# 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"



## griffin_pak

I will update this thread as I go along, enjoy!

This is what it looks like today: (updated Aug 30th)
<this image will be updated every so often>

30 Gallon with dimensions of 25x25x12










My only regret with this tank:
I wish I had dropped another 50$ to get this tank rimless
<this list will grow over time, Im sure>

DIY STAND
Approximate cost 40ish, primary source: Home Depot
What I own: a Drill!! wood was cut at HD, bought a drill bit for the screws, found some gorilla glue for wood! and thats about it!

used this site: http://www.fishandtips.com/index.php
for planning, however I altered a bit and used 2x4s
*
NOTE: 2x4 ARE NOT 2x4, they actually measure 1.5x3.5!!!!! Keep that in mind while planning*


So this is the plank for the base, see later image


used these screws 5 inches so that I could join a 2x4 to a 2x4, on the long arm, see later image


3 inch, for the small arm, see later image


drill bit


water proofing spray, about 3$


drying away




the basic construct


short - hence the 3 inch screw






This is where you I need the 5 inch screw, since the three inch screw would only just make it into the horizontal 2x4


good old gorilla wood glue








making sure its level!


the plank I showed you earlier x 2







finally done!

El-cheapo stand! time to build (one person only) - 2 hours ish


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## griffin_pak

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*


got the siding cut also at HD, cost: an additional 18$


planing the glue


added another 2x4 in the middle, overkill, the tank has a rim, so all the weight is on the corners, the middles doesnt even touch!


ran out of heavy object haha!


2 sides done!


screwed up, this is my access panel, but I notived a 2x4 smack middle, cant remove co2 tank/filter in n out!!! so used a different side. measure twice, cut once/glue once






driftwood!!!!!!!!!!!!! want emersed plants growing out of the tank, like a palaudrium (?)


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## Michael

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*

Cool!


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## dstrong

Wow very nice. I'm interest to see it once its planted


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## simwiz

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*

Look great! Let's follow it up!


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## Phact

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*

I like the simple look of the stand, and the way the tank sits on it.

If you feel confident in de-rimming the tank, you could try that. I'm not sure how many people de-rim tanks over 20 gallons, but here is a pretty good DIY discussion about it:

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/diy-aquarium-projects/4363-removing-tank-trim.html

There are a few really simple tutorials, as well as people testing it out on stuff like 29g tanks.
I'm sure you could make the tank look great even with the trim though.

Emmersed plants sound great, paludarium-styled scapes are awesome.


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## giypsy

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*

Anything with "diy galore" in the title distracts me from everything 
I thought I should be doing . . .

Better get something done before any more posts!


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## Michael

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*

I have de-rimmed a 20 and a 10. It is much easier to get the top rim off than the bottom. Most of the aesthetic effect comes from taking off the top rim. Since your tank is only 12" tall, it might be safe to de-rim it.

BTW, where did you get that tank? I've never seen one that shape, and it has great possibilities.

--Michael


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## dstrong

It is safe to de-rim. Water pressure only comes from height. Id be more worried about a de-rimmed 20 then that tank


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## jasonmemo

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*

nice~ i like the square design and awsome driftwood!


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## Jeffww

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*



Michael said:


> I have de-rimmed a 20 and a 10. It is much easier to get the top rim off than the bottom. Most of the aesthetic effect comes from taking off the top rim. Since your tank is only 12" tall, it might be safe to de-rim it.
> 
> BTW, where did you get that tank? I've never seen one that shape, and it has great possibilities.
> 
> --Michael


Seems like a great coral tank to me. Not so much planted tank.


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## dstrong

It is for a paladarium style like he said he is going to.


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## griffin_pak

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*

thank you everyone, will post more pics soon!


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## griffin_pak

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*



dstrong said:


> It is for a paladarium style like he said he is going to.


Once I have more money and time, coral is what I want to do.... but for now paladarium it is...



> Seems like a great coral tank to me. Not so much planted tank.


rectangle over done in planted tank!


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## niko

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*

2 notes about this project:

1. The stand is severely overbuild. It will hold a 180 gallon tank if you can ballance it on top of it. But at least it does not smack you as flimsy like most aquarium stands.

