First Tank - 210 gallon

[NoDakinMN]

Here are some pictures of my 210 gallon reef ready oceanic aquarium.

I always wanted a fish tank behind my bar. It has been up and running since December 5th, 2007. I am hoping that the initial cycling will be done in the next week.

Currently using artificial plants.

Fish consist of:

6 Danios
6 Gold Barbs
5 Cherry Barbs
4 Black Neon Tetra's
4 Columbian Tetra's
2 Thick-Lipped Gouramis
6 Neon Tetra's (Should have waited on these until the cycle had finished). We've lost one due to cycling.

As you can see I have a ways to go regarding fish photography!

[grannylvsfish]

very nice!!!!!!!!!

[phoneman111]

very nice

[ibr3ak]

Sweet bar, nice tank too :)

[SHK_ATK]

now thats a place I wouldnt mind drinking in:grinyes:

[theotheragentm]

Great looking tank. Very sharp.

As far as photos go, lights off in the room, and use a macro setting if you have it.

[jaysen]

is that crushed coral as gravel? love the set up it is in. goes well in the cabinet. can you show us pics of where the lights are mounted and the filters?

[knep57]

I like it!

[Rook]

First Tank

Nice setup!

I wish my first tank would have been a 210.
I think I went through 10 tanks (or so) before I finally wised up and got a 210.

Ed

[Fishy_Fun]

i love the setup you have there i wish i had enough room for something.anyways great tank

[Grins]

A 210 reef ready tank without a reef...<sniffle>

[KingOfTheDeep]

should have filled it with some monster fish :D

lol, looks good..

[AquariumFish]

great job NoDakinMN ... that is sharp!

just one thing ... what is a No. Daker doing in Minn?
I would've went towards Montana personally :grinyes:

[Dschwec]

That is a sweet set up, and a good reason to tell the wifey why I drink so much..."Honey, I was checking on the fish." :headbang2: Isn't it odd how it probably doesn't seem as big, now that it's enclosed like that? Good luck with it...keep us updated!

[NoDakinMN]

I had to buy the tank while the house was being built so I could have the builder frame the supports and the cabinet maker work the proper dimensions to give it a built-in look.

SO..... 4 years ago while my wife and I designed our dream house, I was leaning towards Saltwater..... after many discussions with others..... I realized having a Saltwater tank around the cherry cabinets I'd have problems with the salt leaching into the wood work..... water changes would be a night mare (I live in the woods with a septic mound).

Because I was thinking SW, I went with a reef ready tank with the dual overflows.... still glad I did because the overflows hide all the plumbing, and I want to hide as much of the mechanical stuff as possible.

'm a novice and after really researching things, I found FW to have many many cool species of fish.

I hope to have 4-6 large schools of smaller fish (Neons, barbs, etc). Get a school of Cory's, then work on larger signature fish (Angels?)to complete the community tank.

I'll post pictures tonight of the back side of the tank so everyone can see the sump, heaters, plumbing etc.

I look forward to learning more from everyone on this forum.

Bryan

[FtwayneFish]

That is a awesome first tank Bryan.

Do you think you might ever get live plants? maybe i missed it if you said so? sorry.

Im thirsty.

[AquariumFish]

I usually drink very little ...
but that makes me want a bar!

If you don't mind a suggestion about live stock.
You have a Rolls Royce set up ... you sure you want to put econo parts in it?

If that were mine I would probably look towards fish like:

Geophagus (earth eaters)
Rainbowfish (an active and colorful fish)
Polypterus (especially an ornate - beautiful pattern that would look good with the woodwork)
Clown loach's are nice schooling fish which grow slowly
Some Severum's will look nice and are peaceful with other breeds.
Discus (I have never owned these) - this is what a web site says about them
The discus is a social fish and lives in large groups in their native waters, and has a very advanced social behaviour; they are one of the few real schooling cichlids. Remember to keep this in mind starting with discus; always purchase a group of animals. They need the social interaction to develop their character to its best potential.

Please excuse my input if I am out of line - it's just that I can't grasp $2.00 fish in an over $2,000.00 set up.

That tank is just too amazing to me ....

[Dschwec]

Aquarium...I don't know how much trouble he would have to go through to keep Discus. Water quality is of the utmost importance with discus. He is in the woods and more than likely has well water. (usually well water has a lot of metals in it...particularly iron)
Discus are pretty expensive to boot, and one should probably not be an amatuer when it comes to fish keeping, in order to be successful with Discus. I have longed to keep Discus myself, but I have always weighed the pro's and con's of doing it. It's a lot of $ and a lot of upkeep. Unless things have changed over the years, most discus keeper's use a reverse osmosis system/method of providing water for the water changes. Generally speaking on the type of equipment purchased, R.O. is a rather slow process that tends to yield only a few gallons of water a day.

