# New Tank, New Scape, and New Fish!



## Gizmo

So here I am again, back from a 2 month hiatus (work blocked the forum), and I just completed a tank transfer.

My old ten gallon glass tank developed a worrisome bow in the front and I managed to sweet talk the fiancee into letting me get an equally-sized acrylic Clear-For-Life 10 gallon. Here's the evolution of setting up the tank:
Marine Depot did a great job packaging!


Still in the wrapper 


The tank


Using light diffuser grating (egg crate) to create the slope


Another view of the egg crate


The temporary home for my critters, replete with bubbler and heater


The Mopani driftwood chunk and the SeaChem Fluorite from my old tank


Filling her up!


The finished product (for now)


I'll be adding some Dwarf Hairgrass when it comes in this week, and I have plans to add a school of galaxy rasboras, so it's only gonna get better from here! Thanks for taking a look


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## jrman83

Nice looking tanks. Like those shrimp tanks, huh? A 48g Mr Aqua rimless/frameless would have looked better


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## MriGuy85

jrman83 said:


> Nice looking tanks. Like those shrimp tanks, huh? A 48g Mr Aqua rimless/frameless would have looked better


Happy wife happy life! Lol.


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## jrman83

MriGuy85 said:


> Happy wife happy life! Lol.


I would have started that off with single life....


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## vreugy

Love the tank. First one I have seen like it. I lead a sheltered life. :/

have a blessed day


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## Gizmo

Got the DHG in there today, and replanted some of the stems that had gotten kicked up. The water is crystal clear, will post more pics this weekend! Thanks for the comments guys 

Edit - Weekend Pix!


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## Gizmo

New photos! PWC, and FTS of the tank and stand, and just the tank.


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## jrman83

Like the algae covered wood - seriously. I noticed your drop checker...do you have anything in it? Looks clear. Mine are always dark blue or some shade of green but never clear - even when they are starting to turn yellow.


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## Jet

Nice setup. Your walls are also lovely; my room is painted the same colour!


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## coralbandit

Looking good!I have the same gravel with sand in my 180G.Dig the natural colors myself.
The wood does look awesome!Can't wait to see it all grown in!
Enjoy!


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## Gizmo

I probably need new DC solution jrman, it's about a month or two old. And yeah, the mossy log is an unexpected bonus from my old jungle tank. It's covered in Marimo tufts and some Java Moss. Thanks for the input guys!


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## Chang Cindy

Gizmo said:


> New photos! PWC, and FTS of the tank and stand, and just the tank.


Look very good ,esp with the blue wall *pc


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## vreugy

Marimo tufts, what a great idea. Love the look of it. If you don't mind, I will be copying your idea this spring. To cold to ship right now. I absolutely love the tank. Very peaceful. Can't wait to see it all grown in.

have a blessed day


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## majerah1

Guy, switch the light with an LED fixture and your lid shouldnt bow like that anymore. Or get a piece of glass cut for it. I would go LED LOL.


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## Gizmo

An update:
DHG is starting to propagate, and first round of gardening is complete. Ludwigia repens and camboba are growing like weeds.

Had an outbreak of green spot algae and have cut back my photoperiod from 9:00a.m.-8:30p.m. to 11:00a.m.-8:30p.m. and will be scrubbing the walls this weekend. Also encountering protein scum problems, probably from overfeeding. Cranking up the filter resolves the protein scum problem.

Headed out of town for a week next week. I'm going to secure the CO2 in my absence, hoping I don't come home to pea soup in my tank. However, in that event I have a UV sterilizer and good cleaning supplies. At least my shrimp are fat and happy off the algae!

More photos shall follow!


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## Vindoo

Nice looking setup.


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## Wuwuwu54

Great looking setup and welcome back.


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## Gizmo

Status Update!

I was gone XMas to NYD last week, secured the CO2 during my absence and came home to a tank that needed the walls cleaned and some minor gardening, but after ~1hr this weekend had that and a 50% PWC completed. Here's a new photo!


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## majerah1

Looks great!


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## jrm402

The tank looks awesome! Great job.


