# 50 Breeder System



## whitetiger61

As most of you know i have been working on a 50 Breeder tank for awhile..This tank i found at the side of the road going in the trash so i picked it up. The bottom of the tank was broken so i decided to replace it, then cash ran short so i had to put it on hold. well i got the glass ordered today and is scheduled for monday pickup so here are some pics of what i have done so far.

this is what it looked like when i got it



















this is what i used to get the bottom trim off










trim off and in a safe place










working on removing old glass










i got all the old glass out..will take pics of that tonight after it quits raining

Rick


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## Sherry

You are brave. I would never take on a project like that. Way to go.. the end result will be awesome I am sure...


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## whitetiger61

Sherry said:


> You are brave. I would never take on a project like that. Way to go.. the end result will be awesome I am sure...


i would rather replace the bottom than one of the side panes..this isnt going to be to bad at all..pics coming later of the clean up

Rick


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## Rob72

sounds cool dude, i know its gonna be a great looking tank when you get done


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## susankat

Can't wait to see the finished product.


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## Summer

Awesome, cant wait to see how it comes along! With you I know it will be a beautiful tank in no time!


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## majerah1

Wow! I didnt know it was busted that bad. Looks like a rock fell in it. Anyhow, cant wait to see the new glass on there and stuff, I know you have great plans for it. Will watch ya!


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## whitetiger61

Thanks everyone
more pics to come tomorrow after i get the trim ring back on..i have to do that and silicone the inside of the tank and it will be ready for water.

stocking plans for this tank include

20 neon tetras
20 green neon tetras
20 cardinal tetras

Rick


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## whitetiger61

test pic










Rick


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## whitetiger61

ok now that i have figured out how to size these pics in photobucket(with a big help from susan..thanks susan) the pics will be alot better.

so today i finished cleaning the bottom trim and prepepped it for instlation on the tank.i put new silicone in the areas where it was originally and set it in place then i pushed it down really hard and then set heavy rocks on the trim( very carefully) for 5 hours before i pulled them off.here is the tank with the trim on it.










this will sit like this for 48 hours..then i will invert the tank and silicone the inside of the tank. That will sit for another 48 hours and then its time to water test it. as usual when i do something to the tank i will update with pics.

Rick


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## susankat

Looking good, Doing a great job on it


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## whitetiger61

im taking this nice and slow..i decided if i was going to do it i was going to do it right..

Rick


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## majerah1

Looks fantastic rick! That glass is super clean. Plus the hex in the bg looks nice too hah!


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## peterbright

looking forward to seeing the final product...the progress pics are great


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## whitetiger61

peterbright said:


> looking forward to seeing the final product...the progress pics are great


Thanks Peter

Iam ussualy pretty through when it come to tank builds.it gives my a reference point to where i started and how the tank is progressing.

Bev

I tried to quote you but it wouldnt let me so i thought you might like that hex in the background shot..thats why i took it like that..lol

Siliconing the inside tonight so look for pics this evening.

Rick


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## FishFlow

Question: As I understand it, silicon does not stick to dry silicon. I assume their will be a tad of bead on the inside when you mated the glass to the tank. Do you remove the bead that is there, then apply fresh silicon bead to the inside ? Or ?


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## whitetiger61

FishFlow said:


> Question: As I understand it, silicon does not stick to dry silicon. I assume their will be a tad of bead on the inside when you mated the glass to the tank. Do you remove the bead that is there, then apply fresh silicon bead to the inside ? Or ?


yes wes you have to trim the bead offno for updated pics

closeup shot









regular shot









48 hours from now i will be water testing the tank..stay tuned

Rick


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## Rob72

great job on it rick, looking good


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## whitetiger61

thanks buddy..i appericiate it

Rick


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## whitetiger61

Tonight is the night we she if it holds water..yayyyy..pics to come later.4 pm is the 48 hour mark so thats when im fillng it..I do have a question though..how full do i have to fill this thing..I know the sides are good..will 20 gallons of water get there there or do i need to fill it all the way to the top.

Rick


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## Crazy

I would go to the top to see if it supports the weight, but good luck I hope she holds for you!


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## whitetiger61

CrazyMFFM said:


> I would go to the top to see if it supports the weight, but good luck I hope she holds for you!


Im 100% sure in my mind it will hold, but with these things you never know , ok to the top it is. and hi Tracey..long time no see

Rick


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## Crazy

No kidding Rick, and glad to see you are keeping fish again!


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## whitetiger61

I still have only a selected few fish..most are just planted tanks, i have a couple of tanks im pretty proud of at the moment..you should check them out..they are in freshwater planted tank section called my tanks. the hex tank in there is just a holding tank for driftwood and plant clippings.

Rick


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## FishFlow

I agree, fill'er up. 20g would check if there are any leaks, but you also wanna check if it'll hold up to the pressure.


