# crshadow's 125 Gallon High Journal *56K Warning*



## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

So, here's the new tank!

I meant to start this journal a while back, so the first few posts will be catching everyone up to the current point. I actually purchased the tank on 3/19/2005.

This pic shows the tank after I installed the background and after starting with the plumbing. I was testing a few pieces of driftwood that I had purchased prior to all this. (You never know when you might need some nice driftwood.)

If I'm not mistaken this was around 3/23/2005.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

The background material I used is called "Oceanvisions." It comes in several colors and attaches to the back of the tank like window tint. Overall, I'm very happy with the results. It's a great option if you want a smoother appearance than a traditional background, and are unwilling to paint.

I bought this product from www.aquaricare.org


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Here's a pic of Oceanvisions "Crystal Black" and Oceanvisions "Midnight Blue."
I had purchased a piece of both colors as I wasn't sure what color I was going to settle on. In the end, good old black won.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

The stand only has two small cabinets on either side, which makes it a little difficult to fit a lot of equipment in the stand.

On the left side, I have a bucket where I will store topoff water. The attached pic shows the pump that will pump the topoff water out of the bucket and into the tank whenever I've lost some water due to evaporation.

The second pic shows a piece I whipped together to spray the topoff water into the aquarium without disturbing everything in the thank. It's basically a sprinkler head that sprays left and right only...


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## Jdinh04 (Mar 15, 2004)

Looking good, those pieces of driftwood look unique.


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## Nolan W. (Feb 9, 2005)

Yup, that's some beautiful driftwood you have there, crshadow. More pics, more pics!!!


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Thanks for the complements!

As you requested here come some more pics!

This is the right side cabinet which houses a Rena Filstar XP3 and some plumbing to adjust the flow to the Aquamedic CO2 reactor in the back, etc. The brass fitting on the right side of the plumbing is a quick disconnect so that I can easily attach a hose/python and use the power of the Filstar to drain the tank for water changes.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Back around 4/1/2005, we moved the tank into its final position. To my horror, I discover that the floor is uneven! Arg! It turns out that there was a high spot that sits right in the middle of the stands footprint, which allowed the tank to wobble quite a bit. After much pondering, I ended up removing two floor tiles, where the bump was in order to alleviate this problem. This was just enough for the stand to sit level. Without the floor tiles, there is a small area of the tank that is not supported, but I'd rather have that than the other situation... As an added precaution, I cut a piece of foam insulation to sit under the entire stand to help even out the pressure.

Here's a pic of the type of insulation I used.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

4/3/2005

With the tank finally in place, it was time to add the substrate. I had originally purchased 8 bags of Eco-Complete which were intended for the 80 gallon, but had to order 4 more bags for the 125 gallon. The first 8 bags were nice and clean.... However, the other 4 had this strange white substance all throughout the bag. I realize that this substrate is supposed to be packed with beneficial bacteria and all, but this stuff didn't seem right... It didn't smell too great either... I added one of the bags as is, but the other 3 I tried to drain off the liquid before adding the substrate to the tank.

This is how cloudy the stuff was as I was filling the tank with water. I seem to recall reading recently that others have had this problem lately...... If all the bags had been this way, I can imagine that it would have been a lot worse.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

This is after a couple of days, once the water cleared.

-Jeremiah


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

This was actually two separate pieces of driftwood. After deciding how I wanted them, I screwed them together and then screwed them to a piece of slate.

EDIT: Please excuse the mess all over the floor.

-Jeremiah


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

The tank didn't come with a canopy, so to save on money, I decided to build my own. Thanks go to Aftica, George Booth, and everyone else who posted pics of their DIY hoods. They were all great inspiration for me.

I started by taking measurements of the the tank. Then I went to Home Depot and took measurements of the various stock sizes of finish poplar that they had. With all these measurements in hand, I transferred everything into a 3d modeling program so that I could more easily visualize and plan everything out. The 3d rendering is color coded for the different size stock pieces of wood, so that I could easily figure out what I needed to buy when I went to get the material. This also enabled me to easily decide where to put the AH Supply lights that I had ordered.

EDIT: I wanted a canopy that I could flip the entire front half back onto the rear half, so that I could easily reach the bottom of the tank and have light at the same time. The problem was I was planning to have 3 rows of lights, so I'd either have to split the canopy so that 1 row of lights would flip back or 2 rows would flip back. Two rows flipping back would give me more room to move around and less risk of burning myself, but would give less light to work with... Whereas 1 row flipping back would give me a lot of light to work with, but not as much space. My preference was for two rows to be flipped back with the front of the canopy, but I still wasn't sure what to do. Then my wife comes along and suggests "Why don't you just split the front down the middle?"
:icon_idea Bingo! So that's what I decided to do with the design...


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## ValorG (Dec 27, 2003)

nice progress so far and i love the driftwood. cant wait to see ur plants.


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## mshaeffer (Nov 29, 2002)

That wood looks awsome...Cant wait to see more!


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## Dood Lee (Jan 14, 2005)

That is a great looking stand. Is it DIY or did you purchase it?


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

The stand was purchased for $179.00. If I'm not mistaken it's made by Marineland. It seems to be made of some sort of pressed wood, but for the price, it's great.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

With the design more or less finalized, I went to Home Depot to buy the materials. This pic shows the wood after I cut it all into the appropriate pieces. I should have laid all the wood out, and took a picture, but I didn't think about it until it was too late. The inset shows a right angle clamp that I also bought at Home Depot. I highly recommend getting some of these as they helped out immensly when putting everything together. I think they were about $6.00 to $8.00 each...


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

4/6/2005

It's starting to come together. I used simple butt joints nailed together with finish nails for the majority of this project. I used these 90 degree brackets in a couple of places where they were more practical.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

One section completed!


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Filled the nail holes with wood putty and sanded.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

4/10/2005

All three sections are complete!


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## kamla (Feb 17, 2005)

nice...
More Updates with pics.. please...

BTW where did you did the wood..


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## ValorG (Dec 27, 2003)

kamla said:


> nice...
> More Updates with pics.. please...
> 
> BTW where did you did the wood..


he sed home depot


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## ghostcarp (Feb 10, 2005)

Nice tank, cool journal so far roud: ,


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## BlueRam (Sep 21, 2004)

Great journal! Great wood skills! Keep going!


