moogoo's new tank! (5-18-2009 UPDATE) (56K)

[moogoo]

So a few weeks ago I started building the stand. I was going to take pictures during the process but it already ended up taking longer than I had expected, so there are no pictures.

After some time away from it, I finally got around to moving furniture around and setting up the stand, placing the tank on top and hanging the light fixture. And here it is:



Not the greatest picture, but you get the idea. The tank is sitting on an yoga mat cut to size. The light bar is made of 1/2" conduit bent at about 20 degrees, then a 90 degree bend. I did not do two 90 degree bends because I needed to offset the hanging of the fixture to center it over the tank. This is because the sundial fixture is not meant for hanging and I had to improvise.

I installed hooks on the inside of the door for hanging maintenance tools. Right now, the stand is just full of all the equipment. I'm not setting it up yet because I'm still waiting for more rocks for the hardscape. I did manage to get a few rocks, but I want more. Here's a shot of the ones I have so far. I really like them.



This is pagoda rock. I intend to go back to the LFS where i got them in a week or two to see if they have more selection, and hopefully get what I need to do a nice hardscape.

I also have some UG and am currently growing it emersed in preparation for initial planting. It's all very exciting! Hopefully, I can update this thread again soon, but the way things look, I probably won't get to it again until mid May cause exams are coming up!

[epicfish]

epicfish approves. Two thumbs up.

[moogoo]

with your approval, i'm well on my way to success!

[CmLaracy]

cool, nice start

[cah925]

Fantastic work on the stand, I can tell you put a lot of thought into the design.

[moogoo]

@cmlaracy - Thanks!

@cah925 - Thanks! I modeled it off jason baliban's tank design and made slight changes for my needs. There are of course imperfections that the picture doesn't show. It was a grueling day of work on my balcony though with the limited tools that I have.

[RamsRme]

Wow! sweet tank! I like the contemporary design.

[sewingalot]

Love the design. I am excited about the progress.

[fishman9809]

looks awesome moogoo!

[travis.808]

mmmmmmmmm Teriyaki beef jerky and iwagumi rocks ftw! Your setup looks like a winner, beautiful.

[CLASSIC]

Wow, that stand is amazing! Your entire set up thus far is very well thought out. You dont even have water in yet and it is apparent that you have an artistic eye, i cant wait to see what you do with the scape. Those rocks are cool as heck too. Congrats! Subscribed.

[rountreesj]

Nice stand, I built my own a while back and have to say...NICELY DONE!!! it's harder than people think to build a nice stand.

[sick lid]

Hmmmm.... That looks suspiciously similar to your Sketch Up drawing....

[moogoo]

Thanks everyone for all the wonderful comments. It is my first DIY stand, so I'm pretty proud of it. It took a lot longer than I thought it would because like rountreesj said, it is a lot harder than it looks. There are a lot of imperfections from where I messed up, but overall, I think it looks pretty nice.

Thanks again everyone for the nice comments. I wanted to take things slow with this tank and do it right the first time. With all your comments, it seems I am doing just that... at least so far. Let's hope it continues. Unfortunately, there won't be any major updates until after exams...

[rountreesj]

Moogoo...

If you are taking it slow...I HIGHLY suggest (from experience)... a very short photoperiod. I have zero algae in my tank. it is over a month old. I have low light as well, but only a 3 hour photoperiod. I Have found that if you are patient and watch for signs of lighting shortage instead of giving too much, you will be much better off. I also have tried two short photoperiods: one at lunch and one late at night, and it worked spectacularly. just two 3 hour bursts. It gives the plants more of an advantage and doesn't give the algae a chance to grow because the plants are sort of thirsting for the nutrients when the lights come on...

Also frequent water changes... At least 50% every week will help a lot as well as it will flush any excess out...blah blah...you prob. already know all of this.

And ...well thats it for my $0.02 for now...