Subscalarium Journal

[DaveO]

My suggestion would be to do one or two more coats of the blue color you already have applied. That should even out the color nicely. I like the shade of blue you have selected and I don't think it needs to match the sponge. Some time set up and running will gunk up the sponge anyway. Great journal, by the way.

[Atitagain]

On 3/18/2022 at 3:40 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

Absolutely!  In fact, I plan to try to tuck the one heater I'll be using in there.  The room is heated, but one species likes it a bit warmer, so that one will get a small heater - right behind the mattern that doesn't have the overflow.  All tucked away out of sight!

I’ll be interested to see this, because although I love using sponge filter for ease of maintaining like you I do not like the look of them in my tanks. Very hard to scape when you have one to hide. But also like you I have a linear piston air pump.

On 3/18/2022 at 3:40 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

I'd welcome input about whether I should just leave it for now, or try to get a matching paint and start over.

I feel/ think you already know the answer. If your not happy now you will not be happy with it later. The pain of starting over now is much less work than setting up the tank not being happy and tear down redo next week.

the black does look better than the blue. I’ve never painted on glass but I’d think the trick is many light layers.

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 3/18/2022 at 6:40 PM, DaveO said:

My suggestion would be to do one or two more coats of the blue color you already have applied. That should even out the color nicely.

On 3/19/2022 at 5:55 AM, Atitagain said:

I feel/ think you already know the answer. If your not happy now you will not be happy with it later. The pain of starting over now is much less work than setting up the tank not being happy and tear down redo next week.

the black does look better than the blue. I’ve never painted on glass but I’d think the trick is many light layers.

Thanks, both!  Seems like consensus is I should use the last of the can in an effort to smooth the looks out.  I should be able to do that today.  As annoying as it will be to cover and tape it again, you are probably both right.  Thanks!

On 3/18/2022 at 6:40 PM, DaveO said:

I like the shade of blue you have selected and I don't think it needs to match the sponge. Some time set up and running will gunk up the sponge anyway.

That's an excellent point about the gunk!  I do have a trick up my sleeve though to try to minimize that.  Stay tuned... 🧐

[eatyourpeas]

You may try to score the line along the tape with an X-acto or utility knife before pulling the tape, that should keep the paint from wanting to follow along.

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 3/20/2022 at 3:38 PM, eatyourpeas said:

You may try to score the line along the tape with an X-acto or utility knife before pulling the tape, that should keep the paint from wanting to follow along.

I did with a razor on the second tank, once I learned a bit.  However, it still had these little stringy sections that tried their best to stay with the tape.  The best thing I found was to let the tape hang from the frame with a gap.  That solved the problem on the second tank best.

[Patrick_G]

@OnlyGenusCaps, if you haven’t figured it out before you read this out I have some advice. Try rolling it on with a small sponge roller. It’ll go on completely even and you might not need a second coat. This is the technique we use to apply a fine finish or varnish to a classic boat. We actually gently tip out the bubbles left from the roller but you probably won’t have to do that. It’s called the roll and tip technique if you want to google it. 

[OnlyGenusCaps]

Well @Patrick_G, you have once again come up with solid and useful advice that has come in after I've already made mistakes precluding me from using it.  😆 

Seriously though, that would have been great advice, except I bought this in spray cans.  The black was way, way more forgiving, so I suspect I'll probably use the same stuff again on the last 4 aquariums I have planned for this space.  Although, I have to say, I'm real tempted to do a green backed one for one of the ideas I have.  Real tempted!

I am happy to report that using every last drop of the remaining blue PlastiDip spray can seems to have helped!  Without question though, it is far less forgiving than the black.  Not just because the blue is more transparent so you can see the mistakes better, but also because it seems to be more liquidy.  I did a test spray of both colors on a piece of card board, and the blue dripped down 4 inches while the black stayed put.  But, I think I cloud make it work with green.  Wouldn't green be cool?! 

 

[DaveO]

Yes that green sounds cool 😎. I like the idea of some color for a change.

[OnlyGenusCaps]

I was able to get the next rack up.  I ordered the thing a month ago, but it finally arrived yesterday, so I got on that right away.  This set of tanks will be a bit different.  They will house dart frogs.  I know, I know.  This is an aquarium forum, so I hope no one minds if I also include updates about the dart frogs here too.  They will be sandwiched between two racks of aquariums.  Plus, the main dart frog forum is one of the most toxic places I've had the misfortune of logging on to.  Sort of the opposite of this place.  Anyhow, here is the start to the dart rack:

[Patrick_G]

Dart frogs are really cool. My mom is mad for herps in general but will talk your ear off on the subject of Dart frogs! 

