Eric's starfire 25 gal rimless

[exv152]

(Updates in red as of Oct. 29, 2013)
equipment:
tank is a 25 gal all starifire glass, 60x40x40cm
10 lb pressurized CO2 cylinder with DC regulator, bubble counter and solenoid (1-2 bubbles/sec)
Cornelius single stage regulator with fabco NV
ADA new amazonia aquasoil, one 9L bag
ADA mekong decorative sand
ADA do aqua! violet vp and vv intake & output pipes
ADA drop checker
DC stainless steel diffuser
6x 14watt T5 6700k and colormax
4x 24w T5HO tek lighteheim 2213
2x eheim heaters
1x 50w eheim heater

Flora:
HC
HM
Ricci fluitans
e. parvula

Fauna:
4 lemon tetra fry
12 25-35~ chili rasboras
2 pheonix rasboras
10 cherry shrimp

[DaWolfe]

Looking very nice.  I love those Starfire tanks.

Can not wait to see the progress of this tank.

Dan

[Peekay]

Very nice! 
Pretty smart to do the moss and anubias without water.  I'll remember that for next time.

Looking forward to seeing this develop!

[charlie]

Way to go Eric, congrats, love the stand too, you should have built 2 
Errol

[exv152]

Thanks guys. I managed to put this all together this afternoon, while watching the game...can't wait to see it grow in.

[bizfromqc]

Thanks guys. I managed to put this all together this afternoon, while watching the game...can't wait to see it grow in.

Love it.
Top of the line everything in there, pretty schnazzy.

Piece of driftwood is awesome.

[touchofsky]

Very nice!  Please post pictures of its progress 

[exv152]

Way to go Eric, congrats, love the stand too, you should have built 2 
Errol

Two? One for you too? Trust me, it's ok, hence the reason why I opted to paint it black - so the details wouldn't show as much. I had a look at AI's 25 gal stand and they were asking $130 but I wasn't too impressed with the strength of that stand, only the outside finish looks good.

[charlie]

Two? One for you too? Trust me, it's ok, hence the reason why I opted to paint it black - so the details wouldn't show as much. I had a look at AI's 25 gal stand and they were asking $130 but I wasn't too impressed with the strength of that stand, only the outside finish looks good.

That was the thinking  but dreaded the thought of stripping the tank down, was going to paint mine like peekay did to a similar stand but have decided to skin mine & stain it black.

[pm]

Very nice split substrate.  I was going to do that on my 10 gal, had everything ready, but chickened out in the end.  I move stuff around too much, they would have mixed.

Kudos to you on having a planned layout before you started.   

[exv152]

That was the thinking  but dreaded the thought of stripping the tank down, was going to paint mine like peekay did to a similar stand but have decided to skin mine & stain it black.

Black stain is very nice with the black background it really makes the colours of the plants and fish pop out.

[exv152]

Very nice split substrate.  I was going to do that on my 10 gal, had everything ready, but chickened out in the end.  I move stuff around too much, they would have mixed.

Kudos to you on having a planned layout before you started.    

With aquasoil you really can't be digging stuff up too much because disturbing the substrate releases organic matter and it clouds up the water. This is why I did all the planting with a couple of inches of water only, and with tweezers. From personal experience, some aquascapes just need time to develope and patience.

[exv152]

Here's a look under the hood...

[bizfromqc]

Here's a look under the hood...

Hey Eric, is that the AI DC CO2 regulator you're using?
If not, can you give us a bit more details on your CO2 rig?

[exv152]

Yeah, that's a  DC regulator from AI. I had them bring it when they were here in January.  Personally I would've went with the blue regulator instead of the fuschia pink, but what the heck. So far so good.

[bizfromqc]

Yeah, that's a  DC regulator from AI. I had them bring it when they were here in January.  Personally I would've went with the blue regulator instead of the fuschia pink, but what the heck. So far so good.

LOL Fushia is the new blue anyways 

How do you like it so far? The price is right on the unit so if it performs, its a good deal.

[exv152]

LOL Fushia is the new blue anyways 

How do you like it so far? The price is right on the unit so if it performs, its a good deal.

To be honest, I was a bit skeptical at first because of the price, and the fact that it's made in China, but so far it's been excellent. The control dial is very precise. I would recommend getting the co2 cylinder from another source though, but the fact that it's supposed to be a dual stage regulator, with needle valve, bubble counter and solenoid (with a built-in check valve-but I still use a $2 check valve to be sure) it's actually a good deal.

[charlie]

To be honest, I was a bit skeptical at first because of the price, and the fact that it's made in China, but so far it's been excellent. The control dial is very precise. I would recommend getting the co2 cylinder from another source though, but the fact that it's supposed to be a dual stage regulator, with needle valve, bubble counter and solenoid (with a built-in check valve-but I still use a $2 check valve to be sure) it's actually a good deal.

Hey Eric, did you mean 2 gauge?, because that regulator is not a  2 stage.
Errol

[exv152]

Yes, single stage but dual gauge. Which means I have to be careful when the end of tank dump occurs.

[exv152]

Day 7 update...some noticeable growth in the stem plants.