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Saltys 365 AIO Challenge


Saltslinger

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I'm excited for the competition and I've been wanting an excuse to redo this 2.5 gal I had that was just an ugly grow out tank for aquatic plants that I didn't really need. It is a aqueon aquarium I pried the rim off the top and it's still under construction, I tried to re-silicone the corners and I did a terrible job so I have to redo it before I can silicone the AIO rockwall into place. 😅Right now it's being held in place with a suction cup

 

I used rock I had in my other tank because I wasn't happy with the rock scape in that one. Smashed it up and stuck it on some eggcrate with 'waterfall insulation foam' made for ponds. Theres also some shells, coral skeletons, and rock in there I've collected that have washed up on the beach. 

 

My vision for this is to get some soft corals and sexy shrimp. This aquarium is actually going to sit right next to two other shrimp tanks (red cherries and crystal reds) so I'd love to continue the theme and have some sexy salt water shrimp 😁


As far as equipment I have your standard heater, 130g/h fountain pump, and I've ordered a PAR38 bulb for the light. 

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That's a really good idea actually  🤔🤩The thing was the rock wall was so heavy it wouldn't stay in place and tape just wouldn't stick to it for some reason. That would give it some stability for sure. Hopefully I will be able to update soon, now I need to go to petsmart to buy a new tank to replace the one I wrecked 🤡

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7 minutes ago, Saltslinger said:

That's a really good idea actually  🤔🤩The thing was the rock wall was so heavy it wouldn't stay in place and tape just wouldn't stick to it for some reason. That would give it some stability for sure. Hopefully I will be able to update soon, now I need to go to petsmart to buy a new tank to replace the one I wrecked 🤡

Oh yeah I know about the weight issue, you should have seen how much silicone I used to attach mine in the Spec, must have been half a damn tube!

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Okay so I did end up attaching the rockwall with silicone, also a lot and it is pretty messy. Still using the same tank just because as long as it holds water for the rest of the challenge that's good enough. The rockwall looks a thousand time better under the blue light thankfully. I am really liking the par38 bulb, it's a lot more purple/pink than my other light (the aquaknight).

 

I will hopefully get the tank wet by monday 😀 

 

Also if anyone notices I'm borrowing a real camera now so the pictures look a lot nicer. 

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3 minutes ago, Saltslinger said:

Okay so I did end up attaching the rockwall with silicone, also a lot and it is pretty messy. Still using the same tank just because as long as it holds water for the rest of the challenge that's good enough. The rockwall looks a thousand time better under the blue light thankfully. I am really liking the par38 bulb, it's a lot more purple/pink than my other light (the aquaknight).

 

I will hopefully get the tank wet by monday 😀 

 

Also if anyone notices I'm borrowing a real camera now so the pictures look a lot nicer. 

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That last image 😍 

Might have to try that with the Kessil

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Closeup of the rockwall

 

3 minutes ago, Ratvan said:

That last image 😍 

Might have to try that with the Kessil

I love the gooseneck lol so fun to play with especially with taking pictures

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We're wet now! Adding some ammonia chloride because the "live rock"  was dried up for a couple weeks to smash / cure on the wall, assuming most of the bacteria and itty bitty critters on there have already died. The rest of the rock on the bottom is some dried out rock I picked up at the beach a couple months ago. 

 

General timeline is that I'm gonna forget about it until the end of March, then I'm just gonna assume it's cycled. I can't tell apart the colors on the test kits anyway. 

 

The only thing I might change is adding some more rock rubble higher up on the wall to help disguise the heater/ powerhead cords. You can still see them running over the top of the glass, which kind of defeats the purpose of an AIO. 🥳I'm pleasantly surprised with how this has turned out, usually my DIY results in disasters.

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Yup apparently my silicone job was not up to spec... Tank had a slow leak. Good news is that apparently aqueon now sells rimless aquariums at my local petsmart so for an extra $10 I got an aquarium I didn't even have to pry the rim off! I will update when I finally get everything cycled 😰

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Saltslinger

Unfortunately due to current world events, I had to dismantle the tank because I no longer have time/energy to put into it. Maybe another year. I am looking forward to see how everyone's tank is turning out, may the odds be ever in your favor! 😃

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