# 90G custom - journal



## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

Well ... let the story begin !

This project began in this topic
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/showthread.php?t=11800&highlight=rimless

Now couple months later I'm ready to go with my first rimless tank. Decided to get 48x22x20 for longer depth (*should have went for 24" since stand is 24") while keeping 20" high for easy prunning. Tank is finished with clear silicone, diamond finish, 4 starphire glass. I have to be honest and say that tank is sweet ! however the finish is not what ADA is all about. Buy hey .... price is a lot different too so I can not complaint.

I purchased All-Glass Mission Series Cherry stand (*great deal through LFS) and went with standard 48x24. Becase of stand's frame design I had to create additional support on the back to provide resting area for shorther 22". I installed three 2x4 and 1/2" plywood.

Here is original setup










I cut L notch to fit stand's frame and secured it with screws.










Stand ready to go with installed three 2x4










I placed mating board (*still need to get styrofoam) to cover any visible plywood










Tank placed on the stand










Tank with the light - Aqualight Pro 24" - 2x65W PC + 1 150W MH. There is another same fixture which is not on this picture.










That is it for now ... patiently waiting for ADA substrate delivery.


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

Nice tank and stand! 

Looking forward to seeing this tank installed!


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## Pseud (Oct 19, 2005)

Yeah, I always get excited when I see journals of tanks just starting up!

Do you have any major 'scape plans for this one, Jay?


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Sweeeeeet! I'm really looking forward to seeing this setup progress.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

I was beginning to worry you were going to keep this setup a secret! Glad the pieces are starting to come together! Awesome looking tank.


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## GillMan (Feb 22, 2005)

Really nice, man! I like the tank with light just like that.....empty, but I'm sure it's going to look even better. I'll have to go back and read your previous entries. Interested in how you made your tank. I have a plexi 90 gal. (48"x18"x24"H). The bracing gets on my nerves sometimes, but it has kept me from splashing many, many times. 24" tall is not bad at all, would be better if it were not for the "lip" of the bracing.

Nice job!


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## JerseyScape (Nov 18, 2005)

Just the other day I was thinking about you Jay. I remember you organizing the order for the rimless tanks so I was wondering how the project was coming along. I thought you would have had it set up by now but I guess I was wrong.  

Nice pictures by the way, this should make one heck of a set up you have going there. Good luck.

Kamil


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Jay, I really feel you should add a verticle support to the middle front of the cabinet. There is not much in the way of support from that thin front rail of the cabinet itslef. Think about the inner support the ADA tanks have in the middle. It may not be necessary but better safe than sorry right, besides, you have a little time before you get the rest of the stuff for the tank. IF you wanted it to look better, remember it doe snot have to ba a 2x4. You could make/have made a piece out of MDF, plywood or even 3/4" poplar and stain it to match the cabinet. That way the part you see when you open the doors is attractive.


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## Rub (Jul 14, 2005)

Hi Jay, 
What´s the substrate that are you going to use? PowerSand with Aquasoil or Aquasoil only?
What type of Aquasoil? 
Can you give some trail of your ideas about this layout? (plants, fishes.......)

Sorry but I´m impatient to see this layout 


Greetings from Granada (Spain)


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## MoonFish (Feb 12, 2006)

yeah i was just thinking about making a stand and i'm having a hard time trusting that to 1000#. the plywood just rests on that outside rim?


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

GillMan said:


> Interested in how you made your tank. I have a plexi 90 gal. (48"x18"x24"H).


GillMan,
This tank was NOT made by me. It was custom made by company in Canada called AquariumObsessed. I called a lot of places and not many were interested in making brace/rimless tank. Local place quoted $1200 

I asked for the following:

- Starphire glass 4 sided
- Diamond edge (minimal silicone in the corners) 
- No trim 
- No brace 
- Clear Sealant (from Germany)

Like I said in my initial comments, this tank's quality is not as good as ADA but price was right so I went for it. This is my first "large" rimless tank and I have to say that I don't plan on using anything else but rimless / braceless in the future.


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

dennis said:


> Jay, I really feel you should add a verticle support to the middle front of the cabinet. There is not much in the way of support from that thin front rail of the cabinet itslef. Think about the inner support the ADA tanks have in the middle. It may not be necessary but better safe than sorry right, besides, you have a little time before you get the rest of the stuff for the tank. IF you wanted it to look better, remember it doe snot have to ba a 2x4. You could make/have made a piece out of MDF, plywood or even 3/4" poplar and stain it to match the cabinet. That way the part you see when you open the doors is attractive.


