Patience And Budget
- Thread starter yinyangpete
- Start date
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Excellent progress and hearing of your trails and tribulations is good to read about.
Your tank is surely starting to take shape and is gonna be stunning.
Keep up the good work and the updates too.
Your tank is surely starting to take shape and is gonna be stunning.
Keep up the good work and the updates too.
FishOut-O-Water
Mostly New Member
I know the replacement parts for the filter shouldn't be too pricey but the two local places I have visited so far don't carry the exact pieces I need. I think I will just have to find them online or maybe come up with a DIY alternative. I still have no idea what I'm going to do about lighting. I just so happened to have bought a 54L starter setup and stand just about a week before I found the free 100L. The 54L is set up and on the last leg of cycling, so for now the 100L project will mostly be restricted to the research and planning.
KieranBoyne
Moved On
FishOut-O-Water said:
Did you mean to post that here???
FishOut-O-Water
Mostly New Member
Kieren, yes I did. I was just letting the thread starter know a little about my budget build. In a way it's on topic but also in a way off topic which is why I am starting threads in the appropriate places. I know focus of a thread is not meant to wander too far but I don't see any harm in having a little dialogue with the starter. I would venture to say that this conversation with you has done far more to derail the topic than than my post you are questioning. Anyway like I said I am starting my own threads so it shouldn't even be an issue from this point on.
Continue with the build... hehe.
Continue with the build... hehe.
KieranBoyne
Moved On
oh! That makes more sense now lol
yinyangpete
Mostly New Member
I resolved the background issue.
My dissatisfaction with the paper background (standard LFS issued, black on one side and blue on the other) was that it was too glossy for my tastes. I've used a cloth background in the past affixed with velcro and was pleased with the result. But since I'm on a budget my first instinct was to try and use something I already had. It also had to be something light weight enough for me to attach easily since my tank was full and up against the wall.
I was mulling all this over while I was out working with the irises, and it occurred to me that I had some leftover landscaping fabric. It's certainly light weight and has a matte finish. I took the roll inside and draped it down the back of the tank. It was too "gauzy" and let too much light filter through--a definite concern for me since the tank sits partially in front of a window. I doubled it up, and got an acceptable result. With the curtain closed, and in the area of the tank on the wall, it provided a great looking matte black background.
I cut two pieces to size and ran some straight pins across the top to hold them together. Then I affixed it to the tank rim with four pieces of double sided tape across the top. I let the sides and bottom hang down on their own weight. Voila. Lightweight. Easily attached and easily taken off if I want something different. All done without having to move my tank or trying to contort myself into impossible positions trying to run tape across the bottom rim.
I don't think it would work well for a tank that gets a lot of excessive back lighting. With the curtain open to full sun, you can still make out a bit of the gauziness of the fabric. But with the curtain closed to the end of the tank, and at night, it presents solid black.
A trip to the barn, 30 minutes of fussing, and I had a new background. Best of all, I didn't even have to make a trip into town.
My five nephews are headed over for a BBQ this afternoon and they love to play in the creek. I'm going to put them to work helping me find the rocks I need to finish my scaping. Out for now to start the grill.
My dissatisfaction with the paper background (standard LFS issued, black on one side and blue on the other) was that it was too glossy for my tastes. I've used a cloth background in the past affixed with velcro and was pleased with the result. But since I'm on a budget my first instinct was to try and use something I already had. It also had to be something light weight enough for me to attach easily since my tank was full and up against the wall.
I was mulling all this over while I was out working with the irises, and it occurred to me that I had some leftover landscaping fabric. It's certainly light weight and has a matte finish. I took the roll inside and draped it down the back of the tank. It was too "gauzy" and let too much light filter through--a definite concern for me since the tank sits partially in front of a window. I doubled it up, and got an acceptable result. With the curtain closed, and in the area of the tank on the wall, it provided a great looking matte black background.
I cut two pieces to size and ran some straight pins across the top to hold them together. Then I affixed it to the tank rim with four pieces of double sided tape across the top. I let the sides and bottom hang down on their own weight. Voila. Lightweight. Easily attached and easily taken off if I want something different. All done without having to move my tank or trying to contort myself into impossible positions trying to run tape across the bottom rim.
I don't think it would work well for a tank that gets a lot of excessive back lighting. With the curtain open to full sun, you can still make out a bit of the gauziness of the fabric. But with the curtain closed to the end of the tank, and at night, it presents solid black.
A trip to the barn, 30 minutes of fussing, and I had a new background. Best of all, I didn't even have to make a trip into town.
My five nephews are headed over for a BBQ this afternoon and they love to play in the creek. I'm going to put them to work helping me find the rocks I need to finish my scaping. Out for now to start the grill.
KieranBoyne
Moved On
That looks really good!! And it saved you a bit of cash too aswell!! Clever idea to do that
Clever idea to do that
It looks great, well done! Hope you find some lovely rocks & that you have a good time with the BBQ 
Nice idea with the landscape fabric. I may steal that one, have a roll of it lying about. I generally use black bin liners, cheap and easy, but can be a pain to get the wrinkles out.
yinyangpete
Mostly New Member
It's been a very busy, crazy, fun day. Hope everyone else had a great day. Finally got the nephews to sleep. (I didn't know having a sleep over was part of the plan, but to tell the truth, everyone knows I don't care, so no one asks.) They are good kids and I have a blast sharing and exploring nature with them. We never made it to the creek. The one thing they like more than playing in the creek is playing in the pond.
Someone asked what plants I was going to put in the tank. I'm hoping to source them from the pond. My two biggest concerns are the introduction of unwanted organisms/pests and whether I can supply appropriate lighting. This is another new area for me and I'm certain I have more questions than answers. I am slogging forward. I gathered some plants today, and with any good fortune, I will post pics and hope someone can help with identification and requirements. They are all still soaking in a bucket of pond water.
-------
While we were playing in the pond one nephew called out to me....
"I think I lost my goggles."
"Do you think you lost them or are they lost?" I thought it was a reasonable question.
He says, "I don't know."
"Where would they be if they weren't lost?" I ask.
And he replied most succinctly...
"On my head."
Sometimes it's that simple.
Someone asked what plants I was going to put in the tank. I'm hoping to source them from the pond. My two biggest concerns are the introduction of unwanted organisms/pests and whether I can supply appropriate lighting. This is another new area for me and I'm certain I have more questions than answers. I am slogging forward. I gathered some plants today, and with any good fortune, I will post pics and hope someone can help with identification and requirements. They are all still soaking in a bucket of pond water.
-------
While we were playing in the pond one nephew called out to me....
"I think I lost my goggles."
"Do you think you lost them or are they lost?" I thought it was a reasonable question.
He says, "I don't know."
"Where would they be if they weren't lost?" I ask.
And he replied most succinctly...
"On my head."
Sometimes it's that simple.
I've heard of a guy who killed off the unwanted algae in his tank with a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide in a spray. Maybe that might help with unwanted organisms.on your pond plants too.
Love your nephew's logic and the story progression! lol
Love your nephew's logic and the story progression! lol
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