Don's Square 200 Gallon--Part Thrice!

DonaldmBoyer · Oct 2, 2012

Just finished up with the move from old rental property to new home. Life sure has been hectic lately!

So, the Journal starts over, and as much as I hated to tear down the tank from this:

and this:

To THIS:

and this:

.....but it had to be done. To re-set and try to go with the same aesthetic would have been uncreative and boorish. Everything was sold or given away. Many thanks to Tlyons01 who spent a "fun" afternoon tearing the tank down with me. It only took about 7 hours.

Prior to that, the outside of the stand/pedestal was removed. It was made of 2x4's: very solid construction, but the outside was made of pressboard. A terrible choice, in retrospect, for obvious reasons. It had been warped and bubbled, and was a total eyesore. So, I stripped it down and threw it out.

Here are a few pics of the new pedestal:

That is red oak stained with walnut with iron hinges and knobs. We're going for more of a "rustic" old-fashioned look for the sitting room, and I thought that this would look nice. Eventually, the pendant above the tank will be redone either in black, or it will be done to match the pedestal. Probably happen in January. In the new design, I added side doors in order to make accessing the equipment in the back easier to do. It has been triple coated in poly on all sides to ensure water resistance, and almost "water proofing."

The day following the drain and dis-assembly, we moved the tank, lighting, and new pedestal to the new house. This was all done within two hours, which was faster than I had anticipated. The move went flawlessly, and I was ready to re-start the scape. So....

IN went custom made Manzanita branches that came from hydrophyte (from TPT), plain kitty litter (about 30lbs), and that was topped by MTS made by DogFish2.0. The Manzy branches are semi-poseable that will allow me to move the "joints" as needed in order to access equipment with relative ease, or to alter the hardscape as desired. You will notice screws in some of the future pictures; these are the "joints" I refer to....just a simple screw and nut assembly. Hydrophyte did do a marvelous job cutting the ends of the branches into simple fittings through which the screw passes through and is held on the other side by the nut.

DogFish sent six large Flat Rate boxes of MTS to me months ago, and makes about a two inch layer in my tank. Wonderful stuff!:

Sprinkled on the potash, pressed it into the MTS, and then topped that with some of my old tank's substrate. Added the Seriyu stone and other stone into the tank, and now this is how it looked:

Three rock "peninsulas" are featured in this set up for bucephelandra, anubia, and java fern species; the substrate will feature mostly crypts.

More pictures tomorrow!!

Bruce_S · Oct 2, 2012

Lookin' good so far!

I love the depth and dimension afforded by this waterbox, so I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes!

~Bruce

DonaldmBoyer · Oct 3, 2012

Hey, thank you Bruce!! I, too, love the depth of this tank! It has made it a lot of fun working with over the past year!!

So, we left off here yesterday......the rough set up with the position of the rock peninsulas:

and this:

The time-frame is still the same day of the physical move of the tank and stand, in the afternoon.

The rest of the stone went in, following the "lines" in the above picture. At least, the rest of the rock that I had at the time. Following that, I added about 75lbs of pre-washed pool sand as the cap. It was still a bit too light for my liking, but I suspect that it will dull out over the coming weeks and months. Started filling the tank, slowly, as I refuse to wash sand or substrate. It's a waste of time....you're going to get some cloudiness regardless. Added CLODS of anubia species...Tlyons01 can speak to that. I gave her at least a third of my anubias, and still probably had at least a few hundreds dollars worth that I used in this set up. Started dividing and adding my crypts, bucephelandra, java fern species, and a few slow growing stems.

Not my favorite photo, but it does show the light height above the tank. It is about 28" from the bulb to the surface of the water.

Filling up.....took about an hour to fill slowly:

Left side....you can see the XP5 filter under the cabinet churning away. You cannot see it "well," though!

What do you expect? I have a mini-Sun over my tank, so it makes it a little difficult to capture items in the shade:

Front:

Finally, the water level was full.....and in went a massive amount of MTS (Malaysian Trumpet Snails).....

