# 90 gal. with Dead Mans Walking Stick.



## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

This is my new stand and tank. 
Custom stand, made with 3/4" ply.
90 gal tank
FX5
Pressurized CO2
Wavepoint 4 X 54 watt T5HO 6500k


















New 90 gal from Munster, finally setting it up.




































Anubias Nana
More plants to come.
I'm looking forward to this build. Hopefully it works out somewhat as planned.


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## beefORchicken (Apr 23, 2010)

loving the dead man's walking stick


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## MadgicBug (Apr 22, 2010)

Cool setup.
Nice cabinet and a really nice peice of wood.


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## Bien Lim (Apr 21, 2010)

that is some crazy looking drift wood, niceeee


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## pisces (Apr 22, 2010)

1 word! awasome.......
i really like it


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

great looking tank . But I would be careful with the hazel branches. They are a soft wood and might break down quickly..


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## ngo911 (May 19, 2010)

Very nice start! Looks like the beginnings of a high-quality show tank.


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

Hi Dave 
Yes, I was concerned with this as well. So I dried the wood for 12 months, then glass bead blasted most of the bark from the branches. I'm going to be monitoring the wood for signs of decay, and removing the affected parts as need be. Hopefully it will last a long time.
Thanks


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## tang daddy (Apr 21, 2010)

Another nice set up, what other plants do you plan on putting in?


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## davej (Apr 28, 2010)

Looks fantastic!


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

Looks great. Very nice work on the stand as well.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Nice wood, as others have said. What's going in this tank?


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## user_error (Aug 15, 2010)

Wow great setup Brad. I was wondering what your plan was for that tank...


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## Sandy Landau (Jun 4, 2010)

This tank is spectacular! And the hutch too. Where can you get something custom made like that? It is going to be a dream tank.


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

i love the color of your stand, looks fantastic.


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks for the coments.
The stand was made by the cabinet maker that built our kitchen cabinets. It matches them. Although it wasn't cheap, he did a fantastic job.

Flame moss on the branches.
A Tiger lotus in the hole where the wood emerges from the rocks.
A protected substrate area (with Florite) behind the rocks on the far left will have a aponogeton bulb or two. (on order at Rogers)
The fish will be..
A school of Panda Corys
4 Clown loaches, hence the protected substrate and plants fish dont like to munch on or are fast growing and hardy.
A school of Densonni barbs
maybe one flagtail,,,maybe
Thats the plan for now,,,but plans change...so we'll see how it evolves.
Thanks


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## Rayne (Jul 12, 2010)

Thats a beautiful tank. cant wait to watch the progress.


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## Johnnyfishtanks (Apr 21, 2010)

nice looking tank


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## tang daddy (Apr 21, 2010)

denisonni barbus are cool schooling fish, I remember having a school of 14 in my old 75g planted...

cant wait to see this tank stocked!!


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

Flame moss added to the thinner branches. 
6 Denisonni Barbs in their new home, they are very active and eating frozen brine shrimp and flake food.
Still waiting for the aponogeton bulbs to arrive.





































Thanks


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## katienaha (May 9, 2010)

wooooooow. Never seen wood like that before. i thought my wood was twisty..


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

Beautiful setup. +1 on the wood, and I love the way you've kept the scape minimalist around it. Great job.


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Nicely done , the driftwood-plants-substrate all seem to work and compliment once another.Should be interesting to see how things go when the plant growth settles in more, and the rest of the plants go in.Good luck with your project and keep us updated.


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## danielna1141 (Aug 21, 2010)

what a sexy tank


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

Added Java fern to the base, along with some Christmas moss.
The water is a little turbid from me messing around in the tank.
10 blue neons and 2 Clown Loaches, they love blood worms and just nibble on NLS 2 mill pellets.
Thanks


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## gimlid (Apr 23, 2010)

Great set up. Love the stand also. What type of substrate is that?


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

It's beautiful. Can't wait to see it with fish!

Edited to add: I just noticed that this thread is 3 pages long. I've scrolled down and there are the fish! Looking great!


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

*Quick update*

Just a few pic's of the tank.
Plants added
Aponogeton madagascariensis {lace leaf)
Aponogeton Crispus
and 3 new clowns























































Thanks


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

Here's a few pics of the basement.














































Shhh puppy is sleeping!









Thanks


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

What's the monstrous chamber on the left with braided hose? Or did I miss a description somewhere previously?


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## logan22 (Sep 6, 2010)

wow brad absolute beauty of a tank..looking forward to seeing that..what kinda light are you using? i need to get a 48 inch light for my 90 gallon aswell..


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

The canister is a CO2 reactor (EXT 5000), it has a pump inside it to agitate the water and fully dissolve the gas, so no micro bubbles enter the tank. The reactor is fed by a Fluval 305, 10 lb tank, JBJ valve, and Milwaukee 122 CO2 controller. The CO2 controller probe is inline with the inflow to the reactor (visable on the far side of the canister, it is a yellow probe.)
Thanks


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Nice unit. I see it's an aquariumplants.com exclusive.


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

Yes it is, and so far I'm happy with it's performance.


