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90g diy co2
6K views 31 replies 8 participants last post by  gt turbo 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi guys,

Finally I got my 90G back up and planted. This is kinda my ode to msjinzd and plantbrain. Why you may ask, well it's simple, msjinxzd sold me one piece of driftwood but sent me like seven (7) based on the fact that I live so far away, and to plantbrain because i really like his use of driftwood to create different sections of plants in his tank. On to the goodies.

Tank specs:
Size - 48L*18W*24D
Volume - 90G
Substrate - Aquarium gravel and sand (inert)
Filtration - Aquaclear 110 and a Sun sun wave maker for good circulation
CO2 - DIY
Lighting - 48" T8 fixture w/ Floramax bulb, 2 8" Dome lights with 33W spiral CFLs

So some background. I've had this tank for around four years and it has had many iterations over the years. Always semi-planted but the plants never really grew and I was always overwhelmed by algae. So the last time I changed it I only hard scaped it and didn't add any plants and it worked for a while until I came downstairs one morning and my glorious lovely wife says to me, "Babes, what's all this water on the floor?" That really got my morning off to a brisk start. A quick check around the tank showed me that the tank was leaking about 6" from the top, so given the urgency of the situation, I siphoned out the water to just below the leak and it worked.

This issue caused us to decide that i would change the look and go with an Amazonian biotope, plus I always liked Discus and Angels so I had to pick one to work with as my centrepiece fish. Therefore, I got rid of all my fish that didn't fit the new plan (don't worry, I didn't flush them or throw them away, I swapped them for store credit at my local plant guy, ended up with BDS $185 in credit). Next step was to fix the aquarium, and since I personally have no experience building aquariums I sought out an expert who would come and make the repairs at my home given that my 90G weighs a ton even when it's empty (3/8 glass). Good thing one of the local experts is a friend.

Wanted to be up and running by christmas but set back after setback would not allow it to happen. First the scheduling was difficult, then I got the wrong silicon, then we ran out of silicon. Every one of these setbacks costed days due to the fact that the schedules were so tight. Eventually it got done and i think the tank will never leak again.

Setup time (yaaaay!!) Was going to use MTS, then I changed my mind and found a nice locally produced potting mix but then i realized that it had an anti-fungal agent and due to my silicon setback (silicon with anti-fungal additives aren't fish safe) this might be an issue. So i called up the manufacturer and after a long discussion I didn't feel any better about the product so I left it out, and somewhere along the line i continued to debate whether or not i wanted to use "dirt" anyway. So I did some more reading and decided against it, might be moving to a new house were gonna start building this year so tank tear down is imminent plus i really wanna achieve a nice look and i'll more than likely be moving things around till i feel it's ok, and all that replanting with a dirted tank will be a PITA.

Picked up my plants this morning and some extra Osmocote and got to the business of setup.

Flora:
Cabomba caroliniana
Alternanthera reineckii
Echinodorus ozelot
Echinodorus osiris
Vallisneria americana var. biwaensis (twisted Val)
Ludwigia repens
Crypt (Unidentified)
One other (can't remember the named)

Someone here will identify them for me.

On to the goodies >>>>> pikchures :biggrin:

Way before the Leak

Picture 003 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Just before the Leak

IMG_9032 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

De-cluttered

IMG_9251 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Repair in progress

IMG_9252 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Thick Beads

IMG_9254 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Base layer of gravel and sand plus crushed clay bits and Osmocote

IMG_9308 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr


IMG_9310 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Hardscape

IMG_9315 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Planted and filling

IMG_9316 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Cloudy Water

IMG_9319 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Left Side Close-up

IMG_9321 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Middle CU

IMG_9322 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Right Side CU

IMG_9323 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Will update this as time goes on. For some reason my lights seem dull to me, will be looking to upgrade to 20w Led Flood lights, keeping this tank low tech for the time being.

As per usual, please comment and leave suggestions.
 
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13
#2 ·
Update:
Tank cleared up and I added 2 GBRs and 2 Gold Rams.

Watched the tank for a bit and noticed some empty space that i didn't like and since i'm really not going for an iwagumi style, I decided to fill it. I moved two crypts around to fill the space since in my mind one of the crypts was too shaded by the big piece of driftwood. That in turned opened up a space the cabomba and the ludwigia, so i thinned the cabomba a bit and brought some forward closer to the ludwigia.

I know someone is gonna ask about the quickness of putting in the fish but this is one of 7 aquariums i have currently running, so when i pulled down my 90g to repair it, i placed the filter onto my 67g tank filled with pelvicachomis pulcher, in order to keep it seeded. When i moved it back over i made sure that the media remained wet for the total of 5 mins it was not running.