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

kamla, I purchased the wood at Home Depot, and did all the cutting in my "pseudo-shop." (It's actually just a storage room that had enough room for me to work in.) Cuts were all made with a miter saw.

-Jeremiah


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## hOAGART (May 13, 2004)

I noticed in one of the earlier pics there was a spray bottle of KNO3.
Do you really spray it in ?


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Okay, time for some new pics.

I decided at the last minute to add a new "feature" to the canopy.

I'm sure a lot of us here have experienced the situation where you have to remove your canopy for whatever reason and as you are doing so, the power cord(s) coming from the canopy get snagged or tangled. This usually forces you to put back the canopy and unsnag the mess or to have someone help you guide the cords safely from behind the tank...

So I wanted a way I could seperate the canopy from the power cords that go to it so that this wouldn't be an issue any more. I decided that I would make the cords leading to the lighting very short so that the plugs are only hanging a few inches from out of the canopy. Then I would wire up some switch controlled receptacles to the back of the canopy that the short cords could plug into. The receptacles would be mounted to a board that would simply slide in and out of canopy when needed. Therefore to remove the canopy, you would simply unplug the cords from the receptacles on the back of the canopy, slide out the board that holds the receptacles, and remove the canopy. Plus since they're switched receptacles, they serve as a means to individually control each bank of lights, or even easily plug in separate timers. I'm not sure if I'm explaining it very well, but you'll get the idea as you see the pics.

Here are the guides for the "switchboard." (I have no idea what else to call it) I made them out of a few leftover scraps, but I'm sure they could have been cut from single piece of thick enough wood.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

hOAGART, I don't spray directly into the tank but the spray bottle does have a couple of uses. This particular bottle happened to have some convenient ml marks on the side which helps when mixing stock solution. Plus, for dosing extremely small amounts of solution (ie 1ml of phosphate), I can lightly spritz the solution into a graduated cylinder or other measuring tool. This makes it a little easier, because otherwise I sometimes pour too much no matter how careful I am. (I also use water bottles with the sip style top, but even then I slip up sometimes)

-Jeremiah


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Here's the back of the stand with the guides mounted. The receptacles will be attached to the board that slides in and out of the guides.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

The electrical boxes and one of the switched receptacles that will get mounted later.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

4/13/2005

Well, the tank stand is black, so I had planned to paint the canopy black to match. I felt really bad at this point as the wood looked very nice and it seemed like a shame to paint over it... :icon_frow 

... Here's a section after the corners were routed and after being sprayed with primer...


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

4/18/2005

Well everything is now painted, and the final piece is drying. I used Rustoleum Sandable Primer and Rustoleum Satin Black spray paint. The front sections will be connected to the back section using two 30" piano hinges.

It's been about a month since I first got the tank and we are now finally getting to the end of the preparations. Wow, I feel really slow now..., but most of this stuff has been done in my free time.... :icon_redf


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Back on 4/16/2005 I purchased 80 cardinal tetras and put them in a 55 gallon bare bottom tank to quarantine them. The tank had been established for over a year and I removed the inabitants out just before the cardinals went in to ensure that the tank would remain fully cycled, etc. I had also done a water change a couple of days prior to this to ensure nitrate levels were low. I did all this in anticipation of getting these cardinals as wanted to make sure that they had the best possible conditions for their sake. Prior experience has taught me that these fish tend to be very sensitive when they first come in and I didn't want to lose many. Two other times I lost as much as half or more of the cardinals, but this was in the past and I was hoping it wouldn't happen. When I brought them home I dumped them all in a rubbermaid tub and slowly added water from my tank to their water over the course of about 3 to 4 hours as yet another precaution.

Sure enough, despite my efforts, one by one a cardinal would separate himself from the school, slow down and then within a couple of hours would die. This continued over the last few days and seems to have slowed down and hopefully will stop. Out of 80, I am now down to about 20! Live arrival was the only thing the supplier guaranteed the LFS, so I was not expecting a refund... However, the LFS was kind enough to talk their supplier into sending 25 replacements on the next shipment.

This is what they looked like when they were all still alive.


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## bharada (Mar 5, 2004)

Unfortunately with Cardinals, the best quatantine tank is at your LFS. I was lucky when I got mine that they had been in the LFS for about a month already, so all the weak/sickly one had already died. A year later I still have all 10 that I bought from that LFS.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Yeah, next time I'm probably going to try and see if the LFS will hold the cardinals for me for a while in their tanks...

-Jeremiah


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

I think, sometimes youth can help. I once bought six young cardinals from a shop two days after they came in-- out of which five are still alive and happy in one of my tanks.


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## Bayleo (Jun 4, 2004)

Five stars for fantastic photo-documentation~


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

greenmiddlefinger - Its funny you mention that about the young cardinals, because the survivors do seem to be the smallest ones.

Bayleo- Thanks for the rating! I was hoping I wasn't overdoing it with too many pictures.

-Jeremiah


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## greerh (Jan 29, 2004)

Not necessarily... I bought 10 "jumbo" cardinals about a month ago and I've been amazed at how hardy they were. I think it's the source. I praised the fishstore owner and he said this supplier costs slightly more but they see little fish death because he takes more time acclimating them. 
I had a temperature issue last week where the heater was unplugged for 2 days. The temp went for 81-82 to 70. I've been waiting for them to get sick and die or something. They're all fine. I still run home every day and the first thing I do is go run to the tank and make sure they're all still there. It takes concentration to count those guys in a heavly planted 10g. 
Heather


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Wow! What a thread!

Keep posting, Jeremiah. You have my attention .

Agreed that it was a bummer to have to paint that wood black. I'm a "natural" kind of guy. I'm sure it will look nice regardless.

Ted


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## g8wayg8r (Dec 24, 2003)

I really like the way you have put thought and time into you plumbing. Mine works but it's an eyesore and a bit clumby come manitenance time. Yours is sweet. I've always been a little jealous of folks that can get all of their plumbing and wiring so neatly organized. Nice job. I may have to do something about that mess under my tank one day.

Got to love a tank full of neons. Guess you have some room for a few!


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Heather: Yeah, it would seem there are probably several factors that contribute to the survival rate of cardinals. I have some that I bought two years ago that are extremely hardy no matter what happens to them. One of these days I would love to take on the challenge of breeding these fish...

Ted: Thanks for the praise, I'll probably post some more pictures of the progress today and probably more during the weekend. 

