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Journal of a Mad Scientist: ADA 120-P (56K warning!)

202K views 591 replies 153 participants last post by  AaronT 
#1 · (Edited)
This will be my first attempt at keeping a tank journal! I hope to document everything in painstaking detail. I don't have much so far but a stand, and my intentions.

So Here's the stand - It's a Sedona Stand made by Marineland. It's made for 75/90G tanks, but shares a compatible footprint with the ADA 120P.



And these are my intentions:

First, the tank will not be located where the stand is sitting now (by the TV). As soon as I can, I'm going to move my 45G and put this stand where that is - It will have its own wall. The 45G has been transformed into a farm tank to grow plants for the ADA tank. I intend to "build up the 2 inch opening that the tank would normally sit IN, so that the tank is just about flush with the top of the trim. I'll use MDF and an ADA Garden Mat to do this. I'll have to install locks on the doors and drawers so my daughter doesn't drink the ferts. I have the canopy, but obviously that's not going to go over a rimless! I may try to use it as a "housing" for the Teklights.

I will plumb as much as I can using PVC in the stand. My Auto Water Changer, and Fert Auto Dosing Systems will be hard-plumbed into the new setup. I also intend to put my temp and pH probes inline to get them out of the tank.

Filtration: Eheim 2128 (which will also heat the tank) and Eheim 2217. I'll use ADA Lily Pipes on the 2128, and CalAqua Labs Lily Pipes on the 2217. This is not to save money, but to vary the flow of water in the tank. There will also be a Coralife 18W Turbo-Twist UVS inline.

Lighting: Teklight T5 4x54W. Still deciding on the color rating I'm going to use. Probably 6500K only - maybe half 10000K...not sure yet.

Substrate: ADA Aquasoil Amazonia with PowerSand Special-M and Tourmaline BC.

CO2: Pressurized via ADA Beetle 40 diffuser. I'm considering adding a second diffuser. CalAqua Labs is going to be coming out with what I'm told are some VERY unique diffusers in about 2 weeks. I'll decide when I see what they look like.

Water Changes will most likely be 10% daily, fertilization will be such to maintain the following levels:

NO3 15-20ppm
PO4 - 3-4ppm
K - Enough
Micros - Enough
GH 4-6
KH - well, out of the tap is 2, I won't be adding anything to that most likeley
CO2 - 30-40ppm based on Drop Checker.


The tank is on its way, should have it late this month. Same with the substrate. The lights have not been ordered yet. The filters are already running on the 45 to get a bacterial colony building up.

I am having a VERY hard time finalizing a decision on hardscape! Wood or rock?!?! Leaning toward wood for the past few days.


I'm getting very excited about this tank! Any comments questions or suggestions will be appreciated!!!
 
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#36 ·
Sergio great work, nice wood too.
This is becoming quite the inspiration!
 
#39 ·
My favs were the last shot and second favorite was the first. Really sweet pieces, Serg!
I think its nice to give them some room and not put too many in there. That way you can see their form better.
 
#42 ·
Got an email from Jeff yesterday. The tank should ship sometime next week! I hope I get it on Friday. Got a lot of work to do before then too. Since last time, I:

-Installed locks on the doors and drawers. (Will post pics when I get back home).
-Installed a fluorescent lamp in the stand.

Before the tank comes, I still need to:

-Mount power strips (cut MDF for this today).
-Move stand to final position (means moving the 45G out of the way).

Once the tank comes I'll have a LOT more to do!
 
#43 ·
Ok, here's a couple of pics of the locks installed. These will keep my daughter from drinking the fertilizers:

On the drawers:




On the doors:





If you look closely, and know a bit about proper woodworking technique, you'll notice that Marineland broke one of the cardinal rules of frame and panel construction - they finished the doors AFTER assembly, and in a relatively humid environment. :mad: Take a look at the right hand door. On the leftmost side of the panel, you'll notice that the the whole panel has shrunk, exposing an unfinished "stripe" of wood. I can fix this, but color-matching can be a pain. It is not at the top of my list of priorities, but will be done.
 
#44 ·
I am sure you can hide other things in there too Sergio hehehe
 
#46 ·
CalAqua Fluxus System

Well the mailman just brought me a gift. The lily pipes for the 2217 came today. I ordered the CalAqua Labs Fluxus system for the second filter (ADA Lily Pipes on the 2128) to vary the flow of water a bit, and possibly avoid "dead spots."

They came in this box:




And look like this:




As you can see, the outflow looks just like the ADA outflow, but with the cone inverted. The inflow is a little different. It has 2 extra sets of openings a little higher up on the pipe. There is also a small hole at the very bottom of the pipe. CalAqua states that these improve water circulation. They have a bunch of pictures in their online gallery to attest to this. Whether there will be a noticeable difference in terms of their practical application, I don't know. I will report observations here!
 
