# The Next Episode - 800 litres



## NC10 (25 Oct 2014)

60" x 30" x 28", Optiwhite front & sides, mitred corners, braceless (nearly), 15mm glass, sumped, 800+ litres. Woohoo, I'm pretty excited 

More details to follow........obviously 


*Updated specs:  6/4/*15


*Tank* - Aquarium connections 60" x 30" x 28" - euro braced front & rear, 15mm, optiwhite front and sides. Mitred corners. Internal weir with 2 x 40mm overflows and 1 x 25mm return. 825 litres.

*Lighting* - Dimmable 100w 280 led factory fitting on custom/DIY stand. 5500k. 

*Heating* - Eheim & JBL 300w heaters supplied via an STC-1000

*Return pump* - Jebao DC 9000

*Filter/sump* - 2 x connected sumps. First sump holds coarse, medium and fine foam, purigen, ceramic, matrix and k3 media. Second sump houses the heaters and return pump.

*Co2* - 2kg Fire extinguisher with dual stage regulator, Up inline diffuser supplying DIY 20" reactor filled with K3, fed on its own timed return by a D-D H2ocean 2000 pump.

*Substrate* - 6 bags of Tesco cat litter and 3 bags of B&Q cactus compost mix for main planting area. Generic aquarium sand for front.

*Hardscape* - Bogwood and mini landscape rock.

*Potions* - Easylife Profito

*Flora:*

Java Fern/Java Fern Narrow
Echinodorus rose
Echinodorus bleheri
Echinodorus radicans
Echinodorus tricolour
Echinodorus xinguensi
Echinodurus cordifolius
Echinodorus Tenellus
Echinodurus Harbich
Echinodorus red devil
Echinodorus green flame
Echinodorus martii
Echinodorus uraguayensis
Echinodorus Quadricostatus
Echinodorus Grandiflorus Aureus

*Fauna:*

2 x Leopard Frog Plecs L134
4 x Zebra Angels
6 x Checkerboard Pigeon Blood Discus
2 x Altum Flora Discus
1 x Thunder Snakeskin Discus
2 x Amano Shrimp[/COLOR]


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## navneethtk (25 Oct 2014)

Awesome! 
*following*

Sent from my Panasonic P11


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## Martin in Holland (25 Oct 2014)

Want to see how this evolves ......


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## Bhu (25 Oct 2014)

What set up you going for? Would make a stunning Dutch, but then it would make a stunning anything  really looking forward to seeing this one evolve...


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## Dantrasy (25 Oct 2014)

Got me curious about this one, subscribed.


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## Crossocheilus (25 Oct 2014)

Sounds very interesting AND big! 
Any pics yet?


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## NC10 (26 Oct 2014)

Tank is now in my living room 

.....or should I say the ingredients to the tank. It had to be chopped up to fit into the car after a slight miscalculation  

The tank was originally built by arguably one of the best tank builders in the UK, Vince from UK rimless/aquarium connections. If you haven't heard of him, it's basically where the rich reef guys go when they've nothing better to spend their money on  

Obviously it's second (3rd) hand for me to even consider dissecting it, but I got it for an absolute bargain really. For this tank new your looking at way over £1200. The owner was gutted to be having to sell, but it was just too wide for him. (doors opening, access etc)

It's braceless in the sense that there are no braces  ....but because of the height, even with 15mm glass, it would cause some bowing, so has "braces" running along the front and back. You'll get the idea when you see some pics anyway.

I'm hoping to get a stand built tomorrow (Sunday) nothing special as I'll be cladding it anyway. Just something quick, tidy and strong. Looks like we're going with the gloss white look. I'm working away next week so hopefully I'll get it done ready for the tank to be re-built next weekend. Pressures on  At least I have an extra hour of head scratching time 

It has a weir in the back left corner with twin 40mm overflows (so should be silent) and a 25mm return. If I had to grumble about any part of the tank then this would be it. I did want to run 2 pumps from the sump so would have been perfect with 2 returns, but beggars can't be choosers and I'm just being picky really. I can't afford any posh lights so I'll probably be building a pelmet/hood to hide the T5's anyway, so an extra return can easily just go over the top and not be seen.

I have a single 54w T5 running a random office bulb and a twin 39w T5 with Giesemann aquaflora and mid day bulbs, so hopefully this should be ok. Until it's up and running I probably won't know. Maybe I'll need more, maybe less?

Co2 will be via my inline 2kg FE setup I'm currently running. I mentioned I wanted two pumps from the sump, one would be connected to the diffuser and then through a reactor/water filter DIY job. Ferts will be EI (once my Profito has run out) This will be the first time so should be fun  Dosing pumps are probably going to be pretty high up on the list, especially working away a lot.

That's all I can think off up to now. I'll be pinching an idea from @Chris Jackson for the background. Thanks again for the idea. I like a black background personally, but then I see some scapes with a white or light background and think wow! With Chris's idea it looks black, but by adding a backlight I can change the the look whenever I want. Instead of using regular black vinyl, I'll be using window tint. Hopefully should turn out nice.



Bhu said:


> What set up you going for? Would make a stunning Dutch, but then it would make a stunning anything  really looking forward to seeing this one evolve...



If you think Amano x sumida, that's the sort of look I'm going for. I've already bought the wood ready, which was actually more expensive than the tank   A terrible picture can be seen at the the end of my old "practice" journal 

I'm thinking that because of the size it can't really be too amazing if you know what I mean. I'm struggling to get a MC carpet going in my 4ft'er so I have no hope with this really. I'll probably give it a go though  Just think swords, java fern etc etc everything from my current tank will be in anyway.



Crossocheilus said:


> Sounds very interesting AND big!
> Any pics yet?



Its in pieces at the moment but I'll get some up tomorrow of stacked glass  (hopefully including a stand! ) I do have these pictures from its previous life:















Thanks a lot for the all the comments and likes, hopefully I can live up to at least one of your expectations


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## NC10 (26 Oct 2014)

I've spent most of the day scraping the old silicone off, I've had enough now. That means no stand has been built so that's now on hold until next weekend.

I never really thought that optiwhite was worth the extra dollars, but seeing this today made me realise that it really starts coming into play as the glass gets thicker. Optiwhite side panel vs non optiwhite bits (all 15mm):

Edit: The braces in the pic are actually 12mm so proves my point further


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## Greenfinger2 (26 Oct 2014)

Hi NC10, Great size tank  Looking forward to following your new project.Happy Aquascaping


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## NC10 (26 Oct 2014)

Cheers greenfinger


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## foxfish (26 Oct 2014)

Nice tank 
Personally I don't use underwater return holes but prefer to take returns over the top so as to avoid syphoning back water with a simple anti syphon method.
Non return valves are very flow restrictive!
If you don't want to return over the top then you could still use two pumps, one main return & one recirculating back into the sump.


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## NC10 (26 Oct 2014)

Cheers foxfish.

I don't mind going over the top really, because at this stage I can't afford any fancy lighting anyway, so I'll need at least a pelmet to hide the T5's.

The twin pump thing was more a case of me just having a back up, running two smaller pumps directly from the sump instead of just one bigger pump. If I ever got the chance to have a tank built from scratch I'd definitely go this route.

TBH it doesn't matter now anyway. I wanted to use the 2 pumps I have now, but they only run at 500lph because of head on my current tank. This tanks going to be slightly higher so I'm probably going to lose even more lph. Running the two I'd be looking at 1000lph absolute max with no restrictions. I do like a slow flow through my sumps, but near enough 1x is a bit too slow! I'm going to have to bring another pump in which is an extra expense I didn't want or plan for, but it has to be done.

I'll then use one of the pumps I already have to inject the Co2 via my inline then through a DIY water filter reactor and straight into the tank. With the extra restriction of the reactor and slightly higher tank, I'll probs be looking at 400lph.

Additional flow will have to be via Hydors at this point. Until I get the wood in and figure out the planting I won't know if I can hide the other pump well enough.


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## NC10 (2 Nov 2014)

One quick (ish) cheap (ish) stand knocked up. I'll worry about making it look pretty at a later date. All I need now is a ply top and floor for the inside.

That means next weekend is tank rebuilding time


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## Martin in Holland (3 Nov 2014)

Those builds make me want to be back home again. I always loved to make things with wood.


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## NC10 (15 Nov 2014)

Quick phone pic update.

I rebuilt most of the tank last weekend and was hoping to get the rest done this weekend. I wasn't happy with the front and left hand panel join so I've taken them off and will re do them today and also add the weir and braces.

I had to chop a section out of the stand as well and rebuild it. I'd forgotten the down pipes were internal and not external like on my current setup  

I ordered the new pump for the tank and went for a Jebao DC 9000. I'll probably just need a small hydor for additional flow now.

http://www.h2oaquatics.co.uk/water-flow/jebao-dc-9000

A quick pic of the tank build and while the front is off I thought I'd have a little play with my wood


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## Crossocheilus (15 Nov 2014)

That wood is extraordinary! It will look amazing covered in ferns, buces, mosses etc. What are your plans for planting and stocking?


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## Wallis97 (15 Nov 2014)

Ooh, lovely


From Alex - Internet names may vary. Comment not fit for human consumption. Contains small parts.


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## NC10 (15 Nov 2014)

Cheers @Crossocheilus & @Wallis97

I have 6 pigeon blood discus, 4 angels and 2 leopard frog plecs in my current tank who will be moving into this. I have a couple of amanos somewhere too but hardly ever see them. I'm going to add another 2 leopard frogs, maybe 4 more discus and a few more angels. I saw some dantum angels a while back at my LFS which I liked the look of, would love some "real" altums but a bit too pricey. I want some blue diamond discus and my other half wants some Snow White discus, so probably 2 off each will go in. I was also thinking of adding a shoal of corys, black venezuelan I think they're called. Again though, a bit expensive when you have to start buying a shoal, I'll have to see.

I suppose the planting will be pretty simple, all based around various echinodurus. All my plants from the current tank will be going in and I keep buying the odd plant just to get them ready for this. I still need more though, the size difference is ridiculous really, what I already have won't even touch it.

I also have some java fern and moss which will be going in, but again, could do with loads more. I have an MC carpet in the current tank as well so may as well put this in and see how it goes.

List of current plants:

Monte Carlo
Java Fern/Java Fern Narrow
Java Moss
Echinodorus rose
Echinodorus bleheri
Echinodorus radicans
Echinodorus tricolour
Echinodorus xinguensi
Echinodurus cordifolius
Echinodorus Tenellus
Echinodurus Ozelot
Echinodurus Harbich

Just ordered: Echinodorus red devil, green flame, martii & uraguayensis.


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## Dantrasy (15 Nov 2014)

Awesome dw! Could this be an Altum tank? or Angles? Their shape would go so well with the dw.


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## DivZero (15 Nov 2014)

Great looking wood! Can't wait how this turns out. Definitely subscribing


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## Greenfinger2 (15 Nov 2014)

Hi ,NC10 Looking great Cannot wait for it to come to life now


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## NC10 (15 Nov 2014)

Tank 99% done, just the front brace to add tomorrow. Can't say it was an enjoyable job but it's all about the end result 

Thanks for the comments guys, this is probably my favourite layout up to now. I'll try a few more though before making the final decision.

Cheers.


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## NC10 (16 Nov 2014)

I have a new plan for the lighting 

I'm going to use these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251563902053?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&var=550466584227&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

with these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-x-GU10...9874?pt=UK_Light_Fittings&hash=item20d1a5af12

I'll mount them in some channel sprayed black. I'll use two or three rows all on different circuits so I can set each one with its own timer.

I'm going to order them this evening so if anyone can see a problem I've missed or has any thoughts, please let me know ASAP 

Cheers.


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## foxfish (16 Nov 2014)

Well you can get a huge varity of bulbs and colours in those GU10 fitting, it might be a good idea to mix in a few reds & blues for effect.
I use three 9w bulbs over my tank set on stagers timers to get an easy start & finish.


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## NC10 (16 Nov 2014)

Brilliant cheers foxfish. I'll go and have a look round for some blues and reds.

I was thinking 3 rails of 3. Not really sure if that would be enough without seeing them in place though. If I put too many in I can always just remove a bulb, so I'm probably better going for 3x4 or even 3x5. I can always use a dimmer as well.

I'll have a sit down in a minute and work out what's what, see where I can squeeze a few colours in. How many do you reckon?

Cheers

Edit: Will a couple of red/blue combined work ok? Like the LED grow lights you can buy?


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## NC10 (24 Dec 2014)

Quick phone pic update just to show this is actually still going. Work, life, Christmas blah blah blah  

Still quite a way to go, tidy the silicone, leak testing, front panels etc etc but sorted the lights. They're silly bright, (drivers only 100w max though!?!) but I have a way around this and also DIY'ed a posh looking stand/hanger type thing which still needs finishing. They're 5.5k so not ideal but they'll do 

I'll get all the specs up in the new year, but in the mean time, Merry Christmas everyone, hope you have a good one


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## NC10 (29 Dec 2014)




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## Greenfinger2 (29 Dec 2014)

Hi NC10, Great shaped DW    Love it


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## NC10 (29 Dec 2014)

Cheers mate, just need to higher the light a bit now I reckon.


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## NC10 (30 Dec 2014)

I wasn't happy with the wood so fetched 4 more pieces today. Still not happy but I'll have to leave the playing for another day.


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## foxfish (30 Dec 2014)

Looks like a fossilised, dinosaurs backbone, I like it, it is good to be different


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## NC10 (30 Dec 2014)

Haha cheers mate. You've given me ideas for a proper name anyway 

I prefer it how it was but the right hand side is annoying me 

Edit: In fact looking at that last pic, it looks pretty terrible 

I'm struggling in my head how I would plant the right hand side up if I left it alone, unless anyone has any ideas??

I'll leave the other pieces, you can only really see one in the pic, but they give it a lot more depth.


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## NC10 (1 Jan 2015)

Happy (Ish) 

Now to add some rock


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## Alexander Belchenko (2 Jan 2015)

Cool layout. I like how you break monotonic pattern with different height of spikes. What is your plan re plants?


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## jack-rythm (2 Jan 2015)

Well I have definitely subscribed to this! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## NC10 (2 Jan 2015)

Alexander Belchenko said:


> Cool layout. I like how you break monotonic pattern with different height of spikes. What is your plan re plants?



Thanks  It's as near as I'm going to get to what i had in my head anyway.

It looks a lot better in RL as well. I'm struggling to get the depth across in the pics, I tried with the 2 photos at an angle but still doesn't show it. From front to back the wood is 20", it looks nowhere near this in the photos. Hopefully when it's planted up you should see it a bit better.

RE plants, due to the size I want to keep it pretty simple really. Although I do have a carpet of MC in my current tank I'm going to add, just to see how it goes.

