Alvin Koh's Journal: 90x45x45cm Planted

[Alvin Koh]

Hi all,

This is a new journal on my first attempt at starting 3 footer planted. I am hoping to setup a Iwagumi-style tank crossing my fingers to achieve something presentable to the best of my abilities.

I currently have a 3-month old nano tank running.

I had intended to start a 4 footer in June 2009 after aquiring most of the planted equipment I needed, but was shelved at the final moment as the shift to my new place took much longer than expected.

Planning (November 2010)

My plans begun in November 2010. I found a small corner near the main door that would fit a 3 footer. I looked at the equipment I managed to obtain last year and managed to salvage some equipment.

Initial list of salvaged equipment from abandoned project:

1) Chiller: Hailea HC-300A (1/4HP)
2) Filter: Eheim Pro2 2028
3) CO2: 2L Canister + NA External Reactor
4) Fertilizers: Dry Fertilizers + Seachem Products
5) Decorations: 2 pieces of small ADA Kurokinryu (<1kg each)

I ordered my tank + cabinet in late November. The cabinet arrive in great condition and according to specifications - Glossy white ADA style, with fan in/outlets & a hole for chiller. The tank however requires more time due to sudden shortage - thus I am still tank-less at the moment but the tank should be arriving shortly.

It's a blessing because the waiting period gives me lots of time to tinker with the cabinet. I enlarged the rear exhaust hole for the chiller because of fitment issues, painted the rear completely white (previously wood) and did numerous equipment placement configurations and flowrate benchmarks.

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Flowrate

To my dismay, the flowrate was extremely low even with an Eheim 1260 Universal Pump (rated @ 2400l/hr). I was getting about 460l/hour due to various restrictive garden hose connectors and elbow joints. To improve flowrate, I settled on rounded 90 deg joints, standardized most of the hoses to 16mm.

I also replaced the volute of the Eheim 1260 to that of the Eheim 1262 (this surposedly brings pump specifications closer to 3400l/hr). Initially, there was a drop in flowrate. I suspect this is due to the higher head pressure that 1260's restrictive volute allows (maybe to prevent backflow). I finally got an increase after removing several garden hose quick connectors. My current flowrate is 650l/hr.

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Chiller Placement

As for the chiller, it is a little tricky putting it in the cabinet, especially in such a confined corner. To ensure sufficient airflow and prevent hot-air from recirculation, I placed a series of foam material partitioning the intake/exhaust halves of the rear. A rubber gasket was also cut-out to be fitted at the chiller exhaust hole so that hot air entering from the same hole was greatly reduced. Finally, an additional exhaust fan dispels the air from the left corner.

I ran several benchmark tests and the highest temperature obtained at the chiller inlet vent was ~2 degC higher than pre-startup temperatures which was still reasonable.

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My updated equipment list is as follows:

1) Chiller: Teco TR15 - 1/5HP (replaces Hailea HC-300A due to cabinet restriction)
2) Filtration/Pump: 1260 (modified to 1262 specification) + Eheim Pro2 2028 with impeller + cover removed
3) Filtration Media: Mr Aqua Ceremic Rings (Small) + Bio Home
4) CO2: 5L CO2 Tank + Solenoid Regulator + NA CO2 Reactor
5) Fertilization/Dosing: 3-way Peristaltic Dosing Pump
6) Soil: ADA Amazonia II + Lava rock gravel
7) Decoration: About 20 pieces of Kinokinryu rocks

[Alvin Koh]

Rocks

The search for rocks was a long one spanning a month. I had 2 pieces of rather flat-ish Kurokinryu rocks I bought from a hobbyist which was clearly insufficient.
I made a purchase online for about 12 pieces of Kurokinryu rocks, but most pieces were flat and the largest 3 pieces were of totally different color when wet.


Photo: Rocks when dry (above)



Photo: Rocks when wet (above)

There are 3 groups of rocks as can be seen in the picture above.

Top-left: Dark Greyish rocks with rounded structure - affects pH via vinegar tests. (Source: OTF Farm @ Pasir Ris)

Top-right: Kurokinryu rocks - dark greyish rocks with bluish tones and rough texture. Inert. (Source: Mainland Tropical Farm & Online purchase)

Bottom-left: Unknown rocks with light-grey tones even when wet. Inert.

After consideration, I have decided to use the top-right set of rocks because of the quantity I have (plus 10+ tiny pieces not displayed) and the color tone/texture which I like.

[blue33]

Is being a long time haven see such detail setup and journal. Very well planned and you will get yourself a good startup. Looking forward for more pictures.

You need to constantly keep a look out for your connection using pump to drive the canister filter although you have remove the impeller, the canister may not be able to take high pressure from the pump itself thus causing leaking.

[barmby]

Hi Alvin, adrian is spot on. I think you need a power head to draw the water from the canister filter and feed into the tank. Dolphin power head works for me.

Canister Filter -> Power head -> Tank

[Alvin Koh]

You need to constantly keep a look out for your connection using pump to drive the canister filter although you have remove the impeller, the canister may not be able to take high pressure from the pump itself thus causing leaking.

Thank you Adrian for your kind comments - I hope to pick up more from you and the regulars here.

Regarding the canister filter, I did come across forum threads regarding leaking issues on the pressure side, thus I had it placed on the suction side of the pump. It is however, a rather old canister I got used and I hope the O-ring stays leak free. A shoe tray (from Daiso) stays beneath the filter as a permanant precaution and for ease of housekeeping.

