[AnotherHobby]

Great start! You've clearly put a lot of thought into your layout. I'll be following this for sure.

Also, I like that Ikea stand a LOT! When you get a chance, I'd love to see a pic of the inside of it.

 

[AnotherHobby]

Thank you! I've been a big fan of your work, following along your build. You certainly know your way around ingenuity and fabrication... you made the Ray 2 mod look clean & functional. Your scape is breathtaking too.

Anyway... here's an inside shot of the stand. I'd like to get more organized and tidy with the power strip and wires. I might work on that later.

Thanks for the kind comments — I'm just having fun.

Regarding your stand, I know people have posted how much they like my stand, but I like this one better. It was also cheaper for you to buy this than it was for me to build mine, not to mention FAR less work. And... better organization, more storage space, more modern looking, and I'm sure other things I haven't thought of yet.

Nice score. roud:

 

[AnotherHobby]

Yeah I considered building a DIY stand but it would have costed more and like you said, more work. Glad there's this option. Your stand is nice though...it has character! Are you thinking of switching things up and repurposing that stand?

I don't know. I just know that if I'd seen this first, I would have gone this direction. I have other things I want to get first, but I won't be surprised if I end up swapping out.

 

[AnotherHobby]

That's how my UG looked when I planted it, but it greened up nice within a couple of weeks. Here it was right after planting:

 

[AnotherHobby]

Looking fantastic and lush!

 

[AnotherHobby]

I have since replaced those blocks with Besta legs.. it raises the stand by 5". I was a little concerned about the strength of the legs, but they're solid too. I just inspected my stand now with a flashlight and see no issues.

Those legs look really good. Much better than the blocks. :thumbsup:

Tank is looking great!

 

[AnotherHobby]

I saw those, they do look nice! The 23g is a smidge bigger than I want, though... the Mr Aqua 17.1gal is nearly perfect. Within 1/2" of the 60P in each dimension. (23.6 x 11.8 x 14.2 vs. 24 x 12 x 14 for the ADA) The only meaningful difference is the low iron glass and the price! And the logo.

The Mr Aqua 720li is identical to the 60p, and low iron. I have one and I'm super happy with it. I got mine at Marine Depot. They don't list it on their site, but they'll special order it for you. I paid $122.98 shipped.

 

[AnotherHobby]

Sounds nice, although the 60P is $130 so for the extra $7 I'd probably go for the ADA tank. (If nothing else, there's a resale advantage to the name) Still, good to keep in mind, thx!

The Mr Aqua 17.1 gal is $70 at my LFS, plus I have a little credit there so a bit less.

You need to get better at comparing prices. You must compare total price (shipping, any applicable taxes, etc) when comparing products/vendors. A 60P is just over $200 shipped from AFA, which makes it 63% more expensive than the Mr Aqua 720li, which was just under $123 shipped. If you could get an ADA 60P locally for $130 and save the insane $70 shipping charge (Marine Depot only charged $10 shipping/handling on the Mr Aqua tank), that would change things. Something tells me that it wouldn't be $130 locally though.

If it was just a $7 difference, I would have done the 60P.

 

[AnotherHobby]

FWIW, I can get the 60P locally for $148. Still worth it (to me) over the $123 720li, but still not worth it (to me) over the $70 Mr Aqua tank, where the biggest difference is regular glass (vs low iron) and no ADA logo.

I think I'd make the same choice. I have a regular Mr Aqua that's not low iron, and I'm super happy with that one too. :thumbsup:

 

[AnotherHobby]

And the irony is, my LFS made me a stupid offer on the low-iron version of the tank, and my wife ok'd the slight price increase, so I'm now getting the low iron version, which should be tomorrow or Thursday. :red_mouth

...I think you'll appreciate the low iron glass if you haven't had it before. Only negative is that you'll probably never want to buy a regular glass tank again.

What this guy said.

Time for a mega picture update extravaganza!

Looks great! :thumbsup:

 

[AnotherHobby]

Damn that sucks! Salvage operations can be very rewarding though. If you want any donated plants to speed up the processes, let me know. I trim every Sunday.

 

[AnotherHobby]

Yeah it's a challenge and when it recovers it will be an accomplishment.

It's a challenge for sure. You've seen my tank, and how bad I destroyed it last November. It can take a while, but you can totally do it.

Keep your eye on the weather. If you get an opening, let me know. Or, ship it to your work if possible where it won't sit out in your mailbox. Your only risk is $6 worth of shipping.

 

[AnotherHobby]

Looking great! Are the RGB's any brighter on the new light, or are the same as the CSP? I know the whites are a lot brighter, just wasn't sure about the RGB part.

 

[AnotherHobby]

Excellent recovery Brian! Your tank is looking really nice again!

We've both nursed our tanks back from death.