Journal 120P Nature Aquarium

[MKEnovice]

Awesome job! I have a similar but smaller 90P stand!
Is getting the Netlea prefilter worth it?

 

[Noahspapa]

Not quite sure yet…….. i encountered a bit of a disaster that I’m trying to turn into an opportunity right now.i mean right now!!! The seachem epoxy i used to hold the gardscape together vasically melted and nade a huge mess. So ive pulled the driftwood out, cleaned it, now ckeaning the surface of the soil and sand. Will drain and refill and then drain again on Thursday when my friend is available and reglue (with superglue) everything back……

 

[Burr740]

Do you find the Buce will attach on their own as the thread degrades?

Using 100% cotton thread will depend on a few things, mainly how fast the plants grow. In my early days I always went with 100% cotton thread so it would degrade and disappear. The tanks were all high light, co2 injected, pretty fast growing. Most of the time Buces and Anubias wouldnt be attached good enough to hold by the time the thread broke down. Java Ferns usually would be. 100% cotton never seemed to last more than about 3 weeks for me, a month if lucky. Others seem to have better luck with it

Its actually hard to find 100% cotton in stores around my way. Most is polyester or a poly/cotton blend on the shelves at wal-mart etc. Thats what I started using when cotton didnt last long enough. It lasts indefinitely. Black or dark brown on manzi wood or anything dark. After a week or two usualy you cant even see it, even close up pics. Lighter wood just match the color, keeping in mind wood typically darkens up a little bit

Here's a better super glue that dries jet black, water proof, also bonds rubber and plastic - Starbond Cyanoacrylate Super Glue

Comes in various thicknesses. Any will probably work, I use 'medium' because I get it for making something else too

 

[techman81]

I also like the Starbond brand of glues as they typically come with the extra tips for getting just a precise amount where you need it. I just came across this cotton wool aquascaping gap filler. Haven't used it yet but hoping it works better than using bits of paper towel and since it comes in 3 colors, should blend in well with any hardscape.

 

[Noahspapa]

Well, per my incredibly misspelled note from this morning (why don’t I check before hitting send?) I have spent the last few days recovering from realizing the Seachem and JB Weld epoxy I used to hold hardscape together had effectively melted and the any connection with wood was no longer in tact. The epoxy was mush and was making a significant mess. So I pulled all the wood and any loose rocks out and cleaned them and have them sitting to dry. On Thursday my friend and I will drain the tank, reattach and refill. Not the end of the world but a lot of unnecessary work.

Some lessons learned:

• if using epoxy was a good idea more people would be using it. So pay attention and don’t assume there’s an easy button. I’ve made messes with superglue and paper before and was trying to avoid that. I see there is a product made for this purpose by hygger that comes in multiple colors I’ve tried it and it seems to work well. Then again the epoxy was hard as rock at one point……
• soak wood for extended period - don’t boil! ( thank you 2hr) When I started this project I asked the vendor what to do to prep the wood. I was told to boil it for 15 minutes and I did. Since then, working on the next project I inquired about this to 2hr and was advised not to boil as it may damage the wood and to perform extended soak. I had some Tom Barr manzanita wood that looked OK and a big piece of WIO wood leftover from the 120P project. I soaked it for two weeks. I was shocked at how much muck came off the outside when I cleaned it following the soak. The manzanita wood really looked great after the soak & scrub!

An unintentional benefit of this issue was taking the wood out and cleaning it. The 5 weeks cycling was the long soak and I was shocked at how much stuff came off when I cleaned it. I’m glad I had the opportunity to do this.

I’m also taking the opportunity to plant while some of the hardscape is out of the tank as it is so much easier to access the soil. I’ll take a pic tomorrow to share. Will be watching grandsons Wednesday and won’t make any progress unless they both nap at the same time. Will drain some water and finish planting in soil Thursday morning.

I set up a tub of RO water next to the 120P to put the Lily pipes in while draining the tank. Being the dumb ass I am it took me a while to realize the water needs to be at a higher elevation than the filter to achieve flow (duh!). Drained the tub, elevated it, refilled it and filters started right up. Will use that tub again on Thursday.

The tank is looking pretty good right now. Things are looking up!

Thanks for all the input and support scapecrunch team!

 

[techman81]

soak wood for extended period - don’t boil! ( thank you 2hr) When I started this project I asked the vendor what to do to prep the wood. I was told to boil it for 15 minutes and I did. Since then, working on the next project I inquired about this to 2hr and was advised not to boil as it may damage the wood and to perform extended soak. I had some Tom Barr manzanita wood that looked OK and a big piece of WIO wood leftover from the 120P project. I soaked it for two weeks. I was shocked at how much muck came off the outside when I cleaned it following the soak. The manzanita wood really looked great after the soak & scrub!

I would see the same boil advice all the time in FB aquarium groups. I was very fortunate to read from more knowledgeable sites before undertaking my first scape, that it wasn't necessary and may even be bad. Just one of the many reasons I left all the FB groups; lots of bad/misleading information there. I don't think I would be on FB at all anymore if it weren't for marketplace. I put a large plastic tote in the bathtub, fill with water and soak the wood, changing the water every couple days.

 

[Burr740]

I like that hardscape!

 

[Noahspapa]

Current state minus driftwood (will be reglued tomorrow) and partially planted.

 

[Noahspapa]

Made some progess with fish room and partially planted 120P with updated, reglued hardscape. Much more to do but thought I’d share . Please pardon the poor photography. Thats a january project. Will start with Art’s article and a local photography group class.

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

Wow, what an amazing room! That's inspirational.

 

[*Ci*]

It must be quite wonderful to have such an awesome space to spread out in … inspirational indeed!

 

[Kwyet]

Yes, I really love that room!

 

[techman81]

Your basement is very similar to what I have planned for my basement. Mind if I ask what size ceiling lights those are? I keep rethinking what size and how many to install.

 

[Noahspapa]

It must be quite wonderful to have such an awesome space to spread out in … inspirational indeed!

Yes it is thank you. We downsized and moved in here (patio home) around 4 years ago about a year before I retired. It had a 9 foot basement so we decided to finish it. The space was originally envisioned and set up as an eating area. The transition has been…. Challenging for some…. But not me!

 

[Noahspapa]

Your basement is very similar to what I have planned for my basement. Mind if I ask what size ceiling lights those are? I keep rethinking what size and how many to install.

Sure thing. I think we bought a 12 pack of recessed LED cans from Lowes. When we spray painted the ceiling black the labels were covered but i got this from inside the can. In general they are nice, efficient, dimmable but sometimes i wish i had more light. But with the houseplant lights and aquarium lights the room is well
Lit.? Let me know if you need more info.

 

[Noahspapa]

When i say “ceiling” its just floor joists, pipes, wires, etc. we love that approach.

 

[techman81]

Yeah I'm doing the black open ceiling as well.

 

[Noahspapa]

Planting day 2 progress. The ferns add instant color/foliage. I did quite a bit of planting in the sand. Im scratching my head about that.