# 20g long build.



## Syren (May 15, 2008)

I think any spray paint will do but be sure to mask ANY interior edges that might have any contact with water. I personally believe just about everything leaches chemicals after a period of time and this is the sort of thing you don't want to test the hard way.


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## youareafever (Mar 18, 2008)

Syren said:


> I think any spray paint will do but be sure to mask ANY interior edges that might have any contact with water. I personally believe just about everything leaches chemicals after a period of time and this is the sort of thing you don't want to test the hard way.


thanks for the reply, i hear you on the leaching thing. im currently cleaning a barrel that use to house some nasty chemicals, i plan to use it as a RO/DI water storage but dont know if my simple cleaning will be enough. still debating what i should do with the barrel.....

which brings up another question, is tap water fine? i know my tap has a tds of about 275ppm which is a concern for an algae bloom in saltwater tank but is this the same in planted tanks?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Krylon fusion is aquarium-safe. I'll get around to using it to spraypaint my filter intakes one of these days...

You can have good results with just about any substrate, truth be told. IDK what part of the country your "rock" is parked in ATM (LOL) but shipping cost was a big factor for me with ADA AS; came out to $90 (cost + shipping) for substrate just for my 29gal! (Same footprint as your tank...) ADA AS is also labor-intensive to cycle, and can be extremely messy every time you replant... that being said, it's also one of the highest nutrient-content substrates on the market ATM, and ppl get great plant results with it. If you're worried about your water being too hard- AS is also great at lowering that for you.

Another option would be to go with AaronT's mineralized soil method. Check out Ingg's tank in the photo journal forum- he's barely needed to dose ferts at all in his tank, and he's even running high light + CO2! (I'll be trying this method when I convert my 46gal to a planted tank...)

If you want a good substrate with nutrients and little startup labor, then go with Eco Complete or Fluorite. I love the new black Fluorite, and that's what I'm using in my 90gal.


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## youareafever (Mar 18, 2008)

thanks for the reply and the advice! i looked up arron's mineralized soil and it seems pretty straight foward. the only thing is i dont think i'll be able to find all of the ingredients locally. dolomite will be especially difficult to come by with out having it shipped here.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

PM Ingg. He's already posted offers to help ppl out with a start-up supply of the materials and only wants costs covered (I've actually got some coming in the mail from him ATM  )


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## youareafever (Mar 18, 2008)

alrite so for today i didnt get much done. just spray painted the 20 long to black. 










and also found its final resting place on the garage patio. 










i went out today to my local lfs to get the pricing on the ADA substrate they have. what i saw on the shelfs were amazonia, amazonia II, malaya, and africana. the guy working there recommended to me the amazonia II. 50 bucks for the largest bag they had which he said would be enough for a 20 long. (im guessing its the 9 liter bag) 

compared to the pond soil found at homedepot it is considerably more expensive....is it true that the pond soil at HD is basically crushed ceramic? 

well anyways, right now i guess i have three option. first is to just get the pond soil and top it off with some sort of sand. second would be to buy the ADA amazonia II. third would be to do arron's mineral soil <--which would take some time to acquire all the ingredients.

and i guess this is were i need ur advice and opinions....

oh and just to add, im thinking of getting the fluval 205 in the future for bio filteration. and still debating on the lighting...


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## kevin007 (Aug 15, 2007)

I too have an empty 20 Gallon, I'll be lookin forward to what you do with yours!

good luck. Btw, stay FAR from fluvals.. please..


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## youareafever (Mar 18, 2008)

thanks! good luck w/ ur set up.

wats wrong w/ fluval?.....ehiem then?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I haven't owned a Fluval canister, but some ppl have had problems with needing to replace the seals regularly due to leaking... other ppl love them.

I happen to love Rena Filstars, and have just bought my first Eheim. Those are the two that I'd personally be able to recommend.

If you go with ADA AS, you might want to look through the substrate section and read up on the difference between Amazonia I and II. II has "fallen from grace" recently b/c it's much more hassle to cycle than I, plus more ppl have problems with "chronic" cloudiness in their tanks.

Yes the Schultz aquatic soil from HD is fired clay- same as Fluorite, SoilMaster/Turface, etc. Clay is high in iron and many other minerals and also has a high CEC, which pulls nutrients from the water column and stores them for the plants.


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## albirdy (Jul 16, 2008)

I have a 20L too that I'm repairing. Will definitely be looking into this thread. keep on!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Are the inside of the rims still brown? I'm probably getting a 55g faux wood trimmed tank for a steal, but hesitated due to the brown rims showing through on the inside (i.e. back of tank) and sticking out like a sore thumb.


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## p3purr (Nov 11, 2006)

macclellan said:


> Are the inside of the rims still brown? I'm probably getting a 55g faux wood trimmed tank for a steal, but hesitated due to the brown rims showing through on the inside (i.e. back of tank) and sticking out like a sore thumb.


It really shouldn't be noticicable but if you're using a background on the tank (not painting it) you can usually stick the background between the glass and the trim. It also keeps water/moisture from getting between the glass and trim.


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## youareafever (Mar 18, 2008)

lauraleelbp: thanks for the heads up on the substrate, i was just checking out the substrate section and it does seem as though alot of people are having issues with amazonia II....hmmm maybe thats why he recommended it too me, to get rid of the stuff...nah the lfs guy seemed pretty cool. 

well besides the fact that im still undecided on substrate i think im leaning towards the ehiem canister filters. ive always loved eheim pumps. 

albirdy: thanks! good-luck with your twenty..u gonna start a thread for it too?.....oh, and i like ur avatar. is that bansky? 

macclellan: it never really caught my eye, or even came across my mind. im sure when i have the lights on the tank it would be more noticeable. ill take a closer pic of the trim to see if it catches w/ flash.


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## youareafever (Mar 18, 2008)

update: spent a couple hours yesterday making a canopy for the 20L. planning on placing two 24 watt T5s in there. 










im gonna retro a t5 set up and planning on using these reflectos with one of these ballast. 

macclellan: heres the pic with trim. 










looks ok to me.


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## youareafever (Mar 18, 2008)

so ive been pretty busy lately and havent had time or the money to do much to the tank. but i did manage to do a couple things. 










primed the interior of the hood, and stained and varnished the exterior. also managed to fashion a overflow w/ extra black acrylic i had. i got a friend to drill the tank for me, which was great. 

















thats it for now, hopefully i get more funds to do more of what i want to do. oh, and i also got a great deal on a fluval 305 practically brand new 40 dollars.


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## mizu-chan (May 13, 2008)

Thats and awesome hood! Looking great :thumbsup: 
Can't wait for you to filled this puppy up, and get some plants in there.


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## youareafever (Mar 18, 2008)

yea i know! i'm itching to put something insides but i have a horrible habit of waiting until i have everything exactly how i want it.


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## blkshdw (Jun 6, 2008)

Nice stand/canopy! Do you have the any DIY pics for the stand/canopy?


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## youareafever (Mar 18, 2008)

^Thanks! but sorry no i didnt think about documenting the process. i can post up some sketch-ups of the basic layout though if you want.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

That canopy doubles the volume of the tank . Really cool overflow. Are you going to paint the back of the tank black?


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## youareafever (Mar 18, 2008)

idk, was wondering if i should.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

I would to make the overflow blend in perfectly


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## youareafever (Mar 18, 2008)

yea, and it would hide all the plumbing too. but then i imagine it would feel constricted, hmmm you got me thinking now.


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## youareafever (Mar 18, 2008)

here are some sketch-ups of what the hood and canopy looked liked as i progressed through the build. 

*cabinet*


































i used all 3/4" birch wood on this cabinet except for the doors and back paneling which i did last. for the doors i used 1/2" birch and the back paneling was 1/4" birch(not pictured). after the build was done i stained and varnished the thing and primed the insides using kilz. 

*Hood*



















i used a combination of 1/2" birch and 3/4" birch on the hood. in the same fashion of the cabinet i primed the interior and stained and varnished the exterior. used regular old hinges on the hood. 

thats it, hope it helps.


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## youareafever (Mar 18, 2008)

so i over tightened the bulkhead and cracked my tank.....


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## Mattco26 (Sep 27, 2007)

That sucks man.


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## p3purr (Nov 11, 2006)

Petco should be having their $1 per gallon sale this coming week, you could pick a new one up pretty cheap.


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## youareafever (Mar 18, 2008)

cool thanks for the heads up.


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