# A Dream Come True: 79-gal Starfire Tank



## solarz

After waiting 3 months for AI to get this in stock, I finally received this yesterday. Stay tuned for more updates!


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## rubadub

nice cant wait to see it all set up


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## Greg_o

Accch what a tease, lets see it!


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## HOWsMom

I've seen reference to starfire tanks before - what is it that makes them so special ?


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## Will

HOWsMom said:


> I've seen reference to starfire tanks before - what is it that makes them so special ?


The glass is truely clear, and they are generally rimless. Promoted by Takashi Amano's company ADA. They make for the best looking "Show tanks".

Startard glass has iron and metals in it which give it a blue green tinge, which makes a difference when filming. photographing, or simply watching the tank.


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## solarz

*Assembling the stand*

We started assembling the stand tonight. We opened the package, and found that there were no instruction manuals! Okay, I thought, I can still figure this out...

Then, when trying to figure out which piece was the top, I took some measurements. I found out that both of the largest pieces were only 48cm wide, while the tank was 50cm wide. Now I was starting to worry. We dug out an old Aqua Inspiration business card and called Freeman. He was nice enough to explain to me that there was an extra piece that was supposed to be combined with the top piece to form 50cm of width. He told me that he would send a copy of the instruction manual to me when he gets back to the store tomorrow.

Well, since we were all set on assembling the stand, we might as well try to figure it out ourselves. Luckily, once I understood how the top part works, the rest was pretty easy.

It took us 2 hours to finish the stand, minus the cabinet doors. You actually need a power drill to install the doors, as the boards aren't pre-drilled. I started on them, but my drill ran out of battery and my wife fell asleep on the couch. Looks like I'll have to continue this tomorrow!


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## XbrandonX

I just bought a 48G fire tank from ai a couple weeks ago.. Theyre gorgeous. 
I cant wait to see when you get this planted!


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## solarz

Finally got the stand finished and the hardscape partially done.

The substrate is a layer of mineralized top soil mixed with some peat moss and potassium chloride. I only had enough MTS for a 1/2 inch layer. It's topped by some flourite black (leftover from a previous setup), and a bag of tahitian moon sand. I will probably need 2 more bags of moon sand for a deep enough substrate.

Meanwhile, I pieced together a preliminary center piece out of lace rocks. I'm thinking of some kind of iwagumi layout, but I'll need more lace rocks as well.

I'd love to hear some suggestions/comments on the layout!


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## Rmwbrown

Go Big! I have this tank as well and i still feel like I could have upped the scale of the hardscape a bit.


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## Will

I agree, you'r going to need larger sized rocks for them really to make an impact without just looking like piles of rubble. You definetly want to be buying directly from a yard and not from LFS.


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## solarz

Yeah, the rocks aren't as big as I thought, but they cost me 40$ at BA, so I'm gonna use them for now.  I plan to go rock hunting in the summer.

I'm now faced with a dilemma: how should I start this tank? I plan to have a val background and a dwarf sag foreground (speaking of which, anyone have some? lol). I've thought of a few ways:

1- Cycle without any plants, then plant after tank is cycled.
Pro: no algae issues, as I can put the fish and CO2 in right away.
Con: need to drain and refill tank for planting.

2- Cycle with vals planted. Add dwarf sags in foreground later.
Pro: no need for an extra drain + refill
Con: may have algae issues while tank is cycling, may be hard to plant dwarf sags in a filled tank

3- Cycle with both vals and dwarf sags planted
Pro: no extra drain + refill, easiest planting
Con: may have algae issues, less time to find dwarf sags

Any thoughts?


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## Will

IMO, Plant the tank heavily from day one, without removing any water.
I'm sending you a PM.


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## solarz

Thanks Will, I replied to your PM.

If I plant from day one, should I also add CO2 as well? The main thing I'm worried about is an algae outbreak from an uncycled tank. If I cycle without plants, then I can keep the tank in the dark and not worry about algae.


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## matti2uude

Is your tank the 120x50x50?


Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk


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## charlie1

Do some research on plant cycling, as in cycling a tank with plants.