My current plumbing arrangement is:

Inlet -> Filter -> Pump -> Chiller -> CO2 Reactor -> Outlet

In the meantime, my list of things to settle:

1) Lights - T5HO x 4 tubes, silver and hopefully low-profile purely due to aesthetic reasons.
2) Plants - UG (Utricularia Graminifolia) is turning out to be rather difficult to find. I mistakenly bought a small pot from Qian Hu fish farm this week thinking it was UG based on my lack of flora experience. Upon close inspection at home, confirmed it to be Brazilian Micro Swords (Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis).

[Alvin Koh]

Hi Alvin, adrian is spot on. I think you need a power head to draw the water from the canister filter and feed into the tank. Dolphin power head works for me.
Canister Filter -> Power head -> Tank

hi barmby, I just saw your post after submission, is it the same flow sequence as what I've described in the post directly above?

[Navanod]

Wow, another great project in the works! Can't wait to see the iwagumi.

By the way, I also got some of those unknown rocks with light-grey tones when I ordered from Mizu. They're softer than the dark grey rocks (I rubbed them together and the whiter parts get eroded) and there was one with spongy patterned holes so I decided not to mix with my dark brownish rocks. I'm surprised that they're inert actually.

Kurokinryu rocks are still one of the best in terms of character, good choice

[barmby]

Erm the powerhead cannot be pushing water into canister. just note that. remember pressure into the canister will sure explode it one day if power breakdown then surge again

inlet-->canister-->power head-->chiller---> outlet

your current is correct if i view it correctly with no misunderstanding:
Inlet -> Filter -> Pump -> Chiller -> CO2 Reactor -> Outlet

cheers!

[Alvin Koh]

By the way, I also got some of those unknown rocks with light-grey tones when I ordered from Mizu. They're softer than the dark grey rocks (I rubbed them together and the whiter parts get eroded) and there was one with spongy patterned holes so I decided not to mix with my dark brownish rocks. I'm surprised that they're inert actually.
Kurokinryu rocks are still one of the best in terms of character, good choice

Hi Navanod, yup, I should have the same rocks and it matches the description you provided exactly. I have also read your "Greater Heights" thread on several occasions and hope to be able to accomplish something similar in the months to come.

Erm the powerhead cannot be pushing water into canister. just note that. remember pressure into the canister will sure explode it one day if power breakdown then surge again
your current is correct if i view it correctly with no misunderstanding:
Inlet -> Filter -> Pump -> Chiller -> CO2 Reactor -> Outlet

Thanks for the confirmation barmby

[ciaossu]

WOW, must have cost you a bomb to set this up. i'm anticpating the whole setup to be finish. =)

[Alvin Koh]

WOW, must have cost you a bomb to set this up. i'm anticpating the whole setup to be finish. =)

I try to purchase used equipment whenever possible e.g. chiller, canister filter, external reactor for cost savings. Unfortunately, I think I'm over my initial budget and trying not to think about it. Haha.

[eviltrain]

Hee hee. Its alway this case. You will always wants to get the best for your fish tank. Just like keep upgrading a stock car to full body kit.

[barmby]

This type of set up. 50% battle won. Chiller can do magical things. Believe me. I am not the only person who say it.

[Excelsior]

I second with barmby's reply also...Chiller can really work wonder in planted tanks.

[blue33]

Bingo...

This type of set up. 50% battle won. Chiller can do magical things. Believe me. I am not the only person who say it.

I second with barmby's reply also...Chiller can really work wonder in planted tanks.

[limz_777]

is the 3-way Peristaltic Dosing Pump place above the co2 unit ? is it costly ?

what the 7th pic about ? hiding the wiring ?

[Alvin Koh]

is the 3-way Peristaltic Dosing Pump place above the co2 unit ? is it costly ?
what the 7th pic about ? hiding the wiring ?

Hi limz_777, the 3-way peristaltic pump is indeed above the CO2 canister and was bought off eBay new, about S$230 (US$169) including shipping to Singapore - which is much cheaper than the alternatives. However, the internals of the dosing pump is very poorly constructed - function wise, fortunately, it is performing up to expectation.

Regarding the 7th pic, it shows the sponge forming a partition between the left/right side of the cabinet - which reduces the expelled warm air from the chiller, from re-circulating back to the intake side.

[Alvin Koh]

Updates: 9 January 2011

Flora: Utricularia graminifolia
Equipment: Aquazonic T5HO (4x39w), 8000K & 6500K Osram T5HO tubes, UP CO2 Inline Atomizer,
Decoration: New feature rock

My tank has not arrived although I have been in heavy anticipation for the last 3 weeks. I reckon it's due to the shipping delays caused by backlog due to the year-end festive season. The tank I ordered is a standard ADA 90P.


Utricularia graminifolia

I managed to find the Utricularia graminifolia (a.k.a. UG) by ordering from a local LFS (C328 ). I collected it the next day and despite the seemingly small batch I received (slightly bigger than golf ball), it turned out to be quite a bit when I separated them into individual strands. There were bits of debris and moss tangled in the free floating cluster of plants. I used 2 pairs of tweezers to separate the good UG from the dirt/moss.

I portion the UG into 3 parts:
Individual strands (emersed), small clusters (emersed) & free-floating cluster (submerged).




New feature rock

I went down to Mainland Tropical Farm (at Pasir Ris) again today with my family as an 'excursion' (excuse to look for rocks). I immediately chanced upon the following rock and liked it very much. It was large - 15 inches at the longest ends and weighed 17.5kg. This should replace the previous largest rock I bought (about 5kg). My only concern is the sheer size of the rock could cause disproportion & distraction to the other elements in the final layout.

[jamesneo]

Wow! All of these are first grade stuff, can't wait to see your set up.

[troyz]

This type of set up. 50% battle won. Chiller can do magical things. Believe me. I am not the only person who say it.

yes bro...chillers works wonders on planted tank...