# 1600 Gallon 5 meters long planted behemoth



## plantbrain (17 Mar 2009)

Hell frozen over.........New update:










Does not look as big as you think..........but if you sit in front of it, relax in those chairs O death that fit you better than memory foam... sip some good wine after a long day..........

You realize that it's a community.

EI dosed, CO2 is nice and high, Eco complete, that's a lot of Downoi in the front.
I suppose we will enter it in the ADA contest and do some better shots and rearrange a few things etc.

Anyone doubting EI can eat some crow 8) 

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## XPLOSV (17 Mar 2009)

woow impressive.

Thanks for sharing.


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## Nelson (17 Mar 2009)

hi tom,
yeh.....wow....don,t suppose you've got a step by step of the planting  
neil


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## TDI-line (17 Mar 2009)

Blimey, that is fantastic Tom.

Do you have a link for this tank to your site?


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## Superman (17 Mar 2009)

Wow, I love the walls. It'd be good to know how that was done.


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## vauxhallmark (17 Mar 2009)

Didn't it always look like this? 

It would be great if you could put some pictures from over the years for comparison.

Cheers,

Mark


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## StevenA (17 Mar 2009)

If I said that looks fantastic Tom, that would be an understatement   Those DIscus look amazing too.


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## Ivan (17 Mar 2009)

That's immense!
But there aren't enough discus


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## altaaffe (17 Mar 2009)

plantbrain said:
			
		

> Anyone doubting EI can eat some crow 8)



LOL, looks absolutely stunning Tom and sure to give many others a few ideas to put into their own tanks.

I know it has for me !!    





Al


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## plantbrain (17 Mar 2009)

A lot of discus are off to the sides etc, he took some of them and out them at his office tank a small 450 Gallon tank  
That's the next tank to work on.

I'm hoping he'll go for a mossy brach and white sand set up. It's 96" x34" x 34" tank(inches- so 2.8m x 1m x 1m about).
And hopefully all small fish. 

We need to trim it and do a good photo shoot for the contest.
Definitely need a good wide angel lens, Flash is tough however for this size tank.
But we do have a large array of PClights and then 4x 1000W MH's(hardly run much, maybe 2 hours a day)

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Thomas McMillan (17 Mar 2009)

I'll be round for a swim later, yeah? 

Seriously though, it must be immense to just stand in front of this thing and watch.

How do you prune and do maintenance in a tank kthis size?


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## GreenNeedle (17 Mar 2009)

Here is the original post from TFF for those interested.  shows it from the beginning and Tom swimming in it:
http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=155875

Must say Tom it is looking great for it's age   Love the full look in there.

AC


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## aaronnorth (17 Mar 2009)

glad you have posted an update to this, it is looking better than ever, and the anubias is stunning. A great exmaple of a long term EI tank which most people never see!


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## mfcphil (17 Mar 2009)

That truly is a thing of great beauty


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## plantbrain (17 Mar 2009)

aaronnorth said:
			
		

> glad you have posted an update to this, it is looking better than ever, and the anubias is stunning. A great exmaple of a long term EI tank which most people never see!



Sort of like a long term ADA tank also?  

Amano has one and it gets over grown and he switches things in/out.
His looks easier to deal with.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## George Farmer (17 Mar 2009)

I still want to feature this in PFK....


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## plantbrain (17 Mar 2009)

George Farmer said:
			
		

> I still want to feature this in PFK....



The owner has preference for TFH......and they will scream if the pics and write up is from some other mag.

I like video, so I'll try and get some posted up sometime.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## gratts (17 Mar 2009)

Incredibly jealous!
Is that some form of java fern wall or something else? Hows that done?


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## plantbrain (17 Mar 2009)

Narrow leaf java fern, it's just attached to wood and fills in that way.
See Amano's giant tank, same deal.
There are 4 types of epiphytic plants on the back wall, Anubias, Narrow leaf Java , Bolbitus and moss, left to right.



regards, 
Tom Barr


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## aquaticmaniac (17 Mar 2009)

Incredible, Tom. I think a catfish has my tongue, because I cannot find a better word to describe this. Wonderful bit of work. Go EI!


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## billy boy (17 Mar 2009)

Dont think my 15 litre bucket would be much use when it comes around to it's weekly water change


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## plantbrain (17 Mar 2009)

Well, we are going to do a book on the tank and publish it. I am going to scape the tank again for a photo shoot and we will also do a video.

