# Joe's 125 Gallon -- Pics of New Scape 6/28



## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Just went and picked up this tank today -- I usually build my own stands, but I got a really great deal on the tank/stand/tops combo and I wouldn't have had time to build a stand for a bit.

I'll be transfering the 2 Eheim 2217s and Hydor 300 inline heater as well as the plants, substrate, and driftwood over from my 75 gallon. I'll be adding another Eheim 2217 and some more plants and driftwood.

I ordered a regulator from maknwar and a co2 cylinder from AquariumPlants.com that should be here in a few days. Also ordered stuff for a Cerges style reactor and will be ordering a new light from Catalina on Monday morning -- if all goes according to plan, I'm hoping to have the tank set up on Thursday.

Here's a quick pic of the new tank in front of my 75 gallon.


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

Very nice, look foward to watching this one. Are you going to add any plants in addition to the ones from your 75?


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

seeing your new 125 infront of your 75 makes me think of this theme song!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYcqToQzzGY

75 looks sweet BTW!


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

SlammedDC2 said:


> Very nice, look foward to watching this one. Are you going to add any plants in addition to the ones from your 75?


I have a few other plants in mind that will probably be going in right away, but the plan is to kind of see how things go -- I've never done pressurized co2 before, so I may be tempted to try a few new plants out.


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> I have a few other plants in mind that will probably be going in right away, but the plan is to kind of see how things go -- I've never done pressurized co2 before, so I may be tempted to try a few new plants out.


 I recently set up pressurized on mine and have been in the SnS a lot looking for new stems to try.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

nice you going to put p's in there?


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## scapegoat (Jun 3, 2010)

what are the dimensions? that's a really nicely shaped long tank


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

nonconductive said:


> nice you going to put p's in there?


My 8" rhom will be going in there, there's pics in the 75 gallon journal thread that's linked in my signature. I know it's a big tank for 1 8" fish, but it's a very active fish that cruises the front of the tank constantly, so the extra 2' of length will be nice. Once it hits the 10" mark, I should be able to put smaller schooling fish in there without problems.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

scapegoat said:


> what are the dimensions? that's a really nicely shaped long tank


It's a Marineland standard 125 - 72" x 18" x 22"


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

i follow your thread. that rhom will be extra happy!


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Got a couple deliveries yesterday...

CO2 cylinder from AquariumPlants.com











Filter housing for reactor










Still waiting on regulator, lighting, and a few small things. The plan is to get the cylinder filled and pick up the rest of the things I need on Friday, then I'll set the tank up the day the lighting gets here.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

If you haven't purchased your lighting yet, call Catalina Aquariums I really like his stuff and prices, he has some T5HO fixtures with a mesh top so all the heat will disapate but there are still fans in the unit.

I have some good leads on regulators too if need be send a pm.

Sorry I had to spit that out quickly, sweet tank and the long tanks will need high flow but I love the look because my 150 is tall so by the time half of the school reaches the other end it's time to turn around. It looks like your off to a great start, are you going to use that filter housing for a Carbon Doser style reactor? I'm suprised they sold you the housing only or at least it looks like thiers.

A large fish will be happy with some more room I had just read an article stating over-crowding lead to aggression with fish, so space is good. I guess I should have read a little better you already are going to most of the best suppliers, good luck and keep us posted.


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## ucantimagine (Jan 8, 2012)

Jealous.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

I'm getting the light from Catalina, just haven't had time to order it yet, should be finalizing everything within the next couple days.

Regulator should be here tomorrow, I ordered that from maknwar. The filter housing is just something I ordered to make a reactor...

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/110100-cerges-reactor-diy-inline-co2-reactor.html


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Got my regulator in the mail and filled the cylinder yesterday. Ordered the light from Catalina, so as soon as that gets here, it's time to start putting these pieces together.


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

Very nice, I can't wait to see this come together.


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## jnizzle (Jan 7, 2012)

awesome, looks like your going to have a cool setup!


