Welcome to ScapeCrunch

We are ScapeCrunch, the place where planted aquarium hobbyists come to build relationships and support each other. When you're tired of doom scrolling, you've found your home here.

Social Feed

M
Last reply · posted in Journals
Hello everyone!


I’m starting this journal to document my ADA 90P aquascape and get feedback from the community as it evolves.

This will be a moderately planted, CO2-injected setup with a focus on a natural, balanced look.

I’ve kept planted tanks before, but this build is meant to be my most refined project yet — a clean, rimless layout inspired by ADA-style aquascapes.

I am using the following apps to help me:
ChatGPT to help with prep work and to draft this journal.
Amazing Marvin to organize my thoughts during this process.
Copilot, an iOS-only app, to track my spending. I figure the calculations may help someone else planning to get into the hobby. (Spent $2,500 on the previous tanks.)

I am in the early stages of planning and do not have all my equipment yet.

I will either add updates to this post or pin another one lower down as I go forward with the scape.




About Myself


I work in the healthcare field and have a weird schedule with long stretches of time off, so I can devote time to this hobby.

I have two elementary-age kids who have not yet begun showing interest in my hobby, lol.

I have a bad back, so I’m constantly looking for hacks that prevent me from hurting it more.

I had a fish tank growing up stocked with a few guppies and swordtails, which was eventually converted to a turtle tank due to poor maintenance.

My interest in aquascaping started in late 2023 after viewing a bunch of Instagram reels. The hobby helped a lot with my mental health.




My First Tank


My first tank was a Waterbox AIO 20, which I bought off Facebook Marketplace.

1762262141921.webp

I learned the basics of lighting, CO2 injection, fertilization techniques, etc. from this tank.

Lessons learned from the experience:
  • A 20-gallon was too low of a volume.
  • An AIO tank does not really fit the aesthetic of an aquascape like a clear one does.
  • Some Amazon swords are too big for nano tanks.
  • The tank had a snail problem and inspired me to create a pea puffer species tank.

I decided to go the Walstad route for this next tank. I went down the Father Fish rabbit hole and ended up ordering his substrate mix. I used ADA La Plata sand as a sand cap, and I guess, due to its finer texture, it induced anaerobic conditions.


It is no longer self-sustaining, so I am dosing with ferts intermittently. I’m also using it as a grow-out tank for future plant retrievals.

1762263388025.webp



Inspiration


I’m aiming for a balanced nature-style aquascape with a triangle layout — strong hardscape slopes on one side with either an HC Cuba carpet or La Plata sand on the other.


This aquarium by Dave Pierce, owner of Aquarium Gardens in the UK, is my inspiration:

1762264442171.webp

This cinematic is awesome

A detailed descriptive video by George Farmer.



Residence Layout

Space is somewhat limited in my house, so the aquarium will be placed in a specific spot beside the fireplace.
Most of the faucets in the house aren’t compatible with standard attachments like those used with the Python water change system.
There is a garden hose outlet a few feet outside which may be compatible and I should look into.
On the bright side, the patio is right next to the tank location, which will make draining water during maintenance much easier.
There is one power outlet at the site, although it’s not GFCI-protected.

I eventually plan to set up a larger tank, possibly a 120P or Waterbox 4820 in the basement. My main concern at this time is protect it from my young kids’ boundless energy. I might install a protective screen or barrier around it to guard against stray soccer ball kicks!

Equipment

I would be grateful for any feedback or suggestions regarding the equipment list below.
I wonder if I should make a separate thread requesting advice about this stuff. I will see the level of engagement on this thread and then decide.

I have some stuff from the previous iterations but planning on buying a lot of new equipment. Have been sourcing used equipment from Facebook Marketplace. Luckily, I am a couple of hours away from Chicago, so that increases my options.

Tank:
Will be ordering an ADA 90P when it becomes available. I am also waiting for the Waterbox Blue Friday sale to see if the 3620 is discounted. There is a 2 inch overhang with the 3620 on the stand that I have ordered. I was thinking of addressing this with a piece of marine plywood placed over the stand but now second guessing.

Stand:
I have the Archaea Modern Cabinet in Driftwood on the way.
I was looking at ideas regarding undertank organization and could greatly use some advice.

I saw this image on Instagram and was instantly hooked:

1762286827779.webp

This is an old image and the account is not very active.
I wonder if anyone has any idea about what waterproof felt pads are used under the filters and on the door.

This is what I am thinking:

I have a Jebao auto doser with dosing containers that will go on one side inside the cabinet.
Will mount an ATO device to the same side
I plan to attach two power strips to the back, one for the stuff that I can turn off during water change and the other for the rest.
Motion activated rechargeable light pucks go overhead.
One door will have a magnet to hold aquascaping tools on one side.
The other door will hold racks for fish food and chemicals/fertilizers.
Filter, CO2 and RO reservoir on the floor.


Lighting:
I got a good deal off Facebook Marketplace for a WeekAqua L 900 so will be going that route.

Initially, was planning to use an old Chihiros WRGB Pro 45 that i have but fell short lengthwise. Was planning to rim mount but did not like the aesthetic of the black Chihiros one.
I really love the ADA Solar RGB mount but 350$ is too much. I looked into DIY stands and currently researching 8020 T slot builds but it looks like too much work.
For now will use the rim mount that came with the Week Aqua.
If you have any ideas, let me know.

