My3KidsDad

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will be finding the darkest tint I can get. Will add pics when finished.

that would be cute for the grandkids for sure!

i was wonderrinng if anybody has used privacy film, the stuff we put on ouor cars for darkeningour windows? I was thinkingof the 30% stuff.

I will be buying a pump today and wonder what sort of volume would be good, and what direction should the pump take- rolling top to bottom, or horizontally around? We are trying to minimize or eliminate green slime in our planted 50g. with co2 and 25 odd fish.

Had to drill some 2 1/2" holes in each end to enable hot moist air to exit canopy. If this is not enough may add a small fan too.

Hello and welcome. Lots of color there.

Thanks- coming from you and knowing something of your work that is real nice to hear.

I will try to get a pic tomorrow,ok?

No floaters yet lol. thanks for the tip.

Thanks Jason, so I will readjust to 1/sec. and add fertilizer. How long would you leave it before increasing to 3/sec?

Ok so we have a new co2 reactor cooking in the tank, running at one bubble every 4-5 seconds, until we understand better what to do. How long do we do that and how often and how much do we increase the bubbles? I am amazed at how quiet the co2 system is even with the pump running. We have a 50g. tank with 59 Amazonian type fish fully planted and with a new canopy providing 8 hrs. a day of 120 watts of light. We run two filters, a 2213 and a 2232 at 78F. temp.

It initially looked like it was going to be a problem but when I put in the glass barrier between the tank and the canopy it stopped getting soaked in humidity. it is now dry inside so it may be ok.

Thankyou for the comments. The next one will be faster.

Decided to try something different and built our new 50 gallon stand out of Acacia wood flooring from a new weight-spreading design for smaller and medium sized tanks. The idea was to spread the weight out so it does not cut the rug or underlay in time. The stand turned out to be about 80-100 lbs. as Acacia wood is very dense and heavy but if Oak plywood was uses it would be strong and of modest weight. Anyway we needed better lighting too so we built a black-stained oak canopy to house our 120 watt lighting system. Hopefully the plants that need more light will revive and flourish. The plants are beginning to look good and the fish are perky too. Great fun for us here. This first pic is of the newly transfered 50g. tank from weeks ago. The next pics are of the tank, stand, and canopy today.

This was my first auction and it was fun. Meet some great people like LadyBlue for the first time. Went home with some awesome plants.. the 50g. tank is beginning to look sort of polished as a result. A good experience. Well run too.

no problem, you are kind. will begin preparation today. The tank is a 120 gal - 4'L x 2'w x 2'h. I love it! The onl thing that would make it better would be 6 or 8' long! In the back right corner, I have a stand of Crypt. balansae, and just beside and in front of it, I have a couple big logs with loads of Java fern, Anubias barteri & A. nana. To the left of the rock wall is a stand of Tiger Val, and a couple tiny sprigs of Val. nana. Around the "Fishead" rock (right in front of the rock wall) is E. tennelus. I also have a couple plants given to me by Tom - I don't remember what they're called (Do you remember what you gave me, Tom?). Oh, and I just picked up a Flame Sword from NC - it's just in from the Crypt. Maybe the only plant I really want to add is a Reg Tiger Lotus. I might see if I can snag a flame moss at the auction, but that may be it... oh, and I may end up replacing the Pygmy Chain Sword with Glossostigma when I get the lights next Sunday. Sounds like a good idea, Bill! If we can make a canopy that looks even half as good as your stand, I think it'd be awesome! Right now, it's just a 2x50W T5HO fixture from AG. I've had the fixture for about 3yrs, and think it's running the "white" bulbs from AG. This fixture will be moving downstairs, as I am making changes in the fishroom, as well, and will require some good lighting. The new fixture will have 8x50W T5HO, which is a bit much IMO, but it was a great deal. I'll probably only run 6 bulbs. I'm not sure what bulbs are coming with the new fixture - probably quite blue, as it's coming from a SW guy - but, I'll be trying to keep it white (maybe a combo of red, blue, white). The 24" hight is great - I quite enjoy the depth. 24" used to be a problem back in the day when the only way to get light to the bottom was MH, but with the new T5HO lights, it's easy and affordible.

looks great Jason. Maybe we could colaberate on the lights as i intend to make a canopy for the new comm tank?

is there any chance that next year's Edmonton auction might be held later in the day to enable a few of us to honor our Sunday morning committments ?

