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Removing the rim on the Juwel Rio 300
- Thread starter Skatersav
- Start date
hinch
Member
they'll grow into the 15cm-20cm range and they like lots of space to swim in 300 is really the smallest tank i'd consider putting them in especially in larger groups. from their current size though you have a good while yet before they're "too big" but just bear it in mind
Thanks for the heads up. They are really cool fish. I'd have more but I had a problem with some sort of parasite that worked its way through four of them. Very upsetting. A few flubendazole treatments seemed to do the trick and the remaining five have been very healthy since. I had considered adding a few more, but they seem very happy in a school of five and actually mix in with the five siamese flying foxes (or whatever they are) that I have in the tank. Given your point regarding size, I definitely won't be adding more.
Do you think I'll have problems finding them a new home when they are fully grown?
Do you think I'll have problems finding them a new home when they are fully grown?
hinch
Member
naah you shouldn't struggle at all if you do i'll rehome them they can join my group
I have 3 of the Torpedo's in a 450l and the biggest one is now about 10cm but the others always stay a little smaller. It has taken them around 3 years to grow from small young fish to this size. I started them in a 125l and moved them upwards as they grew. My three also show the same behaviour and shoal with my 2 siamese flying foxes. It seems they must like each other company!
hinch
Member
I think that shoaling is due to the similar shape and similar dark line down the side since the barbs like to be in groups of 8-10 ideally but if they don't have sufficient numbers of their own kind they join with others.
I only have 5 but they're currently on holiday in a friends tank until I finish decorating and set the big tank back up
I only have 5 but they're currently on holiday in a friends tank until I finish decorating and set the big tank back up
Well, thank you. The fish seem very happy and have been growing a little. I still have quite a bit of work to do on it:
- Some of the plants grow really well but I can't get the carpet plants to grow much at all. Starting a more rigorous fert and water change programme and I hope this will work. I've also moved the flow around a bit to try and make sure there are no stagnant areas - that piece of wood is a fair old hindrance but I think I've sorted it out now.
- I also need to get some more moss and plant growth on the top of the wood as there is a flat section as a result of where it has been cut and it is a little unsightly - good progress being made on that front though.
- I want rid of the rim and a new lighting system - the original reason for this post.
- And, finally, I am considering replacing all the plastic tubes at the back with nice stainless steel pipework. I have two external filters and all the pipework is a bit ugly.
Out of all of this, I think the hardest thing will be getting the carpet plants to grow - some people just seem to find that bit dead easy, but I've never had much success... I'm hoping the new flow and the fert/water change programme will help.
- Some of the plants grow really well but I can't get the carpet plants to grow much at all. Starting a more rigorous fert and water change programme and I hope this will work. I've also moved the flow around a bit to try and make sure there are no stagnant areas - that piece of wood is a fair old hindrance but I think I've sorted it out now.
- I also need to get some more moss and plant growth on the top of the wood as there is a flat section as a result of where it has been cut and it is a little unsightly - good progress being made on that front though.
- I want rid of the rim and a new lighting system - the original reason for this post.
- And, finally, I am considering replacing all the plastic tubes at the back with nice stainless steel pipework. I have two external filters and all the pipework is a bit ugly.
Out of all of this, I think the hardest thing will be getting the carpet plants to grow - some people just seem to find that bit dead easy, but I've never had much success... I'm hoping the new flow and the fert/water change programme will help.
Update:
1. Glass strips acquired. I have opted to go with the glass strips rather than the perspex as I wasn't sure about the adhesive I would need and glass was easier to get hold of. 10mm glass, 60mm width, 1 for each side of the tank and one cross bar to extend front to back in the centre of the tank.
