Wow, your tank is going to look amazing once it is finished and even better once the plants have filled in. I' m looking forward to seeing more of this project.
Brentling's 125 Startup Thread - Lots o' Pics
- Thread starter brentling
- Start date
I'm glad you're trying the Cork. I love the look and have thought about it in the past but haven't made the jump. I also wonder if Cork is the only kind of bark that can hold up in water for extended periods. I like Oak bark and wonder if that could work as well. I guess if I find some on a fallen tree sometime I could strip some off and try it.
Q
Q
A point I have thought about long and hard. Juvie Discus are definitely within the goals of the tank regarding cost, but I do not love the water changes. Maybe all the rappelling and cycling will make up for some of that? :dance: On the good side, though, the tank is about 6 feet from a water source and I can drain right out the door into the garden. IE ferts will probably be difficult with all the water changes.... hmmm.
Anybody have any Marlboro Red semi-adults for 20 a piece?
I will have to make this decision based on the availability of the fish, actually. Right now I do not have a good source. My gut and wallet say juveniles, and I will do the necessary water changes if that is what I end up with. They will be among the last additions, after large schools of Cardinal tetras, Rummynose, etc. etc. It will take quite a herd of Otocinclus for this tank, too! I keep looking at the driftwood and imagining the crazy cool plecos that will live there!
Thanks for posting all those pics. I am looking forward to watching this tank progresss. I'm thinking about looking into some cork myself. That should look great the way you set it up.
Are you planning on filling in the little holes between the cork bark with some smaller pieces of cork cut to fit the size?
I did some of that, but realized that the plants growing on the bark will cover the small holes no problem.
Lights!
Lights
The lights arrived today and I am pretty stoked. I researched and researched and found some cheap but cool lights that pack plenty of punch and have the features I need. They are found here: http://www.fishneedit.com/3ft4bulbs-with-l34.html. They are each 36 inches long with 4 39 Watt T5HO and 5 LEDs (for night light). I was able to choose exactly which bulbs I wanted, so I went with 2 "pink" plant bulbs, a 6500K and 10000K. Each fixture has 3 cords and 3 switches. I plan to get a timer or bunch of timers and have each group turn on independently. One group on in the morning, the next a couple of hours later, then the second group off, then the first group off. The LEDs will turn on just before the last set goes off. All together I now have 8 X 39 Watts T5HO (312 total Watts) which should hopefully make this a "high light" tank; all for $245 including shipping.
I am happy with the lights considering what I paid for them. The mounting legs are just plastic, but they are temporary. I plan on hanging the lights from the ceiling using steel cables. The light housing is extruded aluminuim and very sturdy. The switches are rocker type inline switches, but I will not be using them anyway with the timers. The reflectors are quite nice (separate reflector for each bulb) and the bulbs seem just fine and are the colors I expected. They do have clear Plexiglas covers for the bulbs, as well.We will see how they do as far as reliability now.
I was able to get some better full tank shots and pics of the lights themselves, so here are more pics. Thanks for all y'all's encouragement and comments/suggestions.
Here is how the plants are doing. I am just tonight starting to get some condensation on the glass.
And here is a full tank shot that was requested.
CO2 setup this weekend, then save pennies to buy filters... Are there any suggestions for filtration? That seems to be an issue that everyone has an opinion on! I was originally thinking one Fluval FX5, but am now thinking two smaller Eheims - one with the CO2 reactor, and one with an in-line heater.
Lights
The lights arrived today and I am pretty stoked. I researched and researched and found some cheap but cool lights that pack plenty of punch and have the features I need. They are found here: http://www.fishneedit.com/3ft4bulbs-with-l34.html. They are each 36 inches long with 4 39 Watt T5HO and 5 LEDs (for night light). I was able to choose exactly which bulbs I wanted, so I went with 2 "pink" plant bulbs, a 6500K and 10000K. Each fixture has 3 cords and 3 switches. I plan to get a timer or bunch of timers and have each group turn on independently. One group on in the morning, the next a couple of hours later, then the second group off, then the first group off. The LEDs will turn on just before the last set goes off. All together I now have 8 X 39 Watts T5HO (312 total Watts) which should hopefully make this a "high light" tank; all for $245 including shipping.
I am happy with the lights considering what I paid for them. The mounting legs are just plastic, but they are temporary. I plan on hanging the lights from the ceiling using steel cables. The light housing is extruded aluminuim and very sturdy. The switches are rocker type inline switches, but I will not be using them anyway with the timers. The reflectors are quite nice (separate reflector for each bulb) and the bulbs seem just fine and are the colors I expected. They do have clear Plexiglas covers for the bulbs, as well.We will see how they do as far as reliability now.
I was able to get some better full tank shots and pics of the lights themselves, so here are more pics. Thanks for all y'all's encouragement and comments/suggestions.
Here is how the plants are doing. I am just tonight starting to get some condensation on the glass.
And here is a full tank shot that was requested.
CO2 setup this weekend, then save pennies to buy filters... Are there any suggestions for filtration? That seems to be an issue that everyone has an opinion on! I was originally thinking one Fluval FX5, but am now thinking two smaller Eheims - one with the CO2 reactor, and one with an in-line heater.
The lights just make it look 2 times better! I would go with the 2 filters, for even distribution of filtration, the in line heater and CO2 reactors, and if one fails, the tank won't be totally without filtration.
Agreed... 2 filters just like 2 heaters... if one fails you still have the other working.
Q
