38g semi-journal

devin mac · #1 (**permalink**) 04-18-2007, 11:34 PM

I've had a 15 high with a couple of vents in it, for about a year and a half, now. Before that, I had a couple of azureus that I ufortunately lost when I moved a couple of years ago. I any case, I had been itching to do a new tank for soe time, and figured something a shade larger than my 15 was in order. Unfortunately i can't go really big yet, since i'm renting and don't want to deal with a large tank until i'm settled into a house (couple more years... then we start the big one.. ;-) )

I got my hands on a really nice 38 gallon tank in excellent shape, and figured i liked the height and length. I could do with a bit mroe depth, but that's tough to come by. The dimensions are 36"x18"x12" and I think it makes a really nice size for a dart tank.

I wanted to do soemthing slightly different, so i figured on putting a lot of driftwood on the back wall to creating plenty of depth and places to add plants, and then covering the majority of the bottom of the tank with a mix of water, driftwood, and aquatic plants. Right now i have an initial planting done on the back wall, and am about to start rounding up some aquatics and some more driftwood for the bottom of the tank. I'm hoping that once it gets settled in and starts to grow in a bit, I can get three or four S.I tricolors to fill the water with tads. One thing at a time, though... :-)

devin mac · #2 (**permalink**) 04-18-2007, 11:38 PM

Empty 30g (which i used for a size reference) and the stand I threw together in a weekend.

Time to spread some silicone!

devin mac · #3 (**permalink**) 04-18-2007, 11:43 PM

i had a good deal of driftwood (in retrospect i feel like i should have crammed more in there...) so i laid out the first bunch, and created an access tube out of eggcrate for a pump which will power a several driplines.

Once i had it looking how i wanted, i started shooting in some greatstuff to hold it in place and create some background.

Once the first layer of GS cured, i cut away at some of it and added some more wood, applying more GS to create more depth and some perches for eventual inhabitants

devin mac · #4 (**permalink**) 04-18-2007, 11:48 PM

This is where I lost motivation in taking lots of pictures, so unfortunately now we have to skip ahead to a ready-to-plant tank.

I don't have pictures of the lights yet, but there are 2x55w PC bulbs in a very simple custom hood, powered by a Fulham Workhorse 7 ballast. The lighting will be upgraded slightly as i work out a better solution for the top of the tank.

Instead of the usual coco/treefern/etc covering for the greatstuff, I decided to try Schultz Orchid Mix, straight from the bag. The idea here was to give the background a bit more texture and give epiphytes a bit more to grab on to. It really turned out splendidly, but required an ENORMOUS amount of brown silicone to get it to hold (since there are some rather large particles in that bag. like, rocks... :-) )

devin mac · #5 (**permalink**) 04-18-2007, 11:54 PM

Once i had it to this point, Antone hooked me up with a good first round of plants. I'm experimenting with some of the cuttings he sent, and am keeping the tank misted twice a day while i work out soe kinks with the misting system.

full tank

left side

right side

housevibe7 · #6 (**permalink**) 04-19-2007, 12:17 AM

Looking good. I think it will be gorgeous once it fills in. Reminds me of Tyler's viv a little, although of few less bromeliads.

gaboon · #7 (**permalink**) 04-19-2007, 01:40 PM

Whats going in there? They better be good swimmers. Love the background.

Jesse · #8 (**permalink**) 04-19-2007, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gaboon

Whats going in there? They better be good swimmers. Love the background.

I beleive that he said S.I tricolors were, if you read his post you might know. Nice Tank

Keep up the good work.

Jesse

devin mac · #9 (**permalink**) 04-19-2007, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gaboon

Whats going in there? They better be good swimmers. Love the background.

yeah, as Jesse mentioned, I'm tentatively planning on SI tricolors, I think. They probably are the best fit for the tank, from a lifecycle perspective.

I'm going to be putting a good deal of "debris" in the water, as well as a lot of emerging aquatic and semi aquatic plants, so it won't be as pondlike as it looks at the moment.

Ideally in six months, the tank will be a lot more grown in, and have a swarm of tadpoles in the 5g of water or so that fills the bottom. :-)