[Streetwise]

I had two otocinclus in my community tank. I added about ten, and put ten in another tank. They became so much more social in numbers! It was fun to see.

 

[Freemananana]

I had two otocinclus in my community tank. I added about ten, and put ten in another tank. They became so much more social in numbers! It was fun to see.

Yup! I've always had a few in every tank. These seem to loosely stay around each other. I added another group of livestock today but dont have photos. I'm at the emergency care for the flu.

 

[varanidguy]

Yup! I've always had a few in every tank. These seem to loosely stay around each other. I added another group of livestock today but dont have photos. I'm at the emergency care for the flu.

Oh damn, it's really going around this year. Get well!

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

 

[Freemananana]

Oh damn, it's really going around this year. Get well!

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

Yes it is! Can't say I've ever had a negative reaction to flu medicine either, but that happened as well. A little over a week later and I'm well enough to sit at a desk finally.

I finished the hood and had some issues with the temperature in the garage and some running paint. I GUESS I had prethinned paint in the container for some reason and forgot. Anyway, it will be rebuilt in a mk2 hood anyway, so it is temporary.

The otos and our new shrimp digging in on some wafer bits. The snails, of course, are present as well.

I bought a couple dozen shrimp. Going to let them populate up before adding the final bit of stocking.

Shrimp are always amusing to watch. They even dig themselves into the prefilters.

 

[Freemananana]

Just a terrible photo in an attempt to show the light setup. I have one light that spans the length of the tank, on a timer, that sits on the edges of the hood. I have a finnex 24/7 that is suspended near the top of the hood that gives the sunrise/sunset effect. It allows me to open the lids and such without much hassle. Waiting for the shrimp colony to expand before attempting any additional fish. I found some red tiger endlers that may be worth a shot, or something like chili rasboras (if I recall correctly) that don't get very large.

 

[MD500_Pilot]

I uploaded the build of the stand as a time lapse. Nearly 20 minutes! That's at like 30 times speed or something. Took a long day to build this stand. Feel the grief of an unlevel quadrant in the garage as I tackle a warped 2x6. Enjoy my daughter play with screws for 15 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMTUwu2fowU&feature=youtu.be

I haven't taken much time to add subtitles or anything to make it "interesting." I could do some quick voice over bits or captions. It isn't a how to, just a cheap DragonCam3, or some other awesome Chinese brand, left on time lapse. Not sure how interesting this stuff is to anyone else. Try to ignore me eyeing the camera as I changed the batteries over and over again.

Awesome video, thank you for sharing. If you don't mind my asking, did you build the stand (as opposed to using the one that came with it) because you were concerned that the "factory" stand was not going to be able to hold the weight of the tank, or just that you didn't like the looks of the stand that came with it? I have a 75 gallon and I have concerns about the stand but I assumed (maybe incorrectly) that since it came with the tank that the stand was designed to support the weight of the tank and water.

Is it common to have to build a new stand?

 

[Freemananana]

Awesome video, thank you for sharing. If you don't mind my asking, did you build the stand (as opposed to using the one that came with it) because you were concerned that the "factory" stand was not going to be able to hold the weight of the tank, or just that you didn't like the looks of the stand that came with it? I have a 75 gallon and I have concerns about the stand but I assumed (maybe incorrectly) that since it came with the tank that the stand was designed to support the weight of the tank and water.

Is it common to have to build a new stand?

They will definitely work! I've seen people use them for years without issue. There were two reasons for me building a new stand. First, the height of the factory stand would have the tank sitting below the love seat I had planned on placing in front of it. Therefore I needed to raise the stand so the tank could be viewed. We have moved the love seat, but that was the original plan. Second, I dislike the pressed wood since there is a lot of water here. I tend to spill when I do water changes and pressed wood expands and fails at that point. So I wanted a wood stand I could seal in some way, oil based paint in this case. It isn't water proof, but it is more water tight that the original.

 

[varanidguy]

Very nice and inspirational build! I'd like to build some hoods for my display tanks as well, this has been a big help.

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[MD500_Pilot]

They will definitely work! I've seen people use them for years without issue. There were two reasons for me building a new stand. First, the height of the factory stand would have the tank sitting below the love seat I had planned on placing in front of it. Therefore I needed to raise the stand so the tank could be viewed. We have moved the love seat, but that was the original plan. Second, I dislike the pressed wood since there is a lot of water here. I tend to spill when I do water changes and pressed wood expands and fails at that point. So I wanted a wood stand I could seal in some way, oil based paint in this case. It isn't water proof, but it is more water tight that the original.

The water weight was my primary concern as well. Plus, IMHO, your stand just looks like it holds the weight better!! My wife is the much better wood person in the family, I'm more on the programming side so I am going to forward her your video and ask her how long to figure it out

 

[Freemananana]

Very nice and inspirational build! I'd like to build some hoods for my display tanks as well, this has been a big help.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

Please do a better job than I! Haha. I'm remaking mine over the summer. I've seen better plans than what I was winging and I plan to change quite a bit about

The water weight was my primary concern as well. Plus, IMHO, your stand just looks like it holds the weight better!! My wife is the much better wood person in the family, I'm more on the programming side so I am going to forward her your video and ask her how long to figure it out

There are plenty of plans out there. I was using the doors and such I had to save some money. A really pretty stand is definitely doable.

 

[varanidguy]

Please do a better job than I! Haha. I'm remaking mine over the summer. I've seen better plans than what I was winging and I plan to change quite a bit about



There are plenty of plans out there. I was using the doors and such I had to save some money. A really pretty stand is definitely doable.

What's wrong with it? It looks great!

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[DigityDog70]

Thanks for sharing, that was fun to read. I recall when you created your first tank journal.

