New studio tank

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

Thought I'd start a journal for this, the new studio tank. Originally I was going to refit my old 24" tank that housed a breeding pair of Apistogramma Cacatuoides and a few Otos. It was planted and had a large piece of bogwood they used as a cave and did alright as long as you didn't mind the constant fight against algae that I stayed on top of in the main. I broke it down and placed the inhabitants into a cube I had with rocks and some rummynoses and they were happy there for what was going to be a couple of weeks.

I came into the studio one Monday morning to discover a power cut in the night had plummeted tank temperatures and had killed all the fish. A real kick in the teeth.

Since then a few things have happened. Digging around the loft space here I found an old 100ltr Clearseal aquarium 36" long that had only been used once on a photoshoot (I am based in a photo studio) The photographer was no longer in need of it as he had recently purchased the biggest ADA he could get (he filled it with wine for a shoot - don't ask).

So now I have a new, bigger, all glass tank that looks very nice and clean. I've made a shopping list of things I needed to make it work. I've had to build a frame out of timber to go under the desk to support the tank weight. The T5 light unit needed a couple of bars to hang on that I had made from Perspex. And a new Eheim classic external filter. A few of the more expensive Items I have bought from ebay, often from sellers in the far east which means incredibly long shipping times. I bought a refurbished fire extinguisher and found someone that will refill it for £10 in Wimbledon. Still waiting to arrive are the solonoid/regulator, bubble counter, drop checker, diffuser and lily pipes, and also some frosted glass backing from TGM.

From Aquaessentials I've bought Tropica plant growth substrate and Fiji sand. Clear co2 and filter tubing, and 3 decent sized Landscape rocks to go with my existing rock. Richard is very helpful explaining sizes/weights and chose lovely pieces for me.

I have chiselled a few of my chunky bits of bogwood to try and get a more branching/rooty sort of look and still need to work on this but for now, my dry rough layout is starting to take shape. Just need the deliveries all to arrive so I can add water - fill with plants - mature - add fish/shrimp.

Anyway, here's the layout as it is, probably will add a bit more sand at the back and try and reduce the level at the front a bit to even it off. Let me know any thoughts, feel free to criticise or offer advice.

cheers. xx

 

[mi casa]

Looking good nice tank dude. the only one thing that stands out as looking a bit odd is the pointy stone in the middle i'd move it over to the right and leave a gap . what plants are you thinking?

 

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

Now you've pointed that out I can't stop looking at it, sticks out like a sore thumb.

I was hoping for a bit of guidance planting wise, I was hoping to carpet with something like HC or glossostigma at the front, some grass around the rocks and bushy stem pants behind. I have a few ferns/moss for the wood left over. As far as stem plants go I've not really looked, and for the carpeting plants if anyone has ideas as to what will work best with the substrate then let me know!

 

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

Right, played around with hardscape, moved everything forward a bit to allow for planting behind rocks. Frustrating waiting for parts to arrive but at least it gives you time to live with the initial layout I suppose. Still need another bag of sand or two to add depth towards the back, If anyone has any plant ideas do chip in...

 

[fish fodder]

Pogostemen helferi would look good around the rocks/wood

 

[Gary Nelson]

That looks allot better than the first pic - I would be tempted to angle the largest rock on the right more... don't be afraid to angle them about (leaning forwards or backwards) this can make the layout look more natural and often shows off more contours the piece of rock has to offer

 

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

I like the look of Pogostemen helferi, I'll add it to my little list and see if it makes the final cut. I'll also have a go with the angle on that right hand rock (actually two that fit together really well)..

As I submitted that last post the doorbell rang, two bits of glasswear from the far east. Drop checker and intake/outtake lily pipe, Got a bit excited and within two minutes had cracked the lily pipe trying to get the hose on and cut my finger too. I've just tried to silicone it together but I think I may just buy one from the UK and be, erm, a little more gentle and not like an excited little kid...

I really must do some work.

 

[Ady34]

Hi Md'WdH,
the new hardscape layout is a vast improvement, i really like it
Shame about the glassware, its so easy to do and most of us have managed to at one time or another so your in the club .....you quickly learn from it though
Cheerio,
Ady.

 

[aliclarke86]

Cracked 2 lily pipes but found putting the hose in some hot water for a few seconds makes it nice and soft and it slips right on

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

I'll think of it as a rite of passage

 

[Steve Smith]

That, and gashing your finger on a broken glass bubble counter!

 

[mi casa]

Ha ha done that to on my glass co2 diff it was in slow mo i cud see my self doing it but cud'nt stop

 

[Deano3]

new scape looks much better , I broke my co2 bubble counter from china when first arrived lol wasn't impressed, like you say I leant my lesson and purchased from uk from now on and much quicker arrival times lol I used gush lilly pipes looks great, will be watching this post keep up the good work

Dean

 

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

A brief update:

I removed all the rock and wood in order to scrub any signs of algae from them. I also removed some sand and used some washed slate to (cheaply) build the height up at the rear of the tank a bit and then replaced the sand giving a much nicer depth. I used my photo of the old layout to try and replicate it but for the life of me couldn't work out what bits went where .

It actually helped though as I think I've made an improved layout where it is not so symmetrical. I also filled it with water to test that it all holds and that the filter is water tight. It is, but it is now cloudy and is not worth photographing so I'll add one tomorrow when it all clears. I'm going to run it overnight, so all the dust is filtered out, then drain it, clean the filters and wait to plant it all up.

I have everything ready to run except for the regulator/solenoid which never arrived from Hong Kong, managed to get a full refund and have just ordered one from co2 supermarket which should arrive friday. Hopefully that means next week I can buy my plants.

