Possible 20 gallon high tank journal

[MaloK]

As an aside I will be SO happy to be rid of the clown puke gravel!

Ok that's the skittles all around the bottom

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Congratulations on joining the ranks of Recovering Clown Puke Gravel Users. We should really start a 12 step program for that. But know that we support you in your decision.

I hope you'll go with the embers, as I've always wanted to try them but have never had a tank they'd work in. Chili rasboras would be fun. I've always found that the cyprinids have more personality as a whole than the tetras. But that's probably just my bias toward south Asia and Wyoming.

 

[jaylach]

I'm not even sure why I ended up using clown puke. Actually the image of the bag looked like it was mostly black but, in reality, it wasn't. Used it to get the tank set up with the intent of replacing. Of course I never got around to doing the change.

@WhistlingBadger Embers are still the front runners but may change just to irritate you...

Just finished getting the filter plates, air risers and power heads all mounted. May finish in a while but, more likely, will wait until tomorrow for an earlier start and being sure to finish. Mayhaps even a longer wait until finishing...

Still need to order some cling tank backing. I've considered getting cliffs or something but will go with straight black. I always sort of wondered if backgrounds with images promoted more glass surfing with fish trying to get to an area that isn't really there. I'll be covering the back and one end of the tank. At least I think I'll be doing the end that will be facing a wall.

Can anyone recommend a good quality cling tank backing? Did a bit of an Amazon search and didn't care much for the reviews.

Also need to mask the top edge of the tank with black plastic electrical tape. I just don't like the gap that I'd have between the water surface and the top of the tank if I didn't mask it with the tank being rimless. Will be using 1/2-3/4 inch tape.

Considering that I need to mask the top and apply backing, and I'm not really in a rush, it might be smart to hold off finishing with water, plants and wood until I have the backing as it would be a lot easier to mount the backing if I can get around the tank. If the tank is set up I'd be trying to reach around the tank to get to the back.

Here is where I'm at right now... Sorry for the white and black reflections. They are the tank pads on which the tank will set. Risers on the ends are power head driven. The middle two will be air. Heights on all risers can and may change. I wanted to see what I had to work with as to height so the middle risers are as low as I can go and the end risers as high as I can go. I'm happy to say that the power heads clamp quite solid so I won't have to worry about things shifting around. The air tubes on the power heads are for aeration. The water flow draws air through the tubes; this is valve controlled. Once everything is done I'll cut down the air tubes to just go slightly above the hood. I DO want a decent amount of air to go through power heads as, between the Pandas and scuds, there will be a high oxygen need. When I put on a black tank background the power heads should just about be invisible. The filter plates are about as perfect as to size as one could hope. Really close as to the width but will have just enough room to sift out smaller substrate pebbles to fill the small space. I'm really quite happy with the close fit of the filter plates as the more area they cover the more substrate becomes filter media. LOL! The black box in the top right is my main computer. It is pulled out of its recess as I'm playing around a different configuration for my hard drives.

 

[MaloK]

Also need to mask the top edge of the tank with black plastic electrical tape.

Try with gorilla tape, with a little application on the job, it gives factory looking results. That last a very long time.

And you have wider options to be able to adjust the line at the right place. I do only the front.

But if you are in a dark room... It changes everything.

Picture with flash on:

Protect the eyes from direct exposure like a charm.

 

[jaylach]

I already have a 3/4 inch wide roll of plastic electrical tape so I'll likely just use that. I've used it before and it does well.

 

[BigDog]

Is that moss in the back ground ?

 

[MaloK]

Is that moss in the back ground ?

It's a blob of green hair algae. But it's not the background. it's more like 80% of the tank...

There's a super cute mopani wood behind, but I haven't seen it in months, loll.

 

[jaylach]

It's a blob of green hair algae. But it's not the background. it's more like 80% of the tank...

There's a super cute mopani wood behind, but I haven't seen it in months, loll.

