Tobi’s contest thread -> 650 gallon build

[Swedgin]

Wow! I think that’s also my favorite, but I admit I’m fickle. Definitely a prize fish.
Patty

Haha, same here, too many nice ones to choose from.

Anyway, Aquadecor finished the background for this tank, should get shipped soon.

2D2E4CEA-3E07-4F91-B221-F5E802179D34.jpg

91D28F4A-C018-4CF0-8652-68BC3C00415B.jpeg

[Swedgin]

Got the bugger after all. Both sides even

C7C19F0F-6D24-49F7-B54D-D66D6F277FB8.jpg
ACC730DE-47F6-414D-922F-DF5518B7047E.jpg

[Swedgin]

Another one of my “special” ones from the older stock. Got lucky with this one, too.
BC19BC7E-6404-4F8A-9DFF-40FBC6646728.jpg


Can’t wait to finally mix all the blues and reds together in the new setup.

[Swedgin]

Been a while, unfortunately nothing new to report, we’re Still letting the silicone cure until tomorrow, a whole 2 weeks to be safe. Hopefully we can test again in a few days and start getting serious after that. I estimate the background to arrive some time around the 30th, and then we’ll get onto the home stretch. The longer it takes the more cramped the fish look in holding (they’re not, just my perception), but I hope to be able to move them into the new tank within the next 3 weeks. Will be using all their cycled media in the filters, so no waiting on that front at least. I’ll get some pics to keep this halfway interesting for anyone following.

[Swedgin]

Progress.
Cabined has been delivered. Need some touch ups here and there, but looks solid.

Tank is filled and hopefully nothing nasty comes up in the next few days. It’s virtually impossible to get everything on camera, as the room is too small. I tried to do a size comparison picture with a fully grown, 6’3 240lbs Tobi, but it’s not working, will have to wait until the tank is on the cabinet.

CA95FF4B-9567-41DF-BFAA-436EAC93430A.jpg
26CA8D43-C4C4-45A2-AF47-670C65D3D786.jpg
F13F4FDF-5981-47E2-96F1-4CC3C241E3D3.jpg

[Disgirl]

Wow, that is a huge tank! How long did it take to fill with 2 hoses? Which room is it going into when all finished? I will keep my eyes on this thread to see how it goes. Thanks for the pics!
Barb

[Second Hand Pat]

WOW...what a beast that tank is Tobi. It will be amazing once setup. How it is lifted off the floor?
Pat

[fljones3]

I have loved the progress! Love the tank. However, as a book lover -- the shelving is amazing.

[sanjay21]

What a beast of a tank that is ! I can't wait to see fish swimming in that massive space. Wilds deserve that space

[jeep]

I've been trying to catch up on all these contest posts. So far, I really enjoy watching your progression with this build!

[Pices]

Tobi, this is such a huge undertaking, but you are so cool and calm throughout this process. How long have you been keeping discus? Wilds? I have a hundred other questions, but at the risk of being nosy, I’ll just ask those 2 now. This is an amazing and exciting thread to say the least. Where did you acquire your knowledge on this hobby?
Patty

[snxtif]

I tried to do a size comparison picture with a fully grown, 6’3 240lbs Tobi, but it’s not working, will have to wait until the tank is on the cabinet.

AWESOME!, no sign of stunting at all.
Must have been kept in pristine condition I presume!

Joking aside, my dream tank would look exactly like this!

[Swedgin]

Wow, that is a huge tank! How long did it take to fill with 2 hoses? Which room is it going into when all finished? I will keep my eyes on this thread to see how it goes. Thanks for the pics!
Barb

Hi Barb,

it will stay in the room it's currently in, just need to get it on the cabinet. Cabinet is already in the right spot, bit of tweaking a few inches but that's it. We'll move the book cases further up, so the last one doesn't get hidden behind the tank

It filled up fairly quickly. 30 mins maybe. this was just tap water, from 2 independent supply pumps

WOW...what a beast that tank is Tobi. It will be amazing once setup. How it is lifted off the floor?
Pat

I have loved the progress! Love the tank. However, as a book lover -- the shelving is amazing.

Yes thanks, we love them, too. If I got this right the fronts are made out of old Indian door frames. When we got here 13 years ago the shops were full of these, but these days you can hardly find any, the furniture style here has changed dramatically, much more modern.

What a beast of a tank that is ! I can't wait to see fish swimming in that massive space. Wilds deserve that space

100% with you Sanjay. Proper work will start this week end, hopefully by next weekend it should be ready for the fish.

I've been trying to catch up on all these contest posts. So far, I really enjoy watching your progression with this build!

Thanks Brian, there's quite a few great threads in the contest, I hope people keep them going till the end.

Tobi, this is such a huge undertaking, but you are so cool and calm throughout this process. How long have you been keeping discus? Wilds? I have a hundred other questions, but at the risk of being nosy, I’ll just ask those 2 now. This is an amazing and exciting thread to say the least. Where did you acquire your knowledge on this hobby?
Patty

Fire away Patty, I don't mind any questions at all. After all that's what the forum is about.

Honestly I'm not that cool and calm at all, I just try to contain myself on the forum. My wife's ears are bleeding from my constant fish talk. I literally warn her by now when I'm about to start so she can brace herself and cancel the next few hours in her schedule. She's the luckiest woman alive

I've been keeping discus on and off for 20 years, so started at 16. At 18 I moved abroad and didn't have a chance to set something up until I moved back to Germany. We had a discus tank then, which we closed down when we moved out here.

Then I tried to start a tank back up (we brought 2 190gal with us from Ger when we moved), but it was impossible to find halfway decent discus. So I stuck to oscars, as I m a huge SA cichlid fan, not just discus.

The wilds came beginning of last year, by sheer luck the local pet shop imported their first direct shipment from Brazil, which contained 12 green and 12 heckels. They arrived in a horrible state and I didn't think many would make it. So after a week of intensive treatments they had 6 greens and 8 heckels left and I bought them all. A few months later they got more in, blues and greens, and all my stock had been made up from those 2 imports until I got my own shipment a few weeks ago.

My knowledge? I've said this before somewhere I think, but whatever I know comes from either trial and error, making things up as I go along, and READING as much as I can. I can hand on heart honestly say that if it had not been for Simply I likely would not have dared take on wilds at all. Also Heiko Blehers books are invaluable in my opinion, wether you like him or not, but the knowledge he has compiled in his books and magazines is amazing. I highly recommend his literature.

AWESOME!, no sign of stunting at all.
Must have been kept in pristine condition I presume!

Joking aside, my dream tank would look exactly like this!

Bit of an iffy start but caught up eventually, once the growout diet was changed from vegetables to pizza.

Thanks though, I just hope it all works out and it will be my actual dream tank as planned

[Swedgin]

WOW...what a beast that tank is Tobi. It will be amazing once setup. How it is lifted off the floor?
Pat

Sorry Pat,

missed to answer this. We’re doing it in an hour. There’s 14 of us. We’ll try to get it off the floor onto 4x4s and then with belts a bit further up. Then we’ll see....

Picture of finished placing, broken backs or broken tank to come soon...

[Swedgin]

We did it. The most difficult part was actually not the lifting, but getting the rubber mat into place. Will post more latr, but the major work has been done, now the fun begins...

04FEFDB5-C7F8-447A-967D-A76984031EFF.jpg