Jim's 60 Gallon High-tech Planted Journal

[sarahxxx]

get some more use out of that new cam

[snapback]897792[/snapback]​

found your journey of this tank few weeks ago keep cheaking for updates please send some pics with your new cam carnt wait to see more and dont think im the only one

sarah

 

[jimboliana]

Well it has been a while so i will just let you know that yes this is the slowest ever tank to go up in world but i have been working my backside off ever hour that god has sent.

The tank is still not complete, i still need to add plants etc, the sump is full of water and no leaks and i hope either this weekend or next to have it up and running

Yes it has been a bit of a joke while it has taken so long but then i didnt have alot of time on my hands

I just hope now to complete this project and get some fish in it

 

[George Farmer]

Good to hear you're back mate, I thought you'd disappeared!

 

[simonbrown403]

Come on m8 the suspense is killing us.

Welcome back

 

[nicklfire]

Still nothing yet?

 

[jimboliana]

Well hello again to everyone, after what i think is about 6 months since i have been here and i know what your all thinking, 'has he finished that bl*%dy tank yet?' and 'where are the pictures'. Well the tank has been stagnant since then and i put all that time and money into it without finishing it. I have now decided to give myself a kick up the backside and sort it right out so this weekend i cleaned the sump out and put fresh water in it, finished the pipework (the outlet) and conected everthing up.

One thing that was holding me up was my drift wood, it had been soaking for months in a bucket and every week or two i would change the water as i didnt want it tanning the water so i got a rather large metal earn and boiled the stuff two hours solid. After it had cooled i have placed it in the tank trying my hardest to use the goldern rule 1:1.618 (see Aqua Journal Vol.34) to get a balance that is easy on the eye. I will sort out some pics in the next couple of days.

I have also ordered my plants from http/www.birstall.co.uk/ as recommended by George today which will arive on Saturday 1st April (damm, April fools day, maybe i might get a tree or nothing at all!)

So the plants that i have decided on are as follows:

Echindodorus Tenellus (pigmy chain sword plant) i ordered 4 pots

Alternath Reineckii (red copper leafed Alternanthera) 1 pot

Rotala Roundifolia (small rotala) 1 pot

Hygrophila polysperma (dwarf hygrophila) 2 pots

Pistia stratiotes (water lettuce) portion

I might have to order some more pigmy chain as i'm not sure if this will be enough! if anyone knows what the the pots are like from birstall please let me know

So next weekend i have told my dad i'm not working, the misus is away and i have the house to myself and hopefully be at one with the tank!

I'll let you know

 

[oldwhitewood]

This was one of the first threads I came across on the board. I have been wondering what happened to the tank and look forward to seeing it planted!

 

[riverman444]

Man, I've been waiting and waiting. I wonder how much this is going to cost when its said and done.

 

[oldwhitewood]

It's interesting to me as Jim using Dennerle kit, it would be nice to see how a complete high tech system works out.

 

[jimboliana]

Yeah so would i

Well to let you all know i have water in the main tank with the wood, the water is only a quater full ready and waiting for the plants to arive on saturday (I hope) i have had to start filling now as my RO takes about 6-8 hours to fill a 25 litre container, preperation is the key, ok so i have been preparing for 8 months, all in good time

Bubble counter has been filled and ready to go, i wont put the pH probe in until the whole thing is flowing and plants are in but if the plants dont turn up then i will go to Swallow Aquatics as they have Tropica plants there and spend spend spend some more


ha ha ha i have had so much stick from family and friends

 

[oldwhitewood]

Get the bloody thing going for gods sake we are all on the edge of our seats here!

 

[qwikimpss]

Man I was looking thru the old pics and I gotta say that when you say Hi-Tech YOU MEAN IT! Wow, a lot of plumbing, wires, controller....ugh. I prefer a more simple set up but you wont have to upgrade ANYTHING...EVER. (And hopefully nothing goes wrong or leaks because then you may have a bit of a mess)

 

[steve711]

jimboliana,

I've read this all the way through and would like to know how you're getting on with your sump, is it working OK, no overflows etc?

 

[jimboliana]

steve711

Sump is going well so far (well about 5 months now) with no leaks, the pump is just pumping round on the bypass
a Great design by myself i must say the evaporation chamber in the end works a treat, i would post some more pics but i have lost photoshop so i need to reload it onand sort that out for you all. I will take some pics on my phone (2 megapixel) so images will be ok

oldwhitewood

The bloody thing will be planted tomorrow if the bloody plants turn up! i'll be well pissed off if they dont, i have all weekend to myself to sort it out though

I have also just ordered the ADA catalogue so i am looking forward to seeing that

over and out

 

[craynerd]

LMAO !!!! This post is unbelievable!!!

I`m a nooby to the forum, and found the thread for the first time! Realising that page one was April 2005 I flicked through very slowly reading every article knowing that a good few months of finished product update would be at the end....... nothing!!

i thought i was slow takin a week!


Dood, in seriousness, the tanks awsum, your setup looks amazing!

Keep it up!
Chris