57 replies to this topic

[Krystal]

Hey Everybody,

After having Cherry shrimp, and seeing how much of a great little conversation piece that they can be, i decided i woukld like some Crystal Reds to try my hand at.

And the plans began!

I purchased a 40cm x 25cm x 28cm aquarium adn went from there.

Equipment list:

Tank Now Have
ADA Africana Aquasoil Now Have
Eheim 2211 with media and double taps Now Have
2x 24watt Power Compacts Light unit (on the way as we speak)
Jager 50watt Heater Now Have
3.5kg Pressurised Co2 with ph controller Now Have
Glass lily Pipes (on the way)
Glass Ph probe (ordering soon)

Plants:

Hairgrass Now Have
HC Now Have
Philipene Java Fern Now Have

Livestock:

5x Psuedomugil Furcatus
6x Crystal Red Shrimp

Here is a pic of the tank about 4 weeks ago the day i got it


Unfortunatley my drawers started to bow and i got concerned and about coming hame to nice wet carpet.

So a stand had to be made! And after seeing Shakes stand (on Aquarium Life) I knew what had to be done
Whenever people ask where i got it i will say i got the inspiration off YOU! hahaha

Anyway.........My dad and i started the stand today and here is the half finished project





Trying to have it as 'seamless' as possible


And our little Trade Assistant


And here is the tank awaiting its new filter, light, co2 and stand


My Eheim

[Krystal]

Stand is complete! YAY





Reinforced Inside the cabinet


And this is where the light bracket slides into


Now the tank it self looks like a bomb has hit it (please excuse that), but i am waiting on my glass lily pipes to arrive, so it shall remain looking horrible until then.
I am also waiting on my light to arrive so i am using a clamp on light temporarily.



Shows the light bracket (it is actually a chrome shower curatin rod it picked up for $50, and it was already bent )


And i can swing the light bracket out of the way if i need to



And here is the messy inside, i havent finished tinkering in here yet.

[Kimbo]

Looking good! Makes me want to make a new stand for my tank!

[Mr_docfish]

Sweet job Krys,

And here is the messy inside, i havent finished tinkering in here yet.

puts my plumbing to shame !!!!


(not really, just blowing smoke up your... )

But I think I can improve on it a bit... Hydor 200W inline heater (OK gotta find some room in the cabinet and somehow plumb it into the 9mm hose....Easier said than done, but now I have mentioned it and stirred you up, you can't sleep until you have found a way to fit it in there just so you can shove it back at me.....Common, you know you can do it....)
but that will get rid of the Jaeger and make the plumbing even better than mine!!!



BTW, when you have finished, give us an idea of the approx. cost per litre (in standard Retail Prices)..... It would be interesting to compare it to a 1000L setup of similar equipment.

I'd love to see the pics when it is complete after seeing the other nanos you've done.

Honestly, I am impressed.....

[Den]

Great setup, I agree with Oliver about getting the heater out of the tank, in fact I would go further as my number 1 rule with my own tanks is no equipment is allowed to be visible inside the aquarium.

[Krystal]

As long as Docfish is funding the project I AGREE, no equipment allowed it the tank

FINE i will buy and inline heater for the tank, you are all now responsible for me losing my house deposit lol.

I agree that the heater is very intrusive in such a small aquarium, i will get an inline heater in the next couple of days and plumb it in when my glass lily pipes arrive. The lily pipes should also help to make everything blend in nicely.

A glass pH probe is also is the 'to get' stage as i hate the look of the big bird yellow one i have.

Arggh i think i need a pay rise at the rate this tank is costing me, and i havent even purchased the crystal reds yet.

BTW, when you have finished, give us an idea of the approx. cost per litre (in standard Retail Prices)..... It would be interesting to compare it to a 1000L setup of similar equipment.

I will do that when im finished *crosses fingers for hopefully 2-3weeks*

[Mr_docfish]

As long as Docfish is funding the project I AGREE, no equipment allowed it the tank

FINE i will buy and inline heater for the tank, you are all now responsible for me losing my house deposit lol.