I am going to do Manzanita for the 450 Gal tank at the office, they make it out of glass and broke it 2x moving it  
So it's coming the following week.

We have played around with lighting and LED's, the light is very interesting as it makes the front panel transparent, you think you can grab the fish, it's angled back at 30 degrees from the front. Interesting effect.

We will take a number of shots with different light set ups.

Should be fun.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Simon D (17 Mar 2009)

That'll be one to watch out for!!


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## Tony Swinney (17 Mar 2009)

Tank looks fantastic, and the plans for it sound great - look forward to seeing the results.

Those must be some of the happiest captive discus in the world !!!

Tony


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## andy (20 Mar 2009)

Tank looks incredible...superb planting

BUT

Im going to be the first to say that those Discus look hiddeous and totally ruin the natural look of the tank.  Even my wife just walked past the computer and said the fish looked fake.

Just my humble opinion   

Andy


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## plantbrain (20 Mar 2009)

Your opinion and my own are well shared. They are garrish at best  
But that's what this guy wanted. I prefer a massive school or cardinals, or Rummy's, a mix of Pencils, apistos, rare Plecos, Hatchets etc.

That also makes the tank look that much larger, and you watch these massive schools ball and expand through the tank.
 But this is not my nickel and he pays me, not the other way around.
They get what they want, not what I want(which is the $).

He asked for contrast for their color, cool darker thick plants, that sets them off about as much as you can.


Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## aaronnorth (20 Mar 2009)

have you got any pictures of the original hardscape?


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## plantbrain (20 Mar 2009)

Yes, but it got changed a lot.












You can see it is a whopper of a tank here.
We added some more wood on the back wall and wedged some more in here and there.

I know exactly how to secure wood for large displays or small ones now.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## aquaticmaniac (20 Mar 2009)

Holy crap   'tis very impressive indeed.


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## Thomas McMillan (20 Mar 2009)

How long did it take you from start to finish to plant this up, Tom? It must've taken days! Also, how do you maintain a tank this size (e.g. perform maintenance, especially nearer the substrate)?


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## George Farmer (20 Mar 2009)

plantbrain said:
			
		

> George Farmer said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Fair enough.  I note Jeff W is now a regular contributor.


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## Fred Dulley (21 Mar 2009)

Aye. Noticed that too...*bites tongue to keep self quiet*


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## aaronnorth (21 Mar 2009)

Thanks, i was interested to see how you got a wall of microsorum like you did as it looks very good.


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## Dave Spencer (30 Mar 2009)

I wish the owner had let you decide on the fish, Tom. For me it would have been based around wild caught Discus and/or Altums.

Did the owner have a great deal of say on plant choice, or is it largely your scape, Tom?

Dave.


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## plantbrain (30 Mar 2009)

Well, I spoke with the owner, we are going to make a book about the tank instead of an article.
So that's better.

I think the wild species would look better, but..........not my tank or me paying for it

I'm going to do another wood tank for this same client's office, a 450 Gal starfire glass tank.

See the CA plant's thread for the wood, that's about 1.5 meter long piece of wood in that thread.
Bigger than it looks.

Don't worry Fred and George, Karma is a good thing.   

regards, 
Tom Barr


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## aaronnorth (30 Mar 2009)

A book would be interesting. Not sure how much information there is too write about it though!? I would love to buy a book written by you on plants & fertilisation techniques etc  Didnt realise the manzanita was that big, i have just ordered some for my tank too  

What specie is the microsorum?

Thanks


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## jay (30 Mar 2009)

Cant remember rightly but wasnt this tank built in the Maxim magazine 21st century bachelor house or something?


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## plantbrain (31 Mar 2009)

Jay, yes, it was in Esquire.........360 degree home.

The guy is no bachelor, happily married with 3 kids for the last 20 years.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## jay (31 Mar 2009)

Ha! Oops, bet the lady of the house wouldn't like that.


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## JamesM (31 Mar 2009)

http://www.esquirehouse360.com/


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## LondonDragon (31 Mar 2009)

JamesM said:
			
		

> http://www.esquirehouse360.com/


Some people hey!!! tst tst


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## plantbrain (2 Apr 2009)

More pics:


















Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## tanker (2 Apr 2009)

i feel like sitting on the couch. can stare at the tank for hours


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## LondonDragon (2 Apr 2009)

Tom when are we getting an invite to go and see this tank in person??? hehehe


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## Ejack (2 Apr 2009)

Very nice work Tom,

Look absolutely stunning.


