Old Time Riverman

[BigC]

Catch ya later Liz many thanks.
"Righty O" This morning I got stuck into adapting the canopy and wiring of the lighting.
Yesterday I managed to collect all the apparatus I need to complete this particular part of the build.

A cross-section of the items purchased to complete the lighting task.The list included
2x15 watt starter units, 2x15 watt daylight spectrum tubes
2x 458mm Aluminium reflectors, 2x Digital timers & packets of stick on pads and cable ties.]

First off I had to remove the defunct Power Compact rig and cooling fans that was an integral part of my old marine nano. There was a certain amount of salt-water creep damage mainly confined to the hinges but all in all it's not in bad shape.

Internals of the canopy now devoid of cooling fans and power compact lighting, remnants from my marine nano.

After that job was completed I proceeded to install the reflectors and the light tubes for this venture, I was going to make my own but kind of got lazy and just went ahead and purchased two seeing as my LFS had them in stock at the time.

The canopy with the reflectors and florescent tubes installed

With everything fitted, the canopy was placed back on the tank and with a little tidying up of the wiring everything was complete.

An aerial shot of the canopy placed back on the tank and the wiring routed around the perimeter to keep it tidy and out of the way.

So not a bad mornings work, but one thing struck me whilst in the middle of performing this task and that was condensation, not a big deal to folks with modern plastic hoods but wood may be a different problem entirely due to warping. I have always made cover-glasses for all of my tanks and I may have to retro fit some for this, it will be a pain keeping the things clean so as the light will still provide the plants with what they need but I feel it is necessary all the same. I'm still on holiday at the moment so when I get back to work I'll cut a couple of 4mm float sliding glass covers to combat this aspect.
Charging the camera at the moment and will post a frontal image of the tank with all lights blazing later.
Regards
C

 

[lljdma06]

Taking a wee break. Got one set of syllabi done.

That looks great C! Can't wait to see the entire setup.


OK, back to work...

 

[ian]

This is a great journal C, love the pics and the way you go about posting. Journals like these come in very handy when introducing newbs to planted tanks. Keep up the good work C!

 

[BigC]

Dont thank me Ian, I'm doing this for myself yes, but there will be a myriad of information contained within this thread when its finished, which will be available to others to use and maybe improve upon, and that will all be thanks to you guys who have taken time out to help me personally and via that, helping others as well. This tank will probably not be as clinical as some really Hi Tech aquariums we see today, but maybe it will show that you can do something with everyday products without having to resort to overly priced specialist items such as ADA and the likes, at the end of the day it's about growing plants, sucessfully if we can, but I'm not going to shell out thousands of pounds for the privilage, gawd knows my marine nano taught me a big lesson on that score.

Here are some pics from this evening with the lights switched on.

Time now to address another area and get my Eheim 2217 canister filter sorted with new pipework for that extra flow-rate.
A few questions on Ferts now if you please. For me looking at this aspect, it seems very confusing. I will probably go with TPN+. Can the readership supply me with what dosages I should be using for this product and how often to dose given my size of tank.
Or even going as far as to suggest a superior product that works for you....
Thanks again guys.
Regards
C

 

[lljdma06]

TPN+ is an excellent product. Not available in the US, but I have it shipped from the UK, that's how much I like it & how easy it is to use. Sure I can mix my own ferts, but I don't have the time. At first you follow the directions, but I found that I had to be flexible with my dosing & adjust based on what I saw with my plants. My little 8g that I did in 2009 ended up consuming about 8ml a day. But that tank had a large plant mass. You may approach that level or not. My new one's starting with 3ml daily. Probably making your own dry ferts would be better, but I don't know of an all-in-one that is this complete.

Liz

 

[BigC]

I don't want to be messing around with chemical compounds again not after the nano, an all in one solution sounds better for me and my time constraints.
So it looks like TPN+ then.
Regards
C

 

[lljdma06]

I don't want to be messing around with chemical compounds again not after the nano, an all in one solution sounds better for me and my time constraints.
So it looks like TPN+ then.
Regards
C

You'll like it, I've been very happy with the results. Very easy.

Just for fun, here are some pictures of my Salvinia species...

As you can see, definitely teeny tiny. I'm thinking it's Salvinia minima.

I'm excited to see your tank planted. I bet you'll be as photo happy as I am with my current setup. Oh, and when you've got a new toy (iPhone 4), it's even worse!

Liz

 

[BigC]

TBH, Liz, there's not much difference in the size of the Salvinia plant going by your photographs. They may well be one in the same sp.
I cant see me finishing this project for a while yet as there are plenty of jobs yet to fulfil before I get to the grand opening day. Next job on the agenda will be to get my Eheim sorted with new pipework and fittings. Then I hope to address the CO2 and all that, that entails. So there is plenty to do.

I see folks plop fish in these aquariums very early on, is this common practice or do they still need time to mature before including the livestock.

Two of my son's have the iPhone4 nice to have but hellish expensive, they both work and it's their money so they are entitled to spend their own money as they wish...me I only need to phone and text so my bog standard brick does all I need.

Oh before I go "What's wrong with Diagrams and Schematics"

 

[lljdma06]

TBH, Liz, there's not much difference in the size of the Salvinia plant going by your photographs. They may well be one in the same sp.
I cant see me finishing this project for a while yet as there are plenty of jobs yet to fulfil before I get to the grand opening day. Next job on the agenda will be to get my Eheim sorted with new pipework and fittings. Then I hope to address the CO2 and all that, that entails. So there is plenty to do.

