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This journal documents my thought process and design decisions for building mini yugang reactors for tanks below 20 gallons/60P.



If this is your first time learning about a yugang reactor, head over to this article:



Yugang CO2 Reactor - A Guide



One of the challenges with the yugang reactor is that they are tough to build for smaller tanks due to material availability. But that issue was solved in this thread below:


Yugang Reactors for Smaller Tanks



After reading the thread above, I thought that the PC cooling reservoir would be a great idea for three reasons:

1. You will be able to disassemble it for cleanup
2. It’s see-through, so you can adjust flow as required, as the flow will decrease over time from filter clog-up. This is sort of important for mini yugangs as significant flow reductions could lead to a slower rate of pH drop. This is discussed in detail later in the journal.
3. Its outflow is off-centre and the cylinder is rotatable as shown in the photo below, thus you can increase or decrease pH drop based on your tank size. This feature is particularly important as the PC cooling reservoirs come in fixed sizes, so the only real way to adjust pH drop is by rotating the cylinder to increase or decrease CO2 absorption.

Challenges with the mini yugang and how to resolve them:

1. Low volume: I have used a 310 mm PC cooling reservoir, with a usable diameter of 40mm. This means that during operation at full capacity the volume of water in the reactor is pretty low; about 185ml. This is a little problematic as the low mass flow rate requirement of the mini yugang coupled with the low volume means that only a small amount of water gets injected with CO2 at any point in time. This leads to the pH drop being very slow for a tank size of 20 gallons. I had designed my yugang for a pH drop of 1.4 and it takes me about 5-6 hours to achieve this. The way to resolve this issue would be by using a reactor with a great length (to be able to afford larger mass flow rates) and a larger volume, but this would mean that you would have a tough time running the reactor in overflow mode as the CO2 gas pocket would have to be very small due to the bigger reactor size. The other solution is to start injecting early like I do. So to conclude, the “rate of pH drop” is dependent on reactor volume, mass flow rate and the size of the fish tank. So keep this in mind if you’re trying to use a mini yugang for tanks bigger than 20 gallons.
2. Usually small volumes of air being purged into the reactor isn’t an issue as yugang points out in his article but if the filter is purging out massive bubbles of air frequently then this most certainly will affect reactor operation. If you own one of the older biomasters one of the issues you’d encounter is the filter purging air into the reactor. This happens in two cases; if you don’t have a bypass or if the tee joint at the bypass is oriented incorrectly. This is why my suggestion would be to install a bypass, as it just gives you more control over the situation. So, what is then the correct tee joint orientation? If you look at the photo below, you’ll see how the bull head of the tee joint is pointing upwards against gravity and that the bypass is connected to the bull head while the reactor inflow is connected to the parallel down-flow. This is key because the bypass being connected to the upwards facing bull head ensures that any bubbles being purged from the filter is not entering the reactor; this happens as bubbles have an affinity to move upwards. In this case, the filter purges air and the bubbles shoot straight into the bypass and out into the tank without entering the reactor and disrupting reactor performance.

I hope the reader will find my experience helpful in designing their own mini yugang. Thank you for reading.

I'm on the hunt for a stand mounted light stand for my 120p + Hyperspot L. I've found a few options, but nothing spectacular. I figured I'd ask for info/ideas before I consider startting down the DIY route with some conduit type pipe. Ultimately, I can't bring myself to mount the light from the celling only for the cord to dangle down, but based on what I'm [not] finding, I might give in. I could in theory 3d print something to maybe obscure the cord, so that may be my ultimate fall back if this turns out to be a dead end.

WeekAqua - Mounts behind the tank, which would not be my first choice, but I would be willing to settle on it. I'm not finding anyone with it in stock and it's $300 landed from Alibaba.



ADA Solar - More the look I'm going for, but they're not intended to be used with a single light for a 120p, so I'd need 2, which is noted as discontinued (and $600 for a light stand sounds nuts)



ADA Solar Stand Option 2 - $729 + shipping just seems outrageous, even if it were in stock!


Liti Light Stand - Definitely the closest to the look I had in my mind. Seeing this made me wonder if a single 10 foot 1/2 tube of aluminum conduit could be bent in the same fashion of the multiple pieces of this stand (bending inspiration video here).