 

[Freemananana]

What's wrong with it? It looks great!

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The seem where it meets could use some work. It doesn't line up as well as I would like. Not using a hole sole for the ends resulted in wobbly holes, which isn't a huge deal. I sanded them more smooth than pictured but they ended up larger than the fans that I have. It is a little bit tight and more difficult to open than I would like. The lid is also larger than it needs to be, the ends could have stayed put. This would have cut down on the weight, which is a lot unfortunately. Upgrades will be made and I'm thinking a 3 piece front lid with stationary sides.

Thanks for sharing, that was fun to read. I recall when you created your first tank journal.

Thanks! It's been awhile but there are many members who long out date me. My first build was questionable at every turn and I'm still learning more and more with ever build. I'm sure there will be a next one, but the next planned build will be an in-wall with a fish room in a completely different home. I don't think we are going to be expanding much further than this 125g in our current home (unfortunately).

 

[DigityDog70]

There's always room in the garage. I'd wager you've looked around your garage and wondered to yourself, where could I fit another tank? haha

 

[Freemananana]

There's always room in the garage. I'd wager you've looked around your garage and wondered to yourself, where could I fit another tank? haha

I do wish that were a possibility. That tank would cost me a fortune one way or another. Here in Florida, the garage is not quite hospitable for keeping anything living for long. I have tossed around the idea of an outdoor pond in the backyard to get my extremely large tank bug out. I have an office, but it is on the second floor. There is some space for a tank in there and it would be a great spot to enjoy a tank. It won't be long and I will be building a larger tank. Hopefully LED technology is even better by then! The saddest part about purchasing our current home was the lack of a dedicated tank space.

 

[Freemananana]

I was under the impression that my lights just weren't cutting it, so I added another 72" beamswork. It is a tri 0.5W LED instead of the pent 0.5W LED that I have in the back. With the frogbit constantly covering the surface, it should help penetrate more effectively.

I had to snake my 24/7 through the two lights to maintain a full coverage sunrise and set. Some of it is blocked now, but the effect is still decent.

A full tank shot. The vals are growing and have even spread to the front of the tank. I have gotten very little dwarf sag growth. The moss in the center has exploded. I have noticed some black triangle looking moss on the underside of the java ferns though.

Not sure how clear it is, but here is one of my berried female shrimp. I've only had these for about a month! Not bad.

And here is another berried female, but the roots of the frogbit are covering most of here. This is why I love frogbit in my shrimp tanks, they graze on the roots constantly.

Another angle of the same female. She is fanning, so babies are definitely on the way!

A veggie wafer dropped in the tnak. The otos school together well for whatever reason. They also graze together and pile on for the wafer scatterings. This is only 9 of the 15 in this shot, but I have yet to find any bodies so I am under the impression the 15 are still alive. They were a very healthy looking batch from the LFS.

 

[Freemananana]

I have a real frogbit infestation!

I clear out 70% of this every couple days and it springs back. In the past week, I've removed frogbit on 3 occasions.

My water change regiment is less consistent though. Did a 50% today. First water change this month, but 15 otos and 20~ shrimp in a 125g is a small bio load.

Filled it back up and everything looks good.

I do wish I could center my phone a little bit better, I'm pretty bad at this.

The jungle val has spread to the front of the glass and will soon take over the tank I'm sure. The dwarf sag doesn't appear to be growing much. The java fern and crypt wendtii are all hanging in and green. The moss at the top of the tank has grown a ton but the moss near the bottom (java) is still kind of brown. The shrimp graze on it though, so no real worries.

 

[Freemananana]

Hey everyone! It's been a month since my last update. The only real maintenance I do is get out the 18" tweezers and clean the intake sponges every few weeks.

I've been living with this setup enough to get an initial impression. So here's the rundown of positives and negatives.

First off, haven't changed the hood setup out. It is HEAVY and TIGHT. By far, my least favorite part of this build and setup. Will change it out once my garage is empty of another project.

DJ bar is awesome, works well. Timers galore, smart plug for voice control on certain things, and LED strip lights with a dimmer. Everything listed is awesome. The sound proofing was a bust. Take it or leave it, the door does just as much.

The Sunsun 304Bs are good. They aren't quiet. And they let you know when the intake is clogged. I like them.

The chest for my tools is nice, may need to relocate it behind closed doors before long. A shelf for food and such is also convenient. I rarely feed though.

The triple light setup leaves something to be desired. The sunrise and set effect are nice and I enjoy them. However, the hinge for the lid is right where I would like my 24/7 to sit. So there are compromises all over for the lights. 8 rows of 0.5w beamswork LEDs does the tank well on a 6 or 8 hour day cycle.

The fans run sometimes and seem to be alright. Very quiet. I will use them again in the future I'm sure.

Overall, I like it quite a bit. It's a nice conversation piece and is fun to look at. It sure looks yellow with all the frogbit roots!

The shrimp I bought have spawned at least once. There were several berried females before and I see tons of little guys floating around.

My twelve pack of otos seem to be hanging around having a good time as well.

 

[Freemananana]

Monthly maintenance was a success. My prefilters clog up in about 30 days and need to be rinsed out. I have more shrimp than I've ever seen! At least a hundred at this point. I'll have to start netting them and taking them somewhere local to pass along.

 

[Freemananana]

Here's a link to a Google Doc outlining the costs of my aquarium. There were a couple things I already had, so I listed them as freebies. But the total cost was around $1,500.00 if you bought everything I did to setup the aquarium.

I'd share a picture but my frogbit roots are touching the substrate and my vals are running across the top of the tank. It looks like a green wad.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ClWoCg0atyDGG2P-Mtk9wedtsBsFe0CAr9Du789sYb8/edit?usp=sharing