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Teenage budgets and great expectations [45 Gallon Shallow Cube]

Khuulio

Khuulio

Seedling
Joined
17 Feb 2014
Messages
17
Hi all, thanks for peeping into my build thread

Ever since a child, I was never allowed a pet cat or dog due to space limitations and allergies (yay!), thus I looked to the next best pet; Fish.

I first kept a small goldfish bowl, then a ten gallon, which now houses a few neon tetras in a dirted set up (basically untouched for 5 months, running for nearly a year). During the time of setup of the 10G Walstad, I chanced upon BigTom's "Bucket 'O Mud" and Alistair's "A Chocolate Puddle", and I was inspired to do something on a smaller scale, and ordered a tank.

Since it arrived a few days ago, I thought it would be nice to set up the journal for me to keep track of things and knowledge from you guys, note most of this is what I plan to do in the upcoming weeks.

Tank and stand
  • 70cm x 70cm x 35cm (lxbxh) all in 6mm glass, silicone edges, open top
  • Basic pine stand, support on the rim of tank and a brace running through the middle.
Lighting
  • I'm looking for a sub-$100 AUD light, which could sustain an aquarium tank and the emergent plants. The top contender as of now is;
  • 0dcdaef5a4.jpg
  • It is 16 x 3W CREE XP-E power LEDS, with a cooling fan, E27 fitting. It has a colour output of 8000k, with white and blue diodes.
  • I'm looking for low wattage options, so this is the most feasible option, if you guys happen to come across anything better, please let me know, having difficulties with lighting because of tank dimensions.
  • I could also do multiple smaller LED clusters but I have no clue of the wiring, or making a brace for all the lights (note the teenage budget).

Substrate and scaping
  • Generic potting mix/ or compost topped off with fine gravel or sand.
  • Possibly some rocks and driftwood is possible.
Plants
  • Emergent: Planning to look for small species of Lillies, Calathea and maybe Maidenhair, whatever I can find in Bunnings.
  • Immersed: Water Wisteria, Hygrophilia, Crypts, Anubias, Swords and Minature Vals. I'm going for whatever low/medium light options I can find at my local store.
Fish
At this current moment, I have two paths which I will consider over time.
  • A shoal of tetras and a pair of pearl or dwarf gouramis.
  • A sorority of female bettas and a tetra shoal.
This is my plan thus far, it may be subject to change depending on local LFS stock, and the light which I can find.

A picture of the tank as is.
b15197a8f2.jpg

[DOUBLEPOST=1402906119][/DOUBLEPOST]I have purchased the tank, might just be me being over skeptical, but do you guys actually reckon the tank can hold all the water? It's 6mm, the guy said it is sufficient, but I'm having second thoughts?
Mainly because of the base of the tank;
815c1e9d23.jpg


Note how its only a edge supported and a brace in the middle? I feel like the small bracing plus 6mm glass might lead to 5k worth of electrical damage?
What do you guys think? Is it sufficient?

I might buy a plank of plywood to place on the brace, for even weight distribution.
 
What a fantastic start! When I was 13 I saved up for my 1st tank, a 24" x12x12", that I had to bring home on the bus. The only info I had was a book on goldfish, no internet in those days! Basically what plants didn't get eaten by the fish just rotted away. I suspect most weren't true aquatic plants but I didn't have lighting on a timer or anything like that.
Good luck with this and enjoy!
I would just suggest checking that any fish choice are not jumpers.
 
If you worry you could put some multiplex under the polystyreen, 12 mm should be enough (make sure it's outdoor use quality).
If you are on a budget i would start like Tom's bucket. Mostly plants and just a few choice fish, he started with a self sustaining tank (enough live critters in it to feed the fish there were) This way filtering could be cheap. He actually started with daylight only, near a window, like your tank is.
Read his journal again now you have a tank, and see if you can start up on a low budget.
 