Hi guys!

I'm new here, but not entirely new to planted tanks though I've been out of the hobby for the better part of the last decade between kids and moving a couple of times - but finally in a spot where I can do something again. I'm mostly going to be making things up as I go along, but plan on a lot of automation (I want to integrate everything into home assistant) and a lot of DIY as I love the challenge of building things out myself.

The starting point:

I picked up a 90P rimless, low-iron tank on a great deal.



I have a rough idea in my head for a stand to be built from plywood - just have a couple other house projects to finish off before starting that built.

Wife says I can only have one aquarium, so for this tank, I want to go all out with a sump to allow for auto top off, and auto water changes, auto fertilizer dosing etc. etc. I have half a plan in my mind.

I've also started on the light fixture which I've modeled up in CAD, and plan on making out of an 8020 extrusion, and some 3D printed bits.

I'm using bridgelux gen 3 thrive CW (3000k) and WW (5000k) LED strips which have super high CRI at 98+ along with some specific XPE2 wavelengths that I'll solder onto some starboards. Far Red (730nm), Red (654nm), Cyan (495nm), Blue (455nm), Visible UV (415nm). Each segment of the white channels will be on its own driver so I can adjust left to right brightness in thirds, and each colour channel on its own driver so I can vary each channel on a time-based approach.

These will be run from a custom PCB board with Meanwell N-LDD drivers, and will run ESPHome on an ESP32 so it can link up with my Home Assistant installation.


That's it for now, this will probably be a very slow build so be warned if you follow along!

Started a new tank with the idea of show casing Lagenandra meeboldii which I have not showcased before. Wanted to feature Hygrophila lower Hlaingbwe, but I removed it later as I think it would be too large for this tank.

New substrate, new filter, squeezed filter mulm from the other matured tank, then ran the tank one week day before planting. 100% water change after planting, then 100% water change every other day since then. Dosing 1ml APT3 after water change day, and remineralizing to 5dGH using APT Sky. Trying out the low water column dosing approach for the initial period.

Filter: Oase 250
Lights: Week aqua a430 80%
Substrate: APT Feast

Was going to Journal about startup issues, however, it seems like the tank has already stabilized, skipping diatoms and green dust phase.

Freshly planted for a couple of days:
13/2/2026


Replanted the tops for Myriophyllum roraima, Cut and replanted Rotala blood red to begin building up the bush form. Trimmed old leaves
Foreground seems a bit blocky for now, so I think I'lll move stuff round again. Probably when the BV grows out some more.
Pic on 23/2/2026

Readings at this stage:
Potassium: 2.3ppm
Ammonia: 0.1ppm

reduce water changes to 2 times a week.

I picked up a UNS 45T secondhand and decided to set up a high tech, NA-inspired triangular layout. Aiming to keep this relatively low maintenance.

For the cabinet, I ordered a SUNDSO cabinet from IKEA. It's a stylish black indoor-outdoor cabinet made of galvanized steel but extremely flimsy, with all of the panels warping at the slightest touch. I built a simple lumber frame from 2x2s and 1/4" plywood to go inside. Although it's not tied into the cabinet, the frame measurements have so little tolerance that it is solid and reinforces the cabinet perfectly with no torquing or lateral movements. This cabinet is ideal because the shelving and bottom panels can be omitted from the installation without compromising the assembly of the walls, so I was able to insert the lumber frame inside and transfer all of the load directly onto the floor. The other major benefit of this cabinet was the adjustable feet, which made it easy to achieve perfect contact between the top of the lumber frame and the inside of the cabinet. Essentially, the cabinet acts as an aesthetic shell that fits over a much more structurally sound stand. The only other modification made was to drill holes in the side and back panels for plumbing and electrical wiring. The sharp holes were fitted with 3D printed grommets.