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Still waiting on a couple deliveries before I can set the tank up, but I'm hoping that everything is here by Friday so that I can set things up on Saturday.

Trying to do what I can for now, got my CO2 reactor built today...


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Set the tank up yesterday, I'll see how things grow and then start moving things around...


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

Looks amazing and I bet he loves the extra room.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

This being my first dive into the high tech realm, does anyone have any suggestions for the tank? I am starting to look at other plants that I may not have been able to grow in the past with low light and no CO2 but don't even know where to start.

I have a few other tanks set up plus an empty 5ft. acrylic tank that will be set up soon, so if I need to move some things out of this tank to make room for other plants, that wouldn't be a problem.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

I like what you have and it should fill in quick after the tank gets established. I do have a suggestion for your reactor, if you place a sponge/scrubby half way down on the center tube you will ensure that C02 bubble never leave the reactor before they are disolved. Do you have enough holes in the center tube for unrestricted flow from your 2217?

It looks sweet from here and I know the fish loves it, his apartment just got 66% larger. The regulator setup looks nice too, real nice. I'm waitnig for 3 deliveries tomorrow, one is a ebay regulator, a Ideal needle valve & Burkert solenoid setup, and a replacement 2217 canister housing so it should be a fun day. The light looks awsome too and Jim is so easy to work with if you need something.

I am a little wary of those style bubble counter and I know everybody and his brother uses them but if the check valve fails it could be a problem and they are good check valves but........you know how it can go.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

very nice. very nice indeed.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

150EH said:


> I like what you have and it should fill in quick after the tank gets established. I do have a suggestion for your reactor, if you place a sponge/scrubby half way down on the center tube you will ensure that C02 bubble never leave the reactor before they are disolved. Do you have enough holes in the center tube for unrestricted flow from your 2217?
> 
> It looks sweet from here and I know the fish loves it, his apartment just got 66% larger. The regulator setup looks nice too, real nice. I'm waitnig for 3 deliveries tomorrow, one is a ebay regulator, a Ideal needle valve & Burkert solenoid setup, and a replacement 2217 canister housing so it should be a fun day. The light looks awsome too and Jim is so easy to work with if you need something.


I'm already planning on adding some foam to the reactor after I saw a few more pics of other peoples reactor setups -- I also want to add another quick disconnect to the other side of the reactor so I can isolate it for easier maintenance if necessary. Should be able to take care of that stuff this weekend when I do tank maintenance.

I love the CO2 setup, no idea why I didn't jump into it earlier --I'm actually talking to maknwar about another regulator setup for a tank I'll be setting up shortly.

The rhom is really enjoying the new tank, I'll try to get some video taken of him cruising the length of the tank and maybe one during feeding time.


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## FreshtoSalt (Dec 1, 2011)

I love you guys' big tanks. 
Once again a beautiful setup, nice job.
Reactors seem to be the way to go for CO2 in larger tanks, thanks for sharing!


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> I love the CO2 setup, no idea why I didn't jump into it earlier --I'm actually talking to maknwar about another regulator setup for a tank I'll be setting up shortly.


I felt the same way, it really wasn't that bad once I got my feet wet.



JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> The rhom is really enjoying the new tank, I'll try to get some video taken of him cruising the length of the tank and maybe one during feeding time.


Yes feeding time would be best, what do you feed this guy?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

All of my fish get the same stuff, pellets make up half their diet, rotating between NLS Mega Fish Formula, Hikari Massivore, and Hikari Bio Gold. The rest of the time I feed raw shrimp, tilapia, catfish, cod, pollock, haddock, and other white fish fillets soaked in Vita-Chem.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Took a few quick pics of the inside of the stand -- I still need to add another 2217, so when I do that, I'll get everything organized.


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

That little 3 drawer deal is awesome, I need something like that to organize under my 125g. Thanks man lol.
Looks nice and clean now, curious to what your definition of organized is lol.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Those little drawer things are awesome -- my girl actually bought a few of them to use as organization for her hair and makeup stuff and I stole a couple.

