150 gallon Mbuna build

[Adam]

This arrived today:



150 gallons.  72"x18"x29".  It's going to be mbuna, haps and peacocks.  I'm slowly gathering all the equipment.  Most is still in the mail.

Adam

[fishycanuck]

 

[328iGuy]

Nice tank.  Don't know about mixing Mbuna with haps and peacocks though. 

[PoisonJello]

nice would like one that size myself but my wife don't want me to have one that big 

[Adam]

Some have had success, others not.  I've been back and forth between a malawi mix and an herbivorous mix.  I think I may go with mbuna and herbivorous Victorians.  Limax or rufos perhaps...

The lights will be 2x [ 2x21W T5 NO 36" coralife strips with 6700K and full-spectrum ].  The filters will be two AC110s and a large canister of some kind.  I still need to find one.  A 250 watt heater (I keep the room quite stable) and three 24"x18" glass tops.  I'll eventually have a wooden canopy built for it.  

I'll take pictures as I go along.

Adam

PS: I am able to slide one end of it a little bit by rocking the aquarium.  THis means that very little/no weight is on that edge.  But when I have filled my other aquariums with water after levelling them, they have sunk and become unlevel.  What is the best way of making and keeping it level?

[oenology]

Some have had success, others not.  I've been back and forth between a malawi mix and an herbivorous mix.  I think I may go with mbuna and herbivorous Victorians.  Limax or rufos perhaps...

The lights will be 2x [ 2x21W T5 NO 36" coralife strips with 6700K and full-spectrum ].  The filters will be two AC110s and a large canister of some kind.  I still need to find one.  A 250 watt heater (I keep the room quite stable) and three 24"x18" glass tops.  I'll eventually have a wooden canopy built for it. 

I'll take pictures as I go along.

Adam

PS: I am able to slide one end of it a little bit by rocking the aquarium.  THis means that very little/no weight is on that edge.  But when I have filled my other aquariums with water after levelling them, they have sunk and become unlevel.  What is the best way of making and keeping it level?

1) my experience with various canisters is that if you want it to last more than a year or two without breakage of some stupid little but essential filter part then stay away from the Fluval canisters - the little plastic fantastic clips that hold the impeller head housing become so brittle that they break off after about a year even if you only change your filter media every 6 months or so . And stay away from the XP canisters to if you don't want to suffur the heart ache of having a perfectly functioning filter but with a broken clip attatchement, the one that holds the top of the filter with the motor to the body of the filter. Minimun $40 to replace the whole body for one stupid clip attatchment. Hmm that seems to leave eheim... I only have one but it is 3rd hand and has been running continuously for me for 7 years.

2) if you feed NLS then you can mix fish with different diets.

3) get out all the rocking before you fill! find out where the rock point is and do whatever you need to do before filling it! At least that way you can start out level. 150g is a lot of water to fill and the remove - especially from the floor if your tank cracks. After you think you have it level you can fill it partway and check the level again.   

[Saltcreep]

PS: I am able to slide one end of it a little bit by rocking the aquarium.  THis means that very little/no weight is on that edge.  But when I have filled my other aquariums with water after levelling them, they have sunk and become unlevel.  What is the best way of making and keeping it level?

I learned my lesson when the bottom of my 90g cracked. Now, I would never set up a tank without some kind of cushion to even out little imperfections in the stand or tank. Best thing I've found so far is something called anti-fatigue matting. Both Wal*Mart and HD have it. It's about a centimeter thick and is made from a very dense foam. You get four two foot by two foot interlocking pieces for about $10. It's designed for floors to reduce fatigue when standing for a long time. Works great for its intended purpose and for under aquariums. I've got it under most of mine. I've added a couple of pics in my gallery showing a close-up of the stuff and how it looks on a floor.

[angrycow]

wood fiber ceiling tiles work great for cushion and they are cheap

[bitterman]

Looks good Adam... Is that natural pine /w oil base varathane? If so it will be somewhat easy to get the canopy to match colour wise.

