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Update on the ultimate sorority project

8K views 107 replies 19 participants last post by  Zero186 
#1 ·
Ok so a week or so ago I posted a thread on here about my plans to make an ultimate betta sorority. Well I have officially dove into it (at least financially) so I know over the next 2 moths this project WILL be coming together :) I visited Petco yesterday just by habit of looking, which if your like me isnt a good idea since I always walk out with something...lol Anyway they were having their Dollar a gallon sale on glass fish tanks made by Aqueon. This was the first time I have ever experienced this sale. Long story short I brought home a 40 Gallon breeder (the largest I could fit on my stand that wasnt obnoxiously tall) and a 20 gallon long. I filled both up for water to test for leaks and it looks like we are good :) Also I got talked into getting a 24w uv sterilizer. We will see how that works out. The first thing I plan to do is to go to home depot and get some acrylic sheets, or plexiglass (ive been told both will work for the 20 long) to make the baffles for the sump. The only thing I have set in stone as far as filter media is that the first chamber will be filled with k1 filter media and moved via an air pump. Thats really it for now. I will update once I get the stuff to build the sump, and or I get the sump built :p
 
#2 ·
lol I just saw/commented in the first thread! Yay for progress! :greenyay:

Do you have a pic of the stand and new tank?
 
#4 ·
Here is the 20 long being tested for leaks.


Here is the stand it will be going on. This thing is seriously heavy duty. It was given to me by my aunt. Its not something im used to seeing. Im used to seeing stuff made out of particle board, and plastic....no, this beast is SOLID wood (heavy too) and is supported by 6 solid steel beams.
Dont mind the computers....thats another long time hobby of mine :p


Heres the underside where the sump will be placed....its going to be a pita getting it in there though....


Also here is the reason its going to take so long to get set up....I have to wait for this to be put down. We just got it, and it has to "acclimate" for 2 weeks before it can be put down.



Heres the UV sterilizer I got.


And finally heres my 10 gallon with my two fishies in it :D
Niki is the girl (left) and Jeffrey is the male (right)
 
#5 ·
That's a great stand. Honestly, my favorite stands have always been solid oak buffets that I picked up at thrifstores and such. That solid office and dining furniture can be way stronger and more stylish than a lot of the tank stands for sale.

I've never used a sterilizer before. What's their purpose? Do they replace water changes, or prevent bacteria or algae or something?
 
#7 ·
Here is the 40 gallon breeder. I had to re-size it before I could upload to imageshack.


And the UV sterilizer basically uses UV light (emits radiation at a certain frequency) to disassemble the dna and rna of many common bacterias, and parasites (basically many of the things that make fish sick). They arnt very commonly used on freshwater tanks, which imo is because 1, freshwater is easier to keep clean and 2 the majority of people who do freshwater like to keep it simple. I on the other hand enjoy a challenge xD so I got one so see how well it works :)
 
#13 ·
I am excited to see how your Ultimate Sorority project goes. Would you mind linking the first thread of your vision? I want to follow along, and see how it goes. I myself am debating on what I want to do about my upcoming female sorority. Still brainstorming. lol.
 
#18 ·
UPDATE: So today after work I went to lowes and picked up 2 sheets of Optix acrylic ( not cheep...but not that bad at the same time). It should be more than enough to do all of the dowels in the sump. Im going to pick up another sheet towards the end to make into a hood for the sump so to minimize evaporation. I also picked up some silicone while I was there. I did my homework on silicone and got GE 100% silicone 1, which has NO anti mold chemicals in it what so ever. Its FDA approved to not harm you if ingested....which is good enough for me. I also read on a few different websites that the Aquarium safe silicone you see at pet stores is the same thing as this, just relabeled by whoever is selling it. Weather this is true or not....idk, but for 4 bucks for a big tube....I couldn't argue xD So the next thing to do is to plan exactly how im going to set up the sump and probably tomorrow cut all the pieces and put them in place. I want to know if people would rather a video of the process, or pictures? Let me know :) Ill upload pics of the sheets, and silicone in a little bit :)
 
#19 ·
What kind of a tool does it take to cut that acrylic sheeting?

(I've used the same silicone in my aquariums for years without issue.)
 
#21 ·
UPDATE: Ok, so today I had a major financial set back :( I was about to scrap this whole project completely seeing as I am a full time college student and paying for school is more important. Luckily my girlfriend (trumpet4life375) was kind enough to offer to pay for the rest :))) I dont like taking money from anybody, but this will be hers as well so its all fine. I ordered A pump, two overflow boxes, and the biological media I will be using today.
Pump:http://www.amazon.com/SUP-MAG-DRIVE-WATER-PUMP/dp/B001D11NBA
Overflow box:http://www.amazon.com/CPR-Aquatics-CS50-Siphon-Overflow/dp/B0009YF1W4/ref=pd_sbs_k3
Filter media:http://www.columbiawatergardens.com/Kaldnes_K1_Media_25_Litres_box_p/k125l.htm

I chose the pump based on many other enthusiast reviews on the web of this pump. Also I wanted a pump that would turn over the tank 10x an hour (or close to it). The overflows are rated at 300gph a piece, so I got two of them to put on both sides of the tank for a combined 600gph drain into the sump. In general you want your overflows to handle more water than what your pump pumps out. The mag 7 can push 700gph but thats with no head height. By the time it pumps up to the tank its more like 560gph. I will have a ball valve on both inlets and outlet to control flow as needed JIC. I also got a 25L box of K1. I read that this stuff is the best filter media money can buy when it concerns biological filtration so I went with that. The 25L box may be a little more than needed but it was the easiest to get like that in the US, also I can use it in my GF's tank, and my 10 gallon :) I will do my best to upload some photos in the next few minutes. Let me know what you guys think :)
 
#27 ·
This is a great thread. Your pics and details are very helpful.

Good luck on the cutting today.
 
#28 ·
UPDATE: So today my girlfriend came over and we worked on cutting the plexi for the sump together....just me just say I have cut plexi before but boy did i forget how mad it seems to make me. Word of advice if you are not a patient person then dont even attempt it...I was spewing out profanity like there was no tomorrow....but in the end I would say it turned out decently. There was one piece that is slightly cracked, but its at the top where it shouldn't really come into contact anyway, and I don't want to waste that stuff....its too expensive. The only thing I have left to do is cut some one inch pieces to hold up the lid above the K1 media and my mechanical/chemical filtration. Thats tomorrows project though, and once those are cut I will commence putting everything into place with the silicone :) I will be uploading pics here shortly, and I think tomorrow im going to make a video and put it on youtube. I haven't done that in a while and I think most people would like to "see" the sump (and my dirty floor xD) in a more....lively fashion, if that makes sense to anybody lol.
 
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