# Much faster 55 gallon show build



## Paladine9169 (May 6, 2011)

SOOO, I have gotten a new tank! Whilst searching for a filter for my 37 gallon, I found this awesome deal on a complete 55 gallon seamless acrylic show tank with everything! So I had to get it.. 

Subaru4wd and I picked it up and brought it upstairs, where I emptied it of the substrate(which we will speak of shortly). Here it is empty










and again from another angle


----------



## Paladine9169 (May 6, 2011)

Well, as for the Substrate.. I was REALLY happy with the river rock substrate that this tank came with. It is tiny pebbles, larger than sand, but smaller than normal rocks, all round and smooth and lovely, with character. ALL except somone mixed in a bag of cheap aquarium blue rock.. making it look like someone spilled Boo-berry breakfast cereal into it..

the 2 grey buckets are before i picked the blue rocks out.. the white one is finished "De-Blued" substrate










So I spent about 12 painstakingly boring hours pulling the blue rocks out...



















Afterwards I decided it might have taken less time to invent a blue rock magnet, but I got it sorted, and this is the final result










here is a few pics of samples of what the substrate looks like up close


----------



## Paladine9169 (May 6, 2011)

The tank also included several other things, which I have used to better the tank..

These awesome rocks and castle (the castle has not ended up in the tank, and will probably go to http://www.aquariumforum.com/f45/my-super-slow-37-gallon-build-15112.html










as well as this box full of accessories


----------



## Paladine9169 (May 6, 2011)

After I finished with the sorting of the rocks, I was looking at the HOB filter and decided that I didnt like the flow (or lack there of) and decided I wanted the filter pulling water from the far side of the tank.. So using some of the tubing and other random parts, I fashioned an undergravel extension from the intake to the far corner of the tank










The finished tube looks like this (sorry for the lack of a quality pic.. the lighting on the tank isnt great yet, and the flash on the camera causes too much glare from microscratches on the tank...










I also fashioned this totally high-tech securing device to keep the intake up in the corner!


----------



## Paladine9169 (May 6, 2011)

Finally, after several days of my poor new fish living in a large Ice chest, I was able to put the substrate back into the tank, and start filling it.



















And when it was finally filled, bucket by bucket (cause im too poor for a hose attachment for my kitchen sink ) I put in the lava rock and fish, then played with the rocks for a day or so... this is what it finally looks like as of a few hours ago



















The fish are still a little shaken up about the move and the living in a chest for 2 days.. But I think they are adjusting well. The Bala sharks are gorgeous!

The next step will be plants and probably some more redesign of the rock formation, if not completely removing those and replacing them.. I definatly want some slate or shale pieces for stacking up some nifty structures, building them pretty high on the left hand side of the tank (when facing it). I think I want to do some real and some fake plants. 

Hope you all like the work so far. I'm totally loving this hobby!


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Looks good. I would get the light before the plants. That one wont do very well.


----------



## Subaru4wd (May 6, 2011)

I am sure Paladine is speaking of fake plants, JR....

That tanks going to look MUCH better in that spot vs. the 37. I gotta come over and get a look in person! Let me know if you want some of this plastic plant we picked up at the thrift store, i have way more than I will need for my 88.


----------



## Subaru4wd (May 6, 2011)

Paladine9169 said:


> Hope you all like the work so far. I'm totally loving this hobby!


"What?? a Hobby???"
*r2


----------



## Paladine9169 (May 6, 2011)

jrman83 said:


> Looks good. I would get the light before the plants. That one wont do very well.


Yes, I plan on getting some new lights before I include any real plants. There is a grow-light fixture I have been looking at that is really inexpensive, which I will be mounting into the black cover from the old light the tank came with. Should keep the nice clean look too! But I do plan on putting in fake plants first.


----------



## mec102778 (Feb 17, 2011)

Hobby, I wish it was only a hoby I can't help but keep looking to expand my ability to grow my hobby. I'd like it to grow into owning a LFS of my own.


----------



## Paladine9169 (May 6, 2011)

Capitol Aquarium, the most prolific LFS in Sacramento, CA, is for sale right now... its only 1 million dollars...

I got 5 on it..


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Paladine9169 said:


> Yes, I plan on getting some new lights before I include any real plants. There is a grow-light fixture I have been looking at that is really inexpensive, which I will be mounting into the black cover from the old light the tank came with. Should keep the nice clean look too! But I do plan on putting in fake plants first.


I hope you don't mean the one currently on the tank. Doesn't matter which light is in that shell, it will still not be enough for that tank.


----------



## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Wow,thats a great tank!No one around me has deals like that,you did great!I bet that would look great planted.


----------



## Paladine9169 (May 6, 2011)

jrman83 said:


> I hope you don't mean the one currently on the tank. Doesn't matter which light is in that shell, it will still not be enough for that tank.


If I meant the one currently on the tank, it wouldnt be a NEW one.. that I would have to GET..


----------



## Paladine9169 (May 6, 2011)

Here is a pic of the blue rocks I pulled out of the substrate for 12 hours


----------



## pjones (Jun 5, 2011)

Start of an awsome looking tank!


----------



## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

looks great! that substrate looks nice! definitely worth picking out all that blue mess


----------



## Paladine9169 (May 6, 2011)

Yeah, I am MORE than pleased about removing all that blue rock!!

So, I got a few new pieces of rock and some DIY plants made up.. I didnt get any good pics of the process of plant making, sorry.. the cam battery died, and I didnt want to stop the progress to wait for it to charge.. Here are a few of the current status though, with the new cave..

Id like to thank Subaru4wd again, for the plants he kicked down, that I talked him into buying in the first place  (I capped all the metal spots with hot glue, worked awesome)




























I am still going to do some live plants, so this is anything but the finished product.. I hate this lighthing


----------



## Rob72 (Apr 2, 2011)

tank looks great i like what you have done with it


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I put a light up for sale in the for sale forum that would look great on that tank.


----------



## Paladine9169 (May 6, 2011)

190 dollars for a light is not in the budget haha


----------



## Paladine9169 (May 6, 2011)

Hey! just thought id post a few pics of the tank in its current state.. just recently put plants in it, other than the ones that grew from bulbs several months ago.. pics are crap, but they show the tank ok 




Here is one of the fry when I first noticed them.. Still have 2 (didnt catch them in time before most got eaten, by the tetras..


----------