What an amazing start! I can only echo what Ed has already said, you can achieve a lot with very little, and Tom's thread is a great intro.

As for your choice of light, it would work but would need to be very high above the tank as 48w of Led is an awful lot of light for such a shallow tank. Maybe look at the various Beamswork leds available on eBay.

There are many great local flora and fauna that you will have access to in Australia such as the many types of rainbowfish, that we over here do not have access to so maybe consider that as option for livestock.

Cheers
 
Looking good so far Khuulio. I would be a bit concerned about the stand as well, is there no proper top on it, just a brace? If I was you I'd definately make a top to distribute the weight, all that water's going to be heavy. I'm looking forward to see how this progresses.
 
ldcgroomer said:
I would just suggest checking that any fish choice are not jumpers
Click to expand...
Yep, I'll make sure to get non-suicidal fish. I got my first aquarium book in year 5, a small encyclopedia of the common fish and how to set up a tank (full of outdated and misguided information).

Edvet said:
Read his journal again now you have a tank, and see if you can start up on a low budget.
Click to expand...
Yep, I plan to read it thoroughly over the week, the problem is, a fence will be put up in a few months time and that's why I need that artificial light. This is definitely minimal budget. My filtration is also minimal, just a 1000/lph filter for surface movement and water flow (its $20 AUD, basically a koralia with a filter media column). I'll go for the plywood/multiplex I have to, but I feel like the tank should sustain the weight, only if there was an easy way to figure it out. (also check out the reply to James D. please)

ourmanflint said:
As for your choice of light, it would work but would need to be very high above the tank as 48w of Led is an awful lot of light for such a shallow tank. Maybe look at the various Beamswork leds available on eBay.
Click to expand...
The reason for the high light is so I can hang it a feet or two above the tank, in case the emergent plants also need the lights. The seller also has a 36W cluster though. Lots of cheap Par38 LEDS of various wattage on eBay.

allan angus said:
hi great start looking forward to reading your journal as the tank develops
Click to expand...
Thanks allan and all the other members for the complements. I can't wait to get this started and update everyone on how it goes. No doubt there will be a few pitfalls, but its all part of the experience I guess. :)


James D said:
Looking good so far Khuulio. I would be a bit concerned about the stand as well, is there no proper top on it, just a brace? If I was you I'd definately make a top to distribute the weight, all that water's going to be heavy. I'm looking forward to see how this progresses.
Click to expand...
Nope, its just a brace. I calculated about 200kg of weight for the tank. The legs of the tank are solid though, its just the support for the tank. I'll go and get 12mm plywood then, just to be on the safe side.
 
Looking forward to watching this one. If your going to rig the lighting I should make sure its adjustable and start as high as pos. Do you know the spread on the light?

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
 
aliclarke86 said:
Looking forward to watching this one. If your going to rig the lighting I should make sure its adjustable and start as high as pos. Do you know the spread on the light?

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

On eBay the seller states that it has a 60 degree optics. I'm still working out the rigging for the lights and supports as of now. Still paranoid about the tank not being able to withstand the water, nor the supports on the stand :/
 
I know everything's going really slowly (DAMN YOU SCHOOL!!!), but just set up the tank in the garage for a leak test, with a 12mm plywood base on top of the stand. Still mulling over lighting (too many options).

EDIT: Day one of the leak test, everything is holding. The glass seems slightly bowed I think, not sure if it will break or not, take a look.

272d09309f.jpg
8252ec16a3.jpg
 
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Sororities can be real bitchy, that's what all those American movies tell me. It would be great to see this develop and if it ends up like Tom's and Alistair's it will add another nail of certainty that this is a good approach to achieving a great planted tank without all the high energy input.
 
allan angus said:
looks ok in the pic have u put a straight edge along it ?
Click to expand...
Sadly I do not own one of those, but I do feel that the tank might have a curved face. It's been holding the water fine for the past week though and I think its safe enough???
 
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