# After a 2 year break, my new 20g Long tank!



## Sd760 (Apr 25, 2011)

Welcome. Looks like an amazing start to a great journal. Stocking?


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## minicrazy592 (Apr 1, 2010)

Haven't decided just yet.


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## iadubber (Jan 23, 2012)

any updates?


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## Sd760 (Apr 25, 2011)

Look forward to updates. And do u mind telling us how much those fixtures were?


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## minicrazy592 (Apr 1, 2010)

iadubber said:


> any updates?





Sd760 said:


> Look forward to updates. And do u mind telling us how much those fixtures were?


Update coming later tonight. I've been meaning to update for awhile now. 

And the fixtures were $9/piece from Ikea.


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## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

looking good


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## mitchfish9 (Apr 30, 2012)

looking amazing so far


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## minicrazy592 (Apr 1, 2010)

Sorry for the delay guys! Since starting the tank I bought a new camera as the old one took a crap in the middle of planting. So unfortunately I don't have any pics of the first few weeks. The tank was cycled after 8 days and I added fish on the 18th of October. 

*Flora: *
10 Dwarf Hairgrass pots
20 Dwarf Baby Tears pots
6 Stems of Red Hornwort- soon to be gone 

*Livestock: *
4 Licorice Gouramis 
5 Micro Rasporas (Boraras Micros)
1 Unknown Tetra (he blends in with the gouramis and may think he is one) 
4 Ghost Shrimp
2 Cory Cats
1 Horseface Loach


Bits came in from Amazon. The UV sterilizer was for this tank. 



























ADA Powder


















Routing behind the tank 


















Different so no mixing up inflow and outflow










Sterilizer mounted up underneath



















Plants 





































Solution for a bunch of tiny runners



















Lily Pipes












Fast forward a couple of weeks 























































Plants have runners going 



















Did a trim the other night 




















Fish seem to love this 












I've been fighting with the carpet. I think its a mixture of not enough light and not enough current. I'll be trying some experiments later this week to help.


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## StraightAddicted (May 20, 2012)

Very nice setup, love the pictures of the difference of the reflective paint difference. Really shows what some people don't realize how much it may change the light output. Good luck with getting the current and light mix to figure it out.


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## KenRC51 (Oct 13, 2011)

Very nice, I love it!! Looks like the DHG are mixing in with the HC. 

Is that a IKEA $20 coffee table you have your tank on?

I also feed me fish the Hakira Micro Pelets too and they love it.


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## Matt1977 (Feb 17, 2012)

That's great! Love that eheim filter too!


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

Wow I'm loving the light fixtures!


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## minicrazy592 (Apr 1, 2010)

KenRC51 said:


> Very nice, I love it!! Looks like the DHG are mixing in with the HC.
> 
> Is that a IKEA $20 coffee table you have your tank on?
> 
> I also feed me fish the Hakira Micro Pelets too and they love it.


Indeed it is. Surprising sturdy once you put it together with some glue. This is my second 20g long using this table. Works great!



Matt1977 said:


> That's great! Love that eheim filter too!


Me too. I do wish it was a bit stronger tho. 



sayurasem said:


> Wow I'm loving the light fixtures!


Speaking of them, a little teaser of the next update.


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## Animanganime (Sep 28, 2012)

Haha I have the same Ikea table, same two Ikea lamps (that I use when I do maintenance and what not) and same tank (but with the top rim taken off)


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

May I know what brand or item number for the table? I was going to make DIY stand but if its $20 from ikea I could just avoid the hassle


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## minicrazy592 (Apr 1, 2010)

Lack 36" coffee table article #: 000.950.36


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## maxwellag (Mar 30, 2012)

Looking good! My only suggesting is to move the rocks over to one side more. Usually it looks better when the focal point is not centered.


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## alipper (Nov 6, 2012)

Love the setup, I'm trying to get ideas for a 5 gallon I'm going to set up soon. I'd love to do a scape similar to yours, just mini.


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## devilduck (May 9, 2012)

How long does the PB co2 kit last with a 20L? I'm looking into going pressurized with mine.


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

My PB is good for several months on my 20L.


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## minicrazy592 (Apr 1, 2010)

devilduck said:


> How long does the PB co2 kit last with a 20L? I'm looking into going pressurized with mine.





Betta Maniac said:


> My PB is good for several months on my 20L.


The PB setup you guys are seeing is for my 12g tank. I'm using a 5 lb bottle and some regulator off of [Ebay Link Removed] It just happened to come in with other stuff. 

That being said, it works great and I actually just bought a second one for the 30-C a couple of days ago. 



alipper said:


> Love the setup, I'm trying to get ideas for a 5 gallon I'm going to set up soon. I'd love to do a scape similar to yours, just mini.


Thanks! Try to get as much elevation change as possible. Mine sort of settled out over time. :/



maxwellag said:


> Looking good! My only suggesting is to move the rocks over to one side more. Usually it looks better when the focal point is not centered.


Considering it in the upcoming "mini" rescape.


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## Option (Oct 2, 2010)

Looking good so far. Where are the lily pipes from? I have the same 2213 filter and I'm presently looking for a set of lily pipes.


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## minicrazy592 (Apr 1, 2010)

Option said:


> Looking good so far. Where are the lily pipes from? I have the same 2213 filter and I'm presently looking for a set of lily pipes.


A company off of ebay based in Taiwan. Takes almost a month to come in, but good quality. I had to take it off the tank though because it didn't produce enough flow to reach all of the tank.


