# my long road to my 300 gallon



## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

well my Journey started off in August when I found a 300 gallon acrylic tank on kijiji! after the impulse buy I realized I had no room in my mini home (fancy name for trailer) to fit a fish tank that is 80 inches long and 40 inches wide and 24 inches high!
Since I owned my home moving wasnt really an option so I decided I needed to add an extension to fit tank!
picked the right side and needed some gravel!
so I brought in some gravel and started leveling it down with a rake and shovel! took me one week!










so I started building my floor and attached it to my mini home with 10 inch bolts and hangers!










i knew 300 gallons was alot of weight so i had to reinforce the floors first using 4 two by twelves pressure treated all screwed toegther and running long walls and then using six by six pressure treated sitting in elephant toes on patio stones to take the weight! I have them running entire length of extension which is 12 feet by 28 feet but added 3 just in the location where the tank will sit for extra support!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

another view 









walls up 










inside shot of tank location










i wanted some natural light so i put a window in location!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

far shot from inside on mini home side still have supporting wall up while I finish roof and add 16 foot two by six, three screwed together for support so i can have open concept design










another shot from inside extension side


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

i made sure i placed two plugs on its own breaker for tank using 12 gauge wire running to a double 20 amp breaker!










when i built extension i wanted skylights for added natural light to tank










i did all the labour myself, from framing to drywall to painting! it was alot of work! especially when hanging jiprock on cathedrel ceilings was too hard so had to ask for help!


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

Wow, that is a lot of work you've put in. This is going to be interesting.


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

after i got my floors down I started building frame for tank stand out of two by eights, two by six, two by fours and four by fours! 












everything is all level! I built stand 30 inches high so tank could be at a good level for viewing










added 3/4 inch plywood










ok now for a first shot of this 300 gallon tank i have been bragging about! previous owner had some sting rays in it so the inside has alot of scratches i plan on removing! plus i still need to cut out holes for drainage into my 75 gallon wet and dry filter that will be underneath stand!










i had to crawl inside to get a feel of size of tank! I am 6 foot 4 so it feel awesome being able to actual fit inside my fish tank!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

do I need to add more wood to frame for more support, like maybe four by fours along side of the two by eights at each corner? or does stand look solid enough?


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## MitchellLawson (Nov 8, 2011)

Thats a load of work for a fish tank, hope it all works out!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

I wanted to added to the fraternity of dirt so in the summer during build I did a few bins full of dirt, soaking and drying and soaking and drying out on my lawn! so I got two five gallon buckets of this soil I did this process to! also i have 2 huge bags of pool filter sand, two bags of play sand, and some special kitty! going to buy some eco complete to top planted areas!










my idea is to have all white sand in front and then seperate two areas of tank by having an island on the left that is 1/4 the length of tank seperated by an area of unplanted white sand then the main section!

I went out looking along the shores of the bay of fundy and found lots of interesting driftwood




























these peices i dug out of a bog!










more fundy drift wood










lots of wood to choose from!


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## MitchellLawson (Nov 8, 2011)

Those pieces of wood loot great, can't wait too see this completed.


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

I still have alot of work ahead of me yet! got to set up filter ration! still need to get out scratches! then i was thinking maybe I might reinforce inside tank by adding acrylic dowels along all seams! just so I am insured of no leaks since i had this tank out side these past few months! I seen this tank full so I know it didnt leak when i bought it but it was left outside for a few months cause I had no room so I am not sure now! so for comfort reasons I will reinforce!

still need to figure out my lighting yet! but hey all the hard work is done and the tank is now sitting in my new front room that is now 24 feet wide by 16 feet!!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

forgot the shot of all my smaller pieces of driftwood


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

This is going to be an awesome build. nice score on the 300g.


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## MitchellLawson (Nov 8, 2011)

if you don't mind me asking how much did it cost you?, the tank.


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

i paid 450 dollars for the tank but the extension cost me around 9 thousand so far lol


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## doncityz (May 17, 2011)

Wow.. this is a tank, where one could literally sleep with the fishes. hehe


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

You building a HOUSE extension for a tank makes every thing in the DIY forum look like a joke... I wish I was that handy. That extension area looks amazing. Was there any reason you didn't fully extend it all the way to the other corner of your house?


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## driftwoods (Feb 2, 2011)

I am a carpenter by trade and I applaud all your hard work you did and excellent job. That is awsome that you added to your house just for your fish tank. Can't wait to see this complete you are getting close now. What are you stocking plans for the tank?


