The Planted Tank Forum banner

Hi with 10 years of DIY experience

3K views 19 replies 18 participants last post by  Lyana 
#1 ·
So let me start by first introducing myself properly since i have been a ghost member of this forum for quite some time but i haven't yet felt the need to be an active member.

My name is Gilles, born in '81 and i am affected with the virus for about 10 years now. I started with a 40 liter tank, of which i have no pics. Then i moved to a 130cm wide tank with a sump; except from the glass all was DIY.

However, it never made it to the final stages and basically stood like this in my home;


So it was time to up the game; with a new 130x60x60cm tank. Here are some pics of that setup;




























Failing to trap small debris sump:




DIY Light computer:
















Then i moved houses, and the tank had to move to.



Disaster struck;


So i had to change some stuff, out with the old and in with the new:










Time to finish the tank


















After 4 years of service and 2 years of misery i just NEEDED to build my own aquarium from wood, so i did...















With off course a new canopy design. Top middle is intake, air flows over the ballasts towards water surface at the bottom and on the sides the air is then forced out; meaning i had good circulation of air flow and no damp canopy.










Now fitted with an automatic water change system. Each night 10% water change and reverse osmosis back in to the tank.




Adding LEDs during my 'i want to have a thunderstorm' period;






This last pic is with only the LEDs on; hence the spot light effect.






Then i had my earthworm casting period, but this didn't pan out to be a success. It resulted in thread algae. So that was that, then i switiched to ADA new Amazonia type II but i either got a bad batch or trimmed incorrectly (e.g. disturbing the substrate to much by removing the plants entirely and replanting only the tops instead of cutting the plants).

I must say however that the Ludwigia var Pantanal grew perfect in this substrate;




But i had cloudy water for 2 weeks...










The i got a child, and i was fed up with ADA Amazonia so i had to sell the tank and buy myself a new one. I also decided to switch to EBI Gold Shrimp Soil with a potfilter. This didn't turned out to be a success and i switched my Eheim filter for a Fluval FX6. Although this is filtering fine i really hate all electrodes, heaters, co2 discs etc etc in my tank. I am now thinking of going to a new setup (wet/dry style) but i need help in setting this up.

So basically my hobbies are DIY and aquarium building; the keeping of the plants is something i am starting to learn now :)
 
See less See more
68
#3 ·
holy smokes!
 
#6 ·
That tank is awesome.

You missed your calling as a plumber. I love how organized your plumbing is. The way all of it is concealed is really looks good.

I also love your backdrops and the way you incorporated the driftwood.

Why would you ever turn the tv on with that tank in your living room. Thanks so much for sharing your hard work.
 
#16 ·
You built a tank out of wood!? I don't even... What material did you use on the inside?
I used epoxy primer and then added epoxy on the inside, this made the seal watertight. I have tons more pictures of the built, but this tank is no longer at my house due to us having a baby :)

The growth on the Pantanal is something else! Without any reflectors either! Great setups and great DIY skills sir. :thumbsup:
Well with one of my tank pictures i actually won 1000 EUR vouchers for GHL. So i have now LEDs on top of my tank :) I just recently ordered Pantanal to see if i can get it back to those colors again.

Im a plumber by profession, and I appreciate the work that you put in to your systems. Good job keep up the great work
Thank you!
 
#18 ·
Yeah, the envy I am feeling right now is somewhat hard to quantify. I remember back when I was eleven my friend's dad got him a dirtbike while the rest of us were riding around on ten speeds. This is kind of like that.

Truly, mindblowingly, awesome work. Someone get this man a medal.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top