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Journal MrJG - UNS 90L
@Sb1415 Apologies I totally snagged the format of your journal post for this so thank you!
Many moons ago I was an active and contributing member on plantedtank.net, I think at one point I had around 14 scaped tanks going before burnout and life changes. Instead of weekends consisting of maintenance I transitioned to camping/boating and life has been great. I’ve always missed it. After downsizing and making a move to a new home I kept only a small 12x12 cube tank that started life as an amateur iwagumi layout, Seiryu and hairgrass only. I put it on the nightstand beside my bed and added some of my favorite Anubias and crypts from taken down tanks. Its been sitting there running for 5-6 years now, low light, top offs only w tap. Maintenance when it got out of control. Super old aquasoil now flattened out to a thick 4-5 inch thick layer in a perfect line front to back.
In Aug/Sept 25 had a bit of a health issue that kept me in bed for several weeks recovering while I looked at this sad little cube, mostly healthy but not truly thriving. No fertilizer being added for years, GDA covered anubias leaves that also were many years old and I thought to myself I should make this better… that was the tipping point. OK I’ll do a deep clean on the substrate, get some stems to throw in there, maybe get a carpet going. Tissue cultures/stems ordered and I got to work. No more top offs, 10% water changes instead. TDS ~900 when I started. Ultimately everything melted back and didn’t grow well. I’d been keeping the lighting so dim all these years to maintain just the crypts/epiphytes without it turning into a mess and I was ok with it again. That was the spark.
I decided I wanted to build out a new tank, most of my old hardware/tanks I had let go of in a bulk way so I was going to have to start new with everything sans some 5 gallon buckets of Amazonia that I’d placed in the basement of the new house.. Phoenix rising from the ashes? Most likely more like algae emerging from the depths. I still consider myself a beginner and maybe amateur at best so yeah…
So I got to work again reading, researching, what’s new, what has changed since I’ve been out of the loop for so long? Ooo dark start that sounds much better, in line CO2 diffusers cool! CO2 reactors, pretty awesome sounding, 2Hr aquarist read every article, and I’m back in baby!
Tank inspiration
None really hence no name, it fit right into a slot to occupy my mind from a not so great situation that I was in and I’m ok with that. Ultimately I’d like this to be a low-mid energy tank that can have minimal amounts of weekly maintenance while still looking the part. I’d prefer to keep it as simple as possible while still having some high tech bits. Get all the equipment out of the tank, co2, low-mid level lighting, minimal/simple fertilization. I got busy ordering equipment and started brainstorming layouts and what hardscape materials I could find. Instagram was my friend for a while, seems that everything that kept grabbing my attention were island style layouts with a very thin layer of sand surrounding. I’ve also always been partial to big chonky pieces of driftwood, I thought to go the manzanita route but wysiwyg pieces were fetching stupid prices. I ran across this ironwood in a listing and couldn’t let it go. The deep lines in the bark were just calling me so I quick snap ordered it before my brain could process dimensions, I knew it would fit but didn’t fully visualise how much it would ultimately limit the layout. I wanted to stay mostly inert with stone and eventually/begrudgingly ordered the tumbled lava stone with the intention of keeping it to a island/river layout style and mimicking some of my found instagram muse tanks. It will mostly likely end up more nature style although the start will be more Willy Wonka than anything. Thanks @Burr740 for that, I shopped like a kid in a candy store.
Equipment
Tank
Many moons ago I was an active and contributing member on plantedtank.net, I think at one point I had around 14 scaped tanks going before burnout and life changes. Instead of weekends consisting of maintenance I transitioned to camping/boating and life has been great. I’ve always missed it. After downsizing and making a move to a new home I kept only a small 12x12 cube tank that started life as an amateur iwagumi layout, Seiryu and hairgrass only. I put it on the nightstand beside my bed and added some of my favorite Anubias and crypts from taken down tanks. Its been sitting there running for 5-6 years now, low light, top offs only w tap. Maintenance when it got out of control. Super old aquasoil now flattened out to a thick 4-5 inch thick layer in a perfect line front to back.
In Aug/Sept 25 had a bit of a health issue that kept me in bed for several weeks recovering while I looked at this sad little cube, mostly healthy but not truly thriving. No fertilizer being added for years, GDA covered anubias leaves that also were many years old and I thought to myself I should make this better… that was the tipping point. OK I’ll do a deep clean on the substrate, get some stems to throw in there, maybe get a carpet going. Tissue cultures/stems ordered and I got to work. No more top offs, 10% water changes instead. TDS ~900 when I started. Ultimately everything melted back and didn’t grow well. I’d been keeping the lighting so dim all these years to maintain just the crypts/epiphytes without it turning into a mess and I was ok with it again. That was the spark.
I decided I wanted to build out a new tank, most of my old hardware/tanks I had let go of in a bulk way so I was going to have to start new with everything sans some 5 gallon buckets of Amazonia that I’d placed in the basement of the new house.. Phoenix rising from the ashes? Most likely more like algae emerging from the depths. I still consider myself a beginner and maybe amateur at best so yeah…
So I got to work again reading, researching, what’s new, what has changed since I’ve been out of the loop for so long? Ooo dark start that sounds much better, in line CO2 diffusers cool! CO2 reactors, pretty awesome sounding, 2Hr aquarist read every article, and I’m back in baby!
