Jim's 60 Gallon High-tech Planted Journal

[jimboliana]

gf225,

Thanks for the link,

I have looked at these but think they are a bit on the large size for what i need and the space they take up (the missis is always on my back!

One other thing is the background, i think i will use a black background as i think it will show the colours off the fish and plants better

The tank is not going to have a hood, more open top though it does have sliding covers so i have the option

Do you know where i could get the thin black bit that goes around the top of the tank from? as mine didnt come with one

 

[jimboliana]

Thanks kamel_007

It might be nice on paper, i just hope it will look good

 

[George Farmer]

here is my tank...i spend somewhere (i lost count actually) around thaibaht6500....just about 110pounds...not including the fishes.

How on earth did you accomplish that with £110 (what lighting, substrate, CO2 etc. are you running)? I am stunned!!

Beautiful work.

 

[jimboliana]

Very well done on £110.00 i wish i could do that!

Well i have had enough ans am going round my dads to get the camera otherwise i will be here all year!

I will try and post some pics in the next couple of days

 

[Lateral Line]

I'm suprised Dennerle suggest the UV would be a problem for good bacteria. Good bacteria are sessile, not in the water column, so would not be exposed to the UV radiation.

 

[jimboliana]

Lateral Line,

This is from the reply that i got from Dennerle on the 28th April 2005

'thank you for your inquiry and interest.
The english site will have to remain under constructions for another 3 weeks unfortunately.
Any queries could be sent under [email protected]
Naturally UV should not be used on a permanent basis as it kills germs and bacteria, useful ones too. It is typically used for special purposes as after a disease or to clear water from suspended bacteria growth or such. Thus UV can be used but you will have to rebuild the biological balance in your aquarium anew using suitable products following the Dennerle philosophy. You may wish to describe your problem more in detail for a more detailed analysis.'

I think i will send a more detailed inquirey and see what they come up with, i'm no chemist so i haven't got a clue

Is there anything i should add in the email to them that you could help with in solving this?

Thankyou

 

[jimboliana]

Well i went and got the Digital camera and took some photos so now i am going to bore you with stuff

The first bit of good news is that while round me mum and dads picking up the camera i saw my mate John who is building my stand and he said he will be round some time next week to fit it the only problem is he doesn't have the doors yet, but i dont think thats a problem

Well first off this is a pic of the space, this is in the dinning room. I only moved in just before christmas so you can see we still have stuff boxed up but this will all be out of the way and it gives you some idea of the space i am restricted to.

Yes the colors are bad but i intend to paint the alcove before the cabinet goes in then i will paint the rest of the room after

 

[jimboliana]

The next load of pictures are for my log and for you to see what equipment i am using and to see what the results are going to be like with the gear i got

This is a picture of the main tank 33" X 18" X 18" with two 35mm holes drilled out for the flow and return for the sump (it was too heavy to lift on the table on my own so i left it on the floor)

And yes that is nemo swimming about in the tank, he was a great free gift i got from sky when i got it installed in January, thank you sky, what a geat free gift

As you can see it has cover glasses on the top but i need to get the thin black strip that goes round the top from somewhere, the cover glasses were only an extra £10.00 and they can be removed if i want

 

[jimboliana]

As you know i am using most of the Dennerle range and below is my filter set-up, its a Bio-Filterstation CO.C.400 and has a 150W heater that fits down one side.

This filter also has two compartments for two filter cartridges marked 15 and 30. On the 15th of each month you change (or wash out) the cartridge and then this fresh biotrop becomes a fast flowing mechancial filter. You change the other cartridge on the 30th of each month which have been in 15 days longer and are colonized with micro-organisms and works as a biological filter .

The whole process swaps as you clean one the other then takes over.

The Biotrop Stabilizer is an added bonus and helps prevent algae, it helps decontaminate the water and fits in the bag then that then fits into th filter

Simple

The heater is controlled with the next bit of gear

 

[George Farmer]

Looking good. I look forward to seeing the progress.

