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This is our new forum where members can post their aquariums and ask for help with the aquascaping of it. It is a way to take advice and counsel from your online family in a safe and friendly environment. Together we learn better.
Most of us are NOT professional aquascapers. Most haven't won global aquascaping contests. BUT, we can certainly share our perspectives that may prove valuable to you in your journey to making your aquarium beautiful. This is what makes forum's GREAT. Learning and improving your skill in a slower-paced environment.
I am NO aquascaper. I am a pretty decent observer though and love to deconstruct things to better understand them. This can be useful when learning aquascaping especially when done with a humble spirit.
Here is an example of what I mean. It's my deconstruction of George Farmer's One-Pot Iwagumi from ScapeFu. Now I can't promise everyone will get a deep analysis like this if you post your aquarium but it gives you an idea of what can be done and learned.
George Farmer is well known in the aquascaping world. He is the co-founder of the UK Aquatic Plants Society and an incredibly talented aquascaper. I wrote about George in the past and referred to him as one of aquascaping’s most influential people. I still feel that way. So, when I came across a post by George on how he took a single pot (hence, the title of his work) of Tropica’s 1-2-Grow series Micranthemum sp. “Monte Carlo” and challenged himself to use it to create an entire aquascape, I was quite intrigued!
The idea was simple. Take one pot of Micranthemum and plant it in a basic iwagumi style aquascape and see if it will grow enough to create a complete aquascape. It reminds me of the experiment done by Amano and pictured in his first book, Nature Aquarium World, only that, I believe, Amano used Glossostigma in that scape.
The issue with these challenges is that few have the Buddha-like patience necessary to wait for the single pot to grow out. Most of us, myself included, would cave and order a few more pots to get it to fill in quicker! Of course, a less dense planting is also more susceptible to algae outbreaks so a skilled hand is necessary to maintain a good growing routine under these circumstances.
To deal with some of the issues, George used the “dry-start” technique that helps establish small-root plants before raising the tank’s water column. This is possible because no taller plants are being used that would otherwise require the water column to be higher. I typically use this method to start my foregrounds and, once it’s established, I raise the water and only then plant the middle and backgrounds.
As you can see below, maintaining a high humidity environment is critical for this to work. Additionally, starting with healthy plants that were grown hydroponically (emersed) increases the odds of this method working well without much die off.
As you can see from the image that started this post, George succeeded in his challenge giving testament to his unusual level of self-control. Outstanding! However, what caught my eye even more than the great growth he got out of the plant was the overall aquascape he created that, at least from the post, seemed to be glossed over.
Did George simply throw some rocks in to the aquarium haphazardly? Hmm… This could be a chance to see how good of an aquascaper George really is! Whenever you get a chance to look at the work done by an artist either quickly or without much thought, you get a chance to see how much that artist is doing subconsciously. How much have they internalized of the art they have worked so hard to master? This is what people mean when they say, “It comes so naturally to him.” (Usually followed by, “I hate him!“)
I’m digressing! Let’s take this opportunity we have at hand to analyze the work done by our friend, George, when we know he really didn’t spend a ton of time planning the aquascape. Let’s see how much George has internalized! We promise, George, we won’t hate you in the end!
George mentions that he used a simple 7 stone iwagumi. Although there isn’t a rule regarding the number of stones, time has shown that odd numbers work best for the overall aquascape. In my opinion, the more stones, the more complex (and more difficult) the layout.
Let’s highlight the seven stones George chose to use. Did you see them in the original picture above? Count the colors below.
In an iwagumi, each stone has a purpose in the overall aquascape. It’s true synergy in that one stone without the others would be “less”. However, while the group working in harmony is what makes a good iwagumi, each stone playing its role is also critical to make the aquascape harmonious.
The primary or anchor rock is called Oyaishi and it is your primary focal point. It should be the most majestic or striking rock. The second (or balancing) rock is called Fukuishi and it goes on either side of the Oyaishi rock. The third rock, called Soeishi, supports Oyaishi and sits alongside the Fukuishi. Finally, Suteishi rocks balance out the overall layout and give it complexity. Let’s see how George placed the rocks and why.
The Oyaishi is definitely the largest, most striking rock in the layout. It’s balanced by Fukuishi that is what you would expect and want. Soeshi is properly supporting Oyaishi and balancing the layout on the right (the traditional Sanzon iwagumi). Suteishi rocks are placed in locations that continue to support and balance the over all layout. Certainly the complexity of the layout is increased with the Suteishi George placed.
George’s placement of the Oyaishi is almost spot on. It is said that you want it to be about 2/3rds from the top of the aquascape to give it a focal point. We’ll confirm is George placed it at the true focal point of the aquascape later, but for now, see how he did hit the 2/3rd mark in the Rule of Thirds.
Let’s deconstruct George’s rock placement and see why he placed the Suteishi the way he did. Below you can see the back right rock removed. Do you see how the layout is out of balance? The layout is too heavy to the left. It’s subtle, but a critical element, in my opinion.
What is we remove the rock in the middle of the layout? What do you think it does to the overall impression?
Something is missing, right? It’s OK, but less complex than with the Suteishi stone there. George could have left it out but the overall layout is better with it in there. Remember, add until adding something detracts from the overall aquascape. There is a fine line with this type of element and it requires a very experienced understanding of aquascape layout. Impressive, George!
How about removing the back left rock? What does that do? Let’s see.
Wow! That really throws off balance, doesn’t it? I get the feeling the aquarium’s going to tip over with so much weight on the right side. Definitely better having that left rock to balance out the layout.
My only issue with the left rock is that bright white strip going down its side. My eyes immediately drift to it. I understand it’s natural veining in the rock and that the other rocks also have albeit to a lesser extent. Nevertheless, I think it would be better without it. See below what it would look like without the vein. What do you think?
Before moving away from the iwagumi style, I want to point out the direction of the rocks. The style tells us that the Oyaishi should be angled in a direction rather than be straight up and down. This gives a much more dynamic and natural impression of a current or movement. George does this well.
The supporting rocks should be angled to the Oyaishi in support of it but not conflict with the flow or movement created by the Oyaishi. Again, George does this exceptionally well. See the image below where I’ve highlighted the direction of movement. And, as a show of how masterful he is, George even photographed the school of Cardinals swimming in the exact direction of movement (current) that the Oyaishi depicts. Genius and pro tip to you beginners!
One of the more famous of these rules is the rule of thirds. Essentially, this rule says that a layout is better (more dynamic) if your focal point is placed in one of the lines or intersection of lines found at the layout’s mathematical thirds. It’s hard to explain but easy to see. Here is the rule superimposed on George’s aquascape.
