6ft planted finally up

[Mordrake]

hi folks,

just setup my 6ft (about 214G).
6ft(L) x 2ft(w) x 2.5ft(ht)

basic stats:
2x 2028 proII
3x150w mh (10 hrs)
ph 6.6 kh4
temp 27C
co2 - cylinder injection via external reactor

used mulm and old media to seed. planted pretty heavy from the start so i could add fishes after a week. would only start increasing bioload after another 2 weeks or so.
the large pebbles are used to keep the woods down. once they stop floating, i'll tie ferns and moss to them.


btw, the wild alenquer just moved in today and is roughly 7inches
another 6 wilds (tefe greens and heckels) waiting to move in :D

some pics.

just arrived
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/newtank.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/newtank2.jpg

lights
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/MH.jpg

adding fert and gravel
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/fert.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/gravel.jpg

filling with water
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/fillupwater.jpg

just planted (need big pebbles to keep the wood from floating)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/justsetup.jpg

after 9 days

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/6ft24oct2004.jpg

[Mordrake]

some shots of the equipment.
abit messy...

inside cabinet

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/equipment.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/chiller.jpg

right filter is hooked up to a skimmer while the left filter is to the chiller and external reactor.
inlet and outlet at each end of the tank for each filter.
the rainbar of the left filter is stretched all the way to the right of the tank bottom for even co2 distribution.
the right rainbar is just the standard length towards the left.

[ronrca]

:shocked: :thumbsup: ;)
Wow! What a beautiful tank! You really did a great job! Thanks for the step by step pics! ;) Keep us updated! ;D

[jules]

Very NICE 8)
Excellent choice on the wood and the a. Ulvaceus looks great.

[Don_Lee]

Very impressive!!!!!!!! ;D

[SmellsFishy0]

im thinkin about doin lighting on my planted tank like yours.........could ya give me/us some info on it and maybe some pics of the wiring up to the roof??? by the way the tank n set-up looks nice.....thanks -----AndyM

[Wahter]

I like the hardware a lot - that tank's top looks like the glass is higher than the frame and there's not cross support bars running across the top.


Walter

[DarkDiscus]

Sweet tank. It's amazing how much bigger they look when you first get them - after they have been around a while and the fish are in, they seem so much smaller!

Best of luck with it!

John

[RyanGSP]

Well there is one major problem with this tank im afraid. No Discus are in it. lol Do you plan on putting some in there? If so what strains?

[Le Imports]

Very nice, and soo well organized.

[radafmd]

Great tank! What substrate are you using?

[Mordrake]

thanks for the kind comments :)

going through hair algae and slight bba problems at the moment.
also white spots too (better now).

the e. tenellus lawn and blyxa japonica have been totally removed due to hair algae.

i had expected algae to come knocking so slowly trying to set things right.

the worst thing was that my female red turq jumped one night and i only found her behind the cabinet the next day, all dried up. :(

will post updated pics in a few days.

[mattrox]

I'm sorry to hear about the loss. I am so looking forward to seeing all set up with fish and no algae :)

[RAWesolowski]

Very nice set-up. I am most impressed by equipment. Could you provide some input on your CO2 system? I'm looking to set one up and I was wondering what you had purchased.

[Mordrake]

Very nice set-up. I am most impressed by equipment. Could you provide some input on your CO2 system? I'm looking to set one up and I was wondering what you had purchased.

it's a 5litre aluminium cylinder with a jbj double gauge regulator with solenoid, bubble counter, needle valve.
connected this way.

eheim 2028 -> chiller -> external reactor -> tank.

the external reactor is a DIY reactor made from a water filter.
i had the reactor upside down in the pic posted, have since put it right side up.
the co2 is fed into the reactor to be fully mixed before the water is pumped back to the tank.

[PaintballFan07]

Very nice Setup. I really like the equipment u have in ur cabinet. I want mine to have all that one day 2 ( i think i may have to host some charities first but i will think of sumthing.)

