# 180 Gallon Show Tank



## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

So I have been doing the whole planted tank thing for a little over a year. I started with a 55 gallon that I had from previous fish keeping attempts (high school/college when I didn't know anything). I pieced it together and finally ended up with a high-tech set-up. For a while now I've been wanting to replace the 55 with a large show tank for our living room. 

I took a trip today to a local-ish fish store (45 minutes away) and discovered they were having a 30% off sale on pretty much everything. So I pulled the trigger on this bad boy. 









It will be delivered in the next 2-3 weeks which is good as I need some more time to fully plan all this out as I wasn't intending on the purchase. So I'll start by what I know i'm doing and work into what is still up in the air. 

Hardscape: The driftwood in the picture is mine as well. I'll have to play around with the set-up some more but we had it a certain way in the store and it was pretty good looking. I'm not sure if i'll throw in any rocks or other hardscape items but we can add those later. 

Filtration: I have a new Fluval FX6 that i'll be throwing on this guy. I'll also be moving over my Fluval 305 from the 55 as it contains my cerges reactor and we can always use the extra flow/filtration. 

Plants: I'm look to continue this as a high-tech tank with CO2. My current plants in the 55 are some Staugrogyne Repens, Anubius variety, Telanthera Cardinalis, crypts and sunset hygro. I'm not sure exactly what I'll bring over to the 180 but I'm going for a jungle theme as I like the nature look and I also feel like it gives the fish the best living conditions (stress wise). 

Livestock: I'm moving over everything from the 55 to the 180 (when its ready) which consist of 3 angels, 2 bn plecos, 3 german blue rams, and 8 neon tetras. I'm still debating on which way to go regarding additional stock but i'm thinking some more dwarf cichlids and a large school of tetras of some sort. 

Lighting: I'm currently running the aquatic life T5HO on the 55 but I think i'm leaning LEDs on the 180. Definitely looking at bml leds but they come at a price. Will be looking at all options. 

Substrate: I really like sand but I don't have much experience with it. I'm using floramax right now and it has worked great for me. I'll probably either go with diamond black blasting sand or another black substrate that's geared towards plants. 

CO2 system: I have a Aquatek regulator on a 50 lb tank. At first i hated this regulator as it always jumped up and down on the pressure but after i replaced the bubble counter with the fluval counter the fluctuation stopped and it holds the bps steady. I'm sure it also helps that my system is a low pressure cerges reactor. I think they have more trouble when the back pressure on these systems is high. 

I'm open to any feedback from all of you experienced fishkeepers and I'll keep updating this as I make any decisions and once I have the tank at home and set-up.

Thanks, 

Matt


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## doughnut (Jul 22, 2010)

WOW! That's quite a leap from 55g to 180g! Not gonna lie...kinda jealous. I'd love to have my own indoor swimming pool haha! I love seeing huge aquariums come together. 

So kind of a side thought, will your floor be able to hold the weight?


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## Coralbandit (Feb 25, 2013)

Congrats on the upgrade!
I love my 180 and hope you have years of pleasure from yours!
Lighting is tough on the 180's so I think the BML may actually save $ compared to numerous additions or upgrades from under performing fixtures?
Eitherway ENJOY that is one nice looking set up!


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

doughnut said:


> WOW! That's quite a leap from 55g to 180g! Not gonna lie...kinda jealous. I'd love to have my own indoor swimming pool haha! I love seeing huge aquariums come together.
> 
> So kind of a side thought, will your floor be able to hold the weight?


Ha! Kind of a huge question to be considered a side thought. It's going in our basement (an "English basement") so it will be on concrete. The 55 is in my office on the second floor but I don't have the room or the support to keep it in there.

Bump:


Coralbandit said:


> Congrats on the upgrade!
> I love my 180 and hope you have years of pleasure from yours!
> Lighting is tough on the 180's so I think the BML may actually save $ compared to numerous additions or upgrades from under performing fixtures?
> Eitherway ENJOY that is one nice looking set up!


