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10 Years Later..

jimi

jimi

Member
Joined
23 Feb 2012
Messages
90
Hi All,

This is the start of my new project. Its been about 10 years since I built a tank, hence the name of it. This is the first time I am trying an iwugami tank. I have no idea if it will work in a Roma 200 but its all about experimenting isn't it!

It is also worth mentioning that it will be a high tech tank of sorts but done on a budget as I really cant afford some of the amazing rock etc. some of you guys have!

So a list of bits an pieces below:

Tank
Fluval Roma 200 and Cabinet - Gumtree - £70 (bargain)
Black background (stuck on nicely with rapeseed oil and a bit of gaffa tape (which someone mentioned doing on here, works a treat)

Lights
Swapped built in lid with T5's for an AquaSky LED that I bought for my older tank - £80

Lights are set for a very long dawn and a very long sunset over the course of 2 hours each. Full sunlight set for 6 hours at 70% intensity. This will be amended as I go on a need to basis.

Heater
Aqua Range LCD Smart Heater - £32.99

Filter
Fluval 305 - Free (long story)
Swapping out standard pipes for glossy black PVC 16mm ID. £11.04
Swapping out standard intake and outflow for lily pipes, not decided which ones yet.

Substrate
JBL Manado - £20 roughly

Wood
Aqua One Azalea Root - £5

Stones
From back garden - Free

Plants:
Eleocharis Acicularis x 2 pots
Moss (cannot remember the name of x 1 pot - 3 pots for £12 offer at P@H.

Co2
Not got it yet (Need to sell an American fridge freezer I don't need to pay for co2 setup) which will be
Co2Art SE-Series with Inline Diffuser. - £143.62 (maybe less if I get a discount code)


So that's it so far. Some pics below of a very dirty messy tank in first stages. I will take a few more next Monday once its been running a week. Progress will be slow until I get the Co2 up and running and the lights turned up so sorry its is a tad boring!

1.JPG 2.JPG 3.JPG 4.JPG 5.JPG

Please criticize as much as possible as I find it very difficult to 'see' correct placement of stones, especially when I cant afford a nice range to choose from.

So there we have it, updates to follow 🙂

Jimi
 
Might be a bit late now, but I'd suggest slopping the substate more dramatically. You see how when you take a photo looking down at an angle the tank looks much deeper front to back/you can see more of the planting? You can make that happen in reality by sloping the substrate so the back is quite high to adjust the angle you are looking at. Gravel in a filter bag/pair of tights under the substrate it a cheap way to add height without needing to buy more expensive substrate.
 
Thanks tam, I purposefully sloped it down at the back, I thought that would give a rolling away effect. Obviously it doesn't work haha.
At least I know for next time now, thank you very much 🙂

Jimi
 
jimi said:
Thanks tam, I purposefully sloped it down at the back, I thought that would give a rolling away effect. Obviously it doesn't work haha.
At least I know for next time now, thank you very much 🙂
Click to expand...

It's all a learning curve, it's good to experiment and work out for yourself what does and doesn't work.

And by the way, I quite like your garden rocks - sometimes the fancy stuff looks a bit fake rock - they look like what I imagine if you say rock, if you follow 🙂
 
tam said:
And by the way, I quite like your garden rocks - sometimes the fancy stuff looks a bit fake rock - they look like what I imagine if you say rock, if you follow 🙂
Click to expand...

Yup totally follow you, thanks again 🙂

Jimi
 
AFD7C9A0-F30A-48FF-BF47-3DDE76247B4C.jpeg

So this is it after I put the background on and set it up. Now the patient waiting game commences!
 
30A30F2E-3978-40EC-B1FD-C234BA535FAA.png I was just thinking. Is this long sunrise and sunset a good thing on these lights. Everyone says 8 hours a day is enough light. Mine is longer in total as you can see but only 6 of them are bright and even then that’s only at 70% of full power.

