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g33tar's 12g Mr.Aqua -First planted tank - March 5th update

28K views 80 replies 48 participants last post by  g33tar 
#1 · (Edited)
Firstly, Im a newb to this. As in two months new. I want to thank you guys for all the help ive received so far with probably silly questions.

Also, thanks JennaH for taking pictures of your tank! Thats what swayed me into buy this one.

Anyhow, I just set it up last night and let everything settle. Its the Mr. Aqua 12gallon 36 x 8 x 9. It really does look like a very quality tank, although ive never seen an ADA in person. All the sides are flush. Has a nice bevel on all of the edges. I feel like I didnt waste my money on it.

Right now it just has a bunch of Echinodorus tenellus (i forgot the new name of it). I even trimmed some down short for a 'foreground plant' which is kindof cheating. And there are some blyxa's in there that were on their way out in my last tank. Hopefully they recover.

The substrate is 'Black Diamond' sand blasting media that I picked up 50lbs for 7$. I was worried they'd eat floating black bits thinking its food, but no dead fish yet. All of the plants have been growing in regular gravel the past 2 months...Im hoping this substrate with the Flourish roottabs i stuffed in it will give me better results since all of the plants are pretty yellow.

Here it is. Pardon the lacking camera skillz.















I found the rocks on the side of a local river yesterday and gave them the boiling water treatment. Right now there are 19 neons, 3 oto's, 3 zebra danois and 2 ghost shrimp. I think thats probably bordering on the high side, but they all seem pretty comfortably in there due to the width.

Right now ive only got sunlight from the window, and two 15w CFL's pointed at it from my blinds that I can kindof raise and lower. Today's mission is to design something adjustable to hang 3 of those lights from above the tank.
 
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#3 ·
That's a pretty neat tank, different. You can always overstock just make sure your fitration can handle it. Double to triple your tanks basic filtration requirement should handle overstocking. Just don't go too crazy.

I'm liking what you've got going on here. What is that sandblasting material made of?
 
#9 ·
Amazing tank! Love the odd size...very unique. Only thing I would mention is to keep an eye on your water parameters as you're saying that you just set up the tank last night and already have fish in it. You might need to do some water changes if you end up seeing ammonia and nitrite readings pop up.
 
#11 ·
Well, 2/3 of the the tank water came out of my 20g which was cycled when I dismantled it yesterday. Figured adding 1/3 new water would be like doing a water change?http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewi..._campaign=mdcsegooglebase2&utm_content=AZ1123
Unfortunately taking water from a cycled tank and putting in a new tank doesn't make the new tank "cycled". Cycled implies that the tank (filter media, gravel, stones, wood, etc) contains enough beneficial bacteria to break down waste from the fish.

So if you were to move some filter media from your cycled tank, that would help the new tank cycle faster.

As others mentioned, keep an eye on your water parameters as you will probably need some water changes in the near future.
 
#21 ·
The tank is from here.
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewi..._campaign=mdcsegooglebase2&utm_content=AZ1123

The shipping WAS actually 6 bucks...I couldnt believe it. 66$ for the tank total shipped from California to Rhode Island.

The filter is an Aquaclear 50. So more than 4 times the filter needed for 12 gallons. I wish I had the money for a canister filter, but I have a very low budget...and im cheap.

I picked up the sandblasting media from this place called 'Tractor Supply Company' down by my school. I did a little research on it and it seemed like its good, unless you have cories. Mr. Hoppy said he had used it with good results, aside from with cories, so that made me feel better about taking the plunge with it....since I dont have cories.

As for the lighting, Im trying to find a way to attach some hanging cable / wire from the celing down to a horizontal bar across the top of the tank that I can clip 3 of my 15w CFL aluminum shop lights too, instead of my blinds :) I dont really mind too much about light spilling over my dresser, so ill just keep raising / lowering it until i find the proper lighting for this thing (hopefully)
 
#22 ·
I've been thinking about buying one of these since Jenna posted pictures of hers. I simply do not have the space for it, though.

Still, thanks a lot for the pictures. You have a very nice looking setup.
 
#26 ·
So tonight I finished up my 40$ lighting system. I wanted something I could clip some aluminum shop lights to that was adjustable up and down so i can find what works best for this tank...

Ive got 3 of these lamps with three 15w daylight bulbs, and ive also got three 26w daylight bulbs. To start, im going with two of the lamps with 15w bulbs at about 8 inches off the top of the tank (so about 17" from the surface of the substrate.)



The hangers are electrical conduit piping with 90 degree elbows at the top...I put caps on the end of the cut pipe to prevent any abrasion with the 'picture hanging wire' going over them at 90 degree angles.. I ran the line through the horizontal adjustable pipe, down both vertical pieces and ran them through the opening of a weight underneath my dresser as the ballast.




Attached a washer and 3 cable ferrules one after another just as backup. The lights go up as I pull the weight away from the wall and go lower as I push it farther back. So far everything seems pretty sturdy! We'll see how the plants grow this week with these bulbs at this height.

The three aluminum light fixtures, three 15w bulbs and three 26w bulbs cost me about 20 dollars...
The electrical conduit pipes, elbows, connector brackets, endcaps and wire cost me almost another 20.

Im trying to find a way to securely attach the power cable for the lights to the horizontal bar so I can completely remove the clamp bracket for a cleaner look. Any ideas?

-Alex

 
#29 ·
Yea the red kind of takes away from the minimalistic look of it...I dont want to paint a background on the tank, and I dont want to paint one whole wall white, so Im gonna roll with the red!

Speaking of red, I received my first red cherry shrimp ever this afternoon from epicfish. Holey moley fast shipping. Looks like they'll be fun.
 
#35 ·
Yea the red kind of takes away from the minimalistic look of it...I dont want to paint a background on the tank, and I dont want to paint one whole wall white, so Im gonna roll with the red!

Speaking of red, I received my first red cherry shrimp ever this afternoon from epicfish. Holey moley fast shipping. Looks like they'll be fun.
Personally, I like the red. It's different and adds some visual interest. I wouldn't worry about it. At least the wall isn't pink!
 
#30 ·
Ive wanted this tank... for some time now, its so amazing. Mr. Aqua makes some great tanks for such an amazing price. Im trying to decided between the 11.5 gallon or this one right now for my next tank.... i would love to make some kind of fixture to hang from above my kitchen bar and put this tank on the bar almost as a room divider, i think that would look great, well see...
 
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