# Gareth's 105 Gallon planted Robotank Journal (Tank Pics 03/12/08)



## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Well, I've been quiet for a while as I have been wrapped up in a personal business venture that will be made public soon (more on that later). I have decided however to set up a pretty crazy planted aquarium again, partly as a showpiece for a webiste I'm building too (again, more on that later).

Right now the tank is as follows:

*105 Gallon aquarium* (72" x 18" x 18")
*Lighting*: 4 x 96 watt Compact Flourescents, 4 x 65 watt Compact Flourescents (4 ballasts total)
*Filters*: Rena XP4, Rena XP3, Coralife Turbotwist 18 watt UV Sterilizer
*CO2*: 15lb CO2 Tank, JBJ Regulator/Needle Valve/Solenoid, Aquamedic CO2 Reactor 1000
*Electronics*: _TWO_ GHL Profilux Aquarium computers controlling 20 outlets and 4 Tunze Nanostreams, LAN Modules installed, 4 Pump dosing unit from GHL (on the way) for dosing ferts, Pentium 4 2.8 Ghz with 8" touchscreen LCD for mouseless operation of the GHL software, remote viewer for Profilux #1 (CO2, lighting, temperature and auto top off controller), wireless N router acting as a switch for all the equipment and as a wireless extension for my LAN.
*Extra's*: 5 stage 90 GPD RO unit from Spectrapure with Solenoid (controlled by the profilux via a float sensor in the tank)
*Substrate*: 5 Bags Flourite Black Sand, 5 Bags Flourite Black

The tank is by no means ready. Currently I am curing several pieces of driftwood I imported from Indonesia that look pretty awesome, but I don't have the substrate yet.

Here are some of the pics of the electronics as it stands today... More to follow!


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## baowow (Oct 15, 2004)

high tech sh*t.. i luv it. i can't wait to see the tank in its full glory. very clean setup.


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## BiscuitSlayer (Apr 1, 2005)

Where do you guys come up with the cash to finance these tanks? I MUST be in the wrong line of business.

That truely does redefine "hi tech tank".

Looks like I might need to integrate some of my computer skilz just to keep up with you guys.

Nice setup. I am definately jealous.


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## intermediate_noob (Jan 23, 2007)

I'll second your comment Biscuit, I am in the wrong business as well!

Great setup, cannot wait to see it in action.


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## RoseHawke (Mar 10, 2004)

Whoa! That's some pretty serious stuff there! I pulled up the pic first and was confused then started reading what it was actually _for_ :icon_eek: . Read it off to hubby who was very impressed. Talk about automated ! Way to go!


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## cleekdafish (Jun 13, 2007)

dam thats so hi tech!


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## OhioDave (Sep 11, 2007)

*tank*

Are you using the computer soley for the tank? I've read a few hi-tech planted threads they are great, I'll definatly subscribe to this one. Good luck and keep the posts coming.


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

Well, you win the craziest award:eek5: .

Seriously though, what is going into this tank that you're spending all this on high tech.

Whats your "business venture?" is it somewhere along the lines of tank maintenance from sitting at your office? 

How about pictures of the tank itself?

-Andrew


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## khoile (Jan 27, 2005)

Wow nice and clean setup. This is the first time I see this controller in use, how do you like it? does it provide trend charts? similar to AC3? Can't wait to see the tank.


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## natx (Jun 6, 2006)

Cool server rack but where are the plants?


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

This computer is actually a dual purpose unit, it is my media PC for my home theatre as well as a dedicated data harvester from teh profiluxes. I"m writing some software to take data from the logs and render it to a graph and webpage in real time.

There are no plants yet as I am waiting for my substrate to be delivered, I am going to be posting as I go ;-). I will have some pics of the hardscape soon as I think I have it all planned out. I should have the substrate in by friday.

I am planning on housing a ton of Galaxy rasboras in this tank as I have a breeding group of 10 at hte moment that I am trying to spawn a bit more consistently. They will be the only fish in this tank for a while, aside from a group of ottos. I wont be introducing any of the shrimp untill I have had a couple of sucsessful spawns from the galaxy rasboras as the shrimp ravenously devour any of their eggs.

This is hands down the best aquarium computer I have ever used. I have played with several and havent found any that have this level of sophistication (I manage a fish store, get to play with a lot of equipment).

My new business venture is twofold, I do aquascaping privately, and I am now distributing imported driftwoods from Indonesia. I have my first shipment (10 Tons) already and its going fast. The web site will be up soon. This tank is to show off the wood, and sort of a "visual resume"


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Oh yes, and I'll be introducing about 100 Crystal Red shrimp as well. Probably nothing high grade, but I can get them fairly cheaply through work


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Ok.... 5 Bags of Flourite Black and 5 bags of Flourite Black Sand later.. Voila!

I am waiting for things to clear up before I start doing more finicky rock arranging.. but so far I am pretty happy with the arragement.


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## ValorG (Dec 27, 2003)

Love the wood, very natural looking. I'm not too partial on that many stones of that kind though...


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

I"m still experimenting with the rockwork. The tank is really cloudy still so I can't see all too well how it will look yet. This tank is going to be more hardscape then plants, like many of my tanks have been, so they may be more emphasis on making a more "wild" look. The rivers in my area are almost entirely made up of rock like this (thats where they came from).

This is only the first day its been filled. So it will change a lot over the next couple of weeks while I figure out where I want to put various things.


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## Geoff C (Aug 1, 2007)

Amazing tank, the wood looks fantastic and i like the rocks alot to. It looks like you took a peice of a river. really looking forward to seeing it evolve.

and shout out to victoria! my real home


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## BiscuitSlayer (Apr 1, 2005)

That stump looking piece of wood in the middle is awesome! I like the rockwork too. I can't wait for the water to settle so that you can get us some "clear" pics of the hardscape.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Thanks guys  The tank is clearing very quickly. I dumped an entire bottle of "P-Clear" into the tank and the silt has been almost completely removed by the micron filter I popped on there today.

I also thought I'd share my Profilux configuration as I build it. Here is what I have so far.

*Sockets:*

S1-S4 are reserved for my 4 pump dosing unit (not here yet)
S5-S8 are for the 4 ballasts controlling my lighting
S9-S10 are current pumps for circulating water in lower flow areas
S11 is currently a single dosing pump that will dose premade ferts as a mix
S12 is the outlet controlling the auto topoff pump
S13 is the outlet that controls the heater
S14 is the outlet that controls the Solenoid on my CO2 Regulator

The remaining outlets haven't been programmed yet but will be as follows:

S15 will be the Rena XP4 (filter tag, programmed for default state to "on")
S16 will be the Rena XP3 (filter tag, programmed for default state to "on")
S17 will be a Magnum Canister with a Micron Sleeve and Diatom powder for water polishing (Manual Activation)
S18 will be a Coralife UV Sterilizer (timer tag, 14 hours a day)
S19 possibly additional circulation pump
S20 possibly additional circulation pump

*Float Sensors:*

Sensor 1: Configured as auto-topoff. When this sensor is triggered the computer turns on S12 on the digital powerbar to run the topoff pump (Maxijet Powerhead).

Sensor 2: Configured for Leakage Detection. At this point it will only set off an audible alarm, but I am hoping to have this configured as an e-mail alert so a text message could be sent to a pager or cel phone.

*Temperature Controls:*

I've just started to experiment with this, but I think I have it figured out. I set the nominal value (target temperature) to 26 degrees C with a nocturnal change of -1 degree C (to allow the tank to cool off a bit at night)

The alarm is set to go off if the temperature is off by 2 degree's C, and it automatically turns off the heater. Future plans include adding fans in the canopy that can be activated based on this alarm condition.

*Ph Controls:*

I set my Target Ph for 6.5 which will allow for a reasonably high concentration of CO2, and will keep the Ph bang on for the fish I will be keeping (wild caught south american cichlids, cardinals, zebra plecs)

I also programmed in a nocturnal change for the CO2 that will allow for a rise in Ph overnight. This will prevent too much CO2 from accumulating at night when the plants aren't photosynthesizing and doping the fish.

Thats all for now.. been a busy night!


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Well.. after 4 hours with a Mag 250 running and an entire bottle of P-Clear the tank is looking better..... by tomorrow it should be completely clear!


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## outcast (Jul 4, 2007)

i can only dream about this stuff  i still haven't warmed the gf up to the idea of a 40 gallon tank, let alone a project this big... definately a topic worth subscribing too  look forward to watching the progress


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

heheh... Thankfully I"m left to my own devices when it comes to my obsession.

I"m going to be doing something new with this wood. It actually extends into the canopy so I am going to attempt to grow some air plants and a few others attached to the wood outside the water. I'll have to keep a fan on them and choose heat tolerant plants, but I can probably grow some moss at the waterline and above too. Should make for a neat display.


