# Eheim Aquastyle 35 - Rebooted



## Aqua sobriquet (23 May 2012)

I've not had an Aquarium for many years and several house moves since my last one I'm still trying to find a suitable space without turning the house upside down. Until I find space for something larger I thought maybe a Nano might look nice in the corner of the lounge. I must admit when I first saw them online I thought it was a silly idea trying to set up and maintain something as small as a Nano but the sheer style of the things has been too much of a temptation to resist! I discounted getting any Nano that had plastic trims attached as I think it detracts from the otherwise simplistic style of the things. I found out about the Fluval too late to include it in my list so it was a choice between the Dennerle 30L or the Eheim 35L. The Dennerle seemed to me to offer extremely good value for money but the LED lighting unit on the Eheim finally saw me placing an order for an Aquastyle 35 with Charterhouse Aquatics. I've been collecting a few other bits, here's what I've got so far:






And this is where it's going. Not ideal as it's near a glass door that opens to the garden but it only gets sun first thing in the morning when the curtains are closed so I'm hoping maybe a removable screen of some sort will protect it from algal growth when the curtains are open.





No ideas on aquascaping yet but I am thinking lots of moss and just a couple of feature plants might look nice. I don't want it too hardscape _or_ plant heavy but rather a nice balance of the two if I can manage it! I'd also like to add some Shrimps if they can tolerate Surrey water!


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## Antipofish (23 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Cracking tank mate.  Like you with the fluval, had the eheim been on my list I would have opted for that rather than the Dennerle.  It would be the light that attracted me too


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (23 May 2012)

*Eheim Aquastyle 35*

I love the look of this tank. Looks very much like my fluval ebi, but with a better light  I've doubled up on my lighting.
2x 11w fluval PCLs. Nice and bright !

Great decision aqua!


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## Antipofish (23 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

PS your Purigen is going out tomorrow mate.  I am in two minds whether to not send it, now I see the lovely tank its destined for   I am jealous as all hell


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## Ady34 (23 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Hi,
looks like a good start there, bet you cant wait to get tinkering.
Nanos are fab, they make water changes seem a doddle compared to a larger tank and you can make them look great with the increasing number of micro fish and shrimp species available in the hobby now.
I had an idea before for a nano, it will suit your setting better though beside the garden.... Bring the outside in and create a mini mimic underwater 'bug garden' garden. Use your lovely piece of wood to hang weeping moss to mimic the focal tree at the bottom of your garden, and plant smaller plants around it as the shrubs, could even get some of the new tropica mini eleocharis parvula available from freshwatershrimp sponsor site to make a lawn effect  8) The shrimp would be like insects hovering around the plants in the garden!....... sorry for being weird, i was so tempted to do it myself and your whole setting would just be perfect.
Good luck, and keep us posted. 
Ady.


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## faizal (24 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Yeah,...I think Ady's idea sounds nice there.    I hope you have a wonderful journey ahead of you in this hobby.


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## Aqua sobriquet (24 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Thanks for the comments guys, some nice ideas there. I hadn't really given much thought to things like water changes but yes, it will certainly be easier than when I had a 50 gallon aquarium!


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (24 May 2012)

*Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Oh on the purigen side of things,
I purchased 200ml from antipofish for my mini m, the other day I pinched about a tablespoonish and put it inside the little internal you get with the fluval Ebi.

Im not joking, the water is clearer than any ive ever seen. Doesnt look like there is any there to be honest.

Will upload a couple of photos of it later,
Its nothing flash just a simple scape of 2 brilliant pieces of manten stone, some ebi gold soil, HC and pavula & a little sand.

But I like it 

Regards


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## Aqua sobriquet (24 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Thanks for that. I'll definitely be putting some in the Eheim. Look forward to seeing your pics.

Here's the sandblasted Grapevine I planned for the tank.





But does it _look_ a bit big in the tank? Actually, physically it is too large, this shows it better.





Given I've still got substrate to add I'd need to get the saw out or shrimp type inmates could walk out! 
I'm a bit loath to chop bits off as it's a nice piece of wood but it could take me ages to find something else.
I've washed 5 litres of Flora Base but how much should I use do you guys think? I was thinking about 50mm at the back sloping down to about 30mm at the front but I don't expect it would stay like that very long!

Any help much appreciated ...


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (24 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Hey, 
as promised, a few shots of my 'Simply Shrimp' Tank;-

iPhone Photos Sorry!!


