List of current plants ready to go in:

Monte Carlo
Java Fern/Java Fern Narrow
Java Moss
Echinodorus rose
Echinodorus bleheri
Echinodorus radicans
Echinodorus tricolour
Echinodorus xinguensi
Echinodurus cordifolius
Echinodorus Tenellus
Echinodurus Ozelot - Struggling
Echinodurus Harbich
Echinodorus red devil
Echinodorus green flame
Echinodorus martii
Echinodorus uraguayensis


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## Tim Harrison (2 Jan 2015)

Wow...that's one big mother of a tank, and wood to match - looking forward to seeing it scaped, so hurry up and get it finished...


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## NC10 (2 Jan 2015)

Haha I'm trying mate, I'm trying


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## Martin in Holland (2 Jan 2015)

I'm not sure, but I think you like swards


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## NC10 (2 Jan 2015)

Martin in China said:


> I'm not sure, but I think you like swards



Whatever gave you that idea?  

Good looking and easy, what is there not to like?


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## Martin in Holland (3 Jan 2015)

NC10 said:


> Whatever gave you that idea?
> 
> Good looking and easy, what is there not to like?


 Agreed, they are very nice and mostly super easy.


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## Mick.Dk (3 Jan 2015)

Wonderfull, to see someone use "the Swords" in a tanksize, that actually suit them.
Just an idea........
Since you're at it with Echino's (and I agree: easy and reliable plants, generally - gotta love'em), maybe consider Echinodorus qudricostatus. It will fit in size-wise between the very small tenellus and the much bigger species, you've chosen, to make nice transitions.
Ech. quadricostatus is defenitely an easy and reliable species.......and will even grow partially shaded under some of the large species.


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## NC10 (3 Jan 2015)

Cheers Mick, just done a quick search and read up and I like it 

I'll keep an eye out for it on my travels. Failing that I'll buy one online the next time I put an order in.


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## NC10 (7 Jan 2015)

No pics, just a list really 


*Updated specs:
*

*Tank* - Aquarium connections 60" x 30" x 28" - Bracless 15mm optiwhite front and sides. Mitred corners. Internal weir with 2 x 40mm overflows and 1 x 25mm return. 825 litres.

*Lighting* - 280 led factory fitting on custom/DIY stand. 5500k.

*Heating* - Eheim 300w heater supplied via an STC-1000 (will be adding another heater)

*Return pump* - Jebao DC 9000 running on full speed via DIY acrylic spraybar.

*Filter/sump* - 2 x connected 24" x 12" x 15" sumps. First sump holds coarse, medium and fine foam, purigen, ceramic, matrix and k3 media. Second sump houses the heater and return pump. Around 105 litres total at running level.

*Co2* - 2kg Fire extinguisher with dual stage regulator, Up inline diffuser supplying DIY/water filter 20" reactor filled with K3. Fed on its own timed return by a D-D H2ocean 2000 pump.

*Substrate* - Fine grain moler clay and cactus compost mix for main planting area. Undecided on front cosmetic sand.

*Hardscape* - Bogwood and Slate

*Potions* - Easylife Profito

*Flora:*

Monte Carlo
Java Fern/Java Fern Narrow
Java Moss
Echinodorus rose
Echinodorus bleheri
Echinodorus radicans
Echinodorus tricolour
Echinodorus xinguensi
Echinodurus cordifolius
Echinodorus Tenellus
Echinodurus Ozelot - Struggling
Echinodurus Harbich
Echinodorus red devil
Echinodorus green flame
Echinodorus martii
Echinodorus uraguayensis

*Fauna:*

2 x Leopard Frog Plecs L134
4 x Zebra Angels
6 x Checkerboard Pigeon Blood Discus
2 x Amano Shrimp


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## foxfish (8 Jan 2015)

Sounds great but you are going to need a bigger bottle!


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## NC10 (8 Jan 2015)

I know mate, I keep having a look round for a cheap big bottle but no luck up to now


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## josepinto (8 Jan 2015)

this promises!


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## NC10 (8 Jan 2015)

Mick.Dk said:


> Wonderfull, to see someone use "the Swords" in a tanksize, that actually suit them.
> Just an idea........
> Since you're at it with Echino's (and I agree: easy and reliable plants, generally - gotta love'em), maybe consider Echinodorus qudricostatus. It will fit in size-wise between the very small tenellus and the much bigger species, you've chosen, to make nice transitions.
> Ech. quadricostatus is defenitely an easy and reliable species.......and will even grow partially shaded under some of the large species.



Hi Mick, I've been having a look around for Quadricostatus but not really seen anything in the UK, until I found this:

http://www.inaquarium.com/echinodorus-quadricostatus.php

Magdalenensis is already on my shopping list and this is saying Quad is Mag, is that right? Magdalenensis is far easier to find in the UK, obviously why it's on my shopping list. Same plant just different name?


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## Mick.Dk (8 Jan 2015)

It's the same species, yes !! There might be small variations in size of leaf-plate, though.

Changing  plant-names in this hobby was allways a slow process........several of the Echino.s are now Helanthium, but it'll be a long time, before well-known plantnames are commonly accepted. Botany is one thing - hobby is another !!

Hyg. difformis is still "Synema" and Limn. sessiliflora/aquatica are still "Ambulia/Giant ambulia".
- luckily, I've been around in this hobby long enough, to remember most of the out-dated names, too...........


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## NC10 (8 Jan 2015)

Haha. Brilliant, cheers Mick 

Edit: Of course, helanthium tenellum, not echinodorus tenellus


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## Iain Sutherland (8 Jan 2015)

sounds like a great tank in the making, will be watching with interest.



NC10 said:


> I know mate, I keep having a look round for a cheap big bottle but no luck up to now


get friendly at your local pub mate and get a 12kg


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## NC10 (8 Jan 2015)

Cheers Iain.

I'm sure by the time I've had enough pints to get that friendly, I could have bought one and refilled it a thousand times 

12kg sounds big though. Big equals expensive lol This, as with all my projects, is a budget build


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## NC10 (11 Jan 2015)

Had a busy couple of days 

1st I had to drain the old tank so I could move it and do some work before I put the new tank into place. Trying to catch the fish was a nightmare, took longer than expected anyway. Filled the tank back up and put the not so amused fish back in.

I took the chance to try out the new pump as well to fill it back up, very impressed anyway. I've never had a soft start pump before but it's great, like a jet engine winding up  The feed button is good too, means everything is not going to go straight into the sump.

While the tanks out of the way I've also got to decorate and finally rip the nasty dado off and also strengthen the joists. The joists would've have probably been fine, but there was a bit of bounce with the old tank and didn't fancy seeing over a ton bouncing around when you walked past  All I've done is propped them up with some timber I had left over from the stand, job done.

Just waiting for the filler to dry then I can get on with the painting and then get the new tank into place 

Next on the list, leak test 

A picture of the reactor to break up the wall of words 

Not sure how good it will be, but I can always have a tinker once it's up and running.


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## bluemoon280 (15 Jan 2015)

Hi, really liking your build. Can you post some pics of your light build. I have a similar size tank with a sump etc and like the idea of moving to LEDs.


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## ian_m (15 Jan 2015)

foxfish said:


> Sounds great but you are going to need a bigger bottle!


Look in Yellow pages (or yell.com) for local to you pub gas suppliers and phone them up. Cylinders round here come in 3.2Kg (rare), 6.35Kg and slightly monster 34Kg (1.5m high). The 6.35Kg costs about £15 to get refilled. Tank price is about £50 (or more) for 6.35Kg.


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## foxfish (15 Jan 2015)

There is a different system where I live as there is only one filling station on the island, they will only fill cylinders that are leased from them under a contract!
However they supply all the sizes & the contract is a one off payment.
As an example a 3.2 kg cylinder cost £160 & refills are about £3.00, the bottles are serviced & maintained or replaced when necessary.


