• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

570l tank - 2 weeks old. Latest photos added

Re: 570l tank - what was I thinking?

This is huge!!!great looking tank. What fish are you going to have in there? Id be worried about ph raising problem with manado ive heard from a few people, its very cheap tho. I dont mean to be a killjoy but thats a huuuge tank! Even if manado is cheap itll cost a fair bit to fill that.

Regards Ryan.
 
Re: 570l tank - what was I thinking?

You're right. It is a huge tank but I'm hoping that it will be a success. It has been a very expensive project but hopefully it will be worth it. I ordered 12 bags of Eco-complete weeks ago (£££ :arghh: ) but it is on backorder.

I don't really want manado (based on price and availability) but it might be my only option if the Eco doesn't arrive soon.

Initially I've got to have a real mix of fish as I need to amalgamate my 4 tanks down to two. Will be a mix of tetras, rainbow fish, barbs, bn catfish, ottos and rams. Eventually I'd like golden rams or angelfish with a big shoal of tetras and a l134 pleco.
 
Re: 570l tank - what was I thinking?

After two very busy days, the tank is filled and partially planted. Struggled to get photos along the way due to reflections so won't be much of a journal.

All day yesterday was spent rinsing 75l of Manado. Stuff was so light and floaty that I ended up washing a cupful at a time in a sieve. Today was planting from 10ish until 5 with occasional breaks to act as mum or referee to my two bored little helpers. Had a mad search for one of the rubber bits that attach the output to the hose. Helpers had helped themselves to it and had no idea where it was. Eventually located it floating in the loo :thumbdown: Spent the next couple of hours trying to get on of the filters to work. It's working fine now after being completely stripped down and put back together.

Will take some photos tomorrow when the lights have been rigged up. Currently can't plug them in as the cables don't reach. DH insists they were fine when he checked before the tank was filled o_O so will have to mount the ballasts on the wall by reaching through the cupboard.. Should be fun.
 
Re: 570l tank - what was I thinking?

Sounds like you have had a busy day.
So looking forward to seeing it planted up.

Simon
 
Re: 570l tank - what was I thinking?

The lights are now wired up and working.. just need to work out how to keep them in place without attaching them to the hood. The cables are a bit short so although they reach the front of the tank there isn't much slack. The hood is very heavy and difficult enough to move without having to worry about lights and cables.

Got the CO2 setup.. wasted a bit trying to get the JBL diffuser working properly but gave up after a bit as it was just allowing the gas to collect into large bubbles that would race to the top of the tank. I have taken it out and replaced it with a diffuser from an old eheim air pump. It is located directly below the intake on the left-hand filter. The gas is hopefully being mixed in the filter and pushed through the spray bar to the front of the tank. Bubble counter currently shows about 4 bubbles per second, a fast stream of bubbles are entering the intake, there are no leaks on any connections and very few visible bubbles leaving the filter so it should be working. Not managed to get either co2 test to change from blue yet but don't know how long to wait on a tank of this size. Got a bit paranoid and moved one of the tests to another tank where I have a working DIY CO2 setup and it changed colour within an hour so the solution is ok.

When should I start worrying...



PS. Sorry about the lack of photos.. been a hectic day. Will get my act together soon.
 
Re: 570l tank - what was I thinking?

If after a few times opening that lid you start finding some sawdust on top of your glass, change the screws in the hinges!!!

I have a smaller one of these tanks with the same hood and all the back screws came/fell out.
 
Re: 570l tank - now partially planted (photos added)

Some photos taken after the first days planting. The plants are all different sizes and some of the bg stems are very short and hardly visible. There are a lot of different types in here as a got a large bargain pack for under a tenner. I don't expect to keep all of them long-term but I planted most and will see what grows well/looks good and remove the others. Have a lot of reddish plants so will be losing some of those in time. There is a big space at the front for a foreground plant but I'm not sure which. Need one that requires minimal trimming. Hood is still off as I can't lift it on my own.

Anyway, here are the photos. Hope you like it. Wanted to take new ones tonight but the water is a bit cloudy. Hoping it's a bacterial bloom as I've seeded the filters with old media.
Full tank shot
P1010516.jpg

LHS
P1010511.jpg

RHS
P1010507.jpg
 
Re: 570l tank - now partially planted (photos added)

Ajm200 said:
Some photos taken after the first days planting. The plants are all different sizes and some of the bg stems are very short and hardly visible. There are a lot of different types in here as a got a large bargain pack for under a tenner. I don't expect to keep all of them long-term but I planted most and will see what grows well/looks good and remove the others. Have a lot of reddish plants so will be losing some of those in time. There is a big space at the front for a foreground plant but I'm not sure which. Need one that requires minimal trimming. Hood is still off as I can't lift it on my own.

