# 24x18x18 Wooden Octopus - Still in the game



## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

i like it, its a cool idea.. are you going to be filled entirely or more of a true stream effect?


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

I'll most likely have the waterline two or three inches below the rim. It's a deep tank, and I don't want to worry about water sloshing over the edge.
Oh, I forgot to mention the light. It will be a 70 watt FNI MH thats a couple of feet above the tank. I want a crisp look, with crystal clear water haha.


----------



## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick, thats gonna look awesome dude...


----------



## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

How are the rocks gonna stand if your not gonna put wood blocks in the water? sit them on top of sand? Cool idea and scape so far!


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

VadimShevchuk said:


> How are the rocks gonna stand if your not gonna put wood blocks in the water? sit them on top of sand? Cool idea and scape so far!


Yeah, I will take those wood risers out, and put a pile or coarse gravel in their place. Thanks guys!


----------



## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

oooohhh shiny rocks  I can't wait to see that tank!


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Me too 
I want to use zebra danios and/ or ghost catfish.
I could do an Asian stream biotope :hihi:








http://fish.mongabay.com/biotope.htm#Southeast Asian River
Most of them have muddy water, but the stream one I posted above has clear water 

Orrr, I could do a southern thailand Forest creek biotope (the one listed as "Rocky Rapids")
http://fish.mongabay.com/biotope_thai_creek.htm
or http://fish.mongabay.com/biotope.htm#Indian/Burmese River


----------



## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

Oh man, I like the idea of a school of zebra danios and ghost catfish (glass catfish = awesome fish), can't wait to see it. Couple questions, is the powerhead going to be close to the surface to create wave effect (never heard of wavemaker before, sounds cool though) and are you going to make it blackwater?


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

VincentK said:


> Oh man, I like the idea of a school of zebra danios and ghost catfish (glass catfish = awesome fish), can't wait to see it. Couple questions, is the powerhead going to be close to the surface to create wave effect (never heard of wavemaker before, sounds cool though) and are you going to make it blackwater?


I won't make it blackwater. Turns out the danios and ghost cats are from more than one type of stream. Look up videos of MP10 on youtube. Amazing piece of equipment.


----------



## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

CL said:


> I won't make it blackwater. Turns out the danios and ghost cats are from more than one type of stream. Look up videos of MP10 on youtube. Amazing piece of equipment.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vkGaGgUmnU Saw this video, this thing is awesome!!! I like the different wave functions, a shame about the price though, but I guess you pay for awesomeness.

Oh yeah, are you going to put the tippy tops of rocks peaking above the water to create the waves crashing against rock effect?


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

VincentK said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vkGaGgUmnU Saw this video, this thing is awesome!!! I like the different wave functions, a shame about the price though, but I guess you pay for awesomeness.
> 
> Oh yeah, are you going to put the tippy tops of rocks peaking above the water to create the waves crashing against rock effect?


Plus you get 1500 GPH+ of flow lol. In a 33.6 gallon tank :hihi:

I wanted the whole crashing waves effect, but I couldn't get the height I needed with the scape. The cinder blocks behind the rocks in the pics above are 17" tall. The top of the top rock is 11.5", and the tank is 18" tall. Subtract three inches to get the water- level at 15"


----------



## legomaniac89 (Mar 16, 2008)

This isn't gonna be another 50-pages-before-the-tank-actually-comes thread, is it? :hihi: Looks like a sweet plan dude. I can't wait to see it all come together.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Those are nice rocks. 

Don't drop those rocks on your feet I think it would hurt.


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

legomaniac89 said:


> This isn't gonna be another 50-pages-before-the-tank-actually-comes thread, is it? :hihi: Looks like a sweet plan dude. I can't wait to see it all come together.


lol, that's what I have been hoping that it won't be. I don't have to get quite as much equipment for this, and I should have the powerhead by next week, and if I can sell my mini m, I should have the tank ordered in about 2-3 weeks. hmm, maybe I should have waited longer to start this thread. Right now it's just a "help me get my ideas together- planning stages" thread.
And I was too excited to not show my rocks that I scored


----------



## Aqua'd (Dec 20, 2009)

That wave maker is sick! Does it mount magnetically?
I can't wait to see this come together!

