# Bar-top Vase Aquarium Build



## ironklad

I'm using this vase from Ikea - it's about 7 gallons.
BLADET Vase - 25 ½ " - IKEA

Here's a picture of the bar where it will go, but it will be placed against a wall at the end of the bar (the 2-liter is just a size reference):
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur

General plans for the tank:
DIY HOB filter
Live plants + CO2
LED spotlight
Clear plastic lid

All the equipment will be concealed as much as possible for a clean look. I only want to have an inlet tube going into the tank for the filter, and nothing else. The heater and CO2 outlet will be hidden inside the HOB filter.

Any suggestions for fish? I was originally going to put my betta in this tank, but changed my mind after chipmunk1210's advice that the vase is too deep for the betta to come up for air comfortably. I'm not sure what I want to put in this tank, other than I'd rather have many small fish, versus few larger fish.


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## choutman

very cool idea...if you are going to plant it maybe just a few real cool shrimp..ie bamboo or a panda or two...just an idea but very cool idea keep us updated on what you decide please =)


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## ironklad

I'm going to make a DIY HOB similar to this guy's idea, but a bit smaller.

In this guy's setup, he has a submersible pump inside his tank, that pushes water through a tube into the HOB, which then gravity-feeds back into the tank. I would prefer to instead have the pump inside the HOB, pulling water through an inlet tube. This way I don't need to have an ugly pump in the tank, just the inlet tube. Any suggestions for pumps that could work this way? I'm thinking something like a powerhead that can have a tube connect to its inlet.

DIY Hang On Back Filter (HOB) - YouTube


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## coralbandit

I was trying to figure out what fish would do well in that vessel,but really couldn't think of any that desire/require very tall and narrow(very narrow).
I think choutman nailed it though.Shrimp or even mini lobsters would probably do great in there and are very interesting.


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## majerah1

I agree, shrimp! They love vertical spaces so be sure to have plants at all levels and they will zoom happily about.


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## Kehy

I would suggest some echinodorus 'vesuvius' and maybe painted fire red shrimp. That would look pretty sweet. You wouldn't even need to have the best filter ever, I can actually keep and breed shrimp in bowls without filters at all, they just have to be really well planted.
E. vesuvius


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## ironklad

Shrimp is a good idea, I've been considering a shrimp only tank, so this could be it. Would mini lobsters try to eat the live plants? Or the shrimp, for that matter?


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## coralbandit

The mexican mini lobsters(CPO) don't disturb anything so far for me.I have a total of 7 ,of which 6 are in a 5.5g.The other has been seperated as she is carrying eggs.They're pretty cool and peaceful.The seperated one is with 2 red cherry shrimp.


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## ironklad

Update - here's the light and fixture I plan to use. Not standard aquarium equipment, but I think it will work well. The fixture will be mounted to the wall next to the aquarium. I tested this bulb with the vase full of water a while ago (sorry no pic) and it looks great... nice focused, brilliant white light. 

Fixture: Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur
Lamp: Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur


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## ironklad

coralbandit I think you may have me sold on the mini lobsters, these guys do look cool!

mini lobster images


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## ironklad

It's about time for an update! I've been super busy with school, but I have a few days off between terms now.

The work area. You can see a few other projects I have going on, as well. Left to right: Betta vase, 55gal+35gal tanks (in the background), bartop aquarium vase, Aqueon Evolve 8
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur

I'm using this little conduit pipe thing to extend the fixture out from the base. I'm not sure what this thing is called, but they have them in the electrical section at Home Depot.
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur

Hood attached
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur

Thread all the wires through BEFORE soldering! 
I used the plug-end of a heavy extension cord, so that I can plug the light into the wall - it is not permanently wired into the house electrical. The junction box is only acting as a mount for the light. There are no exposed wires inside it, the cord just passes through it.
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur

Black to black, white to white, ground to ground. I heat-shrinked the joins afterward (no image).
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur

Basically how it will be attached to the wall.
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur

Taped up for painting. I've already painted it gloss black and it looks great. I'll take more pics once the paint is dry and I have it mounted up.
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur


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## ironklad

Got the light painted and mounted! Nevermind the ugly wall and the grey board; the wall is going to be repainted, and I'm going to build a little cover panel to hide all the ugly equipment behind the tank.
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur

Here it is at night. The cube tank is just staying in that spot temporarily. 
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur


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## ironklad

Whoa, sorry my album links got all messed up. Should be good now.


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## majerah1

Wow it looks fantastic!


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## ironklad

I've started putting stuff in the tank (no fish yet!). Since I live in the SF Bay Area, I also tacked the tank to its base (which is a ceramic tile), and tacked the tile to the counter top with "quake hold putty". It's very sturdy now - it would take quite a significant earthquake (or accidental bump) to knock this thing over!