Hardscape:
I had a terrible time with driftwood on my first aquascape. I introduced it later after planting was done. I tried gluing it down on to a piece of slate that I got from Floor & Decor but it would neither stick nor stay down.
This time, I will be gluing Driftwood to black egg crate and place it in the tank before I layer the substrate. I won't glue down the rocks so that I can move them around.

I bought a large piece of Driftwood from Belinda's Driftwood which I will start soaking soon. It is Osage Orange apparently.
Will start foraging for smaller pieces soon. Planning to go to SR Aquaristik and other stores in Chicago.

Also looking for Frodo Stones and Black Lava Rock or Black Basalt.
If you know any deals, let me know!

Filter:
Oase Biomaster Thermo 600. Looking into filter media setup.
Debating between steel vs glass lily pipes. Outflow will have a skimmer.

CO₂:
I have a 5lb CO2 tank with GLA Pro Double Stage regulator, glad I went with this for the previous build.
Planning to get the ARC CO2 Reactor. This needs more research.

Heater:
Integrated in the Biomaster Thermo. I have another smaller Oase heater for redundancy.

Substrate:
ADA Amazonia II with Power Sand Advanced (layered). I will also get the powdered version if I plan to go the HC cuba route.
Base will be washed lava rock in mesh bags at the left hand corner to add height. This will be layered on top of black egg crate.

Fertilization:
Bought a gallon of GLA Nectar AIO after reading up quite a bit on this. I do not have the time to mix my own dry salts.
Will be doing EI dosing.
Using Jebao 2.4 WiFi 4 channel doser for auto dosing. Got it off FB marketplace for cheap.

Maintenance:
Water changes
I think part of the problem for my loss of interest in the previous tank was water changes. I hated carrying the heavy 5 gallon buckets and the mess that I made with them.
Recently, I saw people using eheim canister filter water intakes with strainer to do water changes. Seems like the perfect solution, hose won't fall off the tank and the strainer will filter out shrimp. Refilling should not cause hardscape disruption either with the strainer diffusing water flow. I will use a Python hook to hang the outflow to the bathroom sink or toilet.

ATO:
XP Aqua with an Ikea tote as reservoir.

RO water:

I had an Aquatic Life RO system jerry-rigged to a plank of wood to make it portable:

IMG_8519.webp

I will be look into installing a permanent one in the basement.

Tools:
Aquascaping tools from Hygger bought off Amazon.
Python water change system.
I have a power head for water changes.
Will probably get an additional Sicce Syncra 2.0 if I can find a good deal.



Flora & Fauna


Plants:
This is the plant list that I came up with:

Foreground: HC cuba

Midground: Staurogyne repens, Cryptocoryne parva and Alternanthera reineckii
Background: Crinum calimistratum, Cryptocoryene spirali, Rotala rotundifolia, Cabomba caroliniana and Hygrophila pinnatifida
Epiphytes: Anubias nana petite, Bucephalandra kedagang, Microsporum pteropus trident
Planned Livestock:
  • Small schooling fish (e.g., chili rasboras, and Pearl danios
  • Amano shrimp × 10–15
  • Nerite snails × 3–4
  • Cherry shrimp
  • Maybe some Blue dwarf Gouramis.
(Will finalize stocking once tank stabilizes)
Holy wall of text! Thank you for reading till the end! Will keep updating as I go along.

Edited for better formatting. Added ATO


15 replies · 1671 views
M
Last reply · posted in Equipment Discussions
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.

Week Aqua Light Bar.webp

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.webp

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

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).
CL_07759_1024x1024@2x.webp
1 replies · 13 views
Scaper26
· posted in Journals
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.
IMG_5369.webp


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.
IMG_5366.webp



I hope the reader will find my experience helpful in designing their own mini yugang. Thank you for reading.
0 replies · 20 views
  • Like
Reactions: Kwyet
BenB
Last reply · posted in Equipment Discussions
20260613_180332a.webp

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.
3 replies · 38 views
Dennis Wong
Last reply · posted in Journals
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
2hrAquaristDSCF0297.webp

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.

2hrAquaristDSCF0528E.webp
73 replies · 4882 views
A
Last reply · posted in Specific Plant Discussions
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?
10 replies · 132 views
FatPleco
· posted in Planted Aquarium Discussion

Tin Foil Hat  Garlic in aquascapes

This Garlic-centric tank concept popped out on Facebook, wondered what you think about it.
0 replies · 28 views
Pepere
Last reply · posted in Freshwater Fish Discussions
I want to buy a dozen marbeled hatchetfish for my 75 gallon, and everywhere I look they are sold out.

I know a large proportion are wild caught, I would guess after the rainy season with its explosion of breeding.

So is there a season they are more likely on the market?
14 replies · 1104 views
mrmoss
Last reply · posted in Journals
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.
17 replies · 798 views
Art
Art
Last reply · posted in Forum News/Feedback
This is the future home for the announcements when someone obtains an achievement badge. Let the games begin!
1978 replies · 47220 views
  • Like
Reactions: Kwyet
C
Last reply · posted in Specific Plant Discussions
Hi all,

First time posting! I was browsing FB and saw someone posted a picture of their tank. Was wondering if anyone could help me ID the plant middle left? Crypt?

Thank you for your help!
4 replies · 89 views
  • Like
Reactions: Naturescapes_Rocco
Back
Top