ILikeAsianBooty Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 Boy this aint a cheap hobby!!! Hello everyone, I'd like to share my journey of creating my first bee tank and would like to share my progress with everyone aswell as honest input and suggestions from everyone! Substrate SL Aqua Nature Soil - Medium - 8L for $40.00 Tank 7.5 Gallon Cube Tank - Low Iron Glass - Mr. Aqua $80.99 shipped Equipment SunSun 603B free...item arrived new in box but wet inside hmm..complained to amazon and got a full refund w/o having to return it Fusion 700 pump $13.99 Air tubing $3.95 Sponge filter $8.99 Finnex fugeray planted+ $41.51 Essentials SL-Aqua Power Cycle Combo - 250ml Purify, 40G Magic Powder for $27.00 SL Blue Wizard 250ml $16.50 TDS meter $15.97 API test kit $21.99 Purigen 250ml $10.79 Chembag $4.95 Several 12in+ cholla wood $30 Golfball+ Fissiden f $22 Total $338.63 for a decent setup I think.. Shrimp Currently searching for a seller. Looking for nice red wines, ruby red wine, blue bolts, or shadow pandas..5-10 afeather 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILikeAsianBooty Posted March 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 Tank set up 3 days ago(2/26)...1in of substrate roughly and have about uhhh more than 70% of the bag left. Does it go bad? May setup another tank in the future... Sprinkle purify and magic powder on substrate with 1in tap..Need a heater this is a slow process w/o it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILikeAsianBooty Posted March 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 2/28 flooded the tank with DI water and remineralized. Added sponge filter only. Really need a heater but too lazy to order one..Can I do this w/o one? TDS 135 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Memphis118 Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 I read on the forums that a lot of people run their tanks without heaters. For me, I think it's fine as long as you can maintain a stable temp for your shrimp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyzazz Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 Looks good! You don't have to spend that much money if you don't mind sponge/matten filters and 10gal tanks! I've got maybe $600 into my entire setup. The soil won't go bad as long as you keep it dry, I'd place the existing bag in a zip-lock to keep it away from accidental moisture and then you can utilize the rest of it when you need to. Shrimp Life and HumanArtRebel1020 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClownPlanted Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 9 hours ago, ILikeAsianBooty said: SunSun 603B free...item arrived new in box but wet inside hmm..complained to amazon and got a full refund w/o having to return it This is actually possible according to them as they test before selling/sending. So most likely you scored a new filter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILikeAsianBooty Posted March 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 10 hours ago, Memphis118 said: I read on the forums that a lot of people run their tanks without heaters. For me, I think it's fine as long as you can maintain a stable temp for your shrimp. Oh, may need to read up on that. Sounds temping, but would like to try and keep a stable environment. Temperature in bay area fluctuates from 32f now and 110 in the summer here. 3 hours ago, wyzazz said: Looks good! You don't have to spend that much money if you don't mind sponge/matten filters and 10gal tanks! I've got maybe $600 into my entire setup. The soil won't go bad as long as you keep it dry, I'd place the existing bag in a zip-lock to keep it away from accidental moisture and then you can utilize the rest of it when you need to. WOW nice rack! Looks sturdy and modern. Where is your tank located at? Ive chosen the fusion pump because it was rated quiet but the output isnt as expected..may try the matten filter for next setup! Ive seen many members use them here so im sure their efficient. 1 hour ago, ClownPlanted said: This is actually possible according to them as they test before selling/sending. So most likely you scored a new filter Haha yeah, and people wonder why amazon is taking over. Great customer service! Flow is actually perfect too. Originally ordered 302 for this too haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClownPlanted Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 13 minutes ago, ILikeAsianBooty said: Haha yeah, and people wonder why amazon is taking over. Great customer service! Flow is actually perfect too. Originally ordered 302 for this too haha. I am actually using three 603B Filters for three of my shrimp tanks and they have been great so far. All ordered from Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyzazz Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 The rack and tanks I purchased off of Craigslist from an older Angelfish Breeder, it's welded angle iron. Everything is in my basement, shoehorned in next to the bar! My pump is a Jehmco LPH45, and it is super quiet! It makes less noise than any other airpump of any size that I've ever owned. Oh, and no heaters in my tanks in Northeast Ohio. We range from -20 to 100 over the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy6107 Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 looks good. careful with using tap water with your type of substrate, it can cause the life of it to expire earlier than expected. ILikeAsianBooty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILikeAsianBooty Posted March 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 3 hours ago, ClownPlanted said: I am actually using three 603B Filters for three of my shrimp tanks and they have been great so far. All ordered from Amazon. At first, I wasnt so pleased with the filter as it was humming loudly. After about a day though it has been silent so far and the flow is really just perfect for this size. I'd recommend it + its tiny compared to other filters too. 3 hours ago, wyzazz said: The rack and tanks I purchased off of Craigslist from an older Angelfish Breeder, it's welded angle iron. Everything is in my basement, shoehorned in next to the bar! My pump is a Jehmco LPH45, and it is super quiet! It makes less noise than any other airpump of any size that I've ever owned. Oh, and no heaters in my tanks in Northeast Ohio. We range from -20 to 100 over the year. It's amazing they could survive with no heater or live without a certain temp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILikeAsianBooty Posted March 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 