2. Lighting solution acquired - but I think have made a schoolboy error here. I have purchased two luverly stainless steel shades, 10m of white wire, two BC fitting (22mm) lamp holders, two plugs and two compact fluorescent 30W bulbs (6400K). This all looks great on the basis that the bulbs have an equivalent rating of 125W each, but I think that's an incandescent bulb equivalent. The four T5s I have at the moment produce about 16k lumens, whereas my new solution will only be around 3600... Obviously, the 2W/gallon rule-of-thumb is assuming fluorescent lighting and so I think I may be under-cooking it now. 4 50W T5s is probably overkill, but 60W won't likely be sufficient, especially if there's some emersed planting going on. So, I might be back to the drawing board on that front.
3. Rim removed. This was an absolute see you next tuesday. I think it may have been the most physical thing I have done in the past ten years. Not saying much given I'm a complete layabout, but still: be warned. You have to run a thin and flexible blade around the outside of the tank, especially where the cross beams are situated and then run a knife around the inside. Care is needed not to scratch the tank, and this slows things down a bit. When it finally tore away, the feeling of relief was something different to what I had expected before commencing the process.
2. Excess silicone sealant removed. This was also a fairly painful exercise. Whoever made the tank definitely wasn't incentivised to reduce silicone wastage. There is tonnes of it and it takes ages to scratch off.
3. Front and rear glass strips in place. I used G-clamps and rubber pads to hold the strips in place. I put the silicone sealant along the three edges that abut the glass walls of the tank and was careful to ensure no bubbles in the joint between the strip and the front/rear panel. I intend to scrape off excess prior to fitting the cross spars.
That's as far as I've got. I'm slightly concerned about my plants drying out although I have left a little water in the tank which is still circulating through one of the filters and the return is positioned in an attempt to keep the plants wet - some are attached to the big log which I am definitely not moving. I'll put up some photos (including some of the rim removal process) when I've put in the cross spars this evening.
Cheers, S
1. Glass strips acquired. I have opted to go with the glass strips rather than the perspex as I wasn't sure about the adhesive I would need and glass was easier to get hold of. 10mm glass, 60mm width, 1 for each side of the tank and one cross bar to extend front to back in the centre of the tank.
2. Lighting solution acquired - but I think have made a schoolboy error here. I have purchased two luverly stainless steel shades, 10m of white wire, two BC fitting (22mm) lamp holders, two plugs and two compact fluorescent 30W bulbs (6400K). This all looks great on the basis that the bulbs have an equivalent rating of 125W each, but I think that's an incandescent bulb equivalent. The four T5s I have at the moment produce about 16k lumens, whereas my new solution will only be around 3600... Obviously, the 2W/gallon rule-of-thumb is assuming fluorescent lighting and so I think I may be under-cooking it now. 4 50W T5s is probably overkill, but 60W won't likely be sufficient, especially if there's some emersed planting going on. So, I might be back to the drawing board on that front.
3. Rim removed. This was an absolute see you next tuesday. I think it may have been the most physical thing I have done in the past ten years. Not saying much given I'm a complete layabout, but still: be warned. You have to run a thin and flexible blade around the outside of the tank, especially where the cross beams are situated and then run a knife around the inside. Care is needed not to scratch the tank, and this slows things down a bit. When it finally tore away, the feeling of relief was something different to what I had expected before commencing the process.
2. Excess silicone sealant removed. This was also a fairly painful exercise. Whoever made the tank definitely wasn't incentivised to reduce silicone wastage. There is tonnes of it and it takes ages to scratch off.
3. Front and rear glass strips in place. I used G-clamps and rubber pads to hold the strips in place. I put the silicone sealant along the three edges that abut the glass walls of the tank and was careful to ensure no bubbles in the joint between the strip and the front/rear panel. I intend to scrape off excess prior to fitting the cross spars.
That's as far as I've got. I'm slightly concerned about my plants drying out although I have left a little water in the tank which is still circulating through one of the filters and the return is positioned in an attempt to keep the plants wet - some are attached to the big log which I am definitely not moving. I'll put up some photos (including some of the rim removal process) when I've put in the cross spars this evening.