Some C. Parva around the front of those rocks and maybe some C. Walkeri 'Lutea' or C. Wendtii 'Red' in the back tucked around them would look awesome! Great rocks, Hurry up and get that tank, Subscribed!


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Thanks! Yes, the mp10 transmits energy through the glass via magnets, similar to an electric toothbrush charger.
Those crypt suggestions sound good, but instead of the parva, I might put some eleocharis 'belem' in the tank as a foreground with some root tabs, which would stick to my asia/ thailand biotope, which I have almost settled on.


----------



## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

You gonna try any inverts?


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

I was actually just researching possible shrimp when I decided to check back in haha :tongue:
So far I've found that the orange halo shrimp and black forest shrimp, which look _very_ cool. Do you know of any other shrimp that are native to SE Asia/ Thailand?
EDIT: Umm, CBS? It would be great if they are native to this area, because I already have a bunch of babies that need a bigger tank  I think I'm pretty sold on this SE Asia biotope now.


----------



## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

This the current is gonna be too strong? I was thinkin bamboo shrimp though I'm not sure about location.


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Yeah, I thought about bamboo shrimp as well, or other filter shrimp. I'll have to look into native filter feeding shrimp of Thailand, if there are any.


----------



## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

there has to be something, I think that a filter feeding shrimp would be better suited to this scape than a neocardinia or cardinia simply because of their ability to acquire food through current... 

enjoy your research


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

This is a very cool white cloud mountain minnow biotope tank (southeast asia) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JjRLqTxGQs&feature=related
Too bad they come from slow to moderate current streams, though, In nature moderate could mean high flow in the aquarium. I might get them anyway instead of zebra danios, which are from Bangladesh anyway. Any thoughts?


----------



## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

White clouds are 100x cooler


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Yes they are, but I've read conflicting information on whether they like high flow or not. If I hear one person who has kept them on here say that they do, I'm getting them lol. I used to have a bunch, but I never experimented with flow.
I just started a thread about it here


----------



## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

http://fishprofiles.com/profiles/freshwater/Cyprinids/Tanichthys_micagemmae/


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Thanks for the link Craig, though some of the information about color morphs is out-dated. But that has nothing to do with water flow haha.


----------



## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

ok, its nice out, so that counts as summer set this thing up!


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

lol, I'm ordering the pump today 
I'll have some time to play with it on different tanks before I get this tank ready for it.


----------



## weeb2k1 (Mar 17, 2010)

Looks like a great idea, gonna be watching this thread as I hope to do something like it for my next tank.


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

thanks, weeb.
A small update:
The person selling me the MP10 contacted me today saying that his supplier ran out, so I'm having him refund me. I was going to save $8 over the price at marine depot, but if I order it with the tank, I'll save $10 on shipping, so in the end I'll gain $2 (lol) if I order both the tank and the MP10 from marinedepot at the same time.

I have almost completely made up my mind on what fish to get. I'll be keeping white clouds and Reticulated hillstream loaches, along with some kind of shrimp (most likely cbs, since they are native to SE asia, and I already have a bunch). Plants will be crypts. Maybe some other SE Asia plant. All of the plants and fish will be natives of Vietnam/ Southeast China.


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

*Shrimp*

*Shrimp:*
Here's some great information on CBS in the wild in Vietnam:
















http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55526

Wild type neocaridina heteropoda are also found in SE China/ Vietnam








http://www.myaquariumclub.com/neocaridina-shrimp-in-the-planted-aquarium-90.html
These should be easy enough to "make". I've had a small colony of snowballs in my 40 breeder paludarium (no journal on here) with a couple of cherries. They have had plenty of babies, but no wild coloration has appeared yet. Instead, the cherries that are in there have become very pale in coloration, and it just looks like I have a colony of snowballs. Maybe I should add more cherries?


