Tank One

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Hardware

  • 20 gallon high glass tank
  • An Eclipse 2 hood
  • 30 pounds of Flourite gravel
  • 100 watt Ebo-Jager heater
  • DIY lighting (see below)
  • AC timer for the lights

Livestock

Plants

DIY Lighting

In February 2003, I added extra lighting to the system. The Eclipse 2 comes with 30 watts, which is fine for general purposes. However, it was only about half of what I wanted for live plants, and the plants weren't doing well. So I ordered the "2 x 13 Watt Deluxe Bright Kit" and two 6400K bulbs from AH Supply. This brought my total tank light up to 56 watts. It looks like sunlight is shining on the tank now.

The cost was $40, plus extras that I got at the local hardware store, such as plexiglass to make a splash guard, and heavy duty stiff wire to make hangers. I also extended the kit wires so that I could put the ballasts well away from the tank. If you're looking to add lighting to an Eclipse tank, I really recommend this kit. It's cheap and easy to hook up, with clear instructions from AH Supply, and requires only basic tools.
© 2006 by Eric Schreiber Return to Aquarium page

This is how the tank looked on Dec 15, 2002, about one week after it was first planted.

Taken around Jan 15, 2003. Still trying to figure out the best way to take an overall photo of the tank. The contraption next to the Betta is a 'bell' reservoir for CO2. It was replaced with a Hagen diffuser shortly afterwards. The Anacharis and Dwarf Rotala has grown a lot, though the Anacharis is definitely more 'spindly' looking.

Early March, 2003. You can see that the CO2 bell reservoir has been replaced with the Nutrafin diffuser visible in the upper left. I've done some rearranging. The rock that was on the right hand side is gone, as is most of the Anacharis, which has been replaced with green cabomba. Also, in the front right is some Wisteria. This particular plant is a bit oddly shaped, but growing well. Along the front on the right is micro-sword, which is having trouble competing with algae. On the front left is dwarf sag. Just behind the micro sword is visible a Red Melon Sword. This has put out several new leaves, which are dark red in color. Next to that is a somewhat spindly anubias nana.

September 2003. A horribly overgrown mess. The tank gets like this about every ten days now - the trick was adding potassium. This photo was taken during a transition stage, where I'm starting to gradually rearrange plants for a better effect.

October 2004. Not a great photo, but you can clearly see that the Red Melon Sword has grown to be a great centerpiece, with the Sunset Hygro on the left and the Dwarf Rotala on the right providing interesting colors and shapes.