So, this is how it starts...

[davocean]

Hawns it is.
Val would be really cool.
I put a grow bulb in that fixture, and the sword I got a week ago already shows significant growth.
The anacharis is always being chewed on by GF's, but they don't touch sword.
Hawns has killer colors for a GF, kinda pinky orange, very much reminds me of a FW anthias!
They will get the 20g soon enough.

[SoCalBoo]

Yeah, just read that long comment from Socalboo, very informative.
I want to keep very low maint plants that don't require Co2.
So far at least one, maybe two mistakes, I already put gravel w/ no planting soil(had no clue about that stuff) but that is easily correctable.
I also bought a plant attached to a piece of driftwood, kind wide leaf, teardrop shape, no clue what that is.
And this is bedroom tank, so yeah, ZEN, peace, love, all that groovy stuff!LOL

I just ditched my DIY co2 system for regulator and co2 tanks. It is a pretty big set up - I used it on my 120 and it produced a good amount of co2, enough to keep all but the most finicky plants. If you want it, it is yours. Comes with 2 1gallon containers, tubing, bubble counter and some rigid tubing I used to fashion a reactor. Takes about 5 minutes every week to recharge a container with co2 mixture (cheap - sugar, yeast and water...maybe $2 a month). Let me know.

[SoCalBoo]

Yeah, just read that long comment from Socalboo, very informative.

Dude, don't listen to that guy. He's an idiot.

[davocean]

LOL, thanks socal, but this tank is going to be minimal equipment/maintenence.
Slow plant growth is fine me.
I"ll have my reef soon and that will give me plenty of tinkering to do!

[SoCalBoo]

I hear ya. Enjoy.

[davocean]

LOL, not sure which I find funnier, how many views I've got on what started as a stupid goldfish bowl, or how my 29 cent goldfish experiment has racked up to what is now about $175!
And that's w/ a couple freebies thrown in!

[davocean]

OK, adding another $50 to my project, but $$ well spent, and a good deal(thanks Rob).
Just got a 50g I will be swapping up to for my planted.
Guess I'm hooked now.

[SoCalBoo]

goldfish bowl to 20g to 50g. Yes, you are working your way up nicely in no time flat!

I always thought a 40g or so is about perfect for a nice planted tank. Big enough for room for bigger fish or two, or a nice large school/shoal of smaller fish, not so tall it is hard to light all the way down to the substrate, perfect size for DIY co2 with (2) 2 liter soda bottles, and you can easily handle filtrate with one fluval 4 series cannister or similar eheim. I'd say you settled down at the perfect size!

Let me know if you need plants. Just PIF'd a TON today to folks (should be a half dozen fellow sdreefs folks out there happy to get free plants), but they'll grow out and I'll be trimming the riccia again in 2-3 weeks, probably about a month for the rest.

and Diana steered you to the bomber substrate. That ADA stuff is the shiznit. Way, way too much for me to use on my 120, so I had to make my own (all 150lbs of it).

[davocean]

Cool, good to know Socal, and thanks.
New tank is 48x12dx17H, so actually a 42g after checking.
Just did a stand frame(made bigger, just in case...)
Also painted trim black.
Grabbed some rocks.
Might be able to set up tomorrow.
This is what I got so far.

[dese]

Hey Dave,Looking great so far,I got 2 questions if you dont mind....First do you mind if I borrow you frame design? And second whats under the inside of that 45 cut keeping it from rolling? I was gonna go with a top plate bottom plate(being a framer) but after seeing your pics I see that would be overkill...LOL!

[SoCalBoo]

he's got a screw joining up the outside of the 45* cuts. standard fare, how most stand manufacturers do it. But he's got a 2x6 on the top plate, which broadens his ability to have narrow/deep tanks. you can always drop a 2x4 underneath the long run of the inside of the 2x6 to keep it from rolling towards the middle. That is a nice clean design. Well done. Not over engineered, which makes gives it a good weight and keeps the stand open. Me likey.

[davocean]

Dese, feel free to copy what ever you want, good to know fellow carpenters/aquariests.
Socal, good eye!
And you read my plan well, since you know how our hobby goes w/ upgrades!
If I decide tank is not deep enough for what I want to do for scape, I can fit up to a 120 on that footprint.
I plan to put a ply top on that today as well, and a removable center support.
Trying to decide if I need canister, or just a large HO?

[dese]

HAHA, Thanks dave, and socal... I figured thats what it was but had to ask to make sure, I have framed a bunch of houses but never built a stand ...lol...kinda tricky if you dont see it done once,and I too like how its nice and open!

[SoCalBoo]

I'm sure you know the + and - of both - HOB cheaper, cost less to run, but HOB will gas out a lot of CO2. A lot of surface agitation. If you were dosing with CO2, I'd say angle for the canister.

But a HOB will work, as long as you choose your plants wisely. I've got an AC 20 (formerly mini) on my 10g. Without CO2, and with a 3 year old 15w t8 plant bulb, vals, riccia and java moss are doing well and growing at a decent clip. I also have pygmy chain sword (tennelus variety - what specvjeff was talking about last night on chat) that grows, albeit at a fairly slow pace. Slow isn't necessarily bad - seems like not having to trim a lot is pretty important to you, so that might fit your application.

A canister is really about as ideal of FW planted filtration as you can get. for smaller tanks, small powerheads with sponge intakes work well too, but your tank is probably too large for that.

AC are nice and flexible, and way easy to clean. You can also limit the flow of any HOB by putting a sponge over the intake, which also helps if you have small fish/inverts, or they might have babies/fry.

If you go 120 on that stand, the removable center brace on front and back is probably not needed, but good idea. I did the same thing on my 120 (our frames look eerily similar, although your idea of a 2x6 would have been good for flexibility sake). the center brace ended up taking a fairly big load, so I'm glad I did it.

[davocean]

Thanks socal.
I'm getting a fluval canister from Dave M saturday, so should be cool.
No plan to go bigger at the moment, think I'll stick w/ what I've got, unless I just can't get what I want out of scape w/ depth of tank.
But I will have center removable brace just to be safe.