my 55 gallon finally up and running**pictures**

[mr funktastic]

i also like the kenyi and if worse comes to worse i will substitute them for the demasoni although i ove the demasoni to much. i actually bought a demasoni he was probably less than half an inch long and i have him in a 10 gallon tank right now. he is still less than an inch so the 10 gal will be fine untill the 55 is cycled. how much does the cycle stuff cost like bio spira? and also is it really necessary to rinse the sand? it is such a pain in the ass to do and i would much rather just put it in the tank and fill it up. i hope lots of people give there opinions again in this thread they were so helpful in the planning stages that i cant imagine what they have to say now that i actually have the tank. look foreward to hearing from everyone

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Washing the sand is a must. Sand holds so much dust that if oyu don't, your tank will be dusty for quite a while. It's easier just to clean it prior to adding it to the tank.

Kenyi's are beautiful fish. I actually just had one change coloration from blue to yellow. Interesting to watch.

I'm not sure on the price of Bio-Spira in Canada, if they even offer it. Have you considered a fishless cycle using pure ammonia?

BTW- great fish choices.

 

[mr funktastic]

i am pretty sure that they offer it in canada i have just never asked at any fish store i have gone to. there is a big als near me and i am pretty sure that if i ask and they dont have it they will order it for me. i am going there on wednesday to buy the last of the things i need for the tank before setting it up. i will buy an assortment of food and some decorations if i need them and will make a full price list of all the fish i want or might possible get to reference from. i will make a list of all the fish available to me so people can make suggestions. i am also bringing my camera to take pictures of the shark tank and cichlid tank and the most amazing saltwater tank that they have set up there. i will post pics right ofter i get the tank set up so everyone can see. and how do you cycle the tank with pure ammonia? how long does this take?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Cycling with pure ammonia seems to be the fastest way to cycle a tank when starting from scratch. (except for BioSpira) TomK2 has the formula for determining how much ammonia to add to the tank per gal. You may want to PM him if he doesn't pop into the thread.

 

[mr funktastic]

thanks. i was wondering if it is really necessary to silicone all the rocks together if u are going to build the structure op high. or will the weight of the rocks support each other and keep it rigid?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

If you can wiggle the rocks easily, then definately silicone it. We don't silicone anything except for a few structures that we made to look like a hut.

 

[mr funktastic]

thats cool thank you

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Washing the sand is a must.

Very true, just ask me, lol....

I did my 55G with pool filter sand. And even after washing the sand out well, was still pretty cloudy. The trick was doing a 75% PWC when you are done, and it clears it up pretty good, then let it sit an hour. Was crystal clear. Then it was time to put the filter on and start it up. Wasn't about to run sand debris through my filter.

 

[mr funktastic]

see i never had a problem with my pool filter sand that i put in. i didnt rinse it either but i just put a shallow bowl into the aquarium and aimed into that so the sand didnt get disturbed at all and it cleared up in like 5 min whatever little bit did cloud up. i like pool filter sand but the debris shows up alot on it so gravel vacs are a must. i only bought 2 bags of the geosystem black sand but that is only 44 pounds all together so i think i need another bag. i am going to big als in like 5 min and i got my camera ready to take some awsome pictures. i will be setting up the aquarium tonight hopefully so wish me luck and i will keep people updated.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

An easy way to disguise fish waste is by mixing pool filter sand with black sand. I used 100 lbs of pfs and 8 lbs of black sand. The 150 now has a peppered look to it. The poo is a little more noticeable in the 150 because Africans have big poo. But in the 55 gal community (50 lbs pfs and 3 lbs black sand) it's not noticeable beacuse their waste is smaller in size.

 

[mr funktastic]

i was thinknig about doing that aswell to cut down on cost becasue black sand is soo much more expensive but i think that it would take away to much of the black and i really want a dark substrate to show off the marble i am putting in my tank as well as the colours of my new cichlids. but thanks for the tip and all the other advise u have put into this post u have been a big help.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Can't wait to see pics of the tank when you have it complete.

 

[mr funktastic]

i have the stand semidone. i have finishing touches to do like edging and putting on the doors but it is dont. i will post a pic of the tank dry with the stand tomorrow. i thought i would have it set up but i got delayed

 

[mr funktastic]

ok finished all the edging but when i was trimming off the overlap trim i slipped with the exacto knife and kinda stabbed my finger and it was bleeding a little but i will survive. it just kinda made me take a break. i will post a pic tonight for sure once the trim is on so you all can see how beautiful and BIG it is lol. well big for me.

 

[mr funktastic]

ok parents had to go to sleep so i wasnt allowed to do the sanding so i couldnt put the tank on the stand and basically what i am saying is i didnt get to take a picture...but i did get pictures of the huge bowfront saltwater tank at big als as well as a huge 150 gallon cichlid tank that they had there. thought u all might enjoy these.

 

[mr funktastic]

ok finally got the tak +stand pics so you can compare before and after. the stand still needs to be stained and varathaned but i thought u should all see it first. the middle gap will be filled by doors and i will be putting in shelves in the side areas. hope u like it. by the way i hope some people start responding to this because i feel like i am talking to myself lol.

 

[RoK]

The pics from Big Al's are nice and the stand looks to be coming along quite well!

 

[DeFeKt]

wow, that looks great ,

btw what are the dimensions on the tank? looks very tall, how thick is the glass?

Well done mate

 

[jonnyb1425]

You may have difficulty finding the Double Full Red Cockatroo and the Orange Cockatoo.

Check on aquabid.com

 

[mr funktastic]

thanks for the tip johnnyb1425. and thanks for the positive feed back. i am staining it right now and hopefully will have everything smooth and running by tonight. the dimentions of the tank are 12 3/4" wide 48" long and 21" high. looking foreward to showing everyone the pics of it when it is done