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## ValorG (Dec 27, 2003)

GDominy said:


> heheh... Thankfully I"m left to my own devices when it comes to my obsession.
> 
> I"m going to be doing something new with this wood. It actually extends into the canopy so I am going to attempt to grow some air plants and a few others attached to the wood outside the water. I'll have to keep a fan on them and choose heat tolerant plants, but I can probably grow some moss at the waterline and above too. Should make for a neat display.


I plan on growing plants on the branches popping out of the water on my tank also. I might get one of those viny house plants who's roots can grow into the tank, and make it run across the length of the tank and onto the light fixture.


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

This is robo tank. Simply awesome. Cant wait to see the outcome.


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## bwagner (Apr 18, 2007)

I want your "stumpy" center piece! 

Great tank, great idea, the software looks easy to understand/use. I can't wait to see how this develops...subscribed!!


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## intermediate_noob (Jan 23, 2007)

GDominy said:


> My new business venture is twofold, I do aquascaping privately, and I am now distributing imported driftwoods from Indonesia. I have my first shipment (10 Tons) already and its going fast. The web site will be up soon. This tank is to show off the wood, and sort of a "visual resume"


After seeing the wood I would definitely be interested in some of it if you are still selling. PM me and let me know, and BTW to echo everyone's comments: AWESOME tank.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

wow.. your hi-tech tank rival public aquariums... Your next step is to have the computer call your cell phone if there's an emergency.


you might want to add a bit of leaf litter. That'll give the tank an extra umph..


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

lol..
the stump is nice. the tank looks a lot more than 105 gallon.


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## outcast (Jul 4, 2007)

mistergreen said:


> wow.. your hi-tech tank rival public aquariums... Your next step is to have the computer call your cell phone if there's an emergency.
> 
> 
> you might want to add a bit of leaf litter. That'll give the tank an extra umph..


Probably already available as a feature, after all, simple webpages even have that feature


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

outcast said:


> Probably already available as a feature, after all, simple webpages even have that feature


I actually programmed it to do that last night ;-) My aquarium e-mails me when there is an alarm so I can get a text message to a cel phone or pager


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

share the love please


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Geoff C said:


> Amazing tank, the wood looks fantastic and i like the rocks alot to. It looks like you took a peice of a river. really looking forward to seeing it evolve.
> 
> and shout out to victoria! my real home


Thanks  Thats the look I was hoping to get. Props to Victoria too.. Woot!


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## carlos05 (Aug 8, 2006)

Damn....that's all I can say. I hope to have something like that one day since I love electronics


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## Alex C (Jan 7, 2008)

Awesome looking tank setup. The only things I would add would be
1) A webcam for a live screensaver for when you aren't at home 
2) A tape backup system
3) A UPS in case of power outages


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Be right back.... I need to find my jaw.... I think I dropped it on the first post.

***subscribed***


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Alex C said:


> Awesome looking tank setup. The only things I would add would be
> 1) A webcam for a live screensaver for when you aren't at home
> 2) A tape backup system
> 3) A UPS in case of power outages


1.) Webcam is getting installed sometime today (I have a few extras.. lol)
2.) I have data being backed up to a Raid array on another computer already,but that would add some geekery..lol
3.) UPS is on the way already, more to protect the computers then anything

UPS's can actually damage pumps if they have a square wave output (which mine do). I can still use them to protect the electronics though


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

Wow is all I can say, between the stocking, the hardscape, the electronics... WOW!

I would invest in a backup generator for the tank that runs on gas if I where you!

Is that center 'stump' one piece? I am under the assumption its multiple pieces all placed vertically though. Either way it looks fantastic!

You think the tank can call me to tell me the answers?:icon_lol: 

-Andrew

PS. After seeing the new pictures of the tank, I had forgotten the size and thought it was much bigger than the topic says it is:hihi:


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

Looking at it all I kinda wish it was taller, never really been a fan of "wide screen" tanks. Looks amazing regardless though, and all that geekery! Fascinating! 
Good luck, hope it all pulls through for you.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Fish Newb said:


> Wow is all I can say, between the stocking, the hardscape, the electronics... WOW!
> 
> I would invest in a backup generator for the tank that runs on gas if I where you!
> 
> ...


I am considering putting a generator on the deck in case of emergencies, more for the reef tanks then the planted tanks though.

the stump is actually just 2 pieces, placed vertically leaning against each other. I had 2 pieces that worked well together. hehehe

I was thinking about naming the tank "Hal" (_2001: A Space Odyssey_) and have it actually say "Good morning Dave" when the lights come on... but thats just some of the fun for later. The Pentium IV in the stand allows me to do some interesting things


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

Man this is the stuff people dream of. Do you work for Nasa?


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Ok.. been a productive evening!

Tonight I finally got around to getting the Ph Probe Calibrated so my Co2 injection is working properly now. I also spent some time installing a fan into the canopy that is triggered by "temperature 1" on the profilux (so if the water temp is out of spec it turns the fan on).

I also configured the lighting properly so they operate on lighting channels as opposed to simple timers. This allowed me to program the profilux to turn off the lights if the temperature is too high. I've left "illumination 1" on, as it is the colourmax bulbs (only 2 x 65 watt bulbs wont throw much heat into the water).

I've got the touchscreen LCD working with the computer, and had to do some work on it too (power supply was underpowering the video card I had in the computer causing stability and heat problems). After replacing the power supply and removing some extra PCI cards the computer is running smoothly.

I still can't get the second profilux working over the network, so I'm going to tinker with this a bit more tonight.

I also took a minute to fix the potential for overflow with the topoff pump. The pumps will now only run for a maximum of 10 seconds.

I've figured out where I am going to run my water line for the RO unit too. Directly under the aquarium is the garage with a laundry sink and taps, I"ll mount the RO unit there and run the line to the topoff resevoir where a float valve and solenoid will be installed. I can do it all with only drilling a small hole under a floorboard where it can be easily concealed. I might have to install a water cooler upstairs too that will be fed by the same unit.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Orlando said:


> Man this is the stuff people dream of. Do you work for Nasa?


lol no... I work for a fish store, but I was a technical analyst/IT manager for 13 years previously.


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

GDominy said:


> The tank is by no means ready. Currently I am curing several pieces of driftwood I imported from Indonesia that look pretty awesome, but I don't have the substrate yet.


i missed this post and i'm wondering where did you order the driftwood from?


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## outcast (Jul 4, 2007)

so will this tank be in your store? if so i may need to hop on the ferry


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

ikuzo said:


> i missed this post and i'm wondering where did you order the driftwood from?


Came in direct, I have several tons of it. I can't say much more then that, but it will be available online shortly.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

outcast said:


> so will this tank be in your store? if so i may need to hop on the ferry


This tank is in my home, but if you are in the area you are more then welcome to come see it! I work at Safari and do all the freshwater displays there. I'm going to be making several new ones soon, should be some neat ones in the next little bit


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Here are a couple of shots of the tank as it is tonight.. nice and clear. Plants look pretty bad, but we'll see how they do.

Currently my CO2 is cranked wide open, and I'm OD'ing with Flourish excel to kill off any remaining algae on the plants (I dipped the plants in a bleach solution before adding them, but you cant be too careful).

I also found a good mount for the camera that will be pointed at the tank at all times. This actually came with the touchscreen LCD, but its a standard threaded mount that fits most cameras too! The mount is very flexible, can be rotated and positioned in a number of different ways. I'll be experimenting with positions over the next week or so.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Well I finally figured out why I was having trouble with my Digital power bars.

It helps to actually READ the manual and/or prompts.

Turns out I was trying to set the socket number assignments while I had both power bars connected, and the profilux can only program one device at a time, soooo when I was updating hte power bar settings it was applying the same settings to both bars... (duh).

Solution? Unplug one of hte digital power bars, program the connected one... then repeat the process with the other one before reconnecting them both.

Now I have 16 outlets all running off one profilux. Woot!


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## khoile (Jan 27, 2005)

So where can I got to see the tank live?

Also nice wood, is that mainly one large piece or multiple small ones?


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## tazcrash69 (Sep 27, 2005)

Gareth, the tank, and the computer power behind it are amazing!!!!!! 
Glad to see you posting again.


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

GDominy said:


> I am considering putting a generator on the deck in case of emergencies, more for the reef tanks then the planted tanks though.
> 
> the stump is actually just 2 pieces, placed vertically leaning against each other. I had 2 pieces that worked well together. hehehe
> 
> *I was thinking about naming the tank "Hal" (2001: A Space Odyssey) and have it actually say "Good morning Dave" when the lights come on... but thats just some of the fun for later. The Pentium IV in the stand allows me to do some interesting things*


Oh, well with a few tons of wood I guess you got lucky! If you see any that would be good to do that type of thing for the Left corner of a 55g let me know (as long as the price is reasonable, customs could be a pita too:icon_roll ) The wood looks great!

