# 41g Rimless Fluval Osaka - New Iwagumi Scape (56k)



## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

First tank journal here! My goal here is a zero to low maintenance tank that can go for 2-3 weeks at a time without having to do something, as I frequently go on business trips.

Update - 6/10/2014 - New iwagumi scape!










Original scape here prior to algae infestation










*Equipment:*
Filtration - FX5 with custom plumbing and SS mesh prefilter (Made by H4n)
Lighting - Rapidled 6" x 20" fixture with 14x XP-G's (10 CW, 2 WW, 2 Royal Blue) running off a Meanwell ELN-60-48D @ 1A, dimmed to hit ~40 PAR at substrate
CO2 - Single stage Victor + Swagelok needle valve
Misc - DIY combo in-line CO2 reactor/heater
Ranco Temperature Controller
Eheim Skim350

I am dosing modified EI (2 week water changes), through a DIY Arduino + 3x (macro/micro/Excel) peristaltic pump setup per http://fishtankprojects.com/diy-aquarium-projects/arduino-controlled-dosing-pumps.html

Eventually, the Arduino will be used to power 2x mechanical relays that will control the lights and CO2. For now, they will be controlled by appliance timers

*Hardscape:*

- Ecocomplete Substrate
- 60lb of dragonston from Davefish

*Fauna:*
- 20 Cardinal Tetras
- 5+ Pygmy Cory
- 5+ Amano Shrimp
- 3 Otos

*Flora:*
- 'Belem' Hairgrass


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

Back to the story!

For a while I had been planning on saving up for a 75g Deep Blue rimless tank setup, having recently moved into a condo and having the space for a large tank. However, an ad for a rimless 45g tank and stand popped up on Craigslist for $75 one day, piquing my interest because it was such an odd rimless tank size. After contacting the seller he sent me this picture










Needless to say I picked it up after work 

A few weeks ago, more Craigslist searching got me a pair of FX5's. The issue arose from the design of the Osaka 155 stand, which has a center support and doesn't fit the FX5. I removed it, with concerns that the center would start to sag. Furthermore, the side walls are overhung such that they are not directly over the base, which means the center support was doing much more work than in your typical stand.

A few weeks later, I finally got around to creating the interior support I wanted for the stand. I used spare 2x4's leftover from various projects, and came up with this. Everything is screwed to everything. There is enough room in front of the front supports to fit some sort of CO2 reactor on one side, and a powerstrip on the other. There isn't much horizontal room anymore due to the 2x4's, but the 5lb tank is the only other big thing left to go in, so I'm not too concerned. It doesn't seem like it from the picture, but there is plenty of vertical clearance for the aquastop valves and tubing coming from the FX5










The small 2x4 spacer serve to create a channel for routing wires/tubing, as well as getting the vertical legs over the base, as seen here.










After about an hour of shimming, the top finally went on (along with half a bottle of Gorilla Glue)

The next stage was to remove the top aluminum trim. I noticed early on that it didn't appear to be structural, and was simply siliconed on. As it turns out, there is actually a layer of black paint beneath the silicone (presumably to cover up bubbles), which took a bit more scraping to get off, especially in the corners as the glass is flared out at the very top edge due to the bend. After many razor blades, I finally got everything cleaned up (for anyone doing this, replace razor blades OFTEN, it helps a TON)

Before










After










Much cleaner! I left the bottom rim on because I don't mind it as much (since it's not blocking the transition to air or anything), plus the silicone at the bottom reaches up to the same height as the band anyways. Next stage will be spray painting the stand in some sort of dark textured gray, if I can find it. Then, it's onto building the light hangers out of conduit piping.


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## MyMonkey (Jul 17, 2007)

Looks like a great deal there. Going to be a good one. I love the Fluval tanks.


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## rpayer (Jun 9, 2008)

very cool project. i have this size osaka


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Beautiful tank! Definitely a good decision to remove the top rim.


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

That looks great, and for only $75!? That's a really expensive tank when new. 

