Making my 150g dream tank a reality

150g might not seem like a "monster" tank to many people, but it is to me! I am finally getting my dream setup for my midas cichlid.

I found a Tenecor stand and canopy on CL for cheap and in great condition. The stand is 60x24x30 and the canopy is 7" in height. Next to my 40g, the stand definitely looks monster to me.



One of my dogs likes it too:



Today I ordered the tank! 60x24x24 from Midwest Custom Acrylics. It will be here in 3-4 weeks! It'll be my first acrylic setup and I couldn't be more excited about it. Chris and I discussed the design of the tank on the phone. I am so glad I went with this company rather than a cookie-cutter type place. It'll be built with exactly the features I'm looking for.

The tank won't have overflows because I'll be installing a 3D background. It'll be pricey but this is my dream tank afterall.

I have been trying to decide on a background and I can't make up my dang mind. Possible choices include:

AquaTerra Rainforest:


Designs By Nature Chimba:


Pangea Rocky IV:


AquaTerra Amazona (by far the most expensive, but look how beautiful):


Other than the background, decor will include PFS or a similar colored sand, and some stumpy driftwood and maybe a fake plant or two. I want to keep it simple and natural and focus the attention on the fish and background.

I'll eventually have two canisters on this tank but will start out with one, either a Fluval FX5 or an Eheim 2260 or 2080. Intake tube will be hidden behind the background, and I'll drill a few holes in the background to transfer water behind it. Output will probably be a spraybar located in front of the background. The heater will also be hidden behind the background, and I'm toying with the idea of adding BioBalls and a powerhead behind the background for added bio filtration.

I have LED lights on all of my tanks, and I love them. I'm considering two of the Ecoxotic Retrofit Panorama Modules (8000K/453nm) to install into the canopy, but I haven't seen many people on the forum who have them. I always like to see a few good reviews before I purchase something.
http://www.ecoxotic.com/panorama-led-modules.html


Oh yeah! I forgot to mention the little tyke who will have this tank all to himself. Introducing my 4" midas.



I realize that there are many stocking options for a 5x2x2 tank, but midas are my absolute favorite species and I've always wanted to devote as much space as I could to one. I feel like they enjoy the extra space too and tend to mellow out with more room to swim around. I've seen way too many 13" midas in 55g that are furious 24/7. I want a happy fish.

Now I just have to sit back and wait for the tank to arrive!

Ancient_Fish_Master;4577492; said:

nice. i def. like the look of the last background

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Thanks, I do too. I think it looks good even with a low water level setup, like in the picture. Until I move next summer, I might keep the tank about half-full to cut down on the weight. My midas is so small right now I don't think he'd mind. With that background, half-full would still look pretty awesome IMO. I could hang some silk leaves and vines from the top to make it look like branches hanging down over the water.

DMD123;4577497; said:

Very nice! You will have a very happy Midas!

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Thanks, I hope so!

Reptilesfishbirdsmammals;4577502; said:

150 is big regardless of what people say and also i like the dog i think i want one now haha nice setup/midas

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Yeah the largest tank I've had to date was 100g. I saw a 150g in the store and realized just how big this tank will be in comparison. And my dog thanks you for the compliment.

Gruff Master;4577538; said:

Aqua Terra Amazona and Pangea are my favorite two backgrounds. Either of these would be nice. Aqua Terra is by far the best choice to me. It may be expensive but if this will be a life-long tank the price won't seem so bad over the years. Your Midas will definitely appreciate having so much room to itself. I wonder if he will still be as territorial as most others are since he will have so much space. Mine is a bit smaller than yours but he's already pretty aggressive in his solo tank. Good luck, Nat and I look forward to your updated pics in a few weeks.

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Thanks, Gruff! I agree about the long-term cost. I keep telling myself, "This is your dream tank, don't have any regrets about it!" At this point, I think my biggest concern about that AquaTerra background is how much of the tank it occupies. The largest root extends 22" into the tank, meaning it'll basically be touching the front wall. At any rate, I've seen a few setups online (and one on MFK) with that background and they are just breathtaking.

And I'm really impressed that your little midas is already aggressive! Mine is just an attention hog.

valderi123;4577965; said:

sick enjoy

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Thanks I already am!

JK47;4578146; said:

Subscribed I am so happy for you Natalie!!! 5x2x2 is an awesome footprint to work with and the stand looks beautiful. Any pics of the canopy?

Of the backgrounds you posted I like AT amazona (awesome'ness) and the DBN chimba (takes little space and easy to stitch back together). I am not a fan of the rainforest one. When I picked my backgrounds out, I tried to consider how many pieces I would be cutting the BG into and piecing it back together in the tank.. I avoided smooth round shapes in case the pieces didn't line back up exactly but that's just me. That kind of stuff bugs me forever. I'm partial to DBN backgrounds because they are who I went with but the aquaterra ones look really nice too. I thought about the amazona and decided I would see it on too many other tanks and wanted something different so I got the DBN selvas. I am excited to see what you go with, it's gunna be awesome no matter what you choose..! I wanna see more details/pics on the LED's too please?

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Thanks JK!

Here's a short youtube vid of the LED lights I'm looking at.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJTLPYMTxmA&feature=related
I'm really sold on LEDs at this point. Because my canopy is only 7" tall, I don't want to use any lights that produce a significant amount of heat. I'm really pleased with the Marineland double bright fixtures I have on my 29g and 40g, but I think the ecoxotic retrofit ones will work better for this tank. Ecoxotic is releasing a 10000K option next month, but I'll probably still get the 8000K/453nm anyway. I like the slightly blue hue provided by the four 453nm bulbs per strip. I used to have similar lighting on my convict and a white midas I had, and they really made the white on the two fish glow.

You know, I don't like that rainforest background either! Something about it really bugs me. While the tree detail looks very realistic, the background as a whole looks kind of weird, with all the roots side by side. I think it would do well in a heavily planted tank, but since my tank will be rather bare it would be too distracting.

Right now I'm leaning towards the DBN Chimba because it's so thin. It'll leave my fish with a lot of swimming room, and I could still add some large stumpy driftwood to get the look I'm going for.

JK, how many holes should I put in the background to provide sufficient water flow from the front to the back? I'm not good with this physics type stuff, and I figured you'd know since you're working on 4 backgrounds at one time LOL.

P.S. If I get the Chimba background rather than the Amazona, I'll save myself several hundred dollars. I could then get a nice background for my con since he'll be upgrading to the 40g breeder.