# My 720 Repair & Setup



## Plum (May 4, 2006)

I spent many hours upon hours searching Kijiji, Craigslist, Ebay and any other site where I thought someone might be trying to get rid of a tank. I don't enjoy paying retail for much of anything, so this was the only way I would justify the spend. It drove my fiance crazy, but the wedding is still slotted for August (she's a keeper).

Then one summer day, I found a tank in Columbus Ohio that a club had been trying to sell (Screamin Willies). The price had moved down to $1800 USD, and my choice was made. I attached the trailer to the car and began the 660 mile drive with the dogs & wife.

I had only seen the tank through pictures, and did not know anybody in the area to take a look at the tank for me. When I arrived, I chatted with the guys and was informed the water had been taken out of the tank now for about 2 weeks. It had since become custom for people to get drunk and jump into the tank for grins.... Therefore the tank was terribly scratched. They had also cut out the middle brace to remove a "cement mermaid" decoration, which I assume was the reason for a couple serious scratches on the front. "Why did I just not buy retail" is the question I am asking myself at this moment, but this is part of the fun of purchasing items this used.

The tank would be going into the new addition that I built onto my families country home. We pre-poured the basement floor, and laid extra concrete where the large tanks would be situated, as a pre-caution. Built a ramp, and with the aid of straps and a car, lowered the tanks into the basement. Family was recruited to help with the moving.









The tank was then put on the stand made of cinder blocks, with insulation placed underneath to ensure that the surface the tank would rest on, would be flat.
















My first order of business would be to remove the scratches from the tank. Being a salesman, I don't have much hands on experience in trades. I had hoped that the Novus scratch removal creams would do the job, but it simply was not the case. I was very hesitant at trying to sand the tank, as I could easily ruin my dream tank. Luckily, my cousin is quite hands on, and worked in a local manufacturing plant that made acrylic showers, bath tubs etc. During his time there, he did alot of the repairs on the acrylic tubs that would get scratched - enter my Savior John. My one concern - John has a terrible temper, and many things get thrown during his rampages - note to self, keep John calm, keep him very happy.
















It is truly an art how this boy can handle a buffer. This tank would not near look like it does today if it were not for him. I was truly amazed to say the least.









Two compartments had been made in the tank for filtration. The water would flow over the internal compartment, flow through the bio balls, and into a sump that was installed under the tank. One of the compartments was not operational due to a large crack at the bottom of the compartment.























The compartment furthest to the back looked to have been installed by the manufacturer, the second compartment looked to have been made by the owner. They bonded the acrylic of the DIY compartment, to the original overflow, and had placed epoxy at the bottom of both of both compartments. I was not sure the reason for the epoxy, but figured I only need to remove the DIY overflow that the owner had installed. For whatever reason, they chose not to remove the original, and had blocked the top of the non-funtioning overflow so that no water would flow through it anymore.









I removed the epoxy, and took a sawz-all to the DIY overflow. Once removed, I prepared the area for patching. I simply took a 12"x12"x .75" acylic piece, and bonded it with Weld On #16. I chose this over the Methalyne Chloride as the area was not completely level, and the Methalyne Chloride is like water thus I assumed it would not bond.









It was not time to replace the middle brace, as I cannot see myself filling this beast without it. I also question how in hell they got the mermaid decoration in there, with it.... I assume I misunderstood the original owner, and they must have cut out the brace to put the cement mermaid in. Crazy in my opinion, and no way I am going to risk water flowing all over the basement and my wife cursing at me. From much of the research I had done before hand, I remembered reading a gentleman's DIY acrylic build where he used pins to hold of the acrylic sheet, and then filled the gap with Methalyne Chloride - I would use the same method.









In this photo, you can see where it has bonded - not a complete bond of all the surface area, though I figure more than acceptible.









At this point, I figure I have tackled the difficult tasks, and will move to drilling the back of the tank for the bulkhead fittings that I will install. The reason for the installtion of the bulkhead fittings at the top of the back panel is for the simple reason that I need room above the tank to work on it. The tank is 3 feet deep, and the ceiling is about 7 feet tall. I will place the sump behind the tank, as putting it underneath the tank, would just not allow for easy access above the tank. I want ample room to work on the tank.