I also received some light diffusing backing from TGM which makes a great improvement on the looks, may have to light it from behind at a later date.

 

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

Hello All,

An update...

I received all my plants yesterday from Aqua Essentials and lovely they were too.

For the foreground I have HC to try and create a carpet and Eleocharis intended to place around the rocks in the foreground, with the idea of keeping it trimmed fairly short at the front and letting it grow longer the further back it grows. A Hydrocotyle Tripartita the for the moment is place in the midground as one large clump and then for the back and sides some Limnophila Aromatica, Pogostemon Eustralis and Hygrophila Pinnatifida which will hopefully grow into decent sized 'bushes'. I also had some Java Moss and some ferns from my old tank that had been sitting in cold water with no light (and remarkably still look fairly healthy given the neglect).

Here's some pictures from the setting up...

The HC, Hydrocotyle and Eleocharis planted into damp substrate...

Filling (Very slowly) with water...

The finished article, still a bit cloudy and not an entirely smooth operation...

Planting it all up damp was going very smoothly, I was using a set of precision tweezers and was feeling the cool zen vibes drifting from all the Amano videos I've watched. I stuck a Steely Dan cd on, separated all the plants into tiny clumps, laid them all on a tray and placed them very carefully into the mud. I then thought it best to fill with water to plant the stem plants, as this is what I've seen the pros do. I clamped a hose in place and trickled it over a rock until it was half full, and planted the stems. This is where my problems started...little bits of HC and Eleocharis floating about with even the tiniest waft from my tweezered fingers. As I battled to catch them and replant, it would disturb the nearby plants so that each one planted would disturb two more. In the end I carried on with the stems and left the HC to float and did my best not to disturb anything.

It was getting late and I needed to leave so I left the bundled Java Moss in the now murky water and filled to the top, put the filter and heater on, set the timers up for the lights and Co2 and skedaddled.

When I arrived this morning the murk had cleared and it looked pretty good. Except for a leak coming from the glass lily pipe I broke previously. (Thought I'd just do a new clean break and run with it but it obviously didn't work) back to an eheim outlet. I've also added two little powerheads (both from old internal filters but with mesh over the inlets.

It doesn't look bad, I need to let things grow a bit so I can start trimming it into shape. I also would like to buy either an inline heater so I can't see it or a thermo filter. Also the nice looking diffusing film on the back of the tank which looked perfect when it was empty now looks like it has loads of tiny air bubbles under it so will need to be re-stuck. When I have the energy.

One good thing to come of this is that I've turned into Mr Miyagi as I can catch floating HC whizzing through the water with a pair of tweezers.

Next up, flies with chopsticks.

 

[Lindy]

Looks nice and natural, lovely rocks. I would probably have gone for mini hairgrass growing in and around the rocks with the larger stuff at the back(if at all). I would take out whatever you have planted at the back of the 'path' between the rocks and plant it to the one side of the path. All in, i like it alot

 

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

Moved the stems from behind the path, they now are placed behind the right hand rock, already growing and appearing over the top of it. Everything else seems to be settling in nicely. Today though I noticed that some of the plants are pearling, which is nice and something I've never witnessed before...

 

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

About a week and a half later and after a four day break from the studio with no liquid carbon or ferts going in I came in this morning and to my surprise it all looked OKish.

HC is spreading and I've trimmed and replanted the stem plants. The Hygrophila is the only plant that hasn't really done much. The pearling has stopped for some reason. Same dosage of liquid carbon and ferts, same lights same CO2. Today I moved the diffuser right next to a circulation pump so that not so much escapes from the surface.

Shopping list includes an inline heater and a Koralia circulation pump. At the moment I have the powerheads from two internal filters with netting over the inlets, not a pretty sight but needs must.

Hopefully with a decent pump the first fish will be bought this week. Eventually I would like around 10 Ottos, 20 Silvertip tetras and a couple of Apistogramma. If I'm lucky I may be able to source a family of black darter tetras too.

Here's how it looks at the moment....

 

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

Well, some things have grown, some haven't. Some of the stem plants seem to be a bit 'mushy' at the bottom, not sure if this is the transition to immersed growing or bad management by me. I also have some shrimps from The Aquatic Design Centre, 8 Amanos and 3 red shrimp one of which has eggs. I've also decided to remove all the wood. It was taking up too much 'floor space' and not leaving me enough room to plant. It now looks more like an iwagami layout, which isn't usually my bag, but it is an improvement. It was a rushed friday afternoon that saw the change so this week I'll tidy it up and photograph it.

On another note, I dug up 3 hebe bushes from the garden and the root/stem system is amazing looking, I washed the mud off with a hose to get a proper look, anyone know if they are fish safe? If they are I'll soak them for a while and see what happens to them.

 

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

Latest update....

Changed the backing to black paper. An instant improvement to this tank. Bought an inline CO2 reactor that made an improvement to the plants within a day - amazing transformation. I think the ceramic in the glass diffuser was clogging quickly and the bubbles were just too big and hard to distribute before popping at the surface. The HC is still doing my head in though, it gets uprooted so easily I end up throwing more away than keeping. There has been a couple of new plants from Living Waters in Croydon. Anubias Nana bonsai which I split into three even 1 pot was just too big, plus the grassy like carpeting plant on the left that I've already forgottens name (Think it is Utricularia). I may end up pulling the HC and replacing with the Utricularia.

Also, first fish went in today. 8 Ottos from Tyne Valley. I'm hoping they'll eat the thin but healthy carpet of algae covering the large rocks. Sorry for the poor iphone pic, a colleague will hopefully photograph it properly in the next couple of days.