# 40 Breeder Tank Journal ** Updated 10/3 **



## JoeDizzleMPLS

I bought this tank a few weeks ago and was planning on having it set up by now, but with the nice weather, I've been getting sidetracked a lot. Anyways, I'm working on the stand now and should be done after this weekend hopefully, then I can set the tank up and start working on a canopy. This tank will be home to my compressus when it's done, which will signal the end of my fish playing "musical tanks".

I'll post some pics of the progress on the stand tonight, but here's a pic of the tank to start this thread out...


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## arok3000

Looking good!


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## sapir

cant wait to see the progress, i personally like the 40 breeder footprints but theyre not very popular for fish mostly just reptiles.


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## CyberGenetics

Love seeing progress journals, keep us updated


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## His Majesty

really like your build journals joe. look forward in seeing the progress.


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## TheSpaz13

yea man, after your last journal I'm really excited to see how this one turns out


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Thanks for the kind words guys... I know I've been slacking on the pics, I had a couple things come up and haven't made much progress, but I'll bring the camera with me today and get a couple shots of what I have so far. I like working outside on this, so hopefully the rain clears up and I can get the stand skinned with plywood today.


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## Ba20

Where patiently waiting Joe


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## Guest

I love a good tank journal - can't wait Joe!


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## Ba20

I would say good start but you havent even got the card board or stickers off yet







looks like you just sat it in the floor


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

I haven't made much progress on the stand since I got rained out the last three days I had planned to work on it and it has been raining again all day. The frame is done, I just need to get it skinned in ply, I think I'm gonna try out a different look for this stand. It's supposed to stop raining tomorrow night, so hopefully it dries up so I can get it finished up this weekend. I did get a couple pics taken last night, I didn't take step-by-step pics because it is the exact same design so far as my 30 gallon stand, just different dimensions.


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## Soul Assassin




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## TheSpaz13

Good work Joe, I'm amazed everytime I look at your journals. I'm not sure what kind of look your looking for when you say different, but I know I'm planning on using a wainescot for sheathing when I build mine...


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Made some progress on the stand since it didn't rain on Saturday, I just need to cut out the spot for the doors (I have to borrow a jigsaw, I can't find mine anywhere -- it's probably buried in our storage unit.) and then I can start painting while I make the doors and stain the trim. It's supposed to be nice tomorrow so hopefully I'm near the finish line here.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Had to put the project on hold until we rearranged our place and I'm glad I did... the new spot for the tank is right next to where my 30 long is sitting and it would have looked weird to have two completely different stands sitting right next to each other.

Ended up pulling the stand apart yesterday to make some adjustments, the stands will be a bit different, but I at least want them to be the same height. I pulled the top piece of plywood off to drop it down to 28", pulled the side pieces off to cut 1/2" off of their height and re-attached them, then I traced the opening on the inside of the front piece, pulled that off to cut 1/2" off the height and cut out the opening with a jig saw before I threw it back on. Today I should be able to make some more progress on the stand and get started on the canopy.

Here's a couple pics of how it looks now...


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## Guest

Thats why I like DIY stands. You can change them over and over again to suit your needs!! Cant wait to see the new-old stand!!


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Got the top and trim put on today, started on the doors but I didn't make enough progress to take pics. I also got everything cut for the canopy, so I'll start putting it together and take pics of the progress tomorrow. I'm hoping to get everything finished early tomorrow so I can start to prep it for paint and stain. This isn't what I was planning on having it look like, but since it's gonna be sitting next to my 30 gallon, I figured they at least had to share some of the same features.


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## FEEFA

Lookin good as usual Joe


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Got rained out the last two days, so I wasn't able to get anything done until today. I was working on the canopy and the doors today, canopy is almost done and I ended up not liking the way the doors turned out, so I'll have to start over. Here's some pics of the canopy, hopefully I'll have more to post tomorrow... I really want to finish this project.


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## primetime3wise

coming together nicely, nice job


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## Sacrifice

Looking good. I like DIY projects. It's nice to know that you're getting a well built stand and most of the time you can save a ton of $$$









Keep up the good work.









