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Meander - Ended As Planted 31/07/2021

Gill

Member
Joined
17 Mar 2008
Messages
3,898
Location
Coventry
So this will be the new tank for the new house.
Will be Collecting it at the end of the week to be setup etc later.

Specs:
Model: OakStyle Shades 145L
Volume In Litres: 145.
Dimensions: 81W x 38D x 55H cm.
Aquarium Colour: Flint Grey.
Lighting: Stock LED + Fluval 3.
Filtration: Ocellaris 850 + Sponge Filter, Don't want alot of flow in this one. Will be using Glassware, just not decided which type yet.
Also will be putting in an Air Curtain at the back pane, as found this worked really well with a low flow tank.

Hardscape: Redmoor Twigs - I have already chucked a few into the water butt there to soak. Will be using mature Lava rock to help Seed the tank with Bacteria and Critters.
Substrate: Unipac Riversand.
Planting: Eleocharis Vivipara, Eleocharis pusilla, Moss tied to wood. Floaters as well, have a tub of them growing nicely and a nice supply in the pond.

Tank will be going in the Kitchen/Diner
Its going to be a Low tech tank and a slow burner. Will try an resist tinkering with it, and just let it grow and mature over time.
 
Have ordered 15 kilos of lava Rock substrate for the base level. And then will be capped with sand. Layers will be separated by crochet netting. As have used this method before.

Also will be running a UGF under the lava rock. To give the best turnover of water and surface area for bacteria to colonise.

Tried a few methods for securing the twigs yesterday. And glueing them to rocks worked out OK, so that they stay vertical at the angle I want them to be.

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Its this tank. Its sitting at the store waiting for me.


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I think you’ve made a really good choice. I have the same tank, albeit different colour trim. I didn’t buy it with the cabinet as I have a low oak cabinet that I prefer. I’ve found it it be just the right size for my lounge. At present I do run it with an internal filter, purely down to nowhere to place an external without it being on show which my wife would frown upon. However, it’s the Oase Bioplus Thermo 200 which I have to say for an internal has been brilliant. Running with CO2 injection now (recent upgrade) and looking towards upgrading lighting (Twinstar perhaps). Enjoy 👍
 
Glad I forgot to have the tank delivered. Builder was repairing the kitchen ceiling this morning. And replastering it all, so alot of mess and dust.
Kitchen does look alot better, but will now need redecorating. So that job is next before tank goes in.

Decided against sand, going to cap with soil. Now to go for black or red soil substrate, Over the lava rock.

I have an idea I saw on a gardening scape show, but not sure if it will work in a tank. The bits are cheap enough and would need x2 panels. Just need o make up my mind about it. If it works it should look amazing from my point of view. And add a very different depth to the scape. Depending on which style to go with.

I did something similar over 15 years ago in a 3 footer, but it was not on this scale.




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Interested in your addition of the Fluval 3 lights to the tank, as I have the same tank, with the stock lighting (which seems ok-ish) and with the oak trim around the top, but looking to upgrade my lighting to get the best out of the plants. The Fluval 3 is on my shortlist. I’m assuming that there are no modifications needed and the Fluval 3 light bar, and it can rest on the glass margin on top of the tank, inside the oak trim?
 
Interested in your addition of the Fluval 3 lights to the tank, as I have the same tank, with the stock lighting (which seems ok-ish) and with the oak trim around the top, but looking to upgrade my lighting to get the best out of the plants. The Fluval 3 is on my shortlist. I’m assuming that there are no modifications needed and the Fluval 3 light bar, and it can rest on the glass margin on top of the tank, inside the oak trim?

yep will sit on the glass happily, will also be using a smart 4 way. So that i can also control the stock lighting from my phone.
 
Apologies for the lack of updates,
Life gets in the way.
House Sales is moving at a snails pace. Buyers have so far completed each stage of paperwork wrong, so have had to be coached by the agent and solicitors.
Works at the new house are done, and just waiting for the lights etc to be reconnected. And then for the fencing and gates to be replaced from storm damage.
Need to make a decision about the flooring in my room. As it is currently painted squares pattern.

Tank is being delivered on the 24th, and will sadly remain packed until ready to setup.
Fish are doing well in the temp tote.

Back to work finally after nearly 7 months, which was strange. And there are still more uncertainty about what will happen. As alot of the workforce come from neighbouring notts. So that is being looked at. I am on Outbound sales, which I don't mind. As only speak to a handful of people a day(95% answer machine)
 
nothing much to update,
Vertigo started so not been in for 2 weeks. And so could not collect the tank.
Does not look like the sale will go thru before Christmas. So will see what happens, and plan accordingly.
 
Hope you feel better soon Gill.
 
Apologies for the lack of an update.

House sale has been delayed by buyers incompetence throughout. And finally happening on Tuesday.
Did only get 6 days notice from the solicitors. So have scrambled to move everything.
Severely underestimated how many things I own. So the living room in full to the brim with boxes etc spilling into the kitchen diner.
Garden is a tip at this point. And waiting on a skip to arrive over the coming days to start sorting things out.

