How should I set this 125g from scratch for clown loaches?

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mrpanda
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Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2016 2:40 pm

How should I set this 125g from scratch for clown loaches?

Post by mrpanda » Fri Apr 29, 2016 9:07 pm

I currently have 3 little 2 inch clowns in a 55 with 6 tetras ive had the clowns for around a month. I picked up this 125 g and all ive got so far for it is the stand a heater and 2 power heads. What should I turn this tank into? I want this to be specifically with the clowns in mind as I do need atleast 6 in total. I do want driftwood and as many plants as possible, as for substrate or light or filter and other accessories I have no clue or preference about. All help and criticism is appreciated. Thank you.

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redshark1
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Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, Great Britain.

Re: How should I set this 125g from scratch for clown loache

Post by redshark1 » Sat Apr 30, 2016 4:10 pm

These are my stats. Hope the info is helpful. But basically I would advise you to do your own thing after doing a little reading of the info on here.

6’ Gem Jewel (Jeff Allam) Aquarium (Classic Gold Anodised finish) and cabinet - Approx. 400 l/90 UK gal/110 US gal.
Date Obtained: 18.12.89
Supplier: Living World (Armley)
Cost: £450 (aquarium and cabinet)
Additives: Treated for chlorine/chloramine
Algae Control: Bristlenoses
Dimensions: 183 x 46 x 46cm/72" x 18" x 18”
Filtration: 2 x All Pond Solutions powerhead-driven modular undergravel filter 39” x 12” UF-28P (each with 28 of 5.5” x 2.75” plates), 1 x Algarde powerhead (500 l/h), 1 x Aquaclear 50 powerhead with venturi for aeration (1000 l/h), 2 x All Pond Solutions 800IF internal filter (800 l/h). Total Filtration = 3,100 l/h divided by 400 l = 7.75 times turnover per hour (5 to 10 times recommended)
Fish: 6 x Clown Loach, 1 x Gold Veiltail Angelfish, 9 x Congo Tetra, 3 x Bristnose Catfish (bred in tank), 1 x Albino Plecostomus.
Heating: 2 x 300W Visitherm heaterstats with heater guards.
Temperature: 26.7C = 80F
Lighting: 2 x 60” 58W Arcadia Original Tropical T8 Lamps plus Arcadia reflectors.
Lighting Duration: On 2 hours, off 6 hours, on 3 ½ hours.
Plants: No but algae present.
Ornaments: Moulded-resin tree roots
Substrate: Natural rounded aquarium gravel
Image
6 x Clown Loaches all 30 years of age on 01.01.2024, largest 11.5", 2 large females, 4 smaller males, aquarium 6' x 18" x 18" 400 ltr/90 uk gal/110 US gal. approx.

mrpanda
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Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2016 2:40 pm

Re: How should I set this 125g from scratch for clown loache

Post by mrpanda » Sat Apr 30, 2016 7:14 pm

Beautiful tank and loaches. I think ive figured out my setup. Ill start peicing the tank together this week and ill probaly upload pictures as I go. Thanks for the help.

Uslanja
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Location: Ridgeway, Ontario, Canada

Re: How should I set this 125g from scratch for clown loache

Post by Uslanja » Sun May 01, 2016 9:01 am

Good Day! I am excited to see how you set this up. A 125 gallon loach tank........ nothing less than an aquaria fantasy. Lots of photos and plenty of text describing your ideas, changes to hardware and themes as you go and what you experience along the way please........ in other words, let us see and learn along with you. I know...... I am asking alot..... but I have been so smitten by loaches, especially the Pangio genre that I just can not get enough. Desperately in need of a "fix" and you might be my supply :D I hope you are OK with me tagging along with your build?
Dave & Tracy; Loving, Caring and enjoying Creation.

mrpanda
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Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2016 2:40 pm

Re: How should I set this 125g from scratch for clown loache

Post by mrpanda » Sun May 01, 2016 10:55 am

Oh yeah ill upload everything as i go with good description and plenty of pics , I think my first part of the tank is ill be putting a new silicone seal in it and if you guys want I can even upload some pictures as I go when I do that (of course with aquarium safe silicone only). Just because pnce this tank is well established I dont want to even frett about a leak

Uslanja
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Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2016 12:20 am
Location: Ridgeway, Ontario, Canada

Re: How should I set this 125g from scratch for clown loache

Post by Uslanja » Sun May 01, 2016 2:04 pm

Photos of the reseal would be nice, as well as any advice along the way on how to do it. So, I am guessing that all of the old silicone needs to be removed. Would you take the tank right apart? Is there an aquarium safe cleaner that gets used on the glass or some type of primer used to ensure good adhesion?
Dave & Tracy; Loving, Caring and enjoying Creation.

mrpanda
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Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2016 2:40 pm

