# Lorenceo's 410 Litre Aquarium Journal (56K Warning)



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

It has been in my signature for a while that a journal is comming soon. 
Well today I started setting the tank up, So it seems logical to start the journal today also.
Please excuse the poor photos - I am still learning.:icon_redf 

Here is the tank when I first got it. This was in January. Since this picture was taken the tank has been moved into my bedroom.









Before I started setting it up it looked like this:









I started with the substrate. I used JBL AquaBasis and JBL Florapol as fertilisers, and added 2 40kg sacks of gravel on top.
After adding 10 litres of Aquabasis the tank looked like this:









I then added the FloraPol on top:









Once this was done I started washing the gravel. 









Once all the gravel was in it looked like this:









From a cory's perspective:









This is all I have done so far. When I have done more I will update. Next thing I plan on setting up is the lighting.
Until then, woooooo  

Lorenceo.


----------



## nik (Mar 7, 2006)

Looking good so far  Do you have plans for scaping, or you just doing it randomly? And is that black background and just reflections in the pictures? Just looked a bit strange, but I'm guessing reflections from whatever is in front of the tank...

Looking forward to see more


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Not sure what I'm going to do for a scape at this stage. I just want to get everything growing and no algea before I start scaping.
The background is flat black, I'm not too good with the camera and cant help the reflections.:icon_redf


----------



## awrieger (May 12, 2005)

Looking good! Is that a 5' tank? Nice, big setup! The 2' front to back will allow you to get some great depth in whatever scape you do.

I think you're the first person I've seen to do the complete JBL system! I've only ever used it in planted pots (as you probably already know), and I think AussieStar used Aquabasis but changed substrate because it comes up and clouds when you do any replanting. Similar to what I've been reading about ADA Powersand. It'll be very interesting to see your experience with it, especially as you plan to re-arrange as time goes by.

Anyway, as I said, it's looking very impressive so far! roud:


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Cheers mate. 
Forgot to mention the dimensions before. The tank is 150x50x55cm.
Looking back on it now, I should have gone with 150x60x60. But its still big so I am happy.

I was at the LFS to get gravel and I saw the JBL stuff. I asked about it and they said it is in their display tank. I decided to buy it as it wasnt that expensive. Unlike the flourite at $60 a bag. :icon_eek: 

An update: I have been setting up the lights and have taken pictures, but I don't get the bulbs for it till tomorrow, so I will post the pictures then.

I'm open to suggestions to what to do for the scape, so feel free to chime in.


----------



## mrbelvedere (Nov 15, 2005)

Acchhhhh...........you lucky people and your rimless tanks.....


----------



## medicineman (Sep 28, 2005)

Almost everybody here are using JBL fertilizer line. The most popular is JBL aquabasis and second is (because of availability and customer choise) JBL florapol. I have seen tanks set up for as long as 3-4 years without tearing up using these ferts (of course on the way they do inject tabs and pour in liquid ferts). All my tanks are using it. Quite a good option for limited availability and on the budget. 

So far as uprooting problem, there should be no serious cloudiness as long as you bury the fert at the bottom, topping with gravel and it will recede fast enough to clear.

Their JBL ferropol is second trusted here (first is TMG), so it is also considered a good product that works.


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Update: No bulbs yet, as they havent arrived from the supplier.

I also installed the co2 reactor. It is the Dupla S Reactor.
It can go in-line, but my cannisters pipes arent 9/12mm and I'm not keen on the idea of reducing 16/22 down to 9/12mm.
I was using this reactor in the other tank and it was very effective, So I will continue to use it until I get an Aquamedic 1000.


----------



## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

*subscribed*

Can't miss out on the updates for this one. Glad to see you moving on this roud:.


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Cheers Ted. I hope you enjoy reading, I really like your journals. 

Update:
I have been working on the lights, and so far I've got the main lights wiring and ballasts sorted. I don't have the bulbs yet, but I am expecting them some time this week.
I still need to install the moonlights and fans also, I am just waiting on these to be delivered.

Starting with the power. I got this idea from crshadow's 125g thread, but instead of power points, I decided to do this:








It should make it easier when removing the hood as I wont need to get the plugs out from the stand. The black and red RCA plugs go to transformers in the stand. The black one is for the cooling fans and the red one is for the moonlights.

I attached the 2 workhorse 7 ballasts (man these were hard to get in 230v) to the back of the hood to keep them away from moisture and to help get more air flow around them. They get quite hot after running a while.









As can be seen in this picture, I drilled holes through the hood for the wires to go through. Looks more professional than having them go around the back panel and in to where the bulbs are.









