PART DEUX!!! - Epic Overhaul (3D Backgrounds/300g, 250g, 120g tanks)

[JK47]

***special thanks to evenstarms foir hooking me up with this setup. Your the best girl!!***

I had room next to the 120 gallon for a 48" tank and decided to do a 55 gallon rack instead of another 120 gallon. More options for separating fish and moving things around etc...



So this is the new tank rack, I wanted the over/under style so I could fit two tanks in the same space one would have been. I'll upgrade these to 75 gallon tanks later on. These work for what I need right now.

I am not sure if I want to plumb them all together with the 120 gallon sump and do centralized or not. What do you guys think?





All backgrounds stripped and one of the tanks needs painted black on the bottom and back so they match. I'll do that within the next few hours.



If your trying to clean sand out of a tank buy a window squeegy (sp?) they make cleaning up sand in tank a couple minute job. Love mine.



This is the background for the bottom tank. Another slimline background from Designs By Nature. This one came with the tank.



This background is also a DBN background but came from aclockworkorange (thanks again bro). This is the flexible kind that you do not have to cut. These are freakin SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!! Roll, unroll, silicone a couple dabs and it's installed.. Easy peezy and takes up no room in the tank..















Close up here for you guys so you can see how little room these backgrounds take up in the tank.



I am liking how these are coming along so far.



(MORE PICS IN A BIT)

 

[JK47]

Got wood lol.. I literally have piles of all different kinds of wood right now to redo all the tanks. The manzanita from on the left is massive.. An example of how big a few pics down on top of a 55 gallon.







For the top tank, I am going for a brown/tan "Santa Fe" style tank (you can see the color of the wood I will be using will fit this scheme as well). My festae pair are going in this tank for a little while to put on some size and be easily divided. LOPAKA should like the color scheme going on here All my other tanks are so dark it will be nice to have a brightly colored tank and should make the festae colors pop while they are in here. The male festae is beating the female pretty bad (big shocker right???) so I needed to get them in a divided tank, the 250g is really hard to divide so these are "easier to work with" tanks.



As an example I am going to cherry pluck my stones for this tank like the below, tan and brown to go with the theme.





I just ordered two more so I can have a water alarm on every tank in case of overflow etc..



I just picked up this new heater controller with the new setup. I think I am going to run it on the 120 gallon. Anyone have any experience with this brand?



I have two AC110's that will be running these tanks. I also have two Marineland HOT Magnum 250's I can add later if I I need more filtration but those are loaned to a friend right now. All of the cycled media is in the 250g sump right now waiting for me to get the tanks finished.





Each tank gets a 150watt Eheim heater. I will not be hiding these behind the backgrounds, all of the equipment will be in the tank just like you would tun any other tank. All my big tanks have the equipment hidden so I don't really care on these to be honest...



I also got hooked up in a major way from CrimsonFog for all of my power plants. These and not cheap at all but are so much better than the average surge protector, next level on the little stuff too Thanks again bro!



The lighting for both of the new tanks are 48" standard Coralife T5 fixtures.



I need to go paint the back and bottom of the top tank tonight and get the BG's siliconed in place. Then I have a few days to wait while that cures and can get back to my 250g, health permitting. That's it for pics ATM.. Sorry for the delay in progress guys.

 

[LOPAKA]

looks GREAT Justin, keep up the great work and look forward to seeing more


BTW, Sean let me know what's up...... THANKS brotha but no biggie just take care of your health and the family

 

[Inglorious]

Wow, you don't half ass anything do you? It looks gread and your tanks are always an inspiration.

 

[Dan F]

Your fish room is looking awesome. Really, really awesome...

 

[JK47]

looks GREAT Justin, keep up the great work and look forward to seeing more


BTW, Sean let me know what's up...... THANKS brotha but no biggie just take care of your health and the family

Thanks for understanding bro and even happier you like the new tanks! The festae will look even better in this tank than they did in the 250g. Hopefully one day I can put them back in there. The male disagree's so I have to accommodate...

Wow, you don't half ass anything do you? It looks gread and your tanks are always an inspiration.

Thanks bro! I half ass everything but my tanks...

Your fish room is looking awesome. Really, really awesome...

Thanks Dan!!! When you coming up north? We have to get together soon.. Egon was over last week, I'll let you know next time he's over and we can have a full on setup/filtration geek out session!

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You can see the areas here where the background pieces on the bottom tank connect. The foam slim line backgrounds are pretty easy to intall (10 mins) but no where near as easy to install as these flexible ones (5 mins). Love it...





I didn't paint the top tank tonight, I will Tuesday. I have 4 days tops to wait for the silicone I just installed the backgrounds with to cure. The paint only takes 24 hours and isn't in contact with the fish so I am going to do it while everything cures. Better use of time.



This is all the silicone it takes (a few dabs) to do one of these thin backgrounds. The thick foam ones are next level but just as next level to install. These are for the lazy man... they should be standard equipment on every tank IMO.



A little weight via rocks over the silicone areas and your done. Thursday these will be running.

 

[CrimsonFog]

I'm blessed to live so close to the BGA room.

Dagnubit, you caught me using an emoticon. Super tired today, sorry for slippin'.

 

[gangster]

Looks like you have been quite busy. Tanks look great. Looks like that soon to be empty 250g needs some cichla

 

[fishman09]

awesome update justin i need to setup one of those flexible slimlines on my hogas 75 as its kinda the show tank of the house but eventually all my tanks. what are the plans for the 55's?

 

[darth pike]

I'm glad to see your name pop up in my build bro, hope your good (and I hope Flynn can make your seahawks watchable this year)

A good scotch or Irish whiskey makes them watchable, I am hoping he makes it at least interesting though.

Are those roll up ones from the same place you get you're other backgrounds? I'm all for lazy 5 minute installs.