New 20g Build: Foam/Rock walls AIO

worrballer

worrballer

Member
Yeppers, I'm doing my first DIY tank build. I picked up these tanks from the lfs in Tempe for $5 (one is for our desert tortoise). The dimensions are 24"X20"X12" and that makes about 25 gallons.
So why does it say 20g build? I'll tell you, just hold on a sec! I'm going to make it all in one (AIO right?) I'll get the designs up soon it just takes a lot of my L337 paint skills.
I'm hoping to put in:
Ocellaris
Purple firefish
Black Ray goby
Randall's pistol shrimp
Cleaner shrimp (skunk)
CUC
Rics, zoas, xenia
All of this is subject to change so we'll see how it goes. Comments and suggestions are very welcome to any design or list I post. We're all here to learn from each other thats why we're here right?
 
worrballer

worrballer

Member
Here are the tanks I pick up. Both are drilled but I'm planning on plugging them up for now.

(gatorade bottle for scale)
And here is my sump idea:


Flow goes from right to left in the picture, this isn't exact just a plan I'll get more detailed later. To be honest I really have no idea what I'm doing but to my general understanding this is how most sumps work.
Again I'd love some advice/criticism/comments
 
worrballer

worrballer

Member
No comments?
I've changed the plans a bit for the sump and I've drawn up some plans for the rock wall. I'm getting pretty excited to get going I just want it to be something I'll like in the long run.
I'll get the plans for the sump up (honestly it hasn't changed much but I'll try to make it to scale this time), and then my plans for the stand as well. Stay posted.
 
worrballer

worrballer

Member
Ya that crossed my mind. It's still a possibility cause I've done away with the firefish (well... tentatively) and the shrimp/goby combo (I'll do that in my 5.5).
I wanna get a six-line too. Thankfully my wife likes them too lol. So here it is:
Ocellaris (maybe pair)
Six-line wrasse
???????
???????
I'd like four or five fish (maybe six *crosses fingers*) I just don't know which ones yet
 
mboswell1982

mboswell1982

Active Member
do the six line, im not a big fan of em, but if ur wife likes em, its great LOL, a pair of clowns, im partial to the black&white ocellaris clowns myself :p, a wheeler's watchman goby with pistol shrimp, and maybe a neon goby or 2 :p
 
worrballer

worrballer

Member
So me and my buddy started cleaning the tank. And it is really hard to get hard water stains off of glass. Does anyone have a trick that can clean glass as good as new?
We went online and saw lemon oil works. Has anyone else heard of that?
 
worrballer

worrballer

Member
I'm gonna try a baking powder and vinegar mix. I've been reading online that that'll work. If not I'll try to find lemon oil. If that doesn't work I'll just go with stove top cleaner as a last result.
 
worrballer

worrballer

Member
Update:
CLR is working pretty well, I'm just being a perfectionist now about getting clear glass.
I'm going to try the vinegar and baking soda on Tuesday then fill it with vinegar water to get rid of the chemicals. Hopefully I can start on the stand within a few weeks too.
 
star27624

star27624

Member
Originally Posted by WorrBaller
http:///forum/post/2856260
Update:
CLR is working pretty well, I'm just being a perfectionist now about getting clear glass.
I'm going to try the vinegar and baking soda on Tuesday then fill it with vinegar water to get rid of the chemicals. Hopefully I can start on the stand within a few weeks too.
FWIW...I would soak/rinse it with baking soda water several times. CLR is considered toxic to aquatic life.
JMO... I'd rather have dirty glass than ever put that in a tank i planned on putting fish in.
Cool looking tanks though. Look forward to seeing hoe they come out.
 
worrballer

worrballer

Member
Ya it was an act of desperation. I'm not planning on putting any fish in it for a while to come so I'll be doing soak/rinse/repeat for the next few weeks. Thanks for the concern guys.
Oh what does FWIW mean?
And a fish question: Would a fridmanny (or however you spell it) work with two clowns and a six line?
 
rotarymagic

rotarymagic

Active Member
Originally Posted by WorrBaller
http:///forum/post/2857479
Ya it was an act of desperation. I'm not planning on putting any fish in it for a while to come so I'll be doing soak/rinse/repeat for the next few weeks. Thanks for the concern guys.
Oh what does FWIW mean?
And a fish question: Would a fridmanny (or however you spell it) work with two clowns and a six line?
FWIW=for what its worth.
Fridmanis may fight with the sixline...
I would make the sixline the last fish and give the other inhabitants at least a month or two before adding the sixline.
Make sure you add the clowns first, give them a month, add the fridmani pseudochromis second, then the sixline last... if you add more fish add them before the sixline.
 
worrballer

worrballer

Member
Thats good to know. Just goes to show you that not everything you read on the internet is true lol.
Another question before I collapse into bed: are there any anemones that I can house with t5s?
 
rotarymagic

rotarymagic

Active Member
Originally Posted by WorrBaller
http:///forum/post/2857519
Thats good to know. Just goes to show you that not everything you read on the internet is true lol.
Another question before I collapse into bed: are there any anemones that I can house with t5s?
in my old 20long setup the sixline was the second beastly fish and the bicolor blenny I had was the worst nano fish EVAR!!! this bicolor blenny made my sixline jump through a half inch crack and a clown jump through the crack too!!!
 
rotarymagic

rotarymagic

Active Member
Originally Posted by WorrBaller
http:///forum/post/2857519
Thats good to know. Just goes to show you that not everything you read on the internet is true lol.
Another question before I collapse into bed: are there any anemones that I can house with t5s?
You can keep anything under individually reflected T5HOs up to 24inches reliably, 30inches depth if you have the icecap660 ballasts to overdrive the bulbs...
 
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