rosslonghorns

Oceanic 30 gallon and DIY stand - $40

Tunze Nano ATO with Tunze container - $25

Tunze 9004 skimmer - $20

Tunze 3162 filter with ebo jager heater - $20

2x18w T5HO aquatic life fixture - $10

sell everything for $80 and will throw in other misc items like extra magnet set and tds handheld meter and Tunze long glass cleaner

Did you have any leveling required on your stand? My setup requires leveling on the back length (against wall) that is off by the thickness of credit card. Impossible to use shims and trying to get ideas on material to use to shim it.

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Lights arrived a few days ago!

Now it’s time to start thinking about how I am going to hang them. With my half circle tank, I do not have the luxury of lining up the lights end-to-end. This issue is compounded by the fact that I only have a ~18”x24” opening for these two lights to hang over. I think trying to hang them independently from the ceiling is going to be troublesome given how close they need to be together to minimize light spillage and also I plan at some point to add in moon lighting or maybe a T5 or two.

So, I think I’m going to try to order some tubing from these guys and see if I can make a light rack: eztube.com, this rack will give me a place to attach additional lighting over time while still maintaining a small footprint. I worked up a few sketches so I can get an idea of how much tube I will need and if the exterior knob on the T247 should reside “within” the rack or “above” it. It will come down to how far the lip is positioned on the tube wall so I don’t end up with the light resting high on the knob end. I'm waiting to hear back from them with details.

I'm using this link as inspiration for my mount. My objective was nothing hanging...the ceiling in the room are too tall and I don't want a shelf on the wall. I have no experience with metal work so I'm working with local sponsor to help build a steel frame that will attach to back of stand to mount the two fixtures yet offer a telescoping mount to detach for easy access to full tank top.

http://www.salt-city.org/showthread.php?33906-Ocean-Revive-S026-dual-light-mount

Ocean revive has sale @ $158

http://www.oceanrevivellc.com/goods.php?id=21

I'm thinking about ordering another one for my new upgrade.

It has been a couple months since I provided an update, so here we go.

These pictures are from today after a water change and some clearing of the overgrown plants. The tank has been doing very well after my initial algae issue. Overall I'm enjoying it and have started to get thoughts of upgrading the tank to either 3 or 4ft. I'm not sure my wife will like to hear that.

I even added a picture from February to show the difference and how far it has come along in four short months.

I keep the tank at 78F. The photo period is 8 hours. I don't use tap water. I use RO water that is ~15ppm. I did buy a fertilizer additive but haven't used it yet. I may try it once I get the tank under control for an extended period. Baby steps right now!

Sorry for the delayed posting. My original intention was to post a monthly picture to follow progress. In early November, I went on a business trip to Germany for 10 days. When I came back home, I was overwhelmed with an algae infested aquarium. My wife continued her story that she followed all my steps. To this day, I'm still not sure what happened. My original guess was I lost one of the cardinal tetras, but I will never know as they're too fast to count.

Since early November I started weekly 5 gallon water changes and in December with a still losing battle, I implemented 50% water changes each week for a month. In early January I could see progress as the algae growth had started to subside and finally by end of January I have almost all the remaining, now dead algae removed. As it accumulated I would siphon it out and with the next water change should have the war behind me.

During this battle prone period, I had little growth and actually lost a good portion of the plant leaves due to the algae overtaking them. Even though I've lost a number of leaves, I've only lost one plant since the ordeal started. In early January I expanded the collection by adding some additional corkscrew and jungle val + a portion of java fern.

Both the val and java fern are starting to reproduce. Almost all of the main leaves of the java fern now has "daughter" growing and I expect will soon release.

Here is an updated picture of the full tank, java fern reproducing and the java moss that I attached to the driftwood that is showing positive signs of growth.

Yes, the C02 regulator also came with a solenoid that I have plugged into a timer that follows my lighting cycle. When the lights turn off, the C02 is stopped.

I picked up 6 additional cardinals and 4 cories today. I consider my tank stocked now and may add one or two ottos if required due to algae.

Now time to watch it grow in. I will continue to take monthly pictures to capture the overall growth of the tank.

More fun toys! On Tuesday my AquaticLife fixture arrived and I got it setup. I ended up also buying an additional 6k bulb to replace the roseate bulb that is combined with the fixture. I hope the fixture provides the required output to get my plants growing / thriving

Here is an overall equipment update

1) Filter – Eheim ECCO 2234 - the initial Eheim HOB filter I started with has been replaced with this canister filter. Overall I love it and have had zero issues. It is SO quiet. The only complaint I have is the inlet / outlet portions that are within the aquarium are green and thus standout against my black background. I may at one time invest into the clear, glass replacements.

