my first ADA 120P planted tank journal

[finfan]

all, i finally got around to start setting up my first ADA 120p tank, i am very new to this and learning from trial and error, this is my first attempt at a journal so please bear with me

so here is how it looked in the box



another view of the box - i was just so excited



heres after i opened it first



here is the stand



i got the rena xp3, hydor in-line heater, and ada aquasoil amazonia



so i got the stand, put it together, and put the tank on it, the clarity of these tanks are amazing



another view, at this point it is hard to hold the excitement



some playing with the rocks (lava rock)



another view of the rocks



separator cardboard went in



aquasoil goes in



more to come soon...

[JeffrD]

Re: my first ADA 120P planted tank journal

Lovin the big ADA...  my next one will probably be a 90P.  Which stand is that?  And is it
available in the size for 90P?

[FishFan]

Re: my first ADA 120P planted tank journal

jeff, its an aquatic fundamental stand from petco.com, they have the size for 90P, it actually looks pretty sleek for an inexpensive stand

[finfan]

Re: my first ADA 120P planted tank journal

ok, so goes in what i am calling "sand gravel", the flimsy cardpaper actually was very sturdy in holding the stuff



here's another view



here's from top, i'm enjoying this



the border of the substrates



walla, the cardboard comes off and the are holding :)



here's my first try with hardscape - rocks and driftwood



here's a little closer



left side



right side - sorry not the best pix



the valley - first try



ok plants are in :)



here's another view



filter goes in



closer - HATE the filter intake and outflow (wish i had the lily pipes - maybe one day)



side view



another closer angel



top view



another angel of the top view



still need to set the lighting

what do you guys think, be kind, i have not done this before

[finfan]

Re: my first ADA 120P planted tank journal

btw, a HUGE thank you to my beautiful/wonderful wife (aka fishfan) for all the help and putting up with me messing up the whole place with water/dirt/other stuff

[wvgdiscus]

Re: my first ADA 120P planted tank journal

Man that tank is looking sweet.
Your making me want to go get one.

[armthehomeless]

Re: my first ADA 120P planted tank journal

It looks nice. I like the fact that some of the wood it higher than the water level.

[J-WS6]

Re: my first ADA 120P planted tank journal

excellent!!

[edmlfc]

Re: my first ADA 120P planted tank journal

Looks great! I think I'm jealous. Yeah, yeah I'm jealous.

[edmlfc]

Re: my first ADA 120P planted tank journal

Btw: if you don't want the blue on the rena to stick out like a sore thumb, I used some black fexable pvc to cover mine. I might be telling you the wrong stuff but it's pretty much the same thing you use to keep all the wires & cords together, it's cut right down the middle and slips over the pipe. Maybe someone else will know excatly what it is.


Edit: Asked my husband what it is that I used it's: 3/4" convoluted wire loom.  

[finfan]

Re: my first ADA 120P planted tank journal

thanks guys, thanks for the info edm, now i can't wait for it to cycle and then i can transfer my angels and others from the 30gallon to this one, hoping and praying that algae does not become a problem, i just installed the GLO T5-HO (2*54watt), will put pix soon, so that is a little less than 2wpg, i will add another GLO but use only one bulb, then it will ~2.5wpg, which should be good for a non-CO2 set up, i think i will also start flourish excel dosing today!

[eklikewhoa]

Re: my first ADA 120P planted tank journal

Nice scape!

I would look into the ADA lily pipes or the Cal Aqua knock-offs to keep it clean looking!

[finfan]

Re: my first ADA 120P planted tank journal

here's with the lights - its a hagel GLO 2*54watt, as mentioned, i am thinking about getting a second one and just using one of the bulbs in that



here's another view



here's a "fallen tree" - i love this piece of driftwood



here's a closer view of the left side



i am thinking about attaching java fern on some of the woods, whats the best way to attach them?  just regular knitting strings?

[finfan]

Re: my first ADA 120P planted tank journal

one more thing, the water got very clear when i initially started the filter, but now its a little clowdy, what do you guys think it is?  should i be worried or just let it run its course since it has only been about 1.5 days of filtering at this point, its just wierd that it got very clear and now its slightly cloudy - more on the white cloudiness!

[CichlidFan]

Re: my first ADA 120P planted tank journal

Wow....nice looking tank and I love the way you seperated the substrates. I'm not sure about the cloudiness, but my first guess would be that it is seepage from some of the wood or substrate...let the tank be for a couple days and see what happens....nice work .... :)

CF