# Story of my upgraded aquarium (w/ pics)



## maxbla1212 (Jun 29, 2007)

I decided to move my tank from my living room to my room since my mom did not enjoy having the tank in the living room. Anyway the old tank did not really fit the shape of my room since it was a tall corner and all corners are taken up already. The best choice was to look for another tank, like a regular 55g that i would be able to put against the wall anywhere. That's when Walmart and Petsmart came to help. I bought the stand from walmart for about 90$, took 1-1.30h to assemble it and it was definitely worth the money. I got the tank with 2 hood lights for 120$ from petsmart so all together the setup ended up around 210$ w/out tax. Here is the set up:








(Hard to see but there are 2 doors there.)

Since I own a eheim canister filter and another hang on filter that someone threw away because the magnet was assembled upside down(easy fix but i still need to buy the media for it) the only thing left for me to get was some decor. And thats where petsmart arrived in his car with some cool decor and some great plants. 



























Obviously the tank is still empty since i need to buy a bag or 2 of white sand and get rid of my 13 inch pleco that is too big for the 55 or the corner. Plus he makes such a mess around the tank.

So i have few questions:
1. Will this set up work well for the 9 labs that i have + few haps that i will add in the near future?
2. Would demasoni (12+) work well in this tank, or do they also need caves and etc.
3. I am open to any suggestions

I will upload pictures later on once the sand is in and when i transfer water from the old tank to the new one.

Greg


----------



## Nor Cal Cichlid (Oct 24, 2007)

With proper filtration you could do 9 labs and 12 dems. Also a rubber lip pleco maxis out at 5-6" so you dont have to deal with those fat lazy monster plecos. I would add some plain old river rock in a few piles under the drift wood too. That would set it off and also give some nice hide outs. Nice tank BTW, good price for brand new stuff :thumb: You have a natural look going on, so i would get play sand from home depot or lowes. It looks really natural aswell, its got a mix of colors from light tan to dark brown and a good mix of grain size. Not to mention super cheap.


----------



## Zack2112 (Jul 11, 2008)

dude, i love your decor, did the vines/stump stuff come from petsmart as well? is it real wood or fake, and how much was it. Im looking for stuff very similar but having a hard time finding it. *** been trying to find real driftwood everywhere i go with this mangled vine look. that looks outstanding.


----------



## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

Very nice looking setup and decor :thumb: You could paint the back of the tank glass black but I kinda like the green color of your walls showing through.


----------



## ArcticCatRider (Jul 13, 2007)

I think that looks pretty dang amazing!
It looks real, and very natural, so it all just flows, let's see it with some sand, water, and fish! :thumb: :fish: :fish: 
:fish: :fish:


----------



## BurgerKing (Jul 1, 2008)

dems and labs would work, haps probably wouldnt do wel with dems though. Although i like the look of your setup, i dont think its the best for mbuna. I'd say try to find some rocks that look similar in color to the current decor and make a few more caves out of them. It will reduce the aggression.

Nice setup and good luck


----------



## maxbla1212 (Jun 29, 2007)

Thank your for all the comments, yes I got all the decor from petsmart. The left piece (w/ vines) was 60$ and the stump was 17$. My advice is to try to find a bigger petsmart, or a petsmart that is usually really busy because they will most likely have the newest and the best decors.

I dont think i will be able to put the sand in today because hurricane Gustav flooded the apartament complex ( yes i live in Illinois) and all the streets next to it so i am trapped here for the day. I think i will buy a black background because i love the way fish stand out and it hides all the cables.I will break the old piece of decor that i have in my old tank and make bunch of caves for the mbuna. The stump is hollow which will work well for the mbuna. Thanks for the advice

Post more advices, I will listen=]


----------



## maxbla1212 (Jun 29, 2007)

O and it would be either demasoni or haps, but since this setup has a lack of caves i guess i will go with few haps.


----------



## natalie559 (Dec 6, 2007)

maxbla1212 said:


> I decided to move my tank from my living room to my room since my mom did not enjoy having the tank in the living room.


Is she crazy!! LOL 

Great job so far!


----------



## F8LBITEva (Nov 9, 2007)

looks great bud! :thumb:


----------



## maxbla1212 (Jun 29, 2007)

Thanks, I finally moved all the labs but the new sand i mixed with the old sand made he water a bit milky, so i will post pics as soon as the 2 filters clean it up a bit.


----------



## balachel (May 24, 2008)

hey i like your setup ,but i was jw i live in illinois too and i didnt get any flooding at my house where do u live?


----------



## maxbla1212 (Jun 29, 2007)

des plaines, the apartament complex where i live is next to this canal and the canal flooded. plus bunch of other roads around des plaines river were flooded on sunday too


----------



## balachel (May 24, 2008)

oh ok yeah i know des plaines flooded


----------

