The Medieval 12G Aquatop Bookshelf Tank build for a Betta Rescue and Guppies!

[Odd Duck]

On 12/9/2022 at 12:45 AM, Minanora said:

Maybe do larger stones in front that transition to small, so it looks like the path is longer than it really is. A vanishing point, so to speak.

Exactly this!  Start your stones right even with the center of the arch so it looks like you’re stepping through into a different place.  Use your biggest stones up front and the smallest at the back so it pushes the perspective and makes it look to be fading into the distance.  Narrow your path as it goes back to further enhance the illusion.  Think of a road disappearing into the distance.  If you can curve out of sight, even better.

You might even think about getting flatter stones that look more like flagstone?  If you can find some all the same or similar color it will look even more like a built pathway.  I do like the multi-color, too, though.  You could use broken bits of flower pot or of a ceramic plate.  Put the curve side domed upward so any sharp edges are buried in gravel.  Or use some sand paper to soften the edges.  When your Java moss starts hanging down over the arch it will add to the “mystery” effect of the archway into another place.  Maybe even get tall plants on either side of the arch to give it a fence/wall to reinforce the effect of an entry into a different place.

Any luck finding a miniature battle axe or helmet to place beside the arch?

Looking good, BTW.  Yes, that looks like some new growth - those tiny, lighter green sprigs.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@Minanora @Odd Duck I really like the idea of diminishing stones but my idea here is more like a slice of life/shadow box, as if it were taken out of a section of a ruin. I might use that idea though in a future tank I need to build, more on that another time. (and no @Odd Duck, haven't found any weapons to add to this tank yet, lol.)

All the above said I haven't decided what to do - but I did decide to actually pull all the smooth stones I had for the "floor" and put in all the ragged ones. IF I decide to keep it I'll put in a little more Eco complete to fill in between the stones and make it more flush. I'd like other opinions on this look. Sadly it doesn't translate super well in pictures- always looks better in person. I might find darker stones to replace the lighter ones but again - I'm on the fence over the look. Remember too though, I will likely be adding Java Windelov behind the Archway to add to the spooky and then the Subwassertang will be dangling along the moss shelf. This is how the walkway looks now: 

Then I got the moss shelf from Etsy. Since it bows a little I trimmed the end so now it fits straight. It's not going to be a danger to the fish and can be covered by Subwassertang: 

Also have an update on stocking. As mentioned I'd previously planned to put my CPD in here. Well that changed because the temp I planned to put in this tank. @TheSwissAquarist suggested maybe giving up a fish, and you know what- that was probably the best thing. I ended up finding someone who posted they wanted some CPD and I messaged them and gave him my CPD. Bonus they're going in a larger tank and in with more CPD, this includes their Derpy baby which he agreed to take - and you know what, I feel better about this direction. (Maybe it was also motivated by my recent Oto losses, time to go a new direction!) Now I have an empty 4 gallon which will get broken down and sold since it is a very nice tank for somebody's shrimp or whatever! 

I have purchased a 7 gallon Aquatop that will take it's place and Red will move into that tank when it's set up! It will have a very simple plan - nothing like this Medieval set up or crazy carpeting. Now the only other fish I would move at this point would be Guppies! So White will move in this 12G when it's ready, with 3 White Guppies (if they make it) and 4 (admittedly unknown type) other Guppies. 

Speaking of which my Mum's Guppies in the tank with Koianu are doing fine. I can barely get pics of them as they move so quickly, but you can at least see here how badly one of them got damaged, and the other with his tears too. So at least they'll have a chance to recover some until they go into the new tank: 

Edited December 11, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[Minanora]

I love what you have going on in that tank. I think it needs a lich lord miniature figure.... Or a risen. Just because.....

 

Great. Now I'm going to put my old dnd figures in my tanks.

 

I love all of your fun developments. I am excited about the 7g!

Mr Swimmy is doing a number on the Guppies in the 75 as well. I'm going to move him as soon as the fishroom is ready. 

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 12/11/2022 at 7:02 AM, Minanora said:

love all of your fun developments. I am excited about the 7g!

Cue the ‘7 gallon coffee table betta build’ journal!

[Odd Duck]

I like the look of the jagged stones!  Makes it look a bit more “courtyard” behind the archway.  Fill in gaps a little and you’re set.

