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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).
69 replies
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3755 views
Another post in the "selfies" thread got me to thinking about this hobby's demographics. A quick google AI search provided this: perhaps a bit surprising that freshwater aquarium keeping is not quite as male dominated as it used to be or one might think, but saltwater YIKES!
Demographics in aquarium keeping skew slightly male, though this varies heavily by specialization. Industry and academic surveys—such as the MDPI Wildlife Attitudes Study—show the core hobbyist base consists of middle-aged individuals, with a strong concentration of participants between the ages of 20 and 45. [1, 2]
A breakdown of demographic trends within the aquarium hobby reveals the following patterns:
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Hobbyist Profile & Motivations
Demographics in aquarium keeping skew slightly male, though this varies heavily by specialization. Industry and academic surveys—such as the MDPI Wildlife Attitudes Study—show the core hobbyist base consists of middle-aged individuals, with a strong concentration of participants between the ages of 20 and 45. [1, 2]
A breakdown of demographic trends within the aquarium hobby reveals the following patterns:
Gender Distribution
- Freshwater & Community Tanks: General freshwater and community aquarium keeping generally approaches an even split, with some studies recording a near 53% male to 47% female distribution. Female participation often leans toward beginner-friendly, community-style setups. [1, 2]
- Marine & Reef Keeping: Specialized niches heavily skew male. Historic and contemporary data on saltwater reef keeping reveal that 85% to 90% of dedicated reef hobbyists are male. [1, 2]
- Commercial Aquaculture: In the broader commercial aquaculture and ornamental fish value chain, men hold a significantly higher percentage of production, input, and operational roles, particularly among married or middle-aged participants. [1]
Age Distribution
- The Dominant Cohort (20–45): The vast majority of active aquarium keepers—roughly 73% according to profiling in ornamental fish communities—fall squarely into the \(20\) to \(40\) age bracket. Middle-aged individuals (ages 36–45) are consistently identified as the primary drivers of the value chain. [1, 2]
- Youth & Senior Participation: Younger demographics (under 18) account for a solid baseline of entry-level hobbyists (around 20% to 30% of participants depending on region). However, hobbyist retention drops off notably as participants age beyond 55. [1, 2]
Hobbyist Profile & Motivations
- Education & Income: Ornamental fish keeping is closely correlated with higher education and mid-to-high income brackets. A majority of keepers hold university degrees and earn above-average incomes, as the hobby requires baseline expendable income for tanks, filters, and livestock. [1]
- Stress Relief: Regardless of age or gender, human-animal interactions during aquarium keeping produce significant psychological benefits. Studies, including those analyzing hobby trends during the COVID-19 pandemic, confirm that aquariums provide reliable stress relief for over 80% of keepers regardless of demographic. [1]
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31 views
Good, the click bait title worked. Hallo all. I find myself sometimes at a disadvantage as my face is commonly found on social media and yet I can't match name or face to many of the aquariums I see here. So many folks use funny acronyms, as if growing plants was some undercover ops. This has lead to some awkward moments in real life when I meet people I should have known or have talked to for a long time with no idea who/what they are. Pls upload a picture of your aquarium with you so that we can make this forum thingie a more personalized experience and it will be easier to remember who is who. Life is short, don't let people just forget you. In a world where internet troglodytes hide behind anonymity so that they can make irresponsible remarks, be a man and post your face.
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3157 views
Hello all, my name is Mike and I just found this site by accident. I think @gjcarew told me @GreggZ had moved here but some how I failed to remember; so I'm glad I found this site today. I am a fan, as you can tell, of GreggZ. He taught me just about everything I know (through his journal on that other site) and I was also banned over a 0dKH discussion 
. So you know, I kind of feel close to the guy. Joking aside, I was able to go from this. 
To this within a short period of time just by reading his journal.
And as time passed I was able to get this nice scape that made my wife happy.
Then I had the pleasure to meet @gjcarew over on a different site and I reached out to him with questions and such; through those conversations he motivated me to make an attempt at the 2022 AGA Dutch competition. Unfortunately, I messed the tank up right when I was about to take my photos and I couldn't recover the tank in time. Here's that tank. Obviously, there are tons of problems with it, but I was proud of it regardless. I believe it had a shot at a top 10. Not really.
I messed up the Myrio and started to get algae because I wasn't front loading properly and I didn't realize it. I believe I went too lean and thought the Landen would cover the difference.
