[ADA]

I started off this tank, with an attempt at a nice iwagumi style.. discovered why there really are not that many REALLY perfect iwagumi tanks. They take a lot of self discipline, patience and restraint.

I had a massive algae problem with it in the past few months, and have finally been able to get the upper hand on it, with the help of some really great advice from people here!

Anyway, the plants situation in there right now is not very good. Everything is just starting to recover, and I replanted everything a few weeks ago. All of my HC, UG and Belem hairgrass died quickly from being smothered by the algae.

Once it stabilizes I plan to cover the substrate with a full HC carpet, and perhaps some B.Hairgrass so that just the rocks are sticking out, like a scottish hillside.

Ahem.. except, last time I checked there were no magical floating islands floating over scotland. So.. ahh.. I don't care. I like floating magical islands, and it's MY Scotland. Hahahaha

I plan to update this thread with new pics once a week from now on. Hopefully it goes well now.

Specs

Tank: 12 Gallon Rimless (36"x8"x9")

Substrate: ADA AquaSoil

Lighting: Marineland Doublebright 36" (X2)

Ferts: YamatoGreen-N

C02: Pressurized paintball Co2, Flourite Excel

Filtration: Eheim 2213, dim* long spray bar. (*do it myself. )


Flora:

Hemianthus Callitrichoides

Fissiden Fontanus

Süßwassertang

Rotala Indica

Marsilea Quadrifolia

Hydrocotyle Verticillata

Hydrocotyle Sibthorpioides

Japanese "Belem" micro grass

Mini Pellia

Cuphea Anagalloidea



Fauna:

CRS and CBS

Ottos

Thanks for looking!


Pics!



**Original post**

Unfortunately, I skipped a few steps (didn't take photos).. so here's what the tank looks like now.. I can't wait for it to fill in!!

This is when I had two ZooMed 501 filters (one at each end)

Here's where I work

Moonlights!!

I found my wife's diamond earrings on the floor. Let's see if she notices.. hehe.

And, here are some of my CRS..

This is "Ebi-Wan-Kanobi".. get it? Get it? As I'm sure you know, "Ebi" is Japanese for "Shrimp"..

And this is "Was-Ebi":

I'd like you to meet "Ebi-Nee":

And last but not least, here's "Ebi-Murphy".. Ebi Murphy is a bit shy, but I did manage to get this picture:

That's about all I have for now. Thanks for looking!

Please check back (or subscribe to this thread).. I WILL be updating.







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04-13-2011
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I just scored today, this Eheim 2213 filter. It looks like new, and works flawlessly! (Thanks Justyn!)

So, I was running two ZooMed 501s, which I have now replaced with the Eheim. Much nicer!

It came complete with tap valves, which are not standard. I LOVE IT.

I decided to try adding the second LED Double Bright light I have. The problem was that both of them are don't quite fit on the top of the tank together, because the tank's too narrow. Also, instead of pointing straight down, I would prefer both strips to point at opposite parts of the tank, crossing each other's light rays.

So, I built wooden fixtures, rounded to fit them on top of the tank, and now they don't point directly down.

Perfect!!

Here are a few pics. I'll post some more once I put it on top of the tank... hope it's not too much light!



Started with some old bed slats..

Cutting and sanding:

Apply some of this to protect/darken the wood:

Before they were drilled and cut:

And, it's done! This was a learning experience.. I may end up buying a couple of thick pieces of acrylic and redo it.

I had to cut slots in the wood for the switches/ power cord. If I do it again with Acrylic, I'll make holes for that stuff. I think it will look neater.

I designed it to open:

Both sides!

All the way

12 Gallon Iwagumi CRS tank ••• 2.9 Gallon Mini-S Nano Tree Stump

 

[Geniusdudekiran]

What are the tap valves for? The tank looks great! I really like the look of these extra long tanks, like the 12g long bowfront from Mr. Aqua. Sorry if I missed it, but who makes this tank? Good job!

 

[TLE041]

Do you think the Marineland LEDs can sustain these plants long term?

 

[SkyGrl]

thats a cool looking tank! i love the low length of it!

Amy

 

[bsmith]

This tank is awesome too. IMO, forget the co2 if the shrimp are your priority. It just adds another thing that is making them unhappy so if it's not necessary leave it be. Nice find on the 2213, you will be very happy with it. I couldn't do an Iwigumi tank, I love lush thick plantings and Iwigumis are to minimalist for my taste.

Kiran-the double taps/quick disconnects are on the Eheim Classics and are what you use when its time to do filter maintenance. You close them them then unscrew them co cut the water off from the intake/outflow and also from the filter. You can also use the valve on the outflow to control the flow by turning it down to your desired level of movement.

 

[taniner]

Very nice!

 

[Betta Maniac]

What are the tap valves for?

