# 30" Cube Acrylic Tank - new home for my plecos and a whole bunch of tetras



## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Hi everyone,

So after many months of waiting for Tenecor to get their act together, they finally shipped the tank to me this week. I had it delivered to Point Roberts and drove across the border to pick it up myself. I didn't want to have to deal with the cost of shipping to Canada and the online reseller that I used was throwing in shipping in the price. In total, I paid $1000 for the tank plus $120 in taxes.

Anyways, the tank was alot lighter than I thought originally. I was easily able to move it myself and got it into the garage. Here's some obligatory unwrapping pics.










I was a bit worried as I was unwrapping the tank based on Mike's recent experience with Tenecor. First thing I noticed off the bat was that while they drilled my bulkhead holes, they did not include the bulkheads which I specifically asked for and paid for.....idiots. I also noticed that the welding of the inside of the top piece of acrylic was downright amateurish. Check it out.


















I was kinda pissed at first but the it looks like its only the top seam and while sloppy doesn't look like the actual weld is compromised at all. They just were not careful in applying the solvent. I do understand why that top seam is hard because its probably the last piece to go on and basically you gotta do it through the hole from inside the tank, probably with the tank upside down. But hey, these guys are pros right? The other seams look fine.

Here's a full tank shot. Sorry for the messy garage. Too much aquarium stuff in there.










Anyways, the next step is to get this into the house after Target builds me one of his beauties. Will post more when I have further updates.


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## m_class2g (Apr 21, 2010)

tank looks good!!! dont worry about the bulkheads lol. they will ship it. just more waiting! they forgot a lot of things on our order too! bulkheads, feed holes and even sent a tank that was suppose to have rounded corners, reg corners instead! 

i didnt have any solvent problem with my 300. i guess it depends on the tank maker because ive seen some tenecor tanks on mfk that has the same issue.

i cant wait to see your cube fully setup! whats going in it?


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## ngo911 (May 19, 2010)

What was the process like going across the border with that thing?


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks Mike. I'm going to be doing a south american Rio Tapajos'ish look river bed for my L134 and L201 plecos. Thought I'd try something different.

Yeah, I'm not too worried about the bulkheads but just a pita. I'm losing faith in this company to be honest. How hard is it to ship something???



m_class2g said:


> tank looks good!!! dont worry about the bulkheads lol. they will ship it. just more waiting! they forgot a lot of things on our order too! bulkheads, feed holes and even sent a tank that was suppose to have rounded corners, reg corners instead!
> 
> i didnt have any solvent problem with my 300. i guess it depends on the tank maker because ive seen some tenecor tanks on mfk that has the same issue.
> 
> i cant wait to see your cube fully setup! whats going in it?


It was easy. Just like bringing anything else across the border. Just declare it and pay your taxes. I went to Point Roberts as opposed to my usual stop in Blaine as that border is so busy and Point Roberts is about 20 minutes closer and no real wait at the border. The shipping places there are very busy though. I used TSB shipping this time. Guys are real nice there.



ngo911 said:


> What was the process like going across the border with that thing?


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Tony, you're a very patient hobbyist to be able to wait for months for this new toy. Look forward to seeing this tank develop and evolve.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Haha, patient??!! Then you don't know me so well Ming LOL! I had to pester, harrass, irritate people enough to get this tank going. Its Tenecor that's been the problem so far. Everyone else, totally fine. If there was another option besides Tenecor, I'd be going that way. But for custom tanks, they are by far the cheapest and supposedly with good quality, at least historically. They at least used to be a premium product. I try to be patient but its been hard. When I was younger, not being able to afford anything forced patience. Now that I've given up my car hobby and I'm a lot older now, I've got more time and money to devote to this and I'm loving it.



jobber604 said:


> Tony, you're a very patient hobbyist to be able to wait for months for this new toy. Look forward to seeing this tank develop and evolve.


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

Nice looking tank. I am still figuring out the best way to get the stand into you place with he least amount of work after its in place. Should have solution soon.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Wow! I'm loving this. Living vicariously through your new build as I can't have any more tanks in the house. Awesome, just awesome!


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

I can help you to fill about 1000 cardinals, to be exact, wild, healthy, quality, living in many holding tanks for weeks after dewormed, treated, and well feed, cardinals...


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks Daniel. I'm sure there's some way to do this with the least pain possible.



target said:


> Nice looking tank. I am still figuring out the best way to get the stand into you place with he least amount of work after its in place. Should have solution soon.


