# 10 Gallon + Fluval Edge Build Journal



## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

Lets start : 

10 Gallon : 

I found a 10G tank + Lid on craigslist for $5, It looked pretty beat up. the original owner had drained all the water from it , but had never cleaned it.. You can see all the dirt stuck to the walls.











I used a 1: 10 mixture of bleach and water to first rinse out the tank, Then I used a blade with a holder attachment to scrape out the rest of the stuff. 

I used a small light and placed it inside the tank, this allowed me to look through the glass clearly, and scrape out any unnecessary dirt.











Nice and Clean 





















I dont have the filters and other stuff yet to setup the tank.. so the 10G is still empty. All the stuff will come in this week.


FLuval Edge : 

Setting up the Fluval Edge is a breeze everything fits perfectly, I was also able to get the heater and the thermometer wires routed from inside the egde. No more exposed wires .. yehh , The edge has enough space on the back to route any wires. 
The filter also works nicely, a little noisy at first, but it became virtually silent overnight.

Before any water was added to the tank. the water was let to stand in a tote overnight along with an air bubbler. I used 2 drops of Seachem Prime per Gallon.
I then used a small container to scoop the water out and dump it into the edge. 

I also made a trip to the LFS and was able to get some gunk from one of their tanks.. I dumped the whole thing in the Fluval in the hope of getting a jump start on cycling the tank. 










I purchased a 12 Gallon Work tote from the hardware store.. this will be useful for transporting the fish from the LFS and storing water for water-changes.



I purchased a couple of pieces of driftwood from Uncle Ned's past week, with power finally restored I was able to do some work with setting up the driftwood in the aquarium. 

I purchased one big piece which will go in the 10 gallon, I also purchased a small one with a cave like structure.. this will allow fish to hide / explore, the store was also kind enough to sell me a couple of pieces from their tanks. I found some really thin pieces that I plan on placing vertically in the Fluval Edge. 

More pics 

The thin pieces :











The big stump : For the 10 Gallon











This piece was too big for the tank, so I took a handsaw to it to cut it to the right size.











I then proceeded to try and attach the driftwood to the tank directly using 100% silicone that I found at Home Depot (cost me $3.89) . I am going to let it dry out for about 24 hours before I touch it. 





















I also did a leak test on the 10 Gallon tank. I couldn't let it stand for too long because it started raining. But it looks good, I didnt see any leaks.. 











More to come soon...


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

Silicone + Driftwood = FAIL !!!
Last time I posted I tried attaching driftwood to the aquarium floor directly using silicone.. I left it to dry for 48 hours and then took out all the supports initially it looked pretty good to me .. but after a couple of nudges, the driftwood started shaking... a few more nudges and it came right off :angryfire

Well back to square one then...after a little pondering I came up with a plan to attach the driftwood to a piece of slate, this will allow me to move the driftwood around or also switch it off to an other tank in the future. 

I went to a LFS and purchased a piece of slate and made sure that the bottom was perfectly flat... then I went about attaching the driftwood to the slate..

First off I sanded the bottom of the driftwood perfectly flat with a sanding block











Then arranged the piece of slate in the tank.Placed the driftwood on top...angled it exactly right ... and then marked out an outline of the driftwood on the slate.








.


I then used a drill bit to drill 2 holes in the slate... within the boundaries of the marking.. The key here I found was to use more speed on the drill and less pressure... too much pressure and you will crack the slate.










Once that was done I used a another drill bit to recess the screw holes











I used 2 x 1.5" stainless steel screws to then attach the driftwood to the slate.



















