help me make my tank pop

[jopheso]

+1000

I dont like "live" rock in FW aquariums, especially if the fish are from CA and SA. Do driftwood and some boulders and stones ranging from large to small and mix some gravel in with your sand (again, natural colors) and that should help make it pop

I agree with all of that. I wish I could find some "boulders"! Any ideas on dealing with the reflection on the back glass. I know that I can paint, but with the tank already stocked not sure how I would go about that.

Maybe:

1) drain the tank water in the bath tub
2) put fish/snails in the bath tub
3) Paint with roll on since I need to do it in my living room
4) put the water and fish back in the tank

this sounds pretty damn stressful on the fish

would it be better to drain 80-85% of the water into the tub, to the point where I can move the tank into a paintable position(yes I just invented the word paintable) then paint using a roller and return the water back to the tank?

 

[dxdx]

they make really small rollers that you could probably get behind the tank. Other than that, yes, I would drain the tank until you can move it for a better position.

 

[jopheso]

thanks. What paint would you suggest dx? I was thinking a matte type. I guess I could do a search

 

[dxdx]

I've never actually painted a tank - I just saw those thin rollers when I was considering it. Ended up going with a vinyl stick on background which doesn't look as good as paint probably would have. I wouldn't put a tank together without a 3d background now though.

Did you consider a 3d background of some sort?

 

[BigCountry]

x1000 DRAIN IT!!

Fill it with salt and get you some kick ass lights!!

Took these last night, It's the only way to POP!!!

 

[jopheso]

Country YOU ARE KILLING ME!! I know you're right bro, but I need to cool down my wallet a bit before I go dumping more cash into a salt conversion. I know before I go salt I will want a better stand and bigger tank. Then the lights for growing reef and blah blah blah....

I have about 600 into this impulse buy as it is(which isnt bad for where its at already honestly) with another 200 or so I think I can have this tank in decent shape. Not to mention the 10g feeder tank I have underneath that has 3 marbled crawfish in it right now. hopefully I can get that going with a few generations to feed the oscars and maybe sell.

Dont worry bro. in about a year to 1.5 years I will be in the new house. That means bigger tank for the oscars and converting this 75g to salt. or possibly 2 new bigger tanks and the 75 is a grow out. Not sure yet, but the man cave in the new crib will be kinda epic!

 

[BigCountry]

hehe I hear ya.

It's not that expensive. You need 4 chunks of cash to make it work on a 6 foot tank - RO/DI unit @ $150 (which you can use for your freshwater tanks also, no more tap water ), good lights @ $500, live rock @ $300 (pricing off what you can find on craigslist - someone breaking down their tank), and a good protein skimmer @ $200. The rest is little stuff here and there you can score on craigslist.

Tank stock starting out you can trade/salvage/find via local reefers. What's cool about this coral is you can grow and then frag (cut it) and trade it. You find a monster reefer locally, bring a case of beer to his house and you will walk out with a 5g bucket full of free stuff

 

[jopheso]

ok I got the entire substrate covered in colorado river rock now. I also have 4 small boulders, but they are being used to hold down my cypress driftwood. So the driftwood isnt in its final resting place as I had to put it in the corners to be able to hold it submerged. Once it water logs I will move it and adjust the boulders. I also called and got a price on a 2' x 4' piece of black vinyl from a local sign shop. So I will pick that up today. I was going to do a WC tomorrow so I may take that opportunity to go ahead and pull a high % of water out so that I can move the tank and apply the vinyl. Then return the cycled water back to the tank. If all goes well I will get some updated pictures. It is actually starting to come along. Oh and the white rock is gone. I will save that for the salt tank I do later

 

[jopheso]

got the vinyl installed. what a huge difference. the black makes everything in front of it POP! Now im just kind of waiting on the driftwood to water log, then I can arrange it how I like. Ill you a few updated photos tonight. Oh I also ordered the beamworks 48" LED from aquatraders. I really hope that works out!

 

[jopheso]

here are a couple of updated shots. The first one you can see Zimmerman and Trayvon, they seem pretty happy with the new setup. Even the Pleco is coming out more. The second pic is a better shot of the tank. You can see that I must weigh down the driftwood, once they water log I will be better able to adjust things. The vinyl on the back of the tank came out pretty sharp though.