2. The bracket that the light hangs from. Does not need to be the obsolete ADA style from 10 years ago. It could be shortened and support the light fixture from behind. No top heavy looking piece of pipe extending over light. No hanging cables. Electric cord can be hidden inside the pile. And if the vertical section of the pipe is placed precisely behind the edge of the side glass it will become invisible because of some kind of optical effect.

Other than those 2 - love the size of the tank. Wide is NICE!. Hate the plastic rim (which is not even needed on a tank of that height, but don't attempt to remove it - you will hate you even thought about it.)

Good luck, hope it ends up looking stunning!

--Nikolay


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## griffin_pak

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*

So for the lighting... wanted to hang it on top of the tank, so that I could see the tank from the top as well. Wanted to do something cheap and diy (duh).










Got the idea from numerous threads here on conduits, again went to HD, conduit it self was like 4$ Cheaaaap yeah!

So here was my dilemna, I needed a pipe/conduit bender, one of these badboys:









So I asked at lowes and HD to see if they had rental ones available... no luck
I didnt want to drop 40$ on a tool that I was going to use once, for bending one conduit in two places 

I was "advised" by one of the HD workers to buy/return it.... that didnt feel right either, so he said "here lemme bend it for ya in store!" and I was like...... umm SURE! lol
so long story short, I used a conduit at HD, and didnt pay for it..... Im sure ill pay for that....karma..... I did! mis measured that damn thing... look below


used a dollar spray can of black to paint the thing






at first I though of using steel wire fishing line and a closed hook...




didnt work... so that was a bust


as someone else suggested, I mounted on the BACK of the tank first..... BUT then it was toooo long and sticking out on the side... which looked ugly (the mis-measured part), so I mounted it to the left side


used S-hooks on teh conduit... linked to this black chain... which hooks onto an "open" hook x 4.. this way it didnt wobble, i have the option of adjusting the height since I have extra chain








El-cheapo lights done!

oh btw, the light is odyssea T5 HO 25inch total length 6500K


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## griffin_pak

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*



niko said:


> 2 notes about this project:
> 
> 1. The stand is severely overbuild. It will hold a 180 gallon tank if you can ballance it on top of it. But at least it does not smack you as flimsy like most aquarium stands.
> 
> 2. The bracket that the light hangs from. Does not need to be the obsolete ADA style from 10 years ago. It could be shortened and support the light fixture from behind. No top heavy looking piece of pipe extending over light. No hanging cables. Electric cord can be hidden inside the pile. And if the vertical section of the pipe is placed precisely behind the edge of the side glass it will become invisible because of some kind of optical effect.
> 
> Other than those 2 - love the size of the tank. Wide is NICE!. Hate the plastic rim (which is not even needed on a tank of that height, but don't attempt to remove it - you will hate you even thought about it.)
> 
> Good luck, hope it ends up looking stunning!
> 
> --Nikolay


Hey Nikolay.... thanks for the feedback
overbuilt = sleep better at night 
bracket... yeah I didnt measure it right so ended up putting it on the side 

*What do you mean about dont remove the rim?*

*
I am actually planning on taking a dremel to the rim and removing it.... let me know what you guys think about that!*


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## dstrong

Sounds good.. just don't hit the glass =/


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## niko

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*

About the derimming:

The Dremel will work the fastest. But you have to cut along the length of the plastic rim. Don't think you can cut it in one place, grab it and pry it off. That will not work because globs of silicone have been slapped on the glass edge before the plastic rim has been pushed into place. The silicone cannot be cut with the Dremel, so you have to first remove the plastic rim, then cut the silicone with a razor blade.

Then you are left with a rimless tank with spots of silicone that are very hard to remove. Best practice - use a box of brand new razor blades to scrape and scrape and scrape your life away. The edges of the blades wear almost immediately that's why you need a whole box of them. After you had enough fun with the razor blades go get some Dow Chemicals silicone remover from Home Depot. It does not work wonders, but it will help remove more silicone. You will be down to fine residue that needs to be cleaned with new razor blades again. As you see - it is a time and effort intense work.