Cheers, S
The more I think about it, the more I think I need to use a metal halide unit. Nothing else is both small enough and powerful enough, whilst still delivering the right colour.
LEDs: can't get enough lumen into the shades I've got.
Halogens: can't get the right colour. Tend to be 3000k.
Incandescents: as per halogens.
Fluorescents: Can't get enough lumen into the shades I've selected.
Metal Halides: Meets all the requirements, but it means a lot more money and a bit of concern regarding heat production.
So, I either have to go back to the drawing board on the shades, or go with metal halides and fork out money for the ballasts (not sure my electrical expertise is sufficient for this either).
More study needed. I hope I don't have to put the shades I've just bought back on ebay. I really like them.
LEDs: can't get enough lumen into the shades I've got.
Halogens: can't get the right colour. Tend to be 3000k.
Incandescents: as per halogens.
Fluorescents: Can't get enough lumen into the shades I've selected.
Metal Halides: Meets all the requirements, but it means a lot more money and a bit of concern regarding heat production.
So, I either have to go back to the drawing board on the shades, or go with metal halides and fork out money for the ballasts (not sure my electrical expertise is sufficient for this either).
More study needed. I hope I don't have to put the shades I've just bought back on ebay. I really like them.
I spent ages trying to work out a DIY LED solution - was going to say that you need a LOT of GU10 bulbs for each T5... And in the end it's cheaper to buy an Aquaray or MH.... or just a suspended T5 luminaire..
The one thing that would work (if your shades are big enough) is a super high output cfl) but I've never dared. They are massive bulbs though 25 cms! See half way down this page
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com ... mpact.html
The one thing that would work (if your shades are big enough) is a super high output cfl) but I've never dared. They are massive bulbs though 25 cms! See half way down this page
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com ... mpact.html
Interesting you should suggest that Mike. In addition to the BC fittings and 30w fluorescents that I acquired, I bought 2x 125W compact fluorescents from Growell on a 30 day return policy. I'm thinking the latter might well be the solution I need but they are indeed extremely large - 380mm long including the fitting. Having had a look about, there are megaman bulbs of around 100W that are only around 280mm long so maybe I trade in for those. Both of these use an E40 screw fitting. The problem with that fitting is that most lamp units that fit that bulb are built for metal halides and have a built in driver - they tend to be those massive bay lights that you see in warehouses. However, unless you move up to metal halide, this would seem to be the highest lumens/unit volume of light outside of strip lighting so good advice - thanks... More on that later.
Update on the tank:
So, having removed the lid and stripped back as much of the excess silicone as my soft hands would allow, I have now installed the glass rims. I installed the front and rear strips first, clamping them in place with G-clamps and some wee rubber pads. I left these for 24 hours to cure and then installed the three front to back strips.
Picture showing all the silicon round the tank's rim before clean up:
Picture showing g-clamps holding the cross bars in place:
I figured that the cross bars needed pressed against the strips on the front and back to create a strong bond. My wife is a design engineer and very good at arts and crafts - she told me to leave any excess silicone until it set and then remove it with a sharp knife. For what it's worth, I think she has been working with marker pens and superglue too much - I would recommend scraping off the excess while it is still wet as I'm seeing a much tidier finish where I have done that.
So, tonight, I think I can refill the tank a bit. I'm not going to take it all the way up to the top, but I'm keen to get a bit more water into it to keep the critters and plants happy. Currently it's around 25% full but this includes lots of wood and substrate so there really isn't much in the way of swimming space in there. Given all the disruption to the substrate, there is probably a bit of an ammonia spike going on... Further, with the reduced volume and open top, heat loss is bound to be much higher so the heater will doubtless be struggling to keep the water temperature up above room temp. The barbs should be fine for a short period of time, but I'm not sure how the inverts will cope. Anyway, tonight I refill to around half full.
Still to do:
- Decide on lighting solution. Current thinking is CFLs with bigger shades than I currently have.
