# 125 gal. Apisto Paradise - Updated 7/21



## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

We just bought a house and we now have a perfect spot for a 125. I would love to bigger, but I don't want to have to reinforce our floor.... 

I sold my 75 and found a good deal for a 125 on Craigslist. I will still need to make a stand for it, so it won't be up and running or a while, but I wanted to plan it out careful ad slowly since I have never done a tank this large. 

I have plans of doing a sump but wanted some direction as I want to use an overflow box as the tank is not drilled. I am planning on using a system similar to mr. Barr, running pressurized into the sump and a needle wheel back into the tank for high level of misting. 

I am wanting this more of a medium tech set up, using some elements of EI dosing, medium light, pressurized co2, but avoiding lots of stems as I want to minimize the amount of maintenance. 

Thinking about a very large school of cardinals with a nice group of apistos. 

Another possibility would be a big group of Roseline barbs. 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I want to do this the right way the first time.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*

Craigslist score!

Next, put plan together for stand..


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## UDGags (Sep 13, 2009)

I just set up a 125g (cycling now) and my advice would be to take your time and put a complete plan together before you start. I took a few months researching and it was worth it in the end.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*

I have been thinking about it for some time. I have never run a sump before so I was hoping to get some advise here. The other possibility was running an Rena X5....

Did you start a journal that I could check out?


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## UDGags (Sep 13, 2009)

*Re: New 125!*

The journal is in my signature.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2


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## stevenjohn21 (May 23, 2012)

rballi said:


> I have been thinking about it for some time. I have never run a sump before so I was hoping to get some advise here. The other possibility was running an Rena X5....



Is that a cross breed between a rena XP-4 and fluval FX5 ;-)


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*



stevenjohn21 said:


> Is that a cross breed between a rena XP-4 and fluval FX5 ;-)


Ha ha, been a super long day removing wall paper from a room with a vaulted ceiling...


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*

Any good resources out there for a first time sump user?


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## UDGags (Sep 13, 2009)

I found this video/post helpful when setting mine up.


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## thelub (Jan 4, 2013)

There are also some good youtube videos explaining sump setups. I'm on a similar journey. I just picked up a 200g and I'm guessing it will be several months before its filled with water.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*

The wife is also showing concern after she saw how big the tank is. From what I have researched, on paper I have an ideal spot for the tank next to a load bearing wall and perpendicular to the floor joists. I want to reinforce the floor to add some piece of mind. My preliminary plan is to double up the 2x8s and use concrete to support a retaining wall held up with floor jacks. Any experience on this would be helpful also....


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*

After poking at the crawl space again, the joists are sitting directly on the foundation of the house right where the tank is going so if anything else I am going to build a small load bearing wall from concrete blocks, then shimmed with lumber for extra support and to keep the floor from bouncing when you walk. 

I am struggling to come up with a plan for the tank. I think my sump and overflow plan is quite simple, my lighting will be lower/medium starting out... And I am thinking about dirting the tank but have never done this before. It seems like the amount of maintenance I am looking for, and seems that it is fairly inexpensive. (Not wanting to shell out $35 per 20 lbs of substrate this go around.) I am going to do some research on dirt tanks but anyone with some helpful pointers on doing it with this size of tank would be helpful. 

Fish I am thinking of right now.

30 panda cories
20 otocinclis
5-7 bristle nose plecos
~100 cardinals
8-10 apistogramma cacatuoides
40 lemons tetras (not sure about this yet)

Going to be finding some nice manzanita and putting a lot if hard scape in this guy...

I also think it will be pretty easy to put in a drain and taps for easy draining and refill...lots of fun stuff to do with this tank!


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*

So I decided I am going to drill the tank and use an overflow kit from glass-holes.com. I really just don't want to mess with a siphon overflow system. Seems much simpler and easier to maintain this way. I am scared about drilling the tank without any experience before, but from the reading I have done, as long as you have the proper tools and plan, it really shouldn't be a problem. 

I also started putting together my stand in sketchup and will post what I am going to do with that. We still have a couple projects to do with the house before I will get the green light so at least the planning keeps me going in the mean time.


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## Dx3Bash (Jan 9, 2013)

rballi said:


> So I decided I am going to drill the tank


 EEK  !!! Good luck, you only get one shot at this so make it count.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*

Update with the stand....still have much work to do. I am taking my time working on my woodworking skills , so I have acquired some tools and such, want to do it the right way this time


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## thelub (Jan 4, 2013)

Drilling glass is much easier than it seems. Just be patient so you don't get ugly exits on your holes. And get more than 1 hole cutter in case you wear 1 out you have a backup. Flush the cut generously with water to keep things cool and you'll be OK.

If you need more help on glass cutting and other DIY parts of your tank, DIYFishkeepers.com has a lot of good resources for that stuff.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*

The canopy is basically done, just needs some sanding, stain and poly. 

Curious to know what makes more sense: coat the inside of the canopy with poly? Or put a couple of coats of white paint on the inside?

I got my glass-holes.com overflow kit that I will try to get done this weekend. Also bought a used eheim 1262 pump for the sump return of eBay. I am anxious to get all this crap out of my garage!


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*









Unfinished...









Walnut stain and coat I poly...


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*

I finally got around to drilling the tank. Not as scary as I thought it was going to be. Just have the right tools and enough time to do it patiently. 

I got the back if the tank painted and my poor wife helped me get it into place so I could at least see what it is going to look like in there. Wife thinks the canopy is too tall...I think it just looks majestic....

Haven't put the hardware on yet, but all in all I am pretty pleased how it all turned out. Don know how many hours I actually put in, but more than I would like to admit.















Now the fun stuff really begins!


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## ChadRamsey (Nov 3, 2011)

thats a great looking stand and canopy


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*



ChadRamsey said:


> thats a great looking stand and canopy


Thanks!

I am going to fill it with water today to see if my house falls down...


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## jczz1232 (May 8, 2008)

Great wood work !


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## tattooedfool83 (Mar 15, 2013)

You should go pro with that woodworking. Looks awesome man


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*

I am really torn as to what I should stock it with...

I was thinking Roseline sharks, angels (maybe Altums), Discus, or something else. Any ideas?


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## Dan Knowlton (Jan 9, 2009)

rballi said:


> IDon know how many hours I actually put in, but more than I would like to admit.


