New 160l tank

[shock]

Hello,

As my DYI chiller alternative failed I am waiting for Hailea 300HC to arrive tomorrow.

So old 54l aquarium which got taken by fishes : 54l fish aqua
I must say fishes really like the flow of Fluval 105 But that waste on sand is not looking very good.

My 160l tank:
Tank 100*40*40 without lid, but got preparation for one picture from old owner
Hagen Glo T5HO 2x39W (2xLife GLO inserted atm)
Fluval 205
Hailea HC300
Hide from 54l pic, waiting for material to another one with similar setup too.

So fast questions:
1) Can I use Fluval 205 also for chiller or should I really consider another pump ?
2) Kickstart will be my Fluval 105 from 54l tank currently running there, old gravel from 54l in some box with holes to not be reached by axies, or should I just take half of bacteria growing part and place it in Flu 205?
3) Is plant substrate on few spots with plants bad idea ? Covered all with that sand ofc. In 54l tank PH is stable with that combination. I am more worried about axies playing with plants too much and messing substrate all over place.
4) Plan is 2 axies for start. Will try to figure max count from posts all around forum
5) Is light ok? Or there is some better alternative to have human visible spectrum and less stress for axies. These came from old aqua owner and have nothing to do with axies. My plan is to have glass lid on top (with holes for evaporation etc) and as much water as I can to increase waste buffer . And probably doing some DYI to put lights even higher to decrease heat and stress. Also will holes in lid have bad effect on light dispersion stressing them more?
6)I am also planing to use 1 or 2 of my bigger Ancistruses to help with aqua cleaning till axies will not grow up to similar size to them.

I want to prepare all before getting my axies.

Thanks for help.
And I must say that finding correct cabinet when considering size of that chiller is pain in the...

 

[shock]

Sooooo all the hardware is here already link

Most of question I still have no reply.
And I got 1 more question: Can I keep chiller inside with closed front doors when I cut all the back side and keep stand 5cm from wall ?

 

[Kaysie]

I have no experience with chillers, so hopefully someone else can answer your question. But I will say that using a glass top (even with holes in it) will make your tank much warmer than a screen top.

Either moving old gravel or your old filter media will be fine. If you plan on adding axolotls right away, I would put the filter media into the new filter. This will probably be faster.

Axolotls will uproot your plants. They're terrible about it. Either weigh them down with heavy rocks (bigger than your axolotl's adult-size head), or get floating plants or plants that root to driftwood. I know a few people have used plant substrate in amphibian tanks. Just be sure that it's organic, and doesn't contain any harmful fertilizers.

Use as little light as necessary to keep your plants healthy. Provide lots of dark hides for your axolotls.

Do NOT put Ancistrus in with your axolotl. Even if it doesn't end disastrously, they have completely different temperature requirements. Here's another article on why that's a bad idea.

 

[shock]

My 2 new axies cant wait to get to new tank
Plants are coming soon

From petshop ..., in average 2 and 3/4 leg.

 

[FX1C]

I have no experience with chillers, so hopefully someone else can answer your question. But I will say that using a glass top (even with holes in it) will make your tank much warmer than a screen top.

Not sure if you're using a chiller that you'd want to have screen - the idea is to contain the cool water - evaporation is no longer necessary as you still have to do water changes as per the usual.
Otherwise it's like having the air con on with the windows open.

Running the chiller in a cupboard is fine as long as there is good ventilation - you can always drill some large holes at either end & in the doors - then cover the holes with a plastic vent cover
(boat shops sell great vent covers)






<3 >o_o< <3

 

[shock]

Atm I am doing max 3 degree under ambient temperature.
And in that case I do not feel like gaining energy on top tank side. Feels more balanced.

My personal opinion would be that cover lower evaporation and by that help to keep energy inside while still getting most of the energy from outside environment, as cover itself absorb energy from ambient and transfer it to air inside aquarium.
So I would expect cover to be more helpful when u want to keep warm in than keep it out.

 

[Kaysie]

Thanks for the clarification, Nikki. I suppose my statement was poorly worded. Yes, if you're using a chiller, a solid top will help keep the water cooler. Without a chiller, a screen top will be more cooling than a solid top.