New 72 Gallon Bow Front

[Kashta]

I just got a new (used) tank last night... needs a real good cleaning. It was advertised as a 50-gallon tank with light, cabinet, filter, rocks (many buckets of rocks, holy cow!).. etc.

Well, it's a nice looking thing, but there's no canopy on top. I wanted to know the manufacturer so I could see what the hood looks like. I searched all over for 50-gallon bow fronts and nothing I found looked like this one. Finally, I realized the dimensions seemed off, too... so I checked a volume calculator that works for bow front tanks. Sure enough, that came out to "71.69 U.S. gallons, which is approximately 278.87 liters."

Nice.. it's 20 gallons bigger than the guy who sold it to me said it was.

So here's what I found by way of tantalizing images for ideas how to set up my new tank. (And at the end I'll show you the filthy looking picture he posted in his ad for this.)

Later on, I'll take actual photos of this myself to show off what a great looking tank this turns out to be.

I'm going to have so much fun!

 

[Rbishop]

Good deal! This is the one where you need to repair the cross brace?

 

[Kashta]

And here's the actual photo of the tank for sale in the ad...

 

[H3D]

LOL! That last picture is filthy!!! :rofl I mean the salty one)

 

[Kashta]

Finally.. this is the super-deluxe, grand-daddy, big version of the same tank on display somewhere I'd love to go.

 

[Kashta]

Good deal! This is the one where you need to repair the cross brace?

Yes.. I'm so excited. All I have to do is make sure it's supported properly, clean it up, and touch up the finish on the base... then it'll be gorgeous. I'm still planning something else for a larger tank (100+ gallons) so I don't even know yet what I'll do with this one.

LOL! That last picture is filthy!!! :rofl I mean the salty one)

OMG, it's a mess. Not only that, but there's a dead bug squished at the bottom. Eww!

Can you tell I live in an area with hard water? lol!!

 

[BubbleBack_Ek9_]

Nice find...

 

[Kashta]

On lighting...

He pointed out that it came with an upgraded light that was real expensive. (I imagine he had to buy a new light for the tank after the top brace snapped.) I was already wondering why they had a cheap plexiglass thing up there -- they probably broke the glass top somehow and the original light fixture fell into the tank.

In the past, I've always used the standard single bulb fluorescent light that comes with the tank. So I haven't done any research yet on new, fancy light systems. (Another reason why I've joined a group like this. I have a lot to learn about upgrades.) In the mean time, I've stuck with buying plants that are categorized as "low light" choices.

This fixture is a 48-inch strip with four 65-watt flourescent bulbs. It's marked "JBJ Aqua Systems" and has two power cords and two on/off switches on the left side. There's another single switch by itself on the right side that doesn't do anything (that I can tell). Two of the bulbs are activated by one switch are they're marked 65 watt daylight and the others are 65-watt blue actinic bulbs. Looks like I can set both halves on independent timers for daytime and nighttime illumination.

There's also a real nice submersible heater that looks to be in good repair... just a tad crusty with hard water deposits, like everything else.

 

[Kashta]

Finally.. here's how the ad read:

"50 Gal Tank for salt or fresh water. complete with Stand, Light,
rocks and filter. MOving and must sell. Neads a little cleaning.
$125.00. Send email for more infor."

It needs a LOT of cleaning (which I don't mind one bit). I bought it the same day the ad ran. And since they were willing to deliver it (way across town), I paid an extra $25 for that and their gas.

Having looked at the online views of the base cabinet, I guess someone must have kicked in the glass panel door all the other bases have. This one has been replaced with a wood door, painted to match. There's some minor warping to that at the bottom. They probably didn't seal the wood well enough before installing it.

 

[krytan]

Nice find, It will make a fun project