Simple Aquarium Set Up
Kena Sugrue
My intent with building a canopy is to block the glare from the lights and light spillage into the rooms. I also want enough room inside the canopy to be able to reach in the tanks if I have to without having to remove it.
To start I take measurements of the aquarium frame that'll determine the inside dimensions of the canopy. This is a 48x18, 90 gallon tank. I like the canopy to cover the black plastic frame of the tank. You could extend this lower to cover the water line as well. Once I determined the dimensions I use a tablesaw to rip the plywood to length.
I like to start by assembling the front of the canopy where the doors are. I found a 10" tall opening was good for fitting my arm in and out of easily. I assembly the entire canopy using pocket screws drilled with a jig.
I then make the sides of the canopy. I use a stack of dado blades to cut a groove in the sides. The groove will hold a strip of wood the will sit on top of the aquarium frame, holding it up in place.
I attach the back of the canopy the same way as the sides. I screwed the back panel on within the inside of the canopy so the side hides the edge of the back panel. At this time I glue in a strip of wood cut to a specific width to fit fully into the dado and extend out enough to sit on the rim of the aquarium frame. Take care not to make it too wide so you can get the glass lids on and off.
I don't have any filter equipment running over the rim of this tank but you could trim out to allow access for filer tubes, HOBS, etc. I do plan on trimming a small access cutout on the back, for wires and airline, once I determine the light orientation.
Ah, thanks. I have a couple canopies that I made, that I'm not happy with the workmanship. I will have to try yours, but without the dado work (I have no table saw). I think I can do the side supports differently.
I hope that you enjoyed seeing the article as it originally appeared. The scans were made from an original copy that resides in my personal library. What follows are some thoughts and observations on the piece and its place in aquarium history.
This chapter of this website is designed in levels of difficulty in a hierarchical numbered fashion. The first level, the VERY SIMPLEST level, is the fifteen point list below. Here is what to do if you are just beginning with aquariums:
Then there are sections 1.2. through 1.8. in this chapter. These are some lengthy and somewhat verbose articles which form a fourth level in our hierarchy. The articles 1.2 through 1.4 delve into some topics about where to obtain information about aquariums and how reliable this information is.
The chapters listed below or on the right side in maroon lead to close to 400 articles on all aspects of keeping a freshwater aquarium. These articles have NO links to profit-making sites and are thus unbiased in their recommendations, unlike all the for-profit sites you will find with Google. Bookmark and browse!
Hi Dave,
First, I was so relieved to find your site! I was getting overwhelmed and frustrated with all the conflicting advice. Unfortunately, I had already added plants before I found your site and saw your set up steps noting not to add plants. They have been in for one week. I have a basic tank cartridge filter that came with my 29 gallon aquarium kit. That is all I have done so far other than lighting the aquarium for 5 to 7 hours a day. What do I do now?
Note that one of the eighteen chapters in this lengthy website addresses planted tanks. Most all the rest of this website is written about fish only tanks. That is because the vast majority of the aquariums in the world are fish only without plants. More about that in this article: -5-aquarium-options/
Draw and cut out small fish and color them with markers or crayons. Tape one end of a length of thread to the side of a fish. Tape the other end to the top of the berry box. Close the box lid to see if the fish is swimming at a suitable distance from the bottom of the aquarium. If you need to adjust the height of the fish, gently pull on the end of the thread and it will slide through the tape.
Heather is the creative mind behind the wonderful Preschool Toolkit blog where she writes about creating exciting hands-on experiences for early learners. You can also find her on facebook and pinterest.
My Simple Aquarium was written with the beginner in mind. It contains over 50 time & money saving tips to help you gain control of your aquarium. The tips are basic, down to earth and easy to understand. The principles are scientific, logical and they work!
Aquatic Designs is an aquarium maintenance company with years of experience in cleaning and maintaining all kinds of fish aquariums. We now bring our methods to you in this easy to use guide My Simple Aquarium.
Beginners Listen Up. This combo is for you. If you are a pro and you know it all, buy plants individually or see what I have shaking with the higher level combos. (Golden Touch Combos are here) IF not: Dear Billy Beginner, I love beginner's because everyone was one at some point and if you get off to a good start you will soon have multi-tank-itis. ( A great problem many planted tank people have) But if you are looking at me for a beginner's planted combo; I am going to keep it super easy for you. These combos are easy plants and will make it so you have success right out of the gate.
