# 10 gallon rimless office tank



## therealorangejuice (Apr 12, 2009)

Wow once that HC fills in I think it will look quite nice. :thumbsup:


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

I really love the understated rocks, you'll have to be pretty religious about trimming the HC so they don't get swallowed up, but once that carpet gets going it'll looke amazing.


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## newlyearthbound (May 26, 2008)

is that a standard glass tank that you ripped the rim off of? be very careful with that. in a small tank it's ok as there's not that much water pressure, but the larger the tank, the more chance for catastrophic failure. that silicone sealant isn't made to handle that pressure on it's own. but as long as it stays together that's a purty tank.


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## ddtran46 (Jul 8, 2008)

Your diy lighting looks nice!!


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## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

Thanks for the compliments everybody! No signs of stress on the tank without the plastic rim. Several people have done it with success but i'm keeping a close eye on it.


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## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

time for my weekly update

Tried to get a pic of the fish but they sure are quick









Added 4 amano shrimp yesterday









FTS









Overall i'm pretty happy with the progression. I'll probably hack back the blyxa on Monday since it's getting pretty tall. So far no algae other than the stuff you see in the amano pic above. The HC seems to be spreading nicely, too. :thumbsup:


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## Phoenix-cry (Dec 25, 2008)

Looks great! I love those micro! If I didn't have my tiger endler I would get a bunch of those guys!


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## Badcopnofishtank (Jan 20, 2004)

Very nice. You may have to prune / replant that blyxa soon to keep it from overshadowing the HC.


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## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

Thanks guys (and girls)! That's the plan for Monday during the water change. I think each original piece of blyxa has split so i'll probably plant the new pieces and put the old in the SnS.


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## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

Updates! Tore out all the blyxa a week ago and replanted. Also added 6 CRS towards the end of teh week. Now all this tank has to do is fill in and it will be pretty much complete. Shots are from today.


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## Kayen (Oct 14, 2007)

Looks good, nice job on the DIY lighting looks pretty damn good , it's going to be a bit strong IMO but hey it'll yield results.


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## kangshiang (Jun 28, 2006)

Great layout..this trimless tank looks great.....
Wait for couple months, the HC will cover all the ground..
Your shrimp will be really happy stay there...


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Now that's an office that I'd want to be stuck in the whole day:hihi:


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## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

Kayen said:


> Looks good, nice job on the DIY lighting looks pretty damn good , it's going to be a bit strong IMO but hey it'll yield results.


I think it's just the right amount. 54 watts seems like a lot for a 10 gallon but they aren't very efficient due to restrike, distance from the tank, etc. If pearling is any indication, then the lights on my 38 gallon at home are even stronger. However, once the HC fills in i will probably raise the light an inch or two to slow growth down and reduce the algae on the rocks. After a successful experiment at home I am also going to reduce my N dosing on my next mix of Macros to reduce algae.

I did come in today to find 2 dead amanos. I lost one last week, also. I had mixed a new batch of DIY CO2 yesterday and it was higher than normal, but the fish and CRS were acting perfectly normal. Kind of strange since Amanos are exceptionally hardy in my experience.


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## rrrrramos (Jan 24, 2008)

Honestly, this tank looks great. It looks similar to what I wanted to achieve with my nano tank, I think the Blyxa & HC combo looks amazing, and the understated hardscape you've got in here is pretty BA.


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## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

Thanks for the kind words everybody!

Apparently I have suicidal fish. I found one on my desk dried up last week and didn't think anything of it. Well this morning i was looking at the tank and thought the number of fish seemed a bit less than it used to be. After searching the floor i found 3 more dried up. Looks like i will be keeping the water level a little lower so the remaining 12 can't escape.


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## rrrrramos (Jan 24, 2008)

When I had fish in my rimless I had the same problem, what I did was to "train" them not to jump, pretty much just put a piece of acrylic on top of the tank when I wasn't able to attend to it, if they tried to jump they'd hit the pane, after a while they kinda figured out "oh DUH!" This even helped my Oto's who seemed to like to dart around and half the time end up with their heads above the water level haha.