So, yesterday 3/1 I did a 60% WC and finally added in the filter. The water seemed abit cloudy before the change, but clear when flooded for the first time. Also some particles growing on the glass which seems to be a good sign. Ammonia was low so I added in abit more fish food. The sponge filter is not aesthetically pleasing tbh xD. Could have done a better job with the cholla and moss but got abit lazy because of school and work. Will update parameters later today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyzazz Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 Your home should have a relatively constant temperature correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILikeAsianBooty Posted March 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 1 hour ago, wyzazz said: Your home should have a relatively constant temperature correct? No, it gets really cold at night around this time and in the summer ok in the morning but as the afternoon roll by 1p its like 98F and even hotter later on.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy6107 Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 47 minutes ago, ILikeAsianBooty said: No, it gets really cold at night around this time and in the summer ok in the morning but as the afternoon roll by 1p its like 98F and even hotter later on.. 98F inside the house? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILikeAsianBooty Posted March 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 13 minutes ago, chappy6107 said: 98F inside the house? Sorry outside, but inside maybe around 80+ house is poorly insulated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILikeAsianBooty Posted March 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2018 3/8/18 Did 2nd, 50% w/c added in a cap of purify and baby food. Have not taken parameters yet but will tmr or so.. Tank is cycling well w/o heater. Before w/c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILikeAsianBooty Posted March 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2018 After Decided to add another 1/2in substrate to make sure I dont need to change within the year...still have half a bag left. Really recommend sl aqua. Literally dumped the bag straight into the cube and the water was not super cloudy at all. The water is actually almost crystal clear now. Also added in some monte to see if it would grow naturally from my 20L. Found a possible seller for some A-S grade blue bolts for when the tank is cycled. As much as I would like to buy some high/extremes this is my first time with bees, so I'd like to gain some more experience first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyzazz Posted March 9, 2018 Report Share Posted March 9, 2018 Looking good! ILikeAsianBooty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColForbin Posted March 9, 2018 Report Share Posted March 9, 2018 I'd get some hard pink insulation for the back and use black background (or whatever you want) so you don't have to look at it. During the day I would use a low power heater (do not cheap out on this) and cover them with a towel to keep the cold out as well. Also, If your window faces south you might be getting too much direct light which can heat up the tank too much. I'd highly recommend a cobalt heater. I had some that were supposed to keep the tank at 72, but ended up getting to 78. My cobalt I can dial it in and it's fully submersible. Nice write up btw! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGlassBox Posted March 10, 2018 Report Share Posted March 10, 2018 Yeah, nice write up! I've used spray stove paint for black backgrounds before. Not sure how it would stick to foam insulation, but it would probably stick to the foil backed foam type... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILikeAsianBooty Posted March 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2018 7 hours ago, ColForbin said: I'd get some hard pink insulation for the back and use black background (or whatever you want) so you don't have to look at it. During the day I would use a low power heater (do not cheap out on this) and cover them with a towel to keep the cold out as well. Also, If your window faces south you might be getting too much direct light which can heat up the tank too much. I'd highly recommend a cobalt heater. I had some that were supposed to keep the tank at 72, but ended up getting to 78. My cobalt I can dial it in and it's fully submersible. Nice write up btw! Thank you! The shades in my room arnt used too much. I'm probably going to get a inline or move my jager into the cube/vise versa to fix the heat issue. Summer is almost here btw! As with the background, I dont mind it too much but will try adding black paper to the back and see how it looks before doing anything Parameters 3/9 Gh- 4 Kh- 2 Tds- 136 Ph- 6.6 day after wc. Hope it will stabilize around 6.2-6.4 NO2- 0ppm NH3- 0.5ppm NO3- 0ppm- not sure if the w/c and adding additional soil affected the results or not...we'll see in a couple of days. I'm not sure if we are able to review items or not but the sunsun has quiet down in the past few days after being broken in. At first I was really going to return it and get another eheim but im glad this freebie came through! The air pump does hum but its bearable, so I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to have a tank in their room with an air pump. The sponge filter also is almost silent as I lowered it more a few inches. The tubing is facing the blow valve directly if that matters, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILikeAsianBooty Posted March 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2018 3/12 Checked PM again today pH- 6.4 NO3- 0 No2- 0 Nh3/4- 0.50 KH- 2 GH -6 TDS- 140 Its been exactly 2 weeks but progress is abit slow, hoping it comes around by the end of next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILikeAsianBooty Posted March 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 Measured pH again - 6.0 or below, I do not have a pen or anything fancy to get an accurate reading except for the API kit. As long as its at or below 6 im ok with it. Also got the 200w hydor and its huge AF in person....like literally 1 foot. Thinking it was only 5in or so when purchasing but o well. Went in the cube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy6107 Posted March 14, 2018 Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 that is a lot of heater for a little tank. Keep an eye on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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