Jakes's New Aquascape in the making

[Jakes]

Hey guys,

So I had a space...



Which my lovely wife filled with:



And then I went and spent some more money... and took over the lounge....



I did some cable Management from this:



To This:



However I have to wait... this is a spankers new tank and all..



So I have some stuff.. but since I have to wait this is what it will look like for the next week at least...

 

[Jakes]

So to give a little plan for this.

I will be doing a scape which will flow from the rear corner onto a 'beach' of reddish sand to the front.
I have Colombo Flora base for the rear and JBL Sansibar Red sand for the 'beach'.
My CO2 System consists of a Colombo 800Gr cylinder with a regulator which will go into a Colombo diffuser/bubble counter for now.
Lighting is two Fluval T5's Power Spectrum bulbs with reflectors. this is what the guys in the shop recommended, they are running the same on their mature planted tank they have on display and it looks pretty good and the plants aren't struggling at all.
My filtration is a Aquamanta EFX 300 external filter.

I can't really make up my mind on what to do for the background to hide the obvious caling and pipes, I was thinking of getting Black sticky back plastic from B&Q bot sure though at this moment in time.
Your advice and input will be appreciated!

Thanks
Jakes

 

[Andy D]

I can't really make up my mind on what to do for the background to hide the obvious caling and pipes, I was thinking of getting Black sticky back plastic from B&Q bot sure though at this moment in time.
Your advice and input will be appreciated!

I use simple black aquarium backing that can be bought online or at a LFS.

I simply apply it with sellotape. If you are happy with the look then you could always paint the back black.

 

[Konrad Michalski]

I like this one from B&Q
http://www.diy.com/departments/d-c-...ic-cling-window-film-l15m-w45cm/200336_BQ.prd
Fairly easy to put on, very easy to take off if you don't like it.

 

[andyone]

Nice and neat there at the back and I don't want to throw water on it but fixing the ballast to the back panel you might regret if any water drips down or if it fails. How you going to get at it?

I'd consider putting inside the cabinet now then at least it will be dry and accessible later.

 

[Jakes]

Nice and neat there at the back and I don't want to throw water on it but fixing the ballast to the back panel you might regret if any water drips down or if it fails. How you going to get at it?

I'd consider putting inside the cabinet now then at least it will be dry and accessible later.

Yup all true and valid points but due to the lengths of the cables and the positioning of the access hole it didn’t quite work out inside the cabinet. The cabinet is about 15cm from the wall and the ballast is well within reach and only secured with velcro strips all along one hefty tug and it all comes off. also the tank isn’t an open top it is covered by… what seems like… a very well thought out system, so not overly worried by spillages from within. I will add a picture over the weekend to show the top of the tank.

I will think about making a little lip above the ballast just in case, yours truly, is over ambitious with a buck in the future, and also re-assess the cable runs.

I have decided on doing a black background because I will be going for Neon/Cardinal tetras as my ‘feature’ species and I think the black will show off their colours nicely. which will allow me to get over my OCD regarding cable runs 😉 so the ballast could potentially make it inside… we’ll see this weekend haha!

 

[Jakes]

Ok boys and girls next step is the leak test, new tank and all and sure its a waste of water but it is IMHO a necessary step!!

 

[Jakes]

So i noticed this... The polystyrene on the base doesn't really go all the way to the end a section about 30cm long and about 1cm wide isn't complete. Should I be worries about this and get it replaced with a piece that dits the whole base?

Does B&Q do polystyrene??

 

[alto]

If this is the styro that came with the tank, I'd talk with the manufacturer re warranty

OTOH styrofoam is not comparable to the high end foam mats re structural integrity etc so I'm slightly confused by styrofoam use anyway (especially as the one pictured is low quality 😉 - I'm assuming this shipped with the tank set) ...

 

[Jakes]

Alto,
Yup it came with the tank, so you'd say get better quality base/absorption material/foam?
I guess if i go to maidenhead Aquatics they will just give me a different piece of the same stuff

 

[alto]

It all comes down to what is "real" in this scenario - sorry I can't tell tank dimensions?

The styro/matting is there for an extra layer of "protection" in case of inconsistencies in the cabinet frame/surface - that protective layer is seldom an issue with framed tanks as rigidity is supplied by the frames/braces - these new tanks are held together by silicone joins so it's important to limit any torque or sheering forces, level is much more important

While some manufacturers are still producing tank & cabinet builds where glass sits directly on cabinet surface (& even warn against any "layering"), it's more common for manufacturers to require some described "layer", some manufacturers will also only warranty the tank if the proprietary cabinet is used (also glass tank warranty may only be a few months - read all the really fine print 😉 ) ... hence my suggestion to contact the manufacturer before substituting (unfortunately point of sale information may differ from manufacturer, unless product is branded under the shop logo)

 

[Jakes]

Well all filled and so far so good no leaks I'm also taking this opportunity to run all my electrical gubbins.

Ill keep it like this most likely until sunday because i have these bad boys I'm trying to decide how to place them.



Usefully the towel can act as my 'tank'

 

[Jakes]

Yup, the instructions says to use the supplied polystyrene, cork or high density foam. I thunk ill go and see what the wonders of B&Q has to offer me to replace that styrene with better high density foam... Any excuse to go to the 'Man-Shop'

 

[alto]

You're good to substitute then 🙂

You need to set up that towel on a table - try for something near tank height & then view from similar angles/distance as your tank
When you switch from air to water, perceptions will change noticeably so don't get too detail oriented - do take photos so you'll remember angles etc, you can even do a "chalk line" along/over rocks, then try to reassemble that chalk line in tank

 

[Greenfinger2]

Hi Jakes, You used that empty space well. Nice set up hope all go's well

Looking forward to this coming together 🙂

 

[Dantrasy]

Shaping up really nice!

 

[banthaman.jm]

Looking forward to the hard scape and plants going in.
Jim

 

[Jakes]

Another update:
Went to B&Q and got some dence foam underlay to replace the damaged polystyrene. I decided to do a double layer of the underlay giving me a 10mm base.



I also took the opportunity while the tank is off the cabinet to fit the black backing. I didnt take pictures of the process but you can see the reault kind-off in this pic of me have stab no 1 at my hardscape.



The bare patch will have JBL Sansibar Red sand. I feel there is something missing, might need a bigger 'focus' rock the one i thought i was going to use is a little underwhelming.



I also might add more flora base to the left of the tank giving more space for planting and making my 'beach' smaller



Well see how it goes I'm going to my LFS today to look for a 'focus' rock.... Or branch... Don't know yet.

 

[Jakes]

Hey guys! I finally had the time to get somewhere and my order of plants arrived today 🙂


All the goodies from AquaEssentials


Everything unpacked and ready to go!!


The first ones are IN!!


Time to fill her up!


And there we are!!

 

[MossMan]

Really smart - like it!