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

Thanks! I appreciate the kind words! I only wanted to build enough room for tank but then thought I would add a new bathroom as well then I can rip my old bathroom and make my kitchen bigger! I made the bathroom 12 foot by 10 foot so I can add washer and dryer so that way I can rip the walls down in my present laundry room and make my bedroom larger as well! Might as well benefit from this extension as much as possible! But it all started with the tank and needing room for it! 
I never really did carpentry before! Everything I did I first watched YouTube videos on how to proceed! I actually just put tiles on my new bathroom walls around shower! I am real proud of myself it looks great! I learnt how to do tiles from YouTube videos as well! Lol!

For tank! I have ideas on how I like do it! For fish I am going for some nice schooling tetras! But I like a nice school of rose line sharks aka red lined torpedo barbs! 

I was thinking possibly discus but that's not for quite some time! I am in no rush to stock! I will just start off by planting and maybe add clean up crew! Shrimp, snails and algea eaters! 

It's all about baby stepping! 

Right now I am trying to get this new bathroom hooked up! I just need to finish wall tiles around vanity and along floors! Then I can finish switching over from old to new! That will be in a few days! Then I can work on getting my filter all hooked up! Tomorrow however, I am going to find time to get scratched out! I bought that 3 part scratch remover when I got tanks so now it's time to put it to use! 

I still need to get some nice pine plywood to build the outside walls of stand! And add some doors!


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## Nate McFin (Mar 19, 2009)

Wow man, you are serrrriiously addicted. :icon_mrgr
Great job on the addition! I look forward to seeing the tank come together.
Nate


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Doing the aquarium hobby LIKE A BOSS.

I dream (not in a creepy way) of being like you one day. Except my fishroom is going to be bigger than my house.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

I can't believe you aren't a carpenter by trade. What you did is even more amazing. Seems you have TONS more room in your backyard if you ever want to go through this trouble again and further expand your home


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## MitchellLawson (Nov 8, 2011)

Made any progress today?


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## tbarabash (May 18, 2011)

Absolutely frickin amazing, subscribed.


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## !shadow! (Jan 25, 2010)

If you put this much effort into making a place for your fish outside of it I really wanna see what you do inside of it. I know you get a great sense of pride doing something yourself and by the look of the pics, it came out fantastic. Thanks for sharing.


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## MitchellLawson (Nov 8, 2011)

Any updates?


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

sorry been busy working on bathroom, I finished tiling walls, i bought some floor tiles from kijiji but they were too thin for floors for my liking so i decided to put them on walls and put thicker tiles on my floors! learnt how to do tiles from youtube! 



















so back to tank!

I been working on scratches with Novus










i went and bought some weld-on 4 and 16 and bought some acrylic square dowels to put in all corners so i can re-inforce tank for the just incases! also bought some small square pieces to put on bottom spots that look like cracks!


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Wow... you did amazing things from watching youtube videos!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

i drilled holes in plywood where drain willl go










was hard finding bulkheads locally since i live so far in the boonies! but managed to find 1 inch and 1 1/2 inch bulkheads 











also went looking for bioballs and bought a few boxes at kent building supply but they were 26 dollars a box ;0(










the 3 boxes didnt even fill my wet and dry filter 1/6 of the way! I need to find a better source for bioballs I cant be spending 500 dollars on bioballs alone!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

got to love youtube! I even use it for school! when I have a subject to study i will search videos since I am a visual person and learn alot quicker and easier thru visual means and nothing beats youtube videos!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

today I will try my nack at adding acrylic dowels on my tank! again youtube videos on welding acrylic!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

haha I never even installed a toilet before so had to watch youtube videos on toilet installations just to make sure i did it right!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

found a few blue bioballs lying around 










still got a way to go to have 25 gallons of bioballs


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## narhay (Feb 28, 2007)

I think if you were to put foam blacks or filter floss instead of the bioballs, everything would still run just fine but you would save yourself a bit of money. 

Hello from the other coast!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

do you think those would work? I suppose I could use both. I was just looking on ebay and there seems to be some good deals on bioballs! I was thinking maybe I might try pets and ponds! 
I miss vancouver! miss the weather! and definately the easy access to so much more then what is available to me here on the east coast! and especially miss the great food!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

i was going to place filter floss on top tray above bioballs


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

I'm not a sump guy but I see a lot of people use large pieces of foam. I'd search the tank journals for "sump' and see what others do.


