Social Feed

Era of AI slop is truly upon us. Firstly, no one holds the Oxyguard analyzer's probe as it takes 15-20mins to get a reading.
Size of the box is wrong and no shadows below the box, caps missing and a strap that goes nowhere. Aquarium looks fake as well. Real pic below for comparison.

theres limited 2 per order.
Bought 2 a few days ago and just got it, pretty nice unit and very large. I'm actually putting it on a 10 gallon so its comically large filter.

$16 each, probably the best deal I've seen so far.

Not affiliate link, just google pasted.

Hi All,

This is something I've been wanting to do for years, and I think I finally found a sensor that will work. I've always had trouble reading the API tests, and I've always been miffed that the reefers get the cool digital test readers - and wanted to take a crack at building one that could potentially read any freshwater test given a blank/known concentration as a calibration.




A sensor came out from ams (AS7343) in 2022 that unfortunately has been made EOL, but has a replacement (TCS34488M) with a similar package that might work for future versions.


I recently got my hands on a qwic version of the AS7343 sensor from sparkfun, and figured its time to put together something.

Goals:

• As cheap as possible
• Universal as possible
• Fit API glass/plastic vials (not sure yet if the plastic vials will read ok)
• Start with Nitrate/Phosphate and see if I can add more there

I figure I'll need 2 light sources (warm white, and IR for reading the phosphate test), but can use the same sensor array across most tests. I can use a small-form ESP32 as the MCU to give it USB-C power, wifi/bt connectivity if needed, and keep it small. Small/cheap ~1.3" OLED screen for displaying results/selecting tests.

Enclosure will be 3d printed.



First pass at a sketch - I might drop the screen if I can give the device a web interface though, which will make the device even smaller/cheaper, reduces the need for physical buttons on the unit, and a 2nd pcb entirely. Also not sure if it will need a cover for the top of the vial, or how much ambient light will affect the reads. TBD. Will order some XIAO ESP32S3 to play with and see how far I can take it.

I'll log progress here, and am very open to suggestions and ideas. If successful, I'll release the files so it can be easily replicated.

Ive reorganized the order of my tanks so I can better keep track of them ie. Tank 2 moss tank is now tank 3. This helps in any confusion I had when tracking tanks they are in a sort of order now. Rather than taking time editing my old journal id rather create a new thread. Pics will be current (for the most part) as they are posted. I am not aquascaping. I am just farming.

I'm back with another new setup! Well, sort of new. I ran out of space in my 20g long farm tank, to the point that I had bucephalandra suction cupped to the tank walls. Not only that, but the buce wasn't as happy as it should have been with inert sand, as I felt it isn't fast enough in regards to nutrient absorption that it was able to take what it needed just from the water column.

The buce that I keep are all rare collectors species as well, which really benefit from a more acidic environment to reach their full color potential. Taking those things into account, I knew my collection would benefit greatly by swapping over to a tank with aquasoil and RO water.

Here's the details of the setup:
Landen 90p (44 gallon)
36"×18"x18"
Netlea AT5
Netlea soil capped with Samurai Soil
Inline co2 diffuser
Oase Biomaster 350

Current water parameters:
76F
pH of 6.5, gH of 7, kH<1

The lights are currently running 8 hours, though I wish I could afford a PAR meter rental right now. For what it's worth, my Netlea app says my custom setting is at 70 watts. I'm aiming to run this tank at about 100 watts eventually, but since the buce is going to need some time to settle, slow and steady wins the race on this one. I did dark start the Netlea soil for about 2 weeks, using cycled filter media. When I break down the old farm tank, I'll be taking my Fluval canister off and adding it to this new tank and running 2 filters, to keep flow on the moderate end. I also made the decision to run my co2 24/7, to keep things as stable and consistent as possible for the buce. The only inhabitants I'll be keeping in this tank will be some ramshorn snails and my CRS colony.

Currently I have a little over 40 rare to incredibly rare species in the tank, though I do have more on the way as you can see, I'm already running low on floor space.



I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the ID stakes I made, truthfully I'm able to ID them by leaf shape and size, but I thought it may make things look more organized. That being said, they're itching my brain in a bad way, so I may end up removing them.

Here's some photos of species that managed to maintain some good color even in a more alkaline setup, so it can only get better from here! I've spent countless hours translating articles and posts in Chinese to figure out what kind of parameters the Chinese collectors use to get their crazy colors and leaf forms, so this will be a very interesting experiment for me!

Uh oh! Made the leap and purchased a UNS 60L aquarium today to replace my UNS 5N. It's going to go on the edge of my kitchen island, so keeping equipment minimal and attractive is going to be a priority here.

The aesthetic goal is something resembling an Iwagumi that can be viewed from 270 degrees. Biggest inspiration currently is this scape by @qball_aquatics in Sydney. I'm not a huge Iwagumi person and I normally like substantial hardscape, but something about the plant selection here scales so perfectly in this long shallow tank, so I'm simply going to copy it.



