thm:

[The Zigman]

I just read the whole thing start to finish. And if you were in WA (or there was some way to ship something like that), I'd pay you to build me a stand here in a few months when I get a large tank. Or I'll have to learn how to do something similar on my own...that slide out for a quarantine is ingenious! Although I'd probably use it for breeding dwarf shrimp... hmm. Amazing job, I'm jealous and definitely bookmarking this thread.

Funny! that actually is my Cherry shrimp breeder tank!!
Thanks for the comments!

[Aqua_D]

Zig, awesome thread.

I WAS about to dust off my 150g tank until reading this thread from start to current! I definitely have some more planning to do. Keep us posted!

[The Zigman]

send me that 150!

[dirtydawg10]

Nice thread, Zig and that's a great looking setup. Is that vinyl you used for your background expensive? and where can I get some near me?

[The Zigman]

a few updated pix...

[The Zigman]

Nice thread, Zig and that's a great looking setup. Is that vinyl you used for your background expensive? and where can I get some near me?


Check with your local sign shops, just tell them what you want to do, Most of them should be able to hook you up, but if not, let me know, and I can sell you some!

[DAVIDFBT]

The Rummynose tetras and Discus look great as always. :headbang2: Do the Discus ever harrass the clown loaches?

[The Zigman]

the smallest discus is a brute..
He hassles the other 2 discus, and I have seen him chase the smaller clowns!

[dirtydawg10]

Nice updated pics!


Check with your local sign shops, just tell them what you want to do, Most of them should be able to hook you up, but if not, let me know, and I can sell you some!

Thanks, I will check around here. About what does the stuff go for?

[JeffB1019]

I'm not a carpenter or a plumber but I am impressed with what I see.
I am most impressed by the way the whole thing will workfor water changes.
I used to have a 125gallon tank and the Python was a huge upgrade from buckets, you are taking clean-n-fill up a notch or two. Congrats and best of luck !!

[jameshilljr]

:jaw: wow I love this setup-keep the updates coming:thm:

[cpetrickjr]

Fantastic tank setup, real old world craftmanship with modern engineering. Please keep the posts coming

[The Zigman]

getting ready to rebuild the canopy, and retrofit a lid...
new lighting, maybe new heat system..

Might put up some behind the schens of the water change / gravel vac system...

[DrNo]

Your QT tank could be a TOTM winner....

[The Zigman]

My QT tank?
You mean the 10 gal on the bottom? thats a RCS farm...

[DrNo]

Regardless.... it's still a looker :D

[The Zigman]

Thanks!
I think the shrimp like it too!

[Rbishop]

Great update, Zig!

[Aqua_D]

send me that 150!

Let me clarify. I'm not abandoning my setup. I'm following in the path of The Zigman.

Based upon your sharing, I've "convinced" the wife & M-inlaw, that the now empty tank and stand needs to be relocated from the living room to the dining room and I need to cut a hole in the dining room wall and subfloor to channel all the plumbing into the basement.

They both want to meet you outback! :eek:

[The Zigman]

Let me clarify. I'm not abandoning my setup. I'm following in the path of The Zigman.

Based upon your sharing, I've "convinced" the wife & M-inlaw, that the now empty tank and stand needs to be relocated from the living room to the dining room and I need to cut a hole in the dining room wall and subfloor to channel all the plumbing into the basement.

They both want to meet you outback! :eek:

Ha Ha!!

this is why I live alone! My GF hates my tanks!

[Cory Keeper]

Zig, you may want to paint the inside for your canopy, I had my crappy one running for the better part of a year but it was painted and it never did much of anything.

[Neervana]

oi Zig! nice tank ;)

[chloe_21]

nice looking tank u got there!

[Fishhh]

very nice setup!

[The Zigman]

Zig, you may want to paint the inside for your canopy, I had my crappy one running for the better part of a year but it was painted and it never did much of anything.

there are 6 coats of polurethane in the inside, but soon it is going to be aluminized....

[The Zigman]

oi Zig! nice tank ;)


nice looking tank u got there!


very nice setup!


Thanks everyone!!

[Amante_di_Betta]

So when can I pick up the tank?

[The Zigman]

sure come and get it...
If you can pick it up, you can have it!!!


it only weighs about 1400#!!

[sir charles]

send a updated pic of your tank pls

[The Zigman]

Hmmm. I havent made any significant changes lately...
I'll have to take some pix...

[powerkit]

Ha Ha!!

this is why I live alone! My GF hates my tanks!

uggggg! Why do we do this sort of thing to ourselves. I would have an entire house full of tanks if it wasnt for my hubby! Ah, thats why, lol!!! If he didnt get fed up once in a while i'd probly turn into a fish!!!!!

BTW, yor tank kicks serious booti!! those plants have really filled out! Great stocking choices!

[inkyjenn]

you guys with your significant other problems *shrugs*

you just need to keep your eyes peeled for guys like my bf...we have his and hers tanks!

[The Zigman]

you guys with your significant other problems *shrugs*

you just need to keep your eyes peeled for guys like my bf...we have his and hers tanks!

I dont want a guy like your boyfriend....
sorry...