# 180g inwall build journal



## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

Well, now that I've finally finished the paint & trim, here's the progress from the beginning. The tank is built into the middle of a large room, to divide the space between the master bedroom and home office. Note: don't build the stand until you have the tank. I was going to build a custom 7 foot tank, and built the stand first. Custom tank in the dimensions I wanted would have run almost 2grand more than I spent on the 6 footer.


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

Here's the end result. Running since October '07


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

Wow. Very nice. How about a picture of the guts from behind? I'd like to see how much room you left yourself to work back there


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## david10072 (Apr 26, 2008)

Woot. It looks nice. well done !


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

PVC pipes & valves are for water changes. The T-off is from the filter return, which leads to the laundry sink via the soffit for the heating ducts, which originally ran above the tank anyways, and made for a natural division in the room before I put the tank wall in.
The FX5 is plenty powerful enough to drain the tank in a hurry. The light canopy lifts up to allow better access if I need. The timers & power strip are mounted high on the wall just below the ceiling.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Is the tank finished on the rear side, some sort of access panel, or is it open like in the pic?

That's an AMAZING build- thanks so much for sharing it!


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## BiscuitSlayer (Apr 1, 2005)

sick lid -

Thats awesome man. Very well executed. The tank looks fantastic, and you did a good job finishing it up to make it look nice (on the wall). What are you using for lighting? You said posted this in the low tech forum, so I am interested in your specs with regards to co2/no co2, fertilization, etc.


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

lauraleellbp said:


> Is the tank finished on the rear side, some sort of access panel, or is it open like in the pic?
> 
> That's an AMAZING build- thanks so much for sharing it!


It's unfinished on the back side. I'm not sure if I'm going to close it in or not. I like the ambient light that spills into the office at night, but I might still finish around it. I'm just glad I'm finally finished the 'bedroom' side.

BiscuitSlayer- Thanks. I built the trim that way so that it sits tight against the glass. Lighting is 8x40watt T12's, and 3x25watt cf spirals. No CO2, & so far no ferts.
Thanks for all your comments. Now I've got to finish painting the rest of the room ('70's wood panelling) crown molding & baseboard, & do something about the old 86g in the background.


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

Thats a bad mama jama!


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Two big green thumbs up.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: 

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## SeaSerpant (Feb 20, 2008)

Howly cow, that is great


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## want4rain (Jan 21, 2007)

thats just stunning Joe!!! i wish my hubby would let me put one of those in OUR bedroom!!!

those your old bosamis from the 86?

-ash


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

the corner inwall is an amazing idea.


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

Thanks Tom & Seaserpent.


want4rain said:


> thats just stunning Joe!!! i wish my hubby would let me put one of those in OUR bedroom!!!
> 
> those your old bosamis from the 86?
> 
> -ash


Hiya ash!
It's amazing how much better it looks from simply adding the trimwork.
I've still got my 3 original boesmanis in the old 86. I've got 5 of their juvies in the 180, and 15 fry in my 32g, almost big enough to trade in at the lfs. Once a month I pull plants outta the 86 into the 32, and wait for fry to show up. The adults just eat them in the 86.

Ikuzo, I almost didn't do it on the corner. The only reason I did it that way was I thought the borders would be too narrow, and would look funny if I kept it on the face wall. The wall on the right of that 'hallway' couldn't be moved, as it contained a structural post. Initially I wanted a 7foot tank, I was going to put it on the right, against the structural post, and have the hallway on the far left into the office. I'm quite pleased at the way it turned out, as it makes the tank look much bigger.

Biggest PITA? Trying to 'scape from the back. Ugh.


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

I should also mention another major point with this set-up, it is critical that water quality and quarantine protocol is maintained, because in order to catch a sick fish in this tank (from the back only where the plants are the thickest), you'd pretty much have to destroy the 'scape. I made that mistake. Once.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

WOW! very nice setup. I could only dream of a 180 and youve got yours in the wall, nice!


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## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

Wow! Im suprised your wife let you do this.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

That is one awesome tank! I love when aquariums are installed in the wall like that so you can clearly see 3 sides of the tank.