I like the idea of having the tank talk to you, but isn't that a bit wierd :hihi: really funny though!

-Andrew


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

It talks? What?


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Orlando said:


> It talks? What?


He is talking about the PC being able to talk... but it would give the impression that "the NASA Control" system that he has running the space shuttle, I mean fish tank, would be awaiting his orders.


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## danakin (Jun 8, 2007)

khoile said:


> So where can I go to see the tank live?


I second the question. This looks like an absolutely amazing project! I'm sure all the other LFS are envious!


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

what's the initial plant on the right? is that bolbitis heudelotii?


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

ikuzo said:


> what's the initial plant on the right? is that bolbitis heudelotii?


Good eye! Thats exactly what it is. Ive had it in another tank that I was neglecting for a while so I am trying to get it working in here. We'll see how it does.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

khoile said:


> So where can I got to see the tank live?
> 
> Also nice wood, is that mainly one large piece or multiple small ones?


The tank cam will be up within 6 weeks, still building the web site.

The wood in the main stump (left side) is actually just 2 pieces shaped to form the structure. The right side is 4 pieces of wood stacked somewhat. I'm not entirely happy with the left side yet... I might redo it before I plant any more


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

danakin said:


> I second the question. This looks like an absolutely amazing project! I'm sure all the other LFS are envious!


heheh.. this is my personal tank... but I've been sharing it on the local fish forums for the island. I'll be showing it off on the next aquarium society tank tour though.


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## bwagner (Apr 18, 2007)

What model GHL Profilux are you using...Plus II beginner, advanced, Professional or the mars rover edition?


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

I am using an earlier package... Both of my units are the base profilux unit, came with a 4 outlet Analog and a 6 outlet digital power bar, 1 x Tunze connector cable, 1 float sensor, 1 temp probe, 1 Ph probe, 1 serial cable, Float sensor mounting assembly, and a few other bits.

For addons I have a Lan module in each unit, and a Profilux View attached to the main profilux.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Did a bit more tweaking and added a failsafe for overdosing CO2. I added a Rena Air 200 and a coupl eof large airstone bars hidden under the wood so they can't be seen. In case the Ph drops below 6.5 the profilux now automatically fires up the air pump to help outgas some excess CO2. So far its working well, but I still need to balance my CO2 injection rate.

As it stands now my Ph drops to 6.4-6.3 too quickly and has to be outgassed. This will probably change when I have a higher plant load, but I am tweaking the config as I go to get it balanced for consistency first.


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## tropicalfish (Mar 29, 2007)

Why not a lower pH threshold like 6.2?


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Our water here is quite soft, so if I lower the Ph much more then this it has a tendancy to crash pretty quickly. I find anything under 6.5-6.4 it drops like a rock. I'm going to add some crushed coral to the filter to help buffer the water a bit, but this will also help.


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## sNApple (Nov 6, 2005)

gdomy set up computerz for my tankz zz


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Here is a video I shot of the monitor, profiluxes, and the viewer. I hadnt finished getting the tank balanced hence the alarms


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

sNApple said:


> gdomy set up computerz for my tankz zz


If you get the hardware, no problem. You're just a ferry ride away


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

I totally admire the gadgets but definitely not for me. I'm a tech guy and I play with microprocessors for fun but I prefer a puddle of mud and algae I call a fish tank.

Dunno, I might change my mind on that one day.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

mistergreen said:


> I totally admire the gadgets but definitely not for me. I'm a tech guy and I play with microprocessors for fun but I prefer a puddle of mud and algae I call a fish tank.
> 
> Dunno, I might change my mind on that one day.


To each their own  I'm just trying to simplify the stuff that takes away from time I can spend shaping and pruning etc.. I want to spend more time on the artistic element of this tank then daily maintenance.

I'm not trying to say this is "the way" to do this.. its just how I'm setting it up... Once al of the equipment is in place it will all be hidden away.


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## BTDarters (Dec 30, 2007)

Gareth,

Please forgive me if someone asked this already, I haven't had time to read all of the posts in this thread. It looks like you have a Windows PC contolling the setup. What happens when you have to shut down/reboot?

Brian


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## BTDarters (Dec 30, 2007)

Gareth,

Wicked-cool tank and electronics set-up by the way!

Brian


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

BTDarters said:


> Gareth,
> 
> Please forgive me if someone asked this already, I haven't had time to read all of the posts in this thread. It looks like you have a Windows PC contolling the setup. What happens when you have to shut down/reboot?
> 
> Brian


The only thing running on this PC is the profilux control software, and the drivers for the touchscreen monitor, and some scripts I've written to automate a few things. In the highly unlikely event I need to reboot the computer I only lose the e-mail notification process and logging to html scripts. The aquarium computers run themselves with their own embedded OS and dont actualy need the PC to function.

As it stands this PC can usually run for about 3 months without rebooting unless there is a windows update pending or power interuption (I did have some stability prblems that turned out to be a failing power supply which I have since replaced).

To further stabilize things I am getting a pair of UPS's to back up the sytem. I shouldhave enough battery power to run the filters and pumps for about 2 hours, which will allow me enough time to get home from anywhere I travel on the island to start the generator.


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## tropicalfish (Mar 29, 2007)

BTDarters said:


> Gareth,
> 
> Please forgive me if someone asked this already, I haven't had time to read all of the posts in this thread. It looks like you have a Windows PC contolling the setup. What happens when you have to shut down/reboot?
> 
> Brian


He just reboots?
I am sure it won't affect the stuff much, only the timings.
My Windows FTP/file server is on almost 24/7. I only take it down for the occasional updates that I check for every few weeks.
I use Linux right now (Ubuntu), but I don't know it well enough that I want to put it on the FTP/File server.
Nothing wrong with keeping a Windows on 24/7.

Your tank is sooo awesome!
My dad says I "spend too much time" even just looking at it [tank] for 5 minutes straight.


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

What can I say Gareth, this tank blows me away. The first thing that caught my eye was the lighting. You are running some serious watts over that thing. How did you position them? 
I also like the dimensions of the tank, they fit your plan.
Then of course the pc stuff is unbelievable and way over my head. Personally I dont think I have what it takes to trust it. With my luck I would have a bad value buried deep in the program that told it in case of *this*, *do that* and I would end up with 100 gallons of water on my floor... heh
My wife walked in the room as I was reading through this thread and I told her that she had to see this setup... her first words were "Dont even think about it" !!! 

But to echo everyone else's opinion, I love the hardscape and what you have done so far ! 
:thumbsup:


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Buck said:


> What can I say Gareth, this tank blows me away. The first thing that caught my eye was the lighting. You are running some serious watts over that thing. How did you position them?
> I also like the dimensions of the tank, they fit your plan.
> Then of course the pc stuff is unbelievable and way over my head. Personally I dont think I have what it takes to trust it. With my luck I would have a bad value buried deep in the program that told it in case of *this*, *do that* and I would end up with 100 gallons of water on my floor... heh
> My wife walked in the room as I was reading through this thread and I told her that she had to see this setup... her first words were "Dont even think about it" !!!
> ...


Lighting is set up with the 4 x 96 watt tubes at the mid to rear section of the tank about 4" from the back. The 4 x 65 watts are positioned at the front about a foot in on each side. This allows for a high amount of light directly over the areas of the tank that I plan on carpetting with UG and HC.

Its starting to come into its own, I just need to balance out the CO2 injection a bit and deal with my temperature concerns. worst case scenario will involve a chiller.. but I think I wont need to go that far. I think I can keep the tank cold enough with fans and the 12000 btu air conditioner 6 feet from the tank.


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## bastalker (Dec 8, 2004)

Hey Gareth! Long time no see my friend!

That wood is absolutely amazing! Now where did ya get it...and where can I get some? :smile: 

tc
mark


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## MarkTheShark (Nov 24, 2007)

When will you be adding plants to this tank??
Love your driftwood! :thumbsup:


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## dipan (Dec 3, 2006)

I love it! Now _that's_ high tech!!!


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## sNApple (Nov 6, 2005)

GDominy said:


> This allows for a high amount of light directly over the areas of the tank that I plan on carpetting with UG and HC.
> .


where u gonan buy UG from?


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

sNApple said:


> where u gonan buy UG from?


Our store carries it all the time. I already have a bunch now in the tank


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Well.. it's been another day of tinkering. I didn't have a chance to configure the auto topoff on my day off so I tackled it tonight. I had to experiment a bit (with near disaster) on getting the topoff working but in the end I got it running smoothly.