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

this guy used pot scrubbers in his DIY sump as biological filter balls! 

http://dramaticaquascapes.com/WetDry_12.html


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

OMG wow yea that costs like an insane around. Check around in the SnS and post a message up. I believe a lot of people have these lying around now that they stopped using these huge filters or broke down larger tanks. I'm sure you can find them cheaper there.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

If you wanna grab some bioballs quick check out this post http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/swap-n-shop/158299-tanks-spoinge-filters-bio-balls-pumps.html

10 gallons worth of bioballs for $40!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

thanks for the tip i will be on that! I did however go get a wack of pot scrubbers and basically filled 20 gallons worth of pot scrubbers for only 35 dollars! dollar store!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

new up date ok I had a little set back when i was trying to get rid of scratches! I made the istake of using windex on front panel and the windex attacked the acrylic causing millions of little scratches! I spent two days trying to sand and buff it out and had little luck on getting rid of the scratches, however I filled tank half way and thankfully i couldnt see scratches with water in tank so i drained tank! set up my bulkheads and added another sheet of 1/2 styrofoam even though one sheet was already glued to bottom but looks old and squished so I added another sheet!

I added dowels along bottom seems and one side corner that looked like it needed it!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

ok I started my dryscape.

started off laying in my driftwood and lower minerals

left side









right side









I mixed my mineralized dirt I made over the summer with some water and mushy clay and added some rock dust and started laying it down, oh also a little zoilite sand mixed with playsand!



















I layed the mineralized mud mix around drift wood and along back wall where I plan on growing some Vallisneria 

I then capped all mineralized mud mix with a little play sand and some special kitty!

I also capped zoilite sand and play sand mix with pool filter sand in all the areas which will have no plants! 

I plan on capping the the special kitty with some Ada soil over the next day or two when i pick up a large bag or two!




















tomorrow when i get some natural light i will take some full tank shots and again once i get some Ada soil to finish my capping of mineralized soil!


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## plecostomouse (Jun 9, 2011)

looks great! im deffinately subscribed, but i would choose rocks of one colour.


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

I was having a hardtime finding my rocks I picked along the bay of fundy shores cause it snowed and its dark outside. I had them outside in my yard! So i was out in the dark trying to pick rocks from my pile, but all these rocks even though some colors differ all have the same sparkly crystals in them! in the sun they all sparkle! 

ok in the morning I will go back out and make sure all rocks are the same!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

I hooked up a light and took two shots from two different exposures!

full tank shot


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

hard taking full tank tank shots of a tank thats 80 inches long! but with 40 inches wide it should have a nice look once planted!


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

ibmikmaq said:


> thanks for the tip i will be on that! I did however go get a wack of pot scrubbers and basically filled 20 gallons worth of pot scrubbers for only 35 dollars! dollar store!


Aw darn. Tried to help . Lets see pictures of all those pot scrubbers then. Did you rinse them out well? Some brands you get come with a little soap inside them. You could probably tell by taking a whiff.



ibmikmaq said:


> new up date ok I had a little set back when i was trying to get rid of scratches! I made the istake of using windex on front panel and the windex attacked the acrylic causing millions of little scratches! I spent two days trying to sand and buff it out and had little luck on getting rid of the scratches, however I filled tank half way and thankfully i couldnt see scratches with water in tank so i drained tank! set up my bulkheads and added another sheet of 1/2 styrofoam even though one sheet was already glued to bottom but looks old and squished so I added another sheet!
> 
> I added dowels along bottom seems and one side corner that looked like it needed it!


Didn't know windex would attack acrylic. This explains all the scratchs on my 5g... LOL. About the dowels on the bottom of the tank, you should really check to see if the tank is level before you fill it up again. If it's not level, something really bad could happen in the future.


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

my tank is in my new feresh built extension so everything is level from floor to stand to tank!

ok I replaced rocks and just used the same type of rock through entire scape! 
today I will go get some Ada or eco complete to finish capping! then i will be ready for plants











my valley












once I cap with some Ada or eco complete it will look alot nice with the dark substrate!


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## plecostomouse (Jun 9, 2011)

this really looks great!
cant wait to see it planted!
what fish are you intending to keep?
what might be kool is one largish fishmaybe a pirahna, there is another tank one this forum that looks really kool and has one large fish in it!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

I would rather have large schools of one inch fish! I am not sure yet! Some rasbora species definitely! A nice school of rummy nose definitely! Yellow tetras! Of course cardinals! If possible a school of mystus bimaculatus or two spotted mystus since I love schooling catfish and want a species that will not eat my other schooling fish! Definitely zebra Oto's! 
Really 332 gallons of water I have so many choices of small fish to choose from! I want a nice peaceful community tank with a nice selection of colors!!


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Why not have three schools of 100 fish each


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

that might work but fish wont be for sometime! 

finished topping islands so now i just have to order the plants










i love this root i found on the shore of bay of fundy!










top view









valley between two islands










side shot of valley












cant wait to start planting!


