150 gallon almost there!!!

[alxjss]

No, i do not have a fishroom, but I am doing this big project just getting ready to get this tank done. Its hard because all my stuff is being occupied by other tanks. I no I will have to get the bio going, but i am wondering how long it would take to get a bioload. I plan on using all the filter substrate in the sump, and w/3 tanks, i should be ok. I am posting pics of my tank and where i am at now.

Here it is in the garage. Just got the stand
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s294/alxjss/discuchallange001-1.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s294/alxjss/discuchallange002-2.jpg

I moved it into my living rm, hoping to get it up and running but I had to wait for the feet to be made. Here they r....

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s294/alxjss/150gal003.jpg

anotherhttp://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s294/alxjss/150gal002.jpg


Here it is all ready. Well, not totally. The stand will be complete, but I don't no when. It costs sooo much but eventually, i will get it done.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s294/alxjss/150gal004.jpg

I did paint the bottom of the tank w/the sand paint. Didn't take a pic of it tho. Looks nice. Like it better than the blue, I also have a blue bkrd coming soon. Will post more pics soon.
thanks for reading

[alron2]

Eileen,
Please tell me more about the feet. Why not just put wood shims under the
legs to level the tank? They look great, but I guess I am just too cheep.
Ron

[alxjss]

I got them for the price of a burrito. My son knows someone who works in a metal shop and he made them for him. The feet r nice. I would have used shims, but my son insisted:o

[Harriett]

Eileen,
lucky you. I would LOVE to get feet like that! In my 100+ year oldhouse the floors are NEVER level and I am always nervous about that! Wood shims DO compress over time.
best regards
Harriett

[alxjss]

Eileen,
lucky you. I would LOVE to get feet like that! In my 100+ year oldhouse the floors are NEVER level and I am always nervous about that! Wood shims DO compress over time.
best regards
Harriett

Thanks Harriet.... I do like my feet. Think they r cool. Whats nice is my son is gonna bring his jack. Now that it is filled, it isn't level. It has to go up 1/4 in. and that is convenient. He said the stand is strong enough to set a car on. WOW, that is cool!!!!:)

[Kenny's Discus]

Eileen, that's a very unique stand design! I can't wait to see when it's filled. Exciting times isn't it? Good luck with your project.:)

Kenny

[yiapas]

awesome construction...well done

i cant wait to see it full of discus:D

[alxjss]

Thanks Kenny, That means alot to me that u like my stand.;)

yiapis, thanks for the feedback. I still have more to do. I have a backround to put up, deep ocean blue, and a light that has to go up. My son has a plan. I won't say right now, u will have to wait for the pics...he,he,heeee:D

[alxjss]

right now i am torn on what thickness glass i will need for my top. Is 1/8" too thin or should i go w/ 3/16ths? Please advise....

[Tropical Haven]

1/8" should be fine but if you are feeling a little bit uneasy about it you can always go thicker. :D

[alxjss]

I don't feel uneasy, i just want little evap and no accidents. thank scott:)

[alxjss]

I need an opinion here. My son insists i get a titanium heater. I plan on rigging up my hydor inline heater and then another heater in the sump. I don't no how many heaters to get. The current ones r very unreliable and i need something steady. Only time water temp changes is when i do water changes and control that. Anybody???:o

[alxjss]

Does anyone have an opinion on titanium heaters? I want to get one or two for my tank. Anyone???:o

[wgtaylor]

Hi Eileen, I switched to titanium heaters with the built-in external controller and am extremely happy with them. I hang the controller where it is easy to see and get to, I will never go back to regular heaters again. When the controller is out of the water it lasts forever. I get by with one in the sump so nothing in the tank. Maybe you could insulate the back of your 150 unless you want the open see thru.
On the glass top I personally go with 3/16 inch glass on anything 55 gal or over. I buy the plastic hinge and get the glass cut, smooth edges at a glass shop, $15. Bill

[alxjss]

Wow Bill. Thanks. Ur input help me make my decision. What size heater do u use? I could insulate. I just put on the backing to my tank. Its the kind that sticks to the back of the glass. I don't think insulation would hurt it. I want to order the glass soon here. This is completely driving me nuts. I can get soooo lazy its rediculous. I will be going to the glass shop on MONDAY!!!!

