DHenry
Member
SPEC:
tank: 40cm x 40cm x 40 cm
filtration: Fluval 104
heat: Hydor 200w inline
light: DIY High Power LED, 6 x 3w
Co2: Easy Carbo, 1ml daily
Fert: TPN+ 1ml daily
Substrate: JBL Aquabasis, black sand
Flora: Sagittaria platyphylla, Samolus valerandi, Anubias nana, Microsorum pteropus, Elocharis acicularis
Fauna: White Cloud Mountain Minnows, Green Neons, Crystal Red Shrimp
Hello,
First I would like to introduce myself. My name is Daniel, I am a designer from Brighton, an avid amateur mechanic/engineer, classic car enthusiast and more recently a keeper of planted aquaria. This journal will follow the progress of my first foray in planted aquariums. I might also add that I have been working to very tight budget and that it is this budget that has forced some of my most creative engineering. I hope to learn a lot here as well as help others who find themselves with budgetary constraints and don't mind a little DIY.
Tank. After a little research I found out that I could have a custom made tank to my own specification for about half the price of those in the shops or online. The only downside was the 6 week wait although i chose to take this as a good exercise in patience as i knew when keeping a planted aquarium I was going to need it. I decided upon a 40cm cube as it would fit my sideboard perfectly and I really liked the look of cubes. The tank was £35.
Filtration. I knew i wanted an external canister as i don't like the look of having equipment in the tank and i wanted to give myself the best start as a newcomer. I found a decent used Fluval 104 online for £15, bargain, plus a set of glass lily pipes from the east for another £25. For filtration media i chose ceramic rings and filter floss.
Lighting. I wanted the best lighting i could afford/build. I didn't fancy changing bulbs every 8 months and for the market prices I knew I could do better. I decided on high output LED's for there low energy, long life, versatility and cheap price tag (If you DIY) I decided to start with 7 x 3w HO LED's, 6 x white and 1 x blue, each bulb has its own heat sink and driver. I started off connecting only 4 of the white LED's but have recently increased my lighting by adding another white and a blue. The case for the lights came in the form of a clear perspex 150mm cube with 120mm PC case fan mounted at the top to take care of the cooling. The 12v supply comes from a modified ATX power supply from another PC and at 330watts it should be more than enough to power my lights, plus it was free. The total cost to build my light was about £60. I would love to know how much light it is putting out but i can say that it is very bright.
I wanted a relatively low-tech setup as I couldn't afford proper CO2, although with my lighting, filtration and dosing I would say I am in the realms of medium-tech. I decided that EasyCarbo should suffice for CO2 and that I would use TPN+ for fertilizer. I chose JBL Aquabasis, plus some black sand and some fine gravel as my substrate. My hardscape consists of two large stones from the LFS. I got some dwarf hairgrass on sale at the LFS as well as some taller grass (not sure what it is). I decided to keep everything simple to start with and avoid anything that requires a lot of experience to grow.
I set the aquarium up using cold water to begin with. I let it settle for a couple of weeks before adding a pair of white cloud mountain minnows. After another 2 weeks I received a 200w inline heater. A great bit of kit. I gradually increased the temperature over the following weeks to 25C. I started dosing just 1ml of EasyCarbo a day, no other ferts. Growth has been slow but i have had consistently clear water and no major algae. Once i was confident that the tank was cycled I purchased 4 green neons and 3 crystal red shrimp.
This photo was taken early on. There was a lot of dead hairgrass when i bought it but it has all gone now. I will upload more recent photos later tonight. Also a distinct lack of fauna.
So far, I have been very pleased. My wife tells me off for staring into my glass box. I have been taking each step slowly so i can fully understand the effects of each thing i do. I have yet to start dosing the TPN+ but I will probably start that next week. Although growth has been slow I can clearly see that it is growing and the lack of any major algae would suggest things are fairly balanced. The most important thing i have learned so far, from my tank and from reading of others mistakes is to take time in making any changes so not to upset the balance. My next step is to try and encourage so more growth. I have increased my lighting and my dosage of CO2 and soon will start with a little TPN+.