I purchased some economy bulkheads from AquaticEco, and began to drill the acrylic. I thought I had measured the spacing correctly, though at 2AM, my brain simply does not function properly. No changing their position now....
















I had the "great" idea of using a stock tank for filtration (more on this after). I should have known better just by measuring the thing - the dimensions, for my particular build, should have had me come up with another solution right away. None the less...






























Now time for the fill - all seems well, until I hit the 1 foot mark.
















Of course, I am out of the room at this time, and have tons of water running all over the floor. I end up ruining the finished landing into the basement. It seems that the preasure of the water allowed it to flow into the compartment that I had not removed. Time to empty out all the water I can, and take out the sawz-all again, and cut out the compartment I had hoped to leave alone.









With this removal, I will need to patch this section of the bottom pane, and will need to remove the patch that I have already glued onto it. Hammer and chissel??? Maybe not my brightest idea. I end up taking out a thick piece of the tank, along with the patch.









After much cursing, I prepare a large piece of acrylic to patch the two holes that were used for the orignal filtration. Lots of Weldon #16 is used.

With the patch in place, the tank is ready to be filled again. The water level rises to the bulkhead fittings, the ECONOMY bulkhead fittings, and I learn why they are economy. They leak unbelivably well. Off to my local plumbing outlet where I purchase some heavy duty 2" Schedule 80 Tank Adapters. I have come to know the guy that works there very well, and get a great deal on the plumbing supplies that I purchase through him. I have no idea how I get the deal that I do, so this compounds my stupidity, as I should have just purchased these to begin with. The one problem I have now is that I need to enlarge the holes, as these fittings require a larger hole than the 2 7/8 that was used for the economy fittings. After much thought, I made a hole in plywood first, and had my wife hold it in front of my previous holes, so that the drill does not slide all over the place. Success.
















With the proper bulkhead fittings in place, it is time to fill the tank. All is well, though I have a small leak from the stock tank, so I decide to DIY a sump with 2x4, plywood and pond liner. This is an experiment, that has gone extermely well to date. It is cost efficient, and allows me to come up with any specifications I desire. If it continues to hold up well, I will implement this in the fish room for my other tanks, centralizing some of the filtration. The pond liner is not glued into the wood structure. It is simply well placed, folded, and then "clamped" between 2x4 at the top of the structure.
















The sump is simply used for mechanical filtration, and to hide my heaters. The bio-filtration will come from a Ultima filter that I have purchased. This bio-filter will filter my two large tanks.

I now move on to the fun part of the set up. I plumb the Hammer head pump, install the lighting, and get ready to start up the tank. I am not concerned much with the looks of the lights, as the tank will be behind a wall in a couple months. I held off installing the walls until I have all the tanks set up. I have tried to caption the current in the tank from the 5800 GPH pump - The pygos are enjoying it.









I purchased 4 400W Metal Halides, and decide to install 2 first, to see how bright it is. My concern about having enough lighting is put to rest - these things are bright! I purchased two 6500K bulbs, and two 10000K bulbs. I can't stress how yellow the 6500K are. I will most likely only put one of them over this tank, as I don't find it pleasant to the eyes whatsoever.









Again - apologies for the pics, it is a new camera, and software (taking shots in RAW and converting them to JPG's) and I have limited lenses at the moment

I then installed the 10000k bulbs.
















With the loss of some of my pygos during my build (power outage) & the addition of many over the last month, I have plainly lost count, and have not taken the time to count them. With the problems that arise with buidling a house, work, etc. extra time has been hard to find. I aquired 6 Piraya this week, which puts the total Piraya count at 9. I have an estimated 7 Terns, and 6 Cariba. No shots include the recent Piraya additions, though their color is remarkable, and I must thank Nero1 again for keeping such beatiful fish. The shots do include 5 pygos that survived my black ice ordeal - Thank you Daelongatus - http://www.piranha-fury.com/pfury/index.ph...=180643&hl=





































The funnest part of the monster tank, is the simple things that become difficult. Normally, if I drop something in my 240G, I just stick my arm in and grab it, this is not the case anymore. It takes a bit more thinking and work. One issue I had was that the sand I dumped into the tank was all at one side. I attempted to spread it out with a 2x4, which was a stupid idea. So, I figure why not go in??









