RipSlider
Fish Crazy
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2006
- Messages
- 210
- Reaction score
- 0
First Post.
No pictures for this post, just starting the thread with what's happened so far and what I'll be doing. This thread will porbably end up as much for me to remember where I'm up to and where I've come from as anything else. Pictures will arrive on 6th may and continue from there.
The tank is planned to be mimicing a very slow moving swampy river.
At one end of the tank there will be a tangle of mangrove roots with riacca grass growing beheath it. There will be lots of cover. Moving to the other side, this will become more like the stream bed, with sand and fine gravel substrate in about a 75/25 mix. This will slope downwards to give the idea of the shallows falling away to the deeper middle
Water will be quite dark, with lots of tannin and probably some peat in the water
Plants will be limited, as will mostly be wood and rocks, but thinking sword plants, something floating, maybe some crypts etc. Lots of dark greens and reds
For stock, I'm thinking a shoal of lemon tetra's, a shoal of black widow tetras/tiger barbs ( probably the former ) a shoal of corys, maybe some angel fish if I plant quite heavily. Other stuff as well as it seems right. Will also be having LOTS of shrimps of as many differnent kinds as I can get, maybe a couple of crabs/crayfish as well. ( maybe ). Maybe a couple of elephant noses when the tank is well matured.
I was going to go with a sump option, but I can't get my marine tanks sump setup ( weir box, pumps etc ) to be quiet, and as this is the living room, it needs to be virtually silent.
Purchases:
52x20x29" tank custom built by AC Aquatics
Tank hood - being built by MNS designs
Built in 12mm glass, which is unfortunate as added to the cost a fair bit. Tank is being built by AC Aquatics in Gateshead.
Tank is such strange dimensions so as to fit onto an existing unit flush. Had to be so tall so as to fit with the "decor" in the living room. I have no idea what this means in aestetic terms, it's being dictated by the fiancee, however, it does mean more space than I was originally planning!
Tank and hood will be collected from Gateshead on 6th May.
Tasks to do before tank arrives:
Reinforce the floor!: Discovered to great dismay that the floor in living room is chipboard, not anything stronger. Therefore, have to cut a damn big hole in the floor, shutter off the holes, and then fill with concrete, then re-board totally flush. Also need to run buytl around the concrete as it will come slightly above the damp course.
Drill out the wall: The living room wall shares a wall with a garage that we can't get the car in, thanks to next doors extensions. therefore, all filtration, heating etc will live in there. There will be three holes: an IN and Out to filtration, and a TOP UP to reserve water tank.
Send fiancee away for the weekend: Fiancee has OCD quite badly, so has only agreed to holes in floors and walls if she doesn't see them. Hence I find myself 50% of the cost of her and her friend having a weekend at the most haunted hotel in UK. ( Yes, it's true, she really believes in ghosts.....)
Paint back of tank. Still undecided between black, dark blue and light blue. However, have a week and a bit to decide
Build very strong 3 foot shelf in garage: I have had a "NO buckets of water being carried accross the new carpet" rule imposed on me, so I had to be inventive. Removing ater will be easy, I'll be getting/making a Python. Getting water in is different. The plan is to have a3 foot tank mounted high up in the garage that will have a heater, water and de-chlorinator in it. This will be topped up from the hopse pipe and left to heat and age. A pipe will run through the wall to near the top of the tank with a tap on it. When it's time to add water, it's just a case of turning on the tap and water top ups are done!! Horray, no more buckets!
Primary shopping list:
There are probably a million and one things I need to get. However, this is my basic list:
2x 300W fluval tronic heaters
1x 200w filter for topup tank
1x Fluval Fx5 filter/ ehiem 2028. Still can't work out which one to get.
substart for filter
Substrate for tank
1x 3 foot tank ( second hand )
1x FR509 fluid bed filter
2x powerheads
1x tiny powerhead
20 foot of spraybar tubing
various taps/connectors in 16mm
Bio-spria if I can find it.
plants from www.java-plants.com
2x thermometers ( one for each end )
3x t5 lights and ballasts ( 1x double and 1x single )
The reason for so much spraybar is that I will be running a spraybar along the botttom and side of the tank right on top of the substrat. This will be powered by a powerhead, and it's sole purpose is to create some turbulance at the bottom to ensure that any waste is suspended for longer, meaning that it's more likely to hit the filters rather than get stuck on the sand. This will take a good bit of fine tuning
Tank will be fishless cycled, with bio-s if I can find it, otherwise as rapid a cycle as I can possible do. The FBF will take up to 40 days to colonise apperantly, but it does mean I can get a small stock of fish in within a few weeks.
Floor needs reinforcing, walls drilling and plumbing completed by the time fiance comes back. Probably also need to get lighting done as well. My friend is coming over for the weekend, so we are expecting a couple of very long days!
Lots of photos to be posted in the next couple of weeks, and I will keep this updated as tank matures.
