# Shallow 30 Gallon Cube tank - DIY everything



## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

rim is easily removed, even while the tank is running


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

DIY STAND
Approximate cost 40ish, primary source: Home Depot
What I own: a Drill!! wood was cut at HD, bought a drill bit for the screws, found some gorilla glue for wood! and thats about it! 

used this site: http://www.fishandtips.com/index.php
for planning, however I altered a bit and used 2x4s
*
NOTE: 2x4 ARE NOT 2x4, they actually measure 1.5x3.5!!!!! Keep that in mind while planning*




So this is the plank for the base, see later image



used these screws 5 inches so that I could join a 2x4 to a 2x4, on the long arm, see later image



3 inch, for the small arm, see later image



drill bit



water proofing spray, about 3$



drying away






the basic construct



short - hence the 3 inch screw








This is where you I need the 5 inch screw, since the three inch screw would only just make it into the horizontal 2x4



good old gorilla wood glue









making sure its level!



the plank I showed you earlier x 2








finally done!

El-cheapo stand! time to build (one person only) - 2 hours ish


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

More posts coming soon, where do you guys upload images to? tinypic.com only does one at a time!!


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

shrimpNewbie said:


> rim is easily removed, even while the tank is running


I was thinking about that, but I am afraid of:
- might crack the tank!
- sharp unsightly edges of the glass (non finished??)
- spoke with the tank builder, they confirm that the rim doesnt play any role in structurally
- plus its only 12 inch high, and bottom rim is hidden by my stand

- I own a dremel, Don't know if I should do it!!!

(no water in tank as of right now)


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

Nice pics of making the stand!


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

griffin_pak said:


> More posts coming soon, where do you guys upload images to? tinypic.com only does one at a time!!


Photobucket is awesome, you can upload a lot more each time.

Great work on the stand.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

griffin_pak said:


> I was thinking about that, but I am afraid of:
> - might crack the tank!
> - sharp unsightly edges of the glass (non finished??)
> - spoke with the tank builder, they confirm that the rim doesnt play any role in structurally
> ...


At 12" you can remove the rim without any dangers. The edges will be smoothed, the manufacturer does not want industrial injury claims.


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## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

I derimmed my 20 long while it was in action, luckily my edges were decent, none are sharp or ugly, but not sure how yours would be, however sealing the inside to make sure nothing falls in is easy when you sand it down, should you have to. its easy and it is fun, the trick is going slow for your first one, my first derimming i took an hour, now with confidence it takes about 5-10 minutes for the top rim of a 40 breeder and about 15-30 for the bottom.


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

You know what guys I think I'm going to de rim it! Thanks for talking me into it haha! 
I'll post pic of the de-rimmed tank or disaster pics


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

got the siding cut also at HD, cost: an additional 18$


planing the glue


added another 2x4 in the middle, overkill, the tank has a rim, so all the weight is on the corners, the middles doesnt even touch!


ran out of heavy object haha!


2 sides done!


screwed up, this is my access panel, but I notived a 2x4 smack middle, cant remove co2 tank/filter in n out!!! so used a different side. measure twice, cut once/glue once 






driftwood!!!!!!!!!!!!! want emersed plants growing out of the tank, like a palaudrium (?)


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Looking good


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

That is a nice and different kind of footprint.


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

2in10 said:


> Looking good


Thanks!

any suggestions guys on plants? fish stock?

*Plants*
Was thinking: HC in the front (who didnt see that coming), Pogo Helferi, Anubias nana on parts of the drift wood, some kind of moss on the rest of it...... not sure what kind or a fissiden (true that it takes forever to grow?)

Not sure about the back corners

*Fish*
Would love to have baby discus and cardinals... but alas this tank is too small


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

GMYukonon24s said:


> That is a nice and different kind of footprint.


hello fellow-michiganite !!!
My last one was a rectangle 45 long, wanted some depth for this one


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## Quentin (Mar 16, 2011)

Lol 2x4s haven't been true 2x4s since like WWII or something like that. You're a bit late. Lol


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

Nice stand and interesting tank! I am all for 2 hour 2x4 stands. I just unfortunately can't make them look good. Looking foreward to you progress.