Tank inspiration
None really hence no name, it fit right into a slot to occupy my mind from a not so great situation that I was in and I’m ok with that. Ultimately I’d like this to be a low-mid energy tank that can have minimal amounts of weekly maintenance while still looking the part. I’d prefer to keep it as simple as possible while still having some high tech bits. Get all the equipment out of the tank, co2, low-mid level lighting, minimal/simple fertilization. I got busy ordering equipment and started brainstorming layouts and what hardscape materials I could find. Instagram was my friend for a while, seems that everything that kept grabbing my attention were island style layouts with a very thin layer of sand surrounding. I’ve also always been partial to big chonky pieces of driftwood, I thought to go the manzanita route but wysiwyg pieces were fetching stupid prices. I ran across this ironwood in a listing and couldn’t let it go. The deep lines in the bark were just calling me so I quick snap ordered it before my brain could process dimensions, I knew it would fit but didn’t fully visualise how much it would ultimately limit the layout. I wanted to stay mostly inert with stone and eventually/begrudgingly ordered the tumbled lava stone with the intention of keeping it to a island/river layout style and mimicking some of my found instagram muse tanks. It will mostly likely end up more nature style although the start will be more Willy Wonka than anything. Thanks @Burr740 for that, I shopped like a kid in a candy store.
Equipment
Tank
- UNS 90L
- 90 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm
- 79 liters or 21 gallons by volume, 62.5 liters or 16.5 gallons actual w hardscape
- Oase Thermo 200
- Replaced the charcoal media with more ceramic from Oase
- Fzone Lily w skimmer ⅝”
- Replaced tubing with UNS pro tubing ⅝”
- Fzone Quick release ⅝” so Lily pipes can be cleaned without having to reprime filter
- Fzone Co2 inline diffuser ⅝”
- Fzone pro series dual stage regulator w/ 5lb tank
- Timed on 2 hours before lights on, off 1 hour before lights off
- Using distilled by gallon, remineralized with salty shrimp GH targeting GH around 4-5
- Hoping for 0-1 KH
- Dark start cycled with prime dechlorinated Tap and APT Start
- 80% old used ADA Amazonia v1, small bits sifted and bagged to create slight slope
- 2HR Feast topped to around 2 inches
- UNS Bora sand
- UNS Kona pebbles
- Fzone Bright 90 - 90CM
- Before hardscape made rough par map using photone with diffuser iPhone 15 Pro
- At 100% top 404, mid 219, base 127 PAR
- At 50% top 190, mid 110, base 62 PAR
- Will be starting tank with 45-50% lighting intensity
- Timed at 2pm-9pm photoperiod with 30 minute ramps
- Current Colorcast LED strip w/frosted background
- Timed scenes for dawn (orange 1 HR during pre-ramp) /daylight (green during ON cycle) /sunset (red 1 HR during post-ramp) /night (indigo 1 HR after lights out)
- Arizona Ironwood
- Black tumbled lava stone
- APT 1 and 3 dosed at recommended levels per calculator
- APT Jazz - in 3-4 months as Feast gives out
- Trying to keep it simple with fertilization to start
36 replies
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2428 views
Journal UNS 150U - Nature Aquarium
The adventure begins...again. After a substantial absence from the hobby, I dunked my toe back in last fall with a small 60F shrimp tank, a Chihiros WRGB slim, and a Chihiros CO2 (citric/baking soda) system. A lot has changed since I started this hobby in the 90s, and it's been about 20 years since I tore my last tank down. 'Aquascaping' per se wasn't as much a thing back then. I didn't know anyone running CO2, and LED lights didn't really exist. The 60F was fun, and the shrimp seem happy, but I have been itching to get to building something with more elbow room.
I did happen to find a pic of my old 75 gallon bowfront tank a few weeks ago that was taken just before I tore it down prior to a big move. It ran great for 7 years. Was a simple low tech setup, with one hunk of driftwood, no rocks, plain gravel (no soil) a lot of simple plants (the sword plants did great), and some peaceful fish. Algae wasn't an issue, filtration was pretty subpar by current standards, but the tank did well despite that, and algae wasn't really an issue. Aesthetically blah by today's standards, and certainly not my goal for this build, but I remember being proud of how well this tank ran back then, and wasn't too demanding. Important as my life was very hectic back then.
So, the tech plan so far for the new 150U:
I ordered the tank and stand from UNS, and to my amazement, despite the worst mid-January winter storm we had in some years here, it was delivered on time by the freight company. I do not recommend trying to move a 5ft wide 400+lb tank and stand across snow and ice, down a slope, into to basement. Very thankful to have a tractor with forks, but still was a bit stressful getting this into the house. Miraculously we got it in the house in one piece, and I seriously questioned ever getting a tank larger than this in the future!
It did require disassembly outside the basement door to actually get it into the house around a berm of snow, along with some extra muscle from a few friends. (This was originally meant to be a 120P, until I realized the hardscape plan I had wouldn't quite fit. What's a another foot in length?
)
Just getting the tank through the snow and ice was enough, and the base cabinet and tank just sort of landed in the room, and stayed there for a few days while devising a strategy for the next step. After recruiting a tall and strong friend, and sourcing some of those giant suction cup handles you use for moving shower glass walls, a few days later the tank was finally hoisted up onto the base.
As there is a dropped ceiling in the basement my plan was to hang the lights directly above the tank from the ceiling, rather than using a light stand. A few tiles were removed to investigate the structure above, and with some 2x4 extra bracing for the anchors, as none of the joists were in quite the right spot, two Chihiros Vivid 3 lights were installed directly above the tank. At this point I discovered that none of the electrical circuits in the basement were GFCI protected, so obviously that was immediately remedied. Too much gear and too much water to mess around with unprotected circuits.
With the ceiling open, I decided to run the lighting cables over the top of the wall to the left of the tank, and down into the mechanicals room there. The advantage being that the power cords are hidden from view after going through the ceiling tiles, and it's two less large power sources cluttering up the cabinet under the tank. Had to add an outlet in that closet, but I like how it turned out.
With the tank in position and leveled, and the lights finally installed, the next big issue is water. The well water here is liquid limestone. That was the initial mistake I made with the shrimp tank. Sure, neocaridina like hard water, but not THAT hard, and I quickly had to shift to remineralized distilled. I knew before even getting serious about planning this tank that the only reasonable option, for any future tanks here, is RO. The well water might be fine for Malawi Cichlids, but that's not my plan for this tank, but it will be great to have flexibility going forward. It's a big glass box, at just over 140 gallons, and it won't be the only one here (I hope), so the water part I want to get right from the start, and to make it easy to do water changes. The basement is a walkout, so draining water during water changes will be easy, and I would like to make filling it just as easy. I sourced two 70 gallon storage tanks for the RO water from Northern Tool, and ordered a Vectra S2 pump which will help with transfering water between tanks, as well as pumping it out through a hose to the aquarium(s) during water changes. Forgot to take a pic when I was done, but the pvc is all glued up now. I will finish installing the RO unit this weekend.
So, aquarium set up, lights in, and RO system with storage in progress. Next up? The exciting part. Hardscape! I have been hoarding Manzanita, Hakkai stone, and substrate for several months, so I'm excited to move on to the next step! Tank so far pictured below (although I have already removed the privacy film on the back in favor of adding the ARC RGB light screen in part due to the stair rail being visible and distracting. First screen was damaged in transit, so waiting on a replacement).
I did happen to find a pic of my old 75 gallon bowfront tank a few weeks ago that was taken just before I tore it down prior to a big move. It ran great for 7 years. Was a simple low tech setup, with one hunk of driftwood, no rocks, plain gravel (no soil) a lot of simple plants (the sword plants did great), and some peaceful fish. Algae wasn't an issue, filtration was pretty subpar by current standards, but the tank did well despite that, and algae wasn't really an issue. Aesthetically blah by today's standards, and certainly not my goal for this build, but I remember being proud of how well this tank ran back then, and wasn't too demanding. Important as my life was very hectic back then.
So, the tech plan so far for the new 150U:
| UNS 150U Tank & Stand |
| Chihiros Vivid 3 x2 |
| Chihirios Vivid 3 Shades x2 |
| GLA PRO-DS-1 Dual Stage CO2 System (Modular) |
| Chihiros Auto Dosing System (4 doser) |
| Chihiros Dosing Flow Adapter |
| Oase Biomaster 2 Thermo 600 |
| Oase Biomaster 2 Thermo 850 |
| ARC RBG Backlight Screen |
| ARC Stainless Yugang CO2 Reactor (Large) |
I ordered the tank and stand from UNS, and to my amazement, despite the worst mid-January winter storm we had in some years here, it was delivered on time by the freight company. I do not recommend trying to move a 5ft wide 400+lb tank and stand across snow and ice, down a slope, into to basement. Very thankful to have a tractor with forks, but still was a bit stressful getting this into the house. Miraculously we got it in the house in one piece, and I seriously questioned ever getting a tank larger than this in the future!
It did require disassembly outside the basement door to actually get it into the house around a berm of snow, along with some extra muscle from a few friends. (This was originally meant to be a 120P, until I realized the hardscape plan I had wouldn't quite fit. What's a another foot in length?
)Just getting the tank through the snow and ice was enough, and the base cabinet and tank just sort of landed in the room, and stayed there for a few days while devising a strategy for the next step. After recruiting a tall and strong friend, and sourcing some of those giant suction cup handles you use for moving shower glass walls, a few days later the tank was finally hoisted up onto the base.
As there is a dropped ceiling in the basement my plan was to hang the lights directly above the tank from the ceiling, rather than using a light stand. A few tiles were removed to investigate the structure above, and with some 2x4 extra bracing for the anchors, as none of the joists were in quite the right spot, two Chihiros Vivid 3 lights were installed directly above the tank. At this point I discovered that none of the electrical circuits in the basement were GFCI protected, so obviously that was immediately remedied. Too much gear and too much water to mess around with unprotected circuits.