Here I was deciding how to route the wires inside the hood.









On both ballasts, their wires go into these connectors, and then the wires to the bulbs and power are attached to these. I havent mounted these connectors into the hood yet as I forgot to get the screws for doing so. :icon_redf I will do this when I am mounting the cooling fans.









The endcaps I used along with stand offs:









Endcaps, reflectors and more wiring. (and cat :hihi









This connector is for the moonlights. It connects to a red male RCA connector at the back of the hood. I am planning to use white cold cathodes for moonlights.









The front of the hood lifts up, and as I am mounting a light here, I wanted to minimise the wires that have to move when doing so. I came to this solution:









The near finnished hood: (Note: Nothing was powered up, the powerstrip wasn't connected. I had it like this as I had been testing the ballasts.)









The hood is pretty much ready. I still need to mount the endcaps and I will do this when I get the bulbs. I also need the fans and moonlights. Will update when this happens.
Note: the reflectors were sitting on their reflective sides in the pictures. They kept rolling around when they were the other way. They are much more shiny on the inside than the back.

Just for fun, the results of testing the ballasts. (Note: These are 54w tubes, not the 80w ones I plan to use.)








The picture doesn't do them justice.. These things are BRIGHT!

Until next time. :bounce:


----------



## medicineman (Sep 28, 2005)

Those bulbs looks kinda skinny. Are those HO T5?

Are those tiny shiny strips the mini reflectors? Any chance that you will be painting the underside white for improving reflecting quality?

Keep up with the DIY project! :thumbsup:


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Yep, they are HO T5's. The tubes pictured aren't the ones I will be using though, they havent arrived yet.
The "tiny shiny strips" are the reflectors. They attach to each bulb via clips. 
They were in the pictures to give an idea where the bulbs will go.
Here is a pic of one of the T5's on my 150L tank. The reflectors for the new one are exactly the same.


----------



## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

wow its looking good so far! be sure to have LOTS of stems in there....

and i know this is quite a random question but how is new zeland for plants? its an amazing place ive heard. how is the lfs and plants around there?

-=- fish new -=-


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Thanks. I will be sure to fill it with fast growers.
Getting plants here can be tricky. My two main LFS's both carry plants. A reasonable selection too. However, some plants I simply cannot find here. For example: L. Aromatica and Blxya Japonica.
This was the story with hairgrass a while back, but it is available now, so hopefully other stuff will become available too.
I also cant get cherry or amano shrimp here. I would really love cherry shrimp.


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Update on the lights:
I have installed the fans and cold cathodes. I still need the bulbs, these haven't arrived yet.
Will post pics when it is finnished.

I am yet to get a pressurised co2 system. I am considering waiting on filling this tank until I have pressurised co2. Will see what happens.
Still open to aquascaping suggestions.


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Well, after all the waiting for my 80w T5's to arrive, they finally get here, and me not thinking I walk them between a pole and a hand rail and... CRACK
What a fantastic day that was. :hihi: :iamwithst 

Another shipment of the 80w bulbs is 2 months away, So I decided to set the tank up using some old 54w tubes until the new 80w ones arrive.

Here is a shot of inside the hood, you can see one of the fans and some of the t5's. Not all of them have reflectors, I only have two four foot reflectors.









Here is a shot of the tank half full with the hood open:









I then started moving stuff over from the old tank. The water got murky at this point.









The filter works.









The water is starting to clear.









More to come.


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

All set up. The main lights have gone off, so no full shot yet. But I took one of the tank with the moonlights on. Not a very good pic, It is hard to take photos in the dark!









I'm off to bed. Full tank shot tomorrow.


----------



## TheOtherGeoff (Feb 11, 2003)

trick for moon lights is keep your cameras shutter open longer. i do 4 seconds on my moon shots. 

tank is looking very nice, will be good to see it all lit in the day time


----------



## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

looks like it is coming along nicely!

-=- fish newb -=-


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Full tank shot:









No real scape going at the moment. I want to get the plants thriving before I start scaping.


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Update:
No pictures at the moment, sorry.

I now have the 80w t5's installed and they are working well.
I have the co2 set up, but it has run out. I suspect the regulator wasn't attached to the tank properly. I am getting it refilled tomorrow.
Algae is starting to take over, it has consumed the ambulia and the hairgrass, and is spreading around the tank. I hope to fix this with the co2.:icon_redf 
The cheap Aqua One heater has died, and I have been using backup heaters and am yet to buy a new one.

Things I still need to get:
External co2 reactor, bubble counter, solenoid, ph controller, temperature controller

Once I have all of the above I intend to start adding new fish and plants.
I will try get some pictures soon. It is not a pretty sight though.


