# Fluval Spec!



## chumlee

Im like 40 min from ramsey, i should take a trip down there and get one. Very nice! 

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


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## hockey9999

If your serious, do it quick! They only had about 4-5 left in stock when I bought mine an hour ago. 2 other people got them while I was there.


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## hockey9999

Some updates on my tank. I should probably start a journal but I am not sure how much I am going to put into the Spec with the Ebi on the way soon. I will probably concentrate more on that for now. 

I was able to cycle the tank almost instantly by taking some junk and a bit of filter material out of my XP3 that's on a different tank. I also filled it with water from that tank. I threw in 2 small guppies and 3 ghost shrimp just to see how they do. They are my first experience with keeping shrimp, I cant believe how interesting they are to watch! I cant wait until it becomes more established so I can get rid of them and add some nicer shrimp. I also took some Cabomba from my other tank. I am not sure how nano-appropriate Cabomba is, or how well it will do under the Spec's LED lighting, but the light seems pretty bright. I haven't been able to find any specifics about the fixture yet.. 

Here is a pic, let me know what you guys think!


photo 1 by dougjacobs99, on Flickr


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## orchidman

looks very good! 

i had dwarf puffers, they are packed with energy and are super personable! they always came to see me when i walked in.... RIP,,....


good luck with yours, keep us updated


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## hockey9999

Just took a few _much_ better pic's. I also added an Anubias Nana Petite, though I didn't get it in focus in the FTS below. Out of curiosity, what do they usually go for at an LFS?

One full tank shot (I should have taken the pictures before I fed them..)


IMG_3753 by dougjacobs99, on Flickr

And one extreme ghost shrimp closeup!


IMG_3744 by dougjacobs99, on Flickr


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## orchidman

Great pics, do you have a macro lense? I'm in the market for one with a nikon mount. 

If your talking about the dps, I got mine for 4.99 each. Pretty good prices. Just make sure you watch out for ips


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## hockey9999

Thanks! 

The pic's were taken with a Canon Rebel XSi and Canon 60mm Macro. I can't wait to get some prettier shrimp, they will be a lot more fun photograph! 

I was referring to the Anubias Nana Petite. I've really never bought anything besides cheap stem/bunch plants so I am not familiar with the pricing. 

What is ips?


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## hockey9999

2 more kinda cool shrimp shots. Controlling the depth of field at 1:1 magnification seems to be even more challenging when taking aquarium shots. 


IMG_3731 by dougjacobs99, on Flickr


IMG_3730 by dougjacobs99, on Flickr


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## orchidman

Cool pictures, I am a nikon man. I shoot with a nikon d90. At the moment, I don't have a macro lens but I have an extension tube I use, which helps. But it's sure not a macro lens

How do you achieve your tank shots? I usually use an on flash with a tether pointed down at into the tank. But I was wondering if there is an easier way. It's kind of hard to do with one hand hold the camera and one on the flash

ips stands for internal parasites. They are common with dps


You can call me Bob


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## hockey9999

I was basically doing the same thing as you described. Off camera flash firing down into the tank. If I remember correctly, they were taken at around 1/200, f6.3, ISO 200. I agree, hand holding the flash is a pain in the a$$. Wireless flash triggers would be ideal. 

I really haven't taken many shots of tanks before, I am sure I will refine my technique. I'll keep you updated.


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## Suncat

I love the idea of the Spec and I'm thinking of getting one and stocking it with a few shrimp. I'm curious as to how well it holds the water temperature within range (based on ambient room temperature...can't see how you could add a heater). I'd love to set up one at my office at work, but since the room temperature can swing from warm during the day to cold at night, I'm afraid that plants and shrimp would not last too long.


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## antbug

Awesome pics! Any updates? How is the light? I'm thinking of getting one for my office. Any additional info would be great.


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## hockey9999

Suncat, it seems to be holding the temperature pretty well but the room it is in doesn't have very much of a temp swing. 

There is definitely room in filter area for a small filter. Since it is only 2 gallons, I would think and small heater would work. 

antbug, Not much has changed in the tank in terms of updates/changes. The lighting seems to be sufficient to support plant growth. To give you an idea, the 3 stems of Cabomba on the left of the tank are now all at the waters surface and the others have all shown pretty good growth. 

I will try to get some updated pic's soon.


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## hockey9999

A quick iPhone pic to give an idea of growth over the last 8-10 days. 


photo by dougjacobs99, on Flickr


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## chumlee

Hey, just a quick question to another NJ member...do you add any ferts,flourish...etc to this tank? I just put some cabomba in my ebi yours grew so fast!!!


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## bsmith

Great little tank. I recently added some c.habrosus to the mini-m in my sig that houses my crs. They get along great and add some movement to the tank.


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## hockey9999

Thanks bsmith!

chumlee, I have been adding Flourish and Excel, but I have been lazy and am not really following any schedule with it..


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## chumlee

That's all I plan on doing in My ebi, but maybe some diy c02 from my hagen system also. great work , the tank looks awesome


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## Dan Knowlton

One of the best forums for info on photography is fredmiranda.com. If you are looking at Nikon only, check out the Nikon discussion section and search for macro. It is located at http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/7

There is also a complete section on macro photography on the forum. The other REALLY good forum is targeted more at Canon users but they still let us second-class Nikon users :icon_roll on the forum. It is located at http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php

Dan K.


