# 210/60 gal Tank build + 3D Background



## theboothsociety

I purchased a 210 gallon reef ready tank off Craigslist for $300. Figured I would start an official thread and document the build process..

Dimensions are 84"x24"x25H". I think thats the outside dimensions which comes out to 218 gal, I have to double check but im assuming inside volume is around 200-210 gal. The back and sides of the tank are filthy (i have a big cleaning job to do) but the front pane is in excellent shape.

The plan: I have a 9'6" wall - I want to find a 60gal square, which is 24x24x25H and put it directly next to it, since they are the same height. Then im going to build a temporary wall in front of the tanks, leaving access behind, above and underneath the tanks. DIY 3D backgrounds on each.

It has to 2 overflows, each with two holes drilled in the bottom of the tank. *** never used a sump and have done alot of research, but still alot of questions, hope ya'll can help:

What are the 2 holes for in each over flow? Are they dual drains or is one the return?

Is the durso standpipe the best option for the overflows? My concern here is keeping the filtration quiet.

As far as filtration: I have seen people use 2 FX5 canisters with drilled tanks, but im assuming a sump is the cheaper option? Any reason I should be considering canisters over sumps?

Should I convert one of my empty tanks (55 or 75gal) into a sump or should I go with a water trough or plastic containers? What are pros and cons of each?

And how do I determine the best or necessary size?

I definitely want to eliminate any possibility of the tank or sump over flowing in the case of power outages or pump failure.

I would also like to build a drain or auto water change system, since im mid construction and all my walls are currently open right now.

Any ideas? Threads? Advice? Opinions? All appreciated...

Coming from HOB filters, Starting to think Im in over my head with this....reading up on all these sump designs and plumbing techniques is making me go crazy...Who wants to come over and help me build this? LOL Ill buy lots of beer


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## Steve C

That's awesome I will for sure be watching your build up because I am in the process of buying a 7ft tank as well (84" x 24" x 30"....265g ) and I plan to do it all Peacocks and Haps as well :thumb:

I'm trying to decide as to two FX5's or a sump myself for it. Look forward top seeing what replies you get and how your build goes.


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## 13razorbackfan

That is a great sized tank at 7' by 2'. You should have quite a few options.


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## theboothsociety

The cleaning has begun... I put the gf to work...


















































The front came spotless...the back and sides not so much, i have it soaking in vinegar with plastic wrap over it to keep it moist for a few days...


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## theboothsociety

Overflow question:

My overflows are pretty caked up, dont know if they will come clean, which isnt a big issue because im doing a 3D background, but from what I understand, can an overflow system be created with just using PVC piping?

In each overflow box (10"x23.5") are 2 1.5" holes drilled into bottom of tank - total of 4 holes. Do I have to have the box around it? Or can I remove the box and create drains using PVC? I figure without the box, it will give me more real estate for the fish.

This is what my overflow box looks like:


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## daniel_ratti

the overflow boxes are there to prevent fish from swimming down your standpipes. If you are building a background over it to the point where the fish cannot swim behind it you can remover it.

The other thing that it is used for is to make it so its easier to put your water return to the tank plus giving it support. It is up to if your want to leave it in really since you can plumb your returns through your background. You can just use some pvc if you want or use some locline returns.


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## theboothsociety

Ok so after much research, I am going to be building a sump out of 55 gal. I will be getting some glass cut to divide the tank into a few systems. Any amazing sump designs made from existing fish tanks I should know about?

I found a pic of one on some thread..not sure whos this is...but I like the design
This design flows right to left. First compartment will be a drip chamber with different types of filter pads and maybe even socks, underneath the pvc I will put aquaclear bio bags and bags of matrix. Then a bubble wall, followed by a compartment for spongies and bio balls, underneath the pvc will be a place for heaters. Then another bubble wall. Last compartment is for pump and UV Sterilzer.










I want to keep the overflow box so it filters from top, middle and bottom, but issue is that compartment/layer where the water goes in bottom and middle to overflow to the top is full of a hard calcium, sand, coral mess. Im thinking I have to remove the overflows out of the tank and try power washing them, to see if I can get that compartment clean. Any ideas? I need to construct some long metal device to try and scoop out the debris in there. Plus the inside of the overflow is going to be impossible to clean. 
Shown here:

















Razor blade works like a charm on glass, but not so much on plastic. Took me over an hour to scrape off all the calcium on the plastic overflows. Im proud of these photos. LOL.


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## theboothsociety

*Powerhead Question:*
I want to put a few powerheads in this tank to get some nice water flow. Given the location of my overflows, what do you think is the best location for powerheads?

I plan to build a 3D background that wraps around the back, overflows and sides of the tank. So I plan to notch out spaces in the back of BG to access them. Once I decide these locations, its going to be permanent because I wont be able to change them.

Im thinking in the very corners of the tank next to each overflow, is going to be a little cave area and will probably be a "dead" spot. So i think it would be a good idea to have a powerhead facing each corner, or set in each corner (facing out or towards the center of tank) to flow the water to the front of the tank. (these 2 probably should be less powerful since its only 24" from glass to glass. Then maybe another 2 (more powerful) going lengthwise across the tank? What do you think?


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## rotccapt

one thing you could do is remove the current overflows and replace them with new acrylic overflows. used 1/4 inch acrylic (plexy glass) that i found at lowes for my latest build i just used the edge of my work bench and a propane torch to bend it into shape then siliconed it in place. you wont have the top middle and bottom part but i dont really know how much that really helps anyways. you may find that those overflows come apart if they are removed from the tank. dont know though


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## metricliman

rotccapt said:


> you wont have the top middle and bottom part but i dont really know how much that really helps anyways.


