# Got a 180 gallon installed into my wall



## ONEmike (Jan 1, 2004)

I got a 180 gallon (72x24x24) put into my wall today. my parents had the basement finished and i asked to have a hold put in the wall speciafically for a 180 gallon and also a built stand. and today it was put it i love it its going to take me a while to set it up. ill have pics up asap


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

Oh my god, that is incredible!
Those are the coolest parents!
Can you imagine?
Hell, when I was a kid, it was all I could do to get them to let me have a 10 gallon community tank in my room!


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## ONEmike (Jan 1, 2004)

i know







but i do pay for alot of things in and around teh house like eletricity and such.

im so happy now i gotta get this bad boy set up with some pygos in it.

any one know how long it will take to cycle it?


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## freakgasolinefightaccident (Jan 3, 2005)

2 days and you're safe,1 week if you wanna play it by the book i guess. Man you are so lucky,my rents will have no more of my tankery,i have 6 small ones in my room raning from 10-55 gallons.


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## King Oscar (Apr 5, 2005)

dude buy some cichlids


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## phil me in (Jun 6, 2004)

freakgasolinefightaccident said:


> 2 days and you're safe,1 week if you wanna play it by the book i guess. Man you are so lucky,my rents will have no more of my tankery,i have 6 small ones in my room raning from 10-55 gallons.
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i think it will take more like a month to cycle a tank that big


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## killerbee (Aug 18, 2004)

ONEmike : congrats now post some pics we like to see a beginning to end thread.









freakgasolinefightaccident: i want whatever u are using for that small amount of time for a big cycled tank







Reality is a little less or a little more than a month.









However, good things comes to those who wait, trust me i'm cycling my 113 right now. started on 5/8/05 and i'm now waiting for my nitrates to consume my nitrites. ammonia is already at 0 and my ph is steady at 7.5















Waiting sucks but it will pay off in the end


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## Joga Bonito (Oct 30, 2004)

pics


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## r1dermon (Mar 9, 2005)

i cycled my 90 in 5 days flat. never even got the chance to test for nitrites. heh. i took my fluval 404 and hooked it up to my 29g tank which was already cycled and inhabited. then i switched the fluval onto the 90 when it was all set up. moved the fish over and shabang. i got an ammonia reading up to 1ppm. did a 10% change and 1ppm again...went a couple days like that and then all of the sudden, 0ppm, then i took my test strip and dipped it in and nitrates were 10ppm and nitrites were 0. i almost sh*t a brick. thats definately the way to go. get a filter with a ton of media in it, and hook it up to a cycled tank for a few days. switch it over and you're set. good lfs's should sell bacteria beds too. my lfs has a cycled tank that he puts pure ammonia in every day, its got a powerhead that blows on a bunch of carbon filled sacks. take one of those suckers home and its like instant cycle. lol. not bad for 8 bucks.


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## freakgasolinefightaccident (Jan 3, 2005)

biospira! No need to wait for your freshwater tank to cycle like a saltwater!


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

ONEmike said:


> i know
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Without bio-spira i would say a month to 6 weeks. Since you're going pygos i highly recommend you go the fishless cycle route so that the beneficial bacteria will be built up properly to handle your bio-load. Going the fishless route will also cut down on your cycle time a week.


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## ONEmike (Jan 1, 2004)

Here i took some pics


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## ONEmike (Jan 1, 2004)

more


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## vinnielatino (Mar 23, 2005)

sweet...


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## cmsCheerFish (Dec 17, 2004)

very sweet.. tryin to talk my dad to put one into his bar.. hes cool with it but the boss aka my mom says no!!


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## ONEmike (Jan 1, 2004)

Yah i just put the gravel in i think i need another two bags though. tomorrow i will be filling it up and starting my cycle with some cheap fish


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## divine (Jan 3, 2005)

I really like you setup. Very sweet


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## Joga Bonito (Oct 30, 2004)

SWEET


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## Fresh2salt (Jul 16, 2004)

looks good


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## ICrazyChrisI (May 10, 2005)

Very nice! I wish I had that much room to work with.


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## fishofury (May 10, 2003)

That's going to look sweet once you get it all set up and running


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## weidjd (Feb 13, 2005)

Are you going to put a frame around it or keep it as the pics shows? What filtration setup are you going with?