Steve
No pictures for this post, just starting the thread with what's happened so far and what I'll be doing. This thread will porbably end up as much for me to remember where I'm up to and where I've come from as anything else. Pictures will arrive on 6th may and continue from there.
The tank is planned to be mimicing a very slow moving swampy river.
At one end of the tank there will be a tangle of mangrove roots with riacca grass growing beheath it. There will be lots of cover. Moving to the other side, this will become more like the stream bed, with sand and fine gravel substrate in about a 75/25 mix. This will slope downwards to give the idea of the shallows falling away to the deeper middle
Water will be quite dark, with lots of tannin and probably some peat in the water
Plants will be limited, as will mostly be wood and rocks, but thinking sword plants, something floating, maybe some crypts etc. Lots of dark greens and reds
For stock, I'm thinking a shoal of lemon tetra's, a shoal of black widow tetras/tiger barbs ( probably the former ) a shoal of corys, maybe some angel fish if I plant quite heavily. Other stuff as well as it seems right. Will also be having LOTS of shrimps of as many differnent kinds as I can get, maybe a couple of crabs/crayfish as well. ( maybe ). Maybe a couple of elephant noses when the tank is well matured.
I was going to go with a sump option, but I can't get my marine tanks sump setup ( weir box, pumps etc ) to be quiet, and as this is the living room, it needs to be virtually silent.
Purchases:
52x20x29" tank custom built by AC Aquatics
Tank hood - being built by MNS designs
Built in 12mm glass, which is unfortunate as added to the cost a fair bit. Tank is being built by AC Aquatics in Gateshead.
Tank is such strange dimensions so as to fit onto an existing unit flush. Had to be so tall so as to fit with the "decor" in the living room. I have no idea what this means in aestetic terms, it's being dictated by the fiancee, however, it does mean more space than I was originally planning!
Tank and hood will be collected from Gateshead on 6th May.
Tasks to do before tank arrives:
Reinforce the floor!: Discovered to great dismay that the floor in living room is chipboard, not anything stronger. Therefore, have to cut a damn big hole in the floor, shutter off the holes, and then fill with concrete, then re-board totally flush. Also need to run buytl around the concrete as it will come slightly above the damp course.
Drill out the wall: The living room wall shares a wall with a garage that we can't get the car in, thanks to next doors extensions. therefore, all filtration, heating etc will live in there. There will be three holes: an IN and Out to filtration, and a TOP UP to reserve water tank.
Send fiancee away for the weekend: Fiancee has OCD quite badly, so has only agreed to holes in floors and walls if she doesn't see them. Hence I find myself 50% of the cost of her and her friend having a weekend at the most haunted hotel in UK. ( Yes, it's true, she really believes in ghosts.....)
Paint back of tank. Still undecided between black, dark blue and light blue. However, have a week and a bit to decide
Build very strong 3 foot shelf in garage: I have had a "NO buckets of water being carried accross the new carpet" rule imposed on me, so I had to be inventive. Removing ater will be easy, I'll be getting/making a Python. Getting water in is different. The plan is to have a3 foot tank mounted high up in the garage that will have a heater, water and de-chlorinator in it. This will be topped up from the hopse pipe and left to heat and age. A pipe will run through the wall to near the top of the tank with a tap on it. When it's time to add water, it's just a case of turning on the tap and water top ups are done!! Horray, no more buckets!
Primary shopping list:
There are probably a million and one things I need to get. However, this is my basic list:
2x 300W fluval tronic heaters
1x 200w filter for topup tank
1x Fluval Fx5 filter/ ehiem 2028. Still can't work out which one to get.
substart for filter
Substrate for tank
1x 3 foot tank ( second hand )
1x FR509 fluid bed filter
2x powerheads
1x tiny powerhead
20 foot of spraybar tubing
various taps/connectors in 16mm
Bio-spria if I can find it.
plants from www.java-plants.com
2x thermometers ( one for each end )
3x t5 lights and ballasts ( 1x double and 1x single )
The reason for so much spraybar is that I will be running a spraybar along the botttom and side of the tank right on top of the substrat. This will be powered by a powerhead, and it's sole purpose is to create some turbulance at the bottom to ensure that any waste is suspended for longer, meaning that it's more likely to hit the filters rather than get stuck on the sand. This will take a good bit of fine tuning
Tank will be fishless cycled, with bio-s if I can find it, otherwise as rapid a cycle as I can possible do. The FBF will take up to 40 days to colonise apperantly, but it does mean I can get a small stock of fish in within a few weeks.
Floor needs reinforcing, walls drilling and plumbing completed by the time fiance comes back. Probably also need to get lighting done as well. My friend is coming over for the weekend, so we are expecting a couple of very long days!
Lots of photos to be posted in the next couple of weeks, and I will keep this updated as tank matures.
Steve
)
I'll look fabulous when finished, but part of the fun is watching it all come together, and we want to share that with you, please. 