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## solarz

matti2uude said:


> Is your tank the 120x50x50?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk


Yes, that's the one.


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## solarz

charlie1 said:


> Do some research on plant cycling, as in cycling a tank with plants.


Thanks for the tip.

I found this interesting thread:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-1014.html

It describes my dilemma exactly. I don't think I want to heavily plant the entire tank right away, as I like seeing the tank slowly get filled up. (Plus, it's a lot less work for me! )

Maybe I'm just worried about nothing. With some starter bacteria from my established filter, the cycling should be done in a week at most, hardly enough time for algae to take over.


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## charlie1

Also have you given thought to throwing the filter you are going to use on this build on an established tank for a week or so?
That`s my approach for years now & never had an algae bloom due to start up, other than GDA.I have used some existing substrate, plants, , rocks, wood etc.
Regards


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## solarz

charlie1 said:


> Also have you given thought to throwing the filter you are going to use on this build on an established tank for a week or so?
> That`s my approach for years now & never had an algae bloom due to start up, other than GDA.I have used some existing substrate, plants, , rocks, wood etc.
> Regards


I haven't bought that filter yet. I'm planning to squeeze juices out of my current filter sponges for starter bacteria.


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## solarz

Alright, some updates! Let's see, where to start...

I bought 2 more bags of Tahitian Moon Sand and filled up the tank nicely. I was debating whether to buy 2 bags or 1, but I feel that the 2 bags are worth it. After all, this is something that I can't change later, so it's best to do it right the first time, even if it costs a bit more money.

The thing with Tahitian Moon Sand is that there is a lot of black residue floating on the water when you first fill the tank. I didn't bother with rinsing the sand, so there was a lot of this black stuff. After I finished planting everything (thanks again to Greg for the dwarf sags and the crypts!), I ran an air pump just for water circulation. To my surprise, the bubbles actually helped fix the black residue to the sides of the tank, where I can wipe it off.

I still don't have a filter running on it yet. I went to buy a canister filter from Aqua Inspiration on Saturday, but when I tried to set it up Sunday night, I found that the filter was damaged. I called AI on Monday, and explained to them my situation. They were very nice and assured me that I could return it. So that's a pretty big relief for me, but meanwhile I don't have a filter to use.

I tested the water parameters: ammonia came out at 0.5 to 1.0 ppm. Without a filter, dust was starting to settle on the plant leaves. The air pump just didn't offer enough flow. After some thought, I decided to put the filter in my current 20-gallon tank into this tank, and run the air pump on the 20-gal. My hope is that my cycled filter will be enough to support some shrimps, so that they can start cleaning up the plant leaves.

On another note, Starfire glass is simply amazing for close-up shots. The last few close-up pics were taken with a simple (albeit pretty good) point 'n shoot. I'd never be able to get that kind of quality from a regular glass tank.


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## solarz

It's been a busy week!

I got myself an Eheim 2215 and set up my lily pipes. The intake and output are on opposite ends, creating a river-like flow. However, even though it doesn't make sense logically, I feel that the output flow is much stronger than the intake flow. My CO2 bubbles are not getting sucked into the intake tube as I had hoped.

I started moving my livestock over. First I moved over my guppies and some amano shrimps, then I waited for two days and moved my cardinal tetra and SAE over.

Even though I had removed most of the plants in my 20-gal, catching those cardinals was a very stressful experience. Those little guys would zip around like crazy to avoid the net, and I was worried about stressing them out. I had to use 2 nets to corral them. Catching all 28 cardinals took me well over an hour.

It was all worth it though, to see them start schooling in the big tank!

A day after adding the cardinals, the water turned slightly cloudy. I checked ammonia and nitrites, and both were 0. Hopefully it's just a bacterial bloom.

I currently have:

- 60 cherry shrimps
- 6 amano shrimps
- 11 guppies + 6 fries
- 28 cardinal tetras
- 1 SAE

I plan to add:

- 12 Rummynose Tetras
- 8 cories
- a few BN Plecos

Would that max out my bioload, or could I get some more fish?


