New 115g tank...work in progress

[strawberryblonde]

Ok, I bought a bigger tank for my growing discus and got them settled into it on Sunday afternoon.

I gave it 24 hours for the water to settle before I dared to take any pics. It's still a work in progress since the sump isn't completely finished yet (waiting on poret foam and a good water pump, so the hydro sponges are still running for now).

Will be adding more driftwood as soon as it gets waterlogged and then the plants in squishy pots won't be showing off the pots anymore.

But...here it is as promised. Don't pay any attention to the chipped paint on the back. I kinda scraped it up during all the installation of the overflow and need to repaint it.

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[strawberryblonde]

More....
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[Darrell Ward]

Congrads on the tank! Looks good, but I thought it was a 150 gal? 48"x 24"x 30" ? Maybe I'm losing it since I passed 50? LOL!

[Cambik]

Looks great.

Stephen

[strawberryblonde]

Based on the sellers measurements it was a 150, but when I got there Friday I looked at the sides and said "Hmm, that looks to be 18"" and he laughed and remeasured. It is 18" so it's a 115, with a 55 gallon sump that I'm filling to the 35gal mark. 150 gallons total.

I ordered my new pump! It's supposed to be here on Thursday according to FedEx. Purchased a new siphon tube too, so no more cobbled parts n pieces. Next stop is the plumbing store for some decent 3/4" pipe for a spray bar. I'm sitting here playing with my driftwood in the jacuzzi and willing it to hurry up and sink. LOL

I have one tall piece in the tank that's tied to a rock, but the others are odd shapes and I don't trust them to stay put. Don't wanna knock a discus out with a suddenly floating piece of wood, right?

Ohhhhhh, one of those little pieces in the tank actually has a cave running through it. When I got my discus they LOVED swimming through there, but I removed it when I put the larger piece on the right side of the tank into their old pent tank. So, they saw it in the big tank on Sunday and headed right on over to play in it. And they don't fit anymore! Fred the Flachen tried FIVE times to get his body in there and finally gave up. The only ones who fit are the brilliant and the marlboro.

I need to get some pics under the various types of lighting too. Those are with the actinic bulbs on. I also have daylight gro bulbs and moonlights. The moonlights are gorgeous.

[zchauvin]

Looks good :)

[Second Hand Pat]

Toni, it looks great and the hard work shows. Also love the way the background came out. The discus look small in there. They look great too. :)

[ericatdallas]

Is that a high/tall tank? I was thinking of getting one of those because I could still use my 75G stands. Look nice!

[strawberryblonde]

It's 30" tall Eric. Actually 31" if you count the top lip. Fits perfectly on a 48" wide stand! I knew I hadda have a 48 tall since it is the ONLY space in my house for a big tank and it's only 4 1/2 feet wide. Ok, not "the only" space, but putting it in the living room would mean hauling water through five rooms. LOL

One small word of warning on the 30" height though, unless you have a good step stool and very long arms it could be a pain to clean the bottom of the tank. I'm really tall and have long arms and you shoulda heard me cussing when I dropped a pair of tongs into the tank while arranging driftwood. Wasn't pretty, I can tell ya that!

[ericatdallas]

Yeah, the height is kind of what I'm worried about too but it's a nice size to keep using my tank and still expanding volume. Maybe I'll limit myself to a 90G...

I kind of like the look of the higher tank though. Maybe I'll have to buy one of those tools that's used to pick up garbage on the street :P

[Darrell Ward]

Nah! 30" deep tanks are great! You get used to it, and they are great for discus, especially adults. It does make for a really heavy tank though, because of the height, they are usually made of 1/2" glass, not the easiest tanks to move.

[strawberryblonde]

Yup yup, the 1/2" glass makes it a beast to move around. My husband was pretty darned sure that he and I could go it alone...till he had to put it in the truck with the help of the seller. We got into the truck to head home and he was already on the phone calling a friend to help us unload it. LOL

It is a nice look though I think. Tall and impressive and my discus have tons of room to swim. They use every inch of the tank now! Up and down and back and forth all day. If only they didn't look so small in there. And they need some new friends soon.

[Darrell Ward]

I've noticed that growouts seem to grow quite a bit faster in the larger tanks too. I guess maybe it has to do with water quality staying higher due to the volume, the space, or a combination of both.

[stephcps]

Very nice job!! The fish are beautiful and I LOVE that piece of driftwood!! That is sweet!!

[strawberryblonde]

Thanks Steph! I found that piece on manzanita.com and just had to have it. I'm totally in love with it even though it looks tiny in the big tank. It's actually 27" wide and 23" tall and you'd never know it. Makes for a nice place to stuff my crypts though. There's a gravel "sock" on the back of the driftwood to hold it in place (it insists on still floating a wee bit off the substrate after a month in water) so the plants just grow their roots right into the sock and hang on tight.

I have other driftwood to go in the tank eventually so it won't always look so barren. Gotta add more cory's, some cardinals and a few more discus too! Right now with just five guys in there they look lost....though they don't seem to mind it at all.