I had to set my "maximum run time" to 2 minutes, as I am using a Maxijet 600 as my topoff pump. It works, but hte flow isn't exactly what I would call "speedy". For its purpose it works very well though. It took me a few minutes to figure out why it wasn't working either, but it turns out I was simply braindead, and yet again didnt read the manual. THe profilux automatically shuts off the pumps associated with the topoff system if they run for longer then the "maximum run time" and will not re-enable them until you clear the alarm status. This is a good thing, but it took me a bit to figure out why it wasn't working.

I also started moving plants from other tanks in here, as I need to free the tanks up for the reef. These are probably not the plants I'll keep in here long term, but they will do the trick for now while I experiment with CO2 consumption.

As a geeky touch, I added some Blue LED's to the equipment cubbies to show off the gear. Purely comestic bling, but fun none the less. I had to add another power bar to the "always on" section of the rig, but I found a spot.

The bottom shelf is reserved for some APC Smart UPS's that will be tied into the computer system. I want to have the UPS signal the PC when there is a power cut so it can shut down gracefully after sending out an E-mail that there is a power interuption. With any luck I can set this up so I will have several hours of runtime for the Filters, and shut down the extra equipment.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Ok.. so when I get on a roll I don't like to stop.. so tonight I decided to also tackle some filter swapping. I pulled my XP3 off the Reef and replaced it with my old Fluval 404 (just need it for carbon, nothing fancy, it will do the trick) and moved the XP3 to the left side of the 105.

I also moved my 7.5 gallon into the stand for a test fitting and set up the dosing system. There are still some kinks to work out here. The vaccuum pump I am using cant push the water into the tank because the head height is too high. I suspect it will work though if I move the pump higher so it is "pulling" water instead of "pushing" (makes sense to me, as it is a vaccuum pump).


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## jinx© (Oct 17, 2007)

Amazing project! 

I'm loving that wood. I'd like to find an arrangement like that myself.

The Pcgeek side of me is loving hitech side of this project as well.
(Gotta love blue LEDs no matter who you are...lol)

Well done so far. :thumbsup:


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## tropicalfish (Mar 29, 2007)

I love the high-tech!
Is your networking on a power back-up too?


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

GDominy said:


> Ok.. so when I get on a roll I don't like to stop.. so tonight I decided to also tackle some filter swapping. I pulled my XP3 off the Reef and replaced it with my old Fluval 404 (just need it for carbon, nothing fancy, it will do the trick) and moved the XP3 to the left side of the 105.
> 
> I also moved my 7.5 gallon into the stand for a test fitting and set up the dosing system. There are still some kinks to work out here. The vaccuum pump I am using cant push the water into the tank because the head height is too high. I suspect it will work though if I move the pump higher so it is "pulling" water instead of "pushing" (makes sense to me, as it is a vaccuum pump).


If its a vaccum pump then your correct, but you can try smaller tubing also to see if that helps.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Well... On a more ridiculous note, I set something up today thats a little bit fun.

I set up the storm simulator on the profilux.

I have been staring at the thunderstorm simulation options for days thinking how neat it would be to have something like that. I started chatting about it at work and my boss made a comment along the lines of "you could always use a strobe light.."

Well.... 6 hours, and much experimenting later... I now have a working thunder/lightning simulator.

Right now a few nights a week for one hour the computer automatically launches a scheduled task that plays an hour long thunderstorm mp3 (through set of speakers/sub I mounted in the stand hidden away). I have the profiluxes clock synched to the computer, so once the lights turn off, the storm starts up for an hour.

The "storm" consists of a run of the mill strobe light, connected to one of the programmable sockets on the digital power bar (defined as "thunder"). This outlet randomly fires on and off during the "storm" for random periods of time. Combine this with the strobes own internal timer and it makes for some somewhat random lighting effects. I will have to add a second strobe with different timings to make the effect more realistic, but considering I was able to build this for free I can't complain. Additionally during the storm a pair of Korellia 4 pumps kick on randomly creating some wild flow. This is totally random during the storm, and hte pumps are dormant during normal everyday use.

Here is a video showing it off... It needs to be tweaked a bit (not quite random enough, and the right side is where the light is most intense), but so far so good.


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## outcast (Jul 4, 2007)

i want that.


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

That is too cool G !
Is there audio as well as visual to the storm? This tank goes way beyond Hi-Tech, I remember when a HT tank had a lot of watts and a CO2 bottle...LOL !

Now storms and pc's to control the entire tank? We need a new name for this type of set up !

I tip my hat to you.


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## BiscuitSlayer (Apr 1, 2005)

GDominy said:


> Well... On a more ridiculous note, I set something up today thats a little bit fun.
> 
> I set up the storm simulator on the profilux.


What would be really cool to add is a misting / top off system that disperses cool water as a rain effect (rain droplets).

What would be super cool is if this whole setup and idea led to increased spawning by some of your fish. I woudn't be surprised if it didn't.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Totally cool. How about a wavemaker or something to to kind of bump the flow around some more, this would probably be really cool during your water change, and have the water fill the tank through a spray bar similar to what biscuit was saying so you get the sound of water "splashing".


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

BiscuitSlayer said:


> What would be really cool to add is a misting / top off system that disperses cool water as a rain effect (rain droplets).
> 
> What would be super cool is if this whole setup and idea led to increased spawning by some of your fish. I woudn't be surprised if it didn't.


^^^^ agreed...
I think cories, barbs, and loaches spawning are triggered by the rainy season..

But the same effect can be done with a water change


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## EdTheEdge (Jan 25, 2007)

Let me add to the accolades: 

WOW! Watching this thread with great intrest. Read through it three time just to make sure I understand what's going on here. 

Thanks for sharing!


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

This is sea world stuff!


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## Madfish (Sep 9, 2007)

WOW:eek5: Thats all I can say I cant even think of any words to come out of my mouth.


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

what? no one comment about the aquascape?

i like the way you fill the left and right side but that makes the middle left and right a bit empty. the center should be more dense than that but don't cover the all of driftwood since it's amazing. i'll vote for some giant vallisneria in those empty spaces.

any plans on ground cover plants?


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

ikuzo said:


> what? no one comment about the aquascape?
> 
> i like the way you fill the left and right side but that makes the middle left and right a bit empty. the center should be more dense than that but don't cover the all of driftwood since it's amazing. i'll vote for some giant vallisneria in those empty spaces.
> 
> any plans on ground cover plants?


Ground cover has been planted already but am waiting for it to grow in. I have a ton of Utricularia Gramnifolia growing on the left side, HC on the right/middle.. hairgrass on the left side behide the UG... More to come. I have 500 plants coming in to work this week so I'll be picking some nice ones.

I've been waiting for the tropica plants to arrive so I can choose what I want to fill in. Most of hte plants in here are temporary, with the exception of the ground cover


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Buck said:


> That is too cool G !
> Is there audio as well as visual to the storm? This tank goes way beyond Hi-Tech, I remember when a HT tank had a lot of watts and a CO2 bottle...LOL !
> 
> Now storms and pc's to control the entire tank? We need a new name for this type of set up !
> ...


There is audio that accompanies the storm, although its just an hour long thunderstorm audio track I have that gets played at the same time the storm occurs. I haven't quite figured out how to sychronize the efects yet, as I have the computer actually doing the audio, while the profilux is controlling the lighting and flow. I have a small subwoofer mounted in the stand that actually creates quite a nice rumble for the thunder...


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

BiscuitSlayer said:


> What would be really cool to add is a misting / top off system that disperses cool water as a rain effect (rain droplets).
> 
> What would be super cool is if this whole setup and idea led to increased spawning by some of your fish. I woudn't be surprised if it didn't.


I am building a "rain" system that will automatically turn on with the scheduled storms. It will basically consist of a PVC manifold around the upper rim of the tank that will drip water onto the surface through a series of holes. The water will be pushed from a Rio pump hidden in the tank through the manifold creating "rain".


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

gmccreedy said:


> Totally cool. How about a wavemaker or something to to kind of bump the flow around some more, this would probably be really cool during your water change, and have the water fill the tank through a spray bar similar to what biscuit was saying so you get the sound of water "splashing".


The profilux already does this. As I mentioned in the storm post, during hte actual "storm event" 2 x 1200 GPH pumps kick in creating some wild flow around hte tank. These randomly fire throughout the hour long storm along with the other 2 pumps.

Eventually I will have 4 x Tunze stream pumps that are actually variable speed pumps, so the profilux can throttle them up and down, varying flow during normal operation, then crank them up full blast during the storm.


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## Ashok (Dec 11, 2006)

Holy planted tank Batman!


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## colinthebassist (Nov 30, 2007)

GDominy said:


> I set up the storm simulator on the profilux.