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## kcirtappatrick (Mar 16, 2009)

Looks great!


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Quentin said:


> Lol 2x4s haven't been true 2x4s since like WWII or something like that. You're a bit late. Lol


yup thats what I was told at HD, they said the last time they were true 2x4s were in the 1920s!!!!

They should have a warning about that! WARNING 2x4 doesnt actually measure 2x4 lol..... I wasnt around in the 1920s when they made the switch!!! lol this is btw my first time working with 2x4s, heck first time working withwood


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## sick lid (Jan 13, 2008)

griffin_pak said:


> lol this is btw my first time working with 2x4s, heck first time working withwood


impressive first project. Hopefully not the last, it's a sickness 


> added another 2x4 in the middle, overkill, the tank has a rim, so all the weight is on the corners, the middles doesnt even touch!


But it makes you feel better having it, doesn't it? Every stand I have ever built cost me twice as much as it should have in material, but I sleep better knowing how overbuilt they are. Eventually the urge to built a strong stand with the least amount of material will hit me, but as long as 2x4's are as cheap as they are, I'm quite happy to use more than my share


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

sick lid said:


> impressive first project. Hopefully not the last, it's a sickness
> 
> But it makes you feel better having it, doesn't it? Every stand I have ever built cost me twice as much as it should have in material, but I sleep better knowing how overbuilt they are. Eventually the urge to built a strong stand with the least amount of material will hit me, but as long as 2x4's are as cheap as they are, I'm quite happy to use more than my share



yup exactly why, overkill = sleep better... thought I was the only one ha!


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

So for the lighting... wanted to hang it on top of the tank, so that I could see the tank from the top as well. Wanted to do something cheap and diy (duh).










Got the idea from numerous threads here on conduits, again went to HD, conduit it self was like 4$ Cheaaaap yeah!

So here was my dilemna, I needed a pipe/conduit bender, one of these badboys:









So I asked at lowes and HD to see if they had rental ones available... no luck
I didnt want to drop 40$ on a tool that I was going to use once, for bending one conduit in two places 

I was "advised" by one of the HD workers to buy/return it.... that didnt feel right either, so he said "here lemme bend it for ya in store!" and I was like...... umm SURE! lol
so long story short, I used a conduit at HD, and didnt pay for it..... Im sure ill pay for that....karma..... I did! mis measured that damn thing... look below




used a dollar spray can of black to paint the thing






at first I though of using steel wire fishing line and a closed hook...




didnt work... so that was a bust


as someone else suggested, I mounted on the BACK of the tank first..... BUT then it was toooo long and sticking out on the side... which looked ugly (the mis-measured part), so I mounted it to the left side



used S-hooks on teh conduit... linked to this black chain... which hooks onto an "open" hook x 4.. this way it didnt wobble, i have the option of adjusting the height since I have extra chain









El-cheapo lights done!

oh btw, the light is odyssea T5 HO 25inch total length 6500K


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

You done a lot of good DIY on the tank, are plants and fish comming soon???

Also how did you find a tank with such a bizzarre size???

I think your going to be raising the light for such a shallow tank and if you pick some plants that will climb up the wood and grow emersed that would look really cool!!!


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

150EH said:


> You done a lot of good DIY on the tank, are plants and fish comming soon???
> 
> Also how did you find a tank with such a bizzarre size???
> 
> I think your going to be raising the light for such a shallow tank and if you pick some plants that will climb up the wood and grow emersed that would look really cool!!!


Thanks for the comments!
Plants coming soon, fishies will have to wait a while... thinking of doing a Tom Barr emergent HC first

Custom built tank by a tank builder here in MI

I think I am going to adjust the light accordingly, definately want something growing outside the tank, was thinking baby tears, dont know if that will "climb" on wood though


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Beautiful DIY work


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Finishing touches on the stand!

ERRORRR!!!


off my a couple of cm




What I wanted my corner to look like, clean configuration






due to the error, had to use L-wood on the corners to cover up that earlier mistake , still looks nice though


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## tharsis (Oct 9, 2009)

I actually prefer it with the new corners, looks really nice. I usually associate this type of tank with a reef type set-up so I am very interested to see how this tank looks when it has grown in. There are alot of options for planting. 

