Guess who's back..... Henry goes steampunk...

[akwarium]

looks really cool!

I used pumice in a tank once, to find out that some of it floats... that did not improve my mood much at the time... the second attempt did create a nice and stable slope covered with soil. So get rid of the flouting stuff on forehand or maybe crushed lavarock could be an alternative. A pond shop should sell both...

 

[zozo]

don't use it with shrimp obviously because of the copper.

You're saying it will indefinitively keep leaching copper back into the tank after it is used?..

And yes definitely stained by Methylene Blue. Are you thinking about cutting it out and resealing?

If above is true i might beter do that?.. Dunno yet, wasn't realy planning life stock anyway. But some snails and shrimps would be the least i could take in consideration. Have to wait and see till it 100% established. As said this is going to be a darn long dry start to begin with.

As for creating a slope have you thought about using pumice...

Yes i did i guess that's about my only option.. I can stack it and glue it together. than top it off with a fine black gravel.. Also still have a bucket with black/brown cobbles i might use as hardscape. I was thinking of using pond plant baskets filled with alfa grog type substrate. Need to cut them into shape diagonaly..

And than create a diagonal retaining wall with pumice. Than fill up the rest with black gravel.

I see how that goes.. Never done something like that before..

 

[mort]

I've personally used tanks that have stained silicon from copper many times for shrimp and corals. The amount, if any, it will leach back into the water is pretty negligible and since you will be doing water changes, it becomes even less of a problem imo. The real issue with copper meds is if you use calcareous material or rocks that would have sucked it up as these do leach harmful levels back over time.
I'd also consider shrimps need a little copper, it's in their blood to hold oxygen, so minimal leaching won't hurt in the slightest.

A lot of what's written on the Internet about it is old advice where people just pass it on and it becomes a well known misconception imo.

Looks a real cool project so looking forward to seeing it develop.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

You're saying it will indefinitively keep leaching copper back into the tank after it is used?..

The amount, if any, it will leach back into the water is pretty negligible and since you will be doing water changes, it becomes even less of a problem imo. The real issue with copper meds is if you use calcareous material or rocks that would have sucked it up as these do leach harmful levels back over time. I'd also consider shrimps need a little copper, it's in their blood to hold oxygen, so minimal leaching won't hurt in the slightest.

I have the same opinion as @mort. Because you've taken all the substrate out etc. I don't think it will be a problem, also it is a permanent stain, so nothing is leaking back into the tank now.

cheers Darrel

 

[zozo]

Still have a lot to do.. Orderd me a HOB filter with a right hand side inlet.. And have to bend me a PVC pipe for it to make it work as i want it to.. At least as i think it will.. Not yet sure of the size if the pipe, need to run some testing first.

Doing some tryouts whit what i have, the base idea is going to be this.

The filter will hang right hand side panel. So need to bend a pipe with sufficient diameter running through the substrate into the water part behind the right hand rock at the backpanel. The pipe will fill with water and level out with the same water level. The inlet from the HOB will hang in the pipe, thus also in the water. Just need to make sure the pipe is sufficient to handle the flow. But it will be a 300l/h HOB. That aint much flow. The water will run over the emersed part back. Like a little down hill stream.

Do the glue trick with the sigarette filter buts, to hold all rocks in place.. The plant roots should hold biggest part of the slooped substrate in check.

These rocks are broken cobbles, Dark Grey/rusty Browm patern.. But not sure if i'm going to use this.. Have time to look around a bit more.

 

[rebel]

OMG this is so epic! Such a period piece. Does it get direct sun? I can feel a massive emersed section coming on.

 

[zozo]

Does it get direct sun?

Checking my compass the window is exactly south-east oriented. The left corner of the window faces east, the right corner fases south. And the tank stands with the back to the right angled east wall of it.. When the blinds stay open it will get direct sun from around 1pm till around 5pm. For the rest a lot of indirect daylight.

I guess no need for any artificial lights. Till now the house plants that stood on that wardrobe bottom grew like mad all year round.

No lights, no heater and only a small hob to create a little circulation and water movement. But i'll keep non flooded till all plants are fully grown in. Especialy all that carpets the slopes Depending on the time this takes it might stay dry starting till next summer. I realy need the plant roots keeping it all from collapsing down on me..

 

[zozo]

Did look around for Black lava rocks.. But darn those LFS's are bonkers, they sell it for € 6.50 per kilo.. Than one big chunk easy is 1 kilo if not more.. I'm not going to spend a fortune that goes wholesale for 49 cents per kilo..

But i found the hardscape.. Actualy almost forgot i had it tugged away in a wooden chest for over 2 years. Back then i bought several batches of fossilized wood from ebay. I dug it up and diceded to use it. The texture isn't realy like the typical fossilized wood available.. It has a odd maily black and red color with traces of white. The texture more resambles a kind of lava rock, actualy it could be combined without creating a strange contrast.

Anyway the base structure is done so far. STill have a lot smaller pieces left to work on the details later on.

The voids are going to be filled with crushed filter lava i can get 9 litre for a few buck, with this i can easy bank it firmly up and top it off with a few cm of fine black gravel without all rolling down again. The water level later on will not be much higher than the lowest point of the baskets. There will be at least 5 to 6 cm of gravel above the water level at the left emersed side. The right side gradulay banking up .

I would like to pack it in layer by layer with lava chunks and substrate. Than there will no big chunks be seen at the glas front and side only fine black gravel.

The right side i created a steap cliff with the bigger rock pieces.. The big rock in the back has a verry ruff lava like texture with nooks and crannies. Ideal for mosses and a fern on top. Everything still needs to filles with lava rocks at the back. Covering the see through gaps, maybe for some trailing plant. thinking of HC..

Left side detail..

The pipe for feeding the HOB filter will be situated like this, drawn into the pic with grey.. Need to bend it, so i can clean it with a wire brush. It will be hidden behind the rock far enough above the substrate and mask the emersed end with applying some kit and black gravel. The submeres side will be incased in stones simply looking like a small cave.. But than you have to watch around the corner.. It will not be seen. For the HOB i'll try to figur out a kind of cascading sructure. That's a worry for later when i get it. Will take a few weeks, ordered it from China..

Behind that bigger rock at the left will be the filter inlet..

Now it's off to the LFS get me a few bags of crushed lava and substrate. So i can fill it up and work on the hardscape details..

 

[zozo]

And sorry, i don't know why, But since childhood i oftenly mix up left and right.. Even worse when someone asks me directions.. Than 10 minutes later i realise what i did wrong and feel sorry they got completely lost.. I guess it's an (self proclaimed or worse) ADD issue.. .. The H i lost somewhere down the road left or right..

But i guess also, you all catch where i'm going.. Right?

 

[zozo]

Continued as Journal <Here>

 

[Kezzab]

I can feel a massive emersed section coming on.

Too much information.