Complexity Journal: 75g / NEW PICS Mar 26! Several pics posted with more to come!

[Coltonorr]

What keeps the canopy open and keeps the weight of the fixture from closing it?
looks sweet though!

[Complexity]

Wow, now I know why I never posted these pictures. They are terrible! I tried to take the same pictures on two different days, and both sets came out terrible! Why I never thought to take pictures with the light turned OFF, I don't know. Oh, well. It's what I have.

So please excuse the lousy pics. The light was so bright that it threw everything off when I tried to take pics of it. So I had to overexpose some parts to show any detail; otherwise, everything above the light was just black!

So here they are. My way of hanging the lights temporarily so I can work inside the tank without having anything in the way while still having light to see what I'm doing! And then it all folds down to be hidden inside the canopy. It's very easy to switch back and forth.

While this might not be a big deal to most people, this was one of my favorite modifications to the tank! It makes working inside the tank so easy!

[Complexity]

Originally Posted by Coltonorr

What keeps the canopy open and keeps the weight of the fixture from closing it?
looks sweet though!

I ended up just bracing the canopy open using a couple of bamboo sticks I had laying around. One of these days, I'll measure it and get some small metal rods to do the same thing.

If I can find the right hardware, I'd love to mount the rods directly onto the canopy so they would be hinged to open and close, much like the rod that braces a piano open.

The rods would just have to be hinged to go up and down with the base on the corner and the rods folding down into the inside, front part of the canopy. That way, when I want to convert it to overhead lighting, the rods are right there for me. Not only is that very convenient, but it's a great way to store the rods when I'm not using them.

I could also put some kind of locking clip at the top of the canopy where the rods would go so I can't accidentally knock the rods down while working on the tank.

All I need is to figure out how to make some kind of swivel/hinge for some rods. I never did find anything that worked the way I wanted.

If I don't hinge the rods, then I could just staple some velcro on the canopy to store the rods. And then I could put some kind of locking clip on all corners to keep them from getting knocked out by accident.

[sewingalot]

Stupid question here. Do you leave the canopy open when the lights are on or just for maintanence?

I like the first picture. It really shows the progress of your tank. It is a very pretty tank, Vicki. Oh, and you forgot to wake me up, lol!

[Complexity]

LOL! I figured posting old pictures wasn't quite waking up material.

I have to admit that I was really surprised as I went through my old pictures to see how much the tank has changed. It has come a long way from its humble beginnings!

To answer your question (which isn't dumb at all!), I usually keep my canopy closed. It's open only for major maintenance. I don't put the lights on their brackets for something as simple as a water change, but I definitely use it when I'm planting or trimming. It's really easy to move the light up and down so I just move it whenever I'm trying to do something, and it's in the way.

Something else that's changed is I no longer use the glass canopies over the tank. They just got in the way, too. I put the cover over the lights themselves and now have the tank open except for the canopy.

[Complexity]

Oh, and that first pic with all the green plants was my first attempt at filling the tank with plants. I was thinking that I didn't want to use a lot of stems that would need trimming so I bought up a bunch of java ferns and anubias... only to buy one with BBA that then spread throughout the tank, ruining most of those plants. Oh, well! I prefer stems much more anyway so all is good.

[MikeS]

Vicki, did you notice any difference in growth without the glass covers on the tank?

btw - tanks looks awesome!!!!!!!!!!

[Coltonorr]

Very Nice!
Your tank was/is beautiful!...

[Complexity]

Wow, I never even thought of it! I'd have to say no. I didn't notice any growth changes that I couldn't explain by my habits of keeping up with the ferts and CO2.

I have noticed a HUGE difference when using ferts! Even with CO2, water changes and all, without dosing ferts, the plants decline. They perk back up and begin growing much nicer and stronger once I dose the ferts every day, no fail.

I even tossed some plants that weren't doing well when I wasn't keeping up with the ferts that I now wish I had kept. The difference in the plants when I use ferts is so dramatic, I wish I had at least given those plants a chance to show me what they were supposed to look like!

[Complexity]

Thanks for the nice comments! The tank has changed considerably since then. It'll be fun to see the difference when I post current pictures of the tank!

[@marko@]

Originally Posted by Complexity

Thanks for the nice comments! The tank has changed considerably since then. It'll be fun to see the difference when I post current pictures of the tank!

which will be... when?
LOL
the tank is nice. i am really curious what it looks like now.

[MikeS]

[Complexity]

I'm working on it! I'm working on it! Give a girl a little time!

It's really overgrown at the moment so it'll be fun to not only see how it's grown since the beginning, but to see how it changes from being overgrown to trimmed. I will post pictures THIS WEEK, I promise!

[lizziotti]

I love your tank. I had a picture of it as things I wanted to do to my tank before I stumbled upon your thread! Not sure where I got the pic? Can't remember. It was great to read the progression. Long .....but great! Can't wait to see more pics.

Oh and I really like the way you have your lights! I'll have to see if I can copy it if you don't mind. Mine are always in the way drives me crazy!

[Voozle]

Hey Vicki, this is Hungry Wendigo on a more conveniently named account.

The lighting setup looks great, you're awfully handy to have rigged up something like that. I'm really looking forward to seeing some updated pictures of the tank, I can't wait to see how it's filled in. Has it grown in to resemble the aquascape prior to the move, or does it look very different? Please snap some shots of your lovely barbs while you're at it, as well as your new additions!

Oh, after seeing your cichlids and then finding a similar-ish species for sale at the LFS, I brought a pair home myself. They're kribensis, Pelvicachromis pulcher, and I couldn't be happier. It's nice to see you back around TPT, you were missed!