And above all - do not think that the glass edges that you will expose are polished and cut beautifully. Often they have chips and do no look that pretty. On a 10 gallon tank that is not very visible. But on your size tank it may be very ugly.

If it was me I'd source a local glass shop or an aquarium maker and have them make a new tank. That beats the derimming ordeal.

--Nikolay


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## Michael

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*

What Niko says about removing the rim is true, but it was worth the effort for me.

One tip: WD-40 will help remove the silicone residue. It does not dissolve the silicone, but it makes it easier to scape off with the razor blades.

Another tip: Get yourself a good razor blade handle!

--Michael


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## Tex Gal

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*

I also like the dimensions of these shallow tanks. The scapes that you can put in them are extremely interesting. Have you thought of using thinner wire for hanging your light. It would be much less visually distracting.

Waiting for the next steps!


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## giypsy

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*



Tex Gal said:


> . . . Have you thought of using thinner wire
> for hanging your light. It would be much less visually distracting . . .


When I saw the overhang with the light I thought, hmmm thin cable wire. 
However, I really like the floating arm affair. I am sure when it is fully
planted the vertical balance will shift back to the box.
Good work.

EDIT: Maybe paint the upper S-hooks black to match the lower.


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## griffin_pak

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*

Finishing touches on the stand!

ERRORRR!!!


off my a couple of cm




What I wanted my corner to look like, clean configuration






due to the error, had to use L-wood on the corners to cover up that earlier mistake , still looks nice though


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## griffin_pak

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*

El-cheapo filter!
Reviews here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/equipment/98858-my-review-sunsun-outside-filter-hw.html

Have been using this guy for my other 45gallon long as well... works amazing, been about a year, bought the same for this 30








Stones worth about 10$, just picked random ones, had no idea how I wanted to scape them in the LFS

SUBSTRATE!!! Went to Petsmart and bought 4 bags, ended up using only 3, the flourite is 19$ while the flora max is 16$, researched online, aparently the consensus was that flora max is similar but much larger in size.... aparently not






WASHING!!!! this parts messy, I didnt wash it thouroughly since I wanted some of the sludge at the bottom of the tank, this may be a problem later on when I try to uproot plants 








flourite


floramax

Soooo.... verdict: atleast on visual insepction and feel of the substrate, they are EXACTLY the same, no difference whatsoever! smell the same look the smell feel the same... one difference though: flourite bags have much more sludge... hmmmmm

ended up using two flourites and one flora and not the other way aroun






randomly thrown around

image upload


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## griffin_pak

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*



giypsy said:


> When I saw the overhang with the light I thought, hmmm thin cable wire.
> However, I really like the floating arm affair. I am sure when it is fully
> planted the vertical balance will shift back to the box.
> Good work.
> 
> EDIT: Maybe paint the upper S-hooks black to match the lower.


good idea! didnt even think about them!


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## griffin_pak

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*



Tex Gal said:


> I also like the dimensions of these shallow tanks. The scapes that you can put in them are extremely interesting. Have you thought of using thinner wire for hanging your light. It would be much less visually distracting.
> 
> Waiting for the next steps!


tried using fishing stainless steel wire, couldnt figure out how to use it with S and open eye hooks, opted for this setup, much cheaper and simpler


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## ddavila06

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*

this is a really fun thread! the set up and layout looks awesome! 
are you able to take the filter out??? 
looking forward to the fish list and plants in the tank already!


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## Tex Gal

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*



griffin_pak said:


> tried using fishing stainless steel wire, couldnt figure out how to use it with S and open eye hooks, opted for this setup, much cheaper and simpler


I was told by the technicians at SunLight that Home depot carries small clamps that you put around the cable wire. With pliers you just close the clamps and they hold very tightly. He said that you just make yourself small loops. You can then hook them to your S hooks. He did it himself and hung his TEK lights.