And again, really nice job on the stand!


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

El-cheapo filter!
Reviews here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/equipment/98858-my-review-sunsun-outside-filter-hw.html

Have been using this guy for my other 45gallon long as well... works amazing, been about a year, bought the same for this 30











Stones worth about 10$, just picked random ones, had no idea how I wanted to scape them in the LFS



SUBSTRATE!!! Went to Petsmart and bought 4 bags, ended up using only 3, the flourite is 19$ while the flora max is 16$, researched online, aparently the consensus was that flora max is similar but much larger in size.... aparently not






WASHING!!!! this parts messy, I didnt wash it thouroughly since I wanted some of the sludge at the bottom of the tank, this may be a problem later on when I try to uproot plants 








flourite


floramax

Soooo.... verdict: atleast on visual insepction and feel of the substrate, they are EXACTLY the same, no difference whatsoever! smell the same look the smell feel the same... one difference though: flourite bags have much more sludge... hmmmmm

ended up using two flourites and one flora and not the other way aroun






randomly thrown around


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

tharsis said:


> I actually prefer it with the new corners, looks really nice. I usually associate this type of tank with a reef type set-up so I am very interested to see how this tank looks when it has grown in. There are alot of options for planting.
> 
> And again, really nice job on the stand!


thanks much appreciated!

this was the inspiration...


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

secret access panel!!!! Cheap design, results in a clean configuration versus having a cabinet door

The panel is held in places by double sticky tape and the carpet too


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## 2wheelsx2 (Jan 27, 2006)

Why not velcro or clips? Cheap and effective.


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## scapegoat (Jun 3, 2010)

really neat tank. where did you get it?


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

> really neat tank. where did you get it?


custom tank builder here in Michigan


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Why not velcro or clips? Cheap and effective.


hmmmm, you know what, velcro sounds better, I think I might do that!


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

De-rimmed it!!!! finally!!
After a lot of thinking and researching I decided to do it!
The tanks is only 12 inches high, with the damn rim taking up and inch and a half!!!
Still not sure if this will work, I have seen a homedepot closeby where I can buy/rent a wet vac in case 30 gallons end up in my living room.. lets hope that day doesnt come.

To de-rim: power tools + blades + time + patience!



Blades! lots of them, being a surgery resident - I have tonnes! Having sutures around the house may also help! 


Dremel!


The rim!


Looking from the underside, the tank maker used only the minimal amount of silicone!!


Ideally it be best to do this without any content!, preparing for debris collection


Dremel with diamond tip, this isnt ideal, see below




attachment not good, need a fly wheel!


This is from home depot, it was in the dremel accessories for <5$, the diameter is ideal as it will go through the plastic but not damage the glass (hopefully)


the mess!


oh yeah the papers dont work, but a good vaccum later will work, plus the plastic will float when filled


the first side, scored it in the middle length wise, 


got too excited and scored in the middle to get 1/2 of the rim off, this also made life easy, as I could cut the silicone between the rim and glue on top side


coming off!!


Long scoring thing!


Scoring between the rim and silicone on the outside, did the same on the inside


Mask for shavings, was lying around the house


progress!


Some more progress!


almost!


and thats what the glass looks like




whole tank










#15 blade at work

More pics once fully done.... lots of scrapping to do!


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Congrats on pulling the trigger. You should have no worries of the tank coming undone. The silicone work on the edges looks good and the glass is plenty strong for the water to be contained.


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

any idea what the minimum safe size is for a 12inch high tank? 11mm?


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## lbacha (Apr 13, 2011)

Min size what if you mean glass thickness then yes 11mm is plenty thick my 18" cube is only 6mm and it's rimless.

Len


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

griffin_pak said:


> any idea what the minimum safe size is for a 12inch high tank? 11mm?


Safety for glass is based more on height, 11MM is overkill but very good to have. If the manufacturer was uncertain or using a thinner glass you would have seem a cross member in the plastic.


