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    Thread: Osaka 260 Winter Project

    1. #1
      *Ci*'s Avatar
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      Osaka 260 Winter Project

      One of those rare snow days here in the PacNW .... bored, so I thought I might share my winter pandemic project.

      Over 10 years ago I had a few low tech planted tanks - a 120g with potted plants, anubias and goldfish, a 70g Oceanic planted community and some Walstad style nano tanks. When I retired and started travelling south in the winter, I gave up the aquarium hobby and focused on outdoor ponds that I could leave on their own for a few months at a time.
      Now, I am staying home year round and decided to get back into planted tanks this winter for something to keep me occupied while waiting for ponding season to re-open!

      I started with a search for a beautiful tank and stand. I live on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada, so my options for any purchases are limited (long, expensive ferry trips to the rest of the world plus high shipping, taxes, duty and exchange rates to Canada to consider). However, I was very lucky to have found this Fluval Osaka 260 (68g) tank, with the original stand and light fixture - supposedly unused! It seems hard to believe since the Osaka line of tanks was discontinued by Fluval back in 2011, but the owner said he bought it as “old new stock” and never got around to setting it up. The tank and glass are pristine, in any case.
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      Cheers,
      Ci


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    2. #2
      *Ci*'s Avatar
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      To match my 40’s house and 50’s decor, I decided to paint the brushed aluminum trim on the tank with hammered gold spray paint. Very pleased with the outcome.

      The original fixture is a t5ho with 2 x 39w bulbs. I’m also adding a Current Satellite Plus Pro that I had for lighting an indoor succulent garden. Since the tank is so deep, I think this combo will give me a ‘medium’ light range with an approximation of 52 par for the t5’s and 78 for the LED’s which will sit nearer to the front of the tank. I figure I can raise and lower the fixtures with chains and use timers to adjust the intensity when needed (the photo shows them as high as the rack will let them go).
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      Cheers,
      Ci


    3. #3
      *Ci*'s Avatar
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      Unfortunately, in my very small house, the only walls available for the tank run parallel to the joists underneath. Plus, in this old house the joists are only 2x6 construction! The position of the tank has it sitting across one joist near the front, so I added a second one under the back. The joists are held up in the crawlspace with nice, heavy beams, and the tank is sitting right on top of one on the right. I added two steel jackposts under each corner on the left. I think I’ve eliminated any possibility of sagging and the floor feels very stable when I jump on it.

      While I was down in the crawlspace, I decided to run a stainless steel water hose attached to both my washing machine taps for warmed water and have it coming up through the floor behind the fish tank. Luckily, the bathroom is on the other side of my chosen wall and I was able to tap into the shower drain, right above the pea trap, and bring that pipe up behind the tank, as well. Water changes should be a breeze : )

      Hose and drain pipe behind tank (painted gold to match):
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      Cheers,
      Ci


    4. #4
      *Ci*'s Avatar
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      I arranged the hardscape and bags of lava on top of a black eggcrate on the bottom. The spiderwood came with pieces of drilled slate screwed to the bottoms, but that didn’t work for my positioning, so I removed them and tied the wood down to the eggcrate. Hopefully it will stay put, otherwise I can use some spare rocks to weight it (again, hopefully).

      I ordered 6L of ADA Powersand Advance L to fill in the gaps around the lava bags and the spaces in the eggcrate, and 9L of Amazonia 2 for the rest.
      Also ordered a CO2Art dual stage regulator and their inline diffuser, and sourced a CO2 canister and place to fill locally.

      I used the Powersand as planned and it covered the bottom and filled some gaps. Then I started putting the Amazonia soil down. Amazing how fast your rocks sort of dwindle ... I added a few more rocks and rearranged some others. I over ordered the soil a bit (4 bags and I only used 2!) so I felt that I could be generous with it.

      I am using an Oase Biomaster Thermo 350 canister, with a Koralia 400gph powerhead for extra flow in the tank.

      The drawback to the Fluval Osaka original stand, beautiful as it is, is that there are open shelves in the middle with only 2 smaller cabinets on either side. The filter and the Co2 tank basically fill the interior space ... oh well, I’ll manage : )
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      Cheers,
      Ci


    5. #5
      *Ci*'s Avatar
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      I ordered plants online - mostly tissue culture with a couple of potted plants and some bucephalandra, and proceeded with a dry start. Basically - plant in damp substrate and cover the tank to keep it humid. When the emersed plants develop strong root systems you flood the tank and carry on with cycling.

      1) Initial planting
      2) After flooding
      3) A few weeks after
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      Ci


    6. #6
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      The tank project was started in November. As of today, I have re-arranged some plants and replaced some that were not doing well, dialed in my lighting and co2 to control diatoms and algae (fairly successfully), changed the background to black, and added livestock - honey gouramis, zebra otos, glass catfish, black neons, blue rilli shrimp and blue ramshorn snails.

      Maintenance includes everyday doses of macro and micro ferts and a weekly 50% WC and plant trim.
      I’ve ordered a macro lens for my phone, so I can hopefully get some better (at least more in focus) shots of the tank!
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      Cheers,
      Ci


    7. #7
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      WoW Ci what a beautiful aquarium. I love the black background and all of your plants. Looks so healthy. I also love your honey gouramis. I have a pair of Gold gouramis since they were young but once grown they do not get along at all and I had to separate them.

      Thank you for sharing your winter pandemic project.
      Nancy



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    8. #8
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      Very tastefully set up.
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    9. #9
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      Wow, that's a lovely project. You certainly have some substantial skills in this realm!

      I've only ever done low tech tanks, and haven't even tried doing tissue cultured plants, much less an emersed start. Your results are truly impressive!

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      Beautiful job Ci!
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    11. #11
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      That is fabulous! Beautiful! I know you are enjoying it!
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    12. #12
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      A year and 8 months later update.

      The tank has gone through a few re-scapes. I gradually removed all the rocks and wood, partly to have more room for plants, partly because they were disappearing in the jungle of growth and because they seemed to attract algae and were hard to clean.
      After a while, there was no hardscape left and the tank was leaning towards a “Dutch” feeling, which is a certain style devoted to particular plant layouts. It was looking pretty good!

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      However, it was developing some algae issues on older leaves of most of the stem plants and green dust on the glass every week that I was getting frustrated with. Adjusting light and co2, waiting a week, repeat, repeat … trimming tops and replanting, having those sections looking bad until they filled in again etc. I don’t know, I was losing interest, and looking back to the days 15 years ago when I kept a 125g low tech fancy goldfish tank with large potted plants and minimal work involved.

      My 125g goldfish tank circa 2005:

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      Finally, I made the decision to completely change up the Osaka. I removed all the plants, saving the ones best suited to a low light, non- co2 environment, and potted them in black glass vases. Exchanged the Aquasoil for an easy to vacuum layer of fline gravel. Removed the co2 system and lowered the lights. I put the driftwood back in.

      The tank is low tech and way easier to maintain. Less fuss and less algae!

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      I am finding myself sitting and watching the fish a lot and enjoying the beauty rather than thinking so much about what I have to do to fix things. The aquarium has a spare, modern feel to it that I’m sure is not to everyones taste, but I think it suits the Osaka tank, my room decor and my own sensibilities.

      Right now, I am looking for another special tank to put on the opposite wall for my next winter project!

      Last edited by *Ci*; 10-21-2022 at 10:00 AM.
      ________________________________________
      Cheers,
      Ci


    13. #13
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      That looks great, Ci. It is really beautiful, and looks peaceful and relaxing to watch. Very nice!
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    14. #14
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      Very nice looking tank! I think it is very tastefully done


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    15. #15
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      o2 OXYGEN?

      Co2 CARBON DIOXIDE?
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    16. #16
      *Ci*'s Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by coolwon View Post
      o2 OXYGEN?

      Co2 CARBON DIOXIDE?
      I removed my c02 system to create an easier, low tech system. The plants I have now are ones that do fine without c02 injection. Oxygen is provided by angling the spraybar up to create ripples on top of the water, which is actually more effective (and efficient) than a bubbler, as it is the gas exchange between the surface water and the air that oxygenates the tank. Plus no loud and annoying air pump.
      ________________________________________
      Cheers,
      Ci


    17. #17
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      Wow, I missed this thread the first time around. Very impressed by your technical (and gardening) skills. A beautiful tank. Like the professionally maintained ones in the doctor's and dentist's offices but within the pain of a visit!

    18. #18
      *Ci*'s Avatar
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      I was browsing FB marketplace when, lo and behold, there was another Osaka tank for sale in my town! Needless to say … I bought it.
      Fluval made 3 sizes of the Osaka line of tanks. My 260 (litres) was the middle size and the new one is the larger size - 360L or 84.5g. Whoop!

      I shored up the floor underneath and put the new tank on the wall opposite the old one. I am going for the same low tech, easy to maintain esthetic, with potted plants and wood. This time I am putting in a moss wall, which is basically a mesh grid suction cupped to the glass with bits of moss tied on that will eventually fill in to cover the back wall.
      Fish will be larger and all either black or yellow. I bought an Oase Biomaster Thermal 850 filter for it, moved some filter material from my established canisters to jumpstart the filters and added 6 black lyretail mollies for the rest of the cycle. More plants are on the way and I expect no large ammonia or nitrite spikes with this combination. I’ll add more fish slowly over the next few months. Black Angels, gold Gouramis, black Corydoras, gold Lazer Cories, yellow long finned Danios, Black Knight rams, and yellow Plecos.

      Nothing like a new winter project!

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      ________________________________________
      Cheers,
      Ci


    19. #19
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      Your tanks are looking great. So your turning into more of a fish junky. All those knobs on the panel look complicated for a fish tank.

    20. #20
      *Ci*'s Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by kdh View Post
      Your tanks are looking great. So your turning into more of a fish junky. All those knobs on the panel look complicated for a fish tank.
      Lol, no that thing with the knobs is a Theremin, a musical synthesizer that you play by waving your hands at it to manipulate the electromagnetic field.

      My DH has always been reluctant to go along with any of my ideas involving animals, but has had a bit of a change of heart recently when he agreed to adding the second Osaka. In fact it was his idea to bring out an old vintage tank I had from years ago (found in a flea market in Ill, back in the 80’s), and set it up as a betta tank.
      It is a 2.5g Jewell cast iron and slate tank from the early 1900’s. I put clear plastic hanging baskets in it with bare root houseplants, plus a lucky bamboo and some java fern. No filter, and a single male betta.

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      This tank has been through many iterations over the decades, including as a tarantula habitat:

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      ________________________________________
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      Ci


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