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I have discovered that planting out aquascapes, especially when one doesn’t yet have a large enough ‘farm tank’, creates a bit of a hot dogs vs. buns problem. Order too many plants, now you need somewhere to put them.

Having recently planted two smaller tanks, I found myself, once again, with an excess of plants left over. I have four choices. Throw them out. Put them in my holding/quarantine tanks (that are already beyond capacity). Start a new tank (but I don’t want to move it later). Or try my hand at some little terrariums?

With the holidays coming up, I figured I would try the latter. I had the plants, and some extra jungle soil after making a friend a Shizuku for Christmas. I found some cute little terrariums with built-in LEDs on Amazon. At least this way I can use up the plants I have, and have decided I will gift these to my employees for the holidays. As they have the light integrated in the lid, which does have an adjustable vent, at least they won’t need to source their own light.



It was fun to play with some stones I haven't used in an aquascape. Jade Stone, Millenium Stone, Dragon Stone, and Dark Seiryu, and I knocked these four out over the weekend. Not complicated, but at least the plants now have a chance to do something other than wither away in their pots and TC cups. My Lindernia started blooming out of its holding tank this week, and I never realized what lovely little blue flowers they have when growing emersed. So a little of that found its way into the jar with the Millenium Stone. Hoping it makes it!

I am curious how many of you also dabble in growing some of our standard aquarium plants in emersed setups? I can totally see myself making more, maybe a Neo Glass Air next. Nobody warned me how much of a slippery slope this hobby was going to morph into when I started back up a year ago. Are there enough of us that would make it worthwhile to set up a ‘Planted Terrariums & Paludariums Discussion’ forum here to share our setups and experiences growing emersed? It’s still scaping, and growing plants, just with a little less water and maintenance. Or would that be outside the scope of this group?

I am not as technically inclined as some members on here, but for those who are, answer me this. Could you not attach tubing to the end of this device where the sensor/probe is and run it into the aquarium in a similar fashion in which the drop checker works? Instead of waiting for a color change you could get an actual PPM reading? Please let me know if I am completely off base and why, or if this could possibly be a rudimentary way of getting more accurate co2 concentrations at a fraction of the cost of some high end equipment designed for submerged readings.

I’m fairly nEw to aquascaping, but have had planted aquariums for about 7 years. I’m moving in a few days. I have four small and one larger aquarium to move, but it’s the heavily planted 75 g that I need some quick advice about. The fluval stratum, in mesh bags and capped with sand, has been in place for about 18 months. I’m not sure what to expect, but our aquarium moving/mntnce guy said it might be a sludge now.
My question is what is the best way to rebuild, without harming my 30 ish nano fish? Do I add fluval stratum and go through all the water changes and monitoring for two weeks until the ammonia issues settle, or use seachem fluorite and add root tabs moving forward? Does fluorite absorb and hold fertilizers and have a cation exchange capacity. I’ve only come across conflicting views.
Advice would be greatly appreciated. Anyone with long term experience and comparisons on each planted tank substrates would be very helpful. We’re moving Wednesday.

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.​

Santa came early this year with a new 75g tank. I've never owned a 4' tank ever been stuck on the normal 30" wide 29g and 20g's forever. I wanted the uns 90u 36x22x22 but 750.00 is nuts to me I don't have that much in all tanks and equip I own so went cheap route.
Saw the 75g at PetSmart the imagitarium brand for 150 on sale. Those cheapos have bad reviews on leaking and I believe it as I actually picked up a free leaky 75g imagitarium at petco last week and sold it for snake terrarium for 40.00. Went to petco they also have the 50% off sale on marineland and aqueon. The tank was 159.00 out the door. Got lucky the manager said take this set of new glass tops for free, were a return they cant sell it.I assume the made in USA marineland is a better tank than the other cheapos and I actually don't mind the black silicone.

Went to Lowes today for some wood 4- 2x4x8 and 2- 2x4x10 and sheet if 1/2 osb for top and bottom shelf and for extra strength. When I get done I'm sure it would hold a 300g tank. Will wrap the tank in either bead board wood paneling or 1/4" plywood with some nice moulding on corners. Def gotta make a lip to hide the bottom plastic rim as well so its not so ugly. probably build a hood to why not hide some rims! Just gotta build or find a pair of doors on something else I can steal and use for this stand. I don't plan on getting it setup for few weeks but want stand base 1/2 done now so I can try some diff dry scapes with wood and rocks in it. This will be replacing my 20long I was scaping in other journal its now a plant farm full of ludwigia and plants for sale.
Still not sure on the name on this tank, Whipple landing is where I took some pics I want to copy for the tank. Its feed by the great pee dee river here so name may change later.

