20L has been upgraded to a 55g

[Laeris]

Here's a concept. I'm so glad I'll be able to get all the plants from folks here via classifieds. I wanted to show Mister what I meant by copses of the red plants, thanks to fishenthusiast. I'll post pics as things progress, ofc. Thinking about that 1/2 sqft dwarf hair grass mat, as well. It'd start the central area on to the green and brown blob on the right. Mmmhmmmmm. The corner HMF is going to let me hide the heater, co2 diffuser, etc. I won't have an air stone, but rely on the splash of the water return.

I was hoping to be able to really hide the filter behind moss or w/e but that would ruin its ability to filter. I'm still running with it, though. A blank spot of black in the background is much less disruptive than other options I can feasibly get my hands on. It's effective, long lasting and appeals to my lazy.

 

[Laeris]

Here's a concept. I'm so glad I'll be able to get all the plants from folks here via classifieds. I wanted to show Mister what I meant by copses of the red plants, thanks to fishenthusiast. I'll post pics as things progress, ofc. Thinking about that 1/2 sqft dwarf hair grass mat, as well. It'd start the central area on to the green and brown blob on the right. Mmmhmmmmm. The corner HMF is going to let me hide the heater, co2 diffuser, etc. I won't have an air stone, but rely on the splash of the water return.

I was hoping to be able to really hide the filter behind moss or w/e but that would ruin its ability to filter. I'm still running with it, though. A blank spot of black in the background is much less disruptive than other options I can feasibly get my hands on. It's effective, long lasting and appeals to my lazy.

Sigh~ attach before posting.

 

[Fresh2o]

You're welcome!
I am guessing that the HMF will reside on one end of the tank. It appears that the foam will fit* the inside dimensions of the tank and perhaps the SS mesh will be the same dimensions?
* Actually a bit larger so that there is a snug fit and no chance of bypass
How will the mesh stay in place? Silicone? Clips of some sort? The things used for supporting tank dividers? You might consider using a tank divider in lieu of the SS mesh. Just a thought.


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[Laeris]

http://www.swisstropicals.com/filtration-shop/cornerfilter-shop/ The kit includes the glass uprights, etc. I should have sufficient silicone to attach the mesh to the edges across the front.

 

[Laeris]

Total for foam, braces, 100w heater, pump, etc. is $92 shipped. Love it!

 

[coralbandit]

That is a good deal IMO!
I have been following along.

 

[Fresh2o]

Thanks for the link! Sounds pretty cool and more aesthetically pleasing than the standard HMF.
By the sounds of it, the only maintenance would be siphoning the outer surface of the sponge. You could still fashion some type of "dam" to prevent substrate from creeping in where the sponge resides when you do remove it for maintenance.


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[Laeris]

That's assuming my inverts don't clean it for me before time. I have an army of snails and hope to have this cycled before my shrimp explode. Ones already showing a saddle, I'm going to get the tank up and cycling ASAP, lights or no lights.

I'll be ordering the mesh before tomorrow, so everything should come in nearly all at once. It's going to be a month before I can get the Finnex Planted+ 24/7, so the plant tank is going on opposite schedule to share the light. Ugly, but needs must. I suppose I could have planned better but I seem to thrive on flying by the seat of my pants. I'm going to get some of that fry food stuff from Han to coat the tank in biofilm so no one goes without a constant snack.

The rock mountain is out, it'll be too much a barrier. I was looking at mixing Portland cement with the sand I'll be using for the riverbed and doing a simple overlay on foam. Mister had the brillo idea of using pond spray foam and coating it in sand. He's also dead excited about the prospect of a sand fall, and I'm not of a mind to argue. So the cliff will be full of caves/holes/flow pass through to avoid negating the filter. It'll take a while to set up, and I have shrimp ticking, so it'll be sunk in later.

 

[Laeris]

Hokay! The filter, heater and pump arrived just as I was going out the door. Mister got the supports in. Squeee! Tomorrow night, I should be able to get started on conditioning the dirt. *^_______^*

 

[ImACoolguy]

Nice looking build that's well thought out.