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## Rmwbrown

You may want to source another filter.. you definitely don't have enough flow to eliminate dead spots.. I use a 2217 on my 50gallon low light and its just enough - if the prams go out, i need to add a hydor to it for a week or so to eliminate any problems. I also use a 2217 on my 25 gallon highlight. Just to give you an idea, my wife runs a 2213 on her 7 gallon high light. 

You may have the tank for a higher bio load, but you don't have the filtration for it.


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## Greg_o

Did you train the tetras to line up on one direction? Great shots.



solarz said:


> even though it doesn't make sense logically, I feel that the output flow is much stronger than the intake flow


I've noticed this effect as well. I think the flow rate is the same in and out, but the out 'feels' stronger since it's sort of shooting out the tube under a certain amount of pressure.


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## explor3r

Looking great, i like how all the tetras go in one direction too. keep it up


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## solarz

Thanks! Those cardinals sure are shy. The only time they'd swim to the front of the tank is if the entire room was dark, only the tank was lit, and I was sitting some distance away. Most of the time, they hang around the heater.

I bought 8 albino cories from Menagerie yesterday. I'm gonna keep them in my old 20-gal for a week before putting them into this tank.


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## Fishyfishyfishy

My amano shrimps jumped out/climbed out via the heaters/filter tubes. I hope it doesn't happen to you.


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## Fishyfishyfishy

What is your lighting btw?


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## solarz

Fishyfishyfishy said:


> My amano shrimps jumped out/climbed out via the heaters/filter tubes. I hope it doesn't happen to you.


Hmmm... I hope that doesn't happen either. Those amanos can be pretty crafty. I've had them for a year in my 20-gal and they haven't climbed out, so hopefully they won't do that in this tank.

I'm running a 130W Power Compact light on this tank.


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## solarz

Today, I figured out why my water is always cloudy. The filter floss that came with the Eheim 2215 got overwhelmed by detritus and DISINTEGRATED!!

In its place I found a pile of stringy mush. It's only been a little more than 2 weeks since I started running the Eheim.


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## jimmyjam

I had the exact same problem lol... but it all turned out ok. THe thing also came with a 100 extra screws and pieces... so I thought I totally screwed up.



solarz said:


> We started assembling the stand tonight. We opened the package, and found that there were no instruction manuals! Okay, I thought, I can still figure this out...
> 
> Then, when trying to figure out which piece was the top, I took some measurements. I found out that both of the largest pieces were only 48cm wide, while the tank was 50cm wide. Now I was starting to worry. We dug out an old Aqua Inspiration business card and called Freeman. He was nice enough to explain to me that there was an extra piece that was supposed to be combined with the top piece to form 50cm of width. He told me that he would send a copy of the instruction manual to me when he gets back to the store tomorrow.
> 
> Well, since we were all set on assembling the stand, we might as well try to figure it out ourselves. Luckily, once I understood how the top part works, the rest was pretty easy.
> 
> It took us 2 hours to finish the stand, minus the cabinet doors. You actually need a power drill to install the doors, as the boards aren't pre-drilled. I started on them, but my drill ran out of battery and my wife fell asleep on the couch. Looks like I'll have to continue this tomorrow!


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## jimmyjam

nice fat schooling cardinals



solarz said:


> It's been a busy week!
> 
> I got myself an Eheim 2215 and set up my lily pipes. The intake and output are on opposite ends, creating a river-like flow. However, even though it doesn't make sense logically, I feel that the output flow is much stronger than the intake flow. My CO2 bubbles are not getting sucked into the intake tube as I had hoped.
> 
> I started moving my livestock over. First I moved over my guppies and some amano shrimps, then I waited for two days and moved my cardinal tetra and SAE over.
> 
> Even though I had removed most of the plants in my 20-gal, catching those cardinals was a very stressful experience. Those little guys would zip around like crazy to avoid the net, and I was worried about stressing them out. I had to use 2 nets to corral them. Catching all 28 cardinals took me well over an hour.
> 
> It was all worth it though, to see them start schooling in the big tank!
> 
> A day after adding the cardinals, the water turned slightly cloudy. I checked ammonia and nitrites, and both were 0. Hopefully it's just a bacterial bloom.
> 
> I currently have:
> 
> - 60 cherry shrimps
> - 6 amano shrimps
> - 11 guppies + 6 fries
> - 28 cardinal tetras
> - 1 SAE
> 
> I plan to add:
> 
> - 12 Rummynose Tetras
> - 8 cories
> - a few BN Plecos
> 
> Would that max out my bioload, or could I get some more fish?


