40 Gal Crypt Utopia & DIY Light Rig - New Video Post #67

[kamikazi]

This is my journal for a 40 gallon acrylic sea clear tank (36x15x16)
My goal is for a asian/pacific realm tank, although not all the plants are from those regions. The fish will be from those regions and most of the plants.

I got the tank used off Craigslist, came with stand, filter, and lots of other random stuff. Oh yeh and fish (most of the fish that came with it I traded for store credit)

This is a low tech setup.
Basic Specs:
40 gallon (36x15x16)
1 heater (I need to get a better one)
1 Marine Land Magnum 220 canister filter
3 5" clip on work lights with 3 23 Watt Sylvania 6500K CFLS.
1 Marine Land Maxi-Jet 900 in Power Head mode with filter sponge on intake. (Giving me tons more flow, almost too much and a little extra filtration
Substrate is pool filter sand in front, 1 to 1.5 inches of Miracle Gro Organic Choice Potting Mix capped with very small grain pea gravel in back.

I dose according to Tom Barr's "EI Dosing Light for Less Techy Folks" combined with daily doses of Excel.

Hard Scape:
1 large piece of purchased wood, lots of holes for plants
Several small pieces of wood for java ferns
numerous collected rocks for border between sand and dirt/gravel

Fish:
6 Harlequin Rasboras
10 Cherry Barbs
5 Zebra Loaches
Numerous red cherry shrimp
Future plans include boosting numbers of harlequins.

Plants:
Blyxa
Java Fern
2 types of Crypts
Anubais
Dwarf Hairgrass
1 Tiger Lotus
Pothos (in bowl on top of tank now, April 17, 2012)
Salvania
Duckweed
Azola
Peace lilly and a couple other riparium plants

The wood and dirt have released tannins in the water, at first I didn't like, but it has grown on me and now I do. This tank has been setup and running for about a year.
Picture quality could be better, but they are from a cell phone.
May 2012

Oct 2011

July 2011

[kamikazi]

I forgot to add 56K warning to the title, not sure how to change that...sorry

[AzFishKid]

Originally Posted by kamikazi

I forgot to add 56K warning to the title, not sure how to change that...sorry

You can change the title by clicking "Edit" and then "Advanced".
Nice tank!

[kamikazi]

Originally Posted by AzFishKid

You can change the title by clicking "Edit" and then "Advanced".
Nice tank!

awesome, thanks!

[stupidface]

Nice tank!!! I hope to make mine look like that. What are the plants lined along the back? Also, what is 56k warning? I've seen it a few times before

[kamikazi]

Originally Posted by stupidface

Nice tank!!! I hope to make mine look like that. What are the plants lined along the back? Also, what is 56k warning? I've seen it a few times before

The plants along the back are the Blyxa Japicona (my spelling may be off) I got them from a fellow fish keeper club member.

56K warning is for those still in the dark ages of slow dial up internet. The forum rules request that threads with lots of pictures have this warning.

[Wingsdlc]

Plants look good here too! I love the big driftwood.

The rasboras are great too. I have always wanted to keep a school of them.

[kamikazi]

Originally Posted by Wingsdlc

Plants look good here too! I love the big driftwood.

The rasboras are great too. I have always wanted to keep a school of them.

I trimmed the wood down a little and expanded a few small holes to fit plants a little better. I love rasboras!

[Wingsdlc]

That driftwood was huge when you got it. It still looks like it is above the water even with a cutting.

This tank reminds me of my first planted tank. I used the same type of wood. Here it is just after getting started. I think I was running DIY CO2 at this point with a ladder system behind the driftwood.

Here is the tank a few months in. This was after getting rid of the DIY CO2 and buying pressurized.


What are your plans for the left side of the tank?

[kamikazi]

I actually didn't trim the height of the wood, I trimmed left side and left rear of it. And yeh it does stick out which I kinda like, I thought about trying to grow some terrestrial moss on it.

My plans for the left side is a light over that section, then plant lotus zenriki, and a carpet plant that I can't remember the name my list is on my other computer.

That tank looks awesome. My only concern is having too much light and having bba problems in this tank as well. Would 3, 13 Watt, 6500K CFLs over a 30x15x16 be low, medium or high light? I'm shooting for low to medium.

[Wingsdlc]

It was cool seeing your tanks the other day in person.

I am thinking that you are in the low range with 3 - 13W bulbs. That gives you about 1 wpg. I think med. lighting is more around 2 wpg.

[kamikazi]

Originally Posted by Wingsdlc

It was cool seeing your tanks the other day in person.

I am thinking that you are in the low range with 3 - 13W bulbs. That gives you about 1 wpg. I think med. lighting is more around 2 wpg.

thanks man, happy sharing. I moved the 3rd worklight from the bowls to the tank. It made a huge difference in the brightness of the tank. I want to try to find 15 watt 6500K bulbs.

The South American plant that looked like it was dying did die. I pulled it out last night and put the tiger lotus in its place. They are directly under the 3rd light so hopefully they will grow ok.

We went to fintastic for the first time yesterday after church. I didn't realize how close they were to our church, just a couple exits down 485. I got 2 tiger lotus plants for $8.70 might be a little high compared to online but at least I got to see them first. I was really impressed with their fish and plant selection. Didn't see really any sick fish and they had plants I never see at any other stores. So maybe if there is ever anything I can't get from Scott i can get there.

[kamikazi]

Youtube video of the tank. Check it out!
http://youtu.be/GH0y9ujAdyo

[kamikazi]

New pictures with a better camera. Still everything has a yellow/orange tint in this tank due to tannins from wood and potting mix.

I finally got another work light and I upgraded the two bulbs on the ends from 13 Watts to 23 watts. So I now have 59 watts of 6500K light over the tank.

I bought a couple tiger lotus plants, one is very short atm in the back on the left side of this picture, the other the store thru in b/c it only had the one leaf.

view from right

view from left

Full tank shot

[kamikazi]

edited the OP to reflect current setup and plans