Right Oblique:

Left Oblique:

Close up of the front trying to capture the three rock peninsulas:

Close up of the front right side of the tank....if you click on the pic, you get a better idea of the amount plants in there. I was able to keep a stem of the Alternanthera sp. "variegated":

Close up of the front left side of the tank....again, if you click on the pic, you can see a crazy amount of crypts and bucephelandra through the haze.

So ended the first day in the new home! More pictures tomorrow, starting Day 2. There's plenty to show....

Remember, a Journal is about the process, or the creation of an aquascape. This is certainly NOT even remotely close to being "finished", and it will be several months before the plants can begin to fill in the holes and spaces. It takes foresight to see a final "product," so don't judge based solely on these initial photos. i'm not an "instant Aquascaper."

houseofcards · Oct 3, 2012

Nice re-start Donald. Most great scapes are always rearranged as they progress so I'm with you on that. You did a great job with the old scape, but I think you'll enjoy 'getting off stems' for the most part. It's much easier to incorporate aquascaping in your life and enjoy it, especially with a family. Good luck.

D9Vin · Oct 3, 2012

Looks like a nice start, looking forward to watching it progress.

DonaldmBoyer · Oct 4, 2012

Thanks House!! I'm looking forward to spending more time "looking" and less time "doing"!

Thanks D9vin!!

Though still a bit hazy, the tank did a great job of clearing up overnight, as you would expect. The MTS's don't seem to be a fan of the substrate yet, but I would imagine that as time goes on, and the substrate comes a bit more mixed together (whether I want it to or not), they retreat back under. Kinda stinks that they are running around on top of the substrate, but that's life.

As I had indicated in my last Journal, I did end up keeping my slow growing stems, such as the Ludwigia alata, Amnannia latifolia, and some Alternanthera sp. "Variegated." These stems are out in the open, and NOT in their "final" placement. Likely won't be for a little while yet. I know that they look a little out of place growing up in the middle of the tank, but they'll be moved.

I also kept a bunch of faster growing stems, mostly floaters and hygros, to help with excessive nutrient loads. My last tank became algae ridden for a good two months simply because I "under-plated" the set up. Eventually the hygros will go as well as the RRF. I will keep the Hygroriza aristata as it is a bit more "authentic" to the theme of the tank.

I also kept a stem of Nesaea crassicaulis to give me a good indication of the water conditions. Yes....it looks strange just sitting there out in the middle of the scape....but it's serving a good purpose right now. That, too, will be "offed" once I'm a little more certain of the conditions of the scape and that the tank has settled and matured.

Will have another set of pictures tomorrow!

Left side...you can see the haziness still, but you are also looking through four feet of water, too:

From the left side, looking "into" the tank, you can see that it is clearing up fairly well:

Left Oblique:

Same angle, just zoomed out so you can see the stand and lighting. Again, it is about 28" from the bulbs to the water's surface. It's quite nice to be able to include the stand now, and not be embarrassed by the warping or bubbling:

Front shot, head on:

A bit further out:

All the way zoomed out to view the full set up:

Right oblique shot:

Shot of the right Front side of the tank...I added Thread-leaved Java fern that day:

....and some Orange shrimp too:

One of my favorite shots! I had no idea that I had so much bullosa "Bario" until I had to dig it up! I separated it into all of this.....I have about 7 separate plants growing nicely. From left to right on the substrate in this pic....it's all bullosa "Bario"!

More pics tomorrow! Thanks for looking!

DonaldmBoyer · Oct 5, 2012

Next set of pictures were taken October 1st. I added 25lbs of Seriyu stone, mostly to the left-side peninsula. I think that I'm finally starting to achieve the look that I was going for. Still, I need probably another 50lbs more to finish it. The height that I would like is nearly there...just need to "fortify" it a bit, and add some additional height to the other two peninsulas in the tank. This was a blue-colored Seriyu which contrasts with the brown stone that I received from CraigThor....still, it looks nice, and in a few months, any visible rock work will either have enough patina for it to all blend together nicely, or it will be covered by anubia, java fern, or bucephelandra species.

