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The theme for this month's contest is: Shades of Green

Please take a picture of shades of green in your aquarium. Be as artistic and creative as you like.

The rules:

• Submissions are allowed between August 16 and August 23.
• Voting will start on August 23 at 12:01 am Eastern time.
• Voting will end on August 30 at 11:30 pm Eastern time.

The prize:

A $25 store credit from BurrAqua thanks to @Burr740!

Good Luck!

See this post regarding AR Mini trimming/planting, and this post regarding Cyperus helferi trimming and planting!

I have hardly seen this subject talked about enough, but I think that it's one of the biggest reasons contributing to beginner's algae-filled downfalls! If you're buying plants from big stores like Aquarium Plants Factory (really good btw), Buceplant, etc. 90% of the plants you are receiving are terrestrially-grown.

Here's an important fact about terrestrially-grown aquarium plants

100% of all terrestrial leaves, when submerged under water, for any plant, will eventually get algae and die.
Some can take a while (anubias, java fern, cyperus helferi), while others will either melt (Crypts) or quickly get algae (AR Mini, Staurogyne repens, stem plants, etc)

But what about buying submerged-growth plants? From hobbyists, or BurrAqua, for example?

There is still a chance that your tank's conditions are different enough that many, if not most leaves you plant, will melt/die/attract algae.

How do we fix this? By leaving only enough leaves for the plant to continue to absorb light and put out new growth. Usually the top 4-6 leaves for stem plants.



It's a lot of work up front, but you will MAJORLY reduce the amount of waste, DOC 's, and algae-inducing scenarios if you trim your plants before planting.

I've done this in ALL of my tanks in the last 4 years with great success.

The easiest way to do this is with stainless squeeze scissors over your sink:

Here's the ones I recommend.

Yes, it takes a ton of patience. But if it could make a big difference in preventing the 2-3 month algae bloom in your tank, would you do it?

Here are some specific plant examples:​

For most true stem plants, I like to leave 3-4" of stem, trimming roots if necessary, and leaving only 4-6 of the freshest leaves. More than that, they will eventually be algae magnets. Less than that (like 2 leaves only) they might not survive the shock.


Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea', only a few top leaves left, 3" of stem.


Hygrophila corymbosa. Note how I left the leaf nodes on the stem? That's where roots will grow from. Almost all stem plants need nodes to grow roots, even if you've removed the leaves from them.



Terrestrially-grown AR 'Mini' from APF. See how I did the same in this thread for my previous tanks.



This Anubias barteri var. coffeefolia was grown terrestrially (often called 'emersed' or emergent) in a greenhouse. I removed all but the newest 3 leaves, and trimmed the roots too. Terrestrial roots are quite different from submerged with certain plants.



Almost ALL Cryptocoryne species are grown terrestrially. These plants grow as a Rosette, where the inner-most leaves on the "stem" are the freshest, and the outer-most are the oldest. I removed a TON of old terrestrial leaves, leaving just enough for the plant to be able to grow new submerged leaves in my tank as quickly as possible, while leaving as few algae-attracting terrestrial leaves as possible. I also trimmed the roots, which were 5" long upon receiving the plant.



Lobelia cardinalis 'mini'

Penthorum sedoides. Would also look very similar for Staurogyne repens, too.


Did you know that Blyxa japonica is actually a stem plant? It looks like a rosette, but it's actually a squat, wide stem plant. The lowest/outermost leaves are the oldest, and even though this is a true aquatic plant with no terrestrial form in nature, I know that it likes to throw a fit and melt a good portion of it's oldest leaves when transitioning to my tank's conditions. Here's what it looked like when I received it from @Burr740:


Nice and trimmed up. Less problematic at the 1-2 month mark in the tank's development, I know it!

What about delicate/feather plants?
They're super annoying to prep. I still only keep the top 3-4" max.


With Myriophyllum mattogrossense 'Golden', I only keep a few inches and still try to remove some of the lower leaves that would otherwise just rot by being buried in my inert sand.



What about Myriophyllum sp. "Roraima"? F*ck that. Nightmare to trim lower leaves, just trim it to 3" (not pictured) and discard the bottom when planting.

