# Jade_dragon71's 135 gallon** Disaster on 4/10/2013 **



## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

Here is our official site that has all of our journal info about the tank. 

http://aquaria.tswn.com


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

Sump is in

http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=8&forum=4


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

It looks like it is comming along good! I can't wait to see it up and running, and like you can't! LOL I am a fellow woodworker, and your stand and hood look GREAT!!

Keep the pics posted!
Drew:thumbsup:


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## uncskainch (Feb 22, 2005)

Great looking start! What plants and livestock do you have in mind?


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

uncskainch said:


> Great looking start! What plants and livestock do you have in mind?



Thanks! As far as plants go, I've been buying up as many fast growing stems as I can through swap and shop here. So far I have sunset hygro, red ludwigia, a couple of different bacopas, cabomba, moneywort, hornwort, macandra, and anacharis for bunches. Also have some jungle val and micro sword that I definitely want to get the tank started out with, too. My melon sword, aponogeton, crypts, and java fern may get transfered over, too, but I'm undecided as of yet on that. Oh, I definitely plan on getting some glosso when we get it up and running...I'm out of room in our 55 now!

At first I thought I'd just transfer all the current tank residents of the 55 gallon over to the 135- guppies, platies, cory cats, weather loach, 2 clown plecos, one common pleco, cherry and ghost shrimp. Now, I'm debating on putting the shrimp in the sump area and aquiring angels, rams, and a school of rasboras. The livebearers don't really "fit", do they? I just don't have the heart to give up my guppies since I like them so much, but Tim has me convinced that the larger tank needs some larger fish as well. The 55 will become a mbuna tank, so definitely can't put the poor gups in there, lol....

I don't know...maybe I'll keep the guppies to the sump area, and use the "excess" batches of fry to feed to the angels. Don't quite know what to do yet livestock wise....help!


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

BoxxerBoyDrew said:


> It looks like it is comming along good! I can't wait to see it up and running, and like you can't! LOL I am a fellow woodorker, and your stand and hood look GREAT!!
> 
> Keep the pics posted!
> Drew:thumbsup:


Here are some more pics of the stand stained. 

http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=9&forum=4

The durso's are completed. The water level in the overflow is going to be around 1.5 inches below the display tank water level.


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## Fishyfan (Dec 5, 2005)

tama_drummer_73 said:


> Here are some more pics of the stand stained.
> 
> http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=9&forum=4
> 
> The durso's are completed. The water level in the overflow is going to be around 1.5 inches below the display tank water level.


wow dude, nice car:eek5: 

i like how the stain turned out on the stand


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## fishyboy (Nov 16, 2003)

Very nice car... And even though after the car the tanks kind of set off to the back of my mind I like how the stand currently looks and would definatly go low gloss.

Dave


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

Haha, yeah the car is a blast to tool around in. It runs VERY strong. Im trying to match the finish to the dining room table we have in the same room. Its high gloss, so thats my reasoning for going with gloss.


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Returns are built*

Here is a pic of the return pipes fully assembled. In the pic you can see the durso's are assembled as well.

http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10&post_id=19#forumpost19


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

*The stand is done and at home.... now for the hood...*

Well good news, I finished the stand this past week, and had to let the final coat of varnish harden for 72 hours before I took the stand home. Its at home now and the tank is now on it. It turned out much better than I had hoped. I had to cut a hole in the side to allow us to get the sump in. 

You can view the pics here.

http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=11&post_id=20#forumpost20


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Plumbing started on the tank....*

Well I've started on the plumbing. I've finished the mockup of the piping for the inlets. Some pieces are glued, the connections to the bulkheads are not glued. I still have to add some pipe clamps to keep the pvc in place while under load. 

You can view the pics here.

http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12&post_id=21#forumpost21

Im still working on how I am going to plumb the return lines, as I have limited space on the back side of the sump. I dont think it will be too much of a problem, but you never really know.


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## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

tama_drummer_73 said:


> Well good news, I finished the stand this past week, and had to let the final coat of varnish harden for 72 hours before I took the stand home. Its at home now and the tank is now on it. It turned out much better than I had hoped. I had to cut a hole in the side to allow us to get the sump in.
> 
> http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=11&post_id=20#forumpost20


So the front of the stand doesn't open? It looks really nice, BTW! What size did you end up with for the sump? I guess you are planning to put some tall plants in front of the durso etc? Thanks for sharing. Wide angle shots are nice to get perspective on the plumbing, FWIW.


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

Betowess said:


> So the front of the stand doesn't open? It looks really nice, BTW! What size did you end up with for the sump? I guess you are planning to put some tall plants in front of the durso etc? Thanks for sharing. Wide angle shots are nice to get perspective on the plumbing, FWIW.


Yeah the front of the tank does open, but the opening isn't large enough for the sump. lol! I will trim out the piece of the stand that I had to cut out with 1x2 oak. I dont plan on leaving a gaping hole there LOL!! My goal is to make another door fashioned the same way that the other doors are. Not hard to do. 

To answer your question about the sump, I went with a 38 gallon sump. As far as sharing info, anything that I can share back to the community is just a small token of appreciation. Quite a few people helped me out by providing me ideas and whatnot, so I am just returning the favor by doing the same. 

Thanks!


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

Here is a couple pics of the piping painted.

http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=5&forum=4


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Pic of the door assembled and stained*

Here is a pic of the door that was cut out of the side. I worked on it this past weekend and got the trim pieces router'd and stained.

http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=13&post_id=23#forumpost23


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Ordered the pump yesterday*

Well we are getting closer and closer to getting water in the tank. The pump should be here some time this week. Once that happens, I will be able to finish up the plumbing and start to work on the electrical. The foam is now in between the tank and the stand as per the manufacturers specs. That was an experience trying to get home. Anyway, I will post more pics as I get them. I've stained the hood, and the sump door trim. I've added 2 coats of varnish, and will add another coat today. It should start shining up pretty good real soon.


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Gooooooooood Lord!!!*

Well, we finally ordered the rest of the equipment today. This is what we will be running lighting, temperature control, and CO2 wise.

LCD ProheatII 350 watt heater

Milwaukee Regulator
Milwaukee SMS122 ph controller

R2 Solutions 24" Signature Series Moonlight (2) - Led Lights
4 - 96 watt Bright Kit with 2 96watt 10K bulbs, and 2 96 watt 67k bulbs. 

One question that I do have is what everyone recommends for timers. I've seen a few that "might" work, but for the most part they don't have enough timing options for what I need. Any & all suggestions are always appreciated.


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Canopy is finished*

The canopy is finished. Here is the linky....

http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=14&post_id=24#forumpost24


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Lights are installed!!*

Well I installed the lights tonight. OMG. I think I have retina damage!! LOL!! Here are the pics....

http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=16&post_id=27#forumpost27


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

Yup, those things will blind the sun. I LOVE them. 

Great hardware work too, this is going to be a fun aquarium to work with.


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

Thanks! 

I decided that I am going to have to put a back on the canopy. It lets out too much of the light. By doing that, it will allow me to hide all of the lighting guts, and use the grommets that were included in the AHS lights. 

I am totally digging the moon lights. What a COOL way to light your tank. I would have taken pics of the tank with the 96'rs on, but it amplified the dust that the tank has gathered while we have been working on this build. It was funny, I had the wife, help me put the canopy on the tank, and then I turned it on and thought, OMG, the tank is filthy! The lights are going to be great! 

Oh btw, what does everyone use for timers? I want something that I can mount in the canopy. I was looking at some of those timers that were digital. The ones that can control your wave makers, sorry cant remember the manufacturer off the top of my head.

I think if I did that, it would clean up the install quite a bit.

Anyway, the next step is finishing the plumbing, attaching the overflow covers and installing the CO2 equipment when it arrives. I have got to install some electrical outlets in the base yet. I plan on doing that tonight, along with the pump / plumbing.


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Okay, here's a few reaaaalllly bad pics of our crummy looking 55. (Only 2 wpg, Hagen CO2) Just to show what will be going in the new tank...soon, soon, soon! (Maybe not THAT soon, but here's to wishing!) I already have "collectoritis", don't I?? In addition to what you *might* be able to see in there, I'm going to also put corkscrew vals and glosso in the new one, as well. As you can see, I've had this ongoing battle with BBA, mainly in tufts on the substrate, the filter intake, and just recently, on my driftwood. Can't wait for pressurized CO2 and decent lighting.

No aquascape was even attempted on this tank. I've just been throwing them in there and seeing if they'll grow.

I've also recently gotten my feet wet with ferts, too.

Once again, not proud of this tank, but it beats plastic for now.


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Tim came home from making corner pieces for the tank, and saw my (lack of) photography skills.:redface: So he took a couple pics that look much better.

The corner pieces are awesome! They need to be slightly adjusted in size, stained, and varnished to match the stand and canopy, but I can already tell they are gonna look fab.


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Corner Pieces Built*

Here are the corner pieces that I constructed tonight. As Mel said, they have yet to be stained or varnished.



http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=17&post_id=28#forumpost28


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Okay, Tim's been hard at it again today.  He finished up the plumbing on the sump, stained the corner pieces, we filled the tank, and he's been tweaking how it's all set.


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Busy, busy day......*

Boy what a busy day for me. I finished up the corner pieces, added bracing for the pvc pipe under the tank, finished plumbing the sump, filled the tank, started tweaking the durso's, and started on the electrical installation. We probably would have drained the tank again, but a pipe under the kitchen sink decided to implode on itself. So needless to say, I'm beat...... 

