• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

The Stove & Its Flowering Anubias.

Here an example pic for comparance this was taken May 9th
dscf6873-jpg.85415.jpg

And this is today 3 months later and no extra light at all, only day light. Like the pogo at the RH side.. Some stem plant didn't make it, swapt them wit crypts.
The only plant still in trouble is the Blyxa, but 'm yet not ready to give up on it.. The plant i have to trim the most is the Utricularia G.
DSCF7442 (Kopie).JPG

:)
 
And a little glimps behind the doors.. :)

The trickle sump, pils and powders and other beauty products..
DSCF7443 (Kopie).JPG


My little sand filter running the last stage (Water level is still a bit high, just did a WC)
DSCF7444 (Kopie).JPG


And the power station.. DC 12 volt - 30 watt PSU, it runs the cabinet led lights, the DC 12 volt pumps speed controler, the extra thermostat which monitors the tank temp and switches the AC 220 power sockets for the 2 heaters in the sump and the PH controller. That last one is not realy a must, but i have it why not use it.. :) That's all to it and drives this tank..
DSCF7445 (Kopie).JPG
 
Last edited:
Alexander Belchenko said:
Wait, where is your beer? ;)

Seriously - cool, like the sumps systems. Haven't got my hands on sumps yet. Maybe one day.
Click to expand...

The cabinet indeed looks more like a hotel mini bar fridge.. :lol: But that was the plan, give it a playfull touch different from the everyday straight foreward aquarium stand.. But then keep it sober enough that it doesn't distract your eyes away to much from the tank.. :) Next to that with the scaffolding material and gass pipe, it is all over customizable, all is bolted and clamped together like LEGO. Taken apart in 5 minutes and build back together, if i would like to make it taller i need few longer pieces of pipe. bolt it in and done. :thumbup:

This is my first sump and i don't think i ever go back... I'm still planning another shallow tank 40x40x20 cm and also thinking of building a very small nano sump for it.. Very curious how that will work out. :) A 12 liter fluval hagen tank is €16, but still might be to big.. I'm yet not sure, but it's very tempting. Sumps rock.. Super cheap, highly efficient and easy to maintain and or changed if needed.
 
Can you provide a picture how your water going in to sump? I mean input line. Do you have any holes in back side or just regular external canister style inlet?

I guess with your DYI talents you can just glue together small sump tank by yourself. No need to spend money on something you don't like?
I think usual recommendation for sump is about 10% of display volume. But who might prevent you to use something bigger for small display? Maybe I'm wrong.
 
I make use of syphons, have 2 of them 1 left 1 right side corner.. I started with everyting at one side, but took 'm apart and placed them left and right, this gives a better circulation, each corner has it's drain.

Left side
DSCF7450 (Kopie).JPG


right side in tank view
DSCF7447 (Kopie).JPG


Right side outside tank view. You see it end up in a PVC pipe at the back left and right, this is one pipe.
DSCF7446 (Kopie).JPG


Bellow the tank there is a T going to the sumps resceptacle with the heaters where it flows over to the trickle/bio part
DSCF7449 (Kopie).JPG


At that little piece of hose between syphon and pipe i made an acrylic clamp with a wing nut to fine tune the flow speed from the syphon.
DSCF7453 (Kopie).JPG


Ready made valves from the LFS are not tunable enough, with using a clamp it can be tightened by a fraction of a mm.. Because this is only a 110 litre tank and small sump containing 12 liter water volume it is very touchy and needs to be tweaked rather precise..
Or calculated rather precise regarding flow capacity of pump and drain.. Which is a not every day mathematical formula

That's a bit the disadvantage (well not realy) from small tanks with small sumps. The whole concept is a force of mother nature, with large volumes to displace it aint so touchy, with smaller volumes everything becomes smaller and goes easier out of sync. So there for i came up with a pump speed controler and those clamps. Without it, it's a massive slurp and burb party driving you nuts..

