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Thread: My first big tank

  1. #61
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    Re: My first big tank

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    Quote Originally Posted by Urban Aquaria View Post
    Yeah, one 9L bag of ADA aquasoil is usually suitable for a standard 2ft tank with base area of 60cm x 30cm... but for your tank's larger 60cm x 45cm base area, you will need 50% more (or just get another 9L bag or two, will be useful if you need extra soil to create a taller slope to the back).
    Thanks bro UA! Will get another bag

  2. #62
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    Re: My first big tank

    Great to see work in progress! That would be the most exciting part!

    Will you put any foam mat under the tank later? It will offer some support strength for the filled aquarium and slightly leveling it, if any.

    BTW, 3ft to 4ft tank would look nice in this location too.



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  3. #63
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    Re: My first big tank

    Your house is very nice and neat... like show flat, minus the clothing on the chairs and door :P

    Wow! nNce to see the cabinet arrived and equipment in place!
    For this setup, I think you should consider to have your layout be viewable on 3 sides , maybe an island setup view.
    Think you should a SS inlet also... the inlet looks like in a odd position...

    I will recommend you to turn the cabinet 90 degrees to have the door facing front. and the holes facing wall. It will look nicer at the sofa side, since your tank is almost a cube, it will look almost the same, do you intend to add chiller?
    Maybe you can shift the cabinet out a bit for easy access in future while doing maintenance.

    I foresee you might need another light as your tank is so wide. but you should add it at a later stage if you find that the light is not bright enough.
    having said that, if you don't mind old looking, East Ocean has 2 pieces of 2nd hand 1.5 feet green element LED going at I think $25 each you can drop by to have a look. maybe you can consider that but then u might need to remove your 2 feet light, maybe bring back to exchange for 2 packs of amazonia?



    I forsee you will need 3 packs of amazonia to have the tank nicely and comfortably setup.

  4. #64
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    Re: My first big tank

    Quote Originally Posted by jackychun View Post
    Great to see work in progress! That would be the most exciting part!

    Will you put any foam mat under the tank later? It will offer some support strength for the filled aquarium and slightly leveling it, if any.

    BTW, 3ft to 4ft tank would look nice in this location too.



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Yup! Will be placing foam to give an even pressure on the glass. Haha i did think of that, but a 3 feet or 4 feet tank will come close to 200kg, which will exceed HDB's loading i think.


    Quote Originally Posted by fireblade View Post
    Your house is very nice and neat... like show flat, minus the clothing on the chairs and door :P

    Wow! nNce to see the cabinet arrived and equipment in place!
    For this setup, I think you should consider to have your layout be viewable on 3 sides , maybe an island setup view.
    Think you should a SS inlet also... the inlet looks like in a odd position...

    I will recommend you to turn the cabinet 90 degrees to have the door facing front. and the holes facing wall. It will look nicer at the sofa side, since your tank is almost a cube, it will look almost the same, do you intend to add chiller?
    Maybe you can shift the cabinet out a bit for easy access in future while doing maintenance.

    I foresee you might need another light as your tank is so wide. but you should add it at a later stage if you find that the light is not bright enough.
    having said that, if you don't mind old looking, East Ocean has 2 pieces of 2nd hand 1.5 feet green element LED going at I think $25 each you can drop by to have a look. maybe you can consider that but then u might need to remove your 2 feet light, maybe bring back to exchange for 2 packs of amazonia?



    I forsee you will need 3 packs of amazonia to have the tank nicely and comfortably setup.
    Thanks! Maybe because new flat so it's neat looking now. 10 years on things might be alot different hahaha.

    Hmmm i did think of the island view. If i go with island setup, the foregrounds on 3 sides will be sand without any plants growing. Near foreground to mid will be MC. Direct centre will be the tall plants. Hmm can try shifting tank. Lets see how. Will try out and post later. Currently no plans for chiller, but have reserved a space for a chiller in case i need one in future.

    Haha won't be changing the 2 feet light. Possibly purchase another one if i really need 1. If i'm going along with the island arrangement, the foregrounds will be sand without any plants as mentioned. So the Evo 24P will be at the centre focusing on the plants in the middle. And adding light stand might help too.

    Yeah going by the looks now, definitely need at least 2 packs. Maybe need 2 9L pack and 1 3L pack, since foreground dont need so much Aquasoil, will be occupied by sand instead.

  5. #65
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    Re: My first big tank

    Meanwhile i've tested the GH and KH of the water with rocks currently under going soaking. Current GH and KH is 107.4ppm and 71.6ppm respectively. TDS reading is 94ppm. Last water change was done on 22 June 16 with a reading of 81ppm for TDS reading after a few hours of soaking. Any comments for the GH and KH?

