Tank Setups • My 240 build thread in progress.

[Jayse]

Well, I like the tank right now the way it is but I will be going on vacation and traveling right through the middle of the US on the way to Las Vegas for vacation and to finally get married to the woman I have been with for the last 10 yrs....I see this as an opportunity to get decorations lol. I will be traveling through Texas on the way there so I plan on looking at some Holey rocks at some landscaping places if I cannot find some laying around in a timely manner. Also on the way back we will be traveling through Colorado. So I can just pick up rocks everywhere lol. I will probably only go with similar rocks but having the choice and being able to just pick and choose makes the trip that much funner...oh yeah and Im getting married..priorities right? I just wonder what my wife will think when I finally tell her that I really want to make a trip to Salt Lake City to visit a fish farm.

Well here's some holey rock info for you if you happen to go near San Antonio. I was just recently out there and took my son to Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch ( drive through and have the animals come up to your vehicle, feed em, etc)... Anyhow all along the sides of the roads for about 5-10 minutes before the entrance was laying to my amazement, big ole chuncks of holey rock!! Not on anyone's property just country rural roads. In the Ranch there was TONS of it just lying around, I wanted to get out and grab a bunch, and probably would have braved the animals if not for me getting to Texas by commercial airline. So drive through, stop for a couple hours at that place if your into that stuff and pick up some free holey rock off the side of the highway.

[kojak76]

Well I am still in the process of working slowly on the aquarium. I sold my pontoon boat...last boat I had, in order to soften the blow of being off work for at least 3 months in the near future and to help fund more things on the tank. Since I will be waiting till after my vacation to stock it that allows more time to play around with a few things before fish go in. Then while I am off work Ill have all the time in the world to do stuff, once the pain from surgery goes away. Anyway just wanted to let you all know that its half steam ahead lol.

[kojak76]

My ammonia finally dropped I thought that was never gonna happen...not zero yet but only at .25 but at least it dropped. I would say itl be 0 by tomorrow...man thats a long wait.

[kojak76]

Well I had some time without my 3 yr old helper today so I decided to work on my sump setup...Seems when she helps we usually both end up far wetter than when we start. Anyway, I purchased 6 pounds of ceramic tubes and 4 liters Seachem Pond Matrix, I really am liking the pond matrix btw. I did not want both of these just sitting in the refugium so I decided on a way to make it a little neater. I purchased 2 8x8 crates from the hobby store they look similar to miniature milk crates and the work great, you can stack them and the holes are huge for water circulation. I also wanted sort of a wet dry system so I placed 8" air stones x2 in each one. Yes..I have pictures



This is the air stones inside the mini crate.






Add Media to both



Goes inside sump






and this is what I ended up with. I really think it will work out well for my situation. There is quite a bit of air and water circulating inside and around both media boxes. So still a work in progress. The thing I like most about this is that at any time I can add more boxes of different media if needed...until I run out of sump space that is. More to come as i do it..Hope your enjoying it.

[kojak76]

Well I have done a few things here and there while waiting on the cycle to finish up, and since I have at least a month before I add fish to my tank anyway. I figured I would share my progress up to this point.



So this is my living room center piece. Everyone who comes to my house loves the look so far. I know that the plants kinda don't belong in a tank that is going to house a few large to medium haps but it was a trade off with the interior decorator,aka wife to be, have to keep her happy. As for the stock list I so far have decided on Haplochromis Fuscotaeniatus and dimidiochromis-compressiceps and Exochochromis Anagenys. There will be more to come but these three species I am sure of. Still not sure if I am going to do males and females or all male, for me it's been tough decision to make. I think I want to see these fish eventually become parents but, I also like the idea of having a very full of color all male setup as well,

[JimA]

Looks very nice, I like that layout better than the last one!! The rocks to the right stand out a bi,t but the tank has some nice flow to it..

[Dj823cichild]

Very NICE!

[kojak76]

Thanks, I means alot getting some approval. The look will change again I am sure. I am looking into getting a back to nature slimline background, probably the canyon one to match the rocks I already have. As for the right side sticking out a bit, I know, I ran out of rocks. That is all together about 200# of flagstone fragments and the big rock weighs in at about 60#. I will be adding more rocks here and there so still a work in progress....is work ever really done on these things? I know mine will most likely always change so we will always have something new to look at.

[kojak76]

Just a small update. My filter with the matrix and ceramic tubes is working great. I convert 3ppm ammonia and nitrite in just under 24 hours. I am on my way to Vegas in a week so afterwards there will be a shopping frenzy for my fish. I cant wait....

[JimA]

Just a small update. My filter with the matrix and ceramic tubes is working great. I convert 3ppm ammonia and nitrite in just under 24 hours. I am on my way to Vegas in a week so afterwards there will be a shopping frenzy for my fish. I cant wait....

That probably depends on how much you win or lose in Vegas

[kojak76]

Well I decided to go ahead and purchase new lights for my tank before I go on vacation just in case I don't have enough when I get back. I purchased 2 48" high output 216 watt light bars with 4 lights in each, gonna see if I can blind my fish lol. Also has the led moonlight for nighttime light, although I have read these LEDs don't usually do a whole lot for viewing at night. If all goes very well in Vegas maybe I'll win big enough to buy more.....or lose so much I have to sell the tank to make the house payment.....

[ryencok3]

Any updates on your stocking yet? Did the Vacation go well?

[kojak76]

Well vacation went great, almost got a very large fine from taking a few medium sized rocks but ended up with a slap on the hand and having to put the rocks back on the ground while a federal officer watched. We ended up going all the way to the west coast to Dana Point Cali. Anyway, I have began stocking and will get a stockllist and a few pics as soon as I get a little extra time. Oh, the wedding was awesome. Got married in the back of a pink caddy in vegas..had a blast.

[bullzi]

Lovely lovely set up there. Cant wait to see fishes in it. Great going.

[genecr]

very nice tank and aquascape. the fish will love it