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105g Craigslist find! 11-26 Video of baby Guppies, 11-26 updates!!

24K views 205 replies 25 participants last post by  tonytrout2001@hotmail.com 
#1 · (Edited)
Well, I traded my 55g and 10g setup for a 105g :):flick::biggrin::icon_lol::hihi::bounce:

It's dimensions are: 4'L x 2'D x 21"H. Came with LOTS of things, one thing being 2 Coralife 10,000K x 175w metal halides (1 of which blew the second I turned it on) hung horizontally 31" above the substrate. It turned out to be the transformer/ballast, so I replaced that side with a 23 watt 6,500K CFL hung horizontally 31" above the substrate. Also has some 46" blue Actinics, but switched one for a 46" 28watt T5 Flourescent lamp measuring 3,500K also hung horizontally 31" above the substrate. My lights are on a timer and run for 12hrs on, 12 hrs off. All the lights run at the same time, but am looking into running the actinic set differently using a Coralife timed powerstrip I got with the setup.

Also came with an 11g ALSS sump pumped by a Rio 2500 submersible pump. The water free falls down an in-tank overflow box and is cleaned by simple bio-balls and filter floss. The sump also houses my WON Pro 350w heater, which I keep set at 81*f.

My flora is: LOTS of apogenoton bulbs from Wally World: Aponogeton Crispus, Aponogeton ulvaceus, and Aponogeton undulatus. Also Italian Vals, Vals Gigantae, rotala rotundifolia, rotala colorata, rotala nanjenshan, ludwigia glandulosa, Hygrophila polysperma var. Rosanervig, cryptocoryne walkeri 'lutea', heteranthera zosterifolia 'Stargrass, Pennywort, Parrot Feather, and Limnophila Sessiliflora. My floaters are: Salvinia auriculata 'Eared Watermoss', Hydrocharis morsus-ranae 'Frogbit, Pistia Stratiotes L.'Water Lettuce, and Azolla caroliniana 'fairy moss:)
 
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#3 ·
Awesome find! What are the dimensions? Have you ever had a sump before? I just got one with my latest craigslist find and it's been working great.
Not positive on the dimensions right now, will measure it when I get it out of the van. Got it home last night around midnight, so I will be getting it out today and start cleaning it up.

Never had a sump before, but I do not anticipate any problems. Pretty sure it will be better then the canister filter I was using. I just have to get all the salt and sand out of it.
 
#7 ·
Thanks! Unfortunately, the only fun I have been having has been cleaning it and resealing it. I thought I was going to have it planted and filled today, but while cleaning I found some bad spots in the silicone, causing me to want to re-do the silicone. I know it didn't leak but I figured I'd better be safe then sorry down the road.
 
#6 ·
According to my calculator it's 104.88 gallons, are you sure about the measurement. No matter it's a great deal, are you going to keep the over flow box in the tank or strip it out and go with the no hose drilled bottom look?

Is iy acylic or glass?

I checked out your club, what do you focus on mainly fish, plants, cichlids?
 
#8 ·
According to my calculator it's 104.88 gallons, are you sure about the measurement. No matter it's a great deal, are you going to keep the over flow box in the tank or strip it out and go with the no hose drilled bottom look?

Is iy acylic or glass?

I checked out your club, what do you focus on mainly fish, plants, cichlids?
Yes, I just measured it for the dimensions, thanks for the heads up. Never had a chance to get to the calculator, so you are probably right. I was just told over the phone it was a 130. 105 is still cool and should suit my needs just fine, for now:)!!

I am keeping the overflow and sump as I traded my canister with the other system. Not only that, the overflow is built in with a big hole in the back glass of the tank. Yes, it is glass. The sump is acrylic, and I believe, so is the overflow.

ETnAC focuses on freshwater, any and all types in any configuration as long as it's fresh.
 
#9 ·
Sorry about the size thing but it's still a great buy, well the sump is great for good bacteria and well oxygenated water so it should be a nice tank and I can't wait to see what you do with it!

That's cool I just recently joined the GWAPA but my first meeting was a lot of fun and I came home with a whole bag of plants for $22, so I really liked it. Plus metting other people with the same interest was also cool, it's kinda like a motorcycle club, cause my wife and kids just walk by and pay no attention.

Well you have to go back and tell the guy he owes you 25 gallons or your going too #$#%%&^!! in his*%&$@!??<>!!

I want to try a dirt tank are you going MTS here or undeceided?
 
#10 ·
Sorry about the size thing but it's still a great buy, well the sump is great for good bacteria and well oxygenated water so it should be a nice tank and I can't wait to see what you do with it!
The water level in the sump surges up and down and is gurgling, so I'm still researching on it alot as I am pretty sure thats not normal. I LOVE the idea of having it, it houses all my equipment and things and I like that. It makes for a much cleaner look in the tank. I even tried to set up the stuff in the bottom really nice too, and I'm quite proud of it. It looks MUCH better than when I got it.

