# 125 Gal. B-day Present: 1/21 last update (56k)



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

_*Anyone not interested in reading my back story can skip to post #4 were I actually start on the 125 tank.*_

"I think I have a fever," I told my wife last night. 
I was having a hard time sleeping in the new house. Our bedroom overlooks a busy freeway and I am not used to the sound yet, though most people say it sounds like the ocean and helps them sleep. My wife is about half way into her second pregnancy and has entered into the squirmy, loud breathing phase. But even more than those two things, I think it was the fever keeping me awake. 
"I think I have aquarium fever."

I got started on fish a couple of years ago. Actually, it wasn't even fish that started it, it was a turtle. My wife thought the turtles were so cute at the duck pond down the street from our tiny basement apartment while we were in college. So being newly married and wanting to fulfill the slightest whim of my beautiful wife, I caught one of the turtles the next day and brought it home to her.

My wife was excited about the turtle! So off to PetSmart to get an aquarium for the turtle. A modest 10 gal with filter and gravel. I almost miss the days when my tank setup totaled around $20. The new turtle would never eat, so I let him go after about 2 days and bought a tank raised turtle from the local petstore. The turtle was ok, a bit stinky at times, but so was our cheap basment apartment. 

Things started to get more interesting when I added a couple of gold fish and some small mosquito type fish from the local ditch. Now the starts the tail of the fish. Anyways, the tutle only lasted less then a year then got sick and died. But we still had the goldfish. They were not interesting enought though. My wife wanted a betta. So, I got my wife a betta bowl.

What happened next was really the start of my downward spiral to my current state of _aquarium fever_. Please do not exile me from the forum what what is to follow. Remember, I was young, nieve, and didn't know much about fish yet. 

So one day I was shoping at Wal-Mart and I saw the fish display. They had some cool looking fish that kind of looked like a miniture shark. It was only like $3, so I bought one and took it home and dumped it in with the gold fish. Within a week it had little white spots and was dead. I tried a couple more times with similar results. The goldfish were the only things that were staying alive. Oh, there were some annoying little snails that wouldn't go away. 

I visited the google web site and started doing some searches on fish. Holy Smokes, I am supposed to have a heater in that tank with those cool looking fish! A few dollars more and the water was significantly warmer. I was ready for any fish now. Back to Walmart for some cheap, but cool _tropical _fish. 

Again with the little white spots and the dieing! I don't get it. The goldfish are fine and this weird looking sucker fish is still alive. I tried some fix all medicin and was able to keep the fish alive for 2 weeks by then. Oh, and my wife had found the aquatic frogs by this time and they were dying in the tank along with everything else. Once my wife saw one of the frogs had died, and the goldfish were eating it. She flipped. I was a little more careful about removing dead bodies before she got home from class after that. 

About this time, I got a new tank. Some at work was trying to get rid of a 25 gal hex tank. I traded an old broken xbox I had found cleaning apartments. For Christmas that year I got some cool plastic decor items for the new tank. I had a water-wheel house, palm tree and some other odds and ends. Some more google searches and some more equipment upgrades and I was keeping an angel fish, 5 zebra danios and two plecos alive permanantly. I was starting to have fun. The fever was growing. 

I stayed pretty steady with that set up for a while. I tried a few things like ghost shrimp. They were fun to watch, but they didn't last long with the angel around. I also got an electric blue lobster, creyfish. He was a favorite in the tank, but he tore the heck out of the plastic plants and the angel's fins. He also eat some other fish I tried out in that tank like neon tetras. He eventualy pulled a Houdini and disapeard one day. I could not find him at all. I eventual found the dried remains of him when we moved. 

The tank was a sucess. The fish thrived. I learned a lot about aquarium mantinence and fish care. And every one loved the aquarium. Our friends named most of the fish for us. There was placostomusaurus, angel the angelfish (with a spanish pronunciation), Fred, Bob, and several other names. We also still had the original aquarium with goldfish and a pleco, as well as the betta. 

I graduated with a degree in Supply Chain Management and got a good job localy while my wife finished her degree in social work. But before she could finish, I was laid off from my job and we decied to more back home to Oregon and she could finish her last couple of classes online. I gave the fish away to friends, packed up the hex tank along with everything else and moved to Oregon. 

_Right now it is after midnight and I am tired. I will continue this background story tomorrow. Please return to read about the new tank in the new city. Also the start of my planted aquariums. And up to present day with the 125 gallon birthday present. _


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

After we got to Oregon, I didn't get a tank for a few months. Unemployment is not the right time to get back into aquariums. But I did want a bigger tank. I found a "40" gallon tank on craigslist. After I got it home I realized it was only 30 gallons. That was fine. It fit in the space I had for it. By this time though, I had seen some planted tanks. That was cool. I was now past the petsmart ornaments and ready for natural aquariums. Sand substrate, driftwood, and an amazon sword and hornwart. It was just like when I started keeping tropical fish. I couldn't keep them alive. 

Back to google to find out how to keep plants alive. Wow, there is this forum thing all about planted tanks! I thought here was a lot to learn about keeping fish alive, that is nothing compared to all there is to learn about planted tanks. Lights, water parameters, ferts, substrate, CO2!! This was looking very expensive. Luckily I did find a new job after 5 months and could start to do a little more on the aquariums. I got my old 25 hex out and started up. I still had the water wheel house and palm tree, but now they are being swallowed up by a jungle of java ferns and moss.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

The job I have now has a lot of down time. I spend a lot of that time reading the different fish forums. There is a lot to see and learn. I think my favorite set up is Medicineman's indoor sunken garden. I would love to have something like that someday. But for now it is a lot smaller and a lot less pretty. 

One of the best things that has happened for my planted tanks so far was a regional plant swap meet that happened here in Portland in September. There were about 15 of us there and more plants to give away than anyone could take. I walked away with a lot of plants that I have now growing in the two aquariums. Since then we have done one more swap meet and I added even more plants to my tanks. I might not ever buy plants again. Just go to the swap meets and I should be able to trade for anything I could possibly use in my new tank. 

Which brings me to the real reason for this whole rant. My new tank.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I had a birthday about a week ago and my mom was visiting from Montana. My mom is a collector of hobbies. She races go-karts, rides motorcycles, does metalwork, stained glass, and her newest hobby is making glass beads. Because she has so many hobbies, she supports the idea that everyone should have a big hobby or two. After going out to lunch, she asked what I wanted for my birthday. I didn't have a specific ideas so she offered to take me to a fish store and go on a buying spree. I liked the idea so we went to the best fish store on this side of Portland, World of Wet Pets. 

I had just spent some Christmas present money on fish and both tanks were pretty well maxed out. But I went to look at the fish while she talked to the guy that was working there. She likes to talk to new people, so I didn't think much about it. But she was actually getting a quote on the 75 gallon set up that I had drooled on coming into the store. It was about $500 for a basic set up. She handed me the quote and asked if I wanted the setup for my birthday or if I wanted the $500 to pick out my own setup. My mom is so cool!

I regularly check the local craigslist and told my mom that I could spend $500 much more wisely buying a used tank and having extra money to upgrade equipment. A couple days later when she was leaving to go home, I had a $500 check in my wallet and my internet browser was set on craigslist with regular refreshes. It took me about a week, but I found a 125 with stand and some equipment for $200. In the mean time I had found a co2 tank and regulator for $75. And I had done a lot of research and found the Catalina Aquarium Solar T5 systems to be the best lights on a budget. I have not actually ordered the lights yet. 

So the 125 came with a stand that someone had built for it, but it isn't really finished. So the first part of my new project is to make the stand into something that would look kind of nice in a house.

Here is the tank.
















This is the stand as it arrived. It is basically a pair of 2x10 with 8 4x4 pillars with two sheets of MDF on top. and a pair of cabinets in between the 4x4s.
















I started by adding a nicer edge to the lip of the stand with a router. and sealing everything with a primer.
















I had help from my 1 1/2 year old son Levi.
















Plan for Stand:
So the plan so far is to paint the stand black, and skin the ends and center open area with bamboo. I am hoping to find some bamboo flooring remnants cheap. I built a canopy for my 30 gallon with bamboo plywood and I really like the look. I think it would contrast nicely with the black stand. 

Plan for Tank:
I am going to pain the background black.