 

[jimboliana]

Now then the tank and the substrate are heated by two heaters, one is 150W heater in the Bio-Station which heats the water and the other is the substrate heater which is a 25W heater cable which is fixed down by the suction clips

Both are controlled by the Digital-DUOMAT 1200 comfort, i was a bit lucky here as there are two models the DUOMAT 1200 AND THE DUOMAT 1200 comfort, when i bought this on Ebay i thought i was buying the DUOMAT 1200 and not the comfort model so i was more than happy when that came in the post

The comfort model has the added benifits that it automatically lowers the temp in the aquarium between 9pm and 7am by 1.5 degrees C which apperently increases the fish's well-being, vitality and willingness to spawn and encourages plant growth and anything i can do to keep my fish happy is a good thing well nemo has got a smile on his face

It also has a summer control for hot days to control the heater cable (for the substraite nuttrients) and not the heater

On top of the heater cable will be the DEPONIT nutrient-rich substraite which can be upto 6cm thick (i may have to buy some more)

On top of the DEPONIT will be the Quarts gravel i have which is 1-2mm grade and free from hardness, it has no sharp edges which will be ideal for my Kuhli Loaches
and of course the plants

 

[jimboliana]

Next up is the CO2 equipment, as stated i have a compressed bottle of CO2 which will feed the plants and control the ph in the tank, i bought the Classic Line Exclusive from http/www.newleafaquarium.com

The kit is for a 600 liter tank (well its for any size tank really it's just the size of the difusser that makes it for 600 liter aquariums). It comes with a 500g bottle of CO2 which is full

One thing i must point out here is not do what i did and buy first then try to find somewhere you can refill your CO2 bottle. The bottle is worth £50.00 and i dont want to exchange it for an old horrible one that is too big/small
I looked on http/www.yell.co.uk and found someone that could refill my bottle for me (though it wont be for about 6 months)

It also comes with a bubble counter, long term ph indicator and a good quality regulator. You also get some CO2 proof hose that does not leach CO2 like silicon hose

 

[jimboliana]

Now i can be a bit of a lazy git sometimes and i do belive in the old saying 'you have to speculate to accumilate' which is why i decided to buy the Digital pH-Controller 588 comfort and solenoid valve.

This controls and regulates the pH in the tank to whatever i set it to as long as i have set the bubble counter right, when the desired pH is reached the controller switches the solenoid valve and no more CO2 which saves me money in the long run

Luckly for me it also comes with a calibration prompt and lets you know when to calibrate about every four weeks

I know alot of you out there use sugar and yeast, i would have done but as i say i can be lazy and i think this is going to keep me quite busy as it is (the missis is always moaning about how much time i spend on this lot )

 

[jimboliana]

Right got some more news today

Hopefully the sump is on its way and if my cabinet comes this week then hopefull i will be setting it all up in the next week or two at last

I will prob take a day off of work to do all the plumbing, that way if i forget anything i can go and get it as the place we get all our ABS/PVC fittings from is only open during the week

The missis is going to get some paint testers for the room so it looks like it's all happening

 

[jimboliana]

I have just read a very interesting artical in 'the krib' about 'high tech' systems

http/www.thekrib.com/Plants/Tech/tech-wars.html#9

Like the article mentioned, i love all the technology that comes with this hobby . I work for my father in the water purification industry and do alot of work for companys like veolia watersystems, john allan aquariums, durapipe and millipore to name but a few

I will admit to you all of you that i have not been in the fish keeping hobby for a few years now and since i have started working for my dad (just over a year now) it has given me a kick up the backside

As we do alot of Installation work i see all this 'high tech' equipment, for example Reverse Osmosis units, Softeners, UV's, Deionisers, De-gasses, Conductivity meters, Hardness moniters etc and that is what gave me the kick

I love fish keeping and i want to incorporate this into my aquarium to get the best natural water and habitat that is suitable for my fish on the budget and resources that are available to me

When i was younger i had my first tank and it failed so i tryed again and that failed too. I had a two foot tank an Eheim canister filter a light and some gravel. Before i was going to start up my tank again i thought i would read as much information as possible to make sure i got it right and i was intending on buying alot of stuff from the JBL range as i really wanted to grow live plants.

I was about to buy until i discovered http/www.newleafaquarium.com and when i did it was great, that was what i wanted, a fail safe if you like. Dennerle delivered what i wanted but who is to say i will succeed, i hope i will and i should which is what this log is about and what makes it so interesting, i just hope you find it interesting too