The Stove & Its Flowering Anubias.

[zozo]

This is a project still in development The tank will be a DIY 90x35x35 cm x 6mm rimless open top. Glass and kit is ordered and hope to get it somewhere this week..

Low Tech
Filter - 40x25x25cm sump, 600 liter p/h powerhead.
Hardware - mainly Savanna Wood and to cover the panties a few black ardenne rocks of which not much will be seen when grown in.
Substrate - Base layer black Lava Fuji Sand 20 - 2 mm and 0,2 - 3mm, topped with a small rounded black gravel.
Heating - ? maybe non
Lights - diy LED.
Flora - Mainly ephiphytes and mosses, Java Ferns (Needle large, Needle mini, XL Orange and regular), Anubias (Nana, ducky, golden, ?), bucephalandras (?), do not know yet what excactly only whats called by name i have already. Few substrate feeders in the pockets between and behind the wood. Probably some, crypts, grasses, milfoils, elodea, shore weed, potamogeton (floater) maybe a lily as well. We'll see.
Fauna - Hara Jerdoni and ?? (Temporary 5 goldfish for the coldest winter months.)

Start with the stand.. And because the brick floor is so darn crocked and dips in almost an inch in 3 feet, I couldn't find an easier and more simple construction than. 1" gass pipe and 1" scaffolding fittings. Because if i move it half an inch it stands wobbly again. This way i could move around and adjust it on the fly and it still stands like a house. I like the steampunk look, it stays black steel pipe, let there be rust. This will take a life time before falling apart.

Table top and inlay is from simple free palletwood i got from the neighbour. Actualy it's still nice 4 cm thick Douglas Pine and gave it a nice teak and blank varnish finish.

Still playing with the layout.

Changed a bit added some rock and have to watch again after a few days but i think this is fairly about it. Few more stones..

This is what i got so far.. I'll post updates as they come..

Suggestions and ideas are very welcome.

 

[Greenfinger2]

Hi Marcel, I like it has a good flow to the wood over the stones.
Great DIY on the stand Hope all go's well with the tank build.

Looking forward to seeing this all come together now mate

 

[zozo]

Thanks Darrel and Roy.. The stand couldn't be simpler, even simpler than Ikea can provide.. And realy cheap, pipe and fitting about € 60, the rest was fr free.
Indeed the tankbuild is going to be exciting, never did kit a tank before, but it's not the largest tank to kit, so i guess it will do ok.

Oh it's this technique i'm going to use, so no need for a tut about that.

 

[Nelson]

Liking it already .

 

[zozo]

Thank you Nelson and Manu..

This is a view from above..

 

[alto]

Brilliant stand build - your design & stain choices on the wood pull it all together (I want doors just so I can see more of the wood )

I'm not a fan of that Savanna Wood but have no doubt you'll make it look outstanding too

... hoping you update with each step

Are you doing a dirt or enriched substrate layer beneath the sand too?

 

[zozo]

Thanks Alto, you're thinking the same as i do.. Already was thinking about doors and 1 side panel as well. If i find the time and material to pull it off, who knows.
Don't know yet, also like the open look and also thinking of a little extra nano tank next to the sump for shrimp breed and plants and such. Got a lot to think about and still brain storming.

Me also i never was a fan of Savanna wood, didn't like the multicolor light and dark and the odd shapes it has.. Actualy was more like looking for mangrove. Which is not so easy to find around my place. But! I couldn't retain myself when i saw this NIKE Sneaker at the LFS.

And this shape gave me the idea to create a mangrove style root structure with savanna. The plants will do the rest.. They have to.. Huh?! I have too. Working on it.. Hardware is anyway just plant support to me. The way i see it, it's all about plants, they are the mascara of the tank, they make it or break it...

no doubt you'll make it look outstanding too

I hope you are right.. Thanks for the support..

Nono dirt for me.. To much organics.. The goldfish will poop that enough.. The panties are filled with Akadama and Lava pumice and did put what i had left of my Velda clay balls with it. For the rest it will be the Fuji sand, thats crushed lava rock as well, in the pockets between te wood, fine rounded gravel on top and front layer. Main planting will be ephiphytes, they don't need substrate.. What needs substrate will be in the pockets between the wood and get HS aqua clay fert cones if needed. Since it needs to be suitable for my 5 freshwater piggy goldfish, there will be no carpetting, only playground (gravel) for them to happily dig around. That's what they love, and that's what i like to give them.

 

[alto]

I forgot about the goldfish winter residents

Thanks for the "panty" details

 

[Martin in Holland]

I am following this with interest.

 

[parotet]

Subscribed Marcel! I know more or less the plants you like and I think they will fit very well in this setup. However, I'm not sure if goldfish will be the best neighbors in that neighborhood

I once used this video to mount my mini vivarium. It looks so easy, isn't it? Luckily for me, the nano vivarium did not have to hold to much water because it leaked in some places and the silicone work was terrible. These guys have applied silicone in thousand of tanks I guess... But of course that's me, I'm very bad for DIY stuff. Actually my skills are restricted to modify IKEA cabinets

Give me a shout if you need plants H. pinnatifida would look great covering that wood), I will be trimming this weekend

Jordi

 

[zozo]

Thanks Jordi.. Goldfish have a terrible reputation, but i already have them for some years, back and fort from tank to pond. I kinda know their behavoir by now. The are not so terrible, they are only playfull and love to dig around. They only need some robust invironment, of course can't give them a delicate tidy carpeted scape with a light clay powder type, that would be asking for a disaster. You mainly see those traditioal goldfish scapes with round riverpeblles, but these scapes are imho not aimed toward the fish, more towards the convinience of the keeper. But in nature they wont stay long in such invironments, they would travel on till they find diggin ground. That's why i'm planning to keep the front and right side carpet free with a thick layer of heavy 1-2mm rounded gravel they can shift and sift through without making a mess. In my experience this works best and they love it. And tie most vegitation to the hardware. But for me it's also a trail and error periode, never made them a scape like this.They only will be in there for 4 months at the most, maybe less depends when the freezing winter kicks in. Then i got at least 8 months left to figger something out, with maybe some carpeting to grow in they can't distroy. Like secure it on a mesh under the substrate.