[wgtaylor]

Your son is a smart boy, pushing you to the titanium heaters. You will be glad you did. I have a 500w heater in the sump that I pulled out of the tank. It is way over kill in my situation. The heater just has to heat the water in the sump, a lot smaller space than the main tank so is very efficient. The pump cycles the water back into and thru the main tank pretty quick and doesn't cool much before returning to the sump to be heated again. I think you will find you need less heater than having them in the main tank. With the overflow in the center of the tank I think I would use two return hoses one on each end of the tank to get best circulation preventing cold spots or dead areas.
The 3/16 inch glass I don't have to be near as careful with and I can close it on a fill hose or siphon hose, it has the weight to hold the hose in place. Darn I hate it when a hose slips out from under the glass.
You are going to have a dream tank Eileen, best of luck. Bill

[alxjss]

Cool on the heater thing. I don't no what u mean when u say 2 hoses. I only have one on the tank. How would u put another one in? I don't want anything in the back of the tank. It is against the wall w/o room for anything in the back. Is there another way to do this? Maybe a spraybar or something?

[wgtaylor]

I'm sure what you have planned will be perfect. What I was thinking is you have the drain at the back center of the tank for the water to go down to the sump and then a pump and hose to return the water back up to the tank. You could have two return lines or one return line with a spray bar. I was just wondering if you would get good circulation through the entire tank. I'm sure you will. Anxious to see your fish enjoying your new tank.:)

[alxjss]

Well Bill, i don't no about perfect, but it would be nice, thats for sure. I was thinking about 2 500 watt heaters, don't forget these come w/controllers also. I am worried they may be too much., what do u think?

[Harriett]

I think 2 500 watt heaters is overkill, Eileen. I heat my 180g with a 600 watts of heat total. A 300 watt titanium like you have described, and a 300 watt hydor inline. Works just fine.
Best regards
Harriett

[wgtaylor]

My first thought was 1000 watts was high, like Harriet. But if you concider the "General rule is to have three to five watts per gallon for every 10 deg F above room temperature that you wish to have the tank water temperature."

So if you want your tank 86 and your room 68 and you use an average 4 watts and 150 gal tank, you could calculate,
86 - 68 = temp / 10 x 150 x 4 = 1080 watts.

You will have to substitute your tank temp and room temp and aquarium size for different situations. You could be pretty close Eileen, you may be a genius.http://forum.simplydiscus.com/images/smilies/smile.gif Bill

[alxjss]

My first thought was 1000 watts was high, like Harriet. But if you concider the "General rule is to have three to five watts per gallon for every 10 deg F above room temperature that you wish to have the tank water temperature."

So if you want your tank 86 and your room 68 and you use an average 4 watts and 150 gal tank, you could calculate,
86 - 68 = temp / 10 x 150 x 4 = 1080 watts.

You will have to substitute your tank temp and room temp and aquarium size for different situations. You could be pretty close Eileen, you may be a genius.http://forum.simplydiscus.com/images/smilies/smile.gif Bill

MAN, i wish i was a genius. I figured the higher the better and using a controller, can't go wrong. But, i finally got my heaters. I bought a 500wt titanium and a 250 watt ebo jager. Recommondations from Jehmco;)

[alxjss]

Now, i am waiting for my tank to reach the 86 deg mark. I have 5 adults, and 7 semi adults i plan on putting in this tank. My plan is to get the temp up to 86, do a 80-90% w/c then place the fish in the tank. They r separate now so i want to put them in together. ? is, do i put the semi adults in first before the adults or does it matter? I really need help here please:o