Equipment:

• Tank: UNS 45T
• Filtration: Oase Filtosmart Thermo 100, FZone stainless steel inlet/outlet pipes with surface skimmer
• Lighting: Chihiros WRGB II 10th Edition 45cm
• CO2: 5 lb cylinder, FZone budget regulator, FZone inline CO2 diffuser

Cabinet and equipment close-up

Layout
The goal is a triangular peninsula layout with lots of negative space. In the past I have done much more hardscape-heavy layouts with way too many plant species, so I'm trying a slightly more minimalist feel with mostly epiphytes and mosses.


Final layout. Spiderwood and some stone whose name I can't remember. The majority were very geometric and cuboid, so what you see are the most organic looking pieces I could find in the bin. Substrate is Fluval Stratum and UNS Controsoil which will be added after planting.

Plant list, if sourcing works out

• Java fern trident
• Ludwigia arcuata
• S. repens
• Hydrocotyle japan
• Buce lamandau mini purple + other mixed buce
• Anubias nana petite
• Riccardia chamedryfolia
• Christmas or weeping moss

Inspiration
Heavily inspired by this aquascape by Rachel Ellis for Horizon Aquatics.


Other inspiration comes from JJ Aquarium




The tank is currently filled and in a dark start with some seeded media while we wait for the light to arrive. Chihiros halts business during the entire month of Chinese New Year so it hasn't shipped yet.

Tank: Waterbox 20 AIO
Return pump: AI Axis 40
Lighting: (2) AI Blade Fresh 12”
Dosing pump: Ecotech Marine
CO2 injected

The purpose of this tank is to maintain a healthy planted tank for at least 1 year. There is a stipulation that I must be able to do this using my tap water for water changes.

Hi guys,
Lots may not know me, few maybe yes, following the suggestion from @Burr740, I'm creating my first journal. Seems a very nice moment to start a thread like this, considering that the tank is still doing the Dark Start, and will be planted this week.

The tank is a ~90g 110-50-60h (I'm a metric guy).
Equipment that I own/plan to use are:
- 2 Oase Biomaster Thermo 600
- 1 Week Aqua P900 with hanging kit
- pressurized CO2 with inline kit and regulators from CO2art
- Tropica soil, 8cm front, 10-12cm mid, 15cm at the back
- 2 Lily with intake skimmer

Right now, I'm still looking around for new plants to add in this tank, I have another 20g that is stocked with lots of Rotalas and I plan to reuse the healthy one in here, but considering the size difference I need for sure new plants.

I list all the plant that I like (probably I won't buy all of them, maybe) - attachment

the plants that I already own are:
- Macrandra, orange juice, H'ra Wallichi
- Limnophila hippuridoides
- hygrophila lancea araguaia
- egeria densa and sessiflora
- nymphea red lotus
- AR rosanervig
- bacopa Caroliniana

The plant stock is already quite diverse, but I want to add some more and maybe substitute others.

for sure I want to buy both "ramosior", rotala indica and Meta, because I have lots background plant but very few front and mid.

I have this pH tester. You're supposed to keep the probe wet in a specific preservative solution between uses. I have the correct solution. The problem is that it dries out so quickly. I go months between using it, and it dries out. Does anyone have an idea on how to keep it wet? I'm going to put a small piece of sponge in the bottom of the cap and see if that helps.

There are several threads discussing the new Aquael Hypermax 4500BT. I'm sure many would like some reports on it's performance over time. We have a thread discussing nano canister filters. We're all waiting for one of @Naturescapes_Rocco in depth write-ups discussing his filtration set-up. @Pepere and @*Ci* have unique set-ups as well, @Kwyet has used a matten filter, and we have several other members running sumps. That doesn't even include all those running sponge and HOB filters.

The idea is that we can consolidate a lot of filter information in one place making it easier to find rather than searching through so many threads. Maybe this won't work but I thought it was worth giving it a try. Perhaps it may be better listed as an article at some point.

I'm going to get things started by discussing factors I feel are most important to me when choosing a filter.