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

That is a great piece of DW and nice layout. However, what will you do to keep the black and white sand apart? Will you use plants or more rocks?


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

thanks! my idea is glosso and baby tears all along all edges all around. let them fill in and keep trimmed along edges!


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

That's a good idea. You should definitely wait for those to grow in fully before adding any fish in case they disturb anything.


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

yah I have no plans on fish for a while like maybe wait till end of february. Christmas broke me anyways, I still need a Co2 system that is large enough for this size tank so thats like 500 bucks then i still need light system, another 600 at least! so fish is not for a while, going to start slow and baby step, let the tank cycle for two months and plants grow in! 

I like the idea of 3 species of fish. I may just do that! may get a dozen discus later on! still debating! baby step! before fish I like to add some shrimp and let them build up a healthy population first! hey maybe make it one huge shrimp tank! fire red cherrys and bue tigers and a big school of neons to match the red and blue shrimp!!!!!!!!!!!


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

A huge shrimp tank would be pretty darn sweet. Having both populations breed well will be a bit hard as RCS and OEBT ideal parameters are a little far off. I don't think the neons would be too happy with the soft acidic water the OEBT require as well.

Are you looking into a in-line CO2 diffuser? Might be the only way for such a huge tank.


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

I had no idea about the tiger shrimps different water parameters, I just like the look of the blue tigers and no they will not breed with red cherrys!
I will have to do some research before getting shrimp!

defiinately need an in line C02 diffuser!


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

I can tell you all you need to know about RCS and OEBT ! I'm a huge shrimp fan haha.


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## aXio (May 29, 2011)

Looking really good so far. I can't wait to see how you plant it.


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

Neon tetras come from soft, acidic waters so that won't be a concern if you have the tank set up with OEBT water parameters in mind.

The lower temperatures that OEBT prefer might be more of an issue for tropical fish though.


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

Maybe I will have to scratch the tiger shrimp idea off then! I like warmer temps!
I seen a tank with bright blue tiger shrimp and bright red cherry shrimp together and they looked so beautiful together I thought, wow to have a tank with those shrimp together with fish the same colors now that would be something!
But then again don't neons prefer a lower temp then let's say fish like cardinals anyways so it may still be possible?


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Hm.. unless I was raising my neons all wrong haha. I had them at tap water (ph~7, TDS ~250) and they were thriving. Never had a single one die when my 10 gallon used to house fish. And I've heard many people keep neons and cardinal tetras together. Unless I also did that by mistake.


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## krillkill (Oct 2, 2010)

this is one insane build!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

ok just did my order for plants

12 plants of Vallisneria
6 pots of Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba' 'HC'
6 pots of Glossostigma elatinoides
4 pots of Eleocharis parvula Dwarf Hair Grass
2 pot of Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Mi Oya'
2 pot of Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Tropica'
2 pot of Lilaeopsis mauritiana Micro Sword
4 pots of Pogostemon helferi Downoi

next step is shop for some moss on ebay!


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

I am seriously impressed. You just took DIY to a whole new level. I can't wait to see the tank planted


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

thanks so much, I should have my plants in a few days! I am excited! cant wait, its been a long wait and alot of work to get there!!


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## pagemee (Nov 29, 2011)

Trying to figure out how to subscribe....

found it in advanced post. YES.

I agree with you, smaller schools of peaceful fish ftw


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

pagemee said:


> Trying to figure out how to subscribe....
> 
> found it in advanced post. YES.
> 
> I agree with you, smaller schools of peaceful fish ftw


Another way is to go to the top of the page. You'll see *Thread Tools*, click on that, and there's a subscribe option under it!


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

Tank is really coming along nice.


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## Mxx (Dec 29, 2010)

Apart from the little incident with the Windex, how well did the Novus work for taking out the scratches?

And as far north as Novia Scotia, how deep did you have to sink the pad footings for your extension in case they needed to be seated below the soil's frost line?


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

I didnt get all the scratches out but because I couldn't see any scratches in the test fill with water in I gave up on scratches! The windex attacked the acrylic too bad it would have to be sanded out with sanding wheel and didn't want to go that far into it!
Lesson learnt! Future will never use windex on acrylic again! 

Here we have to go four feet to get below frost line! 

I finished all my DIY plumbing to my DIY wet and dry and split return one runs into 6x UV and other goes to a 5 foot spray bar I made out of PVC pipi! 

Scored a 500 watt titanium heater to heat up water inside sump of wet and dry filter! 

I will take some pics and post! 