Curious what you guys think! I know I could receive plenty of "I've never done this, my tank has been fine" but I'd recommend trying it first before having a strong opinion of it

By the way, all plants pictured were actually used in my upcoming 120cm Showcase tank:

Well I’m done talking about it, it’s time to get this journal started.

I have been really out of it the last year or so in terms of maintaining my own tank, mainly out of frustration with time constraints and inconsistency with dosing etc. However, I have now acquired a dream tank, rimless and with low iron glass like I’ve always wanted. While I loved having a sump and prided myself on putting it together, I’m past that desire. The AIO allows the same benefits with hiding equipment, and overall easier maintenance without climbing in and out of cabinets. Now onto the details of this build.

Tank: Planet Aquariums Tideline 62 Gallon AIO Lagoon

Filtration: (2) 250gph pumps on either side of the tank with center overflow into socks (I’m going to punch holes in the socks for now and stuff with polyfill, reviews state the socks clog way too quickly and there is no replacement sock as the insert is not the common round style). The baffles will be stuffed with the poret foam I have already from my sump for extra mechanical/biological.

Substrate: The bottom layer will comprise of bagged pond soil/peat/earthworm castings/ STS. This will be a thin layer and will mainly act as filler to raise up the cap of APT Feast. This is similar to a substrate setup I did when I first started back up in 2020, And that tank did very well. While capping with sand and relying on the dirt to feed the stems worked well, it did require a little more effort on my end with dosing. I don’t trust myself to be as diligent as some members on here are with their inert subs, so I’m taking the mulligan and using aquasoil as a cap, hence, “dirty soil.” This will be another island style layout, and the surrounding substrate will be comprised of Caribsea Carolina Creek Sand.

Hardscape: River rock (local hardscape center sourced) and malaysian driftwood. I have recently acquired another large piece of wood and I’m sourcing new stone this week, as what I have just isn’t meshing with my current vision for the tank.

Plants: …. I have not solidified my vision of what this scape will look like just yet as I haven’t been able to setup the hardscape to outline the island. The plan is to use a good amount of colorful stems, epiphytes, and potentially moss.

Lighting: I will be ordering the Week Aqua Z400 this week and am excited to test it out.

That’s all for now, more pictures and details to come. I should hopefully have the hardscape setup by the end of this coming week after acquiring more stone and wood.

CO2: Almost forgot, for Co2 injection I have made a DIY Yugang with a locking food storage container. It will be stored in the cabinet and the hook will feed into the return pump chamber on the right. I initially was bummed that I had to sacrifice storage to fit a 5lb CO2 tank under the stand, which also meant getting rid of of the 20lb tank I’ve only been having to fill twice a year. @GreggZ Will appreciate this, my awesome father in law suggested that I hide the co2 tank in the pantry closet which is directly behind that wall and just drill a hole for the co2 line. Since my father in laws word is pure gold in my wife’s eyes, that suggestion was approved! He’s just as much my dad too so I appreciated him supporting the project

Hey all,

I’m a week away from cabinet making, waiting on supplies but managed to find some great driftwood this weekend. This is in my workshop so I’ve just cut a bit of cardboard to start playing with ideas for my new 1200x450x450 rimless tank. You’ll have to look past the background and lighting for now please.

Which design do you think I should progress?
This will be a more nature style scape with limited stem plants and mostly crypts. I’m not keen on trimming all the time and prefer the form of leaves.
I will likely use some aqua soil in mesh bags in the deeper areas which will be capped with an inert blond sand as this is my best available option here.
I will start a journal for my stand build with one of these ideas.

Style 1


Style 2



Style 3


Noting that there will be a little trimming required to sort final placements.

Cheers
C

I’m often out and about working in the field and stumble upon breathtaking examples of often overlooked and under appreciated slices of nature that Florida has to offer.

My neck of the woods is filled with marsh/wetlands ripe with both native and invasive wildlife of all flavors; I want to start a thread where I can document and share.

