coralbandit
Aquarium Advice Addict
So this has been coming for years and finally the fish Gods have aligned.
I have my 75g tank with an overflow built in and an awesome custom made enclosure for the top of the tank. I used this setup maybe 15+ years ago for my son at first and he had a Chinese water dragon in the land section. After he moved out I set the tank up as a reef tank and recently moved my reef to 120 in a different room. So now I have what I need to build something different. Maybe over 20 years ago I ran my 135 half [or less] filled with a land section that housed anoles I caught in Florida ! My wife thought it was the most beautiful tank ever with vine plants growing end to end.
So with tank ,stand and top I am ready to make the paludarium I have dreamed and thought about for along time.
I definitely want a strong fish presence in the tank and plan on moving the kuhlis , farrowells and hatchet fish from my half filled 29g...But I want to be able to view the surface action of tank so have decided to "lower" the water level in the 75g from 19" to aprox. 13" .
To do this I have removed the built in overflow from my Aqueon 75g and cut it to the proper height on my band saw ! It came out way easier then de rimming any tank that is for sure and only took 15-30 minutes. So I need to clean it up and caulk it back in place. I need to build a sump since none of mine fit in the stand.The stand is only 19" tall to allow for the massive top. The top is made like the stand out of mahogany and has 2 glass panels in front. It measure 48x18 to fit on top of the 75 and is 43 inches tall.
I am going to paint the back of the tank black but unsure about inside the top. The inside is good grade luan mahogany plywood that could be sealed or painted. Not sure . This build is going to take a while I think but I will start with pictures of parts as they come together . Hoping to seal overflow and paint tank this week end. Stand is in place and top is still in the 'fish supply attic' . It will not be the easiest to get out /down from there but today may be the day !
Hoping this will be an awesome build and tank .Fun is #1 , function is #2 as I can always make improvements along the journey !
Besides the mechanics I really have no idea about any of this though !
I have my 75g tank with an overflow built in and an awesome custom made enclosure for the top of the tank. I used this setup maybe 15+ years ago for my son at first and he had a Chinese water dragon in the land section. After he moved out I set the tank up as a reef tank and recently moved my reef to 120 in a different room. So now I have what I need to build something different. Maybe over 20 years ago I ran my 135 half [or less] filled with a land section that housed anoles I caught in Florida ! My wife thought it was the most beautiful tank ever with vine plants growing end to end.
So with tank ,stand and top I am ready to make the paludarium I have dreamed and thought about for along time.
I definitely want a strong fish presence in the tank and plan on moving the kuhlis , farrowells and hatchet fish from my half filled 29g...But I want to be able to view the surface action of tank so have decided to "lower" the water level in the 75g from 19" to aprox. 13" .
To do this I have removed the built in overflow from my Aqueon 75g and cut it to the proper height on my band saw ! It came out way easier then de rimming any tank that is for sure and only took 15-30 minutes. So I need to clean it up and caulk it back in place. I need to build a sump since none of mine fit in the stand.The stand is only 19" tall to allow for the massive top. The top is made like the stand out of mahogany and has 2 glass panels in front. It measure 48x18 to fit on top of the 75 and is 43 inches tall.
I am going to paint the back of the tank black but unsure about inside the top. The inside is good grade luan mahogany plywood that could be sealed or painted. Not sure . This build is going to take a while I think but I will start with pictures of parts as they come together . Hoping to seal overflow and paint tank this week end. Stand is in place and top is still in the 'fish supply attic' . It will not be the easiest to get out /down from there but today may be the day !
Hoping this will be an awesome build and tank .Fun is #1 , function is #2 as I can always make improvements along the journey !
Besides the mechanics I really have no idea about any of this though !