Dennis,

Thanks for your comments. I though about it but here is my rationale:

#1. This stand without ANY additional 2x4 was setup to handle 120G standard All-Glass. My tank is only 90G !

#2. Only reason I installed additional 2x4 was b/c back frame was too far and 22" were not resting on the back frame. I don't have a problem installing front support, maybe 2x3... I will think about this more. I have to take the tank down anyway b/c I forgot about styrofoam.


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

Rub said:


> Hi Jay,
> What´s the substrate that are you going to use? PowerSand with Aquasoil or Aquasoil only?


I will be using PowerSand Special / Aquasoil mix. 


> What type of Aquasoil?


Aqua Soil - Amazonia - Normal grade



> Can you give some trail of your ideas about this layout? (plants, fishes.......)


I have A LOT of manzanita wood in the box ready to be soaked. When this is all done I will start working on it.

Plants ? - I don't have anything specific in mind. I all depends on the final layout but definitely some nice stem plants / moses / anubias.

Fish ? - 1 big schoal of X fish. Don't have anything picked.



> Sorry but I´m impatient to see this layout


Sorry for not being specific in above replies but what I have learned throughout all those years in this hobby is - PATIENCE ! As you can tell, yesterday was Feb 24th and I should be getting substrate in about 1 month. Although I'm anxious about this setup, I'm trained to be patient.

Stay tune !


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

MoonFish said:


> the plywood just rests on that outside rim?


MoonFish, 
If you would use original stand, tank would rest on inside rim. Look at the picture. This stand is designed to handle 120G All-Glass tank or any 48x24 dimensions.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Jay Luto said:


> Dennis,
> 
> Thanks for your comments. I though about it but here is my rationale:
> 
> ...


I would tend to agree with you although I always want to error on the side of safety. In this case I feel that the All Glass tanks are made to sit on a frame so only the outside(and occasionally the middle although often is is 2 peices of glass then I think) of the tank has any of the weight. In that case the the weight of the tank on both end and the back(if it were the standard 120) is being transfered down a verticel surface straight to the floor. Your tank rests on the entire bottom(hence the styrofoam) and its a flat piece of glass. Any sag or flex would be a larger concern. The AG tanks are made so that most of the stress it on the verticel rather than the horizontal panes.

What is the thickness of the bottom glass and is it tempered? I know I can stand in the center of a 4'x2'x3/4" piece of non-tempered glass supported only on the ends. I only weight 190 though, your tank will weight more like 1000lbs with gravel/hardscape and water. What type of plywood did you put down? Plywood typically does not have good strength in the horizontal direction although you will have pretty good weight distribution, around 1psi. Technically the tank should support itself for that distribution but any loss of support increase the stress on another part.

I am not trying to talk you into it but I ama professional furniture builder so I know the materials peopel normally think of as flat and strong are often not You seem very intelligent adn you are there to get a first hand impression if what is necessary, lets just say I am voicing a "professional" concern.


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

Dennis,



> Your tank rests on the entire bottom(hence the styrofoam) and its a flat piece of glass. Any sag or flex would be a larger concern.


I will be using 1/4 or 1/2" styrofoam to spread the weight evenly onto plywood and ultimately stand. Which thickness would you recommend ?



> What is the thickness of the bottom glass and is it tempered?


Glass all around is 1/2" thick. Not sure if its tempered (*forgot to ask - will call). 4 panels are starphire and bottom is normal "green" glass.



> What type of plywood did you put down?


3/4" "normal" HD plywood



> I am not trying to talk you into it but I ama professional furniture builder so I know the materials peopel normally think of as flat and strong are often not You seem very intelligent adn you are there to get a first hand impression if what is necessary, lets just say I am voicing a "professional" concern.


Thanks.... I really appreciate !


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Probably be best to ask the maker what they think about support and the styro. Logically I would think 1/4 as the 1/2 might have to much "squishyness" to stay flat. The maker would probably have a better recommendation concerning the thickness and firmness of the foam. They should also be able to tell you how well the tank can support itself. 

I am very knowledgable about glass but I know a little about "furniture" What do you mean by "normal HD plywood"? Home Depot? How flat was the ply? I would think youwoudl want to be very choosy and make sure you used plywood that was flat and stable. Cabinet grade maple ply would be best for stability and strength but you may have to dig through the stack to find a real flat piece. If the ply is not flat I would put the curve "up", meaning higher in the middle than on the ends so that the weight of the tank will push it flat rather than trying to settle into a hole. Do I make sense?