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## Digital (Apr 4, 2008)

WOW thats awesome how you have it so you can see around the corner. Hot setup!


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## benon (Feb 18, 2010)

This is freaking insane...


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## Nate McFin (Mar 19, 2009)

Great build thanks for sharing! Nice drywall work as well though a some 1/4 round would look nice along the ceiling to finish it off. Is this a stick built home or manufactured?
The tank and scape are beautiful and just pop with its location.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Any update on this? 2 year old thread...


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

Chad..you know how it goes..15 gallon turns into a 32, then an 86 which is huge compared to the 15. Then you get to the point that your house choice is dictated by the size of tank you want. 
Vadim... my wife is almost as fanatical as I am... she's just glad she doesn't have to do anything to it.
AZFishkid... the corner was not what I initially planned- I wanted a longer tank flush on the face only, with the doorway on the left. Glad I did it this way.


> *Nate McFin *Great build thanks for sharing! Nice drywall work as well though a some 1/4 round would look nice along the ceiling to finish it off. Is this a stick built home or manufactured?
> The tank and scape are beautiful and just pop with its location.


I should really get some fresh pics up. Crown molding and baseboard was finished about a month after my last post. Truly did finish off the look. Stick built, on concrete slab. 


> *lauraleellbp* Any update on this? 2 year old thread...


Ha, you know what's funny? I saw the thread title and thought 'Sweet! Someone else has a 180 inwall- I gotta check this out!' I was somewhat disappointed to see my own tank. I've had a sudden multiple mortality this last week see here . All happy and thriving for 2 years prior to that.
You know, it's time for a major rescape anyways. Plant wise, I'm down to java fern, moss, and tiger lotus. Big plec ate everything else. Still pretty heavily planted, just boring now. I'm on holidays in a couple weeks, so I'll do something to it then. Thanks for all the comments everybody. The kick in the pants (read: motivation) I needed. Thanks!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

sick lid said:


> Ha, you know what's funny? I saw the thread title and thought 'Sweet! Someone else has a 180 inwall- I gotta check this out!' I was somewhat disappointed to see my own tank.


ROFL that's hilarious!

Sorry to hear about your rainbows, though... I've not no clue either- really weird!


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## platyman (Nov 19, 2010)

Amazing!!!


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

I just discovered this today. Really a beautiful tank installation, unlike any I have seen before. After 2 years of living with it, what would you do different if you started over? And, how has it been doing maintenance on it?


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

Hoppy said:


> I just discovered this today. Really a beautiful tank installation, unlike any I have seen before.


Thanks Hoppy. I'm still awestruck at how beautiful it turned out, installed on the corner like that.


> After 2 years of living with it, what would you do different if you started over? And, how has it been doing maintenance on it?


You hit the nail on the head. I can't for the life of me figure out how to get that 'wow' factor of a flush mount without sacrificing ease of maintenance, which on this tank is indeed brutal. Pruning is trial and error, mostly error. I'm down to mostly java fern and moss now. Lotus was easy to keep, until my plec discovered a taste for it. Catching a fish is impossible. If I were to do a tank this size again, inwall like this, it would be mostly hardscape. I imagine a narrower tank, maybe 12 inches front to back would be easier, but it really is difficult to stay on top of, without falling in. This is where the miniature mermaid would come in handy. Accessibility from the front would mean giving up the clean sexy look of this type of install. And my apologies for neglecting this thread:icon_redf


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

I like the placement of the tank and the new drywall and wood trim makes it look so fresh and clean. The tank looks very nice as well with a good volume of plants, is the tank viewed only 2 or 3 sides?

With all the paneling in the other room you could have made a removable panel above the tank to deal with maintenance.

Did you ever find the motivation???


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## jart (Jan 17, 2003)

Wow, that really is amazing! Must look fantastic in real life. What fish do you have in there now?

I am planning a 6 foot tank and would appreciate you sharing a plumbing diagram and/ or pictures. I would also like to create a semi-automatic WC system plumbed into my canister.