That's cool I just recently joined the GWAPA but my first meeting was a lot of fun and I came home with a whole bag of plants for $22, so I really liked it. Plus metting other people with the same interest was also cool, it's kinda like a motorcycle club, cause my wife and kids just walk by and pay no attention.

Well you have to go back and tell the guy he owes you 25 gallons or your going too #$#%%&^!! in his*%&$@!??<>!!
Haha, I would only he was a she, and she was cute:). Like you said, though, it was still a really good deal so I'm pleased.

I want to try a dirt tank are you going MTS here or undeceided?
I finally got it all cleaned and set up. Today I put in my dirt and gravel. I just reused the compost I had in the other tank, just mixed some new with it. Then I also reused my gravel from the other tank, just had to add some extra to it. The scape, of course, is done a little differently and I will also be adding some sand to give that a try. Will pick that up tomorrow on my way to the fish store (Like I need a reason to go:)). I would post some pics of it but the waters really cloudy, so I will wait. It shouldn't be that long, I wouldn't think.
 
#28 ·
Sump surging is caused by your pump running faster than you overflow can work or the over flow not having the correct mix of air and water. You can insert airline down the overflow tube to inject air and even out the flow. It should help with the gurgle also.
It was the wrong mix of air and water, as you suggested. I inserted a straw in it (pic up above), wrapped one of my kids' hair ties to keep it from falling in, and now it works flawlessly. I wish I had another way to keep critters from falling into the overflow, the window screen I siliconed on it gets clogged 10x's a day. Maybe when the junk from my compost gets filtered out it won't be so bad.
 
#13 ·
Dude, awesome find man. That sump should work out great for it.

I would deep six the metal halides though unless you are going to suspend them above the tank pretty high. I would imagine those will be way too much light. And get rid of the blue bulbs. They will be useless on this tank. Keep the 10,000K and replace the actinic (blue) with a 6500K, then you should be good. An other thing on the lights, you can use the fluorescent bulbs for your main light and have the halides come on as an extra burst of light in the middle of the lighting period for a few hours. That will take some tweeking though. And with that much light, I would suggest CO2 and some type of fert regiment to keep algae at bay. Also, lots of plants to start with.

Looking forward to seeing more of this. You have me subscribed.:):proud:

P.S. - What happened to the pics?:confused:
 
#14 ·
Never had any luck with the airline tube thing although I have one stuck in there at the moment! Try using the lever on the pump return to reduce the flow a little, that worked right away for me. Those surges are something. Adjusting the prefilter sponge helps with gurgles too.

Sumps are amazing, someday I will have them all figured out..............
 
#15 ·
Sorry all. I had a reply wrote out to you all but set the keyboard down to keep a dwarf frog from jumping into the overflow, and when I came back all the responses I typed were gone:angryfire Don't worry, will get back on and answer them later on tonight. For now enjoy a couple pics:)

Hardscape, minus the sand that will fill in the bare spots in the bottom.

Just to show the slight difference I made in the sub, and the path I put in.


Got some fishies today too:) :) More on that later, when I can remember what all I got. More pics later too, as I have started planting and the water is REALLY cloudy. Will hopefully have the majority of the planting done tonight, and should be able to take some pics tomorrow of them and the fish and stuff.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Look good but it's going to cloud up again when you add more substrate, but you got your float on and ur ready to go, it cleaned up nice!
Yeah, but with sand it shouldn't be too bad so I can deal with that. Thanks, it had better, after it taking me 3 days to clean it and causing countless blistered fingers! There is a few things in the top that need attention like a little staining and chipping of paint.

Also the inside of the bottom could use some attention, but it will do for now. Besides, it looks better than what it did and it functions.

And here is a very bad and very cloudy FTS cuz you all were as patient to see the pics as I was to take them:) Got my Gigantae in front of the overflow and the Italian Vals on the left. Then placed my Apogenoton sp' to conceal the top of the "tunnel"

And, a side view from the left.

My Crypts planted. Noticed offshoots, will hopefully fill this in.

All in all, I'm starting to love this tank. I think it'll be great once I get it all planted.

The way you have the path with the arch in the back reminded me of this really cool nano tank, see what you think

That is an AWESOME tank! Thanks for sharing that. It is pretty close to what I was going for. I already have the rest of my rocks.

Until then, enjoy some pics of the new inhabitants:) Went to the fish store in M-town (Fish Fair) and spent $65. I'd say I got an AWESOME deal for what I got, what do you think?
3 Black Skirt Tetras

1 (Kissing?/Kisser?) fish

17 Tiger Barbs, free from a guy who had them with his 2 Kissing fish and they wouldn't leave them alone:( Didn't know that until I got there to get them, but haven't had a problem with that in my tank. They have claimed the Gigantae's as theirs I think:)

Also got 3 GloFish from the same person.

