[Smokey65662]

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

 

[iloveengl]

lol I just saw/commented in the first thread! Yay for progress! :greenyay:

Do you have a pic of the stand and new tank?

 

[Pitluvs]

I think I have a 40 for my bearded dragon, nice size tank. I wish they had those sales here lol Can't wait for pics!!

 

[Smokey65662]

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

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
Niki is the girl (left) and Jeffrey is the male (right)

 

[iloveengl]

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?

 

[Pitluvs]

What's the measurements on the 40g? I thought I had one, but mine would.never fit on that table lol Mines 48" long. I'm so confuzzled now. Love the stand though!!

 

[Smokey65662]

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

 

[Smokey65662]

Idk if you can see the dimensions in the photo or not..if not ill go and look for you.

 

[Pitluvs]

Ohh ok, mine must be a 40g long, cause mine is 4ft long lol That's shaped like my 29g but bigger. Still an amazing tank and price, jealous!

 

[Smokey65662]

Yeah, petco had the 1 dollar a gallon sale. I think it goes on until the 19th.

 

[Pitluvs]

We don't have sales in Canada like that

 

[Smokey65662]

Awww Im sorry. That really stinks :/

 

[Aquarianblue]

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.

 

[Smokey65662]

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=81106&page=0#post827247
Theres the link to the first thread. I think I will keep updating here as I go along. I got frustrated because I wanted to add the link to my first post (the thread starter) but I for the life of me couldn't figure out how to edit my post....it angered me slightly lol.

 

[Silverfang]

I'm excited to see how this progresses. Are you going with live plants? I've just gotten my sorority started, just need to add the girls! It will be so exciting to see. And I'm eager to see how yours progresses.

 

[Smokey65662]

I plan to use fake plants in the display tank and I will have a section in the sump similar to a refugium in a salt water setup that will house java moss to remove the nitrates

 

[Aquarianblue]

Sweet, thank you. Now I'm gonna be able to follow along here, and first thread. I wish the best of luck in your endeavors!

 

[Smokey65662]

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

 

[iloveengl]

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.)

 

[Smokey65662]

A standard razorblade. Something really sharp that cuts it and from there you can just break it in half. Its just like cutting and sizing drywall (if you have ever done that).