74l Journal

[denis coghlan]

I’ve been thinking about doing a landscaped planted tank for a good while now so I figured I might as well bite the bullet and get to work. The main aim of this tank is to grow a couple of plants that fit a specific design that I have had floating around in my head. I know exactly what I want the tank to look like but it is getting it to look like that, which is my main goal. The other goal I have is to do this project as economically as possible. Luckily enough I have a good bit of the equipment already but it is old and used looking and needs to be renovated. I’m going to entertain myself and hopefully some of you guys by writing a brief journal and throwing in a couple of photos as it progresses. This is not going to be a speedy project, as I have not sourced all the necessaries yet nor do I have all the required knowledge I will need to do this, so for those of you who want “automatic results” you will not find them here. If at any point you think I could benefit from any of your suggestion please do not hesitate to throw in your two cents, as they will be greatly appreciated. Two cents is better than nonsense!!!

I suppose I should try and convey what the landscape I am trying to recreate looks like. It is a typical grass and rock set-up however I am going to try for an aged look with rounded weathered rock and only two species of plants. One that will give a carpeting effect and one largest palmate species sporadically planted among the rock “Outcrops”. To try and convey what I am “trying” to go for here are some snapped I stole form the internet.

That’s the idea and hopefully it will be achievable.


The tank I am going to use is the first tank I ever bought. It is roughly 90 litres with dimensions of 76L x 32W x 36H it has been unused for well over two years and shows its age.

The black plastic needed to be revamped so as not to detract from the overall look of the tank. I want the display to look as bright as possible to I decided to spray the plastic with white appliance enamel. The enamel dries very hard and is durable and water proof. In order to do this I removed the upper plastic rim and silcone. I didn’t remove the lower one as it was far too embedded in the silicone and could do without the headache of having to reseal the tank. I think the pictures below will explain the process better than I can word it.

In my opinion it looks a lot fresher and cleaner than it would had I left it black. That’s all for the moment before I bore the eyes of you out! I have nearly finished the over-tank light kit with the new 20W T-4’s (on trial for plant growth) and I will post the results tomorrow.


Regards

Denis

 

[Luketendo]

Yep this is very possible.

I believe it's called Iwagami style.

You won't get a yellow colour but you could use rocks and a carpet of hair grass.

You'll probably be looking quite high tech though.

 

[denis coghlan]

Yep this is very possible.

I believe it's called Iwagami style.

You won't get a yellow colour but you could use rocks and a carpet of hair grass.

You'll probably be looking quite high tech though.

Hi Luke,

I'm aware that its going have to be high tec. I've already picked up the majority of the pressurized CO2 system that I'm going to be using. Plus I will be making the overtank luminare from scratch. To be honest, I've already gotten to the stage of having the tank and lights set up (no water as of yet) in a journal on another Irish fish forum. However, the input from the other users is minimal as plants aren't really their thing. There is an exception with a few members who are wizards with plants but they only check in now and then. So I suppose I am looking for a large audience for comments and suggestions.

Thanks for the Info

This next instalment involves creating the box for the light fixtures and an elevating stand under the tank to give the tank a look of being framed. The box for the light kit was fairly simple, I cut out the required sides and top from a sheet of 12mm MDF, although I’m handy enough with the power tools it’s fairly difficult to get a dead straight edge with a jig saw. As a result I had to incorporate some polyfilla so that no light would be escaping through gaps in the joins. I’ve seen homemade light boxes where light is beaming out through gaps in all sorts of direction and I wanted to avoid the same effect. Plus the pollyfilla will give the edge a finished (all one piece) look. The light box will hold three 20W T4 suspended over the tank. I’m unsure as to how much heat will be given off by these tubes but that is something I must look into. After the box was assembled and filled I added three coats of pure white gloss so that it would match the tank. The box is the same size as the “elevating stand” however it is a bit deeper to accommodate the light fittings.

