FYI: 6ft x 2ft x 2.5ft tank setup from scratch! MiniBlog :)

[FX1C]

I'm not bright enough to learn how to blog - it's nice to get feedback as well so feel free to chime in (although I fear it will be too late as its mostly in!)

OK so it's time to bring in the big tank!

It's big - & heavy!

I had invited a friend over for BBQ & also to spring the moving of tank on him. In typical Murphy's law style he woke up with the flu! So it was up to me & my husband to get the monster in!

I'll start from the start -

The tank was free & the two of us managed to wrangle it into a Berlingo van (tardis!) & couldn't get it further than the back door



Meanwhile the pine cupboard was an eyesore so I took to it with a little sandpaper & some of my favorite stain & varnish combined..

Here starts the process
(I was eager to start & forgot to get a good before shot - but we all know what yellow country pine looks like)




After 1st coat


After 2nd coat


That was the easy bit!





<3 >o_o< <3

 

[FX1C]

Hmmmm now for the tank

Remember this was done by just the two of us - lol

The tank was cleaned down with Vinager & well dried over some hot days. A fair bit of rubble was still in the bottom, once dry it was vacuumed well.


We had it well supported on a flat trolley - we decided to slide it with timbers over the door frame edge.. We stuck timber next to the very flimsy aluminum track to raise the height & give a better surface to slide over - carpet was flipped over the entire doorway frame. Inside we set up carpet so that we could easily slide over the tiled area.


So close - and yet soooo far


It's in the house!
You can see the 2 timber rails that are supporting the tank & the 2 that were supporting it while on trolley (the dog as always was 'helping' lol)


Just a couple of shots showing the carpet over timber & doorframe



Then we very carefully tipped the tank onto end & cleaned the base


This carpet was easy to slide to the other side of the room


cont....



<3 >o_o< <3

 

[shannamarie]

Wow that tank is huge and amazing! Good luck with the setup

 

[FX1C]

....

So the tank is on it's end ....

Positioned a very solid coffee table in front of the tank...


We stood on each side & slowly lowered it down - no fun because the carpet the tank was on started sliding backwards & the coffee table started sliding out - some quick repositioning of limbs wedged the coffee table & we slid the tank centered...


In the background is the cabinet it has already had new polystyrene sheets laid down & attached with some double sides tape...



If the tank is staying bare bottomed
I didn't want to look at white polystyrene so I thought I'd experiment (inspired by the beautiful printed tanks that lingkongczx showed us a week ago )
I bought some cheap black 100%nylon thin fabric that I draped over the white polystyrene.


I also found another fabric that is 100% nylon (it wasn't available as wide as the tank so I used the plain black to create a base) I thought this fabric 'might' look like river rocks or pebbles - use your imagination


I had tossed up the idea of doing a kitchen themed bottom using cheap tablecloth


Or this which was a shower curtain


But instead went with the pebble option. If it doesn't look good - I can cover it in sand anyway



<3 >o_o< <3

 

[FX1C]

Tank time!

0.0 give me strength! >_< lol

So.... Positioned at each end we decided to see if I could actually lift this thing - we were going to lift it to the same height as the cabinet & then put it down again - but once the veins in my eyeballs started popping O.O I couldn't see me lifting it again so I said let's just do it now. Luckily with some effort we got it on & in place (taping the polystyrene down helped a great deal! No movement at all!)

So it's IN


Some minor fiddling with the fabric..


A lot of checking & we nervously brought in the hose!!! A hose inside my house!!! All fingers crossed that it wouldn't leak



The dog 'helping'

I can see the bottom

Stopped at just over half full
(40mins of filling with hose)

Threw on the light hood


Soooooooo excited



<3 >o_o< <3

 

[FX1C]

Some silly antics while setting up

Mostly from Tyra the Dobergirl

Apparently the cabinet has some great smells & we could use it as a dog kennel


Most shots had to be taken twice


The lotls could watch from their tank while their new home was set up
(Look at the reflection - it's their view)


I have a TV opposite the tank & when I went to make a cup of tea to recover I noticed that with the TV off this is my reflective view from the kitchen

(Please excuse the mess :-/ that room is trashed from moving everything around)

So the tank has a power head & some air stones in it now - just to entertain me rather than serving a purpose

~~AXOLOTL WORLD~~
Sooooo Pretty - even empty!

Off to get filter media for the filter tomorrow & a lot of pipes / hoses to run it this is the filter I'll be using - never used a canister style before so it's all a learning curve!

(I've already bought the new tap attachment - it's broken in the picture.)

Now to annoy you all for advice as to how to cycle this beast fast! I'll put my questions in my next post!

(I'm sorry if I annoy some of you with my prolific posting x x x tell me to shut up if its really painful! )



<3 >o_o< <3

 

[Minniechild]

Looking good! If you can, I'd suggest seeding your canister from the other tank's filter, and then when you shift the axies across, running both filters on the new tank if possible My 6x2x2 I found is in best condition when it's got both the internal (AquaOne F103), which deals with mechanical filtration and gets cleared out once every week or two, then the canister for biological. Additionally, it might be an idea to consider adding in an air stone or two to keep the water from stagnating (My biggest problem during setup).
Another consideration is River Reef have bags of bioballs to assist in establishing the filter- I got them when I got my canister, and it was a really good way of accelerating the process.
Post more pics soon!

 

[snuggly time]

Wow, that's one beast of a tank! Have you got some step ladders to clean it out? lol
Those axolotls are going to have so much fun in that tank.

Also, I love the doberman... Was it trying to get into all the photos? Hehe :rofl:

 

[FX1C]

Looking good! If you can, I'd suggest seeding your canister from the other tank's filter, and then when you shift the axies across, running both filters on the new tank if possible My 6x2x2 I found is in best condition when it's got both the internal (AquaOne F103), which deals with mechanical filtration and gets cleared out once every week or two, then the canister for biological. Additionally, it might be an idea to consider adding in an air stone or two to keep the water from stagnating (My biggest problem during setup).
Another consideration is River Reef have bags of bioballs to assist in establishing the filter- I got them when I got my canister, and it was a really good way of accelerating the process.
Post more pics soon!

I've got 2 air stones pumping flat out & also a power pump which is circulating the half full tank.

My current tanks are the AquaOne style with the built into hood filter with noodles, not really able to be relocated easily (pain in the b*m which is why I wanted the upgrade! Plus the bow fronts are ruining my eyesight lol) plus I stole a cupful of noodles to send (in a jar of water) to a little girl who's axie was very unwell & her tank was never cycled or tested - hoping it would help bring in good bacteria. So far so good for her axie my small tanks are just using small sponge filters & they'd look hilarious in the new tank! Not sure they'd bring much bacteria to the party either.

There's no hurry to get the big tank cycled - all axies happy in their current homes. I've been reading about the adding pure ammonia to stimulate the cycle a little quicker. I just need the ins & outs - or a for dummies version
I'm heading down to hitek tomorrow to get the media & I'll see what they suggest - I'm happy to buy some of the QuickStart type bacteria seeds but given I'm dealing with 200 gallons (1000litres ) I may have to buy the big bottles now lol. They may also have the option to buy bio balls.

Don't worry there'll be lots of pics to come - so many stages left until the little poppits can swim madly



<3 >o_o< <3

 

[FX1C]

Day 2.....

Awoke to find a tank half full

No leaks / no issues so it's been topped up a little & I added my favourite rock.



Here's some close ups of 'lotl rock'
It has an inner cave that I've stuck an air stone near so it bubbles through the rock.



Off to get some water conditioner (lrg bottle!) hoses & filter noodles n balls

Any input on cycling options are very much appreciated - I'm in no hurry, but I think the lotls want in



<3 >o_o< <3

 

[EbonySparkles]

Lookin great Nicki, your babies will certainly be spoiled!!! Love it!.... Am thinking I want a new tank now!!!!
:happy:

 

[Minniechild]

Could do Sacrificial Guppies? Or Sacrificial shrimpies? I've used both in the past (and got quite attached to them :S), and then had them remain once the axies have moved in- a few get munched on, but overall they're a good source of poop and good with the 'lotls once they move in. There are a few wholesale sites online that do shrimp cheaply (if I manage to get some cash in the next few months, I'm going to buy a heap of ghost shrimp for the big tank 'coz I can't bear to put any of my "pet" cherry shrimp in.), and guppies abound on Gumtree

Also, I LOVE that rock!

 

[FX1C]

Lookin great Nicki, your babies will certainly be spoiled!!! Love it!.... Am thinking I want a new tank now!!!!
:happy:

Wouldn't this size tank look fantastic as a room divider downstairs

Ebony & Sparkles would just lurve all that space



<3 >o_o< <3

 

[tigmades]

I had asked my winnipeg fish forum group about seeding a large tank, and one idea was to go to dollar store and buy plastic scrubbies - these have a HUGE amount of surface area for beneficial bacteria to cling to, and it was 6 for $1 You can leave them as is, or as others have suggested, cut them open and lay them flat to prevent the center getting full of gunk. If you keep these in your current tank (if you have a HOB, fill it with these instead of putting them on the substrate) for a while, then you can put them in your new one, squeeze them near your sponge filters to help transfer the beneficial bacteria and then leave them in there for good measure

 

[Jen10s]

Looking forward to more updates - lucky you got it inside before the rain !

Can't wait to see it finished, I'm sure your Axies are gonna be the luckiest guys around

 

[FX1C]

Shopping done - filter media in & filter about to be put back together.

