# 75g planted and a 60P Planted. Updated Sept 23rd



## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

Working on a 75 gallon planted build.
Certain goals are: 
Flush install against a wall with zero gap.
ADA style stand with matching canopy.
Minimal or zero equipment in tank.
Clean plumbing and under tank setup.
Some good ground cover plants. Likely a rocky hill scene.

First step was to build the stand.


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

Im leaving the back bottom of the stand stepped in to clear baseboard moldings.
The doors are hinged euro style in order to get that ADA look.
Ive ported the stand on both sides where the intake and outlets will be.
The right side is going to have a single 1" inlet feeding dual eheim 2075s.
The left side will be dual outlets returning to tank.
Stand is done and tank on top.
Next I gotta start plumbing and figuring out my canopy.


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

Looks pretty clean so far... nice job


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## sunshine_1965 (Aug 16, 2011)

Nice job so far. Should look really nice when completed.


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## JohnnyAppleSnail (May 30, 2010)

Wonderful job on the Stand,looks sharp.


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## Alkatraz (Jul 20, 2012)

Looks great! 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## Bien Lim (Apr 21, 2010)

Looks great, wish I know how to build a stand like that


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

awesome stand!


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

Thanks for all the replies!

Managed to find the decent camera so got some better shots. Stand is actually painted the same color as the wall but in Melamine finish instead:


tank1 by currietom, on Flickr

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tank2 by currietom, on Flickr

tank4 by currietom, on 
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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Very nice looking tank and stank. I'm waiting to get one similar so I can can amalgamate my tanks.

Best regards,

Stuart


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

Well progress had been slow but steady...
Most plumbing is done, got my flourite and osmocote. Probably going to order plants this week.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Wow! Love the plumbing set up. I'm pretty excited to see this journal develop over the coming months.


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## zhasan (Oct 28, 2010)

Looks like an awesome build! Looking forward to see the final product!!


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

currietom said:


> The right side is going to have a single 1" inlet feeding dual eheim 2075s.


Nice looking build. Just wondering about the statement above. If I understand it correctly, you will have a single draw point which will feed both filters? How will you ensure even flow (ie, one filter may do all the work) since one will be closer to the draw point and therefore have less head loss than the other? Also as one clogs more, the other will get more flow, or are you counting on that?


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Nice looking build. Just wondering about the statement above. If I understand it correctly, you will have a single draw point which will feed both filters? How will you ensure even flow (ie, one filter may do all the work) since one will be closer to the draw point and therefore have less head loss than the other? Also as one clogs more, the other will get more flow, or are you counting on that?


Tanks for the positive feedback .
I had a feeling this would come up:
I have read many threads about this on other forums. Mainly the topic is when people want to run single inlet AND single outlet with dual canisters, its a major concern. 2 pumps returning to tank with any variance in head pressure plumbing or restriction etc, can cause one pump to limit the other pumps output. Im hoping my approach will work differently:

The actual inlet and outlet of the 2075s are 5/8" or about 16mm. The one inch intake is about 24.5mm The dual filters will have a total inlet volume of about 400mm squared vs the intake from the tank will be about 450mm squared. Canisters use a siphoning affect to draw water down to them. Im counting on the extra head pressure and volume of the intake to supply ample flow to both filters. This would eliminate it as a factor on pump output. One filter is going to be running the heater and co2 reactor, so regardless there will be a flow difference. No big deal as the will have separate outlets. If I do discover one is flowing considerably more (or less) than the other due to intake head pressure issues, I can throttle one filter outlet back a bit with the taps. (Fingers crossed).


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks for the explanation. I guess one doesn't know if one doesn't try. I guess my concern was cavitation if the pumps returning the water (about 290 gph each full of media I think - I have a 2075) cavitate a bit, but if you can regulate the flow of one it should be a non-issue. The intakes are probably designed to be able to draw much more than the pump can output anyway. The only reason I bring it up is that the 2080 is designed with 2 intakes and a single outlet which set off that line of thinking when I saw your setup.