You can view some more pics here.
http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=18&post_id=29#forumpost29


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## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

Wow, I love seeing an empty blue tank full of potencial. Keep the pics coming!:thumbsup:


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

Haha! Yeah, today was pretty much the day from hell. I had to break the tank down and fix a couple leaky connections. In the end, we got all of the connections leak proof, and now the biggest obsticle is the noisy pump. Damn, sounds like an air pump with no vibration protection. Anyone have any suggestions on quieting down a noisy pump? Ours is the little giant brand.


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Under Tank Electrical Is Finished*

Well the electrical is finished for the base. I am still debating on whether or not to add another box for the lights. 


http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=19&post_id=30#forumpost30


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Blue Line 30X.... ONE QUIET PUMP!!!!*

I have to say, this pump is one quiet pump. Powerful, quiet, and cheaper than the Little Giant that I purchased originally. Can't beat that. Anyway, here is a pic of the pump in action. Glad to have water circulating again! 


http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=20&post_id=31#forumpost31


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

*First round of pics with plants!!*

Well after 2 months of construction, the tank is now up and running. It is very sparse right now, but it will fill in quickly as soon as the C02 is up and running. We still are waiting on the CO2 tank to get here and to get filled. We haven't added the fish yet. That will be done soon enough......

Here are the pics.....

http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=21&post_id=32#forumpost32


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Finally planted! No aquascape during the "break in" phase, just threw some fast-growers in there. Well, except for the red lotus and the Amazon Sword.  The sword actually started out as two larger ones, but then one of my plecos decided to rasp them both beyond recognition.......I had to put them both together and it made one little pathetic baby plant. 

Pretty sparse, and very dull for sure, but I'm very tickled about how the lights look at least!! We're supposed to receive our empty CO2 tank Tuesday, and no chance to go get it filled til next Saturday, but I couldn't wait to plant it any longer. The pool filter sand was very hard to find, and I'm very glad we managed to get some.


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Re-arranged a bit....didn't like how it looked. Even though this is the start-up phase and not how I'm wanting it to be for good, I still want to like the way it looks enough to be able to stand it. Forgive my poor photography skills...any suggestions on future scaping and plant choices would be welcomed! I do want to find at least one more piece of driftwood- preferably a large one.


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## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

Wow, that looks great. I love the stain... Cherry? Red Oak? And its contrast with the off white sand. I could see a nice long and big/elegant piece of grapevine with lots of moss growing on it dead center. Great job of hiding the sump return overflows. I can barely tell they are there! Another thought on long range plants. I love both Crinum calemestratums and Crypt. balansae (green variety). Maybe in a corner where the long strap leaves of the balansae will flow with the currents. Marselia as a foreground plant.


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

Thanks!!

The stand is constructed out of red-oak. I used "Minwax Dark Walnut" stain on it. It was the closest color that I could find that matched our dining room table and chairs. I used the "Minwax Rub-on" varnish to add the protective gloss finish to it. Mel has worked real hard on planting this behemoth, and I know she isn't satisfied yet. Any suggestions are VERY much welcomed. I really dig the idea of the grapevine. 

Where can you find grapevine that is prep'd for tank use? If you have it growing locally, what do you do to treat it so that it can be used in the tank?

The only problems we are having right now are ones dealing with evaporation. No lids on the sump yet. I suspect that having lids will curb the evaporation quite a bit. We really haven't had to many issues with the way that the "system" actually works. I am having a bit of trouble getting a durso, which is on the right side of the tank, to flow as fas as the one that is on the left. I read that its because of the long length of pipe that I am using. So needless to say, I am still playing with the airflow on it. Its not the fact that it doesn't flow, but I think that it just needs alot more tweaking. 

I had to throttle back the output of the pump to get a flow that wouldn't "suck" the inhabitants into the overflows, because it will. All in all the tank has turned out just like what I had imagined. I had to change a few things while I was building the system, but for good reasons, not because the wouldn't fit, or whatnot. The only major change was the pump. Little giant makes NOISY pumps. The pumps are VERY powerful, but VERY LOUD. Blueline is the manufacturer that we ultimately went with, and for good reason. They make, in my oppinion, the best pumps out there. Powerful, and super quiet. Hell the water makes more noise than the pump does, and thats the way it should be.

Thanks for all of your comments, please keep them coming!


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## RoseHawke (Mar 10, 2004)

How did I miss this thread? What a totally cool tank. You're obviously a craftsman, everything is so neat and professional. If/when I get my 125 I can do it half so well I'll be happy .



tama_drummer_73 said:


> ". . . I used the "Minwax Rub-on" varnish to add the protective gloss finish to it. . ."


You can make your own rub on poly, just buy the regular stuff and cut it with mineral spirits. This is what I do. Waaaaay cheaper and better IMHO. I love doing a rub on finish, it's so easy compared with trying to get a smooth, even, drip-free coat using full-strength poly. Five or six coats of that followed up with wax (if it's something that's not going to be exposed to water) . . . :thumbsup: .