I sealed the bottom of the slate with 100% silicone and also the base where the driftwood meets the slate.:hihi:


New Updates : (11 / 14 / 2011)

The filter, heaters and lights arrived. All of it is hooked up, I initially had some trouble with connecting the eheim outflow into the intake of the hydor heater.. but a 5/8" ID tube from home depot seems to fit both connectors perfectly, (The hydor end needed a little heat and elbow grease)

I also noticed that the LED replacement lights for the Fluval Edge have started yellowing a little because of water hitting them, I ordered an other pair of MR 16 bulbs from ebay with covers for $8.59 each

I am also going to add 2 LED strip lights to the hood of the fluval edge to achieve more lighting. The entire order is coming from superbrightleds.com
Here are the details : 

Qty | Product / Options | Price/ea |
================================================== ==========
2 | LBFA-xWxx: LuxBar High Power LED Light Fixture| $ 12.95 |
LBFA-CW6: 15cm[5.9in] Cool White
------------------------------------------------------------
1 | LBFA-Px: LuxBar Power Connectors | $ 1.95 |
LBFA-P30: 30cm[11.8in]
------------------------------------------------------------
1 | 24VDC-PS: 24VDC Power Supplies | $ 19.95 |
CPS-24VDC-24W: 24 Watt
------------------------------------------------------------
1 | LBFA-IU : LuxBar Right Angle Jumper | $ 1.95 |



I ordered a bunch of things from KensFish today. 

Qty Name SKU Each Subtotal
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1 Seachem Flourite Black Sand 15.4 lb. BagACASM3525 $18.25 $18.25
1 Seachem Plant Fundamentals Kit RRASM1115 $9.99 $9.99 
1 Plant Sinkers 12 Pack ACABL210 $1.09 $1.09 (For the Plants)
4 Uniheat 20 Hour Heatpack RRUHP20 $0.90 $3.60 (For transporting fish from the LFS)
1 Marineland LED Double Bright Strip 18-24 InchesAAML32990 $59.95 $59.95
1 Pura Velcro Media Bags 6"x12" (3 Pack)ACPU0414 $7.25 $7.25 (For the Purigen , its 300 microns. I am hoping it is small enough for the purigen) 
1 Seachem Purigen ACASM163 $19.95 $19.95
500 ml $19.95

I now have 2 Marineland Double Bright LED strip Lights, This will give me 2 sets over the 10 Gallon which i think will be plenty of lighting.

The plants will also come in this week : 

All the plants I ordered a low light easy plants.. I will move to other plants if I succeed with these first.

I already own 2 x Java Fern, 1 x CRYPTOCORYNE WENDTII 'RED', 1 x Anubias Nana , and Lots of Java Moss.

Qty | Item # | Description | Price Each | Total Price
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 | egeriananas | Anacharis narrow Leaf, Egeria Nanas | $2.99 | $5.98

2 | nana01 | ANUBIAS BARTERI VAR. NANA | $5.79 | $11.58

2 | Javafern01 | JAVA FERN (Microsorum pteropus) | $3.69 | $7.38

2 | ERECTUSPOT | Pogostemon erectus, | $4.95 | $9.90

2 | blassii | CRYPTOCORYNE CORDATA 'BLASSII' | $3.59 | $7.18


1 | wendtiipot | CRYPTOCORYNE WENDTII 'RED', | $4.95 | $4.95


Because I ordered all these at once.. the plants might arrive before I have all the substrate ready to go into the tank.. Will it be enough if I put the plants in a tote with a little substrate, heater, an air pump and lighting.. Will the plants need a filter ? The plants will stay in the tote for at most a week, until I can get the flourite washed and cleaned and scape the tanks.

On an other side note.. the power outage set me back on the whole cycling process. I will start it again this weekend.. 

Thanks for reading,


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

Update : 11/17/2011

Time for an update... I received the rest of my order today.. So i have everything I need to complete both tanks. 

First off .. 











I ordered some MR16 bulbs to replace the MR11's that I have on the Edge. The MR16's are brighter and also have a cover which will prevent water from splashing onto the bulbs. 

The Bulbs 











MR16's in comparison to the MR11's 











Bulbs installed.











I also filled up a tote with water and some eco-complete substrate (which I won't be using) I put the plants in there for the time being. This will allow for the plants to settle down and grow in while I complete the hardscape on both tanks. 











I used some fishing line and pieces of slate to tie down most plants.. except Stem plants. 





















Here is the list of plants that I have in there for now. 

