Tank hunt

That’s going to be a nice looking set up @jaylach

What fish will you pick for the new tank?

gwand said:

What fish will you pick for the new tank?

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Featured will be Panda Garra but I hope to also have a surface shoaling small fish.

Just ordered a leveling mat for the new tank as I feel that the one included with the tank to be too thin.. Kind of pricey but I wanted thick. Also has an adhesive side but I don't know if I'll use that aspect but if I do I'll stick it to the tank, not the table. At 24X24 inch it is oversized as to depth but that will leave a padded area behind the tank for my air pumps to avoid any vibration.

jaylach said:

Just ordered a leveling mat for the new tank as I feel that the one included with the tank to be too thin.. Kind of pricey but I wanted thick. Also has an adhesive side but I don't know if I'll use that aspect but if I do I'll stick it to the tank, not the table. At 24X24 inch it is oversized as to depth but that will leave a padded area behind the tank for my air pumps to avoid any vibration.

Amazon.com

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What is the purpose of a leveling mat?

gwand said:

What is the purpose of a leveling mat?

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To some extent it helps plumb the tank by weight distribution but more importantly it pads the glass tank bottom from any surface irregularities that could cause stress points. The table on which the tank will be located has a glass insert in the center that is just slightly higher then the surrounding wood. The pad will avoid the slight surface difference.

Anyone have any recommendations as to a lighted full hood? Not exact as to tank size but 24X14 inches would be perfect. Actually, since I have a 2 inch spacer, 24X12 would be fine. 24X12 is really what I'm seeing as to availability. I found one that is a possibility but I don't like some of the reviews. Also don't really care for the fact that it is through Petco but, since it is made by Aqueon, I guess it doesn't really matter who is selling. Link at the bottom...

One thing that I like is that, while it only comes with one light, the light bay allows for a second LED strip so I could easily use my current 6500K White/red/green/blue tube light in the second bay just mounting with a couple of drops of silicone which I could easily remove in case of needing to do a return or whatever.

Any ideas as to a better light for my needs?

After more looking it is seeming that the hood/light listed in my previous post above is probably going to be the winner. Even though I'm leery as to some of the reviews it seems the best fit for what I need that I have seen so far. With the 2 inch spacer I have I can totally cover the tank with this hood which is the main thing I'm looking for as a well sealed hood is needed with Panda Garra as they tend to climb out of tanks if they can.

Another winner aspect of this hood is that there is enough room in the light mounting part for a second tube light where I can easily mount the LED tube light I was using in my cube tank. Some of the most negative reviews are about the included light having a short life span. If the included light goes out I'll just replace with another of my white/red/green/blue 6500k tube light.

Have time to change my mind as I probably won't be ordering a hood until January or close to January. I'm sure that I could order the hood right now but there is no hurry. I'll do the initial change over next mid week as that is when my filter plates and gravel will arrive. Since I'm planning on a fish-less cycle I have time to get the hood. I'm sure that I could get away with ordering now but I've spent a lot this month including purchases that are not fish related. I have a bit over $500.00 USD in my checking until the end of the month. Since I have all my groceries for the month I could buy now but why hurry when something better could surface. Plus I prefer to have a buffer qith not pulling money from my savings.

If what has been ordered arrives on schedule I'll empty the old cube mid next week. I'll have the under gravel established and plants I intend to use from the old setup. Still have the suction cup mounts for my tube light so I'll just deal with using that mounting until I have a hood. Since the light tube worked well for my plants in the cube tank I'm sure that it should be fine in this less tall tank in relation to my plants. Carry over plants will be some Amazon Swords that will be planted in front of filter air risers to hide. While I have a couple of wood pieces I'm sure that I'll need a third but will wait to see how what I already have works before getting more.

While the new tank will be planted it will be less dense then the jungle I had in the cube. The wood I have is a nice spider wood piece which I'm sure that will become at least two pieces as another piece will be needed. The other wood piece I have has been outside the tank but will be getting wet.

LOL! I sort of guess this thread is morphing from a tank hunt to a build journal.

Off topic but I thought you would be interested.

gwand said:

Off topic but I thought you would be interested.