Planned lights:
48" 4x54 watt CA Solar T5 fixture suspended from the ceiling. I know this will leave a foot of tank at each end without a light overhead, but I think I will do some thing with branches and open gravel on the ends. There might be enough light for some low light plants. 

Planned Substrate:
I bought a 50lbs bag of Turface, I might do a layer of soil beneath that. 

Planned fish:
7-10 Angel fish
~50 cardinal tetras
7-10 Sterbai Corys
trio of German Blue Rams
12 otos
1 gold nugget pleco
2 bristle nose pleco
nerites 
maybe some shrimp if they can avoid the angels.

Planned Plants:
not really sure yet. It will probably be what ever I pick up at the local plant swap meets. But I will have enough light for some mid to high light plants in the center of the tank with low light plants on the end.

Equipment:
5lbs co2 cylinder with a pieced together system.
Aquaclear 500 HOB filter. I got this and a sponge filter with the tank, I think I will give them a try.
regular heaters
I will probably throw in a couple of powerheads to help with the flow. 

As you can see I am still a novice with all of this. I am sure I will have some questions for all of you. And I am really excited. I think it will turn out well.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

My first question has to do with the lights. 

I did my homework and am confident that I want to get the CA Solar T5. What do you guys think of using a 4' fixture on a 6' tank?


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## cruiser99 (Dec 29, 2008)

yikesjason said:


> My first question has to do with the lights.
> 
> I did my homework and am confident that I want to get the CA Solar T5. What do you guys think of using a 4' fixture on a 6' tank?


Not a good idea. A foot of darkness on each end will be a limiting factor. I have doen this before on my 125G but I had individual fixtures and I staggered them. This was befor I went with plants. But if you cannot efford 6' then you can't efford one.

BTW, nice read. I am trying to stay "inexpensive" myself onthe 125G and failing as this has become a money pit - and counting...

and... fix the pics.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

How dark was the foot on the end? Was it just too dark to grow plants, or was it too dark to really see anything?
The sale price on the 48" Catalina is really hard to pass up.


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## cruiser99 (Dec 29, 2008)

yikesjason said:


> How dark was the foot on the end? Was it just too dark to grow plants, or was it too dark to really see anything?
> The sale price on the 48" Catalina is really hard to pass up.


Too dark for fast growth of stem plants that I like to put at the ends of the tank. Viewing is fine.
It all comes to the whole setup as a system and what you are trying to do. My experiance is tha cost saving solutions end up more expensive then expensive ones. Or in other words low tech tanks end up hi teck over time.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I think I will be ok then. I am planning on doing kind of the reverse of what you are talking about. Instead of lots of plants on the ends with the center open, I want to do move of an island approach with lots of plants in the center and less on the ends. 

Thank you for the feedback.


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## michael_TD (Jan 19, 2009)

*Congrats on the good deal!*

Hi Jason,
Very cool for you, I'm subscribed and looking forward to seeing it progress. I like the idea of the island in the middle. 
I got the light fixture you'r referring to at the end of December though using it on a 4' tank, I couldn't pass up the price either. We had the moonlights added which my wife really enjoys at night. 
Thanks for the tips on the substrate, substrate is something I've not really looked heavy into yet.
Congrats again!

Michael


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Thanks Michael. 
bpimm from the group has had some really good experience with soil as a substrate. You should talk to him about substrates as well.

I ordered the Catalina fixture and have put two coats of paint on the stand. The bamboo is kind of hard to find at a decent price, so I may end up skinning the ends and center with birch with a nice stain. I think that will still look nicer than all black.


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## jargonchipmunk (Dec 8, 2008)

a nicely stained birch always looks nice. (I like black better myself, but that's just because I look at the tank, not the stand.... and I'm not that good a wood worker lol)


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I have the stand pretty well finished. I put on 3 coats of black paint and skinned the ends with birch with a walnut stain. The birch plywood took the stain really well. But the hemlock quarter round I used did not work out as nice. It is nice enough to use, but I wish it were more even. 

I put up a temporary sheet of black foam board on the middle section. I hope to be able to build some drawers to install there at some point, but I think that will have to wait until I finish organizing the garage. 










All I have left before I take the stand inside the house is to cut some holes into the back of the cabinets. I know the previous owner never actually set up this tank, but I am not sure if the owner before that ever used this stand. The cabinets are completly enclosed and there is no way to run power or any tubes into them. 

I still have to get the tank cleaned up and ready. I want to paint the back black. and the glass tops need a lot of cleaning. Any sugestions for getting the old deposits of the glass?


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I am starting to get nervous about filling the tank. I have read a few treads lately about tanks that cracked because the stand was not perfectly flat and level. We will see how this stand does once I get it in the house and check it out.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

My new lights arrived!!

I was a little surprised at how well it was packed. Inside the cardboard shipping box was a plywood box screwed together.










Inside the plywood box was the light fixture, snuggly wrapped in two layers of big bubble wrap.










It looks good. I like the LED moon lights with dimming controls. I also had the hanging brackets added to the fixture.










I can't wait to get this all set up.


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## jargonchipmunk (Dec 8, 2008)

I gotta be honest. I'm actually excited to see these pics too lol 

I have the tracking info for my lights and they're the same exact fixture with moonlights etc from catalina too. The tracking info tells me my lights are delivered right now at my door, and I can't get home to play christmas morning for another two hours :-( I'm jealous lol


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

That is one of the advantages of working from home.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I got my tank set up in the house and filled and planted. I took pictures last night but now I can't find my card reader and we lost the transfer cable a long time ago. So I can't post my pictures yet. 

So far my troubles have been a broken heater that came with the tank, a bad checkvalve for my co2 (hopefully my solenoid will still work), and I have a nice tea colored water from the new wood I put in there. 

Hopefully I will find my card reader today and be able to post pictures and more details tonight.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I found my card reader, so here is a picture.










The wood is some oak I found near my house. I spent a lot of time stripping the bark and getting it clean. What do you guys think about it?

Now the branches are growing a nice slimy coat of algae. I am double dosing with Excel and I would like to start with my co2, but I have to wait for a new check valve to arrive before it gets going again. My temporary petco special didn't do the trick. I really need some more fast growing plants in there to get things moving, but my budget is all used up for now. I guess I will just wait it out.

Ohh, and my camera doesn't get the job done well either.


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## chonhzilla (Apr 22, 2008)

very well put together sir.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I tested the water yesterday and everything is doing well, so I added some otos and guppies to get things going and to eat some of the algae that is growing on the wood. But today it looks like I am going to be adding quite a few more fish. The 30 gal that I am upgrading from got moved to the back room while the new tank was cycling, but it looks like something happened to the heater. I notice that my angelfish were acting strange and when I touched the water I realized that it was freezing cold!! 
So far, all I have lost was my gold nugget pleco. I loved that fish, she was beautiful. It is the only fish I have that has a name, Nessie. I have had her for over a year. I am very sad to see her go. Hopefully the rest of the fish make it in the new tank.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

After I moved my 3 angelfish, 4 danios, GBR and some otos over, two of the angels were laying flat on the substrate. After spending possibly as much as three days in cold water after the heater quit on me, I am surprised that so many of the fish are doing as well as they are. One of the angels that was just laying on the floor is now swimming and looks like it will be ok. The one last sleeper is still alive, but not yet swimming. I still don't know if it will make it. 

It is so nice to see fish in the big tank. It just looks "right" to see the fish swim with a lot of space. The 4 zebra danios are almost always accompanied by 1 or 2 otos as they school around the tank. I can't wait to replace them with a big school of cardinals.


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## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

I am looking forward to seeing this one come together.. Nice start..


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Well, my black angelfish died. I am not too surprised though after a couple of days in cold water. The rest of the fish look fine, but are not really eating well yet. 

The initial algae on the wood is going away. With extra water changes, I think everything will do fine with the shortened cycle time.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

The tank is still doing well. I have been getting a little bit of brown diatom algae, but everything else is looking pretty clean. There are about 5 otos in there, but I don't think that is enough for a tank this size. I hope to pick up 5 more soon. That should take care of it pretty well. The otos are fun little fish, they even school with the danios some times. 

Now that the co2 is running soothly, I have backed off of the Excel double doses. Even at normal dosing, that is a lot of Excel for a tank this size, even with the good deal I got on it. Hopefully I can stop with the Excel completely in a couple of weeks. I just want to get everything growing well before I stop. 