Thanks! The kid at the store tried to sell me on their LED's (Fluval or the Ecoxotic) but I said I needed to do my research. With the depth on these I think I'm going to need two strips of LEDs to get the desired PAR on the entire tank.

Bump:


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## fishophile (Feb 6, 2012)

You'll need 2 for sure. If you are going the build my led route just give them a call. They were really polite and answered all my questions.


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

fishophile said:


> You'll need 2 for sure. If you are going the build my led route just give them a call. They were really polite and answered all my questions.


Would you recommend the BMLs then? They are pricey but I'm looking to do this right.


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## yondertank (Sep 7, 2009)

I just got a 65 gallon, it is 36" long by 18" wide by 24" tall, so similar dimensions to your 180. I followed the BML guidance which was 2 x 36" to achieve high par at the bottom. I haven't tried it yet but I have a lot of experience with non-LED lights to view this as worth while experiment. The cost of replacement bulbs for one year basically offsets the cost in my mind.


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## BigJay180 (Jul 20, 2014)

mthomas356 said:


> Would you recommend the BMLs then? They are pricey but I'm looking to do this right.


I looked into that, but it would have taken two six foot units to cover the tank right. My setup is low tech, and that wouldn't work (waaay too much light). But it would be fine for you.

Instead I went with two three bulb T5 fixtures, and a pair of single t8 plant bulbs to even out the spread a little.

From one 180 guy to another, good lucK. The only advice I can give is to buy a lot more plants. I went heavy at the start, and that's likely why I succeeded.


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Fabulous tank - it's going to make a breath-taking showpiece.
Would love to see it set up & running.

If it was mine, it would of course be stocked with at least a dozen adult solid color discus (reds or blues), a good sized school of both Cardinals & Rummy-Noses, a good handful of Cories, and maybe a few GBR's. Several pieces of driftwood on white quartz-based silica pool filter sand. Swords, Anubias, Crypts, Hygros, Lotuses, & others I'd have fun deciding on.
Best of luck to you - don't forget to post pics soon.


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## ROYWS3 (Feb 1, 2014)

That's a beautiful stand! I agree with BigJay - go heavy on the plants from the start


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## bploeg (Sep 20, 2004)

Beautiful tank! My favorite size tank. I would agree with the BML recommendation if you want to go LED. I have a Dutch+10k XB BML on my 180G and I really like them. Not cheap for sure... The standard bracket BML makes doesn't separate the lights enough for a 2ft wide tank, but it is easy to fix.
Two filters are a good idea, I have two (and separate loop for CO2) and I still needed 4 extra power-heads to not create dead spots.


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## dragam21 (Mar 23, 2014)

mthomas356 said:


> Would you recommend the BMLs then? They are pricey but I'm looking to do this right.


I have two 48" BML's on my 90 gallon. I have a 10k and a 6300. They are pricey but in my opinion worth every penny. I have a apex system on my setup and the control that you have with them is endless! And I have to say that is one beautiful tank!!


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

Just placed an order for the MC Series BML light with the controller. I've spent way too much money today but I don't want to have any regrets when this thing is set up. Also placed an order for the Caribsea eco-complete black. Anyone have any experience with this as a substrate? I was thinking about using this as a base and possibly capping with regular black sand.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

mthomas356 said:


> Just placed an order for the MC Series BML light with the controller. I've spent way too much money today but I don't want to have any regrets when this thing is set up. Also placed an order for the Caribsea eco-complete black. Anyone have any experience with this as a substrate? I was thinking about using this as a base and possibly capping with regular black sand.


I just setup my MC 6300 BML fixture last week. It is pretty sweet having a sunset / sunrise set with the system. The solunar (if you purchased one over using an apex controller) can be a bit of a pain to program. I highly suggest mapping out your lighting schedule ahead of time (just a warning, it works off military time) Once you get something in there that is working it is pretty easy to edit and add to the program If you have a written schedule. 