Don't worry to much though, really! 1/2" is pretty darn strong glass and there are lots of rimless tanks out there. Most tanks do not sit on stands as good as your either Your best judgment would be the best answer to your questions. I am just being overly parnoid, I'm like that.

Just out of curiousity, the bottom fits inside the verticle panes right?


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

dennis said:


> I am very knowledgable about glass but I know a little about "furniture" What do you mean by "normal HD plywood"? Home Depot? How flat was the ply?


Plywood Sheathing Subfloor 3/4" thick. I'm rethinking this and will check HD again for some birch panels. I had some 48x96 sheets available and thats what I used. 


> If the ply is not flat I would put the curve "up", meaning higher in the middle than on the ends so that the weight of the tank will push it flat rather than trying to settle into a hole. Do I make sense?


Thats exactly what I did.


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## Blazerfrs (Feb 3, 2006)

That tank is beautiful...

My first 'big' tank is gonna be rimless b/c of that empty pic of the 90


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Jay, I would think that ply would be suitable providing it was reasonably flat. I would trust your judgment with that. The styro is mainly to avoid pressure points on the bottom panel I believe so the flatter the better, IMO.


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## Sudi (Feb 3, 2005)

Nice start.
Now you need tons of patiance 
I'll be watching the progress 

p.s.:Tak trzymaj!

Matt


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

Slowely moving things along. Finally unpacked my manzanita order and began soaking process. I ordered 70$ package and have more than enough of wood for this 90G project. Here is a quick snap of my selection. Each picture is pretty much different section.


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## hir0 (Nov 11, 2005)

great looking start Jay. That is some nice wood, I may be placing an order for some myself really soon. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread. Starphire nice! Should make for a super clear photography tank too!


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Droolllllll!


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## Bavarian3 (Oct 21, 2004)

Beautiful tank, i cant wait to get mine!! Lucky for me AquaForest is around the corner so ADA for me, glass is not starphire though 
Cant wait to see yours progress, hope mine turns out half as nice as i know yours will.


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## JerseyScape (Nov 18, 2005)

Jay,

If you are planning on getting rid of some of that wood keep me in mind when you are selling it. By the way, if you need tons of fast growing plants then let me know since I do weekly trimmings and just throw it away. 

I know that you are in charge of the PLANT department at the local club so I have a question for you. Am I allowed to donate my cuttings to the people there or not many would be interested? (I don't feel like throwing away all these plants this frequently)

Kamil


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

JerseyScape said:


> Jay,
> 
> If you are planning on getting rid of some of that wood keep me in mind when you are selling it.


Kamil,
I will keep you in mind. I don't plan on selling any but you never know. Manzanita.com 30$ package is not that expensive even after S&H.

Re: trimming / cuttings, please email me off the forum - jayluto at hotmail dot com


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## JerseyScape (Nov 18, 2005)

Jay Luto said:


> Kamil,
> I will keep you in mind. I don't plan on selling any but you never know. Manzanita.com 30$ package is not that expensive even after S&H.
> 
> Re: trimming / cuttings, please email me off the forum - jayluto at hotmail dot com


I just checked out the site and should be ordering shortly. 
You are right about the price, I didn't know that it was that cheap.


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

UPDATE: March 11th, 2006

* Wood is still soaking
* Installed two more 2x4's up front in each corner to be more safe
* Placed 3/4" pink styrofoam under the tank
* Installed the light fixture

Wood is still soaking in 30G container. I will give another 2 weeks or so.

Measured 2x4's and installed them in the corners of the stand. I'm confident that this stand is not going anywhere. It was designed without 2x4's to hold 120G tank and this being 90G I think I should be fine 

Pink / Blue styrofoam was recommended over white by owner of AquariumObsessed. I followed his recommendations and got nice 2x8 sheet from HomeDepot.

Light fixture was a major pain !!! Note: patience is the key in order to correctly line up 2 pendants ! Access in the attic was horrible since I had very small room to work with. I was on the speaker while my "assistants" were holding the fixture in my living room. After about an hour or so I came down to inspect final outcome .... I was not impressed. Pendants were "all over the place". Fortunately there are 2 holes on each side and front/back has a small rail across the fixture. I was able to get 48" long bolt, place "divider" in between and lock it on both sides. Ultimately, fixture was hanging on the same level with correct angles. After this was done I had another obstacle - cables. There are 3 cables from each fixture. 1 for HQI, 1 for PC, 1 for moonlights. I decided to tie them on the back to the installed bolt and let them go down in the corner of the room. Another reason to get 1 x 48" fixture which has only 3 cables.