You have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! Seriously cool, but oh wow...


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## BiscuitSlayer (Apr 1, 2005)

GDominy said:


> The profilux already does this. As I mentioned in the storm post, during hte actual "storm event" 2 x 1200 GPH pumps kick in creating some wild flow around hte tank. These randomly fire throughout the hour long storm along with the other 2 pumps.
> 
> Eventually I will have 4 x Tunze stream pumps that are actually variable speed pumps, so the profilux can throttle them up and down, varying flow during normal operation, then crank them up full blast during the storm.




Sorry, I missed that part. This is one of the coolest things I have ever seen done with a tank. I can't wait to see how things work out for you on this one.


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## jinx© (Oct 17, 2007)

Ha....That's just some crazy sh!t there...lol

You could tinker with hooking the strobe/s to those sound sensors they use for those light up subwoofer effects.

I agree on the spawning comments as well. It wouldnt suprise me if this setup might induce spawning, not to mention make me sleep like a baby. (I love a good thunder storm)


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## ir0n_ma1den (May 13, 2007)

Sick robot GDominy!

BTW, what kind of fish is that in your avatar picture?


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## Matthew_Machine (Oct 12, 2003)

GDominy said:


> I am building a "rain" system that will automatically turn on with the scheduled storms. It will basically consist of a PVC manifold around the upper rim of the tank that will drip water onto the surface through a series of holes. The water will be pushed from a Rio pump hidden in the tank through the manifold creating "rain".


 
this kills me! that sounds amazing. I'm glad other people have the enthusiasm/room to take on these innovative tanks. Can't wait to see the diagrams on this!


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## putty (Nov 19, 2003)

GDominy said:


> There is audio that accompanies the storm, although its just an hour long thunderstorm audio track I have that gets played at the same time the storm occurs. I haven't quite figured out how to sychronize the efects yet, as I have the computer actually doing the audio, while the profilux is controlling the lighting and flow. I have a small subwoofer mounted in the stand that actually creates quite a nice rumble for the thunder...


Could you use a light meter to capture the strobe events and have that trigger a single, random sound. Or a sound proportional to the magnitude of the lightning?

BTW - long time no talk, I have been away for some time too.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

wow a storm simulator, most of the public aquariums dont have that.

that tank would be amazing if set up as a true biotope (with correct water pirameters and plants and temp). the fish would be just like in their natural enviroment. with live food feeding you could probably get any fish to spawn.


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## NeverEndingNinja (Jan 4, 2008)

Not only is the technology behind this amazing, but its an absolutely beautiful tank also. I can't wait to hear the results of the storm event.

P.S. ir0n+ma1den - that is a male Apistogramma Cacatuoide. If the color hasn't been edited, then it is one with absolutely stunning coloration.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

That is the original colour. That male passed on a few months ago, and I was sad to see him go. I had 3 that all looked like that believe or not!

I am starting my Metal Halide mod tomorrow, so I should have 2 x 150 watt Metal halide pendants installed by the weeks end too. I decided not to use 2 x 96 watt bulbs and will use the halides instead over the front portion of the tank.


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## tropicalfish (Mar 29, 2007)

Have you done a power-outtage simulation?

Techy tanks, I love them!


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## riverrat (Jul 14, 2005)

Fantastic stuff! Really great!

Only bad thing about your tank is now mine reminds me of Charlie Brown's Xmas tree. Pffffft...............

I hope this doesn't sound green :flick: of me but if you would like to kick some field goals I am willing to hold the football for ya! :hihi: 




Dave


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## Naja002 (Oct 12, 2005)

Lovin' it.

And that wood is too cool......


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

tropicalfish said:


> Have you done a power-outtage simulation?
> 
> Techy tanks, I love them!


Sort of.... I have tested what would happen in the circuit the profiluxes are connected to gets blown, thus affecting the control of the digital power bars. The profilux power bars allow you to set "initial state" on sockets so if the profilux gets disconnected the outlets dont turn off. I have it set now that the filters and pumps are the ONLY outlets that stay on in the event of a power cut.

This will allow me to have all the unnessesary equipment power off during a power outage and keep the Filters and pumps on a battery backup (not installed yet), even while having them on the same power bar.


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## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

Where did you find the flourite black? I want some BAD. I see they still don't have it at A. plants. com. Now this tank is interesting Gareth! Storms are natural! Very cool and love the wood... This will be a sweet tank for sure... FWIW, my fish seem to like water change "storms" for sure... 

hijack ps.I've been gone awhile getting into boats, which is related to fish, er fishing, but I'll be back... and my Apisto caca had six males and three girls too - now post juvi mature and getting along in my 90 gallon OK!! bob

pss. BUCK IS BACK!!


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Ok, so I started my DIY HQI Pendant tonight... Here are some pics of the whole process to turn a 500 watt Halogen Floodlight ($10) into an HQI Pendant (usually around $140). All it cost me was $10 for the floodlight, and about $6 for the boxes and blanks to mount them.

I have some brand new Coralife 10000k 150 watt HQI bulbs that I'll be using, and I'm shopping around for a ballast (or 4) to drive em. Pretty cheap mod so far, and pretty easy.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

After modding...


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

If this works, I'll be building 4 more of these pendants, 2 for this tank, and 2 for my reef tank. I need to do temperature tests still to see if this will work, or if I need to add some ventilation to this pendant directly (easy enough to mount metal fans to the outside of hte flood and push air through)


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Betowess said:


> Where did you find the flourite black? I want some BAD. I see they still don't have it at A. plants. com. Now this tank is interesting Gareth! Storms are natural! Very cool and love the wood... This will be a sweet tank for sure... FWIW, my fish seem to like water change "storms" for sure...


The store I work for carries it as a regular stock item, I swear by it now. This tank is half black and half black sand too, so I have a slight layering to the substrate.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Awesome mod to the fixtures. How are you hanging them? What does the housing look like? Did you find a ballast to run these?


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## tazcrash69 (Sep 27, 2005)

Betowess said:


> pss. BUCK IS BACK!!


And it looks like Bob is back! 

G, this thread is always a great read for me in the AM. 
I can't wait to see those lights fired up.


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## Jens (Apr 21, 2006)

Gareth, how come you aren't using the prime feature of the profilux, the ability to control dimmable T5 ballasts. Will give you a whole bunch of additional options, sunrise, sunset, cloud simulation. And one of the dimmable LEDs for a sweet moonlight simulation. 



BTW, nice tank and driftwood stump, love it!


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Jens said:


> Gareth, how come you aren't using the prime feature of the profilux, the ability to control dimmable T5 ballasts. Will give you a whole bunch of additional options, sunrise, sunset, cloud simulation. And one of the dimmable LEDs for a sweet moonlight simulation.
> 
> 
> 
> BTW, nice tank and driftwood stump, love it!


Thats coming ;-) just gotta take it one piece at a time.. this stuff is pretty pricery


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

gmccreedy said:


> Awesome mod to the fixtures. How are you hanging them? What does the housing look like? Did you find a ballast to run these?


The fixtures are outdoor floods so I'll be mounting them through the rear of the canopy. Its basically just a flood fixture with a threaded metal tube that the wires run through. Pretty simple, and easy to mount


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## Tourney (Jan 9, 2007)

Absolutely phenomenal setup Gareth, and the new lights should be good too. I was thinking of trying my hand at some DIY lighting, and this has definitely inspired me!
Can't wait to see more pictures as the tank matures, and are you going to add any more hardware?
Keep up the great job!


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Tourney said:


> Absolutely phenomenal setup Gareth, and the new lights should be good too. I was thinking of trying my hand at some DIY lighting, and this has definitely inspired me!
> Can't wait to see more pictures as the tank matures, and are you going to add any more hardware?
> Keep up the great job!


Thanks  I am planning on adding some dimmable ballasts, an Air/humidity sensor, cooling fans in the canopy that vent to the outside air, a chiller, R/O unit to automatically top off the resevoir for the topoff system (also split to the reef tank) and some UPS's...

I can only afford to do it in stages, but over the next few months there will be bits and pieces added as I go


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

i cant wait to see this tank when it is full of plants and those CPDs are in there (they will probably breed like mad)


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## bwagner (Apr 18, 2007)

I want your budget...


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

bwagner said:


> I want your budget...


Heh.. its a long term thing.. I am still paying for a lot of the equipment I have so far, but I had a lot of other stuff already so its not too bad. The RO unit and lighting mods will be next. I should have them done by the end of February. 

Chiller is sort of low on the list since it is still winter I can simply set up some extra fans to blow cold air in from outside (the tank is right next to a window so I'm installing some ducting to the outside that will fit in a window baffle)


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Well I've started to plant the beast...