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## plantbrain (2 Apr 2009)

If you are coming to LA, CA sometime, I might be able to arrange something.
I hope to produce another tank like this at the LA Zoo sometime here.
Lots of BS and talk, but they are slow in public agencies like that.

The owner of this tank is on their Board of Trustees and they have started planning.
I do the later phases of the tank, but had more input on the Zoo aquarium than this one, I only did the scape, planting, tweaking, CO2, dosing etc and modifications to get this system running right.

If I get in at the start, then I can be much more effective less headache later.
But these are team efforts, not one person.

Many good folks helped on this.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Themuleous (2 Apr 2009)

plantbrain said:
			
		

> If I get in at the start, then I can be much more effective less headache later.



I understand that!  Much easier to avoid the issue from the off than to try and turn the clock back to undo them once they've happened!

Man I would love that tank in my house, though I doubt I'd be able to afford the house to put it in if I had a tank like that!  If you see what i mean! 

Sam


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## plantbrain (3 Apr 2009)

Well, if you have a layout that's different, I would not mind, but it would be a series of tanks all linked together, each flowing from one to the next. Each working it's way through the home.

Or around a central court yard that's open to the light above and garden outdoors(some where mild in climate, Say Portugal or southern CA).

Sort of headwaters in the mountains ........to the Sea....... and each habitat in between.
Nice terrestrial plants in between each system that match.

Each tank would be a good size for each biotope, but nothing massive like 300 gallon or more and each access, rimless and open.

Set up much like a zoo.

That would be cool.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Verminator (3 Apr 2009)

Been following this tanks progress on aquaticquotoient.com. Seems funny to follow it here too now   Absolutely stunning tank


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## plantbrain (3 Apr 2009)

As far as the house itself, I like some parts of the home(stone work, general layout).
I have no desire for a 17,000sqft+ home however, nor the location in Beverley Hills. Nor the landscaping.
But his brothers live near by...and his friends etc.

So it's home for him.

I'm more modest in my desires at home.
Even if I had the $, it would not go to this. 

I'd have a nice forest with a nice small home tucked in between the woods, next to creek with a water fall.
Nice view of the valley below. 

More along the FLW type of home:
http://www.wright-house.com/frank-lloyd ... orest.html

But near the Coast in the Redwoods maybe 1/2 hour drive from the Golden Gate bridge in Marin county.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Themuleous (4 Apr 2009)

plantbrain said:
			
		

> Sort of headwaters in the mountains ........to the Sea....... and each habitat in between.
> Nice terrestrial plants in between each system that match.
> 
> That would be cool.



Sure would, that would be quality.

Sam


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## plantbrain (8 Apr 2009)

Well, where I live has a lot to do with it, as well as some public Aquariums I saw this idea done very well.
I go from the tops of 4000 meter + peaks locally here to the sea, even below sea level in many cases.
Deserts to Rainforest. All in one day's drive. Not many places like that. West Coast here is about the only place I know of. Maybe some locations near the Alps, Some places in western South America. 

Below sea level in the hottest(57C- gets about 52-54 C each summer) driest place(5cm a year of rain if that):





Deep in a rainforest:




About 3 meters of rain and fog a year

At the coast:




At the top of the mountain:




in the sea itself:





Hard not to appreciate nature here.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Steve Smith (8 Apr 2009)

Tom, truely awesome scenery...  I'm actually spending some time in the US in September, starting in San Francisco.  I'm hopefully spending some time in Yosemite, and then Mono Lake to the east.

Got any recommendations around the SF/Monteray Bay areas?  (Will be going to the Monteray Bay aquarium too!)


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## aaronnorth (10 Apr 2009)

we are considering going to US too (from a little nudging by me lol)  looks lovely.


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## plantbrain (10 Apr 2009)

CA is big, about the same size as the UK. You'll feel at home in the northern coastal part(cool, foggy and wet).

Across the bay there is Muir Woods National monument, a small bit of the Redwoods, but it's close to SF.
Nothing like Redwood National park or the Avenue of the Giants up north. But you will still be in awe. I use to live not far and did cross country runs through the woods to the coast. Not a bad day.