You can usually find grapevine at a craft store such as Michael's, or sometimes at a chain pet-shop in the reptile section I believe. It won't be prepped as such, I imagine you'll have to boil it and/or soak it for a period of time to get it to sink.


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

RoseHawke said:


> How did I miss this thread? What a totally cool tank. You're obviously a craftsman, everything is so neat and professional. If/when I get my 125 I can do it half so well I'll be happy .


Thank You! I guess the neat and tidy thing comes from my dad and my granddad. Plumb & level. When I build anything, I try to adhere to that set of rules. I am still routing wires etc... as we are not 100% done with the stand equipment. I am going to have to build some sort of lid for the sump so that the inflows can pass through the lid, and still have the ability to be taken out of the tank. I have some ideas, just need to see if they will work or not.

We will be in Wichita on April 7th, so a trip to Michaels will definately be in order.

Thanks for the comment!


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## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

Not sure where, but Fish stores can order Grapevine. It floats so has to be anchored which is easy. If a big enough piece, over time looks just like bogwood. I would shoot for something not to skinny/stick like, if it was me. I'm on the hunt for some for a new tank myself.


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## BlueRam (Sep 21, 2004)

Big tanks loose quite a lot of water. Covers will help but you need to consider relative surface area.

The flow through the durso is directly proportional to the flow of water into the overflow chamber. Unless the durso is doing suck/fill cycles you are fine.



tama_drummer_73 said:


> The only problems we are having right now are ones dealing with evaporation. No lids on the sump yet. I suspect that having lids will curb the evaporation quite a bit.
> 
> I am having a bit of trouble getting a durso, which is on the right side of the tank, to flow as fas as the one that is on the left. I read that its because of the long length of pipe that I am using. So needless to say, I am still playing with the airflow on it. Its not the fact that it doesn't flow, but I think that it just needs alot more tweaking.


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

Yeah, some times it does the ole suck/fill cycle thing.... I slowed the flow down to the tank, and as a result, I had to retweak the durso. You can tell when the durso flow has matched the return flow, the suck/fill cycle stops. Its irritating though when that cycle starts. Any tips on tuning a durso?


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

*More pics of the tank... Pressurized CO2 installed and running...*

I took more pics of the tank this weekend. Still comtemplating on the diffusion method though. The post on our official tank site explains....

http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=24&post_id=35#forumpost35


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

Well the tank is looking GOOD!! Canopy and stand turned out good too! One question I have thogh is did you have to do away with the painted PVC overflows? I see there are black Plexi with Overflow Teeth cut out around the glass boxes I guess??

The reason I am asking is I have always gone with Sced 80 PVC to get the grey coloring. I am unsure of the Fusion paint being safe for the fish?? I have used Marine paints in Aquariums before, and they are listed safe for Human and Aqualife. As for the Fusion paint I couldn't find anywhere on the cam that said it is safe or potable for drinking water. Did you call or find out from the maker ( I think Dupont) that it is safe!! It will be SUPER if it is, as it will solve a problem with hideing equipment against a black background!!

Well enough about that, keep up the great work and keep the pics coming!
Drew:thumbsup:


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

I checked and it seems that quite a few people have used the fusion paint before. Seems to be working just fine.


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## RoseHawke (Mar 10, 2004)

tama_drummer_73 said:


> Yeah, some times it does the ole suck/fill cycle thing.... I slowed the flow down to the tank, and as a result, I had to retweak the durso. You can tell when the durso flow has matched the return flow, the suck/fill cycle stops. Its irritating though when that cycle starts. Any tips on tuning a durso?


Tim, the only thing I can think of right off is to put some sort of a valve in the little airhole that would be easy to adjust. Perhaps like one of these that you could just twist a bit to tweak. If I'm understanding this right that is. It's up to you to figure out how to get it in there .


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

Actually, I have valves in place... these to be exact... http://plumbing.hardwarestore.com/52-306-needle-valves/angle-needle-valve-101713.aspx

It makes fine tuning them pretty easy. I've got them set pretty decent right now. No cycling to speak of, and they seem to prime pretty easily. Wish the pump was as easy to prime LOL!!


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

BoxxerBoyDrew said:


> Well the tank is looking GOOD!! Canopy and stand turned out good too! One question I have thogh is did you have to do away with the painted PVC overflows? I see there are black Plexi with Overflow Teeth cut out around the glass boxes I guess??
> 
> The reason I am asking is I have always gone with Sced 80 PVC to get the grey coloring. I am unsure of the Fusion paint being safe for the fish?? I have used Marine paints in Aquariums before, and they are listed safe for Human and Aqualife. As for the Fusion paint I couldn't find anywhere on the cam that said it is safe or potable for drinking water. Did you call or find out from the maker ( I think Dupont) that it is safe!! It will be SUPER if it is, as it will solve a problem with hideing equipment against a black background!!
> 
> ...



Drew, it's all still there, he mainly painted them so that the returns would be black. We had planned on the overflow covers from the start. We wanted to make everything we could less obvious.

Thanks for the compliments! Tim has done an outstanding job on everything so far- the staining, varnishing, making corner pieces, all the electrical work, lighting install, CO2, etc, etc, etc! (I'm sure I'm missing something) Now, the fish and plants are my realm, but if I don't watch it, he's gonna bypass me and make me look bad!! (J/K!) All kidding aside, he's a fast study, and having this hobby to share with him has made it twice as fulfilling as the previous 10 years without him. :thumbsup:


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Well, according the KH/ph chart, we are at about 30 ppm CO2 now, but since we have 5ppm phosphates in the tank, I don't know how accurate that is. There's just minimal pearling going on today, quite a contrast from the crazy pearling we had yesterday upon setting the CO2 stuff up. I read somewhere there's a method where you let a tank water sample degas overnight and test the ph. Then drop it a full point from there. Sounds "scary"!! But we are going to try it since the "30 ppm" we have now just seems unbelievable.


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Okay, didn't post any pictures during the good ol diatom phase...too ugly! Had and still have a touch of green algae on the glass surface, but the stuff on the gravel went away while Tim and I were out of town last weekend. 

Got a new mess of plants, and took out all the hornwort and most of the hygro polysperma. (There's still plenty! It just exploded) Also removed my poor pathetic blyxa that was shrinking by the day, the baby Amazon sword, the red lotus, the cabomba, and the corkscrew vals. The cs vals just haven't looked happy since they were put in high light and pressurized CO2, so back to one of the low tech tanks.

I got a mess of awesome plants off of Swap and Shop from Paula (Turbosaurus), and a few freebie rocks from my sis while we were at her place last weekend. I did a nice vigorous vacuuming of the sand before I replanted while I was at it. I failed to find any more driftwood that I liked, so I'm still searching for the "right" one. I also want to add a terraced area or two, but ran out of time, so probably next time. The three new rocks are light grey, so they just jump right out at you, which I don't really love, but I'm going to attach different mosses and pelia to them and the small driftwood I do have. I didn't realize that I put my favorite rock (the tri-colored one) smack dab in the middle til I saw the pics I just took, so that will need to be moved, also. 

I apologize in advance for my lack of picture-taking skills!


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

I couldn't hack how the light-colored rocks just jumped out at you, so tonight I tied down some mosses to slate and my little piece of driftwood. The fishing line looks really crappy- I hope these all fill in quickly.  I also repositioned the rock that was sitting dead center. I think the dark color of the slate is an improvement in itself, but I really love how mosses look in a tank, so with time it should be even better.

As usual, I took crappy pics (Tim was busy making some crab dip), but tonight I actually had a good excuse! I broke my glasses clean in half and can't get them repaired until Monday. So I mananged to find a older pair of contacts, but one of them was ripped, so I'm trying to go off one!! Arggggghhhhh!!!!!!


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## turbosaurus (Nov 19, 2005)

Hi Jade, It looks really good. May I add my two cents? well here it comes anyway. 

Just one thing, I think that cardymine will eventually have to be moved, it will generally grow towards the top on a diagonal, not straight up, and then spread out horizontally as it gets closer and closer to the surface, it generally does better in the back or in a corner. 

but that is okay, beacuse I would also take a minute to move the rotala indica further front, and trim it low (5-6") and replant the trimming to make a nice dense hedge about 5-6" high. I like the smaller leaved plants in small dense mounds like that, I don't like them when they get tall and stringy. I like to leave BIG to those plants that can pull it off in a more impressive manner- liek the hygro balsamica or the l.sessiliflora. 

The ammania looks great and that l. aromatica should start to send out side shoots all over the place now that it has a little room to grow. I can't wait to see it as it matures.


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

turbosaurus said:


> Hi Jade, It looks really good. May I add my two cents? well here it comes anyway.
> 
> Just one thing, I think that cardymine will eventually have to be moved, it will generally grow towards the top on a diagonal, not straight up, and then spread out horizontally as it gets closer and closer to the surface, it generally does better in the back or in a corner.
> 
> ...



Paula, thanks for the compliment, and thanks even more for your advice!! I don't mind that a bit, I'm a little lost when it comes to the whole aquascaping thing. 

I'm not happy with the whole left corner cardimine/rotala/l.aromatica thing myself, just didn't know what I could do with it. I would'nt have ever thought of trimming the indica down to a hedge, but I'm sure gonna try it. I bet that would look great. So what do you suggest I do with the l.aromatica? I'm not sure it likes that high current area, so I want to move it the center more. But where to is a big question since I have kinda a red cluster with the ammania and myrio. I'm afraid all that color in one area would be too much there and not enough spread around. (Although the gorgeous lavender hues would be great with that peach-tipped rotala....Hmmmmm!)