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## NC10 (15 Jan 2015)

bluemoon280 said:


> Hi, really liooh 28thour build. Can you post some pics of your light build. I have a similar size tank with a sump etc and like the idea of moving to LEDs.



Hi mate, yes I'll get some pics up as soon as I can.

Its just a factory type fitting which was surplus on a job and was all pre built, I didnt actually build it so can't really give you any serious info.

I built the stand out of some trunking and ali angle I had. I'm adding some more angle to the front & back so I can slide a piece of glass in just to protect it from any splashes. I'll also be using some vinyl strips on the glass to help wind the brightness back. I tried adding a dimmer but it only worked up to a certain point and then just started flashing. Nevermind.

@ian_m & @foxfish - The pub cylinders are too expensive for my liking, I can pick a 5kg FE up for around £10 to £20 ish so that will have to do.


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## bluemoon280 (16 Jan 2015)

Hi, have you had your pump running yet?  I have just bought a compact 5000 to upgrade from an aquamedic 3500 but the eheim is quite a bit noisier. Was wondering how the jecod sounded. Thx


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## NC10 (17 Jan 2015)

Hi mate, up to now I'm very impressed with it. I had a play a play with it when I refilled the old tank but didn't really pay any notice to the noise, too busy playing with buttons.

I got this tank filled last night and had another play, it's silent mate, I can't hear a thing! This is just the pump alone though. I suppose the real test will be when it's plumbed in and got some head to deal with. I can't see it making much difference though, if any. I'll let you know anyway. Up to now its a perfect pump. Watts vs LPH is great, silent (up to now) a few buttons to play with and a decent price. (compared to the abyzz pump I have in my dreams ) The pump is the most expensive part of this build so I'm glad I didn't cock it up! Recommended up to now 


It's been 12 hours now since I filled the tank and up to now, all good 

I'll leave it for today and then I can get on with sorting the final hard scape out and getting some sub in, going with theTesco cat litter. I've been after some slate like what @Troi has in his latest tank. Looks amazing but no luck up to now. I have some gritstone which I collected but it's just not going to fit in with the look I want.

Looking at the light now with the water in, looks like I won't have to wind it back after all. I'll see how it goes.

I need to decide on a background too ASAP. I always go black but I'm not sure on this one??

The tannins have started already, it's going to take some leaching all this wood 






*All the photos up to now are PPP phone pics. As soon as the scapes done I'll get the proper camera out and start putting a decent effort in


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## bluemoon280 (18 Jan 2015)

Hi, thx for reply.  I just put my order in for one. What fittings does it come with? I have 1" return hard pipe at the moment. Do I need to get any connectors? Looking good by the way .


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## NC10 (18 Jan 2015)

bluemoon280 said:


> Hi, thx for reply.  I just put my order in for one. What fittings does it come with? I have 1" return hard pipe at the moment. Do I need to get any connectors? Looking good by the way .



No worries 

You won't be disappointed, if you are, don't blame me 

Did you go for the 9000? You get 2 hose tails so you can run it external if you want and a basket/grill thing if you're running internal. I'm also running 25mm/inch so you're fine. There's 4 steps to the hose tail measuring 20mm, 25mm, 30mm & 36mm (ish)

I've just had a read through your journal, how's it going?


I got some nice fella at B&Q to cut me the front and side panel for the stand today. We've decided on matte white vinyl for the finish 

The tank seems to be shrinking all the time though 

When I added the water it looked a lot smaller than when it was empty, then when I've put the panels on today it looks even smaller. Add in the fact that I'm getting used to the size anyway and it's not good 

Roll on the "Final Episode" that's all I can say


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## Mick.Dk (18 Jan 2015)

The "schrinking-effect" is well known *lol*.
Hardscape goes in; size halves - plants go in; size halves again..........
One optical trick, though, is to keep "stuff" not too close to front glass. This gives better impression of depth and perspective. Another trick is to move one or two taller plant forwards, to avoid a "hedge-effect" in background. This is purely for perspective.
- it'll be a beautifull tank anyway - don't worry !!


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## LfcFan1977 (18 Jan 2015)

This is crackin'
Really like the fact that you've put the glass together yourself. Test fill must have been a bit hairy. Have you done this before? Envious of anybody who can apply silicon neatly 
The lighting and the bracket/rig are very stylish and modern, lovely.
The layout and shape of the wood is really striking.
If it is not to late, please can I request a few pics of the stages when you lay out the substrate?
How is the weir? I've read somewhere that the comb possibly makes it a little less efficient and noisier, is that right? Do you intend to hide the whole weir somehow?
Watching


----------



## NC10 (19 Jan 2015)

Mick.Dk said:


> The "schrinking-effect" is well known *lol*.
> Hardscape goes in; size halves - plants go in; size halves again..........
> One optical trick, though, is to keep "stuff" not too close to front glass. This gives better impression of depth and perspective. Another trick is to move one or two taller plant forwards, to avoid a "hedge-effect" in background. This is purely for perspective.
> - it'll be a beautifull tank anyway - don't worry !!



lol I'll have a pico at this rate 

Once I've emptied the tank I can have another play. The closest piece to the glass currently is 7", which is to the left hand side just in front of the weir. There's not much I can really do about that as I can't go any further back without losing a load of planting space, which I need to hide the weir. That's also part of the biggest piece I have, the one which sticks out of the water the most. I can't really move that without messing everything up and starting again. Not happening 

I want to try and curve the wood round more, or at least use the rocks to create more of a semi circle from each front corner half way up the side, if you know what I mean? It's hard to get across in my terrible pictures how much depth there actually is. Although it is basically a straight line of wood, I've made loads of planting spaces between the front, middle and back pieces. I'm hoping once it's planted up you'll be able to see the perspective. I want to bank the sub up pretty steep as well, which should also help.

Don't worry, there'll be no hedges here  Beautiful ?!?! Pressures on then  




LfcFan1977 said:


> This is crackin'
> Really like the fact that you've put the glass together yourself. Test fill must have been a bit hairy. Have you done this before? Envious of anybody who can apply silicon neatly
> The lighting and the bracket/rig are very stylish and modern, lovely.
> The layout and shape of the wood is really striking.
> ...



Cheers mate, filling it up wasn't a problem. I was 100% fully confident it wouldn't leak or collapse through the floorboards  

Yeah it's the first time I've built a tank and was absolutely bricking it lol I had some help with the silicone work from screwfix. I paid about £12 I think it was, for what is basically a piece of plastic which you run round the silicone to give it a nice finish. I was annoyed at the price when I got it home, but well worth the money in hindsight, I couldn't have done it without it. All the joints should be 90 degrees/flat, but I over did it a bit and went for a 6mm chamfer just to be sure, first time and that.

Sure, I'll add some pics when I finally add the sub. I'm changing my mind all the time though, it will be cactus compost and either akadama or cat litter. I really don't like the colour of either though so I will probably change my mind again. It's only for behind the wood though so colour won't matter anyway will it?! Whatever I go for I'll be mixing it probably 70/30 ish then capping with just akadama/cat litter. I'm using a light coloured sand for the front.

I'm running a twin standpipe setup so the overflow should be as near to silent as I'm going to get. You can get gurgling and splashing when using a single pipe, and depending on how low your pipes are in the weir, you could get some noise from water dropping over the comb. I can't see a problem with the way I'm going to do things but I'll get some pics up and let you know how it goes.