Went to move the fish over and dunno what happened, but they all started dying. Dunno if it was shock or something else. They were fine in the morning, when they were fed. Managed to save only a couple of minnows and a frog. Everything else died.

Will set the tank up once I can sort out the mountain of stuff to go thru.

Got no BB till Wednesday and no TV till the 26th. Thanfully was able to get Internet swap over quickly.

This has certainly been a challenging move. What with brother not getting time off. So moving stuff quickly during lunch breaks was not fun. And in the dark in the evenings. Thankfully the new house was only a few minutes away. So could dash to and from with stuff.

Also back to work at the end of the week, as work from home team. So that will be good.

See you all soon.

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Good luck with the move. I have just been through this process so fully empathise. I am looking forward to seeing your next tank when you have settled in to your new house.
 
Well Work Screwed up my Dates. So its the 22nd Feb return now, as I also had a months worth of holidays accrued during furlough, so need to use these. This does mean I will have more time to settle in the Scape and do it this right 1st time. Went to Deans this afternoon for a look around and see what the availability of plants and fish was going to be. And found some Stunning long twisty Malaysian bogwood pieces. These were grabbed and paid for, and now soaking in the water butt.
Plants should be easy enough from Aquafleur, and browsing the instore catalogue poster chose the below.
Fish may take a little more time to source, but Dean will get what I want.

Planting.
Foreground Carpet: Pots
ELEOCHARIS ACICULARIS X10

ELEOCHARIS PARVULA X6
ELEOCHARIS VIVIPARA X5
HYDROCOTYLE TRIPARTITA X3
HYDROCOTYLE VERTICILLATA X2
ERIOCAULON CINEREUM X2
ERIOCAULON SP. VIETNAM X2

SAGITTARIA SUBULATA X3
Background: Pots
CRINUM CALAMISTRATUM X3 - Back Far Left outlet flow
VALLISNERIA NANA X10 - Mixed into back/mid ground.

Hardscape:
XXXL Bogwood - Soaking in Water butt.
To Attach to Hardscape: Pots
ANUBIAS NANA BONZAI x10

Inverts:
Cherry shrimp mixed colours X100 - Will be added in batches when they are Available to order
Vampire Shrimp X5
Thai Micro Crabs X50 - Will be added in batches when they are Available to order
Ramshorn Snails - Whatever is in with the Minnow Fry
Malaysian Trumpet Snails - To keep the Substrate turned over.

Fish:
Will Add the Minnow fry, whatever there is in that tank from the garden.
Chilli Rasboras X150 or more - Will be added in batches when they are Available to order.
Rosy Loaches X 5
Martensi Pipefish X20 - Will be added in batches when they are Available to order.
Heterandria Formosa X 10 - standard and gold

Filtration will continue to be the stock external, and a UGF x2 plates powered by 400LPH air pump. Contemplating adding a Jebao cross flow wave maker, but for now a 3W nano wavemaker will do. Rockpool Aquatics used this in the the open top tanks, and the flow was impressive and multi directional. I liked that there was a pause function for feeding. And that each head could be set to a different speed and flow rate.
 
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The Custom living backgrounds I had ordered in September of last year never did arrive. So had been battling for a refund, Which has now been processed.
And as there was only one supplier that I had found, dont want to use that method. And had been pricing up making this myself, which came out to Over 165GBP, so not something I wanted to try and fail at.
So after searching for a few hours today. I have chosen I Resin Background. And asked for it to be modified for my inlet and outlet. I will have to cut it carefully with the Dremmel due to the inner glass cover. And then slot it back into place, and glue if necessary. They are Similar to the ones that Joey used on builds on the king of DIY Channel, but not at those costs.
I think that they will work really well. As I can fill the void areas with media and use uplift tubes to pull more water thru. And then Drill out outlets for them. Not going to make them myself this time, so will be using spare UGF uplifts and outlets for this purpose. So there will be 4 Uplifts with Outlets at the back of the Void Area pulling water thru the grated inlets and then the water will pass thru the Biomedia bags and foams.
Also the background will help to hide all the pipework, Heater and wiring. There should be nothing but the hardscaping and planting viewable within the main area of the tank, bar the powehead.
I will then attach lots of Moss to the background to hide any joints etc. And also to make it look more mature.
If in the future I decide that a Cross Stream powerhead would be beneficial this would be easily fitted.

I know I never follow conventional methods for setting up, scaping, plant choices, and fish choices. And that is my Choice and I enjoy the process more this way.



I have sent out enquiries to other suppliers to see what pricing they can do for the inverts and fish, just so I can buy from the most reasonable place.
 
I have been able to source the shrimp thru BAND, from a localish breeder. Who will drop them off next week. And at a less then half what I had been quoted. And they look like they are mostly fire reds. So that is sorted, and local water, so don't have to be acclimated for hours.

Rasboras pricing is as to be expected and is a fair price tbh. So these will be ordered aswell.

Pipefish will be harder to find, but happy to wait till the prey is mature and established.

Micro crabs ate easy enough to get, so they can be ordered accordingly. Might ask if I can go to the wholesalers, as never been to this one before.

Space has been cleaned and wiring done for the outlets.


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