I also thought I might place the cardimine close to the driftwood, but I don't want to obscure my awesome weeping moss as it fills in!


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Okay, hopefully third time will be a charm for me. Here's a link to what I did today, complete with my ramblings. I really need to borrow the In-Laws' camera again....it takes much better pics.

http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=29&post_id=40#forumpost40


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

NOPE....third time wasn't a charm!! I'm just now going through algae bad enough to piss me off to do a H202 dip on some plants. I know, I know, just a bandaid, but I'm addressing some other issues to try to correct it. (C02 and ferts, to be exact.)

So, I figured since I had to pull plants out to do the deed, I might as well just change what I didn't like while I was at it. 

I didn't like the "concave" shape at all for my tank. In theory, having tall plants disguise the overflow boxes would've been great, but since the outflow is also located over in the corners, my tall plants just kept flapping in the breeze. Not cool! Plus, having them there seemed to interfere with flow to the rest of the tank. I think I like this new one better. I think. 

I have too many different kinds of plants. Plain and simple! Hopefully THIS "scape" will last while I sort out my CO2 and fert issues. Then, I can decide on which stems are staying, and which will be doled out to other tanks.

I had my LFS order some driftwood. I don't like my little dinky one for this tank. 

http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=30&post_id=41#forumpost41


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

I guess I should update since it's been just almost a month since my last one. I've actually left things alone, and just let it grow in while waiting on the driftwood soaking in buckets. I plan on getting that in there this weekend, but the jungle needs cut back first.  I'll take pics of that once we git'r done.

http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=33&forum=4


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Okay, this update is actually "old" since I took the pictures on May 30, but we had a server go down on us and technical difficulties getting my machine to where I could access my photos. (Oddly enough, Tim's end was working PDQ, lol.........) There's been some growth, to put it mildly, so I'll take some more shots this weekend hopefully.


http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=35&forum=4


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

The tank is definately taking off. We finally got the CO2 levels down to approx 6.7 on the PH monitor. The biggest thing that I can suggest is making the transition to lower ph #'s SLOWLY, as to make sure your fish adjust to the higher C02 levels easily. Also, one thing that we found out is that your C02 will work harder if you turn the C02 off with the lights. It has a harder time getting the C02 down to a consistent level if you cycle the C02 off with the lights. We have moon lights on ours so, I don't know if that has something to do with the ammount of CO2 that is being consumed at night or not. Thats why we let the PH monitor do its job. You won't use more CO2 if the PH monitor is doing its job. It will introduce C02 into the system until the right PH level is reached, and then shut the valve off. It works like a champ, and we have had CONSIDERABLE plant growth since we stopped shutting the C02 valve off with the lights. 

This might not work for everyone, but it seems to work perfect for us.


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## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

jade_dragon71 said:


> Okay, this update is actually "old" since I took the pictures on May 30, but we had a server go down on us and technical difficulties getting my machine to where I could access my photos. (Oddly enough, Tim's end was working PDQ, lol.........) There's been some growth, to put it mildly, so I'll take some more shots this weekend hopefully.
> 
> 
> http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=35&forum=4


Now it is getting interesting!


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Here's a couple of shots I took tonight after our weekly water change.

http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=36&post_id=47#forumpost47


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

jade_dragon71 said:


> Okay, this update is actually "old" since I took the pictures on May 30, but we had a server go down on us and technical difficulties getting my machine to where I could access my photos. (Oddly enough, Tim's end was working PDQ, lol.........) There's been some growth, to put it mildly, so I'll take some more shots this weekend hopefully.
> 
> 
> http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=35&forum=4




HAHAHA, All I can say is, maybe it was operator error??????? JK... Seriously though, we did have a server go down and had to get the sites over to a new one as soon as it came in. It did take a while to get the network back up to snuff.... err... it is still a work in progress I should say....


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## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

Jade it is really looking good. Growth is exploding that is for sure. I have some P. gayi that I should take out too, but I really like the weed for some reason...lol. Keep up the good work.


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Here's a pic I took at the first of this year...trying to recover from a bad bout with thread and hair algae. (Sorry, no pics of that..I probably should have, but you know, embarrassed of how it looked and all.)

The right side is pretty empty right now since I finally yanked up my stargrass...it was just too far gone from the algae. I haven't replaced it yet, since my local plant selection is sooooo limited, and the winter storms make me not want to risk having any shipped right now. 

Anyway, I'm getting more confident with my aquascaping. I like the basic shape I have in there right now, just need to fill that right side up with foreground and midground plants..nothing too tall for sure.


Sorry for the poor quality pic- I didn't realize the digicam was still switched over to poorest quality from needing to have the option for more pictures on Christmas Day.


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

I did a rescape yesterday- I took out a piece of driftwood that I didn't like, and had to basically start over with the "scape", if you can even call it that.

