# Superfish Scaper Tanks



## jameson_uk

Just noticed these tanks (45/60/90 cm) pop up and wondered if anyone has seen these in the flesh?
Seem reasonable value and comes with an LED light, HOB, foam underlay, background foil and some Columbo ferts / carbon (the 45cm seems to be ~ £110).
They are apparently made of "Crystal Clear" glass 🤔 Not sure if this is just glass you can see through  or whether this is actually good low iron stuff.
The LED has a D energy rating which seems a bit odd but it does give a PAR rating.


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## Wolf6

Interesting, sounds good on paper!


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## mort

I've not seen one of these in the flesh but used to sell a lot of superfish tanks when I was in the shop and unless things have changed since then I'd expect it to be a good build quality and reliable. They were very well made and no one seemed to have any problems with their products.


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## castle

Just taken a look at these tanks (online) and I think they look quite good!


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## RudeDogg1

They sell them in maiden head aquatics they do one very similar to my aqua one aquanano


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## James L

I bought a 45 a couple of weeks ago as a holding tank for fish and plants. The LED lighting appears to be very good, it produces a lot of light, I'd say as much as my Twinstar 600EA (obviously different sized light units) - some Ambulia / Limnophila I transferred across to the tank is a lot bushier than its growing in my Twinstar-lit tank. The glass does appear to be good quality low iron stuff. The hang-on filter is a bit basic, but does the job, although I'll probably end up changing the filter media for something different. Maidenhead Aquatics have them on sale at the moment and are 10% cheaper than Pro-Shrimp.


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## Maurits

My Superfish Scaper 90. 10 days old


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## jameson_uk

Maurits said:


> My Superfish Scaper 90. 10 days old


Happy with it? Are you using the filter that came with it or another one?


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## Maurits

I am indeed really happy with this tank, Have replaced the filter for a SF eco 120 filter to generate more flow.  Light is spot on as you can see on he growth of the plants.


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## jameson_uk

Maurits said:


> I am indeed really happy with this tank, Have replaced the filter for a SF eco 120 filter to generate more flow.  Light is spot on as you can see on he growth of the plants.


I would probably not use the filter either but I am interested in whether it could be repurposed for another tank I have.   
It is hard to tell from photos as to whether you could use with filter without using their filter cartridges, does this look possible or perhaps even filling the cartridges with your own media?


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## Maurits

With a bit of Diy you can use different media, I am more flexible with the nano external though


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## dw1305

Hi all,


jameson_uk said:


> whether you could use with filter without using their filter cartridges


I don't know with these, the the <"Eheim Liberty HoB filters">  come  with a set of different foam filter cartridges that you are meant to replace regularly etc. I just took them out, put a foam  block on the filter intake and  <"filled the body up with sintered glass rings">.

This was the first foam I DIYed, but I used 30ppi foam and I got fed up with cleaning it fairly quickly.





cheers Darrel


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## jameson_uk

dw1305 said:


> I don't know with these, the the "> come with a set of different foam filter cartridges that you are meant to replace regularly etc. I Justin took them out, put a foam block on the filter intake



These cartridges look to be part of the plumbing inside the filter. I can't quite work it out but it looks like the inlet pipework comes up to the top of the HOB and is then meant to go into the cartridges. I presume other HOBs have water enter the chamber at the bottom.


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## jameson_uk

Maurits said:


> Light is spot on as you can see on he growth of the plants.





James L said:


> The LED lighting appears to be very good, it produces a lot of light



Is the light dimmable? Presumably it is on a standard plug so can easily be put on a timer?


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## PM_ME_YOUR_NEONS

I've seen these tanks popup also and taken an interest in them because overall i've never been disappointed by the quality of SF (considering the price). Considering their price tags i'm very tempted, perhaps as farm tank or holding tank. Hard to find much information about them or good pictures on the internet. Don't think they're dimmable but maybe SF will provide a seperate dimmer in the future? I know they have them for the retroLED bars. 

@Maurits, would you happen to have more pictures of the tank/hardware itself?


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## jameson_uk

PM_ME_YOUR_NEONS said:


> Don't think they're dimmable but maybe SF will provide a seperate dimmer in the future? I know they have them for the retroLED bars.