The shop I went to also sold me 10 boring fish of some variety (sorry fish!) & they are prepared to take them back when my cycle is done - far more exciting to watch than a rotting prawn
So I'm renting the 10 fish for $15 -
seemed like a good plan & they barely are noticeable in the tank!




The guy told me to over feed the fish for a couple of weeks - so it's a challenge to see how much I can bulk the fish up!

So now I need to decide bare bottomed tank or pool filter sand? I like them having traction with sand - but I hate cleaning sand (currently I have Playsand in one tank - I definitely didn't rinse it nearly well enough & it's a nightmare!)

The fish shop I went to is a good 45mins from my home - I like this shop because they keep their axolotls in a glass tank with a hide & floating plants. The best I've seen so far - so they got my vote..... But! This week the shop received a shipment of axolotls & due to the heat wave they were transported over some VERY hot days & once in the tank the shop noticed all the axolotls were in a bad way - 5 died during the week & 1 very poorly girl was left in the tank - when I went to see her she swam over to where I was & gave me that "help me" face needless to say she came home with me (free) & is now in a tub tank in front of a fan.... I'm thinking its not just the heat in the last week as she is so thin & hardly any gills!
I'm not holding much hope for her -
maybe 10% chance of recovery - but I'll give it 100% & see how she goes.
(I'll post a brief introduction to her later)

Thankfully the owner of the shop will NOT be ordering any more axolotls until summer is over because he hates seeing any animal suffer = good thing

Thanks for all the input





<3 >o_o< <3

 

[CJ1981]

The fish shop I went to is a good 45mins from my home - I like this shop because they keep their axolotls in a glass tank with a hide & floating plants. The best I've seen so far - so they got my vote..... But! This week the shop received a shipment of axolotls & due to the heat wave they were transported over some VERY hot days & once in the tank the shop noticed all the axolotls were in a bad way - 5 died during the week & 1 very poorly girl was left in the tank - when I went to see her she swam over to where I was & gave me that "help me" face needless to say she came home with me (free) & is now in a tub tank in front of a fan.... I'm thinking its not just the heat in the last week as she is so thin & hardly any gills!
I'm not holding much hope for her -
maybe 10% chance of recovery - but I'll give it 100% & see how she goes.
(I'll post a brief introduction to her later)

Thankfully the owner of the shop will NOT be ordering any more axolotls until summer is over because he hates seeing any animal suffer = good thing

Thanks for all the input





<3 >o_o< <3[/QUOTE]

What an epic tank! So jealous, have shown it to my Boyfriend and smiled sweetly before showing him a slightly smaller version on ebay, he is refusing to help apparently I burned my bridges when I bought a giant chest freezer (I have pointed out to him that there is plently of room for him in the chest freezer if he doesn't start cooperating ).

You're such a softie when it comes to Lotl's, if you keep this rate of rescue up you're going to have to register as a charity and start tours of your facility as a fund raiser

Seriously though, looking good and it was nice of you to let the dog help

 

[Minniechild]

Am I allowed to ask the name of the shop?
Also, perhaps try live blackworms to bulk her up?
As to sand, perhaps get some of the superfine white stuff and wash the bejeezus out of it with the rain we've been swamped by atm? Additionally, the rent-a-fishies are cute

 

[FX1C]

Update time....

Not much has happened since its been up & running - no leaks

The cycling is going well after adding some filter media from established tank & some stability product to hopefully help the good bacteria to take. Seems to have worked - I haven't seen any nitrites - just small ammonia spikes 0.25 max & now nitrates are building up. I've done a couple of small water changes (100L is small! lol) & the clarity has been good. The fishes are happy enough & we have 9 happy bronze comets exploring the tank. (I lost one to the internal power head in tank that's circulating the water on day 1- better to lose a fish than a lotl... Sorry fish!)

Today I stuck a few plants into the tank - I scored a few plants very cheaply as the person was getting rid of their fish tank. All the plants are either attached to driftwood or rocks & some scraps of java fern I had I shoved into the holes in the rock. The new hides have Ben scrubbed & soaked & put in just to see how they look..

My big dilemma is still to have sand or not to have sand???????

Looking at the bare bottom it shows every bit of crud...After putting in the plants & mucking about with the plants there is a lot of grit & grot around which I haven't cleaned up yet. The fact that it's easy to see is good for cleaning but it looks so messy & bland... I'm still searching for a 'perfect' sand but am still hunting. Your feedback on to sand or not to is very welcome



There's even a plant behind the rock


Not long till lotls will be running
about in lotl land



<3 >o_o< <3

 

[Minniechild]

Very pretty! I'm still voting sand- the 'lotls will probably be happier with something to grab onto. From the look of the tank and plants, a very pale sand would work quite well
Looking forward to the next update !