And I hear your wife in the background saying "I know EXACTLY how many hours and I am NOT happy!" :biggrin:

Dan K.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*



Dan Knowlton said:


> And I hear your wife in the background saying "I know EXACTLY how many hours and I am NOT happy!" :biggrin:
> 
> Dan K.


She was quite complimentary the whole time, an then once I put it all together the first thing she said was, "it's huge".

Tank is filled and my house is still standing! I did as much research and looking under my floor as I could and it all seemed to add up that this would be a great spot for the tank without any additional reinforcement. (Tank sits on joists running perpendicular to the floor and the joists sit directly on the foundation under the wall), but it is amazing how nervous I still felt as it was filling up and hearing the stand settle with that much weight...


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## Allentan97 (Jul 1, 2012)

this is awesome! i need to keep up with this build! really good job with the stand and canopy!


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

I agree with the wife, it is huge:icon_lol: But so very nice enough to be an assist to the room rather then a bad thing. Its going to look epic once its all planted.

Stocking wise I can't help much, but I like the fish you are thinking about, bigger fish make more of an impact, tried the little fish route and didn't care much for it. 

Out of the three I would personally go with altums, love wild angels!! I went with Congo tetra personally, and besides the fact that they are shy as heck atm, I love them!!!!! Though if I had to switch I would take angels


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*

I would really live to go Altums, but then I would need to start them with RO most likely...maybe just some nice wild scalare F1's....

I am thinking about going to an LED fixture for the tank instead of My ah supply PCs..

I would most likely build it myself but I have no idea how many LED's I should be shooting for..


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*

I got the sump plumbing done and working. Now I just need to decide how I am going to lay things out. I need to do some fine tuning also to the sump drains. Making a bit too much noise and bubbles in the sump.

I also ordered some manzanita from mr. Barr and need to go do some rock collecting. Tho project is moving slowly due to the cost which has been good for me to work through things much slower than I want to.

I think I am going to use organic potting soil with pool filter sand as a cap. Still toying with the idea of doing DSM, which will require a different level of patience that I am not sure i have...


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*

Sump design done. 3 chambers. Each dropping about an inch. I am thinking bio balls/pot scrubbers for the first one. Second will be or the heater(s) and filter floss, third will be return and co2 needle wheel.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*

Got my lighting started, I ordered too few bulbs so my coverage on the left and right isn't ideal, but the shimmer is really nice and I am getting a par meter from a lfs here locally to take some readings. I think I will need to do an additional row of gu10's. The light doest appear to be as bright, but these are so directional it is hard to tell without anything in the tank. i stuck a few rocks in there for reference and brought home 13 tetras that were on sale to get my tank started with the cycling. that way, when i get the soil in and my tank planted, I will hopefully have a head start. 

Here are a couple photos of the build. The tank looks pretty awesome at night, but the ambient light during the day drowns it out a bit...


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Great build & great job on the stand & canopy! Where did you get your LED's from and what did you get...interested in them if they work.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

rballi said:


> After poking at the crawl space again, the joists are sitting directly on the foundation of the house right where the tank is going so if anything else I am going to build a small load bearing wall from concrete blocks, then shimmed with lumber for extra support and to keep the floor from bouncing when you walk.
> 
> I am struggling to come up with a plan for the tank. I think my sump and overflow plan is quite simple, my lighting will be lower/medium starting out... And I am thinking about dirting the tank but have never done this before. It seems like the amount of maintenance I am looking for, and seems that it is fairly inexpensive. (Not wanting to shell out $35 per 20 lbs of substrate this go around.) I am going to do some research on dirt tanks but anyone with some helpful pointers on doing it with this size of tank would be helpful.
> 
> ...


 
If you think you need to consult with a structural engineer, I can get you a few numbers. If the tank is perpendicular to the floor joists, the house is a newer (using engineered I-joists) and along an exterior wall, I have little concern you will run into an problems. Actually I would be more concerned to have a CMU wall built on top of the slab in the basement as they (if just a normal slab on grade) are built to shift with soils conditions underneath. I have not designed anything in Centennial so I don't have much knowledge in the way of the soils, but I suspect they are like other Colorado soils conditions and pretty clay laden.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*New 125!*



Noahma said:


> If you think you need to consult with a structural engineer, I can get you a few numbers. If the tank is perpendicular to the floor joists, the house is a newer (using engineered I-joists) and along an exterior wall, I have little concern you will run into an problems. Actually I would be more concerned to have a CMU wall built on top of the slab in the basement as they (if just a normal slab on grade) are built to shift with soils conditions underneath. I have not designed anything in Centennial so I don't have much knowledge in the way of the soils, but I suspect they are like other Colorado soils conditions and pretty clay laden.


Thanks! It was those points exactly that made me feel comfortable enough to fill the tank and see what would happen. It was kind of nerve racking as my stand compressed under the weight and made a couple of nice noises, but everything looks fine from my vantage point. Though engineering isn't my thing I am pretty good at Jenga . I figured I would start to see stress in the tile floor if I was having any sort of issue, and luckily I have really easy access to the crawl space to check on it periodically. House was built in 1998, the joists are 2x12's running perpendicular and resting directly on the exterior foundation wall. I will get some pictures and maybe that would be helpful...


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

So I think I have come closer to selecting my main inhabitants for the tank. I was showing my wife, and an she really liked the many of the geophagus species. I have never kept then before so I need to start doing some reading. I would really love to keep a nice group of apistos as well, but I have heard mixed opinions on this. 

Got driftwood in the tank soaking and with all the tannins leaching out, it brought a different mood to the room that I liked a lot. 

Project will need to be put on hold for a bit as I need some more money to do it the right way. Any thoughts as to which geophagus species would be appreciated! I am thinking one I the smaller species, tapajos red or something along those lines...

I will get some photos of the hard scape as soon as that is done this week.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Wood soaking it up...


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Nice!! where'd ya get the wood?


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Noahma said:


> Nice!! where'd ya get the wood?


Tom Barr


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

rballi said:


> Tom Barr


 
ahh, looks nice. I purchased one of his nano kits a couple years ago. Great wood. I might have to do that again next year, my scapes usually stick around for a year or so.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Noahma said:


> ahh, looks nice. I purchased one of his nano kits a couple years ago. Great wood. I might have to do that again next year, my scapes usually stick around for a year or so.


There are some really nice pieces in this batch, really happy with it. I just need to find some rock locally here now...