Can he successfully keep discus? I'm sure it's possible, but the odd's at this stage are probably not in his favor. If he is willing to pay or hire experienced outside help, then I'm sure it could be done. I'm not being a party pooper by any stretch of the imagination. I'd just hate to have him spend lots of $ and get frustrated to the point where the hobby is no longer fun or gratifying to him.

It also depends on his tastes too. Perhaps he prefer's lot's of schools of brightly colored smaller fish. Some people tend to lean towards that, and I am one. There is a whole lot of "flash" appeal when you have giant schools of Cardinal's, Neon's, Headlamps, etc patrolling you're tank. Then you just add some bigger fish and some bottom dwellers, and you have a bit of everything.

All that being said, Discus are my favorite of all freshwater fish. There is really no sight as lovely as a well set up and maintained Discus tank. It's just a lot of work and it generally takes some decent fish keeping knowledge to be successful. One day...I will go for it and give it a shot. Until then, I just dream on.

[bethkira2000]

Very nice, can i have your bar? hee hee, but you did a nice job on the tank.

[BadDogsPa]

210 built in...not too shabby for a first tank.. Looks awesome even with the smaller fish..

[rogers138]

excellent tank and bar!!!

[NoDakinMN]

Again because I only have two months of this hobby under my belt.... I'm keeping things relatively simple...... Heck 2 months ago I wasn't sure if I understood the whole cycling process..... now that I'm actually doing it.... cycling really ain't that tough..... patience, testing, water changes as needed and more patience!

I really would like to switch to real plants down the road. Right now I'm just happy I have clear water and fish that seem to be thriving!

I also agree that a discus tank would be the ultimate for me, but I'd be way in over my head if I went discus. Yes, I have quite hard well water. pH running around 8.0 to 8.5, however I notice it's kind of hard to distinguish on my testing kit if it's 7.5 or 9.0,..... the color difference seems real subtle and depends how I hold the little vial. I'm thinking of buying a ph reader ($60) from Foster and Smith.

I'm going to look up some of the fish that have been suggested. I had to chuckle at the post regarding my 99 cent fish in my $2000.00 tank.... However if you think of 14 schooling 99 cent fish... it's like having one lively $13.86 fish!

More pictures of the backside tonight.

Bryan

[AquariumFish]

Again because I only have two months of this hobby under my belt.... I'm keeping things relatively simple...... Heck 2 months ago I wasn't sure if I understood the whole cycling process..... now that I'm actually doing it.... cycling really ain't that tough..... patience, testing, water changes as needed and more patience!

I really would like to switch to real plants down the road. Right now I'm just happy I have clear water and fish that seem to be thriving!

I also agree that a discus tank would be the ultimate for me, but I'd be way in over my head if I went discus. Yes, I have quite hard well water. pH running around 8.0 to 8.5, however I notice it's kind of hard to distinguish on my testing kit if it's 7.5 or 9.0,..... the color difference seems real subtle and depends how I hold the little vial. I'm thinking of buying a ph reader ($60) from Foster and Smith.

I'm going to look up some of the fish that have been suggested. I had to chuckle at the post regarding my 99 cent fish in my $2000.00 tank.... However if you think of 14 schooling 99 cent fish... it's like having one lively $13.86 fish!

More pictures of the backside tonight.

Bryan
I can relate to the Discus thing ... I am gutless when it comes to those!
I think Severums are close enough (sort of)

Here is an off the wall thought since you have high pH ...

If I am not mistaken (the guru's here would know for sure)
but I think the Frontosa is one that likes pH in the 8's

They get massive - but to me they are a nice looking fish!
High pH has stopped me from getting them.

Also; the African cichlid's seem to like the harder water.

[jm1212]

cant wait to see it fully stocked

[H3D]

That tank needs some fish!!! LMAO!

[Derringer]

That looks beautiful. Curious what kind of water/vapor protection did you implement to protect the wood?

[NoDakinMN]

the backside

[NoDakinMN]

Here are photo's of the back of my tank.

I planned during the building of the house to have the back of the aquarium sit in the mechanical room. So I have a utility sink handy. Also plenty of electrical outlets.

I had a glass company make the two panels to serve as lids over the sump to minimize evaporative loss, keep out dust, and the cats!

