120 DIY Oak Stand & Canopy Build

Greg, you have got mad skills my man... AND a sweet basement!

That stand & tank are GORGEOUS.

There's a dude that advertizes on CL in my area that builds similar stuff. I couldn't imagine the price to have it built for you. :jaw-dropping:


Joel

Joel,

Thanks for the compliment.

I don’t know what a cabinet maker would charge, but I do have a much betterunderstanding on why custom builders are so expensive!
 
I think you should send it all to me.. My new Discus or my Altum would look great in that tank... ;)

NICE JOB U 2
Star Rider,

I have really, really thought about making this a Discus tank. But my Rainbows are so darn easy to take care of, I don't know if I have the dedication it would take for Discus? Maybe some day......Holey Smokes! I just did a search of Discus and Altum...is that your tank on youtube?? If it is, you put me to shame my friend!
 
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Well, I couldn't stand it anymore, so I did the tank swap today. It's easy to say, a little harder to do. All in all things went very smoothly. Fish are in the tank, looking good, and eating. Tanks still a little cloudy, but getting clearer each hour.

Driftwood is being held down by rocks, so not really aquascaped, but you can get the idea.

The doors were to ship on Friday, so I hope to have them on next weekend.

The journey is almost complete. Now I've got to decide if I want to sell the 70 gallon, or set it up in the basement? Who knows, right now just happy to be a little closer to finished.
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Wow! Man, good job! OK, what lights are you doing? The 4 ft vs 5 ft...that's my issue. Looks to be 4 ft? What size(s)? Current wood looks different than the earlier? Very nice! I have 2 renas too...what? no loaches? lol, my favs!
 
Wow! Man, good job! OK, what lights are you doing? The 4 ft vs 5 ft...that's my issue. Looks to be 4 ft? What size(s)? Current wood looks different than the earlier? Very nice! I have 2 renas too...what? no loaches? lol, my favs!
The lights are 4ft. They are about 7" above the water, so dispersion looks good and I do not notice any dark spots on the ends. There are not very many bulb choices for 5' lights and they are not readily available, so easy choice for me.

I have both T5 normal and T5 HO. The day starts with moon light, then T5, then T5 HO, then T5, then moonlight.

It's the same driftwood, just laying on it's side, with rocks weighting it down. Still wanting to float a little bit.

No loaches....but part of the move to a bigger tank was to be able to add them. Going to wait for things to settle down a bit and add some. Probably Clown's. Which are your favorite??
 
Thanks for the lighting info, I may do something similar. I'm thinking to have 2 sets like you but maybe set each to the ends of the tank. My plant club has a PAR meter so I can play around to see what works with what I have or get. I wish LEDs would get less expensive.

As for loaches, clowns are wonderful but will eventually outgrow the tank, not for a looonnng while. They're not the most plant compatible loaches, between digging & snacking. It helped to feed romaine & zucchini 2-3 times a week. They're also more crespucular than some (dawn & dusk active) but your gradual lighting will help.

More day active smaller loaches like histrionica or kubotai, both ~5 inches, might be nice. My histys didn't bother plants, I haven't kept kubs (yet). Striata (zebra) are a bit shy IME but pretty & plant safe. Sidthimunki are very small ~2 inches or so, maybe too small for the tank. I'd stay away from yoyos even though I haven't kept them. They have a semi aggressive reputation & dig more than the smaller histys. Skunks are way too aggressive for most tanks IME.

Whatever loaches you decide on, get at least 6 of a species, most are very social. It also keeps the dominant loach from bullying, if just 1 or 2 others that can be an issue.

I hope your doors come soon so we can have more pics!
 
Quick update.....doors finally arrived today. A quick extra sanding and a coat of stain is already on. Let it dry overnight then onto Poly. Also stained the corner tank trim. Could all be on tomorrow night or Monday.

In the meantime, another tank pic that shows the progress inside the tank. Hard to get a good shot with the T5HO shining thru the upper doors.

Getting pretty close to done now. I gotta tell you, I am really enjoying it already. Glad I went with a 34" height. Can walk by and see everything without bending over to look in the tank. Also, the canopy opening up for full access without removal was well, well
worth the effort.


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You have a vase missing on the right pedestal.
 
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Get those top doors on ASAP, I'm blinded! lol. So awesome! I hope mine eventually looks so good (but with loaches! & maybe discus, lol). Way to go! You & your daughter have hit it!

@ rastoma--symmetry be darned! No need for another vase!
 
Get those top doors on ASAP, I'm blinded! lol. So awesome! I hope mine eventually looks so good (but with loaches! & maybe discus, lol). Way to go! You & your daughter have hit it!

@ rastoma--symmetry be darned! No need for another vase!
Actually, I put in a shoal of 6 Clown Loaches a few days ago. Just little guys, about 2” each. I don’t know how long they can keep this up, but so far, the whole pack has spent every waking moment swimming back and forth across the front tank. I mean just watching them is exhausting! I thought they liked to hide?

And I’ve seen plenty of vids with mixed Rainbows & Discus…..so who knows?

@Rastoma….You have a keen sense of observation….and humor. I spit out a little of my morning joe when I read your post. Except, those aren’t pedestals, they are Definitive Technology BP20 speakers circa 1995. Still some of the sweetest sounding speakers I have ever heard. And that ain’t no vase, it’s a water pitcher. But thanks for drawing my attention to it…now it will forever haunt me….so I will have to find a matching pitcher today
 
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