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 3/22/2022 at 5:28 PM, Patrick_G said:

but will talk your ear off on the subject of Dart frogs! 

Well, you just put her on the horn with me when she's going on for longer than you'd like.  I don't think I could get too much dart talk.  😉 

I kept and bred three morphs in high school - along with other assorted amphibians.  Amphibians are actually what led me to fish.  Sort of the reason I am here doing the rest of it.  Finally, I get to merge both interests on one place! 

[OnlyGenusCaps]

I've got the two 75 gals on the rack.  Didn't tank a photo.  They aren't full and there really isn't anything new to see.  I do want to talk about my approach to tanks and also solicit some advice.

These days, when I put together an aquarium, I think about is like a diorama.  It needs to be a slice of something, or evoke a scene.  This is what I went for with my Pseudo Saltwater tank and what I will be working towards with my Deep Reef tank as well.  As I build out my tank rack, I am trying to each tank the same way.  I have a pretty good idea for one, but the other currently eludes me.

The blue backed aquarium is going to be my "Ocean Lawn" tank where I am going to try to replicate a sea grass bed.  My plan is to move my pagoda snails there, put in some Tang Killis (Lamprichthys tanganicanus), and plant either dwarf sag or val as seagrass.  Here is my inspiration photo from a seagrass bed in Western Australia:

I think I can land that seagrass one.  Here is my dilemma.  The black backed 75...

For this tank, I am taking a second stab at some pupfish.  I'll put my rabbit snails in there.  But I'll need to load it with plants, to reduce aggression and provide hides, which is not my style.  The hard part is I have no vision for this currently.  When I tried to create a simulated environment like the one they are found in, it failed.  So now I need a new vision.  But what is it?!  What is the scene I am trying to make???

[OnlyGenusCaps]

I've been a bit absent on the forum of late.  The little time I have right now, I am trying to use to get this retreat within my home completed.  It seems to be the project that never ends, and I'll admit to burning out on it for a few days.  But, I'm getting back on track.  Slowly.  The weather here sure isn't helping - near freezing with heavy wet snow/rain mix.  Ugh.  🤮

But, I was able to get the matten filters mostly installed.  Well, in the black backed 75 at least.  I'll explain why not on the blue one in a second.

It seems that matten filters are now as well known as some of the other types used the the hobby.  So, I wanted to go through how I am installing them as a means to show them to folks who might not yet be familiar with this style of filter.  Plus, I do mine a bit differently.

First off I cut a block of foam to the size needed. 

Then, running the drill mostly in reverse, I use a hole saw to put the hole in the filter for the return from the Jet Lifter.  Sometimes I have to run the drill forward for a second if it begins to bind.  If you keep running it while it is bound, it has a tendency to tear a large chunk out of the foam.  Trust me!  With the hole drilled, I can put in the Jet Lifter.  Here it is from the back.

And the front part which will stick through.

I like to attach the Jet Lifter tube to the bottom of the foam.  Without this, I have found the tube can get turned in weird ways.  This little step just holds everything in place nicely.  I use a cable tie, but I am careful not to pull it too snuggly so that I leave space for the airline tubing to get tucked through later.

So, for most folks, that would be the end of the process.  They'd attach an airline and pop it into the braces.  Here is where I do something a bit different.  I like to make what I call a "divided matten" filter.  So, what I do is simply cut the bottom few inches of foam off, like so.

This allows me to put just the bottom of the filter in first and keep the business end of the filter easily removable.  I like this because the biggest drawback to the matten filter is that they are awful to clean.  Typically people leave them in for months if not years, in which time they gunk up severely.  Then when it comes time to clean the filter, the entire tank is a mass of mulm.  You can see this on some of Rachel O'Leary's videos when she takes them out.  I hate this aspect of them, so by cutting the bottom few inches off, I make it possible to pull the majority of the filter out, while the base acts as a substrate dam to prevent having to push that back.  It's a simple fix to the main matten problem.  Here you can see the base installed.