Andrew: Truthfully, I'm not always so neat. My previous setup was a mass of sphagetti made up of cords and tubing, but with this new setup I decided to try and take it slow and make everything look nice. 

-Jeremiah


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Ok, here we go with a small update.


4/20/2005 (More or less)

Started wiring up the switched receptacles and mounted them to the removable board. I bought 3 of these cords from home depot, they're marked for garbage disposals, but are rated at a high enough amperage to handle the lights with no problem. The cords are secured to the boxes with threaded cord clamps.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

All three done!


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Next, I laid the reflectors where I wanted them to go so that I could figure out the best way to route the wires, ballasts and endcaps. I tried to make sure that no wires would be too close to the reflectors or ballasts in order avoid potential melted wires.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Routed wires where they needed to go and secured in place...


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

I used these 1/4" coaxial cable straps to secure the cords. They are the perfect size for the cables supplied by AH Supply.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Whew, wiring is finally done.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Next, I was finally able to mount the reflectors, install the bulbs and test it out.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Another pic of the switches.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Another shot of the canopy.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Ok, at long last we're almost to the plants! I used some graph paper and made a rough sketch/layout of how I wanted the plants and hardscape to be arranged. I'm sure a lot of the plants are subject to change which is why I labeled parts of the layout with generic terms like "stems." Please excuse my poor handwriting.


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## Jdinh04 (Mar 15, 2004)

That is one heck of a setup man, I love the 3 switches which allows you to turn off and turn on things at certain times. I have a question about the canopy, where do you open it up to arrange the decorations?

Tank looks awesome by the way, that driftwood is tempting me to get one my self =)


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## endparenthesis (Jul 13, 2004)

Great thread and great setup. I like the multiple switches too... I'll keep those in mind for future projects. I'm curious why you didn't have all of them feed into a single power cord though. I'm sure the average computer still pulls more power than that hood does... seems like a single cord would be easier and more convenient. I would have suggested it but it looks like I'm too late.


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## Jdinh04 (Mar 15, 2004)

I think he made triple outlets becuase he wanted to turn off certain equipment at certain times, like pressurized C02, or lighting or something of that sort.


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

In lay out, the only thing I'd be careful of is making the two sides so different that they look like they belong in different tanks. Don't get me wrong, it is a very good idea to give each side a different "feel" so that the tank doesn't look symmetrical, but it would be a good idea for some plants to appear on both sides-- like the hair grass.


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## kamla (Feb 17, 2005)

crshadow .......
UNREAL.... man.. please take more pics..
the more the better..
Also when i ask you where you got the wood i meant the drift wood..

Later


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## Nolan W. (Feb 9, 2005)

I love the way you wired the lights! This is going to be a sweet tank. I'm looking forward to the next update.


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## magicmagni (Nov 7, 2003)

Aw man. I was enjoying the thread and I'm here looking for the next page, but there isn't one yet. I can't stand the suspense. I need more pics!! LOL. I'm keeping an eye on this one. If your aquascape is even just half as professional as your job so far you are going to have a killer setup. You don't happen to be a plumber or carpenter by trade?


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Thanks for the compliments and input everyone, I appreciate it.

Jdinh04: Here's a pic of one side of the canopy open. The right side flips up the same way.

endparenthesis: I thought about this, but one of the main reasons I didn't do it was so that I could keep the setup as versatile as possible, but you're right it would have made it more convenient. 

greenmiddlefinger: You raise a very good point. I was planning to use chain sword on the right side, but may end up switching to hair grass to keep everything more uniform. I appreciate the input. 

kamla: Sorry, I misunderstood your question the last time. The driftwood I got off of Ebay several months ago. All three pieces (the stump, and the two pieces that make up the branchy piece) were purchased at different times from different sellers.

Corydoras85: I'll try and update some more tonight.

magicmagni: I'm not a carpenter or plumber by trade, I just like tinkering with many different things.


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## Jdinh04 (Mar 15, 2004)

Nice, I thought that it will put the wire of the lights, but I guess you give enough wiring so that it wouldn't.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Jdinh04: Yes, I took extra care to give these two lights extra slack when I was wiring the canopy so that the wires wouldn't get pulled when you open the top...........

.............. However, when I was wiring the other side, I forgot to do this on the very last light. I didn't realize this until I tried to open it once it was on the tank. When I did, the wire was pulled and plucked the endcap right off of the bulb. I was lucky that it didn't break the bulb. Fortunately, I was able to adjust it just enough to fix the problem.

-Jeremiah


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## bharada (Mar 5, 2004)

Fantastic looking hood, but the question begs to be asked...what's up with all the hooks stuck on the wall behind the tank? :icon_lol:


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Very funny Bill!  I was wondering if anyone would notice those. They were originally used to hold up a blue backdrop for our xmas tree.

-Jeremiah

EDIT: I actually managed to dig up a picture, hope no one minds.


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

This tank is going to be so awesome when it's completely running . . .

You could have chains and hair grass on BOTH sides, but in different proportions . . . that's the trick, balancing consistency with inconsistency . . . the piece is one piece, but the different parts aren't all the same . . .


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## bharada (Mar 5, 2004)

crshadow said:


> Very funny Bill!  I was wondering if anyone would notice those. They were originally used to hold up a blue backdrop for our xmas tree.
> 
> -Jeremiah
> 
> EDIT: I actually managed to dig up a picture, hope no one minds.


Somehow I just knew that it had to be Xmas related.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Okay here we go!

I ran across this wonderful combination powerstrip/timer from coralife at my LFS. It's great because the two yellow and blue receptacles are controlled by the timer and when the two yellow ones are on, the two blue ones are off and vice-versa. This is perfect to have something like moonlights come on when your lights turn off, or even to run an airstone at night when the lights turn off, etc. The timer can be set in 15 minute increments. Hmm... I wish I had thought to add moonlights at the beginning of this project. Maybe I'll see if I can squeeze them in later.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

4/25/2005

The eco-complete strikes back! I started to slope the substrate back and the eco-complete clouded up the tank again with all the disturbance. At this point I had attached some bolbitus fern to the driftwood as well as some Windelov Java fern and xmas moss. The moss I had brought over from another one of my tanks, but it had some algae on it, so I decided to give it a potassium permanganate dip. Well, I think I left it in a little too long as the moss looked sickly and yellow when I got it out, but I'm sure it'll recover.