I am looking forward to messing with the lightning and cloud settings in it. 

They were a great company to order from, and the fixture is outstanding.


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

Good luck with it! Definitely give BMLs a shot. Even if you don't get with them, it is worth talking and asking about their product. I also highly suggest black diamond blasting sand. For the price, it is great. I love it in my tank.


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## BigJay180 (Jul 20, 2014)

Noahma said:


> I just setup my MC 6300 BML fixture last week. It is pretty sweet having a sunset / sunrise set with the system. The solunar (if you purchased one over using an apex controller) can be a bit of a pain to program. I highly suggest mapping out your lighting schedule ahead of time (just a warning, it works off military time) Once you get something in there that is working it is pretty easy to edit and add to the program If you have a written schedule.
> 
> I am looking forward to messing with the lightning and cloud settings in it.
> 
> They were a great company to order from, and the fixture is outstanding.


I run a split photoperiod, so sunrise/sunset is sort of out. The split photoperiod works really well in my low tech tank, and it lets me actually enjoy it before and after work without having too much light.

As for substrate, look into activ flora (black). It's basically the same as Eco complete, except that it's more like a sand in size and looks. That's important because finer substrates are easier to plant. Coarse substrates don't hold down grass/carpets well, while Flora Activ is great for my dwarf sag carpet.

Whatever substrate you get, buy root tabs, a lot of them. I like the Seachem Fourish tabs myself, and my plants don't miss the dirt.

I also wouldn't cap Eco complete. It's supposed to trap water column nutrients, that's it. It's basically an inert volcano rock otherwise, that can't really grow plants on its own.

PS: activ Flora black has a uniform dark color like blasting sand. Eco complete doesn't look nearly as good IMO.


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

Thanks for all the feed back. I'll look these suggestions and update the post as things come in. 

For those that purchased bmls, how quickly did they ship?


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

bploeg said:


> Beautiful tank! My favorite size tank. I would agree with the BML recommendation if you want to go LED. I have a Dutch+10k XB BML on my 180G and I really like them. Not cheap for sure... The standard bracket BML makes doesn't separate the lights enough for a 2ft wide tank, but it is easy to fix.
> Two filters are a good idea, I have two (and separate loop for CO2) and I still needed 4 extra power-heads to not create dead spots.


How do you have your filters set up regarding the intake and output? I think the positioning of those is going to be more important with such a large tank.


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

Noahma said:


> I just setup my MC 6300 BML fixture last week. It is pretty sweet having a sunset / sunrise set with the system. The solunar (if you purchased one over using an apex controller) can be a bit of a pain to program. I highly suggest mapping out your lighting schedule ahead of time (just a warning, it works off military time) Once you get something in there that is working it is pretty easy to edit and add to the program If you have a written schedule.
> 
> I am looking forward to messing with the lightning and cloud settings in it.
> 
> They were a great company to order from, and the fixture is outstanding.


When you say program do you just mean setting up or should I be brushing up on some coding skills? I have to admit I didn't look too much into the controller other than it can do what I want.


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## bploeg (Sep 20, 2004)

mthomas356 said:


> How do you have your filters set up regarding the intake and output? I think the positioning of those is going to be more important with such a large tank.


Fairly straight forward, I have filters on either side (left and right) and have the returns along the back, each filter also has a Hydor ETH heater (300W). The filter on the right runs the UV as well, but I rarely run that. The unit on the left has the pH probe inline (for the controller).

I have found that using a less wide return (I use the Eheim return that is modular so you can make them shorter or wider) creates a stronger flow. The returns point down more or less 45 degree to the front substrate. The CO2 loop uses an Eheim pump and is in the middle of the tank same return. 

I use 4 Koralia powerheads on a wave maker as well.


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## BigJay180 (Jul 20, 2014)

Four Koralia powerheads? I run one 850 and it's almost too much. 

I have an Eheim on one side of my tank running a single Hydor 300 watt heater (I live in the Mojave desert, it is never cold enough here to justify more)

Next to that, I have a Koralia, and on the other side of the tank I have a Fluval FX6.