[Mordrake]

after 2 months...
the ap. ulvaceus abit off from the constant flowering.
going to add root monster and cut off the flowering stems. new leaves keep getting attacked by the algae crew...

hair algae under control. only problem now is the green slime algae and brown algae on the moss.

with 3x150wmh on
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/6ft_11dec04.jpg

only the centre mh on.(looks brighter cos i moved the 3 lights nearer to water surface)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/6ft_16dec04.jpg

some discus

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/DarkDiscus.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/YellowHeckel.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/RSG.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/BlueHeckel.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/BlueHeckel3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/BigRSG.jpg

the big bully - alenquer.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/Alenquer.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/Alenquer2.jpg

not sure why the discus tend to be darker than when they were in the BB tanks. is it due to the black background?

[ChileRelleno]

Question, why do you have a chiller on a Discus tank?

[Mordrake]

Question, why do you have a chiller on a Discus tank?

without a chiller, the MH lights will bring temps up to 32-33C.
that will probably kill most of the plants.
the chiller temp is set at 28C which is just right for the discus and plants.

one very different but important thing to note when setting up a planted tank.

keep your plants happy and healthy and they will keep your fishes happy and healthy. plants come first before fishes as they are the biofiltration of the tank.

note : this applies to fully planted tank setups.

[maine07]

WoW! Very Nice.... How I wish to own a 6ft tank as well.... However a lot of hobbyists in Singapore lived in flats including me. So I can only continue to "dream" on these tanks. Keep up the good work! ;)

I guess discus tend to camouflage themselves with the background like they usually do in the Amazon river/in the wild. Their instint? :D

[Mordrake]

WoW! Very Nice.... How I wish to own a 6ft tank as well.... However a lot of hobbyists in Singapore lived in flats including me. So I can only continue to "dream" on these tanks. Keep up the good work! ;)

I guess discus tend to camouflage themselves with the background like they usually do in the Amazon river/in the wild. Their instint? :D

bro, me from SG too :D

the wilds are always in front waiting for food. the only time you don't see them is after ligts off. they prefer to rest in the safety of the plants and sometimes i have a hard time trying to locate them.

here's an updated pic... 5mth old

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/6ft_10mar05.jpg

[chirohorn]

Looks great!

[gsander]

beautiful tank. Thanks for the step by step pics. I look forward to more.

[maine07]

bro, me from SG too :D

the wilds are always in front waiting for food. the only time you don't see them is after ligts off. they prefer to rest in the safety of the plants and sometimes i have a hard time trying to locate them.

here's an updated pic... 5mth old

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/elimmel/6ft%20tank/6ft_10mar05.jpg

Hi Mordrake,

You lived in landed property? You only have 1 6ft tank? Flat can't take this size as 6ft tank are way too heavy unless you are staying at ground level flat then weight may not be an issue.

Discus love to explore everywhere they go... :D

[Mordrake]

Hi Mordrake,

You lived in landed property? You only have 1 6ft tank? Flat can't take this size as 6ft tank are way too heavy unless you are staying at ground level flat then weight may not be an issue.

Discus love to explore everywhere they go... :D

i'm staying on ground level so weight should be alright.
only 2 tanks in the house (down from 15 x 20gallon).
the other tank is a 10gallon nano reef :)

[maine07]

i'm staying on ground level so weight should be alright.
only 2 tanks in the house (down from 15 x 20gallon).
the other tank is a 10gallon nano reef :)

OIC. Should have stay in ground level if I know I ever started on discus. Things are unpredictable. :)

Happy discus keeping to all. :D

[nacra99]

Quote: not sure why the discus tend to be darker than when they were in the BB tanks. is it due to the black background?
I think its a camo mechanism. They become darker in order to blend in to a darker background when they're stressed. (and Discus are one of the most jittery fish that i have ever seen)

I'm sorry .. don't mean any disrespect. But I tried to imagine maine07 and Mordrake speaking in a singaporean accent while replying each other's posts, and i couldn't help balling over with laughter. ... Sorry Lah... It's just that it's been such a long time since i have been home! And so long since i have spoken proper Singlish =). (And even longer since i had good Char Kway Teow)

That's an awesome tank btw Mordrake.

Marc
(Previously from Newton Road)

[Don_Lee]

Very impressive setup again, looks like it is filling in nicely. Very nice equipment, I am sure you are going to have a nice setup for years to come.

Don