[quark]

Hi all,

I've been away from the hobby for almost 10+ years and wanted to get back in. with the limited time and space now a days, I've decided to set up a tank in my office. All my previous tanks were jungle style, DIY CO2, and shoplights. This is my first Iwagumi, and nano'ish. The idea behind this tank was all about the image. It had to be pristine. All comments are welcomed and hopefully I will not end up with a tank full of algae. :icon_smil So without further ado, here is what I have so far:
Equipment
ADA Mini-S 3.5 gallons
Custom water catchment tray for that "just in case" scenario since this is in my office.
Eheim 2213
CO2 Provided by Atomic Paintball regular,Clippard solenoid, and clippard needle valve.
Rexgrigg style CO2 reactor.

Lighting:
Nanobox Flare

Substrate
ADA Amazonia Powder

Hardscape
Rocks found in a stream. I already had these and wanted to see what could be done with them.

Fertilizer
EI dosing method via liquid mix.

Flora
(HC) Hemianthus callitrichoides

Fauna
Undecided

4/10/2014

Let me know what you all think.

 

[quark]

Start 4/21/2014

Most recent full tank shot.
7/1/2014

 

[colorfan]

looks great so faar

 

[quark]

Update 4/11/2014
Every day I'm shuffling.....

 

[BeastMaster]

Hi Q. Like the three stone look. Will you be using CO2? Dry start the HC or going filled from the start? What kind of light is that gooseneck fixture? The lacquer serving tray is a nice touch. I'm doing a mini-S too. Good luck with yours. :bounce:

 

[Chris_Produces]

Looks great. Don't forget the pressurized co2 setup (if DIY doesn't work out) for the HC...it's a dismal short lived ride with HC and no consistent co2 supply IME. Good luck!

P.S. I really like the 1st layout

 

[quark]

Chris, thanks for reminding me, I completely forgot to put that up as a spec. I do intend to do a pressurized CO2 setup, built up an external CO2 reactor, more commonly now known as rex grigg reactor, I'll post some pics up. Also thinking of doing a DSM start.

 

[Chris_Produces]

Chris, thanks for reminding me, I completely forgot to put that up as a spec. I do intend to do a pressurized CO2 setup, built up an external CO2 reactor, more commonly now known as rex grigg reactor, I'll post some pics up. Also thinking of doing a DSM start.

Good deal. When I did my first tank setup earlier this year, I tried to skip out on it and I ended fighting a losing battle. Tore everything down, purchased new HC, co2 system and a 40B tank just for kicks. Wish I would've gone pressurized co2 from the start.

 

[someoldguy]

The tray/ lamp is pretty smooth , keep management off your back regarding leaks/spills, too. Maybe make the tank back opaque? Not necessarily black , but something to hide what's behind the tank.

 

[brad908]

Nice. A fellow FW nanobox'er

 

[quark]

@someoldguy heh, you read my mind on that background. Added a frosted back, and added more substrate to the scape. Also wet the entire thing to see how it looked, but didn't get the effect I was looking for. This ADA Amazonia Powder is really black when wet.

4/15/2014 Update

 

[quark]

I built this reactor a while ago, and will likely be used for this tank. I suppose its now more commonly known as a rexgriggs CO2 reactor. I wanted external because I don't really like in tank diffuser. They need to be cleaned, clog, and if not careful, it can back up the co2 completely and blow the line off, not to mention that the tank will look like I just poured 7-up. lol.

its got 1/2 inch inlet and outlets, and the co2 injection towards the top. Its empty on the inside, didn't want to deal with cleaning it. I plan on hooking it up an Eheim 2213. I tested the reactor to a fluval 104, but couldn't get a venturi going. Probably need to increase the outlet size. In any case, here is a picture.

 

[quark]

4/21/2014

So I couldn't wait to continue on this tank, and got some HC from a friend. started the HC DSM.

NanoBox Flare at 40% light.
8-hour duration.
covered with plastic wrap and poked 20 holes with a pencil.
stay tuned, planning on setting up a time lapse video.

 

[quark]

Timelapse options

So I'm setting up a timelapse setup, but could use some opinions. I setup a webcam inside the tank, for a close up shot of HC, but it isn't that good a quality.

So option 1:
webcam intank shot, taken ~15 minute intervals.

Option 2:
Full tank shot daily.
(problem is that there is glare, and i'd have to clean water drops)

Option 3:
picture in picture?!

Sorry in advanced if this isn't the proper place to ask this. Thanks.

 

[quark]

not much to see at the moment. This puts a whole new meaning to watching grass grow.

 

[Chris_Produces]

not much to see at the moment. This puts a whole new meaning to watching grass grow.

Tell me about it. That's how I feel with my journal.

 

[kaptin393]

In my experience, watching grass grow is a lot more interesting than watching paint dry! Ha ha ha. I'm looking forward to seeing how you progress with this. I've tried to maintain small tanks in the past, but they always end up getting upsized somehow.

 

[quark]

ahh, yes, watching paint dry would be more rough.

Totally know what you mean, I have a 120gal tank at home that has been sitting empty and dry just waiting to be have something done with it. It's my biggest tank I've ever setup, and there's something majestic about it that I can't let it go, along with the custom cabinetry that I've made for it. Setting up this high tech tank, makes me itch to set up the other, but I don't know if I can handle two high tech tanks.

 

[quark]

chop chop, need a haircut?

I gotta love Amazon. Found myself a $5 pair of 4.75 inch curved spring scissors. Pretty sharp, but nothing to cut yet. :frown:

They are tiny, but good for cutting around the stones.

 

[BeastMaster]

I got the same scissors & it works great for detailed trimming, working in small spaces and carpet thinning. :bounce: