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7 Gallon Mini-Bow Planted- LED :)

4K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  talontsiawd 
#1 ·
Hello All,

So I had an old 7 gallon mini bow sitting around, begging to be planted. I saw this tank:


and knew I wanted to do something a lot like it. I started to gather supplies, but lighting was definitely an issue, as the hood is only 15" long, with a pretty weak 14 watt fluorescent bulb. $100 later I had LEDs:


A panorama 8000K module that actually fit right into the existing screw holes from the fluorescent reflector. Man is it bright!

The blank canvas:


I obtained 14lbs of Seiryu rock from a great member here (reybie):


and soon got to work. Aquasoil amazonia (New Type- Regular):


I then began building the hardscape. The left side just "came" to me. The right side took forever though:


Finalized scape:


The next day I picked up some HC at my LFS. Separated from rock wool and floating:


The first of many:


All planted:


Some macro shots:






The water level- is it high enough?


FTS:


Stocking plans:
Some really nice, small fish.
A few ottos.
Shrimp (suggestions? something fairly inexpensive, but colorful).
Lots of plants!

Equipment list:
AGA 7 Gallon Mini Bow
Hydor Theo 25 Watt Heater
AquaClear 30 Filter (with small sponge on intake)
Fluval 88g CO2 Setup
Aquasoil Amazonia Normal New Type
Seiryu rock
Panorama LED 8000K Retro
Coralife Thermometer
Hikari Shrimp Pellet
Flourish
Prime
1/2 RO; 1/2 Tap Treated with Prime


Thanks all- comments and suggestions very welcome, hope you like it! :icon_smil:
 
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#5 ·
It was really easy actually. Remove bulb, unscrew sockets/ reflector, and gut out wiring and switch. I made the hole that the old wiring went into a bit bigger, and the female connector for the panorama module slid through. Used some electrical tape to close off old hole from switch, and mounted module into the hood. It was two screws, and luckily they lined up exactly with where the old fixture went, so I used the original screws. Slightly warm to the touch, but I foresee no issues.

As for the elevated beds- I figure it adds some depth, and I like the different layered look achieved by the first picture. I basically want a carpet all along the front and in the pathway leading to the back, and then will have some taller/ bushier plants in the raised beds.

Thanks!
 
#11 ·
If you're doing a dry start usually you don't want to fill it above the lowest level of the soil, this lets you keep the light on longer while avoiding algae from popping up in the pools of water. But you'll want to mist it all over to try to get water soaked in the slopes so the roots in the higher areas can get water. This is just from my experience, not certain on the best way to do it but this has worked for me.

Great tank by the way. Should look nice once it's all finished.
 
#12 ·
The FILLING:

Before:


Picked up some plants from the LFS:


And Petsmart:


Before planting:


Planted:


Filling with 50/50 RO/ Tap with airline tubing (still cloudy!):


Full!


Closer Look:








FTS:





I added
5 Crypt Parva
3 stems of frill
3 stems red ludwigia
3 corkscrew vallisneria
1 Anubias
1 Dwarf Lily

Noticed an ammonia spike so I did a 90% water change last night.

Going to add some celestial pearl danios/ galaxy rasboras today.
Hoping to add 3 different species of shrimp (6 each) and possibly some killifish (yes, no?)

Thanks for looking and advice is very welcome!
 
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