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Dilemma: I wanted 2 new tanks, each dedicated to the breeding of a pair of Dwarf Cichlids - either SA or West African Riverine - yet hubby says only one tank was allowed. Solution: A divided tank.

It will be a planted tank, with each half tank being scaped individually. Here's the equipment I'm using to set up the dual honeymoon suites:-

Hardware
74G Tank (36"L x 24"W x 20"H) divided into 2 equal halves. Rear wall painted black
Aqualina Compact PC, twin power cords, 2 x 96Watts (combo 10K & Plant growth tubes) - On Order
Eheim Pro II 2026
Pressurised C02 with pH controller
Rhinox 5000 co2 diffuser x 2
Cal-Aqua Lily pipes
Pentair AquaStep Ultraviolet Sterilizer 25w - On Order

Substrate
ADA powersand special
ADA aquasoil amazonia
Tourmaline BC, Penac P, Penac W, Bacter 100, Clear Super

Hardscape
Driftwood & maybe small rocks

Flora
Wisteria, Nana Anubia, Ricca
not sure what else as yet, probably crypts.
A lot will be transferring across from my 20G & 23G, which are shutting down

Fauna
One half will have a pair of Apisto Cacatuoides, the other a Apisto Agassizii male & his 2 girls. There will also be some otos. Not sure if there will be anything else, but if so, only if they are no threat to the fry. Perhaps guppies, as they will add interest to the top levels & the apistos will most likely get some live food from their fry.

Empty tank, without dividing grid in place

Though without the divider, you can still see the slot that holds the divider & it will always visually cut the tank in two. Other than that, I can use it as a standard 3ft & ignore this eyesore.

View of hood, which is not really a hood at all, but just a collar. I will be able to do tank maintenance without tanking this off. You can also see the slot that dividing grid slips into.


The dividing grid, before put in the tank. It is egg crate, with a mesh sewn in place with fishing line. Hopefully, the holes in the mesh will be too small for fry to swim through.


the divider being slid into place


The Divider in place, flush with tank rims


Full shot, Divider in place


Cal-Aqua Lily pipes

The Filter (cycling on another tank)


I hope to set it all up next weekend.

Cheers
TW

Robyn, Looks fantastic . 2 Tanks in one, will be very interested to see the finished product .Gives you an opportunity to compare 2 different scapes and see which you like best .

Should be a lot of fun .Look forward to some pics of the process , if you get time .

Garry

hi robyn, great to see this project up and running! my initial thoughts are that two different scapes may be quite distracting for the general viewing of the tank - you know what it's like in fishshops when you see different scapes side by side? it can be a bit jarring. maybe be prepared to actually try for a more continuous/seamless planting - eg, whatever plant you have the most of, plant on either side of the divider so it kinda looks like the divider has been put down the middle of a single scape... does that make any sense at all?? anyways, i'm probably putting the cart before the horse, good luck with setting it all up! i am currently breeding agassizii triple-reds in my 6 footer and nijsseni in the four footer. lots of eggs, some fry, no survivors. never will, there are too many predators in the tanks. maybe i should think of a divider system too....
regards, justin

Hi Robyn:

I am really looking forward to this tank log - I hope you will do one. How tall is this tank? Silly me, I shouldread moe carefully, it is in your post. Never mind ... It is tall, You know what? It is also a arrangement for breeding discus!
Are these the 'real' lily pipes from ADA or some knock offs?

Again, can't wait to see you starting with the set up!

Claudia

Hi Garry

Thanks for the interest. Will post pics, when I have something to show. No more progress. Need to figure out how to create different levels of gravel, without all gradually leveling out over time. Need to look for suitable rocks / wood / PVC to use as a retaining wall before doing any more to the tank.

Hi Justin. Maybe you remember a previous thread of mine asking for advice on dividing a tank into 3. My tank builder told me that wouldn't be practical unless I went longer (wasn't allowed to do that ). The middle division would have very limited access due to the centre brace blocking access. Therefore, had to settle on 2 divisions only.

my initial thoughts are that two different scapes may be quite distracting for the general viewing of the tank - you know what it's like in fishshops when you see different scapes side by side? it can be a bit jarring. maybe be prepared to actually try for a more continuous/seamless planting - eg, whatever plant you have the most of, plant on either side of the divider so it kinda looks like the divider has been put down the middle of a single scape

I'll keep that in mind & try to have a common linking plant. I think it will be a little jarring, whatever I do, as the front view will show the white vertical line of the divider. I wish it was clear, but no-one could tell me where to source clear egg crate.

