MickS77

This tank build is the culmination of my two threads of; Drilling a tank and Building an aquarium canopy. My inspiration for this tank came from LRB's rainbowfish tank he usually livestreams in front of. I also wanted another tank with botanicals like my blackwater/tannin 75 gallon tank. Equipment wise i want to keep it fairly simply. Two Finnex 48" Stringrays and an Oase BioThermo 350 for filtration and heating. I want to try the Oase canister filters because of the easily removable pre-filter. I will the run the filter through 3/4" bulkheads instead of the supplied spraybar for a cleaner look. Once I had the tank drilled (as seen in the below thread) I applied a black vinyl background. I use the Blue Life USA brand. I used a bottle with some weight to hold down the vinyl over the drilled holes. The vinyl is applied with soapy water so once its dried for a day or so I trimmed out the bulkhead holes with a razor blade. I glued 3/4" 90° barb fittings into each of the bulkheads using all purpose cement because these are ABS plastic bulkheads. Attaching the tubing from the Oase was a little difficult but not impossible. The Oase tubing is only 5/8" ID but from past experience I figured I could stretch it over the 3/4" barb by dipping the tubing in some boiling water to soften it. The black ABS barb was too blunt to get the tubing over. I actually had to use a different 3/4" barb to stretch the tubing enough. Once I had it over the gray barb I held it under cold water to set the shape. Then quickly pulled it off and was able to get it over the bulkhead 3/4" barb. The fit was pretty snug but I added a band clamp just to be safe. Once the bulkheads and tubing were fit I attached the inlet and outlet for the filter. I'm using a strainer adapter on the inlet side along with a Medium ACO sponge pre-filter. For the outlet I'm using Loc-Line. I used a 3/4" Loc-Line adapter to split into two 1/2" nozzles so I can adjust the flow, one to point at the surface and the other downwards. Lots more to go on this build.

I only cut one notch for the Stringray power cords and an airline if I want to use one. I used a 1/2" spade bit and an oscillating tool with a wood blade to cut out the notch.

I will once I settle on cord/airline locations. I'll use a hole saw then cut up from the bottom with a jigsaw, then touch up the paint.

I have a 40B, two 20Hs, and a 5.5 on a single shelf of the Edsal Muscle Rack from Lowes.

I use a 10in Kobalt. I had to buy a separate Kobalt throat plate to accommodate dado blades.

I was thinking a coop calendar would be cool. It could contain Jimmy's aquarium photography or forum members tanks.

This is a brief overview of the tools and techniques I've used to build three aquarium canopies this way. My intent with building a canopy is to block the glare from the lights and light spillage into the rooms. I also want enough room inside the canopy to be able to reach in the tanks if I have to without having to remove it. I use 1/2" Sande Plywood for a nice paintable surface while still being lightweight enough to lift on and off. It does require a moderate set of wood working tools and the knowledge to use them. I used the following. Tablesaw and Dado blade set Miter saw Kreg Pocket Screw Jig Drill To start I take measurements of the aquarium frame that'll determine the inside dimensions of the canopy. This is a 48x18, 90 gallon tank. I like the canopy to cover the black plastic frame of the tank. You could extend this lower to cover the water line as well. Once I determined the dimensions I use a tablesaw to rip the plywood to length. I like to start by assembling the front of the canopy where the doors are. I found a 10" tall opening was good for fitting my arm in and out of easily. I assembly the entire canopy using pocket screws drilled with a jig. I then make the sides of the canopy. I use a stack of dado blades to cut a groove in the sides. The groove will hold a strip of wood the will sit on top of the aquarium frame, holding it up in place. I screw the sides into the inside of the canopy front so that the cut edge will be hidden from the front view. I attach the back of the canopy the same way as the sides. I screwed the back panel on within the inside of the canopy so the side hides the edge of the back panel. At this time I glue in a strip of wood cut to a specific width to fit fully into the dado and extend out enough to sit on the rim of the aquarium frame. Take care not to make it too wide so you can get the glass lids on and off. Test fit confirms all is good to proceed. After that the top is the last major piece followed by fitting the doors. I found a 1/2" overlap on the doors is good. These are the hinges I use. Finally I attach some simple trim around the top to hide the edge of the top panel to give it a nice look. I painted with a semi-gloss black paint. I don't have any filter equipment running over the rim of this tank but you could trim out to allow access for filer tubes, HOBS, etc. I do plan on trimming a small access cutout on the back, for wires and airline, once I determine the light orientation. I'm no expert woodworker but I found this easy to make. May it serve as inspiration for you to design and build your own aquarium canopy instead of buying one.