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## ONEmike (Jan 1, 2004)

Yah a frame will go around it just have to set everything up first, it would be a hassle if i i had the frame on. and im running on a fluval 404, emp 400 and cascade 1500


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## ONEmike (Jan 1, 2004)

got everything set up will take pics asap


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## NegativeCamber (Nov 29, 2004)

Thats bad ass!!! Ya, post some more pics!


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## ONEmike (Jan 1, 2004)

here some pics i put some amazon swords in there along with 14 gold fish just checked ny pirimeters lookes like its going to eb a long wait


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## Genin (Feb 4, 2003)

that is looking really great!


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## viZual (Jan 16, 2005)

i'm lovin it!

-mcdonalds


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## spec-v (Feb 27, 2005)

can't wait to see it finished


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## ONEmike (Jan 1, 2004)

thanks ill post pics as i update the tank


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## ElKingo (Apr 29, 2005)

That looks just great







! You've got cool parents for letting you have that badass tank in their basement wall. Good luck and let them pics coming!


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## STIFFY (Jul 9, 2003)

Looks great!!!
It took me 6 weeks to cycle my 180g w/ fish.


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## ONEmike (Jan 1, 2004)

6 weeks holy crap, i was hoping mine to be done in two. i have a cascade 1500 that was used on another tank running as well as an emp 400 also used with all the same media in it, also i have a penguin mini running also used. i have gravel that was in an old tank, as well as 15 goldfish and 5 amazon swords. how long do you expect it to take i check the ammo read and nitrate read today they are both still at zero


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## ONEmike (Jan 1, 2004)

Yes i finally put my Reds in there, i have 12 1" reds in there right now. im hoping trade my 55 and 20 long for a 75+ gallon tank so i can put 3 cariba in it. well hope you all enjoy.

FeedBack Please


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Lookin' very good. Ever thinking about putting a piece on hinges to drop down over the top portion there to hide the filters and light? Something that pulls out, up, then locks? (I'm sure there's a technical name for those hinges.)

Also, can't tell, but is the top totally open? No worries about fish jumping?


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## mikeoway (Apr 13, 2003)

everything looks really good except for the tops. are you using plastic sheets as tops? becaues i can see the bowling on them. i think you should get some pieces of glass to use as the top.i'm sure you can get them pretty cheap at a glass shop, just give them the dimensions. other then the filter looking kinda dirty, it looks really good bro. good job


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## Piraya33 (May 26, 2005)

Sweet tank man!!!


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## ONEmike (Jan 1, 2004)

tops are plexiglass. really disappointed with them. ill probably get some glass tops sorry abour the crap quailty of my cam.


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## matc (Jul 31, 2004)

I wouldn't use glass...i would made a nice wood canopy to hide the light, filters and that fits right under the bottom of the wall


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## Phtstrat (Sep 15, 2004)

Tank looks nice but I would also get a glass top. You could probably just have a one piece one made at your local glass shop. Thats what I do on some of my tanks and it makes it really easy to clean and preserves heat well.

As for stocking, a tank that big probably deserves some fish that get bigger than reds. If I were you I'd go with cariba or piraya probably.


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## matc (Jul 31, 2004)

:laugh: oops sorry for my last post i think i shouldn't drink and type on a forum


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## blindside (Mar 25, 2005)

that is mint mate nice one!! id love to have the room to put a tank in the wall









ian


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## animaniac10 (Jun 7, 2005)

bro that tnak looks sick but you reallu should try and cover the top. bulkit a fram and plave come drywall on it and king the frame to the wall so u can move it out


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## CTREDBELLY (Apr 8, 2005)

looks pimp. my sugestion is get a nice power compact light fixture and make add some plants in there and yes get glass tops as you plan to. but finish the wall to make it look REALLY clean ply wood with lock hinges kinda like a ladder or even the tray slider type that flip open and go back and paint it wall color. a tank in the wall looks GREAT if its done fully. with another days worth of work and $30 in wood and hinges your set up will look flawless.


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## EZmoney (May 13, 2004)

That looks sick! But I agree with everyone that the space above the tank needs to be finished for the full effect of a built-in wall tank.