I know what your thinking - nice legs eh! I just moved very slowly, and pushed them aside with some driftwood when they came near. Should have probably fed them before, but when your in the tank, it is a bit late for that.

It is nice to finally have this thing up and running. It had sat in the basement empty for many months, which drove me nuts. I will attempt to take some better pics for you, though wanted to post and show you guys what I accomplished.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.


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## ICEE (Feb 3, 2007)

amazing work









im sure the P's love it.


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## Malawi- (Oct 21, 2008)

Yeah thats gorgeous, I cant wait to see more pics. Thanks for posting this, these are my most enjoyable threads to read. But if you think you have less then 25 pygos , why dont you add some more. Do you have reds, or just the other 3 pygos? Well its very impressive, nice tank, nice shoal. Oh, and im curious on the dimensions of the tank.


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## MiGsTeR (Jan 19, 2008)

Awesome work man!


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## Trigga (Jul 1, 2006)

awesome man


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## Uncle Jesse (Feb 18, 2007)

I can't wait to see this thing when the water settles.


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## ju5tin95 (Nov 25, 2008)

wow thats crazy!! you gonna plant the tank?


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## CichlidAddict (Jul 1, 2005)

Sweet! Any full tank shots?
I love that last pic of you standing in the tank.


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## Sheppard (Jul 8, 2004)

Definitely great to see this beast setup! Your right about the lighting though, I can't beleive how yellow those 6500K's are!
Keep pictures and updates coming!


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

Nice to see it up and running man-
Good documentation on the build process....


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## Plum (May 4, 2006)

Malawi- said:


> Nice to see it up and running man-
> Good documentation on the build process....


I should have taken a bit more pictures, though not bad documentation. I bought a Nikon d200, and still am practising with it.


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## Malawi- (Oct 21, 2008)

Excited to see those pics. Your not missing much without having reds, I just thought mys well have most of the pygos in there, if not all. I would add like 3-5 and call it good. Are you still feeding them small foods or are you gonna feed a large fillet like once a week? How many watts of heater do you have? And how do water changes work on such size of a tank?


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## robert69 (Jul 16, 2005)

Awesome post on the progress!


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## İHTİYAR PİRANHACI (Feb 22, 2008)

Super a fish tank


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## Plum (May 4, 2006)

Took this video and will add another one today or tomorrow of me feeding them shrimp.


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## Uncle Jesse (Feb 18, 2007)

Awesome. Those are some lucky fish. That tank makes them look like they are only a few inches long. Is it really that load or is it just the video?


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

Thats an insane tank!! Good job on the all the hard work also, i know i would'nt even attempt anything like that









Whats the dimensions of that beast?


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## PygoLover (Mar 22, 2007)

WoW, i'm speachless!!! GREAT JOB THERE, mate








Tommy


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## Plum (May 4, 2006)

febsalien said:


> Thats an insane tank!! Good job on the all the hard work also, i know i would'nt even attempt anything like that :laugh:
> 
> Whats the dimensions of that beast?


The tank is 8 Feet Long x 4 Feet Wide x 3 Feet Tall


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## Plum (May 4, 2006)

Here is their 1st feeding. They love shrimp for whatever reason.


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

Crazy, how many you have in there? How many of which type?


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## Plum (May 4, 2006)

Murphy18 said:


> Crazy, how many you have in there? How many of which type?


22 Pygos

(9 Piraya, 7 Cariba, 6 Ternetzi)

2 of my big terns have been with me the longest (3 years). I purchased them from Sam in Montreal (I don't see him on here leately though)


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## BALZANO ALESSANDRO (May 22, 2007)

fantastic!!!


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## Moondemon (Dec 9, 2006)

That's an amazing tank Sean !
Very impressive.. Are those fish aggressive towards one another ?

Did you setup your other huge tank ??

Keep up the good work !


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## Yanfloist (Oct 1, 2007)

man, you are awesome!!! Big tanks rule!!