Drive up to Mt Tam also from there. View is awesome. Then take the Fairfax Bolinas Rd to Fairfax from the top. Nice drive, great views.

See the Academy of Science, Eat out a lot too, great food.

If you go to Yosemite: Glacier point, take the drive over to Mono Lake using HYW 120. From there, you can go see the Bristlecone pine forest outside Bishop, about 2-3 hours from Mono lake. The back side of the sierras is really dramatic. 

Also, see the Sequoia groves up in the mountains(Yosemite has a few, not as nice as Sequoia, but lots closer).
That's a week right there. Stop at local fruit stands as you drive around also. We got produce! 

You can also drive down HYW 1 from SF to Monterey or up to the Sonoma Coast. 
Either direction is awesome.
Check the tides and stop off and look at the macro algae in the tide pools.
Try Dungeness cracked crab if in season.

Also, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is an awesome place and location.
Make a day driving down there very early along the coast, hang out there.
Then drive a bit farther south(5-8 miles) to point Lobos State reserve.

You will not be disappointed:
Drive over MT Tam(I take this bike ride often)




Pt Lobos tide pools









Not a bad place to hang out.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Mark Evans (10 Apr 2009)

are you married tom?....i can cook, wash, i dont nag, i'd put up with your tanks, i'd do water changes, dose the tanks, clean the windows, clean your car, rub your feet....anything just to live their!  8) 

looks amazing!


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## TDI-line (10 Apr 2009)

saintly said:
			
		

> are you married tom?....i can cook, wash, i dont nag, i'd put up with your tanks, i'd do water changes, dose the tanks, clean the windows, clean your car, rub your feet....anything just to live their!  8)
> 
> looks amazing!



I think i'll have to report this post.....


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## a1Matt (11 Apr 2009)

plantbrain said:
			
		

> I go from the tops of 4000 meter + peaks locally here to the sea, even below sea level in many cases.
> Deserts to Rainforest. All in one day's drive. Not many places like that. West Coast here is about the only place I know of. Maybe some locations near the Alps, Some places in western South America.



OH YES! Deserts, Rainforest+Jungle, Mountains... all within hours reach of each other.  That is what I experienced in Peru (the Western South America you refer to) earlier this year.  It was amazing.  I am very excited to know that this is available in CA as well.  I had no idea of that.  I have now added California to my list of 'places to go to for a one month holiday'


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## plantbrain (11 Apr 2009)

saintly said:
			
		

> are you married tom?....i can cook, wash, i dont nag, i'd put up with your tanks, i'd do water changes, dose the tanks, clean the windows, clean your car, rub your feet....anything just to live their!  8)
> 
> looks amazing!



Sorry, I need someone to nag me, otherwise I do not get nothing done.
Only _Quality_ Nag's need apply
Men would wonder around aimlessly, doing things like you might see me doing here:




Doing 50km/h with trees going by............this is also where I collect the Manzanita wood.
and at the end of 30km and 1800 meters of decent later:





Then Pizza. Then we go back and do it again. Sane people don't do this.
Then there's snow boarding, Surfing and ATV's/Cyclocross.
Men are idiot's. Nag all ya want.
When we say "Till Death due us part", you realize we are actually setting a "*goal*".  

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## GreenNeedle (11 Apr 2009)

Love the scenery but don't think my bike would appreciate the terrain there 




Best I stick to nice flat Lincolnshire me thinks 

AC


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## plantbrain (12 Apr 2009)

SuperColey1 said:
			
		

> Love the scenery but don't think my bike would appreciate the terrain there
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I have a Litespeed tuscany, Mavics, lots of carbon. I can show you the epic rides here. Wonderful. The nearby Carson Death ride, Yosemite, do a google search. 

Iowa hill road ride is epic.
Get your mountain legs out for this one:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... G%26um%3D1



HYW 1 is nothing short of awesome:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... N%26um%3D1

Mt tam is super, I use to do this ride 2-3x a week:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... G%26um%3D1

Motocylist are around, but they "cheat" to get up the hills. 
That's why they have the energy to carry cameras and take pictures  
Cyclist are too busy sucking wind. My 3rd bike is a cyclocross, a cross between and road bike, but with beefy brakes, beefy tires, beefier frame etc.

I do not own a motocross motocycle or ATV, but my son does, as well as a snow machine.


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