Finally joining the club

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
R

rokit_armor

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Mar 19, 2011
205
0
31
kansas
I finally picked up a decent size tank, the biggest I could functionally fit in my house. It's a 200g Oceanic 2x2x7. Used to be set up for saltwater in a pet store about 15 years ago and has been sitting since they closed down. Came with a oceanic 150 trickle filter, 2 UV sterilizers, 3 oceanic canster filters, pump, and misc other things. The stand is falling apart and needs rebuilt. Everything is dusty and covered in mineral deposits. Lots of work but will be worth it in the end! I got a steal on it too, paid $150 for everything.

I will be doing a custom background, but I have no idea what to stock it with, any suggestions?
200g.jpg
 
Welcome to the Forum!!!

Great score on the equipment! Lots of work ahead of you to get it in shape.

What kind of fish are you interested in keeping? I think that is what you really need to ask yourself. Just take your time getting the equipment set up and the tank cycling. You'll have a while to determine what species you want to keep.
 
Like deeda said, it all depends on what you want to do with this tank, and what sort of timeline and budget you are on.
I think it would make an amazing CA/SA tank with that footprint, and there would only be a couple of fish that grow to be too large for that layout. A community tank with Firemouths, Severums, A. Lyonsi, and maybe a Gold Saum. This would give you some decent sized fish with, lots of color, but not a ton of aggression.
Others might say an African tank would give you a lot of options for having a lot of fish and color in the tank.
The possibilities really are endless once you start getting into the +150 gallon tanks.
Good luck, and keep us posted on what you decide to do.
 
I think i'm going to stick with freshwater on this tank. The bulbs in the sterilizers were blown, only one of the canister filters was able to be used, and I just don't have the $$$ for saltwater. I'm going to keep it fairly simple, just the trickle filter, and one canister. I'm going to transfer my current freshwater stock over once it's cycled, but there will be LOTS of room left for other fish. Still no idea what else I'm going to stock it with.
Current stock is: Dragon/violet goby; Pictus Catfish; Pleco; 2 Cory Cats; Red Tail Shark; Iridescent Shark; Golden Gourami; 4 veil Angelfish; 6 platys. They have all been peacefully living together for 2+ years and I don't want to mess up that karma.

Tank is pretty much cleaned up now, it got a lot cleaner than I had expected. I would like to polish the glass though, there are a bit of minute scratches from coral on the inside. I heard that buffing with toothpaste can take out 1/64" deep scratches? I'm not really concerned about it, scratches seem to dissapear when filled with water.

Here is a CAD of the stand and canopy I will be building.
I think it should be strong enough, I doubled up 2x4's on the 4 corners and i am using 2x6 and 2x4 sandwiched for the center supports, and 2x4's for horizontal supports top and bottom.314603_10150415050111092_612996091_8334094_2082987980_n.jpg306306_10150415067461092_612996091_8334141_801214853_n.jpg

314603_10150415050111092_612996091_8334094_2082987980_n.jpg

306306_10150415067461092_612996091_8334141_801214853_n.jpg
 
If you're going to run your filtration sump->pump->canister, is the pump even necessary? If the output isn't throttled down to match the canisters capacity then you could have a big mess on your hands.
 
The heaters should be just fine in the sump as long as there is always sufficient water to keep them submerged properly.

Which model pump are you using for the single Ocean Clear canister?

What ended up being wrong with the other two O.C. cans?
 
Honestly I have no idea what model it is, it's old and has a lot of surface rust on the metal casing, but it does still function quite well, I plan on taking it apart and rebuilding it. He had it pushing thru the three OC filters and two other filters that look like this http://2011bestkitchenbathfixtures....r-with-75-GPD-Membrane-and-Clear-Housings.jpg
. One canister is missing a lid and the other one the lid broke off while trying to remove it. apparently 10 + years of no maintenance kills them. I just hope the other one will last, it's got a PSI gauge on it.

Would just one 300w heater be enough? I keep my tank at 78f and my house is normally 72-75f.
 
rokit_armor said:
Would just one 300w heater be enough? I keep my tank at 78f and my house is normally 72-75f.
Click to expand...

It might! Try it and see if it will be enough. Some people have good results using only one heater but a lot depends on their setup, including water flow and whether the tank & sump are covered to limit evaporation or heat loss.

I am using one Hydor ETH 300W inline heater on my Eheim 2262 to maintain a 220G tank temperature of 78F-80F in a 68F basement with no problems for the last few years.
 
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