Picking up another 150 gal tank.

[Iffrat]

its a 150 long with glass tops in good shape getting it for $150. Now i need to get lights, heaters, substrate, fish, and .. something else im sure..

i have a Fx5 to filter it. was thinking about doing sand.. just to test it out before i build the 300 gal tank..

so i guess what i would like to know.. im thinking about getting the stuff online (fish and sand i will take care of) but looking at lights and heaters and other stuff im kinda stumped. should i try to get a 60" light or maybe 2 24" lights? i dont want to spend a TON of money on the set up so that i can afford the fish that i want. and i would like to have some money to finish the 300 gal custom build. i am thinking about getting 2 rays and starting them out in this tank. so what do you guys think??

 

[12 Volt Man]

I use twin 36" double flourescents on my 150 (the ones made by All-glass aka Aqueon) are very good quality. nice polished aluminum inside, electronic start etc.

if you go this route, don't get the Perfecto ones, they are just white plastic inside, you get no reflectivity at all..

 

[Iffrat]

I use twin 36" double flourescents on my 150 (the ones made by All-glass aka Aqueon) are very good quality. nice polished aluminum inside, electronic start etc.

if you go this route, don't get the Perfecto ones, they are just white plastic inside, you get no reflectivity at all..

i am not 100% sure about the length .. it could be 60" or 72" but since 60" is a little more common i am thinking that it might be 60

 

[Toby_H]

I know there are a lot of manufacturers out there that make different sizes... But the two 150 gal tanks I'm most familiar with are the 72" x 18" x 29" & the 48" x 24" x 30" ... Although I just noticed a 60" x 24" x 24" listed on Glass Cages site as a "150 Long". Therefore I would find out for sure about the length before ordering/deciding on lights.

You could probably buy the materials to build a canopy including lights for the same price as you will pay for aquarium lights from a Pet Supply Store... Just as an option...

I've had both single and double bulbed lights... I find no benefit to having double bulbs unless A) I'm trying to keep plants alive or B) I want to use two types of bulbs... But I can't keep plants alive (except low light ones) and I've never wanted two different kinds of bulbs... So I use single bulbs on my tanks...

I do appreciate the slight difference that using a bulb that is 1' shorter than the tank is long... This gives the slightest shadowing effect to the ends of the tank and draws the focus toward the middle...

 

[12 Volt Man]

if its 60", a 48" double flourescent will look great. the extra 6" on each end don't really make a difference with the lighting. I think Perfecto makes a 60" fixture, but it might only take a 48" bulb..

 

[Iffrat]

what about heaters that are ray safe?

also anything else

sand, filter, lights, heaters, anything else i need for 2 rays? i feel like i am missing something

 

[Toby_H]

what about heaters that are ray safe?

I like Stealth Heaters and find them quite reliable even after several years...

They are plastic not glass so there is no chance of them breaking and cutting the Ray...

You didn't mention if the tank came with glass tops...

Will the tank be completely bare except for the substrate? I know rays need as much uninterupted floort space as possible so most Ray tanks are pretty bare...

I have always thought "if" I were to make a Ray tank I would find/cut a piece of slate/flatrock the same width as my tank (front ot back) and about 1/3 the length (left to right)... Then use small pieces of evenly cut flat rock to hold that larger piece 6~10" above the sand...

In all practicality, I have no clue if the Rays would use/appreciate it at all... but I thought it sounded like an interesting idea to try out...

 

[Iffrat]

Ok so the tank is scratched kinda bad.. so i would like to buff it out if its possible so i would like to know what i need and where to get it. also it has some pink algae from the saltwater set up before i got it that i would like to clean out.

also it has glass tops and a stand that im going to clean up as well.

 

[12 Volt Man]

if its glass, it will be hard to buff out the scratches such that you wont notice.

if its acrylic, it can be done much better. perhaps do a search on the forum for acrylic buffing techniques..

 

[Iffrat]

if its glass, it will be hard to buff out the scratches such that you wont notice.

if its acrylic, it can be done much better. perhaps do a search on the forum for acrylic buffing techniques..

oh no its glass.. all my tanks are.

i really just want to clean the glass REALLY well .. buff out some of the scratches so that the tank looks a little better.. not looking to get it BRAND NEW again..