After all the cloudiness settled, I discovered that the wood and plants were all covered in a light layer of the white junk.  
Shortly after this I spent a good hour or so vacuuming the substrate to try and get all the white powder out. I figured if I didn't do this now, this would be a problem every time I planted.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

After vacuuming, I finished sloping the substrate and put the hardscape in their final positions. I tried to get the substrate in the front low enough so that it would be even with the bottom trim of the tank, for a cleaner look. After everything was said and done, the substrate was sloped from 1.5" in the front to about 6" in the back. I also ran my hot magnum filter with its micron cartridge to try and clear the last of the cloudiness.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Next I took some slate and smashed it in to some smaller pieces. I then got my Anubias nana "marbled" out of the holding tank, cut it into several smaller pieces and trimmed the roots. I then tied the nicer pieces to the slate with some cotton string.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

I placed the "nana rocks" where I wanted them, and also brought over a red tiger lotus. (Not sure if I'm going to keep the lotus in here yet, but we'll see how it turns out.) I still had some extra marbled nana which I may add later on if I feel the tank needs more.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Closer shot of the stump. Sorry, its a little blurry...


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

I threw in a couple more plants and then got lazy. The plants behind the stump are emersed A. reineckii that I picked up from, the LFS. On the right is some sunset hygro that is looking very pitiful from being kept in my holding tank for the last month. (A lot of my plants suffered in the holding tank, since this originally started out as a weekend project. :icon_redf )


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

As I just mentioned, I got lazy after that last planting and left the tank alone for a couple of days and started to pay the price for it.... During that time I would turn on the lights in the morning and would turn them off at night, because I hadn't gotten around to setting up the timers. Suffice to say that I started to get some algae as a result of the 14 hour photoperiod. :icon_frow 

Well, I figured I'd better get my act together, so I transferred about 40 young red cherry shrimp from another tank and finally got the timers going.

The single gray plug that is plugged into the black timer controls the rear single strip of lights in the canopy. It's set to come on for about 12 hours. 

The two gray plugs that are plugged into the timer power strip control the two banks of lights on each lid of the canopy. They are set to come on a couple of hours later and run for about 8 hours. This way I can get intense photosynthesis midday only and hopefully reduce the amount of algae. I may adjust these settings as I see how the tank responds.

This is all mounted on the back of the stand, as I didn't have any more room in the two cabinets.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Here's my 25lb CO2 tank. It also had to go behind the stand due to limited cabinet space.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

The switch on the left controls the rear single strip of lights. I connected the CO2 solenoid plug to it also so that the CO2 doesn't run at night, and starts in the morning when the light comes on.

EDIT: Uh oh, my wife just busted me on the computer again.  I'll try and post some more updates later tonight.


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## Nolan W. (Feb 9, 2005)

Your aquascape is finally coming together! This tank has a lot of potential. Looking forward to seeing the pics tonight!


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## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Wow, this is going to be one nice tank when it matures! Not that it isnt nice already!
I havent heard about this new type of co2 before.. "coke" co2..:hihi:


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## greerh (Jan 29, 2004)

I’m in the planning stages of building a canopy for my 125. All you’re pictures have been inspiring! Why did you leave the open gap in the top panel of the tank… Is this to help let heat out?
Thanks
Heather

PS: Any other measurements, drawings, pics, or useful webpages would help a lot!


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

greerh said:


> I’m in the planning stages of building a canopy for my 125. All you’re pictures have been inspiring! Why did you leave the open gap in the top panel of the tank… Is this to help let heat out?
> Thanks
> Heather
> 
> PS: Any other measurements, drawings, pics, or useful webpages would help a lot!


You are correct, the gap in the top is to help let heat out. The back of the canopy is also open for the same reason.

Is your 125 gallon 6 feet wide or 5 feet wide? If its 5 feet wide, I can try and post some more pics of the 3d rendering with some measurements when I have a little extra time.

-Jeremiah


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## Anthony (Jan 11, 2005)

That's one project to definitely be proud of. Man I wish I had some of you guys "skillz" to build the things ya'll do for your tanks.


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## BlueRam (Sep 21, 2004)

Could you please place some sort of retainer around the CO2 tank? (strap it down). When they fall over you get liquid in the regulator and bad things can happen.

Looking good!


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

BlueRam said:


> Could you please place some sort of retainer around the CO2 tank? (strap it down). When they fall over you get liquid in the regulator and bad things can happen.
> 
> Looking good!


Thanks for the tip, I'll see what I come up with.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Anthony said:


> That's one project to definitely be proud of. Man I wish I had some of you guys "skillz" to build the things ya'll do for your tanks.


Thanks! Although it has taken a while, I'm glad I took my time with this tank. I'm happy with the results so far.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Time for another update.

Well, I was getting ready to fertilize the tank for the first time last night and decided to test for phosphate. To my surprise the readings were through the roof! I posted the full scoop in this thread:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=17212

Aside from that, I'll be updating with pics of the planting progress over the last couple of days.

4/30/2005:
I brought some Rotala indica over from my 10 gallon planted tank and put some weights on them temporarily so that I could move them around the tank to see how they would look. As you can probably guess from the amount of R. indica, the 10 gallon was very overgrown. I also planted some glosso in the front and running through the middle. It's a little hard to make out in the pic though. Not all my plants survived in my holding tank. The glosso was one example, so I ordered these from lowcoaster. He sells on aquabid and I highly recommend him as a source for plants.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Planted some blyxa around the stump.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Next, these two tall grassy type plants went in the back right corner. On a side note, can anyone ID these plants? I collected them out in a floodway in South Texas. I'm guessing some sort of sagittaria species. I've had them for close to a year.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Finally I planted hair grass and chain sword and put some L. hippuroides behind the driftwood. Its hard to see but I also planted some H. micranthemoides toward the back. I still need to plant the indica, and will probably add some more hair grass. I might put something in the left corner behind the R. indica, but I'm not yet sure as to what. Anyone have any thoughts? I also need to finalize the stem selection on the right side of the branchy driftwood. That's pretty much it for this update. I'll probably update once more in the next couple of days, and after that it'll be a matter watching it grow. I'll still post updates periodically though.


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## Lionel (Oct 2, 2004)

what an awesome setup. I know of quite a few people from my guard unit (army, 3/141 infantry) that live in harlingen. Maybe when i get back in the country I could steal some ideas from you.


Lionel


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## greerh (Jan 29, 2004)

Mine's 6 ft (72X18)... but any guidelines on how thick to get pieces of wood ect. would be helpful. I'd like to copy it but with 4X96w bulbs instead of the 55w.

