My Ei 15 Gallon - Rescape

[Biulu]

Definitively looks good! I also like the picture of you taking a picture!

 

[nry]

Ordered some UG from eBay - a tad expensive in my opinion but I have wanted some for this tank for ages so worth giving a go....it'll either work or it won't!

Sudden thought last night, I can tie the windelov fern to the wood, just not the bit I was thinking (as this is now buried beneath the substrate), should work fine!

Big thing next is planting as I also need to move the new filter and lily pipes in, get the external heater set up, the CO2 reactor and then get 30ppm as quickly as possible! Fish are not enjoying their cramped 5-gallon tank!

 

[garuf]

I'm loving this journal. So far its proved really inspirational and only made me itch to set up my 19 and kick out the goldfish more.
what equipment are you using, quick heads up on over all cost?

 

[nry]

Glad to be inspirational! I've been inspired by others here in the rescape of this tank, good to return things

Costs:

Tank and cabinet: £110
Lighting: £45
CO2: £100
External filter: £45
Lily pipes: £40
Substrate: £20
Wood: £20
Plants: £20 max

Overall, spent over many 18 months, £300...I've had the benefit of buying the odd bit every month or so, stockpiling it ready to setup. Details again (this is in the thread ):

Tank: Juwel Rekord60 and beech cabinet
Lighting: Juwel hood, original lighting stripped out, 2x15w T8 - Arcadia Freshwater and Arcadia Original Tropical
CO2: D-D pressurised kit with Dymax reactor
Filter: TetraTec EX600 with PM lily pipes
Substrate: Tropica topped with Hagen Black River Sand (Extra Fine)
Wood: Vine root
Rocks: Hagen large black pebbles and some smaller LFS black stones
Plants: Will be
* vallis mini twister
* windelov fern
* utricularia graminifolia
* indian moss
* pogostemon helferi

 

[Ark]

Glad to be inspirational! I've been inspired by others here in the rescape of this tank, good to return things

Costs:

Tank and cabinet: £110
Lighting: £45
CO2: £100
External filter: £45
Lily pipes: £40
Substrate: £20
Wood: £20
Plants: £20 max

Overall, spent over many 18 months, £300...I've had the benefit of buying the odd bit every month or so, stockpiling it ready to setup. Details again (this is in the thread ):

Tank: Juwel Rekord60 and beech cabinet
Lighting: Juwel hood, original lighting stripped out, 2x15w T8 - Arcadia Freshwater and Arcadia Original Tropical
CO2: D-D pressurised kit with Dymax reactor
Filter: TetraTec EX600 with PM lily pipes
Substrate: Tropica topped with Hagen Black River Sand (Extra Fine)
Wood: Vine root
Rocks: Hagen large black pebbles and some smaller LFS black stones
Plants: Will be
* vallis mini twister
* windelov fern
* utricularia graminifolia
* indian moss
* pogostemon helferi

do you have any pics of how you stripped out the juwel lighting as i have the same
and how did add the new bulbs

Glad to be inspirational! I've been inspired by others here in the rescape of this tank, good to return things

Costs:

Tank and cabinet: £110
Lighting: £45
CO2: £100
External filter: £45
Lily pipes: £40
Substrate: £20
Wood: £20
Plants: £20 max

Overall, spent over many 18 months, £300...I've had the benefit of buying the odd bit every month or so, stockpiling it ready to setup. Details again (this is in the thread ):

Tank: Juwel Rekord60 and beech cabinet
Lighting: Juwel hood, original lighting stripped out, 2x15w T8 - Arcadia Freshwater and Arcadia Original Tropical
CO2: D-D pressurised kit with Dymax reactor
Filter: TetraTec EX600 with PM lily pipes
Substrate: Tropica topped with Hagen Black River Sand (Extra Fine)
Wood: Vine root
Rocks: Hagen large black pebbles and some smaller LFS black stones
Plants: Will be
* vallis mini twister
* windelov fern
* utricularia graminifolia
* indian moss
* pogostemon helferi

do you have any pics of how you stripped out the juwel lighting as i have the same
and how did add the new bulbs

 

[nry]

I will take a picture of my current lighting setup later this week - I went for a single PC T5 orginally which should be earlier in the thread.

