Down_Shift's ADA 60P *Back from the dead after 8 months

[Down_Shift]

Well this all started after seeing some of my friends' crazy tanks. He showed me TPT and I started looking around. Got some inspiration to try an attempt.. Which led to digging out a old 2.5g I had a gold fish in.. filled it Shultz Sub with moss/wendii/fern..

Original thread about the 2.5g nano bow:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/pl...-2-5g-bow.html

Follow up Pics:

10/8-DIY Glass Top
10/28-Storing Plants for 60P / Moving tank to new shelf
10/30-Berried RCS
11/3-Shrimp/Otos
11/10-Shrimp Pics
11/14-My living space + Tank
11/24-DIY Prefilter + Hydor Nano Heater
11/29-RCS Extinct!
12/5-Update with new shrimp, since the first batch died off =(
12/10-Tear down and redone =( RCS #2 Extinct. Other stock moved to 60P
1/3-Complete Tear down and rescape!!
2/16-Update!




2.5g Bow setup:
2.5 Plastic Bow
Shultz + sand I found in the city
Driftwood
Magfloat

Red Sea Nano Filter
27w Desk Lamp
Hydor Nano Heater

Java Fern
Java/Taiwan Moss
Moss Ball
Wendii
Rotala
Frogbit








That lasted about a month..




That's when I started piecing together the next setup! I have a very very small apartment, therefore I had to have something compact, not insanely expensive, and had to fit an exact spot on my dining table/counter with equipment in the cabinet right under it. I originally wanted a Mini-S or smaller, but decided to get a bigger tank so I can have more space for plants! I tried to keep the budget reasonable and picked some reliable parts. Almost everything was ordered online.

Oh and special thanks to many forum members here, John, Church, WelchRock, Slaya Leemik etc etc! They've helped me with alot of noob questions!


*Updated 11/20/08

Tank: ADA 60-P
Filter: Rena XP2 - Pads/Haagen Bio Filter/Pot Scubbers

Inline Hydor 200w Heater
Lily pipes
DIY Inline Flow Control
Glass Drop Checker
Glass CO2 Diffuser
NRG Bubble Counter
DrFS Regulator kit
2.5lb CO2 Tank

Lighting:
Coralife 65W painted black /w clear Legs
R2 Moonlight 11000mc LED

Substrate:
Will be a mix of old Flourite and Shultz's

Misc:
ReefKeeper 2 Aquarium Controller with Temp/PH Probes
Plant Tools (2 Tweezers + Scissors)
Mag Float





The tank that came in today (10/27/08):



Canisters/Legs, added bonus my standalone ems setup lols:



More entries on the 60P:
10/28-More Setup
10/29-Moss
10/29-Painting the Light
10/31-Co2 / Plants
11/1-Filling the Tank
11/3-Co2 / Filter install
11/6-Lily Pipes + Drop Checker
11/8-More Plants
11/10-Tank cleared!
11/14-Growth Update
11/14-Pictures of the tank in my living space
11/20-ReefKeeper2, Inline Flow Control Valve DIY, Hydor Inline Heater, Trim
11/24-Growth Update after trims
11/29-Trim #2
12/5-Update
12/10-First Fish!
12/14-Cardinals!
12/16-Trim Mess up
12/21-MTS and RCS
12/22-2 more Female Guppies from my mom
12/28-Fry! and Cardinal pics
1/6- Growth/Tank Update
1/13- New Invertz order added! Dwarf Crays, Rabbit Snails, Black Neon Tetras, Ember Tetras, Amano's
1/14- Update on Growth and Big Trim
1/15-2nd XP2 came in!
1/22- Shortening the t5ho legs
1/22- 2x 24w t5ho vs 65w PC
1/24- Update with 2nd XP2 and all 4 24w t5ho
2/16-Update! TRIM TIME!






11/24/08

This lasted about a month when I spotted a deal locally! Another ADA tank Mini-S. Seeing how i already had a spare nano filter, 27w desklight, Eco Complete, and Slate. I only needed to pick up the Tank! Special thanks for dotconnect for the sale and Slaya leemik for helping me out.

updated 1/6/09

ADA Mini-S
Eco Complete Black
Red Slate Rock
27w desklamp *Removed Replaced with
15w Spiral light bulb
Red Sea Nano Filter
brass co2 splitter, nano diffuser, drop checker

11/23/08-Picking up the tank and setting it up!
11/24/08-First Day
11/29/08-A few days of limited lighting
12/5-Update
12/10-Glassware! Waiting to install co2 splitter
12/14-Co2!
12/28-Got Moss?
1/6-2 Otto still alive, 3 Amanos hiding -- also replaced 27w desklamp with 15w spiral bulb
1/13- Added 5 CPD's, 5 Asian Rummy Nose, an Amano
2/16-Update! Trim!

[Down_Shift]

My 2.5g with plants that might go into the new tank.



Moved the 2.5g, replaced with the 60P!


The Filter stuff.


Cutting a cheapo Mat and foam black board. Double sided taped the Board to the tank.