I emailed Pro-Shrimp and they contacted SF and 


> The item that is needed to control the scapers light is the SUPERFISH RETRO LED PLUS CONTROLLER A4020605 £24.99


So there is a controller already but ISTR that some other similar lights (AquaEl?) are wired in such a way that you can't use a standard external timer


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## AverageWhiteBloke

Strange, on the maidenhead a site it say. "

Dimmable LED light, operated with or finger touch


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## AverageWhiteBloke




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## PM_ME_YOUR_NEONS

@jameson_uk Thank you for sharing that knowledge, that's good news actually, i think i might pick up one now! also, as @AverageWhiteBloke just posted, the guy in the video states (around 4:55) that the packaging says that the lighting is suitable to use with a timer.

The only downside with the lighting, i think, is that the brand SF is stated so obviously on the clear stands of the lighting fixture.


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## AverageWhiteBloke

Maybe it means to light is dimmable....if you buy an extra dimming kit (not supplied)


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## rubadudbdub

AverageWhiteBloke said:


> Strange, on the maidenhead a site it say. "
> 
> Dimmable LED light, operated with or finger touch


The Home series of superfish tanks work like this.  Maybe it's the same?  On the home tanks you press the light button and it ramps up to full light over 20 seconds or so. Each successive press steps the light down by 25%.  There are blue lights which do the same, but only two steps. You can use a timer on the home tanks, but it defaults to fully on.


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## Regent

I have two of these waiting to setup.
You need an external dimmer but they work very well with the cheap eBay s2-pro.
The external filter is a silly design, I'm still considering how to modify it to not use the cartridge. Basically it pumps water upto the top of the plumbed cartridge and then back down before flowing out through the cartridge and over the waterfall. I may just ditch them and use air driven corner hmfs.

In general I'm quite impressed, I got them on a blackfriday deal so lights and filters were essentially free. The silicon is neat and the optiwhite looks nice. I do however need to make covers. One actually arrived with a chipped corner so I got a third free to use as a terrarium though I wouldn't trust it with water.


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## Big G

Regent said:


> I do however need to make covers.


I’m really thinking very seriously about buying one of these this week but I too would like a glass cover (which say, the Dennerle Scapers Tank comes with.) Straight forward enough for a glazier I guess except for the fact that the brackets for the lights appear to sit either side of the glass. Is the solution to use cover glass brackets and make the cover glass 1mm smaller all the way round to allow for the bracket to slip between the glass edge and coverglass?

You'll have to forgive me asking such a question, I’m not great at trying to solve these issues and there’s going to be something I’ve missed.

Grateful if you could tell/show me/us how you solved this one.

Many thanks

Bg


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## Regent

You can get glass brackets on ebay/Amazon, I used this solution on an old tank with a sheet of perspex. There are a couple of other options I'm aware of.
One us to have a net/mesh top made, I've seen these on reef tanks.
MD aquatics uses twinwall polycarbonate roof sheets from the local DIY shed, cheap and simple to cut a home, likely what I'll do at first...


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## Big G

Regent said:


> You can get glass brackets on ebay/Amazon, I used this solution on an old tank with a sheet of perspex. There are a couple of other options I'm aware of.
> One us to have a net/mesh top made, I've seen these on reef tanks.
> MD aquatics uses twinwall polycarbonate roof sheets from the local DIY shed, cheap and simple to cut a home, likely what I'll do at first...


Many thanks. Any chance of posting a close up of the lighting stand where it sits on the tank? It’s the way it appears to sit on the tank edge that I can’t quite make out. All of those solutions sound good.

cheers

Bg


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## Regent




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## Regent

Hope that helps, just dealing with a filter on a different tank entraining air but if you want any more info let me know!


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## Big G

Regent said:


> Hope that helps, just dealing with a filter on a different tank entraining air but if you want any more info let me know!


Thank you very much. That is so very helpful. I’m extremely grateful.

All the best

BigG


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## dw1305

Hi all, 


Regent said:


> MD aquatics uses twinwall polycarbonate roof sheets from the local DIY shed, cheap and simple to cut a home, likely what I'll do at first...


<"I like these">. They aren't as good as glass sliders but they are perfectly adequate and a lot easier to work with.

cheers Darrel


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## Big G

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> <"I like these">. They aren't as good as glass sliders but they are perfectly adequate and a lot easier to work with.
> 
> cheers Darrel


I *think* I’m getting what you’ve got going on there in the lab Darrel. I get the idea of using a twin-skinned polycarbonate sheet but can’t really make out how you’ve got it resting on the tank rim. For sure, easy to work with using a scalpel or craft knife.