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## griffin_pak

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*



ddavila06 said:


> this is a really fun thread! the set up and layout looks awesome!
> are you able to take the filter out???
> looking forward to the fish list and plants in the tank already!


secret access panel!!!! Cheap design, results in a clean configuration versus having a cabinet door

The panel is held in places by double sticky tape and the carpet too


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## griffin_pak

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*

De-rimmed it!!!! finally!!
After a lot of thinking and researching I decided to do it!
The tanks is only 12 inches high, with the damn rim taking up and inch and a half!!!
Still not sure if this will work, I have seen a homedepot closeby where I can buy/rent a wet vac in case 30 gallons end up in my living room.. lets hope that day doesnt come.

To de-rim: power tools + blades + time + patience!


Blades! lots of them, being a surgery resident - I have tonnes! Having sutures around the house may also help!


Dremel!


The rim!


Looking from the underside, the tank maker used only the minimal amount of silicone!!


Ideally it be best to do this without any content!, preparing for debris collection


Dremel with diamond tip, this isnt ideal, see below




attachment not good, need a fly wheel!


This is from home depot, it was in the dremel accessories for <5$, the diameter is ideal as it will go through the plastic but not damage the glass (hopefully)


the mess!


oh yeah the papers dont work, but a good vaccum later will work, plus the plastic will float when filled


the first side, scored it in the middle length wise,


got too excited and scored in the middle to get 1/2 of the rim off, this also made life easy, as I could cut the silicone between the rim and glue on top side


coming off!!


Long scoring thing!


Scoring between the rim and silicone on the outside, did the same on the inside


Mask for shavings, was lying around the house


progress!


Some more progress!


almost!


and thats what the glass looks like




whole tank










#15 blade at work

More pics once fully done.... lots of scrapping to do!


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## griffin_pak

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*

done with the rest


once the first side came off, others were easier


the last side was the toughest!








corners, not sure how to tackle these


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## Tex Gal

*re: 30 Gallon Shallow - "diy galore"*

Boy that's gonna look great when you get the silicone off. I understand that's the worse part. I've read razor blades and a drimmell tool are gonna be your best friends.


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## simwiz

Beautiful thread... Keep on writing and showing us your progress! Thanks!


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## griffin_pak

Up and running! finally!


interesting way of getting worms with a car battery!!! (not sure, but thought it'd be interesting...


co2 tanks! 50$ each, 20 and 10 lbs (ones for the other tank)


finally w/o the rim


pipe, so you can goto Lowes and buy this for around 4$, vs the petsmart kind w the gravel vaccum


started filling er up and viola: flourite sludge on top of my white sand 


worse


Walmart polyester bag for pillows, works great in a filter!


still filling






ghetto sink to pipe adapter, a little bit of tape and ACE wrap... also works great of sprained ankles


manual skimming the floating sludge


its there! but wait!


ITS NOT LEVEL!!!!!!!! emptied it out and levelled the whole thing by sticking a lil piece of wood


all over again ....


1.60 sand from petco


level!






filter is up and running










and done! filter in place behind and under cabinet












plants.. this pic here, just for the hell of it


view from the loft


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## griffin_pak

stocking ideas, comments, concerns... much appreciated


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## griffin_pak

Got my CO2, finally!!!!!!


DAY 01
HC, last chance, Im fed up with this plant, this is the last chance, will switch to Dwarg hair grass if this doesnt work!!!


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## niko

Hey nice!

This HC will not like your Fluorite. It loves acidic substrate. Your new substrate is far from acidic (and don't think the CO2 will help much).

Hairgrass likes a dirty substrate (mulm). Plus it's a big headache to prune when it starts to grow too well.

This tank screams plants coming out of the water and wrapping around the wood above the water. Amano has used terrestrial plants for that part in the past. See if you like the leaves of a vine-like plant for that purpose too.

I hope you shortened the hoses on that canister filter. Don't let them loop. Make them as short as possible. 

I personally would trash the spraybar. Just a single L-shaped outflow is all you need. Plus it will make the tank look cleaner, less equipment.

I hope you are not going down the water fertilization way. With this substrate you will be tempted or assume you have to fertilize the water. Actually you could just be patient and in 1-3 months the substrate will grow very much any plant. Especially with this shallow water.

