An update on my setup - advice please

[tjm80]

Hi guys, so far I've bought a 60 gallon aquarium/stand combo from Petsmart, a canister filter and all the whatnot. LFS said that a sump wasn't necessary and a canister filter would suffice. Surprising since they lost $ on the sale. Needless to say, the past few days I've been reading all about sumps. Decided to return the canister filter and go the route of the sump.

The problem was that I couldn't fit even a 10 gallon aquarium/sump in the stand I had for the 60 gallon tank. So... I just got home from returning the aquarium, stand, and canister filter to PetSmart (they came as a combo and I couldn't return the stand by itself). But they have a 75 gallon aquarium at another local petsmart that I will go get tomorrow hopefully. My father in law has some lumber and the equipment needed to build an aquarium stand, so tomorrow hopefully I will be able to acquire the new tank, and begin construction on a stand.

This brings me to my question. Does anyone know of any good free plans for aquarium stands online? I plan on having the 75 gallon aquarium with a 20 gallon sump. I already have a 20 gallon aquarium that's not being used.

Thanks in advance for the expert advice I know I will receive!!!

 

[mr_X]

a 75 is a much better tank! btw, i hope you bought it reef ready, or are you going to drill it?

DIY (Do It Yourself) Aquarium Cabinet & Stand Plans - DIY (Do It Yourself) Aquarium Cabinet & Stand Plans

 

[tjm80]

I haven't purchased it yet, I plan on doing that tomorrow and hopefully starting on the stand. What are the advantages of having reef ready/drilling vs a hang on overflow box?

I found a 55 gallon with built in overflow and stand on craigslist for $100. Worth looking into?

 

[mr_X]

the advantage of a pre-drilled tank or reef ready tank is that it will never lose siphon and not drain. all it needs is gravity to work.
the HOB style needs a siphon started to make it work and they have been known to lose siphon for various reasons.

i would go with the 75 over the 55. the 55 is a P.I.T.A. to aqua scape. after you put your rock in, you'll have just about zero sand bed space.
believe me, you'll be happy you spent the extra money and got the 75.

 

[tjm80]

Sounds good. So drilling works no differently than the "reef ready" it's just a matter of shattering your tank or not? Every aquarium I've ever bought includes a sticker that says "tempered glass - do not drill". Is this just the bottom glass, or the sides as well? And if you're going to drill the aquarium, where is the best place for the holes - the bottom or the sides?

 

[mr_X]

most aquariums have tempered bottoms. you'll have to check with the manufacturer to see if they tempered the sides. it's not a common practice.
if i was going to drill a tank i would drill the back pane about 4" in from the side and about 4" down from the top. 1 hole. i would come over the top with the return.
here, check these guys out-
Glass-Holes.com dope aquarium stuff

a reef ready tank already has a surface skimmer box over the drain holes and they like to drill the bottom. i don't like these as much because they take up so much space. it's personal preference really.

 

[tjm80]

So you prefer drilling your tanks? The reef ready aquariums are much more expensive. But buying the 700 gph overflow from these guys isn't cheap either.

 

[mr_X]

So you prefer drilling your tanks? The reef ready aquariums are much more expensive. But buying the 700 gph overflow from these guys isn't cheap either.

80 bucks? ...you are in for an awakening! this hobby is not cheap!
the whole kit comes with the drill bit and surface skimmer box and bulkhead.
i would prefer my own, low profile overflow like the ones they have on that site, over the reef ready tank, but again, it's a matter of preference.
even HOb overflow boxes are 60-70 bucks.

 

[tjm80]

It was meant to be sarcasm. I guess I should have made reference to the HOB boxes as well. lol. But the reef ready aquariums I've seen online ARE much more expensive than drilling.

 

[tjm80]

Alright, so... Since my last update when I returned the 60 gallon tank/stand combo, I've since acquired a 75 gallon aquarium from petsmart (for 30% off because it didn't include the ugly plastic canopy I wouldn't use anyway, and the regular fluorescent lighting that would have to be upgraded later), ordered the 700gph overflow kit from glass-holes.com (took me a couple of minutes to get the play on words lol) tested the new tank to make sure that the sides are not tempered, borrowed the tools needed to build a stand from my awesome father in law, purchased a RO/DI system on ebay, and got a small powerhead to keep my meager 15 lbs of live rock from dying in the bucket.

Also, found a MUCH better LFS than the previous one. Sold me an old powerhead for $5 to keep my LR from dying, nice clean store and the owner talked to me for about an hour and made a $5 sale. Will be using him instead of the one a mile up the road that smells like dead fish inside...

He recommended an 8 week cycle using ammonium chloride tablets (i think?) doing a 10% water change after 4 weeks, and I will get a skimmer about 2 months from getting the whole setup going.

I'm getting pumped! Just wish I hadn't rushed a bit on the front end, but you live and learn!

 

[mr_X]

live and learn. i'm still learning, hearing about the ammonia chloride tabs.

 

[tjm80]

Ace® Ammonia - 6 Pack - Industrial Cleaners - Ace Hardware

Could you use this? I went to my local Ace and looked at a jug of it. It was only $5, and I've read online that as long as it doesn't bubble up when you shake it it is safe to use to kick start the cycle. I shook it and it didn't bubble.

What's the difference between this, the tablets, or say, peeing in the tank?

 

[abdhalim2]

haha....u sure u want to pee in the tank..??
for start the cycle, why not u buy a raw shrimp from store and add it in your tank...let it be there for a week then test for ammonia and so on.....

 

[tjm80]

I'd rather go with ammonia tabs over a dead shrimp.

 

[mr_X]

why?

 

[six2sevenproductions]

80 bucks? ...you are in for an awakening! this hobby is not cheap!

i couldnt agree more.

I like using the raw shrimp. You dont have to keep adding ammonia and wonder if you have added enough.

 

[abdhalim2]

yeah why..???

 

[skratchiechan]

2 pieces of the shrimp is going to be cheaper than the ammonia tablets anyway

 

[cabezon]

I've never seen ammonia tablets. But I did get a gallon of ammonia from the dollar store and knew exactly how much ammonia I was adding. What is the dose from a raw shrimp?

Plus I can use the ammonia to wash my workout clothes.

 

[tjm80]

The reason I don't want to use shrimp is because I don't know exactly how much ammonia it would put off, plus wouldn't it smell like dead shrimp?