Also, (and I will read the thread surrounding the thread you link to which almost certainly has the answer therein after my next coffee)... does not the propagation of light from a point source get absorbed by the polycarbonate material to some extent?
I used to work in film and tv on the camera side - using not dissimilar materials to diffuse light (or occasionally polarise it) was not uncommon but at the cost of some final output at the exposure before being compensated for. I guess its all relative as providing you’re not operating at full blast for 16 hrs a day, and not getting plant health, it’s just a question of relativity. Without wishing to open up a further tangent - I imagine that floaters have a similar affect.

All the best

Bg


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## dw1305

Hi all,


Big G said:


> I get the idea of using a twin-skinned polycarbonate sheet but can’t really make out how you’ve got it resting on the tank rim.


In this case there is just a wooden bead on the inside of the lid. You can flex the polycarbonate enough to wedge it firmly in place above the bar. Most of my tanks have bracing bars so I just rest it on there normally. 


Big G said:


> does not the propagation of light from a point source get absorbed by the polycarbonate material to some extent?


Yes it definitely will, @oreo57 is the person equipped to give you a more definitive answer.

cheers Darrel


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## oreo57

Big G said:


> I *think* I’m getting what you’ve got going on there in the lab Darrel. I get the idea of using a twin-skinned polycarbonate sheet but can’t really make out how you’ve got it resting on the tank rim. For sure, easy to work with using a scalpel or craft knife.
> 
> Also, (and I will read the thread surrounding the thread you link to which almost certainly has the answer therein after my next coffee)... does not the propagation of light from a point source get absorbed by the polycarbonate material to some extent?
> 
> 
> All the best
> 
> Bg


Twin wall policarbonate can cut out about 20% of the par. As to minor things like changing the angle if the light, nit really considered but the par measurements account for it anyways,
As to spectrum attenuation, pretty even till you get in the violet range.

Covers like egg crate can have a more pronounced lensing effect on point vs diffuse
light sources.


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## Big G

oreo57 said:


> Twin wall policarbonate can cut out about 20% of the par. As to minor things like changing the angle if the light, nit really considered but the par measurements account for it anyways,
> As to spectrum attenuation, pretty even till you get in the violet range.
> 
> Covers like egg crate can have a more pronounced lensing effect on point vs diffuse
> light sources.


Thanks Oreo.

Interesting (to me)that photo-inhibition from even multi-walled polycarbonate isn’t as bad as I might have imagined.

An adjustable output light source would more than compensate for those losses at a given tank balance.

The specs on the supllied lighting unit put the output in PAR in the hundreds. I can’t ever imagine needing more than 50% of that, even in a high energy set up and much less in low- medium energy.  (Based on my limited experience of plant growth from a roughly 60 PAR light source )The dimmer module is going to be an important purchase or some fairly opaque cover material. Baking paper anyone?

Can anyone confirm if these dimmer units come in at preset dimming levels when used in combination with a timer?

Somewhere down the line HDR will find its way into intelligent tank lighting and then it gets very interesting.

All the best

Bg


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## Regent

Hi you have alot of flexibility with the S2 pro..
Hinterfield aka s2pro
S2 pro


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## Regent

The bigger question for me is do I try and reuse the HOB filters, which I think I can modify so water runs down through sponges then back up through bio media. See photos.

Or do I just fit an HMF which appears essentially maintenance free and keeps everything in the tank.


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## Regent




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## Regent

Currently water is pumped in then pushed down through the thin end of the sponge. One of the worst designs I've seen.
I'm thinking by fitting a divider after the first cassette then I could push water down through a stack of sponges as a prefilter and then back up through bio media.

I think fitting corner hmfs would be no harder, cheaper to run and maintain and would hide shearer better!


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## dw1305

Hi all,


Regent said:


> The bigger question for me is do I try and reuse the HOB filters, which I think I can modify so water runs down through sponges then back up through bio media.


I've not had exactly this design of HOB, but could you <"not use the internal cartridge?">. I'm a HOB fan and if I go back to having a suitable tank I'll start using my Eheim Liberty HOB again.


Regent said:


> I think fitting corner hmfs would be no harder, cheaper to run and maintain


I'm a fan of these <"corner (Eck) HMFs"> as well. I'd definitely get the Czech style air-lifts. <"Envobee Shrimp"> on eBay sell the sponges and airlifters in the UK.

