Ava_Banana
Fishaholic
Well, what a busy weekend.
During the week last week, I got a bit more info on the tank that someone needed to "get rid of" ....ending finally with getting the person's phone number on Friday.
Friday night,
rode (motorcycle) straight to her house on the way home from work to look at the "available" tank.
5ft x 18 inches x 20 inches of actual water volume tank........on fairly presentable mahogany coloured (well, veneered) stand.
It had been standing for around 5 years (woman's partner had passed away) and only had one fish left in it. It was in the far corner of their living room (lounge, whatever you call it).
Arranged to be back on Sunday with buckets and hoses!
Saturday
Decided to start moving some stock round the house (got a few tanks), with the plan being to replace the 55g corner tank in the lounge with the 5ft tank.
Like all these things.......you decide to do one thing.......and it leads to half a dozen other things.
Moved a few plants (including a fantastic large Amazon Sword specimen) from the Lounge tank into the Hall 27g tank.....moved some neons/cardinals, few corries, 1 Angel (who has always lived with the neons/cards) and a couple of Harleys into this tank. Few more plants from the 55g, and changed the filter to an Eheim 2211 that I had acquired (not quite big enough for this tank, but will do until next weekend).
Were going to move some more plants (even bigger Amazon Sword + bits and bobs) through to the Kitchen "Thin Tank"........then decided that while we were doing it, we would "GO SAND" with this tank!
Emptied the kitchen tank of gravel..........removed the UGF (which we have never been fully happy with), washed all the new sand, put in some fertilizer/peat blocks, put sand in, moved the running Eheim 2215 that was on the hall tank onto the Thin Tank, re-routed pipes etc.....re-planted....re-stocked....sorted.....finished around 22:00 on Saturday night.
Sunday
Loaded buckets, boxes, nets, pipes, a pond pump (for extraction of crappy water) into the car ready for the move. Also loaded a 3ft stand into the car (more later).
Arrived to start emptying the 5ft tank.......it hadn't been touched much in 5 years.......there were stalactites and stalacmites.....I am surprised it hadn't blown a few fuses....and am surprised it hadn't all gone up in smoke some while previously.
Caught one very, very thin Synodontis Eupterus (b*gger, already got two of those......and at least one is very territorial...)
The following were connected:
1 x Eheim 2213 cannister
1 x Fluval 203 cannister
1 x Fluval 4 internal filter
4 x Ballasts all connected, all with burnt/brown ends where the bulbs are (not working)
2 x Powerheads....encrusted with "stuff", one of which was very, very hot...and may well have been running without water for a year (possibly)
3 Heaters (one of which was working......as the water was warm.......or maybe it was the blocked and overheating Fluval 4 heating the water).
The gravel......well......it was landscaped......from 3-4 inches deep at the front to about 10 inches deep at the back......it this black/brown water.....with a lot of very nice looking wood.
Filled buckets and buckets with gravel with one small kitchen ladle............think I put my back out shifting it all.............finished emptying it at around 12:45...
Jumped in the car......drove round to another member on here's house lilbensfishes (i think is their username), dropped off our spare 3ft stand......picked up 13 mollie fry (for the thin tank).
Back home for 13:30, quick sandwich, empty car of gravel....put back out.........fill car with "fish tank moving bits" (lots of blankets, large sheets of wood, foam pads etc)....remember screwdriver for electrical bits.
Father arrives at 14:00, go to pick up tank........spend an age trying to get all the wires/pipes/pumps etc off the tank (they were wired through the glass struts on the top), empty the last bit of gravel/water from the tank, get tank off stand.......move it through her house on the carpet.....lay blankets and foam between house and car......move tank about a step at a time, moving and putting it down carefully each step......into car with tank and stand......fit all "bits" around tank and stand (helps to have an estate car).
16:30, home, tank in garden on deck ready for a wash out, stand sitting in lounge in the way
18:00, help get kids bathed, fed and ready for bed...
....20:00....start washing filters, pipes, heaters, powerheads etc....
22:30.......that'll do.
What a fishy weekend..........thanks for reading (if you have made it this far)!
Some pics will follow (should have taken some of when I moved the tank.......but I forgot).
