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10 gal tax season stress relief

6938 Views 29 Replies 22 Participants Last post by  xmas_one, 
anthonysquire
As the title implies I am an accountant. The owner of the firm I work at was kind enough to let me set up my 10 gal tank in my office.

Tank: 10 gal
Lighting: ah supply 36 watt
substrate: sms charcoal
filtration: hob
co2: pressurized
ferts: from greg watson
plants: b. japonica, dwarf hairgrass, a little hc that was overtaken by the hairgrass, and few small pieces of riccia that was hiding when I gave the rest of it away.
fish: powder blue dwarf gourami and 7 orange flame tetras

I diy the stand and hood. I've just finished a similar stand for my 29 gal and plan on posting some pics of the process once I get my tank put on it.
Time for some pics.
Here is what you see as you come into my office.









Notice how the co2 doesn't even break the surface of the water and the hob doesn't cause a lot of surface agitation.


When I first set up the aquarium I had a good portion of L. arcuatis in the right hand corner. I really liked it and I'm planning on putting some more in there when I get a pressurized system for my 29 gal and can move some of the b. japonica to it. The rocks are just some I've collected and are algae covered although I don't really have a problem with algea on the glass or anywhere else, I like it on the rocks though.
Any and all comments are welcome, thanks for looking.
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cookingnerd607
Im diggin it, The tank looks much larger than 10 gallons!

Do your co-workers enjoy the tank? What about any customers, assuming they come into your office.

How is the stand and canopy made, It looks rather dark - Did you stain it or paint it?
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anthonysquire
My coworkers do like it and the few clients that actually come into my office have liked it. When I was setting it up my boss said if it turns out ok he might let me set up my 55 gal somewhere in the office so clients and everyone else can enjoy it. Maybe after next tax season!

The stand/hood is made from 5/8" mdf. I put a coat of kiltz primer and a couple coats of flat black latex paint on it. I don't have a pic but the inside of the stand is painted red (red/black my college's colors).
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S
what an awesome office!
when you get tired.. you just look at your beautiful tank and you charge the energy to keep working.
:thumbsup:
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MikeyP
Nice, def a good stress reliever when at work!! Good job
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if_fishes_were_wishes
Absolutely stunning. So serene! Love the hairgrass lawn.
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macclellan
Very nice. I don't think I could get any work done with a tank sitting right in front of me like that! Kudos for that.

I have 3 tanks in my workspace, but they are all behind where I work. :)
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J
This is an awesome stress reliever! i am diggin the blyxa. by the way, is that hairgrass with some moss mixed in? It looks very healthy though! Yea a 55 gallon would be soo cool in this office, but this 10 gallon i think is a perfect size since its not too big and it just looks real nice!
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anthonysquire
jeffboyarrdee, there is a little moss. I forgot that I had some java moss in the front left corner when I first set it up. I took it out but like the riccia there were a few straglers that hid from me.

Thanks everyone for the kind words. This was my first high tech tank and I felt a little extra pressure to make it look good since it was going to be in my office. I'm very pleased with it, so much so that I'm getting things together to make my 29 gal high tech and do a high tech 8" cube (they will share a co2cylinder).

My wife had wanted me to set up the 55 as a FOWLR or a reef tank, but I think she is changing her mind(after I spent a weekend building a stand similar to the 10 gal). We would have to make room for it and since I already have a 29 gal, setting up an 8" cube, and have a 12" cube I will be getting to next all in an apartment a little over 1000 sq. ft. we will probably have to wait on the 55. Maybe I should mention it to my boss and see if he offers to let me set it up in the office again!
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ikuzo
great job, nice combination with blyxa and hairgrass really.. does the diy hood have some hole for the hob? i see some light from there.
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anthonysquire
ikuzo, the back of the hood is open with only 3 or 4" strip along the top to prevent sagging and to have a place to mount the ballast. The door in the front of the hood doesn't have hinges. Instead the whole piece comes off for maintenance and is held in place by 3 of those magnets that hold cabinet doors closed. The magnets are strong enough to keep the door securely in place but not so strong that it is difficult to remove.
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Haeun
Gorgeous tank, and I loooove the stand+canopy!

I've been thinking about what to do about a stand for my soon-to-arrive 55 gallon. Normal stands seem just ... unattractive to me, but ADA stands are too expensive; yours give off the ADA vibe and heck, I'd give woodworks a try if I can get results like yours (or even vaguely close to).

:) Please please do post pictures of the construction of the stand (and some details por favor) when you get your tank on it!
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T
Beautiful setup! It must be very nice when you have an aquarium in front of your desk!
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E
!!!! orange flame tetras! I have a school of 30 in my planted tank! :)
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sNApple
slick!! tank maintenance on work hours?:icon_smil
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anthonysquire
snapple, nah I get off at noon on fridays so I do the maintenance before I go home on fridays. Takes me about 15 minutes or so for water changes and 30 when I "mow the lawn".

epicfish, I love the orange flames too!
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macclellan
orange flames are a von rio tetra strain, right? I just got 6 of them a few weeks ago, very nice fish!
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E
Yep. Von rio tetra strain. :)

Hyphessobrycon flammeus sp. Orange
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anthonysquire
At the petsmart I got mine from they were labeled as Von Rio Orange Flame Tetras.
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MiSo
beautiful tank. one of the best 10 gallons i've seen. looks much larger than it is. good use of space.
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