Starting a 500 gallon build

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Here are some pictures of the third or fourth iteration on the aquascaping. I like it, but I am thinking about getting another 100 lbs of river rock to get the rock stacked a little taller, but will wait a while to see.

Somehow the tank temperature is the same currently as it was with the heaters....so I don't know what is going on with that.

I still have a list of things to do, but its getting shorter and hopefully on track to finish this thread 6 months after it started. As always, I welcome comments or suggestions.

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With the weekend finally here, I am hoping to get a lot finished with the tank. Over the past few days I have dosed the tank with a bottle of Stability and been slowly adding Malawi salt to the tank. Been several deaths so far, but nothing alarming, looks mostly like aggression and possibly some stress.

In addition to some general maintenance, I am hoping to figure out the heater issue, as well as to skin the canopy. Unfortunately I think I only have 1 day to do this. But I am really pushing to be completely finished minus doors by next weekend.
 
Things have been too busy to make any significant progress in completing this project. Even though things have been slow, I've decided to make the project bigger in honor of MFK spirit. Namely, I am planning to make a custom 3-D styrofoam background to look like a cave settings. I'm inspired by the the tank here: http://www.aquahobby.com/tanks/e_tank0902.php

I have not been able to find a background as large (4 feet tall) as I will be attempting, would love to see one if you know of one.

The stand and canopy will be skinned in 1/4" plywood, primed and painted gloss black with 3 lift out doors in each. I have purchased two of the awesome MFK metal logos and will be painting those silver and using on the outer stand doors.

Also planning on putting some glass lids together and switching to T5 lighting with 10K and actinic to look more like the cave setting I am going for. Hope then just trim and installing some interior stand lights and everything will be wrapped up.

Being detail oriented I have a item by item timeline established and aiming to have everything completed by mid March.
 
The holding auratus finally released the fry, but I have only seen a couple...one of them right before it was eaten. It also looks like there are more females holding already.

Planning to borrow a friends truck this coming week to get all the plywood and styrofoam to keep on working. I would love to know if anyone knows of any DIY backgrounds that are 48" tall.
 
During the past few days I have spotted several more fry (4), so they seem to be keeping away from the catfish and may make it as they are decent sized already.

I've ordered some tools to make the background that I could not find locally to my liking, but with all the snow in PA who knows when I will get them (USPS) or even pick up the materials.

I have been planning out the background in more detail, and I am hoping to get some input about securing the styrofoam panels. I do not want to silicone the panels to the tank and am curious about an alternative. I have read several other ways, but one that I thought of seems promising maybe?

The top panel of the tank has a 1.5" overhang all around the exterior of the tank. I am thinking of making the panel height to fit between the base and this overhang. On the bottom of the panels I would use a hot knife to cut an eggcrate pattern, attach an eggcrate panel using silicone and then cover the crate with sand and rocks to stop any pivoting of the panel. These would be installed with about 12" of water in the tank. To prevent the top of the panel from getting out from under the overhang I would use the FX5 return line brackets, and some additional clamping.

Does that sound like it would work?
 
you bought them in a lot or picked them?
 
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