The slots in the middle and bottom are to draw water from all levels of the tank, but I think you'd be fine with just top slots.


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## theboothsociety

Started on the DIY Background, will post pics soon. I started layering pieces together with GE Silicone 1 kitchen and bath, instead of the Windows and Door. So I have a few pieces I have to do over, but good thing I realized early enough, So I dont have to redo all of it.

Here is a sump design I have come up with. I know its a little OD for freshwater, but I wanna go all out with this tank.










Let me know what you think? Any suggestions?


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## rotccapt

looks good i would put your uv after the sponges. also your polishing sponge will be very hard to clean in its current position. also the filter floss will not be doing much good where it is. i would move it to the top layer of your sponge stack. it will catch most of the large debris so they dont plug up your sponges as fast. just a thought


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## metricliman

Just an idea, but what if you put another drain directly onto the sponges, and you could direct the flow from the hospital tank to the sponges. That way you could eliminate the possibility of disease spreading or fry being sucked up.


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## Koteckn

Looks almost like my sump design? or perhaps you may have changed some things a little? Anyways, if you have questions about the operation of a design like that, please feel free to ask.

So far a few changes have been made with my sump from before but nothing major and nothing has failed over the past ~4 months. The biggest thing about building that thing is patience. Make sure you use glass baffles and make sure you silicon both sides of that piece, front and back. It takes twice as long, but in the end, you will be glad you did this.

Good luck and I look forward to following this thread!

- H


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## theboothsociety

Koteckn, what changes have you made since set up? *** taken ideas *** liked from many diff threads and sites I have found. One def couldve been yours...

This is another design I have come up with, that I am considering...

A bit more simple... (in this one I eliminated the nuisance/fry section)










Water drains into sump on left into a DIY drip tray made from plexi glass or acrylic. Then I will build a 3 tier compartment below it, separating each layer with egg crate. The water then flows down to the poret foam, and has no choice but to go thru it. Then water rises up from underneath the bio filtration and drips over into the equipment/return pump area.

I figure my only maintenance will be replacing filter pads & mechanical, once a month and rinsing poret foam and bio every once in awhile.


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## metricliman

If possible, I would raise the tower up until it is above the water level, also there is a lot of empty space above the bio media. How about a refugium or upflow algae scrubber?


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## Koteckn

My design was the sump with the holding tank on the left for fry and nuisance fish. The changes that I made are as follows:

1. I placed a 50 ppi filter sock over my outtake into the sump
2. I only use filter floss on top of the first set of sponges and on the left side of the drip tray to further polish my water.
3. I don't use the left side of the sump for anything but seeding additional rocks, driftwood and fake plants that I can use in the future to seed a tank if I need to.
4. Instead of cleaning my sump every 4-6 months, I decided to clean it every 3. This drastically helps with particles returning to the show tank from the sump. After this change, my water gets dirty during feeding but then after 20 minutes the water is crystal clear again. The water is and stays crystal clear 24/7 with this cleaning schedule.
5. Instead of having the air stone running under the biomax/drip tray, I rerouted the air tubing to a 50gal sponge filter running in the first chamber on the left for more filtration and seeding to use on other tanks. My 10" air stone is still in working order under the biomax/drip tray if I wanted to use it but I've found with the water moving through the sump and the spray bar return line, I have ample water aeration.

Everything went perfectly with my build and the sump/tank itself has been flawless so far (knock on wood).

Let me know if you have any other questions. If you decide you want to use my design, here's my thread so that you dont have to look for it all of the time. I've documented most things along my build process but if you get confused I check this site ofter during the week and sometimes during the weekend.

viewtopic.php?f=30&t=246505

Good Luck! :thumb:

- H


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## theboothsociety

Yes I definitely got that idea from you. I remember reading through your entire thread. Great info!! Glad to hear everything is going good with your tank.


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## theboothsociety

*** made a list of some of the equipment I need to purchase and want to run it by you guys to see what you think, or if I should consider other things: Maybe there are some areas I can save some money since this is going to be a big expense as it is...

*UV Sterilizer*
Green Killing Machine UV Sterilizer 24 Watt (120gal/hr) - $55

*Heaters*
2x Via Aqua Titanium Heater 300W up to 80 gal - $31.95ea
(still unsure about this - my total water volume from 2 tanks and sump is approx 325 gallons) I figure I would purchase these two and supplement with heaters I already have if need be.

*Sump*
3 glass baffles - $15ea
2x Filter Sock holders - $24ea
Filter socks (what size should I do? seem to be 4" or 7") what micron? and how many should i buy for rotating them? 
Poret Foam:
2" 13x13 20ppi - $13
2" 13x13 10ppi - $13
4" 13x13 30ppi - $26
Eggcrate

*Plumbing*
4x 1.5" bulkheads
2x Durso standpipes (might make my own)
Need some HELP with the rest of the plumbing!

*Return pump*
Mag 18 ($138) or Mag 24 ($165)
(Can I use this pump to return water to both tanks or should I do 2 seperate pumps?)

*Powerheads*
2x Koralia Evoluton 1400 - $50ea

*Maintenance*
Kent Pro-Scraper II 24"-36" - $20
Wizard Long Arm Aquarium Cleaner - $7

*Control*
2x CORALIFE DIGITAL POWER CENTER - $25ea
Digital Aquatics Reef Keeper Lite? - $119

*Lighting*
Havent even touched on lighting yet. The guy I bought the tank from has 4 7' strips of 6 10watt bulbs on each strip, some blue, some white, which he wants $200 for. They are mounted to wood, not on a heat sink panel and he said one of the transformers for the fans doesnt work.

