# Carls 46x25x25



## Bartash (25 Apr 2012)

I already have a 4ft tank that I am going to be re-scaping soon but I thought I would have a try at doing something smaller in the meantime.

i was given a 46cm x 25cm x 25cm tank that was all scaled up so i gave it a good clean and scrub and it came up quite well.

I am a total beginner when it comes to planted tanks so you will need to go easy on me.

i went to my LFS and managed to get a nice bit of wood for £4 and some nice bits of rock for £5 i also picked up 5L of florabase (black) for £20 which was plenty for what i needed it for and it leaves me half a bag left over for another project.

after about an hour playing with the layout i have come up with this:









i picked some sand up a few weeks back for my sons tank and i have about 2 kilos left over which i was thinking about putting in the gap to the right but wanted opinions from you guys. The sand is a nice large grain but is still rounded so as not to cause problems for bottom dwellers.





I mainly want shrimp in this tank but will add a couple of otos and maybe 1 or 2 dwarf corys.

I was going to use an air driven sponge filter but think it would look out of place so instead i have an external filter coming onway from allpondsolutions.co.uk that i think will be ideal.

http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/a...filters/aquarium-external-filter-150-l-h.html





i have a set of lilly pipes coming from si-man which i think will look great.

Now the part i am stuck on lighting, i dont have a light for this tank yet and would like some advise from you guys. I dont want to spend a great deal on the light or the wife will kill me so im after something that will look good on this 2ft wide tank.

i was looking at something like this:

http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/a...small-aquarium-sump-refugum-lighting-24w.html

 but they only fit on tanks upto 41cm wide where as mine is 46cm and i cant really stretch to spending £40 on a light so i may have to find a light that will clip on the side. Any advise on light will be greatfully received.

i was thinking about using HC to create a carpet and i have these plants available to me aswell:

Myriophyllum Mattogrossense
Rotala sp. Bangladesh
Hemianthus Glomeratus
Hygrophila sp. 'Araguaia'
Najas sp. Roraima
Ludwigia Brevipes
Rotala sp. 'Vietnam
Ludwigia Inclinata
Willow moss
Hydrocotyle sp. Japan

thanks for looking 

Carl


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## Bartash (25 Apr 2012)

just bought one of these little heaters for it 

http://orinoco-aquatics.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=49





nice small size so easy to hide and a good price to go with it.

Carl


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## Antipofish (25 Apr 2012)

Hi mate, you are certainly on your way, but just wanna point out that neither ottos or corys like being in ones or twos.  They are social catfish and thrive best when in larger groups.  If you go for pygmy corys like Corydoras Habrosus you could have a nice bunch of them... 7 or 9, without any problem


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## Sentral (25 Apr 2012)

Great start, I've also got that heater and it struggles to keep my 25l cube above 21c, but that's in my cool basement flat. 

My vote is a few otos and shrimp for the cleanup crew


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## Calzone (26 Apr 2012)

Bartash said:
			
		

> i was thinking about using HC to create a carpet and i have these plants available to me aswell:
> 
> Myriophyllum Mattogrossense
> Rotala sp. Bangladesh
> ...


 I would avoid matogrossense as it grows v fast and is huge..... I.e. a weed!  The hygrophila by contrast is nice looking and sensibly sized, and fairly slow growing.  Not sure about the others in this sized tank.


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## Bartash (26 Apr 2012)

those plants i bought for my 4ft tank so i doubt i would use them to be honest, maybe just use Willow moss, Hydrocotyle sp. Japan, Hemianthus Glomeratus and some dwarf hair grass and then source a few other plants.


Thx Sentral for letting me know about the heater, i will keep an eye on it when i cycle the tank and switch it out if needed.


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## sarahtermite (26 Apr 2012)

I'll be interested to hear how you get on with that heater, too. I have two Newattino heaters in my nano, and even together they barely get above 21 degrees (even though they're both meant to keep the temp at 25), so I'm looking for a replacement. The one you chose looks good!


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## flygja (26 Apr 2012)

The sand would be great. I'd recommend to bolster the border between soil and sand with stones as the lighter soil will slide over ontop of the sand. Particularly if you have Cories and shrimps. Plants can hold the border too, but they need a while to establish root systems.


