Ok... here are the first pictures of "the setup"

[Mac Myers]

Ok... going to try to post some pics of the tank set up. It's still a work in progress. I put in some "stuff" but I'm not happy with the arrangement yet. Wife will probably help me there. Temps are still high at 71.3° to 72.8°. Working on that. It's been cycling for about 10 days so far. Most of the Ghost Shrimp (Palaeomonetes) actually made the it through the initial ammonia spike though you can't see any of them in the pictures. Might be why they call them ghost shrimp. The Big Moss Ball looks a little rough however. The new smaller Moss Ball seems ok... and I added the Vesicularia dubyana (Java Moss) on Saturday. Haven't actually planned that yet... but I'm going to stick with Java Moss I think because It's supposed to be hard to kill. It's just "in there" for now. Substrate is Tahitian Moon Sand (Thanks to all for getting me onto sand and thanks to SludgeMunkey for the moon sand idea). It's filtered by a Zoo Med 501 and a Repticlear 350. The Repticlear is mounted high with the power head partially out of the water and a tube running from the outflow into the water. All perfectly silent and little to no current. I'm going to lower the water level a bit more to get the power head completely out of the water in an attempt to counter the heat it gives off. If that doesn't work I'll ditch it.

Ok...Obvious problems or H.U.A. fixture issues pop at at you?

Thanks,

Mac

 

[Shizeric]

Looks really good, is that a 55 gallon? I need to get some of the Tahitian Moon Sand, it's soooo nice.

 

[melfly]

Hey Mac,
Looking goooood!

Mel

 

[dragonlady]

Looks nice, Mac. Nice plants too, may have to change my stance on live plants, ie - stop being lazy! Are those pvc pipe covered in sand? I like that idea - might have to borrow it...
That sand is beautiful, I think I'd lose my wilds and melanoid on it though. My sand is just too boring compared to some others out here!

Your temps are up you mentioned - while lights are on? Lights give off a great deal of heat. If you leave the lids open on your hood, that will help. I can bet that internal filter is hiking the temp a little too. I suggest that you take out the internal and drop that water level about 3" at least so that the spray bar is out of the water (my 55 is a little over half full with the 501) and add an air stone to disrupt the surface - evaporation in itself will help lower the temp as well. So far my tank stays around 66 - only hit 70 once on an unexpected 90s day.

 

[Mac Myers]

Yes the PVC was coated in black Silicone II and rolled in the sand. It didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. I'm not happy with them at all. I used to make all the stuff for my Dart tanks and got pretty good at building waterfalls and camouflaging things. But not for underwater use. I'm hoping the Java Moss can be used to hide some stuff.
It is a 55... and the Moon Sand was purchased with the idea of a Luecistic, Albino, or Golden. I dunno yet.

If I leave the lids open It drops about 2° with 1 of the two lights on. I think I'm either going to try a computer fan set up with the current hood or a screen top. Either way I'm going to raise the lights about 3-4 inches. The water level is coming down some... but I want it a bit higher as the added water volume could come in handy should I do anything stupid.
I'm a filter freak so I'm going to check the temps with the powerhead completely out of the water and vented. If it fails then I'll pull it.
I didn't think about getting the spray bar out of the water though that makes a lot of sense. I guess I'll go look into a screen top. Probably easier than a fan system.
Thanks for all the ideas!

 

[Shizeric]

How many lbs of the sand did you have to use? I'm looking into getting a 55 gallon and want to use the same sand.

 

[kuphie]

looks great! I'm a little jealous! my tank setup is still a work in progress

 

[wendyatk]

nice set up. love the sand :happy:

 

[Mac Myers]

How many lbs of the sand did you have to use? I'm looking into getting a 55 gallon and want to use the same sand.

I used 2 20lb bags And that's plenty. According to Carib Sea... I needed one. According to the Pet Stores... I needed 4!

 

[dragonlady]

Wow, I think your pet shop did the math wrong. The general rule is 10 lbs per 10 gallons - but you don't need it that thick under axolotls of course. Does look really nice - guess you'll just have to set up another tank with that extra bag!

 

[lea]

hi mac
your tank looks really good.....i think i have to remodel abby's tank......
lea