Tank and Stand; Now what?

[IRoman]

Hi all,
I'm glad there is a newbie forum because Im completly new to having a tank. I just picked up my first tank, its a 125 gallon (glass). I know thats huge to start off with but for 75$, I couldnt complain

So now that I have the tank and the stand, I'm not sure what I should get next. I plan on building a hood for it shortly, should I get lights next? If so, What lights should I get?

I am moving in a year, and for now I want to make this a freshwater tank but after I move, I want to go saltwater, maybe I should just wait?

Also, my stand is very basic, Im worried about the weight, It feels okay when I put weight on it and I see the design fairly often. Should I worry about it?

The tank isnt on the stand yet because I am getting ready to paint it

Thanks

 

[Jay-Stew]

Hi all,
I'm glad there is a newbie forum because Im completly new to having a tank. I just picked up my first tank, its a 125 gallon (glass). I know thats huge to start off with but for 75$, I couldnt complain

So now that I have the tank and the stand, I'm not sure what I should get next. I plan on building a hood for it shortly, should I get lights next? If so, What lights should I get?

I am moving in a year, and for now I want to make this a freshwater tank but after I move, I want to go saltwater, maybe I should just wait?

Also, my stand is very basic, Im worried about the weight, It feels okay when I put weight on it and I see the design fairly often. Should I worry about it?

The tank isnt on the stand yet because I am getting ready to paint it

Thanks

Hi, Looks like you could realy make this a nice setup. As for the lights the first thing we need to know is are you going to keep live plants or not. If you are keeping live plants you could go with some powr compact flourescent bulbs. They arfe your best bet but they will cost you some $$$. You could also go with just the simple flourscent strip lights. You are going to need about 125 watts unplanted and at least 225 watts of light for a planted tank. I have a hunch you are not going to plant it. In my opinion the lights are a very important part in the setup. They can really benefit to the look of the tank. I would not "cheap out" on the lights. You will nver regret it in the end. Another route is to build your own lights. i used 2, 36" double strip ballast kits from HOME DEPOT. You do have to do some simple wiring to get them going and you goto a LFS and buy your own aqua bulbs to use in them. Also looking at your stand you could make A simple box style canopy to fit on the tank over the lights and tank. Plus you can match the color of your stand very easily with wood stain this way. My guess is you could use 2 , 48"
ballast its end to end. ( someone correct me if wrong) . I did the DIY way and have no regrets and saved about $150 doing so. So yes get your lights next then youe need to start thinking about livestock for the tank and the ever important filter setup. Let us know more about your plans and ask all questions neccasry. i can show you a picture of my setup to give you a canopy idea.

 

[Ms.Bubbles]

After the tank and stand you need the following things. You'll need them all before you add fish:

Top for the tank--either hood or glass top, unless you plan on having an open top tank (not recommended for jumping fish!)

Lights--fluorescent, not incandescent (gets too hot). If you plan to have live plants you'll need at least 125-190 watts of fluorescent, preferably
5,600 K - 10,000 K (that's the colour spectrum most chosen for tanks)

Substrate--plain gravel is fine unless you want a heavily planted tank, and then you'll need a soil-like substrate like Eco Complete or laterite. Some people use sand, although this is not nutrient-rich.

Filter (appropriate for the tank size, overkill if you're keeping goldfish)

Heater (if tropical fish are wanted, no heater if you want goldfish)

Dechlorinator for your water--Prime is good

Test kits--ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, PH (I recommend the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals liquid test kit, not the test strips)

Thermometer


Regarding your stand--water weighs about 8 lbs per gallon, therefore a 125 gallon tank could weigh more than 1000 lbs. Hopefully the stand you bought is designed to support this weight, and that the place you plan to put it in your home can take this amount of weight too.

 

[wackydan]

The stand looks home made and out of 2x6 lumber. Chances are it was used for this same tank, so it's probably fine... If anything it's definately stronger than a store bought stand.

 

[tai95]

What was the tank used for before you bought it? The stand looks kinda "iffy" to me. You have a 6 foot span with no center support. That would be ok if it was a lizard/snake tank, but I wouldn't trust it with water. like Ms.Bubbles said the water alone would be over 1000 lbs. Then you have to add the weight of the substrate (~1-2 lbs/gal), the other decorations (rocks, driftwood, ect) and the weight of the hood and lights. You said you want to move on to SW eventually? That is why you need to know what has been in the tank before. If copper was every used in that tank you would probably never be able to keep any inverts in it.

 

[Jay-Stew]

His stand seems to look like it will work. I have a 65G and my stand is framed the same way and i have no doubts about mine breaking. My main concern would be that it is on a FLAT, LEVEL surface away from a high traffic area in the home. A solid basement floor would be the best to set it up. If the tank is any bit unlevel at that weight you will get unneccasary strain on your stand and tank. Also foam pads under the corners of the tank will help level and cushion the corners when setup.

 

[Rowangel]

The stand looks kinda "iffy" to me. You have a 6 foot span with no center support.

If you look in the second picture you can see a bit of the middle support. Actually, it looks pretty sturdy. I think I would be more concerned with how it was put together (nails, screws-bolts?) and make sure that the connections are firm and wont fall apart on you.

 

[tai95]

His stand seems to look like it will work. I have a 65G and my stand is framed the same way and i have no doubts about mine breaking. My main concern would be that it is on a FLAT, LEVEL surface away from a high traffic area in the home. A solid basement floor would be the best to set it up. If the tank is any bit unlevel at that weight you will get unneccasary strain on your stand and tank. Also foam pads under the corners of the tank will help level and cushion the corners when setup.

There is a huge difference between a 65gal tank and a 125gal tank. The 125 is 2' longer and will weigh about twice as much. without knowing how the stand is built (screwed,nailed,glued) I wouldn't trust it. 125 gallons of water on your floor would cost more to clean up than buying or building a new stand.

 

[tai95]

If you look in the second picture you can see a bit of the middle support. Actually, it looks pretty sturdy. I think I would be more concerned with how it was put together (nails, screws-bolts?) and make sure that the connections are firm and wont fall apart on you.

I saw that, but there is no vertical support. I am a fan over over building things. Better to be safe than sorry. He's only spent $75 so far, using some of the money he saved to buy a new stand would be a good investment.

 

[Rowangel]

I saw that, but there is no vertical support. I am a fan over over building things. Better to be safe than sorry. He's only spent $75 so far, using some of the money he saved to buy a new stand would be a good investment.

Ah, hummmm..so you would look for additional support under the middle brace? Good idea. For peice of mind I would look into a better stand, at least then you know how it was constructed and how sturdy it is.