This wouldn't have gotten this far without your encouragement...I guess encouragement is the right word! 



2wheelsx2 said:


> Wow! I'm loving this. Living vicariously through your new build as I can't have any more tanks in the house. Awesome, just awesome!


Wow, that would be a vortex of cardinals. Maybe I'll save a few for my 400 when it goes discus next year. Now if you could hold and treat a bunch of wild discus for me.....hmm....... 



charles said:


> I can help you to fill about 1000 cardinals, to be exact, wild, healthy, quality, living in many holding tanks for weeks after dewormed, treated, and well feed, cardinals...


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

let me know what you want


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

tony1928 said:


> Thanks Daniel. I'm sure there's some way to do this with the least pain possible.


It may be easier just to make all the doors 4ft wide once and for all


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

you know I will!


charles said:


> let me know what you want


that sure would have made moving my 400 in here a lot easier. 


gklaw said:


> It may be easier just to make all the doors 4ft wide once and for all


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Tony - What are the dimensions and water volume for this new pleco and tetra home?


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

So you gonna try and get tony a BEP as well? :lol:



charles said:


> let me know what you want


Tony,

Very impressive, i like the cube layout and the biotope theme you have chosen.Other than the minor flaws,i am sure this is gonna be one heck of a setup and looking forward to the progress and updates.Patience my friend,i know it sucks sometimes but it pays off in the end.Was in the same boat as you when i went and setup my 100G.Keep us posted!



tony1928 said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> So after many months of waiting for Tenecor to get their act together, they finally shipped the tank to me this week. I had it delivered to Point Roberts and drove across the border to pick it up myself. I didn't want to have to deal with the cost of shipping to Canada and the online reseller that I used was throwing in shipping in the price. In total, I paid $1000 for the tank plus $120 in taxes.
> 
> ...


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

jobber604 said:


> Tony - What are the dimensions and water volume for this new pleco and tetra home?


I believe Tony's cube has identical dimensions to mine, which is 30x30x24.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

I think Gary should get a 400g so he can say his big tank is same as Tony as well.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

charles said:


> I think Gary should get a 400g so he can say his big tank is same as Tony as well.


I'll just buy Tony's....right after Brazil cancels the Belo Monte dam and those $50 10" L24's and L160's become available....


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

lol, $50 L24 and L160... keep dreaming


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks Luke for the kind comments. Nah, no BEP for me. LOL. I want to keep the pleco inhabitants roughly in the same size range. Given the limited real estate, I think that would be most suitable. I'm hoping to be able to try to lay the tank out so I can incorporate the two sides of the riverbed, with the "valley" running diagonally from one corner of the tank to the other corner. I'll post updates for sure as things progress.



Luke78 said:


> So you gonna try and get tony a BEP as well? :lol:
> 
> Tony,
> 
> Very impressive, i like the cube layout and the biotope theme you have chosen.Other than the minor flaws,i am sure this is gonna be one heck of a setup and looking forward to the progress and updates.Patience my friend,i know it sucks sometimes but it pays off in the end.Was in the same boat as you when i went and setup my 100G.Keep us posted!


Dimensions are exactly as Gary mentioned, 30x30x24. So exactly the same as his cube.



jobber604 said:


> Tony - What are the dimensions and water volume for this new pleco and tetra home?


I think he should save a nice 12 foot wall when he does his basement reno. 



charles said:


> I think Gary should get a 400g so he can say his big tank is same as Tony as well.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Ok, where's the progress on this bad boy?  We, BCA, demand some progress!


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

HAHA, I think production is stalled by me. I have the stand construction finished. Just need to do all the finishing work. It's coming Tony....


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Haha no worries. I'm going on vacation anyway, and besides the discus tank has been keeping me busy. Thx Daniel!


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

An amazing tank, though. I look forward to pics of the whole setup.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Wow...has it been over a month since an update? Hint hint...


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Haha, there would have been an requisite update if I actually had done some work on it. 

Right now, I have the tank and stand in the house. But since I know Gary won't stop asking me, here's a quick snap of the tank and stand in roughly the spot where it will live.










Tons of work ahead but I guess that's the fun part for me. I'm currently trying to figure out and take my time with the plumbing. Usually after the kids have gone to bed....which is about now. The tank doesn't look big from the pic, but its 30" x 30". I'm really looking forward to doing some interesting aquascaping with the rock. First things first though. Got to plumb it ready for the canister and the UV. Then leak test. Then drain partially and proceed with the substrate and rock work.