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

If you can make it up north, Paulino Gardens has rock for a very good price (.50/lb) for moat types. I have river worn lava rock (black) in my flora, and lace rock in my 40b. They have a bunch of types.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Noahma said:


> If you can make it up north, Paulino Gardens has rock for a very good price (.50/lb) for moat types. I have river worn lava rock (black) in my flora, and lace rock in my 40b. They have a bunch of types.


Good stuff, I have been calling around to different garden stores looking for some options but have struck out. I think we might make a day out of it and head up I-70 and see what I can find up there for free. 

Rio grande Co seems to be one of the only places that I can find #20 silica sand (pool filter sand) and wanted to know where others in Denver area have picked it up.

I obviously am going to have to scrap the dirt idea if I do end up getting geo's, which will limit to some degree what kind of plants and where to put them. I think I will also get a bunch of Indian almond leaves to scatter around. This might end up being a rio ***** biotope as things progress. We will see.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Sand in and I started messing with the hard scape a bit..









The shimmer from the LED's over the sand is even nicer!


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

That is insane, I love it.

geophagus is going to limit your plant choices for sure, but they are lovely fish and you can really make a wicked tank around them. Can't wait to see what you decide on:bounce:


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## xxUnRaTeDxxRkOxx (Jul 12, 2011)

Following!!!!!!!


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## ChadRamsey (Nov 3, 2011)

great scape!


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

I am not sure if the scape is goon to stay, it was done somewhat haphazardly and I really want some rock towards the back with the driftwood over the top. 

The biotope idea might not really work as I would like more plants than pennywort and cabomba. http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/...0-BEB7-47424E0EB0A9-1150-000000D526DAA1FF.mp4

You can see the shimmer nicely in this video.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Video fixed...


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

New configuration. Going to add a couple dozen stones of various sizes toward the bottom of the manzanita.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

This is my planned stock list. 

5 Geophagus Redhead Tapajos
5 Silver Angels
8 Panda Corys
5 Bristenose Plecos
50 Rummynose Plecos


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

I found someone that was selling some bushynose on Craigslist. He had 35 1" or so reg and albinos that he gave to for $40. The plan is to keep these guys in here until they are bigger and I can get some nice trade value for them to try to get some of the other stocking that I am looking to do. I figure after a couple of months, I should e able to sell these for $3-4, or get about the same in store credit if anyone will take sole of them. I think I would like to keep to 5 fish at adult size, but keep breeding and selling...


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

New scape. I didn't collect enough rock, so I will be adding some more for the driftwood to rest on throughout the bottom of the tank.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

I really like this hardscape.


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

Coming together really nicely, I agree it could use a couple more rocks. I do really like the rocks you've chosen though, they go nicely with the wood imo.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Yeah, I want to get quite a bit more rock in there. I just wanted to see what the stone looked like against the sand and the driftwood before I dragged a bunch more back to my house. 

Here is a shot of what the tank looks like in the room. Driftwood is still leaching quite a bit of tannins despite several 75% water changes over the past 2 weeks or so..

Bushynose are doing well so far. Lost one due to getting stuck in the overflow box. Should be getting some painted fire reds that I will try to get going in this tank. Since my livestock purchases are far down the road, I want to see if I can get a nice prolific colony going so that when I do introduce the angels and geo's they can maintain a healthy population despite some definite casualties. With the amount of rock and how densely I am going to plant, there should be plenty of hiding spots.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Well, Russell, I think that it looks wonderful. In fact, if ou are going for a true biotope, you may want to consider leaving the tannins "in" and adding some black water extract or perhaps some oak leaves, etc.? Maybe some E. tennelus, though that might be tricky to do with the Geo's. Maybe a random Amazon Sword or two coming up between a few rocks instead?

Anyhow, I think it looks great! You did a fantastic job with the hardscape.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

crazydaz said:


> Well, Russell, I think that it looks wonderful. In fact, if ou are going for a true biotope, you may want to consider leaving the tannins "in" and adding some black water extract or perhaps some oak leaves, etc.? Maybe some E. tennelus, though that might be tricky to do with the Geo's. Maybe a random Amazon Sword or two coming up between a few rocks instead?
> 
> Anyhow, I think it looks great! You did a fantastic job with the hardscape.


I am dropping the biotope idea... I am going to load this thing with Anubis and needle leaf java fern and crypts, maybe some e. tenellus as well.


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

rballi said:


> This is my planned stock list.
> 
> ....
> 5 Bristenose Plecos
> 50 Rummynose Plecos


Tank and scape looks great! But as for your plans for fauna... 55 plecos makes for a lot of $#!+ lol. 

Just kidding =D
I do like the oak leaf/dye idea as well. I've seen some great scapes that utilized that.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

MikeP_123 said:


> Tank and scape looks great! But as for your plans for fauna... 55 plecos makes for a lot of $#!+ lol.
> 
> Just kidding =D
> I do like the oak leaf/dye idea as well. I've seen some great scapes that utilized that.


These guys are tiny..but they still do poop a TON. Baffling really...I will be pulling the majority of them at some point, couple of months from now...


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Added 5 painted fire red shrimp, and some really nice cherries from my work tank. Still need to gather some stone for the hardscape and plant this thing before I put any more animals in here. By then, hopefully the cherries will start getting established. 

I am kind of thinking about with my original plan and adding a nice group of apistos instead of the geo's...

Will be looking for some nice wild-type angels after adding a large school of rummynose or cardinals...


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

New scape, I think this will stay...


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Some new pics. Got some plants in today...c. Undulata "red", wendtii green, and tropica. S. repens and a TON of needle leaf java fern. Will be ordering a bunch of a. Coffeefolia.


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## TheFrenchOne (Apr 29, 2013)

Great scape! I love it.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Better shot with all the lights on. The previous ones are with just the LEDs...


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Looks great. I saw a large A. coffeefolia yesterday at neptunes. 6 or so inches.


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## ChadRamsey (Nov 3, 2011)

great looking scape :thumbsup:


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

BruceF said:


> Looks great. I saw a large A. coffeefolia yesterday at neptunes. 6 or so inches.


I places an order for 20 plants through firedupaquatics.net

Some guy has been advertising on Craigslist and started this site. I guess they are based in Golden and got me a really good price. Do you remember how much it was?


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

Nice looking set up! Here are a couple things that might help you out in the future.

1: If you can, hang your lighting rather than fixing it to the canopy, that'll let you adjust the distance to water's surface should you ever want or need more intensity. 

2: 125's aren't tall enough for Altums. A full sized adult can have a finspan of over a foot and 18 inches (minus substrate) isn't really enough room for them to spread their wings. Wild type Scalare may be a better choice for the long haul. With all that sand, discus would be happy in there too. 