- Acquire stainless steel tubing to replace nasty green plastic pipes - the pressure has upped on this modification because the eheim u-bends don't stretch over the glass rim (another schoolboy error...) and I'm having to fab up a temporary solution.
Cheers. S
Update on the tank:
So, having removed the lid and stripped back as much of the excess silicone as my soft hands would allow, I have now installed the glass rims. I installed the front and rear strips first, clamping them in place with G-clamps and some wee rubber pads. I left these for 24 hours to cure and then installed the three front to back strips.
Picture showing all the silicon round the tank's rim before clean up:
Picture showing g-clamps holding the cross bars in place:
I figured that the cross bars needed pressed against the strips on the front and back to create a strong bond. My wife is a design engineer and very good at arts and crafts - she told me to leave any excess silicone until it set and then remove it with a sharp knife. For what it's worth, I think she has been working with marker pens and superglue too much - I would recommend scraping off the excess while it is still wet as I'm seeing a much tidier finish where I have done that.
So, tonight, I think I can refill the tank a bit. I'm not going to take it all the way up to the top, but I'm keen to get a bit more water into it to keep the critters and plants happy. Currently it's around 25% full but this includes lots of wood and substrate so there really isn't much in the way of swimming space in there. Given all the disruption to the substrate, there is probably a bit of an ammonia spike going on... Further, with the reduced volume and open top, heat loss is bound to be much higher so the heater will doubtless be struggling to keep the water temperature up above room temp. The barbs should be fine for a short period of time, but I'm not sure how the inverts will cope. Anyway, tonight I refill to around half full.
Still to do:
- Decide on lighting solution. Current thinking is CFLs with bigger shades than I currently have.
- Acquire stainless steel tubing to replace nasty green plastic pipes - the pressure has upped on this modification because the eheim u-bends don't stretch over the glass rim (another schoolboy error...) and I'm having to fab up a temporary solution.
Cheers. S
liking this diy approach, with warts and all. much more interesting than doing it all slickly from the start.
cheaper by far and less hassle than stainless steel would be acrylic pipe, a paint stripping gun and a pipe bending spring.
I've done it a few times and comes out nifty. about to do properly for my new big tank - will post up proper DIY pictures now I've learned how to do it...
cheaper by far and less hassle than stainless steel would be acrylic pipe, a paint stripping gun and a pipe bending spring.
I've done it a few times and comes out nifty. about to do properly for my new big tank - will post up proper DIY pictures now I've learned how to do it...
Quick update:
- Acrylic pipes have arrived.
- Paint stripper gun has arrived.
- Pipe bend spring has arrived.
- 1x 300w inline heater has arrived (thought that given I'm going through some fairly serious tank hardware upgrading I might as well do this bit too).
- Rubber sucker clips for the pipes have arrived.
Still waiting for:
- 2x Megaman 100W daylight CFLs.
- 2 lamp shades that should fit the above and look quite good from the photos on the interweb.
So, should have the pipes all done this week and hopefully the lights finished next week. I'll post photos when there's something to show.
Cheers, S
- Acrylic pipes have arrived.
- Paint stripper gun has arrived.
- Pipe bend spring has arrived.
- 1x 300w inline heater has arrived (thought that given I'm going through some fairly serious tank hardware upgrading I might as well do this bit too).
- Rubber sucker clips for the pipes have arrived.
Still waiting for:
- 2x Megaman 100W daylight CFLs.
- 2 lamp shades that should fit the above and look quite good from the photos on the interweb.
So, should have the pipes all done this week and hopefully the lights finished next week. I'll post photos when there's something to show.
Cheers, S
Thought a bit more detail on the acrylic might be useful. So here you go...
I'm lovine the acrylic pipe bending thing. I'm about half way through prepping up my tank. Haven't been able to get a lily pipe made though: not enough puff. Either that or I've got thicker walled tubes. Very pleased with this DIY trick otherwise. Will post photos tomorrow. Thanks!