Have a look at Stephan Tanner's  (owner <"Swiss Tropicals"> in the USA) comments on <"Biofiltration">.

cheers Darrel


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## jameson_uk

dw1305 said:


> I'm a fan of these /www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/low-maintenance-aquarium.58199/page-2#post-568923']corner (Eck) HMFs[/URL]"> as well. I'd definitely get the Czech style air-lifts. /www.ebay.co.uk/str/Envobee-Shrimp?_trksid=p2047675.l2563']Envobee Shrimp[/URL]"> on eBay sell the sponges and airlifters in the UK.



I have one in my hospital / grow out / quarantine tank. I originally did plan on using the same if I for one of these tanks but the bodge job I have done in this tank isn't exactly pleasing to look at 




Reminds me this tank really needs a bit of maintenance...

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk


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## Maurits




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## Maurits

Afternoon, apologies, noted my name was mentioned. My work week has been dominated by Brexit.

Right, to answer all the questions.

The Scaper 90 has a different light as the normal SuperFish tanks, it's an 'Overtank fixture' witch acrylic fixings. par rating is 269 . Within the SuperFish range, you can buy a timer with a sunset/ down feature however I am using an inline dimmable timer bought online. lights are on at 07:00 ramping up from 1% to 100 % over a 5 hour period, full steam till 6 and ramping down from 100 % back to 0% at 11 pm. purely to avoid algae.

O am not using the supplied hang-on filter, purely as this tank is in our living room and I didn't like the looks. I am using a 100 litre per hour external filter, guess the brand. Co2 is provided from 10 am till 7 pm using the New Colombo Co2 unit, if you got access to it why not using it .

As you can see on the picture my choice of Fish is limited to 'Non' jumpers as I am not using any covering.

If there are any more questions please feel free to ask.

Ps. Nat has done a lovely review earlier this week


Maurits


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## Regent

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I've not had exactly this design of HOB, but could you <"not use the internal cartridge?">. I'm a HOB fan and if I go back to having a suitable tank I'll start using my Eheim Liberty HOB again.


Yes, I think that'd be doable, though I'd need to modify the cartridge as otherwise the water would bypass the media towards the bottom.

Yes, I was looking a a corner hmf. I kind of like the keep everything in the tank approach. It'd also allow a more secure lid! Envrobee is just down the road from me.


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## Regent

Maurits said:


> View attachment 160253


Growth looks great, I can only hope to achieve something like that


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## PM_ME_YOUR_NEONS

Maurits said:


> Within the SuperFish range, you can buy a timer with a sunset/ down feature however I am using an inline dimmable timer bought online.
> 
> O am not using the supplied hang-on filter, purely as this tank is in our living room and I didn't like the looks. I am using a 100 litre per hour external filter, guess the brand. Co2 is provided from 10 am till 7 pm using the New Colombo Co2 unit, if you got access to it why not using it .


@Maurits, thank you for the information, appreciate it. Thanks for the link to the youtube video it's really well done, exactly what i was waiting for. Also, could you perhaps let me know which dimmer you've purchased?

Referring to the co2 unit, is this the metal cilinder with the 'bio co2'? I've seen it pop up but it felt kind of expensive, i've seen almost (if not) exactly the same ones on certain chinese ecommerce sites but for a lot less. Are you happy with it?


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## Maurits

@PM_ME_YOUR_NEONS Within the Superfish range you can buy an inline timer with a sunset and sunrise setting ( 10 minutes ), If you want to have a longer sunset and sundown period you need to look online, there are a few options., with reference to the Co2 unit, you're correct. Please bear in mind that you buy a complete unit including all needed accessories, a glass diffuser, bubble counter, a fine-tune regulate and last but not least a Solinoid valve as well. Long term this unit is a cheaper option as the with one pack of ingredients you can easily do anything between four and six months. And personally, this is a much safer to use the unit, If you need to refill the ingredients you have around 5 to 10 minutes before pressure builds up, all other Co2 units I know is instant pressure and I have never felt comfortable using them.


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## PM_ME_YOUR_NEONS

@Maurits, thank you for the reply and info. Concerning the co2 unit, yes that makes sense actually. I Guess it's priced reasonably then. I assume you mean the bio co2 lasts 4-6months with the 3 packets that come in the refill? I'm contemplating buying this for a next nano tank but i think i will get another 'regular' pressurized system since i can buy it for less, around 130 euros including 500gr bottle, diffusor & bubble counter, regulator & solenoid valve. Only problem for me is getting the bottles refilled, bit of a drive.