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## Fishyfishyfishy

How is using sand as a cap for your soil? I always used gravel, but I think sand would look very nice.


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## solarz

Fishyfishyfishy said:


> How is using sand as a cap for your soil? I always used gravel, but I think sand would look very nice.


It's seems to be working fine. However, the shrimps and cories tend to dig up particles from the sand, and that makes the water less than crystal clear.


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## solarz

I've added 8 albino cories, 9 rummynose tetras, and 3 BN Plecos to the tank.

I'm running 2 bottles of yeast CO2, and the lights are on from 12pm to 12am. I'm getting green water right now.

When I added the rummynose tetras into the tank, they drew the cardinal tetras, who used to all hide in a corner, out into the open. They're now much more active than before, and seem to be schooling with the rummynoses.


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## bigfishy

wow!


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## Boogerboy

bigfishy said:


> wow!


This.

Looking forward to future updates, subscribed!


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## PACMAN

jimmyjam said:


> I had the exact same problem lol... but it all turned out ok. THe thing also came with a 100 extra screws and pieces... so I thought I totally screwed up.


No pun intended right?


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## sig

very very nice, but I was thinking you planned to go bigger with the SW

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## solarz

sig said:


> very very nice, but I was thinking you planned to go bigger with the SW


The bigger SW tank will come... It might not be tomorrow, or the day after that, but one day, it will happen... oh yes... one day...


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## sig

solarz said:


> The bigger SW tank will come... It might not be tomorrow, or the day after that, but one day, it will happen... oh yes... one day...


O Man, looking on your tank, I got itch to have one

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## solarz

sig said:


> O Man, looking on your tank, I got itch to have one


For a planted tank?


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## GAT

really nice looking tank Solarz!


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## solarz

GAT said:


> really nice looking tank Solarz!


Thanks! Unfortunately, I'm having problems with green water right now.


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## bigfishy

solarz said:


> Thanks! Unfortunately, I'm having problems with green water right now.


add an uv light


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## solarz

Whew, I finally beat the green water.

I first tried daphnia, but the damned things kept escaping the refugium I set up for them. I then tried a 3 day blackout, and it didn't do anything.

Finally, I put in all the duckweed that I had, and left for my vacation. When I came back 5 days later, the water was completely clear!


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## joe

nice tank i like all the vals

what benefits does duckweed have to your water?


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## solarz

joe said:


> nice tank i like all the vals
> 
> what benefits does duckweed have to your water?


It cleared up green water!


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## tranceaddict

Same thing happened on my 65 a while back. took damn near a month to clear up. At fist it was really green for a while then less and less, until one day it was completely clear again. almost overnight i swear. 
Green water happened to me because i went on vacation 7days and left the lights on after forgetting to switch the timer on. der 
No duck weed though. But duck weed is a great plant that absorbers everything. Light, excess nutrients, etc... 

Beautiful tank by the way.


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## waynefish

*Great Looking Tank*

That's a great looking tank you have. After issues with Miralces, I'm hoping to pick up the same tank you have. How do you find the construction quality? Are the seams well done? As in straight, no bubbling, etc?

Thanks!


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## solarz

waynefish said:


> That's a great looking tank you have. After issues with Miralces, I'm hoping to pick up the same tank you have. How do you find the construction quality? Are the seams well done? As in straight, no bubbling, etc?
> 
> Thanks!


Thanks wayne!

The tank wasn't cheap, and AI doesn't offer delivery: you'll have to arrange your own. That was the biggest hurdle I had.