Anacharis narrow Leaf, Egeria Nanas 

Anubias Barteri Var. Nana

Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus) 

Pogostemon erectus

CRYPTOCORYNE CORDATA 'BLASSII' 

CRYPTOCORYNE WENDTII 'RED'

Java Moss

I also have some Flame Moss and HYGROPHILA DIFFORMIS coming in the mail tomorrow.


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

I washed the Seachem Flourite sand in a tub for at least an hour... this thing is extremely dirty ... I am pretty sure i lost at least a pound of that stuff .. in dust

Wash 1:










Wash 12 : 










Seachem Black Flourite on the right , Tahitian Moon Sand on the left










I laid down all the root tabs first.. and then a small layer of flourite ... then sand and then more flourite... I finally topped everything off with the sand.











Custom LED solution on the EDGE: 



















2 LED strips on the 10 Gallon










FTS and other pics.
































































































































The EDGE :

































































Fertilizer Dosing regimen :

Flourish : 1 / week
FLourish Excel : 2 x week
Flourish Iron : 2 x Week

I am contemplating getting a CO2 system to run both tanks with one tank.. I am not sure if I need one. 

Tasks Remaining : 

Cycle Tank
Confirm Stocking 

Thanks for looking,
wastedtime


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Interested in seein how your 10 gallon turns out. I also got my tank on criagslist and had to do a major cleanin myself. And I'm a huge fan of 10 gallons . 

Your plants will do fine in a tub of water with only a bubbler. Make sure they feet enough light and ferts but you don't need a heater as long as your water is above 60. I kept my extra plants in an empty 10 gallon for almost a month and they all grew really well. Made sure they got 8 hours of light and weekly ferts


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Whoops realized your just copying over old posts


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

diwu13 said:


> Interested in seein how your 10 gallon turns out. I also got my tank on criagslist and had to do a major cleanin myself. And I'm a huge fan of 10 gallons .
> 
> Your plants will do fine in a tub of water with only a bubbler. Make sure they feet enough light and ferts but you don't need a heater as long as your water is above 60. I kept my extra plants in an empty 10 gallon for almost a month and they all grew really well. Made sure they got 8 hours of light and weekly ferts


I did pretty much the same thing as you... put them in a tote with a heater (water gets really cold around here), I dosed with excel on a regular basis... but that was pretty much it.



diwu13 said:


> Whoops realized your just copying over old posts


 , I had a log started in a other forum, figured i should post it here as well because its planted. I've got a lot to do still, I am still not happy with the scape and might change it around a little. I am also thinking of adding some more low light plants in there.. the cycling process has started, I seeded the filter with a sponge from the LFS so that should go a little quick.


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

Smallish update :

Both tanks seem to be cycling fine. I tested the water yesterday... 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites and 10-20 Nitrates. 
I've been dosing clear ammonia to keep the bacteria going.

I also ordered some plants :

Vallisneria Spiralis
Dwarf Lily
Rotala Rotundifolia
Wisteria

Once these arrive I'll change the hardscape around a little bit, more pictures then


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

Hello Everyone,

I am exploring the possibility of using Co2 in both tanks, Will adding Co2 lead to any significant improvements in plant growth under low light ? or should excel be enough?


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Btw I love all your step by step pictures of everything. That really helps with he explanations and visual candy . 

Seachem excel should already contain organic carbon for your plants so generally for tanks 10g or under you don't really need additional CO2 on top of excel. I know for a fact flourish has the organic carbon but I can double check excel for you. Increasing light would probably lead to more noticeable growth than adding CO2.


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## mjproost (Feb 13, 2006)

IME, CO2 always helps. But, based on what you have listed for specs I do not think it would be significant.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Just checked and excel does contain a source of organic carbon. Which is what you're going to essentially with CO2. So if you want more growth I suggest either injecting the CO2 straight into the substrate with a needle, or increasing the intensity of your light.

Subscribed to your journal too !


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

diwu13 said:


> Btw I love all your step by step pictures of everything. That really helps with he explanations and visual candy .
> 
> Seachem excel should already contain organic carbon for your plants so generally for tanks 10g or under you don't really need additional CO2 on top of excel. I know for a fact flourish has the organic carbon but I can double check excel for you. Increasing light would probably lead to more noticeable growth than adding CO2.