This is just a setup where I can watch the shrimp and the HC and Parvula spread. I like the simplicity of it.
I imagine when the HC grows in, It will appear similar to a simple rock in a Grassy Valley.

Dosing 
.5ml EasyCarbo
.5ml TPN+

Lighting
 2x Fluval PCL 11w (22w Total) 5hrs / day (5-10pm)

Hardscape
2 x ADA Manten stone (£60)

Flora
HC cuba
Eleocharis Parvula

Fauna
4 x Ottos
10 Sakura/Fire red cherries.

Filtration

Fluval Nano internal w/ Purigen
+ Standard sponges


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (24 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Bit bigger ;


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## Aqua sobriquet (24 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Thanks for the pics and the stats, I really like the "beach" on your setup.


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (25 May 2012)

*Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Thanks aqua. HC is taking off now and is spreading rapidly.

The phone doesnt give a good perspective, but I know height wise its lacking a little. 

May add some stems at the bAck once it grows right in.

Regards


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## Iain Sutherland (25 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

love the style of the light on the eheim, very swish looking tank all in.  Will be interested to see how the light fares with the plants...


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## Aqua sobriquet (27 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

I found another potential piece of wood in a LFS which was also a little too large but I've started to fettle it into shape    It's in soak at the moment and is resisting my best efforts to make it sink ...


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## sarahtermite (28 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

That is an awesome piece of wood - hope you manage to fit it in. It reminds me of the giant redwoods that are so huge they've carved tunnels through them, big enough to drive a car through. See if you can replicate that!


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## Aqua sobriquet (28 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Yes it was a lucky find. It's a bit too tall though so I'm thinking of bandsawing a bit off the bottom.  :?


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## tim (28 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

bandsaw the top and keep it as a tall cave shrimp and fish are gonna love that very good start to your journal


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## Iain Sutherland (28 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Or leave it pocking out the top with some emersed growth, bit like Georges last tank?
http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f= ... 7&start=30


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## sarahtermite (28 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*



			
				easerthegeezer said:
			
		

> Or leave it pocking out the top with some emersed growth, bit like Georges last tank?
> http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f= ... 7&start=30


Good call!


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## Aqua sobriquet (28 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Here it is in situ, I reckon it's too big really. I think it will soak up too much of the lighting for the plants? 






If it had twin fluorescents over the tank that might be different.


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (28 May 2012)

*Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Just buy malawistu's Grobeam 1000ND
Tile. Plenty then


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## Aqua sobriquet (29 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Very funny   

If I do use this lump of wood (when it sinks  :? ) given the lower light levels and the fact that I like Mosses and Anubias which substrate would you use?
I have Flora Base, Manado,Tesco CL and Horticultural Sand. Bear in mind I'd also like a few shrimp once the tank has cycled.
Bit concerned about Algae growth if I use the FB although it would probably be better for the shrimp?


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (29 May 2012)

*Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Depends on the shrimp?
If your thinking bee shrimp I'd make an investment of £20 in some ebi gold from the freshwatershrimp.co.uk site.

I havent used the others so couldnt comment, if you only want red cherries, then I would say any of them!


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## Iain Sutherland (29 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*



			
				Aqua sobriquet said:
			
		

> Here it is in situ, I reckon it's too big really. I think it will soak up too much of the lighting for the plants?



Your going to get plants in there as well!   Its a nice piece of wood but i would think too big for this tank, i'd wait til you get your second one


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## somethingfishy (29 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*



			
				easerthegeezer said:
			
		

> Aqua sobriquet said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



+1 to that ... why try and make such a great piece of wood work in this tank, when im sure in a future tank it will become an awsome focul point (and not a potential problem)


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## Aqua sobriquet (29 May 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Yes, you're right guys. Just tried it again and it really puts too much of the tank in the shade    so it's going into storage for the next tank!

I've got the first piece of wood sitting in some boiling water at the moment which I'll maybe bend into shape with a clamp till I like it ...


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## Aqua sobriquet (3 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Not too pleased with the way things are going at the moment. I have been collecting plants for the new Nano and keeping them in a variety of large glass containers on the window sill, I still have some stuff left in the vase on the right. Some were doing ok but others have not fared so well so I've been rushed into virtually just dumping stuff in the tank in an effort to save them. The results are none too pleasing but hopefully it will serve as a lesson in maintaining stuff short term. I really need to re-think how I want to hardscape the Nano and plan it properly! 