Things are moving slowely but ADA stuff is still not here so all I have now is time . I spoke to Jeff (ADG) and shipment is coming shortly !!!


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Lookin' good!

Does the weight of the wires make the fixtures angle forward any?

Did the tank manufacturer give a specific reason why that foam, just curious for future reference? Also, out if curiousity, what did he say regarding support for the middle of the tank?

Was all that wood $30 plus shipping!?


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

dennis said:


> Lookin' good!
> 
> Does the weight of the wires make the fixtures angle forward any?


No. Weight of the wires doesn't affect fixture at all. Cables affect the position a lot though.



> Did the tank manufacturer give a specific reason why that foam, just curious for future reference?


No specific reason. He prefers pink / blue over white.



> Also, out if curiousity, what did he say regarding support for the middle of the tank?


I didn't ask.



> Was all that wood $30 plus shipping!?


This was 70$ package. There is no way you will get this much for 30$  With S&H to NJ it was about 90$


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## IUnknown (Feb 24, 2004)

Looks great Jay. My dream setup. The lights are great. There are threads over at reefcentral about the use of foam with tanks. It helps distribute the pressure points of the glass sitting on a flat surface.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Jay,

Just found your journal here. that's going to be one sweet tank! :thumbsup: I admire your patience in setting this up. The times I have set up new tanks, I am always chomping at the bit to get it done so I can start enjoying it.


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## wantabe23 (Apr 6, 2005)

Just located this thread, looks amazing! I look forward to other post and updateds. I noticed that the tank is located next to what looks like a bed, have you taken into consideration the light that is not going into the tank? For instance, I have a tank with pendant lighting, and I really love it, untill I set down below the light level, then it shines in my face. I love the lighting and tank, but the light glair is a problem. I still havent thought of anything to fix this other than droping the level of the light so that all the light is going into the tank. Is there any suggestions hear? Will you do anything?


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## Ricardo Pinto (Nov 25, 2005)

Outstanding journal!

Fantastic wood.... i just can't wait to see new photos. :rant: I'm sure the hardscape will be amazing.


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

wantabe23 said:


> Just located this thread, looks amazing! I look forward to other post and updateds. I noticed that the tank is located next to what looks like a bed, have you taken into consideration the light that is not going into the tank? For instance, I have a tank with pendant lighting, and I really love it, untill I set down below the light level, then it shines in my face. I love the lighting and tank, but the light glair is a problem. I still havent thought of anything to fix this other than droping the level of the light so that all the light is going into the tank. Is there any suggestions hear? Will you do anything?


I though about it 

I guess I will deal with this problem when I get to it. I can always install some type of blinds.

BTW. MH are not going to be ON for 12 hours. I plan to have them on for about 6 hours 11-5pm so when I get home from work I will only look at them for about 1 hour and then enjoy PCs.


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

Bert H said:


> Jay,
> 
> Just found your journal here. that's going to be one sweet tank! :thumbsup: I admire your patience in setting this up. The times I have set up new tanks, I am always chomping at the bit to get it done so I can start enjoying it.


Bert,

Something I learned a while back. Patience is the key !


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

UPDATE: April 17th, 2006

ADA order finally arrived. Highlights:

- 5 x Aqua Soil- Amazonia (9 liters) Normal Type
- 1 x Aqua Soil- Amazonia (3 liters) Powder Type
- 1 x Powersand special - S
- Clear Hose (3m) 17mm
- Gray Parts Set for diffuser
- Lily Pipe Outflow P-6 17mm
- Lily Pipe Inflow V-7 17mm
- Pollen Glass Large 30
- Pro Scissors 'Nude'
- Wood Tight 
- Tourmaline BC

On top of that Jeff's generosity is endless. I will not list all the details but package contained a lot of freebies like magazines, T-shirts, key chains .... etc. ADG company knows what aquatic hobby is all about and they are on top of the game when it comes to pleasing customers, something that I can not say about many other "aqua-hobby" businesses.

Go support ADG ! They are nothing but pleasure to deal with. Thank you Jeff and Mike !


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

Jay, I just PM'd you my address so that you can get those goods to their rightful home


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## BigChuckP (Oct 8, 2005)

I'm excited to watch how this whole set-up turns out...I'm a dork and subscribed to this thread


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## Maran (Sep 8, 2004)

Jay, what about liquid fertilizers ?