The dimensions should be fun to work with. You'll need some tall plants to fill that height, or some very clever scaping.


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

AnotherHobby said:


> That looks great, and for only $75!? That's a really expensive tank when new.
> 
> The dimensions should be fun to work with. You'll need some tall plants to fill that height, or some very clever scaping.


I have a large piece of driftwood from Tom Barr coming that should do exactly this 

Anyways, I repainted the stand this weekend, using Rustoleum Textured Paint - Caribbean Sand. The resulting effect is awesome, especially with a light sanding to remove some of the roughness, but it took way more cans of paint than I had anticipated (7, and only the exterior was painted with it - the interior is white). It really needs quite a thick layer to achieve an even color, even with an undercoat of white.










Going on a 2 week long business trip to China now, and I'll be coming home to my LED supplies, conduit pipe work, and my hardscape, so it will be a big update!


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## Shawn123 (Jan 24, 2013)

Wow I can't believe you got an Osaka for $75. I would love to have one of those, love the design.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

I have always "kind of" liked these tanks as soon as I first saw them. However, the metal trim and curved glass combined with the curved stand looks a bit busy. I absolutely love what you did by removing the top rim and changing up the stand color. Looks so much better. 

Can't wait to see what you do with this.


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Nice job - looks quite different with the top metal trim removed - very neat & stylish.
You can really make that set-up look fantastic, especially with the stand painted white.
Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Here's my Osaka 155 when I first got it set up about 4 years ago - first pic only:

http://s1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/discuspaul/Anubias


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

Thanks guys!

Quick update, as I just got back from my trip. First, the light. Here are the parts from Rapidled, as they arrived:



Everything was well packaged, but the finish on the heatsink was a little marred in places (looks like chemical damage, not scratches). Oh well.

Holes drilled



Inset milled out for the 120mm fan. The fan sitting on top looked a little too obtrusive for me so I recessed it about 15mm. If there are flow issues for whatever reason, I will install some spacers to raise the fan. The fan is a Antec Truequiet Pro 120. Very sleek looking!





Finally my scape. I feel I cheated a bit as there are only 3 pieces of driftwood in the picture thanks to an amazing centerpiece from Tom Barr. I may play around with it a bit and add some lowish rocks to the left side. The current plan is to have ADA Amazonia in the back 1/2 of the tank, heavily sloped and retained with rocks, and pool filter sand in the front 1/2



I'm in the process of building the heatsink and conduit pipe now and will post an update in a few days


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## blink (Feb 22, 2012)

It looks like a great start, congrats on stealing that Osaka :tongue:


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

Thanks!

Planned scape for now. Anyone have any recommendations on what to place in the Amazonia? I'm currently thinking Marsilea Minuta in the shaded areas underneath the "tree". I'm not sure what would be best on the unshaded section to the left though. The scape was designed with aesthetics in mind, as well as ease of maintainence. I want to avoid fast growers (or plants that are annoying to trim), with a mind to the probable PAR values at each part of the tank (ie anubias underneath the java fern to prevent GSA, mini fissidens at lower parts of the tank, etc). The top anubias petite is to be emersed.


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

wow very nice so far, cant wait to see it done!


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

Wow! You literally found the PERFECT piece of wood for that tank! Well done. roud:


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

AnotherHobby said:


> Wow! You literally found the PERFECT piece of wood for that tank! Well done. roud:


Thanks!

Reading your 60P journal, I suddenly know how I want to retain the heavy slope on the Aquasoil in the back


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

Update:

Light (mostly) finished. The optics that came bundled with the LED's did not fit, so I did not glue them while waiting on a response from RapidLED. Even with no optics, I get 30-35 par at the substrate level (~30 inches away) with the dimmer at 100% and the driver running at 1a. In early testing, with optics on the CW's, I was getting up to 90 par at the center of the substrate, dropping to 60 at the edges of the bottom of the tank.