I got a bunch of plants this weekend from Michael_TD. Some more aromatica, a couple of melon swords, I think one is a red rubin, a couple of types of ludwigia, some ranunculus, and a big blayx. Thanks a lot Michael. 

The tank is looking better and better all of the time. Once it is grown in well, I plan on having my brother in law come over to do some good photos. He is a professional photographer and he sounded interested in trying a new type of subject. I showed him some photos from the ADA site and he was quite impressed.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

*Surprise Angelfish Eggs*

Saturday morning I pulled the plug on my AquaClear HOB filter so I could use some of the media and set up a used XP3 filter I bought (more about that adventure later). I had some difficulties and ended up not getting the new filter installed until the next day. But that night when I was feeding the fish I noticed a bunch of eggs on one of he sword leaves. 










I have had these angelfish for almost a year. I had no idea that they were male and female. I originally got 5 angels and these 2 from PetSmart were the last two standing. I thought it had to do with them being the same type of angel and being bought at the same time that they always stuck together, but apparently there was more to it than that. 

Now there are some white eggs that have died, so apparently the rest are fertile. I don't really want a bunch of baby angelfish, and I doubt many will survive, but if some do, it should be fun to watch. 

Here is a picture of one of the parents. They have both been standing guard near the eggs.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

*New to Me XP3 Filter*

I picked up a canister filter for my tank on Friday. It is an Rena XP3 that I got for $25. The catch is that two of the latches are broken and I have to use cargo straps to hold the lid on. 

So I picked up some new tubing at Home Depot and set it up. It took me a couple of hours to figure out how to keep it from leaking. I am pretty sure I need to get some new o-rings. And the latches are attached to the actual case, so to replace them would mean a whole new case and that would cost as much as buying a used filter in good condition. So for now, I will watch for leaks and maybe get some o-rings.


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## itstony (Jan 11, 2009)

thats still a nice deal on the xp3 if everything else on it works fine. and cool angels


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

This morning I thought that all of the eggs were dead or eaten. But it turned out that all of the remaining fry had been moved to a different leaf. I was kind of surprised that the first time parents are doing such a good job with them. I just wish my camera was better so I could get some decent pictures to post here.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I got a little behind on my journal here, about like the times when I have tired to keep a journal in real life. But I do have some pictures from when the angels spawned the first time. 

I just realized that I had the wrong photos uploaded onto image shack, so I guess I won't be able to post these pictures until later.

Anyways,
This first batch lasted about a week, until the reached the free swimming stage. Then the parents gobbled them up as fast as they were learning to swim.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

With this first spawn, the angels were just too aggressive to rest of the fish in the tank. It is funny how attached other people were to the angelfish, even though they are not all that excited about the overall hobby, like my wife. I mentioned that I might need to get rid of the angels so that they would kill or at least over stress the rest of the fish in the tank. Wow! that was the wrong thing to say around anyone who knew the fish. Selling the pair, or even giving them away was not an option. So the compromise I came up with was to move them to a different tank, the 25 gal hex tank I have in the bedroom. 

So, I took the school of green neons, some corys, and shrimp out of the hex tank, and switched them with the pair of angels. I added a couple of female guppies I had to act as target fish for the aggression of the pair. Less than a week later, the angels had spawned again. 

This time they are doing better. The fry are free swimming now and the parents are not eating them. I don't really have any desire to grow out large batches of baby angelfish, but my wife is really excited about raising some baby fish, so we are going to give it a try. I got some Hakari First Bites and we will see if I can get a few of them to grow enough to keep some juvies in the big tank. We will see what happens. 

I would like to get some more pictures to put up, but the power cord to the digital camera some how got melted by the waffle iron in the kitchen. So it might be a couple of weeks before I can get back in business with a camera.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

A few weeks and a new camera power cord later

Things have been growing fine. I had to do a major trim on the Aromatica, I pulled the whole patch out and replanted the tops. It had gotten so thick that all of the leaves had fallen off underneath. I also got some lily bulbs from Walmart around Christmas time, and they never grew. I didn't really expect them to. But I had heard that you usually end up getting even more bulbs when you send the duds back. So now I have 2 red lotus, 2 green, and a few other bulb plants that I have not identified. 

I still don't really know how to take good pictures of the tank, but here are a few that I took today. 

Full tank shot









I added a school of baby angelfish from my pair of goldies in the other tank.


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## sunfire99 (Apr 8, 2009)

Very cool, and I love your tank. Congrats on growing out the babies.


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

You commented on the wife being protective of the angels and I had to laugh outloud! The way I buy new tanks is by the fish spawn method. My fish spawn and my wife MAKES me buy more tanks. :thumbsup:

Nice looking set up.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

wkndracer said:


> You commented on the wife being protective of the angels and I had to laugh outloud! The way I buy new tanks is by the fish spawn method. My fish spawn and my wife MAKES me buy more tanks. :thumbsup:
> 
> Nice looking set up.


I pointed this out to my wife and it was a no go for more tanks. That is why I got the biggest tank I felt comfortable having since it is on the second floor of the house. I knew it would not be likely I would be able to have more tanks.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

sunfire99 said:


> Very cool, and I love your tank. Congrats on growing out the babies.


Thanks. I have been watching your new tank too. I think it is going to be great.


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## mountaindew (Dec 10, 2008)

YJ, 
Looking good! 
Always nice to see a healthy and clean setup.
-MD


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I cleaned my xp3 for the first time today. This is my first canister filter. I can't believe how much junk was in there. All of the media was just full of mud. 

I added some floaters a while ago because my wife really likes them. I now know not to let them get too thick, I lost some of my more sensitive plants because of the lack of light. 

All and all, the tank is doing pretty well.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

*7/2/09 Update*










I have made a few changes. I got rid of he frogbit, moved the red rubin sword to the back right corner to make some more space up front, and spaced the lilies out a bit. 
I am not liking the micro sword a whole lot. There is a lot of it, but it has not grown in very thick. And there are always a few pieces coming up out of the substrate. I think I am going to pull it all out and slowly spread my blyxa japonica into that area.

I still do not have a good handle on how to get a good picture with my camera. I just keep taking pictures until I get one that looks ok. Except for the reflection, this is the best picture I have ever gotten of the tank, but I could not figure out what setting I was using when I got it.


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## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

bump up the shutter speed as high as you can without the tank looking really dark. A lot of cameras have a round dial for the different settings, if yours is like mine 's' = shutter priority, meaning you can change the shutter speed manually. A is aperture priority, meaning you can adjust the amount of light that is coming into the camera, and m allows you to adjust both. Your camera might be completely different though.

Also, try and use a sheet of posterboard or cloth to prevent light from the fixture from spilling into the room. The way you have it now, the fixture is the brightest part of the picture, and the camera will automatically adjust to it making the tank look darker.

the tank looks great by the way.


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## plantman119 (Jun 7, 2009)

I would really consider upgrading that lamp. To me it seems like you have everything else for a great tank. Your even use CO2 so it seems like you could advance the species of plant your using and everything.

Looks great!


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

lileopsis is hard to get in a thick carpet. its better as a midground plant IMO.
if you want a grassy foreground go with riccia or an eleocharis sp. (hairgrass).
a few monthes ago i got ahold of belem hairgrass, and it carpets very thick. its a great plant, i highly reccomend it.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

So why did you decide to go with the 48" fixture? I have a feeling you will be changing it out for a 72" soon.. for $25 more, you could have gotten this 72" fixture on ebay, which includes free shipping. I purchased this light about a month ago for my 6' 85 gallon, and I LOVEEEEEE it. Best light i have ever had.

Nice tank though, good stock list btw.. love the angels and cardinals!


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

AzFishKid said:


> So why did you decide to go with the 48" fixture? I have a feeling you will be changing it out for a 72" soon.. for $25 more, you could have gotten this 72" fixture on ebay, which includes free shipping. I purchased this light about a month ago for my 6' 85 gallon, and I LOVEEEEEE it. Best light i have ever had.
> 
> Nice tank though, good stock list btw.. love the angels and cardinals!



The 48" works well for me. I have the high light plants in the center and there is plenty of light for low light on the ends. Most of the time I only run 2 out of 4 bulbs as it is. Still, I would have liked to get a 72" fixture, but there was a very big price difference at the time I bough this one. I had never seen the one you mentioned. How is the quality on that light? Have you seen many reviews on it? The no-name lights on ebay before were not getting very good reviews.
There are quite a few upgrades I would like to do once I can renew my budget for this tank. I have spent $800-$900 already this year getting it started.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

@[email protected] said:


> lileopsis is hard to get in a thick carpet. its better as a midground plant IMO.
> if you want a grassy foreground go with riccia or an eleocharis sp. (hairgrass).
> a few monthes ago i got ahold of belem hairgrass, and it carpets very thick. its a great plant, i highly reccomend it.


