Tom
Member
Re: Tom's 60P build - Ready to go
Cheap! I don't know to be honest. I got it for Christmas 3 years ago but never used it.
Cheap! I don't know to be honest. I got it for Christmas 3 years ago but never used it.
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Tom's 60P - Goodbye plants, hello Goldfish
- Thread starter Tom
- Start date
Tom
Member
Re: Tom's 60P build - Dry Starting
Finished the cabinet today. Might re-coat the door though as it has a couple of small scuffs on the front already from being left out.
Finished the cabinet today. Might re-coat the door though as it has a couple of small scuffs on the front already from being left out.
Mrmikey
Member
- Joined
- 2 Apr 2010
- Messages
- 372
Tom's 60P build - Dry Starting
Hey Tom, ive been out the loop since Olympia. I haven't really had time for my tank as I'm moving to London next week. I was thinking of making a cabinet somehow. This is a great little guide and yours has turned out amazing!! I love it.
But for me I don't have a work shop or any tools... Do you think I should just buy one? Whats the total cost? And time you spent doing it?
My tank is 26inchs long do ADA make them to fit mine?
Can't wait to see your scape either I know it will be good.
Hey Tom, ive been out the loop since Olympia. I haven't really had time for my tank as I'm moving to London next week. I was thinking of making a cabinet somehow. This is a great little guide and yours has turned out amazing!! I love it.
But for me I don't have a work shop or any tools... Do you think I should just buy one? Whats the total cost? And time you spent doing it?
My tank is 26inchs long do ADA make them to fit mine?
Can't wait to see your scape either I know it will be good.
Tom
Member
Re: Tom's 60P build - Dry Starting
Hey Mike,
Total cost if I hadn't had all the trouble with paint would have been around £50, not including tools/glue etc. I actually spent closer to £170 due to messing with paint, buying more wood for doors and braces etc.
If you don't have any tools it might not be best to start building one. To be honest, I'd look at the new-style Fluval Roma 125 stand - I think they're quite smart, although it's not going to be a flush fit. You could drill some holes in the top of the stand for the filter pipes etc.
I wanna make sure I'm happy with the scape before I post up proper pictures. I've got most of the plants in dry-starting at the moment, but I still need to decide on a background stem (If I have one), and get moss (and maybe Bolbitis) for the hardscape. I'm fairly happy with it for the moment, but it lacks a little bit of height. Maybe the stems would sort that, but I've never had any luck with them. They just go brown.
Hey Mike,
Total cost if I hadn't had all the trouble with paint would have been around £50, not including tools/glue etc. I actually spent closer to £170 due to messing with paint, buying more wood for doors and braces etc.
If you don't have any tools it might not be best to start building one. To be honest, I'd look at the new-style Fluval Roma 125 stand - I think they're quite smart, although it's not going to be a flush fit. You could drill some holes in the top of the stand for the filter pipes etc.
I wanna make sure I'm happy with the scape before I post up proper pictures. I've got most of the plants in dry-starting at the moment, but I still need to decide on a background stem (If I have one), and get moss (and maybe Bolbitis) for the hardscape. I'm fairly happy with it for the moment, but it lacks a little bit of height. Maybe the stems would sort that, but I've never had any luck with them. They just go brown.
Re: Tom's 60P build - Dry Starting
Tom I think you have slightly too much water in the tank. Some parts of the HC(?) are actually submerged and this can result in rotting. Clay absorbs water and it will wick upwards to moisten all the sediment, so you don't need to have it so high. Dry means Dry mate...
Cheers,
Tom I think you have slightly too much water in the tank. Some parts of the HC(?) are actually submerged and this can result in rotting. Clay absorbs water and it will wick upwards to moisten all the sediment, so you don't need to have it so high. Dry means Dry mate...
Cheers,
Tom
Member
Re: Tom's 60P build - Dry Starting
Thanks Clive - I had just flooded it for a couple of minutes to keep it wet, and siphoned out as much as I could. Some more water just seeped out from the substrate higher up. The excess got removed 😉
Thanks Clive - I had just flooded it for a couple of minutes to keep it wet, and siphoned out as much as I could. Some more water just seeped out from the substrate higher up. The excess got removed 😉
A
Antipofish
Guest
Re: Tom's 60P build - Dry Starting
If you know the size of the wood you need, a local timber merchant should be able to cut it all for you for little or no money (esp if you buy the wood from them). Our Sainsbury's homebase will cut wood to size (technically for a pound a cut but smile nicely and they often reduce that if there is a fair bit of cutting involved). Then all you need is a screwdriver and a bit of sandpaper. Its the way I will be doing mine, as I dont have power saws etc either.
Mrmikey said:
If you know the size of the wood you need, a local timber merchant should be able to cut it all for you for little or no money (esp if you buy the wood from them). Our Sainsbury's homebase will cut wood to size (technically for a pound a cut but smile nicely and they often reduce that if there is a fair bit of cutting involved). Then all you need is a screwdriver and a bit of sandpaper. Its the way I will be doing mine, as I dont have power saws etc either.
Tom
Member
Re: Tom's 60P build - Dry Starting
I had mine cut to size, but still had to rout the recess in the back to hold it square (you don't have to, but its neater). Then I also cut the holes in the back and sides for cables and pipes. Ideally you want to be gluing it rather than just screws. If you screw it as well, they could be your clamps. If not, you'll need to hold it in place somehow overnight. Then any screw holes might need to be filled and smoothed which is easy enough without tools, just a pain!
I had mine cut to size, but still had to rout the recess in the back to hold it square (you don't have to, but its neater). Then I also cut the holes in the back and sides for cables and pipes. Ideally you want to be gluing it rather than just screws. If you screw it as well, they could be your clamps. If not, you'll need to hold it in place somehow overnight. Then any screw holes might need to be filled and smoothed which is easy enough without tools, just a pain!
Tom
Member
Re: Tom's 60P build - Dry Starting
The tank is now flooded and planted. I picked up some more plants today in P@H Newmarket, but I still need to get some moss. There's some R. indica coming from Luis too. I want moss to merge the wood and rocks together at both ends, and some more around the joins of the rock formation. I think I'm going to go for plain old Java again, as it's the one I've had best success with.
I'm starting the lights 10" above the surface (lowered for photo) to see how things go. Ferts are leftover Brighty K and Step 1 until they run out, then either just EI trace or full EI depending how it looks.
The tank is now flooded and planted. I picked up some more plants today in P@H Newmarket, but I still need to get some moss. There's some R. indica coming from Luis too. I want moss to merge the wood and rocks together at both ends, and some more around the joins of the rock formation. I think I'm going to go for plain old Java again, as it's the one I've had best success with.
I'm starting the lights 10" above the surface (lowered for photo) to see how things go. Ferts are leftover Brighty K and Step 1 until they run out, then either just EI trace or full EI depending how it looks.
Tom
Member
Re: Tom's 60P - Flooded
Not too bad - they're always better than the majority of P@H for plants. I just snapped up the H. pinnatifida and Pogostemon as soon as I saw them.
Not too bad - they're always better than the majority of P@H for plants. I just snapped up the H. pinnatifida and Pogostemon as soon as I saw them.
Tom
Member
Re: Tom's 60P - Flooded
Who is your wife?
Who is your wife?
Tom
Member
Re: Tom's 60P - Flooded
Don't know her then, sorry!!
Quick shot this morning:
Don't know her then, sorry!!
Quick shot this morning:
Re: Tom's 60P - Flooded
very dramatic, great looking scape and set up!
very dramatic, great looking scape and set up!
Re: Tom's 60P - Flooded
very nice tom, looks great 🙂
very nice tom, looks great 🙂
Tom
Member
Re: Tom's 60P - Flooded
Ta 🙂 Will be having a tidy up tomorrow of the old A. mad leaves and HC. Nice day off cleaning multiple tanks again!
Ta 🙂 Will be having a tidy up tomorrow of the old A. mad leaves and HC. Nice day off cleaning multiple tanks again!
A
Antipofish
Guest
Re: Tom's 60P - Flooded
Looking good Tom. Sorry if you already said, but what light unit is that please?
Looking good Tom. Sorry if you already said, but what light unit is that please?
Tom
Member
Re: Tom's 60P - Flooded
It's the Arcadia 2x24 unit with the hanging kit 🙂
It's the Arcadia 2x24 unit with the hanging kit 🙂