I'm also considering other options for heating and filtration to give a cleaner look...

I should say that the quality of the mosses I've got from ukaps members has been top notch and better than a couple I've bought from other suppliers. Thanks very much guys!


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## Ady34 (3 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Hi mate,
i reckon that looks quite nice actually and i like the open fresh feel of it. A few brown crypts for contrast (eg wendtti brown or tropica varieties) around the wood base to the right rear will help fill the lower half in a bit and transition the upper moss with the substrate and be suitable for the more shaded areas under the wood and moss. The hairgarss would look nice where it is and get more light, maybe starting at the central most wood upright, sweeping round to the left front corner, you can trim it on a gradient from low at the front to higher at the rear which would look nice and add depth. Your lovely anubias could then be positioned on the wood base just where the 2 uprights split from and it would creep along it towards the front and rear. The moss balls could then be placed in the central foreground area for the shrimp to graze on where you can see them best! Thats just a few ideas though, just consider your options, theres no rush now so just picture what you want and you can make it happen 
As for a heater, why bother youll find lots of shrimp well happy with most home room temperatures. You can also get inexpensive HOB filters that remove hardware from the tank if your worried about that.
I think its got bags of potential, i love the moss on the wood, and the wood doesnt look overbearing.
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## Antipofish (3 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

I reckon thats a damn fine start to be honest !  The hairgrass in the pot looks great too and will add a great texture.  Have you considered running any kind of external filtration or is the light reliant upon the filter for power ?  Just thinking you could get the filter out and the heater out if you went down that route.


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## Aqua sobriquet (3 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

The light fitting seems to be part of the filter mount but I have all the tools I need to hand to make a new fitting if I need to. Interestingly Eheim do sell the light separately, at least in Germany.


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## Antipofish (3 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*



			
				Aqua sobriquet said:
			
		

> The light fitting seems to be part of the filter mount but I have all the tools I need to hand to make a new fitting if I need to. Interestingly Eheim do sell the light separately, at least in Germany.



Yes I have seen it advertised (somewhat expensively compared to the overall cost of the aquastyle i thought).  I did actually consider buying one but was fortunate to buy a TMC mini 500 and bracket


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (3 Jun 2012)

*Eheim Aquastyle 35*

TMC LEDs look fantastic, i love the ingenuity of  the mms rail.

Making them truly versatile. The grobeam I have stunned me at how bright and crisp white the colour of the light was (6500k), compared to the very yellow hue my ADA solar M gives off. 

As for growth rates, im yet to see! 
Will keep you all updated with a new journal.

Was gonna get some ADA amazonia powder & some ryuoh stone this weekend, but just bought some rayban polaroid aviators instead


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## Antipofish (3 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*



			
				Whitey89 said:
			
		

> TMC LEDs look fantastic, i love the ingenuity of  the mms rail.
> 
> Making them truly versatile. The grobeam I have stunned me at how bright and crisp white the colour of the light was (6500k), compared to the very yellow hue my ADA solar M gives off.
> 
> ...



Cool  The one I am getting is the same one that comes with the TMC 30L Marine Nano.  I think it retails at over £100 with the bracket.  I got as good a deal with this as you got with your Ebi


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## Aqua sobriquet (17 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Well, things went from bad to worse with a really bad outbreak of planaria and other nasty looking stuff so I decided to strip the tank down and plan it properly. I'm struggling to come up with a design I like with the hardscaping I have but I did manage to get yet another piece of wood that shows promise. I also ordered a Tetra EX 400 to replace the Eheim internal so as predicted I've had to make a light fitting for the Eheim LED. Procrastinated all week on what to make then just machined what I had in the garage until it developed into something suitable. Quite pleased with how it turned out.





I can put it where I want it so working on the tank will be much easier in future.

Now I just need to sort out the hardscaping ...  :? 

I'll post a pic of the new piece of wood when I get a minute.


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## Antipofish (17 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

You have made that light fitting really well mate  I am very impressed.  May I make a couple of suggestions to consider ?  

1) Have the cable coming out from the bottom ?
2) Make a stainless steel plate which is the dimension of the tank but wider, and attach the light unit to it in a similar way to the ADA light units that go with the Mini M's ?

Just a thought, but either way what you have come up with is really great.


