Hi, no great timeline journal here.... Just some images of my two aquariums that I built: a 15 gallon tall, and a 5 gallon cube. These images are part of a series that I printed as 11x14 and mounted in a portfolio book to show at the Aquatic Gardners Association (AGA) convention in Atlanta this past year.
The 15 gallon-tall was an aquarium designed for my cubicle at work. I built all the wooden structures and designed the overall system so that no equipment resides in the actual tank... the lower cabinet houses a compact maze of equipment, hard plumming, and a slick electrical system.
The tanks are so prolific that I frequently get flowers at the surface. The image with the blue background and white flower is one of my favorites. It's just the surface level of my 15gal aquarium. The tall green grass (Sagittaria Subulata) seen in the other images is what sends up those white flowers.
The five gallon cube sits on my kitchen counter... It's a really fun tank, I love the way it sparkles like a vibrant stream with darting fish and verdant greens. It has all the same equipment as the 15 gallon, but just scaled down. The plants grow amazingly fast in these two tanks.
Both tanks utilize garden soil that I dug up from my backyard. I sent a sample off to be analyzed for minerals, pestisides, fertilizers, and hazardous chemicals. The results came back clean and indicated a moderately rich loamy soil.... I've been using it for years.
I have a big soft leather chair that sits right in front of the 15 gallon tank. One of my favorite things to do is sit and watch while eating dinner. The colors are soothing, and movement of the fish is so relaxing.
15 Gallon Tall - Custom built cabinets and attached chiller
Sagittaria Flower - Taken at the surface of the 15 gal aquarium. I get
lots of blooms all year round!
15gal Tall Close-Up - My first high-light algae free tank
15gal Equipment Cabinet - Every piece of equipment can be removed without
stopping the flow of water! There is even an auxiliary pump to run when the canister is removed.
15 Gal Canopy: Houses two MH lights that are switchable from 50W to 100W.
Pictured is a PAR reading of one of the 50W blubs. Full sun would give a reading
of around 1800 units. This little bulb is showing over 800 units.
5 Gal Counter Top Aquarium - This 10 cube sits on my kitchen counter. Also
shown is my DIY drop-checker to measure CO2 levels. Tank is hard plumbed, and
CO2 injected with MH lighting
Baby Cherry Shrimp - Pictuer taken in the 5 gal tank.... This guy is really small,
the picture is deceiving. After a several more molts, he'll be bright red.
5Gal Tank - Full view of 10 cube tank. Utilizes mini-canister filter, paintball CO2,
hard plumbing, 100Watts MH lighting.
Appreciate any comments!
Cheers!
The 15 gallon-tall was an aquarium designed for my cubicle at work. I built all the wooden structures and designed the overall system so that no equipment resides in the actual tank... the lower cabinet houses a compact maze of equipment, hard plumming, and a slick electrical system.
The tanks are so prolific that I frequently get flowers at the surface. The image with the blue background and white flower is one of my favorites. It's just the surface level of my 15gal aquarium. The tall green grass (Sagittaria Subulata) seen in the other images is what sends up those white flowers.
The five gallon cube sits on my kitchen counter... It's a really fun tank, I love the way it sparkles like a vibrant stream with darting fish and verdant greens. It has all the same equipment as the 15 gallon, but just scaled down. The plants grow amazingly fast in these two tanks.
Both tanks utilize garden soil that I dug up from my backyard. I sent a sample off to be analyzed for minerals, pestisides, fertilizers, and hazardous chemicals. The results came back clean and indicated a moderately rich loamy soil.... I've been using it for years.
I have a big soft leather chair that sits right in front of the 15 gallon tank. One of my favorite things to do is sit and watch while eating dinner. The colors are soothing, and movement of the fish is so relaxing.
15 Gallon Tall - Custom built cabinets and attached chiller
Sagittaria Flower - Taken at the surface of the 15 gal aquarium. I get
lots of blooms all year round!
15gal Tall Close-Up - My first high-light algae free tank
15gal Equipment Cabinet - Every piece of equipment can be removed without
stopping the flow of water! There is even an auxiliary pump to run when the canister is removed.
15 Gal Canopy: Houses two MH lights that are switchable from 50W to 100W.
Pictured is a PAR reading of one of the 50W blubs. Full sun would give a reading
of around 1800 units. This little bulb is showing over 800 units.
5 Gal Counter Top Aquarium - This 10 cube sits on my kitchen counter. Also
shown is my DIY drop-checker to measure CO2 levels. Tank is hard plumbed, and
CO2 injected with MH lighting
Baby Cherry Shrimp - Pictuer taken in the 5 gal tank.... This guy is really small,
the picture is deceiving. After a several more molts, he'll be bright red.
5Gal Tank - Full view of 10 cube tank. Utilizes mini-canister filter, paintball CO2,
hard plumbing, 100Watts MH lighting.
Appreciate any comments!
Cheers!