I see folks plop fish in these aquariums very early on, is this common practice or do they still need time to mature before including the livestock.

Two of my son's have the iPhone4 nice to have but hellish expensive, they both work and it's their money so they are entitled to spend their own money as they wish...me I only need to phone and text so my bog standard brick does all I need.

Oh before I go "What's wrong with Diagrams and Schematics"

A small chain of S. natans alongside a daughter plant to seed new growth.​

I don't know, C, they look pretty different to me... My picture's just bigger. I even used the metric system for measuring... But we're getting OT...

Sister's fiancee got the iPhone4 for me for Christmas, so I can't complain. Does some pretty cool things. I have no problems with schematics or diagrams.

Yes, folks, especially if the initial planting is as dense as you are planning, and you are going with CO2 and dosing, will just plop their full stock in. I don't personally, but I could. The plants eat everything, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, so have at it with your stocking. I even add my otos way before the tanks mature, especially if they are fish I already have had in previous tanks. Otos will love this type of new, densly planted setup. Lots of stuff for them to eat. But that's not the normal experience most hobbiests have with otos, so take what I say with a grain of salt. This has just been my personal experience with otos and my planted tanks.

Liz

 

[BigC]

Yeah I see, but I kind of like to give things a few weeks to settle if you know what I mean as the water parameters must bounce around a little in the early days. Ottos for me would be a big no no in the beginning of any tank, I know some folks will come along and shoot me down but I still maintain that they do best in a mature tank, the more mature the better IMO.
I've seen some dwarf water lettuce on in the classifieds, well it's actually water lettuce but stunts under aquarium conditions or so the seller claims Might look into this a little more also.

One other thing Snails, personally I hate the things in a planted tank, some folks don't seem to mind. I don't have any problems with them in the killi tanks as the pH is very low >5.6 and the water is very soft therefore they cant survive as their shell wont grow. But I dont want an infestation in this tank (if I can help it) because dosing with copper sulphate products will wipe out the shrimp I intend to keep. Any pointers on plant preparation prior to setup surrounding this potential pest.
Regards
C

 

[lljdma06]

Yeah I see, but I kind of like to give things a few weeks to settle if you know what I mean as the water parameters must bounce around a little in the early days. Ottos for me would be a big no no in the beginning of any tank, I know some folks will come along and shoot me down but I still maintain that they do best in a mature tank, the more mature the better IMO.
I've seen some dwarf water lettuce on in the classifieds, well it's actually water lettuce but stunts under aquarium conditions or so the seller claims Might look into this a little more also.

One other thing Snails, personally I hate the things in a planted tank, some folks don't seem to mind. I don't have any problems with them in the killi tanks as the pH is very low >5.6 and the water is very soft therefore they cant survive as their shell wont grow. But I dont want an infestation in this tank (if I can help it) because dosing with copper sulphate products will wipe out the shrimp I intend to keep. Any pointers on plant preparation prior to setup surrounding this potential pest.
Regards
C

I'm the same way essentially. That's why I tend to add in phases rather than all at once. My tank is different than yours. Much of my plants were already established in another tank, so I don't have the same transitional headaches, and the tank's been technically running since Mid November, so it's a bit more settled than yours. Would I tell a newbie to put otos in, definitely not. That's why I said take what I say with a grain of salt. I think the otos in Miami are just so happy to get into a planted tank they they do very well. I'm pretty lonely out there...

Snails, I personally don't mind them. You can wash your plants in a bleach/water solution, we're talking like 1:20 bleach:water ratio or even 1:24 bleach water ratio. It's a weak mix, but it seems to kill the critters. Then you soak the plants in water that's been given like a double-dose of dechlorinator. I can't remembet the exact details as I haven't done it for a long time. Or maybe it's a rinse twice in dechlorinated water. When I get a lot of snails, I'll stop feeding the fish for a week. With a CO2 tank, though, and a low ph, it might not be too bad.

When you've some time, can you check out my journal? Now I'm asking for stocking advice...

 

[SuperColey1]

Unless those digital timers specifically say on the packaging that the are suitable for use with fluorescent lighting I would keep an eye on them. Sometimes there can be problems with them. Other times not.

AC

 

[BigC]

Never really thought of that aspect Andy, I'll check and keep an eye on them.
Thanks for the heads up on this
Regards
C

 

[BigC]

With my planting list well and truly thrashed out, I will be purchasing individual "Tropica" branded plants in pots, (when the time comes) can the readership give me an indication of how many of each species should I be looking to buy for this initial set-up. Swap hairgrass and tenellus about if you like and give me a list of the quantity I should order.

1. Vallisneria nana
2. Vesicularia dubyana
3. Anubias barteri var. nana
4. Echinodorus tenellus
5. Heteranthera zosterifolia
6. Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig
7. Cryptocoryne wendtii "green'
8. Cryptocoryne wendtii "brown'
9. Pogostemon helferi
10. Elocharis acicularis

Regards
C

 

[lljdma06]

I got to think about this one a bit. You don't have to order online, you can get them in person?

Regarding the stems, see if they have them already submerged. If they are grown in pots, more than likely they are emersed and will undergo a pretty agressive leaf change.

Oooo, might as well let you know, most of your plants will undergo some sort of change from emersed to submerged growth. This can be a messy process, which is why I do so many waterchanges in the beginning while I dose. Moss and anubias are usually ok.