180 Gallon Build

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  • #51
Much better! IMG_20171123_093712.jpg
 

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So excited for today! My plumbing should come in, and I can finally completely fill my tank, and start finishing my setup. Once I'm sure everything is settled, I can order my clown loaches! I have my 35 Gallon QT ready to go as well.

I've been reading up on QT tanks, and have heard quite a bit of difference in length of time they should spend in there. Anywhere from 3 weeks to 2 months. Would love the input of others on this subject.
 

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I QT for 3-4 weeks, but you don't need to QT your first batch of fish, as there are not other fish in the main tank to worry about infecting. QTing in the smaller tank can be useful if you do need to treat with something though, as it's a smaller volume of water.
 
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  • #54
So, the plumbing took a left turn, but it's up and running for now. I ordered some new parts, to make it better. I was hoping with some heat I could stretch 5/8 diameter hose over the input, but no luck. So I had to use some ingenuity to get it running so I could check for leaks on the bulkheads and other areas. I've had it running all night, so I'm going to check for leaks in a bit. Assuming this doesn't leak, the parts I ordered will make it look better, along with ensure no leaks are happening

Not too bad for my first aquarium plumbing job. I found a very slight leak in the right bulkhead cap. The left side is perfect. Dry as a bone. I'm getting a very small amount of air in the filter from my make shift reducer. That will be remedied with the new parts. I'm also getting uneven suction, which I'm going to assume it's from the make shift reducer as well. It's not doing the job. So once the 1" hose, and 1" Barbed T get here Monday. I'll drain the overflows, and fix the leak, along with the plumbing. Still on schedule to get fish next week! I'm thinking of starting with 3 Clown Loaches, for a couple reasons.

1 I'm going to likely go through a minI cycle with trying to seed media from my 55.

2 I'm hoping I got any contaminates out from cleaning, I rinsed everything really well, but one is never sure.

I have a QT setup, so if they start acting like something is wrong I can pull them and put them in it for a couple days while I break the 175 down and clean it again if needed.

My QT is 35 Gallons, but should be enough for them for a couple days.
 
Remind me what you cleaned with? What are you worried it's contaminated with?

Clown loaches don't seem to be the hardiest fish to cycle with, but as long as you keep up with water changes and Prime as necessary, it should be okay - the large water volume will help dilute their waste.
 
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  • #56
Remind me what you cleaned with? What are you worried it's contaminated with?

Clown loaches don't seem to be the hardiest fish to cycle with, but as long as you keep up with water changes and Prime as necessary, it should be okay - the large water volume will help dilute their waste.
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I got scratches out of the glass with Cerium Oxide, and cleaned up limescale with vinegar/water solution. I did have a small amount of the Cerium Oxide get onto the substrate, but pretty sure I got all of it out. Also it won't be a complete fish in cycle. At the most it will be a minI cycle, using media from my established 55.
 

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The vinegar shouldn't a concern. From reading online, cerium oxide has a low to moderate toxicity, and as long as you rinsed well, it shouldn't be an issue.
 
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  • #58
The vinegar shouldn't a concern. From reading online, cerium oxide has a low to moderate toxicity, and as long as you rinsed well, it shouldn't be an issue.
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I read the same, which is why I took the extra step of removing and rinsing the substrate again when I found some areas I missed that had limescale build up. Primarily in the overflows that I'm now using as my input to my filter.

I'm likely being overly cautious, but again. I have the QT just in case. So I'll be good either way. I've had the QT filter running on my 55 for a couple weeks now, so I can steal media from the canister without disturbing the cycle in it too much when/if I need the QT.

Only worry I have is the possible minI cycle in both tanks when I swap some media to kick start the 175. I'm hoping if I do get one in the 55 it won't last long as it is fully stocked.
 
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  • #59
Ordered some Driftwood, and the replacement plumbing supplies should be here tomorrow. I'll probably order my first three Clown Loaches tomorrow as well, assuming the plumbing goes as planned.