The conduit pipe was given a brushed look, then clearcoated with Rustoleum. The wires for both the LED's and the fan go up down through the pipe. I will clean up the look of the wires and clip the excess hanging wire eventually.

Lights off



Lights on with first layer of eggcrate in place. This will be built up in the back to give support to the heavy AS slope.



Next step will be building some side plates for the light to reduce light spill, and ordering some Ohko stone so I can finish the scape with eggcrate and PVC pipe. I'm also going to pick up a light blue foamboard for a background. I was thinking a small LED strip at the bottom pointed upwards for some backlighting.


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## pandacory (Apr 18, 2011)

Pretty sweet!

The wood fills the space nicely and downplays the height a bit. The effect can only get better with a good slope.

I like the stand that this came with and how you refinished it. I've always liked it when the light fixtures are slightly shorter compared to the length of the tank.

With a tall tank like that, and the good vertical cover you have planned, a gourami would be very happy in there.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Beautiful driftwood. You can never go wrong with Tom.

This is shaping up nicely. Keep us updated!


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

Update:

1) Layering complete in the back with additional eggcrate and sections of pvc pipe. Everything is held down with zipties (driftwood included, so no presoak required). Also added window privacy film to the back. I plan on putting a backlight there in the future



2) Test fill



3) Finally got my Ohko stones from AFA! Created a retaining wall/seperator between the sand and Aquasoil using the smaller rubble in the box and placed an ugly looking piece in the back for rooting java fern with later on. Finally it's starting to come together. I'm pretty happy with how it came out, and it seems like the eggcrate layering will hold the AS slope in place. I am considering removing the brownish root section of the driftwood near the 2 large stones on the left side however. Thoughts?









There's a bit of disco with the blues and warm whites since I added on optics for fun. I'm going to keep them on for the time being as without optics, they are annoying to the eye since the light is mounted so high.


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

Optics removed on blues for effect:


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Oh, this is going to look fabulous when it's all set up.
Have you decided on any plantings, and final stocking ?


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

This is turning out fantastic! I love the hardscape!

I'd pull that brown branch you mentioned. It's going to get covered by plants so you won't see it, and then it'll be in your way when you trim and move things.


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

Thanks guys!

Regarding stocking/planting, I'm still sticking to my plan from the picture in the first post for the most part. I am going to add some more mini fissidens to the stones, and add another large wad of java ferns to the ugly looking stone in the back center. The goal is to create a bush of java ferns to be the focal point at the off-center right side of the tank (gotta maintain that golden ratio!) since the size of the driftwood prevents me from placing it to be the focal point. Ideally, the tank should be 12" wider on the left. Oh well. I'm still not quite sure what I'm going to put in the space to the left. My PAR meter shows around 30-40 par there at my desired overall dimming level, so it can't be a high light plant. 

Stocking will still what I had planned from the first post, but I will probably add some more pygmy cories as I think my current school might get a little lost in a larger tank.

Thats a good point, AnotherHobby, I didn't think about that. As is, the tank is already a PITA to scape due to the height. It always seemed out of place to me, but I couldn't bear to break off a chunk of the center driftwood. Away it goes! More room for anubias petite, heh.


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

DSM started. I have more mini fissidens, and a ton of anubias petite coming. Having some trouble keeping the middle portions of the driftwood wet. Hopefully the fiss doesn't dry out overnight. I tried to remove the brown root but then remembered that I ziptied it to the eggcrate. I will wait until the driftwood is waterlogged before removal.


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

Plumbing finalized and parts ordered. Space is a bit cramped inside the stand with the FX5 so I decided to mount the whole thing behind the tank. The stock FX5 output nozzle will be fitted into the 1" Schedule 40 piping with a strip of rubber to form a seal. The stock intake is removed entirely, and a custom SS prefilter (many thanks to H4n!) will fit directly onto the 1" pipe.

There are two Heyco cordgrips used here. One for the temp probe from the Ranco temp controller and one for the heater itself.