Sacrifice


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Well, after a 2 1/2 month break from this project, I was finally able to get this going again... It is basically ready for paint and stain, just need to do a bit more sanding tomorrow and then I can start priming the stand, then I will stain the top piece before I move it over to my place and paint it. I will bring the canopy over to my place to paint and prime, then I need to make a decision on the lighting. I am hoping to have this tank set up within the next week, although with all the craziness that has been going on this summer, I can't be too sure.

Here's a pic of what it will look like set up, the doors won't be put on until everything is painted.


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## BRUNER247

Looking good. When can I put my order in for a double stack stand for 40breeders?


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## HGI

looks wicked, your going to add a trim on the base stand to cover the black trim of the tank right?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

HGI said:


> looks wicked, your going to add a trim on the base stand to cover the black trim of the tank right?


That was the plan, but I had to change things up because it is going near the stand for my 30 gallon and I wanted them to look somewhat similar, this one will be kind of a table top stand as well. I may look at it one more time today and see if I can change it tho, it would look really clean if I could do it the other way.

Here's a pic of the 30 gallon stand for reference.


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## Da' Manster!

Hi Joe,
So have you decided what you are going to put in the 40 G Breeder?!...They are excellent tanks for any solo piranha as long as you buy them at juvi size!!...I wish I kept my 40 G Breeder and double decker dual stand that came with it!..but a member on MFK offered me $150 for it and I had to accept because of the financial crunch that I was in at the time!...Well, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this journal as it progresses!...


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

My compressus will be going in there for now... once we get back into a house, my plan is to buy a big tank for a solo piraya or a large rhom and then get another 75 gallon for the compressus, then my mac will get the 40 breeder and the 30 gallon will be open for something else. For now, with the size of my fish, they should be quite comfortable.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

I made a bit of progress today... got the canopy prepped for primer/paint and brought the canopy and tank over to my place. Right now I am in the process of painting the back of the 40 breeder black and I also decided to paint the back (it's actually the front, but I'll flip it around at next water change) of my 30 long and a little 5 gallon tank that I found today while digging through my storage unit. I just got done with the first coats, I'll try to post some pics in a bit.


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## Lifer374

Honestly Joe, you need to do a step by step build with detailed pictures for your next project. 
Be a great "how-to" thread to be pinned.

Looking good.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

I didn't get too detailed with this one because it was essentially the same stand design as the 75 gallon stand and I basically went step-by-step with that one.... or do you mean even more detailed than that one?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Well, I just got done with the 3rd coat and I'm starting to think that I should have stuck to my old method... I usually use a foam roller on the back but was told by some other people to just use a foam brush so I figured I'd try it out. Maybe things will look better after a couple more coats, but right now I can see brush strokes and it's not near as smooth as the backgrounds I've done in the past. If they still look like crap after a couple more coats in the morning, I guess I'll just scrape em and re-do em with a roller.

Here's the 40b and the 5 gallon I found... please excuse the mess, I just threw everything around in that room to make room for the tanks and ripped everything out of the closet to find a drop cloth.


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## FEEFA

Looks like everything is coming together nicely, great job on the stand and canopy.

What kind of paint are you using for the back of the tanks?
I did a small 5gal with behr paint/primer in one that I had left over from doing the canopy, its a waterbased semigloss.
It nicks really easily and if I tried it would probably peel right off


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

For the back of the tanks, I'm just using Glidden satin finish, it's a latex paint. I like using latex paint because it peels right off if you change your mind or if it turns out looking like crap. I haven't even looked at the tanks today but I think I'll end up peeling it off and using a roller.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Well they looked a little better today, so I decided to throw a couple more coats on and make the decision then. I have done one more coat so far today bringing the total to 4 coats, I can do the 5th here in about 45 minutes. If they still look bad after that, I'll peel off the paint and use a roller tonight. I am planning on heading over to work on the stand in a couple hours and then I will get started on the canopy when I get back home tonight (that's if I don't have to re-do the backgrounds).


