[TekWarren]

I haven't done a journal for my 40B display at home but thought I would do one for Aqueon evolve 8 I am setting up for my desk at work. Found one lone evolve in a beat up box for $40 so I grabbed it. Plan is to have a nice low maintenance planted shrimp tank. I'll bring in red cherry shrimplets a few at a time as I rescue them from my canister filter at home. And I will take trimmings from my main tank at home for the most part to plant it.

I actually brought it in to work today and filled it to start cycling but here are some "progress pictures".

My version of the filter mod. One AC70 filter sponge cut to form two thinner sections and stacked in the front. The stock filter "holder" keeps the foam firmtly mashed against the over flow slits (shrimp remember). Behind that, two pouches of biomax normally used in AC110 filters. Plenty of room for another bag or two of media but I think this will be fine.

Black Floramax for the substrate:

Here is where it sits on my desk. I have no idea what sort of bulb is in this cubicle fixture but I will probably have it turned on for additional light while I am at my desk...it is pretty bright. To the right of my phone is my laptop, monitors, and other computers (IT) so this tank will be something nice to avert my glazed over eyes to when I'm at my desk for long periods. In the winter I tend to sit at my desk for lunch (otherwise I find a park to walk or just sit) so again something nice to look at and fawn over :icon_redf

The pump was quiet for a few minutes but has shifted enough to touch a wall and is rattling. Not to annoying with low music playing and the HVAC blowing constantly but I can hear it and without the extra noise would get annoying fast. I fiddled with trying to move it but it's still noisy and put to much water in the tank so I'll have to wait until some evaporates or I can take some out. I may cram some more sponges down there just to pad the pump...

That's about it for now, I'm going to add some beneficial bacteria and let it cycle. I figured this was a good week to get it started with having a short week at work I will be forced to leave it alone and let it get a good start on cycling over the long thanksgiving weekend.

I may have some trimmings next week, but I just did a big trimming a week ago and tossed some stuff out :icon_roll. Could be another month or more before adding shrimp since I just cleaned out the canister at home also (3 shrimplets rescued). I could try to snag a couple male endlers from my main tank but still deciding if I want to do fish or just keep it simple with shrimp since I won't be here on weekends to feed, and occasional holidays off such as this weekend.

 

[PeterN1986]

Nice! Another office tank! Check out my Mini-M journal in my sig - it's my tank at work and it's in a similar spot as yours. My boss busts my chops alot about the AC20 splashing the water surface, openly asking people around my cube if they have to go to the bathroom all the time because of it lol.

I def glance at my tank alot, especially if I need to take a mental respite from the emails and the bs. You're off to a good start!

 

[TekWarren]

Not the greatest pics but got a couple plants in today. I wanted to get something in there that could potentially settle over the long weekend. Tossed in the last of my frogbit also, it's not doing well in my tank at home as the Endlers destroy the roots :bounce: There's also some bits of mini Pellia in there although not attached to anything. I may just let it float or see if it grabs on to the substrate, having mixed success with a small amount of it in my home tank mostly due to me being a n00b when it comes to attaching it.

Stock lighting:

Overhead "cubicle" light, not sure if it will be beneficial or not. May just keep an eye out for nice looking desk lamp I can slide over the tank.

I wasn't sure I wanted to try a "lawn" plant but now that I can start to visualize I might try something after all. I have an idea for a middle ground plant that I can harvest from my main tank but we'll see what happens next.

:biggrin:

 

[TekWarren]

Added an Aqueon 50W 9" heater to the tank. We have an "energy" person where I work and the heat gets shut off or turned down really low during breaks...even in the dead of winter. Came back from the holiday weekend and found my red ludwigia (I think that is the name) had lost most of its leaves. Could be due to acclimation also but the water in the tank got pretty cold.

I added some more substrate and a couple flat rocks one over the other creating a bit of a cave. I also planted a few tiny plugs of Downoi that I pulled from my home tank, not sure how they will do here but we'll see. Today I will add some Crypt parva (according to what others have ID'd for me). I picked up two little pots at the Meijer grocery store and had it soaking for a couple days. Last night I separated it all and got a decent number of individual plantlets. I don't know how long it was at the store but there are runners on it already and I've read this is a slow grower.

Might add a pic later but the left corner is looking pretty sad with most of the leaves missing. The frogbit is doing well with new root growth.

 

[DizzyD]

How do you go about asking your boss if you can have a tank at work. I've dreamed about asking mine. Shes super nice and I'm almost certain she would say as long as it doesn't interfere with my work, but there is the small chance she would say no and I would feel like she would judge me unfavorably for even asking...

Anyway. I Like your set up. I'll keep checking in. Best of luck.

 

[46740]

Like the outlet in the back of the tank. These are great looking tanks

 

[scapegoat]

How do you go about asking your boss if you can have a tank at work. I've dreamed about asking mine. Shes super nice and I'm almost certain she would say as long as it doesn't interfere with my work, but there is the small chance she would say no and I would feel like she would judge me unfavorably for even asking...

Anyway. I Like your set up. I'll keep checking in. Best of luck.

"i'd like to keep a small self sustained fish tank on my desk, is that alright?"

or just do it. "It's Better to Beg for Forgiveness than to Ask for Permission"

i'll be introducing my friends at work to an aquarium once my office space is nailed down. the trick is to make sure you're not making a mess, or noise. don't interfere with your coworkers, your work, or your work equipment.

