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Nicks 4x2x2

Hi Nick

I see you have a standard Aquariums Ltd tank, it looks very impressive.

I am thinking of getting one of these myself instead of an open/braceless optiwhite as I have a cat and I am a big fan of Anabantoids and don't fancy their chances on the carpet!

Have you got any sides in optiwhite or is it all float glass?

Is it as amazing as I think it is, your opinion would help as I am indecisive and may well be looking forever!

Cheers
Pix
 
mine is all standard float glass, nothing special, you could have the front opti glass but tbh i think its minimal, if your water is clear and the glass free from algae etc, i dont thing the viewing pleasure is any less.

cheers all for your comments. substrate hopefully going in today (well most of it if i can)
 
Nick16 said:
IMGP6185.jpg


ignore the tape on the luminaire and tank, it was for my measurements. :oops:
i personally hate seeing the waterline at the top of the water, so i have left the black gaffa tape on for now. i can always remove it at a later date.

one for the sense of depth.
IMGP6192-1.jpg

hi nick,
could you not get your dad to affix (silicone) some architrave or similar moulding around the top so as to match the bottom? i personally think it would finish the theme off a treat, while at the same time covering the water line and bracing!
cheers, bazz!
 
the black top bit is not really bracing. its just gaffa tape. i have just left it on so it hides the water level.

we could have put an 'upstand' on the top of the tank, but i prefer it the way it is, i dont think i silver top part would look that good tbh. im not too worried about the glass bracing anyway, hopefully eyes will be drawn to whats in the tank.

thats for your comment.

James - with regard to the lighting, i hope its going to be enough, im using 2 osram white tubes and 2 pinker plant grow ones - sylvania i believe. i hope its going to be enough light, i cant afford anything else!
im only going to be growing acicularis and blyxa mainly with the odd stem of Pstellatus. The java fern wont be picky thats for sure!
 
Nick16 said:
the black top bit is not really bracing. its just gaffa tape. i have just left it on so it hides the water level.

we could have put an 'upstand' on the top of the tank, but i prefer it the way it is, i dont think i silver top part would look that good tbh. im not too worried about the glass bracing anyway, hopefully eyes will be drawn to whats in the tank.

thats for your comment.

James - with regard to the lighting, i hope its going to be enough, im using 2 osram white tubes and 2 pinker plant grow ones - sylvania i believe. i hope its going to be enough light, i cant afford anything else!
im only going to be growing acicularis and blyxa mainly with the odd stem of Pstellatus. The java fern wont be picky thats for sure!

ok nick,
on another note (lighting), i'm currently running a 300l 60cm high corner tank with 3 x 39w and 1 x 24 t5ho, which 2 months ago succumbed to a bba attack. i know this was partly due to flow, even with 2 x tetratec ex1200's and a koralia 2, but also to having to much light. i immediately turned off 2 of the 39w fluoro's and everything has returned to normal, with exceptional plant growth including blyxa and parvula down at the bottom front. i don't think you have anything to worry about with regard to lights, we all know this should be the limiting factor anyway!
btw, i can't wait to see this planted, i just love big tanks, especially when the plants are doing the talking!
later,
bazz!
 
Time for a small update.
Its now planted and going okay. i have ammonia, nitrite and nitrate reading off the scale for the last week. i do 60-70% w/c's every other day.
i even have a mature Ex1200 and still everything is high. :( (luckily no livestock as yet)

Acicularis growing, new shoots appearing from a few of the clumps so hopefully it will begin to spread.
IMGP6206.jpg



Unsurprisingly the P. stellatus 'eusteralis' is shwing the most growth, having grown about 1-2cm in the first week or so.
IMGP6212.jpg


i have the lighting under my cabinet sorted, with 4 lots of 3 LED's (they can click on and off and are battery operated)
IMGP6221.jpg

IMGP6222.jpg

IMGP6224.jpg


the silver of the LED'S matches that of my luminaire and the paint of my cabinet so they look pretty good.
also you can see that i have stuck my extension blocks on the back wall of my cabinet to aviod the 'mash' of cables of the cabinet floor. and i can easily switch everything on and off as its in view and reach. - plus i have individual switch extension blocks. i have learnt from last time.

comments appreciated as usual.

cheers.

would post an FTS but i have some bunched plants (oxygenators to you and me) in there to help absorb some of the horrid chemicals. so there isnt much point in the pic.
 