#47 ·
ANOTHER Hardware Update!

Ok, I was able to get the power strips mounted and the stand light installed today. I've got some pics:

Power Strips mounted to MDF:




MDF Mounted to stand's back apron:




The strips installed:




The light went in front of the power strips, leaving enough room to get plugs in and out:




These shots give me an opportunity to describe how I intend to place the balance of the equipment in the stand.

The Eheim 2217 will be in the front on the left. It's inflow will be come from the left front of the tank. It's outflow will run across the front of the stand, through the instrumentation unit, and terminate in the right front of the tank.

The CO2 canister will be placed behind the 2217. It is too tall to fit toward the front once the drawers are in place.

The Eheim 2128 will be located on the right hand side of the stand. It's intake will come from the right rear of the tank. It's outflow will run across the back of the stand, through the UVS, T'ed to the Auto Water Changer, and terminate at the left rear of the tank.

The pH controller, air pump, and fertilizer system will stay where they are in these pics. I think that about sums it up! :icon_roll Suggestions?
 
#51 ·
i think your wood stain abberation isn't from shrinkage, but more because they hired some new guy that used too much wood glue when putting in that moulding. he didn't wipe it up with a wet cloth, but got lazy with a dry cloth. stain doesn't go so good with wood glue.
 
#52 ·
Goodness, I hope that isn't the case! Panels should NEVER be glued in on the edges with frame and panel construction - defeates the purpose. It's on the inside as well. It doesn't look/feel like glue though. I'll know for sure when I get the right stain/dye in my hands. If it's glue, the stain/dye won't take. Then I'll have to get fancy with the Dremel. :icon_wink
 
#53 ·
you don't really have to get fancy, you can just use some sand paper... the problem is getting the stain to match the existing stain, which will be next to impossible. i'm also assuming that they used a polyurathane coating on top, which you'll definitely not be able to stain unless you sand... i'd say take it back if it bothers you, or paint the whole damn thing. on the quick cheap side, i would actually just find some colored pens and try to match it by 'drawing' on the sealant with some browns/greens/blues until you hit it.
 
#57 ·
Logan - Thanks for the tips! I WILL be able to match the color closely enough, I've done quite a bit of woodworking and refinishing, and remember the issue is right at a shadow line, so if it is off by a hair, it won't be detectable. :icon_wink

sNApple - Thanks! I originally intended to display the fertilization setup, so I went overboard with the "containers." I have since decided to put them in the stand so as to not divert attention from the tank itself.

esarkipato - Thank you for the kind words. The dosing system is on 3 timed peristaltic pumps and 1 timed magnetic stirrer. The design was inspired by a handful of people here, like Bill (bharada), and Steve (scolley).

JT - I intend to document the fert dosing system in detail once it is completely integrated into the new tank, I promise. I've been testing the system on my old setup for a couple months and it worked great, but there are a couple of issues I'm anticipating, specifically the back pressure the pumps will be working against. In the old setup, they just dripped directly into the tank. They'll be plumbed inline on the new setup. I'm not using RO anymore, as I had issues with the Equlibrium dosing that I couldn't overcome (well, I could, but it would require me to either get an industrial magnetic stirrer and a much larger reservoir, OR refill the current setup every 10 days, which is not really inline with the level of automation I'm after!).
 
#58 ·
Mad scientist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that dosing system looks freakin awesome!
the powerbars are definatley bad ass. this is gonna be an iced out tank, i can tell.(yes, i used metal, rock, and Gangsta terms in one post!)
 
#59 ·
Wow, I missed a few of these posts. So is that a two set up fert with PO4 on the left and traces NO3 and K on the right? Can't wait to read the write up. Those beakers, well, it looks positively 19th century/Darwinian. LOL I really like the stand and hardware too. You'll have to describe your whole setup. Are you using an Aqua Controler like Steve? Great Thread!:proud:
 
#60 ·
wow, Sergio, you are taking me back to organic chem lab with those glass dispensers....wooohoo love it.
so far so great~
 
#61 ·
dufus - Here's another shot for you!




Bob - The Nitrate & Phosphate come from the left funnel, the Trace and Fe come from the right funnel. The center flask will contain the Equilibrium "slurry." It is sitting on a magnetic stirrer. I am not using the AquaController *yet* Maybe I'll shoot Steve a PM and see what we can see!

Lynn - Thanks! If you aren't already aware, you are welcome to stop by anytime to see it!
 
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