3: If you're going to have a lot of epiphytes on that wood a water mover pushing a current behind it will help keep fresh water circulating around the roots. I've found Anubias in particular appreciate that a lot and it'll help keep detritus from settling down in places you can't get to.

Hope this helps!


Cories! Get a lot of Cories!  I bet they'll love it in there and spawn like crazy.

Looking forward to seeing how this tank matures. You've got an eye for detail that will serve you well. 

Cheers,
Phil


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Phil Edwards said:


> Nice looking set up! Here are a couple things that might help you out in the future.
> 
> 1: If you can, hang your lighting rather than fixing it to the canopy, that'll let you adjust the distance to water's surface should you ever want or need more intensity.
> 
> ...


I appreciate the feedback! 

I wanted to do an open top on this tank but we have 2 small kids and my wife didn't want them getting any fun ideas down the road about throwing stuff in there or whatever. 

The cool thing about this canopy is that the lights are hung from inside so I can still adjust the light intensity!









I decided against Altums a while back as I don't want to deal with RO also. Wild types though is definitely on the stocking list!

Here is my most current vision:

6-8 apistogramma (maybe cacs or borelli, need to see what I can find for a reasonable price)
5-6 wild angels
4-5 bristlenose
~12 panda cories
100-120 rummynose

Should be getting all that anubias in this afternoon. I was planning on getting a couple circulation pumps as my returns are the corners, but actually generate quite a bit of current. As the tank fills in I will need some reinforcement there...


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## miwoodar (Jul 5, 2007)

Russell, I wish you lived a little closer. I was bummed to learn that Centennial extends all the way to Kansas!


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

miwoodar said:


> Russell, I wish you lived a little closer. I was bummed to learn that Centennial extends all the way to Kansas!


Yeah, it is out here a ways...though I work in the DTC so it makes me a bit more centrally located if need be..


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

miwoodar said:


> Russell, I wish you lived a little closer. I was bummed to learn that Centennial extends all the way to Kansas!


 
there are a few of us close together, and the rest spread all over the state lol.


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## miwoodar (Jul 5, 2007)

I live near chatfield rez. I'm new to the hobby - looking forward to meeting more planted geeks and seeing the local tanks in person.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Got my anubias in yesterday and I really like how it complements everything this far. Stuff needs to grow in and I might want to put a few more rhizomes in there as well. 

I moved a couple of branches around and moved the needle leaf more towards the back.


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## Cinbos (Dec 8, 2012)

Love this tank. I have been contemplating changing my 125G SA Cichlid tank to a full on planted tank. I havent worked up the nerve yet. Yours looks great. The anubias really did give the tank a different attitude.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Here are some shots of my newest additions. The ACA convention was here in Denver and while I couldn't hang out there much, I did pick up 3 nice pairs of some Apistogramma Borelli 'Belle Union'. They are F1's who's parents were collected in Peru at Belle Union...wherever that is...

Fish are gorgeous and they haven't totally settled in yet. The guy who sold them to me said when they were collected yet had an intense red on the rear part of the fish that he has not been able to manifest the same in captivity. I am hoping to pick up a couple more domestic females at some point to get what I had I visioned for this group of fish. 





















As a side note, these bristlenose won't stop pooping. Crazy stuff. I have been trying to sell them locally...but I might have to just take them to an LFS for some store credit. 

I also got a cerges reactor from the needle wheel pump. Seems to work well, but I am still getting a fair amount of micro bubbles in the sump that are being pushed to the display. Need to do some tinkering with the pump I suppose.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Finally got a good shot of what seems to be the alpha. He is coloring up real nice!


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Got some fireworks going on tonight. While I can't actually see eggs, I almost am positive that at least one of the females have eggs. They turn into total crazies it's awesome! Wish I could get a photo of the intense yellow color but she is too elusive right now. Here is to hoping for some little guys swimming around in about a week!


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## Chrisinator (Jun 5, 2008)

Awesome A. borelli!


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## Dx3Bash (Jan 9, 2013)

rballi said:


> Finally got a good shot of what seems to be the alpha. He is coloring up real nice!
> 
> View attachment 181121


Nice looking fish.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

The male is doing some pretty awesome displaying that I will try to photograph with my wife's dlsr tomorrow.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Added 20 rummynose yesterday. The one female borelli seems to be hunkered down with some eggs, though it is so dark and hard to see so I can't be sure. I haven't see the third male in a while either. Fearing the worst for him...


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Got free swimmers today. One if the other females spawned also and is hunkered down tightly. I LOVE watching these guys. Very interesting.


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## fishboy199413 (Jan 20, 2010)

Very cool. Good luck with the fry.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/...5-9B7A-699C700E7DF9-2532-000002BA82E6125B.mp4

Here is a short video if the tank and my most recent full tank shot. Still trying to dial in co2, but the s. repens is filling in nicely.


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

This tank is really looking good. Great Job!


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## FWKiller (Jul 23, 2012)

Wow the hardscape is beautiful. As much as I love watching plants grow I'd be tempted to aggressively trim this tank to keep the hardscape in focus. Or stay low tech with subdued lighting, keep it mysterious. Bravo :thumbsup:


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

FWKiller said:


> Wow the hardscape is beautiful. As much as I love watching plants grow I'd be tempted to aggressively trim this tank to keep the hardscape in focus. Or stay low tech with subdued lighting, keep it mysterious. Bravo :thumbsup:


The stems on the left side I think will eventually be replaced with serving more low-maintanence. Eventually I will raise the lights back up once I get a bit denser growth as I didn't start out with enough plant mass to get the look I wanted. I am planning on adding some moss to the hardscape to soften some of the edges, but not cover then up.


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## Cinbos (Dec 8, 2012)

I love this tank! I actually like how the branches are going downward as opposed to upward like most aquascapes. The plants are perfect in my eyes. Looks like you have some easy to maintain plants. What are all the plants and fish now in the tank? Also, are you using any Co2? And what are the specs of the lights?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Haven't updated things in a bit. Everything has grown in a bit more including some nice staghorn algae. I raises the lights several inches and things are doing better.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

rballi said:


> Haven't updated things in a bit. Everything has grown in a bit more including some nice staghorn algae. I raises the lights several inches and things are doing better.


 
Lookin Great!!