Hi Claudia

How tall is this tank? Silly me, I shouldread moe carefully, it is in your post. Never mind ... It is tall

Oh, is 20" tall. The discus planted tank (when it gets set up) will be taller, but narrower.

It is also a arrangement for breeding discus!

I know & am tempted, but I like having 3 tanks with quite a different focus in each. Whilst this & the discus will both be C02 planted tanks, I hope to have the flipper flap of little apisto fry fins in this one & adult discus in the other. The 3rd tank will be African cichlids. I think the 3 tanks, with different species in each, will keep me interested longer.

Oh & yes, lily pipes are ADA knock-offs. Brand is Cal-Aqua Lily pipes. Got the idea from one of tetratech's logs. Seller is in Malaysia or Singapore (forget which) but currently offering free shipping. Much cheaper than I'd pay for ADA. Really helpful guy too. Would recommend him.

Since my O/S plant order was such a disaster, I bought a bunch of plants on ebay from an Aussie seller tonight. I'll list them all another time. Some may be permanent in this tank, while others may move to the discus tank.

Cheers, Robyn

Cheers
TW

Ok robyn

Im going to be asking lots of questions as you create this log because i need some help when it comes to the equipment and plants you are wanting to use.

What are the lily pipes used for?
What is Ricca?
What did you mean by your O/S order was a disaster? Anyways im hoping to see more pics and more info on this tank. It looks intriguing to me.

Shane

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

wow thats really interesting- 2 tanks in one! good moves robyn i reckon it will look great and cant wait to see it all grow! and an african cihlid tank to come? very ambitious mate- good luck!

TW,

Any new updated pictures? It looks like you are off to a good start! I really can't wait to see how this turns out!

Are you planing on doing two different scapes or just one?

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Hi Shane, thanks for popping in.

What are the lily pipes used for?

these replace the in-take & out-take filter pipes on a cannister filter. Hopefully they are more discreet - but the worry is they may break in the cleaning. They're meant to enter tank from the side wall, instead of rear. Forgot about this when I had the hood/collar made. They will have to enter from the rear, until I can get the hood/collar adjusted to allow side entry.

What is Ricca?

Check this link out http://www.tropica.com/default.asp Then do a search for Riccia fluitans.

What did you mean by your O/S order was a disaster?

While chatting in another thread, several USA FP members said they'd bought stuff (plants & hardware) from an ebay seller & that his plants were good. I'd just a day or so before placed an order with him myself, as he said he posted plants to Australia. I can't get narrow leaf or needle leave java fern here, so I was really excited about my purchase. Unfortunately, the plants were seized & destroyed by Australian customs & I never got my plants after all. The hardware from him was great. Seller gave me a refund straight away, so I ended up disappointed, but at least not out of pocket.

Hi fandan, thanks too for your interest. As well as the coming African Cichlid tank, there will be a bigger (hope better) version of my planted discus tank too.

Hey Wings, thanks for the visit.

Any new updated pictures?

Well, yes, just one. But not of plants or tank, but of one of 4 retaining walls I've made out of perspex. Hope these will keep the aquasoil in the levels I hope to create, instead of just leveling out overtime.

I siliconed a vertical piece of perspex to a thick horizontal piece. To help keep the retaining wall itself in place in the tank, also siliconed suction cups to the underside. I made 4 of these walls, 2 taller ones & 2 smaller ones. Once silicon has cured, I will be ready to add aquasoil to the tank.
The photo also gives a sneaky peak of the new discus tank, the back of tank, just painted black by hubby - see paint tin)

Are you planing on doing two different scapes or just one?

Think they'll be different, as the dividing wall will be an interruption to the eye anyway, but will try to link them with plants common to both. Wings, if ever you visited my 23G log, you will have seen the branchy driftwood with lots of anubia nana - that will go on one side. The other side will have the windelov driftwood that dominates my 43G.

