DIY nano tank build

Discussion in 'Anything DIY related' started by JamesB, Aug 27, 2017.

  1. JamesB

    JamesB

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    Hi guys,

    Just bought some glass from Paul at aquatic vision. Going to be building a 30x30x30cm tank. I'm thinking of trying a Walstad tank with shrimp and maybe a betta. Does anyone have advice on what type of lighting I should get? LED spotlight, LED lightbulb or CFL bulb are what I'm considering. ba6eec2d00ecf7bcfbed5f1123770ac2.jpg

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  3. Pezulu

    Pezulu

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    On a 30x30x30 I would use a Zetlight ZA 1200.
    It has daylight and moonlight modes, and when connected to a WiFi Controller and Receiver, you can program the lights for 5 different settings.
    There are a bit more expensive than entry level lights, but worth every cent.

    http://www.zetlight.com/productshow.php?id=350&sort_id=28
     
  4. f-fish

    f-fish #unspecified

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    Hi James, - nice love DIY threads.

    Some thoughts ...
    - shrimps in the end are food the the beta - right?
    - the CO2 bell in the picture - man that is a pain , personally true DIY CO2 might be better.
    - walstad in a big water volume is easy to achieve, in a small one you are going to have to keep a good eye on it while it matures, not sue about adding CO2 is you are trying to be a walstad purest
    - if you are looking at doing DIY led lights .. I would think 400 - 600lm should be plenty to grow almost anything - this puts you in around the sub 10 watt LED light range.

    I have only just started playing with GU10 lights and fittings ... I have had good success with Luceco 15Watt lights in my bigger tanks - looking for that same light now in the smaller nano tanks - but these are at 4000K so verdict is still out.

    the 5watt LUCECO GU10 is 38 degree 300 odd lm unit ... I am not 100% on board with just a single 36 degree light cone, some maybe two 3watt units will work better on a 30cm tank ? Either way for around R100 rand you should be able to get enough light into your tank. As always DIY is at own risk.

    Here is an example of the 5watt on a 3ft tank (one of my dark tanks .. i.e. it normally does not have a light. ) light is resting on the glass cover that is on the tank. You can see the cone ...

    upload_2017-8-27_23-14-47.png

    Later Ferdie
     
  5. f-fish

    f-fish #unspecified

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    Thanks James - now you have made me look :)

    Have some of these in a box ..
    upload_2017-8-27_23-30-28.png

    and they are way better than the GU10 - sure sure 6500k is more pleasing to the eye, but for a 30cm cube you will hardly see a cone affect. This is the 12watt version, measured to be 10watt but lets let that slide. Sticker says you also get a 9watt version. I am running a bigger version of this light the boyu 550tl cube. On the cube I am seeing good growth at all layers of the tank.

    Looks like I am shelving the GU10 projects and moving straight to the sunlit units - side note on the 550tl they do tend to get a bit warm fitting a small heatsink is maybe not a bad idea. Got mine form lighting warehouse.

    Later Ferdie
     
  6. f-fish

    f-fish #unspecified

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    Sine you asked ... how about real spot lights?

    Well I have not had great growth results with these light on my deeper 45cm ++ tanks ... maybe the 30cm is just the right depth for them? Other have had good growth when they added a few of these on some tanks.

    upload_2017-8-27_23-54-9.png


    Maybe I must put a sunlit up vs a MajorTech see what is what on the 3ft tanks .... hmmm.

    Later Ferdie
     
  7. f-fish

    f-fish #unspecified

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    Oh yes do not forget to look at these guys ... they also have great potential.
    upload_2017-8-28_0-10-12.png

    Then we still have strip light, single modules, and so the list goes on and on and on and on ...
    Think it is time for some coffee.

    Later Ferdie
     
  8. OP
    JamesB

    JamesB

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    1. No, definitely not. The shrimp are the main attraction! I am still thinking about what fish to add....
    2. That ISTA CO2 thing is something I wanted to test myself - might work well on a small tank. I've tried DIY CO2 and the weekly brew changes are not for me hey.
    3. That's why I wanted to try it on a small tank - it's a challenge. ... and I have limited space in my flat. Not trying to be Walstad purist. I want to add the organic potting soil to grow the plants instead of adding column ferts or any root tabs, for budget sake. I am also building a smaller tank in which I will try a 'purist' Walstad method.
    4. Those light worx LEDs look good. had a look at Builders today: Options below...
     
  9. OP
    JamesB

    JamesB

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    Which would be suitable for a 30x30x30 tank?8124b91875e276c0e2da85720cc90258.jpg8914b2c89efcc57daccd9ee68d06468e.jpge30463707e0374d91fe781bf3d7a97d0.jpg463d33e8345d82d60ae8bd32db1009f2.jpg64a829449ddae6a389a24749d647a69f.jpg7304ac5aea5a56081b1dacc8e6822df3.jpg

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  10. OP
    JamesB

    JamesB

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    Update: Glass clean. Such a mission getting old silicone off.5865c4e12b8cc8b9aed0c34a9314f756.jpg

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  11. OP
    JamesB

    JamesB

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    Update: First if two custom tanks cut and glued. It is 22.5x22.5x31 cm. The glass is a bit thin (3 mm) though. 3ac3dca4d133aabd28a74324369581e8.jpgd7e816fe70fb0d2cc9f5cc90b53aef13.jpg2b94d236c4cdb96012e3c5f2cad81915.jpg

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  12. OP
    JamesB

    JamesB

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    Going to try this potting soil for the walstad tankfa80051c4cdec0e62ef41fc895b579b6.jpg

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  13. f-fish

    f-fish #unspecified

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    Looking good ... get as much of the big organic bits out as possible.
     
  14. OP
    JamesB

    JamesB

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    In the process of mineralising the soil. I also have some bonemeal lying around - should I add some to the soil? Does anyone have experience with this?
     
  15. OP
    JamesB

    JamesB

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    Tanks done. I'm pleased with how they turned out. 827cd23b44b06dabd39369babcd0c52c.jpgf053478e19e074cfd03cff550741ea3e.jpg

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  16. Innocent159

    Innocent159

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    Nice seems.
     
  17. OP
    JamesB

    JamesB

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    Update: added partially mineralised soil and sprinkled with some KCl. Capped it but forgot to rinse the gravel. I may have over done the plants but it is a Walstad. Have a mini filter in to provide circulation. It has a small sponge I'm using to remove particulates. Couldn't find any smaller plants - just stems for now.

    I'm looking for a floating plant now, so if anyone can help with that, would be great.

    Jc49ffa5a6bb5bcf8755a3aa7458c7936.jpg2cf1ece8f3690dbe7b1547ec14002ab7.jpg812d843696b19614841c52384bab45b3.jpge10ac084fd076309bfc1606c8ae2695a.jpg3a6afebe3f64fbbc3152e8e0f81816bb.jpg773f30ad321c571f3dc0a14efc126c01.jpgf8c6645a95093d13ab562e0aa82746c6.jpg

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  18. OP
    JamesB

    JamesB

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    Designing and building a wooden light fixture tomorrow using these 87b6218e4aaf33b0cf0108a82956001e.jpg

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  19. f-fish

    f-fish #unspecified

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    Consider polishing your water with some batting only in your filter ... it will clog up very quickly but should help get some of the finer stuff out the tank quickly. Careful with walstadt and a small tank with a deep substrate layer ... you will need to poke the substrate regularly to make sure trapped gasses do not "explode" and leave a dust cloud in the tank. Poking the substrate before a WC helps.

    Later Ferdie
     
  20. OP
    JamesB

    JamesB

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    Update: light fixture done. Not too happy with it, but Will do for now. Water still a bit cloudy.ba1611765249d11e623a72b444ef5d19.jpg9c0699eb9d193ed70836eaedb9119bdb.jpg7c38ea54fb379fe79172ff2fc716b7da.jpg

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  21. St. John

    St. John

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    Hey,

    Wow, I really want to build my own tank as well!!

    I will get there sooner or later, as soon as I muster up enough money to buy the glass :$

    I am breeding shrimp at the moment, they are loads of fun and super easy to keep, the only thing is they don't do well with others, I had them picking at my plecos, jumping on their backs and going for rides, tried molly fry,
    Thought if grow up with the shrimp and they will not see them as food, but the shrimp babies are really babies and as soon as a shrimp can fit into a fishes mouth they will be eaten,

    I recommend you run 1 tank shrimp and one with fish.

    Are you thinking of importing the shrimp?

    Lastley, my moms light set up failed so I been researching a DIY project to fix for her, think it might be of interest to you?

    Simple,


    On steriods :)


    Let me know what you think,

    Regards,
    St. John

    DSC_0643.JPG

    DSC_0644.JPG
     

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