58 Gallon, Fifty Bucks, A Journal

[bartak]

I've had planted tanks for a few years now with great success thanks to this forum, but they've all been small. So I decided to take the plunge and go for a larger tank. I live in a third floor apartment in the city so I couldn't go too big. so I decided on a 50 gallon. The 18" depth is awesome, and the 36" width makes it look smaller than it is, which is nice in case the landlord stops by. I could tell him its only a 30 gallon and doesn't weigh more than my girlfriend and I standing there.

The search begins. Money was an issue. So I set a limit of $500 for the whole set up, plants, fish and all. And for the tank I set a limit of $50. I started searching Craigslist every day, It's funny how many people post 55 gallon tanks as 50's. I probably asked 20 people what the dimension of there tank was. And had my $50 dollar offer turned down by just as many. Then I see a complete 58 gallon oceanic setup for $100, the same footprint as the 50 only 2 inches taller. I still want a 50 so I just bookmarked it. About 2 weeks later I realize that finding a 50 for $50 is not going to be easy, so I go back to my bookmark and its gone. The next day, feeling kinda discouraged I check craigslist. And there's the 58, and now he's only asking $50 for it. It was a good day.

I've had a 20 gallon planted for around 3 years and moved everything over to the 58. The move took the better part of a weekend, but there were no casualty's and the water parameters stayed in check.

The spec's.

Tank : 58 Gallon oceanic, 3/8 thick glass
Stand: DIY all particle board with figured cherry veneer, designed and built in 10 hours.
Substrate: Fourite
Filter: Eheim 2217 and Rena XP1 till I get a powerhead.
Lighting: 1 96watt power compact 6700k and the stock light with a 30watt 6700k T-10.
CO2: Aquatek regulator (not the best but works fine for me) 5lb co2 tank, DIY pvc reactor on the output of the 2217.
Dosing dry ferts using the estimative index method.

Plants.

Alternanthera reineckii
Anubias barteri 'Nana'
Blyxa japonica
compact sword
cryptocoryne wendtii
didiplis diandra
Echinodorus tenellus
Glossostigma elatinoides
Java fern
limnophila hippuroides
Lloydiella
Ludwigia repens
Mayaca fluviatilis
Rotala rotundifolia

Fish.

1Clown Plecostomus
2 Bristlenose Plecostomus
2 Leopard Cories
3 Dwarf Cories
7 Harlequin Rasboras
2 Pearl Gouramis
2 German Blue Ram's
1 red phantom tetra (his 2 buddy's jumped out of the 20)
unknown amount of Cherry shrimp

The tank is a work in progress, but I like where It's going.

[legomaniac89]

Wow, it's really filled in nicely. That's a really thick Glosso mat

[jinx©]

Great find on the setup. I have/had a few Oceanic tanks and the build and overall looks have been pretty nice IMO.

And I agree with lego, that's really filled in nicely.

On a sidenote, is that your bike in your avatar? I'd like to see some larger pics of it. Looks sharp from what I can tell.

[bartak]

Originally Posted by legomaniac89

Wow, it's really filled in nicely. That's a really thick Glosso mat

Thanks. I'll be offering up some of the Glosso on the swap soon.

Originally Posted by jinx©

Great find on the setup. I have/had a few Oceanic tanks and the build and overall looks have been pretty nice IMO.

And I agree with lego, that's really filled in nicely.

On a sidenote, is that your bike in your avatar? I'd like to see some larger pics of it. Looks sharp from what I can tell.

Thanks. The bike is no longer with me. It started life as a 74 cb360, I turned it into an old school triumph style bobber, all work done by me. It was a great city bike and ran like a bat out ofhell.pics here. I'm working on a 71 cb350 racing bike now. then on to a iron head sportster bobber.

[kali]

thats a nice tank man...bartak , hook me up with some glosso soon man ..i'll pay lol

[CL]

Nice tank! I love oceanic tans, and it looks really sharp with that stand. You got a killer deal. The plants have really grown great

[houstonhobby]

Excellent tank. I would be really proud to have a tank that nice! Great job on the stand too!

[bartak]

Originally Posted by kali

thats a nice tank man...bartak , hook me up with some glosso soon man ..i'll pay lol

I'll be trimming it in a week or two, if you pick it up you can have a handful for free

Originally Posted by clwatkins10

Nice tank! I love oceanic tans, and it looks really sharp with that stand. You got a killer deal. The plants have really grown great

Thanks, the build quality of the oceanic is impressive, it's no wonder there so expensive.

Originally Posted by houstonhobby

Excellent tank. I would be really proud to have a tank that nice! Great job on the stand too!

Thanks, I'm definitely proud if this one.

[malaybiswas]

I love the glosso mat. Did you trim it yet?

[bartak]

Originally Posted by malaybiswas

I love the glosso mat. Did you trim it yet?

thanks, It's only been growing for two months, and is like 2 inches thick. I'll be tearing it up and starting over in the next few weeks.

[bartak]

The tank got a haircut on Sunday, here's a few pictures.

[houstonhobby]

Wow nice! Good camera skills too.

[malaybiswas]

beautiful. Plants look very healthy as well. Nice aqua gardening I must say

[bartak]

Originally Posted by houstonhobby

Wow nice! Good camera skills too.

Originally Posted by malaybiswas

beautiful. Plants look very healthy as well. Nice aqua gardening I must say

Hey Thanks, Now if I could just get my blyxa japonica to grow I'll be happy.

[CAM6467]

Great looking tank man. That's one hell of a carpet you've got growing there at middle/right, and I love that splash of red in the back/right end of the tank. This is what I'm shooting for once of these days!

Charlie Mims