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## antbug

hockey9999 said:


> antbug, Not much has changed in the tank in terms of updates/changes. The lighting seems to be sufficient to support plant growth. To give you an idea, the 3 stems of Cabomba on the left of the tank are now all at the waters surface and the others have all shown pretty good growth.
> 
> I will try to get some updated pic's soon.


 
Wow, that is some great growth. Good to hear because I just pick one up yesterday. I have it at home cycling, but once I get my scape figured out, I'll set it up at work. Very cool little tank.


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## theDeanorama

Are those HC stems I see in the foreground? If so how are they faring in the low tech enviro?


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## Clare12345

I go to Fishtown USA also! When I was there I saw a tiny aquarium like that (I'm not sure it was the same brand) with a mini salt-water set-up in it with dwarf sea horses! You almost couldn't tell it was salt aside from the seahorses. Anyway, very fun. 
And I love your tank!


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## hockey9999

That is HC in the front. They were just floating in my other tank so I put some in just to see what would happen. So far, its still alive and green after about a week. I'll probably add more slowly as more uproots in my other tank. I doubt it will grow very fast, if at all, but its hard to say since the other plants are growing like crazy. The Anubias sprouted 2 leaves in the 2 weeks that its been in there. 

I didnt see the mini seahorse tank there! I saw a nano reef in the spec at Absolutely Fish in Cliifton though. It was pretty awesome.


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## Chris78

Hey, brand new here. I've lurked on the forum and posted once or twice before, but I couldn't remember my old address...that was years ago.

Love the tank and thread. I'm actually picking up a Fluval Spec this evening and was thinking of setting it up for planted freshwater. How's the light working for live plants? And do you have a recommendation on what substrate to use?


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## chumlee

I cant speak for the OP But based on the growth of his plants in the pictures, the light should be okay for most low/medium light plants. 

I recommend fluval stratum, if you can find it. I have my shrimp on it and they love it but the plants are doing amazing in it.


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## Chris78

I will look for it tonight. The only fish game in town is Petco, so I'm going to check what they've got--other than that I've got to go in to the bay area to find a fish store (which I try to avoid for the most part) .


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## gBOYsc2

Is the light on the Fluval Spec removable? And is it possible to add a second light to the tank?


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## chumlee

Chris78 said:


> I will look for it tonight. The only fish game in town is Petco, so I'm going to check what they've got--other than that I've got to go in to the bay area to find a fish store (which I try to avoid for the most part) .


they are most likely not going to have it at petco, but you can check... There are other great substrates out there though that might work the same if not better...go into the substrate part of this forum and have a look around. that's just what I recommend based on my experiences...it doesn't mean that it's correct by any means.


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## hockey9999

I decided to get rid of the stem plants and rearrange a bit.


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## hockey9999

Made some more changes. Picked up a few small pieces of black lava rock from the LFS. 

What do you guys think?


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## Newman

definitely will look nice when everything grows in. also that tree reminds me a bit of a weeping willow, if you somehow make the moss strands point down lol. but its up to you whether you think you are able to create such a tree or like one in the first place. also two guppies is a bit excessive, they do eat baby shrimp so you know.


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## umdterps96

any updates? i just got one...seems pretty challenging to scape...did you use the stock lighting or upgrade?


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## hockey9999

Here's a few new pics..


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## esworp

I want one, but also wonder about the intensity of the lighting.


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## Betta Maniac

I've got moss and java fern and blyxa growning just fine in mine with only the light that comes with it.


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## Pecktec

I made a video of mine. Its on Fluval's blog and YouTube.
http://youtu.be/5MWySaBHUec


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## hockey9999

Nice video!

I pulled most of the plants out of mine and re-scapped. The moss was growing out of control. I probably pulled out about a baseball sized pile of moss. 

I will try to remember to take new pics later when I get home from work.


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## Pecktec

Thanks! Yes moss can be hard to keep up with it grows so fast.


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## jetnphx

I'm looking for a small tank to fit in a cubbyhole on my desk. This looks like it would work, though it is a little taller than I want. I would think in 7 years there would be something with some improvements, if only a better light. I plan on keeping it simple with java moss and shrimp. Ideally it would be strong enough that I can remove the tank from the shelf to service the filter.
Any suggestions? 
Max dimensions would be 7.5" long x 10" wide X 8" tall (idea but could go taller).


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## -Mak-

jetnphx said:


> I'm looking for a small tank to fit in a cubbyhole on my desk. This looks like it would work, though it is a little taller than I want. I would think in 7 years there would be something with some improvements, if only a better light. I plan on keeping it simple with java moss and shrimp. Ideally it would be strong enough that I can remove the tank from the shelf to service the filter.
> Any suggestions?
> Max dimensions would be 7.5" long x 10" wide X 8" tall (idea but could go taller).


I have a Spec III on my desk. Indeed, last year they updated the design to look a bit better. The most drastic improvement is the light, which is now claimed to be suitable for growing plants. I haven't had mine up long enough to say whether or not it works, but I'm sure it's fine for low light plants. 

Mine is 11.8 x 10.8 x 8.7 and is 2.6 gallons. The footprint of the area that actually contains everything without the sump in the back is 8.7 x 8.7.


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## dorf007

hockey9999 said:


> 2 more kinda cool shrimp shots. Controlling the depth of field at 1:1 magnification seems to be even more challenging when taking aquarium shots.
> 
> 
> IMG_3731 by dougjacobs99, on Flickr
> 
> 
> IMG_3730 by dougjacobs99, on Flickr


Amazing pictures !!!


Save​


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