Wellydave

http://www.petutopia.petmart.co.nz/cart_product26781-1-2134.html?Title=767023%20JBL%20MANADO%205L just going to leave this here. Cheap enough here in nz an if you get a few bags (i brought 3 of this and 4 aquabasis plus which only $30 per 5l bag) they will give u free shipping. Not worth the hassle importing imo

Well this is the list so anything you might be able to help with would b mean Dwarf hair grass - HEAPS of it Dwarf sag or Lilaeopsis novae-zelandiae - around 25 - 30 plantlets Glossostigma elantinodies - Alot of if Twisted val - around 10 - 15 plantlets C. Balansae - around 10 - 15 plantlets Java fern - probably around 5 - 10 small plants Green camboba - around 5 stems Rotala Macrandra - 5 to 10 stems Christmass moss - a few decent bunches

Also if youve got any plants to spare let me know sam haha

Hmm i thought that but i kinda like it with less rock where would you put them? I wanted to leave as much space as posible for plants haha altho the center dose look sort of barron now that i look at it i also wanted to build up the whole back end of the tank with more substrate but i didnt hav as much as i thought i would and couldnt be farked ordering more also wanted more branch looking pieces of wood but after around 5 or 6 trips to local beaches and rivers i didnt have much luck and settled for that haha and yeah ive taken ideas from quite a few scapes ive seen yours being one

quick pic

woop! i almost have everything ready!! just need to hang the lights now and finish putting the substrate in still waiting for my silica sand to arrive and still need to finish the front of the cabinet so now its time to start aquireing plants!! any and all help is muchly appreciated!!! i put up a wanted add it has a list of everything im looking for at the moment so let me know if you guys can help thanks http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=61328 pics to come of everything

Awsome thanks sam!

any one have any recommendations for the ferts i should do for this once its going? should i use dry or just buy liquid stuff from the lfs? i have no idea help??

good point on the noodles didnt think of that but i think i will change them around now. and im prety shure the sponge gets quite good flow through it and that is why i have two pieces at the start as the top piece will catch most of the crap coming from the over flow and i will take it out regualy say once a week or so and clean it while i can leave the rest in for a much longer period. it is going to be alot of trial and error at the start to get it running perfectly but hopefully i will be able to achieve a nice balance eventually @karina - thanks i just checked out your tank its really cool!! :nfs: and as to all this man tank buisness i believe this vid explains it all - MAN LIKE AWSOME! :slfg:

haha it will be o - natural, manando on top of aquabasis plus and some white silica sand some where in there

haha its black with neon pink green yellow red and blue mixed in it came with the tank and i never replaced it + the gf likes it so its there to stay. there will be none of that noncence in the big tank :slfg:

Right been a while since i did a update and things are starting to come together!! So in the past few days ive finished off the lights (got replacement bulb and installed it nice and bright!!) Picked up the new co2 tank (fire extinguisher i got had the wrong thread to install a valve into it so ended up just buying a co2 tank from the guy at porirua cylinder testing for $250 and it was full so i was happy with that) installed it in the cabinet and hooked up the regulator installed the tubing and put the diffuser/bubble counter inside the tank. Installed the electrics inside the cabinet running 3 timers 2 for lights and 1 for the regulator the two heaters (ended up getting two jebo 300w heaters as they were on special at the pet center on the weekend got 2 for the price of one :happy1: ) and the water pump are going to be on all the time so no need for timers haha. Also have installed the poret foam (thanks greg) in the sump went for the 3 different densities so first two sections are 10ppi next two are 20ppi and the last one is two layers of 30ppi with another piece of 30ppi packed around the pump. i used the off cuts and cut them up into small squares to fill the space under each piece and im using bio noodles in the first two sections (still need some more noodles if anyone has any they want to get rid of??) Yesterday i started putting the substrate in but have realised i dont have enough of the aqua basis so ordered 4 more bags and 3 more bags of the manando to cover it as you can see i used stockings full of sand to add a bit of height at the back of the tank and have put a few rocks in on the right side of the tank i plan to build up the substrate behind the rocks which is where im thinking i will put some pieces of drift wood coming out from behind them with twisted val behind that or something along those lines ive included some pics of a layout i was thinking of duin using only driftwood and no rocks but have since changed my mind and will only be using some of the wood now and theres some pics of my other 140ltr community which is currently holding some of the stock for this tank (two bristle noses and my two german blue rams 1 boy and 1 girl im planing on gettin another 2 or 3 girls once ive got the tank going) and has some of the plants i plan to transplant let me know what ya think sorry for writing a novel but alot has been done! :rotf: :happy2: lights that need to be hung from the ceiling balasts sump sump again driftwood layout substrate 140ltr my male ram start of the substrate co2 system rocks sandbags sandbags substrate and rocks sorry again for the novel haha :facepalm:

http://dog-shaming.com/ theres some good ones on here haha dog shaming is halarious

