240G Build Diary - Slow & Steady Wins the Day...
- Thread starter T.J
- Start date
Hi again,
Pics to follow soon but its almost ready for fish
The gravel, terracotta pots and some driftwood are in and so is the water - going to let it "settle" overnight and then transfer the canister filters and fish over in the morning.
Need to build the sump and sort out some brackets for the over tank lights as getting two 4ft light units to match up on an 8ft tank is clearly not something the suppliers clearly in mind lol. Will also add some more driftwood and pick up a 2nd heater but for now it'll suffice and i reckon the fish will be that happy with the extra space they'll forgive me for the sparse décor
Cheers
T.J
Pics to follow soon but its almost ready for fish
The gravel, terracotta pots and some driftwood are in and so is the water - going to let it "settle" overnight and then transfer the canister filters and fish over in the morning.Need to build the sump and sort out some brackets for the over tank lights as getting two 4ft light units to match up on an 8ft tank is clearly not something the suppliers clearly in mind lol. Will also add some more driftwood and pick up a 2nd heater but for now it'll suffice and i reckon the fish will be that happy with the extra space they'll forgive me for the sparse décor
Cheers
T.J
Hi,
And the pics mentioned above ;-)
Image 1: Being test filled last night, very nerve racking but nice to see water going in at last.
Image 2: Pots and driftwood in position but no water, considered using sand instead of gravel but both plecs have been in tanks with sand and pretty much destroyed them by constantly digging / thrashing sand about with their tails.
Image 3: A close of of one of the light units, each one is 4ft long with 3x54w T5 daylight tubes. Have removed the brackets since as they are plastic and fairly flimsy, wasn't happy with resting them on the centre brace either.
Image 4: Until sump is built have settled on a slightly lower water line rather than risk any going down the overflow. Both light units are in place and supported by lengths of 2x1" timber, a bit ghetto but at least the weight is being carried by the glass sides and not any cross braces etc.
That's it for now, will leave it overnight for all the air bubbles to disperse and then move the two canisters over from the 400 litre tank along with the fish. Next on the ever growing fish job list is move the 90L frog tank into the lounge room, move the 400 litre into the corner where said frogs used to be and convert it from gravel to sand ready for the truck load of Corrys the Mrs intends to put in there - should keep me out of trouble for a bit at least
Cheers
T.J
And the pics mentioned above ;-)
Image 1: Being test filled last night, very nerve racking but nice to see water going in at last.
Image 2: Pots and driftwood in position but no water, considered using sand instead of gravel but both plecs have been in tanks with sand and pretty much destroyed them by constantly digging / thrashing sand about with their tails.
Image 3: A close of of one of the light units, each one is 4ft long with 3x54w T5 daylight tubes. Have removed the brackets since as they are plastic and fairly flimsy, wasn't happy with resting them on the centre brace either.
Image 4: Until sump is built have settled on a slightly lower water line rather than risk any going down the overflow. Both light units are in place and supported by lengths of 2x1" timber, a bit ghetto but at least the weight is being carried by the glass sides and not any cross braces etc.
That's it for now, will leave it overnight for all the air bubbles to disperse and then move the two canisters over from the 400 litre tank along with the fish. Next on the ever growing fish job list is move the 90L frog tank into the lounge room, move the 400 litre into the corner where said frogs used to be and convert it from gravel to sand ready for the truck load of Corrys the Mrs intends to put in there - should keep me out of trouble for a bit at least
Cheers
T.J
Hi,
Camera went flat before i could get any more more shots but the fish are in and i've done some re-arranging by adding a bit more wood and some marble "boulders" take from the other tank.
The pic is with only two of the six tubes on and gives a nice subdued light, with them all the the black background looks very grey and washed out - reckon this can be solved by moving the light further towards the centre but until i can sort the brackets out its fine with just the two.
There also quite a funky glowing air bubble effect going on with the filter spray bars, they are positioned just above the water line with the jets angled directly down causing lots of tiny bubbles which are then highlighted by the T5's.
Cheers
T.J
Camera went flat before i could get any more more shots but the fish are in and i've done some re-arranging by adding a bit more wood and some marble "boulders" take from the other tank.
The pic is with only two of the six tubes on and gives a nice subdued light, with them all the the black background looks very grey and washed out - reckon this can be solved by moving the light further towards the centre but until i can sort the brackets out its fine with just the two.
There also quite a funky glowing air bubble effect going on with the filter spray bars, they are positioned just above the water line with the jets angled directly down causing lots of tiny bubbles which are then highlighted by the T5's.
Cheers
T.J