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## bored4 (Apr 26, 2010)

griffin_pak said:


> custom tank builder here in Michigan


I'm from michigan also, where is the tank builder located at? 

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

done with the rest


once the first side came off, others were easier


the last side was the toughest! 








corners, not sure how to tackle these


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Congrats on finishing the removal. It looks like the tank is sitting uneven on the stand. I apologize if I am jumping the gun on you on the stand.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

Looks good so far, razors, razors, & more razors, oh and patients will help too.


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

2in10 said:


> Congrats on finishing the removal. It looks like the tank is sitting uneven on the stand. I apologize if I am jumping the gun on you on the stand.



haha dont! aparently at first I was like, what is this guy thinking, how dare he tell me my tank isnt flat, I checked the level and it's FLAT!

well.... NO, its not, found out the hard way, see pics for what happened


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

150EH said:


> Looks good so far, razors, razors, & more razors, oh and patients will help too.


Razors and blades and time!!!!!


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Up and running! finally!


interesting way of getting worms with a car battery!!! (not sure, but thought it'd be interesting...


co2 tanks! 50$ each, 20 and 10 lbs (ones for the other tank)


finally w/o the rim


pipe, so you can goto Lowes and buy this for around 4$, vs the petsmart kind w the gravel vaccum


started filling er up and viola: flourite sludge on top of my white sand 


worse


Walmart polyester bag for pillows, works great in a filter!


still filling






ghetto sink to pipe adapter, a little bit of tape and ACE wrap... also works great of sprained ankles


manual skimming the floating sludge


its there! but wait!


ITS NOT LEVEL!!!!!!!! emptied it out and levelled the whole thing by sticking a lil piece of wood 


all over again ....


1.60 sand from petco



level!






filter is up and running 










and done! filter in place behind and under cabinet












plants.. this pic here, just for the hell of it


view from the loft


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Like the scape, congrats on getting it filled.


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

2in10 said:


> Like the scape, congrats on getting it filled.


thanks!
not sure on how to plant this!


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

The tank looks great! 

BTW, you can do that worm thing by taking an old cord from a box fan or anything else really, and split it down the middle, attach one side to each road, and there you go. It works quite well actually.... :hihi:


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## matty26 (Feb 25, 2011)

HAHAHAHAHA the part about 2x4's not being 2x4s
They have never been 2x4s always 1.5 x 3.5's
First time building something?
Sorry not trying to be mean just thought it was funny


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## TactusMortus (Jun 28, 2011)

matty26 said:


> HAHAHAHAHA the part about 2x4's not being 2x4s
> They have never been 2x4s always 1.5 x 3.5's
> First time building something?
> Sorry not trying to be mean just thought it was funny


Actually they were 2x4s I worked at a sawmill as a teenager. They start out as 2x4s however when they dry out you end up with 1.5x3.5's.


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

matty26 said:


> HAHAHAHAHA the part about 2x4's not being 2x4s
> They have never been 2x4s always 1.5 x 3.5's
> First time building something?
> Sorry not trying to be mean just thought it was funny


yup first project ever, for some weird reason I decided to measure the "2x4" since the local HD didn't have them marked properly and bam! I discovered this international scam:hihi:


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Got my CO2, finally!!!!!!


DAY 01
HC, last chance, Im fed up with this plant, this is the last chance, will switch to Dwarg hair grass if this doesnt work!!!


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

HC is slow growing because of its tiny size, you need to be real patient.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Are you covering the top and trapping in the humidity and moisture for the HC??


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Gatekeeper said:


> Are you covering the top and trapping in the humidity and moisture for the HC??


yep, plastic wraps on right now


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

2in10 said:


> HC is slow growing because of its tiny size, you need to be real patient.


youre right, but always have had it die on me, except for one or two times.... hopfeully it works this time


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

bought one of these inline co2 atomizer, anyone have long term experience with these?


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Flooded! Planted!


Overall shot




Syngnothus Belem, behind it is needle leaf java


flame moss


crypt wenditii


HC, some yellowing noteed 

Also hidden in a whole in the driftwood is subwassertang


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

no replies 


how do I keep that damn flourite away from the sand?


