Ch4rlie's New Tank!

[vanalisa]

I have Blue-eyes and Peacock gudgeons together. I just posted some pics, too.

Works for me....

 

[Ch4rlie]

Added black background poster to back of tank, i tend to do this as it makes the tank look neater and hides the water pipes and electric cables etc from view.


Added a couple pieces of wood just to see if it fits and suits the tank, yep, like it!


Now soaking the selected wood in a clean plastic tote with a aquaclear 30 powerhead to create flow over the wood.


Tannins coming out already after 24 hours, will need to change water every few days over a couple of weeks.


We're getting there

 

[Ch4rlie]

Bought myself one of these, Oase Biomaster filter 350.



This is rated for a 350 litre tank so should be fine for my 180l as I know from experience that a lot of manufacturers like to exaggerate their numbers to make them a bit more impressive for more sales!

What swung this filter for me over the usual Fluval and Eheim externals is the fact this has a internal heater which means no heater inside the tank itself which is a nice bonus.



And also the fact it’s a little cheaper than the other two brands I mentioned earlier so thought would give it a go and see what happens.

So my next little DIY project is to add something to make it easier to take out the external filter from the cabinet under the tank.

I know from the past whenever I’ve had an external filter inside a cabinet that it can be backbreaking to take out the external filter simply due to the weight of it once full of water and established media etc, also have had mishaps taking out external from tight spaces.

Determined not to make the same mistake here.

So, plan is to have a drawer type mechanism that the filter sits upon and simply slide the filter out when needed.


Using leftover wood and spare drawer runners and kitchen handle that was lying around in the garage and put them to good use. Cost me absolutely nothing and just over an hour of my time.
Perfect!



Dry run with the filter before fitting water pipes and electric extension etc. looking good!

 

[Ch4rlie]

Filter now plumbed and up and running. Looking good.






Love my easy drawer system to slide filter in and out of cabinet, simply pull out, disconnect hoses and then lift up external filter for those maintenance cleans.

Will make life much easier imho.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Filter now plumbed and up and running. Looking good.

View attachment 146501


View attachment 146500

Love my easy drawer system to slide filter in and out of cabinet, simply pull out, disconnect hoses and then lift up external filter for those maintenance cleans.

Will make life much easier imho.

That's a great idea, I like it

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Filter now plumbed and up and running. Looking good.

View attachment 146501


View attachment 146500

Love my easy drawer system to slide filter in and out of cabinet, simply pull out, disconnect hoses and then lift up external filter for those maintenance cleans.

Will make life much easier imho.

Great idea...and I assume that drawer will hold a full filter when extended?.

 

[Ch4rlie]

That's a great idea, I like it

Thank you!

I like it too, have to say why did I not think of this ages ago!
On one of my previous tanks I had a Tetra Tec ex1200 filter, that was a REAL pita to take out of the cabinet as it would spill water and be awkward to take out simply due to the weight and tight space.

Lessons were learned!

Great idea...and I assume that drawer will hold a full filter when extended?.

Thank you, yep, you assume correct that the drawer does indeed hold the weight of the filter fully laden, in fact the picture above in my previous post is the filter fully running and full of water with drawer fully extended, just waiting for the filter media to become full of gunk as this will add a little extra weight. But rest assured its nice and secure and no movements when I try to force any movements to drawer with the filled filter.

I did wonder about the runners when I first found them in the garage, very standard 12" drawer runners, not the ball bearings type which tbh I would have preferred but I did not have any that size lying around so therefore thought would try it out, if it fails, easy enough to swap out the runners but honestly, the standard runner on there is really pretty good and I have complete trust it will serve for years to come. Worked out better than I thought tbh.

Reckon this is going to be a standard thing for me from now on for bulky and heavy external filters in tight cabinets, need to give it a proper name, filter drawer, filter slider, filter pulley.....hmm....

 

[Ch4rlie]

The more observant amongst you may have noticed in earlier photos the two pipes connectors on my external filter.

These are in my opinion a must have for external filters, what they do are pipe disconnecters or separator, means when the filter is switched off you can turn the taps on the disconnecters and stop the water going to and from tank and then disconnect the pipes without water spraying everywhere.

This is for when you need to do the filter maintenance, with pipes disconnected you can move the entire filter to where the sink is and take filter apart to do the maintenance needed and makes access to the motor head to get access to the impeller and housing for those important cleaning.

So MUCH easier than bending over the filter on the floor trying not to make a mess and getting water everywhere!

Connected and running.


Filter switched off and one hose disconnected just to show you how it works. Note the taps are in off position on disconnected hose, simple but real nice to control this part of the filter hoses.


You CAN use these connectors for doing the weekly water changes for both taking water out and refilling using the intake pipe and spray bar in the tank respectively if you wish to but I prefer to do this on separate python hose system.

Will show you what I have planned for these water changes with my own design later on in this thread as still in planning stages and not quite started yet.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Another must have for tank cabinets is organisation, pretty important to be neat and organised imho.

One thing I like to do with my cabinet doors is to either add a rack with holes or hooks or to use a magnetic tool bar, personally I like to use 12” magnetic bar simply screws onto the door, add the aquascaping tools and suchlike, job done. 10 minute job if that.

