Wild plant growth

Hello all,
Took these pictures some time ago. We had been away for fourteen days, and this was the mildly insane plant growth that greeted me when I opened the 54 litres aquarium.

Insane Growth

Seems the plants had been doing alright in our absence :-).

The fish seemed to really enjoy the jungle.

All the best,
Kasper

Installing a LED Moon Light in an Aquarium

Hello all,
A few years back, I bought a cheap LED Moon light system on Ebay. The reason for this was that my aquarium lamps are all set to switch off for a few hours around noon each day (where we are rarely at home). So I thought it might be nice to be able to see the fish swimming around without getting increased algae growth.
The installation was very simple, and it actually looked pretty good:

Unfortunately, the sucktion discs  wee not up to the task and after half a year they began regularly giving up and I had to pull the moon light out of the tank multiple times (it was water tight, of course).

The fish appeared to enjoy the light, swimming happily around, and it did remove some of the chock they experience when the main lights switch on.

All the best,
Kasper

DIY exit flow pipe from aquarium pump

Hello all,
One of the first aquariums we bought was a small 54 litres (14 gallons) starter set. This included everything from heater to lamp. It was a 'no-name' system, a cheap Chinese brand called AAA.
 To be honest all parts were adequate, although everything has since been changed several times.
One thing that did annoy me was that the filter (placed on top of the tank, under the lid) did not create the desired amount of circulation in the tank.
I set about to remedy this problem and this was the result:
Behind the root in the centre, you can see the gizmo I made. It diverted the water's exit flow into the centre of the tank, creating a nice vortex.

It was covered with Java Moss and within a few weeks it was completely camouflaged.

 Here is the addition before camouflage was added:

 The pipe was bought cheap (was a leftover from another customer's purchase) at a local friendly fish shop and the largest problem was figuring out which diameter to use :-). I didn't know this at the time, but Eheim produces a range of hoses that suits almost any pump.

Anyways, just adding old stuff, so I do not forget them. Hope someone out there can use the ideas.


All the best,
Kasper

Aquaponics 7: Retrofitting a pump to fit a hose pipe

Hello all,
So because I'm such a cheap-scate I will have to re-use the pump that came with the 54 liters (14 gallons) fish tank that is the basis of this entire endeavour. While this pump has done a perfect job keeping the tank healthy and clean over the last two years, this will be a new experience for it. Pumping water half a metr into the air...

I havnt got the specifics of the pump but it the tank is made by Aquael so this is probably the same for the pump.

 In order to get the pump to fit a water hose I had to construct the following gizmo. Made by cutting a water cleaner into smaller parts, inverting the sequence of them. This created a tight fit that should allow me to use the pump to run the Aquaponic system. Hopefully (I do tend to say 'hopefully' a lot..)

 Fancy thing that will fit both a hose and a pump... I could have bought a similar thing, but hey...

Cost so far: 8$ for the silicone used.

For those not yet privy to the fascinating world of Aquaponics here is what information Wikipedia provides:

Aquaponicsis a sustainable food production system that combines a traditional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. In aquaculture, effluents accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity for the fish. This water is led to a hydroponic system where the by-products from the aquaculture are filtered out by the plants as vital nutrients, after which the cleansed water is recirculated back to the animals. The term aquaponics is a portmanteau of the terms aquaculture and hydroponic.
Aquaponic systems vary in size from small indoor or outdoor units to large commercial units, using the same technology. The systems usually contain fresh water, but salt water systems are plausible depending on the type of aquatic animal and which plants. Aquaponic science may still be considered to be at an early stage, relative to other sciences.

Basicly, this translates into let the fish shit, let the plants grow on the shit and clean the water, and then eat all the plants yourself... more or less....

All the best,
Kasper

Aquaponics 2 - Apartment Aquaponics?

Hello all,
So my 'cheap-ass' Aquaponic system will not only have to be made from scratch but will also have to fit into a window sill, on top of an existing aquarium. "Impossible," I hear you say? Nonsense :-).

 This is the 54l (14 gallons) test-tank that will form the basis of the system. As you can see I've begun building a heavy duty frame to take the weight of the growbed from the aquarium. I think these are called two by fours or something, they were found a month ago in the trash... five unused lenghts of timber, just thrown away. Blows my mind. Anyways they will provide the frame while the box below (also found in nearby trash) will be the (first?) grow bed.

 Isn't it pretty? I think its an old milk tray or something similar. It will work fine. I hope?

 More construction going on...

 Test fitting the growbed on top of the frame. Looks good, doesn't it?
And small. I already want a larger system. Maybe next year, once I've persuaded the wife that this thing works. No one really belive I'll be able to pull this through.
Wish me luck!

Total cost so far: 0$
For those not yet privy to the fascinating world of Aquaponics here is what information Wikipedia provides:

Aquaponicsis a sustainable food production system that combines a traditional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. In aquaculture, effluents accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity for the fish. This water is led to a hydroponic system where the by-products from the aquaculture are filtered out by the plants as vital nutrients, after which the cleansed water is recirculated back to the animals. The term aquaponics is a portmanteau of the terms aquaculture and hydroponic.
Aquaponic systems vary in size from small indoor or outdoor units to large commercial units, using the same technology. The systems usually contain fresh water, but salt water systems are plausible depending on the type of aquatic animal and which plants. Aquaponic science may still be considered to be at an early stage, relative to other sciences.

All the best,
Kasper

54 Liters - Poecilia reticulata, Caracas, breeding tank

Hello all,
This is where all our Poecilia reticulata, Caracas (or perhaps Poecilia wingei (Endler's livebearers), not entirely sure :-)) are born. Beautiful fish, unfortunately they all end up in the stomachs of our larger fish... Still there is about 20-30 fish in all different sizes.
More details later, just some pictures to get this blog started...
Tons of plants :-)

Poecilia reticulata, Caracas

Poecilia reticulata, Caracas

Poecilia reticulata, Caracas

Poecilia reticulata, Caracas

Poecilia reticulata, Caracas

All the best,
Tokasper

The old 54 liters fishtank

Lest we forget :-)

More pictures of the old tank...

Hello all,
lest we forget :-):

My son a bit baffled by the new fishtank:

2 x Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus or Ancistrus pirareta from Paraguay (20/09/10-100)

 2x Aphyosemion australe "Hjerseni" / "Goldlopez" (2/10/10 - 160)

The inhabitants of the old, old fishtank...

Just so I can remember what we began with...

2x Aphyosemion australe "Hjerseni" / "Goldlopez" (2/10/10 - 160)
10 x Zebrafisk, Danio rerio (20/09/10 - 100)

2 x Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus or Ancistrus pirareta from Paraguay (20/09/10-100)

Shrimps: 1x Atyopsis moluccensis (vifte reje) (20/09/10 - 50) and 1x Caridina cf. babaulti "Green" / Amano Caridina multidendata M ? ) (20/09/10 - 50)