Base layer of sand + gravel, mainly to give a solid foundation for the rocks.
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur

Cool rocks I got at the LFS. They are very porous and brittle, so they're easy to chip away with a hammer to make them fit together nicely.
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur

I hot-glued them together to make a little ledge / cave. Since this tank is so tall, I'm trying to get more bang for the buck with vertical layers.
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur

The top layer is a mix of roughly 3:1 Fluval Stratum : Flourite black sand. I've started to put in some plants. The water is very cloudy right now of course, so I'll update again once everything settles out.
Bar-top Vase Aquarium - Imgur


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## ironklad

Things are coming along nicely! The tank has been going for a couple weeks now, and the plants are already taking hold and growing. For the plants, I'm only using liquid CO2 additive and fertilizer so far, and I might not even bother with CO2 gas, since this liquid stuff already seems to work pretty well. 

Right now there are only 3 glass shrimp and 2 mystery snails in the tank, no fish yet. I'm using a ZooMed 501 external canister filter with sponge + floss in one section, and Biomax + ceramic rings on the other section. I'm happy with the filter so far, especially because its intake and output are very small and unobtrusive. I think my bio filter is established now, because I tested 0 ammonia, 0 nitrate and 0 nitrite a couple days ago (these all spiked last week). I will wait a couple weeks longer to add fish though, to be on the safe side. I plan to augment the canister by having it outflow into a second chamber of media (to be determined) which will gravity-feed back into the tank.

Tank. The other two tanks are here temporarily, stay tuned for these projects...

Another view 

Plants

More plants. An unexpected side effect of the water filled cylinder is that it magnifies anything on the far side of the tank. Really cool for looking at the critters.

Inlet. The only hardware inside the tank. Hopefully I can hide it entirely with a branch or something.

Canister. This will be hidden behind a panel later.

Daredevil snail

Semi aquatic plant on top of the (temporary) lid


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## ironklad

I have added some critters to the tank! I'm going to leave it alone for a while now, so everything can settle in and the plants can grow. All of the animals seem healthy and active, and the plants are growing by the day. So far so good!

Bar-Top Aquarium In Progress Update - YouTube

Current stock:
8 Neon Tetra
3 Medium Mystery Snail (and a couple other tiny snails)
4 Ghost Shrimp
1 Bristlenose Plecostomus

Tests:
7.4 PH (This is stable, but probably should be lower. Thoughts?)
0.25 Ammonia
0 Nitrite
0 Nitrate

Filtration:
ZooMed 501 canister. This is actually the "turtle" version which I bought because it was on sale; it's identical to the aquarium version AFAIK.
1 chamber is a mix of BioMax and ceramic, the other chamber is a mix of sponge and fine floss. No carbon, just added a little boost of bacteria supplement every couple days, while things got established.


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## Kehy

I'll admit, even though it looks cool, I don't really approve of the pleco being there. Even though it's just a small one, they have such a large bioload that I wouldn't put even a small pleco in less than a 20. 
Other than that, looks reasonably good, maybe the tetras are a little cramped, but the plants look good, and the filter sounds good too.


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## ironklad

I'm a little uncertain about space needs too, so all of these fish are semi-temporary in this aquarium for now. I have no place else to put them while I shuffle some other fish and aquariums around. Eventually, they'll all be in a 55 gallon, along with some other fish.

Also regardless of what fish I finally put in, the Neons have made me realize I'll need a couple different types of fish that prefer different water depths. The Neons basically never go above the plants. Maybe they'll be more bold after the plants get taller?


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## ironklad

What causes one fish to have a larger bioload than another? Is it the body size, metabolism, amount of food they eat...? Can two fish of the same body size have different bio load?


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## z1200

ironklad said:


> What causes one fish to have a larger bioload than another? Is it the body size, metabolism, amount of food they eat...? Can two fish of the same body size have different bio load?


Yes two fish of the same size can have different bioloads, take goldfish for example they have a super high bioload for their size. Some fish are dirtier than others. But as a general rule larger fish will have higher bioloads. And as far as plecos go they do make a lot of waste.


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## majerah1

ironklad said:


> Also regardless of what fish I finally put in, the Neons have made me realize I'll need a couple different types of fish that prefer different water depths. The Neons basically never go above the plants. Maybe they'll be more bold after the plants get taller?



They are more of a mid area swimmer and need length vs depth. You will get more movement from them by placing them in something they can go from one side to the other in. The 55 you spoke of earlier would be perfect. 

Good to hear the pleco will be moved, should be sooner ratehr than later. He wont bother other fish if you are concerned.


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## ironklad

Thanks guys. I'd like to get the 55 up ASAP, and I'll make a thread about that too, of course!


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