# 29 Gallon Low Tech & DIY Stand (56K!) Retired see pg 3 for new look



## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

I got the tank used on Craigslist, cost me 40 dollars. It came with pea gravel, HOB filter, heater, and some random decor and such. 

I built my own stand for the tank using 2x4s, plywood and door molding.
All the materials and stain cost me about $78.00 as I recall.
Here are a few images of the frame.
















I used an old dish rag glued to the bottom of the stand to protect our hardwood floors from being scratched.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

With the plywood on the sides and top I used door molding to spruce up the stand. I got the molding in packs from a Habitat For Humanity Restore for $1.00 a piece. I think I ended up with 2 or 3 packs.
















I used a flat strip of molding I had laying around to hide the crack between the two doors.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

Staining in process. I put 3 coats of clear coat on top of the stain, I lightly sanded the clear between each coat. 
















And here is the finished product. Eventually the wife (much more artistic than I) is going to paint something on the doors.
















I put a shelf on the inside for storage. I used "L" brackets to hold it in place, the board was one I had laying around.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

This is what the tank looks like now a year after initial setup. There have been various plants changed out over time, and hard scape changes.
About 3 months ago I got a 40 gallon and needed a place to put it. So I moved this tank over to act as a divider between the living room and sitting area. This move made the tank viewable from 2 sides so I did a major rescape to try to put taller plants in the middle and shorter plants on either side. I am always on the look out for more plants for this tank. 
Left side








Right Side


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

Here are a few pictures of the inhabitants.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

More inhabitants








Very hard to get a good picture of this guy as he is camera shy, but definitely not shy of me, anytime I come near the tank he comes up to the top to ask for food.








The Bolivian Ram is my favorite fish in this tank


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

That's all for now, I have been battling cyanobacteria in this tank for about a month now. I'm cutting my lighting period from 12 hours 6 morning 2 hour off 6 hours evening to 8 hours 4 on 2 off 4 on. Before I took these pictures I spent a good hour or two removing it manually with a turkey baster. If the lighting period change doesn't beat it back I'm going to consider macryn or whatever its called.


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## idex (Apr 15, 2010)

Nice Stand.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

idex said:


> Nice Stand.


thanks, really easy to build, sturdy and exercised some wood working skills.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Hey! The tank looks nice and so does the stand. Habitat is a great store. We swap things with them fairly often for our house projects. 

The plants need to fill in a bit but they look healthy for sure. The lighting on this tank looks a lot better than the 40G. I bet the plants like that.

I will confirm the Water Sprite for you. The grass plant I think you got from me. That should be Echinodorus angustifolius.


"1 Emerald Cory (got him used as well)
1 Peppered Cory (him and the Emerald are best buds)" 

Used fish? = ) I find that more than funny! If you want some more cory cats, mine keep spawning!


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

Wingsdlc said:


> Hey! The tank looks nice and so does the stand. Habitat is a great store. We swap things with them fairly often for our house projects.
> 
> The plants need to fill in a bit but they look healthy for sure. The lighting on this tank looks a lot better than the 40G. I bet the plants like that.
> 
> ...


thanks man, like I said I have been battling BBA in this tank. I think I do need to add a 3rd clip on over the 40 gallon. one reason that tank looks darker is the tannins but the T5NO is definitely brighter.

Thanks for the plant names. Next time you do some plant trimming I'd like more of the echinodorus angustifolius. What type of corys do you have breeding?


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Corydoras ehrhardti

I will let you know when I clean up my 20G long.


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## luke20037 (Jan 24, 2010)

really nice tank and stand, love the bud as you work!!
hows the bba, are you considering a black out?


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

luke20037 said:


> really nice tank and stand, love the bud as you work!!
> hows the bba, are you considering a black out?


yeh i had to throw in the beer shot :icon_wink

I'm not sure how the bba is atm, I'm out of town. I cut the lighting down to 8 hrs a day before I left so we shall see how it looks when I get back. I have a thread in the algae section discussing methods of bba elimination and it seems dosing the tank with macryn or something like that is the most effective, but it doesnt address the underlying problem, so I'm hoping my problem was too much light for too long. If that doesnt work I'll try something else. Nuking the tank is a last resort.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

Back in town and the bba situation seems to be improving. I'm gonna go at least a month before the next gravel vac. and I'm gonna keep the photo-period at 8 hours and see how things progress.


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## BradH (May 15, 2008)

Nice tank and stand.


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## brooklyngal (Feb 12, 2011)

room divider planted tank? jealous!!

how do those two (gorgeous) angels get on with the ram? I'm considering trying something similar (though I'd prefer GBR to bolivians) but I'm not looking for aggression.