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

Tank looks amazing, I am envious.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Cinbos said:


> I love this tank! I actually like how the branches are going downward as opposed to upward like most aquascapes. The plants are perfect in my eyes. Looks like you have some easy to maintain plants. What are all the plants and fish now in the tank? Also, are you using any Co2? And what are the specs of the lights?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks! Everything in the tank is pretty easy to maintain. That was the plan from the beginning. I wanted things to grow and change slowly. I am injecting co2, but I am not sure if I will long term.
I have the capacity to raise the lights by another 8-10" so. I might go to dosing metricide only or perhaps no co2. My sump design doesn't involve a full siphon like on a bean animal (would have done things differently now) so I get a pretty good gas off which means I will burn through co2 like crazy. The tank is a piece of cake right now and the fish are breeding and the plants a growing in nicely...


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## Cinbos (Dec 8, 2012)

rballi said:


> Thanks! Everything in the tank is pretty easy to maintain. That was the plan from the beginning. I wanted things to grow and change slowly. I am injecting co2, but I am not sure if I will long term.
> I have the capacity to raise the lights by another 8-10" so. I might go to dosing metricide only or perhaps no co2. My sump design doesn't involve a full siphon like on a bean animal (would have done things differently now) so I get a pretty good gas off which means I will burn through co2 like crazy. The tank is a piece of cake right now and the fish are breeding and the plants a growing in nicely...


Awesome man! Tank looks great as always. What fish are breeding? Also, what is the carpet plant? Repens?




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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Cinbos said:


> Awesome man! Tank looks great as always. What fish are breeding? Also, what is the carpet plant? Repens?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Apistogramma borelli, and yea it is s. repens


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Some new inhabitants today.

8 dime sized silver P. scalare


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Updated photo. Things are growing slowly but steadily.


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## thelub (Jan 4, 2013)

Love it. Looks amazing!


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Finished a much needed rescape...

I stopped injecting on this tank only after about 2 months...and I want to give it a go again. I modified my overflow a bit so now I have a 3rd drain at full siphon to minimize co2 loss as much as possible. 

Now to clean out the cabinet...











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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

A picture and a video. Some of the Anubias needs to be put back in place. I am really liking the simplicity of this setup. 

I am reevaluating the co2 delivery a little bit. I had an old super long gravel vac that I am going to attempt to make a modified reactor to keep noise down from o2 later in the day. Overall, it is nice having the tank cleaned up and looking good again!


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## ChadRamsey (Nov 3, 2011)

nicely done. I really like it


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## j-pond (Dec 18, 2008)

I really like the old scape, but REALLY like the new scape, can't wait to see how it all goes back together. please keep pics coming


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## sadchevy (Jun 15, 2013)

Great looking tank. Love following these large tanks, seeing the progression of others is great inspiration. Hardware I do great with, my artistic ability is lacking. Seeing this and others gives me hope. Keep up the great work!


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*Rballi's 125 [rescape 4/17]*

I came up with a somewhat modified co2 reactor that goes right in the sump. It seems that the efficiency has gone way, but I am still get some misting as not everything is dissolved before it comes out the end and is picked up by the return pump.










http://youtu.be/qERLEoifVKo/


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*Rballi's 125 [rescape 4/17]*

http://youtu.be/-vFtWkoMc-g

Video of the tank.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Picked up 30 cardinals today. They look awesome in here!


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

I have continued to experiment with what makes sense in terms if co2 diffusion and came up with this contraption.









The smaller rio pump is my needle wheel that pumps co2 enriched water into the 1.5 inch PVC which it immediately slows down the speed of the water. Larger bubbles raise toward the top and then are drawn into the canal tubing that feeds back into the needle wheel. Since the PVC is so much wider than the vinyl tubing, not all of the water gets drawn back into the needle wheel but instead gets sucked up by the return pump and into the display. I am getting 0 waste in the sump and not nearly as many bubbles in the display, though I am still getting some misting. 

The only thing I am concerned about that I still haven't seen wether it will be a problem or not is if over the course of a photo period if the needle wheel will get air locked. 

Any input here?


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Added some more angels last week from denvertankcollector. 

The two that I had in here paired up and spawned today at some point.


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## exv152 (Jun 8, 2009)

Your new scape is nice, but I'm a bigger fan of the old aquascape.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

With as much rock there was, I was getting so much gunk behind it all. It just needs some time to grow in. This is much more of a plant scape than a hard scape.


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

That's an interesting concept for your co2. I have my needle wheel running into a cerges style reactor post needle wheel pump and then back into my sump and pointed at the return pump. I get a little misting in the tank but not to the point that it bothers me. By the end of the photo period it mixes right in with all the pearling.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

It hasn't been working how I originally thought because the pump will get air locked if it goes long enough. I am going to try modifying it at some point where it isn't a loop, but will have a Venturi like set up where the power head will draw air from the PVC as the air pocket grows throughout the day. That might work a little better.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Wrigglers!


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## vanish (Apr 21, 2014)

You need to update your signature as you 75 Gallon is no more! Add this one!

PS: Nice job. You still liking your LED build?


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Gutted the scape and went dirty! 

I put down a nice layer of organic potting mix and pulled the driftwood. I am speculating that this batch of driftwood was breaking down more quickly than others and due to the high amount of organics I was having such a hard time keeping the black beard algae in check. I pulled the Co2 for now, raised the lights and just put in a bunch of rocks. I am going low/medium tech this time around and my new job has me on the road during most weeks. 

I am not a huge fan of the scape, but once all the plants grow in, you won't see much of it anyway. The idea was more to create lots of space and territories for my apisto colony. I have 3 males and 9 female cacatuoides, which makes for a fascinating dynamic in this size of a tank. Everyone send pretty happy and I am already serving spawns. 

I might add co2 later, but things are moving along just fine right now. Looking to grow a dwarf sag carpet and let things get a little unruly. Let me know if you have any simple suggestions for the scape.


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

I like it. Don't you have plecos that need wood though? 
I personally love rock scapes, I don't know why. Just having spots where the fish can go and you can't see them makes it very interesting.

You'll like the dirt. I have a good sand cap though so I never worry about dirt leaking even when I pull plants and the plecos dig.

If your like me, you won't want co2 back. It seemed like it was just trimming all the time. My plants now are thick and beautiful and nearly manageable. Sometimes I think I still have c02 the way some of the plants grow though.

I think dwarf sag will look nice. I recently went with it as well, I nearly have a full carpet now. It's not as unruly looking as I imagined it would be, and its super easy to maintain.


