Clearseal 500 litre Aquariam-Do I need a mat?

fred funk }{

I'm jealous as hell Paddy.

I would absolutely love to be setting your tank up.

Regarding water changes, when I had a big tank I bought a large plastic bin and used to siphon straight from the tank into that and then refill it and empty it back into the tank. It's quite heavy lifting it back in so it's something you'll have to do and not your missus unless she's strong as an ox.
Your CO2 setup is also very impressive. I used to make my own little contraption with a plastic bottle and yeast with a tube coming out of it and into the air inlet of the filter. It worked great and the plants grew like crazy. Pic below.

Looking forward to seeing it all setup.

paddy147

fred funk }{ wrote: »

I'm jealous as hell Paddy.

I would absolutely love to be setting your tank up.

Regarding water changes, when I had a big tank I bought a large plastic bin and used to siphon straight from the tank into that and then refill it and empty it back into the tank. It's quite heavy lifting it back in so it's something you'll have to do and not your missus unless she's strong as an ox.
Your CO2 setup is also very impressive. I used to make my own little contraption with a plastic bottle and yeast with a tube coming out of it and into the air inlet of the filter. It worked great and the plants grew like crazy. Pic below.

Looking forward to seeing it all setup.

Thanks for the advice and tip.:)


Im looking forward to seeing my girlfriend gettting her head all around these systems and setups,as I havent a bloody clue.

Im just the money man,and shes the expert.;)






A good trick for emptying the tank,is to get a garden hose and run it from the outside garden tap or kitchen sink to the tank

Turn on the tap,but block off or kink the end of the hose at the tank.

Then get 1 person to dissconnect the garden hose off the tap end,and just as that is done drop the hose into the tank,at that end.

This causes a sucking and syphoning action and you simply drain the tank water out to ther sink or outside to the garden drain/shore.

Worked a treat for us,and it means that you dont need to have buckets of water in the house sloshing around and your floor getting wet too.No more painfull/aching backs or legs either from lifting buckets of water in and out.:(

Limerick Bandit

Paddy, what is the output of the 2217 filter? i would have thought it would be a bit small for a planted tank of that size?

If your getting a c02 set up for that tank make sure you can put the regulator on a 2kg or even better 5kg bottle you will need a good bit of co2, fire extinguisher's work well

you will need to drop the spray bar under the level of the water too.

looking forward to a pic of it when its done

paddy147

Limerick Bandit wrote: »

Paddy, what is the output of the 2217 filter? i would have thought it would be a bit small for a planted tank of that size?

If your getting a c02 set up for that tank make sure you can put the regulator on a 2kg or even better 5kg bottle you will need a good bit of co2, fire extinguisher's work well

you will need to drop the spray bar under the level of the water too.

looking forward to a pic of it when its done

The Eheim filter is good for a 600 litre tank and has a 2.5 flow rate per hour,so its just right for the tank.My tank is a 500 litre tank,but take out around 40 litres or so,between the 3 inch sand/soil layer and the wood and oak displacement,so thats 460 litres of water or there abouts.

The Co2 kit we have opted for (Pro-Flora M603) is good for a 600 litre tank and the cannister will be good for around 6 weeks-2 months before it needs to be refilled.The tank wont be completely full of plants,just to the back and sides,with an open sandy space in the middle for the wood and some bog oak.The CO2 kit will be on an automatic timer with the T5 lighting.

About 10-15 euro for a refill of the CO2 tank from Doyle and Sons in Balymount.


Spray bar is under the water,as my girlfriend thaught me this evening that having the spray bar above the water line actualy forces CO2 out of the water and wastes the CO2,so the spray bar is now just back under the water line,with only a very very slight surface ripple from the spray bar.


Im learning slowly.:)

Still alot more to learn though.



P.S-Can you really just use a 2kg or even a 5kg CO2 fire extinguisher bottle in an aquariam???

I heard a chap say this in a pet store earlier on today,but I thought he was just taking the pi55 and messing.

heres a pic of the re-fillable M603 kit that I have ordered.