----------



## duck (Apr 22, 2004)

Lorenceo said:


> Update:
> No pictures at the moment, sorry.


That be right, leave us hanging


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Got my hands on a digi cam, have some pics for everyone.

Evilness:


















Hairgrass with algae and java moss:









Pearling rotala indica with some algae:









Onto some more positive shots..

New lights and reflectors:









Some emersed ambulia:









Blue ram teritorial dispute:









And finally, a full tank shot:









Please excuse the co2 reactor and the heaters at the front of the tank. These are only temporary.


----------



## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

Very nice..


----------



## hazeen (May 21, 2006)

very nice work.. well-done 

one question : how do u calculate the weight of the hood?? sometimes i got afraid the hood is too heavy,!!

thanks


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Thanks for the comments.

I have no idea what the hood weighs, but it is quite heavy.
I am not at all worried about it breaking the tank. If it were going to do that, it would have done it when I first set the tank up.

Been trying to take a better picture of the tank with its moon lights on. This is the best I got:








note: the moonlights aren't as bright as this image makes them out to be, I had the shutter open for a full second to capture this image.


----------



## duck (Apr 22, 2004)

Very nice,I just having a bout with the same algea and it's a real pain once it get's a foot in.


----------



## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

To get the algae out of the hairgrass: A comb

You need to add some more ferts and CO2, that algae will bug you otherwise.
As the plant biomass increases, the demand for nutrients also mirrors the growth rate.

You should stay with the 54 w bulbs.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


----------



## Architect1 (Feb 19, 2006)

Nice tank. I seen how you did everything makes it a little easy to understand what going on. Nice to see everything is growing great and doing good.


----------



## Y0uH0 (Dec 19, 2005)

Looking great,now time for the battle with those nasty algae.


----------



## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

are you dosing ferts?
That algae will get a stronghold if you don't.
otherwise, the tank is coming along nicely!


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Replies:

plantbrain: Thanks for the advice, I will try that. I have the co2 going, the tank has been refilled. The 80w bulbs don't run all day, most of the time it is just 2 of them going, with a high light period in the middle.

Architect1: Thanks, it is appreciated.

Y0uH0: Yup, hopefully it will go smoothly.

fresh_newby: At this stage, no. I know I need to dose but I have no idea what to do, and I don't want to mess it up and cause more problems.

On another note, I have moved the co2 reactor to the back of the tank.
Also, I can see the difference co2 makes. My rotala macandra wasn't looking that great without it, and now with it, you can literally see the difference co2 makes. I will get a pic of this soon.


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

CO2 makes a huge difference.









Some fish pics:

Dominant male ram looking menacing:









A female ram:









The lone otto:


----------



## filipnoy85 (Dec 10, 2005)

Aww your otto looks lonely! You ought get him a buddy to swim around with. Good luck with the algae battle!


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

He used to have 2 friends. They have long since disappeared. I've tried buying more, but for some reason they don't last long. And at $13 a piece, I cannot afford to keep replacing them. Thanks for the support.


----------



## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Great moonlight shot! Good to see some photo updates roud:. A little bit of fuzz on the leaves never bugged me, but matted up hairgrass drives me nuts . The tank's going to be a beaut by Winter (er....summer for you ).


----------



## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

Ah, your plants look so healthy. The Rotala is a beau! And the fish food and excrement are probably giving some PO4 and Nitrates and maybe some traces. Do you have soft water? I really like the look of your C. balansae or whatever that is too. Must be a 5 foot long tank if your running the 80 watt T5s? It looks great Lorenceo! :thumbsup:


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Thanks Ted. I hope your prediction comes true. Speaking of photo updates.. _hint hint_.. 

Bob: Yes, I do have soft water. pH of 7, no measurable kh or gh. I have been reading your thread on low kh tanks, and am considering trying it.
Yeah, there is some balansae in there, It is doing ok. Melts when ever I change something though :icon_roll 
Yup, the tank is 5 feet long, holds about 110 gallons for you imperial people.
Thanks for the compliments man.


----------



## the_noobinator (Jun 10, 2006)

$13 a piece?!?! that's ridiculous.


----------



## Dood Lee (Jan 14, 2005)

Lorenceo said:


> He used to have 2 friends. They have long since disappeared.


They might actually still be alive somewhere. I had 6 Otos in my tank, and the population dwindled. For the past 3 months, I hadn't seen any, so I assumed they all died. Yesterday, when I was doing a water change, a really fat one popped out from under a piece of driftwood.


