60p Replica Display Tank

Hi Guys
So after a few years being out the game i finally have the chance to set up again.
Thankfully the lockdown has provided me with more than enough time to spend and maintain the tank.
After looking around and doing research on what i want i decided to give a planted tank another go.
I found a ADA 60p replica for sale with lighting and Dophin c500 canister filter for sale.
After deliberating weather or not a second hand tank will be worth it i pulled the plug and did a "NIKE" (Just Do It)
Thankfully i have a loving wife (And Son) that agreed with me and allowed me to have another tank in the house.

My journey begins after collecting the tank and doing research on the type of display i want i decided to use drift wood only with some Anubia, S Repens and Glosso as a carpet.
My cabinet is a bit of a mess but i plan on re organising and re routing all the pipes and cables to neaten it up a bit. It was a mission drilling a big enough hole in the cabinet to hide the filter. I didn't want anything on the outside, including the CO2 cylinder.

So far i am 2 months in to the setup and i have had some algae blooms but with regular water changes and an occasional "Brushing" of the leaves on the Anubia i seem to have it under control.

I would love some suggestions and comments on the tank and layout and also what other plants you guys would recommend.

 

Hi, that's looks good, where did the 2nd hand replica tank?

 

Thanks @WolfgangP , I found it while trolling Gumtree and OLX. At first i was hesitant on the guy but after going to see the tank and seeing what he had i could not let it go.
It is a starfire tank as well.

 

where did you get those co2 setups, they so expensive and I need one

 

I was lucky enough that it came with the setup. I just needed to get it refilled.
I have seen on Aqua Empires website they got a range of Aluminium cylinders in. Otherwise call east rand fire, They selling converted fire extinguishers.

 

Thank @A new day, Yip indeed some AR in the back. Its getting there but at least the colors are showing nicely.
I will see what else is available this weekend, Trying to find plants has been a bit difficult lately.

 

Nice to see you active again @Wazi,

I think this lockdown has brought a lot of hobbyists out of the dark again
I think the tank looks amazing and as it fills in the better it will look

 

Hi @Wazi , great, I've also been looking, are you Joburg based? Starfire glass is great.

I'm also starting up a co2 tank, but not ready to post pictures, still looking for some accessories.

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love that tank ... what are the dimensions on it?

Later Ferdie

 

Great looking tank!

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I am new to aquariums especially aquascaping... At the beginning of the lockdown I found a brillux tank for 700 bux. No co2 but I bought jbl sand and amazon sand... Few plants and driftwood... It's looking OK. Not Instagram worthy but I'm having a good time playing around with and creating an ecosystem.

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Pair of guppies, pair of khuli loaches, 1 hillstream loach, 4 red nosed somethings, a feather fin catfish and 10 cherry shrimp. Been in the tank since April and they are all happy lol. Plants are growing but super slowly.

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Haha thank you. I kinda realised after I posted that I was taking over someone else's thread... #noob!

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Nice setup Wazi. If you have spare substrate, perhaps raise that right corner first and then re-plant that section with the Alternanthera Reineckii. Would also be cool if you could through some red on the left; perhaps Ludwigia Arcuata or Palustris? Is the Gloss getting enough light, cos I'm seeing it reaching upwards?...last pic not 100% clear on that hence I'm asking. If you can get your hands on some Bucephelandra, that'll be a nice addition to the wood alongside the Anubias. Perhaps even some Hygrophila Pinnatifida too. You could also look into tying that piece of moss down toward the bottom-middle part of the wood and let it spread out from there.

Very nice job! I'm looking forward to seeing it fill out.

 

Hey guys, so just an update on the tank.
Something not really cool happened today. I usually reserve all tank maintenance for Sundays as it generally a rest day for the family and while they are doing their thing i clean tanks.
So i did a 50% water change gave the anubia and drift wood a light brush to get a bit of floating debris off and filled the tank back up.
I wake up this morning only to find that the water is turning a greenish color and gone "hazy"
Anyone know what could have happened? from some research it seems as if its some kind of floating algae. I have added a backup filter to try double the filtration hoping that might help.
I currently have a Dophin c500 canister filter that came with the tank and at the bottom going up i have, Black coarse filter pad, White filter wool pad and in the second basket i have matrix. My light are on at 4pm and turn off at 9pm with my co2 on at 15:30 and off at 8:30pm.
Is it advisable to get some seachem clarity to try clean it up?

 

@Wazi,

Sorry to hear, its very frustrating
To me sounds like a bacterial bloom which sometimes happens after a water change

Usually waterchanges and reducing light usually sorts it out
In very stubborn cases a UV light sterilizer also sorts out bacterial blooms as well as many parasites like ich

 

So there we have it. I splashed out and bought the last UV sterilizer at a local pet shop. I did a lot of YouTubing and it seems as if it’s algae in the water column. I’ll keep the sterilizer in for a few days and see what it does. If it doesn’t work it’s going up in the classifieds.



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Small tank update. Did a 50%water change today. Seems the UV filter has done its job. The water and plants and livestock seem to be happier.
I’m thinking of ditching the glossy for some dwarf hair grass. I don’t think the light I have is well suited for optimal growth of the glossy. It seems to be reaching for the stars.


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