Still have the 3 seeded filter pads from my LFS that helped get my cycle going in the sump. Hope to take those out over the next few weeks.

Nothing special between the tank and the cabinetry, so hopefully over the years I am careful to avoid getting water all over the wood work.

So if I had to describe my tank:

210 Gallon Oceanic Reef Ready community fish tank (Started Dec 5th - Still finishing inital cycling)
55 Gallon Oceanic Model 3 Reef Ready Sump
Lighting - Two All-Glass Fluorescent Twin-tube Aquarium Reflector (120 Volt, 63 watt )
Pump - Sealine Platinum Series Submersible SL-6550 (200W. 1473 G/Hr)
Wet-Dry Filter - Using Coralife Bio Balls Filter media
Heater - Two Visi-Therm Steath 200W Heaters
Substrate - I'll have to check with my LFS guy for the exact.
Air Pump - Model 60 Whisper

After cycling, I'm going to put in a couple of more hiding area's in the tank and get some Cory's and/or Pleco's to help with algae control.

[bluekrissyspike]

that is sweet! i cant' wait to see how it progresses. you should add some real plants, if you don't want to set up a whole planted tank you could just throw in some marimo balls. fish like to play with them, and they help keep the water healthy. good choice on a tank for a newb...go BIG or go home..lol...

[NoDakinMN]

Amaxing stuff..... I just googled marimo balls..... There is so many things I can do to make this tank really cool. I've added so many aquarium related internet sites to my favorites tab it's not even funny.

I'll have start reading up on aquarium plants now! Thanks for the suggestion.

[AquariumFish]

I hate to be a stick in the mud - but there is one little thing you may not like about your set up.

The background is a permanant thing right?

If it is ... when you rearrange stuff and vacuum your gravel it will make it a bit harder to see what you are doing.

other wise - that is spot on!

:thumbsup: Good job! :thumbsup:

[NoDakinMN]

You are right.... noticed it right away that it pretty much hinders my ability to do things from behind the tank.... luckily my sink is close and all my hoses reach over the top so I can work on vacuuming the gravel, rearranging plants, etc from the front.....

Hey what can I say..... before this project... I had never seen a fish tank outside of a fish store. Growing up I never knew anyone that had a tank. Maybe it's not a common thing in Noth Dakota!

All suggestions... postitive.. negative... I'll gladly take the advice and comments.

[AquariumFish]

this may be something to look into ...
Here is one to make life easy ...

I love it and I also have a 210, a couple 90's, and a couple 56 column's :grinyes:

It's called a Python - think there are other branded versions also http://www.pythonproducts.com/

it can screw onto your faucet and pull water out of tank and back in without juggling bucket's and multiple hoses.

[Mgamer20o0]

thats some set up

[Rbishop]

Nice set up! One recommendation would be to get that air pump off the floor. If you lose power for an extended period, you do not want a reverse sipon to happen and have your tank slowly drain back thru the airlines. Do not rely on the cheaper air line check valves they sell. Keep that air pump above the water level of the main tank.

[NoDakinMN]

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll build a little shelf for the air pump on the wall next to the aquarium. The air lines do have check valves, but I can see you can't always rely on technology.

Thanks for the tip.

[donnakin]

I must say that is one amazing setup. Would you come and make one for me when I get my dreamhouse. I just absolutely love it, gosh would my guppies look good in that. Wow is all I can say. Fantastic Job.

[DarkDH]

I wished I had the money and space to have a 210...

[scootrnerd]

A 210 reef ready tank without a reef...<sniffle>

:eek::eek::eek:

[gupman]

That is a awesome set up love the tank and bar!

[mountain_webste]

Sweet set up, good job. When are you having us up for cocktails, LOL :cheers:

[ChunkyMonkey]

this may be something to look into ...
Here is one to make life easy ...

I love it and I also have a 210, a couple 90's, and a couple 56 column's :grinyes:

It's called a Python - think there are other branded versions also http://www.pythonproducts.com/

it can screw onto your faucet and pull water out of tank and back in without juggling bucket's and multiple hoses.


I remember doing water changes on a 75 I had. I didn't know about the python. **** that was a lot of trips back and forth with the tea jug, lol. Speaking of the Python, I'd like to see who's tank(not a formal aquarium and not the gentleman who has the 52000 gallon setup) would use this on Python's website:
http://www.pythonproducts.com/Aquar-acc-pix/72GT%20with%20tailweb.jpg

[Bnoble]

now thats a place I wouldnt mind drinking in:grinyes:


lmao! :cheers:

[Lupin]

Looks good!

[MustLoveAngels]

i want one!!!