As for hiding the weir, that's another thing I keep changing my mind over. I've always gone for black backgrounds on my tanks which would mean simply covering it with black perspex. I want to keep it more towards the natural side, but then I see these high tech scapes with white/grey backgrounds and I think they look stunning. My current idea which I think I'm sticking with, or at least trying, is using a medium window tint as the background with an led striplight mounted on the back of the tank. Without the light on it should look black, but with the light on, it will hopefully give me a nice sort of gradient from light down to dark. I'll obviously try it out before I fill the tank back up but fingers crossed should look ok. The only problem with this idea is that I'll have to re mount the light further back so you don't see the upright and so I have space for the light, and that the weir will still be visible. It would have to come down to the plants to actually hide it. I'm planning on going around 8" with the sub anyway so shouldn't be a problem I don't think.


----------



## Greenfinger2 (22 Jan 2015)

Hi NC10, Coming along nicely


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## NC10 (22 Jan 2015)

Cheers mate, it's doing my head in slightly now though 

I've spent the last few days trying to arrange slate paddle stones so I can separate the two subs. I must have spent about 5 hours plus just on two bits trying to get them looking nice and natural. I thought I was on to a winner until my other half walked in and said "I like the little 'walls' you've built" lol They're not walls!! 

Anyway, scrapped the paddle stones idea after that and I'm going to fetch some more wood. See if I can find a few bits which will do the same job as the rocks, so going wood only hard scape by the looks of it*


*subject to change


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## Greenfinger2 (22 Jan 2015)

Hi NC10, I like the sound of the paddle stones, I know what you mean sometimes it takes hours then you look and start over again 
Try and try again  
How about flat round river stones " My fav at the moment " Easy to get them looking good place some larger ones hear and there then fill in the spaces with smaller ones ???

My Wife says she has no Interest in my fish tanks " But she can always tell me what's wrong or it would look better like this or that

Funny thing is she is normally Right


----------



## NC10 (22 Jan 2015)

Greenfinger2 said:


> Hi NC10, I like the sound of the paddle stones, I know what you mean sometimes it takes hours then you look and start over again
> Try and try again
> How about flat round river stones " My fav at the moment " Easy to get them looking good place some larger ones hear and there then fill in the spaces with smaller ones ???
> 
> ...



I'm going to have one last play now  Edit: Scrap that, they're just too small, it's always going to look like the fish have had the builders in. I have some gritstone which I wasn't going to use, but I'm going to give this a quick clean up and see how I go with it.

I've just had a quick look on B&Q but not found any river stones, I'll have to look at the LFS or garden centre on my travels. Where did you get yours?

I did find >these< though which I'm liking 

I just don't need 400kg though  I'm wondering if I'll be able to buy them singular in store?


----------



## Alexander Belchenko (22 Jan 2015)

400 kg... Hmm, not bad for a "pico" tank as you said


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## NC10 (22 Jan 2015)

lol 

Nevermind the pico, I'm going wabi kusa jam jar style


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## Greenfinger2 (22 Jan 2015)

Hi NC10 ,

I like the look of the  grey gabion stones too  You may be able to buy less Than 400kg or Try the garden centre or landscape gardeners then you can buy as much or as little as you want 
I got mine from a local stream collected them off a small gravel bar  Took some time to sort them out though There in a 12" cube so i did not need that many 
But for your size tank it would take forever to collect enough 

Happy rock hunting


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## NC10 (22 Jan 2015)

Cheers greenfinger, I've just had a look at the river stones in your tank. TBH I think they're too small mate, unless I can find some bigger ones that is. I can't think off the top of my head if I've ever come across them in my local ish streams. I'll keep my eye out though 

I've just given the gritstone a quick bleach scrub and rinse, so I'll see how these look


----------



## Another Phil (22 Jan 2015)

Hi NC10,
Wickes do cobblestones which might be suitable;
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Cobblestones-Major-Bag/p/220130
although if it covers an area to a depth of 40mm I assume the average size is 40mm diameter.

cheers phil


----------



## NC10 (22 Jan 2015)

Cheers Phil, yes you'd have to assume 40mm, which would be too small really. 

I'll have to go and have a look for myself, see how big they actually are.


----------



## bluemoon280 (27 Jan 2015)

Hi, how's it going. Need an update on your tank. I got the 9000.  All set up and running. Sounds like a PC fan running. Lot higher pitch than other pumps. Much quieter to say it's over two times more powerful. The control is pretty nifty too.  Hope u got yours up n running


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## NC10 (27 Jan 2015)

Hi mate, glad you're happy with the pump. Have you got it wound down or full speed? I haven't played with mine since the last time I had water in the tank  Would you recommend it yourself?

No updates really, waiting on some mini landscape rock, or seiryu stone if you're posh, so I can finally get the scape finished. Just hope there's enough, doubt it though 

Still got the plumbing, background and substrate to do and I think that's it.

Struggling to decide on a background though, at this point I'm going with the usual black vinyl, need help or opinions really?!? I do have a back lit window tint type thing in my head but don't know wether to just keep it simple. I've also thought about grey as well, like I said, I need help 

I also have 2 of the LED fixtures as well so I'm thinking of adding the other to my hanger thing. The light from one soon disappeared into the depth of water. Once the tank is full it's going to be a pain adding more light if it's not enough, if I add both now, I can easily turn it down a notch if it turns out to be too much.

Edit: I also can't get altum angels out of my head


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## Mick.Dk (28 Jan 2015)

- None of us can get Altums out of our heads........but only few of us have the space (- no; stupid........space in the tank !!    ). They would be perfect for this sort of scape.


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## NC10 (28 Jan 2015)

Mick.Dk said:


> - None of us can get Altums out of our heads........but only few of us have the space (- no; stupid........space in the tank !!    ). They would be perfect for this sort of scape.



I'd love some Mick, just expensive when you want a shoal 

How many would you personally go for in this tank?


----------



## Mick.Dk (28 Jan 2015)

Personally I  NEVER EVER overstock my tanks ( breeding tanks excepted ) mostly because of the fish, but also because I find it "stress-full" to look at.
When I set up my own 800 l., I bought what I presumed to become "Peruvian Altum" (not an Altum; I know) as very young fish. I started out with 20, to ensure a few, good breeding pairs. Unfortunately they did not grow up to be the Peruvians, I once had and bred. Still have no idea, what variation they are - very tall fish, with long fins, a bit of the snout of Altums, but defenitely not the colours of my old Peruvians.
If you're after the interesting behaviour of adult Angels, 2 or maybe 3 pairs max. You will have to make a layout with natural "borders", when fish are paired, so each pair can establish their own territory.
In my experience, breeding is often easier, when pairs can stimulate eachother, by threatening nabour-pairs, instead of taking agressions out on eachother.


----------



## Mick.Dk (28 Jan 2015)

Oh - and just to clarify; I do not breed Altums........only  cultivars and natural variations of standard Pterophyllum scalare.
The socalled Peruvian Altum is a very beautifull variaty. Not as esy as standard scalare, but really not that difficult either. Same goes for breeding. Eggs are fewer, larvae and offspring smaller and slower growing. Therefore a little more pricy - just like the Black variety of Angels.


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## NC10 (28 Jan 2015)

Thanks for the info Mick.

I've also been looking at St Isabell's and I also saw some called "Dantums" in the LFS which looked stunning. They wouldn't have the same impact a few big Altums would make though would they.

I already have 4 angels which will be moving into this, 2 are a breeding pair and the other two are just good friends  although 1 does currently have fat belly and her "thing" is extended (can't remember what it's called) I love watching them though "interacting" . I didn't or don't buy fish to breed really, or go out of my way to get them to breed, but it's obviously a sign of a happy fish when they do, which I do go out of my way to do.