Tomorrow I am going to fill! I was going to do the dry start method but because the tank is so big and since I need to full with hose from outside tap and it's winter here and plus being in Canada the water will be far too cold for my plants when I do go to fill and considering 332 gallons would take a few hours to heat I am afraid the cold temps would be detrimental to my plants! So I figured filll the tank and let sit for a few weeks running, the water will be the right temp when I do start planting! 

I am ordering from Canadian aquatics and it is coming by plane which will cost a lot more the UPS, might as well get a dozen zebra Oto's wit my plant order and put in tank along with plants!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

ok filled tank but then had a major leak problem from bulkhead! also large driftwood lifted on right side pulling the rest with them and maing a huge mess!

drained tank, fixed leak and tied down all driftwood to rocks burys and fixed substrant! bought some more fluval stratum! got 3 57 dollar bags in there now!

then slowly filled a little at a time over the course of a week so driftwood could really get water logged!

really made sure driftwood wouldnt lift by securing down good!

layed down newspaper first









then layed down some plastic on top of newspaper









started filling










dont mind stand, still need to finish making that pretty, just needed it open to finish plumbing!

i have two pond pumps running one goes to spray bar i made and another goes to UV then to tank!


ok shot of tank all filled up
i had to use a shop T8 light that i made a wood frame around for now, it has 4 t8 6500k, also a 36 inch double t5ho fixture this will do me till my 72 inch light fixture comes, it will have 8 t5ho's and three 250 watt metel halides!


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## plecostomouse (Jun 9, 2011)

i am really impressed with the speed and effitancy you are setting up your tank!
i cant wait to see it planted!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

so I am sitting here with this full tank and no green! i have to wait two weeks for air cargo to open back up to ship in plants! 
so i happen to look on kijiji and some woman is selling a bunch of aquatic plants in a tank she is selling as well. the plants are 25 dollars the ad says! only problem she lives an hour and half drive from me and it is down pouring here!
I say hell with it, who cares about rain and distance and I jump into car and hit highway, get to her house and she also had a lava rock full of Anubus she said was growing for ten years, she said 25 bucks, so i slap 50 bucks down on table and left her house with a bag full of plants and a nice rock full of Anubus and headed the long ride home!

got home and cleaned plants up and cut all the Anubus off lava rock and started planting! was a nice mixture of plants and quite a few nice Crypts

full shot









right side









left side









deep shot from left side


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

nice to see some green in tank, cant wait to get all my carpet plants and mid ground and back ground plants, hook up my nice light and C02! but this will keep me happy for now! I think i scored out pretty good for a news years eve drive!


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## tharsis (Oct 9, 2009)

haha...I have seen some desperate people wanting to score some green but this is the first time I have seen anyone jonesing for the legal variety  

Seriously though, the tank looks sweet, what a great build!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

lmao! oh I made a few of those green trips in my life! but those days are long over now! 

thanks!

getting there, slowly but surely!


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## plecostomouse (Jun 9, 2011)

thats a lot of anubias


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

Once they all take root and start filling out on all the driftwood, along with some Taiwan moss I am getting! Oh it going to look real nice! I was also thinking I should add some Java fern to drift wood as well!

Can't wait to get all my gloss, HC and dwarf hair grass and start a nice carpet all around edges of the two islands!

I also got to clean up my spill overs on to the sand from the fill! Add some more pool filter sand along islands and pretty up! 

Going to add two 405 canister filters to the tank as well to go with my huge wet dry filter! Never can have too much filtration! 

I am thinking by march it will be where I want to be with tank! 

The old lady I bought plants from breeds bristle nose and red lizards! She had a bunch of baby long fin albinos, Reg albinos, long fin Reg and Reg,s! She had a whack of babies!5 bucks a baby! I am going to go back in a few weeks time! She also had a ton of cherry shrimp 10 dollars per dozen! She was a cool older lady in her 60's! She had like 10 tanks going!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

I feel like I should start a new journal! this journal was my journey to my 300 gallon tank but now I am there and my tank is finally up and running, i feel I should start a new one to journal the growth of the tank!

that way it opens up to the tank and description of tank! descripion, substrate, equipment, flora and fauna etc.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

I think you should keep everything here, so it's easy to reference back. But you can change the title of the journal and maybe update the first post with tank specs now that it's built? And move the build pictures to the 2nd post of whenever your next post is!

But keeping the build part on this journal will make people appreciate how hard you worked for this tank !


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

You are so right that's what I will do thanks so much for the advise!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

added a few more plants yesterday. and some fish today first fish, 15 black neons to help finish cycling tank.

oh and my woman needed to put a beta in the tank!






































oh shot of new fish











next week i finish building my DIY canopy plus my shipment of plants should be landing! all 35 pots and 6 matts! should be well planted by then!