You can't see it in the pic, but there is a mess of cords off to the side, I just need to tidy them up a bit -- everything else is sitting where I want it.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> I'm already planning on adding some foam to the reactor after I saw a few more pics of other peoples reactor setups -- I also want to add another quick disconnect to the other side of the reactor so I can isolate it for easier maintenance if necessary. Should be able to take care of that stuff this weekend when I do tank maintenance.
> 
> I love the CO2 setup, no idea why I didn't jump into it earlier --I'm actually talking to maknwar about another regulator setup for a tank I'll be setting up shortly.
> 
> The rhom is really enjoying the new tank, I'll try to get some video taken of him cruising the length of the tank and maybe one during feeding time.


I did the same and isolated my reactor and after 6 months it looked a little brown so I pulled it out for a cleaning but don't waste your time it was completely spotless other than a little tan staining. I did the same with a UV light that was on the tank for 6 years and it was spotless too, for some reason detris only collects in the fast flowing tubing.

Our setups are almost identical, I just got this and put it together yesterday and installed it this morning, the CGA-320 nipple was a little too short so I had to tilt it a little. The Vernier option doesn't change anything other than you can set it visually to say 5 full rotations then to the number 4 or up and down in 1/10 of a full rotation.
















I bet he does love it, there's nothing like square footage in you efficiency.

Your tank looks nice and clean inside the stand but white paint will really make your life easier, I can believe I waited all these years to do it. This is from the middle of last summer but you can see how bright it got inside the stand.


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## chubbyone (Dec 9, 2011)

Everything looks awesome!

What is the brand/model filter housing you are using for your CO2 reactor?


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> Those little drawer things are awesome -- my girl actually bought a few of them to use as organization for her hair and makeup stuff and I stole a couple.
> 
> You can't see it in the pic, but there is a mess of cords off to the side, I just need to tidy them up a bit -- everything else is sitting where I want it.


Yeah I'm gonna have to get a couple, but I'm gonna jack some of 150's idea's too.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

chubbyone said:


> Everything looks awesome!
> 
> What is the brand/model filter housing you are using for your CO2 reactor?


Here's a link to where I ordered from...

http://www.servapure.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17_43_66&products_id=413

I found some cheaper options on ebay, but the shipping would have taken a lot longer.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

150EH said:


> Your tank looks nice and clean inside the stand but white paint will really make your life easier, I can believe I waited all these years to do it. This is from the middle of last summer but you can see how bright it got inside the stand.


I was really debating on whether or not to paint the inside of the stand white and I kinda regret not doing it -- I may try to do it now, but I'd have to get creative with moving things around to paint different sections at a time.

I wanted to get some hooks for the door to hang nets on, but I really like those built in shelves you have on your door -- might have to try to find some.


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> I was really debating on whether or not to paint the inside of the stand white and I kinda regret not doing it -- I may try to do it now, but I'd have to get creative with moving things around to paint different sections at a time.
> 
> I wanted to get some hooks for the door to hang nets on, but I really like those built in shelves you have on your door -- might have to try to find some.


 I never even thought of painting the inside white but it makes complete sense.

I had already planned to put some hooks/screws inside mine to hold things just been so lazy to go get some. Now I'm going to have to pick up some shelve/bins to hang in there along with a couple of those nifty little drawer thingys.

So have you decided on what new plants you'll be adding in and what you'll be removing?

Got anymore closer shots of the tank?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

I usually build my own stands and I always paint the interiors white, it really helps to brighten things up. I wanted to paint this one, but I got really busy and I didn't think it would be a big deal, but it's really dark inside the stand -- gonna try to paint it or at least install some lighting.

I have some trident java fern coming next week and I also have a 40 long that is full of extra plants -- bolbitus, needle leaf java fern, anubias coffeefolia, anubias nana, peacock moss, hygro pinnatifida, and some others -- just not sure if I want to add any of those or order some new stuff. The only things I added to the 125 that weren't on my plant list for the 75 was a crinum calimastratum and a couple lotus bulbs.

