# 20g xh ideas



## yetti82 (Feb 22, 2009)

*getting by on a budget*

What is your budget for the lighting and plants?


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## Curator (Feb 20, 2009)

you can usually provide a ton of light for around $20 or so by going to a place like wal-mart or home depot and getting a shop light set up, at my wal-mart its $7 for the shop light for 48 inch bulbs, then its about $5 for aquarium lights, then you can take a piece of that corrugated aluminum roofing or just anything thats rather reflective on one side, and use that as a reflector to concentrate the light more, and you can even paint the top half (with a high heat paint!) to match whatever kinda stand your using... 

Also, from everything ive read, java moss and java fern should do fine with what you currently have, they just wont do as well as they would with better lighting...


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## melauriga (Feb 19, 2009)

Thanks for the shop light idea. Silly question, but how do you put them on top of the tank? Can they just sit directly on the glass canopy or do they have to be suspended from the ceiling?


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## Curator (Feb 20, 2009)

I would suspend them, if they are to close it might provide a chance to short out...lol... suspending from ceiling is a possibility, also building some sortve frame to hange them from on your stand is a possibility as well, just make sure to give yourself the ability to easily altar the distance between the tank and the lights, that way if your plants are growing to fast for your taste, or it seems to be to much light for some low light species, you can raise it up (or just take out one of the bulbs) and you can also lower it closer if it seems to high... Sorry I dont have more detailed instructions for ya, ive never been to good at that sorta thing, I just build stuff,lol...


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## Curator (Feb 20, 2009)

Oh, I almost forgot, it might be worth it to invest an extra couple dollars into a clear plastic shield thing for the lights so if you accidentally whack them you wont have broken glass in your tank,lol... really, if you dont do it half assed like me, it would probably cost more like $30 instead of 20... price your materials out first and compare supplies from different stores be4 you start building...


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## wendyjo (Feb 20, 2009)

I have a hex tank that is tall - when I reach in to the bottom I am in up to my armpits! You idea about java fern attached to decor is exactly what I do. I have a very tall fake stump decoration in the tank and have java fern superglued to it at different level. Same with another smaller stump and a big piece of driftwood. It works very well to get plant material at different levels of the tank.

Some swords also do really well with lower light and also get very tall. I have one that reaches to the top of the tank and has also sent out runners with babies.


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## Minsc (Jul 9, 2006)

Check out the link to the 15 gallon in my sig. It is what you are talking about, java fern on vertical wood in a tall, low light tank. The tank is a 15 tall, so it is just a few inches shorter than your tank.

There are two main challenges: the plants at the bottom really don't receive much light at all, and it is very difficult to do any sort of planting or trimming in the tank. A high light tank with stem plants would be a total disaster.


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## spiralin (Oct 16, 2008)

I have just set up a 20 gallon super high . this thing is TALL !!! I will be watching to see what works, I liked the journals above, but I am hoping for more than java ferns , I do like crypts. anyway lets see what you do !! ~~ post pics !!!


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## rountreesj (Jun 12, 2007)

you could A:

Do a sandy bottom with ferns attached to driftwood.

Or B:

you could go to home depot, and go to the ceiling fan section. and get 4 of the incadescent fixture things. then you just unscrew the other flourescent balast from the black housing, unwire it, then wire in the two incandescent fixtures and find a way to attach them(attaching them inside the black housing is the hardest part, but it wouldnt be too bad.) you do this for each housing. this way, you can put whatever size spiral flourescent in that you want. 

Does this make sense?


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Perhaps clip on lights with daylight CFL bulbs, like what mizu-chan did, would work for low light plants like java fern and horwort. I found these to be the easiest plants to grow. 

Perhaps some lights inside the tanks would help?


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## Esox lucius (Feb 17, 2009)

I went with tall driftwood in my 30xh, then attached fern, anubias, moss, riccia, etc. Love the way it looks, check it out in my sig.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

What lights did you get for this tank? Read another person in the same situation as you.