I have some plugs for my bulk heads just in case I'm not able to get the plumbing how I want it. I know it's possible, but I'm not looking into getting a messy setup under my tank. If the current plan works, it will be very minimalistic compared to other DIY overflow inputs I've seen. I have 3/4" NPT x 1 " Barbed adapters going straight into the bulk heads, braided tube rated for drinking water into a T Adapter, then straight into my input. So there's no need for a vacuum to be created from my filter. I'm hoping this will increase efficiency, as well as keep sand out of the filter.

Once I finish plumbing I'm going to throughly clean the filter to remove any current sand build up. I might even get in there and mix up the sand a bit just to be sure it's clean before my Loaches get home.

Quick question to the planters following along. How long before I should notice some wilting or melting on a plant, to know if I'm going to have enough light or not. I know having an empty tank versus a fully stocked one are much different, but I'm starting to think I'm going to be okay for now. I still plan on getting another fixture in the near future.
 
It’s normal for plants to kinda melt when new, even in good lighting. They need time to adjust. What to look for is new growth, which should happen fairly quickly, like a week or two, depending on the plant. Any parts that are emersed growth, damaged or melting will probably not recover, but you should be able to trim that away as you see new growth coming in.
 
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  • #61
Okay, so I'm more looking for new growth than anything else. Thanks for that! Main reason I asked about wilting, is because this plant has done pretty well since I've added it. Only 1 lead has minimal discoloration.
 

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  • #62
Last bit of plumbing arrives tomorrow, along with my first 3 Clown Loaches! I ordered a piece of Driftwood which will arrive Wednesday. I can start finishing up my aquascaping once I get it soaked and into the tank.
 
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  • #63
My Loaches are on a truck, on the way here. So I'm getting things ready, as far as stealing media from my 55 and doing a final massive water change to make sure the water in the tank is clean and pure.

Final piece of plumbing is on a truck on the way here as well. Hopefully I get my piece before or shortly after I get my Loaches. So that can be finalized before I put them in. The way I'm setup, it shouldn't put too much stress on them if it doesn't though.

I'm excited to get this going finally, I'll post pictures of the plumbing and Loaches once I'm finished. As well as the Loaches in the tank. This should give you guys an idea of the size.

So... The Loaches are delayed until tomorrow! UPS messed up scans, and the package arrived at the facility this afternoon. They won't touch the truck until tonight. So I'll get them tomorrow. Thankfully temperatures aren't too cold, but they are life threatening with prolonged exposure. They should be okay overnight, but I'm expecting the worst. Live Aquaria was notified already, and they will replace any losses without issue.

The bad... I already took some media from my 55 to prepare the tank. Is this going to last 24 hours without food? It'll remain running once I get the plumbing, and my tap is .5 out of the faucet. Should I move a couple fish from my 55 to give the BB food until my Loaches arrive?
 
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  • #65
Or just add some ammonia or fish food, and do a large water change before you put the loaches in.
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Considering the volume of the tank, how much food should I put in? I don't have a form of Ammonia to dose.
 
A few large pinches might suffice. Do you have a raw shrimp? You could add that instead. Or is it too much trouble to move the media back?
 
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  • #67
A few large pinches might suffice. Do you have a raw shrimp? You could add that instead. Or is it too much trouble to move the media back?
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Moving the media back would be near impossible. I took all of the biological media and mixed it together. So that it would be dispersed evenly between the two. I have some extremely hardy Mollies that went through my early time with no problems. Would moving them into the 175 be a huge issue for them?
 
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  • #71
Should be fine!
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Thanks, once my plumbing arrives, I'll get them transferred over. The media is sitting in the FX6 full of dechlorinated water right now. The BB should be okay for a couple hours that way, right?
 

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  • #73
Fish food and shrimp take time to emit ammonia. Moving the mollies would be better.