Thanks to Daniel (Target) for building the awesome stand. You can slightly see on the right side the cool cutout he did to "embed" my Digital Aquatics control panel into the door.

More updates to come as I get more stuff done.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks for feeding the "hunger" Tony. Looks great in that spot. Oh and one hint on the placement. Make sure both sides are away from the wall from enough you can squeeze an arm in there. I made that mistake on one side and it's too tight....


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

looks good. can't wait to see it filled up.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Thank goodness for other's new toys ;D
Fuels my thirst for MTS and hoarding. 
That's a very nice stand design Daniel, well done. 

Now waiting for the inhabitants. BTW, thanks for uploading the video for the discus tank.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Yup. Thanks for the tip. The bulkheads being in the corner will make it tight, thus I'm going to actually bring the valve and connection to the canister closer to the outside of the tank. Easy to do since I'm using flexible tubing. And yes, I'm definitely going to keep it a good 4-6" away from the wall just in case I need to get in there.



2wheelsx2 said:


> Thanks for feeding the "hunger" Tony. Looks great in that spot. Oh and one hint on the placement. Make sure both sides are away from the wall from enough you can squeeze an arm in there. I made that mistake on one side and it's too tight....


Thanks Daniel. Couldn't have done this without you.



target said:


> looks good. can't wait to see it filled up.


No problem Ming. That's the first video that I've ever uploaded. Now I know how!

I've been debating on the scape but I think I'm going to have a fairly high profile to allow for as many caves/hiding spots as possible for my collection of "small" plecos that won't chomp on my acrylic. I'll be using sand and rock to create it. The rock will be terraced somewhat so that I can create overhangs and caves. I'll have a better idea once I start doing it.



jobber604 said:


> Thank goodness for other's new toys ;D
> Fuels my thirst for MTS and hoarding.
> That's a very nice stand design Daniel, well done.
> 
> Now waiting for the inhabitants. BTW, thanks for uploading the video for the discus tank.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

tony1928 said:


> Yup. Thanks for the tip. The bulkheads being in the corner will make it tight, thus I'm going to actually bring the valve and connection to the canister closer to the outside of the tank. Easy to do since I'm using flexible tubing. And yes, I'm definitely going to keep it a good 4-6" away from the wall just in case I need to get in there.


I left enough room on the bulkhead side. It's the other side against the wall I regret. I thought I would make it tight, but then I wanted to set up powerheads on that side and change things and couldn't get my arm back there....


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## jay_leask (Apr 22, 2010)

sweet looking tank


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

I thought your long skinny arms would be able to get in there but I guess there's limits to everything! LOL. I'm also trying to make sure i get the spacing right before water and rocks go in.



2wheelsx2 said:


> I left enough room on the bulkhead side. It's the other side against the wall I regret. I thought I would make it tight, but then I wanted to set up powerheads on that side and change things and couldn't get my arm back there....


Thanks! Looking forward to providing more updates after this weekend. I gotta buy a few more plumbing parts and then its off to Northwest to pick up some rocks.



jay_leask said:


> sweet looking tank


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

tony1928 said:


> I thought your long skinny arms would be able to get in there but I guess there's limits to everything! LOL. I'm also trying to make sure i get the spacing right before water and rocks go in.


That's LONG skinny arms, buddy! Nope, not into a 3" gap.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Alright everyone, due to someone's insistence/persistence, I've relented and took some quick pics in order to provide a good update to my journal.

So thanks to Daniel the tank stand was finally built and ready to go. It was a beautiful job and I have no idea how a guy with a full time job and a family can fit this all into his day. Kudos to Daniel.

The tank stand is 36" high as I really wanted to be able to view the tank without having to stoop down. This is eye level when I'm sitting down in my chair. Most factory made stands are just too low in my opinion. I like them either way low to the ground, or nice and high like this one.

