# 45L Redesign



## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

This post is to document the redesign of my 45L aquarium. It was given to me as a 50G, but the dimensions are 48x13x18 which I believe makes it a 45L. It was my first tank, with my first cichlids, so I had no idea what was an appropriate environment for them. I found some great deals on some great decorations at my LFS and thought it looked rather nice. Until I found this site. Then my enthusiasm for the original design waned with each visit.

This is the current state of the tank:










It currently has 4 occupants including 1 Synodontis nigriventris Catfish, 1 black unknown species cichlid, 1 5" Metriaclima estharae, and 1 3" holding Metriaclima estharae. Most if not all of these will be finding a new home when I am done. The new occupants , which are current in a 29G grow out tank and range from 1" to 2", are these guys:

4 Metriaclima estharae (F1 Minos Reef) 1M/3F (Blue male, orange females)
6 Labidochromis Mbamba 1M/5F (this will probably be different once they grow up a bit)
5 Cynotilapia Lion (Lion's Cove) 1M/4F (this might change as well once they grow up)
1 Synodontis nigriventris Catfish

Today is Friday and like every Friday my son goes to his mothers for the weekend. I just happened to be headed to their part of town tonight so I took him there myself. My ex-wife needed me to close her garage door for her because it was too high for her to reach. After closing it I noticed a nice egg shaped river rock in the back of her truck and asked if I might have it. She said sure, and said there were more around the side of the garage and I could take as many as I wanted. This is what I ended up with:










They are exactly what I've been looking for, and there are enough of them to make a very nice pile on one end, and another contrasting pile on the other. I'm thinking the big pile will probably be about 10-12" high. In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm going to go in the kitchen and arrange them on the counter and take a pic.

Done. Wasn't that quick?

Unfortunately the widest part of my countertop is only 35" or so, but you get the idea. Here is the rocks in two piles, with the right pile coming in at about 10" high:










Left Side:










Right Side:










Next I thought it might be nice if they were in one large pile across the length of the tank:




























The hole you can see in one of the larger rocks is actually about 2-3" deep and 1" or so in diameter. I have quite a few fish that will fit in this hole, and it will probably be a haven for future fry. Opinions on the two methods? I noticed one or two of the rocks have some green on them... algae maybe?? Would adding rocks with that already present be OK?

I currently have a white sand substrate and plan to keep it. The first photo shows no background, but I did purchase one for it. It's a rocky river bottom background with branches and twigs poking though, but I think I'm going to change it to a black background, probably paint. With only 12" of depth to work with I'm not even going to entertain a 3D background, even one that is only 1-2" thick.

I'm current using a AquaClear 70 HOB and it works nicely, so I think I'll keep it. I'll definitely change the pipe to a black one or paint it. It moves a lot of water on one end of the tank, but it does nothing for the other side so I'll be adding a power head. Anyone have suggestions for a reasonably priced and attractive power head?

I'm not sure on the heater I'm using, other than to say it's more than capable to heat the tank and I'll probably turn it horizontal and place it directly underneath the intake behind the rocks where nobody can see it.


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## ratbones86 (Jun 29, 2012)

Do the 2 smaller piles to split up territory.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Scrub the rocks in hot water with a stiff brush...you don't want to introduce anything that will rot underwater or any bugs. Most of the algae should come off.

With mbuna I would leave only small patches of open sand...each male will want to claim one that is surrounded by rocks. If you go separate piles, I would have them at least touching. If you go one continuous pile have rocks extending toward the front and back glass every 6" or so to surround the patch of substrate for the male to claim and break his line of sight to the next male.


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## NJmomie (Jan 17, 2013)

I also prefer the two piles instead of one. Also, when I use rocks that I find, I run them through the dishwasher a couple of times. That should kill most things right? Good luck.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

I thought about it last night and decided the two pile method was the way to go... I'm going to have a fairly high stack 1/3 from the right directly in front of my filter intake so I can pile it high and hide it and the heater. I'll put a second somewhat smaller pile towards the left side in the middle with sand all around and see how that goes. The logistics of moving fish around to my various tanks will be painful so it might take some time to work it out but once I do I'll get started.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Two rock piles will give you more hiding places, and territories in the tank. However, don't make the two piles the same size and height. I find such tanks look awkward, so make sure there is some difference in the two piles.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

Oh, and I'm hearing that leaving the algae on the rock is not the best idea??