I've ordered a whole heap of plants from an Aussie ebay seller & they should arrive in the next day or so. They may not all go in this tank, but here is my list:-

2 x Cryptocoryne Balansae
Rotala Magenta Green
Hair grass
Micranthemum umbrosum
Lilaeopsis
Blyxa japonica
glossostigma elatinoides
Tonia
Riccia fluitans
Echinodorus tennellus
Anubias barteri coffeefolia

Also waiting on an order from LFS for:-
Alternanthera reineckii
Hemianthus callitrichoides

As well, I will use the plants currently in all 3 of my existing tanks, which will all shut down. These include wisteria, crypts, java fern (sadly not narrow, or needle leaf).

Worried the C02 may not travel between the two sides well enough. It'll probably be ok, but just in case, I ordered another Rhinox 5000 CO2 diffuser & I'll split the tubing, with one diffuser going into each half. My tubing, splitter & 2nd diffuser should arrive tomorrow.

Well, that's enough for one post, I think

Cheers
TW

Hi Robyn:

Excited to see that things are moving! Are the holes drilled in the stand to support the tubing or is this not necessary anymore?
You sure ordered a lot of plants. I see HC listed as well ... I hope this plant will grow well for you (unlike L_Fs microculture). Are you planning on two different types of ground cover (riccia versus HC?) You have tenellus and hairgrass as well - the tenellus will outcompete everything IMHO if you do not keep the tabs on it. How did you succeed to grow your Windelov so nicely? Mine is in an almost stagnant state! is there a trick to it aside from patience?

Worried the C02 may not travel between the two sides well enough

I would not worry, my tank is still on Excel and nothing else (shame on me, I am a bit embarrassed to admit that a filled CO2 tank is inside the stand, I simply did not have the time to set it up and then the discus spawned ).

looking forward to your next post!

Claudia

Hi Claudia

Are the holes drilled in the stand to support the tubing or is this not necessary anymore?

Do you mean the holes I mentioned above, into the perspex retaining wall. If yes, then these holes are not for tubing. Just for the insertion of suction cups, so that the stand itself stays steady in the tank. These stands will (hopefully) keep my aquasoil from flattening out (I hope to create a slope from rear to front of tank). This tank does not need the support work to the cupboard, as my others do.

There is progress on that too though. Hubby is taking tomorrow off work to run around to various shops to buy the parts he has researched that he needs, to put his plan into action, for strengthening the cupboard. On the weekend, my discus tank & 23G tank will move into the garage, so that the handyman can commence the actual work, on a cupboard free of tanks.

Yes, there are a lot of plants, but not all will go in the one tank. The glosso will go in this tank, as it is the shortest of the planted tanks, & therefore closest to the light source. The HC will go in the discus planted tank, being the taller tank. Tropica & other sources say this plant does ok in less light, so time will tell.

I have some magazines & booklets from Amano, with an article on riccia planting. It's suggested that if you put the riccia on little rocks on the substrate, & then in between the rocks, you place hairgrass, the hairgrass will intertwine slightly with your riccia & help to anchor it down. Not sure exactly where the tenellus will go, but I suspect in the end, I may have a little in all 3 planted areas (the 2 sides of this tank, as well as the main planted discus tank). It will be a little more to the back & I will keep an eye out for runners going where I don't want them.

How did you succeed to grow your Windelov so nicely? Mine is in an almost stagnant state! is there a trick to it aside from patience?

Stick it in a C02 tank & let it do it's thing. It is a slow growing plant though, but I wish it would grow slower for me, as growth will ruin the look of this driftwood IMO.

I think I answered your questions. Let me know if I missed something.

Cheers
TW

Robyn sounds like you have a fun project going on there. You probably know I'm not really into the breeding end of the hobby or even the fish as much as the plants. Although I do believe I have a discus tank in my future one day.

So far I'm really happy with the lily pipes and rhinox diffusor. I've cleaned my pipes three times in 4 months with just a pipe cleaner brush and they came out fine. One issue I did have though was my inlet pipe as big holes in it and I've lost 4 otos as they became caught in the holes and could not free themselves even from the weak Eheim 2213 suction. Looking at your pics, you have the pipes with the smaller holes so it shouldn't be a problem.