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## CatfishGirl87 (Jan 4, 2012)

wow, awesome work.


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

:0) thanks


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

:drool:

You have my attention.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Get some floating plants in there to suck up nitrates! It'll also do well to provide some shade for some of the fauna!


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## Alaizabelle (Apr 7, 2011)

Amazing looking tank, I love the black islands for the plants


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## lollerpoop (Aug 29, 2010)

Whats the striped plant in the middle in the fourth shot?
It looks very much like a dracaena type or a Spathiphyllum...and they are not an aquariumplant.
If you start to notice after awhile that the leaves melt then remove it because it will pollute the water.
Great tank btw


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

Yah it's one of those house plants they sell at the LFS as an aquatic, it was only 2.99 so I thought I buy two which was actually 4 just to fill in space till my big order of plants arrive from afar which will be in a few days! then I will pull them out and slap in a pot and see if they grow!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

diwu13 said:


> Get some floating plants in there to suck up nitrates! It'll also do well to provide some shade for some of the fauna!


Plans for today is get some floating plants!

Also get everything I need including lights to build my DIY canopy!


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Sounds good! Don't get duckweed though! Frogbit or Hygroryza aristata look really nice with their long hanging roots!

Can't wait to see your DIY canopy haha. Using youtube again ?


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## davidwes (Jul 27, 2011)

Can you talk more about the top of the tank. It's uncovered, right? With that much surface area, is it attracting alot of dirt? Do you have a skimmer of some type?


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

I have the top of the tank covered in pieces of acrylic!

ok i started building my canopy yesterday!










i framed it out with left over strappin I had laying around from doing extension, then used 1/2 plywood for top

I bought single bulb 36 inch sunblaster T5H0 6500K










I bought two 10 foot aluminum gutters and cut them with snips 36 inch lengths.

the sunblasters have an extra connection wirte to run a chain of them but they were not long enough so i took one of the cord and cut pieces of it and may the extensions longer to fit my canopy










got all lights on










added some ceramic bulb sockets and started adding LED bulbs.




















tested LED's, they are blue and reds equal number in bulbs. 










tested lights











test fitted on tank











just need to make doors, I had some 3/4 inch plywood but thats too heavy so had to go buy a 3/8 plywood and cut doors right now i am lettting glue to cure over night since i glued on laminant flooring boards to match the ones i put on stand bottom!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

last night i planted some plants I got in the mail.

left side, see the HC I planted along edge of island










full shot from left angle










right side, as you cna see I am getting algae breakouts consistant with a new tank, i have all types of algae, but i am not worried in a few weeks it will be cleared out!











here is a depth shot from left side of tank in back i call this side grass alley, since i have 4 types of grass growing along this alley!










another shot of same side, I cant wait till all the foreground plants I have in tank grow out! I have them all in this tank pretty much! lol










took pics tonight, tomorrow i will have canopy doors on and canopy complete!

I also go 10 rummy nose tetras in tank, making stock now, 19 black neon tetras and 10 rummy nose, gonna wait another week and add an additonal 10 rummy noses. I also need to find some algae eaters to eat this algae especially the ugly BBA!


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Looking good on the tank and canopy design. Are you going to install fans to aid with the cooling? I'd imagine all those bulbs would make it pretty hot in there.

If you want good glass algae eaters get some nerites snails. For hair algae and others try amano shrimp. Both of those won't reproduce in freshwater though. I'm not sure what really eats BBA, I think you might have to fight that off yourself.

Also, I think you should put small rocks or something between the black and white substrate or it'll end up mixing really badly.


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## newday3000 (Nov 4, 2009)

Nice layout, this should look amazing when grown out. I like the alley view with mid ground plants growing into the alley.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Brilliant job Buddy! It's beyond words!!!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

Oh yah I forgot the pic with fan! I will add that soon! I was planning on getting more rocks but I need to take a drive to bay of fundy shores which is two hour drive to get more of the same rocks! 
But I was gonna get one of those little scoopers that you use for bearded dragons or leopard geckos to scoop poop out of sand since the black substrate is bigger pieces then the sand and I could scoop it out like lizard poop and place it back on islands! Gonna get one tomorrow and see how it works!


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Figured you had the fan already since you planned everything else out really well !

Even though you can scoop out the black pellets it'll keep happening over and over unless you block it with rocks or something. If you look at this person's tank http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals-photo-album/156071-sandy.html#post1611373 and look down. The guy uses rock and then ricca over the rock


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

iwhen i went to hydroponic store and bought the sunblasters they had these super powerful mini closet fans so i got one.

it blows like crazy although i dont fidn the sunblaster nor the LED's kick off much heat!