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## CuzIsaidSo

I use the Martha Stewart semi gloss from Home Depot. It takes about 4 coats w/ roller but I use a foam brush near the trim


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

CuzIsaidSo said:


> It takes about 4 coats w/ roller but I use a foam brush near the trim


That's usually what I do, but I figured I'd try something different and I'm not happy with it. Still not sure if I'm gonna keep them this way or not, but I'm already 6 coats in and I think I need to do at least 1 more. When I use a roller, it's done in 3 or 4 coats and it only takes me a few hours.

I got the top stained yesterday, so today I will be putting on a couple coats of satin poly and hopefully priming the rest of the stand so that I can paint tomorrow. I forgot to bring my camera along yesterday, but I have it ready to go today so I'll post pics later tonight.

I want the poly to dry for 2 days, so if I can manage to stay on schedule with everything else, I should be able to set the tank up on Monday or Tuesday.


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## Sacrifice

I've had really good luck with Krylon Spray Paint. You have to be careful when taping off the rest of the tank. Have you guys had issues with spray paint? Or did I miss a thread about why not to use it, lol.

BTW nice design on the stand.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Spray paint works great and gives a nice smooth finish, but it is a pain to remove if you change your mind. Latex takes a bit longer to apply but peels right off if you want a different background or if you want to flip the tank around.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Just got done peeling the paint off the tanks and did the first coats with a roller. I figured that I had at least 2 more coats with the brush to finish it off and I might not be happy with when I could be half done with re-painting with the roller. I am already happy with my decision, the first coat with the roller looks much better than the first coat with the brush.


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## FEEFA

Glad to hear it Joe, hope it turns out nice for ya this time.

I've only ever painted one tank and that is my 5gal and I did it just to try it out and honestly I personally dont like it.
At least not with latex anyway but I think spray paint would be great and if I ever decide to do my 220 it will be with spray


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

I think paint looks the best, but it has to be done right... when I first tried it, I didn't like it and then I finally figured out a better way to do it and it looked great. I used those plastic backgrounds with canola oil for a few years and they look great right off the bat, but after a while, I started having problems, so now I'm back to painting backgrounds.


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## CuzIsaidSo

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> Just got done peeling the paint off the tanks and did the first coats with a roller. I figured that I had at least 2 more coats with the brush to finish it off and I might not be happy with when I could be half done with re-painting with the roller. I am already happy with my decision, the first coat with the roller looks much better than the first coat with the brush.


Do you use a foam roller or a regular roller ?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

I use a foam roller, it leaves a really smooth finish.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Got the top of the stand finished up last night, I ended up with one coat of stain and 2 coats of clear satin poly. I also managed to get the canopy primed, but I think I want to do another coat before I paint. I forgot my camera again, but I will take it today and take pics as soon as I get there before I start working so that I can have pics of all the steps.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Ok, time for some pictures...

Here is the stand after I got the top piece stained and coated with poly...























Here is the canopy after a couple coats of primer...
















First coat of primer on the stand...









After two coats of primer, ready for paint...









Here it is after the first coat of paint...









I managed to get about half done with the first coat of paint on the canopy before I got rained out...









I was really hoping to get done with all the painting today so I could start setting up the tank right away in the morning, but I can't do much about the rain. Plan is to get over there right away in the morning and get the last coat of paint on the stand and then finish up the canopy.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

The tank is now set up, I tried to take pictures of the process of setting it up, but it was really dark in the room and they turned out horrible. I still need to do one more coat of paint on the canopy, my mom knocked it off of a table it was sitting on and there's a big scratch on the front now. I will try to get pics taken tonight of what it looks like so far.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

This pic is horrible because the room was really dark and it was 3 am, so I didn't really feel like dragging out a bunch of lamps, but it will give you an idea of what it looks like. I am gonna try to get another coat of paint on the canopy today and then I can take better pictures tonight. As you can see, the doors are not on yet... I got anxious and decided it would be best to just focus on what I needed to get the tank set up and worry about the doors afterwards. If I have time, I will paint them this weekend.


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## Lifer374

Looking good Joe. 
Is that an XP2 or 3? Trying to decide on filtration for my 40B and was planning on a 2215, but a store near me has an XP2 used and in good shape I may go with. Never ran a Rena before.

*edit
Just read the "75 thread".