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

the_noobinator: Thats just the way it is down here unfortunately.. Things are expensive and there are many things we cannot get. Cherry shrimp and Limnophila Aromatica for example.
It is getting better, the range is slowly expanding. Good things take time..

Dood Lee: I know for a fact that the otto is the only one in this tank. I caught all the fish from my old tank and put them in this one. I would have noticed if there were 2 ottos as there has only been this one for quite a while.
When I have the tank sorted out and start adding more fish and plants, I will look into getting more ottos.

In other news, I have bought a temperature controller and a 500w heater to go with it. This will be much better than the useless Aqua One heater I had been previously using.
Also, the hair aglae is not getting better, even with 30ppm of co2 in the water. I will have to look at ordering some ferts. I will be doing some reading!


----------



## trustbran (Jun 27, 2006)

Lorenceo said:


> He used to have 2 friends. They have long since disappeared. I've tried buying more, but for some reason they don't last long. And at $13 a piece, I cannot afford to keep replacing them. Thanks for the support.



Dang, $13 bucks for an otto is way too expensive! That price sucks......


----------



## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

I pay 1.99 

wow

sucks to be you. No offense.


----------



## FishRFriends (Jun 18, 2006)

It's not any cheaper in Australia either, quality seems to be a problem too.
Youv'e got a great tank Lorenceo, all the best with it, love your rams.

$13 is about 6-7 dollars US btw, then add cost of shipping, quarantine and death rates, it pushes the prices up...

FrF


----------



## the_noobinator (Jun 10, 2006)

i pay 0.99USD for an oto.


----------



## Y0uH0 (Dec 19, 2005)

I pay SGD $1.50 for an otto here in Singapore which is about US $0.80?


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

I know fish things are expensive here. That's just the way it is. Noting I can do about it.

Moving on, I have found a source for dry ferts. They dont give the chemical forumlas, but I am looking at ordering some Potassium Nitrate, Potassium Phosphate and some Potassium Sulfate for N, P and K. A kilogram of each should last me quite a while I think. Not sure on the KNO3 though.


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Minor update:
I am still waiting on my temperature controller to arrive, and I have ordered the dry ferts.

Some pictures:
Java fern pearling:









Some golden pencilfish:


----------



## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

Lorenceo said:


> Bob: Yes, I do have soft water. pH of 7, no measurable kh or gh. I have been reading your thread on low kh tanks, and am considering trying it.
> Yeah, there is some balansae in there, It is doing ok. Melts when ever I change something though :icon_roll
> Yup, the tank is 5 feet long, holds about 110 gallons for you imperial people.
> Thanks for the compliments man.


Are you root feeding the balansae? That should help and I read somewhere they like calcium in the water (or maybe that is in the gravel). So I add calcium chloride and mg to my near RO well water for a GH of 5 or so. At a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio of ca to mg. I have to add them on different days to my change water tank or one gets a hard to dissolve calcium sulfate which happens when they are added at the same time. I can give you gram measurements on those if you need that info. My balansae seem pretty stable... well as stable as a crypt might be.


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Under the gravel there are some fertiliser products I documented these at the start of the thread. Florapol and Aquabasis. Other than that, no.
I will look into Mg and Ca. I can get Magnesium Sulfate, but cannot find Calcium Chloride. Will have to look around.
At the moment I just want to get rid of the algae.

Full tank shot:








Things are growing.


----------



## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

Wow, looking great! 
I found some alternate source of calcium chloride from a hardware store. Actually Bill Harada turned me onto it. It was about one buck USD for 13 oz. of product called Dryzair or something like that. It is made in Seattle, but basically its made for dehumidifiers (like folks might have around a piano or guitars). Its little round white BB sized pellets of pure calcium chloride. Maybe there is something like that available in NZ?


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Thanks man.
Depending on what the plants do, I may have to look for some CaCl2.

My temperature controller has arrived, and it is set up. I bought a 500w titanium heater with it and to get that into the tank I had to pull the tank away from the wall to get the plug into the stand, and to move the tank I had to do a big waterchange. Heater is working well, but the water isn't up to temperature yet so I don't know how well the controller is working. It is brand new so it should be fine.









Temperature controller.


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Last update for a while. The camera has to go back to its owner.

I got sick of looking at the algae infested ambulia, so I cut most of it down. I left some clean stems behind the java ferns, and some stems that were relatively clean out the front.
The temperature controller works well, It is keeping the tank at a steady 27 degrees.
My ferts have arrived and I have dosed roughly 15ppm of NO3, 1ppm of PO4 and 12ppm of K. I used Aquatic Plant Centrals Fertilator to figure out the dosing ammounts.