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## CalRed

Ive had the scaper 90 for around a month now. Strange they sell it with a HOB filter and such an intense light.
Does anybody know where I can find something to reduce the intensity?
All ive found online are the initial dimmers that last up to 10 mins before full intensity. I'm beginning to think my algae issues may be down to the strength of the lighting rather than any nutritional deficiencies or waste build up.


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## CalRed

View attachment 161228


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## Regent

The s2pro dimmer from the bay should do what you want...


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## Natquascape

jameson_uk said:


> Just noticed these tanks (45/60/90 cm) pop up and wondered if anyone has seen these in the flesh?
> Seem reasonable value and comes with an LED light, HOB, foam underlay, background foil and some Columbo ferts / carbon (the 45cm seems to be ~ £110).
> They are apparently made of "Crystal Clear" glass 🤔 Not sure if this is just glass you can see through  or whether this is actually good low iron stuff.
> The LED has a D energy rating which seems a bit odd but it does give a PAR rating.


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## Natquascape

Hi Guys, Natquascape here, I have just joined UKAPS! (known about UKAPS for a while since 2012ish). I have the Superfish 45 and 90L aquariums. I have just set up the 90L with lights and CO2 with plants that I am storing at the moment. I will be scaping these tanks using colombo soils, ferts, CO2 and superfish gear to see how these projects pan out. So far I am really impressed. Superfish do sell timers that can ramp up and down the light intensity. I have yet to plug them into the light but will do soon as part of a YouTube review and comparison to my existing in-line light timers/controllable dimmers. So far I like the performance of the gear and the HOB filter, I just don't like the look of the HOB but for now, I want to see if I can achieve good plant growth using the colombo/superfish products. The 90L will be getting an external filter (review for YouTube channel to come). I have all the way ADA tanks too that are also on my channel with co2 pro series CO2 and OASE biomaster thermo filter. I like ADA but I really do want more people to get into nature aquariums without having to break the bank. For me...an entire ADA tank, gear, ferts and stand is just way too expensive. Maybe when I retire I will get a huge 180cm ADA aquarium . I have just taken a picture (on my phone) of my 90L superfish aquarium with the co2 setup. I have a colombo refillable co2 system that comes with everything you need, so far I am impressed (I was unsure about how this would work out as I have only used disposable/refillable pressurised bottles). If you want to see a comparison of the ADA 45P vs Superfish 45 then I have done a review on my channel if it helps. The superfish 45 is crystal clear glass (not optiwhite as I stated in the video; needs editing again). I think for the price its a really good aquarium and so far I am happy with it. I also have a Hugo Kimishi tank with black silicone that I have scaped (whhhhaaaaaatttttt! haha). I actually like it and personally, the Hugo Kimishi scape with black silicone!!! yeah...I actually don't mind it (thought I would but I am surprised that I don't mind the black silicone). However, if I was to choose a preference, than I prefer clear minimal silicone. The superfish aquascape aquarium looks to be a good option without breaking the bank. Check put the pic of the 90L.


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## Natquascape

jameson_uk said:


> Just noticed these tanks (45/60/90 cm) pop up and wondered if anyone has seen these in the flesh?
> Seem reasonable value and comes with an LED light, HOB, foam underlay, background foil and some Columbo ferts / carbon (the 45cm seems to be ~ £110).
> They are apparently made of "Crystal Clear" glass 🤔 Not sure if this is just glass you can see through  or whether this is actually good low iron stuff.
> The LED has a D energy rating which seems a bit odd but it does give a PAR rating.


Hi @jameson_uk I have done a comparison on my YouTube channel (search Natquascape) of the superfish 45 vs the ADA45P (out of the box) which includes a comparison of the transparency/clarity of the glass. I hope that the comparison/review helps


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## Cherries

I had one of theirs tanks, the Superfish Home 60 one. It was a second hand 15 gallon tank, good one, good glass but ugly design and few scratches (but it was a second hand tank so). It had a built in dimmer and you could change to blue lights only as well


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## CalRed

Big G said:


> Thanks Oreo.
> 
> Interesting (to me)that photo-inhibition from even multi-walled polycarbonate isn’t as bad as I might have imagined.
> 
> An adjustable output light source would more than compensate for those losses at a given tank balance.
> 
> The specs on the supllied lighting unit put the output in PAR in the hundreds. I can’t ever imagine needing more than 50% of that, even in a high energy set up and much less in low- medium energy.  (Based on my limited experience of plant growth from a roughly 60 PAR light source )The dimmer module is going to be an important purchase or some fairly opaque cover material. Baking paper anyone?
> 
> Can anyone confirm if these dimmer units come in at preset dimming levels when used in combination with a timer?
> 
> Somewhere down the line HDR will find its way into intelligent tank lighting and then it gets very interesting.
> 
> All the best
> 
> Bg