 

[TekWarren]

I didn't ask frankly. I thought it would be OK but you never know until you ask or just do it. Around the corner from my space our help desk person keeps a ton of plants around her. My reasoning would have led to me explaining that my plants require being submerged ;-) My plan is to just start with shrimp but I may now add a couple fish... Not sure. My boss has discovered the tank and now comes by to ask if I have added fish yet. I want to know what plants are going to work first and explained that so he should know that I really want to keep it nice. Even though you almost have to be sitting at my desk to know it's even there. A couple other ladies have noticed or got the word and have come by to see it, I was hoping to "unveil" once the plants had started to grow in. My coworker with all the plants actually has a biology degree so she loves it and said she might want a fish bowl or something small like I have... Her desk is more visible and more people tend to walk up (help desk) so we'll see what pans out and hopefully no negative effect on my desk tank. She said she would see how mine turns out... And was excited to hear about the shrimp i will bring in.

I think you really just have judge it for yourself and decide. I was banking on a few factors: I work for a school district, have been there several years, no personal incidents, no raises in years due to budgets so this is a happiness factor, small/quiet tank and out of public view.

Good luck! Might be a good separate topic more people could weigh in on.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[RWaters]

I also didn't ask. Many years ago, to celebrate my first anniversary of being cancer-free, I bought a 2.5 gallon tank for my desk. My boss saw it and she was actually delighted. I left the company a few years later and, as fate would have it, my old company acquired the new company and I found myself back with my old employer - and my old boss. One of the first things she said to me, after asking about me and my family, was "do you still have a fish tank in your office"? I didn't, but I took that as a sign that I could again set one up. It's a Fluval Spec III, so it's small and isn't much of a distraction in the office. I'm not pushing my luck with anything larger, but I know that at one point another employee in the building had a 55 gallon tank!

 

[scapegoat]

i'll be selling the contents of my 12g nano cube reef tank this sunday. I'll clean it up and move it over to the office in the new year. perhaps I'll attempt a small local biotope w/ it

 

[TekWarren]

Replaced the light this morning on this tank. I picked up a lightly used Finnex FugeRay -R from a member here on TPT and received it yesterday. Nothing much new, I've had plants in for a couple weeks and added some. I'm not sure what the plant in the back right corner is but it is a fast grower in my home tank and first to show real growth in this nano. The Ludwigia (?) in the back left lost all of its leaves over thanksgiving either due to water condition differences or getting cold. I didn't have a heater in yet and the building heat gets shutdown to "save energy". I planted a couple small plugs of Downoi from home, one already melted away but the others seem to be hanging on. Lastly I picked up two pots of Crypt Parva (ID'd by TPT members) from Meijers. It's hanging in there also but some leaves yellowing and some melting but also some new slow but steady growth. I am dosing flourish in very small amounts 3 times a week right now and have also brought in some dry micro ferts from home (CSM+B). Hoping the plants perk up with the new light and a little fert. No fauna added yet, co-workers are getting anxious to see something LOL.

 

[AquaAurora]

Hove you looked into a heater for your tank yet? I am using a Ehiem Jagar 25 watt in the Evolve 4 I have, it fits snugly in the back next to the pump/pump hose and does a good job heating the tank. It might be slightly expensive compared to some heaters for small tanks but its a trust-able brand. My husband cut a slit in the back black cover to let the cord through but still keep the cover on and minimize evaporation. I'd recommend getting a heater before Christmas break or taking the tank home during that time to avoid die-off.

 

[TekWarren]

I do have a heater now :icon_wink I ended up getting the smallest one I could find at the local Petsmart, that was also adjustable. I didn't think the non-adjustable ones would work since they just heat a few degrees above room temp usually and the room temp here will swing on days the building is closed.

The unit I got was a 50watt Aqueon at 9 inches which fits in the sump area with the pump.

 

[TekWarren]

Well I went to a LFS this weekend I don't get to often get to and found a fish I have been interested in trying...Emerald Rasbora! I purchased 6 for this nano tank, they had around 10, and I wanted to buy them all but refrained (would have put some in a tank at home). Unfortunately, I can in to work this morning and already found one dead laying on my desk. This guy managed to leave the tank getting through a mostly Frogbit covered surface as well as having the stock Aqueon lid on the tank! There are slits and a hole but man what are the chances!

They all ate this morning, one looks pretty skinny but I saw it eating so I am hopefully it will fill out. I've already seen a little bit of "sparring" and some chasing.

The plants haven't changed to much in this tank as being low tech growth is super slow. I brought in a couple stem clippings of fast growing plants to add today though. I am also really thinking about swapping out the frogbit for some red root floaters and the frogbit roots tend to get pretty long and wrap around the taller submersed plants making a tangled mess.

 

[pelphrey]

Nice looking setup! Local Petsmart has some of the small fluval tanks on sale right now. I got a 24 port cisco switch sitting on my desk and the server room right next to my office. I wouldn't even hear a small tank running. May have to look into this down the road.

 

[TekWarren]

It's a really nice distractor from eye ball pealing IT work let me tell ya! -Even more so now that I added a few fish. I've had just shrimp in it for months which is cool to look at it. These emerald rasbora's are awesome character's though LOL.

I need to add the plant trimmings I brought in today...waiting for the right moment. I brought a piece of sunset hygro in and as well as a hygro brown my dad just gave me.

 

[jamesyu]

It's a really nice distractor from eye ball pealing IT work let me tell ya! -Even more so now that I added a few fish. I've had just shrimp in it for months which is cool to look at it. These emerald rasbora's are awesome character's though LOL.

I need to add the plant trimmings I brought in today...waiting for the right moment. I brought a piece of sunset hygro in and as well as a hygro brown my dad just gave me.

NICE!! exactly the same reason why I have an aquarium at my desk as well. quite happy with it so far.

 

[lauraleellbp]

Pic update?

Also- what are the dimensions on the overflow boxes?

 

[TekWarren]

Sorry, short day at work...will have to wait until Monday. I even thought about taking a pic when I mentioned this tank your thread sorry :\

 

[lauraleellbp]

No prob! I appreciate it! :icon_mrgr