I have tried a bit of riccia in another tank and it just makes a huge mess for me. Hairgrass might be nice though. I have also been thinking I would like to do a leafy forground like a marselia or Lobelia cardinalis.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

for a leafy forground you cant beat the look of glosso, IMO. HM also works in large tanks, since it looks very similar and has the same growth pattern. just a slight bit more yellow in tint.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

yikesjason said:


> The 48" works well for me. I have the high light plants in the center and there is plenty of light for low light on the ends. Most of the time I only run 2 out of 4 bulbs as it is. Still, I would have liked to get a 72" fixture, but there was a very big price difference at the time I bough this one. I had never seen the one you mentioned. How is the quality on that light? Have you seen many reviews on it? The no-name lights on ebay before were not getting very good reviews.
> There are quite a few upgrades I would like to do once I can renew my budget for this tank. I have spent $800-$900 already this year getting it started.


There were only a few reviews, but they were all very positive. I'm very satisfied with it, the light is super bright and the plants seem to love it. It has 4 switches as well, with 2 bulbs per switch, so it's nice being able to control the light intensity at certain times of the day.


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## Birds'nBunny (Sep 3, 2008)

Great journal! I liked reading about the trials and tribulations of the camera, especially when you mentioned the cord getting burnt in the waffle iron : )

Your 125 is beautiful, especially for a semi-newbie tank. That was so ambitious to jump from a 30 gal to a 125! I'm not sure I'd have the guts to do it.

My fiance and I have a very small house, and right now there's nowhere to put a large tank. I've been trying to convince him that we could get rid of the couch, but he has this crazy idea that we need to have a place to sit that's not the floor (yeah, sure... whatever)

Will you be driving down to Salem for the next swap? It's pretty far, but I'm thinking about going. I was in Mexico for vacation during the last swap. I was so sad about missing it, that I seriously considered changing my travel dates.

Keep up the good work, this is a very entertaining thread!


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Thanks Birds, 
I am planning on going to Salem. It is a trip, but I will be nice to go somewhere. With the new baby, we haven't gotten out much lately. 

I need to do an update on my journal, but I think I will wait until I get my new camera. But I will say that I got some wild angelfish that I am pretty excited about. I like them a lot more than the golds I have now, even though it is pretty cool to seeing this second generation.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

yikesjason said:


> My first question has to do with the lights.
> 
> I did my homework and am confident that I want to get the CA Solar T5. What do you guys think of using a 4' fixture on a 6' tank?



It all depends on the type of plants on the darker sides and how high you put your fixture. If it is 3-5 inches above the tank the sides should get enough light for stem plants to grow but probably not show enough color


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

malaybiswas said:


> It all depends on the type of plants on the darker sides and how high you put your fixture. If it is 3-5 inches above the tank the sides should get enough light for stem plants to grow but probably not show enough color



Having a 4' light on my 6' tank has worked out just fine. By placing the low light plants at the end, I don't have problems filling the whole tank. The only time I ran into problems was when I had floating plants that blocked out even more light.


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## CAM6467 (Feb 11, 2009)

Great tank man. I really liked reading this thread. It's nice to see that you've gone from a total novice killing fish left and right to this! You've really done well, and I'm definately going to be watching this thread! By the way, you are so very lucky to have a mother in law like that!!!

Thanks for the cool thread,

Charlie


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## gdcox76 (Jul 19, 2009)

Those lights on Ebay are in no shape or form even remotely close to the same as the ones from Catalina. For starters they are not HO (High Output)


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

CAM6467 said:


> Great tank man. I really liked reading this thread. It's nice to see that you've gone from a total novice killing fish left and right to this! You've really done well, and I'm definately going to be watching this thread! By the way, you are so very lucky to have a mother in law like that!!!
> 
> Thanks for the cool thread,
> 
> Charlie


Thanks Charlie! I am glad you like it. It is amazing how much there is to be learned just by reading on this forum. This is where I have learned most of what I now know about aquariums. But even so, I don't know that much about the science side of aquariums. 

I will have some new pictures in about a week when the new camera comes.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I have been needing to update this journal the last couple of weeks, but I have been holding out for my new camera. I think these pictures are better than my old ones, but I still need to learn a few things.

FTS









I took out all of the micro sword that was in the front center. I think that makes it look a lot cleaner. The blyxa is spreading and filling in better. Last Saturday we had a local plant swap and bbq. While not as big as some of the first plant swaps were, I was still able to get some nice plants to add to the tank. 

Center Detail









I also have some new fish additions. I won $50 from a soda bottle cap about a month ago, so I figured I would just put it all in my tank as new fish. I have been thinking about trying discus, but the cost of getting my tank ready and buying the fish, it would just be too much. So then I started looking at Altums and wild Scalare. They can still be just as expencive as discus. So I get to my LFS and they have wild angels for $4! I bought 10. 

Wild Angels









I have asked multiple people at the store if these were wild caught, and if they were, from where. None of them knew where they are from, but they claim they are wild caught. Even if they are F1s or F2s, it is a great deal. 

Does anyone have any idea where these might have come from by looking at the pictures?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Your tank is gorgeous. What a wonderful display this must be.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I was able to verify with the owner of the LFS were I got the wild angels that they are from Peru. They are called Peruvian Altums a lot even though they are scalare, not altum. But they are still doing great. 

Angelfish are Pigs! When I drop a cube of frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp, it is like a classic piranha movie. It is fun to watch. And they see me coming from across the room.


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## legomaniac89 (Mar 16, 2008)

Very nice scape you got there!


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## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

love it!!!! love the altums god how i would love to setup a special tank for those!!!


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

Fantastic!!! Plants look great...
Thats a great piece of driftwood!


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Coltonorr said:


> Fantastic!!! Plants look great...
> Thats a great piece of driftwood!


Thanks. There are a lot of oak trees growing around here, so that is what I got.


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

Your tank looks great.

I can't believe the price you got on the Angels they're gorgeous, one of my personal favourite fish.

-Andrew


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## skratikans (May 23, 2008)

gorgeous tank, angles are also a personal favorite of mine


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## Ashok (Dec 11, 2006)

very nice tank!


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I just started EI dosing less than a week ago and the difference is amazing. I also upped the light and co2. I am getting pearling now! Didn't really get much before. Also, there is a lot more color in the new growth. Before, the red tiger lotus was really my only plant that would show any real red color. Now the l. ovalis is getting some amazing color, the aromatica is starting to get a little more color along with a few others. I will try to get some pics up soon. 

Last night I spent over an hour staring at the tank. The angels make better doors than windows when you are trying to look at the rest of the tank though. They like to sit right in front of me and beg for food. There is just so much to look at in a big planted tank. New plant growth, different fish, shrimp, water current gently waving the plants around, strings of o2 floating up from some of the plants, the school of cardinals swimming back and forth waiting for any food the angels miss. It is just amazing to look at all of the little details. This tank was my best birthday present ever.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Just a couple of pics of results of more ferts, light, and co2.

Pearling riccia









Pearling HC









Nice color on the l. ovalis.









This high tech stuff is fun.


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## art_t (Jun 8, 2008)

I just have to say I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this tank! It's truly picture perfect with the angels schooling in front.


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

Very cool! It almost looks like it came from a magizine!


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## oneoffcustom (Aug 5, 2009)

Awesome tank... I hope i am able to achieve this in mine...


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Apparently, all of the new growth is working as an aphrodisiac. Today I was noticing that there was some aggression from one of the gold angelfish. All of the golds are from a single spawn 5 months ago. Tonight when I was feeding them, I saw a clutch of eggs on a sword leaf. I was not expecting them to start pairing up and breeding at 5 months old. 

Since I already have an active pair of gold angel fish, I don't really need another. If there is anyone in the area who wants a proven pair, I am your man.


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## aquagardener379 (Aug 11, 2009)

Are your wild angels spawning if so i would buy 6 or so. Im not intested in buying your gold angelfish even though they are very beautyful. i have two pairs already. Your tank is jaw droping.