Bingo! This was the first rule I ran on the aquascape and it reinforced my initial impressions that this layout had something special. As you can see, George has hit the rule of thirds out of the park!
I’ve circled in red the area where there’s a critical intersection. Each represents a focal point with the top right one being the primary. It’s uncanny how George did this. Take a look at how the Oyaishi is sitting right on the third line.
The weight of the aquascape is sitting right on the third line almost perfectly. How did you do this George?? I couldn’t have done it any better even if I had measured it exactly. Also, in the next image, notice how the bottom weight of the aquascape sits right on the lower third line.
George has not only laid out the hardscape in a fantastic and complex 7 stone iwagumi style, but he’s managed to do it following the rule of thirds also perfectly! This was so striking to me that I actually reached out to George to confirm that he didn’t measure the layout as he installed it. He confirmed he only “eyeballed” it. I’m jealous…
Once again, George seems to be right on the line with the golden triangles. Notice the diagonal line going from bottom left to top right. It intersects the Fukuishi and Oyaishi stones perfectly. The weight of the stones is mostly in the lower right isosceles triangle with the opposite triangle being white space. This yin-and-yang with white space is very important and I rarely see it with beginner and intermediate aquascapes. Only the more advanced artists now the importance of white space and what it can do to the composition.
The two images below depict how simple triangles can also be brought into an aquascape to add complexity and pleasing symmetry. These triangles are subtle and you may not notice them at first glance. However, your brain picks them up and it feels that something is right or correct about this aquascape. It feels natural for some reason. One of those reasons is the use of triangles!
Let’s see how well the One-Pot Iwagumi does in terms of the golden spiral and it’s indication of the primary focal point.
The golden spiral is a beautiful and mystical mathematical formula that is used to indicate the primary focal point of a work of art. The thought is that the piece’s primary focal point should be where the spiral ends.
As you can see, George placed the top of the Oyaishi stone at almost the exact position indicated by the spiral. This is where the eye will look. How uncanny that he did this without much thought!
I was so intrigued that I ran the most complicated formula that subdivides the spiral type into sub-areas to see just how close he got to the mathematical idea. See the result below. His positioning of the Oyaishi stone would not change even if he had run this formula prior to positioning it. Extremely well done!
ONE-POT IWAGUMI
This aquascape achieves perspective and depth of field by using smaller stones and placing them closer to the front pane while larger ones are to the back. This gives an impression of depth. The aquascape certainly looks larger than what it really is. This is difficult to do when you only use rocks and one type of plant.
It is more common to see larger items upfront with smaller items transitioning to the back in some aquascape styles. This gives the impression of items in the back being very far away.
My sense of perspective here is looking from a distance at weathered and worn mountain peaks that are surrounded by a sea of grass or low trees. I get the feeling of openness. A wind-swept mountain.
What do you feel when taking it all in? Describe you feeling? Can you almost smell something? These are the things that are, at the end of the day, most important in judging an aquascape.
Color is so important to an aquascape but not many people focus on it. To me, proper use of color completes an aquascape. Improper use can severely detract from it. Make it less than it what it could have been.
One of my upcoming posts will be on the use of color theory in aquascapes. For now, however, let’s just focus on some basics. Colors can impact us mentally and physically. Being able to use colors consciously and harmoniously can help you create spectacular results.
Colors can be harmonious to one another. Some are complimentary, others analogous. One model is called triadic and it’s what George’s aquascape uses. Taking a quote from the above linked site on color theory:
The blue/black slate color serves as an accent to the green. I then picked up on George’s choice to use Cardinals with their red and blue. Just the right colors in the color wheel to accentuate the green.
It’s interesting that George first put red eye Tetras but felt they were wrong because they got lost into the background. I totally agree. Picking the right fish to complement the composition is harder than most people think. Unfortunately, the fish are usually an afterthought and the aquascape suffers for it.
In this case, George recognized something was wrong and chose Cardinals instead. Again, I totally agree…and so does the color wheel.
Notice also how the small size of the Cardinals and their swimming habit complement the overall composition. Any bigger and the fish would detract from the aquascape and throw off the entire perceptive. George does an excellent job here in terms of the color, size and swimming habits.
I think George’s intention with this challenge was to show people that you can create a complete aquascape with only one tiny pot of plants. In so doing, he has also revealed much deeper teachings some of which we discussed in this humble analysis. I’m sure as I continue to think about this composition, I will see many more things that I have so far overlooked. This is especially true as I’ve not had the privilege of studying the details that it contains.
It is well known that it takes many years of practice to make something look effortless and natural. With this aquascape, George has done just that. He has executed an iwagumi with masterful skill. At first blush, it looks natural and simple, almost minimalistic. It is only when you start to deconstruct it to its bones that it’s brilliance shows itself.
Well done, George. Very well done.
All the best,
Art
Here is a great video of the aquascape in progress:
Important Note: The unmodified images used in this article except for color_wheel are the copyrighted work of George Farmer and used with permission. Modified images are copyrighted by ScapeFu.com All Rights Reserved.
This is our new forum where members can post their aquariums and ask for help with the aquascaping of it. It is a way to take advice and counsel from your online family in a safe and friendly environment. Together we learn better.
Most of us are NOT professional aquascapers. Most haven't won global aquascaping contests. BUT, we can certainly share our perspectives that may prove valuable to you in your journey to making your aquarium beautiful. This is what makes forum's GREAT. Learning and improving your skill in a slower-paced environment.
I am NO aquascaper. I am a pretty decent observer though and love to deconstruct things to better understand them. This can be useful when learning aquascaping especially when done with a humble spirit.
Here is an example of what I mean. It's my deconstruction of George Farmer's One-Pot Iwagumi from ScapeFu. Now I can't promise everyone will get a deep analysis like this if you post your aquarium but it gives you an idea of what can be done and learned.
George Farmer is well known in the aquascaping world. He is the co-founder of the UK Aquatic Plants Society and an incredibly talented aquascaper. I wrote about George in the past and referred to him as one of aquascaping’s most influential people. I still feel that way. So, when I came across a post by George on how he took a single pot (hence, the title of his work) of Tropica’s 1-2-Grow series Micranthemum sp. “Monte Carlo” and challenged himself to use it to create an entire aquascape, I was quite intrigued!
The idea was simple. Take one pot of Micranthemum and plant it in a basic iwagumi style aquascape and see if it will grow enough to create a complete aquascape. It reminds me of the experiment done by Amano and pictured in his first book, Nature Aquarium World, only that, I believe, Amano used Glossostigma in that scape.