I'll try to get some more pics later tonight.


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## audioaficionado (Apr 19, 2011)

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> It's a Marineland standard 125 - 72" x 18" x 22"


Does this have only one top cross brace? If so, I want one. I hate the 2 cross braces Aqueon has on their 125 tanks.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Yep, I ordered the Marineland because of the single brace and the black silicone, definitely like it better than the Aqueon 125 they had in stock.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

Does it have black silicone, I got robbed my Marineland has clear, well algae colored. That's how I painted mine, just bits at a time, and I got a cheap light then made my own electric board becuase are local hardware store was closed waiting on a new building to be finished. After they reopened they had a 36 inch power strip with 12 outlets spaced enough the each one could have a timer, True Value $29.

That filter housing looks a lot like the Carbon Doser housing and the tubing inlet replaces the pressure release button, and I guess they drill to install the powercord for the pump, I'd like to know where they get the seal for the powercord.


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## audioaficionado (Apr 19, 2011)

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> Yep, I ordered the Marineland because of the single brace and the black silicone, definitely like it better than the Aqueon 125 they had in stock.


I think this is the one I want. Single brace, black silicone, reasonable price ~$400 locally. Heck the 180 I was looking at came in at over $800 and anything larger was over a grand. I also want the black silicone on a large tank. For small tanks the clear doesn't look bad, but large tanks need the nice dark framing all around and it looks better as algae does set into the corners with time.


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## audioaficionado (Apr 19, 2011)

Double post :angryfire


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

I got the tank and stand for $579 -- thought it was a steal at that price


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

Wow, that is a good price.


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## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

Tank looks real good. Love that gnarly driftwood on the left! roud:


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## audioaficionado (Apr 19, 2011)

Great deal on the combo. At today's lumber prices, even a modest DIY open frame stand will run you over 100 bux.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

I was planning to order just the tank and build my own stand, but when the owner of the LFS told me the price he'd give me on the combo, I couldn't really pass it up.


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## audioaficionado (Apr 19, 2011)

Yeppers, I think I'll have to do some inquiries at a couple of my favorite LFS stores next week.

The next thing would be to order seven 9L bags of AS-N substrate and a SunSun canister big enough to do the job.


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## Capsaicin_MFK (Nov 15, 2009)

Every time I look at your tanks I keep wanting to get Crypts for my 100g. That rhom is looking very nice. What's going to happen with that 75g?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

The 75 is out in my garage right now, I'll be selling that setup -- hopefully soon so I can have room to work on my 5ft acrylic and get that set up within the next couple months.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

I'm always amazed after looking at the Marineland stands because if I were building one this wouldn't seem strong enough, we are talking about a half ton or more after it's all said and done.


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

A couple of years ago I bought an Aqueon 29 gallon kit as a gift for my mother and then I later bought a tank only for myself and it happened to have black silicone. 

The black silicone version looked a heck of a lot better even on a smallish tank like a 29G.

Nice, simple scape. Be interesting to see what you do with all of your new options.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Ordered a few more goodies for this tank on Friday -- one package is already here and the others should be here this week.

I did a water change yesterday so I'm planning on taking some more pics of the tank tonight.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

My replacement Hydor Evolution 1400 arrived this morning -- the original order came in on Thursday but the front cage of the powerhead had come off and after bouncing around during shipping, the impeller had broken -- wouldn't have even noticed, but the part that had broken off fell out of the box when I tossed it on the ground.

I already had a Hydor Koralia 4, but the extra 200 gallons per hour and the smaller size were pretty appealing. I didn't realize how much smaller the new Evolution line was until I set it next to my HK4, here's a few pics...


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

That's nice, I bought JBJ's because they were so much smaller and the price was low too. That's why it's nice to go to the LFS once in a while, you can actually put your hands on things and see what they look like before you buy.

What else did you get????