Thanks
Heather

PS - I agree about strapping down that CO2 tank. Mine wobbles more than I thought.
PSS - I love the sump but the other wood catches my eye more and draws it away.


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## John P. (Apr 10, 2004)

Looking great. Wonderful color.


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## BSS (Sep 24, 2004)

The driftwood on the right side with the unique plants all around it looks mighty fine! Can't wait to see it fill in.

Nice album you got goin' here!!
Brian.


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## bavarian3 (Feb 22, 2005)

wow thats awesome,so you bought that driftwood from home depot?? is it common there and where is it exactly? your tank looks sweet, reallly coming together in that last update.


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## carman (May 3, 2005)

wow..

i can't say anything to describe my impression on the project... roud: 

great ....great ...


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## KyleT (Jul 22, 2002)

Crshadow,

Your tank is mindbogglingly (is that a word?) impressive. I'm pretty sure this is the best journal on planted tank to date. I'm extremely impressed with your craftsman and planning skills. Keep up the good work and I looked forward to a finished aquascape!

Kyle


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## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Woah, that looks fantastic!
And you've only just started... that is so cool..


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Lionel said:


> what an awesome setup. I know of quite a few people from my guard unit (army, 3/141 infantry) that live in harlingen. Maybe when i get back in the country I could steal some ideas from you.


Sounds good.




greerh said:


> Mine's 6 ft (72X18)... but any guidelines on how thick to get pieces of wood ect. would be helpful. I'd like to copy it but with 4X96w bulbs instead of the 55w.



Ok, I'll post some info when I get a little extra time.




bavarian3 said:


> wow thats awesome,so you bought that driftwood from home depot?? is it common there and where is it exactly? your tank looks sweet, reallly coming together in that last update.


Sorry, I had misunderstood previous question regarding the driftwood. The driftwood was purchased off of Ebay, and the wood to make the canopy was what was purchased at Home Depot.

*John P., BSS, carman, Lorenceo:* Thanks for the compliments everyone. I very much appreciate it. Thanks for visiting my journal!




Fender963 said:


> Your tank is mindbogglingly (is that a word?) impressive. I'm pretty sure this is the best journal on planted tank to date. I'm extremely impressed with your craftsman and planning skills. Keep up the good work and I looked forward to a finished aquascape!


Kyle, wow, thank you very much for your kind words! I don't know what to say! :icon_redf Thanks also for providing us with plantedtank.net! My tank could not be possible with everyone here.


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## qoperator (Apr 13, 2005)

I love your tank. Great layout. I can't wait to see it grows in. 
You did an awesome job cutting and planting that Glosso. I can't wait to see it come together. MORE PICTURES!!! roud:


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

qoperator said:


> I love your tank. Great layout. I can't wait to see it grows in. You did an awesome job cutting and planting that Glosso. I can't wait to see it come together. MORE PICTURES!!!


Thanks!

Sorry for the lack of updates everyone. I've been busy with work lately and hadn't been able to devote as much time as I would have liked to the tank. The following are pics of the progression over the last few of weeks. My phosphate levels have been off the chart for a while due to the eco-complete issue and I've had a lot of algae. I was reluctant to post these because of the algae and due to the fact that a lot of the plants are not planted and are just floating around, not aquascaped, etc. In the end, I figure it's only fair to show everyone the ups and downs of this tanks progress.  Once the algae starts to subside I'll try and aquascape the tank and get rid of some of the uncessary species.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Still having some cloudiness issues. Also, as suspected the red tiger lotus has gotten too large and has to go! Added some cardinals that I had from my old tank.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

This pic is from last weekend. (6/4/2005) Finally mowed down and moved some of the plants. Current placement of the plants is still temporary. The fish seem to have gotten too comfortable and don't bother to school anymore.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Left side. Somehow a baby A. reineckii managed to sprout out of the top of the stump!


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

The glosso is filling in nicely but is infested with BBA and staghorn.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Here's a shot of the right side.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

My poor hair grass is covered in algae.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Last but not least a shot of the cardinals exploring. Notice that some of the staghorn has turned a pink color, I hope that this is a good sign.

-Jeremiah


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## timr (Mar 23, 2005)

crshadow said:


> Left side. Somehow a baby A. reineckii managed to sprout out of the top of the stump!


That's awsome! roud: I love it when things like that happen. i have this one bulb plant that constantly flowers (3 at a time) and i always wondered what happened with the seeds, today i found what i think to be a baby plant from this bulb.


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## RobertforHalides (Jun 13, 2005)

lol that tank is so sweet, you must have being saving for ages to get it. well worth it too. Gives you a lot to work with. you could have a real party with the plants in that tank.

What lighting are you gonna go for?


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## Lorenceo (Jan 29, 2004)

Despite the algea, that does look good.
Cool how the A. reineckii sprouted out, will be interesting to see what happens with that..


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

timr said:


> That's awsome! I love it when things like that happen. i have this one bulb plant that constantly flowers (3 at a time) and i always wondered what happened with the seeds, today i found what i think to be a baby plant from this bulb.


I bought some A. reineckii from the LFS in emersed form. It probably had some flowers/seeds on it when I planted them in the tank. There were a couple of other small sprouts in various places in the tank. In any case its a nice surprise.



RobertforHalides said:


> lol that tank is so sweet, you must have being saving for ages to get it. well worth it too. Gives you a lot to work with. you could have a real party with the plants in that tank. What lighting are you gonna go for?


Thanks, the lighting is six 55watt AH Supply CF Lights with reflectors.



> Despite the algea, that does look good. Cool how the A. reineckii sprouted out, will be interesting to see what happens with that..


Thanks for the compliment, I hope the algae subsides soon... As for the A. reineckii, I think I'll leave the sprout in the top of the stump and see how it does, just for fun.

-Jeremiah


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## donaldbyrd (Jun 8, 2005)

awesome looking tank


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## chuckthefishguy (Mar 13, 2005)

nice tank great colours!


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## donaldbyrd (Jun 8, 2005)

*background*

Jeremiah tank is looking awesome.. have you had any problems with the Oceanvisions background ? i am getting ready to get my 150 up and running and was considering using that for a back ground...


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

chuckfishguy said:


> nice tank great colours!


