Window Well Aquarium

[RanDX14]

My little peanuts arrived today, I couldn't get a food count but they all survived the trip. The company said since they are so young it's not uncommon to expect a 20% loss during the acclimation process. We will see.

 

[RanDX14]

Keeping the bright lights off to let them acclimate to their new home. They look so much better in real life than I can capture with a picture.

 

[NannaLou]

Keeping the bright lights off to let them acclimate to their new home. They look so much better in real life than I can capture with a picture.

It’s very exciting . I wish our houses in the uk had basements - I suppose I’ve sort of got a basement, but not sure the man in the flat downstairs would appreciate me putting a huge filter tank system in his living room…

 

[RanDX14]

Finished building my light and auto feeder frames. One unknown is how well this light and food in the feeder will hold up to the humidity. I have a thermometer/hydrometer under the lid to monitor the levels.

Does this visitor mean I no longer have an aquarium, but a pond? Lol.

 

[RanDX14]

I'm surprised that my plants are still green considering the water has been a constant 70 degrees, much cooler than these plants typically grow in, actually seeing some impressive growth.

If they continue to thrive I'm planning to put some in the aquarium, although it's almost a guarantee that the fish will treat it as a salad bar.... oh well, if I can keep them growing in the filter tank it should help filter the water.

 

[RanDX14]

Here's a couple pics with the new lights, blues on in the morning, then a blend of blues and white.

 

[Tacocat]

I'm surprised that my plants are still green considering the water has been a constant 70 degrees, much cooler than these plants typically grow in, actually seeing some impressive growth.

If they continue to thrive I'm planning to put some in the aquarium, although it's almost a guarantee that the fish will treat it as a salad bar.... oh well, if I can keep them growing in the filter tank it should help filter the water.

As an experiment you should wait until they really start growing, then try to propagate them in the fish part, and if they don't eat it, put in there rest.

 

[RanDX14]

Well, we had our big "aquarium reveal" party this weekend (oh, and I guess there was also a gender reveal for my daughter, it's going to be a girl!!). Everyone was impressed. I'm happy with how this build turned out. The tannins from the driftwood actually help soften the look, which I think helps it blend into our room almost seamlessly. I wasn't looking for a pristine, brightly lit box of water, but rather something unique that integrates into the room naturally.
Fish are all doing amazing, plants are growing but of course this will be a continuous experiment as the seasons change, but for now I'm considering this build complete!!! Thanks for following along with my adventure.
Unfortunately pictures do not do this justice, but here is a link to a video to get a better idea of what the final project looks like.

Here's a pic with 3 little guys that made this build very challenging to keep it a secret.

If anyone would like detailed information about any of the steps that I didn't cover feel free to reach out.

 

[Mick85]

What an awesome build! Good on you for having the creativity and pulling it off. That looks like a room i could definitely spend hours chilling in haha

 

[Sunnyspots]

That is a beautiful tank. It looks really deep too! And you put in so much work - I'm dead impressed.

I love the pic at the end. You have gorgeous boys there.

 

[PorshaF]

Super impressive! What a great view, I'm glad I came across this thread and thanks for sharing it! Also congratulations on the granddaughter!