Finally Water into Emersed Crypt Display (And Stand Fix Too)

How do you like my syntax?

I spent a few hours today working on the emersed Cryptocroyne display and made some headway.

Fixing the Stand

I had to adjust the stand a little bit–i found that the tank was not sitting quite level. The 2X4’s that I used for the top horizontals along the width of the stand were about 1/8″ broader than the shorter pieces, so the aquarium was sitting just on that front horizontal support and on its corners on the back. My solution was to remove the bottom front piece and plane it down to the same size as the short pieces. I was able to leave everything else set up while I stole that 2X4t.

After planing and refinishing that 2X4, I removed the tank and unscrewed the top support. I switched the two horizontals and put the thicker one on the bottom, where its level will be less critical.

The stand is about 2 1/2″ deeper than the 55 gallon tank. I had to make it this size to leave a little bit of space between the pairs of steel connectors at the top corners. I think that it also looks a little bit better with this shape. Thus, the back of the aquarium was just floating without support. I decided to add a brace with a short piece of pine 2X6.

Aquarium Stand Fix 27-IV-09

I’m not counting on this supporting a whole lot of weight: I just want to spread it around a little bit more and have something under that long span of the back of the aquarium. A little steel bracket holds the brace in place.

Aquarium Stand Fix 27-IV-09

Working on the Display

I have consistently found that the golden section serves very well as a guide for determining how much water to add to a riparium display. The golden section of any given dimension can be found by multiplying by 0.618.

Considering the front pane of aquarium glass to be like the frame of a picture, I measured the total height of glass–from the bottom of the top plastic rim to the top of the bottom plastic rim–and determined it to be 18″ tall. Thus, the golden section would found with the following:

18 X 0.618 = 11.12

For a planted riparium, this would the amount of space occupied by the above-water, emersed portion. The balance (6.88 inches) would be filled with water. I decided to err on the side of having a little more water and round up to 7.

Golden Section--Water Fill-line

Here it is with 10 more gallons of water. At this point I ran out of conditioned water, but it is only short by an inch or so. I need to raise those hanging planters so that they are even with the water surface.

Emersed Cryptocoryne Tank 27-IV-09

I have been using this tank to culture a bunch of crypts and other things. I had to yank some to make room for the actual aquascape development. I am using tall, erect crypts for the composition background, so I removed a number of planters containing plants that are too small to be of much use.

Cryptocoryne Specimens

It is still a mess, but the next picture gives an idea of what the display will look like.

Emersed Cryptocoryne Tank 27-IV-09

These lights are provisional. I think that I have a pretty good idea for pendant lighting. I hope to start work on the sand substrate and hardscape tomorrow.