To this point and if you already consider yourself a NERM, I'd get another tank. You'll be less discouraged if one tank is awesome and another is just kinda meh until you experiment and get things figured.

I've been happy with this one on my Samsung Note 9. I've only taking a few photos with it but it works great.

Don't chase numbers; ph, gh, kh, TDS, etc. As long as your water is safe and habitable your aquatic inhabitants will adapt just fine.

I have hard tap water as well. I don't worry about it and just focus on aesthetics, the Tetras do fine in hard water. I have Lemon, Pristella, Flame, Redeye, and Serpae Tetras in the tank.

I've used the FX4s, Marinelands, and Ehiem Classics. I like the Ehiems because they're simple and work great. I do have an Oase Biothermo waiting to be set up. I'm looking forward to seeing how the removable pre-filter works.

It's quicker than hooking up the Pthyon for small fill ups.

I made this for refilling tanks so I don't have to lift a bucket, splash water everywhere, disturb substrate, etc. It's a Cobalt MJ1200 pump, some push connect fittings, 90° barb, silicone tubing, and a switch on the outlet to control it. I use an extension cord to keep the switch in my hand.

It is no longer sold on the store because the manufacturer could not provide a defect rate low enough to meet Cory's standards.

I like them for hiding equipment more so than any aesthetic reason of having a background. I use black vinyl.

This is my version of Deans system. I've been happy with it and haven't made any changes since this thread.

I'd replace the shelves with 3/4" plywood sheathing. Overkill won't hurt anything and you could support larger tanks in the future.

I like them, their yellow fins really stand out in the tank. A very unique Tetra. I'd recommend getting some while you can.

This is the process I used for drilling my next display tank. Its a 90 gallon tank with 1/4" inch thick glass. I'm drilling to install bulkheads to attach a canister filter too. Drilling a tank isn't as scary as you think if you've never done it before. You just have to go slow and have confidence, once you start there is no going back. It is more difficult and more likely to break on thinner glass, 1/8" or less. The tools I used were: Power drill. I think a two speed drill is best. Used on the lowest setting so you can't go too fast. Drill guide. I like this one with the suction cup. It held really well and has a port to attach a water line too. Squeeze bottle & aquarium airline. The bottle is from Dollar Tree, while not water tight, a thick wrapping of Teflon tape around the threads solves that. I found the Marina blue airline fit onto the nipple of the drill guide the easiest and onto the squeeze bottle. Some flat scrapes of wood and toolbox drawer liner Glass drill bit (obviously). I used a 35mm bit for a 3/4" bulkhead. I didn't want to do it outside with a hose because it was cold and snowing out at the time. I drilled it in my kitchen without making a mess at all. I used the flat scrapes of wood to wedge inside the tank as a brace when drilling. It helps contain everything once you get through the glass and maybe helps prevent some chip out. I used the liner against the glass to prevent the wood from slipping and wedged the piece between them to hold it tight. Go time. I wrapped a towel around the guide to contain the glass dust slurry. I had someone help by squeezing the bottle at a steady rate while I was drilling. I used the lowest speed and set the drill's clutch to the drill setting. Use both hands to hold the drill and keep it as straight as possible. Don't push too hard, especially on thinner glass, hold the drill tight and push down lightly, let the drill bit do the work. It takes time to get through thick glass, just go slow. You'll feel less resistance as you get closer to punching through, ease up on the pressure at that point until you're all the way through. Once you're through the hard part is over, except getting the plug of glass out the bit. Prying with a screwdriver in the slots gets it out. Removing the guide I found very little mess. Easy clean up. You can see the toolbox liner twisted and caught the bit as it punched through. I think that is actually beneficial, like a soft stop/landing for the process. I re-positioned the setup exactly the same and drilled a second hole, also successful.

Sump filter, no room for anything else haha.

I'm planning on two Finnex Stingrays for next build, I've had good luck with them and low to medium light plants.

I've only ever used eco complete and had great success with it. I'm actually planning to mix both eco complete and fluval stratum for my next planted tank, just to try something new.

It's most likely a bacterial bloom. Not harmful just unsightly, assuming your parameters are good. I'd stop changing water and let it clear up in time, maybe a week or so.