Tony Swinney
Member
[EDIT] You can miss out all of the pre-scape ramblings by jumping to half way down page5 when the fun starts 😀 😀 😀 [EDIT]
Hi all
This is more of a pre-journal at this stage really !
I’ve just bought an Osaka 260 set up to build my first proper planted tank, but having decided that I dont like the aluminium rim, or the bracing I’ve sold the tank, and am just ordering a new tank for the stand 😳 .
I really want a very tidy looking, minimalist open-topped tank, so it will be braceless and rimless and 100cm x 45cm x 55cm high 8) . I dont think the budget will stretch to full Opti-white, but I may have an Opti-white front panel put in.
There’ll be 2 filters running, one Eheim 2028, and a TetraTec 1200, there’ll also be an FE (thanks Dan 🙂 ) fed inline CO2 reactor ( thanks Ed 🙂 ) and an inline hydor heater. I’m going to have 2 outlets drilled in the base - one for each filter, but the returns will be via a pair of glass lily pipes - which will be the only equipment visible.
I’ve spent along time debating whether to drill the tank, or have glass outlets over the top ! I really want a clean look and cleaning glass outlets is a right pain (and they easily break !) so I’m sure drilling is the way forward - I’m going to have 2 bulkheads put in for 20mm pipe, with only a 25mm length of pipe fixed to each. My thinking is that I’ll then add pipe and elbows as neccessary to reposition the outlet at a suitable place behind the hardscape - any pipework will be hidden in the substrate, and the strainers behind hardscape / plants. The pipework within the tank shouldnt need to be glued so would be movable for rescapes. Can anyone forsee issues with this (apart form the leaking bulkhead scenario) ? I know i could go with larger pipe, but it will be trickier to conceal in the tank, and if I used normal over-the-top outlets, they would only be 16mm anyway.
Lighting will be a pair of the Osaka units, so 4 x 39w lamps, 2 ‘Life-Glo’ and 2 ‘Power-Glo’ T5HO’s, suspended from the ceiling. Probably will only run one of them until the tank is established, giving just about 1.2 wpg.
As for whats going into the tank, well thats a bit of an unknown at the mo ! I’ve been scanning the pages of UKaps for the past few weeks gathering inspiration, and making a collection of tanks / plants that I really like, along with info as to what might work best. My general tendancy is clean minimalism which might have taken me on a Iwugami route, but I do like redmoor roots in tanks so that may take me more towards the Nature look !
Below are some of the tanks which inspire me. I know it’ll take a long time and many ‘scapes to get anywhere near these beauties, but I figure if I get the hardware right in the first place, then rescaping and replanting is the enjoyable bit !
The livestock will include a cleaning crew of cory sterbia, botia striata, ottos and japonica shrimp, which are all over-populating the discus tank at the mo, and then a shoal of some sort. Possible rummy's (though theres already a shoal with the discus so might go for something different) or I might go for a shoal of Angels :?:
I’ll keep you posted and seek your views and advice as my ideas develop - I’ve got about 4 weeks before the tank will be delivered !
Any thoughts and advice about the setup would be greatly appreciated !
Thanks for reading,
Tony 😀
Inspiration:
And my present Discus tank too (it has some planting going on !). Might change the background on this though - black ? :
Cheers 😀
Hi all
This is more of a pre-journal at this stage really !
I’ve just bought an Osaka 260 set up to build my first proper planted tank, but having decided that I dont like the aluminium rim, or the bracing I’ve sold the tank, and am just ordering a new tank for the stand 😳 .
I really want a very tidy looking, minimalist open-topped tank, so it will be braceless and rimless and 100cm x 45cm x 55cm high 8) . I dont think the budget will stretch to full Opti-white, but I may have an Opti-white front panel put in.
There’ll be 2 filters running, one Eheim 2028, and a TetraTec 1200, there’ll also be an FE (thanks Dan 🙂 ) fed inline CO2 reactor ( thanks Ed 🙂 ) and an inline hydor heater. I’m going to have 2 outlets drilled in the base - one for each filter, but the returns will be via a pair of glass lily pipes - which will be the only equipment visible.
I’ve spent along time debating whether to drill the tank, or have glass outlets over the top ! I really want a clean look and cleaning glass outlets is a right pain (and they easily break !) so I’m sure drilling is the way forward - I’m going to have 2 bulkheads put in for 20mm pipe, with only a 25mm length of pipe fixed to each. My thinking is that I’ll then add pipe and elbows as neccessary to reposition the outlet at a suitable place behind the hardscape - any pipework will be hidden in the substrate, and the strainers behind hardscape / plants. The pipework within the tank shouldnt need to be glued so would be movable for rescapes. Can anyone forsee issues with this (apart form the leaking bulkhead scenario) ? I know i could go with larger pipe, but it will be trickier to conceal in the tank, and if I used normal over-the-top outlets, they would only be 16mm anyway.
Lighting will be a pair of the Osaka units, so 4 x 39w lamps, 2 ‘Life-Glo’ and 2 ‘Power-Glo’ T5HO’s, suspended from the ceiling. Probably will only run one of them until the tank is established, giving just about 1.2 wpg.
As for whats going into the tank, well thats a bit of an unknown at the mo ! I’ve been scanning the pages of UKaps for the past few weeks gathering inspiration, and making a collection of tanks / plants that I really like, along with info as to what might work best. My general tendancy is clean minimalism which might have taken me on a Iwugami route, but I do like redmoor roots in tanks so that may take me more towards the Nature look !
Below are some of the tanks which inspire me. I know it’ll take a long time and many ‘scapes to get anywhere near these beauties, but I figure if I get the hardware right in the first place, then rescaping and replanting is the enjoyable bit !
The livestock will include a cleaning crew of cory sterbia, botia striata, ottos and japonica shrimp, which are all over-populating the discus tank at the mo, and then a shoal of some sort. Possible rummy's (though theres already a shoal with the discus so might go for something different) or I might go for a shoal of Angels :?:
I’ll keep you posted and seek your views and advice as my ideas develop - I’ve got about 4 weeks before the tank will be delivered !
Any thoughts and advice about the setup would be greatly appreciated !
Thanks for reading,
Tony 😀
Inspiration:
And my present Discus tank too (it has some planting going on !). Might change the background on this though - black ? :
Cheers 😀