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## iam7617115 (Apr 13, 2005)

jerry_plakyda said:


> ONEmike said:
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That is really good advice but it is really up to you on how you want to cycle it. I used goldfish to cycle my 120 and it only took 2 weeks. I've read these forums a lot lately and I've noticed that many people have used different techniques and got a lot of different cycle times. Some people on here could cycle a 100+ gallon tank in 2 weeks and others take a good month or more. Either way do it and get those pygos in there already.

*EDIT* Sorry I am late. They are already in there. That looks awesome but like everyone says, glass tops, and put those hinges with wood to give it a full wall effect. Thats awesome.


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## corbypete (Jan 24, 2005)

cool, £125?


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## ONEmike (Jan 1, 2004)

thanks for the replies, the whole part that is openened will be covered with wood, its just i haven't gotten around to doing it yet. also, i will be buying glass tops because a canopy would make no sense becasue you can't see it since its behind a wall. i hope to get these p's big fast. i also have a 55 gallon tank ready to be stocked with i have no clue. any opinions?


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## CTREDBELLY (Apr 8, 2005)

ONEmike said:


> thanks for the replies, the whole part that is openened will be covered with wood, its just i haven't gotten around to doing it yet. also, i will be buying glass tops because a canopy would make no sense becasue you can't see it since its behind a wall. i hope to get these p's big fast. i also have a 55 gallon tank ready to be stocked with i have no clue. any opinions?
> [snapback]1070286[/snapback]​


where is the 55gal tank?

personally i would stock it with cichlids bright colors fish with personality and ease of freshwater care.


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## boozehound420 (Apr 18, 2005)

once you get the top area covered, some wall trim around the endes of the drywall that'll look flawless

how big is that opening above the tank, if its enough for your 55 gallon i'd put that up there and throw a small serra in it!!!


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## Fresh2salt (Jul 16, 2004)

Awesome looking


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## ONEmike (Jan 1, 2004)

this is my 55 gallon, if i can't decide what to do with it i might just sell it. i already have alot of tank up and running i have a 165, 38, 20 long, 10, and this 55.


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## pyrokingbrand (Nov 30, 2004)

hot damn, that is an excellent set up man, good luck!


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## darby (Apr 28, 2005)

very nice


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## ONEmike (Jan 1, 2004)

ill post more pics once i get more done to it.


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## Kamikaze (Apr 5, 2004)

yeah that is a very nice wall setup or at least it will be when you finish the top for it.. and have you considered putting a serre in the 55 gal


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## ONEmike (Jan 1, 2004)

yah i have but, i really like the feeding frenzies of pygos. only serra i would get is a elong.


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## spec-v (Feb 27, 2005)

tank looks good those are some lucky reds can't wait to see the hinged door installed looks good man good job


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## Genin (Feb 4, 2003)

wow you have your hands full with all of these tanks. the 180 looks phenominal. i can't wait to see how those guys grow for you in that sweet tank!


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## RRice (Feb 16, 2005)

lots of talk about cycling, seems like it takes a while, is the only thing to worry about is if the levels are right? if they arent will it just kill the fish or what? or will it have long term effects on the fish?

also, if you use a filter straight from another thank or gravel or whatnot, wont that make things very quick?


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## Atlanta Braves Baby! (Mar 12, 2003)

Wow that looks really nice.


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## taylorhedrich (Mar 2, 2005)

RRice said:


> lots of talk about cycling, seems like it takes a while, is the only thing to worry about is if the levels are right? if they arent will it just kill the fish or what? or will it have long term effects on the fish?
> 
> also, if you use a filter straight from another thank or gravel or whatnot, wont that make things very quick?
> [snapback]1072332[/snapback]​


Most fish can pull through with a cycle, it just has long term effects on them. You know your tank is cycled when your ammonia and nitrite level is at 0 and that your nitrate level is below 15. You'll have to get a test kit if you don't already have one.

If your other tank is established, then you can take the filter and run it on the new tank for a few days and it should be quite quick. You could also just drop the filter cartridge from the established tank into the new tank and let it set for a few days.
~Taylor~


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## piranha98 (Jun 15, 2005)

you have nice parents and that will look realy good too when it is up and running you'll have to pictures of your fish in it up obn here


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## zrreber (Mar 8, 2005)

that tank looks awesome.... lucky you got to have it in such a nice area also...


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