I've also got the discus to think about as well, I'm not the sort of person to just offload fish just because they don't fit in with my plans, so they'll also be moving in too. Would I really have room for say 4 or 5 Altums? Probably not for now. Maybe the Dantums or St Isabell's would be a better choice at this point in time, even then only a few, 5 max probably??


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## bluemoon280 (29 Jan 2015)

Hi, got if on full. I used to hear the hum of the aquamedic in my bedroom. I can't hear this one. 
I really like the idea of LEDs. So some pics of how you set them up, wiring etc would really be useful. 

My lfs has a shoal of Altums (ferrybridge aquatics). Look awesome. 

Post some pics of your sump and plumbing too. Really looking forward to seeing it. 
Cheers


----------



## NC10 (29 Jan 2015)

I've never been to ferrybridge, I'll go and have a look once this snows gone!

I'll get some pics up of everything once I've got it all sorted.

Cheers.


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## Ady34 (29 Jan 2015)

Love the wood, Angelfish will be great with it.
I love my angelfish, very personable fish, and like you i have four, a pair and two good friends 
Will look forward to the next stages and following its progression.


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## NC10 (29 Jan 2015)

Cheers @Ady34  Progress will be slow though 

I've only got Sunday this week to work on the tank. Plan is to get the front and side covered in matt white vinyl and put the background on. If anyone has any colour suggestions they would be much appreciated, other wise it's looking like the usual black. Although I've had another thought  White frosted window film and then black?? 

I've also got everything crossed that my new rock from @Daniel arrives by Saturday


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## naughtymoose (29 Jan 2015)

NC10, earlier in this thread you mentioned that you would need a bigger than 2Kg CO2. I'm going to be getting a 6kg/9L CO2 from Hobbyweld when I finally get sorted. I think it's £60 deposit and £30 refill or something like that.

I just googled Hobbyweld Sheffield and came up with SDL Minorfern.

Hope this helps.

Awesome wood arrangement BTW!


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## NC10 (29 Jan 2015)

Thanks for taking the time to do that mate, appreciated. 

I can get a new, or should I say a full 2nd hand, 5kg FE for less than £20 though. For the refills I'm looking at £10 to £15. So just for the extra kg it's not worth it really is it.


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## NC10 (28 Feb 2015)

I've been pretty busy lately so not much action really. Got the front covered in matte white and ended up going for my usual black background. I've had a play with the rock, but no doubt I'll be altering things 

Quick phone pic as it stands now.


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## Jay1 (3 Mar 2015)

Grand tank and setup, love the rocks and wood fella super!


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## NC10 (3 Mar 2015)

Cheers Jay


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## Lindy (3 Mar 2015)

maybe you should start soaking your wood


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## NC10 (3 Mar 2015)

ldcgroomer said:


> maybe you should start soaking your wood



Funny you should say that, we were only talking about it last night. Can't belive how stupid I've been, it could have been soaking all this time 

My plumbings due tomorrow so there's no point filling until that's done as I'll have to move the tank. I can't see me getting any sub in this weekend so I'll get it filled back up once that's done.


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## Piece-of-fish (4 Mar 2015)

Very beautiful design. This wood looks like dense enough not needing soaking.
whats the plan for planting?


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## NC10 (4 Mar 2015)

Piece-of-fish said:


> Very beautiful design. This wood looks like dense enough not needing soaking.
> whats the plan for planting?



Cheers mate. No the soakings not for floating, it's to get rid of the tannins.

Plan for planting is a few swords 

I'm not buying anymore now though, I might find myself at Echinodorus Anonymous. This is what I have in my current tank waiting to go in:

Echinodorus Grandiflorus Aureus
Echinodorus radicans
Echinodorus uraguayensis
Echinodorus martii
Echinodorus bleheri
Echinodorus rose
Echinodurus cordifolius
Echinodorus tricolour
Echinodorus green flame
Echinodurus Harbich
Echinodorus red devil
Echinodorus Quadricostatus
Echinodorus xinguensi
Echinodorus Tenellus

I have some MC as well which will be going in to carpet the front. I've ditched adding the Java moss I have and still deciding on if to put any fern in.


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## NC10 (4 Mar 2015)

The plumbing has arrived. This little lot cost more than half of what I paid for the tank 

Luckily the original tank connectors were still on, otherwise the plumbing would have been more expensive than the tank. Ridiculous 





Edit: Ordered a load more plumbing. I had to re-route one of the overflows and while I was throwing all this money at cheap injection moulded plastic, I decided I may as well hard plumb the second Co2 pump. Cheap plastic plumbing parts now cost more than the tank


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## NC10 (6 Apr 2015)

Quick update. Tank is finally planted!! 

I managed to get the dimmer working so lighting has been wound back until I sort the Co2 out.

3 bags of cactus compost and 6 bags of Tesco cat litter were used for the sub.

I'm redoing the single outlet to a spraybar across the back. Flows good but it's blowing a hole in the sand.

Got a few holes in the rocks I need to plug.

2 of the discus have paired up and laid eggs.

3 new discus additions, 2 x altum flora and 1 x thunder snakeskin.

I think that's the main bits, I'll do a proper update when things have settled down a bit, the co2s in and the plants have grown a little!


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## NC10 (6 Apr 2015)

*Updated specs:  6/4/*15

*Tank* - Aquarium connections 60" x 30" x 28" - euro braced front & rear, 15mm, optiwhite front and sides. Mitred corners. Internal weir with 2 x 40mm overflows and 1 x 25mm return. 825 litres.

*Lighting* - Dimmable 100w 280 led factory fitting on custom/DIY stand. 5500k. 

*Heating* - Eheim & JBL 300w heaters supplied via an STC-1000

*Return pump* - Jebao DC 9000

*Filter/sump* - 2 x connected sumps. First sump holds coarse, medium and fine foam, purigen, ceramic, matrix and k3 media. Second sump houses the heaters and return pump.

*Co2* - 2kg Fire extinguisher with dual stage regulator, Up inline diffuser supplying DIY 20" reactor filled with K3, fed on its own timed return by a D-D H2ocean 2000 pump.

*Substrate* - 6 bags of Tesco cat litter and 3 bags of B&Q cactus compost mix for main planting area. Generic aquarium sand for front.

*Hardscape* - Bogwood and mini landscape rock.

*Potions* - Easylife Profito

*Flora:*

Java Fern/Java Fern Narrow
Echinodorus rose
Echinodorus bleheri
Echinodorus radicans
Echinodorus tricolour
Echinodorus xinguensi
Echinodurus cordifolius
Echinodorus Tenellus
Echinodurus Harbich
Echinodorus red devil
Echinodorus green flame
Echinodorus martii
Echinodorus uraguayensis
Echinodorus Quadricostatus
Echinodorus Grandiflorus Aureus

*Fauna:*

2 x Leopard Frog Plecs L134
4 x Zebra Angels
6 x Checkerboard Pigeon Blood Discus
2 x Altum Flora Discus
1 x Thunder Snakeskin Discus
2 x Amano Shrimp


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## Dantrasy (6 Apr 2015)

The dw turned out fantastic!


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## NC10 (6 Apr 2015)

Cheers mate


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## Jose (6 Apr 2015)

Discus look lovely. Quite subtle and not too colourful. Good job!
Most people just get one blue, one red, one yellow etc which makes it look unnatural.Not your case.