[eatyourpeas]

Looking very nice! You are making good progress! 😀

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

On 12/10/2022 at 10:02 PM, Minanora said:

Great. Now I'm going to put my old dnd figures in my tanks.

 

Haha! I dare you! (as long as they're aquarium safe, or made to be!)

On 12/10/2022 at 10:02 PM, Minanora said:

Mr Swimmy is doing a number on the Guppies in the 75 as well. I'm going to move him as soon as the fishroom is ready

Yeah. You never know. I'm hoping White isn't a bully- he has such long fins I'm of the opinion even if he is he'll have a hard time chasing Guppies. 

 

On 12/10/2022 at 10:02 PM, Minanora said:

am excited about the 7g

On 12/10/2022 at 10:52 PM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Cue the ‘7 gallon coffee table betta build’ journal!

I'll probably not do a build thread on the 7 gallon. It will likely be a quick build with the items I ordered and decor from stuff I have on hand. (I have a Chinese dragon I love a lot that was pulled from a Betta tank long ago and has not been used for a while -it's a bubbler but never been used as one, and my Betta at the time liked to lay in the Dragon's mouth, lol- it's common but I like it). The Dragon will be the centerpiece in the cube and it will be well planted. I think I'm going to use an MD fishtanks method as I have some mesh bags, filling it with some of my Stratum and capping it with ?? I haven't decided yet. Then I'll be using plants I have and plants I bought to use in the 12G which will now also be used in this 7. I've also decommissioned the 4 gallon having given away my CPDs to another fish keeper so I'll use what was in there as well. I think it will be a nice looking tank but not super interesting like this crazy bookshelf project. 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Oh and since I no longer need to put the CPD in my Flex9, this tank (the 12G) will only have White and the Guppies! (and now for another Title/Thread change!)

Edited December 12, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Things are going along well in the dry start here. The Monte Carlo isn't spreading a lot (as @Patrick_G's mention that it probably would have if I cut it up more), but I at least do see root growth. The Java Moss I'm most happy with as far as new growth- it's going really well with a few brown spots but overall the majority of it is doing well. The Repens is also doing well. There are some pesky gnats that have taken up residence so that's lame but they won't be able to live in there when there's water lol. I also have mold growing on the spiderwood but I'll treat that with peroxide again and get rid of it. I'm hoping the wood is filling up with a decent amount of water- I really don't want to deal with a floating piece of wood! 

The Guppies from my Mum's tank doing good. I think I see a little new growth on the poor little guy with the short tail. I'm wondering if Red would like them as roommates in his tank but I don't know how aggressive he'll be. He will also be in his tank far before I feel these Guppies are well enough to be put in a tank so chances are he could be territorial by then. No matter, they'll end up somewhere in my tanks and be fine. 

[Patrick_G]

The Monte Carlo is looking good, and the S. Repens is looking very good. I’m definitely going to add some to my next dry start. 😁 Its funny how easy easy it is to get excited by something like that! 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Maybe @Patrick_G wait to see if it survives the flood, lol 

On 12/16/2022 at 9:11 AM, Patrick_G said:

S. Repens is looking very good. I’m definitely going to add some to my next dry start. 😁 It

 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/174781669103?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=BYu5wT8ZRR-&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=K4RQRc2NSwW&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[Odd Duck]

On 12/20/2022 at 4:10 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/174781669103?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=BYu5wT8ZRR-&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=K4RQRc2NSwW&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Perfect!

[Katherine]

This is looking amazing! I'm following for future updates. 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Well folks this week I've decided it's time to flood the tank, put in the final plants and etc before moving the first residents in. Probably bladder snails. 

I'm going to finish "paving" the stone floor by laying down a few more rocks then I'm going to attempt to put black sand down between the stones. Would have been easier if the rocks were dry but because of the moisture in there it will be a bit tricky. We'll see if I can handle it. If any of you have an easy idea for doing that please feel free to fill me in. I have funnels I plan to use and paint brushes. I'll dry the tops of the rocks the best I can too. 

So in the next 5-7 days you'll see an update on the build. I've decided to go ahead and flood the tank now since the moss seems to have taken hold, the Monte Carlo isn't really spreading fast and the Repens seems to be about where it's going to be for a bit. I expect some die off but at least the plants have rooted so I'll just take it as it comes!

[Minanora]

You can clean the rocks off when they're under water. The sand can just be brushed off. Much easier than damp surfaces.

 

Looking forward to seeing it flooded!

[Odd Duck]

On 12/27/2022 at 10:15 AM, Minanora said:

You can clean the rocks off when they're under water. The sand can just be brushed off. Much easier than damp surfaces.

 

Looking forward to seeing it flooded!

Came here to say this.  Just put your sand down as best you can, then after flooding, wave your fingers over the “courtyard” until the sand shimmies off the rocks and down into the cracks.  Don’t use excess, you can always add a bit more afterwards if you need it.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

A toothbrush also works well for knocking sand down.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@Chick-In-Of-TheSea I was thinking in this case, small paint brush since  toothbrush would be a hard angle.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Well we're coming down to the flooding wire here. Some of the moss is doing REALLY well, some of it I don't expect to stick around once the tank is flooded. The higher branches on the "tree" aren't doing as well as the lower which hit the middle of the tank. The moss on the big rocks is half and half. The archway, eh, it may or may not stay- that's ok. One piece of Monte Carlo doesn't look great but everything else is green. I'm really happy with the Repens, I hope they make it. Flooding should happen some time tomorrow. 

My Mum's guppies are doing good, I think we have growth on the one that got the biggest damage. 

I only have 2 white Guppies in QT left, had one of the trio mysteriously pass- I think they'll have to be the sacrificial Guppies to go in the tank first- since of 6 that's all I have left. I'm not even sure if they're sick- they act normal and look normal. I guess that's a disadvantage of being a white fish- a lot of fish disease have white tones to it! 

[Odd Duck]

You might be surprised by moss growth on the higher spots once the tank is flooded.  Those areas will likely have closer to ideal conditions once the water is in.  Right now, those areas are the driest (humidity is going to be higher down lower) which will slow moss growth.  Once the tank is flooded, closer to the light will probably start growing faster and make up for lost time.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Yesterday was the day folks! The Medieval tank got filled. Had only a couple of issues, I did fill in the walkway with sand, and it looked great- even was able to use a paintbrush to move some aside and even it all out after putting just a couple of inches of water in the tank- however- when I started to fill the tank more didn't anticipate the air filled archway suddenly try and pop to the surface! Thankfully my intrepid partner was standing next to me so I had him hold it down  until it was full enough we could tip it and fill it with water. But sadly what this did was wreck some of the walkway and knock over the left wall. So it's not quite as perfect as it was and I had to rebuild the left wall with a few more rocks but as he said "it's a ruin" and I totally agreed. I think it still looks good. Other issue is that while THANKFULLY the piece of spiderwood did NOT float, the tips of the back branches are out of the water and just at the top of the tank. I'm NOT happy with the lid that Aquatop sells for this tank. It's so long a piece of glass that it bows in the middle and it doesn't cover enough of the top. So in the coming days I'll be going to the plastics shop and getting a piece of acrylic cut, I'm going to cut it longer than the tank and cover most of the top allowing for the airline and cords and then use the clips Aquatop supplied and glue or double sided tape them to the bottom of the acrylic so it doesn't slide around That way it's above the rim of the tank, will keep most heat in but still have air space and won't get the light wet (as it is getting now). The glass lid is useless IMO and now not being used at all. 

I did make the mistake of later messing with the wood trying to get it all submerged but to no avail. I'll just have to leave it. I messed up the front Repens a little in doing so and had to add a little substrate because of all the moving around. Ugh. Aquarium people have to have things their way right? Sometimes it's just not to be!

All of that said I REALLY like this tank- it's turned out really neat. As shallow a depth as this tank is it seems to go on forever and you can just get lost in it. I have some bladder snails in there and a used filter- no readings as of yet so it may not be until next week before I add, probably the white guppies first- which BTW will look amazing in here. Without further ado, the Medieval Tank: 

[Odd Duck]

Looks fantastic!  I still think you need something tall near the right front that will somewhat hide the courtyard and add to the mystery.  Then you could “hide” your knight behind a plant screen as an extra discovery viewers would make with longer, more intensive viewing.

