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Roma 240

Whagwan

Member
Joined
15 Feb 2022
Messages
53
Location
Bristol
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Starting this thread to Journal my 2nd tank. It's a Roma 240 with an FX6 filter I picked up off of gumtree.

I'm using alfragrog to bulk up the base, which I am going to sprinkle with osmacote and then cap with kayadama baked clay bonsai soil to hold onto the nutrients and sand over the top. I plan for the rocky area to the left to be most heavily planted, with wood pieces on white sand with epiphytes to the right.

I'm still playing with the hardscape on this one, I was toying with the cave yesterday but decided that the pieces of rainbow slate I had used to make this were too beautiful to hide under the substrate.

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So I'm going to redo this section using a buried terracotta pot for the cave with the rainbow slate to the front.

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Unfortunately, I'm gonna need more rainbow slate so it's on order and the build is on hold until then. Hopefully it will arrive by the weekend so I can spend some time getting it right.
 
Just to add that the longer-term plans here are to get the hardscape perfect and then dark start to get the filter cycled.

I don't have the spare cash to fully plant the tank yet so a month or two saving will allow me to fully plant rather than do it in dribs and drabs.

Whilst dark starting I have a DIY (citric/bicarc) CO2 system I'm going to play with and see if I can get working satisfactorily without risking plants or livestock. I may end up investing in pressurised but finding out is part of the fun!
 
So they delivery of rainbow slate got missed when I popped out to the shops today, hopefully I'll be able to pick up the sorting office tomorrow.

I've been working on my wood, 5 pieces cheap from the Range, doing the mad thing where you pull every piece out on the floor and see what fits together.

This finished to low so I brought more height with a couple of pieces of spider wood from my LFS. These two pieces cost more that the other 5 combined!

All the wood screwed together from the back with marine stainless screws...

I'm starting to see something in have the slate pop up between legs of the wood feature.

Kind of making it look like a ridge of harder rock has caught sticks and a mound of earth.
 
So they delivery of rainbow slate got missed when I popped out to the shops today, hopefully I'll be able to pick up the sorting station tomorrow.

I've been working on my wood, 5 pieces cheap from the Range, doing the mad thing where you pull every piece out on the floor and see what fits together.

This finished too low so I brought more height with a couple of pieces of spider wood from my LFS. These two pieces cost more that the other 5 combined!
 
Oh wow, I've no recollection of those posts.
I thought my drunken forum posting days were decades behind me but clearly not out of the system just yet. Will try not to do that again!!!

So I got hold of my rainbow slate. 24hrs of frustration, milliput, superglue and silicone later I'm finally happy with my rockface/cave arrangement.

I'm pretty happy with the Dragonstone pieces where they are but they may get fiddled with/moved. Any alternative suggestions from you guys would be gratefully accepted...
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I've also got my wood pieces looking right for the other end of the tank...

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I've got a few small pieces of dragonstone and slate left so will poke them through the gaps in the wood as if they are continuations of the rock strata poking up on the left. Pic below not at all representative but to give the idea...

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We're done on hardscape and substrate! Some tinkering with the wood and small piece placement but I've got a few weeks for the dark start.

Just waiting 48hrs for the silicone to cure then will flood it.

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So there's been some tinkering since these last photos. I've made the dragonstone into one larger piece and used more wood to marry it all together a bit more.

I've got a few more of the small pieces of acacia wood currently soaking to add on the left hand side but pretty sure I'm most of the way there.

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I've done my planting diagrams and order list, looking like I'll get to plant it 1st weekend in April.

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So I couldn't wait and have done a fair bit of the planting of the right-hand epiphyte side of the tank.

Just some more moss and some small buceps to add along the lower curve in the wood.

I've got a big order of 1-2-grow pots and a couple of other plants to pick up on Friday and then I'll fully plant the left hand side.

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I am, but not on its own...

I've got a bit of a hodgepodge of lighting in there at the moment.

1x Fluval 14.5w Roma LED Light
1x 100cm Nicrew Planted Light
1x 120CM Zetlight Lancia 2
 
Wow, I love the cave! It all looks so beautiful. I'm totally stealing your idea on my next build 😁 Do the fish interact with the cave at all?
 
Cheers!

Yeah the corys and pearl gourami pop in from time to time, however it's earmarked for a pair of apistogramma borelli to come in the future.
 
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