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## Trigga (Jul 1, 2006)

Makes me want to start up another pygo tank after watching that feeding vid.

You gotta show your whole collection plum i know you got like everything.


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## Plum (May 4, 2006)

Moondemon said:


> Makes me want to start up another pygo tank after watching that feeding vid.
> 
> You gotta show your whole collection plum i know you got like everything.


I will have to take some pictures of them, though did lose some due to a power outage.


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## primetime3wise (Sep 28, 2003)

i wanna see the first cleaning video









seriously though, it looks great, you did an amazing job.


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## xeloR (Jan 2, 2009)

VERY nice setup!


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## louisvillain2.0 (May 16, 2007)

Awesome tank and setup. Some seriously lucky pygo's.


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## Plum (May 4, 2006)

louisvillain2.0 said:


> Awesome tank and setup. Some seriously lucky pygo's.


Yes, they are spoiled. They have a feast every second night also. They are eating an enormous amount, even though I have the temp at 76 degrees. I think it is due to the current in the tank - they are swimming quite a bit and therefore dispursing energy.

They love their shrimp, and finally are eating krill - that took awhile.


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## philbert (Mar 8, 2007)

Plum said:


> Awesome tank and setup. Some seriously lucky pygo's.


Yes, they are spoiled. They have a feast every second night also. They are eating an enormous amount, even though I have the temp at 76 degrees. I think it is due to the current in the tank - they are swimming quite a bit and therefore dispursing energy.

They love their shrimp, and finally are eating krill - that took awhile.
[/quote]

that current is redic haha. amazing job i cant wait to see it with the lighting done. are you going to plant it?


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## Blackdude (Feb 28, 2003)

Plum said:


> 22 Pygos
> (9 Piraya, 7 Cariba, 6 Ternetzi)
> 2 of my big terns have been with me the longest (3 years). I purchased them from Sam in Montreal (I don't see him on here leately though)


Your from Montreal ?


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## iLucas (Oct 6, 2008)

amazing tank


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## Plum (May 4, 2006)

Blackdude said:


> 22 Pygos
> (9 Piraya, 7 Cariba, 6 Ternetzi)
> 2 of my big terns have been with me the longest (3 years). I purchased them from Sam in Montreal (I don't see him on here leately though)


Your from Montreal ?
[/quote]

about an hour outside of Montreal.

In Ontario - I live in the countryside... very peaceful.


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

hey Plum!

i asked you few questions on youtube and finally suscribe here. for your yellowish tint with the 6500k, i know that on french forums (like french from france) many guys have 6500k hqi combined with blue tint T5 neons. like for 4-5 70w HQI, they put 2 T5 just to balance the colors. it makes a great result

see yourself

http://www.piranhas-fr.com/forum/viewtopic...c&start=275

he puts two T5 in front of the HQIs

really nice job buddy

any pictures with the plants? if you had some yet of course


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## massabsamurai (Mar 12, 2009)

amazing tank man. Simply outstanding.


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## His Majesty (Apr 5, 2005)

simply astounding. amazing setup
nice work.
be nice to see some more pics of the whole thing if you have time


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## EZmoney (May 13, 2004)

this is a superb tank and huge project to get it running. thanks for the back story. would love to see some more pics/video updates. has it been planted yet?


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## Plum (May 4, 2006)

leg89 said:


> hey Plum!
> 
> i asked you few questions on youtube and finally suscribe here. for your yellowish tint with the 6500k, i know that on french forums (like french from france) many guys have 6500k hqi combined with blue tint T5 neons. like for 4-5 70w HQI, they put 2 T5 just to balance the colors. it makes a great result
> 
> ...


Thank you for the information - I had tried to balance the lighting out by placing two 6500K with two 10000K though I think your post will help out with ending my "trial and error" testing.

For plants the Jungle Val is growing like a weed and I have added some other plants that seem to be doing great - will be nice once it grows and fills in. I have also added Monstera deliciosa at the top of the tank to have the roots growing down and also to help with water quality - it is working great.

I will clean the tank and take some pictures tonight.