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

I don't have enough rock to make to large piles anyway. I'll use what I need to make the highest pile I can in from of the intake, and the rest on the left. It will not look symmetrical at all and the smaller one will likely be more dispersed than the larger one.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

The algae on the rocks should not pose any problems. As Frank said, just give the rocks a good scrub with a brush and hot water and you are good to go.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

Ok. The rocks are on my countertop and a towel because I scrubbed them already when I got home. I saw the algae on a few of them and only lightly scrubbed those green parts of the rock, but the dirt and plant matter that was on them is all scrubbed off.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I also wanted to add that you will need to bump up your filtration with just the AC70. If you are content with using a power filter, you could add an AC110 or another brand or you could upgrade and get a canister filter. Many models include a spray bar for the return which can be mounted on the short end of the tank and will help circulate the water in the tank.

Powerheads are mostly circulation and only provide filtering capabilities if they can also be used as such. They can also detract from the look of the tank if you want to keep as much equipment from view as possible.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

I had given thought to replacing the AquaClear 70 with a canister and a spray bar... and might still do it even though the AquaClear keeps the tank crisp and clean... just so I can hide things better and remove the need for the power head. I'll give it some thought between now and when I'm ready. One plus for a canister is that the 3 media from the AquaClear would probably be able to go right into the canister and I wouldn't have Cycling issues.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

So the question of getting a canister and a spray bar resolved itself today. I use Sunday to do any PWCs that I need and in the middle of changing the water on my 29g grow out tank the Tetra FS-30-60 I was using on there just died. Still grinds away but won't prime or work anymore. Rather than replace it and still have to replace the one on my 45L I grabbed the AquaClear 70 from the 45L and put it on the 29g. Moves plenty of water and is already established. Good thing for me they had the Fluval 306s on sale today! Picked one up and all the pieces I need for the spray bar as well as the paint for the tank and intake tube for a very very reasonable price.

The flow on the 306 is great and with roughly only 35 gallons of water in the tank after rocks and substrate, 303GPH is just fine.

One thing I will say is that the instructions need to have better photos of where to place the lid gasket. There is a small channel that runs around the lid that is perfect for the gasket... which is not meant for the gasket! Once the canister starts priming and the gasket is in the wrong place.. well.. you can imagine my panic when it started gushing out. If anything they could have one last line of text with instructions on how to STOP THE WATER from filling the tank. Lucky for me only a half gallon made it onto the floor before I managed to get the filter into a bucket and pull up on the primer lever.

Whew! Now that the canister is working all I need to do is steal some media from the AC70 and keep the tank from cycling and I'm good to go. There's only 4 fish in the tank so I'm thinking maybe I could just grab the white ceramic ring things (what ARE they called??) and swap them into the 306??


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

The Aquaclear white rings/tubes are just generically called bio-media. Yes, I would put them in the new canister filter but still keep an eye on your water test results.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

Let's hear it for water changing!

Lost a filter earlier, and now a hot water heater. All right yeah!!!

Nothing like taking out 85% of a 60g tank only to find the hot water heater failed and you can't fill it back up!


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Well, the only good news I see here is that your fish are happy with a new filter and clean water!

Sorry to hear about the water heater, any chance it's not just the down tube or anode rod? If it's not too old, maybe a new heating element if it's electric.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

Hah! It was installed by my uncle in 1978 when he owned the house. I was only 8yrs old then! I've had to coax it along a few times... getting clogged, pilot light not staying lit... that kind of thing. It's time to put it to rest and replace it.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Well I would say you definitely got some life out of that water heater!

Have you thought about getting a Tankless water heater? They are a bit more expensive to purchase but they free up floor space since they are wall mounted. We switched to one a couple years ago and it is especially helpful since we have well water and a water softener. I can just bypass my softener and run straight well water through the tankless heater for nice hard water for the fish tanks.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

I have looked into it, but with the cost of the venting and installation it winds up being almost 3x as much.I have a fairly large house so space is not really an issue. Thanks for the suggestion though!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Know that using hot water from a tankless heater for a fish tank is fine, but using hot water from a traditional hot water heater with tank could cause issues.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

How so? I've always adjusted the temp at the faucet to match the tank temp when I do my PWCs.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Because the tanks heat-cool-heat the water there can be a build-up of minerals (some good, some maybe not) in a tank that you would not have in a tankless.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

I see. It doesn't "appear" to be the case in my house as all of my tanks are in great shape, and all of my parameters are within norms at all times. Could be the amount of water I use never lets that happen. Between the showers, dishwasher and clothes washing it is refilling and working quite a bit.

How would someone with a non-tankless (tankfull?) heater fill their tanks with pre-temped water without using this method?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

It was often advised by fishkeepers before tankless heaters to never use hot water. They would do more frequent smaller water changes with just cold water. Or they would have a storage tank for their water change to let the cold water come to room temperature before using it. This was especially popular before the advent of chloramines because aeration in this storage tank outgassed the chlorine and made it unnecessary to use dechlorinators.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

I put the spray bar together tonight and after reading various posts about how it is done I drilled some holes and gave it a shot. I put 9 holes pointing slightly upwards, and 18 holes slightly downwards. I used a 1/8" bit. The surface agitation was "ok", and the water movement in the tank was ****. I could see particles moving around, but the detritus on the bottom wasn't moving at all. I took it out, taped up every other hole and tried again... better, but not at all what I was looking for. I used plumbers tape to seal the threads, so there's no leaking. I think I need to start with a smaller bit, and less holes, and work up from there. Tips? Suggestions?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Spray bars go at the surface. Are you trying to make an under gravel jet system to blow debris off the substrate?