Re: How should I set this 125g from scratch for clown loache

Post by mrpanda » Sun May 01, 2016 6:58 pm

Yeah if you are going to reseal all old silicone needs to be removed otherwise if you try to stick new silicone to old silicone it wont have a proper adhesion.depending on the top of the tank you may or may not have to remove the plastic top gaurd.(caution. when cutting any silicone with a razor blade make sure you do NOT slice into where the 2 plains of glass meets or you could cause problems with the seal of the overall tank and other problems.) A one sided razor blade (not the one for utility knifes) should be enough to get most of your silicone off , becareful to not scratch the glass with the blade. As you pull/slice peices of silicone off the glass you may need to do internment vacuming with a shop vac . Now when you've got most of the silcione off and all thats really left is residue and smaller particles you want to use some acetone with a rag. Now becareful as to not get acetone in the crack between the glass as you dont want it to affect the seal of the plains of glass. (Remember you can always put more acetone on a rag so start with less and see how it goes from there.) Now you wanna wipe and suck out the tank so its nice and clean with no residue where you will be caulking and taping. Now you want to tape your edges using blue painters tape, u want the edge of the tape to be where you want your silicone to come out to. Now once everything is taped you want to take out your aquarium silicone make sure it is suitable for aquariums its best to go to a lfs and pick some up, make sure you get more than you need as you cant add more on later. Now cut the tip to the thickness you want and preferably a 45 degree angle and insurt it into your caulking gun. Now you want to caulk the whole tank starting from the bottom than working up the sides to the top, you want it to be a consistent bead of silicone. Now pull the silicone with your finger starting from the bottom of the tank around the tank than up the edges trying to keep a consistant line.( you'll probaly need to wipe your finger on a rag after a certain amount of pulling the silicone tight.) Make sure theres no air bubbles or inconsistency in your bead. Than once youve pulled all the silicone tight you want to remove your tape, make sure to remove the tape before the silicone dries. ( if you get some stray silicone on the glass than wait atleast 24 than scrape with a knife.) Now wait atleast 48 hours ,longer is better and every brand of silicone has a different dry time, some may need a week till being cured. Now once youve waited and you want to test the water holding capability you want to put 15-25% of water in the tank and wait 2-4 days and monitor closely for pin leaks. Continue with the 15-25% of water fill up every 2-4 days untill filled than wait around 4 days make sure you spot no pin holes. Once youve determined it wont leak you can drain it, and clean if necessary.
I apologise if i missed something this is my first guide . I took some pictures and ill upload once I figure out how lol.

Uslanja
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Location: Ridgeway, Ontario, Canada

Re: How should I set this 125g from scratch for clown loache

Post by Uslanja » Sun May 01, 2016 8:22 pm

I never would have thought of acetone for cleaning. That would evaporate off the glass quickly. I like the tape idea for keeping the silicone on the seams even. So it is worked with your finger to create a cove profile and the tape ensures a consistent width. Would you use acetone on a rag to clean your fingers when needed or would that cause a problem with the fresh silicone? You make it sound easy but I remember well the mess I made caulking a bathtub. Nice write up. Thank you. I am looking forward to the pics. Another question just occurred to me, why fill it slowly over several days?
Dave & Tracy; Loving, Caring and enjoying Creation.

mrpanda
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2016 2:40 pm

Re: How should I set this 125g from scratch for clown loache

Post by mrpanda » Sun May 01, 2016 8:51 pm

Its pretty easy to use a finger for consistancy but if you fear youll have inconsistency than you could always go to a homedepot or lowes type store and pick up a plastic thing made for caulking corners. Im lucky that im a general contractor so I caulk things everyday. I didnt need to use any acetone on my hand either I just wiped the little bit off my finger and that worked well . Usualy if you just have some residue on your skin let it dry than try rubbing your fingers together that usualy takes the dried residue right off. Youfill it slowly so if you do have a leak itll be mu h easier to determine where its coming from incase you need to investigate more into the spot I.e cracked glass or gap ect. Also incase you have a catastrophic leak or glass fail.

Uslanja
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Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2016 12:20 am
Location: Ridgeway, Ontario, Canada

Re: How should I set this 125g from scratch for clown loache

Post by Uslanja » Mon May 02, 2016 5:19 am

OK. That makes sense about filling it over a couple of days. I have already learned much from you. Thanks! :D
Dave & Tracy; Loving, Caring and enjoying Creation.

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redshark1
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Re: How should I set this 125g from scratch for clown loache

Post by redshark1 » Mon May 02, 2016 4:29 pm

Hi I wonder if you would give your opinion on silicone which has been bothering me.

My aquarium is quite old now but it has at least been purchased new and been in the same position for 28 years.

Perhaps it is not an easy question to answer but how long is silicone expected to last in this situation?

My retailer says 25 years but I'm not clear on what he bases his estimate.
6 x Clown Loaches all 30 years of age on 01.01.2024, largest 11.5", 2 large females, 4 smaller males, aquarium 6' x 18" x 18" 400 ltr/90 uk gal/110 US gal. approx.

mrpanda
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Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2016 2:40 pm

Re: How should I set this 125g from scratch for clown loache

Post by mrpanda » Mon May 02, 2016 7:02 pm

Well 25 years seems pretty long for silicone to last but every tank is different , a good way to check if your silicone could be coming close to fail is inspect the silicone look for airbubbles and spots where you can slip your finger nails under if you have to many thats when you want to consider resealing. A good video guide and information about resealing your tank and inspecting can be found on youtube , the name of the youtuber is. the king of DIY . If you guys thought I made resealing sound easy watch his video and youll see trully how easy it is once youve seen it.

Bas Pels
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Re: How should I set this 125g from scratch for clown loache

Post by Bas Pels » Tue May 03, 2016 2:38 am

I have a tank which was build in 1988, that is it is now 28 years.

But it is not in use now. I emptied it last year, not because the tank is so old, but because it was inconveniently placed

Uslanja
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Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2016 12:20 am
Location: Ridgeway, Ontario, Canada

Re: How should I set this 125g from scratch for clown loache

Post by Uslanja » Mon May 09, 2016 10:47 pm

28 year old tank............. that's a real good age. I never thought about a tank aging and failing before........... that could prove to be lot of expense and work!

How is the reseal coming along?
Dave & Tracy; Loving, Caring and enjoying Creation.

Bas Pels
Posts: 360
Joined: Sat Nov 30, 2013 9:08 am

Re: How should I set this 125g from scratch for clown loache

Post by Bas Pels » Tue May 10, 2016 8:32 am

it is by far the oldest tank I got. My number 2 is gotten around the year 2000, and most were bought after 2004

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