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## aquagardener379 (Aug 11, 2009)

also wat does HC stand for is there a comon name i have baby tears that look alot like those thnx!


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

First visit in awhile and your tank is maturing very nicely. Congrats on another pairing. Get prepared for more. Good water conditions and nature does natures thing I’m six for six with three pairs in the same 75g tank. It gets bumpy sometimes but nobody dies. In a fully populated tank the fry are eliminated by attrition with few remaining. Enjoyed re-reading your thread this morning. Very nice set up.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

HC stands for hemianthus callitrichoides. Commonly called dwarf baby tears. 

As the gold angles start pairing off, I plan to get rid of them. There are 18 angles in there right now, and at this size they are not crowded. But the 10 wilds are the ones I really want to keep and breed a bit.


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## aquagardener379 (Aug 11, 2009)

ok i dont blame you the wild angels a outstading.
thank you for the hc info.
where did you get your wood from?


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

The wood is oak from a near by oak grove. We have a lot of it around here.


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## aquagardener379 (Aug 11, 2009)

do you have any updated pictures? im bet you changed your tank somehow. 
your tank looks so natural. The lighting in the middle is perfect, i think im might give it a try.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Beautiful, stunning and eye-catching. This is a lovely tank.


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## Old Salt (Aug 11, 2009)

Beautiful tank.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I was planning on doing some pictures today. There are just some minor changes, but I thought I would do my monthly pictures. We will see if I get to it tonight.

As far as the lighting in the middle. I got a 4 ft light because it was so much cheaper. Originally I had planned to do an island of plants in the center and taper out to just bare sand on the edges, but it just didn't turn out that way. Maybe I will still do that someday though.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

It is about time for the monthly general update. 
There were only a few plants added to the tank this month. HC, HM, riccia, and a few random stems. I also did a little bit of rearranging to open up the front a little more and layer the plants a little more going toward the back of the tank. 

FTS - In person it is not really that dark on the ends, it is just really difficult to balance the brightness in the picture. 









The plants are all doing well. The aromatica is a beast. Pulling the plants and replanting the tops seems the best way to trim it, otherwise, the stems split into so many heads that it completely blocks out all light to the bottom. I am still not getting a lot of color from it yet though. The L. ovalis is coloring up so nice though. 









The new wild angels are doing really well. They are growing fast and keep up with the bigger domestics in there with them. Up close, I like the wilds better than the golds, but from a distance they just fade into the background and the golds are what you see. Makes sense though for a wild fish to be less visible. 









I have been working with my new camera, trying to figure it all out. I took a couple 100 pictures last night trying different things. I thought I would share some of them with you all. 
























This last one was the only decent picture I could get of the cardinals, they are tricky to shoot.

Enjoy, I sure do.


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## chefbear (Jul 18, 2009)

*Nice*

A good read. Nice tank, Thank You!


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

chefbear said:


> A good read. Nice tank, Thank You!


Thanks. I grew up in eastern Washington, just north of the Tri-Cities. I didn't go to Walla Walla often though. Just a few times for the ballon stampede and the Whitman Mission.


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## kali (May 8, 2009)

beautiful tank ...love the lay out and those fish .!


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I have two observations from my tank that have created questions.

1. I have noticed that different plants seem to pearl at different times of the day. There are a few random plants pearling through out the day, but the blyca japonica really takes off pearling just an hour or two before the lights go out. Any ideas why?

2. For the first few months after I put in the lotus bulbs, they threw out new leaves every day. They would take over the surface of the tank in about a week. But now they don't seem to be putting out any new leaves and the ones that are still there are not growing at all. Is there some type of annual cycle that they go through? How do I stimulate the bulb to grow again?


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

Your tank is beautiful! I've been seeing all these wild angles and loving them. I love your scape as well. I echo what others have said. It really looks natural.

I can help with #2. I trim my leaves all the time, taking the high ones off. I will at times, only leave one leaf on. When it begins to put out another one I will leave it alone unless it goes to the surface again. Eventually it will begin to only put out short leaves - like a dandelion that you have trimmed - now it only grow compact to the ground. I don't know how long it's been since you trimmed the top ones but give it a week. You can also put some plant tabs under the roots. They are great root feeders.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

There hasn't really been any new leaves in about a month. I will try some root tabs though, that is a good idea.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Your tank is really nice. This would be a great one to see in person.

I have wondered if lotus might have some kind of seasonality. I have the little red one (can't remember the name) and a little while back it just stopped growing all of a sudden and most of the leaves melted away. Now it is nice and full and growing again.


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## Lymore (Sep 26, 2009)

yikesjason said:


> Angelfish are Pigs! When I drop a cube of frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp, it is like a classic piranha movie. It is fun to watch. And they see me coming from across the room.


Ahaha my angelfish watches me too, and follows me as I walk by, its like s/he is saying "Hey, hey, don't keep walking, feed me, feeeed meee!" Its such a pig too, I love my angelfish 

Your tank is stunning! I could only hope to have a tank that pretty! I love it!


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I had my first co2 scare last night. Everything all day. Then around 7:30 I saw all of the fish at the surface. They weren't gasping, they were very lethargic though. So I did a started an air pump though one of my power heads and did a water change. Some of the smaller fish started to bounce back right away. It took quite a while for everyone else. It was quite scary. I though most of them were going to die. 

It was nice to see all of the fish though. There are some that I almost never see. Like all of my otos are always hidden as well as my zebra loaches and corys. I see my bushy nose plecos sometimes but last nigh they were all out were I could see them almost die. I was starting to wonder if I even had any otos left in there. The tank is so heavily planted that all of the low level fish kind of disappear. 

The angelfish took quite a blow. My black angel fish was almost completely white. All of the wilds were more or less stripeless. All in all, I have not seen any deaths and this gives me a good example to show my wife that I really need to upgrade my co2 system.


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## JamieH (Sep 20, 2006)

this tank is so awesome... incredible.


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## JamieH (Sep 20, 2006)

also... nice to see some other angelfish fans.


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## skratikans (May 23, 2008)

How hard is it to keep the riccia's shape on that driftwood?


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

It didn't last very long. I tied it on like that from a clump of immersed growth that grew on the lip of my in-tank filter on another tank. It was nice for a few weeks and then started to loosen. It didn't really fit in with the tank and made pictures very difficult because it was so bright being so close to the light and pearling. So it is gone now. I am working on some moss on other parts of the wood now.


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## A/M (Jan 18, 2007)

I read your whole journal on this tank very informative (Cargo straps on filter), sad (RIP fishies), humorous (waffle iron) and horrific (CO2 scare). 
What a great birthday present! One that keeps on giving lots of enjoyment back, I completely understand the staring.:icon_smil
I was going to ask what steps you went through to prepare the oak branch for the tank; but while I was waiting access to post I used the handy search function. There is a lot of time invested in preparing wood for the tank; I don’t think I’m that patient.
Your tank is beautiful I love the wild angels. I can only hope my efforts turn out as pretty.
~M~


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Thank you very much for the complements A/M. Anyone can have a successful tank, you just have to do your homework, do your maintenance and have some patience. 
As far as preparing oak, it is really not that bad. Just peal the bark you can, soak it in saltwater for a week to kill anything in it. Then soak it in freshwater for a week or two and any left over bark should come off very easy by then. If you can find the pieces of wood you need, it can save you a lot of money.

Good luck on your tank and keep us posted.


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## theblondskeleton (Aug 28, 2009)

Great tank, Yikesjason! Maybe I should spend more time over here...


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

theblondskeleton said:


> Great tank, Yikesjason! Maybe I should spend more time over here...


Thanks. 
I tend to spend more time here. Your journal is basically the only one I ever look at on the other forum.


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## chefbear (Jul 18, 2009)

yikesjason said:


> Thanks. I grew up in eastern Washington, just north of the Tri-Cities. I didn't go to Walla Walla often though. Just a few times for the ballon stampede and the Whitman Mission.


 
We like it, it's cute, great place to raise kids, and hey 160 wineries is always nice.:red_mouth 

We have the same tank, woodtrim 125. I haven't started the set-up yet hopefully it'll be a good winter project. I wanna do wild angels and lots of Vals.