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

I threw in about 50 cherry shrimp tonight I had in another tank to tackle some of the algae that hitchiked in from the other tanks. Nothing too major, and a lot of it is getting pruned out every day as new leaves are forming, but I want to stay on top of it.

I also added a black copper cambodian betta that really struck me. I think I'm going to add 5 more (females) to hang out at the surface. I figure the black bettas, galaxy rasbora's, and ottos will be a good start.. and I might keep my 5 peacock gobies in there.. we'll see. Fish are still being decided.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

wow black copper cambodians. ive never seen a black cambodian, where did you get them? can you post a pic of one, please? i really want to see what it looks like, i can imagine black with a copper shine at the base of the fins, but i really want to see how much copper there is one the body.

you know, some crypts would look great inside the driftwood (in the cave)


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

@[email protected] said:


> wow black copper cambodians. ive never seen a black cambodian, where did you get them? can you post a pic of one, please? i really want to see what it looks like, i can imagine black with a copper shine at the base of the fins, but i really want to see how much copper there is one the body.
> 
> you know, some crypts would look great inside the driftwood (in the cave)


inside the cave is a bit dark for crypts, but I am going to put the java fern encrusted piece of wood I had on the left side under there today.

I"m also trying to track down some dimmable advance ballasts for the metal halide pendants, I found a ballast model that will work with the profilux

I'll try to get a picture of the girl I have today, shes all black with this greenish metallic hue across her whole body. Very cool looking


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Well I added all the nice narrow leaf ferns into the cave area and redid a bunch of plants on the left. I am working my way to the right redoing planting as I go. I really wasnt too happy with a lot of the plant layout so I'm figuring it out now.

On the upside, the HC has grown about a quarter inch in the last 36 hours so I think it will take over pretty quickly.

The UG is still not doing much of anything... I'm going to have to wait it out.

I'm battling some algae that still lingered from the old plants but some flourish excel is helping that along nicely, combined with pruning. I cranked the CO2 and extended my photoperiod too and that seems to be helping a lot. I increased my ferts just a touch and many plants have started pearling.

I'll have some additional pics in a day or two, just want to let things straighten up a bit first and borrow a better camera.


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## sNApple (Nov 6, 2005)

looking good, post it up on bcaquaria!


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

sNApple said:


> looking good, post it up on bcaquaria!


I'm going to soon, but it will take a while to mirror the thread. I have it running on the Victoria Aquarium society board as well.

I'm going to upload all my pics to photobucket for the time being untill I can get my domain up.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

@[email protected] said:


> wow black copper cambodians. ive never seen a black cambodian, where did you get them? can you post a pic of one, please? i really want to see what it looks like, i can imagine black with a copper shine at the base of the fins, but i really want to see how much copper there is one the body.
> 
> you know, some crypts would look great inside the driftwood (in the cave)


Forgive the picture, I am using a really lousy camera for these kinds of shots. My budget has been wrapped up in the aquarium for a while, and I am still waiting for one of my Canons to get repaired, so I can't just buy another one.

Here is the female copper. I would love to get a few more females and a single male, or maybe just a group of females. They aren't too big, which gives this aquarium a much larger feel. I want to stick to mostly small fish, so this tank has the illusion of being much larger.


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## Rion (Dec 29, 2006)

just too awesome! it'd take a lot of convincing to explaining to get the woman to let me that. are betas harem fish? if not I'd stick to just females. are you still planning on putting the galaxy rasboras in there (forgot what they changed their name to)? what else you thinking of putting in there? I love the storm setting!


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Rion said:


> just too awesome! it'd take a lot of convincing to explaining to get the woman to let me that. are betas harem fish? if not I'd stick to just females. are you still planning on putting the galaxy rasboras in there (forgot what they changed their name to)? what else you thinking of putting in there? I love the storm setting!


Thankfully my girl is kinda geeky too (we have a computer or laptop in every room of the house, multiple game consoles, etc)

For fish Im think a group of female coppers, galaxy rasboras (already have my first 10 in there), otto's, and denesonii babs. I currently also have some peacock gobies in here (6), but I dont know if they'll stay in there

I am adding a second strobe light soon so the lightning looks more realistic, so we'll see how it looks then!


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

i dont think you should put a male in, if you will keep the females there, it's a big tank, but being with a male even for a few days while spawning is very stressful on the female

the color is gorgeous, i love how the copper iridecense is evenly distributed giving here an even purple tone.


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## khoile (Jan 27, 2005)

Do you have pics of the male? I've never seen a copper beta before.


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## Jens (Apr 21, 2006)

GDominy said:


> I"m also trying to track down some dimmable advance ballasts for the metal halide pendants, I found a ballast model that will work with the profilux


got a model # or link for that?


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Ok.. well after a major rescaping and a few days of experimenting I think I have it. My swords are growing an inch a day and the HC is spreading a quarter inch a day. The UG hasn't really spread, but has grown considerably, and all leaves are growing the same direction. I have my CO2 cranked up high enough that plants are pearling, but slowly. Ph is sitting around 6.3 and stable, Nitrate around 13ppm, Phosphate around .6 ppm, Potassium.. well who knows.... 

Daily dosing of 80ml of Flourish excel turned all the remaining BBA pink and the shrimp are devouring it. The Zebra snails have scrubbed the wood clean of any soft spots or fungus and its looking nice and red... Its starting to look pretty good.










I expect the HC will have coverd the right side of the tank within a month at its current rate of growth.. I don't know about the UG yet.


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## khoile (Jan 27, 2005)

Very beautiful, should be even better once verything grow in.


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## Ghost (Jun 11, 2007)

Awesome tank - you've got crazy awesome skills roud:


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

wow it looks really nice now


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## tropicalfish (Mar 29, 2007)

Wow! Where are the fishies?


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## Rion (Dec 29, 2006)

I see one! it's on the left side near the stones in a driftwood arch. I can't wait to see the ground cover filled in.


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## colinthebassist (Nov 30, 2007)

GDominy said:


> Daily dosing of 80ml of Flourish excel


YIKES! thats alot of excel/money.


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## tropicalfish (Mar 29, 2007)

colinthebassist said:


> YIKES! thats alot of excel/money.


Of course it is.
But look at his computer equipment! That's even MORE money!


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

colinthebassist said:


> YIKES! thats alot of excel/money.


I only had to do it for 5 days.. so no biggie


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

tropicalfish said:


> Wow! Where are the fishies?


Currently there are 7 Otos, 6 Peacock gobies, 10 Galaxy Rasboras, my copper cambodian, and a blue gourami in there. The rest of the fish are coming in from singapore at the end of the month


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

Gareth, 10 galaxy rasboras?
come on, you need like 200 there 

love the scape, looks like a result of hardwork


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

ikuzo said:


> Gareth, 10 galaxy rasboras?
> come on, you need like 200 there
> 
> love the scape, looks like a result of hardwork


I have 100 on the way from Singapore! lol

I also have a 5" Zebra plec I'm grabbing in a couple weeks too... hes going to be the show fish for the tank


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## almostbeef (Jan 14, 2008)

Very nice gareth... cant wait till it all fills in,, going to be sweet,,could watch it for hours


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

wow thats a lot of celstial pearl danios. heh thats 600 dollars right there


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

zebra plecos (L046?) they are beautiful. i think you should keep it this way, i mean your fauna choice is very interesting. it's just that i got bored seeing cardinals in most of the tank.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

ikuzo said:


> zebra plecos (L046?) they are beautiful. i think you should keep it this way, i mean your fauna choice is very interesting. it's just that i got bored seeing cardinals in most of the tank.


I really wanted to go with a rough geographic area for all my fauna.. but when I realized I had to rehome some of my fish I had already, I decided expanding the groups would be interesting. The Zebra pleco turned out to be one of those "I can't turn this down" purchases. If anything, he will be the show fish in there.

I did some neat work today with the wood...










I tried to soften the edges.. so far I think it looks ok.. gotta see how it attaches and spreads.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)




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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

i like it. are those marimo balls, or something else.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

@[email protected] said:


> i like it. are those marimo balls, or something else.


They are/were. I broke them up into small clumps and strips and wedged them into crevices in the wood. I've heard they will attach in the right conditions so I'm gibing it a try.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

you know what, i have always wanted to try that with driftwood. Great idea! I am curious if they will creep though.

they will attach! i have done this to a rock and it did latch on.


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## NeverEndingNinja (Jan 4, 2008)

With 100 CPDs to start with, your numbers are going to jump like crazy.

Sounds like its going to be a beautiful tank. You'd better post some pictures of all those fish.