Simple and easily accessible.

 

[Wills]

The more observant amongst you may have noticed in earlier photos the two pipes connectors on my external filter.

These are in my opinion a must have for external filters, what they do are pipe disconnecters or separator, means when the filter is switched off you can turn the taps on the disconnecters and stop the water going to and from tank and then disconnect the pipes without water spraying everywhere.

This is for when you need to do the filter maintenance, with pipes disconnected you can move the entire filter to where the sink is and take filter apart to do the maintenance needed and makes access to the motor head to get access to the impeller and housing for those important cleaning.

So MUCH easier than bending over the filter on the floor trying not to make a mess and getting water everywhere!

Connected and running.
View attachment 146851

Filter switched off and one hose disconnected just to show you how it works. Note the taps are in off position on disconnected hose, simple but real nice to control this part of the filter hoses.
View attachment 146852

You CAN use these connectors for doing the weekly water changes for both taking water out and refilling using the intake pipe and spray bar in the tank respectively if you wish to but I prefer to do this on separate python hose system.

Will show you what I have planned for these water changes with my own design later on in this thread as still in planning stages and not quite started yet.

This is such a good idea I can think of loads of old filters like the fx range this would be amazing for but… I don’t think you need it for the oase you have it’s so easy to unclip the pipes and it’s a water tight seal when you take the pipes off.

Wills

 

[Ch4rlie]

This is such a good idea I can think of loads of old filters like the fx range this would be amazing for but… I don’t think you need it for the oase you have it’s so easy to unclip the pipes and it’s a water tight seal when you take the pipes off.

Wills

Yes you can do that on the Oase but this for me is a neat tried and tested method that I like personally.

So really there are two options, but with those connectors I think there are more options and control.

I learned this from when I had tetra tec ex1200 and that was a true pita to disconnect and remove the filter without the connectors.

 

[Wills]

Yes you can do that on the Oase but this for me is a neat tried and tested method that I like personally.

So really there are two options, but with those connectors I think there are more options and control.

I learned this from when I had tetra tec ex1200 and that was a true pita to disconnect and remove the filter without the connectors.

Yeah I can definitely see the attraction When I had my FX5s and 6s they were an absolute nightmare, you got the pipes off and the connectors were just full to the brim - I used to shove kitchen roll in to get the level down enough so I could put a pipe in to syphon some out... It just led to very lazy filter maintenance.

Wills

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I missed this until today! I need to start spending a bit more time in the journals section--these threads are always my favorites to follow. I'm with you and slap: Builds and cycling are definitely among my favorite parts of fish keeping. Having a tank running healthy and stable multiple years is a huge feeling of accomplishment, but there's nothing quite like a new build to get the old endorphins pumping!

Stocking ideas: I think that some threadfin rainbows and a school of black mollies would look amazing with your blue eyes. It would be a really interesting mix of colors, and the rainbows would really enjoy those molly fry.

That's a really nice looking filter! I like the idea of an onboard heater, but I tend to take a more modular approach more than multi-component gear. If something breaks, I like to be able to swap that part out and leave everything else alone. Maybe the Oase works that way. I'll have to read up on it. Love the drawer concept, too. Brilliant.

I was going to comment that Vegamite/marmite looks like the stuff that comes out of the filter, but someone already beat me to it. Thanks for sharing your journey!

T

 

[Ch4rlie]

Yeah I can definitely see the attraction When I had my FX5s and 6s they were an absolute nightmare, you got the pipes off and the connectors were just full to the brim - I used to shove kitchen roll in to get the level down enough so I could put a pipe in to syphon some out... It just led to very lazy filter maintenance.

Wills

That’s pretty much exactly what I went through as well, did not use kitchen roll, I used a normal sponge and soaked up water squeezed out in bucket a number of times until level of water inside filter was low enough before you could remove or disconnect the pipes or head off the filter.

Makes for a painful back after 10 minutes bending over the filter doing all this, and that’s before even starting the maintenance clean itself!

Ugh, never again I vowed to myself!

 

[Ch4rlie]

I missed this until today! I need to start spending a bit more time in the journals section--these threads are always my favorites to follow. I'm with you and slap: Builds and cycling are definitely among my favorite parts of fish keeping. Having a tank running healthy and stable multiple years is a huge feeling of accomplishment, but there's nothing quite like a new build to get the old endorphins pumping!

Yep, I do enjoy reading a good tank build journal every now and again as long as there’s good photos and explanations as to what is going on with lots of useful little tips that helps others.

This is what am trying I do anyhow, trying not to be too boring!

Stocking ideas: I think that some threadfin rainbows and a school of black mollies would look amazing with your blue eyes. It would be a really interesting mix of colors, and the rainbows would really enjoy those molly fry.

I have had Threadfins (Iriatherina werneri) before, was actually my very first stocking in my first tank many moons ago, really are lovely little fish especially when the males flare against other males or for females attention, always something going on with these lovely fish specie.

Unfortunately my hard water is actually that little bit too hard, even for threadfins
Nice suggestion though.

According to SF hardness range is 18-215ppm

My water hardness is in the 300 range

Iriatherina werneri – Threadfin Rainbowfish — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com