Good luck!
--Nikolay


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## griffin_pak

niko said:


> Hey nice!
> 
> This HC will not like your Fluorite. It loves acidic substrate. Your new substrate is far from acidic (and don't think the CO2 will help much).
> 
> Hairgrass likes a dirty substrate (mulm). Plus it's a big headache to prune when it starts to grow too well.
> 
> This tank screams plants coming out of the water and wrapping around the wood above the water. Amano has used terrestrial plants for that part in the past. See if you like the leaves of a vine-like plant for that purpose too.
> 
> I hope you shortened the hoses on that canister filter. Don't let them loop. Make them as short as possible.
> 
> I personally would trash the spraybar. Just a single L-shaped outflow is all you need. Plus it will make the tank look cleaner, less equipment.
> 
> I hope you are not going down the water fertilization way. With this substrate you will be tempted or assume you have to fertilize the water. Actually you could just be patient and in 1-3 months the substrate will grow very much any plant. Especially with this shallow water.
> 
> Good luck!
> --Nikolay


Thank you Nikolay, I really appreciate you taking the time and writing out a big long paragraph!
(1) HC - Im giving it a shot, if it works, it works, otherwise I will replace with something else, perhaps UG

(2) YES!!! I want terrestrial plants, perhaps anubias peteite nana growing under and above water.. and some vines too... will have to search those...

(3) I hate those hoses, I think thats a brilliant idea, totally overlooked it! will be taking blade to them soon

(4) Spray bar trashing, doesnt ample water flow prevent algae?? let me know of this one

(5) I have EI dosing, thats what I was thinking of doing here, but nothing for the first 2-3 months


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## backflipfrontflip

Very cool thread!!! 

Absolutely inspired me to get my hands dirty and get to building a fully custom setup!


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## dabrybry

Very nice job on the whole project there looks fantastic.

Some air plants attached to that drift wood would look great, maybe a bromeliad?


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## griffin_pak

backflipfrontflip said:


> Very cool thread!!!
> 
> Absolutely inspired me to get my hands dirty and get to building a fully custom setup!


Thanks!


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## griffin_pak

dabrybry said:


> Very nice job on the whole project there looks fantastic.
> 
> Some air plants attached to that drift wood would look great, maybe a bromeliad?


that plant looks good, where can I acquire these online?


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## tae2610

Wow I really enjoy your story. it like watch tv series 
I wish you have a good time with HC ^^


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## niko

The spraybar is a contraption that makes you feel you are really moving some serious amounts of water. But that is not so. What a spraybar does is to create turbulent flow and many dead areas where the water does not move.

A better way to move the water is not to increase the flow but to try to make it move in a U-shape. The Japanese tanks do that. The outflow shoots water close to the surface and close to the front glass where there are less chances of the flow being blocked by plants or decorations. The inflow is a little higher than the bottom. Both out/inflow are on the same side of the tank. The water moves in a U-shape.

The U-shape of the flow is not everything. What is important is to try to avoid turbulent flow. To try to have as close to laminar flow as possible. With smooth flow the hydraulic properties of the water (I hope that is what they are called) provide for water movement from the entire tank. Like pulling water from all directions and involving it in the main U-shaped flow.

If you understand the idea you will see what a bad idea is a spraybar. But it works anyway. Just there are better ways to move the water and clean the tank.

With EI you will be doing a lot of work on that tank. Fertilization and water changes. Maybe you will enjoy it. But sooner or later there will be problems. Then you will see that noone has answers for you other than do more of the same - fertilize more or less and change more water. 

I made a mistake - it is not 1-3 months until the substrate gets established. It's 8-14 months. You see how most folk don't want to wait and start dosing the water and wreak veiled havoc in the glass box.

--Nikolay


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## DogFish2.0

Like your project. in the OP you said,"My only regret with this tank:
I wish I had dropped another 50$ to get this tank rimless"

Were did you buy the aquarium?