Full tank shot as of 19/8/06:









Rotala Macandra Pearling (and algae :hihi: ):









New Ludwigia Repens growth:








No algae on it, hopefully this is a good sign.

Crypt. Balansae (for Betowess):


----------



## duck (Apr 22, 2004)

Looking good


----------



## Y0uH0 (Dec 19, 2005)

It looks really beautiful. Looks like you're very successful when it comes to rotala macrandra. It's really red.Great job.


----------



## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

I really enjoy the wild look of your foreground. Both the height variation and subtle mix of species makes for a very natural look. Yeah, you have a little fuzz. So, what. Full tank shot is GREAT! Got any fish in that bathtub?


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

duck:
Thanks. The whole tank shot looks alright, but when you get closer you start to see the algae. :icon_roll 

Y0uH0:
Thanks for the comments. I read somewhere that having low nitrates makes plants grow redder, this may be the reason the Macandra is so red. Not sure though.

unirdna:
The hairgrass did that to itself. I have no idea why. There is dwarf chain sword on the left side, I did put that there intentionally. On the right there is some twisted vals that have sent out runners into the hairgrass. The H. Polysperma shoot towards the middle popped up there itself, No idea how it got there.
There are fish in the tank, but they don't stand out in the photos. There are about 30 guppies, some Black Phantom Tetras, some Golden Pencilfish, an Oto and 2 pairs of Blue Rams.
I intend to get a school of Cardinal Tetras, But from what I have read, they can be hard to keep alive at first. I also intend to get a group of Cories. Not sure which species as of yet.
Before I start adding new fish and plants, I want to get the tank sorted. New fish don't need the stress of changing parameters when they are first introduced.


----------



## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

Yeah, I'm pretty sure you are keeping low nitrates and prolly a low KH too. I couldn't get my Ludwegia arcuata to grow squat till I had very low KH and now I never dose nitrates (fish exc. takes care of that). Having done those two things, now I have some really nice reds in my L. acuata and reds/pinks etc. in my Limnophila aromatica. 

A little algae, ah, we all have some. It seems as soon as we wipe out one variety a new one introduces itself, probably hitchhikers. 

Sure is a pretty tank. Makes me look forward to a longer ~ 6 foot tank someday!


----------



## mshaeffer (Nov 29, 2002)

I think your tank looks great!!!

Also, I get ottos 2 for $1.00!! Im selling them for $10.00 each if you want some!! lol, just kidding!!! But, i do get them 2 for a buck!


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Betowess:
I know that the KH is low, I have stopped adding baking soda at waterchanges.
I am assuming that the Nitrate was low, My test kit expired a while back and I haven't replaced it.
Lets hope that once my algae has subsided, it stays gone.
Looking forward to reading your 180g journal.  

mshaeffer:
Thanks, _and enough about the ottos already!_


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Updated tank shot:









Blurry Cardinals. These guys move too much!









Tiny piece of Pearlgrass (Hemianthus micranthemoides)


----------



## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Keep us updated on that piece of pearlgrass . It'll be covering you tank in a few months, hehe. Wonderful "reds" in the center, Lorenceo. Wow, are those stems bright.


----------



## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

The tank looks great! Prune and up the CO2...maybe do some syringe squirting of excel too to spot treat. I love the composition! I bet you rnew cardinals look great in there! Nice job~


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Cheers Uni.
I have never seen Pearlgrass available here, and I saw it when I was purchasing my Cardinals. Unfortunatley there was none left for sale, only some in one of the grow out tanks. More and more things are becoming available here which is definatley a good thing. I got some R. wallichii while I was there too.

When I was getting the green plant next to it (which I think is emersed Myriophyllum mattogrossense) I noticed something in the filter intake. I recognised it and asked the person serving me if I could have it. Woo, free pearlgrass! :thumbsup: 
R. Macrandra is nice under intense lighting. Some of it which is shaded by the R. Indica isn't doing so well.


Thanks Fresh_newby.
I don't want to mess with the tank at the moment, it has recently had a trim. I pulled up a lot of caldophora infested hairgrass and removed most of the ambulia.
As to upping the CO2, I would rather not at this stage. New cardinals are in there and I don't want to OD them on CO2. :hihi:

Bad photo of some of the cardinals:


----------



## gabeszone247 (Jul 8, 2006)

Man thats an awesome looking tank with some wonderful looking plants!


----------



## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Cheers man, it could be better, but I am concentrating on growing the plants at the moment. Aquascaping is a whole other problem..


----------

