My Inwall Community Planted Tank

jamesmacc

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Joined
Aug 24, 2011
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Location
isle of skye highlands
Hi folks,
 
been around here a few years but been quiet after i shut down my malawi tank to do some upgrades and lost track and never got around to starting it back up. I pulled the tank out as i wasnt happy with the access to it , wasn't happy with the lack of surround/frame, wasnt happy with the lights etc.
i raised the access into the rear of the tank and insulated the bottom, sides and above the tank. I built a new oak frame and bought a fluval fx6. I wasn't happy with the standard outlet on it which seemed to just blast one area of the tank and leave the other half with little circulation . I made a spray bar from 3/4" pvc which i was happy with until i added plants and realized the flow was far to strong and it up rooted the plants overnight. i enlarged the holes quite a bit which has me with a nice even flow. My malawi tank was full of rocks and although it looked ok i really wanted a tank with plants. I bought a huge piece of bogwood and spent a decent bit of money on plants listed below .
 
I am happy with the tank just now but i am very worried about the plants dying or loseing the nice colour they have . i am dosing them once a week and have almost finsihed my led light build which will have 120w controlled over 4 channels with timer etc .
 
anyway enough rambling on here is some photos 
 

 
before
+





 
its taking me a few months to do the upgrades and cycle the tank etc but i feel its worth it. Been wanting puffer fish for years so this tank is based around 2 amazon puffers and a nice peaceful community 
 
current stock :
1x red finned ruby shark
1x garra rufa
1x peacock goby
3x  golden leopard corydoras 
2x red strped killi
20x cardinal tetras 
1x opaline gourami
4x blue rams
5x redline torpedo barbs
2x apistogramma cacatuoides
3x bumblebee platys 
2x amazon puffers- colomesus asellus 
 
plants:
 TBC
 
It looks great!
 
May I ask where you got the gray PVC at?
 
Mark Z. said:
It looks great!
 
May I ask where you got the gray PVC at?
I got it from Ebay its called PVC imperial . i would send you a link that i got it from but its showing your lucky enough to be from the united states . here is a link i found for a similar one on the US ebay- http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-in-PVC-Pipe-Schedule-80-Cut-Pieces-1-2-3-4-or-5-Ft-S80-6inch-Gray-PVC-Pipe-/252341586916?var=&hash=item3ac0bb0be4:m:m4tM0-Esc1HCqP05DMNPqfw
 
thanks
james
Andysc1 said:
How do you get access to the tank ?
I made a cupboard behind it to house the light unit and filters and food etc
 
As an eBay Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
The whole room looks great!
 
Thanks for the tip...I had not thought to look on eBay.
 
Mark
 
jamesmacc said:
Hi folks,
 
been around here a few years but been quiet after i shut down my malawi tank to do some upgrades and lost track and never got around to starting it back up. I pulled the tank out as i wasnt happy with the access to it , wasn't happy with the lack of surround/frame, wasnt happy with the lights etc.
i raised the access into the rear of the tank and insulated the bottom, sides and above the tank. I built a new oak frame and bought a fluval fx6. I wasn't happy with the standard outlet on it which seemed to just blast one area of the tank and leave the other half with little circulation . I made a spray bar from 3/4" pvc which i was happy with until i added plants and realized the flow was far to strong and it up rooted the plants overnight. i enlarged the holes quite a bit which has me with a nice even flow. My malawi tank was full of rocks and although it looked ok i really wanted a tank with plants. I bought a huge piece of bogwood and spent a decent bit of money on plants listed below .
 
I am happy with the tank just now but i am very worried about the plants dying or loseing the nice colour they have . i am dosing them once a week and have almost finsihed my led light build which will have 120w controlled over 4 channels with timer etc .
 
anyway enough rambling on here is some photos 
 

 
before
+





 
its taking me a few months to do the upgrades and cycle the tank etc but i feel its worth it. Been wanting puffer fish for years so this tank is based around 2 amazon puffers and a nice peaceful community 
 
current stock :
1x red finned ruby shark
1x garra rufa
1x peacock goby
3x  golden leopard corydoras 
2x red strped killi
20x cardinal tetras 
1x opaline gourami
4x blue rams
5x redline torpedo barbs
2x apistogramma cacatuoides
3x bumblebee platys 
2x amazon puffers- colomesus asellus 
 
plants:
 3x amazon swords
1x hygrophila pinnatifida
1x hygrophila polysperma - indian swampweed
1x alternanthera reineckii red
1x hygrophila siamensis
1x echinodorus green chameleon
4x anubias minima
4x java fern 
heres the plant list -
3x amazon swords
1x hygrophila pinnatifida
1x hygrophila polysperma - indian swampweed
1x alternanthera reineckii red
1x hygrophila siamensis
1x echinodorus green chameleon
4x anubias minima
4x java fern 
 
using root tabs and dosing seachem flourish comprehensive once a week. any tips on if this is correct or a better way of going about it ?
 
just spent another small fortune on plants . pics to follow when they arrive . also finished my led light build and now have 120w cree leds 50/50 white/blue. on a controller for 10 am--10pm at 65% and then down to 35% for the last hour between 10-11 pm
 
lost 3 fish this morning after last nights water change .. gutted :( had the fish a week and they had settled well but two of them had been hanging out at the top of the tank above the spray bar out of the current and always looked a bit weak. they died and i also lost a tetra, thinking i might have stressed them out when adding more plants and doing the water change ? i temperature matched the water in the sink before diverting to the tank and adding seachem prime. the tank never dropped above or below 25 degrees 
 
I don't think the tetra died of stress, but rather just cause (ik its horrible explanation but time to time it happens) it was his time. Also the other 2 fish, that's unfortunate :( always sucks when a fish dies, especially when you know you took really good care of it T-T *sniffles*
*runs outside crying*
WHIIIIIIIIIIIII WORLD
*jk*
 

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