Thank you


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## griffin_pak

niko said:


> The spraybar is a contraption that makes you feel you are really moving some serious amounts of water. But that is not so. What a spraybar does is to create turbulent flow and many dead areas where the water does not move.
> 
> A better way to move the water is not to increase the flow but to try to make it move in a U-shape. The Japanese tanks do that. The outflow shoots water close to the surface and close to the front glass where there are less chances of the flow being blocked by plants or decorations. The inflow is a little higher than the bottom. Both out/inflow are on the same side of the tank. The water moves in a U-shape.
> 
> The U-shape of the flow is not everything. What is important is to try to avoid turbulent flow. To try to have as close to laminar flow as possible. With smooth flow the hydraulic properties of the water (I hope that is what they are called) provide for water movement from the entire tank. Like pulling water from all directions and involving it in the main U-shaped flow.
> 
> If you understand the idea you will see what a bad idea is a spraybar. But it works anyway. Just there are better ways to move the water and clean the tank.
> 
> With EI you will be doing a lot of work on that tank. Fertilization and water changes. Maybe you will enjoy it. But sooner or later there will be problems. Then you will see that noone has answers for you other than do more of the same - fertilize more or less and change more water.
> 
> I made a mistake - it is not 1-3 months until the substrate gets established. It's 8-14 months. You see how most folk don't want to wait and start dosing the water and wreak veiled havoc in the glass box.
> 
> --Nikolay


Make sense to me, is this what you mean? <view from the top of the tank>









Just bought this guy too , inline co2 atomizer








hope it works!


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## griffin_pak

DogFish2.0 said:


> Like your project. in the OP you said,"My only regret with this tank:
> I wish I had dropped another 50$ to get this tank rimless"
> 
> Were did you buy the aquarium?
> 
> Thank you


From a aquarium builder here in Michigan, approximately 55$ more to get the same thing rimless, but my deriming job was well worth it


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## londonloco

Subscribed....


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## Michael

griffin_pak said:


> Make sense to me, is this what you mean? <view from the top of the tank>


Not quite. The outflow and the intake should both be on one of the short sides of the tank. Outflow is nearer the front and top, directing water along the front glass. Intake is lower and closer to the back. The water travels in a long U shape with the top of the U at the short side where the outflow/intake are located. I know your tank is almost square, but you get the idea.

--humble student of Niko


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## griffin_pak

Flooded! Planted!


Overall shot




Syngnothus Belem, behind it is needle leaf java


flame moss


crypt wenditii


HC, some yellowing noteed 

Also hidden in a whole in the driftwood is subwassertang


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## Michael

Very good! I like the meandereing diagonal of the white sand, and the emersed driftwood.

Try putting some moss on the wood just below the water line. It will creep upward above the water on the part of the wood that stays wet from cappilary action.


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## griffin_pak

Michael said:


> Very good! I like the meandereing diagonal of the white sand, and the emersed driftwood.
> 
> Try putting some moss on the wood just below the water line. It will creep upward above the water on the part of the wood that stays wet from cappilary action.


how do I keep it white n pristine, its a nightmare! I keep adding more sand on top lol but it keeps getting flourite in it!


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## Michael

Short anwer: I don't think you can. The contest shots you see with spotless white sand are carefully prepared. The tanks don't look that way all the time.

A few sprinkles of flourite on the white sand look fine to me.


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## nap83

griffin_pak said:


> how do I keep it white n pristine, its a nightmare! I keep adding more sand on top lol but it keeps getting flourite in it!


unless you keep stones on the pathway to separate everything it'll be a no go - i have this problem as well and the "riccia border" seems to help... i am actually thinking about just "dirty-ing" the white sande with pool sand for a more natural effect.

yep those pathways in ADA catalogs and contest pics are carefully prepared.


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## griffin_pak

Michael said:


> Short anwer: I don't think you can. The contest shots you see with spotless white sand are carefully prepared. The tanks don't look that way all the time.
> 
> A few sprinkles of flourite on the white sand look fine to me.


I think thats how I keep a sane mind "couple of flourite dots on the sand looks ok....."



> unless you keep stones on the pathway to separate everything it'll be a no go - i have this problem as well and the "riccia border" seems to help... i am actually thinking about just "dirty-ing" the white sande with pool sand for a more natural effect.
> 
> yep those pathways in ADA catalogs and contest pics are carefully prepared.


yup waiting for my hc to grow in, hopefully then they will not mix as much...