Also, I'm sure you've thought about it(what haven't you?), but what about the pressure during the storm sequence? Theres no feasible way to lower the pressure in the tank, is there? Unless you were to get a REALLY big jar sealer, and hook it up:hihi:


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

well he cant lower the pressure, but that is not always noticable unless its a huge storm. besides, it will still LOOK realistic and should be authentic enough for the fish who dont even need a storm. think about it, if you saw waves on the water, everything darker, and rain, youd think it was a storm even without sinal pressure.


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## fishscale (May 29, 2007)

I'm quietly weeping right now. Your fish probably cost more than my car. What do you do for a living again, and how should I change my major?


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

nice job with the marimo ball, really original. i've seen cladophora grow on woods unwanted and it looks really natural. how do you atatch them?


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Ok... I had one of those "I can't turn this down" sorta deals tonight and added 4 fish. They fit in with my Zebra pleco, and I might have to add some cardinals to this tank and move the Galaxies somewhere else. This wasn't an easy choice, but I wanted something showy to go with the zebra..

Here are 3 of them getting settled...


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## Rion (Dec 29, 2006)

do you really need to take the galaxies out? I dunno cardinals seem so cliche these days and I think they'd really take away from the attention to the discus and the zebra. but then of course if you're trying to go for more of a biotype I can see adding cardinals.


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

If those fish were in front of me I would find it hard not to take them home.
They look great! Can we get a full tank with fish shot?


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## fishscale (May 29, 2007)

I'd be more worried about the galaxies being snacks. Even cardinals can go missing when discus get hungry.


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

Those are beautiful G !


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## Raul-7 (Oct 17, 2003)

You'd be surprised about the Zebra pleco when you realize it's anything but a show fish.


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## TheOtherGeoff (Feb 11, 2003)

gorgous fish and tank man.


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## TheOtherGeoff (Feb 11, 2003)

fishscale said:


> I'd be more worried about the galaxies being snacks. Even cardinals can go missing when discus get hungry.


haha my old big heckle ate about 12 of them when we didnt have power and he got hungry.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Raul-7 said:


> You'd be surprised about the Zebra pleco when you realize it's anything but a show fish.


He might not be as flashy as the discus.. But I love this guy  I grabbed him tonight... With a little TLC he'll perk right up


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Rion said:


> do you really need to take the galaxies out? I dunno cardinals seem so cliche these days and I think they'd really take away from the attention to the discus and the zebra. but then of course if you're trying to go for more of a biotype I can see adding cardinals.


I do try to stick to fish from a geographic region when I stock my tanks.. sometimes there are a few exceptions... But I think at this point I'd like to stick to south american fish.

I"m going to set up a smaller tank for a smaller group of Galaxies over the next few days.... I'll post pics of that tank as I go.


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## Raul-7 (Oct 17, 2003)

GDominy said:


> He might not be as flashy as the discus.. But I love this guy  I grabbed him tonight... With a little TLC he'll perk right up


I didn't mean it in that way, in fact they can be just as stunning as Discus in their own right. What I meant is that they don't exactly enjoy being exposed in the open and are rather shy. It's safe to say he'll probably find a nook in the driftwood to tuck into. 

I say 'he' because that's a definite male you got there.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Raul-7 said:


> I didn't mean it in that way, in fact they can be just as stunning as Discus in their own right. What I meant is that they don't exactly enjoy being exposed in the open and are rather shy. It's safe to say he'll probably find a nook in the driftwood to tuck into.
> 
> I say 'he' because that's a definite male you got there.


I was fully prepared for him to hide.. heh.. I redid the right side of the tank to provide a safe area for him. it works out well, as he is still viewable periodically.

I"m sure it will take me a while to find another, but it would be nice to get a few.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)




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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

wow i like the angled shot. looks like huge discus there but aren't they even make the CPL hide all the time?


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

I bet those discus make sure work of your CPD's.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

They seem to ignore them actually... so far so good. Its funny to watch.

I'm trying to move the CPD's to another tank anyway.. so I dont think I'll lose many. There are tons of places to hide.


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

Looks really nice!

Those big fish sure do make the tank look small though:icon_lol: 

-Andrew


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## spypet (Sep 15, 2006)

great progress Gareth roud:

I hope that Pleco does
not ruin the marimo you
pushed against the wood.

how do you get the marimo
to say in place? gravity?

in a few Months I'd be curious
to know if the marimo spreads
flat against the wood, or just
balls up into little marbles.


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## Ashok (Dec 11, 2006)

That's one beautifull tank.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

spypet said:


> great progress Gareth roud:
> 
> I hope that Pleco does
> not ruin the marimo you
> ...


It'll be a wait and see sorta thing.. so far he hides a lot unless he comes out for feeding.

The marimano balls are crammed into nooks and crannies in the wood and is starting to attach already. It seems to spread like a carpet, the stuff forms balls if it gets blown around


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## spypet (Sep 15, 2006)

GDominy said:


> is starting to attach already.
> It seems to spread like a carpet.


I do hope that's more than wishful thinking.
good luck with it  and your rasping Pleco.


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## sNApple (Nov 6, 2005)

wow nice discus, can u pm me where u got them and how much? thanks mon


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Well.. Thought I'd show a tank vid.. you can see the discus cruising about this way.


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## dekstr (Oct 23, 2007)

Gareth,

I've been following your thread since it started. After watching that video, I had to post something good about your tank!

IMO your tank is one of the coolest tank I've seen--it might be quite hi-tech/computerized on the outside, but in terms of the aquascaping, hardscape, plant selection, it's really natural and you can't get a whole lot better than what you have.

Looking forward to carpet growth.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

dekstr said:


> Gareth,
> 
> I've been following your thread since it started. After watching that video, I had to post something good about your tank!
> 
> ...


Thanks  Ive actually been really struggling with the aquascape, so its nice to hear some opinions about it. The computer stuff is fun, but its main purpose is simply to take some of the guesswork and testing away


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

i love the size of the tank and the aquascape is amazing.

my dad loves the computer stuff (he set up our tanks with temp probes and ph probes and everything so it can be controled by an X10 program called homesear.) he even looked at the price of the items you said you used


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Ok, so this isn't really about the plants.. or the tank.. but is part of the setups electronics.

Tonight I mounted the xbox and wired it in, getting it ready for the next phase of my home media project.










I'm getting this Xbox soft-modded with the XBMC soft mod so it will run an embedded Linux OS instead of the useless Xbox dashboard. The new OS has a built in FTP server, and I am hoping I might be able to further hack into it a bit to install an embedded web server component. At the very least I'll have another media extender to play my digital media (MP3's, Divx, Xvid, Youtube videos, Pictures, etc).


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## fishscale (May 29, 2007)

why...must you...taunt me. Dude, you have the most awesome house ever.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

fishscale said:


> why...must you...taunt me. Dude, you have the most awesome house ever.


lol.. its coming along..

I have many "money pit" projects on the go at the moment.. There is this tank... the home media integration project.. and my other 45 gallon reef tank...


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

wow it's definitely a money pit house


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

GDominy said:


> Ok, so this isn't really about the plants.. or the tank.. but is part of the setups electronics.
> 
> Tonight I mounted the xbox and wired it in, getting it ready for the next phase of my home media project.
> 
> I'm getting this Xbox soft-modded with the XBMC soft mod so it will run an embedded Linux OS instead of the useless Xbox dashboard. The new OS has a built in FTP server, and I am hoping I might be able to further hack into it a bit to install an embedded web server component. At the very least I'll have another media extender to play my digital media (MP3's, Divx, Xvid, Youtube videos, Pictures, etc).


why not just install windows and turn it into a web server?


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## EdTheEdge (Jan 25, 2007)

Everytime I look through this thread I am even more impressed then I was before!

Thanks for sharing!


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## EdTheEdge (Jan 25, 2007)

Hey that last post was my 300th and now I am Planted Tank Obsessed!

TooCool!


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

mistergreen said:


> why not just install windows and turn it into a web server?


Mostly because I have enough windows experience already, this is just something I want to do to learn


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

I got to play with a Canon Digital Rebel XTi tonight with a buddy and got some decent shots.. These are the first ones I've managed to pick out of several hundred shots... couple nice ones of the discus.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

and another..


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

GDominy said:


> Mostly because I have enough windows experience already, this is just something I want to do to learn


You should install os X. It's more fun than Linux. Os X comes bundled with apache and maybe mysql.


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

AWESOME shots thanks for sharing.


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## jinx© (Oct 17, 2007)

Great Pics :thumbsup:


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## herosipet (Feb 4, 2008)

Thank you for sharing. I hope you won't get tired of sharing on what youre doing. It is very inpirational. Now I am really pumpedup working with my tank. Even with a low budget I will setup my tank to look good. Thank you for inspiring not only me but all that have read your thread.
Keep us updated.