The elevating stand is not a stand as such, it is really a couple of piece of 2 x 2 joined together so that when the tank is placed on it, the tank will looked framed between it and the over-tank light kit. Hopefully, when the light kit is placed over the tank enough light will run down the outside of the tank an illuminate the elevating stand. I think it gives a very nice presentation to the tank. I hadn’t seen it done before so I’m pleased that it turned out so well.

Originally I was going to suspend the box above the tank with wire, cables, chain etc but considering this tank will be heavily planted, I wanted access to be as easy as possible. For this reason I have used a single large back strut with a large door hinge which means that the box can be flipped back and rest against the wall. The hinge has also got extra support within the hood so the screws will not pull out. The area around the hinge has also been pollyfilled so that it will be flush with the top panel when painted.

The fittings going into the box are T4's. These puppies are said to have 3-5 times the lumen out put of T8's. So, hopefully 2 20W tubes will provide adequate lighting for plant growth. They are very simple to install and only require you to wire a plug. The other handy part about these fittings is that you can join up to ten fittings together with the handy joining cable they provide. Plus each fitting has its own on and off switch if you don't want all of the lights to be on.

Regarding substrate; Can any users suggest a quality plant growth medium. I was looking at a bag of "Azoo plant bed growth medium" it seemed better value that eco-complete and has better reviews on the Internet.

Also, I was pondering about the idea about mixing the substrate with a soil based compost (john Innes No.3, top soil). Would this help the growth of the plants or should I just stick with 100% aquarium plant substrate?

 

[Luketendo]

Never heard of T4s, are they new?

Oh I see.

 

[denis coghlan]

Never heard of T4s, are they new?

I'm not sure if the T4's are new to the market but it is the first time I have found ones that are in the range for plant growth. These tubes are around the 6400k mark so are roughly in the right range but I havent seen anyone using them before so this is really a trial. The other good thing about them is that they are energy saving bulbs and use a fraction on the electricity of a standards T8. Plus and this is the good part, their lumen output is 5 times that of a similar T8 bulb with the same wattage so theoritically "hopefully" I will have about 150-200Watts of light from two 20W T4 tubes. The other major bonus is that they are a fraction of the cost of aquairum ballasts at 19 euro for the fitting + bulb and new bulbs are 7 euro.

As for the project; I have nearly fishing the majority of the required construction work and the only thing that remains to do is drill a hole in the back of the lid for the lights power cord. The hinge looks very discrete and I'm impressed with the over all look of the tank/lights and when I have a few minutes I will mount the light kit over the stand for the tank.

Let there be light!!

I added a few reflectors to the hood but I am concerned that the areas at either end of the tank might not get sufficient light as the tubes are a little on the short side. Would people recommend that I add two 6w T4's in a perpendicular position at each end to the existing lights to avoided this problem or should it be ok?

 

[funkyhoney]

Dear lord you are the DIY king!

Can't wait to see the progression of this! IMO it will look very... prestigious when complete

 

[Themuleous]

Looks good, but are those tubes couplings water tight? Also I hear T4's are not as efficient as T8's, hence why we dont tend to use them

Sam

 

[denis coghlan]

Looks good, but are those tubes couplings water tight? Also I hear T4's are not as efficient as T8's, hence why we dont tend to use them. Sam

Hey Sam,

The tubes contacts will be water tight when I finish with them (at least splash proof). The lights come with diffusers which I will not be using but I will be cutting off sections that will go over the contacts, this coupled with a piece of rubber on the inside will stop water damage. In addition the light hood will be suspended above the tank by a couple of inches reducing the affect of condensation.

As for the T4 lights, I mentioned earlier I'm using them as a sort of a trial. I've asked people about their use and nobody I have talked has any hard evidence if they have worked or not. Some people say that they are not as efficient as T8's yet the bulbs I am using have 3-5 times the lumen out put of a T8 tube of the same wattage. Although I am not aware of what the true spectrum of the tubes are, the kelvin rating fits neatly in the plant growth region at 6400K. I dont see why they shouldnt work, but as I mentioned I am doing this as a test as I havent seen any reliable reports to date.

