Steve:
Hi everyone, I'm Steve Powen and I'm very excited to announce a project that's been in the works for a long time. Beside me here is my 220-gallon display tank. If you're new to this channel, this space here my den has seen a number of tanks over the years.
Years ago it was a 55-gallon, now it's before I started making videos. Then I had a 90-gallon when I first started keeping African cichlids. Then it was 125-gallon, and finally, it's 220.
When I switched away from African cichlids and got this fish, wildcot umbi. I knew this tank wouldn't be big enough for him long term. If you've never seen a full-size umbi before, well they can get enormous. For the better part of the year, I've been thinking about a solution. I'm a bit limited by the room. The grows about eight feet which is two feet wider than this tank. I don't want to get too much deeper because that serves to encroach on the room a lot. Basically, I want to take this tank and just stretch it by a couple of feet. That puts me at a 300-gallon which is 96 by 30 tall by 24 deep. I had some other goals as well.
I wanted to move from cannister filters to a sump. I'm running three cannister filters on this tank, and they do a great job. I'm not so sure how they would do on a 300. I'm not really into the idea of adding anymore. We're moving away from cannister filters helps with another one of my goals which is having less visible equipment in the tank. I also want to build on the automation that I have in place. I have an automated water change system that runs overnight, and some plumbing that allows me to do big partial water changes without touching the hose or a bucket. Still, I know those are things that I can improve upon.
With all that said, I have some decisions to make. The first major one is glass or acrylic. There are positives and negatives to both, but for me, it comes down to a couple of factors. One, I hate scratches. Now no-one likes scratches, but they drive me even crazier than most people. I have two young boys who love to look at the tank and touch it and play their toys in this room. I feel an acrylic tank would just be too easy to scratch. I know they can be buffed out but I hate doing it. The second and probably most important factor is that my wife just really does not like acrylic tanks. I don't know why, but that's just her preference, and I love her, so there you go. I don't know what else to say.
With all those goals it was all pointing in one pretty obvious direction. Custom Aquariums up in Wisconsin. If you've been paying any attention at all this hobby, you probably already know about this company. You may have seen them on other channels. They make extremely high-quality custom glass tanks and modular sump systems that are perfect for what I'm trying to accomplish. Their products appear to be well built, long-lasting, but they have some safeguards in place that I've been looking for for a while.
Back on the spring, I reached out to see if they'd be willing to work with me on the project, and fortunately, they said yes. Now when I say "work with me" I want to be extremely upfront about exactly what that means. No, they're not giving me a free tank. No, they're not paying me. They have a program that anyone can join. It's called their OAP program. I'll put a link down in the description with more information. You have to send them a proposal which I did. If it's something they're interested in, you purchase equipment from them, you document the project on YouTube or other social media. In exchange, you receive a discount. That discount varies based on the size of your audience. There are no restrictions or demands on what you put in your videos.
To be clear, I'm paying for this tank many thousands of dollars. I can make whatever videos I want about it and give my honest opinions. You can do it too. I'm really excited to get started on this project and share all the details with you. It should be arriving soon. First, I'm going to take a trip up to Wisconsin to check out the Custom Aquariums facility, so that you guys can see exactly what they make and how. Be on the lookout for that soon. I'd probably mention this again in a future video. If you're anywhere near Central Ohio and you have any interest in a 220, let me know.
Also, I'm going to need a few people to help me move that 300 once I have it. Let me know if you're willing to help with that. There's free pizza and beer in it for you. That's all for now. Stay tuned for a bunch of updates.
Thanks as always for watching. Until next time, have a good one.
