Working on some changes

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

Steve_C

Redtail Catfish
MFK Member
Jan 9, 2017
1,030
2,663
154
54
Royal Oak, Michigan
www.midwestcustomflyrods.com
Spent a good 10 hours yesterday working on the shop/fish room basement. Last week I decided to downsize a tad, nothing too major, but with my rod business being so busy and so many fishing trips every spring/summer it just had been getting to be too much for me to keep up on 7 big tanks. So I decided to downsize to 5 tanks and sold the 125g frontosa colony tank as well as one of the 120g tanks.

I was wondering if I would regret it but now I actually think not only are things gonna be easier, but I really like the looks of it much better now. I wanted to keep the sitting area L-shape of tanks so after pulling the 120g out I moved Walter (the Oscar) from where he was, to the place where the 120g use to be. So now all three tanks have 3d background which has a nice look with all of them being side by side. Plus I like finally being able to have Walter out near me in the shop where I can enjoy him and he can see some activity now. It's funny watching him and the Severum. Walter has not even seen another fish in the year I have owned him so he & the Severum are constant looking at each other now and flaring up every once in a while.

ulmb6U.jpg

TWsTX1.jpg

ZSnj86.jpg

CM74n1.jpg

31ilVS.jpg
 
Looks good, hard to telling that you're into fishing! lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: Steve_C
Lookin’ great Steve! If it isn’t stress relief to sit in that chair with a cold beer in hand, nothing is.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Steve_C
Finished up the work on the other side of the shop/office over the weekend. The guy that bought the 125 & 120g tanks picked them up yesterday. His help he had cancelled on him so I had to help him get them upstairs and loaded. I tell ya what I am not as young as I use to be that's for sure. My mind says I'm still 25 but my body says you idiot you're almost 50 stop doing that. Real sore today :(

Pretty pleased with what I have now. I think downsizing to 5 tanks is going to allow me to spend less time doing "work" on tanks but yet will still be enough tanks to enjoy the hobby. Plus having the organized area for fishing gear between trips will be nice now. I also took a little of the cash from the tank sales and ordered a new impeller for one of the FX5's on the 240g tank. The one fx5 has been rattling for about 8 months now which drives my OCD nuts. Tried cleaning the impeller but no luck. Been too cheap to shell out the $45 for a new one till now but ordered that last week so that will be here tomorrow so it'll be nice to have peace and silence in the shop again :)

1XYdMF.jpg

WSWVpG.jpg

0EKhkY.jpg

RsZJKu.jpg
 
Looks good, hard to telling that you're into fishing! lol

RD yep you know it ;) Fly fishing has been my main passion in life for about, oh close to 30 yrs now I think. I just love it. Was lucky enough to have a little side business of building custom fly rods really take off and turn into a real business about 17 yrs ago so that's what I do down there every day now is build rods. I don't make the kind of money I use to as a welder, but life is a lot more enjoyable now doing this rather than working in a hot welding shop for someone else :)
 
Spent a good 10 hours yesterday working on the shop/fish room basement. Last week I decided to downsize a tad, nothing too major, but with my rod business being so busy and so many fishing trips every spring/summer it just had been getting to be too much for me to keep up on 7 big tanks. So I decided to downsize to 5 tanks and sold the 125g frontosa colony tank as well as one of the 120g tanks.

I was wondering if I would regret it but now I actually think not only are things gonna be easier, but I really like the looks of it much better now. I wanted to keep the sitting area L-shape of tanks so after pulling the 120g out I moved Walter (the Oscar) from where he was, to the place where the 120g use to be. So now all three tanks have 3d background which has a nice look with all of them being side by side. Plus I like finally being able to have Walter out near me in the shop where I can enjoy him and he can see some activity now. It's funny watching him and the Severum. Walter has not even seen another fish in the year I have owned him so he & the Severum are constant looking at each other now and flaring up every once in a while.

ulmb6U.jpg

TWsTX1.jpg

ZSnj86.jpg

CM74n1.jpg

31ilVS.jpg


Very nice love the set up!
 
Sometimes we get carried away and before you know it you have more then we can manage. Sounds like you did the best thing to do. Who wants to be changing water when fishing season is right around the corner. Ps I’m jelly of the man cave too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Steve_C
Sometimes we get carried away and before you know it you have more then we can manage. Sounds like you did the best thing to do. Who wants to be changing water when fishing season is right around the corner. Ps I’m jelly of the man cave too.

Yep that's very true. It really didn't seem like I had "too much" running since I have had them all running for about 3 years now, but once you really sit back and think about it then that's when you realize it might be a bit much. I think the thing that really made me realize was actually caused by a filter problem a couple weeks ago. We had forecast that called for 60mph winds so I did WC's in all tanks the night before just in case of a power outage. Then when I did that I had some major issues getting one of my Eheim canisters reprimed. Spent 3 hours screwing with that filter which threw me really late into the night doing WC's. After that I kind'a sat back and realized I just had too much going with all the other things in my life.

Been about a week now since I downsized a bit. Normally I would have already had to do WC's on half the tanks by today but all I have to do today is one WC's on a 75 & 20g then the other three tanks won't need a WC for about another week. I'm enjoying things much better now.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheWolfman
MonsterFishKeepers.com