Ann Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 Hi all, this pico contest looks so much fun that I'd like to join in too. Although my intended set-up is not going to be complicated I've decided to enter it in the Custom category since the smallest 'off the shelf' tank available in the UK is 12x8x8. I felt that Custom seemed more appropriate somehow. Sourcing other 'stock' equipment is proving somewhat difficult too. So anyway here's my entry shot: Now I have to quickly knock out a hood for the lights I have chosen.... Best regards Ann Link to comment
Daemonfly Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 Looks like a very nice tank. Silcone job is so much nicer than our 2.5g tanks. Link to comment
doncb Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 Looks like a very nice tank. Silcone job is so much nicer than our 2.5g tanks. Isn't that the truth! Link to comment
icenine Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 That is a slick tank, looks much better than the aga. Link to comment
Casabubu Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 seriously, how much did you pay for that thing! Link to comment
Ann Posted October 30, 2005 Author Share Posted October 30, 2005 I hadn't really thought about the silicone job until you all mentioned it. I can see what you mean now though. It's not so neat along the bottom but when covered with a bit of sand it'll not be noticeable. The tank is the cheapest that you can get in the UK made by Peak Aquatics and came from my local garden centre at a cost of £9.90. That's $17.56 at todays exchange rate. How does that compare to the cost of a 2.5 AGA? Btw I'm about half way through building a hood for this lil pico tank now. Best regards Ann Link to comment
icenine Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 That's $17.56 at todays exchange rate. How does that compare to the cost of a 2.5 AGA? Ann Almost twice.. I paid 9.00 US for my tank. Link to comment
Tigahboy Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 Nice Tank. Good luck and "Go 04!" Link to comment
Ann Posted November 4, 2005 Author Share Posted November 4, 2005 An update finally, some progress has been made. The hood has been constructed and lights fitted, not as professional a job as some of the DIY creations I've seen on here but not too bad for a DIY newbie when all said and done.... I hope. The lights are 1 x 18W actinic and 1 x 18W daylight. Here are some pics: Actinic light only - Actinic + daylight - ...and again - Tomorrow I'm going to fit a splash guard to the hood and go get some live rock, yay! Unfortunately the HOB filter that I ordered has turned out to be a big disappointment. It's the only one available in the UK and I've found that the build quality leaves a lot to be desired. The uplift pipe cracked right away but, by far worse IMO, is the noise it makes when running. I've only had it testing for 24 hours and the noise it makes is annoying as hell. Soooo, I've decided not to use it and try and create my own filter. If all goes smoothly I should have it finished by tomorrow but if not I'll have to go with the headache making HOB for a few days at least. Best regards Ann Link to comment
ecotoxlady Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 Hi Ann! Looks like the tank is coming along nicely Out of curiousity, where in the UK are you from? My husband is from Lyme Regis We visit England often as a result. Link to comment
fras Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Do you find one side of the tank yellow and the other too blue? I found that to be the case with seperate bulbs and the big plastic moulds on the interpret units, 50/50 gives an even spread. You can get HOB's from ebay if you don't fancy making one, check out the equipment section on the uk nano site (linked below). You've made a great job of that stand and hood! Go UK! Link to comment
br1anm Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 looking good, i like the hood, you will no doubt laugh at mine, i just took a pair of scissors to the bog standard hood it came with! (must post a pic) are those the asl light fittings or the interpet? brian good to see more uk people having a go! Link to comment
Ann Posted November 5, 2005 Author Share Posted November 5, 2005 What a day it's been! I've only just got the tank up and running, finally. Here's a quick shot with some LR in, I'm not sure about the 'scaping but it's late and I can't be bothered to fiddle with it any more today. ecotoxlady, thanks for the encouragement. I'm from the middle bit, Derbyshire. A long ways from Lyme Regis, well a fair distance by UK standards. fras, thanks for the kind words. Funny you should mention that but after putting in the sand today it has become patently obvious to me that there is NOT an even spread of light, certainly with the tubes in the positions they are now. I have the same combo on my nano tank and it doesn't seem noticable to me at all. I will try orientating the lights the same way tomorrow and seeing how it looks, if it's still uneven I may have to switch to 50/50 tubes. br1anm, the lights are Interpet starter units with ASL tubes. I'm looking forward to seeing how your set-up is looking now. Argghhhh! Time for bed now. I have spent the a good part of the last two days sorting out an alternative to the HOB filter, I'll post details of my efforts tomorrow. Best regards Ann Link to comment
tinyreef Posted November 6, 2005 Share Posted November 6, 2005 very nice rock work! good picks! Link to comment
Blind Tree Frog Posted November 6, 2005 Share Posted November 6, 2005 Putting a single large reflector in rather then 2 may even the light out some. The other optoin would be to put a light diffuser in, but that would reduce the effective light and may not give enouhg of an evening that it is worth it. Are those lights completely self contained? Like the ballast and bulb holder are the same piece? Link to comment
ZooGirl Posted November 6, 2005 Share Posted November 6, 2005 Looking good! Love the rock work!! Link to comment
rjg Posted November 6, 2005 Share Posted November 6, 2005 It looks nice and clean.. I like it! Good Luck... Link to comment
Ann Posted November 6, 2005 Author Share Posted November 6, 2005 Thanks for the comments. I'm not entirely happy with the rockwork, but then I never am really. I may break up the upper most rock on the right as it's shadowing front of the lower ones quite a bit. BTF, I'm not entirely sure what you mean, the tubes do have separate ballasts. Fitting a single reflector rather than having two individual ones would probably help the situation as you suggest. I had those ones gathering dust from my tropical fishkeeping days (long since gone now) and I thought that it's would be good to make use of them again. Anyhow I've decided to swap the tubes out for the 50/50 mixed ones, the yellow/blue split is just too much for my eyes to cope with. Best regards Ann Link to comment
Blind Tree Frog Posted November 6, 2005 Share Posted November 6, 2005 Remote ballasts or ballast built into the bulb holder is what I meant. Link to comment
Ann Posted November 6, 2005 Author Share Posted November 6, 2005 Remote ballasts. Best regards Ann Link to comment
Pili Posted November 6, 2005 Share Posted November 6, 2005 Keep the aquascaping the way it is!!!! It is perfect. Awsome work on the canopy as well. Very proffesional looking. Link to comment
deacon hemp Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 I agree with the rockwork! keep it!,its hard to find the perfect rock for a tank this small,you shoud be happy. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.