With the ceiling open, I decided to run the lighting cables over the top of the wall to the left of the tank, and down into the mechanicals room there. The advantage being that the power cords are hidden from view after going through the ceiling tiles, and it's two less large power sources cluttering up the cabinet under the tank. Had to add an outlet in that closet, but I like how it turned out.
With the tank in position and leveled, and the lights finally installed, the next big issue is water. The well water here is liquid limestone. That was the initial mistake I made with the shrimp tank. Sure, neocaridina like hard water, but not THAT hard, and I quickly had to shift to remineralized distilled. I knew before even getting serious about planning this tank that the only reasonable option, for any future tanks here, is RO. The well water might be fine for Malawi Cichlids, but that's not my plan for this tank, but it will be great to have flexibility going forward. It's a big glass box, at just over 140 gallons, and it won't be the only one here (I hope), so the water part I want to get right from the start, and to make it easy to do water changes. The basement is a walkout, so draining water during water changes will be easy, and I would like to make filling it just as easy. I sourced two 70 gallon storage tanks for the RO water from Northern Tool, and ordered a Vectra S2 pump which will help with transfering water between tanks, as well as pumping it out through a hose to the aquarium(s) during water changes. Forgot to take a pic when I was done, but the pvc is all glued up now. I will finish installing the RO unit this weekend.
So, aquarium set up, lights in, and RO system with storage in progress. Next up? The exciting part. Hardscape! I have been hoarding Manzanita, Hakkai stone, and substrate for several months, so I'm excited to move on to the next step! Tank so far pictured below (although I have already removed the privacy film on the back in favor of adding the ARC RGB light screen in part due to the stair rail being visible and distracting. First screen was damaged in transit, so waiting on a replacement).
76 replies
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4027 views
Hello Welcome, marco90
Welcome to ScapeCrunch, @marco90!
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
·
9 views
replies
Legacy View
Hi all,
Recently I planted my 17L low tech nano. This is the second tank that I have, so I'm a bit anxious but I hope to learn a lot (from you too!).
Specs:
Soil: ADA Amazonia V2 (with Bacter 100) + La plata sand
Stones: WIO Titan stone
Filter: Oase filtosmart 100 thermo
Light: Chihiros CII RGB
Fertilizer: roottabs with NKP, none in watercolumn
Water: RO with Glasgarten GH+ (GH~6)
Plants (all in vitro):
Anubias mini coin
Buce kedagang
Buce needle leaf
Buce pygmaea
Crypt parva
Lileaopsis brasiliensis
Marsilea hirsuta
Monte carlo
Start up:
One month dark start with 2 weeks of large water changes followed by 2 weeks of no WC.
After plants were planted I did a 90% WC. Light is currently on R20, G20, B17 for 6 hours. I will continue with 50% WC 3 times a week coming weeks. TDS is stable around 130ppm.
The par layout with current setting are visualized in the drawing below, the height difference is quite challenging. MC receives par around 100, crypt and lileaopsis around 30-50 par. Anubias and Buce targeted between 20-30 par.
The wood is there for biofilm, not for aesthetics, so maybe I will remove it of keep smaller pieces of it since I noticed it makes cleaning more difficult.
I would love to hear your opinions and feedback, as I am highly inspired by aquascaping (my 35L is a high tech tank to practice on). Would you do anything different with this nano tank (fertilization, light etc)? I'm tempted to add potassium in the watercolumn. Also, does someone have experience with keeping clithon snails in KH<1?
Recently I planted my 17L low tech nano. This is the second tank that I have, so I'm a bit anxious but I hope to learn a lot (from you too!).
Specs:
Soil: ADA Amazonia V2 (with Bacter 100) + La plata sand
Stones: WIO Titan stone
Filter: Oase filtosmart 100 thermo
Light: Chihiros CII RGB
Fertilizer: roottabs with NKP, none in watercolumn
Water: RO with Glasgarten GH+ (GH~6)
Plants (all in vitro):
Anubias mini coin
Buce kedagang
Buce needle leaf
Buce pygmaea
Crypt parva
Lileaopsis brasiliensis
Marsilea hirsuta
Monte carlo
Start up:
One month dark start with 2 weeks of large water changes followed by 2 weeks of no WC.
After plants were planted I did a 90% WC. Light is currently on R20, G20, B17 for 6 hours. I will continue with 50% WC 3 times a week coming weeks. TDS is stable around 130ppm.
The par layout with current setting are visualized in the drawing below, the height difference is quite challenging. MC receives par around 100, crypt and lileaopsis around 30-50 par. Anubias and Buce targeted between 20-30 par.
The wood is there for biofilm, not for aesthetics, so maybe I will remove it of keep smaller pieces of it since I noticed it makes cleaning more difficult.
I would love to hear your opinions and feedback, as I am highly inspired by aquascaping (my 35L is a high tech tank to practice on). Would you do anything different with this nano tank (fertilization, light etc)? I'm tempted to add potassium in the watercolumn. Also, does someone have experience with keeping clithon snails in KH<1?
30 replies
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1998 views
Hello Welcome, Reshut
Welcome to ScapeCrunch, @Reshut!