[alxjss]

I finally did it. They r all in the tank.I did a 75%w/c, pumped the water in from both tanks, took all the filters and ran in the tank. This is just a temp thing, i do have the sump. I wanted instant cycle. I will run all the filters for 24hrs, just to be sure. They seem pretty happy. Were alittle confused but doing good now. They all took to ea. other great, even the challange fish. They ate dinner and now lights off till tomorrow. I am sooo happy.
One ? tho. How do i do a w/c w a sump? I will have to turn it off right? I don't know. Any answers would be appreciated.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s294/alxjss/150gal001.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s294/alxjss/150gal003-1.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s294/alxjss/150gal010.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s294/alxjss/150gal008.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s294/alxjss/150gal007.jpg

[*Polka dots roc*]

wow congratulations on finally setting it up... looks great! Are your fish red melons, blue diamonds and turqs? Any ways they look great keep up the good work:)

[DiscusOnly]

Eileen,

They are looking great! So much space. Those red melon looks so familiar...

Van

[alxjss]

wow congratulations on finally setting it up... looks great! Are your fish red melons, blue diamonds and turqs? Any ways they look great keep up the good work:)
Thanks. It took a while w/finances and lack of knowledge, but yes its up and running and they love it. They swim back and forth it packs. Its funny. They will all be on one side of the tank, one fish starts to go and the others follow. Yes, they r red melons, one blue diamond, some solids and one turk. I got the red melons from Dan @ Elite Aquaria by auction. Dan is the best. He still pm's me to inquire how things r doing. The best...;)


Eileen,

They are looking great! So much space. Those red melon looks so familiar...

Van

Hi van. How r urs doing? Mine r pretty big. I have 4 that r more than 5" right now. The otheres r alittle small, but not done growing yet:)

[DiscusOnly]

Hi van. How r urs doing? Mine r pretty big. I have 4 that r more than 5" right now. The otheres r alittle small, but not done growing yet

Mine are doing great as well. They are in a similiar situation, some grow more than others. I don't have the luxury of giving a 150gal size tank. They are going to end up in my new 75gal in about 2 weeks. Doesn't the discus look better because you had raised them from little juvie? I know that's the case for me.

With the new 150, it's time to get more to grow out with the old tanks :D

[alxjss]

Nope... not now. I don't have the room. My utilities r sky high. I now have 14 discus and that will do for now. I have 8 cories, one clown loach and 8 bn's. I want cardnials also, about 100 of them so... that being said no more for now...:(

[Armandi_Fishcarer]

Hi Eileen,

An extremely well put together project.

It will help you tremendously with the sump as the water param's will remain low compared to single set up tanks.

Wish you all the best with it.

Regards Armandi ;)

[alxjss]

Hi Eileen,

An extremely well put together project.

It will help you tremendously with the sump as the water param's will remain low compared to single set up tanks.

Wish you all the best with it.

Regards Armandi ;)

Thanx armandi. I don't no about extremely well, its totally not finished. I want to take out some sand. I think i went alittle over board. I put in 150lbs of sand:bandana: Does anyone no an exceptable amount of sand?

[RockHound]

I use just enough sand to cover the bottom of the tank, plus a little extra here & there to cover the base of plastic plants & decorations in the tank. I would guess on average the sand depth is about 1/4 to 3/8ths of an inch & a bit deeper here & there to hide the base things in the tank.

[alxjss]

Hi Jim. Would that be enough for real plants? I want to try that "real plant" thing. I don't no how good it will be, but its worth a try.....:o

[Darrell Ward]

Thanx armandi. I don't no about extremely well, its totally not finished. I want to take out some sand. I think i went alittle over board. I put in 150lbs of sand:bandana: Does anyone no an exceptable amount of sand?