BB should be ok for many hours as long as it's wet.
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Yep, it's fully submersed in dechlorinated water. So it's soaking until my plumbing arrives

Plumbing came in, and I'm happy with it! Here's how I have it, and the size of the tank shown with full size Molly in the tank.IMG_20171128_155009.jpgIMG_20171128_155023.jpgIMG_20171128_155016.jpgIMG_20171128_155127.jpgIMG_20171128_155149.jpgIMG_20171128_155156.jpg
 
How bad are the scratches on the acrylic? Is it less noticeable w/o a camera flash? Does your nail catch on them? If not, you can sand and buff them out pretty easily.
 
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  • #75
It's glass, and the ones left you can catch with your finger
 
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  • #76
Clown Loaches came in today, I'm acclimating them now. I'll post pictures this evening when they settle in! Cute little things, I got 3 young ones

Such cute little guys!MVIMG_20171129_171416.jpgIMG_20171129_171308.jpg
 
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  • #78
They're so tiny!
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I know! I wanted to get them young so I could watch them grow up. They already have an amazing personalty. One of them keeps going into the Overflows. Glad I decided to put screens on the bulk heads. Otherwise he would be in the filter by now! Lol
 
I'm the same way. I love getting small fish and watch them grow. I had 3 clown loaches years ago that were 1.5" and grew to about 5" before they got sick and died . They were awesome to watch.
 
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  • #80
Another update, this one isn't as cheerful. I lost 2 Loaches. I lost the one that kept going into the overflows. He went in last night and likely got tired and couldn't fight the intake anymore. Poor guy. The other I found under my Driftwood. I put the last one in my 55, and decided to completely fish less cycle the 175 before putting anything else in it.

I got Ammonia from Ace Hardware, and dosed it to 4-5 ppm. I'm already showing Nitrites due to using the media from my 55. It shouldn't take long to finish it out, and I can get the rest of the loach school.
 
I'm sorry for your loss I wouldn't expect water quality to the be the issue - you just added them, and they are three tiny fish in a large amount of water (lots of dilution). I would expect instead that stress or illness got them Does the place you ordered them from have a guarantee for a period of time?

I would just stick with 4 ppm ammonia. Too much higher and you risk stalling your cycle.
 

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  • #82
I'm sorry for your loss I wouldn't expect water quality to the be the issue - you just added them, and they are three tiny fish in a large amount of water (lots of dilution). I would expect instead that stress or illness got them Does the place you ordered them from have a guarantee for a period of time?

I would just stick with 4 ppm ammonia. Too much higher and you risk stalling your cycle.
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Yeah, I already got credit for them. I order from Live Aquaria. I've had good experiences from them so far. I imagine the stress was from staying on a truck for an extra day due to UPS. The water was definitely chilly when I got them home
 
Sorry to hear about your clown loaches .

I had great luck with TSS+ in my 40g. It took 5 days to cycle from new with 10 minnows and a few plants.
 
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  • #84
Good news! Ammonia has dropped to about 3-4 ppm, and Nitrites jumped to around 1ppm. After just 24 hours. So the media from my 55 has definitely kick started this cycle. Looks like I added just enough to not stall it. Plus my temp is up near 88 degrees. So the bacteria are loving it.

Also my Anubias are showing good signs of growth. I got 2 more and a Java Fern. The Java Fern isn't doing as well. Is this a plant I put in the substrate, or tie down like the Anubias?
 
Tie it like the Anubias. I have found java fern to need an adjustment period during which it doesn’t look good, where Anubias is pretty resilient.
 
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  • #86
Tie it like the Anubias. I have found java fern to need an adjustment period during which it doesn’t look good, where Anubias is pretty resilient.
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Thanks, I had it tied, just wasn't sure due to its state versus the Anubias. Hopefully it rebounds! It's melting pretty badly right now. I'll post pictures this evening, along with the current scaping. I'm going to get a root Driftwood, just need to find the right one. Then I'll use the 3 flat pieces I have to build a cave type structure.
 