Also when I introduce c02 and start turning that on an hour before the lights go on and an hour before the lights go off that means the co2 will be on for 14 hours a day which can’t be good.

Any thoughts on this. Shall I forego the fading in and out when I get the c02 and just have them come on at 100% for 7 or 8 hours a day as standard?

Thoughts please 🙂
 
Well the Co2 kit is on its way as is the new hosing and a soda stream bottle. Very excited to get that all up and running. I think I am going to get myself an extinguisher and use the soda stream bottle as a back up for when the extinguisher needs refilling. Week 2 pic coming tonight but there isn't much change!
 
Edvet said:
Be carefull to start with to much light especially without CO2.
I would start with 6 hours without rampup/ramp down and maybe on 50 or 60%. If all is well you can start gradually to increase strength and later time.
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Thanks Edvet that's great 🙂

Its a week in and they seem to be doing OK so far so I thought it might be OK to leave it, not only that but wouldn't that intensity be too low for this particular grass?

But if you reckon it would be better to remove the dawn and dusk and change the intensity then I will give it a go 🙂

Although saying that, I will be adding Co2 this week so I will need to change it all anyway. Need to find someone with this light and my tank and get a rough idea of lighting regime.

Cheers again
Jimi
 
I have now just read that the aquasky 2.0 is crap for growing plants that need med-high light....bugger. I spent £80 on that..

Anyways I cant afford a Fluval Plant 2.0 or 3.0 so I will have to make do.

So 6 hours starting from today, no ramp up/down and 60% intensity. Then add the Co2 but still keep it the same for a couple of weeks.The adjust as needed.

Thanks for your help Edvet.
 
9F4F16AA-0089-4191-B7B1-11DBE06C6402.jpeg C40E3A38-9E95-490F-B82F-2CDB4E57B4E3.jpeg

Hi all, just a quick week update. Tank looks the same but I just had my co2 kit through. Just waiting for the new hosing now 🙂
 
Which has just come through the door! Which is a bonus as Royal Mail always take it back if you’re not in and I just got in 🙂
 
And in true jimi style I have ordered the wrong size diffuser, doh!
 
Well I sent a message to co2art, within about 30 minutes they got back to me and have arranged to send a new one first thing tomorrow, what amazing customer service!
 
image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg

So I changed the lighting under guidance and it’s now on 6 hours and I have dropped the amount of fert dosing as well as I was getting a bit of algae on the wood. I have also put in a second heater as for some reason the one I bought was struggling.

I have moved all the grass to the front and decided against iwugami. This tank is too big for me to try that on first go.

So I have gently piled up some more sub to the back and will probably get some Ada soil or something to bank up the back and get some tall plants and some medium for the middle and keep the carpet at the front. I have also put some live stock in and am going to do a 50 water change weekly just for a bit. Tested my parameters again today and they are all at 0 currently.

No co2 yet as the diffuser is still in the post... I had already put the DC in there and thought I may as well leave it in. Oh and sorry for the quality of the pics, it’s an iPad and I’m not David Bailey.

Jimi
 
If possible add some cheap fast growing plants in the beginning, this will addd stability to your tank (can be pondplants like Elodea (waterweed), watersprite (ceratopteris), Egeria densa (brazilian waterweed) aka oxygenating plants).
 
Ok thank you Edvet, I will look into that ASAP.

Unfortunately I came downstairs this morning to find two of the barbs belly up. They looked like they had been chewed. I’m guessing they got into some pretty serious fights last night and that was that.

Can’t really think of any other reason why they would have died and looked as bad as they did

Sad times 🙁
 
jimi said:
Ok thank you Edvet, I will look into that ASAP.

Unfortunately I came downstairs this morning to find two of the barbs belly up. They looked like they had been chewed. I’m guessing they got into some pretty serious fights last night and that was that.

Can’t really think of any other reason why they would have died and looked as bad as they did

Sad times 🙁
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Sad to read this news.
How are the other fish doing?
 
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