World's oldest known wild bird is expecting again, aged 74

Parenting can be tough, even for the young and energetic, but one elderly albatross is about to go through it all again—at the ripe old (and apparently record-setting) age of 74.

phys.org

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Cool!

Said the heck with it and ordered the hood/light. So I have most of what I need...
Tank
100 watt heater
filter plates
2 Whisper 20 air pumps.
Hood.light
Gravel
Probably enough plants
drift wood, 2 pieces probably get another spider wood.
Looks pretty much like everything I need except I forgot ammonia for cycling. Since I already have ceramic rings from the cube I think I'll go ahead and bury the ceramics in the substrate to jump start the cycle.

I MAY try adding a colony of small fresh water scuds but probably won't be able to get locally from Dan's Fish until late spring or early summer. The scuds are small crustaceans that will eat anything; apple peelings, pumpkin, etc. which the Panda Garras will also munch on. Just don't know how much the Panda Garras will chow down on the scuds. Since I like the things and they carry a very light bio load it will be worth the try. I would hope that the Pandas would eat some but not destroy the colony.

Fresh water scud:


This is the wood I have currently. Might see how mounting the straight piece vertically instead of horizontal to see how it looks as a sort of pillar. Since I'm looking at 2.5-3 inches of substrate it should be deep enough to hold the wood vertically The other piece is spider wood and I'll probably get a second spider but want to see it with what I have before getting.

Spider wood, probably will need a second piece:


This is the piece I may try vertical like a pillar:

Tank is in my bathtub totally full of water for a leak test...

Passed leak test in my bathtub.. Does not mean it can't leak in the future but, from past experience, if a tank passes an initial test it is usually good to go. I AM slightly nervous about the tank being rimless as I've always had rimmed tanks but my nerves are probably just from lack of experience with such tanks. Still, with a 21 gallon tank, and then considering the volume taken by gravel, plants and wood,there is probably more like 18-19 gallons of water so there is not any extreme pressure on the glass involved.

Everything except the hood should be in by the end of the week so I will be able to tear down the old cube and get the new tank up and running. Won't have full lighting until the hood comes in the following week but my current LED tube will be sufficient for the plants and I will be able to decide I don't like anything about the tank setup and will start the never ending adjustments. I'm sure I'll at least want another piece of spider wood. Or mayhaps a heavier piece of wood than spider as, when the Panda Garra are mature, the thinner aspects of most spider wood may not be the best for Pandas wanting to rasp up some fiber.

Initial thinking is that I'll have the wood off center with plants such as Java Fern and Anubias on rocks in the more open side. Then I think I'll put more low plants with the wood and use the more open end for a red tiger lotus. LOL! In other words I have no idea what I'm going to do... but will have fun figuring it out.

Then I'll need to mask off part of the tank with black or possibly even a cliff type background to cover the back of the tank and likely one side that will be less than a foot from a wall that is next to the supporting table.

Kind of sorry about how I'm going on and on about this build but I seem a LOT more excited about it than when I was setting up the old cube tank; never REALLY liked the tank from day one mainly due to the badly setup built in sponge filter system.

As I think I've said I plan on pulling the ceramic rings from the built in filter system on the cube as a jump start on cycling. Don't know how much help it will be but won't hurt. Also, if I can figure out a way to put in a container or three that has slotted plastic mesh like how, a lot of berries are packaged, and I can hide the containers among plants and stuff, it would give good anchor and hiding stuff if I can get a fresh water scud colony to survive. I might even forget the containers and just place along the back of the tank between the back glass and air risers for the under gravel filtration.

Lordy but I DO hate waiting for things to arrive! Have a new tank and not a thing I can do.

Well the Hood/light showed almost a week early and I'm not a happy camper!

The unit's description and even the package says the hood is 24 inches wide which would be perfect at the tank is 23.6 inches wide. So after I see it is too short I measure and the hood is actually 22.75 inches wide. I'll just make spacers to make up the difference but the danged thing should be 24 inches when both the description and package says it is 24 inches.

I’ll share a frustrating story too. I ordered an aquarium stand for my new breeder tank. The FedEx driver left the 54 pound box on the road at my mailbox box 150 yards from my front door at 10 PM. The box was stolen. I gave explicit directions on their website to leave the box at my front door. Fed Ex claims no responsibility. Now I have to deal with Amazon.