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## KenRC51 (Oct 13, 2011)

How does that ikea coffee table works? I have one too but its not for my tank. I'm just afraid that if I do use it, it will not support the weight and might warp the wood (reconstruction wood).


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## dougolasjr (Mar 3, 2010)

I like the tank and pics especially of the ehim.


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

i admire the simplicity of the scape. your minimal selection of plants and choice in fauna; you present a wonderful scale and depth that is deceptive of the true size of the tank, great job! 


- thefisherman


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## iadubber (Jan 23, 2012)

thefisherman said:


> i admire the simplicity of the scape. your minimal selection of plants and choice in fauna; you present a wonderful scale and depth that is deceptive of the true size of the tank, great job!
> 
> 
> - thefisherman


X2, that's what I went with on my current 20g long. Something overly simple, yet looks very beautiful.


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## minicrazy592 (Apr 1, 2010)

KenRC51 said:


> How does that ikea coffee table works? I have one too but its not for my tank. I'm just afraid that if I do use it, it will not support the weight and might warp the wood (reconstruction wood).


Yes it's particle board, but it's completely solid. I ran my 20g long SW tank with 75 lbs of live rock, moved it a couple of times in 2 years without any issues of warping. The table is surprisingly strong. 




dougolasjr said:


> I like the tank and pics especially of the ehim.





thefisherman said:


> i admire the simplicity of the scape. your minimal selection of plants and choice in fauna; you present a wonderful scale and depth that is deceptive of the true size of the tank, great job!
> 
> 
> - thefisherman





iadubber said:


> X2, that's what I went with on my current 20g long. Something overly simple, yet looks very beautiful.


Thanks guys! 


Trimmed the tank again about a week ago. The algae problem is slowly going away and the HC carpet has made a complete comeback. That being said the tank looks completely different in a week from what you see in these pics. I'll see if I can snap some tomorrow. It's due for another trim as well. 




























I still need to buy a real heater as you can see. Also need to run new CO2 lines as they're too short with the diffuser on the other side.

And for giggles my 12g after its rescape.


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## tinkerpuppet (Feb 13, 2010)

Love this tank! It's so peaceful, and really does look natural.


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## KenRC51 (Oct 13, 2011)

Looks really nice. Did you wanted the DHG to mix in with the HC?


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

wow that blue leds really turned the green tank rims blue!


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## minicrazy592 (Apr 1, 2010)

KenRC51 said:


> Looks really nice. Did you wanted the DHG to mix in with the HC?


Not exactly. Nothing I can do at this point though. 




sayurasem said:


> wow that blue leds really turned the green tank rims blue!


Just a bit. The light is a nice blend of white for aesthetics and red/blue for the plants.


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## Overgrowth (Feb 19, 2012)

Wow. At first I wasn't really liking the rock scape, but you made it work really well for this tank. You really did a good job!


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## minicrazy592 (Apr 1, 2010)

Took some quick pics tonight:


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## iadubber (Jan 23, 2012)

So simple and beautiful!


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## minicrazy592 (Apr 1, 2010)

iadubber said:


> So simple and beautiful!


Thanks  



And some more: 

Rasbora's schooling 






















The "alpha" gourami inspecting his troops: 











And the carpet in its glory


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## minicrazy592 (Apr 1, 2010)

So long over due update. Since my last post, plants have been trimmed a couple of times. Also built a new stand out of Ikea bits as I was tired of looking down at my tank. Don't mind my heater, it's a bit cold in Austin these days.  











































Normally the CO2 tank would be here, but it was getting refilled.











Easy access to valves and filter's power strip for feeding time. 











And the plants:


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## Ben. (Mar 29, 2011)

Looks so lush! Are you having any problems trimming the HC since the hairgrass is also growing in the same area?


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## minicrazy592 (Apr 1, 2010)

No I just trim the hairgrass flush with the tops of the HC. I actually need to do it again.


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## ACFishTank (Jul 26, 2004)

Great setup! I like the rasboras..


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## minicrazy592 (Apr 1, 2010)

Quick look at something I did today...


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## skystrife (Feb 20, 2010)

I really like the wood placement there! (I think I prefer it compared to the rock scape before)

Much more depth than before.


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## iadubber (Jan 23, 2012)

WOW, that looks really nice!


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## Mumford (Nov 12, 2012)

Subscribed


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## moorin (Jun 16, 2009)

Wow really nice tank i love the simplicity as less is sometimes more!

Suprised with the ikea table holding as I bought one and cut it open it's chipboard around the sides but cardboard honeycomb in the middle lol


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## gorally (Feb 15, 2013)

Great setup and great turf you have. Can I ask if the UV sterilizer help reduce hair algae?


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## PeterN1986 (Jun 15, 2011)

Excellent tanks! Definitely good scape inspirations here.


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## Cyanider (Mar 1, 2013)

Was this a standard Petco 20g long tank? Did you have to do anything special to de-rim it? I've heard the rim may cover up some nasty glass/silicone work.


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## scapegoat (Jun 3, 2010)

very nice


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## Virto (Dec 6, 2012)

Cyanider said:


> Was this a standard Petco 20g long tank? Did you have to do anything special to de-rim it? I've heard the rim may cover up some nasty glass/silicone work.


It looks like a typical Aqueon or similar 20L. Derimming isn't hard, but it is time consuming - the silicone is often really bad.

I love this tank. I love the simplicity, and I love the new wood.


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