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## whitetiger61

It is full..now the waiting begins,,pic later tonight

Rick


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## whitetiger61

ok got it filled..










but got in a hurry and forgot to fix this










so i drained it back down and started the repair of the top cross brace..hopefully in a couple of days i can fill it up again..the good news is..it had water in it for 8 hours and not 1 drop of water on the floor.

Rick


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## Rob72

dang dude that sucks, did it look like you had any leaks so far


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## whitetiger61

nope not 1 drop on the floor..but that tank was bowing about 1/8 of an inch..that broken piece was open that far..i didnt want to take the chance of it blowing out so i drained it down.

Rick


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## majerah1

Sorry rick. I guess patience is a virtue?


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## whitetiger61

majerah1 said:


> Sorry rick. I guess patience is a virtue?


yeah no kidding there.guess there wont be any pics on this one for awhile...

Rick


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## Sherry

Looking good so far. Well what I can see anyways. Those pictures are real dark on my computer screen. Just letting you know. And no I am not blind....LOL


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## whitetiger61

Sherry said:


> Looking good so far. Well what I can see anyways. Those pictures are real dark on my computer screen. Just letting you know. And no I am not blind....LOL


sorry Sherry.. i have a couple flourscent bulbs out in the barn that i need to replace..then it should be brighter

Rick


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## whitetiger61

Ive been thinking about this all day, and i think for the time being..i am postponing the 50 B..just for a little while..i will be setting this tank tonight.










it is a 3 ft tank roughly 34 gallons.This will give me time to make sure all the braces are going to hold and the tank holds water for at least 2 weeks.as the 50 breeder will be coming in the house.( i do not want any floods).I also want to make a nice oak stand and canopy for it. and put the lights in the canopy.I will still be posting on the progress of the tank with pics , but i will also be putting the 34 gallon in here also for some eye candy to look at..pics of stands being built can get boring. The past 24 hours after finding that 20 gallon stand in the shape its in has really had me stressed out 

Rick


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## whitetiger61

ok woke up this morning to find the 34 gallon with water all over the floor..sure glad its on a concrete floor..so back to the original plan..got the brace fixes, painted the back of the tank and set it on the stand, and filled it back up.

brace fixed










tank full again










now the waiting game starts..48 hours then i can start to move stuff over if all goes well.

Rick


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## Rob72

sucks dude about the 34 g tank leaking all the water, hope this holds up for you dude, its looking good so far


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## coralbandit

although silicone directions may say "cures in 48 hours" most tank manufactureres cure silicone for 90 days. Good luck, I'm interested in if this works for you. Great job so far!


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## whitetiger61

coralbandit said:


> although silicone directions may say "cures in 48 hours" most tank manufactureres cure silicone for 90 days. Good luck, I'm interested in if this works for you. Great job so far!


i would really like to see some written documentation on this.tank manufactures mass produce tanks,so i highly doubt they can afford to let a tank sit around for 90 days but oh well this is my thread and its not going to turn into athread of arguements..

Rick


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## coralbandit

No arguing wishing you luck for real! Most new tanks have small white paper tag stuck inbetween frame and glass with mfg date on it.Never seen one less than 3 months old before.Also think since you're replacing bottom (not side,where silicone is the structural component) you should have no trouble.I would be nervous if it were a side piece though.Good luck looking forward to pictures as build progresses.NO ARGUMENTS just sharing info I have received in my 30+ years of "fishing".You've helped me just thought I'd share.


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## whitetiger61

coralbandit said:


> No arguing wishing you luck for real! Most new tanks have small white paper tag stuck inbetween frame and glass with mfg date on it.Never seen one less than 3 months old before.Also think since you're replacing bottom (not side,where silicone is the structural component) you should have no trouble.I would be nervous if it were a side piece though.Good luck looking forward to pictures as build progresses.NO ARGUMENTS just sharing info I have received in my 30+ years of "fishing".You've helped me just thought I'd share.


ok no problem..manufacturing date yes i can agree on..date it was made, but who knows how long it takes to ship out to lfs or wherever they go before we ever see it..,so iagree it could be 3 months before it ever sees water from us.. im sure they leak check it before it leaves point of orgin but i dont think they make a tank and let it sit in some waarehouse for 3 months..that would not be profitable..

thanks for the comments

Ric


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## whitetiger61

Putting sand in the tank today, and will let it set overnight, if im still dry, i will scape and plant this thing tomorrow.

Rick


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## whitetiger61

I got the sand in the tank. pics to come when it clears up.

Rick


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## whitetiger61

ok here are some pics of the tank..still need to add more driftwood to the right side., and do something with the rocks ( i dont like them) and of course transfer all the plants over from the 20 gallon



















tank isnt full because im draining more water out to plant so i figured why waste the water..there is no filtration right now..just a powerhead for flow right now

Rick


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## jrman83

I've got a medium size of Manzanita that would look great in that thing.


