# Rocky's 180



## Rockydog (Oct 21, 2007)

I know how we all like to see what other people are doing, so I decided I would show you my 180. Hope you enjoy.

This is my diy stand




























I like black










My filtering system. A dual 1" megaflow overflow with 3/4" return with a Mag 18 pump with a 65 gal sump/refugium and an FX5 canister.

Seen from the end where it can easily be removed










Inlet chamber










Inlet mechanical and bio chamber










Bio chamber outlet filters and return pump area with heaters.










Also an aqua jet 1200 to pump water to the refugium














































and my FX5










This is the hood with 4 x 36" Hagen aqua glo's




























A couple full tank shots



















And some of my male haps, peacocks and mbuna
































































Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for looking.


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## overleaf (Jan 18, 2009)

Wow, what a job well done.


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## jwal (Jan 17, 2008)

Awesome!!! :dancing: :dancing: :fish:


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## planenut007 (Mar 21, 2009)

Enjoyed much, looks good, wish I had that kind of cash.


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## planenut007 (Mar 21, 2009)

Enjoyed much, looks good, wish I had that kind of cash.


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## TheBanker (Jun 14, 2008)

looks nice with all the blk. only thing i dislike is the driftwood piece?


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## under_control (Jan 9, 2008)

Looks great... but that in sump/refugium overflow HAS to be loud. It brings about terror in my mind.


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## Rockydog (Oct 21, 2007)

Thanks for the nice comments.



under_control said:


> Looks great... but that in sump/refugium overflow HAS to be loud. It brings about terror in my mind.


Actually there's no noise at all from the water flowing from the fuge to the return area. It just sheets its self down the outside of the wall and spills behind 2 - 1 x 9 x 17" sponges and is re filtered.


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## DanDee (Mar 7, 2008)

SWEET! =D>


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## BoostedX (Mar 1, 2009)

You have offically made my dream tank.. Great job on all the work. I bet its very well worth it now that its done. opcorn:


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## 18fisher (Mar 2, 2006)

o my god , Oo my god , OOO my good great job =D> , looks very well planned out,fish look great good luck with it . :thumb:


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## Rockydog (Oct 21, 2007)

Thanks again for the great response. It took several months of research (gotta love the internet) and 2 months to get it together. Designing it out was quite a chore. Would wake up in the middle of the night thinking of something lol.

It is a pleasure now just to maintain it and watch my fish grow. I've had them all since juvies and had them growing out in my other tanks. The first week of November I moved 45 of them all at once into this tank and it's amazing the growth spurt since then. I feed only NLS with an occasional treat of Krill, just to watch their interaction with the food.


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## khaki (Jan 12, 2008)

Great job! I am loving it.


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## 18fisher (Mar 2, 2006)

oh my god thats what you call fishtank ,fish are awsome to do you mind telling what kind of lights you have and do you have fish list. 18 fisher :thumb:


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## Danzx6r (Oct 12, 2009)

Great Job... wish I was that technicaly minded! I will stick to the 2 external cannisters for now :wink: 
Lovely fish!!!

Dan :thumb:


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## iCichlid (Sep 21, 2009)

:fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish:

5 out of 5 fishies! Amazing!


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

^ Nice! lol :lol:


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## Cento (Mar 30, 2005)

The tank and the aquascaping alone is amazing. I've seen some of these "dream" sized tanks, but the owners don't have a knack for aquascaping or their taste is just tacky... This is a very nicely 'scaped tank! :drooling:

And as for the handyman-ship; spot on! Very nicely done. :thumb:


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## Benaiah (Aug 18, 2009)

Wow very nice! I'm planning on doing the same thing in a little while -- still in the planning and designing stages.

Is there anything you would've done differently?


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## TheBanker (Jun 14, 2008)

colorful setup :thumb:


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## Guams (Aug 21, 2009)

Beautiful tank! Love the aquascaping as well.

I'll be waiting for your DIY Fish-Watching Bench in the near future. Maybe you should put a LCD TV behind the tank... so you can watch the game AND the fish at the same time. :lol:

(Disclaimer: I don't condone or recommend the TV idea... you might blow something up or light something on fire.)

(Disclaimer 2: I know you're all smart enough not to do that... but there are people who aren't... and I want no liability held against me... :roll:  )


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## aaxxeell (Jul 28, 2007)

looks great well done, only prob i can see is the anubius gathering hair algae you using in the refugium is a slow growing low light plant that dosent consume nitrates at a very good rate...
i think duckweed (floating plant), riccia, hornwort, wisteria, and salvina work great.

and if your brave and want to suck the nitrates out of the water... 
algae scrubbers (algae growing on mesh): http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=330606


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## aaquale1 (Apr 18, 2009)

Awesome tank and fish!! What are the two main fish in the last picture?


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## Rockydog (Oct 21, 2007)

Thanks for all the great comments.

In the last picture the fish on the left is Mylochromis lateristriga and on the right is Tramitichromis intermedius.

Will get together some pic's in the next couple of days.

18fisher -- I am using Hagen aqua glo lights 4 x 36".

Benaiah -- The only thing I would have done different is that I would have made it dual sump. Meaning I would have one overflow coming into the left side with more mechanical filtration and exactly the same on the right side with the return in the center with no fuge. With that type of setup I would not have needed the fx5.

Guams -- Actually I will throw a few extra pictures in of my "Man Cave" lol

Thanks again, Rocky


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## bulldogg7 (Mar 3, 2003)

Love the stand, did you make the sump also?


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## mightyevil (Oct 23, 2008)

Rockydog said:


>


Where did you get this black foam? How much did you get it for?


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## RayAllen (Dec 19, 2008)

Nicely done, All looks great.

For those who think this looks uber techinical, its really not.

*** been into keeping saltwater reefs for a few years now and really its not much diffrent in terms of what he has in the stand. Really all you would have to add was a protein skimmer and he could run a saltwater reef.

Keep this in mind if you are running canister filters, water is drawn into the canister and pushed back to the main display via pump in the canister. His wetdry/sump setup is the exact same concept except its open. and not sealed. This is what scares people.....

GREAT Job!


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