  6. #66
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    Re: My first big tank

    So i've shifted my tank as advised, as shown below.



    Also bought a used 2L CO2 tank with 70% remaining. Comes with OF Regulator and bubble counter. Next to buy is CO2 hose and diffuser.


  7. #67
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    Re: My first big tank

    That looks better now IMO. The CO2 set is also the same as mine. Last time I bought was an empty tank so I just exchange a new tank in NA. The exchange tank looked not so new as the set but that is fine by me. Hehe. OF solenoid valve also works well.


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  8. #68
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    Re: My first big tank

    Quote Originally Posted by jackychun View Post
    That looks better now IMO. The CO2 set is also the same as mine. Last time I bought was an empty tank so I just exchange a new tank in NA. The exchange tank looked not so new as the set but that is fine by me. Hehe. OF solenoid valve also works well.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Thanks bro. Yeah as long as it works, doesnt leak can already haha.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Meanwhile, bought more stuffs as shown below. Includes BorneoWild Tank Mat, ANS Cooling Fan 3000, gUSH Check Valve, gUSH Diffuser 10, BorneoWild air hose with suction cups. 4 1-2 Grow! plants were bought too. Not shown here is 1 9L Amazonia Soil that i bought today.



    The 4 plants that i bought were:

    1. Eleocharis Acicularis as foreground. I find these neater than MC for an island setup.
    2. Rotala Bonsai for mid ground
    3. Staurogyne repens for mid ground
    4. Heteranthera zosterifolla for background




    I've also started my hardscape as shown below. Currently using 2 9L bags of Amazonia.



    I might add 1 small river pebble at the bottom left to balance out the layout. Currently looked a little empty. Supposed to have smaller rocks but they were used to tie down the driftwood as they were floating.







    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    I have 2 questions to ask though:

    1. What other 1-2 Grow! plants can i plant that suits the layout? Especially the background.
    2. Is my hardscape looking fine? Soon i will draw out where i plan to plant the plants.

  9. #69
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    Re: My first big tank

    Hi bro,

    IMO, the front and around the island should be more shallow in depth of soil and slope higher to the 'top of the hill'. May be: 3-4cm at the front and can go up hill much higher.

    The big piece of driftwood can put at the focal point according to golden ratio, it might look nicer. Normally, if the wood can tweak to about 45degree, it would look more natural than pointing upwards. You try to tilt it a bit to see how it looks.

    You can refer to this video from Hiep Hong when he made aquadcape for very good "island":

    https://youtu.be/oGLxnYHIdkI

    It is all about tweaking around to see what please your eyes.


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  10. #70
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    Re: My first big tank

    Hi bro, thanks! Noted! Will try slope the hill even more. 😁 Currently cant slope too much because i havent buy those DIY plastic sheets to support the slope. The more i try to slope it the more soil comes drifting down. Will try again tomorrow!

    Meanwhile maybe try tweak the driftwood a little. The rocks are fine? How about recommendation on plants?
    Last edited by chesterchuen; 27th Jun 2016 at 22:26.

  11. #71
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    Re: My first big tank

    Other than the plastic sheet that I used in my tank, you can source for the corrugated plastic board in Popular for substrate support. That is stronger and quite similar to what James Findley have in his tank setup.



    Source: Google Image

    Other than that, can use more rock to support the soil, too. Like what Hiep Hong did in his video I sent just now.



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  12. #72
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    Re: My first big tank

    For the plants you chose, I really like them, especially Eleocharis acicularis 'Mini' carpet grass. It will grow naturally and you don't even need to trim it.

    Rotala Bonsai is very beautiful and Staurogyne repens is really beautiful fore or mid ground. I have never needed to trim S.repens, too.

    Heteranthera zosterifolia is very fast growing plants that is beneficial for beginning stage. It will absorb excessive nutrient and prevent algae. However, I recently removed it from my tank since my Amano Shrimps keep eating and damage it.

    You can try to arrangr rocks and stones vertically and also tilted to see how is the effect? Just try to play around with the hardscape, take photo and change until you satisfy with it. End of the day, it is really up to personal taste.


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  13. #73
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    Re: My first big tank

    For island look,i think your wood is a bit too thick. . Maybe good for Base structure.. you might need some thinner wood. .maybe u should build up your rock base then add soil then place wood. .. after the rocks are in things will flow nicely ..