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

I made a glare shield so the light does not shine in your eyes when veiwing from the couch.
Solenoid died, looking for a new one,,,J&L here I come!

Without shield









With shield


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

The glare shield definitely makes it nicer. I'm glad I will be putting a canopy on my cube as the glare is very annoying when seated and viewing the tank.


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

wow. high end hardware... how is your ph...i just wondering if that sand increases the ph..


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

Hi Gouedi
Yes the substrate does buffer the PH, so I've decided to remove it and replace it with a more natural colour and inert gravel. My PH controller, plants and livestock will be happier for it.
Thanks


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

I have had many requests for wood, but it is very hard to get in any quantity. I only have one small piece left.

I'm a big meany guard dog,,,go ahead , try and take my stick,,GRRR!


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## Rastapus (Apr 21, 2010)

Beautiful cabinet, clean attractive set up, great looking dog! Really impressed by the look and the finishing, nice to see the attention to detail that is missed so often.
I was wondering about the coral, looks great but will run even better without I'm sure!
Actually never opened this thread until now, thought it was about a walking stick insect display....


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## Phillyb (Jan 18, 2011)

Hahah Rawr my wood!! gota love pets  Verry nice set up man the plants grew good on the dead mans walking stick


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

Haven't updated the photos for a while so, here are some new ones.
The coral was removed and replaced with gravel.
Time to trim the moss again.




























Thanks


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

very nice!! i love the branches and green on it!!


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

The moss has even started to grow above the surface.










Thanks


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

*Prep for move*

My wife and I just bought a brand new home in South Surrey. No more reno's,,,yea 
The move is taking place on April 29, it has to be done in one day. So the tank has been reduced to the FX5 and a heater. Doesn't look very good but it will make the move faster.

Before the Prep. And after a week of neglect due to packing.









After the Prep.









All packed up and ready for the move.









Thanks


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

i like the greenery on the driftwood...looks real nice, like it would wave with the water current!


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## manim3 (Jun 25, 2011)

the wood is CRAZZZZY!


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

*New update, late Sept.*

Just thought I'd update with a few fresh pics, not alot has been done to the tank. Too busy getting settled in. But there are some changes afoot, to be done before the xmas season.






















































Thanks


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

Just thought an update was in order.
2 Aponogeton Crispus added
1 Aponogeton Madagascaris 
a larger Anubias, and a Tiger Lotus
a school of Cardinals and Odessa barbs 
The larger clown loaches are hiding in the cave. Camera shy!


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

LOVE it! Thank you so much for showing how gorgeous odessa barbs are. I have some in with my wild discus and I find them to be just stunning fish. Your tank looks awesome - great job


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

beautiful pics! the tank looks great  

Congrats on the new place by the way


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## IceBlue (Mar 17, 2011)

Awesome planting. The way the plants hang on that stick is beautiful. Good work and a pleasure to see.


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks for the comments. The Odessa barbs are getting more colourfull as they get older, and they get along with the other fish. 6 blue led's are being added tonight they will be on a timer.
Thanks


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## Sweetpea (Nov 7, 2011)

Gorgeous tank, really inspirational. Thanks.


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

Came home to a gurrgling sound, looked around the corner at the tank only to discover 3" of water missing! The carpet the stand rests on was soaked, I drained the water moved the tank and stand. The hardwood floor was raised at the edges and along some of the grain. The area has been left to dry out and hopefully shrink back to normal.
The hose from the Fluval 305 to the CO2 reactor was chewed by my kitten Beans. Bad kitty! She still met me at the door purring and rubbing on my leg, too cute, can't stay mad at her.


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

Oh NO! How did she get to it? Squeezed behind the stand? Or is there no door in front? Little devil! But yes, as you say, it's hard to really get mad at a kitten. 

Good thing you came home before more water leaked. Could it have emptied the tank with more time?

I'll have nightmares tonight.


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## JohnnyAppleSnail (May 30, 2010)

Sorry to hear,I can honestly say My Kittens compared to My Puppies were the worst for doing damage! Nice Tank by the way. Those branches remind me of a Hazelnut Corkscrew Tree I once owned,exactly the same branches.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Your tank is stunning! It is beautiful on its own (quite distinctive) and looks elegant in its location in your new home.

That's very sad about the damage to your floor. I hope that the floor dries without visible damage.


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## DBam (Aug 9, 2010)

Unfortunately hardwood or laminate floors are never the same after water damage. Once they swell they're swelled.


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

Thats not the best news DBam!
I'm in Whitchita Kansas on a course and get home Fri. night. Might have to call in a hardwood floor repair guy to replace the wood. There is one case of leftover wood, that the builder left. 
Then armour the hoses and shroud the rear of the stand so no little devil kitties can get back there.


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

The branch has deteriorated to the point that it is affecting the PH of the water, so it has to come out. It lasted far longer than expected. Time to come up with a new scape.


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## Bubblebower (Apr 22, 2010)

Bubblebower said:


> The branch has deteriorated to the point that it is affecting the PH of the water, so it has to come out. It lasted far longer than expected. Time to come up with a new scape.


looking for some interesting driftwood.


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