Arggh i think i need a pay rise at the rate this tank is costing me, and i havent even purchased the crystal reds yet.

What are you hinting at??

[Krystal]

Well my light unit arrive and i mounted it using a metal halide suspension kit, this the allows me to position the light unit up and down as need be.



And my new inline heater will be installed when i get the lily pipes



Well i got my 2x new 6500k/10000k tubes and they make the tank look much better!



And i decided to take out most of the ADA substrate because my ph was 5.8-6 and alas my ph controller would not come on. So i kept the bottom quater as ADA, then a layer of fine black substrate, then spread some dino dung and finally another layer of fine black substrate. My ph is now 7 and i have my ph controller set for 6.5 so now it actually comes on.

[Krystal]

Here is a pic with my glass outflow pipe, i also have a glass inflow but to cut a long story short i need to order another one, so i am still using the eheim intake strainer. I also plan to add a black background to the tank.

I also have 10 crystal red shrimp in the tank now They have a little bit more character than my cherries do, but i love them both.

Heres a pic with the glass outfolw in place


Here is my Hydor 200w inline heater


Now please excuse these poor quality photos, i had to use my mobile phone because our camera is on loan to someone, i was so impatient.

[golden_dase]

Very nice and clean set up you have there Krissy!

I always like seeing lush and successful planted set ups.. no matter how big or SMALL!

You should be very proud Madam!


Kevin

[alec]

haha
those shrimp are awesome where did you get them

[Krystal]

An Update is well overdue on this tank.......

Tank now houses only Cherry Shrimp and 2x Ottocinclus

Plants are now Asst. Crypts, Blyxa (freshly planted) and HC

The tank now has glass lily pipes and I have upgraded my PH Probe to a re-fillable glass probe, I picked this up for a bargain at my LFS!! They have a few left in stock.
Here are some new pictures..........Enjoy

New Probe




New Blyxa






FTS




And this is the horrible view from my bed But the television hasnt been turned on in months, the tank is far more interesting to watch!

[Poncho]

Nice tank!!! I really like the way the light is strung up.

Can you explain what glass lily pipes are - I've never heard of them before. Are they ornamental or do they do something?

[Krystal]

Thanks, having the light suspended makes it much easier for maintenance.

Glass lily pipes are basically an inlet and an outlet for a canister filter made out of glass, they are purely for ornamental purposes. Just adds the the look of the tank thats all (thats and they get really dirty really fast)

[Poncho]

Thanks - I see them now that I know what I'm looking for

[Mr_docfish]

For such a small tank, the glass ware and the glass pH probe definitely fit the bill better than the original filter pipes and the yellow pH probe...
Looking good, take another pic in a couple of weeks when the blyxa settles in....
I'll give you some Red Wendtii Crypt (Mi-oya) to put in between the pebbles.. breaks the green up, blends the pebbles in a bit and makes for a great focal point just off centre.... I'll bring some in one day..

[Krystal]

Thanks Doc.....I will hold you to those plants No rush

Yeah the glassware does make the tank a lot more appealing, its just a pain to keep clean all the time......I was warned by many thats what would happen.

But I think I can improve on it a bit... Hydor 200W inline heater (OK gotta find some room in the cabinet and somehow plumb it into the 9mm hose....Easier said than done, but now I have mentioned it and stirred you up, you can't sleep until you have found a way to fit it in there just so you can shove it back at me.....Common, you know you can do it....)
but that will get rid of the Jaeger and make the plumbing even better than mine!!!

Ps Docfish......Did you see my inline heater? Told you it would fit

[Oggie]

That can't be a female's bedroom! Where is all the junk on the floor (or was it just moved aside for the photo)?

[jack]

she is ocd for tidyness and organisation

[Krystal]

That can't be a female's bedroom! Where is all the junk on the floor (or was it just moved aside for the photo)?

And that is messy for me! I hate clutter and I hate stuff being out of place..........its a pain for those that have to work with me!