2) Lighting – AquaticLife T5H0 20” Unit – it holds two T5HO 18 inch / 18 watt bulbs with individual reflectors. It replaced my DIY screw in CF fixture that was only a 26 watt output twisted bulb. The new fixture definitely helps to evenly light the tank. As a result, I broke down the aluminum frame I had built to support the original DIY light.

3) C02 – Diffuser – GLA Atomic C02 Inline Diffuser – I got this so I don’t have anything further in the actual tank, so it mounted outside in line with the canister filter output. So far I’ve had no issues with it and it has been running for about a month.

4) C02 – Regulator - Milwaukee (MA957) C02 Regulator with Solenoid – this has also been setup for about a month on a 5lb C02 tank. I’ve only had one issue with dialing it in…the inline diffuser requires 30psi, so I dial that in with the initial valve adjustment initially but the bubble counter is going crazy so I adjust the needle valve to bring this down to a smaller number of bubbles per second but I basically almost need the needle valve completely closed. Maybe this is normal but I’m unsure

Now with all my equipment complete, it is time to let the tank grow in. I’m hoping the updated lighting requires the necessary output to get the tank growing to fill it in. That is it for today.

Here is a start of October update.

As previously noted, I put in an order for some equipment. My C02 regulator and filter (I ended up going with the mid level Eheim ECCO) was delivered in early September but I was waiting on my GLA C02 Atomizer in-line diffuser to come in before setting up both items. I ended up getting the diffuser FINALLY in mid September. I let it run for a week and then stopped by a LFS. I couldn't resist and ended up picking up a few plants (Dwarf Sagittaria - front left, Crypt wenti - middle, and Corkscrew Val - back right). A week later I then added 12 Cardinal Tetras.

I also ordered a AquaticLife (2x18watt) T5HO fixture that I hope to have delivered tomorrow. Once it is setup, I will take a couple more pictures of the equipment setup. This should complete the build from an equipment standpoint and would just need to finish off the livestock.

I plan to add 6 additional Cardinal Tetras, 3 Cories (undecided on species, smaller side), and fill in some of the corkscrew val and get an offsetting color plant (something red that stands out). I hope to have the remaining items in the tank over the next week or two and then let it GROW!

Let me know what you have available. This is only for a planted aquarium, but the tricky part is finding lighting for 18" wide. Not much is available.

Ok, got the driftwood mounted and into the tank. Here is a shot shortly after, sorry for the cloudiness.

I'm ordering the C02 equipment and filter this evening. It is coming together. Hopefully start to put some plants in next weekend.

Well here is an update as of today. I had some time today and run some errands so decided to build a pretty neat light setup I saw on a different forum. The guy used a lamp kit and bowl from Ikea.

Materials:

Hemma Light Socket / Cord - from IKEA

Blanda Blank Serving Bowl (11 inch) - from IKEA

1 5/8 inch hole saw

Light bulb (I used a daylight 6k power compact that equals 120 watt inc. bulb)

Overall it cost me $25 bucks since I already owned the hole saw, not bad. However, I don't like how the bulb tips sticks out a bit. Dependent on how the growth is on the tank from this bulb, I may scrap the entire project to buy a light pendant OR replace the bulb with an PAR38 LED bulb (I already measured, this will not stick out the bottom!). Time will tell.

I also made a trip to Aquatek and purchased a handful of stones and some driftwood. I'm working on mounting the driftwood over the next couple days and should have it in the tank by the end of the weekend.

Through a few hours of research I've identified the remainder of my equipment:

Filter: I plan to ditch the Eheim HOB for the smallest Eheim ECCO canister filter.

C02: I plan to purchase the Milwakee Regulator / Solenoid kit to hook up an automated, pressurized system. As for diffuser / reactor the plan is to dose the C02 via tubing directly into the intake of the ECCO and leverage the canister filter as a combination filter / reactor. Anyone see any issues with this?

Thanks for the advice, I also had a concern with the MH lighting intensity for this size tank. I came across AH Supply website earlier today while surfing and thinking about a 2x36 watt kit instead of the halide. I could build a small shell for it out of aluminum to match the rack / holder that would suspend it above the open tank. Overall taking it very slow on this build and will see what comes along. It has a couple more weeks to run before I plan to add anything to the tank.

Ok after a vacation break, I've finally had a chance to post some pictures of the light bracket I built to support a pendant system. I used some alumium I purchased from Lowes that is supposed to be used for edging on plywood. I attached it to the side of the tank via stainless screws using a wood spacer that I painted black. The upright pieces are attached to the top piece using galvanized corner brackets on the inside with stainless bolts. Let me know what you think. I initially was going to use the bent conduit but came across the aluminum pieces while browsing Lowes and decided to use it for its modern yet sleek design. I thought it offset the black tank / stand with just enough contrast.