I’ll update this thread whenever I capture something noteworthy. Much of what catches my eye is aquatic flora, but I try and document anything captivating. I hope you find this as beautiful and fascinating as I do.

This is not a step by step tutorial, more for inspiration and general information!

My very first DIY stand was a 100cm two-door home-depot plywood stand. It looks fine in pictures, but was NOT up to the insanely high, unhealthy standards of excellence that I hold myself to with everything:



No journal for this old tank.

The lesson here was: don’t use home depot plywood! It sucks. Find a real plywood dealer and spend the extra $.

My next stand was way more ambitious: a 150cm x 60cm stand, designed to hold up 2400+ lbs, made from quality baltic birch plywood. 3 doors, two interior weight-bearing vertical panels, adjustable leveling feet. It worked great, and can be seen in my two journals Many Lessons and Inert Sand Trials:


I did a WAY better job on this stand, and it now resides with @Kwyet ! Also, a spray finish really makes a big difference.

After that, the 90cm Experiment Tank stand. Two doors, and instead of a cumbersome middle panel, I used one hefty plywood column:


Scottish accent Fookin' crispay



This tank also had a waterproof, sealed bottom “rim” so up to 2cm of water would have to fill the stand bottom before it overflows. Useful for emergencies or leaks, when combined with loud water leak alarms! This stand and tank is in my garage, soon to be sold to anyone in Colorado who wants it!

The new 120cm stand:​

This stand is for my new 120cm tank! This stand is the culmination of seven years of stand-making. All of my mistakes, lessons, preferences, and skills were combined to make the stand of my dreams!

And of course, I had to move homes and got seriously injured, requiring surgery, while I was trying to finish it. Sorry for the lack of pictures!

I would not say this design is beginner friendly. It’s not expert, but likely intermediate difficulty. I have a Wen track saw and a Sawstop PCS Cabinet saw, which changes the entire process compared to someone working with more difficult tools. I also have a Graco Magnum X7 paint sprayer for a professional paint finish.

First, I started with mocking up the stand in Shapr3D, my modeling program:


My local lumber company had really good deals on 5x5’ sheets of ¾” baltic birch plywood.

IT IS CRITICAL for precision woodworking like this (no trim to cover up mistakes) to get exact measurements, particularly for the thickness of the plywood. For example, using a pair of digital calipers, this 3/4" plywood was 17.8mm thick (0.7 in a lot smaller than .75"), which is what I used in my modeling program to create the exact length of cuts to properly span 120cm long and 60cm deep.

I collected the exact measurements of each part needed, and threw it into Opticutter to determine how to best cut my 5x5’ plywood sheets:


You don't need to study these sheets; the photos are just to show you how Opticutter works to save you from creating too much waste, and using the fewest cuts!

Steps I followed for this stand:​

1. Cut all panels using table/track saw.
2. Make 4-ply support column. Make notch cut ~145mm from top of column to fit behind front brace. Glue and trim/clean.
3. Cut out "access holes" in panels, including pocket holes for front and back brace, predrilled holes for front brace (in middle, and upper portion for future front panel) and predrilled holes for back panel. Use a router with roundover bit to create round, smooth holes for cord and tubing access, as well as handles for moving the stand around!
4. Run the "standing height "of the side and back panels (and 4-ply center column) through table saw to make uniform height for all 4 parts. All of these 4 parts should be cut to the exactly same height.
5. Trim door “finger-pull” with a router. Just a 45-degree "slice" off the door's corner to make a finger pull.
6. To assemble: Flip top upside down, test fit sides and back, secure with screws. Make front edge flush, back can be trimmed down with router flush bit if necessary.
7. Attach the bottom panel, Make front edge flush, as the back can be trimmed down.
8. Add 4-ply column, ensure front edge flush.
9. Add front and back "braces".
10. Add front panel, and bottom "lips" that hold any spilled water in.
11. Spray and sand stand, fill gaps with Bondo wood filler. Sand and repeat until corners, cracks and divots are smooth.
12. Caulk the inner corners where water would be.
13. Paint stand and doors.
14. Attach doors.
15. Add feet.
16. Run electrical and LED strips.
17. Cut foam mat to size.