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

*Flow*

*Flow:*
The problem with comparing the flow in a tank to the flow in a river/ stream, is that flow in a stream is measured in ft/ sec, and not GPH. 
Since one cubic foot of water is 7.48 gallons, and the MP10 (that I ordered a couple of hours ago btw) will be on one side of the tank, flowing the length of the tank, to find ft/ sec that 1600 GPH is, you need to determine how "long" one gallon of water is in the tank.
The tank is 17.5x17.5x24"
One cubic foot is 1728 cubic inches. Divide that by the width and height of the tank (17.5x17.5= 306.25 square inches) to get the dimensions of 7.48 gallons in the tank, and you get 17.5x17.5x5.64 inches. Divide that by 7.48, and you get that one gallon of water is 17.5x17.5x0.754 inches. Now you know that if you move one gallon of water/ hour, the water in the tank is moving at .754 inches/ hour. 1600 GPH is 0.754x1600= 1207 inches/ hour (in a tank with these dimensions). To get that into ft/ sec, divide it by 3600 seconds/hour, then divide it by 12 inches/foot, and you get 0.0279 ft/ second? (anyone wanna check my math?)

That isn't too much flow, but it is coming from a small(ish) point. vortechs do have very wide flow, but I wouldn't be using the full 17.5x17.5", considering the water does have to come back to the pump... however, if I have it on pulse mode, the flow would be closer to the 0.0279 ft/ second, or 1/3 inches per second that I calculated above. One inch of water flow every three seconds doesn't _seem_ like much, but I guess I'll have to wait until I get the powerhead to see.


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

hydrophyte said:


> Those are nice rocks.
> 
> Don't drop those rocks on your feet I think it would hurt.


I missed this post when you ninja'd me :hihi:
I would say that I would have a broken foot if I dropped one of the stones on them.
They are actually very large geodes. One of them was broken in half when I got them, and on the inside are yellow, quartzite crystals.

I would really like to add blyxa japonica to this tank. I think that it would look really nice with the scape, blyxa is just from marshes in SE Asia, and not fast flowing streams. But I think that I could make an exception


----------



## Beeya (Mar 29, 2010)

The MP10 has a wide flow, but even so I think you'll see some substrate disturbance if you're going with coarse sand. I have a tank with similar dimensions and getting adequate movement is tricky given the short flow-print. I've been thinking about dropping a modded MJ1200 into it and see how things go, but I think things will end up all over unless I severely restrict the in/output. Either way the MP10 is an extremely nice toy and you'll have fun with it


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Oh, I know I'll have fun with the mp10 
I won't be surprised if there is some substrate disturbance, but I'll have to cross that bridge when I come to it.


----------



## ClPat (Apr 30, 2009)

I would love just walking near a stream and finding bumblebee shrimp like that. Awesome!
Good luck on your project.
Btw, don't you think some moss would look truer to the scape than crypts?


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Actually, no plants at all would look more natural, but I can't resist


----------



## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

I like this thread. Lots of solid information and links to fun pictures. I think your tank is gona be sick nasty CL. Although I think the 48 might make a better river length wise. Just a thought


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Yeah, yeah. I know, the 48 is longer and all. I just don't wanna mess with the 70+ lbs of AS in there lol. Plus the scape fits it, and the rocks that I got for this tank wouldn't look as nice in a longer tank. They would need to be larger, IMO. What would make a sick river tank is a 4x1x1 foot tank. It would be around 30 gallons, too.

And that's what I was going for with the links and everything 

Thanks


----------



## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

CL said:


> Yeah, yeah. I know, the 48 is longer and all. I just don't wanna mess with the 70+ lbs of AS in there lol. Plus the scape fits it, and the rocks that I got for this tank wouldn't look as nice in a longer tank. They would need to be larger, IMO. What would make a sick river tank is a 4x1x1 foot tank. It would be around 30 gallons, too.
> 
> And that's what I was going for with the links and everything
> 
> Thanks


33 gallon long is 4x1x1 i think


----------



## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

VadimShevchuk said:


> 33 gallon long is 4x1x1 i think


Like :thumbsup:


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

chase127 said:


> Like :thumbsup:


PTF needs a like button. :hihi:


----------



## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

The tank is going to look great It'll be a fun summer for sure!



VadimShevchuk said:


> 33 gallon long is 4x1x1 i think


So is it really roughly 30 gallons? A one foot cube is 7.5 gallons or so.

-Andrew


----------



## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

(48 in) x (12 in) x (12 in) = 29.9220779 US gallons


----------



## knm<>< (Mar 18, 2010)

Making s case for the Mr Aqua 12g long as a river tank. A small river of course.


----------



## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

chase127 said:


> (48 in) x (12 in) x (12 in) = 29.9220779 US gallons


I've never seen math make in^3 into gallons... :eek5: thats some PFM there. 