Bruce.

[cory]

i would not "steer clear" of fluvals...maybe the smaller line...but the FX5 is a wonderful filter and has given me no problems! Been up for almost a year

[Adam]

I learned my lesson when the bottom of my 90g cracked. Now, I would never set up a tank without some kind of cushion to even out little imperfections in the stand or tank. Best thing I've found so far is something called anti-fatigue matting. Both Wal*Mart and HD have it. It's about a centimeter thick and is made from a very dense foam. You get four two foot by two foot interlocking pieces for about $10. It's designed for floors to reduce fatigue when standing for a long time. Works great for its intended purpose and for under aquariums. I've got it under most of mine. I've added a couple of pics in my gallery showing a close-up of the stuff and how it looks on a floor.

I've seen that stuff before.  It works well?  What if it is on carpet?

Looks good Adam... Is that natural pine /w oil base varathane? If so it will be somewhat easy to get the canopy to match colour wise.

Bruce.

It is natural pine, although I'm not sure if it is oil based varathane or if it is stained.  It is an AGA stand.  Does anyone know what they use?

i would not "steer clear" of fluvals...maybe the smaller line...but the FX5 is a wonderful filter and has given me no problems! Been up for almost a year

I was thinking of an FX5...but even after the OVAS discount at SP, it would still run me ~$340.  Anyone selling a NIB FX5 for 80% off? 

wood fiber ceiling tiles work great for cushion and they are cheap

What if the tile cracks in the middle?  They're pretty brittle.

2) if you feed NLS then you can mix fish with different diets.

3) get out all the rocking before you fill! find out where the rock point is and do whatever you need to do before filling it! At least that way you can start out level. 150g is a lot of water to fill and the remove - especially from the floor if your tank cracks. After you think you have it level you can fill it partway and check the level again.  

I've also heard that mbuna, haps and peacocks can co-exist if fed NLS.  Any other foods I could feed a mix like this?  I don't like to be limited to one dry food.  I prefer frozen, live or fresh.

Exactly what I'm doing.  The water is not going to touch the aquarium until everything has levelled out.  I can't afford to crack it and have 150 gallons on my floor.  I'm going to take this very seriously.  I may even get a professional to level it so there aren't any worries, unless the high-density foam is just as good a solution.

Thanks for all the replies.  I'll post more when the post-office decides to leave me some of those blue notices.

Adam

[repeej]

Grab a 1/2" sheet of this pink styrofoam insulation from Home Depot....it's all you will ever need under the tank.....and it's fairly inexpensive.  I had the guys there cut it to size for my 75 gallon (48"x18")....no charge.

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[babblefish1960]

I agree with repeej, it's inexpensive insurance from stress risers and as it is a closed cell foam, fairly solid and stable. You can't go wrong with this stuff.

The base must be level too though, any occasion to rocker by an unstable base such as sitting across a subtle peak will place undue stress on the long sheets of glass that will fail catastrophically in time, busdriver's 150 is a perfect example of this. If you examine the crack, it is a sheer failure that was a direct result of this sort of force.

Without a planar level base from which to begin, foam will only delay the inevitable, especially in the larger tanks. Hence the need to shim the base. Perfectly radially flat, and even, and perfectly perpendicular are what you must strive for. With a 1500 pound tank, that cannot be stressed nearly enough.

[kennyman]

I always worry about putting anything right under the glass bottoms. You don't want pressure on anything but the tank frame.

[Adam]

Thanks for the replies...

repeej, did you put that foam insulation on the bottom of the tank between the stand, or on the bottom of the stand?