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## Vancat2 (Jun 23, 2010)

following


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## Raul-7 (Oct 17, 2003)

I think it needs driftwood. All that empty vertical space needs to be filled.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*Rballi's 125 Apisto Paradise*

The plants need to grow in better, and I think that will help a lot with the vertical space. The tall pants are all bunches of needle leaf java fern which will fill things out a bunch


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## Hyzer (Mar 9, 2010)

rballi said:


> The plants need to grow in better, and I think that will help a lot with the vertical space. The tall pants are all bunches of needle leaf java fern which will fill things out a bunch


Good choice of plants there. I think the needle java bushes will go nicely with the rounded stone scape. Look forward to seeing this grown in.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Nice photo opp with a nice big clutch from my Angel pair


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Pretty boy!


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

ordered a 72" Build My LED "Black Friday" special light today. 6500k fixture...so much for simplification...


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*Rballi's 125 Apisto Paradise*

Most recent update. Was it if town for about two weeks and due to some adjustment with a new co2 reactor I had built, my flow dropped significantly and I got some bba and this funky, carpet like black algae that grew all over the sand. 

I built in a bypass so I can keep with flow up on my return pump, while locking in the flow rate through my enormous reactor (4'x2"). 

I also got my "black Friday special" 6500k LED rig in from Build My LED and I am very impressed. Tank is still clearing up after a water change, but here is a full tank shot.









I am rethinking the use of driftwood. I have a bunch sitting in my garage, but I need to clean off all of the bba that has died and dried on there really good.


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

Tank looks nice. I am going to get a buildmyled, but can not decide on which one, does that one makes the fish and plants both look nice? I want my Congos to look their best, but also want something for the plants.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

I think it nice job of both. I am not sure how good of a comparison I can offer only because my previous fixture had some cheap bulbs that didn't do either well...


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## exv152 (Jun 8, 2009)

Which BML fixture did you go with, maybe I missed this earlier, is it the dutch, iwagumi etc?


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

Thanks, I have cheap bulbs as well, so anything is going to be better. I just hope to get something that will last me 10 years and don't want to make the wrong decision.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

It was the"black Friday special". It is a 6500k spectrum fixture they did just for that weekend. I believe it is still being sold, just at the regular price. The thing is a tank though! Very well built.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Took a video of the pearling happening on this tank later in the day. Feel like for the first time ever in this tank I have the lighting, co2, and flow locked down. 

https://vimeo.com/115146430


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

New moonlights. 

I took these LED nightlight from Wal-Mart, pulled off the diffuser party and stuck them into an extension cord. $6 bucks later and I got this'll










Taken with my iPhone camera.

Here are pictures of what they look like.


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## brooksie321 (Jul 19, 2014)

Dude... like that idea!! Cheap solution for separately timed moonlights.. i can't wait to post this in my threads and take credit for it


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

brooksie321 said:


> Dude... like that idea!! Cheap solution for separately timed moonlights.. i can't wait to post this in my threads and take credit for it



It's all l for the greater good! I was going to post something in the lighting section to share the idea.


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## kalan850 (Aug 21, 2012)

Awesome build man. So you think the bml are worth the price tag? 


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

kalan850 said:


> Awesome build man. So you think the bml are worth the price tag?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yeah, I think it is worth the price tag. They have been fantastic thus far. Granted, this is my first LED rig. I think if you look around, you really get some of the best PAR/$ spent and it just flat out works and has great coverage, color, control...They feel sturdy as a tank. I think it is worth the investment.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Decided to put driftwood back in...

Thoughts?


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## trailsnale (Dec 2, 2009)

definite plus!!!


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## pweifan (Nov 2, 2006)

I think it looks great. It's a definite improvement


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## scapegoat (Jun 3, 2010)

the driftwood completes the look


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## Culprit (Nov 6, 2012)

Very cool scape !


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*Rballi's 125 Apisto Paradise*

Got a nice plant package in today. All stems. Will post some pictures once the plants orient themselves.


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## Hyzer (Mar 9, 2010)

Once everything grows in more that driftwood is going to look great. You might consider matching the plants to the slope of the driftwood (higher on the right).


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

I just planted a whole bunch of stems in the background tonight that hopefully will accomplish that very thing. There is slightly less real estate at the base of those larger pieces, so I hope the stems will get thick enough.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Did a big first trim if the stems so you really can't see their impact yet, but I got my wife's Nikon and mostly failed. 
I added 40 serpae tetras that at some nice movement to the tank. I am really happy how it is turning out and can't wait for another week of growth. 

A couple of videos and photos to look at. 

https://vimeo.com/117078418







https://vimeo.com/117078460


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Love it when you get Fish breeding and raising young in a community tank, despite the abundance of predators. 

https://vimeo.com/118419835


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## leemacnyc (Dec 28, 2005)

Sweet video! She's one fine mama:icon_smil


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## ProndFarms (Sep 3, 2012)

rballi said:


> Love it when you get Fish breeding and raising young in a community tank, despite the abundance of predators.
> 
> https://vimeo.com/118419835



She's beautiful...what species is she?


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Cacatuiodes double Red x Wild


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## du3ce (Jan 26, 2013)

Love the scape


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## ProndFarms (Sep 3, 2012)

rballi said:


> Cacatuiodes double Red x Wild


May I ask where/how you acquired them?


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

I found them on the forum here. Wasn't a breeder, just someone who had some to sell. Nice Fish! The males are pretty awesome. Less of the double Red pattern, but the natural coloration is beautiful


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## ProndFarms (Sep 3, 2012)

rballi said:


> I found them on the forum here. Wasn't a breeder, just someone who had some to sell. Nice Fish! The males are pretty awesome. Less of the double Red pattern, but the natural coloration is beautiful


They are very cool. I'm on the hunt now for some as I recently started a 75g build. Your tank gave me a bit of inspiration, as did the cockatoos!


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

ProndFarms said:


> They are very cool. I'm on the hunt now for some as I recently started a 75g build. Your tank gave me a bit of inspiration, as did the cockatoos!



Thanks! I think it will really look fantastic once the stems in the back fill in. Good luck with your new project


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Stems are starting to fill in after a couple of aggressive hacks. I now have a couple if females with cacatuoides fry. Must be doing something right. I am starting to get done bba again on some of the rock. This stuff is awful!


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## Culprit (Nov 6, 2012)

Looks awesome !
Good luck with the fry.


