RiverBottom/Dive Tank

[Meganne]

hello, glad to have found you all.
the short story.
My husband is a cave diver, no longer diving. Hence my inspiration is Florida's fresh water springs and rivers.
here are some random videos of our local springs I found on the internet.
Morrison Springs, were he certified many divers in cavern diving
http://youtu.be/3s9bdlrNC_k
and my favorite, Cypress Springs
http://youtu.be/hzhA2LKqgVY

I have quite a bit of experiance with garden ponds and the heavy filtration needs of koi pond, I have one of each, mostly DIY.
and I realize as much as it can be similar, the planted tank hobby is also so very different.
as I did my ponds I am going to try to K.I.S.S. it (keep it stupid simple)

as of today I have
a 45 gallon cube
LED lighting for plants on their way as well as a canister filter and pump.
3 pieces of drift wood soaking ... to be ready
4 angels excitedly awaiting a new larger home.

[Meganne]

playing around with a layout this is what I have come up with so far....

[PinkRasbora]

Interesting tank stand. Love the detail. I have always wanted to go diving, I am sorta jealous.

I think it might look more balanced if you tipped one of those long wood pieces onto its side.

Picture of those angels? =]

[Meganne]

Hi Pink
I think the small one will not be in the tank. the two together I and hoping to snuggle together as one and become a Witches Knee kinda look. (Cypress knee)
I did lay them on thier side but didnt like enough to get any pictures of them that way...they hardly fit! I started with one long piece and the center piece

then I broke the longer one have been trying out different angles

but now they are floating around in the koi pond trying to sink them. the first post desing shows the depth of the tank best so far, but nothing is set in stone!

hey! I have a friend in Wagoner! any chance you know a koi lady named Lawanna?

[PinkRasbora]

Probably not, I have only been here for little over a year now.

On that last picture, what if you inverted the piece, so its "Walking" instead of doing the "Y"MCA? hehe! Do I get points for best description ever? xD

[aweeby]

I really like your inspiration for this tank> i watched the video you posted, i saw the tents and kayaks and I was like, ok, it's a really pretty picnic spot, but so what. and then I see the sinkhole! OMG. That is nuts.

I would put the YMCA wood behind the other one. It would be best I think if you had more tall ones like the two pointed one and just line them up. The YMCA one, although it has a lot of character, doesn't seem to mesh so far in my mind. I wish you didn't break the ymca one though Wouldn't it be cool to have some ferns or whatnot protruding from the water on the wood? ANyway, very neat. I look forward to seeing how you utilize the height.

[Meganne]

Pink I tried to invert it but with the others were they are in that pix it didnt fit, that is how it ended up fliped to the other side.
if you ever decide to take this hobby out side and dig a pond I will hook you up with my friend. she knows her stuff and has wonderful fish and plants.

aweeby, yes three "knees" would look nice. and I couldnt sell my husband on the look of things sticking up out of the tank...though I like that set up VERY much and agree with you, he is the one stuck looking at it all day! so on this I gave in.
Florida is peppered with crystal clear fresh water springs, just beautiful places. There is another journal here called Blackwater tank which got me thinking as it looks like the local canoeing river, but if you watched that second vid as the boat goes up the river to the spring the black/tanic waters give way to sparkling clear waters of the head spring. couldnt find a vid of the sourounding embankments where als the plants and wood is tangled, folks just like to shot the cavern. but i think you'all get the idea.

thanks you'all for the moral support!

[Meganne]

Originally Posted by PinkRasbora

Picture of those angels? =]

[Phivtoosyx]

Nice!

I have some awesome memories of swimming the springs of florida. Me and brother use to just take our boat up streams around the panhandle with a map and find them. It's amazing how many there are....and how @#%^@ cold they are (colder than our beer was ) !!! I don't even know the name of the springs we used to go to...but they were only accessible by boat as the surrounding property was private. We occasionally saw cave divers...dangerous but alluring hobby.

[PinkRasbora]

Oooo an almost pure gold veil tail! Pretty! thanks for posting him. =]

So whats the finial thinking on your wood?

[Meganne]

Pink I didnt know that is what they are, when I got them they were just little things and pure white with a marbleing of the tiny bits of black.
the wood is still in the koi pond, but it is getting heavy!!

[Meganne]

after a lot of reading here on MTS I have decided to go for it and started working my my soil. got some cheap cheap top soil,

flushed as much of it clean as I could

and set it out for it's first drying. I will mix and re wet it a few times before sifting it.

[Meganne]

top soil dry and back in for another soak. lots more bark/mulch floated and was removed.
this prossess is a work of patients!

so to fill the need it was a window shopping trip to Pensacola's Water World Tropical Fish today! yowza! what a store!! and very knowledge folks Steve and Richard(I believe I am recalling names correctly)
healthy fish and plenty of choices, many I had never seen before. fell in love with the Rainbow fish! never seen them before...and dont think my cube is right for them, but goodnes they are fine!
think we have decided on Head and Tail light tetras for our shoaling fish.
we will definately be back to purchase when it is time

[PinkRasbora]

Dirt!!!! Sooooo have you filled your tanked with water yet? ^^

[Meganne]

not hardly! lol!
still mineralizing my soil
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=152027

I have one more soak and dry cycle then I need to sift it!
what the heck, why do anything in a hurry! rofl!!!