Thanks!



donaldbyrd said:


> Jeremiah tank is looking awesome.. have you had any problems with the Oceanvisions background ? i am getting ready to get my 150 up and running and was considering using that for a back ground...


Thanks, so far I haven't had any problems whatsoever with the Oceanvisions background. I'm very happy with it. For a 150 gal tank, I'd recommend enlisting a friend to help you hold the background while you apply it as it can be a pain handling that much material.

-Jeremiah


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Just a quick update for the heck of it. The tank needs a severe trimming, but on the bright side, the staghorn has disappeared and the bba is fading. I went on a recent trip to the Frio river here in Texas and collected some plants there which are taking up some space in this tank temporarily. Again, once the algae completely subsides I'll remove the extra plants for a cleaner look.


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## Jdinh04 (Mar 15, 2004)

Yeah, that algae was taking over the beauty of your tank. I'm glad that it is begining to go away.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Jdinh04 said:


> Yeah, that algae was taking over the beauty of your tank. I'm glad that it is begining to go away.


Thanks John, I'm very happy to be rid of it. Now, there's just some fuzzy hair algae left that hopefully won't last too long. When the staghorn receded it uncovered a strange moss type plant thingy growing all over the driftwood. I have no idea where it came from and I certainly did not add it. I presume the spores came on the wood. If anyone has any idea what it is, let me know.

Here's a pic of the unknown plant.


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## Jdinh04 (Mar 15, 2004)

Hmm... im not very good at identifying, but that seems like a beautiful plant!


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## jamesbrokman1 (Jul 10, 2005)

*fish*

What kind of fish is that in your last pic that you posted, its the little red or dark pinkish looking fish on the bottom?


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

James, I'm not sure which fish you are referring to... My picture wasn't super clear, could it have perhaps been a red plant leaf? If not, then perhaps it was one of the Harlequin Rasboras. By the way, the pics of your 300 gallon tank look awesome, can't wait to see how it turns out!

-Jeremiah


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Wow, I really love the way your scape has turned out. The open swimming space really offsets the lush growth on the sides nicely. Great job! Keep the pics coming!


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## SnyperP (Dec 31, 2004)

http://webfiles.uci.edu/algomez/plants/moss1.jpg

I'm guessing that is what you're mystery moss is. Supposedly it's Fissidens fontanus, which is common in the US.


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## shalu (Jan 16, 2003)

SnyperP said:


> http://webfiles.uci.edu/algomez/plants/moss1.jpg
> 
> I'm guessing that is what you're mystery moss is. Supposedly it's Fissidens fontanus, which is common in the US.


ooooooh, where can I find such a "common" moss? I am drooling..


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Silent Running said:


> Wow, I really love the way your scape has turned out. The open swimming space really offsets the lush growth on the sides nicely. Great job! Keep the pics coming!


Thanks Paul, I hope to post some updated pics after the trimming I did on it.



SnyperP said:


> I'm guessing that is what you're mystery moss is. Supposedly it's Fissidens fontanus, which is common in the US.


SnyperP, thanks for the link! That looks exactly like what I have growing here. I'm quite fond if it, and hope it continues to grow.



shalu said:


> ooooooh, where can I find such a "common" moss? I am drooling..


shalu, If you're really interested, I'd be happy to share some once it's grown out a little.


-Jeremiah


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## Urkevitz (Jan 12, 2004)

I going to keep my eye out for that moss when I go fishing this weekend.


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

You probably won't find the moss growing submersed naturally. A lot of the "aquatic mosses" are more common growing terrestrially. In the case of fissiden species, look for muddy areas or best is places where there is constant splashing or misting from water falls etc.


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## shalu (Jan 16, 2003)

crshadow said:


> shalu, If you're really interested, I'd be happy to share some once it's grown out a little.
> 
> 
> -Jeremiah


Thanks for the offer, I am definately interested.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Just thought I'd post an updated picture of the moss.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

And another spot where it started growing.


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

I tried a silmilar looking plant that was growing in a pond at the golf course but it did not fair well for me. Thats a good looking plant CR roud:


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## shalu (Jan 16, 2003)

That's great shot. Could be the same moss as discussed here


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Buck said:


> I tried a silmilar looking plant that was growing in a pond at the golf course but it did not fair well for me. Thats a good looking plant CR


Thanks Buck, so far this plant seems to be growing pretty slowly but growing nonetheless. I hope it survives.



shalu said:


> That's great shot. Could be the same moss as discussed here


shalu, thanks for the link. It definitely looks like the moss in that thread.


Here's a new shot as of today. I did a partial trim, but still have some work to do. The glosso became overgrown and too thick. I removed half of it and replanted my hair grass and added some HC. Later I'll probably remove the rest of the glosso. A red tiger lotus plantlet was sitting in the glosso and has gotten quite large. Also the A. reineckii that sprouted out of the stump is still there and seems to be doing okay. I haven't had the heart to remove it.


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## StUk_In_AfRiKa (Jan 30, 2005)

*drool... a lot*


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## Urkevitz (Jan 12, 2004)

Algae seems to be gone, plants looks healthy and the scape looks great. I am jealous.


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## SnyperP (Dec 31, 2004)

Yea Shalu, that link that i had posted belonged to Gomer. I should have gave him credit for it. There was a small discussion about it over at killies.com. If you haven't been to killies.com, they have some great moss information in their planted tank section on the forum.


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## TheOtherGeoff (Feb 11, 2003)

i am very jealous as well. your tank is amazing.


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## Spice (May 11, 2005)

A stunning tank!! Just simply stunning. I echo the great sentiments said above, Jeremiah. roud: This thread should be pinned as it is an educational tool for all to enjoy reading thru. 

Thanks for the lessons. roud:roud:roud:

Angie La FrangiPani


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## JCSharp (Sep 29, 2004)

Nice thread Jeremiah! Man I wish I had half the woodworking skills you possess – the canopy really turned out nice! I have a quick question for you. How did you end up liking the oceanvisions background? I found a site on the web that sells it... I wanted to ask you how you ended up liking yours before I break down and place the order.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

StUk_In_AfRiKa, Urkevitz, TheOtherGeoff, Spice, thank you all very much for your kind words! Sorry, it took me so long to get back here and respond, but I've been really busy lately and haven't had a good chance to get back to my thread... I hope to have some updates soon.




JCSharp said:


> Nice thread Jeremiah! Man I wish I had half the woodworking skills you possess – the canopy really turned out nice! I have a quick question for you. How did you end up liking the oceanvisions background? I found a site on the web that sells it... I wanted to ask you how you ended up liking yours before I break down and place the order.