Pics:
Cleared up (but I'm fiddling with the lights)

IMG_9328 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Close up of the Rams

IMG_9330 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr
 
#5 ·
So you de-rimmed the bottom too? Is that normal for such a big tank - or was it possible because the glass is thick? I have been thinking about de-rimming the top of either a 55 or a 40B & adding Euro braces, so I can make a riparium.

I'm getting a 90 from a coworker soon, so I'll be watching this to get ideas! lol
 
#6 ·
Well it's custom built, so it never had a rim. Here in Barbados custom built tanks are much more widely used than the normal sizes and tank kits bought in the US due to cost. A 55g tank kit in a local store here cost BDS $1000+ (exchange rate is BDS 2 - US 1) so the cost would be around US $500.

The tank has braces which are used to provided extra support. Look at pics 3 -5.
 
#7 ·
I saw the braces you added - before I had any coffee, btw, so it took me longer than I'd like to admit to figure out what the clamped wood was being used for - lol.

I really like the look of the sand mixed with the substrate - it reminds me of some of the sandy creek beds near me...think I'll have to use some sand next time too.
 
#8 ·
Well to be honest the sand/gravel mixture was kind of a mistake but i think it works well, not just the look but for plant growth and the tank inhabitants. I have corydoras to add back to this tank and they love digging in the sand. The gravel is tank grade so it doesn't harm their tiny barbels. In respect of the flora, the mix makes for easy planting and gravel helps to stop the sand from compacting too much. I found and easy way to bring the sand back to the surface of the substrate is to gravel vac it or to stick the hose in the substrate when refilling.

Right now, I monitoring the plants to see how they are doing and so far they are looking great. On Saturday i'll take new pics for the first week of the setup.

I do see some areas of the scape where I have bunched plants a little too tightly (especially the cabomba and ludwigia), so I'll spread them a bit.
 
#9 ·
More updates:

I know you'll will get bored of this soon but more pics.

It's Day 4 since the setup and three days since the fish have been in. Last night I got to watch a most interesting display of the GBR mating dance and rituals. So 2 days in and I wake up to eggs in my substrate. So for the GBR fans, pikchures!! :bounce::icon_mrgr:icon_mrgr

Interesting side note, there are two more males in the tank, one very dominant Gold Ram and a very nice other GBR, but the female picked the smaller long-finned male. I assume she really likes his long flowing fins.

The Right side view of the tan where the Val is planted.

IMG_9342 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Clearing the spot

IMG_9345 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

The Happy pair guarding their spawning ground.

IMG_9346 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr



The Clutch

IMG_9349 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr


IMG_9349edited by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr
 
#10 ·
Hey ppl, time for an update.

First off the fauna, I added more rams, so now i have a community, 3 males and 3 females. There are still the only inhabitants to the 90g at the moment. I do plan to add a few more species but i'm taking my time in that department.

The Flora. Finally saw my brown algae:bounce:, yeah yeah, I know some ppl are going, he wants to see algae? Yes I do cause it means that the tank going through the normal process of settling in. Faster it starts the faster it ends.

Seen some good growth on my Cabomba and my twisted Val is sending out runners. My Ludwiga is just starting to send out new leaves.

I'm happy, just waiting till i get the dry ferts so they would really start to grow.

Now on to the pics.


IMG_9350 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr


IMG_9352 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr


IMG_9354 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr


IMG_9355 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr


IMG_9357 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

The fungus, which for some strange reason my wife and co-worker love it. Additionally the plant grow bulb makes it pink which entices them even more.

IMG_9359 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Why are my Cabomba developing roots like this?

IMG_9361 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr
 
#11 ·
Nothing much to report this week, I got some dry ferts and will try them but I also have some GBRs in the wiggling stage, and I'm kinda sceptical about additives in the water at their delicate stage.

I saw the eggs but I thought they didn't fertilise and develop since they kinda just disappeared. So I decided to do some tank maintenance before starting my dry fert regime. Removed 30% of the water and pruned my cabomba which had reached the surface in 2 weeks :D, I was when i was replanting the cabomba, I tipped over a small piece of Driftwood and the GBR pair attacked my hand. I was shocked and after that wore off I automatically thought, the eggs must have hatched as GBRs will only behave like that when defending their spawn. Spent the next 20 mins frantically searching the substrate to find the spawn, which i eventually did and then it left me with a dilemma, how do i refill the tank without causing any issues. Decided to use a 5g bucket to refill it really slowly (3 buckets last night over a 4 hour period) will finish fill up today.

The spawn is still alive but they've been moved into the safety of the cabomba patch.
 