2 Blue Metallic Guppy's, really pretty!

15 Guppies, some with Red in their tails. Will get a better pic later.

2 Fiddler Crabs, I love these guys. Well, 1 male and 1 female.

My Beta, still not sure what to think of everything after being released from that tiny cup.

Pleco and Apples doing their thing.

Had to rescue this dwarf frog from the sump.

The other wont come out yet.

And for the piez de resistance. 3 Green Marble Angels! Will probably NEVER get another pic of these guys all together like this. Was quite pleased:) You can also kinda see the 6 Zebra Danios there as well.


Looks good so far man. Keep it up.:icon_smil
Thank you, should turn out really nice when it's done.

Thanks for looking. Will get better in time so come back!
 
#23 ·
can i ask how much you got the setup for? curious :)

also, not cycling the tank before fish? i've used fish before as part of the cycle process...but not nice fish like some that you got.
I traded my 55g setup for it, girl was selling her ex-husbands stuff and I got lucky:)

Not cycling, or testing, or any of that. I am reusing my dirt, gravel, and about 25 gallons of water from my other tank. I also used the old dirty water from my established filter and even wrung out the filter media into the sump to jump-start the cycle. I then added my plants and turned the heater and stuff on and let it run for 2 days before adding the fish. I plan on seeding some water and doing a 20 or 30% w.c. every 2-3 days to try to control excessive bio-matter until the "good" stuff can keep up with the "bad" stuff from the stocking of the tank. No deaths yet, and the fish appear really healthy and happy.
 
#25 ·
ah, nice. i literally rearranged my living room today, moving 3 72"x33" bookshelves, and now have space for another tank :p can fit one 5' long in what used to my be 'library' nook now. hoping to score some good deals so i can make it happen. your tank looks great :) makes me jealous.
Nice, I tried to do multiple tanks but the wife wasn't lettin that happen:( It's ok though, I am more than happy with what I got now. Thanks, I am trying to get it the rest of the way planted to see what it's gonna look like. Should have more pics up later.
 
#29 ·
I found out real fast long ago you cannot put window screen directly on the teeth of the overflow. It reduces the flow too much and fast. I have found that making a screen 'slipcover' that stands away from the teeth keeps stuff from clogging the teeth and doesn't reduce the flow. You could either make a band that goes 1" underwater and 1" above water around the teeth about 1" away for plant debris or attach a whole thing somehow with magnets or suction cups or something that stands away from the teeth for critters. I see reef tanks with very coarse scrubby type stuff there which might work but after my scary window screen incident years ago I really don't want anything touching the overflow teeth at all.

I have a HOB overflow so take out the box and put on a cover that is an inch too large all the way around. If the part at the water surface gets clogged water just flows from lower down. Haven't lost any fish since using this thing but snails find their way in. I suspect baby fish will get through too but that is fine as the outflow goes into water now, not into bioballs, scrubbies or other wet dry media.
 
#30 ·
I found out real fast long ago you cannot put window screen directly on the teeth of the overflow. It reduces the flow too much and fast. I have found that making a screen 'slipcover' that stands away from the teeth keeps stuff from clogging the teeth and doesn't reduce the flow. You could either make a band that goes 1" underwater and 1" above water around the teeth about 1" away for plant debris or attach a whole thing somehow with magnets or suction cups or something that stands away from the teeth for critters. I see reef tanks with very coarse scrubby type stuff there which might work but after my scary window screen incident years ago I really don't want anything touching the overflow teeth at all.

I have a HOB overflow so take out the box and put on a cover that is an inch too large all the way around. If the part at the water surface gets clogged water just flows from lower down. Haven't lost any fish since using this thing but snails find their way in. I suspect baby fish will get through too but that is fine as the outflow goes into water now, not into bioballs, scrubbies or other wet dry media.
I hate having to scrub the screens 4 or 5 times a day. Would definitely like to come up with another way to do this, but what I have done is working as long as I can keep my hands out of the tank and I dont disturb the substrate. This has been happening alot since I am just basically getting this tank planted. I hope it lets up now that I'm done, or that I can find an alternative solution to the overflow. Will definitely check out your recommendations and let you know how it goes, thank you.
 
#32 ·
Hard to tell in the pics, but this is how this tank is planted:

The light green is Italian Vallisneria, dark green is Vallisneria Gigantae, white is Apogenoton sp', Red is Ludwigia Glandulosa, yellow is Stargrass, black is Rotala Nanjenshan, pinkish/purplish is Sunset Hygro. I've also got some Limnophila Sessiloflora that will grow in behind the Hygro.
Here are some things that are still left to do:

Left; big brown circle for needed wood piece, red and orange circles for alternating Rotala Rotundifolia and Rotala Nanjenshan. Right; green oval for needed Downoi I want to line my "beach area with, tan oval for needed sand.