So it really is around 30 gallons :hihi:

-Andrew


----------



## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

Premiata Forneria Marconi ?


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

I ordered the MP10 and tank yesterday. I had finally saved up enough money to buy them both, and the MP10 went on backorder the night before I was able to order .
The tank shipped out within an hour of me ordering it, though, so I should have it sometime this coming week. The MP10 will be a couple of weeks before I have it, but at least I will have the scape in the tank, and out of my floor. I don't want to move it so I won't forget how to set it back up again haha. 

I'm about $60 away from having enough money for the 70W fish need it metal halide.

Things are coming together


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Tank should be here tomorrow and the MP10 shipped out last night!


----------



## Beeya (Mar 29, 2010)

New toy anticipation is killer. I love it.


----------



## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

I expect water in it by tomorrow evening then.  Now chop chop


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

I gotta make the stand lol. I was just going to do the cinder blocks thing like what I did with my mini m and 30c back in the day, but I think I want to make one out of plywood because it's fun


----------



## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

CL said:


> I gotta make the stand lol. I was just going to do the cinder blocks thing like what I did with my mini m and 30c back in the day, but I think I want to make one out of plywood because it's fun


Well what are you waiting for. :icon_cool


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Craigthor said:


> Well what are you waiting for. :icon_cool


Tomorrow. lol. :hihi:


----------



## !shadow! (Jan 25, 2010)

chase127 said:


> I like this thread. Lots of solid information and links to fun pictures. I think your tank is gona be sick nasty CL. Although I think the 48 might make a better river length wise. Just a thought


i've been so busy with work l haven't had time to read up on your new journal cl, but now i'm catching up . l agree with chase but your 48g tank is very nice as it is i'd feel the same about tearing it down. Who knows down the road tho when you get bored of the manzy scape,you could go with a different biotope,iwagumi or ever riparium as well. looking forward to seeing this one come together man!


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Now to make the stand


----------



## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

That things a beast


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Still need to adjust the scape


----------



## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

Still got a few hours you can get it filled and running.


----------



## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

Craigthor said:


> Still got a few hours you can get it filled and running.


Pull an all nighter!


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

lol I will get it filled and running tonight  I just had to run to walmart to get some gravel and make a stop at Taco Bell on the way back.


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Still need to tweak some things/ get plants in there.


----------



## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

CL said:


> and make a stop at Taco Bell on the way back.



Thats one way to have c02 injection, just feed the fish beans :hihi: (Sorry, thats the junior high coming out of my:icon_roll)


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Oy vey...
Completely off topic, but I like the text in your sig pic haha.


----------



## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Awesome job, CL.


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)




----------



## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

I'm interested to see it when it's planted, looks like it's got some potential!


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Thanks, Francis. It will most likely be a couple of moss species, subwassertang and mini pellia.


----------



## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

it's looking pretty good so far. it really has a natural feel. i can't wait to see it with some plants and fish.


----------



## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

Awesome CL! I think it needs more rocks though...for some reason. Can't wait to see it planted!
Jake


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Thanks guys. The rocks do seem a bit spaced out, but I seriously doubt I could fit any more in and have them look good haha. We'll have to wait and see what it looks like with plants. I'm thinking Singapore moss (because I already have this) or willow moss (but I don't know where willow moss is from, any ideas?). I think that weeping moss would be cool too, but I doubt I could get very much of that, and I want to keep the plant varieties down to a minimum. The mini pellia will be near the sand area, and the subwassertang will be in a couple of spots to accent the scape.

What do you guys think I should choose as far as moss goes?


----------



## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

what about Fissidens sp. "Singapore"?


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

oldpunk78 said:


> what about Fissidens sp. "Singapore"?


That would be awesome, but I have _never_ seen that for sale anywhere 
Though, if I contact the owner of aquamoss.net, maybe I could purchase some at a relatively high price... if he has some


----------



## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

i'm sure if you posted a wtb on the sns you'd get a bite. although, it could take a while.

i just got some on accident(received mixed in with some other plants). i picked all of it out and got a nice little starter portion.


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

haha no way! That's too cool.


----------



## globali (May 29, 2010)

Very nice rocks.
Very nice layout.


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)




----------



## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

So this is a reef now?


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

chase127 said:


> So this is a reef now?


hehe. It would be a good idea.. :iamwithst

nope. Reefs are too much trouble.