It is a great price for what im getting, but I might just do it myself. What do you think? I kinda want to use a combo of both fluorescent and LED. Id also like to have them on timers, so LED white comes on in the afternoon, Fluorescent in evening, and moonlight LED at night. Also want to hook the powerheads to timer, so I can replicate day and night. This aquarium controller does it all, but lets see how much it will cost and how many modules I need to buy to do what I want....


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## theboothsociety

*** been wanting to implement an auto water change system, also considering an external pump.

Heres the first draft: (sorry for the iphone pics, might be hard to see.)



















How it works: I tap off the bathroom cold water line and drain, and run them through the wall to the tank. The water line goes through a sediment and carbon filter, a typical home drinking filter. Then to a safety solenoid valve, then ball valve, then pressure regulator. The piping splits, with more ball or gang valves to regulate the flow, and then into a drip emitter for each tank. Since I will be slowly dripping fresh water at a rate of 1/2-1 gal/hr, I will be doing a 15-25 gal water change per day.As water level rises in sump, it skims off the top and enters through drilled bulkhead into a reservoir plastic container. Inside the "R" Reservoir, using a float switch, when the water rises to its level, it turns on the pump that moves water to the drain. Also in the Reservoir is a safety switch that works with the solenoid valve on the water line. In an event we have another power outage, and the pump wont power on to drain the water in the reservoir, the safety switch will shut off the drip flow at the solenoid valve. Thats pretty much it. Now just need to convince my contractor to do the plumbing from the bathroom.

The next debate: rigid pvc piping or flexible? 
and choosing an external pump?


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## stage3-s4

Cool Design. It seems like there is quiet a bit of soldering copper pipe with this design.I try to minimize points of failure with things of this nature. Leaky pipes in walls and such can really cause head achs. And even professionals mess things up from time to time. I think you are better of not using a reservoir and just adding a pump to your sump with a float valve. Much easier to control as well. I would without a doubt use flexible PVC over the regular stuff. With all those tees, fittings, bulkheads and stuff, It can really be a plumbing nightmare trying to cut everything to exact lengths. I also Like that the flexible stuff elevates lots of stress on the pipes since they have room to bend. Also if you use a N/C solenoid valve, you don't need to worry about power outages since when it is de-energizes it closes and will not allow any water to flow through the pipe.


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## theboothsociety

*Update:* My new design gets rid of the reservoir all together. *** changed the location of the tank to another bedroom, so I can position it right behind a bathroom wall, which there is already extensive plumbing work being done. I will have an access panel in the bottom of the wall, which I can hook up plumbing to a drain line and cold water line. The overflow for the sump will go directly to a drain line that instead of hooks into the bathroom, will have a its own p-trap, vent and go directly to the sewage system.

The drain line is already in place for the auto water change system with a 1.5" sewer check valve. I spoke to a few LFS about drilling my sump, they want $35 a hole and dont give any guarantees. Im thinking I should just do it myself in that case. How difficult is it? I looked at videos on youtube and it seems pretty simple, just need the right bit. Is a 1" hole a good size for the pump and drain line?

I also got this RGB LED strip light from HD for my under cabinet lighting in kitchen. http://www.homedepot.com/Lighting-Fans-Indoor-Lighting-Under-Cabinet-Accent-Lighting-Under-Cabinet-Lights/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbvnbZ1z115g2/R-203227249/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051#.UQCQzLRU3Hg I got it with a dimmer controller and wireless remote. I just put it together and put it on my 40 gal tank to see how it looks and it looks pretty darn good. Theres 21 custom colors, with different combinations of white, blue, green, and red lights. They are $60 for an 8ft strip, but you also need to buy the power supply and a controller, which is pretty good in comparison to a lot of other LED options *** seen. They look pretty bright on the 40 with a nice shimmering effect, but the 210 is much higher, I will have to wait to try them out when the tank is full of water, to see if they look just as good.

Also got in my new air tight jars, i bought 12 at $2/ea. When it comes to fish food, we dont mess around over here. :becky: WE GO HARD!!

Check out the selection, more to come...


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## stage3-s4

35 Bucks a hole? That's ridiculous. You can just buy a bit on ebay for cheap and do it yourself. Its very simple to do just make sure you don't press down on the drill, let the drill do all the work. I would suggest using a cordless drill with an adjustable clutch so you can lower it so that you don't crack the glass if the bit gets stuck in the hole.

The size of the hole is determined by the size of the pump you are going to use. Most pumps have a 1" suction line, smaller ones have 3/4". If you use a 1" bulkhead you need to use a 1 3/4" glass hole saw. For a 1.5" bulkhead, you need to use 2 3/8" glasshole saw. I would say that a 1" bulkhead should do the trick. For you drain line on your water change system, I think a 1" may be over kill. a 3/4" bulkhead should be fine. It may also be easier to control. 3/4" bulkhead requires a 1 1/2" hole saw btw.


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## theboothsociety

*** decided to go with the Iwaki MD-70RLT (Japanese Motor) 1500 GPH. It has a 1" inlet and outlet. Since I need a 1 3/4" hole saw, i might just use that for both holes to save money.


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## theboothsociety

So i started on the background. Im anxious to start carving...

Heres what I've done so far: *** layered mostly 1" pink insulation foam and a few 1.5" pieces. Siliconed together with GE Silicone 1 Window & Door.