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## raven_wilde (Jul 12, 2006)

griffin_pak said:


> no replies
> 
> 
> how do I keep that damn flourite away from the sand?


You're probably fighting a losing battle... its been my experience that sand always sinks down to the bottom and any sort of gravel eventually rides on top. Think about it- grains of sand are smaller, they are eventually going to work their way down through the airspace in the flourite.

I think any tank that maintains a sand space successfully does so because some sort of barrier (like clear plastic) is installed before the sand and gravel are poured in. I have definitely seen this done in other tank journals on this site and APC.


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

raven_wilde said:


> You're probably fighting a losing battle... its been my experience that sand always sinks down to the bottom and any sort of gravel eventually rides on top. Think about it- grains of sand are smaller, they are eventually going to work their way down through the airspace in the flourite.
> 
> I think any tank that maintains a sand space successfully does so because some sort of barrier (like clear plastic) is installed before the sand and gravel are poured in. I have definitely seen this done in other tank journals on this site and APC.


Nooooooooooooooooooo.... hahaha hopefully once the HC grows in the mixing will cease..... till then I will be adding more sand (probably see a tank full of SAND, CLEAN SAND)


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## moonshinetheslacker (Sep 13, 2010)

I absolutely have to put in my 2 cents here. The stand looks good, and appears to be built plenty sturdy... but wood paneling? It makes me think it belongs in an RV, no offense! :flick: Next time you're at home depot, check out the backerboard in the tile section. You might find something that will look pretty amazing. I recently saw someone use tile backerboard for siding on their house, and it looks AWESOME. 

Again, just my two cents. take 'em or leave 'em.

But at least paint the paneling?

Sorry, I have a hatred of wood paneling. It runs deep in me. Instilled since childhood (no joke) by my entire family. My apologies for being anti-paneling. Feel free to protest. It is a free country after all.

sort of...

but THAT'S another discussion!:hihi:

In any event, good work on the stand, and good job saving cash. I think concrete backerboard would make your stand look jaw-dropping awesome.

And be careful with that paneling near the baseboard heat! I would at least put something between the heat and the stand. Maybe... tile backerboard?


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

moonshinetheslacker said:


> I absolutely have to put in my 2 cents here. The stand looks good, and appears to be built plenty sturdy... but wood paneling? It makes me think it belongs in an RV, no offense! :flick: Next time you're at home depot, check out the backerboard in the tile section. You might find something that will look pretty amazing. I recently saw someone use tile backerboard for siding on their house, and it looks AWESOME.
> 
> Again, just my two cents. take 'em or leave 'em.
> 
> ...


hmmmm so like add backerboard and then slap on these tiles :icon_mrgr:icon_mrgr


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## moonshinetheslacker (Sep 13, 2010)

:icon_eek: :icon_eek: :icon_eek:

There should be a smiley like this:

:shootme:

:flick:

I see I've met the anti-moonshine!

(sorry for the derailment)

(kinda)


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

It looks good and the flame moss ends up looking real cool, lots of folks that use sand syphon it out and replace it on a monthly basis to keep it clean and white. Also I use a little Excel to boost the growth of new plants from time to time, it works good and I dose the second day amount and forget about the large first dose. If you try it just becareful not to over do it or plants will melt or worse, but even though I use CO2, high light, and dose EI the Excel helps if you stick to 5 ml per every 50 gallons of water, good luck.

I would think Moonshine and faux wood paneling go together like ying and yang!


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

blue in the morning, green optimal, yellow towards the end... needs to reduce BPS


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

thanks 150EH, will do the siphoning, makes sense to do it


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Ive been plagued by brown algae, which I killed and conquered MUHAHAHA

however as a side affect my HC was covered with this stuff, so HC adapted and started growing vertical. And still is continuing to do so..... how do I stop it and make it grow horizontal


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## wpgfish (Nov 24, 2011)

love the idea for hanging the light hope you dont mind if i steel you idea, oh and great looking tank


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

thanks wpgfish!

any idea how to make HC grown horizontal and not vertical (my PARs are way high (not sure if thats the right unit) but since my tank is 12inches deep, light hits the bottom quite nicely)


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

And here she is after a couple of months of no updats:


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

any suggestions as to what should be growing on that driftwood?
Note rear end is less lit up....

fissiden is too slow, flame moss isnt good looking enough....