Bear


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

chefbear said:


> We like it, it's cute, great place to raise kids, and hey 160 wineries is always nice.:red_mouth
> 
> We have the same tank, woodtrim 125. I haven't started the set-up yet hopefully it'll be a good winter project. I wanna do wild angels and lots of Vals.
> 
> Bear



Sounds like a great winter project. Good luck. Make sure to post some pictures when you get going.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Your tank is looking great. I would love to see more pictures of those wild angels.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I actually took some pictures of the tank last week but never got around to posting them.

First I would like to introduce my chief helper. Levi is two and loves feeding the fish and trying to scare them to death. 









Hydrophyte asked for more pics of the angels, so here are a few.

































Here are my tetras, it is a mix of cardinals and green neons.









My blyxa japonica is starting to get some nice red color to it. I really like this stuff. 









And last but not least some wider shots of the tank. They are not fts, but you see most of the tank.


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

Very pretty! ... and your helper is AWESOME!! Does he hire out? ;D Love your Rotala indica bonsai


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

Very Nice Yikesjason!
I love the scape, you plants look great. 
And your Angels...Wow!


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

I like that a lot. One of the guys in my local club had a sextet of Gold x Koi fry for auction at a meeting. I ended up getting them and have fallen in love with angels all over again. That large Gold you have is absolutely spectacular! It's amazing what growing up in a nice tall tank will do for an angel's fins.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Thanks Coltonorr and Phil. 
I only got started with angels because my wife really liked them back when I just started with aquariums. I really like them. I think it is too bad that they seem to be left out as a fish choice in most people's tanks on here. Most people dream of having a nice discus tank, myself included, but don't give angels the time of day.

My golds all come from a pair of gold veils that I have had for about a year and a half. It was fun to raise them, but I haven't kept any fry since this batch I have the young adults from. Right now out of these younger angels there is one that is looking like a super veil that looks to be pairing up with one of the other big veils. I would really like to see what I would get from that pairing. I also look forward to breeding my wild peruvians.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

wow, that looks really good man! It has indeed come a long way. Good job.


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## Ricofour20 (Nov 9, 2009)

love the tank man great job on the build. Wish my angels were mellow like yours are, i put in a school of 20 Cardinal Tetras and i only have 3 left now after 3 days...Beautiful colors in the plants! Maddd props man


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Thanks Rico

On a new note.
I just got a bunch of new fish and plants and even a nice piece of driftwood from a local guy who was selling his 300 gallon tank. (Thanks aquabear) I rescaped the right side of the tank. Hopefully I can get some pictures up in the next couple of days. 

The new fish
6 congo tetras
7 rummynose tetras (now 5)
a few cardinals to add to the school
2 blue gouramis (were added to my bucket when I wasn't looking)
2 odessa barbs (also while I wasn't looking but I like them)
2 adult albino long fin bristle nose
6+ chocolate otos
15+ black and common otos 

I think I am going to have to thin down my tank a bit and get another filter on there. For now, I will be doing extra water changes.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

It really looks fantastic!

Levi is eat-able cute! 

Question- how do you like the Green Neons mixed in with the Cardinals?


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Thanks Laura.

I wouldn't recommend intentionally mixing the two. They school together fine, but the greens end up standing out. They look like young or even sick cardinals.


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## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

Nice german blue rams and wild angels! I actually had angels breed for me also and got to the point of free swimmers. Great fish to keep and your 125 gallons is so cool. Tex gal and ur 125 make me so jealous. =( You have any problems with the german blue ram fighting with the angels? Really love the blyxa japonica. I been really anxious to try it in my tank. Subscribed and save to my favorite link! =D


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Thanks Vadim

The ram likes to lay low most of the time. He doesn't get into trouble with with any of the fish in the tank. 

I thin and sell blyxa about every 2 or 3 weeks. I like it and it has done really well for me.


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## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

How much do u sell per portion? I dont have co2 and only 65w pc over 29 gallon so im scared that im gonna fail. Who likes to loose? Also do you have a link from a thread u sold it before?


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Most of the time I have been selling it in $15 packages. Here is a link to my last sale.


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## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

Nice plants, Ill wait till i order dry ferts in a couple of weeks


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

*New Fish and Half a Rescape*

I already mentioned that I got some fish and plants from aquabear's 300 aquarium that he just sold. Now I have some pictures to share.

FTS
I don't normally keep the light up high like that, it was just for the picture.









Some of the new guys in the tank. 
Congo and rummy nose tetras.









The right side of the tanks was rescaped. I opened it up a little more and put in that new piece of manzanita that sticks up out of the water. I got that from aquabear too.


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## londonloco (Aug 25, 2005)

Your tank is magnificent. Levy is adorable. I've recently gotten back into planted tanks, been reading TPT, AGA, & APC for months now. Found your thread tonight, it's def my favorite. Keep it going, you leave us all with a smile. Thanks!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That's really nice. It must be a great display. 

It is interesting that your emersed _Anubias_ can make it right in the regular humidity of the room like that. I have only ever tried to grow them in covered tanks in high humidity. Do you know which kind of _Anubias_ that is there to the left.

I like your congo tetras. Some day I want to do a setup with West Africa tetras.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

londonloco said:


> Your tank is magnificent. Levy is adorable. I've recently gotten back into planted tanks, been reading TPT, AGA, & APC for months now. Found your thread tonight, it's def my favorite. Keep it going, you leave us all with a smile. Thanks!


Wow. Thank you. I have a hard time believing that I have one of those journals that people really get into. I am glad that others enjoy my tank too. I love sitting in front of the tank and just watching the fish go by. I just need to get some furniture rearranged so I can have the lazy boy in front of the tank instead of dinning room chairs.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

hydrophyte said:


> That's really nice. It must be a great display.
> 
> It is interesting that your emersed _Anubias_ can make it right in the regular humidity of the room like that. I have only ever tried to grow them in covered tanks in high humidity. Do you know which kind of _Anubias_ that is there to the left.
> 
> I like your congo tetras. Some day I want to do a setup with West Africa tetras.


I don't really know what kind of anubias that is on the left side. It is huge though, it was growing up out of the tank when I first got it. It was just at the waterline then and the leaves never looked very nice because they were only partially submerged so they would get water deposits and algae on them. So I lifted it up higher by attaching it to wood and it has been doing great for a couple of months now. The leaves are almost 12" long. 

The anubias on the right side I just move up on some new wood so that their leaves would be up out of the water too. I am still waiting to see if they do as well. I am not sure what the humidity is like in my house, but this is Portland, OR, so it isn't exactly dry here.


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## D-007 (Dec 4, 2008)

Just finished reading from post 1 to post 121 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Your journal, the trials you went through and overcame, along with the end product are inspiring.

Using a 48" light fixure as opposed to a 72" one certainly makes the tank look very tranquil.

Congratulations on beautiful setup. :thumbsup:

PS - what camera did you get to take the latest pictures with?


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

D-007 said:


> Just finished reading from post 1 to post 121 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Your journal, the trials you went through and overcame, along with the end product are inspiring.
> 
> Using a 48" light fixure as opposed to a 72" one certainly makes the tank look very tranquil.
> 
> ...


Thank you very much.

I have been using a Canon 30D for my pictures. It works much better than the Kodak point and shoot I used to use.


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## 7Matt7 (Feb 9, 2008)

That is an EXTREMELY BEAUTIFUL aquarium!

I don't think the placement on all of the plants could be any better! And I LOVE the angels too, I Have just fallen in love with them myself. And mine come to me when I enter the room too!


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## khanzer22 (Jan 14, 2008)

Very gorgeous tank you have... Did you get the second filter yet? What do you use to distribute CO2 in your water column?


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

khanzer22 said:


> Very gorgeous tank you have... Did you get the second filter yet? What do you use to distribute CO2 in your water column?


Thanks.
I have not found another filter yet. I think if I don't find anything used this week I might just buy one new.
For co2 distribution, I am still pretty primitive. I have a ceramic disc diffuser positioned under the intake of a power head. I really should get a drop checker and figure out how effective this is. I am thinking of building a rex style reactor to put on my second filter.


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## [email protected] (Sep 28, 2009)

yikesjason.... are you out there? I just stumbled upon your story and tank and am fascinated and intrigued!
what is going on???


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

The tank is doing well, I am glad you like it. It has been a fun experience. 
I just finished doing a water change 30 mins ago. I am working with a local guy to get some discus. Hopefully that doesn't fall through. If I do get the discus, some of the angels and some of the smaller, overly active fish would have to go to make some more room. But even so I am looking for a good deal on another canister filter.