Thanks, Increasing light and adding CO2 is out of question at this point. I am at the very edge of my budget and spending more money on lights and co2 is not going to be possible.. it will be an either or situation.



mjproost said:


> IME, CO2 always helps. But, based on what you have listed for specs I do not think it would be significant.


Thanks, this is what I was looking for, I dont have any problems with excel for now.. some posts do say that the vals will melt with excel but they will get used to it if excel is added in small quantities, I guess I'll have to try that. 



diwu13 said:


> Just checked and excel does contain a source of organic carbon. Which is what you're going to essentially with CO2. So if you want more growth I suggest either injecting the CO2 straight into the substrate with a needle, or increasing the intensity of your light.
> 
> Subscribed to your journal too !


Thanks for the subscription, I hope not to disappoint. I am currently adding the recommended dose of excel every alternate day.. so far I have seen a lot of new growth on most plants including crypts (which melted after being planted) 
I am sometimes worried about long term effects of excel though... I've been reading and there is nothing to suggest that long term excel dosing is bad.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

The problem with long term dosing is your plants get used to the increased level of carbon available to them so when you stop dosing suddenly they'll crash. You have to ween them off excel, kinda like trying to stop smoking !!!

You could actually increase the photoperiod instead of increasing the power of the light. That should also be effective. What is your photo period right now? 8 hours?


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

I am doing about 10 hours now. 10 am -> 8 pm , I started with 12 hours but then I started seeing algae. 10 hours seems to be working good so far.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Yea that definitely seems long enough already. Your growth looks good alright so I guess if it works just let it run its course :]


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

I looked at the 10 gallon today.. I have serious hair algae growing.. and tons of brown dust algae as well. I am seriously contemplating adding CO2 to this tank. I also did a huge water change today in anticipation of adding fish this weekend.

I have a question for you guys... If I buy a Sumo Premier line Co2 regulator... I am wondering if the GLA 3 Port manifold with a 1/8" port size will fit the solenoid ?

GLA Manifold
http://greenleafaquariums.com/co2-manifolds-splitters/gla-triple-manifold.html

Regulator 
http://sumoregulator.com/PremierLine.html


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Not very familiar with CO2 but I know if you get 2 amano shrimps they will eat all that algae happily with no need to set up CO2. Hopefully someone else can help, but I really would just spot treat excel and get some amanos. But it's your tank !


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

diwu13 said:


> Not very familiar with CO2 but I know if you get 2 amano shrimps they will eat all that algae happily with no need to set up CO2. Hopefully someone else can help, but I really would just spot treat excel and get some amanos. But it's your tank !


Thanks, Yes I am going to so some spot treatment today... Amanos are going to be introduced later in the day.  .. I'll post back with the results.


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

Everything looks good now. Amanos cleaned up all the Algae ... I did a 50% water change and a regular dose of excel and reduced photoperiod to 8 hours.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Glad you didn't need to set up the CO2. How are them amanos? Worth getting them? How much did you get them for? And where did you get them? Just try not to squirt the excel in the amano's face or they might die


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

diwu13 said:


> Glad you didn't need to set up the CO2. How are them amanos? Worth getting them? How much did you get them for? And where did you get them? Just try not to squirt the excel in the amano's face or they might die


The amanos are totally worth it.. They cleaned up all the algae nicely. I dont see them out in the open much often though... they are mostly under the driftwood all day long... I got them from my LFS (Uncle Neds Fish Factory), they were $3 each. I am going to reduce the dose of excel to half.. and switch to every alternate day. I dont want shrimp dying and getting stuck in places I cant reach. 

I am also getting some vals this week.. that might also warrant smaller doses of excel. A small rescape of both tanks is also being planned.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

With excel, I find as long as you're not dumping the entire load on a shrimp you could do the full dose. I inject the excel straight into my substrate and there hasn't been any deaths. Heck, I even squirted paraguard on top of my shrimps and the non-infected ones haven't died!


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