Noah's 40B Rainbow Garden

[scbrooks87]

Originally Posted by Noahma

It is an Aquatic Fundamentals stand, it got great reviews. I ordered it from Doctor Foster & smith, cheapest price around and with free shipping. It the stand built for the 50/65 gallon tanks, they have the same footprint of the 40B

Ok I'm definitely curious what you think about it! I may have some questions when ya have it all set up haha. I was considering that, but I'm afraid of how small the door looks to be on it.

Otherwise though, it's a very nice looking stand! Can't wait to see pics of the tank sitting on it!

-Scott

[Noahma]

Originally Posted by scbrooks87

Ok I'm definitely curious what you think about it! I may have some questions when ya have it all set up haha. I was considering that, but I'm afraid of how small the door looks to be on it.

Otherwise though, it's a very nice looking stand! Can't wait to see pics of the tank sitting on it!

-Scott

The door appears to be the same size of the one on my 36g, which is not to bad getting under the tank. It would have been nice to have two doors, but I think this will be workable.

[scbrooks87]

Originally Posted by Noahma

The door appears to be the same size of the one on my 36g, which is not to bad getting under the tank. It would have been nice to have two doors, but I think this will be workable.

Thanks for the info. I was planning to have a 10 gallon QT in the stand... might just have to diy it for that. Ok, I'll stop jacking your thread! Thanks. I'm following along on this one :-)

[Noahma]

It's all good, were both planning similar projects. I was planning the same thing with a q tank below in the stand

[LyzzaRyzz]

Can't wait to see this come together!
You have so much patience, waiting forever to get the tank ready...I think I'd go nuts! Since I'm the breadwinner, I decide where money goes! After the bills are paid of course...
"Sorry landlord, no rent this month, there was a dollar gallon sale at petsmart, and I just had to..."

[scbrooks87]

Originally Posted by Noahma

It's all good, were both planning similar projects. I was planning the same thing with a q tank below in the stand

I'll make sure to aquascape differently so we don't wind up with the exact same setup!! Lol. Now I'm really interested how the stand works out if you're doing qt in there!

Scott

[Noahma]

Originally Posted by scbrooks87

I'll make sure to aquascape differently so we don't wind up with the exact same setup!! Lol. Now I'm really interested how the stand works out if you're doing qt in there!

Scott

lol even if they ended up being similar aquascapes it would not be a bad thing, great minds think alike lol. the only thing I need to figure out with the q-tank is how to do water changes on it, I might have to get a little submersible pump and pump water out to my bucket.

[Noahma]

Originally Posted by LyzzaRyzz

Can't wait to see this come together!
You have so much patience, waiting forever to get the tank ready...I think I'd go nuts! Since I'm the breadwinner, I decide where money goes! After the bills are paid of course...
"Sorry landlord, no rent this month, there was a dollar gallon sale at petsmart, and I just had to..."

I am being forced into patience lol. My wife is actually happy with the tank so far since I am not using our normal budgeted funds to get it running lol. Things are slowly coming together, I need to find a warm place to leak test the tank for a couple weeks before I can get really rolling. I might be able to shift things around in my garage and move my Camaro a bit to get some space lol, I will have to get out there to check it out.

[Noahma]

Looks like it will be one less Herbertaxelrodi once I set this up for a while. My dominant male got spooked when the lights went off last night and jumped out of the tank. He fell about 4 feet into my water bucket. I heard the plunk but it took me a few min. to find him and get him back into the tank. Since then he has been listless, resting on the bottom and not responding to anything. Right now he is laying nose down in my dwarf four leaf clover, he is allowing me to touch him as well, which is VERY strange for them. I do not think he is going to make it.

[Noahma]

Looks like I am one step closer now. I purchased my glass lid tonight, I got a GREAT deal on it. They had one in a 40B at the local petsmart, I asked if they would not mind selling me that one since they only had ones for the 10 gal. in stock. The manager stared at it for a min. then said he would be right back. He looked at the price of the ones they did not have in stock and added a little to that price. Since they did not normally stock the 40B glass top he sold it to me for 21.00!!!

I really like our local Petsmart, they are nice people, always have been very outgoing at finding the equipment you are looking for.

So now I have a much smaller list, which I hope to take care of this week, or next.

I have these items left to grab:

Black Diamond blasting sand for substrate
Lace rock for the "hill"
lava rock for the bio media for the filter (along with the coarse pads)

I also have to leak test the tank for two weeks, just to make sure the rim works lol

I cant WAIT!!!!!


now the conundrum... I was given more options for rainbows. Apparently there are only a couple places to get the M.Nigrans, It is still a viable option, but one of the rainbow experts recommended M.pygmaea which has the same body shape, light blue iridescent overall body color with light yellow fins. Its VERY tempting to get ahold of a group of these, I might just have to do a group of all three lol.

[Noahma]

Alright substantial update here. I was given a pretty nice bonus at work so I went and splurged a bit. I purchased Windows 8 for my computer lol and then I went hog wild with the tank. I have the rock and the wood sitting in a mock-up in tank, and only need one more thing (filter media) and then I have EVERYTHING I need to get this baby up. The time table is by mid to late January. I will work at setting it up over a long weekend and really tank my time. This is the most tank planning I have done on any tank I have had, usually I go into it one weekend with a slight plan and end up with colectoritis lol.

Anywho, here is the hardscape mock-up. I will also post these in the general aquascape forum for feedback.

Here they are.










There is some space in the far right side of the hill that is open. I plan on filling it with my substrate, and putting a small stem plant bush in there.

Java fern in the upper right portions of the mountain with some fissidens along the middle branch at the "scar" area. The red tiger lotus will be just to the left of the rock right under that branch, and some crypts just to the left of that growing in its shade. Far right along the rock will be my Ranunculus forming a low rounded bush. Between the forked branch will be some Crypt. Parva (wanted that plant back BADLY ) and a carpet along the front to left side (open to suggestions) Behind the branches mid and far left of the tank will be ludwigia 'cuba' and hygro 'sunset' and maybe one other largest stem. Also growing along the rock somewhere will be a few stems of pinnatifida (or as I call it the velcro plant of the aqua world) Some various other plants may make its way in the mid ground including a small sword ect.

How does that sound?

[jhays79]

Looking forWard to seeing this project progress!

[BruceF]

Nice design. I'm a little concerned about that substrate.

[Noahma]

Originally Posted by BruceF

Nice design. I'm a little concerned about that substrate.

Should be ok, others have been using it with good effect, it is the same grain size as the stuff you can pick up at Petco, much much much cheaper though. It is inert, coal slag. It is almost identical to the petco brand black sand. The bags were 3.50ish per 50lb bag. There are a couple other Colorado members using it as well.

Here is a link to some other members in the forum using it too.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=153192

[BruceF]

Oh I thought you were using towels!