This has been a long time in the coming!
I was always planning to invest in a great tank when I owned somewhere. I’ve had tanks before but always failed with plants (apart from vallis, obviously), I now realise because of my total ignorance. It’s been a year since I joined the site, so have gained a far bit of understanding of the issues and techniques. I think I grasp the certain general consensus points such as algae growths relation plant health and associated ammonia rather than excess nutrients, and I know to be mindful of the tricky nature of Co2 and flow. As for putting these theories into practice, staying on top of 50% water changes and doing the myriad of other necessary jobs, I’m a bit of a lazy procrastinator, so that’s where the really challenge lies.
Details
Dimensions -120x45x47, Optiwhite
Base - Sits on a battered oak veneer cabinet (sounds worse than looks)
Substrate - molar clay (cat litter without the smell), osmecote .
Hardscape – redmoor wood and dragonstone.
Filter - Fx5, filled with alfagrog and purigen, DIY spray bar 1m
Lights – all pond solutions T5, 4 tube luminaire (I suspect I’ll only use 2, anything for an easy life!)
Co2 – Fire extinguisher, JBL regulator and solenoid, asian needle valve and ceramic diffuser (planning placing it next to the Fx5 intake)
Fertiliser - full EI, two solutions.
Flora – hair grass, narrow leaf java fern, Ludwigia arcuata,
micranthemum umbrosum, rotala rotifundia, willow moss, as well as some others for fore/midground detail.
Where I’m up to now
After a very long wait (about 13 weeks I think) the tank has arrived from Aquariums Ltd. Although with a childlike desperation to get plants and water in the damn thing, I still do not entirely trust the cabinet to take the weight.
So I plan to do a DIY bolstering job on it + the redmoor has another week or so worth of soaking.
The dragon stone has taken an ungodly amount of cleaning. I can only hope that it is not necessary to remove all traces of clay, because my patience has been truly tested!
I’m still waiting for all the components for my DIY spray bar and being new to this sort of thing I am apprehensive about whether the parts will fit.
Some pictures
I hope it's strong enough!
Likely hardscape arrangment
With the addition of badly drawn flora
I can't wait to fill it
Any thoughts, opinions, advice all very welcome.I'll do my best to keep things up to date, cheers
Tom
I was always planning to invest in a great tank when I owned somewhere. I’ve had tanks before but always failed with plants (apart from vallis, obviously), I now realise because of my total ignorance. It’s been a year since I joined the site, so have gained a far bit of understanding of the issues and techniques. I think I grasp the certain general consensus points such as algae growths relation plant health and associated ammonia rather than excess nutrients, and I know to be mindful of the tricky nature of Co2 and flow. As for putting these theories into practice, staying on top of 50% water changes and doing the myriad of other necessary jobs, I’m a bit of a lazy procrastinator, so that’s where the really challenge lies.
Details
Dimensions -120x45x47, Optiwhite
Base - Sits on a battered oak veneer cabinet (sounds worse than looks)
Substrate - molar clay (cat litter without the smell), osmecote .
Hardscape – redmoor wood and dragonstone.
Filter - Fx5, filled with alfagrog and purigen, DIY spray bar 1m
Lights – all pond solutions T5, 4 tube luminaire (I suspect I’ll only use 2, anything for an easy life!)
Co2 – Fire extinguisher, JBL regulator and solenoid, asian needle valve and ceramic diffuser (planning placing it next to the Fx5 intake)
Fertiliser - full EI, two solutions.
Flora – hair grass, narrow leaf java fern, Ludwigia arcuata,
micranthemum umbrosum, rotala rotifundia, willow moss, as well as some others for fore/midground detail.
Where I’m up to now
After a very long wait (about 13 weeks I think) the tank has arrived from Aquariums Ltd. Although with a childlike desperation to get plants and water in the damn thing, I still do not entirely trust the cabinet to take the weight.
So I plan to do a DIY bolstering job on it + the redmoor has another week or so worth of soaking.
The dragon stone has taken an ungodly amount of cleaning. I can only hope that it is not necessary to remove all traces of clay, because my patience has been truly tested!
I’m still waiting for all the components for my DIY spray bar and being new to this sort of thing I am apprehensive about whether the parts will fit.
Some pictures
I hope it's strong enough!
Likely hardscape arrangment
With the addition of badly drawn flora
I can't wait to fill it
Any thoughts, opinions, advice all very welcome.I'll do my best to keep things up to date, cheers
Tom