All of the outputs run the flow from the left side to the right.


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

That does seem like a lot. I don't think my angels would appreciate that.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

mthomas356 said:


> Thanks for all the feed back. I'll look these suggestions and update the post as things come in.
> 
> For those that purchased bmls, how quickly did they ship?


 It took a bit. They produce them by the order, so it could take a couple weeks to ship.

Well worth it though. 




mthomas356 said:


> When you say program do you just mean setting up or should I be brushing up on some coding skills? I have to admit I didn't look too much into the controller other than it can do what I want.



You wont need programming skills. The controller has everything you need. Here is an example of my lighting schedule. 
Channel 1 is whites, two reds, and 3 are blues and greens. There is a channel 0 as well control all three at the same time. I have yet to play around with the cloud and lightning functions, and there are more functions than what I have used. There are built in profiles as well, you can hop on the BML forums Cara has posted graphs of the installed profiles. Mine is a modification of profile 1


Event
Time
Profile 6
1
14:00
CH:1: RELAY ON
2
14:00
CH1: FADE 0 TO 100, DURATION 60
3
14:30
CH2: RELAY ON
4
14:30
CH2: FADE 0 TO 100, DURATION 30
5
14:45
CH3: RELAYON
6
14:45
CH3: FADE 0 TO 100, DURATION 15
7
22:30
CH1: 100 TO 0 DURATION 30
8
23:00
CH1: RELAY OFF
9
22:30
CH2: FADE 100 TO 0, DURATION 30
10
23:00
CH2: RELAY OFF
11
22:30
CH3: FADE 100 TO 5, DURATION 30
13
02:30
CH3: RELAYOFF


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

Noahma said:


> It took a bit. They produce them by the order, so it could take a couple weeks to ship.
> 
> Well worth it though.
> 
> ...


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

mthomas356 said:


> Noahma said:
> 
> 
> > It took a bit. They produce them by the order, so it could take a couple weeks to ship.
> ...


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

Noahma said:


> mthomas356 said:
> 
> 
> > You can check your order status by logging in on their site. It will say "awaiting fulfillment " until it ships. You can also email to get an update too
> ...


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## FishStix (Sep 19, 2013)

The 180 is a great tank, I think you will really enjoy it. It taken me over a year to get mine to the point I am just about to plant it. I do like yours a bit more than mine as you have extra space as mine is RR, but it working out well so far.

Only advise I can give you is take your time and enjoy it. Also if you don't have a QT tank you should get one well worth it not to risk sick fish in that 180. I have 4 850's Koralia in my 180. I thought it would be too much, but really now, mine are all on the back wall pointed to the front of the tank, and it pushes the water forward, down, then back towards the overflows and it seems to work good this way. The main reason I have that many, I was having problems with CO2 being even all over the tank. My drop checker on top would be yellow, but one on the bottom was still blue, have I added all 4 of those problem went away.

I will tell you I started out with 2 850's, and 2 1150, the 1150's were way to much flow.


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## jimbo662 (Aug 4, 2013)

I'm going to tag along! Ordered my 175g DSA last week...won't get it for 6-8 weeks. I'm going with BML and still haven't decided on substrate yet.


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## freak (Oct 15, 2013)

Just recently finished setting up my low light 125g 6 weeks ago so I know your excitement level. Just take your time and enjoy everything. It was a fun build when I did mine.


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

Twelve bags of eco-complete where dropped off today. I came home to boxes stacked up about 5 feet high in front of my house. BML just emailed me today and said the lights should ship by the 1st of March. I'm not expecting delivery of the tank until next week anyways so that will work out. I've been doing a lot of research and have been looking at apistos as a possible addition. I really like the dwarf cichlids and in a heavily planted 180 they should all be able to find some territory to maintain the peace.


