PokeSephiroth's Fireplace 36 Gallon Bow Front Tank (Finished Project)

Thats going to be saweeeeet!

So...... upon putting all the pieces together for the tank (filter, heater, decor, etc) . . . I accidentally dropped my HOB filter (Aquaclear 70) and now the thing has cracks! UGH... Really beating myself up for this, because I should've known better!

Do you think it's still repairable? I don't think silicon would help keep the cracks from leaking... I might try superglue, and maybe duct tape along the outside of the bin? suggestions? UGH... This SUCKS.
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Epoxy that mamma jamma

If its good enough for navy aircraft, its good enough for your filter....Not that I would do anything like that..

ouch! I would try opoxy too.... or just buy a new one.


looking forward to seeing this tank up and running.

jrmakawoody & lloyd378: Hahahaha... I'm trying it with superglue first, because it's readily available at home. Lars On has something up her sleeve that might help me, so there's also that...worse comes to worst, I'll just swap another filter in there

Even More Semi Progress!
I couldn't wait. So I did the main setup, and general decor, heater, drain pump, light...sand, petrified wood, fake plants, yadda yadda yadda...

I'm going to see about adding the filter tomorrow, hopefully Lars On can save my butt, re: filter, and then I will install the filter...THEN I shall proceed to filling the tank up with water, and the cycling process shall commence!

While the tank cycles (I figured I'd speed up the process by taking some beneficial bacteria from my other tanks, and just splooshing it in the 36gal), I will be working on the frame that will act as a border for the tank and fireplace, so that it blocks the light from the top, and whatever else is in the fireplace (walls, cables, pipes, mogwai, etc...)

Here's what I have so far...I was very limited with my fake plants, as all I had were fake Ludwigia Repens plants, so... I had to make do with those for now.
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I really like it, you always seem to create great aqua scaping!


And since I know that you are great at aquascaping, did you happen to see the article on the mountain scene "iwagumi" layout in the latest issue of tropical fish? I have never wanted to do live plants until I saw that layout.....I really think you could pull it off!

I will post a link, but you can't see the whole article unless you subscribe ;-(

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I have it in print form.... the article is worth the cover price if you can find the magazine in the store.

lloyd378, D'AWWW shucks! Thank you! I have not seen the latest issue, I suppose I should subscribe to Tropical Fish! I'll get on that when I can! Thanks for the heads up!

Iwagumi aquascaping is what really inspired me to decorate my 36gal the way it is now. The only thing that isn't very "iwagumi" themed looking, is the root/trunk decoration on the far right. It does serve a pupose though, as it hides the drain pipe, and water heater.

At some point in the future, I would like to replace that decor with real manzanita driftwood Hopefully order some online (I forgot what site it was, but they had a "buy 2 get 1 free" offer). . . I'm all sorts of excited!

jrmakawoody wrote:Epoxy that mamma jamma

Epoxy wins this round. =P I'll see if I can find some tomorrow. I s'pose the next question would be... what KIND of epoxy (particular brands you might recommend?) It would be nice if I could fix this HOB filter back to working condition <3

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.oO A+ on the aquascape!

theChad, OOOOH!! Thanks for the info!! And thank you for the compliment Still far from done, but it's all I have for now. Time to go shopping for artificial plants... and perhaps slowly convert it to real plants, over time.

I have used "double bubble" many times, its super easy:

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i personally would just call up the company, or return it. you dont have to tell them the whole truth, but in my eyes a filter should be able to take a little bit of a beating and keep on kicking. sounds more like a flawed model then anything to me. and as for painting the tank i went with spray paint (way easier than big boy paint)

Anthraxx, huh... interesting. I should've known that sooner, because I already put super glue on it, and it . . . holds water, but I don't trust the superglue to hold over time. And yes, the plastic seems really brittle, well, most HOB filters seem like that, it seems.

Dunno if I'd be able to call em, I don't know if this thing is still under warranty, as I got it used from a fellow fishbox member, who inturn, got it used from a previous owner. =P

PokeSephiroth wrote:Anthraxx, huh... interesting. I shouldn't known that sooner, because I already put super glue on it, and it . . . holds water, but I don't trust the superglue to hold over time. And yes, the plastic seems really brittle, well, most HOB filters seem like that, it seems.

Dunno if I'd be able to call em, I don't know if this thing is still under warranty, as I got it used from a fellow fishbox member, who inturn, got it used from a previous owner. =P

Although I like superglue it has its limitations. I dropped my aquaclear 70 too. Broke the nob off the top of the pick up tube (it broke a big hole on the pick up tube) . I used superglue and its held up well but I dont think I would trust it on the side of the case - superglue is real brittle. Just like you I just purchased my 70 used. When I dropped it I was soooo bumbed.

I think you can purchase just the filter case.