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## Ady34 (17 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Looks like a quality piece of engineering, i like the way you can move it around the tank, especially on these smaller tanks, the lights are always getting in the way!
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## Aqua sobriquet (17 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Thanks for the comments guys. I did originally intend to have the cable coming out of the base but it has a funny custom connector on it and I also can't seem to remove the switch. I had planned to put the switch inside the tube and just turn the light on and off at the socket. I can still do this and may do so at a later date. Not sure about the base as it's small enough to place almost anywhere but still heavy enough (it's solid mild steel 25mm thick) to be fairly stable. I value the input though, it's good to hear others ideas.


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## Aqua sobriquet (19 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Trying some volcanic rock I bought a while ago.













Obviously will be higher up once the substrate is in. I'm wondering whether to chip some off the large left hand piece of rock on it's upper right hand side to open things up a bit?
Thinking of something a bit lighter like Unipac Fiji as a substrate which looks nice.
Mainly mosses if I can grow them and maybe a single Anubias Nana.

What do you think guys, is the rock too much?


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## tim (23 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

hows this going aqua you filled it back up yet ? i have some peacock moss if you want it foc easiest moss ive grown so far pm if you want some mate


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## Aqua sobriquet (23 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Substrate (Tesco Moler) is in, slight change in layout but the rocks are in and I've chopped up some moss which I've pressed into some crevices in the rocks. Tetra EX400 is plumbed in but the tanks not been filled yet. I've wrapped the top in cling film and will regularly mist the moss. I'm hoping that after a week or so the moss can be submerged and the filter turned on but what do folks think. Will I need to leave it a bit longer for the moss to get a grip?

Thanks for the offer Tim. I think I have plenty of moss at the moment but I don't have any Peacock so a small piece would not go amiss if you have a little to spare.


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## tim (23 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

pm your address and ill post you some mate ive had some chopped moss on rocks for a month now and it still hasnt seemed to take a grip yet dont know how long is best to wait maybe ask one of the moss experts mate  or just fill it and see for yourself


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## Aqua sobriquet (23 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Thanks Tim, will pm you. A guy on another forum waited about a week before filling his tank so I figured maybe that was about right?!


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## tim (23 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

most of my plants/plans dont seem to follow everyone elses mate so personally even i dont always take my advice  worst case you'll pull a few trimmings out for a while ill get that posted monday mate


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (23 Jun 2012)

*Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Ive got  some peacock moss 4 inch square pads if your interested


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## Aqua sobriquet (23 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Pictures of the new start as soon as I get a moment. Thanks for the offer Nathaniel but I'm sorted now. 

I think I may have come up with a good idea   ... I'm going to try chopping up some moss fairly small and mixing it with some pure Aloe Vera gel and painting the mixture on the rocks! If it works I'm a genius and if not well ...


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## Aqua sobriquet (24 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Ok, here's the tank wrapped in cling film almost ready to go.






I've chopped up a little Christmas Moss, mixed it with some Aloe Vera and added this to the moss already applied. I'll monitor the moss during the week and may repeat the process as the mix is nice and sticky and easy to apply with a stiff brush - I used the white one shown here:

http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=21817


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## Aqua sobriquet (26 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

Thanks Tim, Moss arrived today


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## tim (26 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

no worries going to be interested  in how your aloe vera moss paint turns out


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## Aqua sobriquet (26 Jun 2012)

*Re: Eheim Aquastyle 35*

I think I'll fill the tank on Friday night regardless of how I think it's all doing! If it all goes pear shaped and floats to the surface I'll just have to drain down and try again  :? You have to try these things don't you.


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## Aqua sobriquet (30 Jun 2012)

Best laid plans etc. I didn't feel too good yesterday so filling the tank was not an option even though I took the day off.
Feeling a bit better Saturday morning so the tanks now filled. Looking a bit bare and a little cloudy but the filters working well and virtually silent as others have said. 
Most of the Moss "Planted" onto the rocks has stayed in place with not much more than the loose stuff I dropped by mistake floating around. I've added Tetra Safe Start so may try and get a couple of finned clean up crew today if I see anything suitable. Pics when I get a spare moment.


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## Aqua sobriquet (28 Jul 2012)

Quick update. The tanks been running for a few weeks now and the moss seems to be growing, albeit slowly:





The Aloe vera did work, although it did take longer for the moss to grow.


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