Once I set the tank on the stand (thank goodness the tank is acrylic), I assembled the rest of my hardware. I had four bulkheads (3/4") drilled into the tank. 2 at the top used for returns and 2 down lower for intakes. I already had a Eheim 2075 which was going to the the centerpiece of the filtration. I also wanted to run UV. Since I've had UV, the outbreaks of disease has been greatly reduced. I went with a 25w TMC Vecton unit. Cheap at under $150 and was great build quality and easy to use. Running an Eheim Compact 2000 pump to use with the UV. I also needed to supplement the flow in the tank as the canister and the Eheim 2000 just doesn't provide much in terms of overall flow. In a moment of weakness (as I said to my wife, "it was on sale!") I purchased a Ecotech Vortech MP10es. It was a cool toy...always wanted one. I think I will need another (cheaper) powerhead to provide a little more flow down low. The Vortech is positioned up high and can only point perpendicular to the mounting surface. Thus you cannot direct the flow at an angle unlike the Koralia's. Anyway, the great thing about the Vortech is the flow is extremely diffuse. I can crank it up to 1500gph and it won't create a high pressure zone. For my "small" 30" tank, I didn't want to end up creating a hot tub effect. Everything was hooked up to a Digital Aquatics controller. I opted for the pH probe as well. So it controls almost everything that I want it to; pumps, heater (most important), reads my pH, and is a great lighting timer too.

For lights, I ended up going with some Truelumen Pro LED strips. Bought 2 of the 24" strips. One bluer and one whiter in temperature. Mounted them on a similar aluminum frame that I built for my 400g's Aquaray LED tiles. Very easy stuff to use. It's made by a company called 8020 inc. and is called Quick Frame. If you ever want to build some of your own stuff, this stuff is dead simple to use. A friend of mine who builds stuff on movie sets recommended it to me. He has to build a lot of stuff on the fly and he can usually rig something up really fast with Quick Frame. Anyway, the lights work great and the frame probably only cost me about $40 in materials and a couple hours of my time.

The next step was to find materials for the hardscape. Once again, this tank is going to be rock/sand/wood only. The intent was to have a tank with the focus on a couple of groups of plecos. A few different species in there so that they won't hybridize. I wanted something that looked like volcanic rock...lava rock but I really wanted black. I couldn't source it out locally for the life of me. Stopped by Northwest Landscape Supply one day and they had this Mexican Bowl Rock. It was unfortunately on the reddish side, but I figured it would look OK. I really wanted black so that it would be a nice contrast to the plecos. I ended up buying about $50 worth and went home and played around a bit with positioning. So hard as I don't really have an eye for this stuff. I wanted to make sure I had plenty of places for the plecos to hide. On that note, I ended up doing what I said I didn't want to do this time which was to use pleco caves. At the end of the day, I felt it was more important that the plecos felt comfortable, so I used the caves. I may still change the scape later as I'm so wishy washy on it right now. Could be that I end up taking out all this rock and going back with a river look....wood and river rocks. This will do for now.

For livestock, right now, the tank has a group of L134 and several L200a's. It also has around 50 Flame tetras courtesy of Pat. Love how these guys have taken on the flame red colour now. Growing nicely too. Looking to add a few more plecos too.

Anyways, enough of me yapping. Here's a few pics. Didn't have time to pull out the nice camera, so my wife's point and shoot will have to do.









I used Loc-Line circle flow fittings for the return from the canister filter. I can bend this any which way I want and the holes can be positioned into any direction as well. It is very tight though, so directing it is very difficult, especially with it in the tank.









DA controller head unit nicely recessed into the cabinet door.









Gratuitous equipment shot.









The Truelumens. I think I'm going to enclose the aluminum frame to block out some of the light. It is fully open right now and I can see the glare out of the corner of my eye from where I watch TV.


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## wowpickle (May 6, 2012)

lookin good!


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks Tony, glad you like it. Looking really good.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks guys. As usual, as soon as you finish, you're already looking to fiddle around with things again. For now, I'm still puzzling over the scape.



wowpickle said:


> lookin good!





target said:


> Thanks Tony, glad you like it. Looking really good.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Satisfaction at last!  I went to look last night and BCA was down. 

Looking really good. I think if you went with some think Mazanita in the the center, you'll find that the plecos will come out and climb up the manzy a bit and also it'll block the opening of the caves a bit so they won't be so obvious. A little off centre and close to your back door I think. But it looks great and now I regret not getting the Truelumens.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

I do have some manzanita in the garage that I can redeploy in this tank. Good idea, I'll try it out. Would be less work than to reconstruct the whole scape. Also, a piece of manz in the middle is easy to remove for maintenance. Might need to screw it down to slate though.