What sort of routine would you recommend lighting wise? I've found it difficult to balance my tank with the light provided. Co2 injection and EI are still resulting in algae with this light. Ive tried moving it to the back where the fast growing stem plants are but i'm still getting algae growth at the front of my tank on my christmas moss in particular and now my hydrocotyle tripartita


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## Kimbubbley

I bought the s2 Pro dimmer to go with this light. It works. Can programme 8 different time settings to programme sunrise sunset. From 0 to 100 of your light intensity. Haven't had to use it in anger yet as waiting in plant delivery for tank :/ But have tried it out. Find them in amazon and YouTube. Then you can dim your light.


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## CalRed

Kimbubbley said:


> I bought the s2 Pro dimmer to go with this light. It works. Can programme 8 different time settings to programme sunrise sunset. From 0 to 100 of your light intensity. Haven't had to use it in anger yet as waiting in plant delivery for tank :/ But have tried it out. Find them in amazon and YouTube. Then you can dim your light.


I've got one too. I think it's a must with this light to be honest, it's so intense it needs some sort of regulation during the photoperiod. I'm not sure if my lighting programme is correct but i've got it ramping up from 4pm (lights on, drop checker hitting green) to 7pm from 60% to 100% till one hour after co2 period ends. Lights go off at 100%. I'm not sure if I should ramp down?


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## Kimbubbley

@Maurits thanks for your details on the Scaper 90  please could you tell me if these are the same light and co2 settings you put in your tank when you very first set it up? I am waiting on plants for my tank. And it's my first attempt with plants, or co2  or lily pipes or lighting schedules or canister filters even! Keeping fish is the easy bit, lol. In your experience could you rate the light in terms of suitability for easy medium or high light plants? I have asked other places, but generally the answer is peeps couldn't possibly say, as there's no details of the depth or matter PAR was measured through. And mostly 'oh no dear, that's not a twinstar'!  ideally I'm looking for some basic start up settings to narrow down my variables. So I don't overcook everything within the first week. VTM Kim


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## Maurits

Afternoon Ukaps. Let me show you an update on my plants in the Superfish Scaper 90.

Firstly Rotala Macrandra, a plant I never had any success within my 44 years of plant and fish keeping, but finally here she s, what a beautiful addition to the plant hobby




The second picture, I was on the lookout for Limnophilla Heterophylla Giganthea, When I was visiting Aquafleur in the Netherlands two weeks ago ( disclaimer, essential work ! , travelling is allowed ) they gave me some stems from a Limnophilla variety from Australia, not the real Gigantheo but very close





Third picture, I took this picture this morning, tank is now around 8 weeks old and what an amazing growth and plant health





I answer too some questions, I am currently using a dimmer which I bought online, the light comes on at 7 am with a 10 % setting, this ramps up to 100 % at 4 pm. from 8 pm till 10.30 pm the light ramps down from 100 % back to 0%. I am using the new Colombo Bio Co2 reactor, around 2 bubbles per second from 8 am till 4 pm. I am still finding the right setting as the plants are pearling way too much. ( Don't tell anybody, but SuperFish will launch soon a new controller which can do the same  )

Substrate, Colombo Nutribase as the first layer, second layer Colombo Flora base course, top layer, Colombo Flora base fine ( holds the plants better )

Plant food, think it's not a surprise, once every 2 weeks 4 squirts of Colombo flora grow and in the other week 4 squirts of Colombo flora Grow Pro.

Water changes, I use only rainwater, every other day I do a 10 % water change.

Lastly, to give you all an idea, this was the tank 8 weeks ago. ( 16th December 2020 )


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## Maurits

Three weeks later, Tank needs a good trim, Plant growth is superb. no signs of any Algea


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## tomerus

Dear ukaps people. I just ordered a Superfish Scaper 60. After being out of the hobby for a couple of years I couldn`t resist after seeing this tank and for that price. I should have known better that costs will add up soon because of all the extra nice things we need (want) 

Anyway my question is this. Reading this topic I understand the light supplied with the tank is quite powerful. Now that can be a good thing and a not so good thing of course. The type of tank I`m after is a Dutch style aquarium, you know, no hardscape and lots of plants. I also have a diy co2 system with a solenoid so I can turn off the co2 when I want. Is the light provided with the tank too much? Will it trigger algae? I also ordered the s2 pro dimmer but since it comes from China and the tank will arrive monday I was wondering if it is smart to wait for the dimmer or just start with the light on full blast and not wait for the dimmer? If you say it is ok to start without the dimmer, what would be a safe place to start with? 5 hours of light? If you say wait for the dimmer, what would be a good percentage power output for the light to start out with, 75%?
I`m starting the tank with lots of plants and will be feeding the plants with the EI method.

Would love to hear your advice. Thank you and greetings from the Netherlands.

Tom


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## Kimbubbley

I have just set my superfish Scaper  60 up. 




You can see a thread for this in the journals called Learning Curve! I also have the S2 Pro dimmer. For the first week the lights have been set to 50% on the dimmer while the plants settle and root. The photo period is 6 hours. And either side is a 15min ramp up and ramp down from 0 to 50%. So 6.5hrs total. There is no algae yet. I have been changing as much of the water as I can get out, every day for first week to dilute any organics in the water. And adding Seachem Prime , Stability, and Excel at 1ml to 50ltrs. I will do this massive water change for a month as per journal New decade new Decadence  I think believe the advice there after is to increase the lights by 10% approx weekly as the plant mass grows to utilise the extra light. And monitor the tank. I hope this helps!


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## Kimbubbley

tomerus said:


> Dear ukaps people. I just ordered a Superfish Scaper 60. After being out of the hobby for a couple of years I couldn`t resist after seeing this tank and for that price. I should have known better that costs will add up soon because of all the extra nice things we need (want)
> 
> Anyway my question is this. Reading this topic I understand the light supplied with the tank is quite powerful. Now that can be a good thing and a not so good thing of course. The type of tank I`m after is a Dutch style aquarium, you know, no hardscape and lots of plants. I also have a diy co2 system with a solenoid so I can turn off the co2 when I want. Is the light provided with the tank too much? Will it trigger algae? I also ordered the s2 pro dimmer but since it comes from China and the tank will arrive monday I was wondering if it is smart to wait for the dimmer or just start with the light on full blast and not wait for the dimmer? If you say it is ok to start without the dimmer, what would be a safe place to start with? 5 hours of light? If you say wait for the dimmer, what would be a good percentage power output for the light to start out with, 75%?
> I`m starting the tank with lots of plants and will be feeding the plants with the EI method.
> 
> Would love to hear your advice. Thank you and greetings from the Netherlands.
> 
> Tom


Forgot to tag you.. Now your tagged!


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## tomerus

That is a beautiful tank right there! Thank you for replying. Good thing I asked. So no full blast with the lights but start at 50%. I will wait starting with setting up until my dimmer arrives. Again, thanks!


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## Kimbubbley

tomerus said:


> That is a beautiful tank right there! Thank you for replying. Good thing I asked. So no full blast with the lights but start at 50%. I will wait starting with setting up until my dimmer arrives. Again, thanks!


Thank you  It's my first so still learn g and asking lots of questions, myself! Ukaps has loads of good advice. Don't forget to post pics, I would love to see


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## tomerus

I will post photos for sure! Will you ever ramp up your light to 100% procent or is it just too much you think?


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## Kimbubbley

tomerus said:


> I will post photos for sure! Will you ever ramp up your light to 100% procent or is it just too much you think?


I don't have a clue yet about this. I am waiting to flush the excess organics out of the substrate first and cycling the tank. I have no ammonia, but I get nitrite still at the moment. The plan is, when this has finished I will try increasing the lights by 10% and see what happens. I want the nitrites to be gone so I can put shrimp and snails in  if I need to to counter algae growth, if (when?) it starts . And there is a little biofilm and diatoms on the wood that I would like to see cleaned up. So I don't want to up the lights yet and risk any problems. 

Today I have removed the big rock that was weighing down the wood. The rock was having an effect on the water flow. And also shading some of the light into the tank. So I will be looking to see if they extra light is now there is no shade, is still OK for the plants. 
I will post some pictures later when the lights come in


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## CalRed

Hi @tomerus I can only speak from my experience but I have experienced algal blooms in my setup.

The things I would have done differently from the start are as follows:
1) Ensure that CO2 levels are at 30ppm at lights on every day. I had an issue with a blockage in my regulator which saw me without sufficient co2 until I cleared it. Its one variable you can keep constant fairly easily.