1) Filtration Performance: This goes without saying. The filter’s primary job is to keep our water clean and free of anything that harms the inhabitants. Of course, there are multiple factors that play into this. Some say flow is most critical, while others claim media volume is most important. Are there other factors? I still have limited experience, but my view, having done considerable reading, is that flow tends to be a bit overblown. You’ll see recommendations of anywhere from 4 to 10 times turnover rate with most leaning toward the higher end of that. I don’t think turnover rate is really the detail to be concerned about, at least with heavily planted tanks like are the norm here. I think the focus should be simply on ensuring flow achieves the goal of effectively moving water through the system to remove toxins/waste, delivering nutrients, and aiding gas (oxygen/CO2) transfer. If a turnover rate of 3 or 4 does that without dead spots in the tank, you should be good. After all, most of us here are plant focused and therefore, the fish we generally have are smaller community species that typically don’t care for high flow (there are, of course, exceptions).

I think there’s a simpler answer regarding media volume; more is better. Obviously, there must be a balance between internal volume and overall size of the filter. Real estate in and around our aquarium stands is precious. Filters like the Fluval FX6 and the newest Aquael Hypermax are huge. If you’re going for one of those, you’re likely putting it on a large tank with plenty of space underneath but again, it’s a matter of finding the right balance that provides the performance you need in a manageable size.

2) Reliability/Durability: This is where solid reviews come in handy and why getting feedback from users here is invaluable. Filtration performance becomes moot if the filter isn’t running, or worse yet, just flooded your house. Being able to easily source spare parts is also valuable, which is why sticking to the top well-known brands is often a safe route. It’s also why many aquarists place canister filters in protective containers, something else to consider when taking into account, size of filter. (this is something I should really do as I’ve had to clean up a few significant spills after filter maintenance and not getting the top secured in place properly )

3) Tie – Maintenance/Noise Level: These two factors are equally important to me. If the filter is a pain to maintain, I’m going to put it off, and that’s bad. It affects the performance. But equally important to me is how noisy it is. I tend to be sensitive to annoying little sounds regardless of where I am; at home, in the car, at work, you name it. If the aquarium is in a part of the house I spend a lot of time in, well then, it’s even more important.
I don’t know if Oase was first to do it, but the idea of the prefilter was, I think, a game changer for many. I imagine it was derived from people installing foam filters on the intake pipes. Having an easily removable section with foam filters that catch a lot of large particles before entering the primary filter chamber is a great idea, resulting in expanded intervals between main filter head removals for cleaning.
Another aspect of maintenance is ease of priming. This could also be an aspect of performance but I don’t think it is quite as important. I’m not sure there is a canister filter that is truly or consistently easy to prime. Some may start out that way, but over time, become less and less so. This is an area I’d really like to see product designers put more serious thought. My experience so far is with Oase and the Fluval 07 series. Hated the Fuval priming and I’m just so-so with the Oase. Let me know your experience with priming other brands.

As for noise, I don’t mind the slight hum of an impeller as long as it’s steady and consistent, much the same way some people, including myself when I was younger, like the smooth steady sound of a fan at night to help them sleep. It’s when the sound becomes inconsistent, I’m bothered. I also don’t care for the sound of splashing/trickling water while I’m focused on other things. Only when I’m camping near the banks of a creek or other body of water is this OK . This is one of the main reasons I’m not a fan of HOB filters. I’m also tweaking my CO2 reactor designs to minimize the bubble sounds of CO2 entering the reactor.

4) Cost: Let’s be clear, the cost doesn’t stop when you pay the retail price for the filter. There’s the cost of media and spare parts plus the cost of electricity. What’s the rated wattage of the filter. I see the Aquael filters claim to consume lower power and are therefore cheaper to run. What about special filter cartridges or foam. Is it easy to cut foam filters from inexpensive bulk material? How often are gasket replacements necessary, or are there common issues with parts failing over time. Of two Fluval 07 filters I’ve used, both needed replacement impeller shafts. Oase Biomaster filters seem to have an issue with the input/output head often needing replaced.
I admit cost isn’t a critical factor for me, but I know it is for many others, so this is another instance where finding the right balance is key, in this case, the balance between price and performance.

Share your thoughts. Do these factors seem to align with yours or do you think I’m way off base. Tell us what types and brands of filters you prefer and why.

​

Hi all
My Cambomba sometimes develops these roots from the nodes.
Rotala H'ra does it too, but not as aggressively as the Cambomba.
Any ideas why this happens?