# 'Stumptown' 90cm ADA



## SPL-311 (Oct 4, 2006)

Let me preface this thread by saying this is my first attempt at a fully planted tank. I've kept South American Cichlid aquariums for years, and most have slowly progressed to planted tanks, so now I want to try my hand at a dedicated aquatic garden.

The first step of the project was to assemble all the necessary hardware:
•	90cm x 45cm x 45cm ADA cube garden aquarium
•	Eheim 2224 canister filter
•	Cal Aqua Labs glass lily pipes
•	Hydor 200w in-line heater
•	150w HQI 10,000k Aquamedic Metal Halide pendant (e-ballast)
•	10lb Co2 tank w/smiths regulator & needle valve
•	Rinox 5000 Co2 diffuser
•	4x 9-liter bags of Aquasoil Amazonia
•	Driftwood collected from ponds in Eastern Minnesota
•	Plants scavenged from previous tanks

I built a stand for this tank using 1" 9-ply birch I reclaimed from some old laboratory cabinets. The stand required a lot of work and many hours of sanding, priming and painting to get an acceptable finish. In the end though I'm happy with my efforts, and the stand is exactly as I need it to be. Here is a shot of the base before assembly to give you an idea of how the wood was joined:









I used automotive body filler (bondo) to smooth the joints between the panels, and to fill any imperfections in the wood. Then I primed the entire stand with 3 coats of KILZ 2 primer/sealer, followed by heavy sanding:








3 coats of Duplicolor medium grey automotive paint and 2 coats of clear later and the finish is passable. At this point I fabricated the lighting stand using L-angle aluminum bar - it required quite some finesse to produce flush joints all around. The stand is designed is such a way that it will appear almost as solid box section tubing when viewing the tank:








After the tank stand dried I mounted the Co2 tank:








And power strip/lighting ballast:








After moving all the equipment into place in my apartment, I spent a good amount of time with a level and a pack of shims compensating for the slanted floors in my living room. Next I mocked up a hardscape arrangement:








And when I was happy there laid down the Aquasoil and made the final adjustments to my driftwood:
















At this point a little entertainment was necessary:








And I began the planting process. After marking out the approximate planting lines with BBQ skewers:








I finally started planting out the Glosso, but took quit some time. The dwarf sag and chain sword went more quickly:








Followed by the stem plants in the background. Sorry I don't have many pictures of the planting process, but my hands were full! Anyhow, here is the final product on the first night of run in. The water is still a bit cloudy, but it should be crystal clear in a week or two.









































Thanks for looking, any suggestions, constructive criticism or comments are most welcome.


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## Blain (Dec 2, 2006)

very nice, looking forward to seeing it grow in.


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

Looks Great!!! I can't wait to watch this grow and fill in, I hope you plan to periodicaly give updates. what plans do you have for fish, if any?


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## Troy McClure (Aug 3, 2005)

Great journal so far!

If you don't mind, I'd like to know a little more about how you built the lighting bracket because eventually I will be making something similar. Also, what record is that?


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## SPL-311 (Oct 4, 2006)

Well that record is the best of Buffalo Springfield, but there are several others on there too. The turntable is new (to me, it's only 30 years old) and I'm pretty excited about it. I can stack up to 6 albums and it will drop and play them one by one. awsome.

As for the topic of this thread, I'm planning on a school of Pristella tetras eventually. I really like the coloration of those little fish, and you don't see them used very often. Also a group of cherry shrimp, and possibly a pair of apistograma.

I'll take some additional pictures of the light stand tonight Troy, right now I just have this close up of the joint:








I bought all the materials at the big orange devil store, cost me about $25 or so. It's actually really sturdy and looks pretty pro to boot!


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

where did you get those lilly pipes, and how much were they?


