Today I started on a new tank.
After Christmas holidays I came home, and found that my spraybar had done great job of watering the carpet. One rug doctor and dehumidifier later, room is back to normal. But I see this as an opportunity for change.
Broke down previous tank and sold it on eBay. Took the money I got for that, and bought a bigger tank from Danny. (610x510x450) My favourite larger fish died in the spraybar incident, but the tetras are still kicking, so I dumped them into the shrimp tank along with some favourite plants where they well camp til I build up the new tank. (Might I point out that in my 32l crap tank with a sponge filter and a really crap florescent bulb, I am getting amazing growth in my moss and other plants...things I could never grow with my older larger co2 injected heavy circulated and filtered tank)
I had unused lumber in the shed, so I borrowed my friends circular saw, drew up some plans, and built a cabinet today. It is a bit of a skeleton job. I plan on putting drawers and a side door for the canister, when I have some more cash, but it will do. I set out to drill the tank I bought from Danny today, but soon realised that the bottom was tempered. (Smash!) After cleaning that mess up, I bought a sheet of 6mm from around the corner, (£15) drilled that, and ordered aquarium silicone so I can glue it up. I got my plumbing from fishfurandfeathers, Splitting the intake into the corners, and will play with options of a rear spraybar... Either shooting up or straight across the substrate. I will hopefully spend some time trying out and refining the circulation before I start to plant.
SUBSTRATE:
I have two big bags of akadama double red. I plan on soaking it in some dry ferts for a week or so. The sand from below the substrate on my old tank was saved. I think I will use it to build up terrain and hopefully benefit from any bacteria still kicking around from the previous setup. I also have some tropica substrate that I thought I might layer in the tank for good measures. I read somewhere that someone had done that and had good results.
HARDSCAPE:
I have been kicking around the idea of creating a urban landscape. Not the typical Ansel Adams / ADA Green machine version we all lust over. I'm originally from Texas. Houston Texas... an area where it is mostly flat and everything is concrete, or surrounded by concrete. I got to thinking about casting miniature structural elements in the tank. Parking garage, fly over, culverts...etc etc. but then work that into the textural element of java moss, carpet plants and other types of plants that would lend themselves to this landscape. I like the idea of building something in the tank, and then let nature over run it. (Mind you I do have a sculpture degree that I have not used in a while) also the humor element of introducing cherry shrimp as the inhabitants of this world. There is a hundred ideas kicking around in my head, but for now, I just need to figure out what works and what doesn't. A friend of mine in Texas works with epoxy resins used to make fake coral and he has set me up with an amount for starts. This tank, I plan on making a culvert channel and a drain pipe. I'll see how it goes... Or at least I will make a galant effort to document these challenges.
Very raw ipad sketch using 123d design ans some drawing program...
Any thoughts?
Cheers
R
Sent
After Christmas holidays I came home, and found that my spraybar had done great job of watering the carpet. One rug doctor and dehumidifier later, room is back to normal. But I see this as an opportunity for change.
Broke down previous tank and sold it on eBay. Took the money I got for that, and bought a bigger tank from Danny. (610x510x450) My favourite larger fish died in the spraybar incident, but the tetras are still kicking, so I dumped them into the shrimp tank along with some favourite plants where they well camp til I build up the new tank. (Might I point out that in my 32l crap tank with a sponge filter and a really crap florescent bulb, I am getting amazing growth in my moss and other plants...things I could never grow with my older larger co2 injected heavy circulated and filtered tank)
I had unused lumber in the shed, so I borrowed my friends circular saw, drew up some plans, and built a cabinet today. It is a bit of a skeleton job. I plan on putting drawers and a side door for the canister, when I have some more cash, but it will do. I set out to drill the tank I bought from Danny today, but soon realised that the bottom was tempered. (Smash!) After cleaning that mess up, I bought a sheet of 6mm from around the corner, (£15) drilled that, and ordered aquarium silicone so I can glue it up. I got my plumbing from fishfurandfeathers, Splitting the intake into the corners, and will play with options of a rear spraybar... Either shooting up or straight across the substrate. I will hopefully spend some time trying out and refining the circulation before I start to plant.
SUBSTRATE:
I have two big bags of akadama double red. I plan on soaking it in some dry ferts for a week or so. The sand from below the substrate on my old tank was saved. I think I will use it to build up terrain and hopefully benefit from any bacteria still kicking around from the previous setup. I also have some tropica substrate that I thought I might layer in the tank for good measures. I read somewhere that someone had done that and had good results.
HARDSCAPE:
I have been kicking around the idea of creating a urban landscape. Not the typical Ansel Adams / ADA Green machine version we all lust over. I'm originally from Texas. Houston Texas... an area where it is mostly flat and everything is concrete, or surrounded by concrete. I got to thinking about casting miniature structural elements in the tank. Parking garage, fly over, culverts...etc etc. but then work that into the textural element of java moss, carpet plants and other types of plants that would lend themselves to this landscape. I like the idea of building something in the tank, and then let nature over run it. (Mind you I do have a sculpture degree that I have not used in a while) also the humor element of introducing cherry shrimp as the inhabitants of this world. There is a hundred ideas kicking around in my head, but for now, I just need to figure out what works and what doesn't. A friend of mine in Texas works with epoxy resins used to make fake coral and he has set me up with an amount for starts. This tank, I plan on making a culvert channel and a drain pipe. I'll see how it goes... Or at least I will make a galant effort to document these challenges.
Very raw ipad sketch using 123d design ans some drawing program...
Any thoughts?
Cheers
R
Sent