Certainly not jacking the thread. I originally saw Vader's furniture in his thread and have had my eye on it ever since. Got pricing from LFS yesterday and am also very eager to know what he paid.
150 Gallon Build Thread ... From the Start
- Thread starter WaywardSon
- Start date
Certainly not jacking the thread. I originally saw Vader's furniture in his thread and have had my eye on it ever since. Got pricing from LFS yesterday and am also very eager to know what he paid.
I too will be following this thread since my next tank will be a 150 gallon too (72x18x29).
I echo the comments about Vaders tanks - I LOVE the cherry mission stands, but in my area, they cost a fortune. Literally $1000 CAN for the stand + canopy new from the LFS.
and thats just the stand and canopy, nothing else..
I echo the comments about Vaders tanks - I LOVE the cherry mission stands, but in my area, they cost a fortune. Literally $1000 CAN for the stand + canopy new from the LFS.
and thats just the stand and canopy, nothing else..
tank size and plants is a tough issue.
on the one hand, the 150 size is much nicer looking (and larger) than the stanard 125 size, but its also 6 inches taller which can be an issue for plants.
with a 125 size its easier to grow plants (without spending a fortune on lighting) but you dont have the height to grow big plants like Amazons.
with a shallower tank you could use T-5 lighting and grow pretty much anything.
with the taller 150 you may need to step up to power compacts.
CO2 is definitely a must with high intensity lighting.
on the one hand, the 150 size is much nicer looking (and larger) than the stanard 125 size, but its also 6 inches taller which can be an issue for plants.
with a 125 size its easier to grow plants (without spending a fortune on lighting) but you dont have the height to grow big plants like Amazons.
with a shallower tank you could use T-5 lighting and grow pretty much anything.
with the taller 150 you may need to step up to power compacts.
CO2 is definitely a must with high intensity lighting.
^^ The price I got for the stand, tank, and canopy was $1,950 from the LFS - seems pretty steep to me?!? That was for the tall 150.
hard to say. In my area (ontario canada) a 72x18 misson stand, canopy, 150 gallon tank, glass top and single 72" strip light go for around $2200 canadian.
it doesn't look that steep. you are just buying a huge tank and quality stuff. its going to cost a lot of money.
it doesn't look that steep. you are just buying a huge tank and quality stuff. its going to cost a lot of money.
Finally closed in on the receipts; all prices US:
125 gallon long tank: ~ $335
Mission Series cherry finish stand: ~ $350.00
Mission Series cherry finish canopy: ~ $420.00
Fluval FX5: ~$275.00 (DrFosterSmith listed at $299.99)
I know the LFS gave us a decent price for the tank/canopy/stand as it was in-house stock and not an order. The LFS also 'likes' us (scary.... they recognized I would be a repeat customer LOL) and incentivized the entire purchase with some cost breaks. Naturally, I proved them right a weeks later as I went in and purchased the 90 gallon tall
Overall, I feel like I got a respectable price considering the quality of the products. We may be looking at a new reptile tank for the family's bearded dragon and guess what.... the Aqueon tanks/Mission series might be in-play again. I also have a B. smithii tarantula. I'm ready to start charging admission to this zoo :frog:
125 gallon long tank: ~ $335
Mission Series cherry finish stand: ~ $350.00
Mission Series cherry finish canopy: ~ $420.00
Fluval FX5: ~$275.00 (DrFosterSmith listed at $299.99)
I know the LFS gave us a decent price for the tank/canopy/stand as it was in-house stock and not an order. The LFS also 'likes' us (scary.... they recognized I would be a repeat customer LOL) and incentivized the entire purchase with some cost breaks. Naturally, I proved them right a weeks later as I went in and purchased the 90 gallon tall
Overall, I feel like I got a respectable price considering the quality of the products. We may be looking at a new reptile tank for the family's bearded dragon and guess what.... the Aqueon tanks/Mission series might be in-play again. I also have a B. smithii tarantula. I'm ready to start charging admission to this zoo :frog:
I skimmed the thread and may have missed some stuff so dont flame me.
TANK AND STAND:
have you checked out craigslist for tanks?
Build a stand yourself?
You can def cut alot of costs if you build a stand and canopy yourself with just a lil elbow grease. I can help you with designs for one if you want. I did build the one below and this was about 2 weeks ago, since then the polyurethane has cured and color fully soaked in and looks better than this pic.
Since you want to do a discus tank, they like tall whispy vegetation from what i have read and like to swim through it. I would do the long version of the tank, most plants will fit more than easily at that depth and you can manipulate everything easily that way.
LIGHTING:
Lighting, you can get a 72 inch fixture, the Nova Extreme Pro Saltwater. Now it may be a saltwater fixture because ity comes with the actinics, but you can switch those bulbs out and make it a fw fixture and have 3wpg. Its a $729 fixture, but its 72 inch, perfect fit, t5ho, 3wpg and your tank is 150ish gallons, so it kinda fits the bill.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13822+18700&pcatid=18700
FILTERS:
I would build a wetdry for this setup. You have a large tank and a wet/dry would probably be beneficial in your situation. Im not the person to talk to about for wet/dry as i have never done it but i have done alot of reading it on it. Canisters will work well for you too. Eheim makes a rock solid product has i have heard it quoted in the past as being a workhorse, the classis series to be specfic. The eheim 2028 looks like it would work for you but the only advanacements i see between that and the 2217 is the selfpriming and the extra half gallon or so capacity. The 2217 is the classic, you need to prime it but you have 1.5 gallon media capacity and higher flowrate. You could get 2 2217 for the price of one 2028. I would do the 2217 just for the customizability and larger media capacity. The flowrate on canisters is always slower, but supposed to have higher filtration. I would still go wet/dry though if it were up to me.
TANK AND STAND:
have you checked out craigslist for tanks?
Build a stand yourself?
You can def cut alot of costs if you build a stand and canopy yourself with just a lil elbow grease. I can help you with designs for one if you want. I did build the one below and this was about 2 weeks ago, since then the polyurethane has cured and color fully soaked in and looks better than this pic.
Since you want to do a discus tank, they like tall whispy vegetation from what i have read and like to swim through it. I would do the long version of the tank, most plants will fit more than easily at that depth and you can manipulate everything easily that way.
LIGHTING:
Lighting, you can get a 72 inch fixture, the Nova Extreme Pro Saltwater. Now it may be a saltwater fixture because ity comes with the actinics, but you can switch those bulbs out and make it a fw fixture and have 3wpg. Its a $729 fixture, but its 72 inch, perfect fit, t5ho, 3wpg and your tank is 150ish gallons, so it kinda fits the bill.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13822+18700&pcatid=18700
FILTERS:
I would build a wetdry for this setup. You have a large tank and a wet/dry would probably be beneficial in your situation. Im not the person to talk to about for wet/dry as i have never done it but i have done alot of reading it on it. Canisters will work well for you too. Eheim makes a rock solid product has i have heard it quoted in the past as being a workhorse, the classis series to be specfic. The eheim 2028 looks like it would work for you but the only advanacements i see between that and the 2217 is the selfpriming and the extra half gallon or so capacity. The 2217 is the classic, you need to prime it but you have 1.5 gallon media capacity and higher flowrate. You could get 2 2217 for the price of one 2028. I would do the 2217 just for the customizability and larger media capacity. The flowrate on canisters is always slower, but supposed to have higher filtration. I would still go wet/dry though if it were up to me.
