# 40 Gallon Stretch Hex Build



## whitetiger61

06/07/2012
This is going to be my 40 gallon stretch hex build. This was my saltwater tank until it sprung a leak, so out to the barn it went empty. It spent almost a year out there and i finally decide i was going to re- seal it and make a planted tank out of it.. My plans are to build a hill in the center with black beauty sand in a big circle then add white pool filter sand around that.Hill will have driftwood, and various stones on it and the plants will be planted around that.i will take detailed pics of this process as i go along..i have the divider made to separate the black and white sand and i have substrate supports made to keep the hill from falling down so this should come out ok.

Plants im planning are
dwarf hairgrass
dwarf baby tears
various crypts
nana petite
java fern

nothing will be planted in the white sand

i want the outside edges open for fish to swim.Not sure on what fish are going in there yet..i wanted cardnial tetras, but cant find any right now
Here is a pic of the reseal










Tomorrow im filling with water to leak test it..i will take pics tomorrow of that process.

Thats it for now

Rick


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## Rob72

cant wait to see how its gonna turn out, should be cool


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## whitetiger61

fogot to mention..that is not it's finaly resting place..just have it there for the water test..its by the drain in the floor in case it leaks..pic's coming of it full later.

Rick


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## majerah1

Gee that looks oddly familiar,lol!

Rick this tank is gonna be awesome,I cant wait to see it setup!


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## whitetiger61

thanks Rob and Bev

have it half full of water..getting ready for nex batch of water..5 gallon buckets get heavy..lol

Rick


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## snail

Look forward to seeing how it turns out.


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## whitetiger61

It's got water..wooohoooo
here are a few pics with water in it










top down










and on a side note off the topic of this thread, for those of you wondering about my apisto..thought i wouldd take a couple of shots of him while i was at it.



















thats it for right now..waiting until tomorrow afternoon to start draining and if i dont have water on the floor..i will move it and start scaping and taking pics, still have to wash more sand 

Rick


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## whitetiger61

tomorrows agenda
wash black sand
wait on canister filter from ups
drain tank and move it..
start the scape
i am getting pretty excited about this

Rick


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## majerah1

Im excited too rick!Did you get the stand refinished or are you just going with it?

Ill be watching you....


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## Summer

Cant wait to see how this turns out!!


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## whitetiger61

majerah1 said:


> Im excited too rick!Did you get the stand refinished or are you just going with it?
> 
> Ill be watching you....


I'm just going with it for now..see how it turns out

and ty bev and summer..the fun and pics are about to begin..got all the sand washed..was up at 6 am doing that.

Rick


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## whitetiger61

ok its build time the tank held water so here we go
first pic tank is in place with background, with the circle divider in it










then i added the white pool filter sand and then added the black sand to make a 5 inch hill










then i planted it and stuffed newspaper in on top of it to keep the water from messing things up










after it was 3/4 full i removed the newspaper and finished planting and topped it off very slowly..this is the outcome..still nedd to plant more hairgrass and more hc



















i will take more pics after i finish planting tomorrow.

Rick


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## majerah1

Pretty


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## Rob72

looking great rick, like the mix of white and black sand


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## Summer

it's beautiful!!!


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## jbrown5217

Looking real nice


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## susankat

Looks fantastic


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## FishFlow

I know it's the pics, cuz that tank still looks alot smaller than it actually is!

I'd love a bigger pic. I love what I see, and wish to see a bigger pic.

I've never contemplated seperating the different substrate like you did. It does have a very kewl affect to the tank. Love it.


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## SuckMyCichlids

Wow that's a good looking tank


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## Kehy

Looks great! Sweet fish too


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## whitetiger61

thanks everyone.wes this is about the best i can do for you..enjoy










im planning on doing something similar to the 15 gallon today so stay tuned

Rick


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## jaguayo

Looks great! Hope you post more pics to see how it develops.


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## whitetiger61

I am moving this tank today. I am also rescaping so pic will come later today. I will take them set by step as i go. I'm changing alot on this tank si its going to be interesting to see how it comes out. 
Part of the changes
1) removing the hob filer and putting on a fluval 405 canister.
2) lots of rock work with driftwood
3) instead of a species only tank. it will be community tank (pair of apisto's and neon tetras.

Rick


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## coralbandit

Nice build! Enjoyed the whole thread. Beautiful apisto!


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## majerah1

In excited to see how this turns out!


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## whitetiger61

ok here is a partially planted tank..still have more to plant, but im done for the night.










more to come when its finished planting

Rick


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## Rob72

looking really good rick


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## susankat

Looking fantastic Rick.


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## chipmunk1210

Awesome looking Rick! Hope I can get mine to look that good. LOL


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## Summer

It looks amazing rick!!


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## whitetiger61

planting done..will post pics tomorrow

Rick


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## jbrown5217

looking great as always.


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## whitetiger61

well just when i thought i was done with this tank..im not. i dont like the looks of the rocks. so today the plan calls for

removing rocks
adding more wood
removing the branchy wood
adding c02 to the tank
adiing drop checker to the tank

hopefully i can get pics up soon.

Rick


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## Rob72

sounds cool rick, cant wait to see what it looks like this time


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## whitetiger61

pics coming tomorrow.. i did get the c02 hooked up though and drop checker put in the tank.


Rick


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## whitetiger61

ok sorry for the delay but here are updated pics

FTS










neons










female apisto










male apisto










hope you enjoy

Rick


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## Rob72

that looks awesome buddy


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## chipmunk1210

Tank looks awesome!! The neons and apisto look very happy to finally have the tank finished. LOL


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## whitetiger61

thank you everyone..the tank is getting there.going to plant some more glosso soon then leave it alone. updated pic will be coming as it grows in..

Rick


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## whitetiger61

wow 6 months since ive posted in here.. the tank is still up and running..still have the neons...the apistos are gone.. tank looks crappy right now but im trying to get it back in shape..

Rick


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## whitetiger61

im having an issue with the tank..it gets this soft brown film on the plants then they melt away..

here is a shot of the tank as it sits now..



the whole front was loaded with plants..now they are all gone

Rick


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