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## JerseyScape (Nov 18, 2005)

It's nice to see this whole thing coming together. By the way, it was fun getting into a bidding war with you during our last meeting. Heck, we should have just bought the shrimp for 5 bucks and split them instead of going all the way to 10 dollars. The good thing was that I counted 34 shrimp for 10 bucks which was a steal.


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

Maran said:


> Jay, what about liquid fertilizers ?


Marcin,

I will be using bulk chemicals, same as my current 75G


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

JerseyScape said:


> It's nice to see this whole thing coming together. By the way, it was fun getting into a bidding war with you during our last meeting. Heck, we should have just bought the shrimp for 5 bucks and split them instead of going all the way to 10 dollars. The good thing was that I counted 34 shrimp for 10 bucks which was a steal.


Kamil,

Glad you enjoy it. Meeting was good, very nice fish selection !

Re shrimp, bring some to the next meeting, I will pay you 50% of what you paid.


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## JerseyScape (Nov 18, 2005)

Jay Luto said:


> Kamil,
> 
> Glad you enjoy it. Meeting was good, very nice fish selection !
> 
> Re shrimp, bring some to the next meeting, I will pay you 50% of what you paid.


Meeting or auction? I'm actually looking to score some more at the huge auction but I'll still bring you some whenever you want.


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## freshreef (May 14, 2004)

hi jay, looking fwd to c what are u going to plant there.3
what is the color of the MH bulb u choose? (even if u didnt put it - what is to color u were thinking of)


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

mor b said:


> hi jay, looking fwd to c what are u going to plant there.3
> what is the color of the MH bulb u choose? (even if u didnt put it - what is to color u were thinking of)


mor b,

My first tanks had 4,200K / 5,000K, then 6,700K / 8,000K and this one is setup with MH-10,000K / PC-10,000K / PC-Colormax

5,000K looks like urine to me  
6,700K is better but still a bit yellowish 
8,000K is the best IMO
10,000K is also great but has to be mixed with something "pinkish" like Colormax.


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

JerseyScape said:


> Meeting or auction? I'm actually looking to score some more at the huge auction but I'll still bring you some whenever you want.


Kamil,

Auction is fine.


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## freshreef (May 14, 2004)

Jay Luto said:


> 5,000K looks like urine to me
> 6,700K is better but still a bit yellowish
> 8,000K is the best IMO
> 10,000K is also great but has to be mixed with something "pinkish" like Colormax.


thanks jay - is there any other 8000K bulbs other then ADA ones? 
anyway i have ordered a few ADA bulbs from ADA EUROPE


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

mor b said:


> thanks jay - is there any other 8000K bulbs other then ADA ones?
> anyway i have ordered a few ADA bulbs from ADA EUROPE


Not sure. I found some long time ago.

Hellolights.com sells 8,800K which are appealing as well.


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## Norbert Sabat (Jun 26, 2004)

Osram made SkyWhite (8000K) bulbs T8 and T5. In Poland 80W bulb cost about 13$. I have one few months ago and they wasn't IMO very good (Ra about 80 - I prefer Ra=90 or higher like for example Philips TLD 965)


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## detlef (Dec 24, 2004)

Hi mor b,

Arcadia U.K. have a bulb which is close to the ones ADA has on offer both in colour temp (it's rated 7500K) and in the way plants look like.

See here for T8 "freshwater"

www.arcadia-uk.info

Regards,
Detlef


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## jsenske (Mar 15, 2004)

All the other 7500 8800K bulbs I have seen don;t look anything like ADA 8000Ks. Some are so far off, I wonder how/why they call it 8000K at all.


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## bioch (Apr 8, 2006)

Are you going to show some plants or is this it?


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

Tank is already setup but I'm running into some problems. ADA products are new concept to me and I have to be honest that it threw some curve balls at me. 

Stay tune


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## Jason Baliban (Feb 21, 2005)

Jay, 

Can you discuss some of your challenges. I think there is a ton of push for this stuff right now. Lots of people are going to start getting into this stuff, it might be helpful for us all to know what to look out for.

Thanks Jay!!

jB


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

Jason Baliban said:


> Jay,
> 
> Can you discuss some of your challenges. I think there is a ton of push for this stuff right now. Lots of people are going to start getting into this stuff, it might be helpful for us all to know what to look out for.
> 
> ...


Jason,

Sorry it took soo long to reply. Busy with summer 

I guess the only "problem" that I'm running into on weekly basis is pH vs. pH controller. First 2-3 weeks pH was dropping drastically from 7.4 (tap) to 5.0 within few days WITHOUT CO2 injection. Now, few weeks later it is still dropping to ~6.0 WITHOUT CO2 injection. Basically, pH controller is useless unless you set it to 5.8 or lower.

