180 is up and running!!

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Got my FX5 and my dual 300W heaters running. Now she gets to cycle while I search for fish to stock her with.
I know it is considered debatable, but I'm really looking forward to putting a jardini in there. I was hoping for a tank mate or two, but I know it's risky.

Anyways, just wanted to share. Decorations coming soon.


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Wow! May I ask what kind of sand you're using and the type of background? It's really nice and refreshing, I love the orange and green!
 
I've been thinking of doing the same thing, painting it black.... once I get an aquarium!

Look forward to seeing the driftwood.

I painted the back with latex paint. Not a perfect job, but it turned out ok.

I just picked up a large piece of driftwood for the centerpiece too. Pics after I get it cleaned up and out in the tank!


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Wow! May I ask what kind of sand you're using and the type of background? It's really nice and refreshing, I love the orange and green!

The background is black latex paint. It came out looking more charcoal than black, but I still like it. I think you see green because of my crappy cell phone pics.
As for the sand, I went with a red quartz sand product from a distributor I found in Maryland. Again, my phone doesn't do a great job of capturing colors, though admittedly its a bit orangey.


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Also, I'm trying to cycle it using water from my other aquariums. I usually pour at least 5 gallons of water from one of my established tanks into the 180 every night. Do you think this will be enough to get her cycled within a month? I've never tried to cycle a tank this large, so I'm not sure how long it will take.

Thanks for the input everyone.


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The background is black latex paint. It came out looking more charcoal than black, but I still like it. I think you see green because of my crappy cell phone pics.
As for the sand, I went with a red quartz sand product from a distributor I found in Maryland. Again, my phone doesn't do a great job of capturing colors, though admittedly its a bit orangey.


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I understand now, it looks beautiful nonetheless! I think it's the lighting that makes it look more orange and greenish, is it a lot different in person?

Thanks for the info, I'll consider this for future projects, even though I'm more into biotopes.

Also, I'm trying to cycle it using water from my other aquariums. I usually pour at least 5 gallons of water from one of my established tanks into the 180 every night. Do you think this will be enough to get her cycled within a month? I've never tried to cycle a tank this large, so I'm not sure how long it will take.

Thanks for the input everyone.


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Pouring some water from the other tanks helps a bit but I think having some bio media from your other filters would help better. For example, you could clean the other filters using it's designated tank's aquarium water and keep this water you rinsed with. So basically you rinse the media in some sort of bucket. Once this is done you get the 180's filter media out and rinse it with the water from the bucket. You could also pour some of this water into the FX5 but try to keep the gunk away. This is what I would do, although I'm sure there are other methods.

In addition you could also move some(not more than half) of the old media from your established tanks' filter(s) into your FX5 so this way you're killing two birds with one stone; new/fresh media for your other filters and much needed BB for your new setup. Having a few tanks, I'm sure you know the risks involved. If not, ask away :D
 
What type of sand is that it looks awesome ?
It's red Spectraquartz. I probably should have washed it a bit more thoroughly than I did, but it's still cleaner than the play sand I used in my 90 gallon tank.

I understand now, it looks beautiful nonetheless! I think it's the lighting that makes it look more orange and greenish, is it a lot different in person?

Thanks for the info, I'll consider this for future projects, even though I'm more into biotopes.


Pouring some water from the other tanks helps a bit but I think having some bio media from your other filters would help better. For example, you could clean the other filters using it's designated tank's aquarium water and keep this water you rinsed with. So basically you rinse the media in some sort of bucket. Once this is done you get the 180's filter media out and rinse it with the water from the bucket. You could also pour some of this water into the FX5 but try to keep the gunk away. This is what I would do, although I'm sure there are other methods.

In addition you could also move some(not more than half) of the old media from your established tanks' filter(s) into your FX5 so this way you're killing two birds with one stone; new/fresh media for your other filters and much needed BB for your new setup. Having a few tanks, I'm sure you know the risks involved. If not, ask away :D

Thank you very much, both for the advice and the complements. I believe I will do a 50/50 media switch tonight. Not sure why that idea didn't cross my mind, especially since I have 2 well established tanks with canister filters containing ceramic rings :duh:

Thanks again for all the feedback everyone.
 
i love the sand what type of sand is that? Where did you get the MFK sticker?

It's red Spectraquartz. I probably should have washed it a bit more thoroughly than I did, but it's still cleaner than the play sand I used in my 90 gallon tank.



Thank you very much, both for the advice and the complements. I believe I will do a 50/50 media switch tonight. Not sure why that idea didn't cross my mind, especially since I have 2 well established tanks with canister filters containing ceramic rings :duh:

Thanks again for all the feedback everyone.
Sorry, but the question has been asked 3x on this page already.
 
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