The issue with these challenges is that few have the Buddha-like patience necessary to wait for the single pot to grow out. Most of us, myself included, would cave and order a few more pots to get it to fill in quicker! Of course, a less dense planting is also more susceptible to algae outbreaks so a skilled hand is necessary to maintain a good growing routine under these circumstances.
To deal with some of the issues, George used the “dry-start” technique that helps establish small-root plants before raising the tank’s water column. This is possible because no taller plants are being used that would otherwise require the water column to be higher. I typically use this method to start my foregrounds and, once it’s established, I raise the water and only then plant the middle and backgrounds.
As you can see below, maintaining a high humidity environment is critical for this to work. Additionally, starting with healthy plants that were grown hydroponically (emersed) increases the odds of this method working well without much die off.
As you can see from the image that started this post, George succeeded in his challenge giving testament to his unusual level of self-control. Outstanding! However, what caught my eye even more than the great growth he got out of the plant was the overall aquascape he created that, at least from the post, seemed to be glossed over.
Did George simply throw some rocks in to the aquarium haphazardly? Hmm… This could be a chance to see how good of an aquascaper George really is! Whenever you get a chance to look at the work done by an artist either quickly or without much thought, you get a chance to see how much that artist is doing subconsciously. How much have they internalized of the art they have worked so hard to master? This is what people mean when they say, “It comes so naturally to him.” (Usually followed by, “I hate him!“)
I’m digressing! Let’s take this opportunity we have at hand to analyze the work done by our friend, George, when we know he really didn’t spend a ton of time planning the aquascape. Let’s see how much George has internalized! We promise, George, we won’t hate you in the end!
Initial Impressions
At first blush, this seems to be a very good aquascape in the iwagumi style. I don’t have the luxury of going too deeply into the iwagumi style in this analysis, but I am planning an article that will go into iwagumi’s history and incorporation into aquascaping. For the time being, please look at the above link and my post on Reciprocity by James Findley for great iwagumi overviews.George mentions that he used a simple 7 stone iwagumi. Although there isn’t a rule regarding the number of stones, time has shown that odd numbers work best for the overall aquascape. In my opinion, the more stones, the more complex (and more difficult) the layout.
Let’s highlight the seven stones George chose to use. Did you see them in the original picture above? Count the colors below.
In an iwagumi, each stone has a purpose in the overall aquascape. It’s true synergy in that one stone without the others would be “less”. However, while the group working in harmony is what makes a good iwagumi, each stone playing its role is also critical to make the aquascape harmonious.
The primary or anchor rock is called Oyaishi and it is your primary focal point. It should be the most majestic or striking rock. The second (or balancing) rock is called Fukuishi and it goes on either side of the Oyaishi rock. The third rock, called Soeishi, supports Oyaishi and sits alongside the Fukuishi. Finally, Suteishi rocks balance out the overall layout and give it complexity. Let’s see how George placed the rocks and why.
The Oyaishi is definitely the largest, most striking rock in the layout. It’s balanced by Fukuishi that is what you would expect and want. Soeshi is properly supporting Oyaishi and balancing the layout on the right (the traditional Sanzon iwagumi). Suteishi rocks are placed in locations that continue to support and balance the over all layout. Certainly the complexity of the layout is increased with the Suteishi George placed.
George’s placement of the Oyaishi is almost spot on. It is said that you want it to be about 2/3rds from the top of the aquascape to give it a focal point. We’ll confirm is George placed it at the true focal point of the aquascape later, but for now, see how he did hit the 2/3rd mark in the Rule of Thirds.
Let’s deconstruct George’s rock placement and see why he placed the Suteishi the way he did. Below you can see the back right rock removed. Do you see how the layout is out of balance? The layout is too heavy to the left. It’s subtle, but a critical element, in my opinion.
What is we remove the rock in the middle of the layout? What do you think it does to the overall impression?
Something is missing, right? It’s OK, but less complex than with the Suteishi stone there. George could have left it out but the overall layout is better with it in there. Remember, add until adding something detracts from the overall aquascape. There is a fine line with this type of element and it requires a very experienced understanding of aquascape layout. Impressive, George!
How about removing the back left rock? What does that do? Let’s see.
Wow! That really throws off balance, doesn’t it? I get the feeling the aquarium’s going to tip over with so much weight on the right side. Definitely better having that left rock to balance out the layout.
My only issue with the left rock is that bright white strip going down its side. My eyes immediately drift to it. I understand it’s natural veining in the rock and that the other rocks also have albeit to a lesser extent. Nevertheless, I think it would be better without it. See below what it would look like without the vein. What do you think?
Before moving away from the iwagumi style, I want to point out the direction of the rocks. The style tells us that the Oyaishi should be angled in a direction rather than be straight up and down. This gives a much more dynamic and natural impression of a current or movement. George does this well.
The supporting rocks should be angled to the Oyaishi in support of it but not conflict with the flow or movement created by the Oyaishi. Again, George does this exceptionally well. See the image below where I’ve highlighted the direction of movement. And, as a show of how masterful he is, George even photographed the school of Cardinals swimming in the exact direction of movement (current) that the Oyaishi depicts. Genius and pro tip to you beginners!
Rule of Thirds
As I’ve explained in the past, there are tried and true rules that have developed over centuries dealing with optimal layouts. These rules use mathematical equations that to humans represent the ideal. We’ve come to know these rules as the golden rules of layout and they can be seen in all great works of art, from paintings to photographs to aquascapes. I use these rules to see how close an aquascape comes to ideal layout.One of the more famous of these rules is the rule of thirds. Essentially, this rule says that a layout is better (more dynamic) if your focal point is placed in one of the lines or intersection of lines found at the layout’s mathematical thirds. It’s hard to explain but easy to see. Here is the rule superimposed on George’s aquascape.
Bingo! This was the first rule I ran on the aquascape and it reinforced my initial impressions that this layout had something special. As you can see, George has hit the rule of thirds out of the park!
I’ve circled in red the area where there’s a critical intersection. Each represents a focal point with the top right one being the primary. It’s uncanny how George did this. Take a look at how the Oyaishi is sitting right on the third line.
The weight of the aquascape is sitting right on the third line almost perfectly. How did you do this George?? I couldn’t have done it any better even if I had measured it exactly. Also, in the next image, notice how the bottom weight of the aquascape sits right on the lower third line.
George has not only laid out the hardscape in a fantastic and complex 7 stone iwagumi style, but he’s managed to do it following the rule of thirds also perfectly! This was so striking to me that I actually reached out to George to confirm that he didn’t measure the layout as he installed it. He confirmed he only “eyeballed” it. I’m jealous…
Golden Triangles
The rule of thirds is only one of the rules of layout design that really impacts the overall composition. The proper use of triangles is just as important. You see, our brains are trained to see triangles for some reason. It’s a pattern that is hard-wired into us. We feel triangles are natural, comforting and give an overall impression of order. Let’s see if George did as well as he did with thirds?