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

More progress today.
Got under tank lighting and installed, finished intake and outlets, painted and installed.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Nice looking intake and outlet. What did you paint them with? Krylon?


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Nice looking intake and outlet. What did you paint them with? Krylon?


Yeah, well first I used krylon fusion which made a huge mess with overspray on my deck. It came out too glossy even with the satin finish. So I finished them with regular krylon flat black. Eventually I would like to replace them from the union up with DIY acrylic pipes, but they will work for now.


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## neoh (Apr 22, 2010)

osmocote? Interesting.


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## Nicklfire (Apr 21, 2010)

wow looking great!

I did a somewhat similar build with a 75 gallon custom tank i got made.. if you look in my thread history you could probably find it. I did a similar plumb job but i had bulkheads directly above the filter and that was a bad way to do it i found out because there was a big loss in pressure because of the head pressure. In my case because the filter was so close to the tank the output was maybe only half of what it should have been. In your case because you have the plumbing going up the side and into the tank that's a far smarter way of doing it... It's certainly a lot more work but i think it definatly pays off and you did it VERY clear.. so good job. 



I did not see any mention of a co2 pressurized system is that in the works? If you are going through all this trouble then i would say that would be a excellent add on to make, great return on investment even if you are going for a lower or med light tank.


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

Hey thanks for the compliments. Definitely going co2. Rexx style reactor backed by a 10lber. I looked up your tank. Lots of similarities, even a update pic with a kitty hanging out. Wierd.


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## Nicklfire (Apr 21, 2010)

LOL THATS HALARIOUS I didnt notice the cat first read through, but then you mentioned so i had to read back haha.

Good luck, look forward to seeing this happen. I'm sure you will run into some questions in the future so look forward to trying to figure out the answers with the others


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

Well, progress has kinda gone back and forth. I ran a test cycle of the plumbing. I discovered with the 90 deg bends and 3/4 return head, flow is compromised. I'm in the process of removing the plumbing. I'm going to simply plumb it Ada style with soft wall hose straight up from canister to lily pipes (dual of course). I should have stuck the the classic rule of k.i.s.s. well now I know. I will get some pics up soon of the progress.


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

Ok, after some cutting and chucking I have got things back on track. 
Recut the stand sides to open up for the soft wall hose. 
Got some knock off Lily Pipes off ebay (HongKong).
After MANY trips to Van and JL, got a total of 10 Bags of Flourite. Kept on adding up to get the scape I was looking for. 
Also picked up a TEK 4x54T5HO fixture.
I think I have my hard scape done....Will let it sit for a few days and make sure Im (and my wife) are happy with it.

Things still to do: Hook up second filter, decide on a co2 diffuser or reactor, and BUY PLANTS....


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## crimper (Oct 20, 2010)

Wow! a dream setup is on the way... can't wait to see the plants and fishes.


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

Well, I a bit has changed over the holidays. Santa was nice to me and I managed to make some good progress.
75 Gallon: After some serious reading on carpeting plants, I decided to try DSM. The foreground is all dwarf hairgrass. The back is mostly Regular hair grass. It is planted with 3 pots of the Dwarf on 1 pot of the long. These pictures are about a week into it.


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

As far as Santa goes, I was treated to some shopping at Aquariums West. I have had my eye on doing a 60P ADA Iwagumi for some time and decided because of my wait time with the DSM on the 75, I should keep busy with another project. So I got the 60P, some Amazonia, bactor 100 etc... The Lily pipe is a Ebay special I had previously ordered. Picked up some Oak cabinet grade plywood and built a stand. I went slightly larger than the 60P footprint to allow a standard 20 Gallon to fit flush on it for versatility. I plan on plumbing and planting today and tomorrow, so hopefully will post those pictures asap.