I'm wondering what other Aqua-Soil folks are using or NOT using - pH controller wise. Do you run CO2 without solenoid ??

Here is some obvious feedback ...

I'm running 75G (Eco + flourite + peat + laterite) with the same fertilization schedule as 90G (amazonia + power_sand). The only difference is substrate. Plants are growning a lot better in amazonia - WITHOUT a doubt !!!. R. macranda v. green is at least twice as big in 90G vs. 75G. HC foreground in 90G is doing excellent vs. previous attempt in 75G.

Basically my future tanks will be done with amazonia


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## Bavarian3 (Oct 21, 2004)

Chances are its the powersand fluctuating the PH. My AquaSoil only tank has no PH fluctuations. I wouldnt bother with a PH controller, the tank will stabilize eventually.
Looking forward to seeing some new pics, how is the lighting working out for ya?

-Charles


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

Charles, 

Light is working out very well. Very nice emersed growth as well !


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## chrisl (May 24, 2004)

I just setup my AS tank 2 dys ago Jay, and each morning it's 6.1-6.2. I was thinking it'd stabilize within a couple wks, but I guess by your experience it's lasting longer.


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## [email protected] (May 12, 2005)

pH controller is not necessary and really not advisable using ADA substrate system. Everyone I have talked to that uses one with AS has had issues. There's more to CO2 necessity than just pH. Gowet rid of the pH controller, have CO2 come on with and go off with the lights, and watch the plants grow!


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Jay, I'm sure we'd all love to see some update info and pics.


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## jassar (Jul 30, 2006)

This is a great thread! and I would love to see some updates!
Cheers!
-Jassar


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

I'm actually going to art-supplies store tomorrow to get some items for my photo session. Soon !!!  
------------------------

Not much of an update. This tank is now up and running and looking fairly nice. I need to tweak couple sections and it should be good for extensive photo session. Here are few more pictures from initial setup - May 2006.

1. PowerSand with substrate additives. 
** Notice layer thickness and area covered with PowerSand. I trim plants on weekly basis and I did NOT have any problems that other reported - "white" pieces floating up. This is simply user error !!!










2. Amazonia + PowerSand
** Notice layer thickness and areas covered with Amazonia / PowerSand.










3. Dry setup - wood + rocks
** Manzanita wood and locally collected rocks










4. Planting phase
** Anubias nana "gold" / Anubias nana (both Singapore version), Taiwan moss, Narrow Leaf Java Fern. There are additional plants that are not on the photograph.


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## gabeszone (Jan 22, 2006)

Thats looking really good! I cant wait to see it filled with water.


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## Sudi (Feb 3, 2005)

*bump* 
How is the tank coming along Jay? I would love to see some pictures of the scape  

regards,
Matt


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## dstephens (Nov 30, 2005)

Jay,

Talk about a work of patience. I love the wood arrangement. I re-scaped my 90 gallon about 4 months ago with 5-6 different kinds of anubia, lot's of different crypts, peacock moss and java ferns, most of it tied to driftwood. I really like the way it all comes together in a very natural look. It has been less maintenance as well. I also used aquasoil and other ADA substrate products. I use a PH monitor and I have had to recalibrate often since setting up with aquasoil. I don't know that it is connected in any way though. In AQS my crypts look like they are on steroids. Thanks for taking the time to share your project.


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## shewey (Jun 19, 2006)

Man I wish I could get hold of some beautiful driftwood like that. You have done a great job with the arrangement!

What are your plans for the foreground?

Mark.


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## @[email protected] (Jul 10, 2006)

I really like the layout. Please update us with pics!


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## Craig Tarvin (Jul 26, 2005)

Looks awesome, I like the depth of the tank. Looking forward to more pictures.


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## DUHK (Aug 6, 2009)

Wow. Beautiful. I was browsing through aquarium pictures on google and fortunately I came across your page. I continued to read more and was amazed. I'll be subscribing to this thread to keep up 

Btw, can I ask you where you got your wood from? They're perfect.


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## skewlboy (Jun 9, 2006)

this thing would look awesome 3 yrs later


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## ghengis (Jun 11, 2008)

lol


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

so do we have a fill up and a picture yet?


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

update?


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## bigstick120 (Mar 8, 2005)

If I recall this tank died several years ago, sprung a leak.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

oh ok


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