Once again, George seems to be right on the line with the golden triangles. Notice the diagonal line going from bottom left to top right. It intersects the Fukuishi and Oyaishi stones perfectly. The weight of the stones is mostly in the lower right isosceles triangle with the opposite triangle being white space. This yin-and-yang with white space is very important and I rarely see it with beginner and intermediate aquascapes. Only the more advanced artists now the importance of white space and what it can do to the composition.
The two images below depict how simple triangles can also be brought into an aquascape to add complexity and pleasing symmetry. These triangles are subtle and you may not notice them at first glance. However, your brain picks them up and it feels that something is right or correct about this aquascape. It feels natural for some reason. One of those reasons is the use of triangles!
Golden Spiral and Focal Point
So George seems to be a master of hitting the thirds and the triangles. It is obvious that his many years of working with aquascapes and noticing what works and what doesn’t have paid off. He is naturally placing key elements of the composition in just the right places as dictated by the golden rules. He does this with his gut. “It comes naturally to him.” No, we don’t hate him, though, because his gut is the result of years of practice and observation.Let’s see how well the One-Pot Iwagumi does in terms of the golden spiral and it’s indication of the primary focal point.
The golden spiral is a beautiful and mystical mathematical formula that is used to indicate the primary focal point of a work of art. The thought is that the piece’s primary focal point should be where the spiral ends.
As you can see, George placed the top of the Oyaishi stone at almost the exact position indicated by the spiral. This is where the eye will look. How uncanny that he did this without much thought!
I was so intrigued that I ran the most complicated formula that subdivides the spiral type into sub-areas to see just how close he got to the mathematical idea. See the result below. His positioning of the Oyaishi stone would not change even if he had run this formula prior to positioning it. Extremely well done!
Depth of Field and Perspective
Depth of field and perspective are just tricks used to give the impression that the aquascape is much larger than it seems. It accentuates the 3D space occupied and expands it.
ONE-POT IWAGUMI
This aquascape achieves perspective and depth of field by using smaller stones and placing them closer to the front pane while larger ones are to the back. This gives an impression of depth. The aquascape certainly looks larger than what it really is. This is difficult to do when you only use rocks and one type of plant.
It is more common to see larger items upfront with smaller items transitioning to the back in some aquascape styles. This gives the impression of items in the back being very far away.
My sense of perspective here is looking from a distance at weathered and worn mountain peaks that are surrounded by a sea of grass or low trees. I get the feeling of openness. A wind-swept mountain.
What do you feel when taking it all in? Describe you feeling? Can you almost smell something? These are the things that are, at the end of the day, most important in judging an aquascape.
Color Choices
Color is so important to an aquascape but not many people focus on it. To me, proper use of color completes an aquascape. Improper use can severely detract from it. Make it less than it what it could have been.
One of my upcoming posts will be on the use of color theory in aquascapes. For now, however, let’s just focus on some basics. Colors can impact us mentally and physically. Being able to use colors consciously and harmoniously can help you create spectacular results.
Colors can be harmonious to one another. Some are complimentary, others analogous. One model is called triadic and it’s what George’s aquascape uses. Taking a quote from the above linked site on color theory:
The image above is what I got when I used George’s aquascape and ran it through the color wheel analyzer. The triadic color scheme is obvious. George uses green to dominate and the other colors accent it.
The blue/black slate color serves as an accent to the green. I then picked up on George’s choice to use Cardinals with their red and blue. Just the right colors in the color wheel to accentuate the green.
It’s interesting that George first put red eye Tetras but felt they were wrong because they got lost into the background. I totally agree. Picking the right fish to complement the composition is harder than most people think. Unfortunately, the fish are usually an afterthought and the aquascape suffers for it.
In this case, George recognized something was wrong and chose Cardinals instead. Again, I totally agree…and so does the color wheel.
Notice also how the small size of the Cardinals and their swimming habit complement the overall composition. Any bigger and the fish would detract from the aquascape and throw off the entire perceptive. George does an excellent job here in terms of the color, size and swimming habits.Final Impressions
If you read all the way down here, you know we’ve looked at George Farmer’s One-Pot Iwagumi from many different perspectives. We’ve deconstructed it and discussed it’s individual parts. These parts were put together, apparently without too much thought, by one of the true masters of aquascaping. It is obvious that he has, in fact, internalized many things that most people would need to carefully plan. I stand in awe.I think George’s intention with this challenge was to show people that you can create a complete aquascape with only one tiny pot of plants. In so doing, he has also revealed much deeper teachings some of which we discussed in this humble analysis. I’m sure as I continue to think about this composition, I will see many more things that I have so far overlooked. This is especially true as I’ve not had the privilege of studying the details that it contains.
It is well known that it takes many years of practice to make something look effortless and natural. With this aquascape, George has done just that. He has executed an iwagumi with masterful skill. At first blush, it looks natural and simple, almost minimalistic. It is only when you start to deconstruct it to its bones that it’s brilliance shows itself.
Well done, George. Very well done.
All the best,
Art
Here is a great video of the aquascape in progress:
Important Note: The unmodified images used in this article except for color_wheel are the copyrighted work of George Farmer and used with permission. Modified images are copyrighted by ScapeFu.com All Rights Reserved.
8 replies
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4215 views
I'm thinking about setting up a carnivorous plant terrarium. I'm looking for a place to go like Scape Crunch to ask a few questions. My experience with aquarium forums has me leery of where I go for info. FaceBook is a 
storm. Reddit is slightly better. There are a couple forums, but I don't want to end up in a Planted Tank type situation where the wrong question gets me banned. Any suggestions?
FWIW: I've grown carnivorous plants in the past and had good luck with them. However, from what I can find, doing a terrarium might have a few different rules than just a fun pot garden outside.
storm. Reddit is slightly better. There are a couple forums, but I don't want to end up in a Planted Tank type situation where the wrong question gets me banned. Any suggestions?FWIW: I've grown carnivorous plants in the past and had good luck with them. However, from what I can find, doing a terrarium might have a few different rules than just a fun pot garden outside.
5 replies
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24 views
I am anticipating setting up and planting a new tank in two weeks. This will be my second planted tank, but the first is only around a 6gallon display. I am still learning with most coming from internet searches and videos.