I won't lie, I felt completely defeated and I kind of slowed down on all my tanks and didn't put my full attention into them anymore. Also, my wife and I were getting a bit burned out with so many tanks to maintain. This is where my journal begins.
I wanted a solution to reduce our work load, and I definitely wanted a bigger tank to house my livestock from the other tanks. I was also sick of lugging canister filters around the house then plugging them to realize I forgot to connect a tube. Fountains of water on our walls wasn't working out so well! I also wanted absolutely no water outside of the tank. By chance, I found the Innovative Marine SR Pro2 120 and bought it.
Now here's the cool thing that happened. I was using a 20 inch RO housing for my reactor, but the tank is only 16 inches high. Four inches of Cerge's reactor was incredibly ugly. And again, by chance, I found the solution. Enter the Yugang Horizontal reactor. I affectionally call it by his forum name because I couldn't be happier with how amazing this thing is. It's so simple, yet so brilliant. I reached out to Yugang and asked if he got the reactor to work. He replied with "my CO2 spray bar works so well I never tried it". I then asked if anyone else got it to work and he said no one has tried it. So I told him I would and apparently, I really am the first person to run this thing through some trials. I think that's pretty cool honestly! Yugang made some calculations for me and on the second build, we nailed it. I get a 1.5pH drop and the design makes it so no additianal CO2 can be added. It's seemingly impossible to gas my fish as the reactor has safety built into the design length. Amazing! I'm so glad there are so many people smarter than I am. It makes my problems so much easier to manage
.
The reactor is nothing more than cheap PVC with a gentle stream of tank water flowing under a pocket of CO2. Add a cheap bypass and a method of injection and you now have a Yugang reactor. This success has energized me enough to have another go at the AGA. I bought new lights (Weak Aqua P600's), jammed as many plants I could into the tank and I'm starting my plant selection now. I have a long ways to go but I'm hoping to achieve my goal. The tank is nothing to look at right now; getting plants here in Albuquerque is quite the challenge so I'm mostly waiting on submerge growth and to get them propagated. I also have way too many species but the selection process has begun. I just need to see which ones will grow in Ace Hardware pool filter sand. So far, all seem like they are coming along fine in the sand.
Oh, here's the reactor.
And here's the really ugly tank in it's current condition.
I promise, it will look much better soon. It's been a scramble to pull everything together so quickly.
I hope some of you follow along; I know I will have tons of questions soon enough for all of you!
. So you know, I kind of feel close to the guy. Joking aside, I was able to go from this. To this within a short period of time just by reading his journal.
And as time passed I was able to get this nice scape that made my wife happy.
Then I had the pleasure to meet @gjcarew over on a different site and I reached out to him with questions and such; through those conversations he motivated me to make an attempt at the 2022 AGA Dutch competition. Unfortunately, I messed the tank up right when I was about to take my photos and I couldn't recover the tank in time. Here's that tank. Obviously, there are tons of problems with it, but I was proud of it regardless. I believe it had a shot at a top 10. Not really.
I messed up the Myrio and started to get algae because I wasn't front loading properly and I didn't realize it. I believe I went too lean and thought the Landen would cover the difference.
I won't lie, I felt completely defeated and I kind of slowed down on all my tanks and didn't put my full attention into them anymore. Also, my wife and I were getting a bit burned out with so many tanks to maintain. This is where my journal begins.
I wanted a solution to reduce our work load, and I definitely wanted a bigger tank to house my livestock from the other tanks. I was also sick of lugging canister filters around the house then plugging them to realize I forgot to connect a tube. Fountains of water on our walls wasn't working out so well! I also wanted absolutely no water outside of the tank. By chance, I found the Innovative Marine SR Pro2 120 and bought it.