I think the amount would be a personal choice thing. A lot of people would go with just enough to cover the bottom, easier vacuuming. I wouldn't worry about it. You'll likely lose some over time from tank vacs anyway, I know I do, despite being careful.

[Harriett]

Thanx armandi. I don't no about extremely well, its totally not finished. I want to take out some sand. I think i went alittle over board. I put in 150lbs of sand:bandana: Does anyone no an exceptable amount of sand?

I guess not me--I have about 200 lbs of it in my 180---sometimes I think I should pull a bit but haven't done it yet either...
Harriett

[RockHound]

Hi Jim. Would that be enough for real plants? I want to try that "real plant" thing. I don't no how good it will be, but its worth a try.....:o

1/4 to 1/2 inch is not enough sand substrate to hold LIVE plants in it.

I've done live plants a few times.
It's fantastic looking.
But, requires so much hands on time & effort to stay that way.
I gave up on it.
As I could not balance my life, with everyday extensive tank maintance

I can get the water right & keep it that way.
But, adding live plants to the mix created other issues.

Once, plants brought in some parasites.:mad:
Another time, a snail factory.:angry:
Another time an algae war.:(

Thats not to say, don't do it.
I take 2 or 3 week trips often.
Which is away to long at a stretch, to manage live plants.

[alxjss]

wow, thats scarry. I would like to try it tho. Maybe i can set up a small tank and start there to see what happens.:confused:

[Highland]

Nice job with the tank. Live plants would look fabulous, but you will need to do quite a bit of research. Regarding the sand -- not enough nutrients in pure sand, plus sand is often too fine for good growth, may need gravel. I'm not an expert, but you will need to add supplements -- or you could try keeping the plants in pots that have soil and other minerals. The light level and quality is very important. Also few plants like the high temperatures required by Discus.

The Tropical Fish Hobbist had an interesting article in the June 2008 issue, page 124 on setting up a 110-gallon custom discus aquarium with plants. There is a long list of plants that grow at higher temperatures.

It isn't easy, but the result can be worth it.
Good luck, Jim

[Harriett]

Nice job with the tank. Live plants would look fabulous, but you will need to do quite a bit of research. Regarding the sand -- not enough nutrients in pure sand, plus sand is often too fine for good growth, may need gravel. I'm not an expert, but you will need to add supplements -- or you could try keeping the plants in pots that have soil and other minerals. The light level and quality is very important. Also few plants like the high temperatures required by Discus.

The Tropical Fish Hobbist had an interesting article in the June 2008 issue, page 124 on setting up a 110-gallon custom discus aquarium with plants. There is a long list of plants that grow at higher temperatures.

It isn't easy, but the result can be worth it.
Good luck, Jim

Many of the substrates sold are inert--as is silica sand; you just add ferts either to the water column or directly as a root feed tab or both, depending on what you are growing. Silica sand is completely fine for plant roots--they travel well. I keep malaysian trumpet snails in there--I NEVER see them, and they move around and aerate the sand. There are all sorts of more expensive nutrient loaded substrates available as well, such as Eco-complete, so you can go that route as well. A python cleaning once a week is all it takes to keep the sand looking good. There are many plants that do just fine at discus temps. Do some research on SD, we have gone over this question lots and you will find good info for planning.
If you are inexperienced with plants, it may be a good idea to set up a smaller tank specifically to learn aquatic gardening on. It is all about the balance of nutrients, light, filtration, CO2, etc. Your basic water params to begin with figure in as well. It is a hobby unto itself. Nothing finer looking than a big gorgeous planted discus tank, in my book!
Some plants are much easier to grow than others--as it happens, sword plants [Echinodora family] are natural for discus, thrive in 82 degress temps, don't need much work, and are not expensive--you can start there, if they appeal to you?
READ! Go to the planted tank sites online!
Best regards,
Harriett

[alxjss]

Thank u both for the info. I will do research befor i plant. I have NO clue when it comes to aquatic plants. I still am not sure yet what i will do;)