1) Referring to stem plants, when I watch videos of tank plantings the plants are always small. Just a few inches. The plants that have been shipped to me, or I see in stores, are always larger close to full grown. I know some are using tissue cultures but event those who are not the plants seem very small. The plants that are shipped to me, should I cut them down first before planting? My plan includes possibly Rotala Florida, Rotala wallichii, Rotala OJ, Rotala Macandra green/pink. I will most likely be ordering from Buceplant.
2) I have some Hygrophila Corymbosa compact that I really like. I want to plant them in the new tank. To do this, should these be trimmed down, trim some of the longer roots, or just plant as is? I am finding different advice online. Opinions welcomed.
1) Referring to stem plants, when I watch videos of tank plantings the plants are always small. Just a few inches. The plants that have been shipped to me, or I see in stores, are always larger close to full grown. I know some are using tissue cultures but event those who are not the plants seem very small. The plants that are shipped to me, should I cut them down first before planting? My plan includes possibly Rotala Florida, Rotala wallichii, Rotala OJ, Rotala Macandra green/pink. I will most likely be ordering from Buceplant.
2) I have some Hygrophila Corymbosa compact that I really like. I want to plant them in the new tank. To do this, should these be trimmed down, trim some of the longer roots, or just plant as is? I am finding different advice online. Opinions welcomed.
11 replies
·
150 views
About me:
I've been keeping planted aquariums and shrimp breeding tanks for almost a decade and for the majority of that time aquariums were my primary hobby. In 2021 I had ~30 tanks running simultaneously containing almost 200 types of plants that I had collected over a 5 year period and more than a dozen types of shrimp. In this time, it was harder for me to not setup new tanks than it was to grow any aquatic plant sent my way. Below are some of the tanks I've kept over the years.
At the end of 2021 I moved from Texas to Massachusetts and gave away all of my plants, tanks, and shrimp to friends I had made over the years. It took some time to find a permanent place to live so I didn't have any tanks until I was unexpectedly given an ADA 120P in summer of 2023.
The early days of the 120P:
I went through the typical tank start growing pains with a diatoms phase, green hair algae, and every other issue one would expect from a new tank. Even with the new tank difficulties, it only took me 2 months to get to a healthy tank again. For the next 1.5 years, everything went smoothly and the tank went through many iterations.
Setup on June 28th
Diatoms outbreak on July 19th
Green hair algae outbreak by August 18th
Everything was cleaned up and growing great by September 1st
The start of the disaster:
In February 2025, I started running into issues. BBA started growing in small tufts on the substrate and green hair algae started attacking the old growth on the plants. I'd run into this issue in the past and was usually able to fix it pretty quickly by dialing in the CO2, cleaning the substrate, cleaning filters, and replanting only the most healthy tops of the plants. Even after doing this multiple times, I haven't had any luck fixing the algae. It always comes back
The start of the algae
Multiple trim and replant cycles along with some new plants
Relatively clean after a trim and replant cycle
10 days later
Where I am today:
I'm getting so frustrated by the persistent issues that I'm about ready to shut down this tank. As a last ditch effort, I purchased a pack of healthy plants from Burr740 to see if healthy plants can help me get through the algae phase and get back into a good place.
The tank as of January 2nd 2026. The healthiest plants in the tank were received earlier this week from Burr740.
Really poor color on my plants with a lot of green algae on the lower leaves. The nice looking bacopa is from Burr740. The original stems of Bacopa have barely grown in the last month. If I pull them up, there are very few roots.
Another example of the old growth issues. The Limnophila mini vietnam also has not grown at all in the last month. Lots of algae grows on the substrate as well.
Another comparison of Burr's Ludwigia sp. red vs mine. Very slow growth and poor rooting.
Really weak older growth on Rotala sp. singapore and poor coloration compared to Burr's plants. This plant has always been very easy for me to keep and this is part of why I'm thinking there is something big that I'm missing. Didiplis diandra is another easy plant that keeps melting at the base and its making very little progress because of this.
Below is the key information about the tank.
Tank size: ADA 120P (120 cm x 45 cm x 45 cm)
Lighting: 3x NiloCG Prizms ran at the lowest setting for each channel. Lights are on for 7 hours a day. I want to increase the lighting, but any time I do the algae gets significantly worse
Filtration: Oase Biomaster 600 and a SunSun HW-303B. There's a spraybar on the bottom left that points along the length of the tank at substrate level and the other output is on the top right corner of the tank pushing the opposite direction.
CO2: Vertical reactor on the SunSun filter and a Sera reactor on the Oase. CO2 comes on 4 hours before lights on and turns off 1 hr before lights off. Drop checker is yellow when lights turn on. The pH drop is ~1.4-1.5 at lights on (5.8 at lights on and 7.3 when water is fully degassed). Plants start pearling within 10 minutes of the lights coming on.
Substrate: A mix of ADA aquasoil, Fluval stratum, and Controsoil. A bag of Controsoil was added ~2 months ago to try and give the plants a boost. The remaining substrate is from when I setup the tank and is almost certainly not providing much nutrition or buffering capacity.
Water change schedule: Weekly 70-80% water changes with tap water coming from the MWRA (water report here). KH is ~2. GH is less than 1(3.7 PPM Ca, 0.7 PPM Mg based on the report). Water is treated with sodium carbonate at the water treatment plant to increase the pH to ~9.2, but the pH rapidly decreases after the water comes out of the tap. One potential issue is the tap water is extremely cold. It comes out at ~50F and I add a mix of water from the tap along with heated water. The temperature drops to ~60F for 2-3 hours whenever I water change. I don't keep any livestock so I'm not sure if this is a problem. This was not something I needed to consider back in Texas.
Remineralization: I add 22 PPM calcium and 6 PPM magnesium at water change
Fertilization: 20N-6P-26K is added immediately after water change. A second dose at 10N-3P-13K is added halfway through the week. Micros are Burr740's most recent recipe dosed at 0.15 PPM Fe 3x per week.
Temperature: Tank is heated to 73F during the winter. During the more mild parts of the year I remove the heater and go with whatever the ambient temperature is.
It looks like I'm doing everything right on paper and based on my past experience keeping tanks, but there is clearly some major issue ongoing. Right now I'm thinking its inconsistency in the CO2 that I'm just not seeing (I just started the CO2 2 hours earlier last week because I was noticing the drop checker wasn't always yellow at lights on), not enough light, or too cold of water during water changes. I want to keep some records through this journal to keep myself engaged with the tank and to make sure I'm being consistent with everything. I'm also hoping some additional eyes can help me see where I'm going wrong because I really, really miss having a nice looking tank.
I've been keeping planted aquariums and shrimp breeding tanks for almost a decade and for the majority of that time aquariums were my primary hobby. In 2021 I had ~30 tanks running simultaneously containing almost 200 types of plants that I had collected over a 5 year period and more than a dozen types of shrimp. In this time, it was harder for me to not setup new tanks than it was to grow any aquatic plant sent my way. Below are some of the tanks I've kept over the years.