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## imcmaster (Jan 30, 2015)

Add another to the ride. I have a 180g that was been about 6 weeks now in the planning/construction. It is up and running, hardscaped (mostly driftwood), eco complete down, C02+reactor, and ready to plant. I'm working on the plant order now. I was originally planning for discus, but am leaning towards a ram/apisto tank, with plenty of tetras/etc for the higher water. The driftwood has been designed for plenty of caves. We should all have some cool tanks in a few months. Looking forward to sharing help.
For example - what dosing method are you planning to use? It will be hard to perform very large water changes on such a large tank.


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

imcmaster said:


> Add another to the ride. I have a 180g that was been about 6 weeks now in the planning/construction. It is up and running, hardscaped (mostly driftwood), eco complete down, C02+reactor, and ready to plant. I'm working on the plant order now. I was originally planning for discus, but am leaning towards a ram/apisto tank, with plenty of tetras/etc for the higher water. The driftwood has been designed for plenty of caves. We should all have some cool tanks in a few months. Looking forward to sharing help.
> For example - what dosing method are you planning to use? It will be hard to perform very large water changes on such a large tank.


Thanks for joining. Its crazy how many people are setting up large tanks. I'm going to continue using the EI dosing method that I have been using on my 55. Within the last month I purchased dry ferts from GLA which will significantly help cut down on costs as I was using Seachem prior to. For water changes I use a Python which makes water changes a breeze. Just hook up to the sink and let it go. It will take a little longer than my 55 but I enjoy my Sundays which are dedicated to cleaning up my tanks (I don't have kids:hihi.


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## caique (Mar 16, 2012)

Hey Matt,

Gorgeous tank and stand, I have been toying with the idea of getting a 180 already have 120 and 7 other tanks.

Also have been looking at the BML's for my 120 I am interested in how these lights work out for you.

For water changes in all my tanks I have a 50 gallon plastic garbage can on wheels with a 580 gph pump in the bottom for refilling, to drain I just use a eheim intake with the green hose that comes with it cut it to whatever length and then stick it into a 3/4 inch hose with the end cut off it fits perfect, I never have to start a new siphon because i just pinch the end of the hose and role it up in the yard, saves water and i water the garden with tank water.

For substrate i use Aquariumplants.com soft belly, it is great for cory's and i have lots. Be warned that eco complete is very sharp and can cause problems with Cory Barbells I had some smaller cory's in eco complete one day i notices there barbells were gone put them in another tank with AP.com soft belly and there barbells healed up fine, glad I caught it in time.


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## sadchevy (Jun 15, 2013)

For all those who don't know about it.........there is the 6 foot plus club thread. Lots of us have large tanks and hopefully we can adding to the club thread. The link is in my signature. Please feel free to join and post your tanks.


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

sadchevy said:


> For all those who don't know about it.........there is the 6 foot plus club thread. Lots of us have large tanks and hopefully we can adding to the club thread. The link is in my signature. Please feel free to join and post your tanks.


Thanks for the info. I was not aware of that. I'll have to join once I have my 180 up and running.


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

any update?


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

Well the tank was finally delivered today. I'm pretty excited. My BMLs should be shipping soon and my Neptune Apex is going to be delivered Friday. The only downside is the store resold my driftwood so its back to square one on the hardscape. I also assembled the spray bar for my FX6 tonight. It will still need to be cemented together and painted but I'm happy with how it turned out. I added some PVC hooks to mount it on the tank as opposed to suction cups that never seem to hold up. I'm thinking it should work out pretty well. This weekend will be spent mounting my apex system and possibly looking for some driftwood.


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## dragam21 (Mar 23, 2014)

mthomas356 said:


> I added some PVC hooks to mount it on the tank as opposed to suction cups that never seem to hold up. I'm thinking it should work out pretty well.


I really like what you did with the pvc hooks!


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

dragam21 said:


> I really like what you did with the pvc hooks!


Thanks dragam!


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## onlycrimson (Sep 7, 2010)

Been a long time since I had a large tank but if you're doing high tech plant very heavy right from the start if you want to avoid algae. Lookin good!