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## Gizmo

Status Update 1/23/14:

Suffered minor End of Tank Dump on my CO2 system last week. Came home from work to a yellow drop checker and fish gasping at the surface. It wasn't too bad because the fish would skim the surface for a few seconds, then swim down for thirty, then up again. What REALLY made it annoying was the planaria were suffering so they were up the walls and milling around. Checked the CO2 gauges - CO2 tank pressure was down from 800 PSI to 500 PSI, and discharge pressure was up from 10 PSI to 13 PSI. Turned down the CO2 and cranked the filter output and all was well in a matter of 20 minutes. The next day I disconnected my CO2 tank and rattled it and sure enough - no liquid CO2 left. Replaced at the local brewer's supply store for $19, hooked up, turned back on, and all is back to normal.

Green spot and green dust algae were breaking out, and after talking with a friend determined the problem was zero nitrates and low phosphates. Performed water tests and verified - even with KNO3 dosing, my nitrates were completely gone. I upped the dosage, cleaned the tank thoroughly, and now a week later no algae on the walls. The new issue is brown fuzz algae that has overrun the ludwigia repens on the left side of the tank. I'll be uprooting the old plants, trimming the new growth, and replanting the new growth, as well as new growth from the right side of the tank.

Otherwise, all is well! Pics to follow some time when I have more time.


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## Gizmo

Update, 1-31-14:

Turned up the CO2, did some gardening, and now for photos! Plants have been growing like weeds, especially the DHG and mossy log!
FTS

Riccia

Prefilter

End View

Mossy Log

RCS


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## jrman83

If the pre-filter is on the input of your filter you can damage your pump or cause your filter to loose suction if that thing gets too fouled up. Looks like a lot of stuff on it. Most that use them have to take off and rinse at least once per week. Just a fyi.


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## Gizmo

Thanks for the heads up Ben. I wring mine out thoroughly every week with my 50% PWC, but you're right - all that moss doesn't wring out. I've got some spare sponge I'll fab a new prefilter out of tomorrow or the next day.


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## Gizmo

6-14-14 Update (Long Overdue!):
Had an overheating issue that killed Willy II (the guppy) - after tank cleanings, I plug in and run a 24W Green Killing Machine UV sterilizer to nuke any bad stuff. I was unaware of it, but this was SKYROCKETING my tank temperature, up to 85 degrees or so, and it cost us our guppy.

Also had a planaria outbreak, and after researching the cure I ordered some Panacur-C (yellow box) from Amazon. Dosed 0.1g per 10G active ingredient (fenbendazole) and it nuked the planaria like magic. My fish even ate some of the fenbendazole and suffered no ill effects. That stuff is amazing!

Upgraded from a Current USA Nova Extreme 36W T5HO to a Finnex Planted+ 17W LED. The light is just as intense, but much crisper and the shimmer effect is excellent.

Anyways, here's some pictures:








Enjoy! Please leave comments.


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## chenowethpm

Looks great! I love those led lights, got one on my 29. I especially love the mossy log!


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## Gizmo

Status Update 7/31/14:

Tank is running splendidly. I ripped out all the DHG due to buildups of riccia and marimo moss that was choking any new DHG growth. Also added 3 oto cats to try and mitigate the GDA that has been hounding me.

I'll get some pics when I get time, currently cleaning house post-wedding.

Also, bump.


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## big b

man! that is gorgeous i wish i could plant like that. no beauty at all


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## Gizmo

It's easy to do, you just have to know how to trim and think minimalist - in a small tank, you want plants with smaller leaves to make the tank look bigger, in addition to having smaller fish. You also want to use the artistic concept of "negative space", meaning large open spaces (look up Takashi Amano and his aquascapes to get an idea of negative space use).

To trim, you can do 1 of 2 things - with long-handled scissors and tweezers ($5 via Amazon, makes it MUCH easier to garden without hands in the tank), cut the stem of stem plants just above a tuft of leaves, and new stems will sprout from the tuft of leaves. Or, rip the whole plant out, cut the top off, and replant the top. For mosses, treat it like a lawn and trim it liberally. YouTube has great videos on how to trim. I trim once every 2 weeks.


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## big b

huh, real good advice ill try it


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## Gizmo

Status Update 11/20/14:

Just completed the move from our apartment (where I had to hide my tank once due to it not being allowed per the lease) to our new house. First off, the tank sat without water changes for 3 weeks before the move. Then I dismantled everything, removed the driftwood from the tank, drained most of the water (and discarded the old water), and moved the tank, all equipment, and stand in one trip.