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## DogFish2.0

griffin_pak said:


> From a aquarium builder here in Michigan, approximately 55$ more to get the same thing rimless, but my deriming job was well worth it


The company in Warren? I looked at their tanks very nice. $300 to ship just killed the deal. I am considering at road trip though.

Is 12 round trip crazy for a rimless 40B? LOL


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## giypsy

Grif;
Could you use/make a flexible barrier for the sand? Think lawn edging.
Meijer's reusable blue bags have a scrap plastic insert just about the right
weight. Maybe heat molding the curves around a coffee can?

Once your low plants fill in, the combination may make it easier
to vac without moving sand so easily.


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## griffin_pak

blue in the morning, green optimal, yellow towards the end... needs to reduce BPS


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## petsmartpro

hey nap, did you manage to get rid of your algea?? if so, how did you do it?? what kind did you have?? im still struggling with mine, i think i overdosed with flourish and it killed my two balloon rams  but my algea is still there, its brown and kind of hair strained.... is this similar to yours?


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## crw.npt

If you ever get tired of the chains you are using to hold your light up, you can use steel leader material for fishing. Just go to your local sporting goods store and ask them where the steel leaders are. They generally come in plain cable or with a black plastic coating and there are kits that come with crimps and everything so you can make your own size. Same idea as someone else mentioned, but they are usually super thin gauges and really sturdy. Just a thought. But the tank is great, I love the emmersed wood look. Can't wait to see it grown in.


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## griffin_pak

petsmartpro said:


> hey nap, did you manage to get rid of your algea?? if so, how did you do it?? what kind did you have?? im still struggling with mine, i think i overdosed with flourish and it killed my two balloon rams  but my algea is still there, its brown and kind of hair strained.... is this similar to yours?


still fighting with the damn thing, did a lot of research, winning a little bit at the moment

BLACKOUT!!!! + WATERCHANGE!!!! x 2

I wanted to reduce my dosing, but decided against it, since it will give other algae and the brown stuff to grow! so I rather have my plants out-compete

I got 3 zebra nerites and 2 otos, and 1 siamese/chinese algae eater and some ghost shrimps (shrimps died  due to high co2)

Ill keep you posted!

<just realized that you asked nap, I am assuming brown algae right? thats what I got!!!!>


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## griffin_pak

crw.npt said:


> If you ever get tired of the chains you are using to hold your light up, you can use steel leader material for fishing. Just go to your local sporting goods store and ask them where the steel leaders are. They generally come in plain cable or with a black plastic coating and there are kits that come with crimps and everything so you can make your own size. Same idea as someone else mentioned, but they are usually super thin gauges and really sturdy. Just a thought. But the tank is great, I love the emmersed wood look. Can't wait to see it grown in.


I did try this actually, however I couldnt get ones long enough, also I needed to get something to make a loop and hook on to itself..... chains = makes me sleep better since I know it wont fail lol


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## petsmartpro

griffin_pak said:


> still fighting with the damn thing, did a lot of research, winning a little bit at the moment
> 
> BLACKOUT!!!! + WATERCHANGE!!!! x 2
> 
> I wanted to reduce my dosing, but decided against it, since it will give other algae and the brown stuff to grow! so I rather have my plants out-compete
> 
> I got 3 zebra nerites and 2 otos, and 1 siamese/chinese algae eater and some ghost shrimps (shrimps died  due to high co2)
> 
> Ill keep you posted!
> 
> <just realized that you asked nap, I am assuming brown algae right? thats what I got!!!!>


yeah my algea kind of took control for a bit, im currently winning as well but i have a weird kind of algea, its like brown hair, it grows faster then hair and just spider webs accross my plants and driftwood, sucks because i just did a water change last sunday added some javamoss to my main driftwood and its dominated it since last tuesday..... looks like it took complete control of one of my floating moss balls as well.... i posted an update with pics in my journal if you wanna take a peek and see any advice you could give me, i started dosing liquid co2 with my yeast running but think i overdosed killed all my amano shrimp and two peacocks...... fml!!