Needs to fill in a bunch, and not completely satisfied with it, but it's a start:

http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=38&post_id=49#forumpost49


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Not a photo update yet, but a long overdue one. Had a couple of set-backs with hair/thread algae, then a long stretch where we didn't even so much as do a water change for nearly three months!!:icon_redf Life gets in the way, lol....

To my horror, I found loose tufts of black friggin algae in various parts of the tank. I'm sure it's a Co2 issue, but I hadn't been fertilizing, so that could be part of it, as well. 

I've been suspecting that the co2 isn't getting dissolved much, or that it's outgassing due to our uncovered sump. I can crank up the rate, and it still runs like mad to drop the ph one piddly point.

So, the solution we've come up with is to use an inline reactor instead of just the stone to diffuse in the sump and the pump to help along with that. Tim modified the new-and-improved Rex Reactor design to accomodate our lack of vertical space in the stand. We picked up parts today, and he's going to put it together tonight.

Pics will be coming soon.


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Tim got the reactor built last night, here's a crummy pic of it taken by our son's camera that overexposes like crazy.


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## sNApple (Nov 6, 2005)

whats the point of 2 marks on the pvc


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## boink (Nov 27, 2006)

"line up here"


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

sNApple said:


> whats the point of 2 marks on the pvc



Like Boink said, he made those marks as a reference to line the pieces back up once glued and put back together. He actually wants to take it out and paint it black, lol....


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Question for Rex on my reactor....*



sNApple said:


> whats the point of 2 marks on the pvc


Yeah, the reactor assembly was kinda tricky because of the limited space that we have available. In order for me to get the required height needed, I had to rotate the fittings around so that they were oriented in such a way that I could actually fit the reactor in the corner next to the sump. Saying it was tricky is kindof an understatement. To answer your question the lines are simply a reference to use once I applied the glue to get it back to the same position in the mockup stage. Looks ugly, works very well.... Like Mel said, I plan on painting it black. I am really beginning to wonder if we have the CO2 dissolved enough with the setup we just built. I am considering designing one that has two stages of reaction in it. Basically what I have now, but with two columns instead of one. Maybe that will give it enough time to dissolve. Also, what is everyone running as a bubble count? 3-4 bps? What about output PSI? Right now ours is set to about 6.5 psi, and I have around 3-4 bps. I still feel like the CO2 isn't being broken up enough. 

The specs on the current reactor:

15" From Top To Bottom. 
1" Inlet / Outlet
3" Dia. main column
CO2 inlet 2" down from top. 

Rex, do you have any thoughts on this?


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## sNApple (Nov 6, 2005)

sNApple said:


> whats the point of 2 marks on the pvc


being a plumber apprentice.. if a formen saw me draw 2 lines on pvc i would probably get yelled at lol.. I was trying to say why 2 marks? 1 line works perfectly lolol
sorry:thumbsup:


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## tama_drummer_73 (Jan 13, 2006)

true... true..


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Okay, here's some updated photos. We borrowed my In-Laws' good Olympia camera, and Tim took some great shots! (I took some mediocre shots, lol...) 

We are running on half the wattage of the bulbs- 2 of them burned out. The replacements have been ordered and I can't wait to get them. 

The scape has a few holes in it til I can get the plants I'd like to get, which will probably be spring before the weather cooperates to get things shipped without freezing. I'm going for a "triangle" shape, from left to right, but it needs something taller in front of the righthand side overflow box.

There are more photos than I had room for on here, but if you follow the middle link to our personal aquarium site in Tim's signature in the post above this one, you can see them there.


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

I'm not sure why, but the pictures I uploaded had a green cast when I uploaded them. We don't have greenwater or anything...we run a UV sterilizer. So the photos are now the ones from a second try on them......I'm no expert with my own camera, much less someone else's. :icon_redf :icon_redf :icon_redf


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Just a bit of an update, as usual, please forgive my horrid picture-taking and the poor quality....


I did *another* rescape, since I'm never happy with my scaping skills, it seems. I like the basic scape right now...it just needs filling in some more. I am also going to give PPS Pro dosing a go, I've reduced my photo period to 8 hours already, and have all but kicked the NASTY hair algae we were fighting. (Knock on wood, now that I've said that, don't want to jinx myself...)


http://aquaria.tswn.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=42&post_id=53#forumpost53


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Just a few updated pictures, I've been playing with my son's little digi cam today while he's still at school.

There's some things I want to change, but won't be able to until we upgrade the lights on our 55 gal Cichlid tank. The sword plants and many of the crypts will be transfered over to that tank, and then I can let places fill in where they need to so that there's not quite as much "collectoritis" going on. I also want to change the position of the driftwood pieces (again!), as I can't even see the wood underneath the peacock moss. I know it needs to come further forward as well.


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

Some nice looking plants you got there!