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

No, I had it maybe 1" from the surface. The surface agitation was "ok" but that's it. Is that all I an expect from the spray bar is surface agitation?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

In general, yes. The spray bar is coming off your filter, right?

Even with it at the surface, if you have enough power it should set up a loop from the top (spray bar) to the bottom (intake) and sweep debris into the intake. Think of it as a booster at the top of the loop to keep the water moving.

Under gravel jets are specifically for substrate debris but are usually powered by a pump on the bottom and pipes under the substrate. They have outlets just at the substrate level that blow across the substrate to kick up the debris so the filter loop can suck it into the intake.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

Yes, it's coming off my filter. I thought it would do both jobs. If it's just for surface agitation then I'll focus on it doing just that and I'll have to go back to my original plan for a power head to get some movement at the bottom of the tank.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

OK. But know you also have the option of having enough filtration to get a good loop going...the loop will sweep the bottom of your tank without a power head.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

A loop... that's what I feel I'm stuck in. 

The whole reason I put the front-downward facing holes in the spray bar was to attain this loop.. to keep everything in motion until it finds its way to the intake. What I was saying before was that it didn't seem to make enough movement on the bottom to move anything round. And, once I place those rocks in the tank I will effectively have a wall of stone in the middle of both ends which would block the loop half way... no?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I don't use the spray bar...I just shoot the water out straight. It hits the front of the tank, flows down the front and across the substrate to the intakes. I arrange decor to avoid impeding this flow. I usually have 2 filters so two loops cover the tank. You can move your intakes and returns to take advantage of open spaces to some extent.

I am going to try under gravel jets because I hear with those it's not just the surface debris that gets swept away...you virtually don't have to vacuum substrate any more. Hmmm, we will see.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

I was able to rehome everyone in the tank last night, and relocate the holding zebra to a 10g. She's not the Blue X Red variety like my other 3 females, but I suppose there's no reason to get rid of her. She'll likely look just a little bit different than the others and add some variety to the visuals.

Having and empty means painting!

One last before shot:









Taped off, starting paint:









First coat done:









Front side after first coat:









Second coat:









Third coat:









Almost done!









Painting done, rocks added, water levels restored, 8hrs of filtering:









The guy at the store assured me it would be BLACK after drying... so much for assurances. No matter, it looks nice.

So.. the rocks are in two piles and have some very nice caves in them, both large and small. It needs something more though.. I'm thinking some fake greenery perhaps. I have it in my other tank and it adds a finishing touch to it. I'm not inclined to try having real plants in there.

I swapped the white intake for an extra black one I had, and just left the default 306 nozzle on for now. I'll play around with the spray bar after I have fish in the tank and something floating around to show me how well it works.

Opinions? Suggestions?


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

One thing of note... I put the new canister on it the other day, and added the bio balls from my AC70 to it in hopes of giving it a jump start. I tested yesterday before breaking it down and I had Ammonia .5, Nitrates 5, Nitrites 0. After doing the 60-70% WC to redo the aquascape the parameters are not Ammonia .25, Nitrites 0, and Nitrates (still?) 5+. BUT.. my PH which is almost always 7.8/7.9 is 7.6... never had to actually use the low PH test kit before. Once I move the fish out of the grow tank I'll move the AC 70 onto this tank with it... but that poses it's own issues.. I need the grow tank to be ready for my Zebra female in 2 weeks when I take her out of the soon to be fry tank. Grr..


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Why do you have ammonia?


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

Because there was fish in the tank and I switched out the filter with a new one and only swapped out the bio balls... no? Is that not to be expected?


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

So I've been thinking about this all day.. wanting to put the fish in the tank, but wanting feedback first. I do have some ammonia in the tank because of the filter change, and the media I put in the new canister is obviously not seeded enough yet. Because of that I decided I'll move the fish... and the AC70 that is completely seeded, and then re-cycle my grow tank with a new filter. One of the big chain LFS in my area has a great sale going on some of their filters (which is why I have a new 306) so I'll just get a new one for the grow out tank.

Also, I added the spray bar to the tank so I could sit back and watch it move around the little bubbles and particles, and watch the top water agitation. It's working fine I think... and with the movement from the AC70 added to it I think the tank will be just fine.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I would not have expected ammonia with the bioballs from a cycled tank in the filter, but since you have ammonia you are right, maybe not enough beneficial bacteria.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

Almost done!