The other thing you can see in that photo is the ugly overflow for the AWC system.  Well, soon enough that won't be visible.  The last thing I do is to add one more loose cable tie around the top of the JetLifter to hold the airline in place.  Again, this just keeps everything neat behind the filter.  Well, and I suppose when I take the top section out to clean everything, it helps with holding it all together as well.

On that last photo, you can also clearly see the notch I cut into the foam to make it easier to get it installed against that overflow drain.  It can be done without that notch, but it's easier like this.

Okay, so here it is installed - the "divided matten" filter.

Yes, you can see the division a little bit.  So there is that.  But once everything is in the tank, it's not so obvious.  Neither is the cable tie.  Which reminds me, the reason I don't have the blue mattens in yet is that I am waiting on blue cable ties to be delivered.  I mean, if I am going to try to obscure the infrastructure, why have a weird black tie visible.  Right?

That really only leaves the tube ends visible in both tanks.  For now, I am going to leave them.  The Jet Lifters come apart, so if those start to bother me, then I can pull just the ends and color them later, without having to shut the tank down. 

That's all for now folks.

[OnlyGenusCaps]

The gobies went for another effort.  Oddly, this time the eggs were molded by the time I could get to them.  No luck on that front...  Yet.  😎

The dart frog viv is coming along:

I have also been making progress on the 75 gal with the blue background, which I am calling my "Blue Grass" tank.  I'm  hoping to get some feedback on a couple things about it.  Given the photo in included a couple posts ago, what do people think of the rock placement here?

I'll be placing my seagrass mimic plant in the are surrounded by rocks, as it is growing in the habitat photo.  Remember that right now the tank is bare bottom.  I like my rockwork to be stable without the substrate having to hold it in place.  This reduces the likelihood of tumbles that could harm inhabitants and potentially break the glass.  I'll be adding about 5cm of white, pool-filter sand in front of the rocks, and filling the space behind them with it as well.  So the gaps at the bases won't be visible, nor will the flat support rocks at the base.  So, thoughts on the layout?  Feedback is welcome!

The other thing I am hoping for advice on is which plant I should be adding as the "seagrass".  My first thought was a val species.  But, I do want to keep the plant from training across the top, which seagrasses tend not to do.  Could mean a lot of trimming if I get something too large.  That said, I don't want the blades to be to narrow.  In addition to a val (but which one?!), I'm also contemplating dwarf sag, and crypt balansae.  Remember my water is fairly hard with about 300+ppm out of the tap, most of that is KH.  Any ideas about what I should use?  Thanks in advance!

[Guppysnail]

I have aponogeton (sp?) ulvaceaus  in a 40b and a 10. It trails in the 40 but the 10 when it starts to get to long I pinch the leaves at the base. It reminds me of seaweed. I just pinch the 10 to grow new leaves. I missed one because shrimp and snails were on it so I left it for now I do the same with aponogeton longiplumulos (so?) in the 29 that has the narrower leaves. My water is 120+ kh 300+ gh. They are bulbs plop and drop. 

Edited April 5, 2022 by Guppysnail

[DaveO]

Here is a possible contender. Needle leaf java Fern. This is a young plant I've had for several months so still needs to fill out more, but seems to have maxed out at about 9 inches tall. Sorry for the lousy photo.

[Atitagain]

I think the rock placement is good 👍 

and when I look at the inspirational photo for “blue grass” l see this⬇️

but are you gonna keep a wave maker or something on it to keep the bend where you need it? And yes depending on how you want it to grow I believe you will be doing a lot of trimmer after it takes hold.

[Patrick_G]

Here’s some photos of Eelgrass on sale Puget Sound, is this the look you’re going for? Im a fan of Crypt balansae or spiralis, but Val would probaly more closely mimic the look. It reaches the surface at low tide. 
 

Blyxa Japonica might be a good option for the shorter look. 

Edited April 5, 2022 by Patrick_G

[OnlyGenusCaps]

First off, thank for the replied everyone!  Especially because I've been swamped with so much going on that I haven't been on the forum much to be able to contribute.  😔  Although, in my case that might be a positive thing. 

On 4/5/2022 at 2:50 PM, Guppysnail said:

I have aponogeton (sp?) ulvaceaus  in a 40b and a 10. It trails in the 40 but the 10 when it starts to get to long I pinch the leaves at the base. It reminds me of seaweed.

