EVOLUTION OF THE 150
- Thread starter Donny417
- Start date
Alright, I'm finished up. Took all weekend and a few trips to Lowe's to finish the job but I finally did it! It is working awesome! At a 5 foot head I'm turning over my tank 6-7 times an hour.
I used 3/4" PVC throughout, even though the grooves in my bulk head are cut for 1/2". They look a little funny, but I wanted to flow as much as possible thus least resistance.
Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure. Let me know what you think and if you have any recommendations!!!
I couldn't find a splash plate large enough, so I decided to run a few 12" PVC pipes off each bulk head and drill into them for a trickle effect over the bio-balls:
Mounting the pump was a unbelievable *****. I also decided to put a drip catch underneath it because it took me forever to make it completely water tight. Thank God for plumbers tape...and plenty of it:
I decided to have the larger drain lines as flex lines, and the return lines as PVC since they would be under a little bit of pressure. I also installed a ball valve so I could eliminate the chances of siphoning out my tank when I make changes to the media:
On filter media, I decided to use a crazy amount of bio-balls to handle the flow. The first of three chambers is filled with bio-balls completely, the 2nd chamber is filled with gravel mixed with ammocarb and bio-balls. The 3rd chamber is filled with broken plant pots and bio-balls. I also installed two external pumps/filters on the sump tank itself. I left the fourth section empty as I plan on filling some of my wife's panty hose with activated carbon and throwing them in there.
As you can see looking over my bulk head, the pipe is too wide to fit in the groove so my glass covers are about a 1/4" away from fitting snugly. Also note the MASSIVE piece of driftwood hanging out of the tank. I pushed that sucker back down there when I was finished.
I suck at taking fish pictures, but you can see the water is a little cloudy since I just fired up a new filteration system.
My last question: HOW THE CRAP DO I GET THE WHITE FILM OFF THE INSIDE OF THE GLASS?????? AHHHHHHH
Let me know what you think!
I used 3/4" PVC throughout, even though the grooves in my bulk head are cut for 1/2". They look a little funny, but I wanted to flow as much as possible thus least resistance.
Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure. Let me know what you think and if you have any recommendations!!!
I couldn't find a splash plate large enough, so I decided to run a few 12" PVC pipes off each bulk head and drill into them for a trickle effect over the bio-balls:
Mounting the pump was a unbelievable *****. I also decided to put a drip catch underneath it because it took me forever to make it completely water tight. Thank God for plumbers tape...and plenty of it:
I decided to have the larger drain lines as flex lines, and the return lines as PVC since they would be under a little bit of pressure. I also installed a ball valve so I could eliminate the chances of siphoning out my tank when I make changes to the media:
On filter media, I decided to use a crazy amount of bio-balls to handle the flow. The first of three chambers is filled with bio-balls completely, the 2nd chamber is filled with gravel mixed with ammocarb and bio-balls. The 3rd chamber is filled with broken plant pots and bio-balls. I also installed two external pumps/filters on the sump tank itself. I left the fourth section empty as I plan on filling some of my wife's panty hose with activated carbon and throwing them in there.
As you can see looking over my bulk head, the pipe is too wide to fit in the groove so my glass covers are about a 1/4" away from fitting snugly. Also note the MASSIVE piece of driftwood hanging out of the tank. I pushed that sucker back down there when I was finished.
I suck at taking fish pictures, but you can see the water is a little cloudy since I just fired up a new filteration system.
My last question: HOW THE CRAP DO I GET THE WHITE FILM OFF THE INSIDE OF THE GLASS?????? AHHHHHHH
Let me know what you think!
I'll get some full tank shots when the water starts looking good. Also, I have an algea magnet however it sucks at the dreaded white film. I need to rub it down with CLR however I think it might be incompatible with my fish. I'll try the razor blade, it's driving me crazy.
P.S. My Festae are in breeding colors!!!
P.S. My Festae are in breeding colors!!!