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## ROYWS3 (Feb 1, 2014)

looks to be in a great spot in the room. Too bad about selling the driftwood. Those were really to very nice pieces


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

Well we have had a busy weekend. The Neptune Apex arrived Friday afternoon. It was a rather uneventful unboxing as there isn't much you can do with it until you set it up in a running aquarium. I spent my entire Saturday morning cleaning up the house so I could be guilt free for the rest of the weekend as I worked on the aquarium. It worked very well as the wife was very pleased when she got home from work on Saturday afternoon to a clean house.














The first project was to paint the back. I really like the look of using acrylic paint and the idea that its not permanent at the same time. Mix that in with the idea that it is one of the cheaper better looking options it was a no-brainer. A $4 bottle of paint and a $6 foam roller was all I needed to finish my black background. It did end up turning the back into a mirror when focusing the camera directly on the back. That might make for some interesting photographs.














I bought a cheap piece of MDF board from my favorite store, Menards, and installed the Apex and the Finnex heater controller. I made the decision to go with the Apex after the Finnex so I realize there is some significant redundancies there but this way I feel like the chances of cooking or freezing my fish are remote. I attached the board to the tank with heavy duty velcro. I really didn't want to screw anything into the tank as I'm paranoid with maintaining the integrity of the tank stand. 180 gallons of water is a lot of weight. While it's not running yet my only complaint about the Finnex controller is the short temp probe wire. It barely made it to the top of the tank. For a controller that can handle 800 watt heaters I'm surprised at the length they chose for the probe wire. 




















The next project was the completion of the spray bar for the FX6 and the outlet for the 305 which the CO2 will be hooked up to. For the spray bar I drilled 1/4" holes every 1 1/2 inches. I cemented all the parts that would not be in the tank (to eliminate leaks) and sanded all pieces that would be submersed. I've heard this will help the Krylon paint adhere better so we will see. You can see the finished spray bar in the tank in some of the photos below which is also connected to the FX6.




















I also picked up some more driftwood since they sold the pieces I originally picked out. I'm actually happier with these pieces as I feel the largest piece I originally selected wouldn't be easy to display in the tank in a natural way. The kid that was helping me at the store wanted to display it vertically but that just wouldn't have been a natural look (you can see how he displayed it in the first photo of this post). After I got the new pieces home I played around with them for a long time with little success. I finally put something together that I am happy with and took a ton of pictures to make sure I can replicate it after the substrate has been added. The last thing I want is to remember how much I liked a previous set-up and never being able to achieve it again. The only thing that might get tweaked is the placement of the large piece on the left (I'm open for suggestions on that piece). 

Hopefully my BML lights ship out on Monday so I can set them up this week. They had some issues with delays in parts but Cara has always been quick to respond to questions. If their product is anything close to the customer service I know I will be extremely pleased. I'm going out of town for a few days starting the 14th so I won't be doing much else until I get back. It wouldn't be fair to have something go wrong and expect the wife to handle it while I'm away. She has been super supportive and excited for this project which has been great. Nothing like seeing someone else as excited about something as you are. I'll keep this updated for anything worth updating. Thanks for tagging along!


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## dragam21 (Mar 23, 2014)

Looking great! But since you have the apex, I would let that control your heaters. I have two of energy bar 8's and have two heaters in my tank. I let the apex control the heaters. Once you get the apex hooked up and really learn what you can do with it, you will be amazed!

Bump: And also with the apex, you can get a readout of how many times your heaters cycle on and off!


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## jimbo662 (Aug 4, 2013)

+1 on the heaters.


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## natebuchholz (Sep 28, 2013)

dragam21 said:


> Looking great! But since you have the apex, I would let that control your heaters. I have two of energy bar 8's and have two heaters in my tank. I let the apex control the heaters. Once you get the apex hooked up and really learn what you can do with it, you will be amazed!
> 
> Bump: And also with the apex, you can get a readout of how many times your heaters cycle on and off!


