The GF's ADA 60-F - Shallow Rimless Build - Ohko Mountains

[Brian_Nano12g]

What's up AA! Here we go... another rimless build! This time a very interesting shallow nano tank, the ADA 60-F. My GF, Terry of whom I love and live with caught the aquascaping bug THANKS to me and we decided to get rid of the Halfmoon tank we had in the office for this sexy piece of aquarium art. She'll be the one scaping it with only suggestive help from yours truly. So here we go

The Skinny:

Aquarium: ADA 60-F (24"x12"x7" = 8.6g)
Lighting: 18" Finnex Ray 2 (15 Watts: 144 HO LEDs / 7000K)
Filter: Fluval 106
Lily Pipes: 13mm Do!Aqua Violet Glass
CO2: Aquatek mini paintball regulator w/ NAG-aqua music note diffuser

Layout material: Ohko Stone
Substrate: Floramax topped w/ UP Aqua Shrimp Sand + natural sand
Floramax is used as a base due to its rough rigid texture. Because it derives from lava rock, it has a greater ability to hold slopes over just using aqua soil type substrates. For a better substrate medium for shrimp, we're using UP Aqua Shrimp Sand. Not only does this substrate have a very attractive appeal, it is also ideal for shrimp due to its buffer capability and added nutrients formulated for shrimp. The natural sand will be used to create channels in the front of the planted substrate as well as a little river type feature.

Planned Flora:

• HC
• HM
• DHG (e. parvula)
• Downoi
• Blyxa Japonica
• Mini Pellia
• Fissidens fontanus

Fauna:

• Tangerine Tiger & Red Rili shrimps
• Otos

UP Aqua Shrimp Sand & Ohko Stone...

Interesting thing about this UP Aqua Shrimp Sand is that it's claimed to be more dense in comparison to other substrates due to it's ratio of clay to ash. Therefore, it's suppose to hold up better and not disintegrate as easy as Fluval Stratum. Further, there's no ammonia spike as with ADA AS and it also buffers the water to 6.5ph. Here's an interesting read on it in case you're interested: here



Some Hardscape Examples -- I think she's settling on the 3rd layout:

Layout 1:


Layout 2:


Layout 3:


Close-Ups of the Glassware:



It will be a while until we actually plant and flood the tank. I'm still gathering the plans needed for suspending the fixture using a DIY conduit pipe method. Big thanks to BillBug for sending me some key components to mounting the fixture to the conduit. Also a big thanks to Rcguerra for the awesome scaping kit (gone are the days of using old credit cards to move around substrate...LOL).

More to come stay-tuned!

[tarheel92]

I will definitely be following this closely.

[Billbug68]

Dang! 3rd hardscape is amazing!

Her tank looks better than yours... Haha

You know I'm here!

[Aquatic_Adam]

Wow. That 3rd scape is reeeeally good. This is gonna be nice to watch it get set up and grow

[Billbug68]

P.S. that's a TON of stone you're gonna have to brush clean...

[Brian_Nano12g]

Haha.. Yeah I'm jealous of her tank. But I'm still happy i have my own across the room -- even so it's not as nice looking! Haha

Hopefully the shrimp and Otos keep those stones semi clean.

Oh BTW Bill, i started that rimless club we were toying around with the idea on convict's thread. Adam i sent you an invite to the PRC too -- since i know you'll be getting a rimless in the near future.

[gman42]

Im following along.

And the 3rd scape looks awesome!

[Billbug68]

Originally Posted by Brian_Nano12g

Haha.. Yeah I'm jealous of her tank. But I'm still happy i have my own across the room -- even so it's not as nice looking! Haha

Hopefully the shrimp and Otos keep those stones semi clean.

Oh BTW Bill, i started that rimless club we were toying around with the idea on convict's thread. Adam i sent you an invite to the PRC too -- since i know you'll be getting a rimless in the near future.

Haha I was only kidding! Yours is just as awesome! Lol. I'm a little bit jealous though, you guys just had to go put my 12 to shame... I love those stones! Can I say the inflow pipe looks a little silly though...

I'll log on the full site and check out the rimless club right now!

[Aquatic_Adam]

Originally Posted by Brian_Nano12g

Haha.. Yeah I'm jealous of her tank. But I'm still happy i have my own across the room -- even so it's not as nice looking! Haha

Hopefully the shrimp and Otos keep those stones semi clean.

Oh BTW Bill, i started that rimless club we were toying around with the idea on convict's thread. Adam i sent you an invite to the PRC too -- since i know you'll be getting a rimless in the near future.

Haha yeah buddy! I'll get on my computer to look at that

My buddy has that shrimp substrate. Works well for him. He has had it for a couple months and it does what you read. It still hasn't broken down, pretty rigid, and buffered his water down to around 6.8. His only gripe is lately his pH has been up at 7.6 but he hasn't tested his water straight from the tap yet to see if it's just a change from the tap or the substrate isn't doing its job anymore.

[Brian_Nano12g]

@gman -- thanks for following!

@Bill - Well yeah, the inflow is a little bizarre being tall like that... We'll see if we can adjust it better. If not, she can have my Cal Aqua's... she got the Do! Aqua pipes used but they look brand new. It was a really good deal for a trade with some plants

[Rcguerra]

3rd option for sure! Very nice.

[Brian_Nano12g]

^^ Thanks Rafael!

Originally Posted by Aquatic_Adam

Haha yeah buddy! I'll get on my computer to look at that

My buddy has that shrimp substrate. Works well for him. He has had it for a couple months and it does what you read. It still hasn't broken down, pretty rigid, and buffered his water down to around 6.8. His only gripe is lately his pH has been up at 7.6 but he hasn't tested his water straight from the tap yet to see if it's just a change from the tap or the substrate isn't doing its job anymore.

Hmm, interesting! Well, we'll be using RO for this tank so I think we'll be clear from any issues from our tap. Anyway, our tap in AZ is like liquid rock...LOL My GF researched the Ohko stone and it doesn't affect the pH either. But, I think the Floramax might? I wonder if the UP Aqua Shrimp Sand will counter balance the Floramax and keep the pH low?

[Kimlafeiet]

Following!

[MyanRan]

Really excited to see this develop! Haha that intake does look kind of silly? Is that part of the Do!Aqua set as well? The rocks look amazing!

[Brian_Nano12g]

Yeah they are part of the Do!Aqua set. I think they look better when we lower them a bit.. In any case, if they don't work out, we can use the Cal Aqua pipes from my 6g.

Here's the Do!Aqua with the inflow lowered... Looks better IMO

[azmodan]

Looks great so far, Brian! Really digging the shallow rimless look.

[MyanRan]

I'm curious as to how you decided to use a 18" Ray 2, compared to a 24" light? Are the sides a lot lower light? I'm not criticizing! Just interested.

[Rivercats]

Following along, it's looking quite promising!

[Brian_Nano12g]

Thanks azmodan and Rivercats!

Originally Posted by MyanRan

I'm curious as to how you decided to use a 18" Ray 2, compared to a 24" light? Are the sides a lot lower light? I'm not criticizing! Just interested.

I got the 18" Ray 2 because i think a shorter fixture will look better being suspended over the tank. Plus being that it is suspended, the light spread will still cover all of the surface area of the tank. Besides, the 18" was cheaper than the 24"....lol

[RobbyDoom]

Awesome! It's always good when your significant other can take part in something you enjoy. They somehow find the reasons you enjoy it, as well as create their own. Things like this bring closer together!

It's looking good thus far!