It look like the black silcone is installed with more care, instead of getting it smeared all over the place, or is it just my eyes?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

The silicone work on this tank is pretty solid -- nice straight lines and not too wide.

I also ordered a ReefKeeper controller and a few more smaller items to re-do all the electrical under the stand. Picking up some paint tonight (weather permitting) and will get going on painting the inside of the stand tomorrow hopefully.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

I looked at the Reef Keeper lite and they make some pretty cool stuff, but I decieded not to get too high tech but they are really nice.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

I need to re-do the electrical stuff under my stand and when I was putting a list together for new power strips, timers, etc. I kept on getting totals around $100 -- it just seemed like kind of a no-brainer to spend the extra $20 and get the ReefKeeper Lite unit.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

They have a lot of flexiblity and the only thing negative I read about the RK lite was it may not handle the high watage light fixtures. But you could really automate your tank with these, from lights, pH controller, etc. and AP.com has a nice fitting for adding the pH controller although RK might also make one, to tell the truth it's been over 8 months since I have read anything about it.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Finally finished painting and redoing the electrical and I just got everything hooked back up again, I definitely learned my lesson -- stand needs to be painted before it gets set up. It was worth the hassle tho, it's so much easier to see now.

From the outside...




















Inside the stand...




















My new ReefKeeper Lite...


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

Very clean and organized setup you have. How do you like the Reefkeeper?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

It's only been running for about 3 hours, but it was really easy to set up and everything is working perfectly so far. The only thing I've really noticed so far is how much quieter it is without the analog timers going inside the stand, I could always hear them while I was sitting at my desk.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

It looks really good and it so clean, nice job. 

What items do you have running thru the Reef Keeper?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

My lighting (day and night), CO2, and heater


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Small update: Added some trident java fern and bolbitus to the left side and had to move some plants around -- not worried about plant placement yet, just kind of seeing how things grow for now. 

I had a LOT of plant melt after moving to the new tank, pretty much all the balansae melted back to the roots, which is what normally happens when I move it. Had quite a bit of melt with the other crypts and even went through an adjustment period with the swords, but everything seems to be starting to grow now, so hopefully this tank starts filling out.

Took some pics last night but they didn't turn out well because of the cloudy water after moving stuff.


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

Tank looks amazing man.


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

doesnt look cloudy at all. very nice!


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Thanks guys -- I kept the light over the tank to a minimum and cranked the shutter speed down to minimize the cloudiness


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Spent the last month battling a staghorn algae outbreak and I finally got rid of all of it about a week ago. I ended up hacking back the bolbitus down to the rhizome because it was looking pretty rough after the battle with algae and I already have a few new leaves that have come up in the last few days. I also lost all the growth my C. nurii had put on since I got it, it melted during the Excel dosing and it now looks like the small plantlet I first received in the mail a few months back.

Other than that, I moved a couple things around and added some dwarf sag to the right side. Took a few pictures right after I moved things and did a water change, so you'll have to excuse the bubbles...


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

I can't tell much of difference between pre melt and post melt pics. looks awesome before and after.

It's really too bad that black p's are so vicious, a school would be awesome.


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## audioaficionado (Apr 19, 2011)

Working in that tank wouldn't be a hands on endeavor. Well not for long in any event :icon_mrgr

Looking good. I'm still waiting on my LFS Marineland dealer to get me some prices on their tanks. Don't know what's taking so long. (weeks already)


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Working in there isn't much different than with any other fish, I just have to make sure I'm working on the opposite side from the fish -- the 6 foot length really helps with that. Once I get in there and start working, the fish wants no part of it and pretty much just sits in one spot, although sometimes it can get pretty stubborn and won't want to move when it is time to switch sides.

I would love to have a group of these guys one day, but I would need a massive tank -- I wouldn't try it in anything less than 1,000 gallons.


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## audioaficionado (Apr 19, 2011)

I saw a nice school of orange bellied Parana in my LFS several years age. Very impressive looking even though they were only still babies. I think there is a law against them in Oregon now.