Collectoritis is hard to get over. The first step is admitting you have a problem 

Looks like a well put together assortment of plants to me, kudos!


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Just to update what this looks like now since it's been forever since my last update. We've since gotten a new digital cam and Tim's been playing with settings on it today. It still looks "off" in the colorations to me, but we are working on it. I have 8800k bulbs on their way, and I really wanted to take a photo of how it looks now compared to what it will look like.


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## Piranha (Nov 18, 2007)

stunning, love the transformation process


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## Tamelesstgr (Jan 11, 2008)

Gorgeous tank, how many Raasorbas do you have in there?


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## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

what sand is that? and i like the tank


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

I have between 40 and 50 rasboras, I believe. Would like to expand on it to be around 60. They are so darn hardy....

It's just plain ol pool filter sand. If given the chance to "start over" I would have chosen a good substrate instead of just an inert one, but it doesn't give us any problems with regular gravel vacuuming.


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## Tamelesstgr (Jan 11, 2008)

I have pool filter sand too, at times I wish I would have added some laterite underneath, but it does ok. I have had my rasorbas for over 4 years now.


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Well, we are back at it after a couple of long years of decline in the tank. Our co2 supplier, which was out of town, stopped Saturday hours. Working 40 miles away made it impossible to get over there during their business hours. The only plants that survived were the crypts and vals. 

We recently found a different supplier for the co2 in the town where we work, making it so convenient for us! Plus their prices are less expensive, so that's a bonus. 

We also changed out our substrate to black blasting grit. I am so happy with it! The color is a huge improvement to the looks of our tank. We have been getting in plants and I am about satisfied enough to just let it grow in. I do have some downoi coming, plus some frogbit for the overflow chambers to add matter and suck up excess nutrients.

*Photos by tama_drummer73 - Sony A33, shot with a Sony 18-55 lens* Settings were set to the following: On the full tank shots, the camera was set to 1/125 on the shutter, ISO 400, focal length @ 24mm. On the up close fish pics, the shutter was set to 1/250, ISO 1600, focal length @ 45mm. No flash was used.


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Not much of an update, just some growth. I took these pictures tonight, so they aren't nearly as good as when my hubby does.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Nice setup! I hope I can make space for a big tank like that someday.


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Thanks! Today has been a freakin disaster. Hubby woke up to the sound of the pump "whooshing" and found water on the floor. We have taken out all the fish and plants. Will be taking out substrate shortly to evaluate WTH is leaking. Hopefully it is a plumbing connection as it is a drilled tank and not the tank itself. 

Had to run outside to grab a container for the sand, and naturally my feet are wet. Only like 15 degrees out there this morning!


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

Sorry to hear about the mishap, hope it works out. This is m first time seeing this tank and I must say it is really nice, you've done a nice job with it, having a big tank myself I know it can quickly get overgrown and crazy, but yours is so nice and relaxed


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

The tank has a nice big crack in the bottom of it. For the life of us, we can't figure out how or why it happened! We have the sump to use as a temporary home for the plants and fish, at least. Gonna stick a shop light over it, will be about 2 wpg, so won't be running c02 on it. Ordered the replacement tank already, but won't be shipped where we can pick it up for about a month since we have to get it reef-ready. (We are kinda locked in to how we have things already as far as placement of the overflow chambers and whatnot.)

On a bright note, I move our huge synodontis catfish and my mean bugger of a flying fox in to the African Cichlid tank. (Now he is getting a taste of what he's been dishing out!)

Tim is going use this time to rework the plumbing more to his liking since we have the opportunity.


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## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

*Jade_dragon71's 135 gallon** Disaster on 4/10/2013 Last page***

Good to hear there was a bright side, you guys suffer any damage to your home? Also since you get to redo the
Plumbing just remember there is no such thing as overdone when it comes to plumbing


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

shrimpNewbie, no damage as far as we can tell to the house as we caught it very early on. My hip is starting to complain from all the stomping on towels to try to help dry the carpet! (On top of sucking water out of it with the steam cleaner. )

Waaay too many plants for our sump to house. Have a friend that is gonna loan us a spare 75 til ours comes in. 

Honestly, I didn't shed a tear over this until it donned on me that ordering the new tank was going to eat up the funds we set aside to buy a couple of Lab puppies later this year.


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## jade_dragon71 (Dec 2, 2005)

Well, not much new to report. The tank we borrowed from our friends is actually about a 65 gallon. We only have 2 wpg on it, which hopefully will keep the plants alive until we get the replacement tank up and running. I notice a huge difference in most of the plants so far. Having no c02 on it is having a big impact, as well.

We also lost every single Harlequin rasbora. (Plus 2 platies and 3 guppies.) They lived for over six years and were super hardy when we had them. I hope we can find some in Oklahoma City when we pick up the tank in a couple of weeks. Thought we were going to lose one of the platinum angels for a couple of days, but it made it through!


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