I think I am going to do the riccia on rocks thing for edges it looks awesome! thanks for the tip!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

eventually i like to have HC growing all along edges of islands where it meets the sand! think I will buy more HC to speed up process!


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## green_valley (Sep 14, 2011)

WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW....
that's what you call, "PROJECT".
Awesome tank. well done


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## doncityz (May 17, 2011)

This gonna look purty and sweet when cycling is complete and plants filled up.
Good job on the DIYs as well. Damn, i want BIG TANK NOW!


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## adriano (Nov 4, 2011)

Herculean effort thus far.

A+!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

Wow thanks everyon for the wonderful comments! Yah I can't wait till cycling is complete and water is clear! Gonna do some cleaning today and pretty up the sand! I been trying to do at least 5 to 10% waterr change daily! I been using the 5 gallone bucket method cause I want to declorinite the water! I think that's the word I am looking for! I need a small pump to make adding water from the buckets faster! I just don't want to kill any bacteria with the added tap water. Especially right now during cycling time when I need all the bacteria I can get! So adding 10 buckets full of water each time takes a bit of time!


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Seeing this thread for the first time and I must say I am impressed. roud: If I would have told my wife that I just bought a tank and need to add an addition onto the house for it, she would have head slapped me, so kuddos for the build! Would love to see a complete shot of the addition with the tank.

The tank is impressive, and the depth is awesome. You have done a great job of making it look like a natural habitat. It would be cool to see about 75 rummynose tetras schooling in that tank instead of 10. Good luck and subscribed!


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Ok. I have tank envy.:biggrin:

That light hood is a BEAST.


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## gotwins86 (Jul 30, 2007)

Simply amazing! Tank looks awesome!


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## davidwes (Jul 27, 2011)

It looks like with the canopy you not be able to view the tank from the top, just the 3 sides? 

The tank looks great but is there any chance you can take a picture of the whole room? I am very interested in the experience of that tank, ie what it feels like living with it as opposed to just how great the tank is by itself.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

I think there's pictures of the room in the beginning of the thread. Heck, he expanded his house for a fish tank.


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

my canopy is finally complete, three doors with paino hindges so they lift up nice!











i really didnt want to show off my whole front room i built because I didnt want to hear comments about the wood stove i put in and it being close to tank, but honestly it has no effect on tank, i added brick wall to deflect heat and put one on other side to match.

I always wanted a wood stove so I added it when i built extension. man it helps on the cold freezing nights!

please dont mind my windows and blanket curtains its just for now till I add frame around windows and put up some real curtains!

ok here is a wide shot of front room with tank to give a feel of it all!


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Honestly, I don't think any one will have problems with your extension, considering you did it 100% by yourself. I think it looks great! And hey, if the fish tank gets heated by your wood stove, then it's easier for you 

So how heavy is your entire hood? Can you lift it up yourself or do you need help? I assume at some point you'll need to service the lights so I ask haha.


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

if it was on the floor and i was standing in center i could lift canopy myself but because it is like 42 inches wide and 82 inches long i would need assistance in taking it down!

btw i even built the brick walls myself, thanks youtube!!!!


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## monkeyfish (Jul 5, 2010)

You should call your tank the Iliad or the Odyssey, cuz this build is Epic!


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## green_valley (Sep 14, 2011)

Very nice set up. Nice to look at. I like it. How long has this been up and running?


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

thanks, only been running 15 days!


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

It is like your room is attached to a small lake. I like it.roud:

This build is amazing. And nothing wrong with the wood stove. I want one of those now.:biggrin:


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

;0) thanks!

my alley way looking down 80 inches of tank!











my riccia bridge i made connecting both islands, will be nice when it grows out like a chia pet! cha cha chia! i cant wait to add some cory's and see them swim under the bridge!










i really love this driftwood and the way it was shaped with the big bridge like look. it was actually a root at one time. i had some type of fern attached but i am thinking the fern isnt even aquatic since even after a week no sign of roots at all so i removed some, think i will get some more java fern and place it on drift wood instead!











went and got 10 more rummys last night making my new total at 20 rummys, will wait like 4 or 5 days to let the bacteria load build up with the new stock then add another 10!
not exactly sure how many fish a person can add at a time and how much time between adds but i will try my best to baby step!

like to have 30 to 50 rummy noses.
30 lemon tetras
30 cardinals
oh and definately 18 roselines!