I'd think a 220 or 265 would be more than enough room for a school of a dozen or so.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

That law in Oregon was actually overturned, the co-owner of my piranha forum actually testified in the Senate hearings against that bill and Frank Magallanes, the founder of OPEFE, is also from Oregon and did a lot of work to get that law changed.

You could easily fit a dozen or so red bellies in a 125, they usually don't get much bigger than 8-10" and tend to be a bit more accepting of tankmates when they are overcrowded, just have to make sure you have plenty of filtration to handle the bio-load.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Still just growing plants out, but I think I have things figured out pretty well now after my move from low tech, so I may start changing things up. I have a couple tanks here that are pretty much empty and I could start moving plants out of the 125 and swapping them out for something besides just crypts and swords -- as much as I love them, I think it's time to broaden my horizon a bit.


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## audioaficionado (Apr 19, 2011)

I still haven't been able to get any local quotes for that 125 Marineland tank like yours. Started the process late February and here in early May they still can't seem to get one even though they are listed by Marineland as a dealer. One of the huge disadvantages of living in a geographically isolated rural area, that and higher gas prices.

Love how yours is turning out.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

I live in a rural area too, I'm fortunate enough that the nearest pet shop is only half an hour away and even tho it's a very small store, they do a good job of stocking up on tanks and stuff when they are on special to pass the savings on to their customers. They also have been good about ordering things I want because they are pretty much forced to stock nothing but the usual community tank stuff since that is all that people around here buy.


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## audioaficionado (Apr 19, 2011)

I'm on the I-5 corridor and the local population is over 200k, but that doesn't seem to count for much. I might have to borrow a truck and drive up to Portland to get it myself.


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## whitepapagold (Aug 19, 2010)

My name is also Joe and I also have a planted 125 Gallon.

Power to the people!

Nice tank!


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

The tank looks really clean from here and the fish looks happy, actually I think he was giving me the stink eye but after the plants fill in a little more it should be really nice. I like the Reef Keeper too and it looks nice to have all the info at your finger tips.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Tank definitely has some growing to do -- first couple months were spent trying to figure out co2/lighting/ferts so I wasn't getting much growth. In the past month plants are starting to grow faster, so I think I'm getting it figured out now, although I know I need to start dosing iron -- hopefully that will help things fill in a bit faster. 

I'm pretty happy with the right side, but the left looks a bit messy right now, especially after hacking all the bolbitus, I think it will look better when things fill in a bit more tho.


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

tank looks great man, everytime I look at it I want pirhanas again.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

SlammedDC2 said:


> tank looks great man, everytime I look at it I want pirhanas again.


Do it.... haha

I have tried other fish and I just get bored after a bit. I like watching big schools of tetras and some fish are nice to look at, but I like the interaction you get with a larger solitary fish -- they follow me along the tank when I walk past, go to the top for food when they see me coming, and my 125 is right next to my desk, so when I am sitting there, my rhom just chills in the front corner next to my desk hoping I'll drop some pellets in.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

The iron will help the growth slightly but definitely help in over all health but mostly it helps with the leaf color, I've had good luck with the 11% DPTA from GLA with moderate dosing levels. I first started dosing 40 ml every night, then I backed off to every other night, now I'm down to 20ml every other night.

I think I'm constantly adjusting, my tank gas really started growing like crazy but had some light algae and nitrates were starting to get a little high so I've been reducing the photo period and ferts while adding more C02 and it's starting to grow even faster but without the algae. Also getting my gH up helped as some plants that like harder water were starting to melt just above the substrate so I started testing to find I had little or no gH/kH so I started to build them up slightly and with each between 3 to 5 seems to work well.


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

Nice tank! How is everything growing?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

monkeyruler90 said:


> Nice tank! How is everything growing?


Everything grew pretty well, but when I first set the tank up, I just threw everything from my 75 in there because I wanted to ease into high tech and it was February, so my options were pretty limited for having plants shipped to me.