At the end of 2021 I moved from Texas to Massachusetts and gave away all of my plants, tanks, and shrimp to friends I had made over the years. It took some time to find a permanent place to live so I didn't have any tanks until I was unexpectedly given an ADA 120P in summer of 2023.
The early days of the 120P:
I went through the typical tank start growing pains with a diatoms phase, green hair algae, and every other issue one would expect from a new tank. Even with the new tank difficulties, it only took me 2 months to get to a healthy tank again. For the next 1.5 years, everything went smoothly and the tank went through many iterations.
Setup on June 28th
Diatoms outbreak on July 19th
Green hair algae outbreak by August 18th
Everything was cleaned up and growing great by September 1st
The start of the disaster:
In February 2025, I started running into issues. BBA started growing in small tufts on the substrate and green hair algae started attacking the old growth on the plants. I'd run into this issue in the past and was usually able to fix it pretty quickly by dialing in the CO2, cleaning the substrate, cleaning filters, and replanting only the most healthy tops of the plants. Even after doing this multiple times, I haven't had any luck fixing the algae. It always comes back
The start of the algae
Multiple trim and replant cycles along with some new plants
Relatively clean after a trim and replant cycle
10 days later
Where I am today:
I'm getting so frustrated by the persistent issues that I'm about ready to shut down this tank. As a last ditch effort, I purchased a pack of healthy plants from Burr740 to see if healthy plants can help me get through the algae phase and get back into a good place.
The tank as of January 2nd 2026. The healthiest plants in the tank were received earlier this week from Burr740.
Really poor color on my plants with a lot of green algae on the lower leaves. The nice looking bacopa is from Burr740. The original stems of Bacopa have barely grown in the last month. If I pull them up, there are very few roots.
Another example of the old growth issues. The Limnophila mini vietnam also has not grown at all in the last month. Lots of algae grows on the substrate as well.
Another comparison of Burr's Ludwigia sp. red vs mine. Very slow growth and poor rooting.
Really weak older growth on Rotala sp. singapore and poor coloration compared to Burr's plants. This plant has always been very easy for me to keep and this is part of why I'm thinking there is something big that I'm missing. Didiplis diandra is another easy plant that keeps melting at the base and its making very little progress because of this.
Below is the key information about the tank.
Tank size: ADA 120P (120 cm x 45 cm x 45 cm)
Lighting: 3x NiloCG Prizms ran at the lowest setting for each channel. Lights are on for 7 hours a day. I want to increase the lighting, but any time I do the algae gets significantly worse
Filtration: Oase Biomaster 600 and a SunSun HW-303B. There's a spraybar on the bottom left that points along the length of the tank at substrate level and the other output is on the top right corner of the tank pushing the opposite direction.
CO2: Vertical reactor on the SunSun filter and a Sera reactor on the Oase. CO2 comes on 4 hours before lights on and turns off 1 hr before lights off. Drop checker is yellow when lights turn on. The pH drop is ~1.4-1.5 at lights on (5.8 at lights on and 7.3 when water is fully degassed). Plants start pearling within 10 minutes of the lights coming on.
Substrate: A mix of ADA aquasoil, Fluval stratum, and Controsoil. A bag of Controsoil was added ~2 months ago to try and give the plants a boost. The remaining substrate is from when I setup the tank and is almost certainly not providing much nutrition or buffering capacity.
Water change schedule: Weekly 70-80% water changes with tap water coming from the MWRA (water report here). KH is ~2. GH is less than 1(3.7 PPM Ca, 0.7 PPM Mg based on the report). Water is treated with sodium carbonate at the water treatment plant to increase the pH to ~9.2, but the pH rapidly decreases after the water comes out of the tap. One potential issue is the tap water is extremely cold. It comes out at ~50F and I add a mix of water from the tap along with heated water. The temperature drops to ~60F for 2-3 hours whenever I water change. I don't keep any livestock so I'm not sure if this is a problem. This was not something I needed to consider back in Texas.
Remineralization: I add 22 PPM calcium and 6 PPM magnesium at water change
Fertilization: 20N-6P-26K is added immediately after water change. A second dose at 10N-3P-13K is added halfway through the week. Micros are Burr740's most recent recipe dosed at 0.15 PPM Fe 3x per week.
Temperature: Tank is heated to 73F during the winter. During the more mild parts of the year I remove the heater and go with whatever the ambient temperature is.
It looks like I'm doing everything right on paper and based on my past experience keeping tanks, but there is clearly some major issue ongoing. Right now I'm thinking its inconsistency in the CO2 that I'm just not seeing (I just started the CO2 2 hours earlier last week because I was noticing the drop checker wasn't always yellow at lights on), not enough light, or too cold of water during water changes. I want to keep some records through this journal to keep myself engaged with the tank and to make sure I'm being consistent with everything. I'm also hoping some additional eyes can help me see where I'm going wrong because I really, really miss having a nice looking tank.
116 replies
·
9634 views
I started my first tank as an adult about a year ago, and have posted updates on it in my other journal , the Beginner Scaper Journal. I had intended the other journal to be a journey for this new tank but there were so many variables and many questions about the other set up that i thought it would best to start this new journal.
I am going to hold on to my beginner/amateur flair to the post since I think this is such a great hobby and want newcomers to know that everyone started as an amateur
Tank Inspiration
Dennis Wong's planted tanks. If you guys don't know who this is, I have already served a good purpose by introducing you to the founder of the 2Hr aquarist. He has a scientific horticulturist approach to planted tank that resonates well to my scientific mind. He is one of the few that I have read and listened to who mentions the different schools of thoughts when it comes to managing planted tanks and does not stick with a single approach.
Anyways a long winded rambling to say that everyone should read through the 2hr aquarist website. His products are all called APT (Advanced planted tank), and i think that is what his company was called before. His current display tanks are all planted tanks, which are beautiful mostly without hardscape but with lush plant growth and do not follow the rules of Dutch scaping. To anyone who wants to understand his philosophy more, i would recommend in addition to the website watch some videos where he has been interviewed.
I wanted to re-create this type of tank, but obviously as a beginner/amateur. I am hoping to learn more about growing plants with my ultimate goal to advance to a next scape which might be more nature style where i can take the knowledge from growing plants and now incorporate hardscape to it.
Equipment
Tank
- Waterbox mini 25
Background
Fish List (Preliminary)
Photos
photo 1 - Day 11
Photo 2 - Day 20
Photo 3 - Day 21 - Current - Testing - Ammonia 0, Nitrate about 10 on API kit - Changed filter outlet location to get reduced current
Photo 4 - Day 21 - Side view
Thanks for reading so far!