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## Hyzer (Mar 9, 2010)

This thing is growing in really well. The shaded anubius up front looks especially sharp. I think it contrasts well with the needle java.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Culprit said:


> Looks awesome !
> 
> Good luck with the fry.


Thanks!



Hyzer said:


> This thing is growing in really well. The shaded anubius up front looks especially sharp. I think it contrasts well with the needle java.


The patience there is starting to pay off. Just got to get the arcuata to fill in on the right side in the back.


I just figured out why I am having bba and my co2 tank is empty right before my next business trip for 5 days. I think if I drop my dimmer down to 25% I should be ok right?


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## sadchevy (Jun 15, 2013)

Looking real good, very nice scape.


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## Jessica (Mar 1, 2007)

Stunning!!


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Man that it gorgeous. Its really evolved into a stunning tank. Im setting up a 75 for caucatoides and some others. Im really excited


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

I really need to start dosing iron to really bring out the colors more. Thanks for the feedback!


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## Johann (Nov 16, 2009)

Wow! Stunning tank!


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

*Rballi's 125 Apisto Paradise*

Pre trim update. Going to hack back the stems a bit.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Nice shot of some of my new additions. 8 F4 Rio Nanay Angels. They are around quarter/half dollar size.


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## ChalupaBatman (Feb 12, 2015)

Awesome tank! Good job.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Can you put up a new FTS. Your tank is looking amazing... How many apistos are in there now? 
I went a different way with mine. Tanganyikan community


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Here is a premature shot. The whole left side was just hacked really short to get some bushier growth. Right now it looks as if nothing is growing back there. 

I ordered a second BML Dutch II spectrum fixture to help even the light distribution from front to back. 

I have 3 males and 8-9 females. Lots of action! I am really pumped about these new angels. They should really start to color up soon. The parents are pretty spectacular fish.


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## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

very great tank! so lively


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Long overdue update?

I have several equipment updates. 

About 6 weeks ago I plumbed my sump and split the line under my bathroom sink on the other side of the wall to make a continuous overflow system. At about 1 gal/hr it turns 50% of my total water volume over a week or so. 

I originally had plumbed it with a gooseneck before it went out to the garage, but it wasn?t able to move as much water with this. I had hoped that this would be a little bit of insulation and a critter barrier. I have about 30+ linear feet of pvc before it hits outside so I am hoping that it won?t be a problem in the winter. 

This weekend I removed the gooseneck to create better flow and it now moves much more water as the level in my sump rises to also act as a failsafe for flooding. 

I have a drip that goes directly into the sump and another valve that hangs over the display to help with large water changes if I need to do one. It works very well without having to fill one bucket, or hook up one hose. 

I have loved my BML fixture, but wasn?t getting the explosive growth due to the coverage. I wanted to add a second fixture and found out about this less-known spectrum that produces more PAR than the 10000k XB series, all within the OS housing. It is known as the ?Dutch II?. With both fixtures at full blast, I can get close to 300 PAR at substrate level, and almost 200 PAR at 24?. I am still working on where I should set the dimmer at, but man does it look fantastic. The blend of the 2 spectrums really brings out the greens and reds, and I have never seen rummynose with deeper reds on their snouts. 

I also built an external box to run three drains to start using a bean animal overflow. Since I only had 2 drilled holes, i needed to use my existing internal box and then make an external box for the 3 standpipes. It turned out pretty good as it was the first time I had worked with acrylic. A couple of cosmetic issues, but it works beautifully with my existing internal overflow box. I raised the stand pipes high on the secondary drain to limit splashing from the overflow. 

I also pulled my powerheads and streamlined my returns to all come from a larger bored return coming from one side of the tank. It really improved my flow from my return pump and all of the other sources of flow were just disrupting my fish too much, especially my angels. I found another Eheim 1260 that I will be pairing with my existing pump to run mainly my co2 reactor and bleed that line into my return. 


Updated Stock List:

8x Rio Nanay F4 Angelfish
12x (9 females, 3 males) Apistogramma Cacatuiodes
12x Spotted Corys
26x Rummynose Tetras
5x Bristlenose Plecos


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## exv152 (Jun 8, 2009)

I also got two bml xb lights on my 125g and love them. But I went with two dutch style fixtures. The tank's been setup for a month now and I can't get over the growth, it's just explosive. And I've only got them set at 70%.


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## Jaxfisher (Jun 2, 2013)

Have you thought about putting 2 canister filters on the tank? I have 2 Aquatop CF-400s with the returns in the middle on my 125g and it makes for a great set-up.


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## ChalupaBatman (Feb 12, 2015)

exv152 said:


> I also got two bml xb lights on my 125g and love them. But I went with two dutch style fixtures. The tank's been setup for a month now and I can't get over the growth, it's just explosive. And I've only got them set at 70%.


Right? I'm trimming something or other everyday. I also have 2 Dutch BML on my 125 running at 100% at the moment. Nearly every plant started turning red once I added the 2nd BML and had full light coverage. Not only does it turn everything new shades, the dutch spectrum really makes the subtle differences in color stand out. Best looking color temp for plants by far imo!


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

I am still trying to tune in the co2 now that I am upgrading my filtration and flow a little bit. Since I travel during the week, i keep it around 50% during the week and bump it up when I can monitor the tank a little bit more. Within a couple of days my blyxa starting turning a really nice rust color and my stems starting growing with shorter nodes. Looks really nice! I kind of like the fact that I leave for a couple of days and get to see more dramatic changes. 

I don't think i would ever go back to canister filters....the sump is SO much easier to maintain and hiding all of the equipment is very convenient.


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## ChalupaBatman (Feb 12, 2015)

rballi,

That spectrum really does look nice. It's like a slightly bluer dutch spectrum. Tank is looking really nice btw. I've always believed that fish look better in a temperature with more blue and plants look better with the shift to the red so it appears you may have found the perfect middle ground.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

I put the dutch spectrum on the back and the nature style in the front for that purpose, glad it came across in the photos!


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## ChalupaBatman (Feb 12, 2015)

rballi said:


> I put the dutch spectrum on the back and the nature style in the front for that purpose, glad it came across in the photos!