That does look  a bit like seaweed.  Not exactly the look I am going for here, but as I have a bit of a tendency to do fake marine type scapes, I'm going to keep this one in the back pocket for sure!  I'm already thinking about how I could use it.

On 4/5/2022 at 5:54 PM, DaveO said:

Here is a possible contender. Needle leaf java Fern.

Wow, I have never heard of that form!  🤯  That's awesome!  If I recall correctly, Java fern is an epiphyte though.  I'm all set to plant into sand.  But, that's the first Java fern that makes me think I need a Java fern!

On 4/5/2022 at 6:19 PM, Atitagain said:

I think the rock placement is good 👍

That's good to hear.  Thanks!

On 4/5/2022 at 6:19 PM, Atitagain said:

but are you gonna keep a wave maker or something on it to keep the bend where you need it? And yes depending on how you want it to grow I believe you will be doing a lot of trimmer after it takes hold

Sot on!  I have been thinking about doing a wave maker pump in here.  I'll evaluate the flow I can get from my Jet Lifters first though.  The flow they can generate never ceases to amaze me.  I'm even contemplating a river tank just using them.  But, I'd better not get ahead of myself.

On 4/5/2022 at 6:22 PM, Patrick_G said:

It reaches the surface at low tide.

Okay, so you are correct.  I shouldn't have generalized to say that seagrass doesn't reach the surface.  I can, and does in many places.  I guess I was thinking more about the manatee/dugong gardens of it.  As I type that, I'm realizing, I'll be trimming. 

On 4/5/2022 at 6:22 PM, Patrick_G said:

Blyxa Japonica might be a good option for the shorter look.

Or maybe not.  I'll look into this!  I have grown it as a terrestrial before.  But I am not familiar with its needs as a submerged aquatic.  Interesting though!

Thanks again everyone.  This was really helpful, and I learned stuff for future projects too!

[OnlyGenusCaps]

I have a quick second before a chain of meetings this afternoon.  So...  Quick update photos.

Dart frog viv is complete.  Well, still missing the frogs, but otherwise it is just waiting for them.

I added a few tabs of root fert to get whatever plant I put in there growing well (lean towards val because I've seen it succeed in my water and terrible care).

Sorry this photo is so blurry, but here is the rock and substrate combo for my Blue Grass tank.  I think once I get the water and plants in, it'll look decently cool.

[Patrick_G]

I think the look you’re going for is one of the best when pulled off right. One reason I became interested in planted tanks is a video of  grass like plants waving in the current.
 

I’m a fly fisherman and I’m also attracted to spring creek ecosystems that have a similar look. Here’s a beautiful brown trout in a spring creek in WY. Not my pic

Here’s a rainbow on a bed of some sort of algae or plants in another spring creek.

 

[Biotope Biologist]

Yes diving into a bed of tall grass or kelp is unbeatable until you get the “creature of the deep” feeling and resurface. Having a cube of that in the home sounds peaceful.

 

Also what is this? It looks like some sort of clubmoss? And I like it may have to add to my terrarium if I can find it

[Patrick_G]

On 4/6/2022 at 1:23 PM, Biotope Biologist said:

Yes diving into a bed of tall grass or kelp is unbeatable until you get the “creature of the deep” feeling and resurface

Haha, yeah, it’s a giant channel cat that lives in my nightmares 😁

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 4/6/2022 at 1:22 PM, Patrick_G said:

when pulled off right

Sure, but no guarantee of that here.  I mean, someone talented could pull it off.  But, I'll be happy with whatever I can manage. 😁

On 4/6/2022 at 3:23 PM, Biotope Biologist said:

Also what is this?

It is Selaginella uncinata, a spikemoss with blue iridescence in the leaves.  I like plants that have blue iridescence in their leaves and that one is easy to grow.  I also am trying out a Microsorum steerei in there too, however; the success of that species in the viv is not a foregone conclusion. 

[Biotope Biologist]

Learning new stuff all the time I had no clue there was iridescent plants! Can’t wait to see how they turn out! I will send luck your way for the Microsorum 💁🏼🍀
 

Also I have a very large kraussiana in a pot outside with some wood sorrel. So perhaps that gives hope that my local nursery will have uncinata too. I think it was also labeled as irish clubmoss hence my confusion. Damn these common names, make me look a fool!