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## griffin_pak

And here she is after a couple of months of no updats:


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## griffin_pak




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## Ever Inquisitive

Wow, I love your tank. It's really unique. Also love that your from Michigan! I don't know where you're located, but do you know of any good LFS in southeastern area? 

I think its time for another update


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## griffin_pak

Update!

Fishy







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Sandy river with pollution







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Overall view







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Growing nicely, forgot the name of this plant







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Got rid of a lot of plants, sold, removed HC, damn thing, never had any luck with this plant, grows like weed for 2 months and then something goes wrong.... not sure if the otos or the snails are uprooting it....
going to try my luck with hair grass now.... fingers crossed


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## griffin_pak

Update, got rid of the HC, got DHG, growing well!
Riccia stones


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## griffin_pak

Proof that osmocote works!


upload images

Note the difference in growth of DHG from right and left of the riccia stones.
Left side fed with osmocote pills

Confouding variables: 
(1)distance from light, especially now that the left is higher and may be blocking some
(2) flow, much less on the right


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## griffin_pak

Fish update:

Killer in the waiting, unfortunately, he committed suicide, one downfall of the rimless tank


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## griffin_pak

Other random shots of the tank, that DHG and riccia need a trim ASAP!!!!


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## AheartlessFish

Wow this kept me busy for the past 45 mins. great looking tank :O!

what kind of light are u using? t5ho?


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## pjb9166

Absolutely a beautiful tank. Wish I could get my dhg to grow like that or even grow for that matter

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2


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## griffin_pak

AheartlessFish said:


> Wow this kept me busy for the past 45 mins. great looking tank :O!
> 
> what kind of light are u using? t5ho?


yup t5ho the cheaps ones...... that came with the fixture odyssea


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## griffin_pak

pjb9166 said:


> Absolutely a beautiful tank. Wish I could get my dhg to grow like that or even grow for that matter
> 
> Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2


thanks! I moved it down to less than 1/2 inch, growing back nicely I think....


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## pjb9166

> Originally Posted by pjb9166
> Absolutely a beautiful tank. Wish I could get my dhg to grow like that or even grow for that matter
> 
> Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
> 
> 
> 
> thanks! I moved it down to less than 1/2 inch, growing back nicely I think....
Click to expand...

If you don't mind me asking. How long after planting and cutting back did it take until the dhg took root and started spreading for you?

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk


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## griffin_pak

pjb9166 said:


> If you don't mind me asking. How long after planting and cutting back did it take until the dhg took root and started spreading for you?
> 
> Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk


hmm hard to say, about a weekish I think
Ive also run out of mydiy ferts so thats the other thing affecting my growth right now


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## petsmartpro

good work mate this has came along quite nicely! i finally got around to updating my threads


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## griffin_pak




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## Chris Noto

Griffin, I really like what you've done with this tank! Congratulations on your success.


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## griffin_pak

Thanks Chris!


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## griffin_pak

Progress:


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## wet

=D>

Cool tank!


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## wha2222

NIce please keep us update!


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## Vodoc Xeno

That's excellent...


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## griffin_pak

thanks everyone!


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## griffin_pak




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## griffin_pak

After a complete tear down......
Fishing lined the fissiden over most of the DW.
Kept a bit of DHG which I planted in random spots... growing well.

Thats about it really. Wish DHG would expand quicker.....

Just trimmed it

The whole thing








Close up








Side view








Fissiden








Front view








Fissiden


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## griffin_pak

Some airplants growing up top


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## DanielG

griffin_pak said:


> Some airplants growing up top


The tank is coming along very nicely !! I didn't even see the Black Angel fish until the later photos!


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## FIUPanther305

Very nice tank, love the drift wood coming out of the water.

Nice to see another Michigan fish keeper.


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## griffin_pak

Moving out of MI.....

And this is how it ends......
All plants sold.... Now to drain after I donate the fish to a LFS


















New tank coming soon! Probably a SW!


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## Rusty

aww its a shame you have to break it down.


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## griffin_pak

For sale!!


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## redthumb

This a bad ending of an otherwise great movie .......
PS I too was once a Michigander.


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## Eri Mar

It was a very nice setup indeed.


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