Setup at the new digs took about a half hour, and filling the tank with fresh water took another half hour. Everybody was fine, even the few red cherries that had decided to follow the mossy log out of the tank into the bucket for transport.

Then the tank sat without a water change for another two weeks. Last weekend (Sunday) did a 50% PWC, a serious algae scrub, and some filter cleaning. Today I will be refilling my CO2 (after over a month with no CO2) and reinstalling.

Pics to follow!


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## kuriuskitten

Nice Work! *w3

I really love that "Clear for Life" tank. Feeling a little tank-envy right now.
Might have to upgrade sometime in the future.

Especially like the wood piece you have with all those great mosses on it.


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## Gizmo

Thanks! I love the tank - it's super light and very strong, and very clear. The issues I have with it are the small openings in the top brace (can't get both hands in the tank at the same time), and the propensity for acrylic to scratch. Moving the tank was great - with 1/3 of the water in the tank, along with substrate, it's maybe 40 lbs.

I love the mossy log too, it's a combo of Marimo and Java moss, took close to a year to get the moss established on the wood. Now, I have to trim every month or so.


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## Gizmo

Status Update, 11-15-15:
It's been quite some time! The wife and I bought a house last October and the move from the apartment went flawlessly for all people/fish/dogs/cats involved. Christmas 2014 the wife bought me an Eheim canister filter, I got myself an in-line heater, and my mom got me a heater controller. We also upgraded to a larger stand, and I decommissioned my CO2 system and sold it. I also added two otocynclus catfish (thanks majerah1!).

And now, photos!

Full tank shot, replete with guardian cat.

Profile shot of tank and stand.

The tank! Note: Shortly after pruning and water change.

The pit. Eheim Classic 2211, Finnex Heater Controller, and Hydor ETH200W in-line heater, amongst other goodies.


Hope you enjoy! Leave comments!


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## big b

Looking good


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## robinc

Great tank. Love the design.

I have that same stand under both my 10s.


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## FishFlow

Worth the wait!

Looks really good!


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## Gizmo

Thanks you guys! Next upgrade will be a light that's appropriately sized for the tank. Tank is 20" wide, current Finnex Planted+ fixture is 24"...


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## Chillwill007

Very nice maybe try the marineland planted led. It comes in 18" with the legs that extend up to 24". And it had its on built in time for automated day and night cycle. I just bought one for my 47 gallon column tank that I'm gonna have as a planted community tank. Just haven't set anything up but seen good reviews on it. Says it's equivalent to a 3 bulb t5ho light. Has 6500k white led and a few red,green,blue leds for plant growth and blue moon lighting. I've seen vids of non co2 planted tanks pearling with that light. I just hope that will work with my 30" hight. Says good for upto 24" nut I plan on a 3"-4" substrate so will cut length down to about 26" so shouldn't be to bad.


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## Gizmo

Update 1-15-2017

It's been awhile since I've updated, and there's a lot in store over this weekend! Another post will follow shortly, as I'm planning on overhauling the tank to replace the substrate and de-mossify a little bit. Here are the pre-overhaul photos, as of last night.

Our cat has gone fishing recently and so we're down to 4 rasboras instead of the original six. The otos have gone missing as well.


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## welok

Looking good! Keep up the awesome work!


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## Gizmo

Update 1-15-17:

MAJOR Overhaul! De-mossified and replaced the substrate. Here are the pics! About 80 Red Cherry Shrimp didn't make it (couldn't get them out of the moss without bringing the moss with).

Washing the Fluorite. 15 wash cycles later, it was grey instead of brown/black.


Siphoning the tank!


The Life Support System. 50W Marineland Stealth Heater and a TopFin air pump.


Refilling the tank. Even with washed substrate, you can see how cloudy it is.


Once I turned the filter on, I spent about 20 minutes straining out loose tufts of moss.


12 hours later, still cloudy.


The finished product, 24 hours later and the water is crystal clear. No clarifying products needed, just a good filter :nerd:


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## Pota12345

Nice aquarium! I like the effect that algae do to your aquarium


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