In addition, taking pics of this tank has become unexpectedly tricky, simply due to the height of the lighting....it casts light onto me taking the picture as well. Slight annoyance, and I'll have to figure something out.

At this point, I could already start seeing new leaves forming on the crypts and buces....the coffeefolia quickly grew a nice new leaf, too. The growth is amazing, and I'm not even running CO2 yet! I'm excited to look at the growth after I can get my CO2 up again!

Here is right side of the tank, if you click on the picture you can see a "hinge" on the manzy branch sticking out of the water:

Close up of the right side toward the front....the buces are getting ready to flower in the midground:

A look at the Keei "Jambusan" patch:

Here is a look at the forming crypt "field" between the right side peninsula and the two left side peninsulas...and my hand in the upper-left part of the photo:

This is the same area, just looking towards the left side of the tank...and you can see my camera and hand in this shot as well:

Nice shot of the Left side of the tank with the extra Seriyu stone:

Another shot of the left side...you can see the "hinge" joint on the manzy branches in this picture as well:

Left Oblique:

Same angle, but further away....potential problem is that the walls in this room are painted brown, so it is difficult to get a good shot that really stands out. I may have to re-paint the room:

To make matters more interesting, this is really heavy on the peat right now...so it's basically going to be blackwater for a little while. It's neat to look at in person, but it doesn't really photograph well. Especially against a brown wall.

Thanks for looking!

AaronT · Oct 7, 2012

nice reboot Don. You coming to the AGA this year?

DonaldmBoyer · Oct 7, 2012

Thanks Aaron! I wish I was...I have a wedding in Michigan that weekend that I'm in. I'm pretty PO'd about it. I will have to go to the one next year. Any idea where it will be?

AaronT · Oct 9, 2012

It's only every other year.

DonaldmBoyer · Oct 8, 2012

10/6/12:
Just got the CO2 system up and running, as I said yesterday. It was a pain in the butt, however I was successful. New needle wheel pump, tubing, spraybar. The whole 9 yards! If anyone wants me to make one, just let me know! It's even better than my old one! Even without it, I've gotten some really good growth on everything, even my Nasaea crassicaulis and Ammannia latifolia put on some healthy growth without the CO2.

But, I was in there and kicked some dust up, so I'll have to post more pictures tomorrow of the tank. For now, here are a few pics, mainly looking at the new riparium plants from a buddy of mine. This should add a REALLY nice element to the tank over the next month or so.

Front:

Top looking down:

Right side of the tank:

Left side of the tank:

Still pretty hazy:

More pics tomorrow! Thanks for looking.

DonaldmBoyer · Oct 9, 2012

Will start backing off the updates, though there will be some major changes coming soon (additions). I'll try to post those changes before heading up to Michigan this weekend for my nephew's baptism. FINALLY, I'M going to be a Godfather! Muahh hah hah ha....

The water is clear, but tannin-stained....first three are of the front of the tank:

You can see the challenge of taking pics of this tank....if you look closely, you will see the photographer's knobby knees:

Left oblique:

Right Oblique:

Devin's riparium plants! Love these guys!! I will need to get some more to properly fill out the tank the way I want:

Top down.....gives you a better idea of the layout, and how it's coming along:

DonaldmBoyer · Oct 9, 2012

Well, that figures. One of the crap things about my position are the scientific trade shows that demand my attention. Stupid customers.

Just kidding!!!

I'll just have to take vacation time the next time it comes around. There may be an outside chance that I could get out of the trade show, but I'm not counting on it. I'll post it here if I can make it out to St. Louis.

Daniil · Oct 11, 2012

I love your new tank. :high5:
Keep us posted with the progress.

Michael · Oct 11, 2012

I love these big, flat tanks--they give so much room for design. And the development of the riparium plants is going to add so much interest! Thanks for showing us this, and keep the photos coming.