I picked up some Amazon Swords and another Anubias. The tank looks MUCH better now!










A couple of the Swords have long runners on them with some leaves sprouting. What should/can I do with these? Is there a point at which I snip them off and plant them elsewhere? Will they sprout roots too?


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

Kinda seems like I'm talking to myself on this thread. Wrong area to post it to maybe? I dunno.

Anyway, I've added the fish to the tank. Nobody ever seems to show that part... but not me! Here you go:


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I missed the sword sprout question.

Until they have roots I would just bury the runner with the leaves sticking up and later when that part of the plant has rooted, you can snip and plant elsewhere. You may find the swords drop all their leaves and grow new ones, so you don't want to traumatize the plant until it has a good crop of new leaves.

On the video post, did you have a question? If you ask for feedback or opinions, you will probably get them. I think you got some of it as you went along though. :thumb:


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

The new layout looks very nice, good job.

I do recommend not having the crowns of the sword plants buried as it will promote rotting of the crown. It is also possible that you will experience some melting of the swords and the plants may get very ugly before they adjust to the new lighting and environment. Mine became almost translucent and lost a lot of leaves before they were able to bounce back.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

DJRansome said:


> I missed the sword sprout question.
> 
> Until they have roots I would just bury the runner with the leaves sticking up and later when that part of the plant has rooted, you can snip and plant elsewhere. You may find the swords drop all their leaves and grow new ones, so you don't want to traumatize the plant until it has a good crop of new leaves.
> 
> On the video post, did you have a question? If you ask for feedback or opinions, you will probably get them. I think you got some of it as you went along though. :thumb:


Thanks for the plant advice. If the number of leaf sprouts on the runners is an indication of how many sword plants will be produced I'm looking at about 9 right now with the current runners I have. Buy 3 get 9 free. Good deal!

As far as opinions I was just looking for feedback on the layout and the rocks and whatnot... in case I missed some really good idea along the way. Having sat and watched the tank for awhile now I'm extremely happy with how it turned out and the fish are even happier.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

Deeda said:


> The new layout looks very nice, good job.
> 
> I do recommend not having the crowns of the sword plants buried as it will promote rotting of the crown. It is also possible that you will experience some melting of the swords and the plants may get very ugly before they adjust to the new lighting and environment. Mine became almost translucent and lost a lot of leaves before they were able to bounce back.


Thanks! 

By not burying the crowns do you mean the top of the basket they're attached to? Won't look nearly as pristine that way but if it helps I'll do it. The leaves *might* drop.. but I purchased them from a tank, not a gel bottle, so I'm hoping they're already adjusted to being underwater full time.

Right now I just have the 2 standard hoods with single T8 lights, probably not the best for plants, but they'll have to manage until I can get a 48" bank of better lighting.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

The plants should be removed from any basket or growing medium that they were sold in and the plant roots should be planted directly in your substrate. The crown of the plant is where it makes the transition from the root system to where the leaves start to emerge from base of the plant.

Also, the Anubias should not be planted in the substrate, depending on the species. It should be attached to a rock using gel super glue or a rubber band. It is preferable to attach it to driftwood or a porous rock as that allows the root system to be firmly attached.


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## NJmomie (Jan 17, 2013)

AaronB said:


> Kinda seems like I'm talking to myself on this thread. Wrong area to post it to maybe? I dunno.
> 
> Anyway, I've added the fish to the tank. Nobody ever seems to show that part... but not me! Here you go:


Thanks for sharing the video. I really love the way you position the rocks in the tank. They look very natural and the plants add nice color. The fish look happy... Congratulations.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Definitely remove the basket and rock wool growing medium. You can tell if your swords are already adjusted to being immersed if the leaves stay in the water during a change. If the leaves stand up when you change the water, they were grown in the air.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

Ahh.... remove the bucket AND the medium. Grrr. Back into the tank again.

I bought the plants from a planted tank... so they were in the water already when I got them. They could have just been put in the water at the store I suppose.


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## Demigod (Mar 22, 2013)

When I first found this rock I was excited to see the small hole in it. It's about 7/8" wide and about 2.5" deep. Perfect for little fish... hope it doesn't cause me problems in the future.

This little Libidochromis Mbamba was hanging out in there today:










Mr. Grumpy Pantz:


















A female Mbamba juvenile with a possible male Mbamba:


























The male Metriaclima estharae is starting to show his blue now that he's in his new home:










There are a couple possible males in the MBamba group. I think this will be the largest one:










The other MBamba juveniles are starting to show color as well:










Juvenile Cynotilapia sp Lion:


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## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

Nice job on your tank setup and your spray bar...thanks for sharing


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