UNS 60L Dimensions: 24" x 8" x 8"

Tentative Equipment List
Filter: Oase Filtosmart 60
Inflow/outflow: ASG 10mm Stainless Steel Inflow/Outflow pipes
Light: Chihiros CII RGB or ONF Flat Nano - intentionally going for a short light for more of a spotlight effect with shadowing on the outer edges
CO2: Paintball setup, potentially mounted horizontally with brackets under the counter

Plants:
Glosso or HC carpet
Eleocharis parvula for height around the stones
Echinodorus 'Aflame" centerpiece plant

Livestock:
Blue dream neocaridina
Maybe chili rasboras

How does this setup sound? Very open to suggestions.

After a bit of hiatus from the hobby, I'm jumping back in with a high-tech UNS 60S as a pond type scape. Normally one would have a nice set of images next with the initial setup. Currently mine is an empty tank and shelves of parts and equipment. I'm determined to take it slow, research each bit and have everything on hand before adding water.

I've found the in the past ~20 years there has been quite a lot of change in the hobby. So many more products available, my last high-tech tanks was T5's and Metal Halides. My have things changed.

My Plan

Tank /Stand​

UNS 60S

Lighting

Chihiros WRGB II Pro 60
Chihiros WRGB II Pro 60 Light Shade /w Mirror
Chihiros WRBG II Pro LED Light Hanging Kit
Week Aqua Arm Stand /Black (L Stand)

Filtration​

Oase BioMaster 2 Thermo 250
Oase Shutoff Valve 16/22 mm - x 2
FZone 3M Grey Tubing 16/22 mm
Stainless Steel 16/22 to 12/16 reducer
FZone 3M Grey Tubing 12/16 mm
FZone Mini Lily Pipes w/ Skimmer

I found that to use Lily pipes that fit this tank size, I'll need to use something small, hence the reduction in tubing size.

CO2​

5 LB CO2 Tank
CO2 Art Dual Stage Regulator /w Bubble Counter and Solenoid
FZone CO2 Proof Line
CO2 Check Valve
NilocG CO2 Drop Checker /w Solution
Timer
Qanvee M2 Inline CO2 Diffuser

Lucked out with CO2, found someone on Facebook Marketplace selling 2 complete CO2 systems. With full tanks, for less than the price of a new CO2 Art Regulator. Snapped them both up.

Hardscape​

Rock - Black Lava Rock
Wood - Dragon Wood

Substrate

APT S - Base layer
UNS ControBase 2L
APT Jazz Caps
UNS ControSoil Black Fine 10L
UNS Mojave Extra Fine 8L- Open areas
UNS Sequoia 3L - Accent Rocks

Plants​

Rear Middle
Hygrophila pinnatifida
Ceratopteris thalictroides
Ludwigia palustris var Super Red

Under Wood and Rock
Cryptocoryne parva var Mini
Bucephalandra (assorted varieties)

On Rock at Water Line
Micranthemum callitrichoides var Cuba

Left and Right Sides in Sand
Eleocharis acicularis var Mini
Hydrocotyle verticillata

Floaters
Red Root Floater

Livestock​

Wish List: at this time, nothing is set in stone
Shrimp
Pygmy Cory
Otocinclus
Exotic Pleco
Red Neon Blue Eye Rainbowfish
Badis? Once plants grow in
Goby
Snails

That's the plan.

Started collecting bits in April, then found out I'd have to be in Dallas for most of May for some family matters. While in Dallas, Aquashella was in town along with an aquascaping demo of an LFS, Fish Gallery, by MJ Aquascaping of YouTube fame. Being my plan is based on the Guppy tank MJ created, I could not miss this opportunity. Learned a lot and had the opportunity to ask MJ a lot of questions.

My intention is to Dark Start, then plant.

I'm held up by the need of one part. The Week Aqua Arm Stand /Black (L Stand) base is too wide for this tank. In need of a 3 mm spacer. My neighbor, a metal shop, made me one out of ABS plastic. It works perfectly, only they made only one. I need two. My fault for not being clearer. I'll hit them up once they are back in the shop after the weekend.

More to come...

Sorry, but I just find this hilarious! Perhaps they'll ask scientists if there's a way to turn down the brightness and photoperiod of the sun.

Headline:

"Reflecting Pool woes: Trump administration turns to hydrogen peroxide in latest bid to beat back algae"​

Welcome to ScapeCrunch, @Satalley!
We would love to get to know you. Please tell us about yourself. What tank do you have?

Curious as to what everyone is using for drop checker solution?
A premixed commercial solution? If so, are they all pretty much the same as each other or are some better than others?
Do you DIY a 4dkh solution and add bromothymol blue? If so what is your recipe?
Do you DIY your own but make it to a different dkh? I know some people go higher than 4 so the lime green is 40+ppm of CO2.

I am out of my DIY 4dkh solution that was made up so long ago I can’t remember when. Rather than just making more I thought I would see what others are doing.
Has anyone used a 2 drop checker system? I am thinking I may run a low dkh checker so it turns full yellow at 30ppm to give a floor reading and a higher dkh solution that turns green at 45ppm.