Limerick Bandit

IMO that filter is far too small for that tank, i know its just about rated for a tank of that size but when you add media and it gets a bit dirty that flow rate will drop, in a high tech planted tank as your is the aim would be 10X turnover per hour :eek: not many people reach this but the more the better.

Same with co2 bigger is better, even if your not going to have the tank filled with plants you still have nearly the same amount of water to get co2 into, I would think you will go through about 1kg of co2 per month. Timers are good and 1 bit of advice would be to start your co2 about an hour before the lights come on and set it to go off an hour before the lights go off.

that kit might fit a fire extinguisher and ya you can use them, if the bottle you get is too small and you have to go refill it too often you will get sick of it.

I should have some pic's of my setup somewhere.

paddy147

Limerick Bandit wrote: »

IMO that filter is far too small for that tank, i know its just about rated for a tank of that size but when you add media and it gets a bit dirty that flow rate will drop, in a high tech planted tank as your is the aim would be 10X turnover per hour :eek: not many people reach this but the more the better.

Same with co2 bigger is better, even if your not going to have the tank filled with plants you still have nearly the same amount of water to get co2 into, I would think you will go through about 1kg of co2 per month. Timers are good and 1 bit of advice would be to start your co2 about an hour before the lights come on and set it to go off an hour before the lights go off.

that kit might fit a fire extinguisher and ya you can use them, if the bottle you get is too small and you have to go refill it too often you will get sick of it.

I should have some pic's of my setup somewhere.

Thanks for the advice.:)

Im sure that we could "make" a 2kg CO2 bottle fit as all it is is a brass union fitting/nossle,at the end of the day.

That M603 kit that I bought also allows for changing up to bigger refillable CO2 bottles too,so it shouldnt be a problem,hopefully

Limerick Bandit

Found a pic of my 2kg co2 under the 300L tank and it lasts around 2 months

paddy147

Limerick Bandit wrote: »

Found a pic of my 2kg co2 under the 300L tank and it lasts around 2 months

I,ll have to pick your brains on this a bit more now so.

Looks like a real nice setup there.

So thats just a normal CO2 fire extinguisher tank then?

I like the idea of it lasting 2 months or so.:)



Thanks.:)

Limerick Bandit

The bottle I use is not a FE paddy but they have the same connection, 2kg is the smallest size i would use for your set up.

paddy147

Limerick Bandit wrote: »

The bottle I use is not a FE paddy but they have the same connection, 2kg is the smallest size i would use for your set up.

Do you use your CO2 kit on a timer with the lights aswell?

One of the aquariam shops suggested this method to me

Limerick Bandit

ya co2 should be timed to come on an hour before lights and go off an hour before the lights. you should also get a drop checker (pic below) to be sure your getting the right amount of co2

paddy147

My girlfriend bought quite a few nice plants and mosses today.Havent a clue what they all are,but they look nice and interesting.I know one of the plants have lovely flowers on it and one of the mosses is called "christmass moss".

So tomorrow,the instalation begins (in propper) with the dead wood,bog oak and the various plants and mosses being planted and fitted.

Tank will be left for around 3 weeks to settle in before any fish are introduced.

Cant wait.:)

Limerick Bandit

Any idea of the fish ye are going to put in?

paddy147

Limerick Bandit wrote: »

Any idea of the fish ye are going to put in?

Congo Tertas (2-3 inches long at max) smaller neon tetras and some Discus too.2 different fish specialists said to us that we can keep shrimp aswell with these fish and there shouldnt be any problems.

My girlfriend got 2 lovely Discus for her other tank today and they are so nice and colourfull,very tame and timmid too.

unklerosco

I'd agree with a previous poster about your filter.. You could do with a larger one or 2nd one. I've a 400ltr clearseal tank.. Great tanks, best I've had.. Will stick up a pic ltr..

You might find that you may need some extra lighting, I've 4 T5's in mine.. I found 2 wasn't enough..

paddy147

unklerosco wrote: »

I'd agree with a previous poster about your filter.. You could do with a larger one or 2nd one. I've a 400ltr clearseal tank.. Great tanks, best I've had.. Will stick up a pic ltr..

You might find that you may need some extra lighting, I've 4 T5's in mine.. I found 2 wasn't enough..