The background consists of 7 pieces. A center piece which might have to be cut in half to fit into the tank. 2 overflow pieces which will have cutouts for the water to flow through them at the bottom, middle and top. 2 corner pieces which will have notches to run return lines through and 2 side wall pieces which will house koralia 1400 powerheads on each side of the tank. Each piece interlocks with the one next to it.










































Here I had to notch out the top to accomodate for the glass support across the top of the tank.









Below you can see how they interlock.

























Since I took these pics, *** added a few more random pieces on the center section and side walls for protruding rocks and needed a little more space to fit in the powerheads.

The only thing I dont like is the different depths between the center piece and the overflow pieces, so once I carve out the center piece I will add extra overlapping pieces on the overflow sections to blend them together seamlessly.


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## DanniGirl

Now comes the fun part....


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## theboothsociety

Yes! the fun part it is. I just want to say thank you to DanniGirl for her help and knowledge with the 3D background, and everyone else from this forum who has been a big help in setting up this tank so far. I hope that documenting the process will help others in the future. The BG is looking good, Ill post some progress pics soon.

Updated design of the auto water change system with materials list:










Please let me know if there is anything you would change. I probably went a little overboard with the plumbing, but I designed it to be able to disconnect piping here and there if I ever want to change anything in the future. Also for maintenance and cleaning purposes.

Water flows into durso standpipes through 1.5" bulkheads then into a straight rigid pvc with a union connected to flex pvc. 3 Drain lines run into the sump, each on its own filter sock. Through the 55 gal sump and media and out through a 1" hole with strainer, then union ball valve to the Iwaki 1500gph pump. The Iwaki pumps water through a union check valve, then ball check valve. This way I can disconnect the pump for maintenance and the check valves will prevent back flow during power outages. Then we go to flex pvc that leads to a 3 way splitter or manifold to split the return line 3 ways. On each return line is a gate valve to be able to control the pressure for each return line. Then flex pvc into the bulkheads.

Behind the tank is a cold water line and drain line with check valve. The cold water line first has a union ball valve, then is piped into a carbon and sediment filter to remove chlorine. After that is a union which allows me to disconnect the filters, then a gate valve to control pressure and then a 25psi pressure regulator. Then the water needs to split 3 ways again, each with its own ball valve, leading to 3 drip emitters. 1 for each side of the 210 and 1 for the 60. They will be set at 1/2 gal per hour. When water rises in the sump, it overflows through a strainer and through a 1" bulkhead drilled in the sump. After the bulkhead is a union to rigid pvc with a ball check valve, then a home depot 1.5" check valve into the sewage drain.

Rough Plumbing List:
(1) 1" ball check valve (pump out)
(1) 1' union ball valve (pump in)
(1) 1" union check valve (pump out)
(2) 3 way splitter
(3) 1" gate valves for returns
(2) 1" bulkheads (sump)
(2) 1" strainers (sump)
(1) 1.5" ball check valve (water change drain)
(2) 1" union
(1) gate valve for c/w line
(3) unions for drain lines from tanks
(1) union ball valve for c/w line
(1) pressure regulator 25psi
(3) ball valves for drip system
(3) drip emitters
Bulkheads for tanks
Flex PVC
Rigid PVC
(3) DIY Durso Standpipes
Drip tubing


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## austings

This thread is awesome. makes me wish I didnt live in an apartment on the second floor.

Can you tell me where you bought the jars of fish food? The price you paid is really cheap, you can PM me.


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## theboothsociety

jarstore.com


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## theboothsociety

4 Day progress on the background: (only working on it a few hours a night so this process may take awhile - ill post pics as I go)

These are the tools I used. Clay carving set from Michaels and File Set from Home Depot. + kitchen knifes. *** found the best are the small files with the red handles. *** done most of this using those and the kitchen knifes.









This is just the center piece, only 6 more pieces to go. 

Day 1:









Day2:









Day 3:









Day 4:









Still a little more work to do on it with texturing, but pretty happy with the way its coming out. Im going for a lace rock kind of texture. What do you think for my first attempt at a BG?


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## ratbones86

**** looking good man! Cant wait to see the finished tank!


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## theboothsociety

Thanks man, you and me both...


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## NJmomie

Holy cow theboothsociety.... I got a headache looking at the drawing of your system. If I ever win the lottery, can I hire you to custom build my tank? The background looks great...looking forward to your finished product.


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## theboothsociety

Thanks all. Sure, Im for hire. 

Updates on the BG.

This was the start of the overflow piece. I added extra pieces on to overlap the center piece, so when together, you dont see any seams. The holes cut into it are for water to flow thru at all levels of the overflow. I will end up covering these with some sort of grate/mesh or even sponge.
























I wasnt too happy with the way the overflow piece came out. I thought there was too many small protruding rocks, and didnt look natural, but its starting to grow on me. *** been making small changes to it here and there.

Then came the corner and side piece. Both are still a work in progress.








You can see in this pic in the top right corner of overflow piece - I cut out a section to add an overlapping piece. This is basically what I have been doing to hide the seams.









Side piece I started last night (not done yet): Where you see the circle is the chamber for the powerhead. That way I can remove the powerhead at any time, *** also made the hole big enough so I can adjust the direction of flow, left to right. 








































^ more seams to hide here


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## Niikii

Wow very nice project. Good luck.


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## theboothsociety

At the process of purchasing all plumbing parts.

A few questions:

*** heard its best to have the standpipe so its removable. So im assuming thats threaded...

Now the bottom, where my piping goes to sump, do you suggest slip or threaded? 
My plan was to put a small piece of rigid pvc after the bulkheads, then a union to flexible pvc. That way if I need to change anything, I can disconnect at the union. What other options do I have to connect piping to the bulkheads? The guy from BRS, suggested a threaded bulkhead with a barb fitting? using tape to seal, but he said it could leak..