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## kid creole (Dec 25, 2008)

Curator said:


> I would suspend them, if they are to close it might provide a chance to short out...lol... suspending from ceiling is a possibility, also building some sortve frame to hange them from on your stand is a possibility as well, just make sure to give yourself the ability to easily altar the distance between the tank and the lights, that way if your plants are growing to fast for your taste, or it seems to be to much light for some low light species, you can raise it up (or just take out one of the bulbs) and you can also lower it closer if it seems to high... Sorry I dont have more detailed instructions for ya, ive never been to good at that sorta thing, I just build stuff,lol...


I politely disagree that a shop light on the tank is in danger of shorting. In danger of not looking pretty, yes, shorting, no.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

I use 2 undercounter fixtures over my 29 gallon tank and bought a daylight and full spectrum light at pets store. I think I saw 1 that would fit your tank at Lowe's. Lowe's undercounter lights have warranties to last a year thus I think theirs is the best. Main thing you will need is a good reflector. You can make 1 or get 1 at the garden depot. If you want to make 1 let me know. I found instructions to do it. Minsc found some great bulbs at Pet mountain. They have 1 18in and seem cheap. 

I have mine just laying on top of the hood. Some hang them and some build something onto the back of the stand to hang over the tank. I saw 1 where the lights were hooked under a shelf over the tank.


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## houstonhobby (Dec 12, 2008)

*Keep us posted*

Keep us updated on your 20xh. I have a couple of them stored in the garage. I actually think they are nice tanks, but lately I have found them useful in another way. My wife hates the shape of them so much that every time I say I want to get one out and set it up she encourages me to buy a new aquarium instead.

Never takes much encouragement.


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## melauriga (Feb 19, 2009)

Actually, I ended up deciding to take advantage of the height by making it into a paludarium. Not so much water depth for the light to penetrate, and there is plenty of vertical space to plant terrestrial epiphytes on the back wall. I am still researching how I am going to filter it and how to construct a background. There is not a whole lot of info out there on paludariums compared to vivariums and aquariums, so I think I'm going to have to do a lot of trial and error. 

For lighting, I'm considering the Current USA Power Compact 40 watt. I think I will still need to do low light plants in the submerged part. I'm thinking about a piece of driftwood sticking up out of the water covered with anubias both submerged and emerged. And some crypts.

I want to stock this with killifish. I have always wanted to keep killies but was worried about them jumping out of the tank. The water depth will be low enough in this so I don't think this will be a problem.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

melauriga said:


> Actually, I ended up deciding to take advantage of the height by making it into a paludarium.


That is a great idea. For ideas check out and aquascape forum Wabi-Kusa Style and sunstars betta tank. 

Phil Edwards has used rustoleum paint and Great Stuff" brand spray foam to make a wall, thus I think it could be used in place of the plaster paris sunstar used in her tank. 



melauriga said:


> For lighting, I'm considering the Current USA Power Compact 40 watt.


I have one and found that the fans are loud. Thus stood it up over the tank and taped a 120mm fan under 1 end. I just unscrewed the fans and moved them to the side. I could have spliced it into the wires but spliced it into wire of DC adaptor. Just match the volts, probably 12v. I got the fan for $5 on EBay. It is a sleave bearing which I was told will not last. Was told fan with ball bearing longer lasting.

The PC lights get hot. Many are using T5 bulbs now for they don't get hot. 



melauriga said:


> I want to stock this with killifish. I have always wanted to keep killies but was worried about them jumping out of the tank.


That is a good idea. Check out the killifish association and perhaps will find someone nearby that you can buy some from. I once got a pair for the cost of shipping, $10, for a member.


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

FYI, Wabi-kusa is not a paludrarium style, It's an ADA ball of plants that's usually grown in a small dish or bowl with some water, 'wabi-kusa' style tanks are usually understood to be low, shallow tanks with a single island/ball or plants (or two) over sand.

sorry, pet peeve of mine.

Edit: I guess you've already decided on somthing, but what might be cool is a low light tank with a really spectacular centerpiece of manzanita with moss, needle leaf java ferns, and anubias.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Dollface said:


> FYI, Wabi-kusa is not a paludrarium style
> sorry, pet peeve of mine.


No problem! Thank you for correcting me.

Found someone made 1 at badmanstropicalfish forum. Also at planted tank found 1. Found some examples.


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