Final look



The Cabinet under my counter stores some canned goods and pots. I cleaned out the top shelf and used it for the canister/co2. I measured out the Canister thinking it would fit, but I forgot to include the hose outlet/inlets doh. So my drawer has to stay slightly open to give the clearance needed for the hoses.


Drilled Hole for the hoses.

[MARIMOBALL]

Ahh another 60P congrats on your purchase. Rimless tanks look so much bigger that regular tanks. Looks like a good collection of equipment. What substrate will you be using?

[Down_Shift]

Originally Posted by MARIMOBALL

Ahh another 60P congrats on your purchase. Rimless tanks look so much bigger that regular tanks. Looks like a good collection of equipment. What substrate will you be using?

I have a whole bag of Shultz's and some left over Flourite from my friend's tank. I also picked up a 20lb bag of Eco Complete Black. Will probably leave the Flourte/Shultz mix on the bottom and top it with the Eco Complete. I'm tempted to do a huge slope so I will need alot of substrate!


(Any Suggestions / Criticisms are welcome)

[MARIMOBALL]

Hmm the substrate may mix over time and create an unatural look. I say just keep the eco.
BTW don't forget to add something under the tank. I found black foam board at target for $3.50 and its almost as good as the ADA garden mat. Im sure you know but the ADA logo should be on the bottom right corner of the front of the tank.

[Down_Shift]

Well that took me a good part of the evening. Now I'm waiting for the light to come in, along with the glassware and Co2 equipment.

I'm afraid I won't have enough clearance for the light since the cabinet is right above the tank! We'll see what happens tomorrow.

And I didn't get rid of my 2.5g!! It made its way into a IKEA Cube shelf.. ~10 RCS shrimps hanging out in there.


The Moss I'm trying to keep going for the tank..

[Down_Shift]

Originally Posted by MARIMOBALL

Hmm the substrate may mix over time and create an unatural look. I say just keep the eco.
BTW don't forget to add something under the tank. I found black foam board at target for $3.50 and its almost as good as the ADA garden mat. Im sure you know but the ADA logo should be on the bottom right corner of the front of the tank.

1 20lb bag of Eco seems really little.. Especially if I were to make a giant slop for a tree or something. Should I just go out and get a 2nd bag?

[MARIMOBALL]

use the same blackboard for the bottom of the tank. I used the same type of mat on my 60P and during my rescape I noticed it created a vacuum between the tank and stand. It felt like the tank was going to break when I tried to remove it.

[Down_Shift]

Originally Posted by MARIMOBALL

use the same blackboard for the bottom of the tank. I used the same type of mat on my 60P and during my rescape I noticed it created a vacuum between the tank and stand. It felt like the tank was going to break when I tried to remove it.

Good call. I actually had to semi fight with the tank to move it around.. and I wasn't sure if the pressure I was using might cause some stress on the glass! I'll pick up another foam board tomorrow and put it ontop of the sticky mat!

[MARIMOBALL]

start with one bag maybe black sand underneath to save you some money. but if you can afford it, get more eco. remember its gonna last a couple of years. So its good to do it now than later.

[Down_Shift]

Originally Posted by MARIMOBALL

start with one bag maybe black sand underneath to save you some money. but if you can afford it, get more eco. remember its gonna last a couple of years. So its good to do it now than later.

I was trying to look for black sand. No one sells any locally and I'd rather not pay for shipping / wait for shipping. That's why I was going to fill the bottom with the Shutlz

You're right about it mixing though. Once I'm ready to fill the tank, I'll put one bag in first. If that doesn't work out, I'll just go down the street to pick up another bag of Eco!

[moogoo]

great stuff man! i'm looking to upgrade my perfecto 30g to a 75-P once I've got the money and time to work on the setup. This time around I will do it right from the beginning with automated dosing and topping off.

Keep us updated on your progress. Look forward to seeing your hardscape.

[Down_Shift]

Not much of an update.. Took people's suggestion on putting a foam board under the tank. Got my Coralife 65w 10k in yesterday. Set it up and wasn't really happy with the fugly brown color of the casing.. I bought some black plastic spray paint from Homedepot today.. will try to spray it black when I have time.

CO2 Tank in today.. except.. they sent me the WRONG ONE... I ordered a 2.5lb to fit in my cabinet, they sent me a 5lb... Surprisingly the 5lb actually JUST fit in the cabinet, but I don't know if the regulator will make it taller. Regulator comes in on Friday, so I'll test fit it. If it doesn't fit, I'll have to call them up and send this one back.

Here's a pic of how it looks now.

[CL]

That's so exciting! I've been planning my 60p that I'm going to get this Christmas since July. I can't wait to see this set up. The regulator should only come around .5 inches above the top of the 5#, at least that's the way it is for my tank

[Down_Shift]

Well just finished up on blacking out the Coralife. It's drying right now.

Here are some pics of the process.. Only took about.. 20 minutes tops.


Ugly Original color:



Prep---- Sanding down and mask out what I didn't want painted.




Just finished painting:


Still has the Coralife Logo (still need to pull off the rest of the masking tape):




And I cut the rear section because you don't see it anyways.. I mainly didn't want to paint it because there was the switch, safety label, and power cord. So I just masked and made a cut: