Something Different... d2's FRESHWATER PLANTED build!

BestMomEver

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This sounds fun! I’ve thought of trying it but the selection of plants here is limited. Anyway, I came across this video I thought you might like... it’s incredible!

 

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Tank looks great. The dimensions are going to leave endless opportunities for a great scape. Do you have any ideas of what type of hardscape you are going to use? I’m a big fan of dragon, seiryu, elephant stones.
 

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Can't wait to follow! I have a custom miracles 180 (roughly) that is discus although not high tech. 3 kessil a160 tuna suns over it. Automated 40g daily RO/DI waterchanges. It's 0 work at this point, just how I like it!


d1.jpg
d2.jpg
d3.jpg
d5.jpg
 
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d2mini

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This sounds fun! I’ve thought of trying it but the selection of plants here is limited. Anyway, I came across this video I thought you might like... it’s incredible!
Thanks for the vid! That is one of my fav channels but I hadn't seen that one. :)

Tank looks great. The dimensions are going to leave endless opportunities for a great scape. Do you have any ideas of what type of hardscape you are going to use? I’m a big fan of dragon, seiryu, elephant stones.
Thanks! Not decided on anything specific yet, but I like those too.

Can't wait to follow! I have a custom miracles 180 (roughly) that is discus although not high tech. 3 kessil a160 tuna suns over it. Automated 40g daily RO/DI waterchanges. It's 0 work at this point, just how I like it!
Beautiful fish!
I wonder how much 40g of rodi per day woould cost me? ;Greedy
 

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Can't wait to follow! I have a custom miracles 180 (roughly) that is discus although not high tech. 3 kessil a160 tuna suns over it. Automated 40g daily RO/DI waterchanges. It's 0 work at this point, just how I like it!


d1.jpg
d2.jpg
d3.jpg
d5.jpg
Lordy! That’s beautiful!
 

hart24601

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Beautiful fish!
I wonder how much 40g of rodi per day woould cost me? ;Greedy
Thank you! Iowa tap water is pretty horrible with ag run-off so if doing large w/c at least RO is the way to go here. I raised them from 2" with 82 degree water, back in the day it was thought you needed much warmer, but 82-83 grows them well.

I don't have any exotic plants in there, because I am too lazy, haha. I dose glutaraldehyde with a BRS doser and timer for some carbon and to keep black algae away.
 
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d2mini

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Started building the stand last night. Going to try to put a bit of a time-lapse vid together but for now, here's a few pics...

Hardware...

i-FM5dQv7-XL.jpg


All the things...

i-gZJWdQ6-XL.jpg


And the base. Tons of leveling feet.
The exterior of the stand is white, but the interior is black now.
I'll try to show it in the vid, but the instructions are lacking. They are illustrated steps, nice and clear but almost zero mention of any of the hardware.
If you've put IKEA together before, it shouldn't be a problem. Has been pretty straight forward so far.
And there are some good videos for reference, even if it's not this specific stand.
https://www.waterboxaquariums.com/manuals/

i-KHKHzZS-XL.jpg


i-3PxKMBs-XL.jpg
 

hart24601

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Started building the stand last night. Going to try to put a bit of a time-lapse vid together but for now, here's a few pics...

Hardware...

i-FM5dQv7-XL.jpg


All the things...

i-gZJWdQ6-XL.jpg


And the base. Tons of leveling feet.
The exterior of the stand is white, but the interior is black now.
I'll try to show it in the vid, but the instructions are lacking. They are illustrated steps, nice and clear but almost zero mention of any of the hardware.
If you've put IKEA together before, it shouldn't be a problem. Has been pretty straight forward so far.
And there are some good videos for reference, even if it's not this specific stand.
https://www.waterboxaquariums.com/manuals/

i-KHKHzZS-XL.jpg


i-3PxKMBs-XL.jpg





Nice! I also found the stand instructions just terrible for my 100.3. They really just need to add a couple more labels to the items and the directions and it would be so much better. FWIW I like the back interior with white exterior, although others have really been upset. No clue why.
 

reefwiser

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I bright color makes it easier to see things. My tank stand is black inside an it is so dark.
Is the paint glossy or matte?
 
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d2mini

d2mini

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I bright color makes it easier to see things. My tank stand is black inside an it is so dark.
Is the paint glossy or matte?
It's more of a satin. The interior has a slight texture.
I always install a light inside the stand, but yes it would be darker vs a white.
 

leedsrhinojohn

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And from what I've read so far, Discus require more water changes.
Discus require no more water changes than a reef tank 10% weekly is fine.
Its only if you keep wild discus you need huge water changes but even that has changed a bit, when I first kept wild discus I used to have to change 90% everyday, but now 50% twice a week is fine for wild discus.
If you go planted then I suggest you dose ferts using the ei index which basically means you add more ferts than you need but by doing a 10% weekly water change you get rid of unwanted nutrients.
Using co2 in a large tank requires a lot of thought and planning and expense to get the correct flow all around the tank.
Here is a link to a fantastic planted tank forum which will answer everything you want to know.
www.ukaps.org
Or you can ask me and I will do my best to answer.
I have kept planted tanks and Discus tanks for years.
 
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d2mini

d2mini

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Discus require no more water changes than a reef tank 10% weekly is fine.
Its only if you keep wild discus you need huge water changes but even that has changed a bit, when I first kept wild discus I used to have to change 90% everyday, but now 50% twice a week is fine for wild discus.
If you go planted then I suggest you dose ferts using the ei index which basically means you add more ferts than you need but by doing a 10% weekly water change you get rid of unwanted nutrients.
Using co2 in a large tank requires a lot of thought and planning and expense to get the correct flow all around the tank.
Here is a link to a fantastic planted tank forum which will answer everything you want to know.
www.ukaps.org
Or you can ask me and I will do my best to answer.
I have kept planted tanks and Discus tanks for years.
Thanks for the info! I have a build thread going there. Feel free to jump in.
I'd be curious on your thoughts of plants and discus, especially concerning water temps.
 
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d2mini

d2mini

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More work completed on the stand last night. Only thing left is doors.
There has been some concern about the black interior but the side walls are white.
At this point, I'm not seeing much of an issue with it being too dark inside. Plus I'll be adding a light anyway.

There are just two things I'm a little disappointed with. Disappointed may even be a little strong... more like "not as impressed with".
1. It's obviously the same stand used for their reef-ready tanks. A cutout in the top panel and huge opening on the rear wall for all the plumbing coming down from an overflow. You're selling a new line of NON-DRILLED tanks, specifically marketed for freshwater. There should be a stand specifically for that. I have an email into support just to confirm it wasn't an oversight. If I was sent the correct stand I'll be offering some "advice" on that.

2. The white exterior panels are... "OK". They are glossy but from what I can tell they are powder coated or lacquered or something. Comparing them to my previous Elos stand, the finish is not going to be as durable. The Elos had a strong laminate that was glossier and could really take a beating. I've drilled through it, it's thick. And even though the interior was some sort of man-made pressed wood, overall it was impervious to water and wear, and very strong. I'm worried about how the finish on the Waterbox stand is going to hold up over time. The interior plywood construction is nice from a water damage standpoint, but I can tell by the edges and corners that the outer layer is not nearly as strong. It's definitely wayyyyy nicer than the new Planet Aquariums stands. Those things look like a home spray job. On a scale of 1-10, with Elos being a 10, I'd rate the finish of the white panels around 8.5, and the Planet tanks a 4-5 at best.

That said, the stand seems very sturdy. I like the finish of the black panels which has a bit of a texture to it and feels more durable than the white panels. I like that it actually has a floor (the elos is designed without a floor, so vibration from equipment is not transmitted/reverberated through the stand), and the floor is raised which is kind of nice, even though it technically does eat up a little interior space. I think I mentioned earlier that there are tons of leveling feet. There are some good cutouts, plenty of room for cables and hoses. Although in my case, I do kind of wish there were cutouts on the right like there are on the left. Again, this is an issue that it's a reef stand, not freshwater. ADG makes some custom stands that have hose cutouts on the side panels. I waiver back and forth on that vs the rear placement, but at least there are provisions for multiple canister filters or a choice of placement if just running one.

i-S649hjZ-XL.jpg


i-tT9kpBg-XL.jpg


i-hNbnxCK-XL.jpg
 
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d2mini

d2mini

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One thing to add would be a slide out shelf to place the canister filter on.
TWO. I ordered two of the Oase 600 Thermo's last night. :)
 
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d2mini

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Actually I might place both dead center and run the tubing out the back center.
 

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Cant wait to see this up. Always wanted to do a planted tank. It's an art how some of these guys plant and lay out these tanks.
 
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