Just messing around to see how it might look when I get it done and the plants grow in;

You can kinda get the idea, can't you?
 
#34 ·
Should have some baby Apple snails soon. Opened the door and seen my Apple laying eggs.


Just had to share this pic of my Fiddler crab. They are my second favorite inhabitant, next to the Angels of course:) They are so cool to watch and I just LOVE them! This one, though, almost scared the crap out of my wife when she opened the door. I, in turn, almost peed a little laughing at her so hard!!!
 
#35 ·
Tony you should check Kathy's journal and the way she has the screen around the overflow you don't have to clean it every day because if the top gets clogged the water can still find it's way under so the overflow continues to function. Even if you do yours differently it may give you a good idea how to do it without clogging up the mix, good luck.
 
#36 ·
Thanks for that, just went and checked it out. Then realised it had been awhile since I looked at that journal, and also that I didn't post about it the first time but made it a point to this time:) Kathy's got a pretty awesome tank there.
 
#37 ·
I got my sand in yesturday:

And a side view:

I am probably going to switch out some of the rocks for a couple bigger ones. Then I am going to get down to the lake before it gets too cold to look for me another piece or two of wood. Then, when I get some Downoi, this will be done. I already have some microsword on the way, so I am close to getting there. I am really pleased with it, too. What do you think?
 
#45 ·
Love the hermit crabs! I have been looking at getting one but I don't know if they would eat my fish or what they would eat...

pm me if you have any info please.
Will send a pm as well, but figured to benefit my readers, I would post some info here as well.

Like alot of beginners in the hobby, I impulse bought these crabs, loving the way they moved in the tank at the LFS. I just bought them, acclimated them as I did the rest of the fish, and threw them in there. Never, was I thinking about the way these needed to be kept. Stupidly, I thought, "They were in his aquarium and will look awesome in my bigger tank."

Come to find out, after researching them (unfortunately after I bought them), I learned that they will only survive short-term in an aquarium setting like I have. They need MUCH more than I am currently providing, and willing to provide at this time.

First of all, these guys need SALT! They CAN survive in freshwater for a short time, but prefer brackish to salty water. My tank will be heavily planted and I am not willing to add salt just to be able to keep these guys, and risk losing all my plants.

Apparently, these guys also like to root in sand, and will actually bury themselves in it for periods of time. The sand in my tank is only around 3/4ths of an inch deep, and I cannot add more without the risk of ruining my scape by having a huge sand pile in it.

Fiddler crabs also like to get out of the water for awhile and just sun themselves. While my wood does stick out of the water, and I have seen them using it quite frequently, I am not so sure it will suffice enough to keep these guys going strong.

The moral of this story? I will either be getting rid of these guys, or buying a little riparium set I seen on Craigslist earlier.

BradleyV, these guys will eat small fish and things. I just got a bunch of Guppies to try to keep them from eating my other fish I want to keep.
 
#41 ·
Thanks, man. My scape makes the tank look pretty small, doesn't it? I really wanted a long tank but wasn't having any luck, so I took the first one I was offered that was over 100g. I think it will turn out pretty nice though, once I get it done. I wasn't really going for depth, but rather a nice scape to showcase my fish. Maybe one day I'll get a long one and be able to do something else with that one. For now, my boy and I have been having LOTS of fun doing this one.
 
#40 ·
Tank looks awesome!
I love the 2 feet deep and 21 high, perfect dimensions.
How are the fish doing? With all your fish it still looks empty on those pics :)
 
#43 ·
This tank is alright, for now. My perfect tank would be like your 125 you have going with your DSM, which should be awesome when done , BTW. I just cannot achieve much depth with this tank to save my life. I am now, between checking TPT:flick:, trying some other things in there to better achieve the look I am going for.

The fish are all doing great, and get along better every day, since realizing they don't have to compete for food with each other. I keep threatening to get a video, but have just been busy lately with kids, my club, getting my scape just right, and Fall yardwork that I just haven't felt like doing it. I was going to get a video of my Fiddler Crab riding the back of my Apple Snail, but couldn't fing the stupid camera:( I guess I left it out and the kids got ahold of it, no doubt. Either that or the wife hid it to try to teach me a lesson:mad: It is, afterall, her camera:hihi:

It does still look really bare, doesn't it? It looks LOTS better in person, but in the pics the fish just disappear. The Angels and the tiger Barbs, I know, will get bigger. Because of that I don't know if I should get more fish or not, so I think I'll just wait and see. I am working on getting some shrimps though!
 
#46 ·
Ok, I made this mock up of a sump screen that you could build as a straight piece and then cut and bend to fit over the sump, let me know what you think.



From the top side, but if it were just a couple inches tall it would work fine and should keep any debris from going into the sump.

 
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