Anyway, here are the photos. Hope you like it. Wanted to take new ones tonight but the water is a bit cloudy. Hoping it's a bacterial bloom as I've seeded the filters with old media.
Full tank shot
P1010516.jpg

LHS
P1010511.jpg

RHS
P1010507.jpg
Click to expand...



what substrate did you use in the end? its looks rather nice. How much did it cost? o_O
 
Re: 570l tank - now partially planted (photos added)

Used 20l of Aquabasis and 75l of Manado. Cost about £160. Probably could have got away with 50 or 60l and saved £30 as it is very deep at the back so that I can reach to plant into it.

The manado is very floaty. Had to wash a sieveful at a time as it kept getting washed away. Still got a lot a grains floating around the tank. Not too bad to plant into though.
 
Re: 570l tank - now partially planted (photos added)

Ajm200 said:
Used 20l of Aquabasis and 75l of Manado. Cost about £160. Probably could have got away with 50 or 60l and saved £30 as it is very deep at the back so that I can reach to plant into it.

The manado is very floaty. Had to wash a sieveful at a time as it kept getting washed away. Still got a lot a grains floating around the tank. Not too bad to plant into though.
Click to expand...

was that manando on top? aquabasis under?
 
Re: 570l tank - now partially planted (photos added)

Yes. Sorry should have said. Somehow looks less orange than in the shop display tank.
 
Re: 570l tank - now partially planted (photos added)

The tank is now two weeks old. Can't believe how much everything has grown. The hygro polysperma and Heteranthera Zosterfolia are growing at a ridiculous rate. I've already halved the stems and replanted both parts and they are still about 3x larger than a fortnight ago. Most of the stems that were barely peeping over the driftwood are going to be at the top of the tank in another fortnight :woot:. TPN+ is doing a great job! The only stem that is slow to start is the rotala wallichi but the new growth is a very fresh green with pink tops making me realise that the bit I bought from the lfs was actually quite grotty.

Before the trim and reorg
P1010503.jpg


The right hand side has been ripped out completely and replanted. Ditched a few of the plants from the surplus pack as they weren't in great condition when they arrived and weren't varieties I'd have chosen so that side is looking better. Also added some huge (flowering) anubias nana to the driftwood and think that side is much better also started to add a foreground. Pogostemon Helfrei and HC both of which seem to be growing already.
 
Re: 570l tank - now partially planted (photos added)

My plans to photograph the tank have hit a snag. Yesterday there were a few diatoms on the top of the spraybars, today they are on the crypts and anubias too.

My jungle of a tank is nowhere near the gorgeous tanks you all have and with the addition of diatoms I'm just too ashamed to post a photo :oops:

Other odd thing is a nitrite spike. With no fish and no obvious source of ammonia I don't know where this came from.

In the process of trying to add a third big filter but it's proving problematic as yhwbhoses are an odd size. Not the 32mm the manual suggests so having to resort to fx5 hoses with rubber ends in place and a couple of jubilee clips.. Wish me luck I need it.

Got a rhinox 5k yesterday after a two week wait and just broke it, sliced my hand too. Concussions and stabbed hands... No-one warned me that this is a dangerous hobby ;). All this bad luck is leading to something good I'm sure
 
Re: 570l tank - now partially planted (photos added)

Latest photos taken this am (pls excuse the mucky glass and missing hood. Have more work to do this pm. Drop checker is blue ad I forgot to plug the solenoid back in after moving the co2.

P1010524.jpg


P1010521.jpg
 
Re: 570l tank - now partially planted (photos added)

P1010522.jpg

P1010527.jpg


Would love to hear your opinions/have your advice. :)
 
looking nice. Theres a couple of things though if i may....would I be right in saying you've just done a water change or just changed the PH regent in the drop checker? it's blue, and if lights are on it did ought to be green :thumbup:

With HC, you need ample co2 otherwise it'll fail and become an algae magnet.

There's also a crypt which needs burying.

nice to see your stems developing!
 
Thanks. Spent last night fitting another filter. Moved the co2 in the process and forgot to plug the solenoid back in. :( Didn't notice until the lights came on so dumped a load of easycarbo in, took the photo and turned the lights off. It'll be limegreen in 2 hours.

Having great fun with those crypts and the pogostemon helferi working free. :rolleyes: I'll replant it again.
 
Ajm200 said:
Having great fun with those crypts and the pogostemon helferi working free. :rolleyes: I'll replant it again.
Click to expand...

when using tweezers, plant slightly at an angle. the when you withdraw the tweezers, wiggle slightly from side to side.

trim the crypt roots down too. long roots of crypts wont bury easy :thumbup:

P helferi, leave a leaf on at the bottom to act like a barb. again plant slighty angled because you cant get good purchase directly from above with p helferi
 
Great! Thanks for the tip. I'll give it a go. Just noticed that the spraybar that should be disributing the co2 was spraying straight up. That won't have helped
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top