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## SPL-311 (Oct 4, 2006)

I got the pipes from Cal Aqualabs:
CAL AQUA LABS

they were $90 shipped (introductory price) and I couldn't be happier with them. Great product and customer service, directly comparable to ADA at half the price.:biggrin1:


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## Rek (Jul 19, 2005)

interesting use off wood 
very nice layout


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

SPL,

Nice work both inside and outside the tank. I'll nitpik alittle on the setup.
The anubias that high up on the stumps in the back looks unnatural. I understand you put them high enough to be seen, but they probably won't work back there in the long-run. 

I love the stumps, but the one in the left front doesnt' seem to fit as well as the others. At first glance it looks like it's leaning on the glass.

Again just giving you my first impression. Overall it's beautiful.

BTW - Does Cal Aqua only sell pipes?


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## Moo (Apr 27, 2006)

nice tank, and different use of driftwood. I really like that.
I would agree the stump on the left is a bit akward...mabey point it a bit more upright? or turn it so that the "curve" of it point towards the back corner a bit more?
I really do like this setup too, also the lilypipes. I may have to try those.
keep us posted!
-moo


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

Very high end for a first serious attempt. Keep us posted on how it fills in.


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## SPL-311 (Oct 4, 2006)

houseofcards said:


> The anubias that high up on the stumps in the back looks unnatural. I understand you put them high enough to be seen, but they probably won't work back there in the long-run.
> 
> I love the stumps, but the one in the left front doesnt' seem to fit as well as the others. At first glance it looks like it's leaning on the glass.
> 
> BTW - Does Cal Aqua only sell pipes?


Thanks for the input, I also don't think the anubius will make it there under the high light in the long run. They were established on the driftwood at that point from a previous tank - i'll see how they do there and consider moving them further down in a week or two.

as for the piece of driftwood on the left, I can see how it looks a little out of place with that large arc. I'll take a close look at it tonight and decide if I'd like to move it.

As for Cal Aqua, you could check their website, but at the moment I believe they are only selling lily pipes. I've heard from the owner they are planning on a bubble counter and co2 diffuser in the near future. top notch products.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

SPL, 

Thanks for the info. I'll check their site. Again great effort in and out of the tank. Look forward to the progression.


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## jassar (Jul 30, 2006)

Nice! I've always tried to make a jungle scape but never really worked like yours...
keep us updated man!
Cheers


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## SPL-311 (Oct 4, 2006)

I've had quite a few suggestions to remove the piece of wood in the front left of the tank, so changed the aquascape a bit last night. I was a little sad to do it, that was probably my favorite piece in the tank, but the old design rule 'the first thing that catches your eye is the first thing you should remove' applied here. I think the aquascape is much more balanced now.

















My cryptocorines have almost all completely melted away by now. I'm not sure what to do about this problem - I've been changing 30% of the tank's water daily without any result.


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## jassar (Jul 30, 2006)

If you like the way you scaped the tank then don't change it just because others told you to, this is not a job or a million-dollar project, this is a fun and enjoyable hobby. The old piece of wood may have looked wrong to many, but I really liked it and thought it was a great "new" idea.....just my personal taste!
As for the tank it looks so good man! that will be a great thing to watch....
Cheers!


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

SPL-311 said:


> My cryptocorines have almost all completely melted away by now. I'm not sure what to do about this problem - I've been changing 30% of the tank's water daily without any result.


This is probably do to the change in environmental conditions. Many times when crypts are transplanted in a new aquarium or a dramatic change takes place they will melt... as long as the roots are still there and healthy it shoudl grow back, just keep things consistant for a little while.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

I agree with Davis. Most crypts will bounce back most of the time. Don't disturb the rhizome, maybe put a small fert tablet nearby and cross your fingers. They'll often come back much larger and more attractive than before the melt.


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

are you planning to put a background on this tank to hide the lightstand structure and wires? its a little distracting IMO


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## JG06 (Nov 5, 2006)

Your setup reminds me of the base of a cypress tree. Very sweet indeed!:thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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