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
·
10 views
replies
Legacy View
Journal 350 liter planted tank
Hello everybody im new here and wanted to introduce my tank,
The tank is a 350 liter Juwel rio (120x50x60)
Pretty high tank but wanted to have 50 cm wide
Lights: 3 daytime onex (1x plant 2x colour)
Good for 180 par at the bottom, 1.5 hour build up/5 hours full and 1.5 hour build off
Co2 by Inline with a co2art series pro dual stage regulator dropping 1.4 in ph
Filtration: 2 external filters (1x crystal profi 900, 1x tetra ex 1500 on a spraybar) and a eheim skim 350
Substrate: mastersoil black powder with masterline root tabs
Fertilizer: apt e
Fish: cherry barbels, siamese algae eaters, kuhli, ottociclus and some bloody mary shrimps
Plants: rotala macandra, anubias tinto, reineckii mini, reineckki rosenarvig, rotala blood red, ludwigia repens super red, bacopa carolinia, lobelia cardinalis, crypto flamingo, crypto rosen maiden, staurogene repens, spiralus tiger, ludwigia inclinata meta, samolus parvifloris red.
Might have forgotten something
Currently battling algae and unhappy plants due to nutrient inbalances and a no3 tester that was not correct.
Under a pic of the current state and the state it was a little better in balance (not as it should tho)
The tank is a 350 liter Juwel rio (120x50x60)
Pretty high tank but wanted to have 50 cm wide
Lights: 3 daytime onex (1x plant 2x colour)
Good for 180 par at the bottom, 1.5 hour build up/5 hours full and 1.5 hour build off
Co2 by Inline with a co2art series pro dual stage regulator dropping 1.4 in ph
Filtration: 2 external filters (1x crystal profi 900, 1x tetra ex 1500 on a spraybar) and a eheim skim 350
Substrate: mastersoil black powder with masterline root tabs
Fertilizer: apt e
Fish: cherry barbels, siamese algae eaters, kuhli, ottociclus and some bloody mary shrimps
Plants: rotala macandra, anubias tinto, reineckii mini, reineckki rosenarvig, rotala blood red, ludwigia repens super red, bacopa carolinia, lobelia cardinalis, crypto flamingo, crypto rosen maiden, staurogene repens, spiralus tiger, ludwigia inclinata meta, samolus parvifloris red.
Might have forgotten something
Currently battling algae and unhappy plants due to nutrient inbalances and a no3 tester that was not correct.
Under a pic of the current state and the state it was a little better in balance (not as it should tho)
42 replies
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2530 views
(I hope this is acceptable as the start of a journal, new here).
Greetings, I’m Alec and this will be my third aquascape. I plan on rescaping my 60p (current scape pic below). The first time I did it, I sort of winged it in the moment. The second time, I came in with a design but it wasn’t strong enough and slowly was buried by aquasoil and plants.
So this time I’m coming in with those learnings and trying to design with intention.
Second pic below is my potential new hardscaping.
I have never done an island composition, and usually I am not a fan of them visually. But while messing around with my rocks I found this tower layout impressive.
My idea is to have the right side be a lower sandy area with some smaller rocks (not shown in pic) along with my big ass Anubias and the various crypts as well. Floaters would be above this area.
Front middle and left would be the Monte Carlo carpet, along with some Ludwigia or other stems tucked along the rocks to become bushes.
Tucked into the cracks of the rocks would be Monte Carlo & Java moss to accent it, along with my Hygrophilia.
Back-left would be stem-city. Big Rotala area with some Bacopa and Ludwigia in front of it, especially towards the center.
The middle area surrounding the top tower rock itself would be Cardamine Lyrata, as it grows naturally well in vertical bushes.
Focal point to the right of the top of the tower stone would be Ludwigia Diamond, which gets decently red.
Looking for potential feedback from those with more experience! Some of my concerns:
1. My Anubias are massive, at least for the small. I’m mostly saving them for my fiancés betta tank we hope to setup later this year. I’m a bit worried they won’t fit well into the right side area.
2. The tower is very central, which is the point of island compositions, but I worry my plants might detract from the island look, especially with my plans for the left side.
3. A commenter on my Reddit thread suggested I remove the left side “slope cliff”, instead do another smaller tower there with a sand path. Thoughts?
Thank you for reading. I will probably update this journal with other composition ideas & tweaks as I go, and of course progress pics once I actually rescape it.
Greetings, I’m Alec and this will be my third aquascape. I plan on rescaping my 60p (current scape pic below). The first time I did it, I sort of winged it in the moment. The second time, I came in with a design but it wasn’t strong enough and slowly was buried by aquasoil and plants.
So this time I’m coming in with those learnings and trying to design with intention.
Second pic below is my potential new hardscaping.
I have never done an island composition, and usually I am not a fan of them visually. But while messing around with my rocks I found this tower layout impressive.
My idea is to have the right side be a lower sandy area with some smaller rocks (not shown in pic) along with my big ass Anubias and the various crypts as well. Floaters would be above this area.
Front middle and left would be the Monte Carlo carpet, along with some Ludwigia or other stems tucked along the rocks to become bushes.
Tucked into the cracks of the rocks would be Monte Carlo & Java moss to accent it, along with my Hygrophilia.
