Max's 40 Breeder Build

[maxwellag]

I thought you had decided on the wood...

The seller never got back to me. I am still considering other options.

 

[maxwellag]

Well, I got lots of stuff today. My regulator came, and I got a co2 tank. The glass diffuser I ordered also came.

 

[Ziggy953]

Nice!

The seller may have been busy considering the holidays. Try again! That wood was awesome and I'm thinking about getting some for my tank as well.

 

[maxwellag]

Oops! Lol I got a regulator for hydroponics.I will return it and get one with a bubble counter (the one I got has a flow meter).

 

[maxwellag]

I just ordered two pieces of manzanita driftwood from eBay. I will post pics of them tomorrow if I have time.

 

[maxwellag]

Here are the driftwood pieces I ordered (they're really small pictures):

Hmm, I wonder what these two large packages could be!

 

[owen0992]

I envy your patience sir. Whenever I get the idea for a project I have to get everything done as quickly as I can. I regret it when I get a better idea just a few days later.

 

[simplicitysarah]

Did your angels come!

 

[maxwellag]

Did your angels come!

I had to cancel the order for those because the substrate I got leaches ammonia, so I won't be able to have fish until it stops leaching. That could take up to a month.

 

[maxwellag]

The light and Aquasoil arrived.

With two of the 4 bulbs on:

All 4 bulbs on (it doesn't look like much of a difference because of my camera's light balance settings):

Moonlight LEDs:

Aquasoil:

Added to the tank:

It was definitely more than enough substrate. I will easily be able to make a slope now.

Here's a close up on the Aquasoil to show the shape of the particles (it looks gray because the light was so bright, but it's actually brown):

I will probably keep it like this until my driftwood arrives, then fill it up, add plants to it and let them grow until the ammonia leaching is under control.

 

[CatoeSc]

I'm glad to see this thread! I'm about to buy that same tank this weekend, but plan on building my own stand. How tall is your stand?

Somebody mentioned your patience earlier-I have to agree. I'm impressed-I want things done right away! I have to for e myself to wait when I set up a tank.

You said your substrate leaches ammonia-will that cause a normal fish less cycle?

I'd be interested to know other ideas you've had for stocking. I really like the size of this tank!

 

[maxwellag]

I'm glad to see this thread! I'm about to buy that same tank this weekend, but plan on building my own stand. How tall is your stand?

Somebody mentioned your patience earlier-I have to agree. I'm impressed-I want things done right away! I have to for e myself to wait when I set up a tank.

You said your substrate leaches ammonia-will that cause a normal fish less cycle?

I'd be interested to know other ideas you've had for stocking. I really like the size of this tank!

I am not sure how long my substrate will leach ammonia. It will most likely leach at a constant rate, so some beneficial bacteria will likely grow from that. I don't known if it will leach long enough for the BB to colonize enough to support my stocking. I am planning in moving over some cycled media from another tan when I do get fish, so that way I won't have to worry about supporting the bioload. As for stocking, I was planning on getting a male and female pair of apistogramma panduro and a breeding pair of angelfish. I will probably get some schooling fish Luke rummynose tetras after a while too.

 

[Aquatic_Adam]

I'm looking forward to how those lights do for you. I looked into them, but ended up going with the cheaper Coralife fixture.

My only concern (in the beginning at least) is that the light may be too strong for Rummys and Apistos. It's been my experience that they tend to hide away from strong light. Maybe somebody else here has a different experience though.

The slope looks fantastic! What are you thinking in terms of background plants? Can't wait for pictures with the DW in

 

[maxwellag]

I'm looking forward to how those lights do for you. I looked into them, but ended up going with the cheaper Coralife fixture.

My only concern (in the beginning at least) is that the light may be too strong for Rummys and Apistos. It's been my experience that they tend to hide away from strong light. Maybe somebody else here has a different experience though.

The slope looks fantastic! What are you thinking in terms of background plants? Can't wait for pictures with the DW in

I was actually only planning to run two of the 4 bulbs at a time. As for background plants, probably swords and other various stem plants.

 

[Ziggy953]

looking good buddy!

 

[maxwellag]

I decided to go ahead and fill the tank back up and plant the micro sword I had in my 20 gallon. I had to fill it very slowly to make sure that it didn't get cloudy and muddy from the Aquasoil. It still got a little cloudy and muddy, but it will clear up. I dosed Seachem Flourish for now, but I will probably start dosing dry fertilizers soon.

Full tank shot:

Close up on the micro sword:

The co2 regulator that I ordered to replace the one I ordered by mistake arrived today too, so I set it up:

 

[Ziggy953]

Very nice!

 

[maxwellag]

The tank has cleared up a lot, but it is still a bit cloudy.

I will probably have two different foreground plants, but I am not sure what else to get right now.

 

[Ziggy953]

Looking good! Need to clean that glass though!

I'll send some HC out to you next week.

 

[maxwellag]

Yeah, when I fill the tank for the first time with Aquasoil, it usually has some dirt smudges. I will get out the Mag-float!