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I've been a firm believer in UGFs for a long time now. My personal experience has always been great with them... as long as I do frequent water changes and gravel vacs. Recently I was performing a gravel vac and I noticed TONS of waste buildup in the bottom, something I haven't seen in my...

My Pacu used to do the same thing to my Pleco... however mine was more like a get off my turf kinda stare. Eventually the Pleco would move and the Pacu would sit happily in the spot the Pleco used to occupy.

Forgot to mention, I decided to go with a sand bottom and scrap the UGF. If you can't tell, I'm very decisive about things. I like to plan as much as possibe and weigh the pros and cons before plunging right into things.

Thanks everyone! I'm getting some really good ideas. I was going to buy a 75 gal at the lfs but thought I would check out Ebay first. I saw a GARF style plywood and glass tank that looks great, so I went to GARF, printed off the plans and have decided to do a DIY tank. For the price I can...

It may, I have thought about that. If it does, no worries, I can always clean it really well and use it on my home water supply, either way I'm not out anything. I've found aquarium cannister filters that look just like what is used on home water purification, they are just a little more...

True, true

Like I said, it's just an idea. I know there is a lot of controversy about UGF filters. I myself haven't had any problems with mine used in conjunction with a HOB filter. I actually noticed once I installed it (by the way, I have a powerhead on the rise tubes, not an air stone) that my water...

I've always waited until they get settled in and familiar with their new surroundings. I guess it's normally about 5-6 hours after they are released into the tank. But even then I only put a very small amount of food in the water. If they act hungry I may put a bit more, but if they don't...

This is a thought of mine that I've been rolling around for a while now... I would love any feedback that I can get on this: I've used a UGF for a few years now and seem pretty satisfied with the results of a UGF and a Power Filter in combination. I'm now to the point where I'm either going to...

I found a new acrylic supplier that's almost $100 cheaper that www.usplastic.com. The new supplier is: http://www.delviesplastics.com I thought everyone here on the forum may be interested for DIY projects. They also offer free sheet cutting down to sizes that UPS will deliver. That way you...

Thanks sumphead! I am like you, I would much rather do it myself whenever possible. I've looked into getting a used tank, but I live in a rural area and the only thing people around here do with fish is catch them or eat them. LOL So finding a good used tank is hard to come by. I hope to...

The live rock would seed the sand eventually with life, but IMO, I would go ahead and put some live sand in there as well. It will kinda give you a little extra kick of biological filtration. You are looking at probably a month, or longer, before the sand in the tank gets seeded good from the...

Thanks sumphead, Unforntunately I can't get acrylic sheets locally. The closest city I found is about a 3 hour drive and I have no way to pick it up, so unfortunately, mail-order is the only way I can go. The $550 is including shipping and all the solvents, applicators, whatnot I should need...

An estimate of $550 for 2 sheets of 1/2" acrylic (48"x96") and all the supplies I would need compared to $850 - $1000 for an acrylic tank from an online retailer or the lfs. A couple hundred dollars doesn't seem like that much of a difference until you think about the amount of live rock I...

I've been reading the DIY forum and Garf.org a lot lately. I think instead of buying a tank and overflow setup, I'll just build my own. I'm pretty mechanically inclined so I don't think it would be a problem. The biggest and probably the only thing that worries me is bonding acrylic. I've...

Ahh, I see. Didn't think of that when I posted that last reply. The holes would then defeat the whole purpose of having the overflow wouldn't it?

I was thinking instead of running the collection cup along a table saw to make teeth, why not drill a series of holes all the way around it. Make it look somewhat like a honeycomb. I would say somewhere around the 1/4" - 3/8" size. You may have to experiment to see what gives you the best...

If you haven't already added the salt, I would go to Wal-Mart or someplace and get a 55 gallon trash can. Siphon all the water out of the tank, mix the salt in the trash can. Then drop in a powerhead and a heater and let it mix for a couple of days. Then once it's all mixed up and the...

The food and algae is what I'm concerned with most. The Pacu only eats flakes or pellets of a certain color and my Oscars have a bad habit of getting a mouth full of food, then spitting it out, then trying to eat it all again. I had an algae problem a few months ago that I got under control...

Yeah, I know, they are all still pretty small. The Pacu... maybe 3 inches long, the Oscars... maybe 2. I know eventually I'll have to get a new tank, but for the time being I'm going to leave me setup as it is until I find a new tank that I like.

Hey everyone, I've had a freshwater tank for years now. I've only kept fish in the tank and have had to clean the gravel on the bottom every month to two months. My Oscars and Pacus are apparently very messy. Anyway, onto the question... I'm wanting to get some snails to help with some of the...

Hey thanks everyone for the comments. A new tank is kinda out of the question now, I'm saving up to get a salt tank set up. I guess I'll have to keep a close eye on them all and if it gets worse, donate my oscars to someone with a larger tank. However, I don't think it is the other oscar...

I have 2 small Oscars and a medium sized Pacu in a 30 gal tank. They have all lived together happily for about 6 months now. All of a sudden, one of my Oscars is starting to develop fin problems that look to be little nibbles taken out. Is it my Pacu doing it, or the other Oscar? When I'm...

You may want to check out www.fishtankstore.com before you buy anything. The tanks are very similar, but they are a little cheaper and are made out of acrylic. You can order a standard reef tank, or one with built in wet/dry filtration. But of course everything boils down to what you are...

You will end up dumping the QT water in the long run anyway... just in case it's contaminated. So if it were me, I'd siphon water from the main tank for my QT, then do a partial water change on the main tank. Kill two birds with one stone.