Yeah thinking 3 - 4 german blue rams, 30is harlequin rasboras a couple plecs some glass cats some khuli loaches (altho unshure about these they may make a mess of the substrate) a smaller school of something else mabie cochi blue tetras and the later on down the line some discus As for plants im thinking dawf grass or glosso as a carpet in front with mabie dawf sag's and star grass or something along those lines behind then heaps of java fern java moss and christmass moss all over the rocks and drift wood(what else goes good on wood and rocks?? sugestions please) and lots of tall blades and such in the back ground. Ive got heaps of drift wood but still havnet found the rocks im looking for but will get plenty of that to create caves and pathways all through the tank Good to hear about the manando tho sam hopefully its not too light so it wont end up clouding the tank

Right another quick update other day co2 extinguisher arrived taking it to get the right valve installed and get it re filled tomorrow at porirua cylinder testing. Lighting ballasts arrived so made a light hood for the reflectors and ballasts to sit on (pics to come) And i have just ordered my substrate my original plan was to go for flourite black sand but it was quite expencive and the place i was going to order it from couldnt get me enough of it untill dec so have changed an gone for jbl aqua basis plus 5 x 5l bags and to top it jbl manando 3 x 5l bags. Has anyone used these two before? Read a few reviews on the net and they sounded fairly good so thought i may as well give it a try since it was much cheaper ($29 for a 5kg bag of aqua basis and $32 per 5kg bag of manado compared to around $49 a bag for the flourite) and it was free shipping for the jbl (bonus!!) and should arrive late this week or early next :happy1: Still need to finish painting the inside of sump section, install the electrics and source my heaters plus finish front of the cabinet and install cabinet doors but its slowly getting there soon it will be time to start ordering plants! Ive given myself a 1month deadline to get all that done and have my list of plants ready and ordered so i think thats do able Will update with some pics soon

heres some more photos from yesterday, just finished second coat of undercoat 2 more coats of top coat and the inside is done. think im going to leave the outside as is i like the look of plywood haha drift wood i collected boiling the smaller bits inside paint first coat another one of paint off now to meet the mates and head out to the tank crawl hopefully see yall there!

cheers guys! bit more progress today went out and saw craig at the pet center in lower hutt and picked up the new light tubes (went with two 54w t5 power-glo's and two 54w t5 life-glos) and the reflectors for once the balasts arrive got the last few things i needed to finish the plumbing and got all the paint for the inside of the cabinet. im about quater of the way through the first coat :slfg: (going to take freakn ages!! :-? ) also went walk about down the hutt river and picked up heaps of drift wood which has been boiled and is now soaking in a big bin outside have some pics but will upload later wanna get this first coat done first haha

unfortunately not haha theres not a hell of a lot of room to get in the sump but it should be ok hopefully haha although im thinking of adding another door on the side of the stand next to the sump to make for easyer access to the taps for adjusting flow and topping up the sump and yeah stands not going to collapse anytime soon we are more worried about the floor below the tank and stand giving way haha but in all seriousness we are looking at adding some extra bracing below the floor in the near future preferably before filling the tank haha

right so update time! went down yesterday and picked up my new tank from peter at port nicholson glass and its awsome!! so happy with it definately would recomend him to anyone looking at having a tank made. today went round to my builder friends work site and we built the stand for it to sit on which came out nice we built it so we could take it apart to get it in the house and to make transport easyer. it still needs some finishing (front pannel put on and doors installed) now it just needs a lick of paint which i will hopefully get done tomorrow my co2 regulator and diffuser arrived from fish-street today as well took just over a week so not to bad have a 2kg fire extinguisher on the way which i got off tm for a bargin and also have the lights on the way as well also off tm ended up getting 2 dual 54w hagen t5 balist kits (were also a bargin) off to the pet center tomorrow hopefully to get new bulbs and reflectors for the lights and order in 5 - 6 7kg bags on flourite black sand (not shure on how much im going to need but think i will just use sand bags to raise the level of substraite up and also i have never used this stuff so going to give it a try) now just need to paint the stand, build the top trim / lights holders paint that, get the fire extinguisher fitted with a c02 valve, get a heater (thinking weipro 500w titanium any ideas weather this will be sufficent? or should i go for the 1000w??) get the poret foam and some bio noodles (hopefully grab these on sunday from greg after the tank crawl) install the power then connect up the plumbing for the sump. once thats all done and ive sourced all my plants it will be time to put everything in and start letting it cycle going to do a fishless cycle as i want to get the ferts and co2 right before i start stocking it anyway heres the photos! (sorry theres quite a few :facepalm: ) loading the tank at port nicks the mates helping get the tank inside mates again mash and the tank in my room sump checking if tank is big enough materials for stand base starting walls front and back walls up top plates top plates all in starting to ply co2 gear rebuilding in my room sump in place tank in place tank again big tank and little tank (little tank is 140ltr community soon to become ither hospital/quarintine/plant grow out tank)

Quick update today is the day!! Im off to pick up the tank this arvo will update with some pics once ive got down there! And off to get the wood for the stand tomorrow so should be built and in place by this weekend happy days!!

if any of you guys are into dnb or dubstep tune into my radio show on http://www.fasteds.co.nz tonight 12pm - 1am che che! currently listning to pressure (noisia remix) - atom & cell

never gonna give you up - rick ross

mind controll - memtrix

haha was the only song i could find on my itunes

http://www.fastradio.co.nz & icarus (fred v & graffix remix) - Madeon