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## Plum (May 4, 2006)

updated photos


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## EZmoney (May 13, 2004)

your pygos are looking fat and happy!

any chance for some pics of the hydroponics and plants plz? I kinda see some of the roots in the 1st pic, but i'd like to see more of the top of the tank!


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## His Majesty (Apr 5, 2005)

love your tank and shoal
looks like you got the amazon running through your house.
keep us posted on your progress


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## pirairtool (Nov 12, 2005)

Nice work on the tank the piranha look very happy. What filteration have you got on that tank? What are the dimensions of the tank?


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## the_w8 (Jul 28, 2003)

I'd also like to know what filtration your are running in that beast? I'm assuming a massive sump.


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

the_w8 said:


> I'd also like to know what filtration your are running in that beast? I'm assuming a massive sump.


cmon man, only have to check the first page of the post to have your answer in words and pictures...


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## primetime3wise (Sep 28, 2003)

simply amazing setup you've got there


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## Plum (May 4, 2006)

gamgenius said:


> your pygos are looking fat and happy!
> 
> any chance for some pics of the hydroponics and plants plz? I kinda see some of the roots in the 1st pic, but i'd like to see more of the top of the tank!


I just updated this thread - http://www.piranha-fury.com/pfury/index.php?showtopic=183214

When I compressed the pictures it seems they got darker - I will attempt to play with the exposer today or tomorrow in Photo Shop - Give you guys a better look of the tank and their colors.


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## EZmoney (May 13, 2004)

Awesome, PLum! thanks for posting those pics. it is a pretty creative idea adding the plants in that way!


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## pyrokingbrand (Nov 30, 2004)

Very Cool man!


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## Genin (Feb 4, 2003)

Wow that arangement of driftwood is AWESOME. Great DIY fix job man. I am jealous.


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## Dawgz (Aug 18, 2005)

Crazy tank man! One can only dream of having a tank like that! (well, I hope to have one that size SOME day lol).

Im pretty sure u can get away with smaller fish like danios, neons and wat not in that tank if u wanted to, along with the pygos in there. But in any case the tank as is right now is perfect. You should charge admission


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## Plum (May 4, 2006)

Here are some better photos as the last were to dark due to Peat and leaves. i changed 60% of the water and played with the shutter.

All pictures are taken with a 55mm lens - apologies it is the only suitable lens I have at the moment.

The 1st batch of photos are NEF converted to JPG - in other words, non modified.

The 2nd batch are NEF's which have been "autofixed"

Enjoy,

1st batch































































2nd Batch (photoshop - "AUTOFIX")


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## EZmoney (May 13, 2004)

I like the caribes and terns, but your piraya are primo!








to the entire collection!!!


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## ru4iowahawkeyes (May 11, 2009)

lol people love shrimp. piranha love shrimp...
This. Is a problem!!!

Very sweet setup. Super Jealous.

ROckon!








Steve


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## massabsamurai (Mar 12, 2009)

Awesome ps buddy. Mind selling me some of ur caribes







jk!


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## His Majesty (Apr 5, 2005)

to all your fish

love this setup. keep the updates and pics coming


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## peanutpiranha (Dec 7, 2005)

just read this and have to say that is a proper tank
keep it up


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

real real nice shoal! is that the real colour of your tank or just the picture? did you modify anything in the light system? personally, i find it very natural that way, but for personal enjoyment, i'd add some blue in there to balance the colors. still, just a personal choice, the atual result is very much like the vids we see underwater in the amazon.


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## Plum (May 4, 2006)

leg89 said:


> real real nice shoal! is that the real colour of your tank or just the picture? did you modify anything in the light system? personally, i find it very natural that way, but for personal enjoyment, i'd add some blue in there to balance the colors. still, just a personal choice, the atual result is very much like the vids we see underwater in the amazon.


The dritwood is all new (tannins are leaching), I use peat moss, and leaves to darken the water, giving it a very natural look. To get the better pictures I had to do a 60% water change, therefore clearing up the water.

The lighting is 4x400w metal halides - two 6500K bulbs & two 10000K bulbs.


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## the_w8 (Jul 28, 2003)

I would love to have a massive tank like that one day. That tank is jus killer!!!


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