# My tank is complete! Finally! Build with pics.



## BrunoZA (Jun 19, 2016)

After two months of headaches and frustration, my tank is finally complete  I have never kept fish before and this is my first tank. This is how it all came about:

*Stand*

A quick sketchup of the frame I thought would be the strongest design.









After welding the frame, I laid a piece of plywood on top of the frame to help level the stand.










I then used some chipboard and constructed a simple cabinet around the steel frame:










Finished it off with some matt black acrylic paint and voila:










*Lighting:*

I thought I would try something different since I had a strip of LED lights laying around (costs around $4 per meter). I got 1 meter and then decided to design and develop a voice-controlled (SIRI) system for the lights. This allows me to set the lights to any colour, brightness and saturation using my voice. All this would then work via WIFI so it is completely wireless. I can also now set the lights to simulate lighting conditions from around Lake Malawi using a live weather update system. Pretty nifty! Timers and schedules can also be set from my phone.

Cobbled together a small controller based on what I wanted above:









You can see it in action here:






*Substrate and Rockscape*

Ok, this one almost made me give up!! I first decided to create a 3D styrofoam and cement background. It then took forever for the ph to stabilize and also just didn't quite look right..


















With a heavy heart.. I tore it down and then spent hours n hours scraping all that silicone off. I then painted the back of the tank black with the leftover paint from the cabinet build.

I read so many conflicting opinions on rocks on this forum and others and whether sandstone was suitable or not. I posted a question about sandstone chips and that wasn't that encouraging because the sandstone kept crumbling and they were so tiny that it didn't make sense to pile them up high instead of just using one big rock. I eventually made my way down to a local landscape/garden center and picked up some Dolerite (diabase in the US) and a geologist friend of mine assured me it was safe to use. I soaked it in water and a bleach solution for a long time and then came the dillema about egg-crate or no egg-crate!

Thanks to the members here, I learned about the pros and cons of egg-crate and settled on No Egg-crate.

For substrate, I went with pool filter sand. Rinsed it thoroughly and it was good to go!

And this is what it looks like now! 


























For some reason, the colour of the light looks a lot more blue in the pictures than it does in real-life.

Now, I just have to sit and wait for my tank to cycle and i'm ready and excited for my first foray into the fish-keeping hobby!  I'd love to hear what you guys/gals think.


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## somebody (May 13, 2014)

opcorn: I like where this is going


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## BrunoZA (Jun 19, 2016)

Oh boy.. that makes me nervous now..


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## tanker3 (May 18, 2015)

Nice job, and set-up.


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## BrunoZA (Jun 19, 2016)

thanks tanker


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Very nice job on the build and I'm sure somebody was saying the same thing with his eating popcorn icon!!

Sorry about the DIY background but I do like the painted black background.


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## BrunoZA (Jun 19, 2016)

Thanks Deeda! Being a complete novice, I couldn't help doubt myself and think that the popcorn icon meant "aha! rookie mistake... this is about to get heated up here.. let me grab some popcorn and watch this unfold" hahaha. :lol:


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## somebody (May 13, 2014)

Woah!, no, no pestering from me! I'm sorry you took it that way. I just wanted to post so I can stay up to date as this build comes along. I've seen your other posts and you are doing a lot better than I was a few years back. I really like how you automated the led in sync with the phone. The build is coming along very nicely. Keep up the good work!!

:thumb:


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## BrunoZA (Jun 19, 2016)

Ah I clearly misunderstood your previous comment! thanks Somebody


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## Melanddave6571 (Jul 5, 2016)

Nice set up! You did a lot just to tear it down but results are nice!


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## BrunoZA (Jun 19, 2016)

Thanks Melanddave! I actually do prefer the painted black background more now so it was well worth the trouble


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## smoothie17 (Oct 2, 2015)

What program is that?


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## BrunoZA (Jun 19, 2016)

Smoothie, its Google Sketchup (I am assuming you are asking about the pic with the frame?)


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## jpjtaylor (Aug 25, 2016)

I'm new here is anyone able to tell me how i start my own thing im looking for advise on stocking for a 75 gallon P.S. the tank looks amazing


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Go to the Forum appropriate for the cichlids you wish to keep. Click on new topic and type in the box. Hit Submit when finished.


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