The Truelumens are alot brighter than what I thought they would be considering their price. It would be perfect for those that want retrofit them inside a canopy. Couple of screws and you are done. 


2wheelsx2 said:


> Satisfaction at last!  I went to look last night and BCA was down.
> 
> Looking really good. I think if you went with some think Mazanita in the the center, you'll find that the plecos will come out and climb up the manzy a bit and also it'll block the opening of the caves a bit so they won't be so obvious. A little off centre and close to your back door I think. But it looks great and now I regret not getting the Truelumens.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

tony1928 said:


> The Truelumens are alot brighter than what I thought they would be considering their price. It would be perfect for those that want retrofit them inside a canopy. Couple of screws and you are done.


I plan to do that, but with the Ecoxotic Panorama Pro strips.  No canopy, but a half suspended box I think.


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## trout (Mar 21, 2012)

awesome setup!


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Yes, I know how you hate having light fixtures sit on the top of the tank. Just do a couple of cables to suspend from the ceiling then. I like that pendant look too.



2wheelsx2 said:


> I plan to do that, but with the Ecoxotic Panorama Pro strips.  No canopy, but a half suspended box I think.


Thanks for the kind comments!


trout said:


> awesome setup!


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

tony1928 said:


> Yes, I know how you hate having light fixtures sit on the top of the tank. Just do a couple of cables to suspend from the ceiling then. I like that pendant look too.


The other option is to do a high canopy like on my cube, then I can reach in without every touching the lights. I can live with that. You sure you don't want to do that with yours? Like a 18" high one. It'll dim the lights some too.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Nah, my tank is high enough as it is and I'm not tall like you are! I already need a ladder to be able to reach the bottom of my tank. The top of my light fixture is already close to 6 feet in height.



2wheelsx2 said:


> The other option is to do a high canopy like on my cube, then I can reach in without every touching the lights. I can live with that. You sure you don't want to do that with yours? Like a 18" high one. It'll dim the lights some too.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Way to go Tony. Nice summer project to keep busy with. This tank placed in the adjacent corner by the 400gallon?


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks Ming! Yup, that is correct. Right near the 400.



jobber604 said:


> Way to go Tony. Nice summer project to keep busy with. This tank placed in the adjacent corner by the 400gallon?


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Another page with no pics?

(Rough crowds on BCA huh?)


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

I know Tony's been busy enjoying his new haul ;D
I'll be patient as the older guys.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

jobber604 said:


> I know Tony's been busy enjoying his new haul ;D
> I'll be patient as the older guys.


Us BCA'ers are just very demanding people.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Going to rescape this tank shortly. Also my lights just died so the tank is dark now. Will get an update once everything has been fixed. Added a bunch of L264 to this tank courtesy of Charles. An awesome looking pleco with bright white tips on their finnage.


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Great looking setup Tony, very impressed by the in's and outs! With your new pleco additions, i thank you for starting up my need to dive back into plecos/catfish really miss them a lot! Are the L264's settling in nicely? As previous comments were made, pics please when you get some free time thx!


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

I just realize i did not have any photo for the L264 and they are missing on my website. I need to take a few photos of them. So when they are out more, let me know.

Luke, they are even nicer in person. Those white tips are pretty attractive against the light grey body with big black dots.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Nah, you don't want them Luke. They're ugly like this 









They're not that blue. It's the Beamswork light that highlights the blue, but more of a smokey grey blue. Very nice fish. They were very skinny when I got them, but now, with NLS, Dainichi, critter crumbs and zucchini, all nice and round belly. Charles did not have a chance to fatten them up before Tony and I snatched most of them.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Was busy last night working on the new scape. Hope to reveal by end of week! The L264 are awesome. You should definitely try them next time around. When I pulled out some of the rock last night, they went scurrying everywhere. They all appear to be doing well.


Luke78 said:


> Great looking setup Tony, very impressed by the in's and outs! With your new pleco additions, i thank you for starting up my need to dive back into plecos/catfish really miss them a lot! Are the L264's settling in nicely? As previous comments were made, pics please when you get some free time thx!


sure thing Charles. Love those plecos. 


charles said:


> I just realize i did not have any photo for the L264 and they are missing on my website. I need to take a few photos of them. So when they are out more, let me know.
> 
> Luke, they are even nicer in person. Those white tips are pretty attractive against the light grey body with big black dots.