JCSharp, thanks, I've been meaning to post the measurements/plans, etc for the canopy in the DIY section and also hadn't gotten around to it. (greerh: I haven't forgotten.) As for the OceanVisions background, I'm very happy with it. It hasn't bubbled or anything, and still looks as good as the day I installed it. I'd highly recommmend it!

-Jeremiah


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## donaldbyrd (Jun 8, 2005)

I have to say this is one of my favorite tanks here.. I also have the oceanvisions background... a couple of words of caution. if you have a large tank a second pair of hands comes in hand when putting it on, and make sure the glass is 100% clean if there is anything on the glass when you install it you could poke a hole in it. Other then that I also love mine


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Sorry for the lack of updates everyone... I had entered the tank into the AGA contest and so I figured it'd be best to wait until it was over before posting any new pics. The following pics are those that I submitted to the contest. Expect some more updates very soon as I'll be changing the tank around a little bit. I'll also be starting a couple of other journals soon and will post links to those later as well.

-Jeremiah


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Another pic.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

View from an angle.


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

those angels work well-- I don't care what they say.

BTW-- how are the fissidens doing man? Have they been run over by the other mosses? Or are they doing fine?


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## imisky (May 19, 2005)

crshadow they unknown plant that you pointed out a few posts back is frissden it grows slow and it fills in nicely


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

VERY VERY NICE! I like the little HC trail with the Angels. Good job.


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## MercuryShrimp (Sep 10, 2005)

wow, your tank looks awesome  i like how it feels like it goes in really deep


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

greenmiddlefinger: Steven, thanks, I very much appreciate it... As for the Fissidens, it's doing well. It does however get overrun quite easily by the Xmas moss.

imisky: Yes, the moss does seem to grow very slowly. I'm glad to know that it will eventually fill in.

turtlehead: Thank you very much!


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

MercuryShrimp said:


> wow, your tank looks awesome  i like how it feels like it goes in really deep


Thanks, I'm glad you like it.


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## timr (Mar 23, 2005)

That's an awsome tank, i wouldn't change a thing!! roud:


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## Kyle (Jul 19, 2005)

Beautiful! Those angels look majestic!


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## digital_ric (Jun 1, 2005)

this is really one super awesome tank... :O~


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## magicmagni (Nov 7, 2003)

looking pretty good there. Great work.


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## John P. (Apr 10, 2004)

Very nice! Makes me wish I had time for a tank with stem plants! And a 125-G at that!


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## otter (Oct 22, 2005)

I'm going to dismantle my tank now...


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

What a tank! That is a TON of stems. Hats off to you shadow for keeping up with those. Those familiar with your fauna know that you probably worked your tail off to create that aquascape. Great work. I'd like to see you let that tank go for one month, then snap us a photo .


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## Pseud (Oct 2, 2005)

Wow, looks great, I'm truly impressed.

I think the wood on the right is a little too close to the front of the tank for my own personal preference, but it could just be the photos that do that. Anyway, your skill and talent is apparent in this tank! roud:


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## fitness2go (Oct 13, 2005)

The driftwood on the right is just an unbelievable find! I'm not a huge fan of the driftwood on the left, but you have done a great job overcoming it with the planting. This tank has really come into its own and I have a feeling that seeing it in person does it justice!


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## hir0 (Nov 3, 2005)

i just started reading this thread, and now that i am on page 11... all i can say is WOW. great job on the hood. the tank is amazing. those angels are a very nice touch as well. great job!


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## Quantum_Spirit (Sep 12, 2005)

you can truly see why they call them angel's from this tank. they look like ethereal spirits looking over your planted tank. i've never seen angels look this nice in a tank, and i've never really been a fan of owning them. this tank has completely changed my perspective, and i truly look forward to keeping angels in a large tank in the future.. till then, i still have a lot to learn.<----- this "algae grower" status couldn't be more true.. freakin' hair algae. lol. 

thanks for the inspiration, dedication to the hobby and thanks for the new wallpaper for my desktop roud:


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## Georgiadawgger (Apr 23, 2004)

Wow...what a great job! Those angels do look great in there...really stand out with a majestic glow! Nice job on the scape and pruning---how sore does your arm get?


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## vinnymac (Feb 28, 2005)

Outstanding tank! I love it!

roud:


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

timr, Kyle, digital_ric, magicmagni, John P.,Dan Otterdahl, Pseud, fitness2go, hir0, vinnymac: I can't tank you all enough for your kind words. I appreciate everyone taking the time to look at my journal. :icon_redf 



unirdna said:


> What a tank! That is a TON of stems. Hats off to you shadow for keeping up with those. Those familiar with your fauna know that you probably worked your tail off to create that aquascape. Great work. I'd like to see you let that tank go for one month, then snap us a photo .


It is can be a pain with all those stems. I actually did let the tank go for more than a month and so it got pretty bad and overgrown actually. I'll have to check and see if I took any pictures after the competition. If so, they'll probably be overgrown!



Quantum_Spirit said:


> thanks for the inspiration, dedication to the hobby and thanks for the new wallpaper for my desktop


Thanks, I'm honored that you made it your wallpaper!



Georgiadawgger said:


> Wow...what a great job! Those angels do look great in there...really stand out with a majestic glow! Nice job on the scape and pruning---how sore does your arm get?


My arm!? We're talking my arm, lower back, neck and eyes! It's definitely a painful experience during a major repruning. 

-Jeremiah


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Once again, sorry for the lapse in updates. As some of you may know, we had a fire in our apartment on 11/16/2005 which destroyed one of my tanks. (Luckily not the 125.) For those that haven't seen the aftermath, here's a link to the thread. 
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=23189

We are now just getting back on track, so I will hopefully update shortly.

-Jeremiah


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Just read through the entire journal for the first time and must say, that's one heck of a job you did. Great stuff and looking forward to some new updates. 

P.S. you've got me looking at the same background. :thumbsup:


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Ibn said:


> Just read through the entire journal for the first time and must say, that's one heck of a job you did. Great stuff and looking forward to some new updates.
> 
> P.S. you've got me looking at the same background. :thumbsup:


Thanks!  If you decide to go for it, I'm sure you'll love the background!


