KTownMbunamani Posted March 5, 2016 Report Share Posted March 5, 2016 (edited) Finally, I'm just finishing up my Mbuna tank build! Still have to get more mbuna from Harold in Calgary, but I think it's time to post what I have so far. I started with a 75 gallon tank and built a 3/4" plywood stand for it to park on. Then reinforced it with some ripped down 2x4 and cut out the door openings. Topped it with 1/2" foam to absorb any uneven spots that could cause pressure points that could lead to a cracked tank. Then came my favorite! Old, rustic barn board that I've had my eye on for a few years, with this tank build in mind! I used a hole saw to cut out a couple check holes so I can see how clean it is under my UGF. I have a couple Rio 1400 powerheads set up to push water under the UGF and up through the course gravel bed. These Rio powerheads, I was hoping would do a great job of back flushing the gravel until the gunk could be caught in the filters. Unfortunately, the theory worked better than the real deal. I'll still have to do gravel siphoning, but at least it helps keep some gravel cleaner, and I'm sure they're helping to oxygenate the substrate for more bio action. The powerheads are also helping to filter the water with the prefilters I have on them. I also have a prefilter on the tube of my Aqua Clear 110. These are very easy to clean during my weekly maintenance. And I don't have to clean out my AC 110 every week with this prefilter in place! I found some hand forged, rustic hardware that goes well with the old barn board. It came from a cool, old shop in Quebec, called "Old Quebec Antique Hardware". The hinges cost only about $6.50 each! And come with matching screws. My drip system, there's no water changes to do! :bigsmile: To hide all the plumbing and cords in the back, I made panels that can easily just slip in and out... This is work'n out to be a fairly low maintenance set up, which I was really look'n for! I just have to siphon the gravel through a small filter bag, into a big bucket, and dump the water back into the tank. I dump the water right over the rocks to help work out any gunk that has collected around them. Then the prefilters can catch a lot of it before it settles again. The canopy cover has a removable, front panel, for working in the tank better. The top, front and back boards flip up for feeding and maintenance. The whole thing can also just be lifted off to do major work. I've varnished the backs of these boards to help seal out the moisture from the tank, otherwise, all the barn board was left unfinished. I like the natural look. 17 ever hungry little buggers so far. About a dozen more on the way soon! I hope this helps someone else to do a tank build of their own. Feel free to copy my ideas. Edited March 5, 2016 by KTownMbunamani Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTownMbunamani Posted March 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 Or not! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatpuffer Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 I like the rustic look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTownMbunamani Posted March 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 Thanks, and what makes it even better, the boards where free! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gqsmooth Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 Why is the stand so short? And personally I would have used sand for substrate. Other than that, it looks neat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psylant Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 That stand is awesome!Could you tell us (or show us?) how you've set up your drip system? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 Looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTownMbunamani Posted March 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 (edited) To answer a few questions. The stand is short because the only good spot for it was up against a half wall. And we didn't want it going above the half wall because that would look lame. It's actually a perfect height for sitting near anyway, and it's much easier to work in, especially the heavy rocks...I think most tanks are way too high, IMHO. I also couldn't use sand because of the back flow, UGF system I have in it to help flush out the gravel. I needed something that would allow the water to flow up through it easily. I also don't like how mbuna have that habit of digging huge pits all the way to the glass. I much prefer the course gravel that stays where I want it! I know some of you are probably thinking mbuna have to have a place to dig, but I haven't heard one complaint from them yet! haha. Seriously though, I've watched plenty of vid footage from Malawi Lake, and it looks to me like there are plenty of mbuna hang'n out where they can't dig. And most, if not all, big mbuna breeders have just bare glass tank bottoms. Anyway, my fish are doing great, even if they can't dig. Just some different ways of doing things I guess...And I'm REALLY happy with how it turned out! The drip system, started with 1/2" pex lines that I had to run through the wall bellow the tank into the lower floor. Yes, that meant opening the drywall, but I've made many drywall repairs in my construction work, so it was no biggy. The supply line connects to the house water supply and has a valve hanging just over the water in the tank. I'll be changing the old style valve for a ball valve and a needle valve that should give a more even drip. To take the extra water away, I have an overflow box hooked up and it runs into the laundry drain. It's awesome not having water changes! Edited March 8, 2016 by KTownMbunamani Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psylant Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 How do you ensure that your overflow box hose stays primed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CORVETTE Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 I too would love more pictures on your water drip design, I'm not seeing any drilling on the tank, so do you use a siphon style drip out using gravity to the basement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTownMbunamani Posted March 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 (edited) I use a nano sized, overflow box. The tube on it always stays primed because each end is always in water. Google them, you'll see. One pic shows the valve, that I'll be changing to a needle valve with a ball valve bellow it. In the other pic, with the removed boards, you can see the overflow box. There's the black one hanging in the tank itself, with the bigger clear box hanging on the back, with the drain line heading down through the wall. It's gravity fed into the lower house level, into the laundry drain with 1/2" pec. The overflow also has a quick connect just under it in case I want to take it off for extra cleaning.You can see it's wide flange in the pic. Edited March 9, 2016 by KTownMbunamani Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckmullin Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 nice and clean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psylant Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 I use a nano sized, overflow box. The tube on it always stays primed because each end is always in water. Google them, you'll see. Aren't you afraid that air will build up at the highest point in the hose? That's what tends to happen and over a long enough period of time the siphon will sometimes break. Sometimes people put in a powerhead or something to turn on for 1 min every 6 hours or something like that just to blow any air build up out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTownMbunamani Posted March 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 (edited) Just checked it, and there's only a bubble smaller than a dime at the top of the tube. That's after it's been running a couple weeks. Definitely something to watch for while doing routine maintenance though. Thanks for the reminder! But it would take a very long time to ever loose the prime with the amount of air mine is collecting. Maybe I'll just push a small air line up into the tube, the way I did to first get the tube primed. Then whenever the bubble gets a bit built up, I can just suck it out with the air line. Edited March 10, 2016 by KTownMbunamani Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.