There has been some good growth, some expected filamentous algae/diatmos and some melting, all expected hopefully this would not get too bad.
The Rotala blood red, Florida and Ludwigea arcuata are doing great. Both the florida and Arcuata seems to do much better on the aquasoil than on my prior intert substrate.
Blyxa melted a little but getting better, the Tulunadensis is struggling. The rest holding stable.
Interesting observation - The Rotala blood red, started putting out lot of roots and side shoots which i think is mainly because the plant was being pushed by the current to almost bend sideways and I believe it is thinking that it close the surface and doing its thing. With the changed filter outlet location I am hoping that it will be more erect and when i cut and replant there will be less roots. 2hr aquarist has written about this as well, but i think the bending sideways leading to rooting is not mentioned.
I am not liking the layout as much as i thought i would. Have been discussing with BurrAqua and have some suggestions but still thinking about this. Thoughts and suggestions welcome. Hopefully lot of people with (@Burr740 , @Dennis Wong @Art @techman81 @Pepere @Unexpected @Naturescapes_Rocco @Jeff Miotke @BenB @DutchMuch ) and without experience will follow and share this tank journey with me.
This is a great forum and i have tagged people that i am familiar with on the forum who have answered my questions and helped.
I am going to hold on to my beginner/amateur flair to the post since I think this is such a great hobby and want newcomers to know that everyone started as an amateur
Tank Inspiration
Dennis Wong's planted tanks. If you guys don't know who this is, I have already served a good purpose by introducing you to the founder of the 2Hr aquarist. He has a scientific horticulturist approach to planted tank that resonates well to my scientific mind. He is one of the few that I have read and listened to who mentions the different schools of thoughts when it comes to managing planted tanks and does not stick with a single approach.
Anyways a long winded rambling to say that everyone should read through the 2hr aquarist website. His products are all called APT (Advanced planted tank), and i think that is what his company was called before. His current display tanks are all planted tanks, which are beautiful mostly without hardscape but with lush plant growth and do not follow the rules of Dutch scaping. To anyone who wants to understand his philosophy more, i would recommend in addition to the website watch some videos where he has been interviewed.
I wanted to re-create this type of tank, but obviously as a beginner/amateur. I am hoping to learn more about growing plants with my ultimate goal to advance to a next scape which might be more nature style where i can take the knowledge from growing plants and now incorporate hardscape to it.
Equipment
Tank
- Waterbox mini 25
- 60 cm x 40 cm x 40 cm
- 90 liters or 24 gallons
- This is a big upgrade from my 29 gallon standard tank. The silicone work is flawless.
- It does come with a leveling mat.
- It is deeper and slightly taller than a 60P or UNS 60U. I thought it would be useful to have more depth.
- Background - Thanks to @Jeff Miotke suggestion
- Waterbox stand - Black
- The main contention is that it does not come with side holes like some of the other expensive stands do.
- It just comes with opening in the back, so getting the tubing out is messy.
- The door attachment is a soft close but it needs to be leveled which can be finicky
- I did add a magnetic holder for tools and will add some light as well at some point.
- It does come with leveling foot holders.
- It is nicely built other wise.
- I wish it came with a pull out like the Oase stands but guess would be very expensive.
- Overall Ok, but nothing to highly recommend about.
- Oase Biomaster 350 thermo
- Replaced the biological media with Seachem Matrix
- Replaced one of the foams with Seachem Matrix as well.
- Steel lily pipes from GLA with extension. I think many of liked this company. But I personally would not buy anything again from them. They had quality control issues with this. One of the holders were metal and other acrylic and they would not send me another metal one. These are not the cheapest especially and you also have to buy extension separately. These are made by a chinese company and not made by GLA.
- I used to have glass lily pipes but got tired of cleaning them.
- I read many people commenting that using a skimmer attached to the inflow or outflow might be a pain to adjust, so ended up getting the Oase Crystal skim
- Fzone Co2 inline diffuser
- These work great and this is the second one that i have gotten. Trouble free but might need to replace parts of it if it gets clogged. Important thing is that it can be opened to clean.
- I have a Fzone dual stage regulator
- Cheapest that i could find and works very well - highly recommend
- I use RO water and remineralize it with APT Sky to a GH of around 4. Use the calculator on APT webpage.
- My goals are to have a low KH, and GH of around 4 - 5.
- APT feast about 12 Liters
- You can read about my experience cycling it here using Dark Start (sort of)
- I did not want Aquasoil in the front of the tank and wanted a thin lining of gravel so used a gravel from Carribsea, and some smooth lava stones to separate them. More about this later but i don't really like the way it turned out.
- Chihiros WRGB II - 10th anniv edition - 60 cm.
Background
- Left - Rotala blood red
- Middle - Rotala Tulunadensis (From Burr Aqua)
- Right - Alteranthera Reineckii Rosaefolia
- Left - Blyxa Joponica
- Middle - Ludwigea Arcuata, Pogostemon Decannensis, Rotala Florida, Staurogyne Repens
- Right - Syngonathus Belem/Macrocaulon(From Burr Aqua)
- Left - Lobelia cardinalis mini
- Middle/Right - S.Repens and Montecarlo
- Still to come - Eleocharis Aricularis mini (in the place where the stones are)
- Clump of Hydrocortyle Tripartita to absorb nitrogen - Trust me you do not want this plant for any other reason, will take over your tank and get everything into a tangled mess.
Fish List (Preliminary)
- 4 Rasbora espei
- 2 Otos
- Will be adding more from my prior tank
- Lighting - 30% - 8 am - 3 pm
- Co2 - 40 ppm by Hanna co2 kit, 5 am - 3 pm
- Fertilizer - APT 1 - Still not settled on a routine but the recommended dose for daily dosing would be about 2.3 ml and i do about 2-3 ml every 3 days.
- Water changes 75% every 3 - 4 days, will make it weekly in the next couple of weeks
Photos
photo 1 - Day 11
Photo 2 - Day 20
Photo 3 - Day 21 - Current - Testing - Ammonia 0, Nitrate about 10 on API kit - Changed filter outlet location to get reduced current
Photo 4 - Day 21 - Side view
Thanks for reading so far!
There has been some good growth, some expected filamentous algae/diatmos and some melting, all expected hopefully this would not get too bad.
The Rotala blood red, Florida and Ludwigea arcuata are doing great. Both the florida and Arcuata seems to do much better on the aquasoil than on my prior intert substrate.
Blyxa melted a little but getting better, the Tulunadensis is struggling. The rest holding stable.