As for the project; I had a little extra time on my hands this evening and because I'm typically a very impatient person I decided I would moved the tank in from the shed. Since everything was ready to go, it was only a matter of screwing the light kit into the back of an existing stand that had previously been made for a Rio180. Personally I am very pleased with the results but I might have to put an expander in between the hinge and the support as the hinge lets the hood fall forward slightly and it looks uneven (see if you can spot the comb that is being used temporarily). The only other concern that I have is that the light kit might be a little too high above the tank, resulting in to much light escaping outward. This can be remedied very simply by cutting a length of the upright off.

In general I'm pleased with the way the hinge on the lights worked out and flipping the box up to gain access to the tank is a sinch and will mean that I will be far more enthusiastic about putting the hand in the tank for pruning and maintenance.

As for the T4's and the reflectors, see for yourself! It looks like a football stadium in my room! These tubes use a fraction of the energy of normal T8's but the light output is massive Lets just hope they allow for plant growth:dry: .

Here are a couple of snaps with the tank in place! Its pretty much the design I was going for with straight lines and lots of 90 degree angle corners. Plus, I think the white looks very clean, which in turn should make the green of the plants sing.

And for those of you who don't like looking at empty tanks here are two snaps of the typical view that I hope to be taking of my nicely :dry: :dry: planted tank in the future (these are not the rocks that I will be using, although they are the same rock type).

Slating and Rating is welcome, as I would like some suggestions as to what I could do to improve the setup. Plus, I'm big now so I will not be offended by any strong criticism.

Regards

Denis

 

[guppy_man]

Amy updates

Just wondering, are you sure that the piece of wood will hold the hood, is the hood heavy?

It's looking good so far, once you get some vibrant green plants in there it will look real nice, keep us updated

 

[aaronnorth]

That is quite amazing! i didn't think you were creating a overhead luminaire, i was thinking the same about the weight and just the one piece of wood

 

[garuf]

I find it hard to believe I missed this thread, It's going to turn into a brilliant iwagumi, I do think the rock placement can't be decided until you have the substrate in.
Look up iwagumi and read up on their rock placements it will help take this scape from good to mindblowing.

Sorry if I missed anything but what are you intending to use in regards to plants?
Hairgrass and glosso/ hc or something more original?

Regarding the lights, I'd say that though they appear bright they might not be wait till you have water in I'd be temped to double up and run 4x t4's that would be probably be overkill though.

Ooo also, what are you using for filtration and co2?

 

[denis coghlan]

Sorry about the delay in the reply. I was on the western side of Ireland for the weekend and out of broadband coverage. Since my last update I have done very little in terms harware but I have been doing my homework in terms of research. I’ve been doing a bit of reading on the plants I would like to use for this tank. I’ve been using the book Nature Aquarium World No.3 by Takashi Amano and taking the latin names of the plants I like the look of and seeing if they are available on Tropica.com which is one of the main suppliers for the shops in Ireland I think? So far, my choice for low growing carpet plants that do not need to be attached to rocks are limited and the ones that are available have already been continually in the projects seen on this site. However, I have been giving the ebay address of a reputable plant seller somewhere in Asia that I still have to check out and maybe he might have something different. Please see the plants I have selected below and if anyone has any opinions on their potential or a negative opinion about them please let me know.

Background and around rocks

Eleocharis acicularis
Eleocharis parvula
Echinodorus tenellus

Foreground (carpet)

Hemianthus callitrichoides
Glossostigma elatinoides

Also if people have ideas about other plants that I might incorporate please let me know. The brief for the plants I am looking for is;

Background; grass like or very thin leaved plants that will grow to no more than 7-10cm

Foreground; very low growing carpet forming plant that does not require to be attached to rocks or sticks.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Now to answer some of your questions;

Regarding the single upright for the overtank light kit and its structural integrity. In my personal people do not give timber enough credit in terms of its strength. If I thought for a moment that the single upright would not hold it would be removed immediately. Lights included I would say that the light kit weighs in at max about 12kg, this weight is easily supported by a 3 x 2 inch lump of lumber. However, there will be no heavy objects left on the top of it! The other reason for the single support is that it looks simple, clean and when the tank is viewed from across the room it gives the impressions that it is freely suspended above the tank.

