Newbie with 90 Gallons and not a penny to spare!

[wading_in]

Hello!

Starting up a 90 Gallon tank and am finally making some progress so I though I would share   I am working on a verrrrrry tight budget so most of what I am doing is DIY  excluding the stuff that clearly I cannot do

Looking at creating a "fantasy" scape with depth.   I have stepped mountains and a large tree (eucalyptus root)  and have just tonite laid down the sand cap

Having fun so far    

Doing a dry start and working mostly with Mosses and dwarf grasses.  Right now I am awaiting warmer weather so I can get my plants delivered without worrying about freezing.  Since this is Ottawa it could be June before that happens.  That's okay though as I still have to finish up some woodwork and finally get the lighting up. 

I will be running the following

Filter
Marineland C-360
Foams Bioballs and Biohome media

If you read my intro you already know about the lights

18Watt LED growers x2 and a marineland LED to be replaced by something better when I have the $$$$$
the Growers are = 100watts each

I have also been working hard on sculpting some small trees and floating rocks   That is why you see the bobbers in there   I was using them to place the lines

Hopefully I will have more to post later this week

till then!

[CC-Slider]

WOW!!
It is looking assume so far. What is the mountain made from, is it Styrofoam with a cement coating or something else, and is it solid or hollow. I would loved to see pictures or a video on how you did it. As I am still working on my main tank and like you I am DIY as much as I can and love your mountain so much I want to steal it.


Please keep us updated.

P.S
Are the lines on the front of the glass there for perspective while you landscape as in the 1/3 rule I keep hearing about on all the landscaping videos on youtube.

EDIT: Okay I just read your introduction and they are real Granite slabs I was hoping you found some really cool way to make fake rocks as they looked so real. But still you have inspired me into delving further into creating a similar mountain, but from Styrofoam or similar materiel.

[wading_in]

WOW!!
It is looking assume so far. What is the mountain made from, is it Styrofoam with a cement coating or something else, and is it solid or hollow. I would loved to see pictures or a video on how you did it. As I am still working on my main tank and like you I am DIY as much as I can and love your mountain so much I want to steal it.


Please keep us updated.

P.S
Are the lines on the front of the glass there for perspective while you landscape as in the 1/3 rule I keep hearing about on all the landscaping videos on youtube.

EDIT: Okay I just read your introduction and they are real Granite slabs I was hoping you found some really cool way to make fake rocks as they looked so real. But still you have inspired me into delving further into creating a similar mountain, but from Styrofoam or similar materiel.

Hey CC

Thank you so much for your compliments!  I am loving the creative aspect of this hobby as well although I have to say I am veeerrrry happy that the mountain is in place. 

Styrofoam would have been an easier option for sure but I had these on hand so why not

To be honest I did consider the idea but once I saw the whole process I was like whoa  maybe if all I had to do all day was play with my tank.

I love that you are going to go for it though, I think you should.  I wish I could tell you where the slabs came from originally but I haven't a clue, Do you live near a waterway?  Maybe you could collect some good slate pieces?  Other than that it will be a whole lot of shaping and shaving styrofoam.  I did however make the small trees you see with wire armature and some sculpey.  The brown came from rubbing dirt into the sculpey before baking in the oven.   

As for the lines on the glass YES that is me working with the 1/3 rule.  I don't know if it has helped me much with the perspective aspect but it sure helps ensure balance when laying everything out.   Highly recommended BUT if you do go for a Glass writer instead of dry erase as I had to redraw lines a few times.

Do you have pics of your tank up?    I will check them out

Thanks again for the positive feedback!

Cheers!

[charlie]

Thanks for sharing, liking the progress and looking forward to the journey.
Regards

[Mike L]

Rock looks like sandstone. I used it for years in my cichlid tanks and changed about 5 years ago for a new look. It can be found in many places in Kanata and valley. Drive along highway 17 and you will see the road cut through this stuff. Easy to get. Great start to the tank. Is the rock on glass or substrate?
Mike

[wading_in]

Rock looks like sandstone. I used it for years in my cichlid tanks and changed about 5 years ago for a new look. It can be found in many places in Kanata and valley. Drive along highway 17 and you will see the road cut through this stuff. Easy to get. Great start to the tank. Is the rock on glass or substrate?
Mike

Rocks are on the Substrate  Organic soil.  Wouldn't even want to think about moving those around on the glass  Yikes!

[Gilbotron]

Excellent progress so far!  Looks great!!!  Before I got into fishkeeping I was into model making (and have since combined the hobbies) so am always inspired by setups like this!

Are you going to add "leaves" to the trees?  I've been experimenting with similar and have found anubias nana petite works great if you can get enough.  Moss is ok, but not as realistic looking IMO (especially in larger scale like yours), unless doing pine trees.  Some Buce variants could also work but hard to get lots.  PM if you want to see some of my WIP pics for ideas.

Good call on the sculpey trees - I've hunted and dumped way too much $$$ on driftwood lookalikes.  What kind of paint did you use (enamel/acrylic)?  Did you seal with a varnish to prevent chipping/fading (fishsafe)?

Agreed on foam.  Can get spectacular results but its a ton of work.  Although a hot knife/wood burning kit works wonders.  Then getting it to stay down can be a challenge.

Keep us updated! 
You're making my MTS flare up again... 

[wading_in]

Excellent progress so far!  Looks great!!!  Before I got into fishkeeping I was into model making (and have since combined the hobbies) so am always inspired by setups like this!

Are you going to add "leaves" to the trees?  I've been experimenting with similar and have found anubias nana petite works great if you can get enough.  Moss is ok, but not as realistic looking IMO (especially in larger scale like yours), unless doing pine trees.  Some Buce variants could also work but hard to get lots.  PM if you want to see some of my WIP pics for ideas.

Good call on the sculpey trees - I've hunted and dumped way too much $$$ on driftwood lookalikes.  What kind of paint did you use (enamel/acrylic)?  Did you seal with a varnish to prevent chipping/fading (fishsafe)?

Agreed on foam.  Can get spectacular results but its a ton of work.  Although a hot knife/wood burning kit works wonders.  Then getting it to stay down can be a challenge.

Keep us updated! 
You're making my MTS flare up again... 

Actually I was planning on using the anubias Nana!   How did you know??   I am hoping to make it look like Acacia in the end.  I have some of the "branches" that I had to saw off and I will re-attach in places that make sense for effect.

I will definitely check out what you have

Super excited to get this growing!

[Mike L]

Absolutely no problem with the rock on glass. I have about 250 pounds of rock in my 75 with the base rocks on the glass. Doing this for 40 years 9n all my tanks. It is the preferred method for cichlid keepers. Of course you fish likely won't dig so.

[wading_in]

Absolutely no problem with the rock on glass. I have about 250 pounds of rock in my 75 with the base rocks on the glass. Doing this for 40 years 9n all my tanks. It is the preferred method for cichlid keepers. Of course you fish likely won't dig so.

I was just terrified that I would drop one!