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## plecostomouse (Jun 9, 2011)

griffin_pak said:


> any suggestions as to what should be growing on that driftwood?
> Note rear end is less lit up....
> 
> fissiden is too slow, flame moss isnt good looking enough....


load it up with lots of windelov java fern! that stuff is kool!


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## [email protected] (Nov 7, 2010)

Cool sized tank, I think you need to add another light. This will help with the moss and the plants behind the driftwood.


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Updates with fishies~!!!


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Lookin good!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Very nice. 

This shape tank would make a great riparium.


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

thanks guys! appreciate it!


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## davidwes (Jul 27, 2011)

Where did you get the tank? It the perfect size/dimensions.


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## scapegoat (Jun 3, 2010)

looks great! love the dimensions and layout of the tank


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Update!

Fishy







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Sandy river with pollution







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Overall view







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Growing nicely, forgot the name of this plant







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Got rid of a lot of plants, sold, removed HC, damn thing, never had any luck with this plant, grows like weed for 2 months and then something goes wrong.... not sure if the otos or the snails are uprooting it....
going to try my luck with hair grass now.... fingers crossed


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Plus with all that cover up top, the needle java underneath started growin like wild fire,,,,, now that the cover is gone, its started to melt


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## Thark (Feb 19, 2012)

I like your tank and all the pictures you've included about the whole process.

Looks good!


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## GGerhart (Nov 19, 2010)

I'll be the third to ask... Who was the tank builder? 

Sent from my DROID X2


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Great Lakes aquarium in madison heights!


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Thark said:


> I like your tank and all the pictures you've included about the whole process.
> 
> Looks good!


thanks


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

hey Griffin! That's where I got my tank too before moved to St. Louis about four years ago. Still have it, and it's still in great shape after three moves!. Those guys did a great job!

I really like your tank Bro! Looks great!


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

crazydaz said:


> hey Griffin! That's where I got my tank too before moved to St. Louis about four years ago. Still have it, and it's still in great shape after three moves!. Those guys did a great job!
> 
> I really like your tank Bro! Looks great!


what size is yours?
how the hell did you move the thing without breaking it???? lol


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

it's a 200 gallon square 4ft L x 4ft W x 20"Tall. Check out my thread here when you have some time.

it took three of us to move it. I think they said it weighed 350lbs empty. It hurt!  but, the thing is solid!

I like your light stand....do you plan on adding a second fixture to it some time?


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## n8_crizzle (Jun 24, 2009)

Tank looks awesome...Cool journal to read through.


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

It is sort of funny.....I was just opening this thread again (I remember reading through it last year at some point but had sort of forgotten about this journal since then) and thinking "that short cube tank reminds me a bit of crazydaz's tank.

Wonder what the odds are that it was the same tank builder....


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Madness--the odds would be "100%"


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Update, got rid of the HC, got DHG, growing well!
Riccia stones


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That's looking great!


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## sketch804 (Mar 2, 2011)

:subscribed!!:

Gota leave a comment later but WOW!


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## Zefrik (Oct 23, 2011)

shrimpNewbie said:


> I derimmed my 20 long while it was in action, luckily my edges were decent, none are sharp or ugly, but not sure how yours would be, however sealing the inside to make sure nothing falls in is easy when you sand it down, should you have to. its easy and it is fun, the trick is going slow for your first one, my first derimming i took an hour, now with confidence it takes about 5-10 minutes for the top rim of a 40 breeder and about 15-30 for the bottom.


Would a regular 40 breeder be fine without a top rim?


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Zefrik said:


> Would a regular 40 breeder be fine without a top rim?


cant say for sure about that one, that ones much higher, im sure there are more knowledgeable folks around here


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

*Proof that osmocote works!*

Proof that osmocote works!


upload images

Note the difference in growth of DHG from right and left of the riccia stones.
Left side fed with osmocote pills

Confouding variables: 
(1)distance from light, especially now that the left is higher and may be blocking some
(2) flow, much less on the right


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

osmocote prep, available at kmart/HD/wally
+ online gelatin capsules (can also be frozen)



just put in


one week later, collapsed


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Fish update:

Killer in the waiting, unfortunately, he committed suicide, one downfall of the rimless tank


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Beautiful design. How much work is spent keeping the river clean?