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## Bartash (26 Apr 2012)

ok here is an update of where i am now:

I have bent a piece of perspex to help hold back the substrate so it does not mix with the sand








Added the sand 





My new mini external filter arrived so i setup the pipework to see what it would look like in the tank, i wont however be using the pipework as i have the lilly pipes on way but im quite impressed as to how good the standard pipes look.









The new mini heater has arrived so i have placed it in the corner of the tank temporarily 






I have broken up a spare piece of the rock i had and placed them around to further stop substrate mixing with the sand.






ive ordered some pots of dwarf hairgrass from plantedtanks which i will store in my 4ft tank till i am ready to plant up.

i also have a light on way, everything is coming on well and im very pleased.

carl


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## pariahrob (26 Apr 2012)

This is looking good already. I agree about the pipework. Not too bad for standard stuff but you will be so pleased when the glass arrives. 
Hardscape is looking good. I like the used of broken up rock too. Makes a nicer transition.

Keep 'em coming!

Rob


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## Bartash (4 May 2012)

OK update time, things have progressed really well and feeling please with how things have turned out so far.

OK first up is the light, after spending a lot of time searching around for a light that will fit and look good I came across a guy selling some good looking LED lights.



> 18"-24" Freshwater Bright LED
> Super energy efficient freshwater aquarium lighting. No bulb replacement required.
> 
> The Beamworks Freshwater Bright LED fixture provides a high quality, energy efficient light fixture that replaces the typical single tube fluorescent light. Use the 6500K white LED during the day and the Actinic Blue
> ...



I have to admit I am loving this light, it fits like a dream and looks good at the same time.


































At the moment I have the light to come on with a timer for 6 hours

Planting:

Due to funds I have not been able to plant a great deal but I have planted the following:

Dwarf Hair Grass
Micranthemum Glomeratum
Ludwigia Inclinata
Willow Moss
Hydrocotyle sp. Japan
and a piece of lava rock with something attached lol no idea what it is as I came free with some plants.














The willow moss is just there on a temp basis at the moment but I need to work out what other plants to have in there, the willow moss will be tied to some of the wood.

I also have some FF on way which I will use in the tank as well.

If anyone has any ideas or some cuttings they don't want the would be greatfully recieved

Thanks for looking

Carl


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## sr20det (4 May 2012)

Looks good, what happened to the mini external? Sorting the pipes?


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## creg (4 May 2012)

hi, how much was the led fixture and where did you find it, if you dont mind me asking.

aquascape looks promising by the way, will be great once it grows


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## Bartash (5 May 2012)

The mini external is on its way back to allpondsolutions.co.uk i did a review of it it will stick in the forum soon. it started off great. Then realised the canister was sucking in air and flow was non existent. It turns out the canister itself was not airtight and was very poorly made. For the time being im going to exchange for a hang on filter until i can afford a better external to use the lilly pipes.

The light came from an eBay seller and only cost me £30 including free delivery by UPS, he sells lots of LED lights all different sizes. Im seeing new growth on all plants so things are looking good so far at the moment. The only issue i seem to have is a big explosion in pest snail, These must have come from some of the plants i bought so i need to figure out the best way to treat it whilst the tank is cycling over the next month or so.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18-Aquarium-L ... 1506wt_905 this is a link to one of the lights i bought, if you view his shop he has lager lights and does marine ones as well but they are a lot more expensive.

Carl


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## creg (5 May 2012)

thanks for the link carl, ive made a thread in general discussion just to make sure one of those would be ok for my tank. i will save up for one if they are cus ive always wanted a cheap led fixture and yours looks cool.


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## webworm (5 May 2012)

Be interesting to see how the LED fixture works out. Looks like it could be good for moding


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## deepak267 (13 May 2012)

I liked the LED fittings...


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## Broomy (13 May 2012)

Coming along well


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## alzak (15 Jun 2012)

Hi can You update some info about this LEDs light how it perform ??


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## Bartash (15 Jun 2012)

The plants are growing but don't have the fastest growth i have seen, im going to try and get hold of a tube light or an LED light with higher rated bulbs to compare.

Carl


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## nduli (4 Sep 2012)

Bartash said:
			
		

> The plants are growing but don't have the fastest growth i have seen, im going to try and get hold of a tube light or an LED light with higher rated bulbs to compare.
> 
> Carl



Carl,

Any update on the led?
Thinking of investing and wanted to know how you got on with growth, algae etc.


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