I think you've used Aquasoil before, so I don't have to tell you it's really important to do a daily water change every day for the first 10 days or so. I've only been dosing K and micros (a tiny bit) once a week and the plant health is fanastic.

Good luck with you project.

My Scapes

Robyn,

I hav to say I admire you for your reading on fish-related things!

Hope the cabinet will be redy for set up soon

Claudia

Hi Jeff, thanks for popping in.

I've cleaned my pipes three times in 4 months with just a pipe cleaner brush and they came out fine.

Do you remove them from the hose, or clean them while still attached to the hose & in situ?

One issue I did have though was my inlet pipe as big holes in it and I've lost 4 otos as they became caught in the holes and could not free themselves even from the weak Eheim 2213 suction. Looking at your pics, you have the pipes with the smaller holes so it shouldn't be a problem.

That's terrible, Jeff. My holes are quite small & I can't imagine any fish fitting in them - they're just narrow slits. I didn't know the holes were different sizes. Mine came in a set that fits my filter hose (16/22mm), so it wouldn't fit on the 2213, I think it might have the smaller hose size? Maybe this is a fault they have fixed, but must be a recent fix I guess, as you've only had yours for a short while, haven't you?

I think you've used Aquasoil before, so I don't have to tell you it's really important to do a daily water change every day for the first 10 days or so. I've only been dosing K and micros (a tiny bit) once a week and the plant health is fanastic.

I didn't need to do that with my other 2 ADA tanks. They were crystal clear from the get go. I hope it's the same this time as well (fingers crossed). When you say you only dose K & micros - not sure which one is K. I have KNO3, KH2P04 & K2S04. Which one do you mean?

Claudia, thanks for the visit. You should see how big the jack things are hubby came home with today, to use as supports in the cupboard for the other 2 tanks. About 3 times as thick as I thought. Pics on that, when he starts the work.

EDIT: The green eheim hose ruins the look of the lily pipes. Will have to see if clear filter hose can be obtained to suit.

See you

Cheers
TW

Robyn , Glad to hear hubby has started the work on upgrading you stands .
Sounds like you are going to need to take a holiday soon to get all those tanks
up and running . Should be great fun .

Look forward to some more photos . The plants and the plans all sound fantastic .


Garry

Set_up Day : 06.09.07
Preliminary planting is done. Didn't use all of the plant varieties mentioned earlier, but ran out of those I did. You will see this from the pictures below. The planted shots were taken about 5 hours after set up. The water is pretty clear, maybe not quite "crystal" clear, but close.

Here are a couple of shots with the retaining walls in place, while the ADA power sand (goes under the soil itself) went into place.


Next the ADA aquasoil was added, but didn't take a shot of that.

Left Half
Here's the riccia, hair grass & glosso. At least, I bought it as glosso, but it isn't what I imagined. Can anyone tell me if it is glosso & if not, what it might be?


Here's my Blyxa japonica - Left Half


more of the front- Left Half


Side shot of tank, showing Anubias on the branchy driftwood


Right Hand side Detail
Below, you see where I ran out of plants. Ignore the rocks. They are marking the spot, where they will be - but they will be covered with riccia. Then hair grass will planted here & there between the riccia rocks. The vacant space on the right is where I ran out of Blyxa japonica. I will either buy more, or wait till I can harvest some from the other tank half.

The windelov fern has been brought across from the 43G. My petrified wood (ebay purchase from USA) and some creeping wisteria are shown below. Dont forget, those rocks will soon be green, covered with riccia.

Full shot _Right Hand side


Full shot _ left hand side


Full shot _Both Halves


I felt it was no point trying to make it look like one tank - it never will whenever I have the divider in place. But I did try to link the front at least, each having glosso, riccia, hair grass & Blyxa.

On the technical side of things, had a few hiccups with the lily pipes. For the time being, I'm temporarily using the Eheim ones, but that will change asap.

Also, pics look a bit green. Not sure if it's because of the globes. Each of the 2 PC tubes was meant to be 96W half 10000K & half plant grow. Only one tube was this way. The other was fully 10,000K, which I know is not the best.

Should I replace this one?

That's it for now.


EDIT: Noticed that the pic of "Side shot of tank, showing Anubias on the branchy driftwood" was missing. The label was there - but not the pic. Don't know what happened, but it's there now.