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## zyn1 (Aug 26, 2010)

looks nice and clean....great job


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## NJAquaBarren (Sep 16, 2009)

Great job. Let's see a pic of the innards!


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

Very, very nice !!! 

How did you protect the tank side of the drywall from water & humidity?


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

Oops...been ignoring this again
@*150EH*, Thanks for that. Quite pleased with it visually. Viewable from 2 sides only. I did have it open from the back, but I didn't like how much light spilled out behind the tank, and since it was mostly plants and plumbing at the back, I closed it in with floor to ceiling black curtains behind it. The lights are mounted so that they lift out of the way for easier access to the tank. Next is cctv so that I can see what is happening from the front when I prune and 'scape.

@*jart*, the fish stocking is listed in my sig also. Funny thing about the plumbing, I just deleted most of those pics off the forum, lol. I'll see if I can find something to post again or email you. I have a 40gallon rubbermaid bin between the tank and the wall that I condition water in. I ran a single run of PVC pipe from the laundry sink in the next room to the tank. I have a T and valve off of it to fill the bin, and the same coming off to go to the outflow side of the FX5. Also a T and valve system coming from the bin to the inflow side of the FX5. Takes 3 or 4 minutes to drain 35 gallons or so using the filter pump to push it out to the laundry sink, and about the same to refill from the bin the same way. I open the bin fill valve to let the air in to empty the pipe, then fill the bin for next time. Confusing to read, simple to look at. Leave it with me, lol I will show you what I mean.
@*zyn1*: Thanks!
@*NJAquaBarren*: I really wish I hadn't deleted the rest of the pics from this build, lol. As with* jart,* I will see if I can re-post.
@*DogFish*: The drywall is all mold/mildew resistant, wood is all coated with marine varnish. I also have glass tops and a de-humidifier that rarely turns on.
I will look for more pics to update this thread with. Thanks all!


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

OK, here is a quick drawing of how I plumbed for water changes. The bin is actually beside the tank. If I were to do it again, I would have put it under the tank, unfortunately I seriously over built the stand, and didn't leave myself enough access to do it that way. Regardless, it is still out of the way, and \i am quite pleased with the simplicity and ease of water changes. The stock fluval intake was replaced by larger diameter pvc that I drilled the bottom 14 inches of. It is virtually clog proof. The outflow was replaced by the same pvc that I drilled strategically for a spraybvar that runs along the bottom, and placed the holes to direct flow through the pleco caves, so they don't get filled with plecopoop.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

sick lid said:


> Lighting is 8x40watt T12's, and 3x25watt cf spirals.


Wow that must have raised the electric bill. Since you can afford the big tank I don't understand why you didn't buy a light system that uses less electricity.


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

I couldn't afford a big tank, lol. I used what I had at the time, which was a box full of old tombstones and ballasts that I pulled out of old shop lights that were on the way to the recycle bin. The lighting has since been replaced by 4 x 32w T8's, with much better reflectors. Also free. Aside from the tank ($600) the FX5 ($300 at the time), and some valves for the plumbing ($50), most of this build was done with material I salvaged or already had. I couldn't and can't afford the lighting I want on a 6 footer.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

sick lid said:


> I couldn't afford a big tank, lol. The lighting has since been replaced by 4 x 32w T8's, with much better reflectors. Also free. Aside from the tank ($600) the FX5 ($300 at the time), and some valves for the plumbing ($50), most of this build was done with material I salvaged or already had. I couldn't and can't afford the lighting I want on a 6 footer.


Well to me a 6 footer is a big tank and $600 is a lot to spend at 1 time on an aquarium.

