AquaMaxx 32.1 Gallon slow build ***NOW WITH FISH!!!
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Hey now... twigs can be quite useful if one is creative at all. I used some pieces thinner than that recently with pleasing resuults. Price for acceptable wood is pretty steep, where are you from op?
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4,516 Posts
West Virginia. I can go out and find some hardwood stuff...pretty sure wood like Oak is ok. I have a huge Sycamore in my yard too and I'm pretty sure that's good to go too...but there's not been any decent branches dropped in the yard for a long time and of course I don't want to cut live branches and damage the tree and besides...I'd have to wait forever for it to dry out anyways.
Considering the money I just wasted on that twig...I'm not likely to pay for wood again unless it's a great deal on a great piece that I can see in person before buying. Guess I'll have to get off my lazy butt and go out and source some local stuff if I want something nice in my tank.
Considering the money I just wasted on that twig...I'm not likely to pay for wood again unless it's a great deal on a great piece that I can see in person before buying. Guess I'll have to get off my lazy butt and go out and source some local stuff if I want something nice in my tank.
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4,516 Posts
Light finally arrived. Pretty cruddy quality control...some paint chips on the body and the mounting feet...one side the threads aren't cut correctly or something...the tightening knobs won't thread in. Kinda annoying but I do plant to hang the light over the 32g anyways...so not too big a deal. I'll warranty it anyways if I can't fix it by chasing the threads in case I sell the light at some point or decide to use the legs rather than hang it.
Anyways...lights look pretty sweet over my 11g tank. Have them turned way down. I don't want to start an algae outbreak since there's no CO2 on this tank. Just threw it up there until Christmas when I should be getting a Finnex 24/7 for that tank.
The 11g...waiting for me to transfer shrimp over....
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It's definitely an ugly clunky looking light...
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Anyways...lights look pretty sweet over my 11g tank. Have them turned way down. I don't want to start an algae outbreak since there's no CO2 on this tank. Just threw it up there until Christmas when I should be getting a Finnex 24/7 for that tank.
The 11g...waiting for me to transfer shrimp over....
It's definitely an ugly clunky looking light...
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4,516 Posts
Told you this was a slow build...lol...
One more step in the right direction...ordered an Eheim 2215 canister and Hydor 200w in-line heater. So there is a tiny bit of progress. I'm probably going to grab a sheet of 3/4" ply this weekend and start on the stand too. So maybe this build will actually see the light of day. I need to get my CO2 regulator build kit order as well. Might do that today. After that....it's just deciding on substrate (thinking Controsoil) and sourcing some rock for the hardscape.
Just wanted to update.
One more step in the right direction...ordered an Eheim 2215 canister and Hydor 200w in-line heater. So there is a tiny bit of progress. I'm probably going to grab a sheet of 3/4" ply this weekend and start on the stand too. So maybe this build will actually see the light of day. I need to get my CO2 regulator build kit order as well. Might do that today. After that....it's just deciding on substrate (thinking Controsoil) and sourcing some rock for the hardscape.
Just wanted to update.
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4,516 Posts
Talk about losing steam. I still haven't finished this. I only took so long because I didn't want to have a fake headline...so slow build it is.
I have everything I need I think. Except substrate. I stated before I wasn't going to do an active substrate but I think I am actually. I've changed gears just slightly. I'd like to find some cool river style rocks...or we have these blue stones locally. The kinda they crush into gravel. I believe it's a sandstone. I assume aquarium safe but not sure about affecting water parameters. I'll have to get a few and throw in a bucket and do some water testing over the course of a week or two. But instead of focusing on the scape...I think I'm going for a more Dutch style. I'll use the rocks more to maybe give some levels to the substrate or to divide into some sections, but not doing any type of fancy rock scape. Not even sure at this point if I'll add wood though I do still have that overpriced twig just sitting there waiting to be used.
Anyways...I do have the wood for the stand. It's in a pile, but I have it. Plan to start that this week. I need to nail down the substrate I want to use. Suggestions? I know ADA is the gold standard. Thought about Tropica as well. Someone on Fb suggested Landen which I had never heard of. Seems to get not great but not terrible reviews on Amazon. Price is a little less than the other stuff. But I don't know that I want to skimp too much on substrate if I'm going the plant substrate route. I'll probably do a base layer of Eco-Complete just because I have it and it'll save me a little money not having to buy as much new stuff. I need to find a good tread/article/video that directly compares some of the current more popular brands.
That's kinda where I'm at for now. I'll be out of town for 8 days in a couple weeks. So I don't think I'll get to the point of having water in the tank until after then. I don't want to risk something going wrong and come home to a big mess. So plan is to have water in the tank by April. Get the substrate settled, order a bunch of plants, probably a huge trim package off someone. Get that planted and starting to grow then add fish. Undecided on fish as well. I'd like a school of something fairly simple. White Cloud minnows are nice. Maybe some easy Rasbaros or Tetras. Small school of Cory Cats. May or may not do some sort of centerpiece fish but the primary focus will be the plants.
I have everything I need I think. Except substrate. I stated before I wasn't going to do an active substrate but I think I am actually. I've changed gears just slightly. I'd like to find some cool river style rocks...or we have these blue stones locally. The kinda they crush into gravel. I believe it's a sandstone. I assume aquarium safe but not sure about affecting water parameters. I'll have to get a few and throw in a bucket and do some water testing over the course of a week or two. But instead of focusing on the scape...I think I'm going for a more Dutch style. I'll use the rocks more to maybe give some levels to the substrate or to divide into some sections, but not doing any type of fancy rock scape. Not even sure at this point if I'll add wood though I do still have that overpriced twig just sitting there waiting to be used.