Also that pvc pipe behind the tank, the 2 open ends where the hoses go in, need to be plugged with a sponge and in the sump it needs to be submersed so all ends are pluged outside the tank with sponge inside the sump with water.. If not a jetstream of running water in a hollow pipe sounds like a concert of 20 dwarfs constantly peeing all over the place. Plugging it makes it silent.

And indeed glewing a lets say 5 liter nano sump together aint such a big deal.. I have a glass shop virtualy as neighbour can pickup the material on the fly.. But i not sure if a sump can be made that small and still run smoothly.. As said, the smaller it is the more touchy it becomes, i even not sure if i can find the right pump for it, it not only needs to be tiny, but it needs to be able to run 24/7 without breaking down twice a month.. So i'm a bit bound to that, yet not able to make a DIY mini pump. Need to do some testing first, before i build something doomed to fail. :thumbup:
 
Last edited:
You're welcome.. :thumbup: Thanks for showing the interest.. :)
 
Oh i might add.. :) Why do i use a pipe instead of hose to the sump.. Well i tried but long piece of hose gets dirty inside and changes the flow speed, when clean it runs faster and slower when dirty, then it needs constant adjusting. So keeping the hose from overflow to sump as short as possible and use an oversized pipe as drain gutter.. This being oversized will not clog and thus not influense the overflows drain capacity. And it's easier on the cleaning part, only have to clean the syphon and 20cm hose.. :)
 
Thank you Manisha.. :) Yes this is my first home made tank, it reflex a bit in the kit work, i could have done that a bit beter.. Now algae comes looking it setlles in the little nooks and crannies in the kit. It takes some extra attention cleaning with a toothbrush. It's a bit nit picking but still for the next one i know where to pay more attention to. It's a learning curve.. But i definitely will keep building my own tanks for the future.
 
Because of a water damage i had to clear the room and do some floor repairs.. It was a nice upportunity to take a picture to show how this tank actualy get's it light.
DSCF7495 (Kopie).JPG


Had to wait for a sunny moment, to take this.. :) And it still aint full sun pottential because we have a cloudy day.
DSCF7497 (Kopie).JPG


In the summer time this is the cheapest tank around, no lights, no heating, only a silly 10 watt 12 volt pump is running.. :thumbup:
@Tim Harrison :) find the rasboras... Where are yours at the time??
 
Last edited:
Nice Walstad type tank...must be a joy to create and succeed.

My Rasboras? After I introduced them to their new home they spent a few hours swarming around the tank hugging the carpet, eventually they started to use the whole water column. However, as soon I enter the room they dart in to the dense veg behind the stump. But that's OK I still get to see them, occasionally, but on their own terms:rolleyes:
 
Tim Harrison said:
Nice Walstad type tank...must be a joy to create and succeed.
Click to expand...

Is it a Walstad type? I actualy never red the book, tho i have it, only skipped a bit throught he pages and thougth read it some time later. In a nutshell i know what's it about.

I guess this tank still needs some time to realy take off, it was setup completely inert with akadama, pumice, fujisand, gravel and a little bit of peat pellets and laterite in the substrate. But indeed it's a joy, realy didn't know what to expect from an aquarium getting so much natural light.. But in a way a pond is the same story, so why not a tropical aquarium. Must say i'm surpriced myself that it does so well, it only went up hill since i switched off the lights. Only thing is i realy need to wait for the sun, to realy enjoy it, if the sky is cloudy i'm looking at a pretty dark looking tank.. Yet no idea how i have to anticipate to that after the summer and how it will work out. Need to find the game play of using both light sources.

I guess your rasboras in time will do the same as mine, they come when it's feeding time, they know me by now.. :thumbup:
 
Intresting, that's an oldy.. :) I wonder if it's still running.. Thanks for sharing Tim.. There most be another one around, i forget if it was here or somewhere else i saw it.. It was a long shallow tank on a window sil.. This week i was watching the south side window and played with the idea of putting a small shallow near it.. But only planted and dirted also with a rather large emersed, it probably will get to warm at times for livestock.. :) But dunno yet, it might become a mosquito breeding machine in the house or just to smelly..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top