Great info! 

This built is coming along really well!


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## Xirxes (Aug 18, 2008)

Any chance of moving the tank out of that corner? You will really want to enjoy it from all visible sides and seems a shame to have 1/3 to 1/2 of the tank at an awkward viewing angle.

I have a 240 gal and I'm constantly peeking in on all three sides of the visible glass.


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

Xirxes said:


> Any chance of moving the tank out of that corner? You will really want to enjoy it from all visible sides and seems a shame to have 1/3 to 1/2 of the tank at an awkward viewing angle.
> 
> I have a 240 gal and I'm constantly peeking in on all three sides of the visible glass.


Nope. Having a working living space trumps being able to see in the sides of the tank. I also quite enjoy the location. None of the tank view is obstructed and it it's entirely visible from the chair.


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## R.W. (Jun 9, 2014)

Looking forward to seeing this take shape. I also have a 180g tank, which I love due to the size and layout possibilities.


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## FishStix (Sep 19, 2013)

Looking great. I am sure once you get the Apex up and running you will love it. I have one and it great, thought when I bought would be overkill, but love having it, makes things so simple.

In regards to your spray bar I am thinking about making one I have a few questions.

I assume the right and left sections are not glued into the T so you could fit it in the tank? Also assume the hooks are not glued in either? How did you get the holes in such a nice straight line?

Looking forward to seeing it filled.


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

FishStix said:


> Looking great. I am sure once you get the Apex up and running you will love it. I have one and it great, thought when I bought would be overkill, but love having it, makes things so simple.
> 
> In regards to your spray bar I am thinking about making one I have a few questions.
> 
> ...


The only thing that is glued are the sections hanging out of the tank but the whole thing fits into the tank in one piece. I just used a ruler to mark the spots to drill.


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## reefcorgi (Mar 2, 2014)

look like this will be a nice setup.


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

dragam21 said:


> Looking great! But since you have the apex, I would let that control your heaters. I have two of energy bar 8's and have two heaters in my tank. I let the apex control the heaters. Once you get the apex hooked up and really learn what you can do with it, you will be amazed!
> 
> Bump: And also with the apex, you can get a readout of how many times your heaters cycle on and off!


That's a good thought. Maybe I'll eventually switch that over once I get a handle on the programming. I'm very excited about the potential of the Apex.


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## lamiskool (Jul 1, 2011)

love high tech builds, cant wait to see where this one goes!


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## phemps (Jan 28, 2015)

This looks like its going to come out awesome. Did I read this correctly, you have a 50 pound co2 tank!?


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

phemps said:


> This looks like its going to come out awesome. Did I read this correctly, you have a 50 pound co2 tank!?


Yes I do. Bought it full off cl for $80. So far it's lasted a year and the fill gauge hasn't moved.


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## dragam21 (Mar 23, 2014)

mthomas356 said:


> Yes I do. Bought it full off cl for $80. So far it's lasted a year and the fill gauge hasn't moved.


That's an awesome price!


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

A small piece of me dies every time I walk by my empty tank. On a better note my BML lights will be delivered tomorrow. I'll at least be able to set those up.


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## dragam21 (Mar 23, 2014)

Any updates?


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

Its been planted and up and running for about 2 weeks now. I just transferred 7 neon tetras from the 55. I will probably transfer some more fish during the week. I think my CO2 is a little high as the neons were not happy at first but they are starting to swim around a little. I also added Tetra safe start which clouded the water some. I hope that clears up over night. Below are some pictures.

3/22/15 - Here is the tank filled and lightly planted with some plants I picked up from the GCCA swap meet. I order a set of plants off aquabid but the package was delayed and didn't end up getting it until Monday.









3/23/15 - Planted with the plants I purchased on Aquabid. Ignore the glass bowl. Its holding down driftwood that refused to stay put.









3/29/15 - Some growth. 









4/5/15


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

Here's a picture of the tank with the BML's switching over to moonlighting mode. I'm really liking these lights coupled with the APEX system. 