A further good sign to the health of my aquarium is that one of my CRS is pregnant, she became berried on the 20th of January so is expecting any day now. I hope you like what I have achieved as i have found a lot of inspiration from others here. I will keep you posted. Cheers,
Daniel
tank: 40cm x 40cm x 40 cm
filtration: Fluval 104
heat: Hydor 200w inline
light: DIY High Power LED, 6 x 3w
Co2: Easy Carbo, 1ml daily
Fert: TPN+ 1ml daily
Substrate: JBL Aquabasis, black sand
Flora: Sagittaria platyphylla, Samolus valerandi, Anubias nana, Microsorum pteropus, Elocharis acicularis
Fauna: White Cloud Mountain Minnows, Green Neons, Crystal Red Shrimp
Hello,
First I would like to introduce myself. My name is Daniel, I am a designer from Brighton, an avid amateur mechanic/engineer, classic car enthusiast and more recently a keeper of planted aquaria. This journal will follow the progress of my first foray in planted aquariums. I might also add that I have been working to very tight budget and that it is this budget that has forced some of my most creative engineering. I hope to learn a lot here as well as help others who find themselves with budgetary constraints and don't mind a little DIY.
Tank. After a little research I found out that I could have a custom made tank to my own specification for about half the price of those in the shops or online. The only downside was the 6 week wait although i chose to take this as a good exercise in patience as i knew when keeping a planted aquarium I was going to need it. I decided upon a 40cm cube as it would fit my sideboard perfectly and I really liked the look of cubes. The tank was £35.
Filtration. I knew i wanted an external canister as i don't like the look of having equipment in the tank and i wanted to give myself the best start as a newcomer. I found a decent used Fluval 104 online for £15, bargain, plus a set of glass lily pipes from the east for another £25. For filtration media i chose ceramic rings and filter floss.
Lighting. I wanted the best lighting i could afford/build. I didn't fancy changing bulbs every 8 months and for the market prices I knew I could do better. I decided on high output LED's for there low energy, long life, versatility and cheap price tag (If you DIY) I decided to start with 7 x 3w HO LED's, 6 x white and 1 x blue, each bulb has its own heat sink and driver. I started off connecting only 4 of the white LED's but have recently increased my lighting by adding another white and a blue. The case for the lights came in the form of a clear perspex 150mm cube with 120mm PC case fan mounted at the top to take care of the cooling. The 12v supply comes from a modified ATX power supply from another PC and at 330watts it should be more than enough to power my lights, plus it was free. The total cost to build my light was about £60. I would love to know how much light it is putting out but i can say that it is very bright.
I wanted a relatively low-tech setup as I couldn't afford proper CO2, although with my lighting, filtration and dosing I would say I am in the realms of medium-tech. I decided that EasyCarbo should suffice for CO2 and that I would use TPN+ for fertilizer. I chose JBL Aquabasis, plus some black sand and some fine gravel as my substrate. My hardscape consists of two large stones from the LFS. I got some dwarf hairgrass on sale at the LFS as well as some taller grass (not sure what it is). I decided to keep everything simple to start with and avoid anything that requires a lot of experience to grow.
I set the aquarium up using cold water to begin with. I let it settle for a couple of weeks before adding a pair of white cloud mountain minnows. After another 2 weeks I received a 200w inline heater. A great bit of kit. I gradually increased the temperature over the following weeks to 25C. I started dosing just 1ml of EasyCarbo a day, no other ferts. Growth has been slow but i have had consistently clear water and no major algae. Once i was confident that the tank was cycled I purchased 4 green neons and 3 crystal red shrimp.
This photo was taken early on. There was a lot of dead hairgrass when i bought it but it has all gone now. I will upload more recent photos later tonight. Also a distinct lack of fauna.
So far, I have been very pleased. My wife tells me off for staring into my glass box. I have been taking each step slowly so i can fully understand the effects of each thing i do. I have yet to start dosing the TPN+ but I will probably start that next week. Although growth has been slow I can clearly see that it is growing and the lack of any major algae would suggest things are fairly balanced. The most important thing i have learned so far, from my tank and from reading of others mistakes is to take time in making any changes so not to upset the balance. My next step is to try and encourage so more growth. I have increased my lighting and my dosage of CO2 and soon will start with a little TPN+.
A further good sign to the health of my aquarium is that one of my CRS is pregnant, she became berried on the 20th of January so is expecting any day now. I hope you like what I have achieved as i have found a lot of inspiration from others here. I will keep you posted. Cheers,
Daniel
oftern called fountain grass carn't remenber the latin think it begins with O though.