Hey guys, needing some expert insight on my 90P build regarding the Yugang reactor. I’d like a sanity check on sizing.

System

• Display: 90 × 45 cm outside, 10 mm glass, so ~88 × 43 cm inside (~3,780 cm²), rimless, lidless.
• Sump: 20-gallon long (76 × 30 cm, ~2,280 cm²), 3 chambers, loose lid.
• About 220 L total water.
• Return enters below the surface; no deliberate surface agitation.
• BeanAnimal overflow, with the main draining underwater (no cascade).
• Currently cycling on tap water: KH 13, GH 12. The plan is RO remineralised to KH 3–4.

Reactor

• Horizontal Yugang, 3" Sch40 PVC (ID 77.9 mm), 46 cm long.
• Outlet rotated to near the limit of what my plumbing allows, so the pocket is much smaller than half-full.
• CO₂ flow meter at about 9 mL/min. That’s slightly over what it dissolves, so it gives small occasional burps.

What I measured

• Plateau: pH 6.80 at KH 13 ~ 60 ppm (pH/KH estimate). Degassed baseline pH at 8.2.
• Overnight decay after CO₂ off: k ≈ 0.12/h (half-life ~5.7 h). That implies a CO₂ exchange rate of ~4–7 cm/h, i.e. a calm surface.
• Working the 1/17.7 rule backwards from my reactor area (~180–358 cm² depending on rotation), my effective loss area is ~1,100–2,200 cm², against ~6,060 cm² of real water surface (display + sump).

Am I just way off on my surface agitation? I have mild ripples, but nothing overly agitating, but even without taking the sump into account, I should be seeing way more loss right? I'm planning on keeping neocaridina, so aiming for a 30-40ppm max, but even on my min setting I see ~55-60 ppm.



View attachment y2.mp4

I've done some reading on the subject of reusing aquasoil. There are videos showing fully removing the soil, cleaning it to remove all old detritus, and then even baking it. @Dennis Wong (2hr Aquarist) discusses regular replenishing of depleted aquasoil but I didn't see an article on a complete new scape using old soil. It seems to me that once you have removed all hardscape and livestock from a tank, you could remove a partial amount of soil, stir up what is remaining quite well while also doing a deep vacuum to remove as much detritus as possible, and then add in fresh soil to desired substrate level. In theory this would leave a substantial amount of beneficial bacteria in the tank, and if you're also reusing biomedia, the tank would cycle in very short time.

I was about to start the next couple new tanks with new soil but have paused to consider these options. I currently have 3 scapes that I'll be breaking down, but I can break down one tank at a time now, clean the soil in the tank as I described and, move the soil to the new tank (along with the additional new soil). The catch is that I would still have to do the scaping either underwater, or holding off filling with water for the extended time while I place hardscape, so I don't know how well live bacteria in the old soil would handle that.

Curious to hear other's thoughts, especially if you've actually done this.

Hey all,

Just wondering what your thoughts or experiences are with running some form of moon or dusk lighting.
With my tank only running 8hrs of light per day, I have recently added a 2-3% setting on my Chihiros WRGB II from 18:00 - 21:00.
It's running quite a blue light and is just so that I can still get some enjoyment from my fish when I am at home in the evening.

Does anyone else do this in planted tanks? Do you think it will create algae issues?

Cheers
Chimera

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.

Hi guys,
I'm planning to do a switch, but I would like to know if it makes sense before buying anything.

My actual tank is a 110x50x60h, this is my first bigger tank and it's the tank where I started to truly love this hobby.
This tanks gave me joy, anxiety and satisfaction.

I bought it for relatively cheap (around 130€), but know I was thinking to buy a standard 120p.

I plan to reuse my old tropica aquasoil (I'll remove the First 1-2cm and topping It with apt feast).

What do you think? It's a waste of time/money or you'll think that is a change that make sense?

I always felt strange about this tanks proportion.

I plan to do it with 3 buckets (fish, plants and soil). The water is fully ro.

Any suggestions for doing it? Is worth it? Or it's just late and I'm overthinking?