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## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

wow jsut realized it's been over a month since i updated this thread. I've been keeping the water level lower to keep fish from jumping out. i also raised the light about 3" which seems to have helped the green algae on the rocks. The HC is almost completely filled in which makes me VERY happy  I've attached a crappy cell phone FTS from today. Enjoy!


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## CAM6467 (Feb 11, 2009)

Wow! That's actually pretty much dead on in comparison to the reference tank that you mentioned in the beginning of this thread. This would definately make my job more relaxing. 

What is your fert regimen?

Regards,

Charlie


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## Clemsons2k (May 31, 2009)

Wow, coming along really nicely!


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## 17882 (Aug 25, 2008)

Those plants look super green, very nice!

Quite awhile back I started this thread, detailing a very similar idea for a lighting fixture. Nothing ever came to fruition as the tank kept getting torn down over school breaks, but now I'm revisiting the idea and was curious what type of sheet metal you used, and what gauge.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

that is some rich greenery. and that diy light is just pro.


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## legomaniac89 (Mar 16, 2008)

It's not often you that you see such a successful scape with only two plant species involved. Very nice!


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## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

Thanks everybody!



CAM6467 said:


> What is your fert regimen?


I dose EI with Potassium and Iron.



pbfreakon said:


> Quite awhile back I started this thread, detailing a very similar idea for a lighting fixture. Nothing ever came to fruition as the tank kept getting torn down over school breaks, but now I'm revisiting the idea and was curious what type of sheet metal you used, and what gauge.


It's just your standard fair sheet metal from Home Depot used for duct work, cut to shape and riveted together.


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## hooha (Mar 14, 2004)

nice job! My suggestion is to get bigger rocks so it's more prominent in the scape


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## 4f1hmi (Apr 22, 2009)

hooha said:


> nice job! My suggestion is to get bigger rocks so it's more prominent in the scape


I second too. Really nice growth! Congratulations!


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## RedComet89 (Jun 5, 2007)

May I ask were you got these knock off lily pipes from? I also have a 10 gallon and yours seems to fit well in the tank


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## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

I agree on the rocks, but i'm too lazy to scour the side of the road again, haha.

I got the lily pipes off ebay. I actually got two sets and found the output on the "Flo" ones to be better than the other type. It has two suction cups instead of one and it aims out across the tank instead of down into the substrate.


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## Goanna (Jan 23, 2008)

Wow, that looks great. It's giving me ideas on how to do the Nano Cube I want to order for my home office . 

I have to ask though, what is HC? I cant figure out the plant species, and the forum search doesn't like 2 letter words .


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## rrrrramos (Jan 24, 2008)

Goanna said:


> Wow, that looks great. It's giving me ideas on how to do the Nano Cube I want to order for my home office .
> 
> I have to ask though, what is HC? I cant figure out the plant species, and the forum search doesn't like 2 letter words .


Hemianthus callitrichoides


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## Goanna (Jan 23, 2008)

rrrrramos said:


> Hemianthus callitrichoides


Thanks! No wonder it get abbreviated, lol. 

I'll start searching for that now .


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## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

Hemianthus callitrichoides


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## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

Well the tank reached the point where the HC was getting so dense and thick that i thought it was choking itself out. So of course this left me only one solution:

















It's almost like starting over! As you can see my glassware is in dire need of cleaning. I've been at 7 Boraras maculatas for about two months now, so it looks like keeping the water level about 1/2" below full is enough to keep the suckers from jumping. My CRS slowly died off about one per month. Not really sure why but i'm guessing they didn't like something in the water parameters of my work tap water. I moved 4 RCS from my 38 gallon at home into this tank to see if they do better. Until next time!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Wow, the tank looks so different now! I hope it fills out awesome like last time!


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