It may melt completely, but new leaves may grow on the rhizome, and I got little plantlets that grow on the backs of the leaves that I have reattached to multiple things and they are growing.
 
Like Angel said, baby Java ferns grow on the backs of leaves. I've found them to grow exclusively on melting/dying leaves, so don't remove the dying leaves yet!
 
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  • #89
Ball Valves came in today, along with my Gallon jugs of Prime and Stability. I've been putting Stability in daily, just to help boost the cycle. This large of a tank definitely requires larger volume of Prime and Stability lol. Figured ordering the Gallons would be cheaper and allow me to run to the LFS less. My overflows are running completely even now, it only required a small adjustment of the flow from the one that had more suction.

Pictures of my Anubias and ball valves.IMG_20171202_154103.jpgIMG_20171202_154059.jpgMVIMG_20171202_154039.jpgMVIMG_20171202_154013.jpg
 
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  • #90
Clown Loaches will be moving to their permanent home soon. Ammonia dropped to 1-2 ppm. Nitrites stayed around 1. Once Ammonia goes to zero. I'll dose to 2ppm and see if it converts.
 
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  • #91
Cycle seems to have stalled a bit. After converting 3 ppm of Ammonia over 48 hours, it stayed near 1-2 today. Nitrites came up to 1-2 ppm as well. I'm hoping it's just the bacteria catching up to the demand. I have a large part of my stock on hold, waiting for this to finish up. Once I'm happy with the cycle. I'll have them.

What's on hold


6 ♂♀ BoesemanI Rainbow TR (M. boesemani)
1 Black Ghost Knife TR (A. albifrons)
1 Clown Loach WILD (C. macracanthus)
1 Rainbow Shark TR (E. frenatum)
Finding the Flagtail is going to be a challenge, and I'm going to pick Angels from my local LFS.

So my stock will be finished besides the Flagtail and Severums shortly after I get the cycle completed.

Question for the green thumbs following. The plant on the left in this picture. Do you know exactly what it is? The other 2 Anubias are flourishing well, but this one is wilting pretty badly with very little growth.MVIMG_20171202_154039.jpg
 

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  • #93
Looks like anubias coffeefolia to me. If those leaves are emersed growth, they'll die back, but it should put out new immersed growth.
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Aside from the one really green stem, the rest of the stems have fallen off completely. It's just the Rhizome and single stem/leaf right now.

Ammonia dropped to .25, Nitrites are around 4 ppm. I dosed Ammonia back up to 3-4 ppm. Let's hope it doesn't take long for the Nitrifying bacteria to colonize. I'm anxious to get this tank stocked!

So, with the cycle nearing completion, I'm obviously getting brown algae. What is the best, and quickest way to get rid of it? Will the 90% water change, and cleaning be enough to make it safe?
 
So, with the cycle nearing completion, I'm obviously getting brown algae. What is the best, and quickest way to get rid of it? Will the 90% water change, and cleaning be enough to make it safe?
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I had brown algae in my 20g. I scrubbed, did a 50% water change and less light time but it came back. I got 3 otos and a BN pleco and it's mostly gone now.
 
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  • #95
I had brown algae in my 20g. I scrubbed, did a 50% water change and less light time but it came back. I got 3 otos and a BN pleco and it's mostly gone now.
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So the Clown Loaches should have a field day when they get in there!
 
Clown loaches don't really eat algae. When I had them, they loved bloodworms. I recently got some HikarI Micro Wafers for my GBRs but my kuhlI loaches love it too. My cories and BN plecos also love it so I ordered 3 more packets (1.45oz packets). They're slow sinking and doesn't foul the water.
 
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  • #97
Looks like my search for the Flagtail just got more diligent then, lol. I know they love algae.
 
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  • #99
So. I just got a power head to help circulate the tank, and I must say I'm glad I did. Once I got it running, the amount of stuff it blew up was crazy. It also helped flow into the overflows.
 

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