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I've used thewetspot in the past and was very happy. I believe they quarantine all their fish before putting them for sale, which reduces the chances of your fish being sick when you get them.

Yikes. 2000 lbs is a lot, I would share your concern! If you don't reinforce, it would be better if the tank runs across the joists (i.e. perpendicular to the joists) rather than along them, so that the weight is supported by several joists instead of just one or two. Even better is the tanks...

1000% this. I know I'm repeating what Colin said, but it is important: The filter currently has no water flow, so the oxygen inside the filter will be depleted quickly. Bacteria can survive for a while without oxygen, but 3 days would start to make me nervous. Putting the filter media in the...

Glad to see you settled on a filter. I don't have much experience with that filter (mine is an Eheim Canister) but you can't go wrong following Colin's advice. Just a heads up on using your established filter to cycle new media: I've never done it, but just from common sense, I would think that...

You started a journal! Heading over there right now.

Yes, it's possible, and not difficult, just wear a mask and protective eye glasses because sanding glass turns it into very fine dust. See if you can find a "sanding sponge" , makes sanding glass a bit safer and easier. Edit: and gloves too! So you don't get cut with the sharp edges you are...

In terms of the glass edges, a friend suggested contacting local glass shops. They have whatever thickness I need, can cut the glass and polish the edges so they are nice and smooth, and my friend thinks they are not more expensive that Lowe's or home Depot. I have reached out to a couple to...

Thanks for the tip! I will probably still try to do a diy lid for the 29 just for fun, but it's a perfect solution for my 10g QT! Thanks! I had never heard of that website, I definitely need to give them a close look!

I'm still playing with ideas... Might try to find a different (better?) way to do this. Doing some browsing on Lowe's website to see what goodies I find 😁

Right. Neither piece is attached. The bottom/back piece, which is the stationary one, fits inside the channel, which keeps the two channels in place and prevents them from falling in. The front/sliding piece sits on top, held in place by the "flap" extending out from the channels. A couple of...

Yes, that is almost exactly what I'm planning to do, except mine will open the other way (back to front, not side to side). I also plan to add a bit of plastic weather stripping on the back so I can cut holes for the hoses. Otherwise it's exactly the same idea.

Well, I'm happy to provide lots of notes. My lid will be a pilot project for yours! I will probably go to Lowe's over the next day or two. Bummer on the 125 :(. Supply chains haven't fully recovered from the pandemic. Fingers crossed you will get yours soon 🤞

I will document thoroughly :) There shouldn't be a big gap between the two panes. I'm planning an overlap of around 0.5" where the two panes meet, and the gap between them should be around 1mm (a bit more than 1/32"). I'm trying to find some type of thin weather stripping to see if I can seal...

Yes, fiddling with lights to do a water change isn't a huge deal, but NOT having to fiddle with the lights at every water change would be awesome :) Maybe my diy glass lid will inspire you to do the same!

The only reason I want a sliding lid is that the light, which sits on top of the tank, prevents the hinged lid from opening fully. For water changes I had to remove the lamp so I could open the lid all the way. Not a huge deal, but the sliding lid will avoid that.

I want a lid mainly to minimize evaporation and help maintain stable temperatures -- particularly in winter when the air tends to be dry and cold! So, I need a lid that encloses the tank. I had a hinged gass lid but the plastic broke when I tried to clean it (somehow it had become brittle). I...

The new tank just arrived! I'm afraid, however, that progress over the next few days might be slow. Next I need to go to home Depot or Lowe's to buy some quick materials to make a sliding lid for the tank and I also want to paint the back of the tank black. I need to wait for the weather to be...

Lol. I do have a technical background but I'm not a biologist, or chemist, or any combination of those. Just someone who loves researching things a lot, until I know just enough to be dangerous 😜 And then I go and try stuff, and that is how I get myself into trouble!

EI stands for "Estimative Index". It's a method developed by a guy called Tom Barr to figure out how many nutrients to provide your tank to ensure good plant growth and avoid algae. It requires no measuring of anything (e.g. no measuring of potassium levels, for instance). The idea is that you...

Healed???? I didn't think that was possible! I thought MTS was a lifelong affliction 😁

Good to know about ammonia. I was aware they consume nitrates, but wasn't sure about ammonia. I'm just starting to learn about plants! Last time it was trial and error, and it was mostly errors 😂 I don't like using decomposing fish/shrimp to cycle. I feel you have less control that way! In...

Good to know! Gives me more confidence to try redoing the silicone, since the risk of a leak if I do a bad job is much lower. I do want to redo the silicone to get rid of that algae -- It looks terrible now. I already have a smaller 10 gallon (about 38 litres) I use as a quarantine tank. So if...

Wow this is great, detailed advice! ¡Gracias! I will follow your advice in full, it makes a lot of sense. I do have a good light (53 PAR at 16" and made for planted aquariums) so I should be able to grow a wide range of plants. When this tank was first set up it was very lightly planted. I did...

I've already purchased the new tank, just waiting for it to arrive 🙂 Since this one requires new silicone seals I wasn't comfortable filling it again. I need to redo the seals but I've never done that before, so for now I'll get the new tank started -- much easier. If/when I get around to...

Ok. So I took advantage of the "free" day while I wait for the new tank to finish cleaning the old one. Started with pure bleach all over, rinsed very thoroughly with a hose, scrubbed with magic eraser, and rinsed thoroughly again. It's now drying: Now that the glass is clean it's easier to see...

So it's safe to stick magic erasers into the water? They don't have any weird chemicals? I always thought they had some type of cleaning agent (I know there are "scented" varieties and what not, but I guess it never occurred to me that the "plain" ones have no chemicals). This is a very cool tip!

I hate snails. I don't know why, I just do. When I got the plants my first time around I would examine the tank twice a day to find and remove any "hitchhikers" that arrived on the plants before they had the chance to reproduce. I know they have benefits, I just don't like them. At all.

Now that I'm closer to adding water I wanted to ask about two issues I had the first time around, and which I'd like to avoid or minimize. When I first set up the tank I had a bloom of diatoms AND of algae. I know both are very common in new tanks and related (diatoms are algae, after all). I...

Ok. Tank is ordered! The store is closed tomorrow for the holiday, so it will get here some time on Friday.

Lol, no, I'm older than that... But I won't spoil the mystery 😁

Yes, they have a few, including a bearded dragon (who is too big for this tank, but I'm sure they can find suitable occupants).

I will probably keep working on it at a much slower pace, it's a chance to practice my "siliconing" skills with no pressure. If it works, the science teacher at my kids' old school is always eager to get new tanks (I used to volunteer there). If it doesn't work... the science teacher at my kids'...