150 Gallon Build Thread ... From the Start

Bk828 said:
I think 2 2217 will be borderline. I know they are rated each for 150 or so gallons but i got a 2215 (rated for 93gallons) on a 55g tank and no way is that enough.
Try looking at some of the 2026-28 models or the 2250 :P (or even fluval fx5)
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I would tend to agree with Vader - I am afraid (from what I have read / heard) the FX5 may be too tough to control the monster outputs.

Great suggestion BK - does anybody have any feedback on the 2028 or 2250?
 
DrVader said:
Yes!!! The thread we've been waiting for... :D :headbang2:This is going to be a truly great thread to follow. I have to agree with what has been said thus far re: long vs. tall. Specifically, the tall version being much more difficult to manipulate when it comes to trimming and regular tank maintenance. Coy, you might recall that my tanks and stands are both by Aqueon. Is this the manufacturer you've been looking at? The cherry finish stands and canopy are from the Classic Mission series:

http://www.aqueonproducts.com/products/classic-mission-series.htm

Sizes available for the cherry finish as follows:

Stand Size Fits Tank Size
48” 55
18x48 75, 90, 110X
18x72 125, 150
24x48 120
24x72 180, 210

They have a ton of other great options available on the website, and I'm sure the LFS can do a special order. I have been extremely happy with both the quality of the tanks and the furniture thus far. There is one downside to these great looking hoods however: many of the better pre-packaged lighting canopies use leg flanges that hook to the outside corner of the tank edges. These edges will not be available for you to use due to the canopy. As a result, I had to use lighting that fit more practically inside the hood (Hagen T5 GLO flourescent) and frankly, it is my least favorite aspect of my existing tank. I would suggest you do some research on exactly what lighting you're planning on as it may alter the nature of the hood(s) available to you.

You can't go wrong with two Eheims (one at either end) and this might make more sense for a heavily planted /stocked tank vs. one beast filter (like a Fluval FX5). Nevertheless, I must say owning the FX5 has been a pleasure thus far.
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Thanks Vader for the encouragement right from the start - much appreciated.

Yes, those are exactly the tanks, stands, and canopies we (the Mrs. was there with me - good move) were looking at - looks like that's the way we'll go.

Not exactly following you here other than the fact that the best lights (?) won't fit under the canopies - correct? First question, would the tank look just ridiculous without the canopy? And secondly, what lights will fit? Not much of a retro-fitter / do-it-yourself kind of guy!
 
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DrVader said:
Yes!!! The thread we've been waiting for... :D :headbang2:This is going to be a truly great thread to follow. I have to agree with what has been said thus far re: long vs. tall. Specifically, the tall version being much more difficult to manipulate when it comes to trimming and regular tank maintenance. Coy, you might recall that my tanks and stands are both by Aqueon. Is this the manufacturer you've been looking at?
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Vader - yours are the cherry correct? One is a 120? If you don't mind me asking what did you pay for the tank, stand, and canopy?
 
Yep, Mission Series in the cherry finish. I have the 125 gallon long and the 90 gallon tall. Here's an older shot of both tanks:



I've since changed the pull handles out on the 90 tall as I hated the way the factory installs looked; they now look like the handles you see here on the 125 long. I don't recall the purchase prices, but I'll pull the receipts this weekend and get back to you.

I do think the base and tank would look odd without the matching canopy. Then again, we wanted more of a furniture look and did not want to see tubing, wires, and the lighting units. Speaking of lighting, please don't get me wrong; I've been very happy with the Hagen T5 GLO units I have.... all 3 of them. They bring me to just over ~2.2 watts per gallon on the 125 long and they take up a lot of real estate under the hood. I would have preferred to use an all-in-one unit like this NovaExtreme T5 unit from DrFosterSmith:



Notice how the mounting bracket legs rest on the width of the tank itself. This edge is NOT available to you when you use the cherry hood, as the wood rests on this 18 inch edge. I'm positive that there are dozens of lights that will fit perfectly; however, just make sure you know how the lights work so you know if it will be compatible. How many watts/gallon were you planning on for this future TOTM? :headbang2:
 
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Thanks a lot Vader - if you find what you paid that would be great. I got some prices form the LFS yesterday. Kinda' wanted to see how they compared.

This is the room the MegaTank (lol) will be going in - the sofa on the right will flip over to the left side, the pics will go away and the 150 long will fit perfectly on that wall. This room is also directly across from the kitchen - with a full view clear through. The tank should be a great addition!

picture.php


I was planning on swapping out the handles myself to match others in the room.
 
Vader: How many watts/gallon were you planning on for this future TOTM?

Not sure how the WPG will work on this tank. From what I read and hear it doesn't seem that the 3+ or 4+ is necessary on a bigger tank (would be just too **** bright).

I am hoping for some killer feedback on lights (much like you have given Vader) from some of those on this forum.

Also, would love some feedback on the Eheim 2250 ... or other options people may have in mind for filtration!!
 
DrVador: That's a real nice piece of wood in the tank on the right.

I agree with Eheim's. I love my 2028. It's the best. You can try an FX5 though. I can't wait to try one.
 
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