Now that I have the time and the weather is nice, I have been planning a pretty major rescape and that should be going down today or tomorrow. I'll be swapping out the Eheims for a wet/dry, replacing the driftwood that's in there with manzanita I got from PC1, and moving from the all crypts and swords scape and going with almost an entirely new plant selection including stems. I also am looking into new lighting since I'm not 100% happy with the darker sides caused by the staggered 5ft. bulbs over a 6ft. tank - talking to Jim at Catalina about a fixture using multiple rows of 3ft. bulbs on each side to light the entire length evenly.


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

Nice! Welcome to the high light set up! Nothing beats seeing plants grow like crazy and pearl for hours!!

Yeah some t5s from Catalina would work great!
why are you thinking of getting rid of the eheims? Not enough flow?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

-I've always liked to run wet/dry filters on larger tanks and people always told me I couldn't run a wet/dry with co2, but it looks like it is very doable, so I'd like to go back to that. I will be moving the Eheims over to my 75 gallon setup.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Talked to Jim today and my new light fixture should be here next week. Tomorrow I'm planning to empty the tank and move it out to the garage so I can spray on a new background, the vinyl I used when I set the tank up peeled off and started bubbling right away, so it's been an eyesore the whole time. Once the background is painted, I can move it back inside to hook up the new filtration and start on the scape.

Goal for tonight is to finish the plumbing for the wet/dry...


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

Wow that looks like fun and I guess your going nuts about now if your plumbing, If you want to get the heater in the sump check this out, a heater bulkhead with a Ebo-Jager 300 watt that is right up front for easy adjustment, I got if from Jehmco. If you've never shopped there before they have a lot of oddball gear for sumps. That whole CO2 thing with sumps and tank surface tension is crazy talk, my tank has a lot of surface movement with some splashing water and my CO2 is fine, and if I don't have movement I start to develop a film.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

I was looking into those and then I found a brand new heater out in the garage, so I went with that. I will most likely pick one of those up down the road, but figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to use what I have since I'm pretty far over budget in other areas.

I had some stuff come up on Tuesday so I wasn't able to work on the tank, but I spent all day yesterday painting, plumbing, and scaping and the tank is set up -- I'll get some pics posted later tonight.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Water looks a bit cloudy, I was messing with stuff in the tank today. There's one piece of driftwood at the top that didn't want to sink yet, so it's just kind of sticking out now because I jammed it in there so it would stay submerged til it sinks on its own. 

I left one of the 2217s on the tank for now until the wet/dry is cycled, so that random intake eyesore in the middle of the tank will be gone in a couple weeks.

FTS...











125 & 75...


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

It looks good and if anyone ever knew how far we all go over budget, ahhhh!!!! You can also steal one of your wifes/girlfriends stockings and bag up the loose media and throw it in the sump along with the filter pads, but I did the same thing when swapping filter and let them all run together for a month.

The tanks look good and all the Blyxa, it's the plant I love to hate because it normally has two tiny roots and is really buoyant too.

ps You need to post some shots of the wet/dry.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

I would have taken the media out, but I don't really have anywhere else to put that 2217, so I figured I'd just leave it on there to help cycle until I can figure out a spot for it. 

Funny you should say that about the blyxa because it was driving me nuts last night and this morning, I ended up turning of the Koralia Evo 1400 for now to let it root down a bit.

I'll definitely get some pics taken of the wet/dry and under the stand tomorrow, just wanted to snap a couple quick pics of the tank for now.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Oct 8, 2009)

Took a bit longer than I planned since I was gone all weekend, but I got around to taking those pics of the wet/dry. Not the best pics, but you get the idea...


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## fishboy199413 (Jan 20, 2010)

Hey what is happening with you? Are the tanks still running and if so are there any updates?


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## boxhead1990 (Aug 29, 2011)

Yes I wanna see updates and maybe some close ups of the overflow to feed my curiosity haha


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