Should I go for sched 80 bulkheads or ABS?

Can a union connect directly to the bulkhead?


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## theboothsociety

So *** done some research and did the measurements myself for my 55 gal sump. from what *** found online - inside dimensions are 47.5L x 12"w x 19"h. My measurements were 11 3/4"w x 19 1/4"H, which are prob wrong but How exact should the glass baffles be?

Anyone ever use the removable baffle method using weatherseal stripping on the sides of the glass baffles? For this you need to leave an 1/8" on each side. I like this idea for my quarantine tank, but now sure how well it will hold in a sump?

Since the inside Height is 19", what do you think is a good height for the 2 baffles that will determine the water level?


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## theboothsociety

some more pics of the background in progress... its been going slowly but doing it as I have time. There is pink everywhere in my house, its insane.

Only 2 more pieces left. Then *** decided to do a big flat rock laying on the bottom of the tank, protruding from the sand. It will prob be almost half the size of the tank, plus I figure then I wont have to buy as much sand. Also a piece hanging from the top of the tank for a cave effect, which will be attached to the center brace acrylic.

After all the carving is done, i plan to do a layer of spray foam to help fill in some areas I dont like and help blend all the pieces together a little better.

































































On this overflow piece, I carved the middle and bottom holes on a downward angle, so when looking straight on at the tank, you cant see them.


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## theboothsociety

Started on the stand...

Hoping to get some feedback from you engineers...

If looking at the last pic, a 60 gal cube is going on the left and right next to that starts the 210. You can see where I put the supports from front to back, where the trims of the tank will sit.

My only concern is under the front corners of the large tank , there is no beam directly under each corner. Does this look okay? I used 4x4's here and spaced them accordingly so I can slide in & out 2 4' tanks, one on each side.

I also plan to use metal braces in a few key spots.









































































^tied into the wall








































^here you can see the notches for the plumbing coming out of the bottom of the tank








^drain and water line








finished framing

Now onto the next task of moving the tank thru that window in the pictures.


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## jchild40

theboothsociety said:


> I've been wanting to implement an auto water change system, also considering an external pump.
> 
> Heres the first draft: (sorry for the iphone pics, might be hard to see.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> How it works: I tap off the bathroom cold water line and drain, and run them through the wall to the tank. The water line goes through a sediment and carbon filter, a typical home drinking filter. Then to a safety solenoid valve, then ball valve, then pressure regulator. The piping splits, with more ball or gang valves to regulate the flow, and then into a drip emitter for each tank. Since I will be slowly dripping fresh water at a rate of 1/2-1 gal/hr, I will be doing a 15-25 gal water change per day.As water level rises in sump, it skims off the top and enters through drilled bulkhead into a reservoir plastic container. Inside the "R" Reservoir, using a float switch, when the water rises to its level, it turns on the pump that moves water to the drain. Also in the Reservoir is a safety switch that works with the solenoid valve on the water line. In an event we have another power outage, and the pump wont power on to drain the water in the reservoir, the safety switch will shut off the drip flow at the solenoid valve. Thats pretty much it. Now just need to convince my contractor to do the plumbing from the bathroom.
> 
> The next debate: rigid pvc piping or flexible?
> and choosing an external pump?


I'm just jumping into this thread and haven't read it all yet, so I apologize if I'm mentioning this waaay out of order. Instead of pumping out into the drain, you could just drill a bulkhead where that pump is and let it drain naturally. Then you don't need to ever worry about overflowing.

Now on to read the rest to see how it ended up!


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## theboothsociety

If you saw the second diagram, I got rid of the whole reservoir tank. The drain will be plumbed directly to the sump.


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## theboothsociety

Got my sump drilled for the overflow. *** decided to return the Iwaki external pump and bought a mag drive 18 for the 210 and mag 7 for the 60. Both submersible to rule out one more point of failure.

some updated pics:

the sump in progress...









































painted inside of the stand black and walls glossy white to reflect the lights above the tank.


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## theboothsociety

Almost finished with the BG. I will be doing the final texturing tonight then start the dry lock/painting process.

I added spray foam to blend some of the seams, and fix some spots I didnt like. I went through 3 cans, before I got one to work. Such a PIA. It was alot harder to carve but I like the look of it, once you roughen it up a bit. It gives the detail and rock like texture without having to carve it.

While its drying:

























After carving:

































the start of detail:








*** decided to make all the lines and detail flow diagonally with the big ledge of the center piece. hopefully it will make the whole BG flow together better.


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## DMWave45

You may have already done this and I just missed it but remember that you will likely have to cut the main part of the background in a couple pieces to actually get it into the tank. The top brace on the tank gets in the way. I only bring this up as it was something I initially overlooked when making one myself. Besides that it look pretty awesome.


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## theboothsociety

yup, thanks. All the texturing is done. Im happy with it. so Im going to do a dry fit tonight before I start the first coat of drylock.

im hoping that middle piece will fit without having to cut it, but i doubt it. *** planned the cut, so if I do, I know exactly where I want to cut it.


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## Steve C

Looks like it's coming along very nicely.


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## theboothsociety

Thanks Steve.

BG update....not done yet. Still a little more dry brushing to do.

First 2 sealer coats with Gray Drylock









































Then tinted the drylock with charcoal quickrete liquid cement coloring. 1 coat.

































After first coat of dry brushing:









































I like the way its coming out but I want it lighter, so I used the flat rock seen on the right as a test piece. I added some white drybrushing to see how it looks. This is the look im going for. Gonna add one more lighter grey layer, then gonna experiment with the buff color, which is a brown. Then the white. 

























what do you think?