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## NC10 (6 Apr 2015)

Cheers mate, I'm pretty happy with all of it so far. As always though, my photography skills are seriously letting it down. If anyone who knows what they're doing happens to be passing Sheffield with a camera, then there's plenty of tea and biscuits, or beer and peanuts () in it for you 

I have given in slightly though with my new arrivals, 3 blue/turquoise. That's it now though as far as discus are concerned, just some corys I think? (still need a couple of 134's) They're still pretty bright as well imo, they should get a lot redder and not so yellowy, orangey, white, so you saying they already look subtle is 

Just tried to get a couple of phone fish shots   Best I could manage 

New Altum flora:






New Thunder Snakeskin. I love this little fella/lass. I originally wanted 3 Altum Floras, but he only had 2 left when I got there. As soon as I saw this I wanted it. Stupid price but love him/her. As always, photo skills doing some damage, really stunning in real life:



 

Third in charge as far as the pigeon bloods go:



 

  One new Flora & Thunder:



 

All 9 together. The new Altum Flora's jumped straight in with the rest, no messing around. The Thunder Snakeskin was a lot more timid. He was sulking behind the wood for a few hours but now part of the family.


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## Andy Thurston (7 Apr 2015)

that last pic looks pretty good to me.
it does help to take tank pics in a dark room to avoid reflections though. what camera are you using


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## Greenfinger2 (7 Apr 2015)

Hi NC, Wondeful Scape Love the DW  Nice fish too


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## NC10 (7 Apr 2015)

Big clown said:


> that last pic looks pretty good to me.
> it does help to take tank pics in a dark room to avoid reflections though. what camera are you using



They're all just phone photos up to now. My son has a fuji bridge camera which I keep having a play with, but can't seem to find the right settings. I'll keep giving it a go anyway, sure I'll get there in the end. 

I think I might have to knock some sort of hood up as well to enclose the light. White walls and open top tank equals one pretty bright room 



Greenfinger2 said:


> Hi NC, Wondeful Scape Love the DW  Nice fish too



Cheers mate


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## Jose (7 Apr 2015)

Are you using RO or tap?


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## NC10 (7 Apr 2015)

Just tapwater and prime mate. I did think about getting an HMA filter, but with everything going as it is there's not much point really is there? I don't really want to start messing around with RO though.

I was told I may have trouble getting the discus eggs to hatch in my tap water, it may be too hard at around ph7. The breeder I bought the first discus from just used treated tap water, not sure what the ph is around Birmingham though. TBH I'm not going all out to breed them anyway, I just see it as a sign that they're happy. If I do get some wrigglers then that's a bonus


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## Jose (7 Apr 2015)

You might get some wigglers. Your water seems fine. I was asking cause here in Salisbury ph is 8.2ish. But you are much more lucky.

Its not really only ph but also kh which matters. But you dont need to worry. Just keep water clean and keep using prime.


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## NC10 (7 Apr 2015)

8.2 

I'm going to check mine again now just to make sure lol I haven't checked it for months


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## NC10 (7 Apr 2015)

Looks like it's crept up. I'm off to order a ph meter, stop messing around with this dodgy test kit


----------



## NC10 (7 Apr 2015)

ph and TDS meter ordered  

I've just wasted an entire afternoon off building a perspex cover to reduce evaporation 

I'm losing around 4-6 litres a day so thought it was a good idea, only for my Mrs to walk in and say "how are the plants going to grow out of the water?". Yes, good point 

It's staying for now anyway


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## sciencefiction (7 Apr 2015)

The tank looks class! Well done. I am so jealous


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## NC10 (7 Apr 2015)

Cheers mate, appreciated 

If I can get the plants up and out like some of the pics I've seen in the past from your setup, then we're laughing


----------



## NC10 (9 Apr 2015)

Last update for a bit. I've noticed the plants seem to be throwing loads of new leaves out compared to the other setup they were in, so I've decided to give Easycarbo a go for now. 

I've just ordered a 1 litre bottle which gives me 2 months supply. Depending on results, I'll either stick with it and sort a dosing pump out, or fire the reactor up and go back to the original plan.

See you in 2 months 

Thanks for reading


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## Jose (9 Apr 2015)

Just a tip: I wouldnt recommend a dosing pump for glut with discus, unless you really really know what youre doing. Things normally go wrong and think of the money thats inside that tank. I would keep things very simple. Good luck!


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## NC10 (9 Apr 2015)

Cheers Jose, I'll have a think about that


----------



## NC10 (10 Apr 2015)

NC10 said:


> ph and TDS meter ordered



Tank TDS 328

Tap water TDS 232

pH 7.3


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## NC10 (10 Apr 2015)

No apologies for the photos you are about to see, if you're easily offended, please look away  

I just wanted to share current happenings in the tank. Synchronised egg laying 

There must be around 8" between them


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## luckyjim (11 Apr 2015)

Awesome. What wonderful fish.


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## NC10 (11 Apr 2015)

Cheers mate 

I bought the discus at 8 weeks old and have grown them on myself, so to see them pair up and lay is fantastic.


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## REDSTEVEO (12 Apr 2015)

NC10 said:


> Tank TDS 328
> 
> Tap water TDS 232
> 
> pH 7.3


Hi NC10 great to see the discus spawning, what is the TDS At the time of spawning? 
Steve


----------



## NC10 (12 Apr 2015)

Cheers Steve, I took the TDS above the pics just before I posted it, and they were laying around half 6ish the same day.

Your quote is as it is, TDS 328.


----------



## REDSTEVEO (13 Apr 2015)

Cheers, the only reason I asked is because I thought the TDS was similar to the microsiemens (electrical conductivity) - salt concentration in the water. So the higher the microsiemens (TDS) the less chance the is of the eggs hatching. That is one mighty clutch of eggs on that boxwood, did they all go white and fluffy?

Steve


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## NC10 (13 Apr 2015)

No they all stayed nice and healthy. The first batch lasted a lot longer though, these were gone for about 11 o'clock the next morning. I showed a breeder a picture of their first lot and he was surprised by the amount, to say it was their first time.


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## NC10 (26 Apr 2015)

bluemoon280 said:


> My lfs has a shoal of Altums (ferrybridge aquatics). Look awesome.



I finally made it to Ferrybridge today. Decent shop and some nice fish, picked up 4 wild L134's. Bloke who dealt with us was nice too, showed us round and that, think it was the owner, had his son working their anyway. Now on my "visit regularly" list


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## NC10 (13 May 2015)

I'm fed up of waiting for the plants now so it's time to bring out the big guns 

TBH I can't say I've noticed any difference between using liquid carbon and not.

Instead of a separate pump, I've decided to run it off my current pump. I'm only using it on speed 4 so I'll crank it up to max and then just divert through the reactor until I'm back as I was.

This is it anyway. It's got 2 taps so I can isolate the reactor and the ball valve to adjust the flow through it. It will just plumb into the existing 25mm return.






I've just managed to get hold of a brand new posh chrome 5kg FE as well for £25 

It will more than likely be next weekend though when I can get everything plumbed in and running


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## aaron.c (30 May 2015)

Looks awesome! Is it running now


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## NC10 (31 May 2015)

aaron.c said:


> Looks awesome! Is it running now



Yes mate, all up and running. No pics though so don't get too excited 

Co2's been on 2 weeks now, upped the light quite a bit and no algae so all good. Hopefully the plants will realise soon and kick into action  Some plants are really well rooted so should take off now, but some seem to be slow to anchor down. 

Reactor works a treat, 100% dissolution (if that's the right word?) and a 1ph drop. A billion bubbles per second for all the BPS geeks  

The cat litter has been a nightmare and should be left for the sole use of cats using it as a toilet! 

