ADA 60F low tech

[Wills]

So it looks like I am going to be working at home at least part time for the forseable future, I mentioned in an other thread wanted to start this tank and I've finally bought the first few components to the set up so thought I would start to document it.

The tank is an ADA 60F which is 30 litres and 60x30x18cm. Its definitely a scapers tank rather than dedicated for fish so I will be stocking it accordingly and probably wont be putting in a full bioload, I am tempted to go for a fancy betta as I have never kept one before.

Equipment wise I have a Chihiros A Series 601 which produces 39 watts with 117 LEDs. It came with a dimmer so I am planning to run it at about 30-40% maybe less. This is the best bargain I have ever bought for aquaria, it was £20 delivered from China and when you consider the dimmer it came with is usually £10 in UK stores it is just nuts... the tank will be filtered by an Oase Filtosmart 100 which will give me 600lph (less a bit when I add in Seachem Matrix) which I plan to attach to some Chihiros mini steel lily pipes. Being an Oase the heater is in the canister too which is really good for small tanks like this. If I do go down the Betta route I will cut the flow right down either by turning it down on the filter (need to check how) or placing hardscape near the outlet.

For the scape I want to use a lot of different types of moss attached to river cobbles to create a rolling hills type scene or something akin to a topiary garden. I'll use a mix of regular moss, fissidens, pelia, liverwort and attach it to the rocks probably with string or netting? Then between the rocks I want to plant Littorella Uniflora. About 2/3s of the tank will be set up like this on a bed of aqua soil the last third will use a bag of DOOA river sand that I bought for my other tank but didnt use. The only other plant I have planned at the moment are some Banana Plants, not so much for their roots but the small lilly pads they put out which I think will look really nice.

This is probably going to be a slow burn project as I need to get the room decorated before I set the tank up properly but I am planning to get started on that this weekend (I suspect it will take me a few weekends). Looking forward to getting started though

Wills

 

[WhistlingBadger]

That is a really cool looking tank, long and shallow. Sounds like a great plan.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Man... ADA is nice stuff, how did you get your hands on them?

Can’t wait. I love journals like this and seeing the tank come together.

 

[Wills]

Thanks guys I really like the ADA brand but man is it expensive! We have a couple of stores that stock it in the UK I went to get it this weekend before we get more lock down restrictions as no one wants to post ADA for some reason?

 

[Ch4rlie]

ADA do make lovely rimless tanks, good quality clear opti white glass too to make it so much clearer to see into the tank. Hence why it’s popular with aquascapers.

That’s why it’s expensive, worth it but expensive!

Seems the good aquarium stuff always are expensive!!!

 

[Wills]

Seems the good aquarium stuff always are expensive!!!

I did try to explain to my wife that this set up has cost less than my light on the other tank but that just seemed to make things worse...

 

[Ch4rlie]

I did try to explain to my wife that this set up has cost less than my light on the other tank but that just seemed to make things worse...

Know exactly why you mean!

I bought some second hand Kessil lights with controller that was more expensive than the SW tank itself and tried to explain it was good value because good lights make for good coral growth etc etc

Also said it was my money and I wanted to get them to see what they were like as heard good things about Kessil lights.

But that did not really work either

 

[WhistlingBadger]

See, this is where I have an advantage over the average married guy. Remember my 150 rainbow tank? I get paid to do that tank, enough to (mostly) support my home aquarium hobby, as well as my archery habit and the occasional tin of really good tea. Ain't life grand?

We're moving in a couple weeks, and Mrs. Badger has already dropped the suggestion that I set up the old 29g in the new den. So maybe I won't have to pay for that one myself... "It was your idea, sweety, remember?" WIsh me luck.

 

[Wills]

The room is decorated and the tank sort of has the green light to go ahead. I got this wood for my other tank but it can sit here for now

 

[Wills]

Really itching to get this underway now been way too long and way too much expensive equipment just sat around. I think the delay is that I dont feel like I have everything I need. I dont think I've got enough substrate, I've got some plants ready to go - lots of moss but need a few more but more on that in a sec.

I think the other reason is that I've taken a while is that it is such an odd shape I cant work out what I want to do with it. I'm slightly limited with materials, I've got some new wood you can see in the image above which was meant for my other tank but I went in a different direction with that and I also have a big bucket full of river cobbles that were in my old 6 foot tank.

The reason I wanted a flat tank was this video

so I've decided to do a version of this with my river stones. I've mocked it up with a towel in the base for now, the idea is that the middle strip would be planted quite wild with easy grass type plants and crypts, the rocks would be planted with mosses, java, flame and fissidens and the front and back corners would be sand, maybe with some small crypts planted in the sand with root tabs or little pockets of tropica substrate (as I have a bag of that already).

Anyway enough rambling let me know what you think.

 

[eatyourpeas]

I think this can be an amazing tank! GA is quite inspirational and the ADA tanks are amazing (and yes, expensive!). One question: why put the taller hardscape group in front as opposed to the back of the tank?

 

[Wills]

I think this can be an amazing tank! GA is quite inspirational and the ADA tanks are amazing (and yes, expensive!). One question: why put the taller hardscape group in front as opposed to the back of the tank?

My desk is to the right of this tank so most of the time I will be looking from the front right side, looking back at the photos I think the front right section of rocks looks too placed, bit too much dry stone wall so in practise this section might end up lower. I thought in my old tank I had more tiny rocks but looks like I lost them (or left them in the old tank when it sold), they would have been useful as I've had to pile medium sized rocks up and think it does not look as good as lots of smaller rocks.

Wills

 

[eatyourpeas]

Ah, that makes sense. Great start and a nice path to go on a walk.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Wow, here it comes. That rock work has definite potential.

 

[mbsqw1d]

Potentially very good, I think I'm just struggling to visualise the gradient that you will have with the substrate.