Overall, I'm trying to keep the tank expenses at a minimal, but insure I have the right elements for a successful planted tank.

As for the HOB, I've decided to ditch it later on once it is completely cycled for an Ehiem Ecco canister filter. I've read a number of good reviews and for the price, it is unmatched. It will definitely help to keep the tank relatively quiet and what I like, have the canister hidden in the stand instead of hanging on the back of the tank.

As for the remaining items I'm still struggling on the lighting and plan for C02 supplementation. The tank is less than 2ft wide (~18 inches) so it is difficult to find light fixtures that fit it. It looks like I will need to use a pendant, probably a 70 or 150 watt halide. I will keep looking for a good deal. Any suggestions?

As for C02, I initially was going to try and get away with DIY and then once the time is right, move to a bottle system. About 8 years ago, I had two smaller planted tanks (10 gallon) that I used DIY Yeast C02 on that were pretty successful. I haven't done much research since then on available options, so will need to continue digging. Any suggestions?

Overall, it is now filled with water and has been running for about a week. Anyone local have a planted tank that is overgrown and in need of grooming? I could use some starters for the tank!

This past weekend I made a trip to North Austin and decided to pick up my substrate for the tank. I ended up going with three bags of Flourite. Two bags of black flourite and one bag of dark flourite. I like the grain differences but ultimately like the color of the black the best. I used the dark on the bottom and covered with the black.

The overall dust created within the Flourite was ridiculous and it took some time but finally got it all washed up and into the tank. I will finish my light hanger that I'm building out of aluminum this evening and will post some more pictures tomorrow.

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I thought I'd keep a log of the current tank build that I have underway. How did I get here?!

After a couple years without a tank setup, I decided to try and clear the final aquarium sitting in my garage. It is a 30 gallon Oceanic that my sister previously had setup but then moved from her apartment. As a result it moved into my garage. I posted it and after about six months and still no sell I've decided to set it up as a planted tank.

Since I didn't have a stand for it but after some searching I decided to make one myself as I wanted it to be taller than the standard available stands. After some work to cut down the 3/4" birch plywood, I had a stand. I decided to use "bed liner" black paint to coat the entire thing.

The only other equipment that was already with the tank was an Ehiem HOB filter and the standard stock light. I plan to replace the light but still on the fence concerning the HOB filter. I'm not sure what negative impact I can expect from the filter related to O2 / CO2 exchange, if any. More to come.

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WHAT I HAVE LEFT:

Black Oceanic Aquarium with Stand - $80 OBO

length 18.5 inches, width 20.5 inches, height 20.75 inches

AND will include Eheim Liberty 2042 (Hang on Back) Aquarium Filter that includes misc new pad / carbon inserts (rated for 50 gallons)

SEE PICTURES ON ORIGINAL POST AT THE TOP.

any pictures?

WHAT I HAVE LEFT:

Black Oceanic Aquarium with Stand - $100

length 18.5 inches, width 20.5 inches, height 20.75 inches

Eheim Liberty 2042 (Hang on Back) Aquarium Filter that includes misc new pad / carbon inserts (rated for 50 gallons) - $15

I'll let the tank / stand / filter go for $100 package deal.

SEE PICTURES ON ORIGINAL POST AT THE TOP.

WHAT I HAVE LEFT:

Black Oceanic Aquarium with Stand - $100

length 18.5 inches, width 20.5 inches, height 20.75 inches

Eheim Liberty 2042 (Hang on Back) Aquarium Filter that includes misc new pad / carbon inserts (rated for 50 gallons) - $15

I'll let the tank / stand / filter go for $100 package deal.

SEE PICTURES ON ORIGINAL POST AT THE TOP.

The pondmaster pump is gone now.

I have left:

Black Oceanic Aquarium with Stand - $100

length 18.5 inches, width 20.5 inches, height 20.75 inches

Eheim Liberty 2042 (Hang on Back) Aquarium Filter that includes misc new pad / carbon inserts (rated for 50 gallons) - $15

I'll let the tank / stand / filter go for $100 package deal.

The heaters and Tunze pump are gone. What is left:

Black Oceanic Aquarium with Stand - $100

length 18.5 inches, width 20.5 inches, height 20.75 inches

Eheim Liberty 2042 (Hang on Back) Aquarium Filter that includes misc new pad / carbon inserts (rated for 50 gallons) - $15

Pondmaster Pond / Garden Pump (Brand New, never used, rated 750 gph) - $20

I've returned all the PMs. I will be around Friday and throughout the weekend for anyone that wants to stop by and take a look / pick something up. Please PM me and I will provide address / phone number. Basically first come / first serve.

Buda, TX