Interesting observation - The Rotala blood red, started putting out lot of roots and side shoots which i think is mainly because the plant was being pushed by the current to almost bend sideways and I believe it is thinking that it close the surface and doing its thing. With the changed filter outlet location I am hoping that it will be more erect and when i cut and replant there will be less roots. 2hr aquarist has written about this as well, but i think the bending sideways leading to rooting is not mentioned.
I am not liking the layout as much as i thought i would. Have been discussing with BurrAqua and have some suggestions but still thinking about this. Thoughts and suggestions welcome. Hopefully lot of people with (@Burr740 , @Dennis Wong @Art @techman81 @Pepere @Unexpected @Naturescapes_Rocco @Jeff Miotke @BenB @DutchMuch ) and without experience will follow and share this tank journey with me.
This is a great forum and i have tagged people that i am familiar with on the forum who have answered my questions and helped.
153 replies
·
13593 views
Journal 100x40x40 Nivliw's Planted Tank
Hello everyone,
Today I finally moved from my old aquarium, a Juwel Rio 180, to a new optiwhite tank built by Genesi Acquari.
I decided to make this change for two main reasons. First, I never really liked the aesthetics of the Rio 180, and its plastic frame made it somewhat limiting when it came to using lily pipes and other cleaner-looking hardware. Second, I had been dealing with persistent staghorn algae issues, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to start fresh.
For reference, this was the Rio 180 before I dismantled it today:
Most of the plants in this new setup were taken from the Rio 180 before dismantling it today. I trimmed healthy tops from the old plants and replanted them in this aquarium, hoping they will establish themselves properly and grow much better under the new conditions.
And here is the new tank on day one:
June 3rd, 2026
Some additional shots of the new setup:
What do you think of the setup so far?
At the moment, the Monte Carlo looks a bit "lifted" rather than hugging the substrate. Is this something I should be concerned about, or will it naturally settle and develop into a proper carpet as it adapts and produces new growth?
As mentioned above, most of the plants were transferred from the Rio 180 that I dismantled today, so they may need some time to adjust.
Thank you all for stopping by, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions!
Today I finally moved from my old aquarium, a Juwel Rio 180, to a new optiwhite tank built by Genesi Acquari.
I decided to make this change for two main reasons. First, I never really liked the aesthetics of the Rio 180, and its plastic frame made it somewhat limiting when it came to using lily pipes and other cleaner-looking hardware. Second, I had been dealing with persistent staghorn algae issues, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to start fresh.
For reference, this was the Rio 180 before I dismantled it today:
Most of the plants in this new setup were taken from the Rio 180 before dismantling it today. I trimmed healthy tops from the old plants and replanted them in this aquarium, hoping they will establish themselves properly and grow much better under the new conditions.
And here is the new tank on day one:
Tank Specifications
- Tank: Optiwhite aquarium by Genesi Acquari
- Dimensions: 100 × 40 × 40 cm
- Volume: 160 L
- Lighting: Chihiros WRGB II Pro 90
- CO₂: Inline diffuser with refillable cylinder
- Filter: Oase BioMaster 2 Thermo 600
- Substrate: Dennerle Black Gravel 1–2 mm
- Additional equipment:
- OaseSkim (which I will likely remove soon and replace with glass lily pipes featuring an integrated surface skimmer),
- Neo Flow Reliever
- Hanna's digital testers For no3 po4 and fe
Water Parameters
- pH: 7.1 → 5.8 with CO₂ running
- KH: 0
- GH: 5–7
- TDS: 120 ppm
- NO₃: 6–7 ppm
- PO₄: 1.25 ppm
Setup Date
June 3rd, 2026
Some additional shots of the new setup:
Questions
What do you think of the setup so far?
At the moment, the Monte Carlo looks a bit "lifted" rather than hugging the substrate. Is this something I should be concerned about, or will it naturally settle and develop into a proper carpet as it adapts and produces new growth?
As mentioned above, most of the plants were transferred from the Rio 180 that I dismantled today, so they may need some time to adjust.
Thank you all for stopping by, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions!
13 replies
·
243 views
Hello Welcome, Lelindre
Welcome to ScapeCrunch, @Lelindre!
We would love to get to know you. Please tell us about yourself. What tank do you have?
We would love to get to know you. Please tell us about yourself. What tank do you have?
0 replies
·
8 views
replies
Legacy View
Journal High-Tech 90P Build
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!
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!
13 replies
·
346 views
was travelling for the past 3 weeks, so this tank hasn't had any trimming, water changes, or maintenance.
Frankly, I'm liking this jungle look a bit more than my usually well-trimmed tank.
Frankly, I'm liking this jungle look a bit more than my usually well-trimmed tank.
5 replies
·
133 views
Hello Welcome, noisyground
Welcome to ScapeCrunch, @noisyground!
We would love to get to know you. Please tell us about yourself. What tank do you have?
We would love to get to know you. Please tell us about yourself. What tank do you have?
0 replies
·
12 views
replies
Legacy View
Journal 22 gallon long bookshelf
Time to start a new thread.
I’ll fill in some details later, but I’m working on the hardscape now. Any and all criticism is appreciated. The vision is nothing more, and nothing less, than something appealing to the eye.
90cm x 30cm x 30cm Lifegard Aquatics ultra clear bookshelf tank. Buce and anubias on the hardscape, stems towards the back and center, mid to front carpet with some changes in shade and texture down to a flat grade on the right side of the tank.
Lily pipe inlet and skimmer will be in the back left corner with the outflow in the front left to hopefully achieve circular flow. I’ll be running an in-line diffuser. Light will be the P600 Pro that I regrettably did not upside to 900. Oh well. I’ll mount it high and hopefully it’ll have enough spread.
I have some dragon stone and red lava rock rubble I’ll use at the base to blend into the substrate, as well as some stratum I may or may not cap with.
I’ll fill in some details later, but I’m working on the hardscape now. Any and all criticism is appreciated. The vision is nothing more, and nothing less, than something appealing to the eye.
90cm x 30cm x 30cm Lifegard Aquatics ultra clear bookshelf tank. Buce and anubias on the hardscape, stems towards the back and center, mid to front carpet with some changes in shade and texture down to a flat grade on the right side of the tank.
Lily pipe inlet and skimmer will be in the back left corner with the outflow in the front left to hopefully achieve circular flow. I’ll be running an in-line diffuser. Light will be the P600 Pro that I regrettably did not upside to 900. Oh well. I’ll mount it high and hopefully it’ll have enough spread.
I have some dragon stone and red lava rock rubble I’ll use at the base to blend into the substrate, as well as some stratum I may or may not cap with.
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