I'm also siphoning out the sand on the weekly water change, I'm going back to the black basalt I had in the other tank and throwing some MC in. Sand should be left on the beach! 

I've had an outbreak of snails as well, no idea where they have come from. I've not introduced anything new, everything is from the old tank. Unless snails can hitch hike on fish, that's the only explanation 

I'll get pics up once its actually worth taking a pic of


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## Vinkenoog1977 (31 May 2015)

Getting curious! And as far as the attack of the snails, get some assassins (Anentome Helena), they should sort that out in no time.


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## NC10 (31 May 2015)

Vinkenoog1977 said:


> Getting curious! And as far as the attack of the snails, get some assassins (Anentome Helena), they should sort that out in no time.



I did think of assassins, but at this moment I'm not going to bother. They're around 3mm in size and never get any bigger, so as long as they don't turn into plant munching monsters I'll sort them out eventually, or find the root cause at least. @Big clown mentioned over feeding and decaying plant matter so will try and sort this out first.


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## NC10 (7 Jun 2015)

Quick phone pic update.

I removed the rest of the sand yesterday, put the black basalt in and planted some MC. The plain sand foreground just wasn't doing it for me.

I plugged some more holes in the rock so hopefully I've finally stopped the cat litter pouring out.

Still need some magdalensis to fill the front gaps where you can see the cat litter.

The plants are starting to show signs of life now as well, which is good 

The white dots everywhere are obviously the snails.

Not a great picture but gives you a vague idea


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## Greenfinger2 (7 Jun 2015)

Hi NC10 Looking good


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## NC10 (7 Jun 2015)

Cheers Roy, slowly getting there


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## Greenfinger2 (7 Jun 2015)

Hi NC10 , If you want to get rid of the snails in your tank get some assassin snails They work wonders after a bit of time


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## banthaman.jm (7 Jun 2015)

Tank is looking fantastic.
Jim


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## GDM (22 Jun 2015)

NC10 said:


> Just tapwater and prime mate. I did think about getting an HMA filter, but with everything going as it is there's not much point really is there? I don't really want to start messing around with RO though.
> 
> I was told I may have trouble getting the discus eggs to hatch in my tap water, it may be too hard at around ph7. The breeder I bought the first discus from just used treated tap water, not sure what the ph is around Birmingham though. TBH I'm not going all out to breed them anyway, I just see it as a sign that they're happy. If I do get some wrigglers then that's a bonus



Simon H?

Where are the Altum Floras from, the one in the centre of the photograph has coloured up a treat!?!


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## Tim Harrison (22 Jun 2015)

Nice, and those fish look very happy...as for the snails try this...http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/snails-invasion.36137/#post-395496


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## NC10 (22 Jun 2015)

GDM said:


> Simon H?
> 
> Where are the Altum Floras from, the one in the centre of the photograph has coloured up a treat!?!



No mate. If I remember right, Simon is East Midlands discus, or the bloke who sells on aquarist classifieds. If I am right then the altums and snakeskin are actually from him, but via a middle man.

The one you mentioned is absolutely flying. These phone pics are around 2 weeks old now, but show the difference between the 2 a bit clearer:













I made the biggest schoolboy error of all time though by not quarantining them so they didn't have the best of starts really. I ended up losing 3 of the pigeons over it anyway, which I wasn't too happy about. The 2 smallest died but I also lost the female of the breeding pair. Pretty gutted, especially since I've raised them from 8 weeks old 




Troi said:


> Nice, and those fish look very happy...as for the snails try this...http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/snails-invasion.36137/#post-395496



Cheers Troi. I'll have a read through that as well, thanks.


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## NC10 (24 Jun 2015)

The "new" pair are at it already, it's as if I know what I'm doing 

He's eating them as fast as she lays them though, he doesn't seem too impressed by her choice of site. She's laying them on a leaf whereas he's cleaning off his old stomping ground on the wood 

After he's eaten the eggs, he sort of head butts the leaf then slams himself through it. I'm not sure if he's trying to destroy the leaf, or if that's just discus talk for "have a word with yourself love"


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## NC10 (17 Jan 2016)

Quick phone pic update to prove this still exists 

Since the last update I've been working away constantly, so the tank has been running super low tech (neglected )

I managed to spend quite a few hours on it today, clean the filters, pull some plants which weren't doing too well, rearrange a few plants etc etc

The discus are still breeding, everyone's happy, so all good 

I planted some Java Fern on the rocks to try and bring the green towards the front and also planted some glosso in the sub. I already have MC in the sub but it just isn't doing anything. Maybe the light, Co2, or the temp, not sure. It's well rooted though, just slow. Anyway.....



 

Any ideas to make it look a bit more "special" appreciated


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## NC10 (18 Jan 2016)

Bit of a better pic now the water has cleared up:


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## Martin in Holland (19 Jan 2016)

It's a bit flat now, maybe open the right sight up by moving the swards to the left side and even remove that last piece of wood. You could add a water lily to the left (back) and let it's leaves reach the surface....just my 10c


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## NC10 (19 Jan 2016)

Cheers martin.

Agree with the flatness. That's all the bleheri. I do have uraguayensis, grandifloras and radicans at the back which should be up and out by now, but they're just shaded a bit by the wood.

I've already been thinking about this and have 2 options. Pull them and temporarily plant them at the front in brighter light, to give them a kick up the backside, or add a 39w T5 to the rear of the tank.

I'm thinking the extra T5 would be the better option. If I just pulled then replanted, the newer leaves would still be in shade, so back to the original problem.

I'll have look at water lilies when I get back tonight.

Cheers.


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## LfcFan1977 (19 Jan 2016)

Could some of the flatness we are seeing be the angle of the photograph and the camera adjusting to because of the light above? The June picture angle is better. Is the room lit in the last shot?

Can the lights be angled, moved front to back or in height? I thought you had shown us or talked about the stand but after having a quick skim back through, didn't see anything.

Maybe spots at the rear instead of tubes.


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## NC10 (19 Jan 2016)

It could be, I'll get a photo from the same angle as June, but I do understand what he means. Like Mick Dk mentioned somewhere else in the thread about creating a hedge. Once the big swords round the back kick in, it should look a bit better, but me sat here now looking at it, I'm not thinking OMG look how flat that is, it looks OK. I don't want OK though 

To angle the light I can just move the nut up on down on the bolts either at the front or back. No need for height adjustment really as its dimmable. Could be done though if needed. What I can't do though without buying more ali angle, is backwards and forwards.

I've already got the things needed to put a 39w T5 on, so didn't see much point doing anything else really. I'm building a hood for on a day to day basis so this will hide it anyway. I lose around 8 litres a day evaporation so need to do something about it.


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## NC10 (19 Jan 2016)

Martin in China said:


> You could add a water lily to the left (back) and let it's leaves reach the surface.



Order in, not sure if I may have a few issues though


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## Martin in Holland (20 Jan 2016)

Neaaahhh...just go ahead, put the baby on a leave


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## Greenfinger2 (20 Jan 2016)

Hi Is the baby's name lily


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## NC10 (24 Jan 2016)

I just found some scrap Perspex so had an idea. Why don't I make a "mini episode" with no filtration or heating especially suited to a Siamese fighting fish...........





......of course not 

It's a little plant pot on stilts 





I've just planted it with uraguyensis and radicans, so hopefully they'll kick into life now they're out of the shadows. If it does work I'll buy some more Perspex and I think I'll make one long trough along the back to plant up.

Since the photo was taken I've drilled holes in every side apart from the black front side. It's hidden by the wood anyway on full frontal, but when looking at from the side you only notice the clear sides, obviously I'll just use black if I make a full length version.


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