Cheers
TW

Really nice aquascaping and tank all together.Im really impressed with the tank cabinet and hood you got. A few qs regarding that

Where did you get it made? St george?
Any problems?
Was the price good?

EDIT: you have really really good taste in equipment too

---

''All the clown fish and yellow tangs in the world cant save you now!''

Robyn , Looks fantastic . I use 10,000k bulbs on my tanks ( Just convinced my local to
order 6700's), don't seem to have too many problems . You will need to alter the
White Balance of your Camera ( if you can ) to correct the green tinge . You can also
use a higher F stop to let in less light to get rid of the flaring from the bright light .

On the Scape , I think you've done a great job of making them different but
interconnected . I love that piece of driftwood , maybe the addition of a big piece of
rock in front of it would add to the look . But the look is very good as it is . Should be
very lush when the new plants grow in .

Well done .


Garry

Hi Alex

Thanks for aquascaping & equipment compliment

Where did you get it made? St George? Any problems? Was the price good?

Yes, 3 tanks made by St George (this one was afterthought - added to order after 2 tanks already made). For 1st 2 tanks (no cabinet required) I got various quotes & St George was best price. Didn't shop around for 3rd tank. Made sense to go with same manufacturer & save on delivery costs. This tank was the most expensive of the 3, due to extra cost for glass divider slot, divider itself & mesh. $200 for the glass, $30 for the egg crate divider & $25 for the fine mesh. I had to sew the fine mesh onto the egg crate divider myself (fishing line).

The 4ft tank was $210 (it's dimensions are 48"L x 19"wide x 20" deep).

I've lost the price for the 3ft discus tank, as I changed the original size (went deeper). Original price was $170 for 36"L x 19"wide x 20" deep. I think price may have gone up by $30-40 (not sure) when I changed depth to 24". Apparently the extra height meant they had to use thicker glass for all side walls & that was the reason for the increase.

The cabinet & collar (as apposed to a hood) was made by M.S. Aquariums. Originally only going to get cabinet & price (unstained) was $230.00. At the last moment, I added staining & collar. Sorry, I never got a receipt & I don't recall the extra costs - but I think cabinet price was good. If you're interested, I'll PM his details to you. He makes tanks & sumps & I think he reduces cabinet prices if you get the tank from him too.

Hi Gary - thanks for the visit.

alter the White Balance of your Camera to correct the green tinge / use higher F stop to let in less light to get rid of the flaring from the bright light

Sadly, you overestimate my camera I can choose between "Auto" for normal pics & "Nightmode". I can then choose to use "Auto Flash", "Flash Off" "Fill Flash" "Red Eye" & that's the extent that I can make choices on using the camera. One day I will get a new one - but at the moment, I prefer spending my cash on tanks, fish & plants

Thanks for the suggestions on the scape. For the moment, I'm not going to play with it too much - other than adding more riccia, Blyxa & glosso if I can get my hands on some. Without removing something, I don't think I have room for a rock in front of that branch driftwood - but I will keep your suggestion in mind.

Not shown in the shots(removed for pics)in each tank I have bunches of wysteria just floating around. This is my solution to satisfy the need to have heaps of fast growers a tank at initial set-up, without actually having to plant them where not wanted.

Whew, that's enough for now.

Cheers
TW

13.07.07 - Week 1

Concerned I've seen no pearling on the plants - thought I would. Following a suggestion in catdancer's log, I'm using a split lighting period. I've increased the time the 2nd row of tubes is on & hope my plants will start pearling now.

This is my lighting sequence:-

1st lighting period
96 watts for 2hrs
192 watts for 3hrs

3 hour blackout

2nd lighting period
192 watts for 3hrs
96 watts for 2hrs

Any comment on lighting sequence appreciated.

Also increased the C02 bubble rate from 2 bubbles per sec, to 3 bubbles per sec. Hope that helps too.

Here's some more pictures of the tank, plants & fish (sorry, there's a few). Added a bunch of Alternanthera reineckii to both halves & hope I can grow this red plant. Always failed before with red plants, due to low light. Fingers crossed.

LEFT HAND SIDE



RIGHT HAND SIDE



That's it for now

Cheers
TW