180 Gallon Mbuna Reef Build
- Thread starter IndovinaVI
- Start date
Thanks guys!
my filtration plans will include the new Fx5 and the Rena XP3 from the current tank. I currently have 60lbs of Caribsea Cichlid sand (crushed coral I think-right buffer) in the 80, and an unused 20lb bag in the stand- just purchased 4 more 20lb bags last week.. ready to start cleaning it
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my filtration plans will include the new Fx5 and the Rena XP3 from the current tank. I currently have 60lbs of Caribsea Cichlid sand (crushed coral I think-right buffer) in the 80, and an unused 20lb bag in the stand- just purchased 4 more 20lb bags last week.. ready to start cleaning it
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And the transfer has begun! water drained, fish and sand in buckets and I'm waiting for help coming to lift this 300+ lb beast! So far only one attempted suicide from a 4" red zebra.. I would've taken a shot but had just returned from Home Depot for the second consecutive time and found him on the rug; dry and still. I quickly grabbed the net and swung him back & forth.. about 20 seconds passed and his left fin and gills started moving! couldn't believe it.. no doubt he's gonna swim in right hand circles for a while but somehow managed to save a $20 fish 
here's some more shots for you guys-
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here's some more shots for you guys-
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Shots show how the latex paint turned out from the inside view. There was WAAAY more rock than I remembered! Had it neatly piled outside and separated the fish in two 19 gallon jugs- heated with air pumps going.
As all the water was drained, I tugged the old tank out of the way to start arranging the new stand in place; shimmed to level. Renters insurance kicked in 2 hours ago so the sky's the limit
when setting up the canisters below I took apart the UV and this is what the glass looked like! 😳
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As all the water was drained, I tugged the old tank out of the way to start arranging the new stand in place; shimmed to level. Renters insurance kicked in 2 hours ago so the sky's the limit
when setting up the canisters below I took apart the UV and this is what the glass looked like! 😳
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well- I'm about 98% complete with just a couple of snags. The jumper didn't make it.. since I but the stand so close to the wall the tubes for the FX5 don't fit between so I had to keep them exposed on the left, and being that the 1" vinyl tubing I got wasn't braided it kinks when I try to bend it so I had to use the cheap serrated fluval one. And all said and done, honestly the flow isn't as much as I was hoping for! Might be because it's a 36" stand and 25.5" tall tank so the head height is pushing a healthy 5 feet.
But back to the build:
my good buddy arrived an hour and a half late to help me lift this thing, took us thirty f***ing seconds to get it on
then about 30 minutes of socializing, so progress was definitely slowed from 4-8. After, I continued with the rock.
Before, I had WAAY too much in the tank for its size but with the aggression I had it seemed to keep it somewhat stable for the victims to "run and hide." I chose to leave out about 30ish pounds to keep it looking neat. Started with first placing the rock where it looked best- stable with NO movement in any direction.
this process took about an hour. The wife got home just in time to offer suggestions to the placement- She is so pumped about the tank too, which is good!
here is the finished project- ready for SAND! only half is washed
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But back to the build:
my good buddy arrived an hour and a half late to help me lift this thing, took us thirty f***ing seconds to get it on
then about 30 minutes of socializing, so progress was definitely slowed from 4-8. After, I continued with the rock.
Before, I had WAAY too much in the tank for its size but with the aggression I had it seemed to keep it somewhat stable for the victims to "run and hide." I chose to leave out about 30ish pounds to keep it looking neat. Started with first placing the rock where it looked best- stable with NO movement in any direction.
this process took about an hour. The wife got home just in time to offer suggestions to the placement- She is so pumped about the tank too, which is good!
here is the finished project- ready for SAND! only half is washed
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so this is what was in the original 80 gallon tank. yea, 60 pounds! wtf?!
one from the front:
now plus one bag: 80 lbs
I'm having to wash the sand in two buckets at a time in the shower :O I didn't want to be obvious outside with anything fish related as the apartment building shouldn't see this mess. then truck it back to the tank.
and finally 160. fwew!
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let me just say- that using a pump that drains a 5 gallon bucket in 2 minutes- THIS THING TOOK FOREVER TO FILL. I got the last of the water in at about 2ish am and man, I'm still 3" below the rim (ran out of conditioner- it was almost full too!)
threw the plants in, heaters in, plumbing for both canisters hooked up and powered on, now it's time for the fish and then it's bedtime. Sorry, pictures will come later of the others- had a small drip leak from this s*** tubing so I sat a catch under it to measure in the morning- I'm redoing this plumbing today- might even try my old spray bars..
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threw the plants in, heaters in, plumbing for both canisters hooked up and powered on, now it's time for the fish and then it's bedtime. Sorry, pictures will come later of the others- had a small drip leak from this s*** tubing so I sat a catch under it to measure in the morning- I'm redoing this plumbing today- might even try my old spray bars..
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