I'll be following along


Caleb

 

[skylane]

Just wondering why the corner style, instead of the half moon?
I'm liking it so far!!! It's got me thinking about one???

Clem

 

[Laeris]

Surface area. I could've done the front to back on a side or even across the back which is usually done on larger tanks but that would've been painfully visible with no opportunity to make it part of the background. This way, I can mask it without wrecking it's functionality, hide the necessaries behind it and not go all in with canisters and the like. I love being able to hide the heater, co2 diffuser, etc in the back. The drop check is going behind the pines in the back. I can see it from the side and not have some alien weirdo hanging out in the way.

 

[Fresh2o]

Alien weirdo. Have not heard that before!
How soon will the tape come off and the sponge can be put in place? Will the tank have a black background?


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[skylane]

Surface area. I could've done the front to back on a side or even across the back which is usually done on larger tanks but that would've been painfully visible with no opportunity to make it part of the background. This way, I can mask it without wrecking it's functionality, hide the necessaries behind it and not go all in with canisters and the like. I love being able to hide the heater, co2 diffuser, etc in the back. The drop check is going behind the pines in the back. I can see it from the side and not have some alien weirdo hanging out in the way.

Tank is lookin good by the way!!![emoji6]
This is a good choice in filter, if I can remember I did see this in use somewhere, the spring type filter?
I'm going t do one in my next tank but not now , when I move.
I hope the wire mesh screen works out , let us know![emoji106]


Clem

 

[skylane]

Tank is lookin good by the way!!![emoji6]
This is a good choice in filter, if I can remember I did see this in use somewhere, the spring type filter?
I'm going t do one in my next tank but not now , when I move.
I hope the wire mesh screen works out , let us know![emoji106]


Clem

Sponge type filter...

 

[Laeris]

If I remember right, it only takes six hours to set. There's videos on YouTube, which is where I found out about this type of filter. The steel mesh is still en route, so I'm going to use something else to keep the substrate off the filter for now. Impatience is kicking in hard. I have the dirt, I have the filter. I have parchment paper, waxed paper, cling wrap and an industrial roll of tin foil. Plenty options for a temp barrier I can pull once the mesh gets here

*48-36 before fitting foam in place, per Swiss Tropicals. Bugger. Fiiiiiiine!

 

[skylane]

If I remember right, it only takes six hours to set. There's videos on YouTube, which is where I found out about this type of filter. The steel mesh is still en route, so I'm going to use something else to keep the substrate off the filter for now. Impatience is kicking in hard. I have the dirt, I have the filter. I have parchment paper, waxed paper, cling wrap and an industrial roll of tin foil. Plenty options for a temp barrier I can pull once the mesh gets here

*48-36 before fitting foam in place, per Swiss Tropicals. Bugger. Fiiiiiiine!

GD by the way, it should work out fine you did your homework and its going to look good to!!![emoji39]


Clem

 

[Fresh2o]

While you are patiently waiting out the next 18-30 hours, would it be possible to start the scape on the rest of the tank?


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[skylane]

GD by the way, it should work out fine you did your homework and its going to look good to!!![emoji39]


Clem

Good luck I ment to say

 

[Laeris]

While you are patiently waiting out the next 18-30 hours, would it be possible to start the scape on the rest of the tank?


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The dirt is going to be the bottom layer and I'm going to be flinging it about a bit. Realized we will be using silicone to attach the mesh to the glass supports, so it'll be Saturday before I can do anything. Le sigh. I'm kind of raging inside but I'll be danged if I'm going to trip myself up doing something stupid. Bad enough the 5.5 is overstocked like crazy because I didn't plan well enough.

I might not do the pines at all. I realized they won't stay that way forever. Do I really want to trim moss back into a tree shape the whole time? Or ever? Nope. Moss on a stick trees it is! Already have a few almond bark curls on their way, we'll see how it goes. Crappy lollipop trees = low maintenance? I'm in!! Muahahahahaha

For the background, Mister has an oil painting planned. Not even kidding. I'm still compiling a few scenes for him to conceptualize from, but I'm sure it'll be epic.