With the kitting i'm going to use masking tape inside the tank of course, so i can happily smear away an abundancy of kit to prevent air pockets. These guys make it indeed look to easy, i'm not going to fall for that. The best advantage in this way of constructing is the bottom panel. Its internal, so if the glass is cut perfectly, you can't go wrong, glew it together secure the corners and the tank always will be perfectly straight. And it's the strongest construction compared to an outside bottom panel which is much more difficult to put together. And of course you need a good gun, not such a cheapo pring driven gun, i'm lucky to have one driven with a hydraulic piston pump.

I would love to put H. Pinnatifide in there.. still got your cuttings in the propagator tank. Doing slow but well. I definetily could use some more.. Thanks for the offer!! Realy great.. They would do good in the red marked areas. The circle is that upright stump, it's hollow like a flower pot, i will put substrate in there, HP would love that, since it's not a true epiphyte. The green is all area where substrate will be and could be planted.

The rest will be on the wood and rocks.. The free space at the front and right i'll figger some out next year after the winter.

 

[PARAGUAY]

Ilike the wood

 

[zozo]

What can i say!?.... Wish me luck, next weekend will be it's maiden voyage above the bath tub and the moment of truth.. I'll keep it there for a week flooded i think if it doesn't leak straight away..
Never thougt it would be so exciting, kitting my first tank.. I think i have bad dreams tonight..

 

[aaron.c]

Good luck

 

[zozo]

Since the tank is curing it's kit and i already got the motherload of the plants i couldn't resist to play some with the layout.
The idea is that this is becoming a major Java tank, with some anubias and some other species. All that i have now i placed on the hardware to have a look. And i like to share.

This is about the idea so far.

Dear Roy (greenfinger) sended me the already established Emersed Java he had left from an earlier W-K, That's th eregular one on top of the wood. Behind the wood about till the base of the stump. And RH next to that Java will come a also from dear Roy emersed established Hygrophila lancea. There also will be a Anubias Ducky i got from Roy and the golden is his as well..The H. Pinatiffida i got from dear Jordy as some of the mosses which will be in there.. So these 2 members are going to represented in and above this tank.. Thanks a million guys!! I hope you like it, what i'm planning to do with your babies..

There probably will be some milfoils behind the Orange Java Aquatica and Brasiliensis mixed hoping they will pop emersed as wel some day. Back LH hand corner i still do not know. There also will be the sump overflow. So i need a large plant to hide that away. Broad leaf would be a good addition. Back RH Corner will probably be a bush of Pogestemon Erectus. That plant i found in the pond, i have no idea what it is, it might be a grow form of Potamogeton Natans, i will plant it and see what it becomes.
Few other plants here an there will be added as well. More anubias nana and some shoreweed, some grasses. And mosses, definitely Fontanillis.. Later on i want to plant some Buce on the rocks.. But i have to make choices, for now i'm getting slightly over my budget, still a lot to do and Buce is still very expensive. So this one goes on a hold for now.

 

[Sarpijk]

That looks really well done, until the goldfish are in! Well Zozo what type of goldfish are you putting in there? In my experience plants and goldfish are incompatible. Of course I used to keep common goldfish.

 

[zozo]

Thanks Sarpijk.. You think so? There will be 5 normal common goldfish in there, but only temporarely, as long as the weather temps are soft they stay outside and doesn't drop to long under 5 c water temp. So they never will be much longer in there than 3 to 4 months or less..

Here they are in a previous simple winter habitat..

Well i thought it over a lot, how to make something different in such way they can't distroy to much, what i can not overcome again when they are out again. I always kept them with plants they like to nibble on, as above Elodea and Cabomba, actualy they did very well and survived the whole periode. When it comes to digging, i give them a heavy type of small rounded gravel. This doesn't cloud, Where substrate will be in the scpae is in pockets, where they are unlikely to dig. These pockets will be filled with a rough grained Fuji Sand as base and finer graind fuji sand top. I'm not realy see them eat JAva ferns and anubias, also the blyxa is a bambo like grass. And i already keep them for years in a very shallow terrace pond fully planted without many issues. This actualy more is a shallow aquarium without glass in the garden than a pond.

Well we will see, how it works out.. I like to experiment .. Actualy, i'm becoming to like this scape so much i think the goldfish probably only will be in there for one season. And build them another tank for the next winter.. And also go tropical with this one.. Dunno yet..

 

[Sarpijk]

Τhis is a DIY goldfish tank from a very good Greek fellow-hobbyist. Can you guess the tank size?

 

[zozo]

Way to small...

 

[Sarpijk]

Well we will see, how it works out.. I like to experiment .. Actualy, i'm becoming to like this scape so much i think the goldfish probably only will be in there for one season. And build them another tank for the next winter.. And also go tropical with this one.. Dunno yet..

This exactly what I did. I soon realised that goldfish do not really belong to a tank and turned the tank into a tropical one. I can picture some a Peacock goby poking its head outside the little cave in the middle!