Joined
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3,011 Posts
:grin2:
It's been too long TPT!
I joined this forum shortly after deciding that I needed some glow fish. Turns out, dozens of fish in a black light engulfed ice tea pitcher is a bad idea.
Just to play catch up for all those tuning in for the first time. I got hooked on planted tanks after receiving a "FREE" 30G tall tank. I soon found that I had to go bigger, in comes the 75G.
The tank quickly filled out and set the pace for my "style" moving forward: Overgrown, Unkept, Jungles.
We moved, the tank was all but donated and the live stock (plants included!) were given away to members of the community. The next tank was bigger in every way!
Humble beginnings for this tank as well, but not for long.
Not to delve too deep into stories, but there were lessons learned at every turn. My 75G had a 55G sump and a DIY overflow, kept me up at night! It also required an INSANE 30" hood to space the CFL lighting far enough away from the substrate. My 125G had a 75G sump and a bean animal overflow, simply perfection. Unfortunately, $80 acrylic tanks found on craigslist are more like a ticking time bomb than a deal. The euro bracing top detached and caused permanent stress to the corner seems even after bracing. She developed a leak.
I have all but decided on the next tank size as well as stocking, details to come upon their arrival. I have grown found of big tanks with large flowing vals, so they will be returning. The rocks from my 125G ended up being a lot of fun! More boulders will likely return. The wood utilized in all my builds has been Blooms and Branches manzanita, which is likely to return as well. I ordered some simple sticks to test the tap water at our new home. Looking back at previous journals, the parameters are close to my last two houses. Seems like my intended stocking should be no problem.
For reference:
So there you have it! Most of the equipment is left over from my previous tanks, but I have ordered new pieces here and there. I will be picking the tank up Friday, fingers crossed! It's been a couple years, but I'll be starting my fishless cycle with a couple of filters in the garage, 5 gallon buckets, and pure janitorial grade ammonia. I'll be looking through the RAOK as well as for sale threads shortly for my favorite low tech plants. I've forgotten what many of the species are called, so leave suggestions if you don't mind.
Thanks mates,
-Freeman
It's been too long TPT!
I joined this forum shortly after deciding that I needed some glow fish. Turns out, dozens of fish in a black light engulfed ice tea pitcher is a bad idea.
Just to play catch up for all those tuning in for the first time. I got hooked on planted tanks after receiving a "FREE" 30G tall tank. I soon found that I had to go bigger, in comes the 75G.

The tank quickly filled out and set the pace for my "style" moving forward: Overgrown, Unkept, Jungles.

We moved, the tank was all but donated and the live stock (plants included!) were given away to members of the community. The next tank was bigger in every way!

Humble beginnings for this tank as well, but not for long.

Not to delve too deep into stories, but there were lessons learned at every turn. My 75G had a 55G sump and a DIY overflow, kept me up at night! It also required an INSANE 30" hood to space the CFL lighting far enough away from the substrate. My 125G had a 75G sump and a bean animal overflow, simply perfection. Unfortunately, $80 acrylic tanks found on craigslist are more like a ticking time bomb than a deal. The euro bracing top detached and caused permanent stress to the corner seems even after bracing. She developed a leak.
I have all but decided on the next tank size as well as stocking, details to come upon their arrival. I have grown found of big tanks with large flowing vals, so they will be returning. The rocks from my 125G ended up being a lot of fun! More boulders will likely return. The wood utilized in all my builds has been Blooms and Branches manzanita, which is likely to return as well. I ordered some simple sticks to test the tap water at our new home. Looking back at previous journals, the parameters are close to my last two houses. Seems like my intended stocking should be no problem.

For reference:

So there you have it! Most of the equipment is left over from my previous tanks, but I have ordered new pieces here and there. I will be picking the tank up Friday, fingers crossed! It's been a couple years, but I'll be starting my fishless cycle with a couple of filters in the garage, 5 gallon buckets, and pure janitorial grade ammonia. I'll be looking through the RAOK as well as for sale threads shortly for my favorite low tech plants. I've forgotten what many of the species are called, so leave suggestions if you don't mind.
Thanks mates,
-Freeman