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

From what I've seen, the XP2 does a fine job of filtering the 40b, I'm throwing the 2217 on there just because I'd rather put it on the new tank instead of the 30 long... if it wasn't for the filter on the 30 long crapping out and me needing to move filters around, I woulda left the XP2 on the 40b.


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## Lifer374

I don't know Joe. I've been very happy with the 2217, even though this XP2 is half the price of a new 2215, its still used....I don't know what issues I might end up with going with a used filter.

Apologies for the derail.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Yeah, I hear ya man... I got this XP2 used from b_ack for next to nothing -- I just paid for shipping -- so I couldn't be happier with it. I have always preferred Eheim, but I really like this XP2 and wouldn't hesitate to pick up another one if the price was right.


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## Lifer374

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> I got this XP2 used from b_ack for next to nothing -- I just paid for shipping


What?
b_ack, buddy...hook me up man!

Nice.


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## AKSkirmish

Wow are your roads crap....lol









Tank and stand look good buddy-I have zero skills in the building dept....lol


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Haha, you know, they came out and filled cracks a few weeks before the pics were taken and they seriously went nuts... they were younger guys that did it, so I'm thinking they were maybe trying to milk the clock or something.

Thanks for the compliment... I am actually really happy with this stand as well as the stand for my 30 long, I am not happy with the stand for my 75 tho, so I think I'm gonna build a new one.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Ended up switching the filters around tonight, I dumped a bunch of established media on top of the pre-filter in the wet/dry to help seed the bio balls so I could finish everything up. I moved the XP2 over to the 30 long and the Eheim 2217 is now running on the 40b. I didn't have time to paint this weekend, but I hope to do that tomorrow, then when my plants arrive, this tank will finally start to look a little better. Sorry for the horrible pictures, it's really dark in that room and I didn't feel like dragging out the tripod so I set the ISO really high.

Here's a full tank shot...









Here's the whole setup with the 2217 hooked up...


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## frankenstein

wow that is one nice tank.. great job..



JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> Ended up switching the filters around tonight, I dumped a bunch of established media on top of the pre-filter in the wet/dry to help seed the bio balls so I could finish everything up. I moved the XP2 over to the 30 long and the Eheim 2217 is now running on the 40b. I didn't have time to paint this weekend, but I hope to do that tomorrow, then when my plants arrive, this tank will finally start to look a little better. Sorry for the horrible pictures, it's really dark in that room and I didn't feel like dragging out the tripod so I set the ISO really high.
> 
> Here's a full tank shot...
> 
> View attachment 196170
> 
> 
> Here's the whole setup with the 2217 hooked up...
> 
> View attachment 196171


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Finally got some plants in the tank









Gotta thank Ba20 for another package of plants that far exceeded my expectations, very much appreciated sir.

Here's a couple pics, plants need to fill in and there's still a few plants that I need to add when I find them, but it's so nice to look over at the tank and see green.


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## Mattones

VERY nice wood working my friend! Top notch!


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Thanks man, I really need to get the doors on there so I can call this project complete tho -- I have been too distracted by aquascaping.


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## His Majesty

smashing stuff joe. looking fantastic


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Thanks buddy... I know it's just a start, but the tank is in my living room, so it was kinda boring to just have sand and a couple pieces of driftwood in there. It's nice that I actually enjoy looking at it now and my comp seems to like the new setup, so that's a plus too.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Finally got the doors done and installed at about 3 am last night... I snapped these pictures to show what it looks like, I know it's hard to see, it's really dark in the room. I'll try to get some more light in there and take some better ones tonight. I am trying out something different for lighting, the canopy was kinda bugging me because it looked weird with the bottom trim showing. I'll see how this works and may keep this or order a different fixture.


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## wisco_pygo

nice photo journal joe


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Thanks... I'm pretty proud of this setup, I really need to get some better pics that show what it actually looks like, I'm just in the middle of some stuff right now so I didn't have time for anything but a couple quick shots.


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## wisco_pygo

black backrounds have such a nice subtle, classy look to them


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Here's some slightly better pics of the entire setup (kinda blurry, but not as dark as the other), the stand, and then a full tank shot and shot of my compressus.