    Are there plants all round or just sand all round? If sand all round, then what u do now is wrong

  14. #74
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    Re: My first big tank

    you need more wood if you are going for the island,like another 2 or 3 more driftwood.

  15. #75
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    Re: My first big tank

    Google island aquascape, some nice references: https://www.google.com.sg/search?q=i...afe4nCIYsYM%3A

  16. #76
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    Re: My first big tank

    If you are going for an island layout, try moving the hardscape closer together so that you can create a more central focal point.

    Note that if you are using tall stem plants in the island, most of the wood will eventually be covered by the dense crops of plants, so consider them more of an "accent" feature.
    :: Urban Aquaria ::
    www.urbanaquaria.com

  17. #77
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    Re: My first big tank

    Quote Originally Posted by jackychun View Post
    Other than the plastic sheet that I used in my tank, you can source for the corrugated plastic board in Popular for substrate support. That is stronger and quite similar to what James Findley have in his tank setup.



    Source: Google Image

    Other than that, can use more rock to support the soil, too. Like what Hiep Hong did in his video I sent just now.



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Quote Originally Posted by jackychun View Post
    For the plants you chose, I really like them, especially Eleocharis acicularis 'Mini' carpet grass. It will grow naturally and you don't even need to trim it.

    Rotala Bonsai is very beautiful and Staurogyne repens is really beautiful fore or mid ground. I have never needed to trim S.repens, too.

    Heteranthera zosterifolia is very fast growing plants that is beneficial for beginning stage. It will absorb excessive nutrient and prevent algae. However, I recently removed it from my tank since my Amano Shrimps keep eating and damage it.

    You can try to arrangr rocks and stones vertically and also tilted to see how is the effect? Just try to play around with the hardscape, take photo and change until you satisfy with it. End of the day, it is really up to personal taste.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Thanks for the tips bro Jacky. Yeah! Been watching some of The Green Machine's videos and i find that it's very packed with valuable information. Ah i see. Glad that i made the choice with the plants. I quite like the outlook of the plants hence my choice hehe. Yeah i've completely changed the layout of the hardscape but stupid Photobucket is currently down for maintenance so i can't upload any photos yet



    Quote Originally Posted by fireblade View Post
    For island look,i think your wood is a bit too thick. . Maybe good for Base structure.. you might need some thinner wood. .maybe u should build up your rock base then add soil then place wood. .. after the rocks are in things will flow nicely ..

    Are there plants all round or just sand all round? If sand all round, then what u do now is wrong
    Yeah i felt the large driftwood on the left is a little too big, but after paying $30+ for it i just have to use it anyway, just have to blend it into the aquascape :P As mentioned above, i've changed the layout completely but can't upload photos yet. Will show you guys again once it's up!

    Plants all round. I've ditched the sand idea as i felt that the spaces are a little too tight.


    Quote Originally Posted by AQMS View Post
    you need more wood if you are going for the island,like another 2 or 3 more driftwood.
    Noted, i've purchase 2 more driftwood. Currently soaking, will take out and display few days later.


    Quote Originally Posted by Ingen View Post
    Google island aquascape, some nice references: https://www.google.com.sg/search?q=i...afe4nCIYsYM%3A
    Thanks! Have seen some examples and using some as a guide.


    Quote Originally Posted by Urban Aquaria View Post
    If you are going for an island layout, try moving the hardscape closer together so that you can create a more central focal point.

    Note that if you are using tall stem plants in the island, most of the wood will eventually be covered by the dense crops of plants, so consider them more of an "accent" feature.
    Noted bro UA. I've rearranged the hardscape more together now to achieve the focal point effect. Yeah i'm planning to use 1 or 2 tall plants hehe.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    My apologies that i couldn't upload any photos as of now as Photobucket is currently down. I will upload once it's up!

  18. #78
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    Re: My first big tank

    Alright as promised, here are the photos.

    Initially i tried to push the substrate towards the middle. End result? It's a complete disaster, with the centre looking like Bukit Timah Hill.



    So this morning i took out everything, rearrange the driftwood and rocks. Took out the odd shaped rock that you see earlier and used the rocks of the same type instead now.













    Overall i like how it is now. The centre hole you see between the rocks and the driftwood, i plan to plant Microsorum pteropus 'Trident'. I like how it will grow up and over the rocks in some of the layouts i saw on Google. Any comments? And where can i purchase Microsorum pteropus 'Trident'? I've asked C328 and they dont have stock of it.

  19. #79
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    Re: My first big tank

    The latest scape looks better

  20. #80
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    Re: My first big tank

    I feel too much substrate to your front, too thick now. Either remove some of move to the back for some depth of field.

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