Here's some of the steps in the modeling program:


4-plywood-thick center column, with "notch" for the front brace to fit flush:


Top down first on a flat, even surface, then add sides and back:



Flip right-side-up, and add the bottom panel:



Add the rear brace, the front brace, and the center column. Make sure the front brace and column are flush with the front of the top/back panel edges.


Add the front panel and bottom lip pieces:


For the doors, create a notched finger pull (side view):


Door hinge stuff:

• Blum Clip top Blumotion Full Overlay, 110° euro style hinges
• Kreg hinge jig

And it's done! Here's some of the few pictures I DID take of this process, sorry! I had a lot going on:

Gluing the 4-ply-thick center column:


To make the access holes in the back and side panels, I 3D printed some plastic guides for my router bit to follow, then roughly cut the inside out so the router had less material to work through:


Perfect routered holes:



I learned to score the plywood with my box cutter first, so when it chipped from the rough jigsaw cut, it chipped ONLY to the scored lines:



I removed the excess interior material with the jigsaw, then routered. I also used a roundover bit (in process on the left hole, right hole not rounded):

Any chips or imperfections could be fixed later with bondo wood filler and sanding.


Once I had my access holes cut out, I could assemble! I used clamps to hold the panels together and flush, used an Incra T-Rule (amazing device) to mark a line that was the middle of my plywood panel's core:



Then, I drilled countersink holes with this bit for the screw heads to sit below the level of the wood:



Screws:
Since the screws on the top, bottom, and rear of the stand would never be visible, I decided to skip the annoying "pocket screw and glue" scenario and just go with crazy robust torx-head 1.5” construction screws. I LOVED it. Definitely my preferred method, though they really do require pre-drilling AND drilling countersink heads. Still, way stronger than pocket screws my god.

• SPAX #8, 1-1/2" Interior Flat Head Torx Wood Screws
• INCRA T-Ruler 6 inch for marking my ~8.9mm line (middle of the plywood core I was screwing into).

Wood filling and Priming:
Bondo wood filler is amazing stuff. I used TONS of it, this was just the first pass:

Apply, sand, apply more, sand more.


Then I primed with Sherwin Williams Gallery Series primer, and sprayed with a TrueAirless 515 tip in my Magnum X7:


Once the primer was dry, I sanded it, and sprayed again. Once dry, sanded again. Lots of sanding:



I wiped the tank down with tack cloth, then went for the finishing coat using a Graco FFLP 310 Tip and Sherwin-Williams Gallery Series Waterborne Topcoat in true black. Probably a matte or satin sheen, I can’t recall. Not cheap, good paint! Make sure to filter your paint through a find mesh before spraying.



By far the best, most perfect finish I've ever had on a stand. BTW, the doors are fully adjustable up, down, left and right to get them nicely aligned. Blum hinges rock!



Once it was all put together, I got some help to move it into the new house. And installed the oversized Aquarium Mat.

I paid Tommy, the owner of Aqua Rocks Colorado, a delivery fee to have my custom 120x60x50cm tank delivered and installed on the stand. Once positioned evenly around all sides, I trimmed the aquarium mat with an Xacto knife, and was finished!

I'm tired today, but I'll upload more pics of this stand soon to this thread and to the 120cm Journal, too!

Questions? Ask below! I love to help out.​

Main idea/inspiration:​

Since my main 150p aquarium is in our front room and is the first thing we and our guests see, I can't afford to experiment much with it. I also spent like $600 on aquasoil to fill it, so I thought I'd like to try something different.

This tank will be 100% BDBS substrate, no fertilized substrate. No root tabs (yet), no aquasoil. Only water column fertilization, to challenge myself to see whether I can grow plants well without aquasoil or not! Inspired by the @Burr740 BDBS journals and many other amazing inert-substrate aquariums out there. This isn't a dutch style, only a general "garden" style tank.

This thread is for the general discussion of the classified ad Oase Filtosmart Thermo 100. Please add to the discussion here.

This is the future home for the announcements when someone obtains an achievement badge. Let the games begin!