Oh it did. And with that configuration you get the dutch on the background stem plants, bringing out their best coloring, and the blues on the foreground with the bright greens... well done! Can't wait to see it in a month. :hihi:

Bump:


rballi said:


> I am still trying to tune in the co2 now that I am upgrading my filtration and flow a little bit. Since I travel during the week, i keep it around 50% during the week and bump it up when I can monitor the tank a little bit more. Within a couple of days my blyxa starting turning a really nice rust color and my stems starting growing with shorter nodes. Looks really nice! I kind of like the fact that I leave for a couple of days and get to see more dramatic changes.
> 
> I don't think i would ever go back to canister filters....the sump is SO much easier to maintain and hiding all of the equipment is very convenient.


In a 125 with that much light you gotta live on the edge with the Co2. Otherwise, you'll be in GSA heaven. One BML is like driving a beamer with the peddle to the ground, two is like top speed in a Ferrari. 

What type of ferts are you using?


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

dosing EI. 

I have no plans of running both fixtures at 100%. I have the dimmer around 50% right now and I will adjust as time goes on. It is fun to blast it for a couple of hours and watch the water boil. 

There are so many benefits of a sump that the slight off-gasing is so minor, especially when co2 is relatively cheap. 

Surface skimming, oxygenation of the water column, ease of maintenance... etc....

I am increasing the size of my reactor to 4" and adding a dedicated pump to run it.


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## exv152 (Jun 8, 2009)

rballi said:


> I have no plans of running both fixtures at 100%. I have the dimmer around 50% right now and I will adjust as time goes on. It is fun to blast it for a couple of hours and watch the water boil.


 Agreed, at full intensity, there's just way too much PAR coming out of the BML XB's, and I go by the plant growth of certain species to guide me as to where I'm at with lighting intensity. I've noticed some stems wanting to grow horizontal as opposed to vertical. The dimmer is one of the best features of LED technology.


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## jimbo662 (Aug 4, 2013)

I went with a BRS dual reactor for my co2. I feed the tubing right into the pump and the outflow of the reactor is right in front of my return pump. BPB also just purchased the same set up. Both of us are seeing pretty much 100% dissolve rate. The only thing you need to do is add a piece of pvc pipe inside to force the bubbles to work their way down to the bottom and up the tube.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-gfo-carbon-reactor-dual-1.html


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

I am just going to cut up my existing 2"x36" pvc adapter and put in a large section of 4" pvc and drive it with a eheim 1260..... Should be plenty


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## ChalupaBatman (Feb 12, 2015)

exv152 said:


> Agreed, at full intensity, there's just way too much PAR coming out of the BML XB's, and I go by the plant growth of certain species to guide me as to where I'm at with lighting intensity. I've noticed some stems wanting to grow horizontal as opposed to vertical. The dimmer is one of the best features of LED technology.


That's one reason I didn't go with the XB's. To get the desired coverage I still needed two lights but 2 XB's is kinda nuts. I know what you mean about horizontal growth though. So far my rotala species (except macrandra) sometimes start growing horizontal but all other stems seem to still reach straight up.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

I don't have the xb's either, but I might as well with the amount of PAR this new fixture produces. Cara said the readings at 24" are 118.... So 3% higher than the 10,000k XB....


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## ChalupaBatman (Feb 12, 2015)

rballi said:


> I don't have the xb's either, but I might as well with the amount of PAR this new fixture produces. Cara said the readings at 24" are 118.... So 3% higher than the 10,000k XB....



Yeah that's pretty stupid PAR. Which fixture did you get exactly? I can't seem to find any reference to the Dutch II on their website, just Dutch, XB, and XB MC.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

ChalupaBatman said:


> Yeah that's pretty stupid PAR. Which fixture did you get exactly? I can't seem to find any reference to the Dutch II on their website, just Dutch, XB, and XB MC.



You have to ask for it. It is a custom spectrum that isn't on your website. I found out about it while taking in a planted tank group on Facebook. Glad I did!


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

After a couple of days going full blast here


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## exv152 (Jun 8, 2009)

rballi said:


> I don't have the xb's either, but I might as well with the amount of PAR this new fixture produces. Cara said the readings at 24" are 118.... So 3% higher than the 10,000k XB....



That's actually higher PAR than any of the XB fixtures. I think the 10k is the highest PAR already. I met Cara and Nick Klasse in person last April, very nice folks. One piece of advice they both passed along was to keep these fixtures cool, if you have it in a hood, they recommend putting fans on them to keep the temp as low as possible. This greatly extends the fixture's life expectancy.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Improved co2 reactor. About 45 inches tall, and 26" of that is 4" diameter. 

Running a eheim 1260 to drive this and bleeding that line into the other return


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## ChalupaBatman (Feb 12, 2015)

that reactor is beastly. very nice!


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## exv152 (Jun 8, 2009)

Wow, that's like a co2 afterburner. :hihi:


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## Jcstank (Jan 3, 2015)

rballi, you care to share just how you learned how to do all this in regards to the sump, reactors, C02 setup, and plumbing in general? 

Very impressive build BTW.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Jcstank said:


> rballi, you care to share just how you learned how to do all this in regards to the sump, reactors, C02 setup, and plumbing in general?
> 
> Very impressive build BTW.



Thanks! 

Much of what I have learned is just from reading and studying on here and other forums. Asking lots of questions and trial and error. I have done quite of few updates and a rescape (again) I this tank cause I found some pretty awesome scaping materials to work with. I am getting more interested in pruning techniques and better understanding growth and optimizing co2. 

The sump is a very simple design, nothing but a couple of layers of reticulated foam from angels plus, lava rock, and 2 return pumps and , one that runs the giant reactor and then bleeds back into the normal return line. Perhaps the best thing I have done from a hardware standpoint is the continual drip system and overflow in the sump and making 2 hard plumbed connections, one to the display for easy refilling and one in the sump for the drip. 

The reactor is just the same principle you have seen before, but just completely oversized because of how much flow I am putting through it. Sumps are only challenging to good co2 only if you are stuck at using some arbitrary bubble rate. Co2 is cheap. 

The plumbing that I put together on this tank is very simple. I have one return line entering the side of the tank and that is it. The recruit and other connections are all vinyl tubing. I would have a much cleaner design if I were to do this same setup again. 

The overflow box was probably the most complicated thing I have done from a plumbing perspective, but it is a very simple concept based on the bean animal overflow design. Only complicated because I decided to build the box myself instead of ordering one. It has performed like a champ however.


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## rballi (Mar 4, 2010)

Swapping substrate this weekend. Got this junk I the mail today. Planning on ruining my continuous water change system to exchange 50% of the water every 48 hours in order to deal with any ammonia spike. Any other suggestions on how to most efficiently swap out the sand and dirt substrate for aqua soil?


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