56G~harlequin Rasbora breeding pics!!~
Hey all, My name is Mike and I am 17 and have been pondering on the idea of a great planted tank. I have tried before when I was 10 with some success but I had no idea about substrates and c02 or lighting or anything. I just caught some lilly pads with my fishing pole and stuck em in my tank. LOL talking old school:hihi:
Anyways Here are a few pictures of my tank, stand, and hard scape ideas.
I dont know why the color is all messed up but it is...
Tank 56G
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My slope in progress with a cave
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Hope you like it! Leave as many segestions, questions, or just comments as you would like! :biggrin:
Anyways Here are a few pictures of my tank, stand, and hard scape ideas.
I dont know why the color is all messed up but it is...
Tank 56G
My slope in progress with a cave
Hope you like it! Leave as many segestions, questions, or just comments as you would like! :biggrin:
1 - 20 of 120 Posts
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Me too!
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What is the material you are using there? I am trying to understand what I am looking at.
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skye - I would love to paint/color them black but I don't know of a paint that is suitable and non-toxic for use in aquariums. Any suggestions?
GMC - I went to home depot to find something to use with no success so I asked an employee for a suggestions and he said I could cut up and use a plastic refrigerator/dryer pan. If it works it works :icon_lol:
Thanks MikeS
RoyBoy - I couldnt get any of my photo programs to load the pics so I had to load them on MS Word then copy/paste into Image ready, then into photoshop. From there I had to host on ImageShack. Somewhere in those many steps they got messed.
GMC - I went to home depot to find something to use with no success so I asked an employee for a suggestions and he said I could cut up and use a plastic refrigerator/dryer pan. If it works it works :icon_lol:
Thanks MikeS
RoyBoy - I couldnt get any of my photo programs to load the pics so I had to load them on MS Word then copy/paste into Image ready, then into photoshop. From there I had to host on ImageShack. Somewhere in those many steps they got messed.
I like the idea for the caves; I might steal it. Are you doing anything to have water flow through the cave? I'm not sure if stagnant water inside might be a concern. What if a fish or other critter goes in there to die? Do you have a plan?
Something needs to be done about the photos though. Did you try just opening them with MS Paint? Alternatively, GIMP is available for free and can handle all your image processing needs.
Krylon Fusion is generally accepted as aquarium safe. I'm not sure how well it would stick to PVC though; sanding the inside to roughen it might help. Another idea to try would be smearing silicone around the inside of the pipe and then covering it in sand; I'd try it on a scrap piece of piping first.
Others have used Rit fabric dye on PVC with great success; I'd look into it: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=254121&sid=e694d0b2bed251017d4a816d55558565
Something needs to be done about the photos though. Did you try just opening them with MS Paint? Alternatively, GIMP is available for free and can handle all your image processing needs.
Krylon Fusion is generally accepted as aquarium safe. I'm not sure how well it would stick to PVC though; sanding the inside to roughen it might help. Another idea to try would be smearing silicone around the inside of the pipe and then covering it in sand; I'd try it on a scrap piece of piping first.
Others have used Rit fabric dye on PVC with great success; I'd look into it: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=254121&sid=e694d0b2bed251017d4a816d55558565
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Confuted - I have to admit I never thought about a dieing fish crawling in there let alone putting flow in it. Its a great idea with a few minor imperfections. If I come up with an idea you will be the first to know and if you come up with anything feel free to share it with me
LIGHTS
Anyways its time for a little update. Today I finished building my AH supply kit 2x55 Watt Compact Florescent kit. My camera is on the fritts but pictures will be coming soon. Until then ill just tell you a little about how I put them together.
With the hood of my 56G came the standard florescent light package and I also had one left over from my 29G. I took the two light cases and gutted them, rebuilt the inside with reflector etc, and drilled a hole for the wire/cord. It truly looks great! I still have to build a simple gap to let heat escape (I learned that today when I put a 40W incandescent in a 25W rated lamp, almost caught my 10G on fire!:icon_eek
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LIGHTS
Anyways its time for a little update. Today I finished building my AH supply kit 2x55 Watt Compact Florescent kit. My camera is on the fritts but pictures will be coming soon. Until then ill just tell you a little about how I put them together.
With the hood of my 56G came the standard florescent light package and I also had one left over from my 29G. I took the two light cases and gutted them, rebuilt the inside with reflector etc, and drilled a hole for the wire/cord. It truly looks great! I still have to build a simple gap to let heat escape (I learned that today when I put a 40W incandescent in a 25W rated lamp, almost caught my 10G on fire!:icon_eek
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They make black PVC http://www.savko.com/
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You could drill a small hole in that back corner of the pipe (I think it would split the flow in the pipe if you drill the exact corner) and pop one of these badboys on there
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4585+4601&pcatid=4601
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4585+4601&pcatid=4601
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Lauralee - I wish I knew about that black pvc earlier. Keeping it in mind for next time.
Clwatkins - It does seem that way but It looked perfectly normal when I uploaded it in MS Word. Im guessing it got messed up transfering from MSWORD to image ready.
Mott - That looks like a handy little pump you found there! Have you any experience with them? Only $15 is a steal!
Clwatkins - It does seem that way but It looked perfectly normal when I uploaded it in MS Word. Im guessing it got messed up transfering from MSWORD to image ready.
Mott - That looks like a handy little pump you found there! Have you any experience with them? Only $15 is a steal!
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Update Time!
I'm working kind of slow due to school. But got my substrate in yesterday and ply wooded my stand made from 2x4s. Just need to find a paneling or stain that matches the tank trim. Does anyone know what color oak is on the tank?
I have somewhat of an idea on how I want the tank to look but still have a few issues. I have the big slope on the left and was wondering if it would look unbalanced if I had no plants or hardscape on the right. I'm going to use white play sand on the front 4-5" of the tank and was also wanting to maybe put a white sand "river" in there.
Here is what I have so far as for pictures:
6gallon Substrate:
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Tank&stand:
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Idea for substrate/hardscape:
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I'm working kind of slow due to school. But got my substrate in yesterday and ply wooded my stand made from 2x4s. Just need to find a paneling or stain that matches the tank trim. Does anyone know what color oak is on the tank?
I have somewhat of an idea on how I want the tank to look but still have a few issues. I have the big slope on the left and was wondering if it would look unbalanced if I had no plants or hardscape on the right. I'm going to use white play sand on the front 4-5" of the tank and was also wanting to maybe put a white sand "river" in there.
Here is what I have so far as for pictures:
6gallon Substrate:
Tank&stand:
Idea for substrate/hardscape:
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I also have some black play sand. Do you think it would alright to top of the AQ.com Substrate to make it darker? I know eventually the sand will probably fall through the substrate but that wont be for a while. The AQ substrate is pretty fine.
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