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Charles,

They look great should of stopped by to have a look, something different for sure and not seen often! Some lucky buyers got a deal for sure



charles said:


> I just realize i did not have any photo for the L264 and they are missing on my website. I need to take a few photos of them. So when they are out more, let me know.
> 
> Luke, they are even nicer in person. Those white tips are pretty attractive against the light grey body with big black dots.


Gary,

Hahaha made me laugh with this comment! Congrats on picking these guys up they sure stand out from everyone else!



2wheelsx2 said:


> Nah, you don't want them Luke. They're ugly like this
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Tony,

Good to hear everyone is settling in nicely, yeah plecos are in the mix for me coming up soon! Keep you posted as to whats gonna happen!



tony1928 said:


> Was busy last night working on the new scape. Hope to reveal by end of week! The L264 are awesome. You should definitely try them next time around. When I pulled out some of the rock last night, they went scurrying everywhere. They all appear to be doing well.
> 
> sure thing Charles. Love those plecos.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Finally got my busted power supply for my LED's back from Current USA and with the lights finally working again, I can post a couple of Canada Day pics of the cube. I've rescaped it since the last pics with slate and with a few pieces of manzanita. The slate is stacked by hand but I have some strategic pieces that are siliconed together to aid in keeping it all up properly. I've resorted to using ceramic caves within the slate though I didn't want to at first. However, the plecos seem much more comfortable with the caves so they will stay for now. Also added a few new Heckels to finish off the tank for now. Hope you guys like it.









Full tank shot









The new inhabitants. Thanks Rick!


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Wow, those little guys look amazing in the tank. And the new rockwork is really nice. Is that the Crystal River sand? I need to get some of that stuff.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks man. The caves aren't really visible til you are up at the glass so that's a good thing. The sand here is Torpedo Beach. Crystal River is a lot whiter. This is more tan/off white.



2wheelsx2 said:


> Wow, those little guys look amazing in the tank. And the new rockwork is really nice. Is that the Crystal River sand? I need to get some of that stuff.


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

Thats a killer looking pleco, skinny or not that thing is awesome


2wheelsx2 said:


> Nah, you don't want them Luke. They're ugly like this
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

Thats a looker that tank is sweet , nice job on the scape


tony1928 said:


> Finally got my busted power supply for my LED's back from Current USA and with the lights finally working again, I can post a couple of Canada Day pics of the cube. I've rescaped it since the last pics with slate and with a few pieces of manzanita. The slate is stacked by hand but I have some strategic pieces that are siliconed together to aid in keeping it all up properly. I've resorted to using ceramic caves within the slate though I didn't want to at first. However, the plecos seem much more comfortable with the caves so they will stay for now. Also added a few new Heckels to finish off the tank for now. Hope you guys like it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks! I'm not much of an artist being an accountant and all so it was hurting my brain for a long time. I just tried to keep it simple but I'm glad people like it.



macframalama said:


> Thats a looker that tank is sweet , nice job on the scape


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

interesting accounting gives me a headache lol, all bs aside that looks awesome , where did you get your cube? diy?

im thinking of a 4 x 4 x 4 cube diy for myself but have yet to hide the funds from the wifey to pull it off haha maybe your accounting skills could come in handy j/k


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

It was one of the last tanks Tenecor finished befoire they went under. I believe their old crew are now flying under the Titan name.

Wow a 4 foot true cube would be sick. I've never ever seen one. I've seen 4' x 4' but never 4' tall as well. That would be just crazy! That would be one tall tank!



macframalama said:


> interesting accounting gives me a headache lol, all bs aside that looks awesome , where did you get your cube? diy?
> 
> im thinking of a 4 x 4 x 4 cube diy for myself but have yet to hide the funds from the wifey to pull it off haha maybe your accounting skills could come in handy j/k


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

I have a 4 x 3 x 30 inch wide now but i want a true 4 x 4 x 4 it super huge but also still fits almost anywhere, and i like the high tanks for decorating because you can run some monster driftwood , and have things well like what you have going on with your woods etc, and i think basically the bigger body of water the easier it is to maintain.

Im trying to source out some huge chunks of acrylic but it isnt cheap and im on a shoestring budget over here, my "stupid" hobby lol already takes up so much time and space lol..

so as of now it is a pipe dream, but I have some really neat ideas to build into the tank if i ever get past the "dreamer" stage ... but one day ...and also i have to try and figure out "a" how thick and "b" how to do bracing ect, and also how i wanna plumb it out .. before i go in on this thing i want to have it so that its all perfect rather than constantly changing how im gonna do this or that .. im so tired of not having a drilled tank and relying on my giant overflow box its amazing but it would be so much cleaner if it was all built in rather than my tank looking like a science project..