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## ILspeed3 (Nov 15, 2009)

Great Tank! In fact, that is my dream tank once I move to a bigger home. Right now I am doing the most I can with my 30 gal. Really clean looking tank. Congrats!


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## topfrog007 (Dec 30, 2007)

What kind of discus are you going to get, how many, and what price? 

=)


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I don't really know yet. He listed them as 9 or 10 4" for trade. He said some of them seem to be stunted, but I don't know what kind they are.


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## AndrewStuart (Nov 15, 2009)

Inspirational tank, and beautiful angels. I'll take a few pointers from this thread.


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## VermontLori (Oct 13, 2009)

Wow! I'm totally inspired. Before I stumbled upon this thread, I was planning on........a 125 gallon angelfish tank. Now I have something to visualize. Thank you!!! Could you tell me how many angels you have in there now and how they are in terms of aggression with each other?


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I had 18 in there, now I am down to 16 as I have sold two gold pairs. The only time there is any aggression is when a pair spawns, and it hasn't been nearly as bad as when I had just a single pair and a bunch of other fish. All they ever do is charge. I have never seen anything actually happen. The rest of the fish would just avoid the pair's end of the tank.


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## DavidZ (Nov 17, 2009)

Wow, very nice!
Great job on the tank, well developed.
The Angels look great, are the GBRs wild?


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I am sure the GBRs are tank raised. I actually just got a young long finned GBR. It looks like it is probably a female. I am looking forward to seeing that one mature. I would love to try and raise a few broods from them.


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## aquagardener379 (Aug 11, 2009)

what does GBRs mean, are you talking about discus? nice thread! the best ive seen here!


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

GBR = German Blue Ram

It is this guy.


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## aquagardener379 (Aug 11, 2009)

hes fantastic i had two in a 20 with 3 small angels and he beat everyone up so had to get rid of him, anyway so you have a pair? i have herd of this super blue german ram, im not talking about the gold one also i have seen ballon variaties which is too fake for me. what do you think about variaties?


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## aquagardener379 (Aug 11, 2009)

heres the link to electric blue german ram,
http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=830+889+1084&pcatid=1084


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

aquagardener379 said:


> hes fantastic i had two in a 20 with 3 small angels and he beat everyone up so had to get rid of him, anyway so you have a pair? i have herd of this super blue german ram, im not talking about the gold one also i have seen ballon variaties which is too fake for me. what do you think about variaties?


Sorry I missed your post. 
I have seen the electrics, balloon, angel, gold, gold angel, bolivian, long fin, and standard at a lfs here in Portland. The standards and long fins are the only ones I really liked. The bolivian rams aren't bad, but the balloons and angels look awful. The electrics would be ok if they were solid blue and didn't have the yellow patches on their heads.


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## purplecity (Jul 28, 2008)

amazing tank


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

*Tank Disaster*

Last night as I was putting my boys to bed, I walked out the kitchen throw away a diaper and I heard a sound like a waterfall. It wasn't in the kitchen, and it wasn't in the bathroom. I walked into the dinning room where the tank is and water was gushing out of the side of the tank. The rear right joint split open and water was pouring out. 

I yelled for my wife and tried to hold the joint closed. Then I had my wife take over on the joint while I started bailing water.

In about an hour I had all of the fish and plants in rubbermaid totes. The mineralized soil and turface was a real mess to take out. I think I can reuse it still though. 

Luckily we have a carpet cleaner and could get a lot of the water out of the carpet. But there was still some water soaked through to the basement. I am going to have to replace some ceiling tiles down there. 

This back seam is the one that popped.









Some temporary tanks, there is one more with fish.









I put one canister and heater on each of the two totes with fish. So far I have only lost 1 congo tetra. If I can get a new tank today, I think everything else will be fine. I am getting an advance on some Christmas presents and with my discus budget I should be able to get something decent off craigslist


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## Yellow Jacket (Jul 27, 2009)

That really sucks. What a good thing you caught it when you did.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I just checked on the fish and the death toll is 2 congo tetras and 3 rummynose tetras.


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## crossbow (Nov 29, 2009)

My condolences. I can't imagine the horror of that happening.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

OMG what a horror story! :icon_eek: I'm so glad at least you caught it when you did!

And considering, only 5 fish lost after everything that happened shows that you handled the disaster really well.

I hope you get it all back together soon and the fish make it till you can!


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## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

Oh no! What a nightmare :icon_sad: I hope everyone else makes it. Good luck.


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that Jason. I hope you can get everything sorted out quickly and with a minimum of losses to your fish and wallet. 

Sincerely,
Phil


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## demonbreedr16 (Jan 10, 2008)

That sounds like a HUGE mess....

I know how fun it is to mop up 125 gallons of glass, water, & blood. My brothers ended up shattering mine for the fun of it and I just bought a new one [200$ this time] to replace the 40gal breeder with a chunk of glass missing and yet 15 very expensive fish.


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## Retrogamer82 (Oct 13, 2009)

Oh man.... living in a second story apartment this is a huge fear of mine.. Sorry to hear about this and good luck with the restoration process mate.


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## paulrw (Apr 14, 2009)

oh no! sorry about your tank and your living room. good luck with everything.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I am so tired right now. I have been up late the last two nights taking care of this, and my 2 year old makes sure I am still up nice and early in the morning. 

I got a nice tank on craigslist. I had to compromise a lot on size to get a tank right away. I was hoping to get a 133 gal tank that was up, but still have not heard back from the seller. So I got what was supposed to be a 100 tank, but is actually a 90 gallon. He measured the depth at the stand I think. The dimensions are kind of unique, 60w x 14d x 24h. The glass is in great shape, but the stand needs some touch ups. I will be starting a journal soon. It is a disappointment to go from 125 gallons to just 90, but when you are desperate, what can you do? And the price was right, only $150.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I'm glad at least you were able to get a new tank quickly!


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

The tank is settling out and I think the fish deaths are over. 
Losses-
6 congo tetras
5 rummynose tetras
~5 cardinal tetras
1 male GBR (he was probably my favorite fish, the only one that really had a name, Popey, he had a crooked mouth)
1 SAE

Not as bad as it could have been. I was thinking about selling the congos anyways to make more room for discus. I am only planning on replacing the GBR and rummies. And it will just depend on what santa brings to see if I can still afford to get some nice discus next month.


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

yikesjason said:


> And it will just depend on what santa brings to see if I can still afford to get some nice discus next month.


If not, hold on for a little while and I'll see if I can get you a deal on some nice fish. It seems I've fallen into some sort of hub of good hobby breeders near where I'll be living. Are you looking at buying adults or would you be willing to try growing some smaller ones out a bit? 

Actually, what you NEED to do is attend the NADA show in June and get fish that people don't want to pay to bring home.  

Regards,
Phil


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## topfrog007 (Dec 30, 2007)

Sorry for your loss! That is definitely one of the biggest fears of all aquarium enthusiasts.

Do you have any clues why it happened? 

I know that you bought the 125G used, did the seller indicate how old it was, or did the seals look weak?


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Phil Edwards said:


> If not, hold on for a little while and I'll see if I can get you a deal on some nice fish. It seems I've fallen into some sort of hub of good hobby breeders near where I'll be living. Are you looking at buying adults or would you be willing to try growing some smaller ones out a bit?
> 
> Actually, what you NEED to do is attend the NADA show in June and get fish that people don't want to pay to bring home.
> 
> ...


Your not kidding. When it comes to great deals, if it is equipment, it is in SoCal, if it is fish, it is in DFW. 

I am looking to buy in the 3-4 in range. Some time next year I want to set up a grow out tank next to the big tank, but I think sub-adult or adult is the best way to go. I was looking forward to driving up to see James and Mandy at FishKing, but you know that isn't going to happen now with their issues.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

It did look pretty old when I got it. It also didn't have a center brace. I don't know. I think it might have been a combination of a lot of things. The home built stand that it came with might not have been perfect, the silicone was old, I was keeping the tank warmer to keep discus. I don't really know.


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

yikesjason said:


> Your not kidding. When it comes to great deals, if it is equipment, it is in SoCal, if it is fish, it is in DFW.
> 
> I am looking to buy in the 3-4 in range. Some time next year I want to set up a grow out tank next to the big tank, but I think sub-adult or adult is the best way to go. I was looking forward to driving up to see James and Mandy at FishKing, but you know that isn't going to happen now with their issues.


