David R

I don't plant things or arrange rocks, big pile of driftwood and a couple of random rocks = aquascaped! Water changes/siphon is done with a 2' length of PVC on the end of ~10 metres of hose, plus I have long arms so no issues there. Can always put the speedos on if needed...

now thats something I can't do with my pencil and paper planning!!!! So that is based on a 270x70 panel filled right to the very top? I'd probably have at least two braces front to back (as my old 240cm tank did) and have a brace running lengthwise along the front and rear too. Just found a very obvious solution to the stand problem on MFK... make it in two parts and bolt it together (thread here if you're interested). However, I'm starting to wonder if 120cm is really necessary, and thinking it may look nicer if it doesn't stick out past the window (even if only by a little bit). LA I couldn't reach the very back of my old 1400L tank (with my hand at least) and TBH I don't really care if I can't reach the back of this one! Not like I'm going to be planting/trimming plants or anything...

I make a point of never leaning on my tanks for that very reason!! Another good thing about having a low tank is the easier access, catching fish and working on my old 1400L tank was a breeze compared to Henwards 1200L that was nearly twice as high. I was just measuring up the access for getting the stand into the room and realised I made a cock up, the ceiling isn't tall enough to rotate the stand up onto its end so it can be rotated 90* and then swung down end first into the tank room. I thought it was 2.9 high, turns out its only 2.73. So, I either have to reduce the length to 240 to get the full 120cm width, or reduce the width to <113cm so the stand can come in thru the 72x113cm window...

I guess its all gambling really, you're gonna be pissed if you rear end a Mercedes... :lol:

:facepalm: :digH: :sml1: apparently there is a sweepstake running at work to see how long that lasts...

What does your insurance think about that? (do you have insurance?)

Right on the money, I probably could get away with it in 12mm even at 70 high, but I think the sensible thing to do is get a price for the big one in 15mm and take it from there. I would prefer the safety factor to be closer to 3 than 2, but if its double the price then dropping the height a little may be more sensible than thicker glass.

Just price, like a huge (50-100%?) increase going from 12mm to 15mm...

That is always the downside to buying from overseas websites vs buying local. Its your call as to whether the price difference justifies it, either you want something so cheap you're happy to throw it away or something top quality that isn't likely to let you down, and Eheim certainly fits into the latter category, especially when you can nearly buy two from ze Germans for the same price as one locally....

You could try Mulfords Plastics if you want something made from acrylic or pvc, any reason why you'd prefer that to timber? Greg is just a tank maker, but he may be able to recommend someone who makes stands/cabinets, and try HFF too. Might be worth looking around for a small wood worker or cabinet maker and seeing what they'd charge to make something up.

I have a rather annoying habit of agonizing over the slightest differences in tank dimensions every time I decide to build a new tank, and this time round is no exception! :facepalm: I have a space 2.95M wide but have decided to limit the tank to 2.7M max to allow a bit of room at either end (and so I can get away with a single sheet of ply for the base!), there is a window 1.1M out from the back wall but having the tank extend past that isn't really a problem, and it will be built on site so access/weight isn't really an issue either. Filtration will be provided by a large sump in the garage on the other side of the wall behind the tank, so the drains will run straight back thru the wall and into the sump, stand will only be about 450mm high. The dilemma; The dimensions I'm thinking of are right on the limit for 12mm glass (IMO). I'd like the tank to be at least 100cm wide, and at least 65cm high, preferably 70cm. After discussing it with the tank maker today I've learned that 15mm glass is a big step up in price as it has to be cut to size and be machined in Auckland as it is too thick to cut straight using the conventional score-and-snap method. If I go 15mm I'll be using ultraclear for the front panel too, so more $$$. So, do I stick with my original idea and fork out the extra for 15mm glass and go 270x120x70cm with a safety factor of 3.5 (or go taller still since I'm paying for thicker glass)? Do I drop the height down to 65cm (2.9) or 60cm (3.2) and leave it at 120cm wide? Go for 100cm wide and 70cm high and accept the slightly reduced safety factor with 12mm (still 2.3 according to this calculator)? Or believe the maths that the extra width doesn't put any more pressure on the bottom seams and be happy with a safety factor of 2.3 and go 270x120x70 with 12mm? I'd even consider reducing the length by 10-20cm and keeping the width at 120cm... The main fish will be my black aro and a collection of med-large sized plecs, along with a few eartheaters and other as-yet-undecided cichlids. The extra 20cm width would be nice but won't be necessary for the stock I'm keeping, and 65cm is probably enough height, but I still can't help but think what if... :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm:

Makes sense, but not quite as flattering... back on the topic of new music, The Black Keys, yeah? nah? I kinda like en, and are pretty damn cool!

To me $1400 sounds like an awful lot for a 300L tank and cabinet. Have you priced up a glass tank and custom cabinet and hood? I'd say someone like Greg/tanks2u could do a tank of that size for <$400 leaving you over a grand to spend on the stand/hood. [may be different if you're not in Auckland, but you don't have your location set so....] As for HFF matching the price of the imported filter, I wonder if they're even able to buy it for that much.....

Gutted! I saw them when the toured with Smashing Pumpkins and again when they were here a couple of years ago (and say Them Crooked Vultures too) and Homme always puts on a great show. ITT = I'd Tap That? :dunno:

lololol!!! You're right about the junk already being forgotten, but I agree with Fraser that modern music doesn't feel [to me] like it will endure the way some of the classics have. Look at the likes of Neil Young (active 1960-present) or the Rolling Stones (1962-present), is there any "new" acts that will still be selling out big shows and making music in 50 years time? And "good" music isn't always popular too, Queens Of The Stone Age are a great example of a totally under-rated band, hardly hear them on the radio aside from 1-2 "hits", barely make a mention in the 'Rock 1000' or almost any other generic countdown, yet Josh Homme is (IMO) a brilliant musician and performer and they make/made some of the best rock of the past two decade....

I've lost track of how many times I've posted this here, but there is some useful tips even for those not anywhere near as serious about photography... http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... -to-finish

because they are made of plastic.

I was expecting hate for the plastic plants!!! Not mine BTW, belongs to JCardona1 on MFK, it was the first thing that sprung to mind when I saw this thread...

Maintaining the worlds largest Nature Aquarium skip the first 30 seconds or so...

Here's a bit of NZ most people will never see, in a swamp in the back-blocks on the line between Maromaku and Otiria;

tank is a bit over double yours tho (~720L). It is do-able, but TBH I'd think twice about it in a tank of that size, perhaps opt for some smaller cichlids like keyholes or festivums.

That is probably a big part of your problem, my fish photography drastically improved in quality when I jumped from a point-and-shoot sony to a Cannon 550D. I think you need really good light (on the tank, and dark surroundings) and still fish to take good pics with a basic camera.

Wise words from a man who ate his own excrement...

Possibly a bit on the small side, but if the angels are adults you could try add a small sev and see how it goes. Would certainly avoid a pair in that size tank tho.

Would be nice to see some pics/updates now that there's a couple of L46 keepers "out of the closet"... :thup: