AdamTill Posted January 7, 2021 Author Share Posted January 7, 2021 So, I may have done a thing. To celebrate getting a different job for the first time in 12 years, I decided to also start a hobby challenge I’ve been eyeing for a few years...the false bottom stream tank. In my early oto breeding research years ago I kept reading that they come from slow moving streams. My early tanks were done using a central island and had a current that wrapped around that island, and in the evenings I’d often get to see 20-30 otos doing “laps” around the island. You wouldn’t see them all day, but in the evenings it was apparently exercise time 🙂 Since I’ve sort of proved that breeding them is possible repeatably, I thought it might be fun to combine the two concepts (breeder tank + stream tank). I always struggled to call my island tanks “stream” tanks since the current was there, but it wasn’t what you’d think of as a linear stream. This sort thing is perfect however: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTill Posted January 7, 2021 Author Share Posted January 7, 2021 (edited) I waffled for a while in terms of doing a prototype in the 29 or a 30 long I also have kicking around, but I also may have treated myself to a Co2Art system as well. That means I need a lockable stand (toddler around), and I won’t be able to make something until the spring (it’s cold in Canada lol). In the end I decided on a Marineland 75 gallon tank and stand. Don’t love the stand (it’s the same style as the one I use as a cat litterbox), but it’s okay. It’s also the largest tank I can fit in the area of the house that’s safest from the baby. So, using the rough measurements that Jurijs provides in the video above, and allowing for a bit of fudge factor, I figured out what glass I’d need to get cut. A quick call to a local glass shop, and they had them made up the same day out of 6mm float glass Edited January 7, 2021 by AdamTill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTill Posted January 7, 2021 Author Share Posted January 7, 2021 (edited) The tank is 48” long, and I allowed 4” on either end for the grating which exposes and returns the water flow. There will be some form of pumps under the false bottom (potentially combined with a canister filter or similar), and the water they push will flow through grates on the ends. Not going for raging stream, but decent flow. I imagine using the canister for 24/7 flow, and maybe turning on stream pumps for faster flow during the day. I decided on having 1/3 of the tank as the false bottom, and the false bottom needed some support. That’s done by using vertical sections of glass which narrow in the middle, and both support the bottom and channel the water a bit. These are getting bonded in here using silicone. Edited January 7, 2021 by AdamTill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTill Posted January 7, 2021 Author Share Posted January 7, 2021 Last step was to clue into the fact that I can’t get a single piece false bottom into the tank past the frame. Oops. The tank in the video does this because it’s rimless, but the geometry involved hadn’t quite occurred to me until I tried to fit the bottom. A quick trip to the glass store for what turned out to be a free cut solved the problem, and the two piece bottom won’t affect anything anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTill Posted January 7, 2021 Author Share Posted January 7, 2021 Took 5 mins at lunch to bond in the false bottom. The two piece setup worked much better anyway, since Marineland apparently didn’t make a perfectly square tank lol. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTill Posted January 7, 2021 Author Share Posted January 7, 2021 False bottom cured enough to be stable, so I ran a bead down the length to permanently secure it in place, added a bead to bridge the gap between the false bottom plates, then added the substrate supports on either end. That’s pretty much it for the initial glass, so all that’s left is to wait for the silicone to cure then go back and scrape off the little smears and irregularities. None of it will be seen since I’ll eventually obscure the parts below the false bottom, but I prefer to leave things tidy looking. I put in orders for both some plants and the parts for the end grids, and they’ll show up when they show up. Looking forward to seeing it come together though 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTill Posted January 10, 2021 Author Share Posted January 10, 2021 Still in curing phase, but cured enough to move out of the bedroom closer to where it’s going to live (the fans in the bedroom are handy for getting rid of silicone fumes). Added the Flourite I have on hand so I can see how much I need to add, and ordered a bit more. Temped to do a layer of peat on the bottom, but we’ll see how it goes. Went to Lowe’s to pick up some filter parts since I needed some stuff for the house too, and returned with my usual load of pvc bits. Going to plumb my FX5 in I think, and then I’ll see how much extra flow is needed (have my eye on a Maxspec Gyre). The bits for the gratings should be here this week, and then I can start making those up. Plants should start arriving too, so hopefully it won’t be too long until I can start moving things over. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTill Posted January 16, 2021 Author Share Posted January 16, 2021 (edited) Been slowly plugging away as time and baby allow. Got most of the filter plumbing in place. Just have to pick up some more pipe clamps, and paint the cross rails to match the stand. I chose to mount 1” ball valves on the pvc rather than using the plastic ones that came with the FX5. All the tubing is 1”. The intake line has my home made intake strainer on it, and the output is just long enough to be downstream of the intake. I’ll see how much current the filter alone creates, but there’s lots of room to add additional pumps still. The intake grates are coming along. I tried a few things, and right now settled on stainless steel sewn to plastic egg crate. It’s not a perfect dimensional fit, but good enough for a prototype. I lust after the 3D printed ones I’ve seen in videos though. Edited January 17, 2021 by AdamTill 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTill Posted January 25, 2021 Author Share Posted January 25, 2021 Haven’t had a ton of time to work on the tank, and I was a little concerned after two of the 1-2 grow tubs I bought rotted, so I went ahead and planted up the tank. Not going to have time to do things all at once, so this will be my first experiment with dry starting. I got my CO2 equipment all sorted and have a 10lb tank downstairs ready to go, so as soon as I have a chance to move everyone over from the old tank I shoukd be able to start CO2 at the same time. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Great to see the progression from to start 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTill Posted January 25, 2021 Author Share Posted January 25, 2021 1 hour ago, Colu said: Great to see the progression from to start Thanks! I always keep track privately but it’s fun to do it publicly as well. I had hoped to make more progress by now but I have my first day at Shopify tomorrow so that’s been bogarting a good chunk of time (pretty excited though). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTill Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 Well, not sure that I’d do another dry start with tissue culture plants that aren’t carpeting plants. Those were about the only ones that didn’t hate life for the last week. My son had a 5 hour nap today (woot) so I actually had time to swap the tanks. First step was to break down the 29, pull out all the plants, and capture all the livestock. I lost count, but I think I was at about 30 habrosus Corys and 20 otos thereabouts. Then it was just a matter of selecting the best plants, trimming them appropriately, and planting them in the new tank. I also filled the tank just to the substrate level to make that a bit easier. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTill Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 (edited) Next, the livestock got added to the bottom and the sponge filter was brought over. I’ll run the sponge until I figure out how much media I want in the FX5. I moved the two little circulation pumps over for the evening, but I didn’t feel like trying to get the FX5 working tonight. Lastly, it was just a case of slowly filling the rest of the tank, and admiring the view. I chucked the CO2 diffuser into the tank to soak, but I won’t actually hook it up until tomorrow. Oh, and I drilled the doors for cabinet locks so the small human can’t get in. All in all, a satisfying evening. Edited January 31, 2021 by AdamTill 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 8 hours ago, AdamTill said: Well, not sure that I’d do another dry start with tissue culture plants that aren’t carpeting plants. Those were about the only ones that didn’t hate life for the last week. My son had a 5 hour nap today (woot) so I actually had time to swap the tanks. First step was to break down the 29, pull out all the plants, and capture all the livestock. I lost count, but I think I was at about 30 habrosus Corys and 20 otos thereabouts. Then it was just a matter of selecting the best plants, trimming them appropriately, and planting them in the new tank. I also filled the tank just to the substrate level to make that a bit easier. is a dry start essentially a terrarium the get converted to a aquarium? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTill Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 40 minutes ago, quirkylemon103 said: is a dry start essentially a terrarium the get converted to a aquarium? Basically yep. The theory is the plants grow quicker with more access to the CO2 that’s in the air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTill Posted February 1, 2021 Author Share Posted February 1, 2021 Got the FX5 hooked up today and...I’m underwhelmed. Think there’s a gyre pump in my future. Also got my CO2 tank strapped in and chained down, and the regulator hooked up and checked. No time to run tubing because I did my first 50% water change (daily for first week), so the CO2 might be for tomorrow. Not a big deal because I ran out of smart switches, so I have some more on order. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Jank Posted June 23, 2023 Share Posted June 23, 2023 On 2/1/2021 at 12:44 AM, AdamTill said: Got the FX5 hooked up today and...I’m underwhelmed. Think there’s a gyre pump in my future. Also got my CO2 tank strapped in and chained down, and the regulator hooked up and checked. No time to run tubing because I did my first 50% water change (daily for first week), so the CO2 might be for tomorrow. Not a big deal because I ran out of smart switches, so I have some more on order. What happened with this build? I am looking at doing something similar. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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