Decision Making.

Do you guys think I should move it into the corner where the 3ft is now? I don't have any problems with tearing it down.

 

The tank has 2 drawbacks this far.

1. The front panel connected to the side panel has 3mm or silicone between them. The previous owner (had the tank as a marine) gave his word as to it having no leaks. There are 4 supportive braces on the tank. 1 running the entire length of the front and back of the tank, 3rd is in the middle and 4th on the side where the silicone problem is. Does anyone think this will be a problem? Don't want to take the tank apart because of all the bracing. Any Ideas?
2. The previous owner (had the tank as a marine) used a reverse undergravel filter of sort (Check cool image ) Would this reverse UGF be a problem if the tank has PFS as a substrate with some plants, or would it be blown everywhere? Should I try and cut the PVC (which has PVC weld) with a red hot knife and make a spray bar?

Thanks everyone!

 

Please guys, help me with this one. Want to get the tank sorted out.

 

Hi @Firefly...

No 2 questions bout it - cut out that UG and introduce a spray bar....Not sure of the strenght of the pump and if it will blast the PFS around,but you will never achieve good plant growth with such a set up... Rather use a hacksaw to cut the pipe as a hot knife will cause some swelling of the plastic,making it very difficult to get fittings for the spray bar attached to it...

My take on the silicone is that if it held previously - why not now... + as you say there is lots of bracing,so that ads to the structural strength....

G'luck and happy cutting...lol

 

Thanks azurekoi. Will have to use the hacksaw very carefully then. Will show pictures of the results eventually.

 

Well, tank has been leak checked. Put in my Pfs, just wondering now whether I should for PFP way or not. Not going to have extreme lighting. Will house some vallis and amazons so would I need PFP? Was just going to dose after a water change.

 

Then just go with silica - well that is the simple easy way .. it you are happy with water column dosing.

Later Ferdie

 

Was surprised how small this bags granules were. This is like beach sand size. Thanks Ferdie

 

@TankMaster arent we already breeding dwarf angelfish? Angels never grow to the size they normally would in nature because we keep and breed them in aquariums many times smaller than rivers. They stay small and a tankbred angelfish is much smaller than a wild one.

@Firefly Have you decided what you're going to keep in the aquarium? If not then Id say dwarf neon rainbows and red rainbows, the reds are a bit scarcer than the boesemani's, but alot cheaper. I agree with f-fish, silica will work fine. My vallis wall is growing quickly in silica and I havent added any ferts to the water column in the last 2 months, and as you've seen there's only a 30w tube over the aquarium.

 

To be honest, I even thought about an oscar....but that won't happen. Dwarf neons, angels, a hi-fin pleco etc. I'm still trying to find some nice wood. Some petshops here are useless.....
I will be getting 2X lights ( think 40W) This weekend.

 

Well I got some wood. Nice big pieces that look like they came right out of the amazon. Got some willow (will this work?) too as a substitute for vine. Wood has been pre-soaked and was lying under some nice rocks which I might have to have...
Half fulled the tank when the wood suddenly started to float causing the hose to shoot out and wet most of the stuff in the room (me included). Will wait for wood to sink, then scape, then plant etc.

 

Haha - That must have been fun I love learning stuff through others' mishaps haha