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

and a four foot bottom would allow me to run some big ole cats too, so how can that be wrong when it seems like such a good idea lol...


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

My friend Chin and I drove out to Calgary with a rented cargo van to pick up a 4' x 4' x 30" tall cube Starphire tank. It was awesome as a reef tank. 4' deep would make aquascaping a real PITArm pits.

Beautiful job on the cube tank btw. Love cubes. I have a 2' cube "Nemo/anemone" reef tank, and now (mostly thanks to Morainy) cubish Ehiem Aquastyle, Fluval Ebi & Fluval Flora set up for fw shrimp & tropicals. Did I mention I LOVE cube tanks:bigsmile:


Anthony


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks for all the comments everyone. I think a 3'x3' would be about perfect. However, these cube tanks do take up alot of room that most people don't have. Love em as everyone says. Just a very cool footprint. My 400g is made with 3/4" acrylic so I would have to think a 4 foot cube would require that if not more. Raw acrylic is so pricey unless you can source it out from somewhere. As you guys have all said, with the 3 and 4 foot deep tanks, you have so much floor space to do aquascaping to your hearts content. 4 foot deep though, you'd need to snorkel to work on that! For gravel vac, not big deal as you can get long tubes, but for anything else, I'm not sure how else you'd do it! LOL. Fun stuff guys!


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## jay_leask (Apr 22, 2010)

very nice. my friend has some extra acrylic enough to build a goof sized cube, i night have to take it.


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

I had not really thought of the arm pit decorating pain in the butt til you mentioned it but your right , i have to get soaked in my 3 foot tall one so this would be a climb in snorkel type of a job lol..

have to buy some old man grabber claws, and make a pimped out gravel vac, and get my scape right on the first shot ... otherwise .... dive dive dive hahah 
ahh this thread is depressing me I need some cash to get this one under way .. anyone know what the going rate on a human kidney is lol


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks! Make sure the acrylic is nice and thick. I find that there's some bowing on my cube as the acrylic they used is too thin in my opinion. It's only a 3/8".



jay_leask said:


> very nice. my friend has some extra acrylic enough to build a goof sized cube, i night have to take it.


Haha, that's why we have a spare (kidney) eh? I saw this discus build on youtube. That's tall!








macframalama said:


> I had not really thought of the arm pit decorating pain in the butt til you mentioned it but your right , i have to get soaked in my 3 foot tall one so this would be a climb in snorkel type of a job lol..
> 
> have to buy some old man grabber claws, and make a pimped out gravel vac, and get my scape right on the first shot ... otherwise .... dive dive dive hahah
> ahh this thread is depressing me I need some cash to get this one under way .. anyone know what the going rate on a human kidney is lol


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

yeah i was trying to source out some 5/8's my kids are crazy and a hotwheels flying through the air isnt that unlikely, that is a SWEEEEEEEEEEET TANK thats basically the idea i was going for except this dude looks like he has the $$$$ to go hard lol , mine im afraid will be less indulgent but hey id be happy with an acrylic box to start so there it is

I also meant to say sorry i kind of stole your tank journal and ran with it ... my bad..
back to you your tank is awesome and do you have pics of your big one on here?


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Hey no worries. These journals are just me trying to share the hobby with other hobbyists. Part of this is getting everyone excited about the hobby and encouraging them to do their own thing.

But yeah, that ADG build is definitely somebody that has money. Basically call them up and presto, an instant customized aquarium! Cmon Lottomax!



macframalama said:


> yeah i was trying to source out some 5/8's my kids are crazy and a hotwheels flying through the air isnt that unlikely, that is a SWEEEEEEEEEEET TANK thats basically the idea i was going for except this dude looks like he has the $$$$ to go hard lol , mine im afraid will be less indulgent but hey id be happy with an acrylic box to start so there it is
> 
> I also meant to say sorry i kind of stole your tank journal and ran with it ... my bad..
> back to you your tank is awesome and do you have pics of your big one on here?


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Just a couple of update pics of the plecos having dinner. Feeding Frenzy!










