Justin's ADA 60p - NEW FTS (page4)

[sdlra]

nice look forward to updates

 

[clone]

Great light mate. Belive or not I have done the same by hand on my light LOL. It took me less than 2h but your result is grater than mine. Keep updated.

 

[clone]

I also use pure white 6500 chips but it seems to me too whiteish. That is why I add 2 grow ligts which will iluminate the red and blue colors. The plants went crazy on this light.

 

[justin85]

I also use pure white 6500 chips but it seems to me too whiteish. That is why I add 2 grow ligts which will iluminate the red and blue colors. The plants went crazy on this light.

I have got 6,500Ks daylight leds on mine hoping they would have more of a balanced spectrum "hopefully" Have yoou got any pictures of your DIY reflector?

 

[martinmjr62]

Nice tidy looking setup.Diy luminaire looks the nuts

Cheers
Martin

 

[justin85]

Update:Almost ready to start the hard scape


I have finally decided on the hard scape material I will be using, After going back and forth with different idea's and styles I am now committed as I have placed an order for a piece of Redmoor Root Wood. I still need a few items which I will be ordering next week.

I have got £40 coupon for TGM which will cover at least half of the cost of the plants I will be ordering (bonus) I have started a list but will be researching further to make sure I get the ones I want. I also need to pay a visit to my local fire extinguisher company to get my 2 5kg bottles refilled and buy 4 more bottle so I have a stock for the year, I need to look in to replacing my regulator because I had issues with it before and I don't want to risk it happening again. I am thinking about getting the UP Twin Gauge Adjustable CO2 Regulator - Solenoid - Needle Valve (A-165) from TankScape but want to make sure its right for my needs and if its worth the money.


Here's the Redmoor Root Wood:

 

[greenink]

Really like this thread. DIY all the way. Oversize cabinet really original, though that grey mat is gonna get filthy unless you're a lot neater than me...

How did you bend the aluminium? And what thickness was it? I'm going to do exactly that to cover the horrendous looking TMC tiles and mounting beam on my tank.

 

[justin85]

Really like this thread. DIY all the way. Oversize cabinet really original, though that grey mat is gonna get filthy unless you're a lot neater than me...

How did you bend the aluminium? And what thickness was it? I'm going to do exactly that to cover the horrendous looking TMC tiles and mounting beam on my tank.

Glad you like it and hope others do to, It is taking a little longer than I would have hoped to get this tank up and running but my cichlids are keeping me busy breeding like crazy...

I will have to try my best to keep it clean and tidy lol I actually bent the aluminium sheet by hand (took my time so I didn't mess it up) its 1.2mm off of eBay ( Here ) I had to order a larger size than I needed but I sent them a email and asked if they could cut it for me, which they did free of charge. It was easy to shape, but its easier if you have a template to bend it around but I just used my knee and took my time.

 

[greenink]

Thanks v helpful - think will try using a poster tube or something as I usually mess things like this up. Slowly does it I bet.

 

[justin85]

Update: Redmoor root wood and plant suggestions

My parcel arrived today of my Redmoor root wood I ordered, its larger than I thought but it looks kinda nice in the tank and I am getting idea's of what I will do.

I am now starting to plan for the plants and would love to hear your suggestions on that also waiting for a few more parcels to arrive from TGM.

Below you will see I have sections off parts of the tank with colors and would love to hear your suggestion for plants in the sections.

I will be attaching moss to the root wood (mini fissiden) and I have been researching on doing a DSM but I have never do this method before so I am a little hesitant.


Anyway your feedback is welcome.

 

[deepak267]

great start, looking forward to see the complete tank

Good Luck
Deepak

 

[Tim Harrison]

The aluminium sheet idea is great, I was about to do the same to cover an ugly looking T5 luminaire. These guys on eBay will cut to size and bend or fabricate if required...no knees needed Aluminium Plate / Sheet - Cut to Size - 1, 1.2, 1.5 and 2mm thick- Free Delivery | eBay

 

[justin85]

great start, looking forward to see the complete tank

Good Luck
Deepak

Thanks mate, hopefully soon I will get the substrate and sand in this well give a better feel of how it will look.

 

[TallDragon]

Update: Some more DIY

... I also drilled holes for the pipe work to come through the cabinet. ...

Here's the glass intake and outlet.

Justin, don't you think that these tight fitting holes for the tubes in the cabinet will make it problematic to lift the lilly pipes up when you want to take them out (e.g. when taking pictures of the tank)... or worse still, when you need to clean the hoses?
Perhaps these very 'drilled in wood' holes might limit your aquascape design, as you don't have much freedom of placing the pipes to optimize flow.
Otherwise, very envious of all the kit.
TD

 

[justin85]

Justin, don't you think that these tight fitting holes for the tubes in the cabinet will make it problematic to lift the lilly pipes up when you want to take them out (e.g. when taking pictures of the tank)... or worse still, when you need to clean the hoses?
Otherwise, very envious of all the kit.
TD

That was one concern of mine when in the planning stage, and I took this in to account when cutting the hose and I have left lots of slak also I have eheim double taps which will make it easier when removing them.

also the hose can move very easily through the holes I drilled which are bigger than the hose diameter.

 

[justin85]

Update: The start


Today was the big day, I got my moss from TGM and started the dry start method. This is my first ever attempt at attaching mosses using this method.
Here's what I did...

I removed the moss from the metal grid it came on and put it into a plastic jug (I am using Fissidens fontanus) I then added water (about 200ml) and greek yoghurt (5ml) I then used a hand-held blender to mix up the Fissidens, water and yoghurt. The result was a green liquid containing millions of tiny pieces of moss. I then used the paint brush to apply the mixture to the pre-soaked root wood.





Under the tank I have a 30w heat mat which will keep the temperature inside the tank at a constant 22c and the humidity up. The tank has 3cm of water in and is covered with a glass lid and then sealed with clingfilm.





The photoperiod has been set to 12 hours and I will leave the tank covered for the first week then I will make a small air gap can encourage some gas exchange. This whole process will take 3 weeks to complete, then I can add all the additives, substrate, plants and fill it with water.

 

[justin85]

The DSM is going well, can see the moss growing and seems to be attaching nicely. So in a week or so I will be placing an order for my plant from TGM, here's what I have come up with so far let me know what you guys think:

forground:
Eleocharis sp. 'mini'
Marsilea hirsuta or glosso glossostigma -

Midground:
Hydrocotyle tripartita
Staurogyne repens

Background:
Rotala sp green
Limnophila hippuridoides
Cyperus helferi


attached to root wood:
Narrow Leaf Java Fern
Anubias Nana

Moss:
fissiden

 

[justin85]

Does not seem to be any interest in this thread, so I will just leave it for now until the tank is all planted up and see if there is any interest then.

 

[tim]

Plant list looks good mate, will you weight the wood down with a rock or such like red moor can be a bit floaty ? Or do you think it will have stayed water logged from the initial soaking.

 

[justin85]

Plant list looks good mate, will you weight the wood down with a rock or such like red moor can be a bit floaty ? Or do you think it will have stayed water logged from the initial soaking.

I really am hoping it will have stayed water logged but probably will have to use a rock to keep it down.