reference:
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...n/effect-prime-oxygen-levels-aquarium-294058/
I posted this on another forum site and one poster titled their build thread as the beaslbob build just because it 'had a ring to it' :lol: You can now google beaslbob build or beaslbob method and get many hits.
So here is what I do:
equipment required
tank (10g used here) $15 or so.
old timie 2 tube incandescent hood. ($20 bought seperate and new but sometimes included in 10g starter kits or available at thrift centers and the like).
2 11-14 watt skinny spiral pig tail 6500k floursent bulbs. Designed to replace incandescent bulbs. Wall mart had GE packages clolored blue with "6500k" vertical down the sides. 2 tubes ~$5 or so. Note: the wattage it not the much higher equilivant incandescent wattage which is the wattage of an equilivant incandescent bulb).
1 1'x1'x3' plastic bag if canadain sphagum peat moss. $11 building supply stores. (note no ferts added)
1 50 pound premium play sand. building supply stores $3.
1 50 pound bag pro choise select. from: Pro's Choice Products. $6. (Had to contact that manufacturer to get a local source.)
plants: 4 bunches of anacharis, 4 Vallisneria, 4 small potted types (swords, crypts etc), 1 amazon sword.. (for reference check out: Vals, Corkscrew (Vallisneria americana) (10 plants per order) ) ~$30-50 or so.
some kind of stand to put aquarium on.
setup:
1) place 1" of peat moss in the tank. Add water up to the top of the peat moss. Level the moss and clean the edges of the tank.
2) Place 1" of play sand on top of the wet moss. Repeat the adding water, leveling and cleaning.
3) Place 1" of pc select on top of the sand and again add water, level, and clean.
4) Add the plants. I like the anacharis in back, vals down the sides, the potted left and right of center and the amazon sword more or less centered. Then level the pc select till it looks nice.
5) Using water from a commonly used cold water faucet add water poured over a dish untill the tank is full.
6) Add the lights and turn on 8-10 hours per day.
7) Do nothing but admire the tank for 1 week.
8) Add a single fish. If live bearer a singe male. I like the dwarf sunburst platties.
9) Do nothing for one week but admire how active the fish is and wonder why he is pooping so nicely. If you feed that fish it will die on the 5th day.
10) Add 2 females (of you use live bearers) or 4 other fish if you did not use live bearers.
11) start feeding 1 flake per day.
upkeep.
1) Feed very lightly.
2) Replace evaporative water with water from a cold faucet that has been ran for a minute or so.
3) If the tank clouds up, you have algae, or cyano, kill the light and stop feeding until it clears up.
Just to be sure you uderstand.
1) no chemicals of any type
2) no mechanicals of any kind. No filters, No airstone. Nothing
3) don't worry about the snail bloom after a few weeks. Do Nothing. In a year there will only be a few left.
Once ot twice a year of maybe more often you may want to "clean" the mulm on the substrate. Just don't get carried away. Don't stir up the substate.
And of course you will probably have to harvest the plants from time to time.
here is a such as it is picture of a 20g long. Notice the "high tech" lighting. :lol:
Here is the cycle parameters of that 20g long FW
So there it is.
the "beaslbob build". Which has had the same results in may cities in teh US as I was transferred aorund in the air force.
It's just my take on the time honored natural or balanced or walstad or lieden methods. You basically establish a balance eco system right from the start and let that take care of the tank.
and worth at most.
.02
from thread:
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...n/effect-prime-oxygen-levels-aquarium-294058/
I posted this on another forum site and one poster titled their build thread as the beaslbob build just because it 'had a ring to it' :lol: You can now google beaslbob build or beaslbob method and get many hits.
So here is what I do:
equipment required
tank (10g used here) $15 or so.
old timie 2 tube incandescent hood. ($20 bought seperate and new but sometimes included in 10g starter kits or available at thrift centers and the like).
2 11-14 watt skinny spiral pig tail 6500k floursent bulbs. Designed to replace incandescent bulbs. Wall mart had GE packages clolored blue with "6500k" vertical down the sides. 2 tubes ~$5 or so. Note: the wattage it not the much higher equilivant incandescent wattage which is the wattage of an equilivant incandescent bulb).
1 1'x1'x3' plastic bag if canadain sphagum peat moss. $11 building supply stores. (note no ferts added)
1 50 pound premium play sand. building supply stores $3.
1 50 pound bag pro choise select. from: Pro's Choice Products. $6. (Had to contact that manufacturer to get a local source.)
plants: 4 bunches of anacharis, 4 Vallisneria, 4 small potted types (swords, crypts etc), 1 amazon sword.. (for reference check out: Vals, Corkscrew (Vallisneria americana) (10 plants per order) ) ~$30-50 or so.
some kind of stand to put aquarium on.
setup:
1) place 1" of peat moss in the tank. Add water up to the top of the peat moss. Level the moss and clean the edges of the tank.
2) Place 1" of play sand on top of the wet moss. Repeat the adding water, leveling and cleaning.
3) Place 1" of pc select on top of the sand and again add water, level, and clean.
4) Add the plants. I like the anacharis in back, vals down the sides, the potted left and right of center and the amazon sword more or less centered. Then level the pc select till it looks nice.
5) Using water from a commonly used cold water faucet add water poured over a dish untill the tank is full.
6) Add the lights and turn on 8-10 hours per day.
7) Do nothing but admire the tank for 1 week.
8) Add a single fish. If live bearer a singe male. I like the dwarf sunburst platties.
9) Do nothing for one week but admire how active the fish is and wonder why he is pooping so nicely. If you feed that fish it will die on the 5th day.
10) Add 2 females (of you use live bearers) or 4 other fish if you did not use live bearers.
11) start feeding 1 flake per day.
upkeep.
1) Feed very lightly.
2) Replace evaporative water with water from a cold faucet that has been ran for a minute or so.
3) If the tank clouds up, you have algae, or cyano, kill the light and stop feeding until it clears up.
Just to be sure you uderstand.
1) no chemicals of any type
2) no mechanicals of any kind. No filters, No airstone. Nothing
3) don't worry about the snail bloom after a few weeks. Do Nothing. In a year there will only be a few left.
Once ot twice a year of maybe more often you may want to "clean" the mulm on the substrate. Just don't get carried away. Don't stir up the substate.
And of course you will probably have to harvest the plants from time to time.
here is a such as it is picture of a 20g long. Notice the "high tech" lighting. :lol:
Here is the cycle parameters of that 20g long FW
So there it is.
the "beaslbob build". Which has had the same results in may cities in teh US as I was transferred aorund in the air force.
It's just my take on the time honored natural or balanced or walstad or lieden methods. You basically establish a balance eco system right from the start and let that take care of the tank.
and worth at most.
.02