This website popped up on a search. Also eBay came up as well. There maybe cases there?!
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I think you could still reinforce the superglue with a layer of epoxy if you want...

theChad, wow nice find!! I just might have to order one, depending on what goes down tonight. Thanks for the info!

I've superglued the heck out of the tank, and now it looks like the superglue has hardened, and sealed pretty well, granted, I can only trust superglue so much =P Worst case scenario, it starts to leak, and if it does, it will just leak out the back of the tank, and onto cement, which drains right through the ash chute.

I just might reinforce it with epoxy, just slather a huge crapload of it on the side. Since the filter will be out of sight anyway, there's no use in keeping it looking pretty...I s'pose. LOL

Major Progress!! - 92% complete!

Lars On saves the day!!! She gave me an extra aquaclear 70, that will replace the one I broke. You rock so much, Lars On! Thank you!!!

Cleaned it up, and it looks brand spankin' new after I took this picture.[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]



Placed the filter in the back of the tank, and added water into the tank, slowly but surely...quite the daunting task when you have to sloooowly fill it up with water.[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]



And here's how it looks with it all filled up. I should have expected the sand to equalize as I added more water, meh. The hill on the left isn't as pronounced anymore, but I can live with it. I will most likely see how things go first, with the fake plants, and then slowly work my way to real plants (like I did with my 10 gallon). I definitely want to replace the tree trunk/root thingy on the right with manzanita driftwood. Someday, someday. I also added a couple more artificial plants I got from craigslist, and added an additional stone, and shifted a couple over. Still nooooot exactly the way I want it, but it will do for now. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]



Now that the tank is filled up, all that's left is the glass cover that's still being shipped on Amazon, going to be waiting for that to come in the mail...any day now. And finishing the frame/border that will go around the tank to seal off the fireplace. We decided that it would be easier to place neodymium magnets on the frame and onto the fireplace, to make it easy to remove and place back on, during tank maintenance. It's going to look amazeballs

No more drop kickin the aquaclears! That's the last I have!

Looks AMAZING! It's been funny coming over and seeing it progress from that horribly chemically streaked tank into a show tank again!

Lars On, I swear, it was a accident!! =P This tank is a beauty, I just knew if from day 1. I'm glad my friend ended up getting a teeny weeny 5 gallon betta tank, so I could keep the 36gal. It's like the fireplace was just calling for it hahaha... Tank needs to hurry up and cycle! HURRY TANK! HUUUURRY!!! =P I think I've harvested as much of the beneficial bacteria from my 55gallon tank, w/o disturbing the balance =P

PokeSephiroth wrote:Major Progress!! - 92% complete!

Lars On saves the day!!! She gave me an extra aquaclear 70, that will replace the one I broke. You rock so much, Lars On! Thank you!!!

PokeSephiroth wrote:
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- Looks awesome!!

theChad, thank yas! thank yas! currently have two water heaters in there since lastnight, to get the water temps up and running... can't wait to stock this baby up fish some fish!

Added in three danios into the tank, tested for ammonia nitrite and nitrates, all 0 except for nitrates, reading at about 0.5ppm. Hmmm... contemplating if I should add more fish in now, or keep waiting. Only time will tell. BUT I'M SO STOKED!

hopefully going to get the wooden frame work done by this weekend. Neodymium magnets arrived in the mail yesterday. WOOHOO!!!

Progress!!! - 95% Complete!

The glass cover for the tank finally arrived in the mail today!! PERFECT FIT! I'm so happy!

So the 4 fish are doing well (3 Zebra Danios, and 1 Golden Lyretail Platty). Ammonia, and Nitrite levels are still at 0, and Nitrates are just a little below 5ppm. Thinking about adding two more Danios from my 55 gallon tank, or just wait out another day to put in the Celestrial Pearl Danios coming from pbmax. I'll probably just wait. =P

I also got a butt ton of Anacharis, thanks for the heads up, Gizmo!
I added just a small amount of the Anacharis into the tank, decided to let some of them float, and planted the others in the back of the tank (really hard to see them, because they're a deep green color). Hopefully they grow like MAD. MAAAD I SAY!! MMMMAAADDDD!!!!

Hoping that'll keep absorbing more nitrates for the little fishies!

All that's left is to make the wooden frame to go around the tank, and possibly finish it off with a glossy finish and find a way to secure two neodymium magnets on it, so that it attaches to the fireplace easily.

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Haha, I was just gonna ask you about the progress of the glass cover search cause I just ordered one for my 75 gal and I saw some for 36 bowfronts for sale on the Drs. Foster & Smith website. Kudos!

Lamental: OOOH?!?! How much were the ones on Drs. Foster and Smith? Actually...wait, I could just go there and check. LOL... whoops =P

Yeah! Definitely happy with the glass top cover! Makes the tank look so sleeeeeek and sexay.