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## Bien Lim (Apr 21, 2010)

Very nice set up.. How much did you spent for those Seiryu stone? Thinking about getting some but they r just too expensive for me


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## Algae Beater (Apr 21, 2010)

dude, that cat CO2 generator is SAWEET


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

> Very nice set up.. How much did you spent for those Seiryu stone? Thinking about getting some but they r just too expensive for me


I agree the stones are very pricey. I suspect part of the price tag is due to shipping but who knows...I think it was 5.99 lb but 15% discount on 3 or more purchases.



> dude, that cat CO2 generator is SAWEET


Hahaha!. Plumbing would be hard I think.

So, its up and running. Waters cloudy (Just filled it a hour ago). Cant wait to have it settle down...
The co2 reactor is a Rexx style PLUS a DIY cotton ball diffuser just before it. Im hoping the diffusion will help minimize co2 build up in the reactor which can become noisy. We will see....


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

Update: the 75 gal seems to be slow going. I suspect it's the flourite that's slowing the process. The hairgrass is growing but not nearly as quick as the 60p. There are some runners along with stem growth. Thinking about flooding it in a week, but may still hold out for a month or so...
The 60p is doing well enough. "Long" hairgrass especially spreading out nicely. There was a minor GSA outbreak and now theres some brown algae on the anubias mainly. I have amano shrimp coming from Canadian Aquatics to sort that out.


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

Update:
Well it's been a major battle with both tanks in regards to getting on track. The 60p started off very rapid. I did a major trim after about 3 weeks. After the trim, growth slowed down. I have developed a gda issue on the glass. At one point it was coating all 3 panes within a couple days. I did a major scrub and water change followed with a 3 day blackout. Since then I have increased co2 too 3bps. I am dosing full ei daily method. The past 2 weeks I have done 50% water change 2 times a week. Algae is now decreasing and plant growth is picking up. I will be cutting water changes down to once a week. I have just done a slight trim and got some pictures.


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

The 75g is a different ball game. I don't have any livestock in it yet, so I can be allot more aggressive in my attempts to get it dialled.

I flooded the tank shortly after last update. I was running all 4 lights for 8 hrs a day. Between that and the fact that my dsm was done poorly, I had major alge issues. My scape has elevation changes that didn't allow higher points to stay damp and lower points not to be flooded. The fluorite didn't hold the moisture well enough. So I was farming alge during the dsm stage. After some scrubs, 90% water changes and extreme co2 levels, things are starting to get going. Lighting is 8 hrs with 2 bulbs and a 1.5 hr burst midday with 4 bulbs. Co2 is going strong along with dosing.

Initially I had the whole background planted with hairgrass but found it to messy and busy. I have pulled most of it out and will have the dwarf hairgrass take over. If all remains well for a couple more weeks, I think livestock will be coming.

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## Bien Lim (Apr 21, 2010)

I love the biggest rock in the 75gal..has a lot of character.


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

Thanks, me too. I only wish it was a little taller, or I had built up the substrate a little more on that side.


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

60p update:
Time to get serious.
Algae was kicking my butt so I did something drastic. A complete tear down /rescape. Between that and I wasn't satisfied with the hardscape, enough was enough.
I had a trip to Burnaby last weekend and picked up some supply's for the tanks. One thing that I needed was more flow / mechanical filtration so I set up a 2215 to replace the 2213. Next I pulled the rocks out and did a bleach dip on them, along with the anubias. I pulled the livestock out and put them in a bucket with 5g of tank water. I drained 95% of the tank, cleaned the alge from the glass and went to work. I wasn't happy with the Eleocharis Vivipara in this tank so it was thrown out. All the Anubias was transferred to the grow out tank. I purchased some hygrophila difformis to usin the background. For now lights are on for 6hrs, co2 is about 30ppm, and I testing water 2 times a week. I hope I get this dialed in soon, looking forward to it.