#13 ·
Thank you sir for you kind comments.

To be honest, I really am not sure how effective it is at this point. I'm trying to get a drop checker so i can effectively check it, but here is my thing, it's a low tech tank and in my opinion, any extra CO2 is better than none. Right now, I'm happy with the growth thus far. Waiting to start adding dry ferts and we'll see what happens.
 
#16 ·
Time for an update.

Well it's been a month more or less since I set back up my 90g, so it's time for a small update. I'm looking for some advice as well. I find that my Amazon Swords aren't growing anywhere near as good/fast as I was thinking they would. I'm currently dosing an all-in-one dry fert that i bought along with Osmocote and DIY CO2.

One thing is desperately clear and that's the fact that I need a clean up crew, something to eat up my algae. I really like/want Oto's but no one on the island has any nor are they any on order at the moment. (facepalm) I might have to get Ancistrus but I don't want to. I really wanna stick to smaller fish with the exception of Discus, if they are ever available on the island at a reasonable price.

* It seems all my grand ideas are hampered by availability, damnit, should have just filled it with guppies :icon_conf:icon_conf *

Got some good growth with the Cabomba and Vallisneria, so much that I had to cut them as the were already growing out of the water. My crypts had some melt as expected, not much though but i see plenty of new leaves.

On to the pics.
Before the maintenance

IMG_9406 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr


IMG_9407 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Anyone wanna play "I.d. the Algae!"

IMG_9409 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

After the Clean up

IMG_9412 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr


IMG_9411 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Thanks for looking. Any comments are welcome.
 
#17 ·
The algae in your pic looks like cyanobacteria. Can be a royal pain to get rid of...

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S III using Tapatalk 2
 
#19 ·
Well guys and gals it's update time. I removed some plants that weren't doing to well to try a few other things. Added some fauna and now i think i'm satisfied with the amount and diversity of fauna I have.

Updated Flora List
Cabomba caroliniana
[STRIKE]Alternanthera reineckii[/STRIKE]
Echinodorus ozelot
Echinodorus osiris
Vallisneria americana var. biwaensis (twisted Val)
Ludwigia repens
Crypt (Unidentified)
[STRIKE]One other (can't remember the name)[/STRIKE]
Bacopa monnieri - added
Hygrophila polysperma - added
Echinodorus amazonicus- added

Also a quick read back through the thread alerted me to the fact that i never posted a fauna list, so:

Pterophyllum scalare (6)
Mikrogeophagus ramirezi (4)
Xiphophorus maculatus (15)
Otocinclus vittatus (8)
Corydoras metae (3)
Corydoras julii (3)

*also sticking to SA/CA theme*

Wanted to add CO2, so I bought a used setup, had to get the bottle refilled, did that and then I found out that the regulator is damaged. It's bleeding CO2. The guy i bought it from is going to replace it but I'm just so impatient right now.

Anyway, onto the pictures.

FTS -

IMG_9538 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Repashy Feeding Frenzy -

IMG_9530 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

New Amazon Sword -

IMG_9553 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Fauna -

IMG_9572 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

IMG_9587 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

IMG_9573 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Thanks for looking.
 
#22 ·
Thank you.

When I first set this up I thought I had gotten the balance right and things would go smoothly, I could not be anymore wrong. I lost plants to algae and detrious build up.

At this point though I really am nowhere near being satisfied. I'm really trying to figure out what works and what doesn't, once I have that sorted, I'll really start to work on my aquascape. Right now achieving good sustainable growth is my mission.
 
#30 ·
It's been a really really long time since I updated this thread. My lovely daughter has consumed so much of my time, even though I have MTS nothing beats spending time with her. She makes me smile.

Anyway. I changed my lighting, the CFLs in the dome did not work well for me, don't know why but I decided to try LED T5 bulbs that were locally made, and I fully rescaped it as well. Sold off and gave away some of the fauna.

Since the rescape, the tank hasn't been too problematic, some algal issues and two accidental fish deaths (Filter intake was quite unforgiving) but otherwise things have been going well.

As per usual, pics.

FTS

IMG_0280 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Left Side Close Up-

IMG_0281 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Right Side Close Up -

IMG_0282 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

Right Side Viewing Pane -

IMG_0284 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr

DIY Custom made light -

IMG_0001 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr


IMG_9896 by Gt Turbo 1883, on Flickr
 
#31 ·
Hey GT,

Your sword needs a iron root tab, and also just take all the nasty leaves off at the base like if you were pulling lettuce off a head. You will see much better growth with root tabs swords are big time root feeders.

Congrats on you little precious one.
 
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