Upon further inspection, I can't seem to find ones for 36gallon bow front tanks. I just see the rectangular ones... O_o... ARE MY EYES FOOLING ME?!

oops, maybe it wasn't there, I was looking at a lot of sites, Foster and Smith is where I ordered my top... saw them for about $30-$35

Lamental Jester, YOU TEASE!!! =P Well, no worries, because the cover I got is now on my tank. Woo!! Can't wait to start working on the frame! I want it to look simple. Maybe just get a plank of oak, stain it, and coat it with gloss. Yeah.

Getting Closeeeer.... - 96.3% Complete!

Almost done with the frame for the tank, and it's turning out looking pretty neat! Just have to fill in the gaps where the corners meet, and put a glossy finish to it, and it'll be DONE. Hope to get it done by this weekend.

Still don't know what I'm going to put towards the bottom, to cover up the lower part of the frame, where it's sitting on the hearth... maybe the stones can stay there, or... I don't know. I'll get my Martha Stewart on and think of something. But for now...he's what I have so far.[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The pictures are real this time? WOW! Great job Poke. The illusion of having the frame going around the tank with the top frame appearing to be blocking the lid is awesome. First thing someone observant is going to comment on then you pop it off with the magnets and feed the fish. It will blow their minds.

WOW!! That is really cool.

Salzabar & theChad, Thanks!! Yes, pictures are real this time Frame is nearly done, it just needs a couple more coats of gloss. Managed to get in 1 coat last night, Also have to liquid nail the chords into the little crevices of the bricks, to have a cleaner look

Yeah, the frame really does give off that illusion, people will ask "how do you feed them?" something I've been thinking about, is to just either feed them everyday by taking off the frame, OR... just getting one of those automatic feeders and hanging it off the back of the tank, less maintenance that way, I s'pose

In the last couple posts your project went from a tank shoved in a hole to something that looks like it belongs there built into the house. Its pretty awesome. I brought up the idea to my wife about doing the same in my home with a corner tank on top of our corner gas fire place. That was shot down ha!

Although I enjoy hand feeding my fish I think the auto feeder is a good idea too. If you ever notice at pet stores they have lids over their tanks with hinges that hold up. You MAY be able to find a glue (like liquid nails) that may hold up that top piece with hinges. Or... IF there is enough space... Wedge a 1X4 up under the roof of the fire place opening thus creating something you could install hinges that lock in the UP position. This way the top cover piece can swing up and stay up like the ones at the pet store...

theChad, Oh, I added neodymium magnets on the glass cover (behind the handle), so that when I open it, the magnet on the fireplace will hold the glass cover open for me I don't think I've ever seen one that has hinges that hold up, that's pretty cool though!

Going to be using liquid nails for the cords though, that's for sure! Just so that it's less messy looking. Hehe

One of the reasons why we thought of putting the tank in the fireplace, was because we never use the fireplace, and it was DIRTY... So much ash build up, soot EVERYWHERE, it was just a mess. I'm glad we were able to convert it into an aquarium. Putting the aquarium in there has been the best thing that fireplace has been used for. I'd say. =P

Who knows, maybe your wife will think twice about putting a corner tank on top of the gas fireplace at some point! Work up those brownie points!

Im working on those brownie points believe me! Im seriously contemplating stepping into saltwater reef and having issues convincing wife to let me set up the 100 gallon tank I just picked up for $20.... Lol!!!

DANG!! $20 for a 100 gallon? Now THAT...is a deal!!! Did it come with a hood/lights?

The stand was garbage. So I opted to leave it. The owners barely knew anything about proper fish tank care. It's an older tank and looks like it was recently resealed and done very well. The only thing I can visibly tell that is wrong is the micro scratches inside the tank. They showed up after I cleaned the tank. I think at one time someone used something inappropriate to clean algae off. I couldn't see the fine scratches when the tank was filled.

It's a friend of a fiend buy so I got lucky on the deal...

But it is just the tank only.

That's still pretty impressive I still have to reseal my 100gallon tank. Calls for a nice summer project!

Nice job!

PROGREEEESS!!!! - 99.999996% Complete!

Well, we finally put the finishing touches to the frame/border of the tank (gloss, and magnets), and I must say... it looks pretty darn awesome! The frame is made out of oak, and has 2 coats of polyurethane gloss, and it just.... I LOVE HOW IT TURNED OUT!!! Installed two neodymium magnets on each corner towards the top, and it sticks to the steel bar that's towards the top of the fireplace. I was surprised that it only needed two magnets! Strong enough to keep the frame from falling, but easy enough to take off, during maintenance.[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Really wouldn't have been able to do this without the help of my wonderful and supporting boyfriend. Thank you so much!