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## NJmomie

I don't remember if you are using a light or dark color substrate. I like the dark rock if the substrate is a lighter color otherwise, I think the tank may look too dark. The background looks great though...


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## theboothsociety

I am going with white sand as substrate, but yes, Im gonna make the background lighter.


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## Deeda

I have not been following this topic but I will be from now on! I really like the look of the dry brushing technique and I think the addition of the lighter color gives the rock more depth. Nice job so far!


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## ratbones86

Looks Amazing! I really cant wait to see the finished project!


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## Woundedyak

Man, that background looks real. Looks better then company's that manufacture them. I'm a fan of darker rocks. IMHO, Pool filter sand with a few lighter rocks on top of the substrate, super bright light, equals full of win and tank of the month.


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## Steve C

Great job on the dry brushing :thumb:


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## theboothsociety

Thanks all...

After one more coat of the lighter grey. 









i did the white coat last night, just gonna do one more night of all the colors, layering it all together and then ill post a final pic.

my drawing for finishing the stand.









looking to get some feedback if I should paint the stand white or black.


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## ratbones86

The color of the stand depends on how the room looks. If you want the stand to stick out or blend in or contrast. All up to you. Post a picture of where it will be going and would be easier to give ya a opion on color.


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## theboothsociety

I think im gonna go with black. The rest of the room is going to be 3 different shades of grey.


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## theboothsociety

Finally DONE!!


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## DanniGirl

Superb job on the painting. 
The buff color is tough to incorporate with the charcoal. Depending on the mixture, it can come out a greenish hue. Glad to see you omitted it from the project. 
The tank will be plenty bright enough and the darker background will heavily emphasize the fish.
Looks wonderful.


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## theboothsociety

Thanks, Yeah I tried out the buff color. The charcoal and buff doesnt mix well. I used the buff mixed with white dry lock to get almost a light orange color, where I tested using it very lightly. It looked okay, but felt like it wasnt really brown and didnt look realistic. I decided to just stick with the grays, since the rocks I have in all my tanks previously are these same colors.

A preview of the top portion of the stand.


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## mel_cp6

Great job on the set up. Can't wait to see it filled and running.


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## glasforex

nice job so far !
good luck !


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## Demigod

Any updates to show on this?


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## theboothsociety

Im glad to say the apartment, damaged since Hurricane Sandy is almost done. Finished painting last night. Plan to move in this Sunday on my day off. Starting next week, Ill be working on the plumbing and installing the BG.

Heres a pic of the stand, which is almost done with moulding/trim work. Now I just need to figure out what to do for doors.


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## Demigod

You're building this into an apartment???


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## josh5565

He lives in NYC so I assume it's an apartment he has bought and isn't renting...Atleast I hope! lol


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## theboothsociety

its in an apartment in a house that my mother owns...(but i still pay rent)

my plan is to live here and save money to buy a house of my own one day...


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## theboothsociety

Hello all to have been following this thread. I apologize for the 8 month interruption  . My priorities had shifted for quite a bit with a new job and new apartment. But Im back at it again. The tank sits just how I left off. I've been searching for a set of extra hands to help me plumb this bad boy and plan to finish it up after the New Year. Happy Holidays!!

Will update with progress soon...


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## MalawiWowi

Man your background is amazing. I have been looking all over the place to figure out ways to safely detail a DIY Background. I have to do one for my 220 and was wondering what all colors you used and exactly what is "dry brushing"?
Thanks so much for any help or advice you can give .


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## theboothsociety

To get the color I used both gray and white color drylock as the base. Then mixed in charcoal color quickrete liquid cement coloring. First coat was almost black. You work from dark to light. The next coat, a dark grey. Third coat, light grey. Final coat almost white. Dry brushing is a technique where u dip your brush into the paint, wipe off most of the paint on a towel or something, then apply it to your background. I did a whole lot of dabbing with different colors. When you have very little paint on your brush, your only gonna hit the high spots. It starts to create a shadow or layering affect. You just have to experiment with it. Its a lot easier than you think.


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## theboothsociety

Ok so the plumbing is almost DONE! It turned out to be a lot easier than I would've thought. Big thanks to my buddy Matt for helping me get it done.

We got it done over 2 Sundays, and one week night of work. No matter how much I planned it out and bought parts in advance we still had many trips back and forth to Ace & Home Depot.

The finished office/room the tank is in.


THE PARTS




Some plumbing shots:







I know not the prettiest looking, but I could really care less, its all gonna be closed up. I think we did pretty good for our first shot at this. Had to 2 leaks from the bulkheads which a quick 1/4 turn fixed. I also forgot a gate valve on the return line for the 60 gal. Not sure if I really need it b/c I have ball valve after the union check valve near the pump?

Next is figuring out all the little connections for the water change, drip system.

One thing I noticed, is Im getting a lot of larger air bubbles from one of the drain lines. Anyone know how to fix this?


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## theboothsociety

Drip system done. You can see the red water line with valve, which is your typical connection underneath the sink. That goes into 1/4" tubing then through the 3 stage carbon and sediment filter. Out of that I split the line, to go to the drip system and a sink.

The drip system portion then goes thru a 25psi pressure reducer, then a quick connect valve then that line splits with a T, to go to both tanks. On the end of each line is a drip emitter (seen in the pics). I used an adjustable drip emitter for the large tank, and 1/2gal per hr emitter for the small tank.

The sink portion connects directly to the cold water side of the sink lines and i capped off the hot water side. So only cold, but filtered water from the sink.