The programs I found are related to FW. Some of them are available in SW editions if you search in iTunes for them. Included is the name, and category each is found in. A guy named Scott Hotaling from the UK has written a number of apps and includes them all in one app called Aquarium HandBook Complete. May be a good way to go to get it all. There are many other apps.. these are the ones I thought useful to begin with. Have fun adding any apps worth mentioning. - Aquaria FW productivity $0.99 Fish, fish compatibility, water test summaries. - Aquarium -Strip Ease utilities $1.99 Keep track of water strip tests. - AquaStatix - Aquarium Log productivity $1.99 water quality statistics. - Eheim reference free products, info and manuals, support. - Freshwater Aquarium fish reference $5.99 care levels, temperament, min tank size, other info descriptions and history. - TankBuddy utilities $2.99 track water changes, feedings, pH/ammonia levels - Tank Samples reference $0.99 record test kit samples, and other data. - Freshwater Plants And Flowers reference $5.99 images, descriptions, info for care and location of plants, flowers. - Aquarium Handbook Complete reference $14.99 database w/7000 items- contains the full collection of aquarium programs which are the following : Sharks Handbook,Marine Aquarium Fish, Freshwater Aquarium Fish, Brackishwater Aquarium Fish, Corals, Marine Aquarium Invertebrates, Freshwater Aquarium Invertebrates, Brackishwater Invertebrates, Marine Aquarium Plants, Freshwater aquarium and pond Plants, Brackish Water Plants, In Large Aquarium and Nature, State Fish, Tank Samples .... And Lots More This application also contains things not available in other applications and will continue to grow at no extra charge. Water test Database to hold your Test Samples include Test sections for Alkalinity, Ammonia, Calcium, Copper, Dissolved Oxygen, GH, Iodine/Iodide, Iron, KH, Nitrate, Nitrite, pH, Phosphate, Salinity, Silicate, Specific Gravity, Strontium, Temperature, and Misc 1 - 5 so you can store other information or test kit data. New Hitchhikers guide added for marine aquariums. See Scott Hotaling's web site and forum at: http://new.ultimatereef.net/forums/showthread.php?t=360584 - Chemical Touch: Lite Ed. education free

Found a number of programs for FW and Salt in the applications of the Iphone and ipod touch on iTunes. Got some good ones for my FW info.

Pickling vinegar it is. thanks.

That is good to know thanks darkangel. next time. (or maybe this time if it leaks lol.)

CorrosionJerry- I sugggest you cut it all out as new silicone will not always adhere to old silicone and it will look better if you have a straight edge too. I found a three pack of 35 year silicone for $9.99 at Home Hardware, confirmed safe for aquariums on the tube itself- thanks for the tip jvision. Jason at the contractors counter verified that the silicone was good for tanks- he has his own aquariums and has used this silicone over and over. After watching a video on youtube on silicone use in an aquarium, I finished cutting out the old moldy exposed silicone back to the flat edge of the tank joints. I used a plain replaceable-razor blade scraper for the open edges, careful to not cut into the joints themselves as they are still in perfect condition (look at the joints from the outside of the tank to confirm the joint is still tight and without fault.) I also used a construction razor cutting tool to reach into the corners cleanly. We made up some water and vinegar in a spray bottle to clean the glass over and over as you clean the joints. If you have a shop vac use it to clean the tiny bits out of the tank- get the tank as clean as you can. Finally I used some varsol to wipe the cleaned joints and get rid of any oils, etc. from my hands that might contaminate the joint. Next I took the video's advice and took the time to use painting edge tape to tape the outside edge of each joint both sides in order to get a clean straight edge after smoothing the silicone. I cut a tube of the silicone and administered the bead in each joint, careful to make good contact with the joint itself. I did not want a huge bead- the 1/4" tube opening suggested was sufficient. Try to use the nozzle to fill the joint cleanly. Next I wet a paper towel, moistened my finger, and smoothed the silicone down into the joint with one motion on each joint. It turned out a smaller amount of silicone than the original fat bead. Finally I double checked all the joints and when satisfied they looked good I carefully pulled the tape off. (Do not leave the tape on for more than five or ten minutes or you will pull the silicone off with the tape.) This left a nice straight edge to each joint. Now it is curing and we will find out if it will hold water in a few days. It looks not bad for a first effort. It took about 3 hours for our 50g. tank. The tank will probably need extensive rinsing to clear the cleaning liquids but that is ok. Let us know what you decide to do ok?

Just wondering what kind of plants you are intending? I am imagining a host of plants to compliment your excellent driftwood.

You all are gonna get a kick out of this...... I decided to remove the "offending gel" only to discover it was the plant's original sponge wrap lol. Apparently either I or the fish had uncovered the wrap around the base of the plant that I had left on when planted. Thanks for all the info, and sorry for wasting your time. bill.