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## whitetiger61

jrman83 said:


> I've got a medium size of Manzanita that would look great in that thing.


how much..lol

Rick


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## whitetiger61

partially scaped










taken a coffee break then going to go finish it up

pics to come later


Rick


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## whitetiger61

Tank is somewhat planted..i still have to do somemore forground planting to do , but its full, has fish, and is filtered.




























more pics when i get the forground completely finished..also need some high background plants.

Rick


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## susankat

Looking fantastic


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## coralbandit

Nice! What's small plant all over substrate on left? Did you place each one! wow!


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## Sherry

Wow, it is looking so great..... I am impressed.....


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## whitetiger61

coralbandit said:


> Nice! What's small plant all over substrate on left? Did you place each one! wow!


everyone of those plantlets were planted one at a time and i still have more to plant..and that small plant is glossostigma.

Shery thank..i put alot of work in this tank....but its very worth it

Rick


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## coralbandit

wicked nice! lots of effort! Did glasto come in mat or indiv?I've tried it(2x6 inch mat) but didn't take or got eaten.Great fore ground cover(I wish for me).


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## whitetiger61

coralbandit said:


> wicked nice! lots of effort! Did glasto come in mat or indiv?I've tried it(2x6 inch mat) but didn't take or got eaten.Great fore ground cover(I wish for me).


I got mine from someone off TPT..sold to me as a 2x5 inch mat..when i got it i had around a 8x8 mat so i got a deal on it..i cut each individual plant off the matt..it grows in better and assure the roots are below the substrateplanting in a matt is pretty impossible to bet the roots und the substrate.

Rick


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## coralbandit

lots of work ; well worth it!


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## whitetiger61

coralbandit said:


> lots of work ; well worth it!


thanks..its appericiated it

Rick


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## whitetiger61

i learned how to do video's..look out world..lol



just click on the pic for video

hope you enjoy

Rick


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## jbrown5217

It looks fantastic rick, I love the addition of the neons


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## whitetiger61

jbrown5217 said:


> It looks fantastic rick, I love the addition of the neons


thanks ..neons are a prety fish if you can get healthy ones..trying to get a few more for the tank soon

Rick


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## whitetiger61

Just a quick update..tank is doing good..i got a little surprise with the glosso, when i was pulling it apart i found 3 short stems of blyxia japanica it it, so i planted those as wel,and they seem to be taking off nicely. i also found some branching driftwood that will go in the tank once it sinks. here is a pic of it being held down in the hex, which is my hold tank for plants rocks, and wood.










so when it stays down that will go in the tank. Pics of the tank will come Sunday after the water change.

Rick


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## majerah1

That hex is beautiful rick! Wish I had one. Oh wait.. I do! Mahaha! 

In all seriousness I love how they are both looking. Will wait for more updates.


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## whitetiger61

coming soon bev..lolall of my tanks are looking really good..think i have to give credit to the dry ferts..they seem to get things popping more than liquid ferts do

Rick


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## whitetiger61

today was water change day..i changed 60% of the water today and added to the scape. this tank has changed since the first pics.

FTS










right side










left side










still needs to grow in but its getting there

Rick


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## susankat

love it.


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## whitetiger61

susankat said:


> love it.


thanks..the branching wood is only partially sunk..once it completely sinks i will trim the wood to proper levels..i like some branches sticking out of the water , but ot 13 inches out of the water..lol

Rick


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## susankat

Yes I know what you mean.


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## majerah1

Looks great!


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## Rob72

looking great man that should fill in good


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## whitetiger61

thanks rob and bev..its just a waiting game now..the glosso is filling in good.it will be trim time for it next weekend.

Rick


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## Summer

Rick it's looking GREAT!!!


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## chipmunk1210

Rick,

The tank looks great!! Love the progression from blank slate to "almost" finished.


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## whitetiger61

Thanks ladies.. everyones support here encourgages me to do things i didnt think i would be able to do, and it is appericiated..

Rick


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## whitetiger61

tomorrow is water change day and trim day. I'm starting to see just a tad bit of hair algae on the driftwood, so im on that like a hawk. I am fertilizing this tank and it has injected co2 so with the algae i know this tank isnt balanced yet. just need to figure out whats out of balance. I recieved so jungle vals and a amazon sword from chipmunk ( thanks Natasha) and one other plant i cant remember the name of. Pics will be posted after water change and trim.

Things i want to do to this tank other than watching it grow is
I want to put a bigger c02 system with a solenoid regulator and get a drop checker for the tank
im going to hairnet some riccia to one of the branches and see how it grows. other than that it just needs to grow in.

Rick


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