Gonna play it by ear for the next 3 weeks or so and see how it goes.It will be a good learning process for me too.:)

I know that most of the plants she picked out are low light level.

She also changed 1 of the Power-Glo 18k bulbs for a softer 6.7 K bulb that mimmicks natural daylight and sunlight better.

The 18k is to get right down to the bottom of the tank,and the 6.7k T5 is for more general light,or so Im led to believe anyway.


Oh,and she also got some full length Fluvial reflectors for it too.

More pics to follow very soon.

unklerosco

Also, if you wanna get more plants visit http://www.java-plants.com/
It's waaaaay cheaper than buying instore.. I paid around €60 for a load of plants and had to give half to a mate as there was so much. Then I had to cut back on what I had got and gave away the cuttings to another two guys so in the end €60 of plants filled 4 2-400ltr tanks.. Bargain!

Limerick Bandit

we want pic's

unklerosco

Thats my clearseal tank there... I've no C02 kit installed, use a bit of easy carbo every now and then but the plants mostly take care of themselves.. They grow fairly fast, sometimes too fast... get sick of cutting them back. Few livebreaders in the tank and a pair or Rams that have layed eggs, you can see the male on the right over the rock guarding them.. They take turns doing that 24/7, fighting off anything that goes near them.. cool to see.

fred funk }{

Super tank unklerosco.

Limerick Bandit

great tank unklerosco
Would like to see more pic's

paddy147

Very nice tank unklerosco.:)



Changed 1 of the bulbs for a lower light spec of bulb and also got 2 reflectors that fit the T5s perfectly.:)

We also got a 3 foot long heater,that will sit at the bottom of the tank.We saw it in action on an 800 litre tank that has Discus and Neon Tetras in it.

This new heater will replace the 2 heaters that are currently in the tank,so thats 1 less plug and less messy wires to worry about too.Should have the new heater by Wednesday next.


We also got the dead wood and bog oak together and are deciding where to place it in the tank.

Decisions decisions??

Cookie_Monster

fred funk }{ wrote: »

Super tank unklerosco.

+1. That's what my perfect tank would look like

How about a thread on it with some pics?


Paddy, its looking well in that last photo, some fairly substantial plants you got sitting in it.

paddy147

[QUOTE=Cookie_Monster;71013269

Paddy, its looking well in that last photo, some fairly substantial plants you got sitting in it.[/QUOTE]

Nothing to do with me.

All the choosing of my girlfriend.:)

I havent a clue,just know that there will be flowering plants,climbing plants,2 different types of moss and then the dead wood and bog oak.

Cookie_Monster

where did you (she) get the plants?
I've never seen any that big in a local fish store...

paddy147

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

where did you (she) get the plants?
I've never seen any that big in a local fish store...

MaxiZoo in Clearwater Finglas (beside Tesco) and SeaHorse Aquariams in Ballymount.:)

The big plants are 30-40 euro a go though.

unklerosco

Damn that's pricey!! Buy them small and watch them grow.. Some grow quite fast so you wont need to wait too long.. Depending on the plant they can get that size after a month or two. The large one on the left of my tank was twice the size it is now, cut it back a few weeks ago.. It was tiny when I got it, took about 2 months to fill out to that size..

paddy147

Well the Pro-Flora digital PH and CO2 kit arrived this morning.
Looks the business and does alot more than I thought it would do.
So Im well happy and looking forward to getting it setup and working in the tank.:)

unklerosco

Nice, what sort of dint did that make in your pocket?

paddy147

unklerosco wrote: »

Nice, what sort of dint did that make in your pocket?

410 euro for the M603 which included the PH/CO2 probe direct to my doorstep (including some extra Pro-Flora stuff that I bought) instead of 660 euro here in Ireland just for the M603 kit and probe..:eek::eek:

Well well worth waiting a week for it to arrive.

250 saved and still in my wallet is very good for me,thankyou very much..:D




I got the complete M603 kit for lesss that what you will get the U403 kit here for in Ireland

The lower spec U403 kit,with the probe costs 470 euro alone.


mad or what??