AdAndrews said:
Very nice, I use those Led's for by cabinet too, scared me to death the other night as it fell off and made a big bang :arghh:
haha, man your heart must have jumped. they are pretty good and i think i got mine for less than £3 for 3. including postage, so not bad.

and i had about 40 batteries lying around that i got free so thats not an issue!
 
Nice work Nick. This project is moving along well.

I like those under cabinet lights. I have thought about using lights like that with some of my open cabinet setups to showcase the equipment (a bit) and for a potted houseplant or two.
 
George Farmer said:
I like the in-cabinet LEDs - very cool!

What's causing the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate to go off the scale?
i wish i knew! in guessing its new tank syndrome, being that the silicone is new, and i also reckon that some stuff is being leached from my substrate, and due to the amount i have (100kg) its quite alot.
even after the w/c's (e.g w/c in the morning, water test early evening, the levels have not dropped at all, and i have tested my tap water!)

im baffled.

the LED's are pretty good, it means les 'fumbling' around in the cabinet, you can actually see what you are doing. i have also laid some squares of carpet down to cover the base of the cabinet. works well to deaden sound.
 
but when they are totally off the scale, something cant be right....

i dont dare put anything in the tank to see if they really are high! apart from test kits, what else is there? the test strips are even worse!

yes, im going to keep teasing you until im happy that everyting is going right. im having problems with getting blyxa established, the plants i have have got no root structure and the bases of the stems are just going mushy. i need to get some with roots, proper mother plants. hence my plee on this forum!
i think i might swap the blyxa idea for some C.becketii, and Wendtii. im loving crypts at the moment.
 
Nick16 said:
yes, im going to keep teasing you until im happy that everyting is going right. im having problems with getting blyxa established, the plants i have have got no root structure and the bases of the stems are just going mushy. i need to get some with roots, proper mother plants. hence my plee on this forum!
i think i might swap the blyxa idea for some C.becketii, and Wendtii. im loving crypts at the moment.

Aww, come oooon, the journals are warts 'n' all accounts...

Crypts are awesome, I can't get enough of the low growing sp. my fave is moehlmanii- starts out a pale green then turns purpley-brown on the top of the leaves with light orange beneath
 
right, ive been thinking about my hairgrass... is it time i gave it another trim? --- (the main 'bunches' not the shoots)
(never had a lawn before)
this pic is a couple of days old, so more new shoots have appeared in the time.
cheers all
8 harlequins in, and 2 SAE's for the time being, keeping everything ticking over. they do look lost!! :lol:
i have another 2 SAE's to go in along with 2 keyholes, 4 gold barbs, 1 platy, 1 BN and 6 corries. (they are all upstairs in my 120L at the mo)

2 SAE's have xleaned up my wood already. (but have uprooted a tiny bit of hairgrass, hence only the two in there)

DSC00356.jpg


oh and sorry about the poor picture.
 
Nice progress.
I've got rid of my SAE. They're fine untill small but when they grow up they get lazy and are more intrsting in eating plants then algae. Also as you've found out they uproot plants.
 
another update. shot on March 7th.
im about to put my BN in to clear up some of the algae on the glass that is famous in new set ups. ive managed a good month without any appearing, even with ammonia and nitrite being through the roof for most of it.
i didnt really want to have to put the BN in as i fear the thrashing around might uproot some of the acicularis.

DSC00415.jpg


im unsure when to trim the acicularis, its beginning to spread, should i wait until it fully covers? or not?


just a quick snap of my 2 SAE's cleaning like ive told them to! (2 more to move in shortly)

DSC00411-1.jpg


typically the 8 harlequins decided to hide, but they are a bit lost in there. i will proably up the numbers to around 20 before adding my rainbows to keep them in check.

comments welcome.

P.S did you like the horrid blue airstone - its only temporary until i can get a new smaller one, its all i have at the mo.
 
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