That is a benefit with the population I want in a tank I'm putting together. I'll have Panda Garra which will even chow down on black beard algae.

 

[MaloK]

That is a benefit with the population I want in a tank I'm putting together. I'll have Panda Garra which will even chow down on black beard algae.

This tank is awaiting my final decision on stocking and plants... So in the mean time I've let it develop it's own flora. loll.

Snail spontaneously popped in, 8 months after initial startup... And they are not the bladders I already have, somehow something added Malaysian Trumpet Snails to the equation.

And there's also a lonely cherry shrimp. That I continued taking care of.

 

[jaylach]

Sigh, mayhaps I should post this elsewhere but it DOES involve my new tank build.

My cockatiel from Hades decided to vacate his penthouse for a while and guess where he lands…

Of course he could get out.. After all he DOES have wings. It would actually take some effort on his part as they are not built for vertical takeoffs but he could get out. Shoot, he could even climb the air risers. Thought about leaving him on his own to see if he figured it out but he would have ended up just pooping all over my filter plates so I saved him. So now he is perched on the top of his penthouse acting like this was all my fault with his back to me and refusing to even respond to vocal interaction……..

Love this bird to death but he has perfected the art of being a pain.

 

[jaylach]

I was reading another thread here about oxygen levels and wonder...

OK, from all I understand air bubbles actually add little direct oxygen to the water as surface tension on the bubbles prohibits the gas exchange. How bubbles add oxygen is much more due to their causing surface agitation which promotes the gas exchange.

So I'll have four risers, two air driven and two aerated power heads. I'll have plenty of surface agitation to help with the gas exchange. Still, between the Panda Garras and scuds I'll need a high oxygen level. Yes I realize that water can only hold a certain level of usable oxygen but I would think I'll want to hit as close to that max as I can.

Sorry about the preamble on this but I was doing that dangerous thing I often do, thinking. Assuming that the yet to be tested aeration on the power-heads works, would wrapping the outputs of both, the air driven and power-heads in a medium to fine mesh, cause a breakage of the bubble's surface tension giving a more direct gas transfer or would it just make for smaller bubbles that still maintained the surface tension?

 

[MaloK]

Reducing the size of the bubbles, largely raise the contact surface. and smaller bubbles can stay longer under water. Theoretically raising time for gases exchange.

But it's not how it works...

The gazes exchanges occurs when the bubble pops at the top. And the only way to raise gases exchanges is having more bubbles popping at the top.

Every micro bubbles turns to trapped gazes that linger in the water layer forever.

Now if you are like me and are not really fond of an air stones... A good air powered riser with a 90° neck can bring a lots of agitation in an 1/2 inch space without splashing all around.

 

[Aqua67]

You need to create an harbor for them... As simple as a pile of standard coarse aquarium gravel in a corner that you sprinkle with finely powdered food of any kind once in a while.

Add some Bacter AE and you raise the chances.

Snails are really detrimental to any Scuds, Pods or Cods population because they eat their eggs at large. And they all live trough a prolonged static state before becoming active.

But once there's space to lay their eggs and babies in tranquillity they will always be there. Even in a snail ridden tank.

I would think that with a water flow that is not too strong / fast. They will populate the whole UGF really fast.

Amphipods have live young, just like neocaridina shrimp do. Snails have not been detrimental to my scud colonies whether I keep everyone in a mason jar or in a fish inhabited aquarium. Just an FYI. I’ve also kept lots of snails in my shrimp tanks where I also have copepods and nothing detrimental there either.

 

[jaylach]

I'm just a bit curious as to how to add fish to the new tank I'll eventually put together if I ever get off my back side and tear down my old thank which is still going to keep the plants going.

I'm back to Ember Tetras being my shoaling fish with a population of 10-12. However the main fish will be Panda Garra. I figure to add one or the other after the tank is cycled but don't want to totally to overload the bio load with adding all the fish at once.

Would you start with the tiny (3/4 inch mature) Tetras or the four Pandas starting at around 3/4 inch?