Back-left would be stem-city. Big Rotala area with some Bacopa and Ludwigia in front of it, especially towards the center.
The middle area surrounding the top tower rock itself would be Cardamine Lyrata, as it grows naturally well in vertical bushes.
Focal point to the right of the top of the tower stone would be Ludwigia Diamond, which gets decently red.
Looking for potential feedback from those with more experience! Some of my concerns:
1. My Anubias are massive, at least for the small. I’m mostly saving them for my fiancés betta tank we hope to setup later this year. I’m a bit worried they won’t fit well into the right side area.
2. The tower is very central, which is the point of island compositions, but I worry my plants might detract from the island look, especially with my plans for the left side.
3. A commenter on my Reddit thread suggested I remove the left side “slope cliff”, instead do another smaller tower there with a sand path. Thoughts?
Thank you for reading. I will probably update this journal with other composition ideas & tweaks as I go, and of course progress pics once I actually rescape it.
5 replies
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352 views
Journal Ben's Plant Pharm 2.0
I am working on my mistakes…. The next one will be huge.
Instead of continuing the old build thread, I wanted to make a new one. This build might go just as terrible, but I want to put the old one behind me. I really wish I had given myself a month or two break because I feel like I have algae PTSD. I’m pretty burned out, and I sort of dread trying again. Oh well, too late now.
I wanted to try 2Hr Aquarist stuff, but already had the Controlsoil. I bought it a year prior (see previous journal) and decided to go ahead and use it. Hopefully I’ll make a successful transition to nutrient depleted aquasoil, and then restart with the 2Hr stuff later.
I didn't plan on starting a new journal until about a month in, but since my aquasoil is already starting to give out of ammonia, I need to get it going to get help making the transition to full NPK dosing.
With that said…..
Ben’s Plant Pharm 2.0
(BTW, in case you were wondering, I’m a pharmacist. Hence the pharm)
Setup Date
8-11-25 (Day 0)
Goals
Enjoying some farming.
Successfully navigate the different stages of aqusoil nutrient release and subsequent depletion.
Tank
ADA 60p
Light
Chihiros WRGB Pro II
Starting out at 40% of the Fish setting
Red 53, Blue 34, Green 55, White 23
PAR 105 under the light (estimated)
Substrate
UNS Extra Fine Black 1 x 10L bag
Plants
From Previous Build
Xiris Red from S21 Aquatics
Eriocaulon quinguangulare from Cherries Nature Aquarium
TC plants from Buce Plant
Cryptocoryne parva, Pogostemon helferi, Rotala Sunset
Came in in questionable shape despite paying extra for insulated box. Were very jumbled.
TC from The Fish Room
Alternanthera reineckii ‘Mini’, Rotala macrandra, Gratiola viscidula, Rotala wallichi, Lobelia Cardinalis ‘Mini’
From S21 Aquatics
Synogonthas Vichada, Centrolepis drummondiana (Blood Vomit)
From Aquatic Plants Factory
Pogostemon stellatus Dassen and Rotala Florida? (TBD)
Fertilizer
Micros: Burr Aquatic Trace (BurrFertz)
Macros: DIY- dosages to be determined
PO, K, Mg at the beginning. Been adding about 2-3ppm PO4 daily
Transition to the addition of NO3 as aquasoil depletes
Filter
Oase HOB BioStyle
CO2
Injected via GLA regulator
Bar type diffuser placed inside the HOB filter
Livestock
None
Notes
Day 0
Day 1
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Here you can see the older Rotala Sunset on the left. On the right is supposed to be Rotala Florida, but it is looking a lot like the Sunset did at the same stage. Argh!
Pogostemon stellatas Dassen changing from emersed to submersed form
Syn Vichada is doing pretty good. It is growing slow. The new growth is all green and the old growth is dying off. I want to cut old leaves and clean it up a little, but right now, I don't really want to disturb it. I watch it every minute. I loving having it.
Instead of continuing the old build thread, I wanted to make a new one. This build might go just as terrible, but I want to put the old one behind me. I really wish I had given myself a month or two break because I feel like I have algae PTSD. I’m pretty burned out, and I sort of dread trying again. Oh well, too late now.
I wanted to try 2Hr Aquarist stuff, but already had the Controlsoil. I bought it a year prior (see previous journal) and decided to go ahead and use it. Hopefully I’ll make a successful transition to nutrient depleted aquasoil, and then restart with the 2Hr stuff later.
I didn't plan on starting a new journal until about a month in, but since my aquasoil is already starting to give out of ammonia, I need to get it going to get help making the transition to full NPK dosing.
With that said…..
Ben’s Plant Pharm 2.0
(BTW, in case you were wondering, I’m a pharmacist. Hence the pharm)
Setup Date
8-11-25 (Day 0)
Goals
Enjoying some farming.
Successfully navigate the different stages of aqusoil nutrient release and subsequent depletion.
Tank
ADA 60p
Light
Chihiros WRGB Pro II
Starting out at 40% of the Fish setting
Red 53, Blue 34, Green 55, White 23
PAR 105 under the light (estimated)
Substrate
UNS Extra Fine Black 1 x 10L bag
Plants
From Previous Build
Xiris Red from S21 Aquatics
Eriocaulon quinguangulare from Cherries Nature Aquarium
TC plants from Buce Plant
Cryptocoryne parva, Pogostemon helferi, Rotala Sunset
Came in in questionable shape despite paying extra for insulated box. Were very jumbled.
