Drew's ADA Mini M

[dr3ww3rd]

Well after much research and help from Frank at Aquarium Design Group my ADA Mini M is up and running. I had this tank setup for the first time about a year ago but it got torn down when I moved plus I was having very bad algae problems. I feel much more confident about my setup this time. Here is a link that I found very helpful and answered a lot of my questions. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=168992
I have always been the type of person that will work towards what I want or find a substitute. This was the case for this project as well. I love ADA's product line but honestly can't afford everything. I decided I would buy what was the most important from ADA and make the rest. The stand and light were made by me to look like their products. I also made the lily pipes from clear plastic pipe (no it was not easy haha). Anyway enough with the talking onto the specs and pictures. I will try my best to update as much as possible.

AQUARIUM: ADA mini m

LIGHTING: I custom made an ADA style light and I am using the 27w 8000k ADA bulb

STAND: I custom made the stand to look like the ADA stand

CO2: 5lb tank with Victor VTS 253A-320 regulator, Fabco nv-55-18 needle valve, and Burkert 6011 solenoid. Using an ebay diffuser

FILTER: Eheim 2213 with 13mm clear ADA hoses hooked up to plastic lily pipes I made

SUBSTRATE: ADA Amazonia

FERTS: Green Bacter - 3 drops after water changes
Brighty K - 1 squirt dosed daily
Green Brighty Step 1 - 2 squirts dosed daily
Flourish Excel - half a capful dosed daily
Eca - 3 drops dosed weekly

FLORA: Hemianthus callitrichoides, Lilaeopsis Mauritius

FAUNA: 2 otocinclus

Hardscape:


Plants in the tank:


Tank just filled (still cloudy):


Tank after water cleared:

[shrimpnmoss]

Clean!

[The Trigger]

Sleek little tank. Looks great!

[d2mini]

Awesome DIY! You sir, have skills.

[CPDzeke]

Which bulb? Send me a link for it via pm

[Green_Flash]

it will look nice when it fills ins

[thesawguy]

Can you explain how you made the plastic lilly pipes and where you got the tube?

[dr3ww3rd]

The plastic pipes I got from a local plastic shop, I can't remember the name of it. Basically I heated up the stove top and held the pipe over the heat where I needed to make the first bend. The key is you have to spin the pipe so it doesn't get too hot. It will easily bubble if it gets too hot or kink when you bend it. After you get the first bend then test fit it to make sure it's right, if so move to the second bend.

[dr3ww3rd]

Did the water change today and figured I would snap a shot of what's under the tank.

[Phusis_Eidos]

Nicely done!

[Couesfanatic]

Looks great. keep us updated. This will be fun to follow.

[mahko]

Clean and simple. Good DIY skills as well.

Is the stand made of MDF? Looks painted as well. Would you mind briefly explaining the materials used? I'm impressed on how it turned out.

[defender.TX]

Absolutely love the tank, aquascape, and stand. I'm not very big on the light solution - in my opinion it doesn't quite fit the cleanliness of the rest of the setup. I think having polished piping instead of black would go a long way to keeping the beauty of the setup. That's a very minor nitpick, though, I'm just offering some constructive criticism!

Keep up the good work!

Another thought: you could build a small shelf above the CO2 canister for the dry goods, might help you keep things organized in the long run.

[dr3ww3rd]

Originally Posted by mahko

Clean and simple. Good DIY skills as well.

Is the stand made of MDF? Looks painted as well. Would you mind briefly explaining the materials used? I'm impressed on how it turned out.

Yes. It is actually covered in Formica. I thought about painting it but I figured putting Formica down would make it last longer and look better. The door was hung using euro hinges which was the hardest part of the whole thing.

[dr3ww3rd]

Originally Posted by defender.TX

Absolutely love the tank, aquascape, and stand. I'm not very big on the light solution - in my opinion it doesn't quite fit the cleanliness of the rest of the setup. I think having polished piping instead of black would go a long way to keeping the beauty of the setup. That's a very minor nitpick, though, I'm just offering some constructive criticism!

Keep up the good work!

Another thought: you could build a small shelf above the CO2 canister for the dry goods, might help you keep things organized in the long run.

Thank you! Yeah I definitely think polished pipe would look good too. Putting a shelf in never even crossed my mind but I like the idea. I think I might add one in the future.