Journal Fluval Spec build

[BigWave]

I have had this little Fluval Spec V (5 gallons) for a while now. With all the bells and wistles. I will list the mods I've done to it here in a bit
It has been sitting in the closet for a minute now. Like a few years. A few weeks ago I decided to pull it out and overhaul everything. I needed a stand so off to all the stores around to find a used bedside table or something similar. As luck would have it nothing at all.

 

[BigWave]

This is what it used to look like a few years ago.

 

[BigWave]

So I needed a stand. I found this small 3 tier steel stand at HomeDepot for $29.98 dollars.



I also purchased a sheet of Hard Board. I originally wanted a nice peice of hardwood but wow wood prices have skyrocketed.



Brought everything home. Cut the hardboard to size then stained and urathaned it.



After cutting the peice down and using a hole saw on the edges.

 

[BigWave]

Continued...





This setup has taught me patience is a vertue. Its cold here right now so these boards took a week to dry in the garage. Another week to off gas that dreaded smell. A trick I used to speed up the process is wipe it down with vinegar. It worked but they still smell.

 

[BigWave]

Putting it all together.





Not a bad look if I dont say so myself. Someone please come up with a way of hiding wires. It took me over 1 hour zip tying.

 

[BigWave]

Filled it with 1/4 bag of Tropica substrate.







Added some Rotala super red sg as a place holder and make it look kind of like a planted tank until my plants arrive.



This is how it sits as of today. Waiting in limbo.

 

[BigWave]

Alright some stats:
Tank: Fluval Spec V - 5 us gallons.
Light: MicMol Aqua Air 300 ver 3
Stand: HomeDepot 3 tier shelving unit - Silver.
Substrate: 1/4 bag of Tropica aquarium soil.
CO2 Tank: 5 pound bottle.
Diffuser: Aquario Neo.
CO2 Regulator: Dual stage mini Matheson 3800 (yes the highly prized coveted one!!!).
Timers: Wemo digital wifi timers off of Amazon.
Media: Eheim bio balls, Blue foam, black foam and white foam along with pillow batting stuff.
Media tray: InTank media basket for Fluval Spec V tanks.
Pump: Hydor Evo Pico mini (they are discontinued and very hard to find now)

 

[BigWave]

So about the patience. The plants I want are more of the specialized and rare kind. I am finding it very hard here in the USA to obtain more than 3 species from any one person or company. Everyone is either sold out or doesnt keep said plant anymore. It is frustrating becasue now I get to pay multiple people along with shipping for all those orders. I suppose it is what it is.

Desired plant List:
* Anubias nana Petite white - Obtained 12/11/23
Bacopa colorata (pink)
* Bacopa compact white - On backorder, TBD
* Bacopa salzmanni purple - Obtained 12/30/23
Cryptocoryne flamingo
Eurocaulon setaceum
* Eurocaulon goias - Obtained 12/30/23
Hygrophila sp chai
Lobelia cardinalis dwarf
Rotala Tulunadensis
* Samolus parviflorus “red” - Obtained 12/11/23
Syngonanthus macrocaulon
* Syngonanthus meta - Obtained 12/30/23
Syngonanthus uaupes
* Tonina fluiatilis lotus blossom - Obtained 12/30/23
* Tonina tocantins - Obtained 12/30/23

 

[Joel Armstrong]

Looking and sounding great Steve, looking forward to seeing the tank progress.

Cheers

 

[Freshflora]

So about the patience. The plants I want are more of the specialized and rare kind. I am finding it very hard here in the USA to obtain more than 3 species from any one person or company. Everyone is either sold out or doesnt keep said plant anymore. It is frustrating becasue now I get to pay multiple people along with shipping for all those orders. I suppose it is what it is.

Desired plant List:
* Anubias nana Petite white - Obtained 12/11/23
Bacopa colorata (pink)
* Bacopa compact white - On backorder, TBD
* Bacopa salzmanni purple - Obtained 12/30/23
Cryptocoryne flamingo
Eurocaulon setaceum
* Eurocaulon goias - Obtained 12/30/23
Hygrophila sp chai
Lobelia cardinalis dwarf
Rotala Tulunadensis
* Samolus parviflorus “red” - Obtained 12/11/23
Syngonanthus macrocaulon
* Syngonanthus meta - Obtained 12/30/23
Syngonanthus uaupes
* Tonina fluiatilis lotus blossom - Obtained 12/30/23
* Tonina tocantins - Obtained 12/30/23

This is a plethora of plants for a 5 gal tank!

 

[BigWave]

This is a plethora of plants for a 5 gal tank!

It's more of a holding tank until I get either the 12 long or uns 60u back up and running.

 

[BigWave]

Some progress. Plants arrived today. A day early.
Bacopa salzmanni purple
Tonina fluiatilis lotus blossom
Tonina tocantins
Syngonanthus Meta
Erios goias

 

[BigWave]

 

[BigWave]

Come to find out both my Aquari Neo Diffusers are clogged up big time. Luckly I had an old school monster sprial diffuser laying around in the fish junk. Its very ugly and takes away from the look of the tank. Guess Ill be ordering more diffusers.
Since this is an all in one tank there isnt really a way to setup an inline reactor without adding an external pump.

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

You could switch your current pump to a needle wheel and inject co2 that way? Or modify the impeller to act as a needle wheel.

 

[BigWave]

Yeah I've got my weekend coming up on Thurs and fri so tinker it shall be

 

[FrankZ]

Someone please come up with a way of hiding wires. It took me over 1 hour zip tying.

If you only want to hide the wires and not organize them, get some magnets (can’t tell if that table is magnetic) or shower hooks and a table cloth/curtains/shower curtain. Cut the cloth to fit then uglier the magenta to it or put grommets in and use the shower hooks. For organizing them, I got nothing. My stuff is like spaghetti.

Don't ever look behind the curtains in my house LOL! Just kidding, it’s just windows.

 

[BigWave]

get some magnets (can’t tell if that table is magnetic)

Great idea. Ordered a box of 50 lil round ones.

 

[BigWave]

Decided to put 2 layers of limo tint on the back of the tank.
Note: To anyone wanting to try this, do it when tank is empty and or pulled away from the wall. It was such a pain in the butt.
I like things to look good and lets just say its all getting removed and the back painted black
Due to the light shining down and tank being so brightly lit up you can see every little bubble and or inperfection.

 

[BigWave]

The contraption in the back right corner is a Dennerle Dosator. Has anyone tried this before? I've had it for years but never pulled it out of the box. You are supposed to put their propietry fertz (Plant System V30) in it. It works via capillary action and doses the tank acording to what size sticker with hole you put on the bottom. Im using my custom fertz clone even though it says to only use theirs lol. So far seems to be working ever so slowly.

Link: Dosator - Dennerle