Are you certain that a T5NO light system wouldn't cost you less in the long run? Petblvd.com has some T5NO light system cheap by SolarMax. Then there is a thread by Hyzer on a T5HO light strip which cost $45 for 29G, which is 30in long


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

lol, I agree. It is a big tank to me too, and yes, 600 _is_ a lot to spend at once. Doesn't mean I can afford to spend on any equipment I want. Point is, I had to do a lot of diy, and cut corners on equipment choice in order to get the tank I wanted, installed the way I wanted. I would rather have this for $1k than a smaller tank with better lighting for the same price.As money or opportunities permit, I will upgrade when I can. I have a lead on some 4 foot LED fixtures that are from commercial refrigeration displays that I can get for fairly cheap.
http://www.hussmann.com/Pages/LEDLighting.aspx
Just need to get the power supplies for them. And yeah, for sure a more efficient system would be less in the long run. So would buying a house for cash rather than a 25 yr mortgage, lol.
Edit: Found Hyzer's thread... http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/110534-inexpensive-hanging-t5ho.html


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

sick lid said:


> As money or opportunities permit, I will upgrade when I can. I have a lead on some 4 foot LED fixtures that are from commercial refrigeration displays that I can get for fairly cheap.
> http://www.hussmann.com/Pages/LEDLighting.aspx


Ok, now I understand your progress. You had a desire for a big tank. I like to have all at once cheap as possible. Thus I rent and don't have a mortgage.

The temperature options are 3500K and 4100K thus probably don't have the right spectrums for lights. Since you can DIY a lot how about checking out Hoppy's thread on LED light system.


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

Part of the criteria for buying this house was the ability to be able to have a big inwall build. Started out with 15 gallons 9 years ago, and kept getting 2 foot-itis  
Also, I can get 6500k leds from the same company. And Hoppy's thread has been bookmarked since he started it, lol, but I still haven't decided one way or the other. Heck, 3 months ago I thought I was going to be tearing it all down to sell our house, now we are staying put.


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## MadDiscus (Aug 7, 2011)

Very nice work and beautiful tank. Can't wait to see more pics w/ fish.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

sick lid said:


> ... direct flow through the pleco caves, so they don't get filled with plecopoop.


I know I will hate myself for this, but is that anything like nincompoop?:redface:


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

@Hoppy: Yeah, but not as smelly. Nincompoop is what my first tank was full of when I first got that plec. (15g 9 or 10 yrs ago)


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

sick lid said:


> @*DogFish*: The drywall is all mold/mildew resistant, wood is all coated with marine varnish. I also have glass tops and a de-humidifier that rarely turns on.


I'm remodling myself and thought about your project. I found a drywall sealer called GARDEZ. It's made for guys like me that aren't patient enough to take wallpaper off the correct way. If one(me) pulls the outer paper off, this stuff seals the brown so it will take primer in one coat. So it's really water proofing the drywall, but offers the use of latex paint on top.

When I did the bathroom I found some mold resistant latex. I think that combination with really seal up an enclosure like yours well. Use that paint in White gloss and it will bounce some light around too.

Now, I do realize it might be too late at this point for you. More about conversation now. Anyway I think you have done a great job, Irealy like how it came out.


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

Yeah, quite honestly I got a little impatient with this build. That combined with a time limit with which to get it done meant not finishing the back the way I should have.


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## jart (Jan 17, 2003)

Any new updates/ fish? And thanks for posting the plumbing plan.


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

I'm considering a complete re-scape of the tank at this point. I hate how the substrate always ends up flat after a few months. I'll address that issue, and change the stump around to see if I find something more pleasing to the eye. Gonna need a couple of uninterrupted days with no kids, lol.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Did I miss something. I don't see the fini product with plants that you talked about in thread about water changes.


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

Hilde said:


> Did I miss something. I don't see the fini product with plants that you talked about in thread about water changes.


What are you asking? You mean that thread from.... August??? The pics at the start of this thread are not indicative of the current plant load. Maybe post a link to that thread to refresh my failing memory.


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

Found it 
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/f...-obsession-vs-not-changing-3.html#post1485462
No, I don't have a current pic. It is never finished


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

sick lid said:


> OK, here is a quick drawing of how I plumbed for water changes. The bin is actually beside the tank. If I were to do it again, I would have put it under the tank, unfortunately I seriously over built the stand, and didn't leave myself enough access to do it that way. Regardless, it is still out of the way, and \i am quite pleased with the simplicity and ease of water changes. The stock fluval intake was replaced by larger diameter pvc that I drilled the bottom 14 inches of. It is virtually clog proof. The outflow was replaced by the same pvc that I drilled strategically for a spraybvar that runs along the bottom, and placed the holes to direct flow through the pleco caves, so they don't get filled with plecopoop.