TC from The Fish Room
Alternanthera reineckii ‘Mini’, Rotala macrandra, Gratiola viscidula, Rotala wallichi, Lobelia Cardinalis ‘Mini’
From S21 Aquatics
Synogonthas Vichada, Centrolepis drummondiana (Blood Vomit)
From Aquatic Plants Factory
Pogostemon stellatus Dassen and Rotala Florida? (TBD)
Fertilizer
Micros: Burr Aquatic Trace (BurrFertz)
Macros: DIY- dosages to be determined
PO, K, Mg at the beginning. Been adding about 2-3ppm PO4 daily
Transition to the addition of NO3 as aquasoil depletes
Filter
Oase HOB BioStyle
CO2
Injected via GLA regulator
Bar type diffuser placed inside the HOB filter
Livestock
None
Notes
- The Alternanthera reineckii ‘Mini’ was in bad shape when I opened the container. Might have been bad when I got it and then it was a week before I used it.
- 8-15-25: Added Synogonthas Vichada and Blood Vomit. Checked NO3 for the first time. It was 40. Started making twice weekly water changes.
- 8-18-25: Increased light to 45% of the full “Fish” setting. PAR should be just about 114
- 8-23-25: Pogostemon stellatus Dassen and Rotala Florida added
- 8-29-25: Discovered my NO3 was 0. Aquasoil is giving out way earlier than I expected
- Had a short diatom period, but it seems to be resolving
- I had planned to increase my light to 50% of full "Fish" setting which would be a (tested) PAR of 126, but right now, things are going so good, I don't want to mess it up. We'll hold off for now.
- 8-31-25: Starting to dose my own mixture of NPK and Mg. I really need to determine my actual water volume. What I am trying to dose, and what it tests as after I dose it are a good bit off.
Day 0
Day 1
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Here you can see the older Rotala Sunset on the left. On the right is supposed to be Rotala Florida, but it is looking a lot like the Sunset did at the same stage. Argh!
Pogostemon stellatas Dassen changing from emersed to submersed form
Syn Vichada is doing pretty good. It is growing slow. The new growth is all green and the old growth is dying off. I want to cut old leaves and clean it up a little, but right now, I don't really want to disturb it. I watch it every minute. I loving having it.
130 replies
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9260 views
Both tanks contain a lot of bucephalandra stems I have recently melted by feeding my caridina tanks with mulberry leaves. I have no idea what the heck happened but all buces melted in those tanks heavily over 3 days with every other plant + shrimp being fine. Don't wanna risk the plants dying so I'm throwing them back into high tech for a few months to recover.
Set Up:
Both tanks uses heavy co2 misting
Horticulture LED lights (dimmed, so probably 25-30 watts?)
Will steadily increase light weekly if I see no issues, max is 40 watts.
Dual sponge filters. (Air bubbles help prevent co2 gassing, also seems to really help stabilize tank, so less algae)
1 Internal filter with an atomizer for misting.
Regime:
All tanks get a 30-50% water change, twice per week.
Micros dosed daily (unless I forget, which happens fairly often.)
Macros Front Loaded and only in new incoming water.
6 Gallon bucket water change:
~350tds (Using seachem equilibrium remineralizer)
~22ppm KNO3, using KNO3 + KH2PO4
~40-50 ppm Potassium due to remineralizer
~4-5GH
Buce Lottery Colors
Lots of buces, various names, collected over the years. A lot of them were ultra rare and I cannot buy them anymore. Most of the ultra rare I probably accidentally killed from trying to grow them in a "no filter, no co2" style tank. Either way, not much color in low tech, will see what lottery colors we pull once they get going with better colors in higher lights + co2.
Both tanks are planted tightly front to back with bucephalandra. Kinda hard to see it all with moss blocking the way, but my view will be your view.
Random Mosses
Some mosses I've collected as well, honestly I grow a lot of them free floating so they kinda look the same. We will find out how they look after I attach them to something.
15 Gallon, very aged sand + pebble tank.
20 Gallon long, aged aquasoil I pulled from an existing caridina tank.
Wanted to take some macro shots, but does anyone know how to take an angle show on the glass without distortion? I have a DSLR long tube lens that works under water but color rendition is really bad.
Why so much moss?
Mostly to help stabilize the tank and to reduce light bleed. Less surface for algae to grow.
Set Up:
Both tanks uses heavy co2 misting
Horticulture LED lights (dimmed, so probably 25-30 watts?)
Will steadily increase light weekly if I see no issues, max is 40 watts.
Dual sponge filters. (Air bubbles help prevent co2 gassing, also seems to really help stabilize tank, so less algae)
1 Internal filter with an atomizer for misting.
Regime:
All tanks get a 30-50% water change, twice per week.
Micros dosed daily (unless I forget, which happens fairly often.)
Macros Front Loaded and only in new incoming water.