Adam

[PoisonJello]

i have styro foam under my 65g tank between the stand and tank. LFS suggested it to me, they have it under a lot of there tanks (90 gallon was one size that it was under)

you still need to make sure the stand is level but the foam will help with any inperfections in the top of the stand (the wood might be level but it can warp)

also if you don't like the looks of the foam, whenever you have a canopy made if your getting it made to match you could have a frame made for the top of your stand to cover the foam and the bottom black of the tank (probably a 1" x 6" would cover the top board, the foam and black part of the tank, put it on with finishing nails and it would look like it was there originally)

just something to consider 

[repeej]

I have the foam sitting on top of the stand.  Then the tank sits on top of the foam.  Only the tank frame touches the foam.  Even with 800+ pounds sitting on the foam it doesn't even look compressed.  I wouldn't use anything else.

[Adam]

Ok,

So I have a lot of free time in the next week, and this aquarium will be up and running once I allay my worries.

I just have a few questions:

My shipment of the 2X21W 36" coralife T-5 NO lights didn't pan out, so I'm left with nothing.  What are some good alternatives (72" length and I don't want a lot of overlap like 4' striplights)?  I want to grow some low light plants, but that's about it.  I also don't really want anything below 6700K, and that was pushing it because most of my lights are 10 000K +.

The levelling of the stand...  I have wood shims.  The stand definitely bows out a little bit (maybe 1-1.5 millimeters ) right in the middle.  Both sides can wiggle, but I cannot see the gap.  It cannot wiggle in the middle.  Would shims placed on either either end (2 on each end, front and back), and then the high density foam or pink insulation between the aquarium and stand do it?  I don't trust myself to plane the stand itself, for fear of making it worse.  Would the shims and the foam be ok?

Still looking for another filter to complement the two AC110s.  I've been told three AC110s would be ok.  I was considering the FX5, but it's really pricey.  An eheim (the ones under $350) or lesser fluval wouldn't pump out nearly enough for my tastes. 

I'm considering doing UGJ (undergravel jets) with two powerheads and 5 or 6 outlets per powerhead.  Any suggestions?  I would like them to be quite small.

Anyways, thanks for the replies before.  I'll post my progress here so you guys can know your suggestions are being utilized and can give me feedback.

Adam

[Adam]

I got a few things today to start putting together:

First off, I levelled the aquarium and it is pretty rock solid now. 

Aquarium and Glass Tops


The reason for the earlier wiggling was due to an uneven slope from front to back, but once some shims went into place to support it properly, it doesn't move at all.  I will not be putting styrofoam underneath.  The glass tops arrived and I put them together.


I decided to put eggcrate to even out the rock weight:

Eggcrate



For filtration, I will be using 3 Aquaclear 110s.  This will be enough biological and mechanical filtration, and I will only use 2 blocks of foam in each.  I use this design in all my aquariums and I have excellent water quality.

AC110 and tube extensions



Because it is a tall aquarium and the current from the ACs will probably not penetrate the lower depths near the sand, I have opted out to make an UGJ system to push the detritus around:

1/2" PVC accessories


2 - 10' of 1/2" PVC Pipe


This is how I envision the UGJs.  The jets will point towards the intake closest to them.  I don't know which powerhead I will use.  Any suggestions?

UGJ Layout

NOTE: The yellow squares are the AC110 intake tubes.

And since I'm a miser, here is the complete total for everything to date:

BA
150 Gallon 72" x 18" x 29" aquarium - $439.99
AGA Pine stand 72" x 18" - $379.99
AGA Glass Tops 72" x 18" worth - $74.99

Total with taxes = $1054.47 + 932 BA points

SP
3 x AC110 (I had 2 already) - 3 x $63.74 (OVAS discount)
3 x Extension tubes - 3 x $4.64 (OVAS discount)

Total with taxes = $233.86

RONA
40 Cable ties - $1.47
20 x 45 degree elbow - $0.57 ea x 20
2 x coupling - $0.36 ea x 2
Tee - $0.53 ea x 8
10' 1/2" PVC pipe - $4.71 ea x 2

Total with taxes = $31.07

Home Depot
2 x 2'x4' eggcrate - $9.40 x 2

Total with taxes = $21.43

Grand total = $1340.83

[NjOyRiD]

never tought of having an FX5 isntead of 3 AC?