DonaldmBoyer · Oct 12, 2012

Thank you Daniil and Michael! Actually, here's an update that I hope you will find a little more enjoyable:

My Tillandsia species arrived yesterday, and I got some extra stone and some additional buce's from a friend of mine. The "tilly's" were soaked for about 4-5 hours yesterday in the tank and then stuck in the manzy branches overnight to dry out a bit. They are surprisingly colorful, which is nice! I Tilly-tacked them this afternoon, added the extra Seriyu stone and buce's.

Planning on getting a staghorn fern to put on the left "set" of branches, and I'll be doing some additional "polishing" over the coming weeks and months. The wife lost her job yesterday, which may slow down some of my plans a bit, but I have the time. What is amazing is that I keep adding Seriyu stone, and it never really looks like anything changes! That's what I get for having a square tank, I suppose. It's a good problem to have.

I'll try to get a few clear pictures of everything together tomorrow....did a large water change today before I leave for my soon-to-be godson's/nephew's baptism up in Michigan and a short work trip early next week. Things are still a bit hazy in the tank......

The pics are "clickable" for higher res shots......

From the left side:

From the front:

From the right side:

Looking from the right side to the left side, back of the tank:

A few shots of some of the individual species:
Erio-looking!

Here's a slightly different looking one...I like the pink tips:

One of my favorite ones...it was much more red after soaking last night:

Have a lot of iron in my substrate and plenty of light. My Hygro corymbosa seems to think so:

Like I said, I'll try to get a few pics of the whole set up tomorrow before I head out onto the road. Thanks guys and gals for looking!

AaronT · Oct 12, 2012

Nice, I can't let my wife see those Tillandsia or she'll insist I have some in my next setup. Are you just going to mist them with tank water once a week or so to keep them going?

DonaldmBoyer · Oct 12, 2012

Come on, Aaron! Try a few and see how they look!

I will be misting them about once or twice per week with RO or RO+epiphyte fertilizer. Tank water is OK, but still has too many hard minerals in it which will harm the tilly's if used too often. Or, so I was told!

AaronT · Oct 12, 2012

That makes sense considering in the wild they're pretty much watered by pure rain.

DonaldmBoyer · Oct 14, 2012

Yes, I made sure to ask that when I got them....didn't want to kill these guys over time! "Can they handle the light?" and "What type of water and ferts do they need?" were the two main questions. Although, these plants are pretty inexpensive, and killing a few would not set me back too much. I NEVER would want that to happen, but sometimes it does, as we all know.

DonaldmBoyer · Oct 25, 2012

So, I got a pretty nasty hair algae problem the weekend of my nephew's baptism when I was up in Michigan. I hooked up the UV sterilizer, did a tank-size dose of peroxide, followed the next day by spot treatment with peroxide, followed the next day using Excel. That did it. Algae dead. I did have to do a tiny spot treatment of Excel on Day 4, but EVERYTHING algae-related was dead. Even my tiny amounts of green spot perished extra-dead!

Unfortunately, my algae serial killing spree left my crypts on the slightly "melty" side of things, and are just now recovering from that episode. My RRF and Staurogyne didn't seem to care for the algae treatments either, and yes, I lost about half my shrimp, which annoys me. But, now that the algae is gone, it shouldn't come back.

I added 25 Pygmy corys and 20 Microdevario kubotai today, and they are fine. I've also been increasing my hardscape above the water, thanks to a buddy on mine on a different site. Just need maybe a few more smaller branches and I should be done with the Manzy. The riparium plants that I received from the same friend (Hydrophyte) are also doing very well, and I threw in some oak leaves that he sent along, as well as planted the bacopa on the trellis raft. The bacopa has withered substantially, but should be fine. All and all, things have been moving forward nicely. The tillandsia species seem to love the environment, but do need water a bit more frequently than I had thought. It's not too much of a problem, though

The next steps will be to add some additional Microdevario, replenish my shrimp, and add about 25 lampeyes. For plants, I'm eying a few orchids and air ferns, as well as some Spanish moss and a type of fern that looks like a vine. Maybe some Marcgravia species as well. And not necessarily in that order. I'm also in need of additional Seriyu stone, too. But, I am so far happy with the progress that is being made with the tank.