6 Gallon bucket water change:
~350tds (Using seachem equilibrium remineralizer)
~22ppm KNO3, using KNO3 + KH2PO4
~40-50 ppm Potassium due to remineralizer
~4-5GH
Buce Lottery Colors
Lots of buces, various names, collected over the years. A lot of them were ultra rare and I cannot buy them anymore. Most of the ultra rare I probably accidentally killed from trying to grow them in a "no filter, no co2" style tank. Either way, not much color in low tech, will see what lottery colors we pull once they get going with better colors in higher lights + co2.
Both tanks are planted tightly front to back with bucephalandra. Kinda hard to see it all with moss blocking the way, but my view will be your view.
Random Mosses
Some mosses I've collected as well, honestly I grow a lot of them free floating so they kinda look the same. We will find out how they look after I attach them to something.
15 Gallon, very aged sand + pebble tank.
20 Gallon long, aged aquasoil I pulled from an existing caridina tank.
Wanted to take some macro shots, but does anyone know how to take an angle show on the glass without distortion? I have a DSLR long tube lens that works under water but color rendition is really bad.
Why so much moss?
Mostly to help stabilize the tank and to reduce light bleed. Less surface for algae to grow.
9 replies
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551 views
Hello, starting up a journal for the second tank. It's totally for my fiance because she wants a betta fish, it's definitely not just a thinly veiled excuse to get a 2nd tank going. No way.
Originally this was planned on being a low tech tank. However I ended up receiving some money from family, so I decided to upgrade it to more of a mid tech.
Equipment:
Plants:
Fertilizing:
I wanted to make this a sort of island-ish setup, where the main focus would be the elephant stones and the large anubias. I knew that my other tank would be right next to this one, so I focused the stems on that side since they would be getting the higher light. I did have some challenges getting the stones and aquasoil into a proper shape, and fitting the huge anubias was an obstacle.
Overall I think it's in a good state, starting to get a few diatoms but not much, and I just added the CO2 today, so the tank is officially fully setup. Now, just waiting to cycle and mature a bit before I add in some shrimps, and then a month later, the betta.
Also, if anyone has advice on the placement of the Poppy Pipe + CO2 diffuser, that is appreciated. Part of the problem is that the Poppy doesn't send water in a straight current, it's just a flurry around it, so I cant just place it on the opposite side of the diffuser like I normally would. Where I have it now, it forms a current that manages to draw some of the CO2 bubbles in, but not all.
Final ask, if anyone has better fertilizer recommendations that is appreciated, specifically how much APT3 would be appropriate for this. So far I've been doing 1 pump/day.
Originally this was planned on being a low tech tank. However I ended up receiving some money from family, so I decided to upgrade it to more of a mid tech.
Equipment:
- UNS 45U rimless tank
- Oase 100 Filtosmart Thermo, with an extra valve stop
- Chihiros WRGB Slim, set to roughly 33% overall power
- A poppy lily pipe and an inlet skimmer
- CO2Art Regulator & Solenoid
Plants:
- Anubia broadleaf
- Anubia (no clue what other kinds, small ones)
- Various Crypts of various types and sizes (I'll dig later in my email receipts to find the types)
- Creeping Jenny
- Limnophilia Heterophylia
- Hygrophila Angustifolia
- Red Root Floaters
Fertilizing:
- 1 pump of APT 3 daily
- Root tabs from Aquarium Co-Op
I wanted to make this a sort of island-ish setup, where the main focus would be the elephant stones and the large anubias. I knew that my other tank would be right next to this one, so I focused the stems on that side since they would be getting the higher light. I did have some challenges getting the stones and aquasoil into a proper shape, and fitting the huge anubias was an obstacle.
Overall I think it's in a good state, starting to get a few diatoms but not much, and I just added the CO2 today, so the tank is officially fully setup. Now, just waiting to cycle and mature a bit before I add in some shrimps, and then a month later, the betta.
Also, if anyone has advice on the placement of the Poppy Pipe + CO2 diffuser, that is appreciated. Part of the problem is that the Poppy doesn't send water in a straight current, it's just a flurry around it, so I cant just place it on the opposite side of the diffuser like I normally would. Where I have it now, it forms a current that manages to draw some of the CO2 bubbles in, but not all.
Final ask, if anyone has better fertilizer recommendations that is appreciated, specifically how much APT3 would be appropriate for this. So far I've been doing 1 pump/day.
7 replies
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285 views
Has anyone had much experience with this plant?
A local shop has just received stock of this version of bacopa, and I’m struggling to find many reports of people’s experiences growing it.
schoolofscape.com.au
I’m a bit gun shy when it comes to white variants of plants that seem new to the hobby, and it’s not cheap so hoping to hear from someone whose grown it before I take the plunge!
Does it hold it’s white form? How much more sensitive than regular bacopa is it?
A local shop has just received stock of this version of bacopa, and I’m struggling to find many reports of people’s experiences growing it.
Bacopa Monnieri 'White'
Enhance your aquascape with Bacopa Monnieri ‘White’. A rare and stunning aquatic plant. Delivered anywhere in Australia.
schoolofscape.com.au
Does it hold it’s white form? How much more sensitive than regular bacopa is it?
13 replies
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230 views