If you want specific plants, get them, I sell a crap load of them. IF YOU WANT TO TRUST ME TO HOOK YOU UP WITH PLANTS THAT WONT DIE- THIS COMBO IS FOR YOU. Sincerly, Dustin DustinsFishtanks Beginner planted tank combos are 5 different species of plants that are hardy-that's it. ---I pick them, not you.
This is my first time attempting to put plants in my aquarium, and from the ordering process to the time the order hit the door it's been great. I ordered the beginner plant set and they sent some awesome plants. I am very excited how they look and I will definitely be ordering more stuff from these guys in the future.
When you say, "10 Stems of Jungle Val 5 Stems of Dwarf Sag 5 Stems of Bacopa Monnieri 5 Leaves on a Java Fern 1 Anubias with over 5 leaves.:, even though you reserve the right to "slightly alter this...based on supply at the time," I received no anubias, no dwarf sag, five (not 10) vals, with the replacements -- more than slightly altered -- being all tall stem plant clumps plus a banana plant. Not anywhere near the balance of plants I was hoping for. There is only so much room at the back of a tank for tall stem plants. You should revise your description to be a little more honest about what to expect. In other words, just say x number of totally random unlabeled plants. Don't set people up to expect something close to what you have included in your descrption.
#1 Seller Alteranthera Anubias Amazon Swords Aponogetons Bacopa Banana Plants Crypts Crinum Cabomba Dwarf Sagitaria Elodea Anacharis Hygrophila Java Moss Java Fern Ludwigia Mayaca Myrio Dwarf Lilly ( Red Lotus) Pogostemon Rotala Stauro (S. Repens) Vallisneria VAL- 6- TYPES Aquarium Plants on Driftwood Water Lettuce
This classic aquarium plant is known for its ability to grow huge and take over your fish tank with luscious greenery. Lighting and substate are not as important as making sure it gets fed lots and lots of root tabs. When you first buy it, the sword usually has big, round leaves that are emersed grown (or grown outside of water). Once placed in water, these large leaves melt back as the plant reabsorbs their nutrients to make longer, narrower leaves that are submersed grown (or grown underwater).
If these new leaves appear to be yellowing, make sure to give it more root tabs. Eventually, the sword may grow big enough to become a mother plant, creating long spikes that turn into baby sword plants for you to plant in other aquariums.
Since the roots do not need to be planted into substrate, it mostly absorbs nutrients from liquid fertilizers in the water column. You can propagate it either by cutting the rhizome in two or by letting one of the leaves float at the surface. Soon the rows of black spots (known as sporangia) on the leaf will develop into baby plantlets with their own tiny leaves and roots. These plantlets can eventually be detached and planted elsewhere in the aquarium. Read our full java fern care guide here.
Need an easy carpeting plant to complete your aquascape? Dwarf sagittaria is a hardy, grass-like plant that looks like a miniature vallisneria. If you use high light, it stays short and small, but if you use low light, it grows pretty tall to get closer to the light. As for nutrients, it appreciates both root tabs and liquid fertilizers in the water column. Dwarf sag propagates readily by send out runners throughout the substrate. If it spreads to an unwanted area of the tank, just pull out the new shoots and replant them elsewhere.
Or, i wonder if you took apart a ST multi sensor and stuck it to the aquarium somehow (trying to get the circuit board sensor close to glass as possible). Then cover it with a small box(???) to insulate it from the air.
Still trying to understand using the Qubino with submerged probe. Does one simply buy a wall adapter and strip the ends to hard wire? Also would it need to go into some kind of enclosure? I currently use a Fibaro FGK to monitor my aquarium but would like to find a non-battery powered solution.
I did see where a guy used a mulitsensor, and vacuum sealed it in a food saver, for his pool and that worked too - he just cuts it open when he wants to replace the battery and seals it back up. But for the aquarium, that solution would have been hard to hide.
I have been collecting vintage wall mounted, totally kitschy, aquarium fish for a while. (here is the shopping link where I bought these from and, like an addict, keep checking frequently for more) Since I had several varieties of seahorses, I started by placing them scattered about on the kitschy aquarium:
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