2) Think more about hardscape placement and flow. I've recently changed my lily pipe to a downward facing outlet as opposed to the standard output that flows just under the surface. Not only should that help minimise CO2 wastage (i think?) but it directs flow towards an area that I had green hair algae and staghorn algae recently. It may turn out that the flow suffers somewhere else but this comes down to hardscape placement which Im unable to change now.

3) A dimmer allows for more flexibility when trying to balance your tank. If CO2 and nutrients remain the same, light will be the variable you can alter when you need to, provided you keep up with maintenance. 50% once a week after tank cycling is advised but to be honest, i've had to change it about twice every 10 days. As @Kimbubbley mentioned, change as much water as you can initially.

Ive asked about the lighting and done some research online and its 269 PAR rating does seem quite high for a 40cm deep tank but again others may know more about the subject. What i would say is think about plant selection. I have some Anubias and Buce that would probably have preferred some more shade but they're doing ok. Again, with a dimmer you're not stuck with that intensity if it does become a problem.

I hope some of this helps, I've been chasing my tail so to speak through inexperience with CO2 injection but I have learnt from it through trial and error and also help from many of the members on the forum. You learn from your mistakes so don't despair if you have any issues, it might not be anything you could have helped after all.
I'd just say enjoy it and don't think twice about asking for help, even if its just to confirm something you think is the case 👍


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## si walker

Hi all.
Regarding the Superfish HOB Filter with these sets, has anyone stripped one down and redone the filter media? I like the profile of the filter for limited spaces and was wondering how it will work out? 
Take care.
Simon


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## The_storm

I bought one if these just over a month ago to house crystal reds and I'm very impressed. The tank build quality is good, the light is excellent, the HOB as supplied is useless but becomes acceptable after a few modifications and replacing the filter media. 
I also bought a programmable controller for the light, which gives the light it's excellent rating. As a package, it's superb value for money, especially taking into consideration that my wife bought it for me as a gift!


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## mario

The_storm said:


> I bought one if these just over a month ago to house crystal reds and I'm very impressed. The tank build quality is good, the light is excellent, the HOB as supplied is useless but becomes acceptable after a few modifications and replacing the filter media.
> I also bought a programmable controller for the light, which gives the light it's excellent rating. As a package, it's superb value for money, especially taking into consideration that my wife bought it for me as a gift!


Hello, could you share how you modified the filter please? I also have one and I want to get out of the cartridges nonsense. Thank you.


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## Tim Lee

I took out the cartridges, put coarse foam in the first section and mini siporax held in filter bags in the second and third.
Seems to be working ok in a heavily planted low tech tank.


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## The_storm

I removed the cartridges and added some pvc pipe fittings to redirect the flow to the bottom of the chamber, then put a sponge on top of that, then biohome media. It can be a pain to prime but once primed it's great.


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## Maurits

How’s everybodies Scaper tank doing ? , I have setup another one a few Months ago, both fully planted, left one is in our living the other one in my study


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## The_storm

Looking good Maurits. 
I use mine for CRS and it's a very easy tank to maintain, do you find the same?


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## Aqua360

The_storm said:


> I bought one if these just over a month ago to house crystal reds and I'm very impressed. The tank build quality is good, the light is excellent, the HOB as supplied is useless but becomes acceptable after a few modifications and replacing the filter media.
> I also bought a programmable controller for the light, which gives the light it's excellent rating. As a package, it's superb value for money, especially taking into consideration that my wife bought it for me as a gift!



How did you shrimp proof the hob inlet?


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## The_storm

I bought inlet filter sponge and cut it to size.


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## Aqua360

The_storm said:


> I bought inlet filter sponge and cut it to size.



What I mean is, I've got this hob and it has a really awkward inlet connected to the skim inlet, that a simple sponge wouldn't fit over, unless I'm missing it.


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## The_storm

Same as mine. 
Get a longer sponge filter and cut a notch in it to allow for the right angle so you can cover the adjacent hole. I used this. Pre Filter Sponge,Saim... Amazon product


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## Aqua360

The_storm said:


> Same as mine.
> Get a longer sponge filter and cut a notch in it to allow for the right angle so you can cover the adjacent hole. I used this. Pre Filter Sponge,Saim... Amazon product




I see, thanks. It is a decent hob filter, but I hate how non shrimp safe it is, out of the box


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## The_storm

The internals are next to useless. I removed the cartridges and using some pvc pipe fittings, redirected the flow to the bottom of the chamber, through a piece of sponge with a slit cut into it. I placed media on top of that. It can be a bit of a challenge to prime but imo it really improves the filter.


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