All I did was get a sharp stanley-type blade and cut out the whole ballast/light mounting box leaving me with an empty lid. The current 2xT8 tubes have a nice mounting bracket which bolts through some small holes I drilled into the lid, very secure, picture later this week will show it better.

 

[nry]

Started the planting last night - certainly a right pain tying ferns to wood which is already fixed in the aquarium but I had little choice, it would have been as hard to fit the substrate around the fern if I did it the other way! Pictures taken as I went along (which I will post tonight hopefully), the windelov, p.helferi, indian moss and vallis are all in, just waiting for my U.Graminifolia to arrive.

I have a 'gap' in the aquascape which I will take advice on once the pictures are up - other than that I am extremely happy with this tank at the moment. Thanks have to go to the massive amount of inspiration this forum has given me!

Tonight I am aiming to move the filter in and set it all up, CO2, external heater etc, then maybe tomorrow night move some fish in. Found a dead oto in the windelov fern last night, mustn't have appreciated the temporary home, I'm keen to get the fish back into the 15-gallon ASAP.

 

[nry]

Picture update:

Waiting for some utricularia graminifolia from eBay. The Dymax reactor I have certainly is not external, even sealed with loads of waterproof tape it leaks like mad! For now my old Rhinox 1000 is sitting directly under the intake pipe - seems to work well, the bubbles are all going in to the filter which is hopefully blasting things around! I may look into one of the Jaqno reactors via AquaEssentials or eBay (if i can find them again), mainly to keep things out of the tank and also to further minimise maintenance.

To show how un-fragile algae shrimp are, 3 baby ones came through to the tank with the windelov fern - all are alive and well despite no heated water ever, the tank was filled yesterday with treated tap water, but certainly not heated! They seem to be loving all the space just for them!

I can also see the teeny whirlpool above the lily pipe outlet spout, rather mesmerising!

 

[Underwurlde]

Looking great!

Place the Lily pipe outlet 1/2 in 1/2 out of the water?
(Apologies if this was your intention anyway....)

Andy

 

[jimbooo]

wow, i really love it so far mate, especially the windelov positioning with the wood. by the "gap" i assume you mean the right side? if so i'd leave most of it bare, i've got a thing about that design at the moment, mine is similar just the other way around in the 100G. the fish will appreciate the swimming space as well. maybe carpet the substrate with HC, glosso etc to bring a bit of colour to all the bare sand. hair grass would work well and keep it all in scale on the right rear. i cant believe that's a rekord 60 it looks massive lol. i seem to remember similar comments in my rekord 60 journal but i really am shocked i thought it was a 40 gallon until i read the posts above.

 

[nry]

The lily pipe can go as is though? No need to be out of the water, seen plenty of others the same as mine unless there is a major reason for not doing so?

Thanks so far - I am waiting on some utricularia graminifolia from eBay for carpetting, this will (hopefully!) cover the remaining substrate over time. The gap I mention is the one below the windelov fern, though I think, based on how the fern grew previously, the plant itself will grow to fill this space in....I am also wondering longer term if I will remove the vallis and spread the p.helferi towards the back, keeping the fern as the focal point.

 

[Biulu]

Looks great! Love the Pogostemon; I hope to get some for my tank soon; the new Tropica shipment should arrived in Mexico by now!

I am not sure about taking out the Vallisneria. Apart from that it provides a different colour, it also 'breaks' the fluffy forms that you have in there now. I think that the Vallisneria helps you to focus more on the fern, as the vallis is more like a background curtain. Just my personal opinion!

 

[nry]

Moved the fish over last night. Left the shrimp out for now, may leave them in the 5-gallon for a while to give the soon to arrive UG time to settle. One shrimp has eggs again! I have 5 baby shrimp in this 15-gallon that snook in with the windelov fern, they can stay, I might move some other babies in too next week.

Longer term I cannot house masses of shrimp in any tank, if anyone want some let me know, pick-up only from Carlisle FOC.

My UG has just arrived too - I also dont trust the CO2 going in to the filter. Every now and again I get a big burst of bubbles into the tank from the filter which I assume is CO2. Unsure how 'stable' this leaves CO2, I've ordered a Jaqno 'CO2 Mixer' from eBay for the sake of £20, time will tell how good they are!

 

[Liam]

Top quality, the fern looks really great.

 

[mlawson]

Sweet scape. That Windelov fern is just brilliant, probably the best specimin I've seen. You've inspired me to get some for my next Low-tech tank.