They let you close off the hoses so you can carry the filter away for cleaning without taking the intake and outflow off the tank. Very handy.

I got nice CBS off Aquabid (Blueface) and eBay (freeman1020). Both sellers delivered exactly what was promised and the shrimp have really nice, solid, white on their shells.

 

[swoof]

Pretty sure this is the Mr. Aqua 12 long, I want one of these tanks

Did the wife notice the earrings yet?

 

[ADA]

Pretty sure this is the Mr. Aqua 12 long, I want one of these tanks

Did the wife notice the earrings yet?

Yep, Mr Aqua 12 long.

HAha. Yes, she did. They sparkle so brightly! I should have put them in the back. They're still there though..

 

[ADA]

Thanks for the comments!

Pretty sure this is the Mr. Aqua 12 long, I want one of these tanks

Yep, Mr Aqua 12 long.

Did the wife notice the earrings yet?

HAha. Yes, she did. They sparkle so brightly! I should have put them in the back. They're still there though..

 

[ADA]

Do you think the Marineland LEDs can sustain these plants long term?

Yes, because the tank is so low, the light doesn't have to penetrate far. I actually had to lower the photo period a little because I was starting to have an algae problem. As the tank settles more though, I should be able to run it longer.

I have hiding spots for the shrimp, in case the light is too bright for them.

 

[ADA]

This tank is awesome too. IMO, forget the co2 if the shrimp are your priority. It just adds another thing that is making them unhappy so if it's not necessary leave it be. Nice find on the 2213, you will be very happy with it. I couldn't do an Iwigumi tank, I love lush thick plantings and Iwigumis are to minimalist for my taste.

I'll probably end up just letting everything grow in there! lol. Hard to resist. I guess that's why a really nice, true Iwagumi is hard to find.. Yes, I think I'll take your advice and ditch the idea of C02 for this one.

 

[!shadow!]

Nice diy, never thought about doing that with the marineland led's. I did notice they arched but kudos to you for that idea.

 

[bsmith]

Nice work. It looks as though you have the lighting sickness that everyone catches when doing a planted tank. Im not too familiar with LED lights but I hope its not too much.

 

[SkyGrl]

Very Nice!!! i love the look!

 

[yikesjason]

Nice setup. I really like the lights. I got the same light from someone and was planning on replacing some of the leds with more powerful ones. I wish Marineland would have used more powerful leds than just the wimpy 1 watts.

 

[ADA]

Nice diy, never thought about doing that with the marineland led's. I did notice they arched but kudos to you for that idea.

Thanks! The light seems a lot more dispersed now, and less "spotlight". Amazing what a few degrees and an inch or so can do.

Nice work. It looks as though you have the lighting sickness that everyone catches when doing a planted tank. Im not too familiar with LED lights but I hope its not too much.

I'm not sure if it's going to be too bright. Most people's complaints with these lights are that they are too weak, but my tank is so shallow, that I think they are fairly high light.. I'll be experimenting with the height of this fixture, photo-period and stuff.. will keep you posted.

Nice setup. I really like the lights. I got the same light from someone and was planning on replacing some of the leds with more powerful ones. I wish Marineland would have used more powerful leds than just the wimpy 1 watts.

Yeah, I do agree with you here. Like I said above, my tank is so shallow that these lights are very bright (maybe too bright), but for any regular tank, they'd be pretty useless for anything other than crypts and anubias. They do make a "Reef Capable" version, however which has more LEDs per foot, and each LED is more powerful. I haven't seen this one in person, but I'd say that would be plenty of light for just about any planted tank. (Would cost a pretty penny though!)

Very Nice!!! i love the look!

Thank you very much. More pictures coming soon.

 

[whizzle]

I love this tank! Just a word of caution tho the marineland fixtures like to overheat and start flickering. We had one on a display tank at work and we eventually ditched it for a different led fixture. So just keep an eye on it. You have a gorgeous tank tho. Keep us updated.

 

[ADA]

I love this tank! Just a word of caution tho the marineland fixtures like to overheat and start flickering. We had one on a display tank at work and we eventually ditched it for a different led fixture. So just keep an eye on it. You have a gorgeous tank tho. Keep us updated.

Aw, thanks.. that's really nice of you to say. I'll be updating this thread with new photos as much as possible.

I didn't know about the overheating/flickering issue!.. Usually their support is pretty good, so I'll keep an eye out for it, and if it happens I'll have them replaced.
Ironically, the reason I bought these, instead of T5 or something, was because of the low heat. CRS like to have colder water, so I figured LEDs would be the best option.

 

[ADA]

Fyi, every time I put new pictures or updates in, I'll edit the first post and add them there instead of adding them further down the thread, so that way you dont have to scroll through pages and pages to see all the photos. Will there be a problem with this? Does anyone else do it this way? Sorry, I'm new to this forum stuff.

Comments etc will still work, here.