[Logan's Daddy]

So I was browsing through the local Goodwill with my wife, "treasure hunting" as we like to call it and I stumbled across this:

Which was attatched to this:

and needless to say, I bought it immediately.

It is a 48"w x 18"d x 20"h 75 gallon frameless acrylic aquarium with a black acrylic back and rounded corners.

Made by "aqua view" Who apparenlty used to only make large aquariums but when they nearly went bankrupt switched to only making small desktop acrylic tanks to sell to pet store chains / department stores.

It looks like it was never actually used, but only stored somewhere fairly dirty. The protective paper is intact on the bottom, and the right side is heavily scratched, looks like it was probably stored on end in a warehouse for some time. The scratches are repairable and I think I definitely found a treasure here!

Scratches:

Looks like I'll be "expanding" my aquascape soon...

 

[cah925]

congrats, a little TLC and elbow grease and you've got yourself another toy...er tank.

 

[hoppycalif]

That is a very nicely proportioned tank for aquascaping. Good price too! Now, are you ready to build a DIY stand for it? And, a DIY light fixture?

 

[orlando]

Unbelievable! What a score. Have you decided how your going to hang a light fixture over it yet?

 

[Logan's Daddy]

Yeah thanks guys, I'm pretty happy....

I don't think my wife will let me have 2 tanks at the same time in our moderately sized apartment so my 34 gallon signature tank will probably end up in storage with the contents transferred to this new one.

As for a stand I'm thinking maple... I've already been messing with sketch-up and have a modified version of the stand I built for the 34 in the works, I plan for it to be fine furniture grade with four doors and a dark espresso finish, more on that to come.

Lighting... hmmmmm. Those two holes in the euro brace almost scream for metal halide pendants.
I don't know, I'm open to suggestions. My DIY screw in CFL's work quite well on the 34, The 75 is long enough for 4' tubes, maybe a 6 tube DIY T8 flourescent fixture? 192 total watts = 2.5 wpg.

What do you think about filtration? I like my HOT Magnum so I was looking at the magnum 350 canister for this tank, any thoughts on this?

 

[davemonkey]

What a FANTASTIC treasure hunt outcome! I can't wait to see how you transition from the 34.

I had a Magnum 350 canister back in my "Oscar" days and was very pleased with it. Never had any problems and the water stayed clean.

 

[The old man]

I have had a Magnum 350 for about a year and it does a good job. You may want to also consider a new Marineland C-360 also. I just got one for my new tank, but don't have the tank set up yet so can't give any comments on it. I got it because of the 4 media containers where as the 350 is a bit limited in this respect. Both are rated within 10 gal per hour of each other.

 

[hoppycalif]

The lighting you use is going to depend on your budget. Six T8 bulbs should work well, if you use some really bright white paint for the inside surfaces of the fixture. And the cost would be very low. T5 bulbs would give more light or use less watts, but would cost a lot more. And, MH pendants would give a totally different appearance, at a price, of course.

I hope you post DIY threads for anything you decide to build for yourself.

 

[Logan's Daddy]

Thanks for the lighting input hoppy, I look to you as a bit of an unofficial expert in that particular area...
Budget is definitely a concern, so the MH is probably out for now, and you can definitely count on plenty of DIY threads in the near future.

As for the filter I was actually looking at the 350 because of the fact that it doesn't have all of the media chambers. I have run the HOT Magnum in two different tanks for over two years and have never had anything inside other than filter floss and occasionally the micron cartridge for polishing. My thoughts in a planted tank are that any other filtration media is just unnecessary.

It's worked for me so far.

 

[kakkoii]

cheap lighting (not diy): http://www.fishneedit.com/t5ho-4ft--4lamp-aquarium-light.html or 2 of these http://www.fishneedit.com/150w-metal-halide-pendant-lig.html

I have heard that people like them and I ordered on myself last week.

 

[Afyounie]

I was actually tempted to buy one of those metal halide fixtures that kakkoii mentioned.

 

[Tex Gal]

Wonderful tank! Can't wait to see the possiblities!

 

[simpsota]

I've got that exact tank. I don't remember the cost, but it was certainly more than $40.

It originally came with a plastic light hood that sat in the two large holes on top of the tank. I couldn't get enough light in there with it and didn't like the fact that it wasn't vented so I replaced it with a better light fixture.

I now have a Current Orbit light fixture over it. 2x 96W CF lights, has legs so you don't have to worry about condensation, very nice. Seems to give plenty of light, even for demanding plants and it stretches across almost the entire tank. It has a moon light too which is nice too. I've had some troubles with the ballasts, but have replaced them now and it's doing great.

The tank is great for scaping. It gives you room in all directions to work with, but it's somewhat deep. I had light trouble with several plant species before going with the Current fixture.

 

[simpsota]

Oops, just realized that I've got the one that's one size down from that one. It's the 50g version, only difference is that it's 36" long instead of 48. You'll have even more room to work with!

 

[insomniaclush]

Oh snap!!
Congrats on the awesome find.

 

[fish dork]

cheap lighting (not diy): http://www.fishneedit.com/t5ho-4ft--4lamp-aquarium-light.html or 2 of these http://www.fishneedit.com/150w-metal-halide-pendant-lig.html

I have heard that people like them and I ordered on myself last week.

I've an 80 gal 48 X 18 X 22, this size is great for scaping!

The lights from this site are pretty good, I have a T5H0 54W x 4 over mine and it works good. Just know that the bulbs (at least on mine) were 2 white and 2 actinic, so 2 had to be replaced. Also I had one ballast (each bulb runs on it's own ballast) burnt out and the replacement wouldn't fit so now it runs from under the tank. Even with a replacement ballast and 2 bulbs being replaced these are still a good deal.

Edit: Congrats on the great find!!

 

[choco]

I wonder what would you do if you wife who was beside you said no you cannot buy another tank...:axe:

 

[kakkoii]

I've an 80 gal 48 X 18 X 22, this size is great for scaping!

The lights from this site are pretty good, I have a T5H0 54W x 4 over mine and it works good. Just know that the bulbs (at least on mine) were 2 white and 2 actinic, so 2 had to be replaced. Also I had one ballast (each bulb runs on it's own ballast) burnt out and the replacement wouldn't fit so now it runs from under the tank. Even with a replacement ballast and 2 bulbs being replaced these are still a good deal.

Edit: Congrats on the great find!!

You can now customize the light and have all white bulbs.

 

[xdoomsongx]

:faint2: In all the years I have been scouring yard sales and estate sales for aquariums and the like, I have never gotten anything that awesome! I picked up a 125 once for $150 with tank, stand, and lights but that was from a family member, so I don't really count it. Just my two cents here, but I don't really care for the magnum 350's, I don't feel that they are flexible enough when it comes to setup, and I have also had trouble with getting all the air out of them because the pump is at the base.

 

[Logan's Daddy]

well, it's a little late now...

I've decided to make this the ultimate low-budget build!

My *used* Magnum 350 from eBay arrived today, $28.00 shipped and it looks great except for the missing quick-connects...