[lnstevens]

So, this is a craigslist find. It's in excellent condition, included excellent condition stand and canopies as well along with other extras.

I have an 80 Gallon Bowfront that everything is going to transfer to this one. I have other plans for it, and that journal is here.

This one will become my primary tank for a while.

Here is how I found it and bought it tonight. The stand is backwards underneath of it. It is dirty, but there are no scratches that I could find, I won't be sure until I clean it up. The stand and canopy show no signs of water damage and only one ding on the canopy (you can see it on the right hand side of the photo).

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=602017&thumb=1

It came with two Pengiun 350 Bio-Wheel filters but I plan to transfer my AquaClear 55/75 to it along with all my substrate, plants, and fish. I will also be using my 36" Aqualife 2x39W T5HO and my 24" CurrentUSA 2x24W T5HO lighting above it. I plan to zip tie them into the canopy for the moment until I get a nice setup to install.

I'll post more pictures tomorrow when I bring it inside and clean it up.

 

[lnstevens]

Got the tank cleaned up. Caught all the fish into a bucket. Now draining the 80. Here's some better pictures of the tank and stand.

After some vinegar scrubbing.

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[Nordic]

Looks nice enough, you can get the tough stains off with rubbing compound and just hose it off again.
Are you going to re-varnish or oil the wood for protection?

 

[zerodameaon]

It looks like with a bit of work you have a good setup. I am interested to see where this is going.

 

[lnstevens]

Since I already have fish, plants, etc.. and I felt my 80 Bowfront Stand is just flat out unstable I had to swap to this one ASAP. The stand on the 80 bow front, after 3 shims to get it level, felt rocky. I could just see my 8 year old son bumping it wrong and the hole thing going over.

So today the tank got a vinegar + water bath and is all setup. Yes I will be oiling the stand and at some point lacquering it all as well to prevent any water damage from ever happening as I think that is part of what is wrong w/ the bow front stand (water damage on the bottom).

I picked up an XP3 Canister Filter w/out Media for $60 today so tomorrow I'm picking up media and swapping out the two Aqueon POS HOB Filters (yes they are POS, noisy and the impellers keep catching and stopping).

I also picked up some fake driftwood for cheap until I can find the driftwood I really want in the tank.

 

[lnstevens]

I'll add pictures later today. I added two more plants yesterday from Petco. :-/ They are nice plants with one being an Anubias on Driftwood and the other being about four Java ferns on a coconut shell. I figure I can transfer those two other Driftwood later.

I also got the XP3 up and running with New Media and took the hang on back filters out of the tank. I am considering putting the powerhead I got with the tank in to increase water flow.

I also added three German blue Rams. I can't seem to get my money to come up which is probably due to the Eco complete but I'm showing nitrates in the system so I felt comfortable adding three more fish. But I also seem to have had two tetras completely disappear between last night and this morning so I need to pick up a couple more to keep my group above 6.



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[lnstevens]

Picked up some driftwood and Moss. Here is what the tank looks like now.

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[lnstevens]

I haven't tanked a new picture but thought I should update.

I added a Marineland C-360, but now I'm figuring out spray bar options. I also ordered a Finnex Planted Plus 24/7 for this tank. It will be here Tuesday.

I also swapped to a different Anubias plant and put the driftwood attached one in another tank (another story).

I also added 4 Cory Panda's and a few more tetras.

Right now I'm on a wait and see on this tank for a week or two. I want cardinals in the tank, but I'm thinking of looking into various top swimming fish so the tank is more active.

 

[lnstevens]

Well, I swapped filters to fast after switching to this tank from the 80 and ended up with Nitrite issues.

It's finally back under control but I lost a panda cory and at least one ram.

My Finnex 24/7 came in and it's on the tank. I'm looking at options to mount it into the canopy.

I have plants coming in sometime this week (hopefully), but possibly next week.

I'll take pictures tonight or tomorrow. Waiting on a replacement phone.

 

[lnstevens]

So as promised new picks. I'm still looking for rocks and I have a few more plants coming.

This is with the finnex 24/7 on max.

This was in the evening (7pm roughly).

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[lnstevens]

And yes I need to fix my background. l

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[lnstevens]

So I fixed the background, added some rock, and rearranged since plants should be here tomorrow. I wanted an idea of how it would look.

Personally I think the rocks are just to big for a 4' tank and I will probably break them apart some more tomorrow.

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[lnstevens]

After doing some thinking and reading and getting more plants and I did some changes to my Aquascape. I'm going to add co2 next week and I'm thinking about getting some dwarf hairgrass.

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[BoxxerBoyDrew]

Have Fun with the 75g!!!

They are a GREAT size to create some AWESOME Aquaecapes!!! You sure got some bright light it seems!

One thing I have noticed in the pics is you are using one of those $9 digital Thermometers, and while they are easy to read, I have found with 3 different ones I have bought at the same time, all 3 read different temps in the same tank with the probes placed side by side!!!! When I then placed my 10 year old Little Time and Temp that has a short in the screen, so it flickers on and off, NONE OF THE $9 were correct when checked with a calibrated temp probe on my Multi-Meter when my Little Time and Temp was .1 degree off the $9 ones were off anywhere from 1.5-3 degrees!!!!!!! So BE CAREFUL WITH THOSE CHEAP THERMOMETERS!!!!! I will NEVER waste my money on one AGAIN!!!! I will spend the $18-$22 for a Little Time and Temp or The $30+ for the Big Time and Temp with the Adjustable temp alarms, because the one of those I had before lasted 15+ years and worked flawlessly until I dropped in the tank unknowingly and it was submerged for a few hours! That finally killed it!!! I had splashed it with water, and submerged it quickly once or twice then pulled the batteries asap and put it in a bag of dry rice for 24 hours and it was fine!!! And it was spot on accurate when checked with my Multimeter!!!


So anyway Sorry for the long post, but I have been up for 30+ hours, and I get a little long winded when I am sleep deprived!!! LOL

I am excited to see all of your tank develop in the following months!!!

Take Care and Keep Your Plants Happy!!!
Drew

 

[lnstevens]

Yeah, that little $9 petco thermometer is going back. It's the biggest piece of ****. I have two plain old mercury thermometers and I'm planning to get 3 more when I return the digital. I bought it because I wanted to confirm the readings on a mercury one and the mercury one isn't quiet accurate enough to confirm what I suspected was happening. I didn't care as much about what the digital read as long as it showed consistent or climbed, which it confirmed the previous heater in this tank had fried and wouldn't shut off accurately. Two week old Aqueon.

Right now though I think, other than some foreground, this tank is going to sit this way for a few months. I want to add some carpet and short foreground plants right up front, but I need to rearrange fish soon as well so I want to wait until that is done.

The light is just a single Finnex Planted Plus 24/7. That was taken about early afternoon (both time and settings).

 

[lnstevens]

So midweek update. I'm currently treating with Melafix and heat. Got something into the tank, not sure what, so started with Melafix and cranking the heat up.

Aside from that I'm loving this Planted Plus 24/7 and so are the plants. I've has and really good growth in just 4 days without pressurized Co2. That being said I picked up tanks and regulators to add Co2 to my aquariums.

I also added some pygmy chain sword.

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[lnstevens]

Well, I haven't even added Co2 and all I can say is the plants are going freaking nuts in a short amount of time. At least relative to me, but wow.

Short video:
https://goo.gl/photos/cAGgyBCLysRg2uRF8

 

[lnstevens]

Haven't updated this in a bit, but I have Co2 live on the tank now. I've got it dialed in and will be on a timer tomorrow. No drop checker yet, but KH/PH testing.

I'll post up pictures in the next day or so of my reactor and needle valve. I'm working on cleaning up the whole setup and getting a different bubble counter.

Plants are just taking off. I'm getting ready to do a rescape to make my german rams have more of a territory area than they do now. I may pick up a new piece of driftwood as well, just doing some research first.

 

[lnstevens]

Time for an udpated photo and updated information:

75 Gallon Community Tank
Rena Filstar XP3
Dual (at the moment) Planted Plus 24/7 (one is supposed to be returned in 30 days as it went out and this is replacement. I'm trying it out since I have 30 days and it started working again).
Pressurized Co2 w/ DIY Converted BashSea PM-1 Reactor
Ista Bubble Counter
SMC AS-1000-M5 Needle valve w/ one touch fittings
Victor CF153 Regulator
I do have a solenoid
MA200 Air Pump running an 8" bubble stick, but I usually just keep it on low.

Plants:
Jungle Val, Other vals (haven't fully identified yet)
Rotala Indica
Cabomba Carolina
limnophila aquatica
Pennywort

Ozecolt Sword
Red Rubin Sword

Pygmy Dwarf Chain Sword
Dwarf Hargrass Belumn

2 Unidentified crypts
Anubias
Java Fern
Java Moss

Hygrophilia, possibly gigantica

2 x German Blue Rams (1 male, 1 female)
6 x Amber Tetras
6 x Glolight Tetras
3 x Sterbai Cory
2 x Panda Cory
1 x Albino Cory
6 x Otocinclus
3 x Bristlenose Plecos

 

[lnstevens]

And now for my Ram's in this tank.