It's amazing how light a stand can be built, my tank is a Marineland and it came with the tank, glass tops, light, and a stand but it is built so light if I were to post a thread of me building this same stand in the DIY section here people would be all over me saying it won't hold the weight. I is all vertical 1 by 4 pine with a band on the outside that keeps it from exploding and some really small corner braces inside but it's just enough to hold the 6 to 8 hundred pounds of weight sitting on top of it.


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

Sounds like the stand that came with my 86gallon. I think as diy-ers, we tend to err on the side of caution. We overbuild because it makes us comfortable knowing that "there is no way in hell that_ my_ stand is going to fail". If I had the guts and know-how, I would love to build something like this:
http://blog.captive-aquatics.com/captive_aquatics/2009/04/aprils-tank-of-the-month.html#more
Not a whole lot of material in that build.


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## sketch804 (Mar 2, 2011)

Hilde said:


> Are you certain that a T5NO light system wouldn't cost you less in the long run? Petblvd.com has some T5NO light system cheap by SolarMax. Then there is a thread by Hyzer on a T5HO light strip which cost $45 for 29G, which is 30in long


I will tell you that you can pick up a cheap-o 2x T5-NO fixture from HD or Lowes for fairly inexpensive, even for a 48". I believe I paid 25$ for one and $30 for the other both 48". I used two of them on my 40 breeder for years (I just switched a couple months ago) and I received great results with it! all I did was take a reflector out of an old fixture that had broke and attached it to the fixture, put the bulbs back on, and haha really ghetto, but I had it sitting on aluminum foil balls..I always wanted to hang it but never got around to it (yes i know, little lazy on my part but it worked great!).

Also that is an AWESOME wall tank BTW! it has a VERY clean look to it that I really like. Nicely done! And also the water change system I really like, I might use that idea later down the road..how is it working out for you???



sick lid said:


> Sounds like the stand that came with my 86gallon. I think as diy-ers, we tend to err on the side of caution. We overbuild because it makes us comfortable knowing that "there is no way in hell that my stand is going to fail". If I had the guts and know-how, I would love to build something like this:
> http://blog.captive-aquatics.com/captive_aquatics/2009/04/aprils-tank-of-the-month.html#more
> Not a whole lot of material in that build.


WOW that is an awesome stand! I am with you I put like 4"+ screws into my stands I build and give like 4 per side just to make sure that it wont fall or break lose! And those screws have some insane breaking strength like 250lbs I think! Better to be safe than cleaning up water, dead fish, and calling Servepro haha!


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

sketch804 said:


> You can pick up a cheap-o 2x T5-NO fixture from HD


The 1 I saw had to be wired into the house. So you found 1 with a plug or spliced into a plug?


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## sketch804 (Mar 2, 2011)

Hilde said:


> The 1 I saw had to be wired into the house. So you found 1 with a plug or spliced into a plug?


Oh ya sorry i forgot to add that part..I had to splice a plug and attach it, if not it has wiring so you can put it directly into the house (positive, neg, and ground)..i just prefer a plug so I can run timmers. Either way worked for years and i was more than happy with it.


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

sketch804 said:


> the water change system I really like, I might use that idea later down the road..how is it working out for you???
> .....
> 
> 
> WOW that is an awesome stand! I am with you I put like 4"+ screws into my stands I build and give like 4 per side just to make sure that it wont fall or break lose! And those screws have some insane breaking strength like 250lbs I think! Better to be safe than cleaning up water, dead fish, and calling Servepro haha!


Water changes are an absolute breeze. Love this setup for that. ANd yeah, if I had the guts and know-how, I'd like to build a stand like that for my 32. Very nice.


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## wgreenbay (Jan 13, 2012)

nice tank and design!


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## Cason (Mar 4, 2012)

This is awesome! I am considering upgrading to DIY plumbing from just my regular Fluval junk. You've given me the motivation to plan it out tonight!


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

pics please
it's been almost 4 years


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