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## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

Ibn said:


> Just read through the entire journal for the first time and must say, that's one heck of a job you did. Great stuff and looking forward to some new updates.
> 
> P.S. you've got me looking at the same background. :thumbsup:


Ditto, It seemed like a quick hour or so speed reading this wonderful journal. Obiously, you spent a lot of planning/work time on the tank and sharing with the community. Its a great tank and beautiful job! roud:Thanks for sharing. Now you've got me motivated to take a hard look at the spagetti semi-chaos inside my stand! bob


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## Bert H (Dec 15, 2003)

I, too, have just read through the whole journal. Great work, Jeremiah, and I hope your re-building goes well. While I have never used ODNO, I have built/wired some ahs lights, and since I feel like an 'electrical clod', sometimes wonder about my workmanship. Hope to see more updates on your tanks!


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

A long overdue update:

It's been quite some time since I've been around here on Planted Tank. Issues in my personal life have made it difficult to find time lately. First there was the apartment fire back in November mentioned earlier in the thread. Work had been stressful and tedious as well. Then, as if things weren't bad enough, my wife and I had to suffer the tragedy of losing our unborn daughter in early March. She was at 37 weeks, so our baby was only 2 to 3 weeks away from being born.... It was caused by a blood clot in her umbilical cord. Its been difficult coping these last couple of months, but we've been strong for eachother....


...Anyway, on to the tank update. As expected, my tanks have been severely neglected during this time. The picture below shows just how overgrown and full of algae the tank has become. I had moved the main piece of driftwood over a bit and completely removed the stump to try a different look a few months back. Unfortunately its difficult to see with all the mess. I added the piece of PVC pipe on the left side last night after noticing that the angels had their breeding tubes down. You can see a pair of angels cleaning the pipe in the pic.

!!! As I'm writing this, the pair has begun laying! More pics in a while!

-Jeremiah


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## nathan515 (Apr 25, 2006)

Sorry for your loss. I guess there are sunny days and there are those days that aren't much. I guess I'm sorta having a not so sunny day. Hope everything works out in the end, as long as you guys have each other, I think that's the most meaningful thing.

I guess me and my gf were talking about having a family, but recently found out that she might not be able to have kids, so I guess my dreams of the future is wittling down little by little, but maybe its for the best cause I don't know if I'm too good with kids. I guess things happen for a reason, thats my philosophy being by myself for so many years. It is the only thing that cheers me up, thinking that maybe all the bad things might have happened in order to open up for something else later. 

Sorry for your loss, have hope and things will work its way out, one way or another.

Nathan


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## magicmagni (Nov 7, 2003)

So Sorry to hear about all of your misfortunes. Life can deal us some hard ones at times. At least you and your wife have each other no matter what else happens.

That's great news about the angels. Perhaps soon you will have lots of little angels swimming all over the place.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Nathan, thanks for the kind words. Even after the most dreadful of storms, the sun eventually emerges... I'm looking forward to that time. I hope everything works out for you as well.



magicmagni: Thanks. We have each helped the other to cope in many ways. Being there for one another has helped immensly. I had considered getting out of the hobby after what happened, but my wife encouraged me to stick with it. I'm amazed at how strong she has been...


-Jeremiah


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## magicmagni (Nov 7, 2003)

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: 

10 thumbs up to your wife for her keeping you from quiting the hobby. A lot of folks here are probably thinking that if they mentioned quitting the hobby once to their significant others that they would be tearing the tanks down before the words got out of their mouths completely lol.


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Here are the angels laying eggs. You can see the female in front of the male with her breeding tube down carefully placing the eggs one row at a time. The male follows behind her and fertilizes the eggs.












You always hear fishkeepers joking about playing romantic music to get their fish into the mood to spawn. Well, it seems it actually works! LOL Ironically, my wife was listening to music when a classic Michael Bolton song came on, and literally within seconds the Angels starting laying the first eggs. Of course I'm sure it was nothing more than a coincidence, but it was funny nonetheless!


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## mrbelvedere (Nov 15, 2005)

"Michael Bolton is a no talent assclown"

Michael Bolton, _Office Space_

Seriously though, Michael Bolton? Come on. If that came on my TV, I wouldn't tell anyone. Lol, I am just giving you a hard time. Naw, nice job on the angels spawning. Looking forward to seeing what your tank will look like when start maintenance again.


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## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

mrbelvedere said:


> "Michael Bolton is a no talent assclown"
> 
> Michael Bolton, _Office Space_
> 
> Seriously though, Michael Bolton? Come on. If that came on my TV, I wouldn't tell anyone. Lol, I am just giving you a hard time. Naw, nice job on the angels spawning. Looking forward to seeing what your tank will look like when start maintenance again.



My favorite quote form Office Space!


So sorry about your loss, I am with you on that and it isn't easy. Keep your chin up and look to eachother for strength.

Your tank is amazing


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

mrbelvedere: Thanks! I hope I have success with the eggs...

fresh_newby: Thanks, I appreciate your sympathies.


On another note, I had mentioned earlier in this journal, that I was planning on starting a couple of other journals. Well, I finally started one of them! It'll be focused around my attempts at breeding tetras. Feel free to check it out:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/p...adows-tetra-breeding-project-56k-warning.html

I also plan to start one showing the building of my fishroom. Hopefully I'll get around to it soon...

-Jeremiah


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## Nightshop (May 12, 2006)

mrbelvedere said:


> "Michael Bolton is a no talent assclown"
> 
> Michael Bolton, _Office Space_


That really made me LOL after reading this thread for a while.

Angels are very fun to breed, hope the eggs survived!


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## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

Your tank looks awesome! Great Job. Out of curiousity, with all the displacement, how much actual water do you think you are supporting there?


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

fshfanatic said:


> Your tank looks awesome! Great Job. Out of curiousity, with all the displacement, how much actual water do you think you are supporting there?


Thanks, good question. I'd be afraid to guess, but I'd estimate perhaps 100-105 gallons after the displacement of the substrate and wood.

-Jeremiah


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

(Copied from my Fishroom Journal)

Sorry everyone, I've been away a long time dealing with a lot of the issues mentioned in one of my last posts.... 

...However...... 

It's my pleasure to announce that my wife and I just had a happy and healthy baby girl a few weeks ago! It's been a long wait, but now that she's here a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I'm enjoying fatherhood and hope to be hanging around here on PT a little more now. More updates to come.

-Jeremiah


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## MrJG (Feb 21, 2007)

Congrats and cheers!


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