Filtration is going to be an old fluval external which should be more than adequate for filtration as I do not intend to keep fish for the first month or so. However, I will be adding ammonia to keep the bacteria on the the bio-balls that I will be swapping over from my active tetratec 700 alive and well in the event that I need to add fish to the tank. I'm also going to try and incorporate an inline heater as the less equiptment in the tank the better. I'm not sure how this will be achieved yet but it is something that I must set my DIY skills too. The only thing that I do not like about the external that I will be using is the intake and outtake, they look old, unsightly and ugly. I've been looking at the ADA lily pipes and even the rip off ADA pipes, although the rip off ones are 6 euro for the set the postage is still 34 euro but there is no return policy if they are broken on arrival. Has anyone ever bought these before?

As for CO2, I will be using the standard 2kg fire estinguisher. Not sure how mush i'm going to have to dose yet as I still have to buy kits to test my water kH and gH.


Cheers

Denis

Ps. Check out this cracking tank with a tree growing in it!

Now this is a Landscape

 

[garuf]

philipe olivie spelt horribly wrong.
His other scapes are nicer.
Sounds good, I would say that hc and hair grass is nicer to glosso and Etennelus but at the end of the day its going to be a matter of personal choice, Glosso grows like wild fire though.
I've bought lily pipes direct from cal aqua, and would recommend it every time they're as good as ADA ones for a fraction of the cost.
If not you could get your lilys from Aquaticmagic who are good and reliable.

 

[Dave Spencer]

It`s great that you are using nature as your inspiration. There`s no better source.

Personally, I would have gone for T5 lights, as I am not sure the output from T4s is all that great. Aren`t T4s used underneath kitchen cabinets?

Anyway, I hope you put the same effort in to the scape as you have with the hardware. There are not enough Iwagumis on TFF, IMO, and this one could end up looking pretty good.

I don`t think the rocks you have will be interesting enough. Rounded rocks can work, but they will need to be more than just oval/pebble shaped. Word on the street is that an even number of rocks doesn`t work as well as an odd number.

Dave.

 

[denis coghlan]

Personally, I would have gone for T5 lights, as I am not sure the output from T4s is all that great. Aren`t T4s used underneath kitchen cabinets?

I don`t think the rocks you have will be interesting enough.

Thanks Dave for the input.

To answer your questions;

I met up with a member of the Irish Tropical Fish Keepers association last night who is into planted tanks in a big way and we discussed in length about what might be the pit falls about my setup. Like yourself he was concerned about the amount of light in the tank and although he did agree that the new output of the T4 is 3-5 times that of a normal T8 of the same wattage the tank would still require additional lumen. In this knowledge I set about stripping down a normal set of twin 18W T8's (have previously used in a chip shop, I'm a real cheap skate) and have started to make them water proof. I have a set of splash proof end caps that were left over from a Glomat ballast that I had used to repair the might bar on my Rio 180. I should have the new light installed in the hood soon giving an additional 36w to the tank.

As for the rocks! I'm going to stick with the rounded old red sandstone that I have in the tank already. However, I have more dramatic pieces than the ones in the pictures above. Plus, they are the best match of the mental image of the rocks I would like to use.

In other news, I was very kindly donated a bag of Tropica Plant Substrate, two 100ml bottles of Tropica Plant nutrition liquid and a big bag of Hemianthus callitrichoides that will be more than enough to plant my tank. All I need to get now is gravel, some background plants, the raw materials for daily ferts, 2kg fire extinguisher, bubble counter and a CO2 thingy-ma-jigg.

Regards

Denis