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## bl4nket (Jul 18, 2011)

nice stand. Did you find a guide to build a stand or you just piece it all together as you were building it?


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

brooklyngal said:


> room divider planted tank? jealous!!
> 
> how do those two (gorgeous) angels get on with the ram? I'm considering trying something similar (though I'd prefer GBR to bolivians) but I'm not looking for aggression.


The ram keeps the angels above the main plant level towards the top of the tank. At feedings he will fend off both angels for algae and shrimp wafers. 
The Koi angel I have noticed is starting to fight back some trying to keep the ram down towards the bottom of the tank. The angels are still fairly young so we will see how things go as the get older. 

I have a youtube video of them interacting I will post it or a link tonight.

In my experience GBRs are way more sensitive to stress than Bolivians and more aggressive. 



bl4nket said:


> nice stand. Did you find a guide to build a stand or you just piece it all together as you were building it?


I looked at threads in the DIY section about tank stands. I drew up a plan for my design based on what I thought would work and what I wanted. I consulted my father who is an engineer and asked him if he thought my design would work, he agreed it would be fine. Then I built it.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

Youtube Videos of the tank. Check'm out.
http://youtu.be/30pXfYm_KwU

http://youtu.be/gnFak--Ggi8


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

Pictures with the wife's camera make me realize how much I need to clean the glass, but I'm gonna share these anyway.








Nice thing about this camera is its shutter speed is fast enough to get clear shots of the faster moving fish. I'll try to get some macros and close up later this week after I do a little tank maintenance. 









Oh I forgot to mention the peliniam or whatever that ivy plant is, is doing really well I have 3 cuttings in this tank and one in my 40 and all are putting out new roots. YAY!


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## BradH (May 15, 2008)

Looking good! Is that a pathos vine or something like that growing out of the top?


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

BradH said:


> Looking good! Is that a pathos vine or something like that growing out of the top?


no idea what it is called. but yeh growing out the top. I got cuttings from my a plant at my work and stuck in the cut ends in the tank and they sprouted roots.


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## BradH (May 15, 2008)

kamikazi said:


> no idea what it is called. but yeh growing out the top. I got cuttings from my a plant at my work and stuck in the cut ends in the tank and they sprouted roots.


Yeah I can't think of the name of it, but I believe it's called pathos or something similar. My friend has some in his kitchen that has grown so much that he his wife tacked to the walls and stuff. It's actually kind of neat to see a vine like that on the walls and ceiling inside a house.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

BradH said:


> Yeah I can't think of the name of it, but I believe it's called pathos or something similar. My friend has some in his kitchen that has grown so much that he his wife tacked to the walls and stuff. It's actually kind of neat to see a vine like that on the walls and ceiling inside a house.



Yup from what I was told the stuff is pretty hard to kill as well.


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## lnstevens (Aug 9, 2010)

Nice looking tank. Are you planning to put a background on it? I think that would definitely give it a better appearance.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

lnstevens said:


> Nice looking tank. Are you planning to put a background on it? I think that would definitely give it a better appearance.


No background as it is viewable from two sides and acts as a room divider.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

Wasn't expecting to update again so soon but I came home from work today to find the angelfish acting suspiciously. Watch things for a moment and discovered they were guarding eggs on the back of one of the ivy leave! 








I think this is the male








I believe this is the female









I'm excited to see what happens, don't have experience with spawning fish, eggs, fry etc so I'm also nervous.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

A few random shots as well
In this shot you can see the outline of the eggs through the leaf and the angels guarding them.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

eggs are gone


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Sorry about the eggs. This was their first go at it. Some times it takes them a couple of times to get it right (hopefully we do better in our own parenting!).


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

Wingsdlc said:


> Sorry about the eggs. This was their first go at it. Some times it takes them a couple of times to get it right (hopefully we do better in our own parenting!).


True that!


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

*Update*

Update time.

After killing the BGA in this tank things are really starting to look good. 

I began dosing according to Tom Barr's "EI Dosing Light for Less Techy Folks" combined with daily dosing of Excel. 

Plants have been changed and moved around some since the last post. But this big difference is in the water sprite and pretty good difference in my amazon sword. The angelfish destroyed the parrots feather. I put Alternanthera reinecki in its place and its doing great.

Fish are all doing well. The angelfish have had two unsuccessful breeding sessions. I'm not really want to breed them, but it would be cool to see fry hatch at least once. 

Anyways, the pictures (really should have taken these after I did my tank maintenance but I was impatient.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

*Update*


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

very nice tank, plants and animals


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Nice shots! I really like the stress line through the ram's eye. Only one of mine has that. 

A nice planting of stems down the middle, kept thick and about mid height would look nice.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

Wingsdlc said:


> Nice shots! I really like the stress line through the ram's eye. Only one of mine has that.
> 
> A nice planting of stems down the middle, kept thick and about mid height would look nice.


yeh, I'm thinking of taking the clips from the water sprite and lining it down the middle and move the blyxa to outer edges. Maybe take the alternanthera and put it in the middle as well giving some contrast the the water sprite. The water sprite is doing really well now that the BGA is gone.


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## DrewWoodside (Apr 1, 2008)

kamikazi said:


> yeh, I'm thinking of taking the clips from the water sprite and lining it down the middle and move the blyxa to outer edges. Maybe take the alternanthera and put it in the middle as well giving some contrast the the water sprite. The water sprite is doing really well now that the BGA is gone.


I'm just wondering, does your Bolivian ever chase after one of the angels? I"m guessing probably not since it's a pair of angels and they are noticeably bigger. Just wondering. Mine does from time to time


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

DrewWoodside said:


> I'm just wondering, does your Bolivian ever chase after one of the angels? I"m guessing probably not since it's a pair of angels and they are noticeably bigger. Just wondering. Mine does from time to time


Turns out the Bolivian ram is now dead. The angelfish beat him up pretty bad during one of their spawns, unfortunately I was unable to save him. To answer your question, no he never bothered them except if there was a wafer at the bottom he would chase them away from it. 

Update on the tank....
Water Sprite is now spread in a line down the middle of the tank. The angelfish spawn every couple weeks. So far none of the babies have survived much beyond a week after becoming free swimming. I'm not trying to be a breeder so its not the end of the world. 

Everything else is going as normal. Need to get some new pictures up.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Sorry to hear about your ram. One of these days I should hook you up with a couple of mine. I am starting to think that the six in my 75 might be too many. I would also like to do some Apistos at some point. 

How about this, before March 1st we update pictures of our tanks? I need to do the same. Mine is a bit of a mess right now though.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

*Big Picture Update!*

These pics are about a month or two old now but aside from plant growth and trimming nothing has really changed. The big alternanthera is now growing up and horizontally across the tank at the water surface The angelfish spawns never grow up. They spawn about every two weeks and end up eating the fry, letting them be eaten or they die...I haven't actually witnessed the demise of a spawn yet. But thats ok I don't have room for raising angelfish.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

Wingsdlc said:


> Sorry to hear about your ram. One of these days I should hook you up with a couple of mine. I am starting to think that the six in my 75 might be too many. I would also like to do some Apistos at some point.
> 
> How about this, before March 1st we update pictures of our tanks? I need to do the same. Mine is a bit of a mess right now though.



At this point I'm not sure where I would put a Bolivian Ram, I guess in my 40 with the Asian fish since its likely any in the 29 would just get harassed by the angelfish parents. I'd happily take a couple off your hands I love bolivians.


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

Well it looks like I failed at my own challenge. Will try and snap a few shots of the tank tonight. 

Really like the shots of the angle fish fry. Breeding fish is a blessing and a curse all at the same time. Sometimes it is really hard to get rid of baby fish when you don't have room for them.

Looks like your tank is turning into a jungle. Doesn't take long sometimes.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

*time for another update 4/25/12*

Another big update, as you can tell I have run out of room for plants in the tank, so I decided to look into ripariums. I also drew inspiration from the Planted HOB thread. 

I got the planters (shower caddies) for like 2 bucks at dollar general. The foam for the peninsulas I had lying around from electronic packaging.

I'm waiting to get some hydroton for the planters. I'm also on the look out for additional plants for the foam peninsulas and the one planter. 

Here is what the tank looks like now.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

More....


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

Cleaned the tank and glass and I got the wife's Canon to take these.


















Left side









Right side









HOB Filter 1









HOB Filter 2









Full tank shot.


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## Soujirou (Jun 16, 2008)

I really like you tank. It's pretty cool that your angelfish are healthy enough to spawn all the time. Do you know what those plants are in the front on the right side?


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## Digs (Jun 15, 2011)

Love the stand and the riparium plants growing out of the top.. Nice tank!


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

Soujirou said:


> I really like you tank. It's pretty cool that your angelfish are healthy enough to spawn all the time. Do you know what those plants are in the front on the right side?


Thanks, pretty annoying that they spawn all the time too. makes it hard to do tank maintenance b/c if there are eggs or fry they will attack my hand.

I'm assuming you are referring to the FTS of the right side of the tank, in that case the plants in the front on the right are crypts (not sure which variety though)



Digs said:


> Love the stand and the riparium plants growing out of the top.. Nice tank!


Thanks!


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Love the co-opting of the filters for planters. Tank looks great.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

This setup has been retired and turned into THIS SETUP


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