The intake/output are a bit bigger than I thought, especially with the elbows added in, but I'm confident I can hide them with some well placed java ferns and/or a small emersed area in the corner.


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## ChadRamsey (Nov 3, 2011)

NICE! i cant wait to see it planted


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## lamiskool (Jul 1, 2011)

Lookin good!


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

Update, got most of the plumbing, just waiting for the Heyco Cordgrips and heater now. I ended up building a bypass for the reactor to be able to reduce the flow to prevent bubbles from getting blown out. 3" tubing might have worked but it pushed the stand too far out. Plus, PVC fittings are cheap anyways.

On the reactor, the middle input is for CO2. The bottom one is for a temp probe. The top hose barb is for bleeding the unit (and rigged to my eventual autodoser)


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

Plumbing finished!

I switched the location of the purge hose so that I can hook it up to make an auto-purging effect later on if needed. The flow rate from the FX5 is actually high enough to push air and water up the 90 degree barb at the T. After doing a wet test in the basement to check for leaks, the unit was installed. I ended up having to put in a short section of vinyl tubing to allow for an unanticipated offset. I guess I should have trusted the tubing lengths from Solidworks and not eyeballed it :hihi:

The two ball valves allow me to control how much flow goes into the reactor, and how much is set into the bypass. In testing, there doesn't seem to be any noticeable decrease in flow, though I'm sure this will change as biofilm builds up, due to the bends in the plumbing. I just hope it doesn't get to the point where the filter gets too loud.

As a sidenote, if I were to do this again, I would have just bought a XP4 and saved myself a hell of a lot of time with its 5/8" tubing and wide availability of off-the-shelf in-line equipment. However, this has been a good learning experience. Never assembled PVC piping fixtures before, heh. I justify all the work by telling myself that the increased filtration and flow will pay for itself in the long run.

Thanks again to H4n for making me a sweet custom SS prefilter. It's massive, but everything else in this build is overengineered, so why not  Eventually the input/output will be replaced by custom SS lily pipes. My work provides me the connections to make this happen for free


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

Tank finally flooded! I should really have waited another week or so for the fissidens to fully root, but I started getting impatient, my anubias petite were not doing so well, and mold was starting to take over despite my H202 treatments. Surprisingly, very little fissidens came off the wood, but we'll see in a few days when the yogurt dissolves off the moss.

A few finishing touches remain. I will be putting marsilea minuta in the right front corner, and staurogyne repens in the back left corner.

The flow from the FX5 seems perfect. It's a ton of volume, but not a lot of velocity so nothing really gets blown around. It's still a little noisy despite multiple purges to remove air, so I'm hoping that there's no air leaks in the plumbing I've made.

Sorry for the crappy Iphone pictures! I will be getting a DSLR soon.



Cabinet still a bit messy, but I will organize the cables as needed later on


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

Looks very good.


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Your scape looks great - I love it !


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

Thanks guys!

I think once the stauro and marsilea are in, and the java fern + fissidens grows out some, the tank will look a little more balanced. I was hoping for more of a bushy look for the ferns but they are all vertical atm

Added in a white foamboard background, about an inch behind the window film.


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## pseudomugil (Aug 12, 2013)

looks awesome! I like the way the driftwood seems to come out of the java ferns


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

Your tank really looks great!


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## andrewq (May 22, 2013)

The whole setup looks great. Really like the stand, and hanging lights. What did you use to hang the lights. I went to lowes the other day to see what I could find, and didnt have any success. Im looking specifically for the 2 poles you used.


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

Thanks guys!

Andrew - Sorry for the late reply. I used 3/4" EMT conduit pipe, bent with a standard pipe bender. I gave it a brushed stainless steel look with a coarse sanding block, then sprayed the pipes with a clearcoat. The back is just attached with standard conduit pipe clamps. All of the wires are run through the inside of the conduit pipe, so it's hidden.