----------



## rushr (Jan 11, 2010)

Ooo...cool setup! That video of the pump was neat. Someone reviewed it on amazon and said they had never seen their corals extend so far and their fish play in the current. Your danios will have a blast.


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

rushr said:


> Ooo...cool setup! That video of the pump was neat. Someone reviewed it on amazon and said they had never seen their corals extend so far and their fish play in the current. Your danios will have a blast.


Thanks. And yeah, I'm pretty excited to see how the white clouds will react. In short pulse mode, the current isn't nearly as overwhelming as it is when it's on constant mode. I'll try to upload a video again sometime. Tinypic wasn't having any of it earlier tonight.


----------



## rushr (Jan 11, 2010)

Cool ...i was going to ask if your camera takes video and if so can we see how your fish react to the current...thought it would sound too pushy though :X


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

I don't have any fish in the tank yet  I might go get a couple of white clouds tomorrow to help get the cycle started, though, I'm not sure if I should just get regular white clouds, or order some "meteor minnows" (basically selectively bred white clouds) from online, which would cost more money and take more time.

What do you guys think?


----------



## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

Get the regular ones, they are the bestestes.


----------



## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

i love the tank... and i agree, reef tanks are far too much trouble (and work)


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

VincentK said:


> Get the regular ones, they are the bestestes.


I have a feeling that's what I am going to do. 


F22 said:


> i love the tank... and i agree, reef tanks are far too much trouble (and work)


Yeah, the one I have up currently got zoa pox last summer and I lost about $200 that I had spent on coral (and that's not even counting how they had grown, so I really lost more than that )


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

here is a video of the wave action I have set in this tank. I could get a lot more (I was getting a 2 inch wave lol) but the wave didn't look natural, whereas this one does
Video


----------



## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

CL said:


> here is a video of the wave action I have set in this tank. I could get a lot more (I was getting a 2 inch wave lol) but the wave didn't look natural, whereas this one does
> Video


That is some awesome wave action CL!roud:


----------



## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

Nice!


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Thanks guys! I like the MP10 a lot. Still can't wait to see fish in here :biggrin:


----------



## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

Looks like it is off to a good start, I really like that hardscape and the tank looks pretty nice as well.

-Andrew

PS. PFM is our math term for Pure F***ing Magic.


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Thanks, Andrew. The hardscape is growing on me. I wasn't _too_ sure of it at first, but I like it more every day.


----------



## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

tank looks epic. i really can't wait to see it finished.


----------



## albirdy (Jul 16, 2008)

any update?!?!??!


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

The tank is currently a holding place for the crypts and the few fish that I had in my 48 before I rescaped it. The white clouds have really colored up since I put the plants in there. The rummies love to swim with them  Everyone is happy. I'm surprised that the white clouds have colored up so much since I put the heater in for the rummies considering the tank is now at a bit over 80 degrees.


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Made a light bar for about $2.50. I can swing it out if I need to to access the tank, but the little clip on 27W CFL light isn't exactly in the way. It's about 16 inches above the tank. Low light. Perfect for the mosses, liverworts and ferns.

Ignore the lilies I have in the glasses. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them haha. May just put them in the pond with the others.


----------



## albirdy (Jul 16, 2008)

nicely done! very unique design.


----------



## akdmks (Nov 15, 2009)

update?


----------



## Studman0143 (Mar 20, 2011)

Anything new from this tank?


----------



## parrottbay (May 14, 2012)

I guess not lol


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Pretty low maintenance this way. Only have to water it every 10 days or so.
Been set up like this for over a year now.


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)




----------



## Turboman (Nov 10, 2011)

wow, I love the new scape!


----------



## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

Very cool! What's the plant in the back left that looks like a pineapple?


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

AnotherHobby said:


> Very cool! What's the plant in the back left that looks like a pineapple?


You know, I've talked about it so infrequently that I've totally forgotten. That plant is to the top of the glass now, and the fern is just as big. Everything got really overgrown while I was in Brazil for 10 weeks this summer. Unfortunately this tank is coming down this week as I will be moving to a new apartment.

I will still have my little high(ish) tech nano though :thumbsup:


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

It's been a while 

Just trimmed of a larger number of leaves due to GSA.. needs more plants!


----------

