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bears flash back adventure

8K views 70 replies 12 participants last post by  aunt kymmie 
#1 ·
so some of you know me and other do not but i have chosen to leave the world of saltwater for now as i do not feel i was as ready (in many ways) as i first thought..... so i am starting this thread with the intent of returning to fresh water with a new set up.. infact i am going to be finally building my dream tank
a 72 gallon bowfront
cichlid tank...
i am in negotiations now to trade my salt set up for the tank and start the build process and then on to cycling etc....
again this is to reserve a spot for my picture diary of the new tank
 
#7 ·
Welcome back to the freshie world, Bear. Congrats on the new tank. Are you going with American or African cichlids?
 
#8 ·
still very undecided ATM.... my plan as of right now is to get the tank in on sunday 12/26 and start cleaning it and getting it ready to do all the DIY things first... 3-D back ground, filtration (if its drilled then a wet/dry, if not i am considering a DIY canister plan i have been playing with), i am keeping my reef lighting so i need to decide on if i want to trade them out for a double bulb deal for this tank or just keep them (i think they may be a bit much though LOL), then i want to really consider my substrate.... i am considering a natural brown small pebble type or a black sand still not decided on much LOL..... i am sure on only a few things 1) fresh water and 2) take my time and get it just the way i want it ... no point rushing ans getting things half the way i want and half the way i dont!! (see saltwater taught me something).....i am looking for great color though ..... i am thinking with a dark sub and a good looking Background that some fish with yellow, blues, reds and greens would be really nice.. and since this tank is a monster (in my world any way LOL) i have a bit of room to play with the stock.... i am also sure that i want them all from the same area ..... the more i think the more i lean towards African but still not sure which ones...
 
#9 ·
soooooo the new tank is here i need to get the pix up tomorrow,
so far the tank has been cleaned using 60/40 mix of vinegar and water
razor scrapped all the nasties out
found a few issues that i expected as i cleaned i thin k i hit the seal and created a small leak which means A) it was damaged to begin with or B) it was damaged in the move to here.. either way i rather find out now and replace the seals (i prefer to re-do them on any used tank any way)....
also the tank is not drilled the way i thought it was sooo that needs to be re-figured..... not really sure what my plan for that is yet as the hole (and bulkhead) is at the top of the back glass.. (i was hoping for a bottom hole).... i could use some thoughts here and will post in the DIY section as well my question is will a high over-flow work in a fresh water set up to a wet dry? should i still try to do a dorso style or get more creative in my task? i could just say to heck with it and plug it up and then go with a canister filter but i am not sure yet

i am just glad its in front of me so i can work out plans with it in my face to run ideas out instead of it being a big mystery......
 
#11 ·
|Agree with willow!! Sorry you had to take ur salty down you worked so hard on it! But glad you came to the freshwater side of things!
 
#14 ·
thats my buddy Milo he is a great cat.... he thinks hes a dog LOL

yeah the tank was a mess and it smelled awful but a little cleaning and it looks great now... just waiting until the week end for my next step in the process (well the better half thinks i am waiting LOL)

this is an intentionally slow build and it most likely will not see water for another month or two as i get things moving.. here is the full list of items to be done and sorta the order (some will be done at the same time)
new seals

plumbing

stand (modification or rebuild i have not decided yet)

build the wet/dry (bio-tower and spare tank) design ATM calls for a small refugium for plants as the stock i am considering typically will tear them up if they were in the DT

background (see other thread it will be made from plastic pavers)

substrate (crushed coral and aragonite mix to address water issues and for the great look)

then finally water and start the cycle.. this will give me 4-6 weeks to work out various decor and start locating the stock i would like...

now i know a lot of this will need tuning once assembled but i am ok with that....;-)
 
#15 ·
:blink: gosh that was messy looking !!
well i shall keep an eye on what you're getting up to as in progress
and i hope it works out how you want it too.:-D
oo nearly forgot,lovely kitty.
 
#19 ·
no that was in the laundry room on the other side of the wall... its not conductive to the lay out of this set up as its predrilled and lower than the hole in the wall ... i am going to modify the stand and raise it a bit in order to accommodate the sump under the tank and seal up the hole in the wall.... takes like 20 minutes to make the hole and only 10 to fix it ;)
 
#21 ·
due to the aqua scaping i have considered if i am going to at all that they will be in the Refugium for the added benifit they give but as for in the tnak i am leaning away from it .... some of the stock i have in mind does not do well with plants ... at least from the reading i have done so far.. but few aspects are 100% decided yet .....
 
#24 ·
well happy new year all!!! so as i intended i am doing about 1-2 projects a week with this tank... and so far this week end i have build the stand (last week was getting it and getting it clean LOL) here are a few updated pix...i raised it up 8" from the stand that came with it so the bottom of the tank sits at 33" from the floor now this is a great view.......







 
#26 ·
actually none... the center support is even with the edge and the ends are even with a 2x4 all the way across..... the ply wood is black so its hard to tell but there is next to none hanging with out support somewhere...
 
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