Oh man, am I ever glad I didn't order from them! I came >< close to getting in on some wilds they were bringing in. The only thing I regret about ordering from Hans is that I didn't press hard enough to get another one in the school. For some reason I'm OCD about having odd numbers of large fish in a school and having 6 is going to kill me until I can get them to breed. 

Seriously though, if you can afford to make it to NADA in June there will be some eye-popping deals on fish before it's all said and done.

Regards,
Phil


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I wish I could go to NADA. Maybe someday we will have something like that up here. The AKA (killi fish) convention was here in Portland this year. 

I know what you mean about odd numbers. I got 6 congo tetras from a local guy that was selling his tank and the even number was bugging me. But they all died, so I don't have to worry about that now.


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## Minsc (Jul 9, 2006)

That really stinks Jason. It sounds like you handled it pretty well to minimize the damages though!

I can't offer any fish, but I have plenty of plants if you need them.


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## redley (Dec 15, 2009)

Jason,
Sorry to hear of your loss, but great job in minimizing the damages and getting another tank so quickly. I read through all your posts, and was so sad to get to the last pages. I'm starting a planted tank myself, am going to need to go back through the first 5 pages to see the substrate you used. You are my inspiration to go to a 125 when I purchase my first home after nursing school.

Good luck and stay positive.
Attend your local aquarium society gatherings, I'm sure you can replace much of what was lost. 

Keep us posted!


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I was able to save all of my plants. So now I have way more than I can use in my new tank. In fact, if there is anyone around here who wants some free plants, I have a bunch. They are not in perfect condition, but there is a lot of them.


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

Sorry to hear of your troubles Jason.


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## londonloco (Aug 25, 2005)

Know how you feel Jason. Last year, on Dec 17th, my anniversary, my 72g bow split a seam. My hubby happened to be passing my LFS when he got my frantic call. He was able to get a 75g to replace it...I lost all my fish but 6 shelldwellers. Sucks, but it happens. Glad to see you had minimal losses Jason.


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

That's rough...really really rough. But, the ordeal is over now.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

So, here are some pictures of my 90 gal replacement tank. It is still pretty cloudy, but it is getting there. 

FTS









Left Side Detail









Center Detail









Right Side Detail









I probably won't start another journal for this tank until after Christmas. You never know what santa might bring.


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## topfrog007 (Dec 30, 2007)

It's amazing how good it looks for only being a few days old!

Good work, hopefully your on santa's good list. =)


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

No kidding, you did a fantastic salvage job on this one!

:thumbsup:


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

I think it looks better than before 
That's a nice looking stand of petite. Love the tank man!


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Here is an updated picture. Some of the plants are still getting reestablished. I lost all of my downoi and am pretty disappointed about that. Hopefully someone will have some at the next plant swap.


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## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

looks nice!


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## D-007 (Dec 4, 2008)

Man, I'm so sorry to hear about the tank split but I'm glad you managed to work around it without too many losses.

What did you do with the 125g in the end anyways ... I hope you didn't just get rid of it. If you reseal it then you'll be able to have the 125g up and running again.

Anyways, just wanted to touch base and catch up on the thread.

Regards,
D


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

The 125 is out side waiting for warmer weather so the silicone works right. My wife isn't going to let me have another big tank any time soon, so hopefully I can sell when I am done.


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## odie (Dec 29, 2009)

Like how the new tank is coming along!! Your old 125 has me wondering....I am setting up a 125 also and would love to use a 48'' light setup as the bulbs are the most bang for the dollar. (t5 HO). Would you say you were pretty happy with the choice of 4 ft buld versus 72''?


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

A 72" fixture would have been much better, but the price difference made it way too expensive. I was happy with the 48" though. It worked out a lot better than the pictures appeared.


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## brubaker (Nov 19, 2009)

Keep an eye out on ebay. Current runs specials periodically on their returns. I picked up a 48" 2 light w/ individual reflectors T5HO 110W total for $69. They recently ran a special of a 48" 4 light T5HO for 169. Maybe a 72" will show up in the future.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

*Last Update*

I plan this to be my last update on the tank. I am getting a group of discus tomorrow, so I think it would be a good time to finally start a new thread for the 90gal that replaced the broken 125. 

The tank is looking kind of sad and empty right now because I parted with 9 angelfish and 4 small discus to make room for the new discus. I really miss all of the other angelfish right now. 

For fertilizer, I had used some dry ferts I had gotten for free once. I had mixed everything into one liquid solution. It worked great at first, but by the end of the mixture, it was not working as well. I got a new supply of dry ferts recently and started dry dosing and the plants are growing a lot better again. It is a bit over grown right now because I am holding off on a trim until our local plant swap this weekend. 

FTS









I really like having that giant anubias growing up out of the water, as well as the amazing ripariums that are starting to get a lot more popular now. So, I though I would give it a little try. This is just a trial run, so it is nothing fancy. It is just a shower caddy with aquarium gravel. I bough a tube of yellow ribbon plant from petsmart, the one that a lot of people buy but is not truly aquatic. I also put some crypt wentiis in there. The spot that I have it is right above the airstone that I have timed to run at night, so the planter is also helping by cutting down on the splash that was getting on the armoire that is right next to the aquarium. I hope it goes well, but I might have to do something to improve the lighting it gets. I would love to ad some other plants. 










I thought this was a fun little picture of a couple of my julii corys that like to hid in the crypt forest.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Sorry to hear about your tank disaster! You got VERY lucky that you heard it in time though. I bet if you were a few seconds late, it woulda cracked even more... You're lucky your wife let you get another tank too.

My heart dropped when you said that your male GBR died! He was my favorite fish in your tank too. Very unique little guy.

Your new tank looks absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Do you have pressurized co2? (I'm hoping you're going to say no). :hihi:


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## blackandyellow (Jul 1, 2009)

I totally can relate to your problem. It actually happened to me back in november last year, it was a true shock, my hardwood floor were severely damaged, I lost my 3 discus and the largest of my angels, all my plants... ufff I don´t even want to remember it. Tank was also a 100 gal.

I took all the possible care to set it up right the second time. leveled the stand, made a wood top so the tank would sit on it, put some styrofoam blocks over... measured the stand perfectly to make sure it was all level. I really don´t want to go over it again ever in my life.

On the positive side I got a chance to redo my aquascape which I´m loving right now and the fish seem to love it to. In less than a month I´ve had 4 angelfish spawns from three pairs and for the first time I got serpae tetras to spawn (never in my 20 years of fishkeeping I had bred any tetra)


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## blackandyellow (Jul 1, 2009)

BTW I love your new setup. Your silver angels are lovely! congrats! now you have a 125 gal tank to work over also! nice!


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## Ashok (Dec 11, 2006)

Both of your tanks: the old and the new are just fantastic.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

AzFishKid said:


> Sorry to hear about your tank disaster! You got VERY lucky that you heard it in time though. I bet if you were a few seconds late, it woulda cracked even more... You're lucky your wife let you get another tank too.
> 
> My heart dropped when you said that your male GBR died! He was my favorite fish in your tank too. Very unique little guy.
> 
> Your new tank looks absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Do you have pressurized co2? (I'm hoping you're going to say no). :hihi:


Thanks Kid. 
Yes, I do use pressurized co2.

I miss my GBR too. Popeye was the only fish I ever named in that tank. I have bought a few new GBRs for the new tank. I would love to see them spawn.


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## londonloco (Aug 25, 2005)

yikesjason said:


> I plan this to be my last update on the tank. I am getting a group of discus tomorrow, so I think it would be a good time to finally start a new thread for the 90gal that replaced the broken 125.


Make sure you link the 90g journal here. I don't want to miss it!


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I started the new journal. Here is the link.


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## TankZen (Jan 31, 2011)

Just started reading your journal...wow how funny!! 

I love how you tell your story form the beginning... it's making me laugh. From the very beginning I wanted a planted tank. My first tank was a 55G. The first 4 years I killed every plant I put in there except java fern. I gave up and just let the java fern go and maintained the fish. Four years later one light burnt out. It was the first time I looked at the actual bulbs because I used the ones that came with the USA current light fixture....well they were 460nm Dual Actinic! After some reading I realized why I could never grow plants!! Any way your story makes me smile and think about just how much there is to know when it comes to plants. 

After discovering the problem with my lights I had tank fever again like you....


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