I also would like to thank lars On for all the stuff she has given me, and coming to my rescue when one of the filters cracked! You saved my butt! Thanks!!

pbmax, for the Celestial Pearl Danios, they're in the tank now, and they're still hiding. I hope they come out of hiding after a couple days. If not, I'll see about putting in some dither fish...

Betty, for the beautiful Albino Bristle Nose Plecos, Malaysian Trumpet Snails, and Cherry Shrimp, they are still currently in my 10 gallon planted tank, I plan on moving the BN plecos and some of the shrimp into the 36 gallon once the BN plecos get larger. They're still itty bitty!!

Gizmo, for letting me borrow his LED light fixture for the time being, it looks so cool! I wanna buy one for myself when I have the money for it!

JesseM, for selling me SUPER AWESOME pieces of Petrified Wood, at the Swap! They make the tank look beautiful!!

jrmakawoody, for the fancy guppy fry and the preggo guppy, once the fry get bigger, I will transfer them into the 36 gallon, I'm sure their red tails will add to the overall appeal!

Aquarium Co-Op, for holding some rummynose tetras for me! I can't wait to pick them up when your store opens!

lloyd378, Anthraxx, theChad, Gryphon, BillHN, Salzabar, Lamental Jester, and JimA, for all the tips, tricks, and advice you've given me along the way, following and supporting me throughout this project. You all have been such great help!

I apologize if I've missed to mention anyone, but please know that I thank you all from the bottom of my heart! This project was really fun, and now I can't wait to just sit or lay down on the couch and watch my new tank

I can't wait to stock the tank with more fish!

eeeeeeeeeeerrrrmaaaaahgeeeeeerrrrd! That's freaking gorgeous

Lamental Jester, Thankies!! ~~ It's so relaxing, being able to just lay on the sofa/couch and watch the fishes (Celestial Pearl Danios) come out of their hiding spot...I can't wait to transfer my Julii Corys in there!! HRMRMRMRMRMRMMMMMM!!!

Now throw a party and invite everyone over for beers and a viewing.
Seriously, you did great with the tank and it has been an honor to watch the progress along with everyone else on the forum.
Whats next? A fish tank inside an old 25" RCA boob tube TV set? You can pick up those old TV's for cheap at Goodwill. Tune in folks.

Salzabar, hahahaha our house is but a small one, can barely fit 5 people in the livingroom. hahaha!

Next project!! Planning on adding an additional 20 Gallon Long tank, in our grow room (We're growing holy basil) . . . figured I'd turn this 20 Gal Long into a Planted Walstad Tank [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

PokeSephiroth wrote:
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.oO love these DYI projects. Always learn something coOOool. Like the drain tube out the ash trap, or the magnets holding the frame together. Well done

And, it came out looking magnificent.

Thank you for sharing! Was better than an episode of TANKED

Looks great!

One piece of constructive criticism however: Can you replace the white power cord with a black or brown one? Or find some way to hide both cords together that obscures them? Running 1 cord instead of two would be better too, from an aesthetic standpoint.

pbmax, thanks! There's a reason for the white cord, and a reason why there are two cords instead of just one. =P

The white cord has a on/off switch along the cord, which is connected to a water pump, that., when turned on, pumps out water through a hose, and goes through the ash chute... reason why I wanted a switch on the cord, is because I just need the water pump to pump enough water through the hose, to "prime it" . . . once that happens, gravity takes care of the rest, and drains the tank about halfway (about where the water pump is leveled). That way, I don't have to watch/monitor it while the water drains. I can just start the pump, wait for 5 seconds, turn it off, and let the tank drain on it's own, w/o having to worry about the tank draining all the water out figured, it would be more work to bend down, reach for the plug and plug it in the outlet, and unplug it after 5 seconds, when I can just flick a switch to turn it on and off.

But yes, I would like to get a black one... I just haven't found one yet. Maybe I should spray paint it. LOL.

The reason why I have another cord, is for stuff that will be on all the time, such as the filter and heater. Then, I placed a timer on one of the sockets on the 2nd cord, for the light fixture.

On another note, we thought about drilling a hole somewhere through the concrete or the hearth, but we did not want to compromise the integrity of the structure, because part of the tank is being held by the hearth, as it is not fully inserted into the fireplace.

How about run a single cord back behind the tank to a splitter or power strip that sits back there; then you connect a remote on/off switch from there to your pump and the rest directly to the splitter / strip. That way you only need one cord and you can keep the remote switch fob anywhere. I have a remote on/off switch for christmas lights that I picked up a while back that works great - the fob still works after 3 years with the original battery.

Also, while you're at it, make sure you have the whole setup on a GFCI. If your wall circuit isn't a GFCI then you can get a plug-in GFCI for the aquarium stuff - better safe than sorry!