Setting Up: Lights & Gravel

It's been just over a week since the tank was set up. Definitely an overdue on giving details about the setup for which I must apologise.

First up, the dimensions of the tank:
965mm x 350mm x 500mm

As you can see, the tank is quite narrow which really limits quite a bit on the options for layout. Not very forgiving on mistakes either. The glass is about 10mm thick as the tank has no frame above to brace it. What would happen according to the lady is that the high pressure of the water would result in the glass bending, which overtime might crack or suddenly give way.


First up was to lay the gravel, which I bought from Nature Aquarium at Thomson. It is slightly more expensive than the river sand that we normally buy from shops. This is because knowing that this was to be a java fern tank, the gravel needs to have more reds and be shade darker to bring out the contrasting green. This gravel in particular is unique cause it looks more like fish food pellets - being spherical - rather than the angular types normally used. The only problem when placing it in the tank is that it is pretty dusty. No visible problems though when water was added.


Next is lights. I decided to go with LED because of firstly, it is more efficient and hence will save electricity in the long run. Secondly, the lifespan is much longer. If the hype is true, I shouldn't need to change lights for the next 3-5 years compared to flourescent tubes which need to be changed every 6 months or so. Last of all, it's high efficiency means very little heat is emitted which is of particular importance considering how everything is enclosed within the cupboard. It should save me money on having to buy a fan to cool the tank.

Oceanus LED lights was chosen in particular because of it's unique design. The LEDs are enclosed within the tube which makes it waterproof. If desired, the entire unit can be submerged. That makes the entire unit small, lightweight and easy to carry around. I bought 2 sets from C328 at Clementi and it turned out to be a costly mistake.

With each tube is a DC adapter to plug the lights into the socket. Unfortunately, C328 forgot to give the adapters when the purchase was made resulting in me being extremely horrified to find that no adapter was included. In part, it's poor design on the Oceanus as no lighting system is sold without some kind of power device. The other was me having to rush through setting up the tank. The pressure combined with the shock resulted in me going to the nearby electronic store to buy two DC adapters setting me back $44. Perhaps if the pressure wasn't there, the simple solution would be to return to the shop to check for any missing parts. Nonetheless, after several exchanges over e-mails, Oceanus said that the problem was between C328 and me but they were at least nice enough to deliver the proper DC adapters to me.

Lighting wise, LED lights emit a beam that is very narrow. So unlike conventional lighting, while it is more efficient, it makes it tough to light up the entire tank evenly without the use of some reflector. Also, the light is somewhat blue which makes the fish look a little funny although the rest seem rather fine. If given a choice, I'd probably revert back to conventional lighting for now. LED is the future, but at present, it still has room for development. Unless you're in a situation that demands that type of lighting, best to wait and see.

In the meantime, stay tuned as I bring you updates on the new layout done over this weekend.