[Mirkinator]

Update 4/17/14: fighting Cladophora!!! Just got rid of the Filamentous diatoms and now I have these bastids! Pics on 2nd page.


Well I think im finally ready to start my official journal! After months of research, setup, stand building and finally scaping I really think its coming along quite nicely! Went all out on this tank and spent a small fortune (to me).. so please help me keep it from failing! Ive been keeping aquariums for 10+ years and over the last year picked up planted tanks as my new focus.

Equipment:
Marineland 45 gal rimless cube
GLA Optimum CO2 System (8+hrs a day, 10:30 - 6:45, 3-4 bubs a second)
eheim 2215 (may add my 2034 as well)
korelia nano x 2 (in 2 days)
Eheim Jaeger 200w
GLA Atomic inline diffuser

Lights:
2 x 24" Fugeray Planted +
1 x T5HO Auatic life
Enroute - 1 x 24" Ray II
8.5hrs a day (12-8:30)

Substrate/AquaScape:
ADA AquaSoil amazonia (reg and powder)
Power Sand M
Bacter 100
SuperClear
Tourmaline BC
Ceramic media rings for base of "mountain"
Seiryu Stones
Manzanita Driftwood

Fertilizer:
Nilocg's EI dosing solutions
GLA EI dry fertz (havent used yet)
%50 Change /week

Flora:
Subwassertang
Dwarf Baby Tears
Pogostemon Erectus
Rotala Wallichii
Alternanthera reineckii rosefolia
Dwarf hair grass
Pogostemon Helferi
myriophyllum Tuberculatum red
Riccia FLuitans
Peacock moss
S repens

The Stand:
Considering the stand they had for sale w/ this aquarium was almost $300 and completely particle board crap I decided to make my very first piece of furniture! I learned a lot and got TONS of needed tools in case I ever want to do this again. This is my simple design.

Updated: Please see full album here if you would like to see the steps for building the stand.

Final stand w/ top and clear coats complete

The Scape:
This aquarium sits in the byway between my kitch/dining room to the down stairs, so you will mostly be seeing it from the left side in these pictures. Plus its flanked by a 29gal low tech. So I my thoughts are a stream (no sand yet, but soon) passing by a mountain top in a asymmetric aquascape.

Did I really spend that much!!???

Laying the foundations for the mountain base

With Powersand and ADA substrate additives

No water

Current Scape

4/2014 Update:

My Concerns:
I found that the 2x 24" planted+ were not enough light, put a old 50w T5HO on there and it did help (WAY more pearling), getting a 3rd light soon. Too much lights? Not enough? Algae is on some old plants already, doing about 3-4 bubs a second on my CO2, think its enough? Should I use a lot of excel to help stunt any algae? Where should i put my Korehlia nanos? Suggestions? Comments?

 

[boxboy]

Awesome... Can you PM or post excatly what products you used to stain and coat your stand?
It looks great, but would look better at MY house lol

 

[Whiskey]

Looks great! Not sure on the light, it seems to me that you would be in the high medium range with the 2 fuge rays depending on the depth.

I love cubes, what are the dimensions of that tank?

Whiskey

 

[Whiskey]

Oh, sorry. I re-read and saw they are planted +, I have no experience with them.

Whiskey

 

[Mirkinator]

Awesome... Can you PM or post excatly what products you used to stain and coat your stand?
It looks great, but would look better at MY house lol

Oh you think it would look better in your house? Ok, its made from paper mache and a ball point pen! Hehe, jk will post details here in case anyone else asks.

All from Home depot, 2x4s and 4x4s are p standard and can use any really:
Minwax ebony stain coat x2
Minwax polyurethane coat (x4 up top and shelf, x2 on the sides. Make sure you SAND very lightly to smooth texture between coats)
Paneling/table top is 4'x8' 23/32" thick plywood from home depot and this was what was on the label: Roseburn Forest Products Crt-Snd U/L 23/32 4x8 s?E RBUF UPC:053608562715 - Stuff is awesome cuz it gives a very nice look, no sanding off of the stain at all. We dubbed it TigerWood! Lemme know if you want anything else

 

[Mirkinator]

Looks great! Not sure on the light, it seems to me that you would be in the high medium range with the 2 fuge rays depending on the depth.

I love cubes, what are the dimensions of that tank?

Whiskey

This one is 24"x24" and 18" high. I am using RAy IIs as my second lights to get good par down below and I have one on the way with a second as soon as I pay some bills. So will be 1 planted+ and a Ray II pair x2.

 

[boxboy]

Kick a$$ I just want my DIY stand to have a nice stain as yours does. look at my 40B buolf and you will see why I wanna stain it lol

Oh you think it would look better in your house? Ok, its made from paper mache and a ball point pen! Hehe, jk will post details here in case anyone else asks.