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## Me813 (Sep 29, 2007)

:eek5::eek5::eek5::eek5::eek5::eek5:

Beautiful tank!:thumbsup:


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## tropicalfish (Mar 29, 2007)

Ubuntu Linux!!

Windows is not as powerful.

Beautiful tank, I love the discus!


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Thanks Guys 

The tank has bounced back from an overheat with amazing speed. Much of my Utricularia and HC was severely yellowed and melted, but after a few days of Excel to keep algae at bay, and some serious pruning, its back even thicker then it was before.

I spent a lot of time tonight replanting and fixing some of the plant placements. Certain plants were growing much faster then others and needed to be placed in a more appropriate location (from a light/visual aspect).

Forgive this shot, it was kind of spur of the moment. I dont often see all discus together, let alone swimming like this...


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## Rion (Dec 29, 2006)

It's like you read my mind, I was just about to draw on a picture elaborate circles and arrows of where to move plants but I see you already placed them exactly where I thought they should go, crazy...


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)




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## Erirku (May 9, 2007)

GDominy said:


>


Where is the fourth discus?
Also, try posting some close up of different sections of the tank. Thanks


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

The fourth discus hides from the larger ones sometimes behind the plants. It wasnt being very coperative tonight.

Im going to be taking some more pics soon of the various sections... Was there an area in particular you wanted to see more of?


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## Madfish (Sep 9, 2007)

You know every time I look at the pictures of your tank I have to keep on picking up my jaw for about a hour after Im done looking because all I can do is think how great looking it is. I would love to be able to take pictures like that oh well one day when I win the lotto and have money to get a nice camera I will.


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## n00dl3 (Jan 26, 2008)

Your tank is so sick.... your zebra pleco is definitely a male... Need some pictures of him... if he ever cooperate...


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## weirdo_kid (Feb 17, 2008)

absolutely damn cool tank..its high tech tank 2 thumbs up..


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## brotherd (Jan 22, 2006)

I was going to post pics of my new 110 to show progress from the 55....err WAS!Wow,wow,wow!


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Madfish said:


> You know every time I look at the pictures of your tank I have to keep on picking up my jaw for about a hour after Im done looking because all I can do is think how great looking it is. I would love to be able to take pictures like that oh well one day when I win the lotto and have money to get a nice camera I will.


Thanks  I am actually without a camera at the moment.. my trusty canon died, but a buddy has been most gracious in letting me use his Canon Digital Rebel XTi when he comes over... I'm still learning how to take pics with it, but I really dig the camera.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

n00dl3 said:


> Your tank is so sick.... your zebra pleco is definitely a male... Need some pictures of him... if he ever cooperate...


Hes made quite a cave for himself under the driftwood on teh right hand side. If I'm lucky I see his head, or tail. occasionally a fin.. But I have yet to see him out and about. There are so many places to hide that I never really get to see him. I'm going to camp out with a flashlight in front of the tank on my next day off so I can see if I can spot him though


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## brotherd (Jan 22, 2006)

Bump!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

WOW that is just stunning! I know everyone else has already said this- but it really is an inspirational tank!


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## khoile (Jan 27, 2005)

Wow, beauiful tank, healthy plants, and the fish is just stunning.

Can you share with us your dosing regime? Do you start out with little or no dosing and increase gradually?

Thanks.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Made some more changes.. starting to get an idea for the eventual shape. Took out a few species of plants that werent doing well due to the high heat, and made room for larger groups of the plants that do work.

Major changes to occur as early as tomorrow. I"m tearing out all the Utric. on the left side to expand the HC carpet across the whole front of the tank. I am going to move the Tiger Lotus into the front left corner where it will have room to expand and add some red to the left.

I've added a couple of strands of a new plant to the right side, trying to get a firm ID, but it has a nice complimentary leaf shape to the Hemianthus Micranthemoides so it should look pretty good.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

khoile said:


> Wow, beauiful tank, healthy plants, and the fish is just stunning.
> 
> Can you share with us your dosing regime? Do you start out with little or no dosing and increase gradually?
> 
> Thanks.


I started with the same regime I have been using for a while... I dose my Nitrate up to 10ppm, Phosphate minimally, and cram the tank full of potassium and Iron.

My ferts ahve been done manually every 4 days.. but I'm automating this process and switching over my dosing to computer controlled soon.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Looks outstanding Gareth. Real healthy growth. Any initial algae blooms?

How about a close up of some of the unknown ID's?


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

I agree with you that the left has to change, but its the only weak area of your tank by the way I see it Gareth. I would love to see you expose the wood more on the left side too. The wood is the heart of the tank and seperates it from most other tanks and the plants should compliment its look, instead of hiding it. :wink: 
I like the lotus idea and the extension of the hc but anything that grows tall and hides the wood on the left side I personally would rethink. Maybe you could train the hc to crawl an inch or two up each of the roots on the left to define the legs...that might be cool looking.

Really looking sweet man , great tank !


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## sNApple (Nov 6, 2005)

haha the UG is so high now, any up close pics?


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

the tank looks amazing


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

plants colours looks amazing combined with those discus. i second the UG closeup pic request. what you got floating above those anubiase there?


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

sNApple said:


> haha the UG is so high now, any up close pics?


Nope... I tried to take some cuttings of it this morning and uprooted half of it. I was so ticked off I just ripped it all out. I've replanted that whole area with HC, spread out the plants a bit, and pruned everything really short. 

The right side I have figured out pretty much, but the left I'm still struggling with. I'm going to have to look at some new stuff and see if there is something lower I could try.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)




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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

I hate you man, why do you tease us with your magestic tank?


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## wearsbunnyslippers (Dec 6, 2007)

wow, looking really good!


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

what are those plants between your cuba? the one with round buds..


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

I'm not the first to say this and certainly won't be the last, but your tank truly is magnificent , and like others have said, inspirational! Maybe I should start working at a fish store to supplement my addiction ....though living on a second floor apartment I really can't have a large tank anyway .... sigh .... someday.


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## herosipet (Feb 4, 2008)

Money money money money. I love you man.


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## bigtanklvr (Dec 24, 2007)

Everything looks great, I love the driftwood. One thing bothers me is the stand, you couldn't pay me all the money in the world to trust a few sheets of plywood to hold over a thousand pounds of water, where is the structural support.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

bigtanklvr said:


> Everything looks great, I love the driftwood. One thing bothers me is the stand, you couldn't pay me all the money in the world to trust a few sheets of plywood to hold over a thousand pounds of water, where is the structural support.


When you consider the fact that most aquarium stands are made from particle board or MDF, or even pine boarding, plywood doesnt seem so bad. This stand is supported along the entire back and has 4 vertical supports that are glued and screwed all together. Even the shelves are glued and screwed to the vertical supports and the back. This sucker weighs almost as much as the tank.

This stand has actually been much more solid then the previous stand which was constructed from 2 x 6's and 2 x 8's that eventually warped from the strain.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

i love how your HC forms slopes.


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## phanizzle (Jun 28, 2007)

Wow, Your tank, scaping, setup, and equipment is awesome! Love your discus!


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## Luis138 (Mar 15, 2008)

Amazing, amazing tank. Are those full grown discus? What variety are they?

Luis


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## Mueller777 (Feb 6, 2008)

I'm suprised no one asked how much this is costing, maybe it's dirt cheap and we're just doin it the hard way! haha man you're tank is dope, those Discus must love it.

What would you ball park your investment at?


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

you know what,
I appreciate the subtle use of algae on in your tank. Takes guts and it makes the environment look somewhat natural.


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## JoeHundredAire (Mar 4, 2006)

Amazing!


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## Chrisinator (Jun 5, 2008)

Sweet! Sweet! Sweet! Set-up! I'm really jealous!


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## resowner92 (Jul 23, 2007)

really nice


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Hey this thread is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy overdue for some updates! :biggrin:


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

I agree with Laura!!!!


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## KC21386 (Feb 15, 2008)

I spent basically my entire work day reading every post in this thread. Well, part by part while the boss wasnt looking. Let me say, very, very nice. 

Story with little to no end tho! UPDATE!


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

*I want


*Thread needs an update!!


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## John_Auberry (Nov 2, 2008)

I can smell a reefer from a mile away, LOL the reason i wnet fresh water was to excape the gizmos


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## badmatt (Nov 19, 2003)

updates? LOL


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## fish dork (Jan 13, 2008)

I believe this tank has been broken down and he's now working on an amazing reef tank.


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## EdTheEdge (Jan 25, 2007)

Oftentimes I wondered about this tank and thread. Too bad if it was torn down it had great possibilties.


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

John_Auberry said:


> I can smell a reefer from a mile away...



Yeah, but in this case you can smell him from _at least_ 50 miles away :hihi:.


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