Look into getting some twinwall greenhouse sheeting instead of acrylic.  The acrylic will definitely sag over time and is less transparent than twinwall.  Twinwall is specifically designed to take weather and pass light with better light transmission than glass.  You can get it from big box hardware stores for a very decent price and it can be cut with a circular saw although a table saw is better for straighter lines.  If you run the lines of the twinwall along the length of your tank, it will be the least likely to sag.

Supporting the lid, no matter what material you use, can be done with these clips (pic linked below).  They clip onto the glass tank sides and the lid rests on them. The big drawback is the twinwall does deflect some light forward so the lid is much more visible.  They are not as slick as the Aqueon clips on their cube lids and I don’t know what Aquatop supplies with their lids.  But the twinwall is so much lighter it is much less prone to sagging if you can tolerate the increased visual impact of using twinwall as a lid.  I would expect acrylic to have some of the same light deflection qualities as twinwall.  Glass will also do the same thing but is usually enough thinner it’s less noticeable.

 

[PineSong]

It looks wonderful! So impressive that you did the dry start and we’re able to restrain yourself all this time! I love love love the arch and stonework and the tree! It’s fantastic!

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

On 1/1/2023 at 7:06 PM, Odd Duck said:

think you need something tall near the right front that will somewhat hide the courtyard

At first I did do this, I had equal sized Windelov on both sides of the archway for a plant wall but my partner and I both agreed it looked too deliberate. We both liked the look of the lower side to the right and the higher plants to the back. This was a consensus from standing up on the tank and sitting on the couch which has a straight on view of the tank. 

In general I tend to lean towards asymetricals. I'll be playing with the tank more in the coming days of course so we'll see what I come up with. I still have some extra Narrow Leaf and Anubias if needed. 

On 1/1/2023 at 7:06 PM, Odd Duck said:

Look into getting some twinwall greenhouse sheeting i

I will definitely look into this as I think no matter what I do if I don't get a material stiff enough I'll have issues keeping it from bowing in the middle - this tank is soooooo long and narrow. Though I plan on taking the front part of any lid all the way to the front of the glass which will hold up the middle anyway, but it will slightly bow only due to the way I plan to secure the lid with the supplied Aquatop brackets. My original idea is getting a couple extra brackets like the ones you posted (the Aquatop brackets are very similar just smoother) if I were to go with acrylic and putting one in the back middle to hold it up if needed (because there will need to be some space for airline and cords)- this also means it would have to have a longer/higher lip on it as the plan is the lid will sit directly on top of the lip of the tank because I need all the space I can get. The wood comes up out of the water and when I put the stock lid on it, it mushes the java moss. So I'd like to give it some breathing room. I'm going to go take a look at twinwall this weekend and see if this is the route I want to go, so thanks for the suggestion! This is how I plan to put the lid regardless of material: 

On 1/1/2023 at 7:06 PM, Odd Duck said:

hide” your knight

The lovely knight that @Chick-In-Of-TheSea found was vetoed also as "too deliberate". We both like the idea of found weapons or something similar- I think I like the idea of a totally abandonded ruin- but small treasures appeal to me. The much better half has tried to fabricate a stainless double headed axe but he's a perfectionist and scrapped the idea so far after his first try (admittedly this is a much smaller scale than he's used to working). We are on the hunt. 

On 1/2/2023 at 6:05 AM, PineSong said:

It looks wonderful! So impressive that you did the dry start and we’re able to restrain yourself all this time! I love love love the arch and stonework and the tree! It’s fantastic!

Thank you! Honestly, if I didn't have fish waiting for a home I probably could have waited longer- but as mentioned it didn't seem like the plants were going to do too much more very soon so I made the decision to go forward for the fish. I couldn't be more thrilled with the spiderwood tree other than part of it being above water- which itself is fine though now I wish the tank was just a tiny titch taller- its shape though cannot be beat- it's the right kind of haunting. I'm so glad to have found that archway though- it was the inspiration for the whole tank. 

An unsung hero here are the 2 "boulders" to the left. They are the same type of rock- what is serendipitous about them is I found both of them on walks in totally different weeks- but they seemed to fit perfectly together so how they sit looks so natural and they are hiding my filter and heater.