Max's 20g Rimless

[Billbug68]

Oh yeah man! The pipes look way better on this tank! Does the stand have a cabinet? You could always just get a decent size hole saw bit for a drill and drill a large hole in the side for the filter tubes. You could even get one of those plastic things you usually see on the of computer desks to feed wires through to make it look nice and neat. Just an idea...

 

[maxwellag]

Any suggestions for low-med light (or non-demanding) plants that I would be able to grow without co2? I'm using my T5HO fixture from my 20 long for now until I upgrade to a Sat+. I'm having trouble finding a foreground plant that would meet my needs. Lol

 

[Rivercats]

Downoi would work quite well in the foreground IMO and with only dosing liquid carbon.

Other plants would be Bolbitus, Ambulia, Rotala Indica, and maybe Pogostemon Erectus.

 

[Jkeating8]

Hydro sp. Japan

 

[maxwellag]

I keep forgetting that I will have my 2x24w T5HO fixture on this tank for a while, so I won't need to worry too much about low light. According to another hobbyist's PAR measurements, I am getting about 38 micromols of PAR with it on this tank. That should be fine for a while, at least until I can save up to buy one (I am thinking about getting two) Sat+ fixtures. So that means I can consider most plants that would require more light.

Oh, by the way, this is the stand- it's an open design, so that's why I wasn't sure about having the lily pipes on the side. It might look weird. Sorry it's a mess right now! Also, when I get a co2 setup, I am concerned about how it will look.

Sorry for the long and boring process of getting things ready. I found a good deal on seiryu stone (thanks to Brian) but they require large orders, so I'm saving up. Things will pick up soon with my brithday and the holidays coming up.

 

[Billbug68]

PAR of 38 mm should be perfect for almost anything if you do co2.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Check this out fellas...

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=470401

 

[Sillyfishies]

Check this out fellas...

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=470401

Christmas is coming up....

 

[maxwellag]

Check this out fellas...

Sneak peak at the new plant light!

Interesting... I won't get my hopes too high until I see PAR data, though. They said it would be the equivalent to T5 lights, so it sounds like it might not be as good as the T5HO I have now. I guess fixtures vary, and we won't really know for sure until some official PAR data is available.

EDIT: I spoke too soon! I was looking for more info and read the thread that the video was in and saw that it's supposed to have 120+ PAR at 12". Should be plenty at 18"

Now the only thing to worry about is the price. Haha

 

[maxwellag]

Since that new Current light probably won't be available until January, I put a Sat+ on my wish list. I am thinking of using glosso as the foreground plant- people say it's less demanding than HC and grows fast.

 

[maxwellag]

I am still undecided about what to do with this tank, but I am leaning towards low-tech with manzanita and micro sword. I tried something similar with my 40 breeder (ended up taking micro sword out due to algae issues).

Here's how my 40B used to be:

Aqua_chem showed me some low-tech tanks with micro sword, and I think I could make it work.

Here are some pics of the tanks that I might use for inspiration:

They're the same person's tanks. Both used glut (no co2) and medium light.


I have been thinking about what to do with this tank for quite some time. With a decent piece of wood (or pieces), I think I could make a similar scape like the ones above. I do have co2 in the long term plan, so if algae does become an issue, it will not be perpetual. With my 5g, I kept getting algae because I had too much light. A Sat+ (or the new one they are releasing in Jan) would be dimmable, so no problem with this tank.
As for livestock, all I have planned is a large school (maybe 20) of ember tetras. I am not sure if I will have anything else... maybe an algae cleanup crew of some sort. Maybe some shrimp as well.

 

[maxwellag]

I may have already found a good piece of driftwood... and I didn't even look that hard EDIT: Seller responded, this is sold :/
(not my picture)

 

[maxwellag]

At Last... No More Waiting!

Finally! Money! Things should start to pick up from here

I am trying to decide between these 3 pieces of driftwood. I'm leaning towards #1. What do you guys think?

1

2

3

 

[Billbug68]

I like # 3...

 

[maxwellag]

I like # 3...

Yeah, I think that one is growing on me. It's hard to tell, but it looks like it branches out in all directions like that awesome piece that I didn't get.

 

[Jkeating8]

Actually, I think one would present better scaping options.

 

[maxwellag]

Actually, I think one would present better scaping options.

That's kind of why I like it. It looks like it has a lot of room between branches.

 

[Jkeating8]

That's kind of why I like it. It looks like it has a lot of room between branches.

I agrree, max

 

[maxwellag]

Happy Birthday to Me!

I got a Sat+ for my birthday (yesterday). I was just playing with some of the color settings. Now all I need is driftwood, plants and fish! Well and CO2, but that may be later... Please excuse the Christmas tree reflection

 

[Billbug68]

The branches on 1 look a little too thick, IMO, but it's hard to tell without it in the actual tank...