During the week last week, I got a bit more info on the tank that someone needed to "get rid of" ....ending finally with getting the person's phone number on Friday.
Friday night,
rode (motorcycle) straight to her house on the way home from work to look at the "available" tank.
5ft x 18 inches x 20 inches of actual water volume tank........on fairly presentable mahogany coloured (well, veneered) stand.
It had been standing for around 5 years (woman's partner had passed away) and only had one fish left in it. It was in the far corner of their living room (lounge, whatever you call it).
Arranged to be back on Sunday with buckets and hoses!
Saturday
Decided to start moving some stock round the house (got a few tanks), with the plan being to replace the 55g corner tank in the lounge with the 5ft tank.
Like all these things.......you decide to do one thing.......and it leads to half a dozen other things.
Moved a few plants (including a fantastic large Amazon Sword specimen) from the Lounge tank into the Hall 27g tank.....moved some neons/cardinals, few corries, 1 Angel (who has always lived with the neons/cards) and a couple of Harleys into this tank. Few more plants from the 55g, and changed the filter to an Eheim 2211 that I had acquired (not quite big enough for this tank, but will do until next weekend).
Were going to move some more plants (even bigger Amazon Sword + bits and bobs) through to the Kitchen "Thin Tank"........then decided that while we were doing it, we would "GO SAND" with this tank!
Emptied the kitchen tank of gravel..........removed the UGF (which we have never been fully happy with), washed all the new sand, put in some fertilizer/peat blocks, put sand in, moved the running Eheim 2215 that was on the hall tank onto the Thin Tank, re-routed pipes etc.....re-planted....re-stocked....sorted.....finished around 22:00 on Saturday night.
Sunday
Loaded buckets, boxes, nets, pipes, a pond pump (for extraction of crappy water) into the car ready for the move. Also loaded a 3ft stand into the car (more later).
Arrived to start emptying the 5ft tank.......it hadn't been touched much in 5 years.......there were stalactites and stalacmites.....I am surprised it hadn't blown a few fuses....and am surprised it hadn't all gone up in smoke some while previously.
Caught one very, very thin Synodontis Eupterus (b*gger, already got two of those......and at least one is very territorial...)
The following were connected:
1 x Eheim 2213 cannister
1 x Fluval 203 cannister
1 x Fluval 4 internal filter
4 x Ballasts all connected, all with burnt/brown ends where the bulbs are (not working)
2 x Powerheads....encrusted with "stuff", one of which was very, very hot...and may well have been running without water for a year (possibly)
3 Heaters (one of which was working......as the water was warm.......or maybe it was the blocked and overheating Fluval 4 heating the water).
The gravel......well......it was landscaped......from 3-4 inches deep at the front to about 10 inches deep at the back......it this black/brown water.....with a lot of very nice looking wood.
Filled buckets and buckets with gravel with one small kitchen ladle............think I put my back out shifting it all.............finished emptying it at around 12:45...
Jumped in the car......drove round to another member on here's house lilbensfishes (i think is their username), dropped off our spare 3ft stand......picked up 13 mollie fry (for the thin tank).
Back home for 13:30, quick sandwich, empty car of gravel....put back out.........fill car with "fish tank moving bits" (lots of blankets, large sheets of wood, foam pads etc)....remember screwdriver for electrical bits.
Father arrives at 14:00, go to pick up tank........spend an age trying to get all the wires/pipes/pumps etc off the tank (they were wired through the glass struts on the top), empty the last bit of gravel/water from the tank, get tank off stand.......move it through her house on the carpet.....lay blankets and foam between house and car......move tank about a step at a time, moving and putting it down carefully each step......into car with tank and stand......fit all "bits" around tank and stand (helps to have an estate car).
16:30, home, tank in garden on deck ready for a wash out, stand sitting in lounge in the way
18:00, help get kids bathed, fed and ready for bed...
....20:00....start washing filters, pipes, heaters, powerheads etc....
22:30.......that'll do.
What a fishy weekend..........thanks for reading (if you have made it this far)!
Some pics will follow (should have taken some of when I moved the tank.......but I forgot).