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Other random shots of the tank, that DHG and riccia need a trim ASAP!!!!


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

2in10 said:


> Beautiful design. How much work is spent keeping the river clean?


the river has been abandoned, too much flourite runoff, its been choked, the lake that fed the river is still alive, but too much pollution :icon_lol:


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

LOL, I understand, from what I have read you need to have some sort of border that would be obvious unless you had some plants growing over it.

Awesome growth and design.


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

2in10 said:


> LOL, I understand, from what I have read you need to have some sort of border that would be obvious unless you had some plants growing over it.
> 
> Awesome growth and design.


Thanks!
I should have done that when I put everything in at the start but oh well....I place some extra new sand on top of the old river and it looks good for a week or two... good enough lol... too lazy now to tear everything apart. Plus having a plastic barrier = eyesore


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)




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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Progress:


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## fishboy199413 (Jan 20, 2010)

Wow your tank really looks great. It is amazing that the tank has progressed this much since you started. Keep up the good work


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## callisto9 (Aug 26, 2012)

Beautiful tank. I love it! I love the stand, too! Well done.


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## sketch804 (Mar 2, 2011)

My goodness this tank has come a long way and it looks AMAZING! keep it up! I really like the natural feel, and for me the rock in all the grass makes it, draws my eye first. I do think you should make it a little bit more visible IMO, but it looks great regardless. Those sailfin mollys help a bunch for algae, I just got one, works spectacular. 
I never could get that pesky hair grass to grow worth a crap :-/


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Thanks guys, appreciate the kind words!

Unfortunately my mollies died due to a co2 OD
*My solenoid seems to open up spontaneously, any words of advice?*


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)




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## sundragon (Jan 10, 2011)

Amazing DIY and a beautiful tank!


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

Wow! Your tank is absolutely gorgeous. I love the dimensions of that tank too. Nice work!


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## karce87 (Dec 6, 2012)

It is wonderful how the tank has progressed! Looking forward to more updates!


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Thank you all, im in the process of selling all of my plants so that I can rip the whole thing out, cut that driftwood into more manageable pieces.... it seems to be holding a lot of volume in an already small aquarium....


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

After a complete tear down......
Fishing lined the fissiden over most of the DW.
Kept a bit of DHG which I planted in random spots... growing well.

Thats about it really. Wish DHG would expand quicker.....

Just trimmed it

The whole thing








Close up








Side view








Fissiden








Front view








Fissiden


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

im' really liking the rescape!


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Thanks!
Some Airplants up top


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

This is one my personal favorite tanks. I really enjoy seeing the hair grass against that color of gravel; the Fissidens on the driftwood is great, and the driftwood isn't very overwhelming and fits the tank quite well. It's very quiet and peaceful. Serene.....I guess I just like the look and feel to it.

Anyhow, really nice work, Griffin.


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Thanks!

Heres an updated shot, fissiden is a lot more fluffy now


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)




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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Moving from Detroit to Tampa!
Entire thing will be torn down and sold/donated... new tank in 6 months or so....


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## sketch804 (Mar 2, 2011)

You should take some final pix! Good luck!


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## jcgilmore2 (Jul 10, 2013)

Tank came a long way looks awesome. Do you hate trimming your dwarf hairgrass as much as I did? the work ruined it for me haha..


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

I do trim the DHG some times, but its a headache cleaning up all cuttings, gets stuck in my fissiden!


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

And this is how it ends......
All plants sold.... Now to drain after I donate the fish to a LFS


















New tank coming soon! Probably a SW!


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## second (Jan 31, 2005)

Im bummed you had to tear it down, was a beautiful set up. Best of luck in your move and new tank.


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

Thanks! Sad to let this one go, but excited for the next one


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## griffin_pak (Jul 21, 2008)

For sale!!!


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