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The Edge - 6G

14K views 63 replies 12 participants last post by  toofazt 
#1 · (Edited)
Getting back into the hobby after a couple year hiatus. Wanted to try something different so I picked up a Fluval Edge 6 gallon aquarium. There's a couple of flaws with the design of the tank but all in all, I'm happy with it. The stock halogen lights aren't that great so I'm going to replace them with two MR16 LED lamps. I've added a 13W compact florescent to the end of the stock light bar. I'm also waiting on a new immersible heater so I can clean it up a bit inside.

I used Aqua Soil Amazonia for the substrate and lace rock for the hard scape. Right now I only have Blyxa Japonica (background), a stem of Staurogyne Repens (front left), and a couple currently melted Cryptocoryne Parva (front right). I'm not set on what plants or how I'm going to arrange them yet. I want to keep it relatively low-tech, only dosing Flourish and Excel for now. The tank has been setup for about a week and I'm just waiting for it to cycle. I've got some more plants coming next week and I'm planning on adding a couple Rummy Nose Tetras down the road...

Current Flora:
Dwarf Sagittaria Subulata
[STRIKE]Nymphoides Taiwan[/STRIKE]
Subwassertang
Needle Leaf Java Fern
Cryptocoryne Parva
Blyxa Japonica
Staurogyne Repens
[STRIKE]Myrio Mattogrossense[/STRIKE]
Hygrophila Polysperma
Fissidens Fontanus

Current Fauna:
2 Rummynose Tetra (Hemigrammus Rhodostomus)
[STRIKE]1 White Cloud (Tanichthys Albonubes)[/STRIKE]
1 Oto (Otocinclus)
1 Crystal Red Shrimp (Caridina sp)
1 Ghost Shrimp (Palaemonetes sp)
5 Assassin Snail (Clea Helena)

3/16/11


3/2/11


2/18/11


2/9/11


1/27/11
 
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#37 ·
Finished the new lights! I'm really happy with the way they turned out. I have the option of 13W or 26W of light and it all fits nicely inside the stock hood. Plus they swing up and out of the way for easy access to the tank. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer them! :)
 
#38 ·
I'm curious to see how your new lights work out. I have the same set up as your original light fixture, and have been really frustrated with the light distribution. Anything that isn't in the center just doesn't get much light.

The Egde is a very neat tank, but is soooo difficult to work with!
 
#40 ·
I'm curious to see how your new lights work out. I have the same set up as your original light fixture, and have been really frustrated with the light distribution. Anything that isn't in the center just doesn't get much light.

The Egde is a very neat tank, but is soooo difficult to work with!

Are you running any co2 in this tank? I don't see any mention of it. If not, how are your plants (specifically the repens) doing?
When no one is around I leave the hood off for better light coverage. When we're watching TV or have company over I put the lid on. Once everything fills in I might leave the hood on 24/7, we'll see...

I'll take pictures of 13W & 26W of lighting with and without the hood.

I don't run CO2 but I dose Flourish Excel and ferts. The S. Repens is doing great. It may be growing a little slower than a CO2 injected tank but it looks nice & healthy.
 
#42 · (Edited)
I lost one of my Rummynose Tetras a couple days ago due to dropsy and it looks like another one has it as well. I added an Otocinclus and he's doing a good job at keeping the tank nice and clean. I'd like to add some more CRS because I only see the one I have in there a couple times a day.

 
#43 · (Edited)
My lonely shrimp decided to make an appearance while I was trying to get a picture of my Oto so I had to jump at the opportunity. From my limited experience I'm guessing it's female? She/he is definitely growing! :)





Elvis has left the building!
 
#52 ·
OK, it arrived. Slightly different to the American one.

Wired it all up. Looked great.

Went to work, came home - light was not on.

Replaced fuse in the plug. Turned lights on, circuit board blew up.

Basically, I think it must not have liked being on all day, overheated and shorted. CFL is ruined now too.

Back to the drawing board :(
 
#54 ·
Yea, my transformer was a lot different to yours, and the bracket inside was fixed to the case.

I guess maybe it's something to do with us running at 240v rather than 110v. Maybe that is why it runs hotter. It really exploded! Made me jump out of my skin! I've just wired a 15w e27 cfl in there now, but it doesn't look as sweet as it did with your mod.
 
#55 ·
The water is finally crystal clear! It's like a whole new tank without the haze that's plagued my tank since the start. I dropped my White Cloud off at the local pet store because he started harassing the Rummynose. Other than that, everyone is doing well. I've also introduced five Assassin Snails just because I think they're cool. :) I don't have any snails to feed them but they seem to enjoy blood worms and one of them ate a leaf that broke off and was floating at the top.

I've removed all the stem plants keeping just one H. Polysperma in case I have a change of heart. Trimming them every week was getting old fast!



Cool angled shots :)




Close-up on one of the Assassin Snails:


The S. Repens and B. Japonica seem to be doing well. Right side:


I added some Fissidens Fontanus to the lace rocks. Left side:


Not sure what I'm doing with the Subwassertang in the back but it seems to be acclimated and slowly growing now so I don't want to pull it out. Side view:


Finally got around to mixing up some Fertilizer solutions for quick & easy dosing:
 
#62 ·
I added some Fire Red Cherry Shrimp to my tank yesterday. My two Rummynose instantly started eating the smaller shrimp so I got them out (which isn't easy in a tank shaped like this). Gave them to a friend with a 30gal tank which is good because the RN were getting a little large for my little 6gal.

I can only count 4 shrimp from the original 11 I received. So either the Endlers are slowly picking them off or the other 3-4 are hiding (hopefully!).

 
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