Anyways...I do have the wood for the stand. It's in a pile, but I have it. Plan to start that this week. I need to nail down the substrate I want to use. Suggestions? I know ADA is the gold standard. Thought about Tropica as well. Someone on Fb suggested Landen which I had never heard of. Seems to get not great but not terrible reviews on Amazon. Price is a little less than the other stuff. But I don't know that I want to skimp too much on substrate if I'm going the plant substrate route. I'll probably do a base layer of Eco-Complete just because I have it and it'll save me a little money not having to buy as much new stuff. I need to find a good tread/article/video that directly compares some of the current more popular brands.
That's kinda where I'm at for now. I'll be out of town for 8 days in a couple weeks. So I don't think I'll get to the point of having water in the tank until after then. I don't want to risk something going wrong and come home to a big mess. So plan is to have water in the tank by April. Get the substrate settled, order a bunch of plants, probably a huge trim package off someone. Get that planted and starting to grow then add fish. Undecided on fish as well. I'd like a school of something fairly simple. White Cloud minnows are nice. Maybe some easy Rasbaros or Tetras. Small school of Cory Cats. May or may not do some sort of centerpiece fish but the primary focus will be the plants.
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4,516 Posts
Started adding the bead board but ran into a snag...I knew I had a flush trim bit for my router but I have the wrong one. I need one with a bearing on the end and the one I have has the bearing next to the shank. So...trip to Lowes tomorrow. Need some trim for another project anyways.
I need to figure out a door as well. Thought about just magnetizing the whole front panel so I can pop it off as I need. Not sure my carpenter ability will allow me to make an actual door that will look decent. Guess we'll see.
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I need to figure out a door as well. Thought about just magnetizing the whole front panel so I can pop it off as I need. Not sure my carpenter ability will allow me to make an actual door that will look decent. Guess we'll see.
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Got the stand skinned and the top on. Not 100% if I'll keep the top as is...which is currently with a 1/2" over hang and rounded edges and will be stained and poly'ed. I might end up trimming flush to the stand, add trim, then some sort of top layer. Something like tile or vinyl locking flooring. Something waterproof. Rest of the stand will be giving a light stain. I do still need to also sort out the doors.
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AquaMaxx 32.1 Gallon slow build
Glad to see some progress on this build
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,
Looking good by the way.
Check out George Farmer video from today he had a plant in there hat kind of looked liked what your inspiration was from when you started this journal.
Glad to see some progress on this build
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,
Looking good by the way.
Check out George Farmer video from today he had a plant in there hat kind of looked liked what your inspiration was from when you started this journal.
Joined
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4,516 Posts
Grabbed a few rocks from outside. Love the biggest one but might be too big. Not sure how I'd arrange them...perhaps just as a retaining wall with most planting in rear of the tank and a sand area up front with some lower growing stuff tucked up against the rocks. Something like that. Still thinking about going Dutch Style. Not pure Dutch but that planting style but with a little hardscape added in there as well.
Though about having one bit of rock piled up high enough to break the surface of the water to give a small area to allow newts to get out of the water. That is...if I decide to keep some newts in the tank, which I think would be pretty cool to do. Just not sure I want to have a land area. That's my dilema with keeping the newts.
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Though about having one bit of rock piled up high enough to break the surface of the water to give a small area to allow newts to get out of the water. That is...if I decide to keep some newts in the tank, which I think would be pretty cool to do. Just not sure I want to have a land area. That's my dilema with keeping the newts.
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After much back and forth I decided on and just ordered 18L of Tropica soil for my new tank. I was debating a dirted tank. And I might still try one on a small tank. I have a 7g cube I want to setup soon and I'll probably give it a go with that tank. My new 32g tank...I didn't want to "experiment" with it. I just want something I know will work. I may have just went inert because I have a bunch of eco-complete from other tanks in the past...but I want cories in this tank and eco doesn't play well with cories from what I read...too abrasive to their barbs.
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Still plan on hitting the creek on Sunday...plan to do some metal detecting/relic hunting anyways...but I also want to see if I can find that one slightly larger really cool anchor rock and then readjust what I have to fit around that...but at this point...I think I have a winner in the river rocks.
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I do want the most planting area that I can get so I might scoot everything towards the front a couple inches and fill in all the gaps and then add substrate to nearly level with the back of the rock pile. I do have a bag of pool filter sand, so I thought about maybe doing sand in the front but I'm afraid that the light sand would maybe wash out and kill the contrast between the black Tropica and the lighter colors of the rock and I think that the contrast is part of what makes this interesting. I could also collect substrate from the creek and use the natural sand/pebbles as the front substrate. Maybe I'll get some Sunday and mock it up. It would end up similar in that the large rocks would blend more into the front substrate but at least it would be more natural. Thoughts?
I do want the most planting area that I can get so I might scoot everything towards the front a couple inches and fill in all the gaps and then add substrate to nearly level with the back of the rock pile. I do have a bag of pool filter sand, so I thought about maybe doing sand in the front but I'm afraid that the light sand would maybe wash out and kill the contrast between the black Tropica and the lighter colors of the rock and I think that the contrast is part of what makes this interesting. I could also collect substrate from the creek and use the natural sand/pebbles as the front substrate. Maybe I'll get some Sunday and mock it up. It would end up similar in that the large rocks would blend more into the front substrate but at least it would be more natural. Thoughts?
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