Picture heavy today....feel free to comment or ask questions! Thanks for looking, everyone!

Michael · Oct 25, 2012

Very cool! Please tell me about your trellis raft--I'm not familiar with that.

DonaldmBoyer · Oct 25, 2012

Hi Michael---the "trellis raft" is essentially a small rubber/neoprene mat with holes of various sizes. The idea is to place plant stems into these holes such that a leaf+stem internode would be underwater, where roots could form and allow the plant to grow emersed. Obviously, you would have to use a plant that could tolerate growing in that fashion, such as a bacopa species or an aluminum plant. As they grow taller, you could top the plant down, and "re-plant" into the trellis raft.

At various point around this raft are small patches of hard velcro-type material. You can use these spots to "link" trellis rafts together to form various sized rafts with a variety of emersed plant stems. Ultimately, you have to anchor these to planters that mount to the sides of the aquarium that have a stiff velcro-type patch on them; otherwise, the rafts would drift on the surface of the water. I have a buddy who makes them.

Michael · Oct 25, 2012

That is what the term brought to mind. I'd love to have a tank large enough to allow Bacopa caroliniana to float on the surface and flower. When mine gets that big it blocks all the light to the other plants and must be trimmed.

AaronT · Oct 26, 2012

You could use the cuttings to season your food.

DonaldmBoyer · Oct 25, 2012

You would still have to trim it from time to time, but I don't know if there is a tank big enough for that species! Try installing a pond!

toksyn · Oct 29, 2012

I like this new incarnation of the tank, although I'm not sure I'm a fan of the particular pieces of manzanita. Still, it's looking like it'll be just as spectacular as its predecessor!

DonaldmBoyer · Oct 29, 2012

Toksyn--I find your comment a little puzzling, simply because you didn't specify "why" you didn't like the manzy branches chosen. What would you have done differently?

Again, this is far from finished. Likely there will be additional branches added, and in the end, the branches won't really be seen much. Neither will the Seriyu stone in the tank. Keep the "progression" or long-term vision in mind. It doesn't bother me that you don't like it, per se. It is irritating that you don't specify "why," though.

toksyn · Oct 30, 2012

Sorry about that.

The branches in their current positions / locations just seem very abrupt to me, and additionally create (in my mind anyway) an unbalanced effect - they remind me of the final growing tips of a branch, since they look a bit twiggy with respect to the rest of the scene, and I keep looking for the thicker branch that they are originating from. I would have liked to see a big, gnarly and twisted branch or stump that looks like it's rooted into the bottom of your tank and inclining toward the back wall, with tapering branches coming off of it heading up and towards the front after the breaking the surface of the water. These branches could terminate into the shape of the branches that you used.

Conversely, I think I might feel a bit less distracted if the branches were actually bending into the water, like roots on a stream bank.

I am excited by your decision to have some epiphyte laden branches overhanging the water, though! I'm not really knocking your decisions nor do I mean to irritate

.

DonaldmBoyer · Oct 30, 2012

Ahh! I see your point Toksyn! I don't necessarily disagree with you at all! Thank you for clarifying, and I appreciate you taking the time to detail your opinion! As long as you "complete" the logistics of your opinion, thats all I care about. Lol!

I guess that I'm kind of imagining tree branches over hanging a river bank....but without seeing the stump. This is my take on a Malaysian-themed river bank, though there are plenty of species that don't originate from Southeast Asia, to be sure!

Never would have thought about angling the branches down for a tree root effect. That's creative! I will say that I am planning on getting additional branches, which I will likely have at least a few more dipping below the surface of the water.

Thank you for the feedback Toksyn! I think that it will look "better" than what you are seeing currently, though it likely won't match your vision entirely. Cool ideas, though!

Don's Square 200 Gallon--Part Thrice!

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