This drip system was def the most complicated part, because all of the fittings and connections need to connect to 1/4" tubing (which are hard to find). The people at home depot think Im crazy by now.













So I built this piece from egg crate to hold the filter socks for the drain lines in the sump. Came out good, but it seemed a little flimsy around the edges and broke in one spot, so I decided to silicone in between the crates to add some strength and fix the broken spot. When I did, i put a sheet of wax paper on the bottom and thought it would just pull off, but the wax paper actually got stuck to the silicone once in dried. If you look close you can see it stuck to the silicone spots in the pic.

A little bit of wax paper should be fish safe right?


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## theboothsociety

I decided last minute to use a clear coat of pond armor on my background to protect it from getting eaten up by plecos, fish and what not, and exposing the pink foam underneath. It will also help keep it in good condition from being in the water over time. I figured I spent enough money and time on the background, it was worth the investment to protect it.

Materials:
Pond Armor 1.5qt clear (from Home Depot cost me $80)
Denatured Alcohol or 99% isoproyl alcohol (for thinning)
Measuring Cup
Paint Brush
Mixing Container and Stick
Gloves & Tarp

The pond armor basically comes in 2 parts, I followed the directions for amounts to mix in. You mix part B (really thick stuff) with the alcohol. Then mix in part A, and apply. I found myself adding a little more alcohol to make it a little thinner and easier to work with.

It came out looking a bit glossy, which I assumed and heard is not noticeable once in the water.

The results:























I drained the tank last night during the rain, figured it was perfect time so the neighbors wouldn't notice the 300 gals of water going down the street.  
Next step this week will be siliconing it into the tank, wait for it to dry. Then fill it and going to let it leach out for a few days, then drain and refill.


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## theboothsociety

Drains for sink and drip system done!! All of the plumbing is officially finished!!! :dancing:

After talking with a few plumbers, I decided to go back to my first idea where I utilized a reservoir tank. In short, I could not get over hooking up the overflow in my sump directly to the drain line in my house. God forbid there was a back up from the street and ended up in the sump and killed all my fish.

My plan was to do a double check valve, but the issue is the rate of the water dripping 1.5gal/hr, is the same rate it overflows which isn't enough pressure to open the check valves. So i found this sump pump backup system at home depot for $200. Comes with a 6 gal container, pump, check valve, and float switch all built in. (Im sure I could've built it for less but at this point just wanted to get it done) I plumbed my sink drain into one side, then the sump overflow into the other side. As soon as it fills up, the pump turns on for 3 seconds (amazed at how fast) and empties the bin into the drain. Still have all the check valves in place and theres one built into the container, but now there is enough pressure to open them. Once Im at a constant drip, I figure this pump should turn on 3-4 times a day.

So glad to finally have it all done. Now just need to get the rest of BG installed and fill her up.!! My backs been killing me past few days, hoping to get it done over the weekend.

Now that you guys see the finished room pics. I went with a black and white scheme, most of the furniture being white. Should I paint the tank stand black or white?
Finished room:


Tank:


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## dsiple3

I like black better than white. Have you thought of staining it similar to the draws in your wall desk?


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## theboothsociety

Yes *** thought of staining but its too much work. Id rather just paint it. I think I'm feeling the black as well.

Some more progress pics...I used pvc pipe and some towels to wedge in the BG while the silicone cures.













Here I had to fix because it was touching the glass,which would annoy me when it got dirty and wouldn't be able to clean it. Gonna have to touch up the dry lock.




Chamber for powerbeads on each side.









almost there.....


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## theboothsociety

And the BG is IN!!! Finally...what do you guys think?



Bought this pond foam at home depot to fill in those hard to get areas I couldn't reach with the silicone gun. As well as any big gaps I had behind the overflow pieces of the BG from all the carving I had to do to get it to fit. Its just like the window stuff but meant for ponds, once cured you can trim and cut it and is fish safe.









Now just need to do a little touching up with dry lock in a few areas and on all the siliconed seams.



haha had to do it..


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## dsiple3

theboothsociety said:


> haha had to do it..


And here we have the infamous Human Cichlid. It displays both Maternal and Paternal behaviors directed at other cichlids living in its vicinity.


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## Kanorin

Great looking background. Nice job!


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## Deeda

Beautiful job on the background, I bet you can't wait to get water and fish in there!


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## theboothsociety

thanks guys. Cant wait is not even the words. More excited to start hunting down the stock list. Thats my fav part.

Still have a bit more work to do and going away next weekend, so not gonna put any fish till after I come back.


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## Iggy Newcastle

Awesome job!


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## JimA

Looks good!


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## theboothsociety

Thanks guys.

Some Update pics. The moulding is almost finished. Started painting first coat for the stand. All tanks are drained and letting dry then will do a final cleaning.

Need to do a few slight adjustments to the moulding, I also ran out of rosettes. Will finish up the paint this week and FILL HER UP. :dancing:

I had to mcguyver the lid together. The shutters, moulding underneath with rosettes, and strip along the top are all one piece and lift up together, to keep a large access for top of the tank. I put on 2 large piano hinges for now, I need to find some heavy duty hinges that will keep it open when i push it up.

I decided to put the crown moulding at the top a few inches below the ceiling, instead of flush with the ceiling and going to do a color LED strip lighting behind it.











The vision is finally starting to come together.


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## theboothsociety

I can't make up my mind, and need your guys help in deciding. I have 4' of space underneath the stand, which I planned to put either a 55 or 40 gal L as a quarantine tank. My plan was to use poret foam as tank dividers if I want to split it up. Because the drain pipe and p trap to the sink come down underneath the stand quite a bit, I think the 40 would fit much better, because its shorter.