All from Home depot, 2x4s and 4x4s are p standard and can use any really:
Minwax ebony stain coat x2
Minwax polyurethane coat (x4 up top and shelf, x2 on the sides. Make sure you SAND very lightly to smooth texture between coats)
Paneling/table top is 4'x8' 23/32" thick plywood from home depot and this was what was on the label: Roseburn Forest Products Crt-Snd U/L 23/32 4x8 s?E RBUF UPC:053608562715 - Stuff is awesome cuz it gives a very nice look, no sanding off of the stain at all. We dubbed it TigerWood! Lemme know if you want anything else

 

[Chris_Produces]

Very nice! roud:

 

[Mirkinator]

Very nice! roud:

Thanks!

A Minor update as well. I CRANKED the CO2 up to 6 bubs a second as I started seeing hair algae!!!

And Planted Aquarium Central gave me this pleasant surprise!

Ill have to wait for it to cycle (still @ 8ppm NH4+) to put my skunk loaches in there. but glad they can eat 100+ snails a night..

 

[ForensicFish]

That doesn't look like hair algae. That looks like a piece of moss that floated around in your tank and got stuck on your plant.

 

[Mirkinator]

That doesn't look like hair algae. That looks like a piece of moss that floated around in your tank and got stuck on your plant.

Thats a picture of snail eggs.... not the algae

 

[Mirkinator]

Long overdue update:

I added 6 red phantom tetras, 6 neon tetras, 2 German Blue Rams, 1 dwarf puffer, 3 amanos. waiting on my otocinclus. I also rearranged the pants, added some baby tears. Ray IIs are up, korehila nanos in.

Had a week were I didnt realize my working pressure dropped and Id crank teh needle valve and would give more BPS. Since then, been battling filamentous Diatoms and I think I am finally winning, now I have what is either hair algae or left over filaments (but they are green and very long). I upped my CO2 and went back to more light as well (some plants werent growing so well on 7hrs). Im having a hard time deciding if I need to raise my lights, if its enough light/too much light. Things are definitely getting better and got my flora in.



Also, it seems my scape is getting really eclectic and I think i need to refocus. I also think I enjoy the hair grass more then the dwarf baby tears and Im thinking of making all the black space hair grass. Thoughts? Comments? What say you?

Here is a few of my fav pics:

Always so curious, LOVE my new Rams

Puffer on the prowl for snails

Group Shots

whole 45g Album:

http://imgur.com/a/N4zlw

 

[Chris_Produces]

Is your tank 20" deep?

 

[Mirkinator]

Is your tank 20" deep?

18" tall and 24" W (deep?) x 24" L

 

[jmf3460]

beautiful tank you have there. i like the uniqueness of your stand and the fact that its a cube and not a regular 40 long or something. let me ask you how does the puffer do with the rams??

 

[Mirkinator]

beautiful tank you have there. i like the uniqueness of your stand and the fact that its a cube and not a regular 40 long or something. let me ask you how does the puffer do with the rams??

Thanks! I spent a lot of time on that stand and and was the first piece of furniture Ive ever built! Puffer has been in the tank close to 3 weeks now and I have yet to see a single issue with him. Ive read that they really dont get aggressive until later in life so I will watch him (her?) to see. But I can drop in another tank if need be.

 

[Chris_Produces]

How many inches of substrate up front do you have, if any? Sorry for the questions, I'm trying to figure out why 2 of the Finnex Planted+ didn't work for you.

 

[Mirkinator]

How many inches of substrate up front do you have, if any? Sorry for the questions, I'm trying to figure out why 2 of the Finnex Planted+ didn't work for you.

Yes, it goes from about 1/2" to 4" in the back and 6" in the back right corner. So that would be about 19" to 15" to teh substrate and a planted + gives 45 par directly under it @ 15". Wasnt quite enough light. Plants didnt do so well under it. I have yet to try the two RAY IIs by themselves. And I think they might work, however I think dispersion would be an issue

 

[Chris_Produces]

So you just run all 4 now?

 

[Mirkinator]

Yes. I initially just ran the RAy IIs all the time, but then I had an out break of what I thought was brown hair algae, knocked to down to 5hrs a day in the middle of the photo period and dropped total to 7hrs. But then I realize this was filamentous diatoms and it wasnt light that was causing teh issue. I ONE-Two punched it and turned the lights back on (now for a full 9hrs) and I am giving it 1-2weeks to see how things go. Diatoms are not coming back/coming very slowly and only a little bit of green hair alage (i think). Hoping they get out competed soon