Either the new Aquasoil doesn't leech as much ammonia (as I've been reading) or the DSM took most of it out, but with no ammonia readings and a seeded filter, I ordered my fish from Msjinkzd. Pictures in a few days after the amanos and otos clean up the brown algae/fungus 

Also added some marsilea minuta and Belem hairgrass to the sand foreground. We'll see how they do without root tabs and such.


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## zodduska (Aug 14, 2013)

Very nice scape! I really like what you did with the plumbing, quite well thought out!


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

zodduska said:


> Very nice scape! I really like what you did with the plumbing, quite well thought out!


Thanks, it was a bit of a learning experience for me!

Update: Just got back from my 2 week trip to China for work and boy was I in for a surprise. In my absence, the CO2 ran out, and my DIY Arduino autodoser added almost twice as much ferts as I had planned (my fault, only had a day to test before I left). The container of Flourish also congealed into an almost gel-like substance, which was odd. As a result, almost all of the sand was covered in a thick layer of brown, stringy substance (Didn't look like diatoms. Rhizo? Fungus? Not sure why it was only growing on the sand though), along with mixed patches of BBA and what may be clado on the java fern and anubias. Such a depressing sight.

On the plus side, all the fish and shrimp seem fat and happy. The fissidens and mini fissidens also grew in quite a bit too.

I manually removed most of the brown stuff, and plan on doing a H2O2 + Excel treatment later this week to handle the rest


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

3 month update!

Plants are growing in nicely (but slowly, as planned). The new needle leaf java fern that's growing in is quite different from the original I bought, and I think the height will be perfect (the original stuff reached the surface and curved over)

The algae mess is mostly cleaned up thanks to increased CO2, manual removal, and the two step H2O2 + Excel treatment. I also added 3 long fin diamond blue rams. Unfortunately, the male refused to eat anything I offered, and is slowly wasting away. I don't think he has much longer. Not sure what's wrong :/


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

Looking very good right here.


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

Very nice man!

- Sent from a Phablet


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

Thanks!

Some pics of the autodoser setup. Thanks to Shift for his awesome guide here:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=314009


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## shift (Jan 7, 2013)

Your tank looks awesome! (and nice work on the dosing pump!)


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## forrestp38829 (Nov 17, 2010)

Your tank is beautifully balanced. I really like scapes that utilize the corner space like that.

If it is not too much trouble, could you take a close-up pic of the conduit tubing that you sanded and clear coated? I am thinking about doing the same. Never heard of treating it like that before.
Thanks


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## Matsnork (Jun 3, 2013)

Very nice scape, will archive it in the old biological computer for inspiration.

I like how you adress the maintenance issue with automated gadgets instead of low light low tech. More things that could go wrong but you´ve got it under control it seems


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

forrestp38829 said:


> Your tank is beautifully balanced. I really like scapes that utilize the corner space like that.
> 
> If it is not too much trouble, could you take a close-up pic of the conduit tubing that you sanded and clear coated? I am thinking about doing the same. Never heard of treating it like that before.
> Thanks


Thanks! Here's a closeup of the conduit finish. Basically I took some coarse sandpaper (foam sanding block works best), wrapped it around the pipe, gripped it tightly with one hand, and spun the pipe while slowly moving the sandpaper down the length. The more times you do it, the closer to actual "brushed" it becomes. It also helps the spinning if you have already bent the conduit. I don't think it's an actual technique, just something I made up as I went along.












Matsnork said:


> Very nice scape, will archive it in the old biological computer for inspiration.
> 
> I like how you adress the maintenance issue with automated gadgets instead of low light low tech. More things that could go wrong but you´ve got it under control it seems


I'd like to think it's not too mad scientist just yet  I only have the autodoser for automation (beyond the usual appliance timers) so far, though I have all the parts for my auto-top off (the rate of evaporation is nuts in my house). I suppose I could have gone completely low tech, but I find having CO2 helps a lot with plant growth and algae prevention, even in low light. 