My dilemma now is if I should put 3x 20gal 30"L tanks (going long ways) instead of the 40 gal. I like the idea of having the length of the bigger tank because I plan to stock the 210 in a few large batches and would be able to quarantine 5-10 fish at a time. Then on the other hand, I like the idea of the 3 smaller tanks for hospital purposes, having to use less medication and being able to easily empty, clean refill with fresh water when need be. Plus when one or two of the smaller tanks aren't being used, I could always stock something in there.

I have all the tanks, would just have to cut few pieces of 2x4 to support 3 20gals all the way around.

What would you do? Which would you prefer?


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## theboothsociety

Well *** decided to both... 

Im putting the 40 L under the 210 tank setup. And I took over the closet, heres a preview on whats going on there...will start up a new thread on this.





Yup, thats a double 2 tier rack where one tank sits directly above and behind the other tank. This will fit 4x 20 gal Long tanks.

Update:

Ran all electrical nice and neat. Labeled all the plugs. 


Completed Sump. Filter socks, 3 types of poret foam, finished by a synfil polishing pad and crushed coral.





Started dripping water for almost a week now.


Lots of sand cleaned and in the tank... :dancing:


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## theboothsociety

Foreground rocks are in



Put color changing waterproof led strip lights underneath the stand, so I can see when Im working.









I have 2 more strip lights coming, one for behind the crown moulding and one for above the tanks to supplement my beams work LED's.


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## theboothsociety

Update:

Did some tweaking to my drain lines. Made a Reverse Durso, so the air in the drain lines never makes it to the sump. I added my own touch & put a Tee at the bottom with holes drilled in it, so it acts like a diffuser if any air does make its way down. Kinda like you see in certain glassware. I can't even tell you how amazingly quiet it sounds now. My sump was really loud and a lot of bubbling. At first I didn't even think the drains were working, thats how quiet they are. So, very happy here, it turned out a lot better than I thought. I jerry rigged it all together with some pipe straps, to support the hard pvc. Not the neatest but it works.









Some fish in the new quarantine set up. They're getting close. :dancing: :fish:









Decided to add some crushed coral to the sand substrate. Now its a mix of CaribSea White African Cichlid Sand, Natures Ocean Pink Somoa Sand and Crushed Coral.


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## Iggy Newcastle

Excited to see the final product. Looks like a lot of hard work.


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## cichlid-gal

Iggy Newcastle said:


> Excited to see the final product. Looks like a lot of hard work.


 :thumb:


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## theboothsociety

THE FISH ARE IN!! However there is way too little fish. I need more fish in there. Because I have a lot of juvies though, and its technically all the same system, I did not want to overload the bio.





Determining the pecking order













In other news, the paint on the shutters I used to enclose the top of the tank has been peeling off from the moisture, so I took them off and gonna redo it.


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## boomer92

Simply awesome! Love the project. Been showing my wife and kids. Must of felt great getting those fish in there. Beautiful fish by the way. Keep the pics coming!


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## Iggy Newcastle

Amazing work! A serious project!


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## theboothsociety

Thanks for your compliments guys. Its been lots of hard but fun work.

Heres how the closet came out. Still need to purchase some LED's to light them up.


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## theboothsociety

Just a quick video I took on my phone. Still need to break out the good camera.

Just a few fish so far...the good stuff is coming soon.


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## rooster120

Wow. Congratulations on this massive project.

I just built a stand and a background, and that was like 30 trips to Home Depot and Osh. I can't imagine how many trips you made and all the time you put into these tanks.


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## theboothsociety

Thanks, Yes, way too many trips...


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## theboothsociety

Update:










Current Stock List:
**1 protomelas spilonotus mara rocks
**1 protomelas spilonotus tanzania
**1 protomelas taeniolatus Tangerine Tiger
**1 Aulonocara jacobfreibergi "Mamela"
**1 Aulonocara maulana bicolor 500
**1 Aulonocara Red Shoulder
**1 Aulonocara Stuartgranti Ngara
**1 Aulonocara Stuartgranti Maisoni Chilumba
**1 Aulonocara Rubescens Albino
**1 Aulonocara Dragonsblood
**1 Otopharynx Lithobates "Thumbi west"
**1 Otopharynx Lithobates "Z-Rock"
**1 Otopharynx Spots Sani
**2 Otopharynx Tetrastigma
**1 Mylochromis anaphyrmus
**1 Copadichromis Borleyi Mbenji
**1 Sciaenochromis Fryeri OB
**1 Sciaenochromis Fryeri 
**1 Placidochromis Milomo
**1 Placidochromis phenochilus tanzania
**1 Placidochromis Electra
**1 Placidochromis Makonde Yellow Blackfin
**1 Fossochromis Rostratus
**1 Nimbochromis Venustus
**1 Nimbochromis Livingstoni
**2 Cyphotipalia gibberosa Frontosa
**1 Yellow Zebra
**2 Common pleco

Its a good start...got a lot of stuff growing out as well. Finally put a new faucet in the sink, so water changes are a lot easier, when they need to be done. Got a permanent hose hook up and now hot and cold water, so I just drain and fill with the hose. I don't even use baking soda or epsom salt anymore really, just prime. The fish have acclimated to my tap water from the drip system. Still haven't put any doors on the bottom of the stand yet, been lazy, just enjoying it and buying new fish.


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## Iggy Newcastle

The BG looks fantastic. The whole setup is awesome. Other than the Frontosa, the fish look great.


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## ChadRamsey

wow, it really turned out GREAT! Well done! :thumb:


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## Woundedyak

Pretty clean setup!. love the finish work :::golf clap:::


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