And the L177's...one of my faves.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Wow, your L177 are looking great, and so are all the other little guys.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks Gary. They are all fattening up nicely now that they've had a chance to acclimate. The L134's sometimes pig out so much they sorta just laze around in a food coma. The L177's are such lookers....I hope they stay that way more or less as they get bigger.



2wheelsx2 said:


> Wow, your L177 are looking great, and so are all the other little guys.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

tony1928 said:


> Just a couple of update pics of the plecos having dinner. Feeding Frenzy!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nice pictures. Do your plecos all come out during feeding time?


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

those are some nice pix! Nice variety of fish too. Wish my L264 would get out far enough to get a pic of him lol


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

I have to say that the colours on these plecos are amazing. I'm sure there was no photoshopping used neither


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

The 48 hours before.....the excitement is building.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

That sounds like a Canucks commercial.


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

The L177 is awesome looking.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

jobber said:


> The 48 hours before.....the excitement is building.


You're not kidding.....I'm totally psyched.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> That sounds like a Canucks commercial.


Funny you should say that, I was at the game last night. Maybe its the lockout maybe its early season, but the buzz isn't the same as last year.



target said:


> The L177 is awesome looking.


Yeah, love them, now they are both around 4". Very active.

Will update this thread once their new friends arrive tomorrow.


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

I'll take the L177 if you need to make space. 

You're welcome. Always willing to help.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

crazy72 said:


> I'll take the L177 if you need to make space.
> 
> You're welcome. Always willing to help.


Thats awful generous of you Franck. 

I think they will get relocated to the 400 down the road. I want them to get a little bigger but more than anything, I'm too lazy to try to catch them.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

well, I still have 2 l177 left if you want to get them here


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

charles said:


> well, I still have 2 l177 left if you want to get them here


Ha ha, Charles is always watching, eh?


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

crazy72 said:


> Ha ha, Charles is always watching, eh?


Yeah, like the Pleco Big Brother.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Yeah, like the Pleco Big Brother.


His plecosense is tingling....


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

you guys crack me up  Tony, want some cory?


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

charles said:


> you guys crack me up  Tony, want some cory?


I do want some brochis. I'll call you and come out over the next few days.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

actually, want me to deliver? I want to see your setup.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

tony1928 said:


> I do want some brochis. I'll call you and come out over the next few days.


Nice.....warthogs!


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

charles said:


> actually, want me to deliver? I want to see your setup.


I'll just drop by. I'm in and out this week so I have no idea where I'll be. You can deliver next time I buy something bigger than Cory's.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Dang, that's the real Jedi Master there....refusing delivery!


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Dang, that's the real Jedi Master there....refusing delivery!


I don't want to waste Charles' time for small fry. &#128515;


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

But I want to see the tanks.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

charles said:


> But I want to see the tanks.


Yeah I'll have to get you over here soon. Just going through year end at work.


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## mdwflyer (Jan 11, 2011)

or better yet, bring the rest of us over with a bunch of pictures!


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I vote for video this weekend. Everyone who agrees hands up!


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

I can always bring my camera.


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## mdwflyer (Jan 11, 2011)

Sure there must be pics now?


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

So finally I've had a chance to do a video of my tanks. I've got both my 400 and my cube in the same video, the cube around the 2:26 mark. I think videos probably give the best perspective of how the tanks look now. The acrylic makes it really hard for me to take a lot of sharp pictures in the 400. Likely to do with the thickness of the acrylic.






Here's a still pic of the new Vermehlo Red discus too.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

What's that one at 30 seconds? With the blue face and halo around a red body? Virgin Red? It's beautiful.

That cube looks so empty compared to mine because you don't have a billion plecos in it, only a dozen or what have you.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

You need some giant cory in it


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> What's that one at 30 seconds? With the blue face and halo around a red body? Virgin Red? It's beautiful.
> 
> That cube looks so empty compared to mine because you don't have a billion plecos in it, only a dozen or what have you.


Haha actually there's like 20 plecos in the cube. L134, L264, L14, L177, and L600.

The big red discus that's tending to the eggs? That's a red cover. Probably about 7".


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

charles said:


> You need some giant cory in it


Yes I hear there's some with my name on them. Lol. Soon.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

tony1928 said:


> The big red discus that's tending to the eggs? That's a red cover. Probably about 7".


That thing is a beauty. Hahaha....ever since the new fish went it, all's good in the cube as there's been no more spawning so I didn't even recognize the eggs and thought it was pecking at the wood.


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