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

We'll, 5 months between updates isn't much of a journal, but here it is.
Both tanks have been teaching me plenty. The 75 gallon has been fairly stable due to limited light period compared to the beginning. I'm running lots of co2 with a ei daily liquid dosing regime. The dosing is fairly heavy on No3 and light on Po4. Not sure why, buy P uptake is minimal and I can't seem to keep no3 high enough. It has been fully mowed maybe 3 or 4 times.

The 60p has been slow as always. Inmates are, amano shrimp, cherry shrimp, 2 ottos and some neons. The seiyru stones keep gh high even with large weekly water changes. I have built a diy lighting hanger which suspends the coralife fixture higher up to lower light intensity. Seems to have helped for a while but am battling thread algae for the first time. Might be the hardest one to beat so far....I can't seem to find any solid info on what causes it.... I may end up selling the 60p setup due to lack of time but can't decide. I enjoy both tanks....hard to say.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Hey I know you've worked hard on those tanks. Most people don't understand what a challenge it is to plant and grow carpet, not to forget maintaining it too. Looks great. When in doubt dial in more CO2 and it will honestly help with reducing algae and improving the look of your plants.

Also, what is the GH of your tanks? Buffering makes a big difference on plants too.


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

The 75 gallon is buffered to 4-6 deg gh with Equilibrium. The 60p is self buffered with the seiyru stones to about 9gh. That's with 50% weekly water changes. Kh on both tanks is between 1-2 deg.

I will try pushing the co2 a little more in the 60p as I have been a little conservative with it. As far as the 75g, co2 is definitely not a deficiency. It's cranked pretty good. The drop checker indicates fairly high levels.


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

One year update:

Well a year ago I sold off the 75G set up. Since then I been playing mainly with the 60P, but also had a couple smaller tanks along the way. Im back to just one tank and suspect thats the way it will stay (other than a swap out tank for total tear downs). The 60P has proved to me to be a very ideal tank. When my interests stray onto other things / hobbies, I can still keep it going for the most part. When Im more focused on it, theres plenty to work with. Its big enough be a "feature" in the home but not to big that its a burden. SO that being said, this passed year it has had ups and downs. I continue to learn first hand what I can get away with and what I can't. Its funny that you can read and research relentlessly, but in the end you don't really get it until you make those wins/fails yourself. This post is a rough timeline of the passed year:

After a total tear down and rescape September 2013:


Late October 2013, filling in nicely:


April 2014, Im sick of dealing with the Seiyru stones raising GH to much:


April 2014, decided to do some stems for a change and not worry about scaping so much:


May 2014, the GDA battle of 2014. What a PAIN. Learned allot about it:


May 2014, I used the "let it die out naturally" method for the GDS and just let it sit there suffocate itself:


October 2014, Growth is quick and lots of trimming required. Algae issues are minimal:


Im ready to do a tear down and rescape back to a stone scene. Decided if I'm going to do that, its time to build a taller stand for better viewing and more room for a taller co2 reactor:


It looks like a hack so far because of 2 things: First I was going to have the ports on the side of the stand like ADA at the top with a half round. Decided I would prefer round ports further down instead. So I had to epoxy filler pieces in. The second thing is I coated the whole thing in polyester resin. Well the catalyst was expired and it didn't totally harden. I ended up having to strip all with resin off. I will continue working on it this week. I hope to update soon.


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

To finish it, I coated all surfaces with epoxy to give a bullet proof shell. Next I sanded all outside surfaces to get a smooth finish and edge. Next I painted a base coat of polyurethane industrial enamel. Endura automotive to be exact. Then re sand and repaint. It turned out decent but could have used one more sand / paint. Ran out of paint and couldn't justify buying anymore. The inside is rough from the epoxy but not an issue. Now I need to wait until I have time to do a complete teardown and redo of the aquarium. Should be this year. I will start a new journal/thread for that.


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## currietom (Oct 10, 2011)

Winter is coming.................

/end thread. Seeing as the 75g is gone, its time for new beginnings

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