I should make a list of my flora in tank I think since i have quite a few species of plants in tank already!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

wide shot of my driftwood bridge. i been doing a good job at keeping substrate dirt out of sand!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

i have three levels of carpet plants based on size in this area. HC along edge then dwarf hair grass and finally staurogyne repens along driftwood edge. I think once it spreads and fills into each other it will look really nice!


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## green_valley (Sep 14, 2011)

Very nice ....Very nice....Very nice.


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## radioman (Oct 29, 2007)

This is an amazing build!!!! I think it is awesome how you bought a fish tank so big and decided you had to make room for it instead of buying something smaller.


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

radioman said:


> This is an amazing build!!!! I think it is awesome how you bought a fish tank so big and decided you had to make room for it instead of buying something smaller.


it was my dream tank and the price was unbelievable! it was only posted minutes before on kijiji and I just lucked out finding it on there and being the first to respond to ad! impulse buy! got it home and realized i had no room, so made room! ha ha! 

I cant stop staring at it! I get lost for hours gazing into it!


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## catchandrelease (Feb 12, 2010)

any new FTS??


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## davidwes (Jul 27, 2011)

ibmikmaq said:


> ok here is a wide shot of front room with tank to give a feel of it all!


Interesting that you didn't make the couch face the aquarium! And I love the stove and the floor!

What filter are you using?


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## Studman0143 (Mar 20, 2011)

How have I missed this thread since December. Definitely following! What an accomplishment in under 2 months! Great find on the wood too! I love the twisted shapes they present, especially the bridge look! Keep it up!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

Been a while since I updated, I had a major battle with every type of algae you can think of and its been a few weeks now and finally everything has settled and leveled out nicely!

blue green algea was easier then i thought it would be to beat! wiped it out in 4 days!

I now have a powerhead moving the water around nicely and added a bubbler to my sump to increase the oxygen as high as it can be, plants love the movement and are responding nicely, fish especially love it! and no more dead spots hence no my BGA!

left side










right side









left side looking in on deep shot










a few of my new captive bred baby roseline's, i have 15 of them in my tank now for 5 days and so far doing great!










oposite side of tank my rummy noses broke off into two school and took roselines with them










my current fish stock is now

20 rummy nose
18 black neons
30 cardinals
15 roselines
8 lemon tetras
10 bandit corys
4 siamese algae eaters
3 american flag fish females
and 1 harlequin that was living in a glass jar at my womans friend house for a month with no filter, heat nor bubbler so i gave it a new home!


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## Marconis (Nov 8, 2010)

Truly a gorgeous tank, and a very interesting build to follow. Well done!


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

thanks!! ;0)


here some plant shots










i got this little red bulb when i first started tank and for the longest time it wouldnt grow, but as soon as i hooked up powerhead it started growing!










my glosso is starting to spread nicely, soon i should have full ground cover hoping in another month










my two crypt spiralis










planted some glossos along this island shore line so hoping spreads










my frans stoffel sword, in a few months it should be beautiful










school of cardinals in back corner by my other frans stoffel sword










a couple of my favorite crypts in my tank, hoping the dwarf grass hair spreads around nicely, also got some nana vals growing around crypts as well! another small indian read red is seen!










top shot of my frans stoffel sword, isnt it pretty! i have a wack of duck week, going to clean some out soon, just letting my roselines settle in nicely first!


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Ugh, seems like your substrate colors really got mixed a lot :\


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

its ok once springs rolls in i will head for the bay of fundy and collect more of those same rocks again this time i will have them all along edge and clean up any black in sand and recap some pool filter sand.

by then the glossoshould be nice and spred all along edges to prevent any more mixing!


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

tank looks amazing, truely amazing.


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## vincenz (Jan 29, 2012)

This is so awesome. I still can't believe you just upped and built an extension to your house for your tank. Well done roud:


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## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

I just had to, my dream tank! I can't stop staring into it! I could spend hours watching the fish! 

My filtration is an overflow in back of tank the trickles down into 30 gallons of bioballs and pot scrubbers mixed together! Then goes thru different sponges then up thru 4 inches of japanese filter Matt that goes into a 50 gallon sump that I keep my mechanical filtration that then goes thru more Japanese filter Matt then carbon cartridges lined up side by side then thru filter floss Matt then into my return which houses my heater and 3 pond pumps, had two but now got three pumping somewhere around 1600 gallons per hour! I have a huge bubbler stick in the return to add extra oxygen! 
I add my metricide and ferts in the return because the bubbler mixes it well and the return holds 10 gallons of water so it doesnt flow into tank at high concentrations!


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## magnum (Jun 23, 2011)

Nice tank man! How about an update? How are the roselines doing?


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