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## Ba20

Not to shabby


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

My "Saturday Project" for this week was to re-do the plumbing on this tank and clean up the inside of the stand. I bought the Eheim 2217 and the 300w Hydor Inline heater to use on my 75 gallon, so the heater is a bit overkill for this tank, but that's what I got for now.

As some of you may know, the Hydor 300w has 5/8" inlet/outlet and the return hose for the Eheim 2217 is 12mm, which is about 3/8", in order to make it work, you either have to dip the end of the 12mm hose into boiling water to soften it and then jam the Hydor in there (this is what I initially did and it always came apart without much effort, not something I felt comfortable with) or you can do a little DIY work and use reducer couplers to step up to 16mm (about 5/8") hose before the heater and then back down to 12mm after.

I ran down to the hardware store and bought a couple 5/8" to 3/8" reducer couplers for $.69 each and a couple hose clamps for $1.29 each, I used some leftover Eheim hoses that I had laying around for this project, but 5/8" and 3/8" ID plastic tubing from the hardware store would work too. It was pretty easy to install, I just attached some 16mm Eheim hose to each end of the Hydor, attached the reducer couplers to the ends of the hoses, I used clamps there because the 5/8" barb wasn't as long as the 3/8" side, and then attached the 12mm hoses to the other side, one of the 12mm hoses goes to the filter, the other to the return... pretty straight-forward. Everything is REALLY secure now, so there are no worries about a hose coming undone and dumping water all over the floor (this happened a couple weeks ago when my son discovered all the fun stuff to play with inside the stand).

Here's a few pictures of the inside of the stand and what the connections look like, sorry about the quality, I had to use flash...






























I think I want to put a bottom shelf in this stand... I decided against it when I was building it to give myself more room to work around in there, but I think it would look much cleaner with a shelf instead of setting stuff on the floor. I also want to put some lighting in the stand, it's in a dark corner of the room and I hate dragging out my worklights every time I need to do maintenance.

Here's a shot of the tank, I took out the plants on the left side and put them in my new 20 long, and I switched the intake and spraybar around, I need to add some plants and get a different piece of driftwood for the left side...


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## Sacrifice

Sweet looking setup, your P looks stuffed in the pic, lol.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Decided to add the shelf this weekend, I cut it to size yesterday and then primed and installed today, I think it looks much better and I'm glad I did it. I still need to go over with paint next weekend, I was able to do 2 coats of primer today and only had to shut the filter off for an hour. Here's some pics...























I added some more plants to the tank this weekend as well and swapped out for a better piece of driftwood. I basically ripped all the plants out and re-planted since I was adding a bunch of dwarf sag that were all different sizes. Also added some crypts and a sword for the back corner Still needs to grow in and I want to add a few more things, but it's comin along...


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## Lifer374

Wow man. Looks great!

I've been meaning to ask. What is that hooked up to your Eheim?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Thanks man... Are you talking about the inline heater on the return line?


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## Lifer374

^
Thats what I was assuming it was. Thanks.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Lifer374 said:


> ^
> Thats what I was assuming it was. Thanks.


If you've never used one, I definitely recommend it, keeps the temp within a few tenths of a degree at all times and it keeps some equipment out of the tank.


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## FEEFA

The inline heater turned really nice, I may have to invest in one

Do you know if they make one for the fx5? I dont know how that would work with the thick plastic hoses so I assume they dont


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

The 300w has 5/8" fittings, I don't know what the ID of the FX5 hoses are, but there's always a way to DIY.


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## FEEFA

Would it be badd to just un the heater to the intake hose? Would the eheim then be too hot or could it kill off your bacteria or something?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

You could do it, but it would gunk up pretty quick, so you'd have to remove it to clean it on a regular basis.


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## FEEFA

So much for that idea


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

****** said:


> So much for that idea


If you want to run it on your 2217, just plumb it like I did, only cost me about $3 and took all of an hour to put together.


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## I Can Mate

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> The 300w has 5/8" fittings, I don't know what the ID of the FX5 hoses are, but there's always a way to DIY.


i think i read fx5 hoses are 1"


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