Now here's the cool thing that happened. I was using a 20 inch RO housing for my reactor, but the tank is only 16 inches high. Four inches of Cerge's reactor was incredibly ugly. And again, by chance, I found the solution. Enter the Yugang Horizontal reactor. I affectionally call it by his forum name because I couldn't be happier with how amazing this thing is. It's so simple, yet so brilliant. I reached out to Yugang and asked if he got the reactor to work. He replied with "my CO2 spray bar works so well I never tried it". I then asked if anyone else got it to work and he said no one has tried it. So I told him I would and apparently, I really am the first person to run this thing through some trials. I think that's pretty cool honestly! Yugang made some calculations for me and on the second build, we nailed it. I get a 1.5pH drop and the design makes it so no additianal CO2 can be added. It's seemingly impossible to gas my fish as the reactor has safety built into the design length. Amazing! I'm so glad there are so many people smarter than I am. It makes my problems so much easier to manage
.The reactor is nothing more than cheap PVC with a gentle stream of tank water flowing under a pocket of CO2. Add a cheap bypass and a method of injection and you now have a Yugang reactor. This success has energized me enough to have another go at the AGA. I bought new lights (Weak Aqua P600's), jammed as many plants I could into the tank and I'm starting my plant selection now. I have a long ways to go but I'm hoping to achieve my goal. The tank is nothing to look at right now; getting plants here in Albuquerque is quite the challenge so I'm mostly waiting on submerge growth and to get them propagated. I also have way too many species but the selection process has begun. I just need to see which ones will grow in Ace Hardware pool filter sand. So far, all seem like they are coming along fine in the sand.
Oh, here's the reactor.
And here's the really ugly tank in it's current condition.
I promise, it will look much better soon. It's been a scramble to pull everything together so quickly.
I hope some of you follow along; I know I will have tons of questions soon enough for all of you!
789 replies
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71429 views
Journal 62G AIO Dirty Soil Lagoon
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
30 replies
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1258 views
Art submitted a new resource:
Cultivation of some difficult Cryptocoryne species in humus-rich leaf-mould - Niels Jacobsen's famous paper on using beech tree leaf mold
Read more about this resource...
Cultivation of some difficult Cryptocoryne species in humus-rich leaf-mould - Niels Jacobsen's famous paper on using beech tree leaf mold
Read more about this resource...
0 replies
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13 views
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Legacy View
Art submitted a new resource:
Structural Aspects of the Vegetative Organs of Cryptocoryne Wendtii de Wit - Describes vegetative organs of Cryptocoryne Wendtii de Wit
Read more about this resource...
Structural Aspects of the Vegetative Organs of Cryptocoryne Wendtii de Wit - Describes vegetative organs of Cryptocoryne Wendtii de Wit
Read more about this resource...
0 replies
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11 views
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Resource Notes on Cryptocorynes
Art submitted a new resource:
Notes on Cryptocorynes - Notes on Cryptocorynes from 1928
Read more about this resource...
Notes on Cryptocorynes - Notes on Cryptocorynes from 1928
Read more about this resource...
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12 views
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Hello everyone,
I am setting up a 235g planted tank, and while I have CO2 on my other tanks and do have extra room on the regulator(s) available to run a line to this new tank, the distance is about 25 feet and I am considering just getting a standalone system (also considering the size I'm assuming I'll use a considerable amount of C02). It's been a very long time since I have had to purchase a regulator (mine are all custom/DIY welding regulators made by a member on another forum), so I am looking for suggestions on what brand/model of pre-made/prefab units are the gold standard now?
For a bit more clarity, the solenoid will be controlled via Apex controller and a pH probe, and the CO2 will be injected via a stainless steel yugang reactor and I will be using a 10g CO2 tank.
I appreciate any input!
I am setting up a 235g planted tank, and while I have CO2 on my other tanks and do have extra room on the regulator(s) available to run a line to this new tank, the distance is about 25 feet and I am considering just getting a standalone system (also considering the size I'm assuming I'll use a considerable amount of C02). It's been a very long time since I have had to purchase a regulator (mine are all custom/DIY welding regulators made by a member on another forum), so I am looking for suggestions on what brand/model of pre-made/prefab units are the gold standard now?
For a bit more clarity, the solenoid will be controlled via Apex controller and a pH probe, and the CO2 will be injected via a stainless steel yugang reactor and I will be using a 10g CO2 tank.
I appreciate any input!
13 replies
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208 views
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.
192 replies
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15541 views
I am planning my next tank and need some recommendations for a specific plant. I just don’t know enough and never really get the info I need from vendor sites. Any recommendations will be welcomed. Pictures of the plant in a/your tank would be awesome. Here is what I am looking for.
1. Height 2-6” (or easily trimmed to maintain that height)
2. Color, but not predominately red or predominately light green
3. Easier care is a plus
Tank will be CO2 injected
Anubias petite white is what I have in mind, but curious what else might be there.
1. Height 2-6” (or easily trimmed to maintain that height)
2. Color, but not predominately red or predominately light green
3. Easier care is a plus
Tank will be CO2 injected
Anubias petite white is what I have in mind, but curious what else might be there.
4 replies
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72 views