The tank is of very good quality, and I can't find any flaw in the silicone work. However, there is one tiny bubble in the glass on the viewing pane. I didn't even notice it until days after setting up the tank. Still, once you do notice it, it seems to draw the eyes every time.


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## waynefish

*Thanks for the info*

Thanks for the info. Ya, the AI tank is quite a bit more than the standard ones with trim, but they look really good. I guess it's too late now, but maybe you could've turned the tank around so the bubble would be on the back pane.

Was going to build my stand, but the one you used looks really nice too. How do you like it so far?


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## solarz

waynefish said:


> Thanks for the info. Ya, the AI tank is quite a bit more than the standard ones with trim, but they look really good. I guess it's too late now, but maybe you could've turned the tank around so the bubble would be on the back pane.
> 
> Was going to build my stand, but the one you used looks really nice too. How do you like it so far?


Yes, if I had seen that bubble before I set up the tank, I would've turned it around.

The stand is okay, nothing special. As long as it's sturdy enough to hold the tank, I'm happy. 

It didn't come with an instruction set, so I kind of messed up the installation. As result, the stand is missing it's middle door.


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## matti2uude

solarz said:


> Yes, if I had seen that bubble before I set up the tank, I would've turned it around.


I had the same issue with the tank I got from them. I did turn it around but it's still very noticeable.


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## solarz

Some updates:


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## solarz

Two more pics:


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## GAT

nice pics man


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## enzof9

That's just beautiful, I can't see a speck of algae! I bought some corkscrew vals for my 90 g low tech. They didn't last long and keep floating up. I guess it's because of my horrible light. Your vals are doing great!

Have you thought about adding a bottom dweller? I think a bunch of little cories would be awesome to see sifting around through that sag.


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## solarz

enzof9 said:


> That's just beautiful, I can't see a speck of algae! I bought some corkscrew vals for my 90 g low tech. They didn't last long and keep floating up. I guess it's because of my horrible light. Your vals are doing great!
> 
> Have you thought about adding a bottom dweller? I think a bunch of little cories would be awesome to see sifting around through that sag.


I have some albino cories in there.

There is algae on the glass, but for some reason not on the front pane. I credit my 2 BN Plecos for that. I haven't had to wipe the glass for 1 month now.

What light do you have on your 90 g?


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## enzof9

solarz said:


> I have some albino cories in there.
> 
> There is algae on the glass, but for some reason not on the front pane. I credit my 2 BN Plecos for that. I haven't had to wipe the glass for 1 month now.
> 
> What light do you have on your 90 g?


Whoops, I didn't see them .

How big do BN's get? Are they alright with cherry shrimp? I see that they are just fine in your tank. I have read that plecos will eat other small animals if they get the chance.

I have a weak 48 W from-factory light . I've had great success growing amazon swords, and algae, under that light . I'm looking into a Hagen Glo dual fixture, I have read some good stuff on them. By any chance, do you think you might know where I could get one for a good price?


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## solarz

enzof9 said:


> Whoops, I didn't see them .
> 
> How big do BN's get? Are they alright with cherry shrimp? I see that they are just fine in your tank. I have read that plecos will eat other small animals if they get the chance.
> 
> I have a weak 48 W from-factory light . I've had great success growing amazon swords, and algae, under that light . I'm looking into a Hagen Glo dual fixture, I have read some good stuff on them. By any chance, do you think you might know where I could get one for a good price?


Yeah, your light is way too weak. Look for dual-bulb T5HOs.


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## solarz

I uploaded a video of the tank:


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## djmoosa

that looks amazing .. any updates on your tank after this video?


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## greg

Wow beautiful tank. The design is simple and well executed. I've been thinking of scaling back my plant variety and your tank certainly makes a strong case for this approach.

Nice music selection on youtube video 

Greg


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## solarz

Thanks! I'm actually in the process of selling off the plants so I can turn it into a SW tank. I will miss having a planted tank and schools of tetras, but my Nemos are getting big and I want to give them more space, but my wife isn't letting me get another tank.


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## xriddler

i really like that rock. looks like a mountain.


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## djmoosa

Ill be interested in getting the Vals from ya


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