If I were to do it over again though, I definitely would have hocked up the money for a nice Eheim Pro III filter instead of the FX5. The flow is nice, but the size and 1" diameter intake/output have resulted in 75% of the work that I've had to put into this tank, from the stand modifications to the reactor/heater setup.


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## Matsnork (Jun 3, 2013)

Chronados said:


> If I were to do it over again though, I definitely would have hocked up the money for a nice Eheim Pro III filter instead of the FX5. The flow is nice, but the size and 1" diameter intake/output have resulted in 75% of the work that I've had to put into this tank, from the stand modifications to the reactor/heater setup.


I ruled out the FX6 for this reason. Enough problems just finding glassware for a 2217 filter with different in/out hose diameter.


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## Oto Guy (Jan 3, 2014)

Nice tank! I think the anubias nana petite will work out perfectly!


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## ADAtank (Jul 26, 2011)

What are you going to do when the soil mixes with the sand? Does not look like to made a barrier or any kind. Looks good


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

ADAtank said:


> What are you going to do when the soil mixes with the sand? Does not look like to made a barrier or any kind. Looks good


This was one of my concerns when setting the tank up, so I actually built a bit of a retaining wall using ohko stones between the Aquasoil and sand. One of my earlier pictures with just the hardscape shows it. In some of the areas where the wall is smaller I planted either DHG or marsilea in an attempt to try to keep erosion to a minimum. Some shifting is inevitable, but I'm hoping as the plants at the border grow in, the effect will become less over time. If I were super picky about it, I could probably spend about 15 minutes and completely pick the grains of AS off the sand, so it's not bad considering the tank has been up for about 4 months.

Some update pictures, taken with a crappy phone camera (sorry). Have had some issues with BBA recently, so I've started spot dosing with H2O2. Not much change otherwise, everything is growing in. Added 15 Cardinal Tetras for more color and a livelier tank. I'm starting to think I need to replace the narrow leaf java fern with something a little shorter, as it's getting out of hand.


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

Looks good man.

I don't know I kind of like the narrow leaf fern over hanging a bit.


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

I agree keep the nljf. It totally makes the scape. Can't think of another plant that would look good there beside maybe bolbitis.


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

Thanks!

I do like the drooping look, but I was thinking needle leaf java fern, which, from what I understand, grows a little shorter. The narrow leaf is getting so tall there's some just sitting in the surface. Although I guess it is nice in that it is starting to cover up the ugly skimmer and intake/outputs... Maybe narrow leaf in the back and needle leaf in the front. I do like the look of bolbitis too. Hm...


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## DaveFish (Oct 7, 2011)

Dang, awesome tank man. And really nice plumbing design. Very good work and the aquascape is very nice. How is the tank? Any updates?


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

Thanks!

Tank is not doing that well lately due to extensive traveling for work and just an overall busy schedule. I can't remember the last time I did a water change/mixed ferts for the autodoser, and the CO2 tank has been empty for a month, heh. However, when your rock arrives, I'll be redoing the tank this weekend! There is a bunch of BBA everywhere, so I'm going to hydrogen peroxide dip everything during the breakdown to salvage what I can. Will post pictures of the rescape and process soon!


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

Some crappy cell phone pics of the tank rescape. The "permanent" setup I put in place with all the zip ties was, as expected, a royal PITA to remove. Lesson learned. The rocks from Davefish were amazing, but after much fiddling around, I realized I wouldn't be able to achieve the height I had hoped for with them. The tank is simply too tall and not deep enough, so I made do, leaving more space at the top. There's currently only Belem hairgrass in the tank at the moment, I haven't decided if I'm going to put the masses of anubias petite in or sell them all yet. 

The new tank doesn't have the same "pop" as the old one, and I lost a lot of the elements of the original layout I had planned due to rocks and substrate shifting (despite a ton of hot glue), but it should look decent once filled in and be a LOT easier on plant maintenance.


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## MKultra (Feb 9, 2018)

Howe did you de-rim the stainless off of your osaka! I want to do the same!


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