I think I've settle on a final stocking list which include some fish I already have. 

5 - Angelfish 
2 - BN Plecos
10 - Otos 
2 - Electric Blue Rams
2 - German Blue Rams
2 - Cockatoo Apisto
2 - Dwarf Gourami
25 - Diamond Tetra
5 - Boesemans Rainbowfish
25 - Black Neon Tetra
10 - False Julii Cory
10 - Amano Shrimp

Anyone see any issues with this list?


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## aja31 (May 25, 2013)

mthomas356 said:


> Here's a picture of the tank with the BML's switching over to moonlighting mode. I'm really liking these lights coupled with the APEX system.
> 
> View attachment 461577
> 
> ...


Love the progress so far!

As far as your stocking, the angels might eat your shrimp and your neons. I'm not sure on the sizing of the black neons as opposed to the normal neons, but normal neons are Angel's natural food source. If they are the same size they will slowly disappear. 

It might be workable if you let the neons and shrimp reach full size before introducing very small angels so that they never see the shrimp and neons as food, but i'd give it a 50/50 chance. If the plants are dense enough the shrimp can probably hide and stay safe.


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

aja31 said:


> Love the progress so far!
> 
> As far as your stocking, the angels might eat your shrimp and your neons. I'm not sure on the sizing of the black neons as opposed to the normal neons, but normal neons are Angel's natural food source. If they are the same size they will slowly disappear.
> 
> It might be workable if you let the neons and shrimp reach full size before introducing very small angels so that they never see the shrimp and neons as food, but i'd give it a 50/50 chance. If the plants are dense enough the shrimp can probably hide and stay safe.


Thanks! I probably won't add the Amanos until the plants are pretty well grown in but I was hoping the black neon tetras would be able to be added prior. The ones I see in the store are much larger than the neon tetras which do appear to be mouth size for my current angels. 50/50 aren't the worst odds...


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## aja31 (May 25, 2013)

mthomas356 said:


> Thanks! I probably won't add the Amanos until the plants are pretty well grown in but I was hoping the black neon tetras would be able to be added prior. The ones I see in the store are much larger than the neon tetras which do appear to be mouth size for my current angels. 50/50 aren't the worst odds...


If they are bigger they should be fine. I know people keep cardinals with angels without a problem.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Man this thing is really coming together. Your stock list look awesome. What kind of angels are you going with?? Pinoy, Zebra, Pariaba, Platinum, etc?


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

The Dude said:


> Man this thing is really coming together. Your stock list look awesome. What kind of angels are you going with?? Pinoy, Zebra, Pariaba, Platinum, etc?


I transferred the angels over from my 55. I have an assortment as you can see below. As you can tell from my stock list I have a hard time having all off the same thing...always gives you something different to look at. The three large ones I have had for over a year now and the two little guys I have had for about three months.


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## BigJay180 (Jul 20, 2014)

That is a very nice veil tail angel fish. Angels are a favorite of mine.


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## Okedokey (Sep 2, 2014)

The black one is awesome


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## FishStix (Sep 19, 2013)

Those angels are great, how many do you have or can you have in 180? I am wondering as I am going to order some for my 180.

Thanks


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## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

the tank looks wonderful


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## Sky817 (Feb 25, 2015)

Nice smoke angel. My favorite


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

FishStix said:


> Those angels are great, how many do you have or can you have in 180? I am wondering as I am going to order some for my 180.
> 
> Thanks


I'm not sure how many you can fit in a 180 but I'm thinking 5 is a good number for me. They are kind of the main fish and I think it would take away from it if I crammed 20 in there.

Here are the three big guys after I first picked them up about 13 months ago.


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## jimbo662 (Aug 4, 2013)

Any updates???


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## mthomas356 (Jan 24, 2014)

Haven't updated this for quite some time. Here is how we look now. 

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

mthomas356 said:


> Haven't updated this for quite some time. Here is how we look now.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk


That is stunning. Great job


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