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This isn't exactly a Journal, although it may become one. I am relatively new member here and thought I should introduce my tanks.
THis 150 x 60 x 60 cm tank has been running for at least a decade with the same inert fine gravel media and Eheim CLassic filters. However, it had never had real plants in it until around a year ago, when I decided to try my hand at converting it to a planted aquarium and getting rid of all the plastic plants. I had been having some success with low tech planted smaller shrimp aquaria but this was a whole new challenge.
THe big main difference was 60cm depth ot the aquarium which creates just enormous differences in PAR a different points in the aquarium, and PAR levels at the substrate are not high. I have not been able to afford expensive lights yet so am simply running a pair of 120cm Hygger 36W luminaires. Two lights minimum were needed to cover the 60cm depth of the aquarium.
I struggled a lot with most species for a long time and the game changer was deciding to take the plunge with CO2, and I added a fire extinguisher system around 4 months ago. Now injected into a Horizontal Yugang reactor for nice clear water. THings became a lot easier with 30 ppm of CO2. Another significant improvement was adding boluses of aquatic compost and, more recently, a high nutrient aquasoil underneath the gravel using a "sawn-off-10ml syringe"
I have been through a number of different fertilizing schemes and products and have recently (2 weeks ago) settled on adding my own DIY dry salts in a daily EI scheme as water column ferts.
So ........
lights - 2 x 120cm 42W Hygger luminaires.
filtration - 3 x Eheim Classic 2217 ecternal filters,
substrate - inert fine gravel with injected compost and aquasoil boluses for root nutrition.
water column ferts - dry salts , daily EI scheme. One 50% weekly water change.
Water - RO, remineralised to 5 dGH with Salty Shrimp Bee Minerals GH+. Zero dKH.
CO2 - fire extinguisher cylinder system injected via a Yugang reactor. 30 ppm CO2 achieved throughout lighting period.
Oase Crystalskim 600 surface skimmer.
CUrrent plants. .........
Alternanthera reineckii rosaefolia
Bacopa amplexicaulis Aquafleur
Blyxa japonica
Cryptocoryne balansae
Cryptocoryne Wendtii Red
Eriocaulon sp vietnam
Hygrophila corymbosa
Hygrophila polysperma
Hygrophila polysperma Rosanervig
Hygrophila triflora
Limnophila heterophylla
Limnophila rugosa
Ludwigia palustris “super red”
Pogostemon helferi
Pogostemon samsonii
Rotala Bossii
Rotala Colorata
FIsh ...........
6" electric blue acara
Golden gourami
SAE
10 x Congo tetras
4 x scissortail rasboras
12 x harlequins
4 x cherry barbs
4 x Corydorus sterbai
1 x Stiphodon ornatus (at least 12 years old).
6 x Otocinclus
8 x Whitefin bentosi tetras
2 x amano shrimp
probably plus a few I've forgotten. basically the fish load is pretty high and fish poop/food waste contributes very significantly to the N & P input into the tank.
Most of the current plant species are doing well. The Rotala colorata is growing like a weed and has to be trimmed heavily weekly. The Limnophila heterophylla I want to phase out as it grows 12" per week and has been useful to serve a purpose as other plants have established but I am becoming fed up of cutting it back 3-4 times a week. Thankfully there are only a couple of small patches remaining and I think I will be able to phase them out within a few weeks.
The main problem I have had is, of course, algae. I admit I have constantly changed multiple things in quick succession so I think I have generallly been causing quite a bit of plant stress and have been reaping the consequences of this with GDA mostly. The front glass has needed cleaning twice weekly until very recently.
THankfully I have managed to achive rather more of a settled state over the last 2 weeks and foresee only slow and occasional changes from this point. I have my long term fert scheme sorted out and steady. Daily dosing gives me nice and steady levels. NO3 now really only changes within roughly a 6-7 ppm range during the week. LIghting is steady and now seems appropriate. PAR is around 20 on the substrate, up to around 100 near the surface, so its a relatively low/medium light set up. PLant growth is now generally fast enough for me and I hope that I am approaching having the plant mass to see then end of the constant GDA conflict.
I am sure there will be further evolution to come but thats where we are at the moment.
Heres a couple more pics. The angle makes it look as if there is a large swathe of unplanted gravel at the front of the tank but in reality its only about 5cm I like to maintain a bit of a space for front glass maintenance and to create a bit of a clearer space on the substrate for me to view fish doing their thing. the substrate is also much deeper than it appears as the tank is at least 1" deeper than the wooden front part of the stand.
THis 150 x 60 x 60 cm tank has been running for at least a decade with the same inert fine gravel media and Eheim CLassic filters. However, it had never had real plants in it until around a year ago, when I decided to try my hand at converting it to a planted aquarium and getting rid of all the plastic plants. I had been having some success with low tech planted smaller shrimp aquaria but this was a whole new challenge.
THe big main difference was 60cm depth ot the aquarium which creates just enormous differences in PAR a different points in the aquarium, and PAR levels at the substrate are not high. I have not been able to afford expensive lights yet so am simply running a pair of 120cm Hygger 36W luminaires. Two lights minimum were needed to cover the 60cm depth of the aquarium.
I struggled a lot with most species for a long time and the game changer was deciding to take the plunge with CO2, and I added a fire extinguisher system around 4 months ago. Now injected into a Horizontal Yugang reactor for nice clear water. THings became a lot easier with 30 ppm of CO2. Another significant improvement was adding boluses of aquatic compost and, more recently, a high nutrient aquasoil underneath the gravel using a "sawn-off-10ml syringe"
I have been through a number of different fertilizing schemes and products and have recently (2 weeks ago) settled on adding my own DIY dry salts in a daily EI scheme as water column ferts.
So ........
lights - 2 x 120cm 42W Hygger luminaires.
filtration - 3 x Eheim Classic 2217 ecternal filters,
substrate - inert fine gravel with injected compost and aquasoil boluses for root nutrition.
water column ferts - dry salts , daily EI scheme. One 50% weekly water change.
Water - RO, remineralised to 5 dGH with Salty Shrimp Bee Minerals GH+. Zero dKH.
CO2 - fire extinguisher cylinder system injected via a Yugang reactor. 30 ppm CO2 achieved throughout lighting period.
Oase Crystalskim 600 surface skimmer.
CUrrent plants. .........
Alternanthera reineckii rosaefolia
Bacopa amplexicaulis Aquafleur
Blyxa japonica
Cryptocoryne balansae
Cryptocoryne Wendtii Red
Eriocaulon sp vietnam
Hygrophila corymbosa
Hygrophila polysperma
Hygrophila polysperma Rosanervig
Hygrophila triflora
Limnophila heterophylla
Limnophila rugosa
Ludwigia palustris “super red”
Pogostemon helferi
Pogostemon samsonii
Rotala Bossii
Rotala Colorata
FIsh ...........
6" electric blue acara
Golden gourami
SAE
10 x Congo tetras
4 x scissortail rasboras
12 x harlequins
4 x cherry barbs
4 x Corydorus sterbai
1 x Stiphodon ornatus (at least 12 years old).
6 x Otocinclus
8 x Whitefin bentosi tetras
2 x amano shrimp
probably plus a few I've forgotten. basically the fish load is pretty high and fish poop/food waste contributes very significantly to the N & P input into the tank.
Most of the current plant species are doing well. The Rotala colorata is growing like a weed and has to be trimmed heavily weekly. The Limnophila heterophylla I want to phase out as it grows 12" per week and has been useful to serve a purpose as other plants have established but I am becoming fed up of cutting it back 3-4 times a week. Thankfully there are only a couple of small patches remaining and I think I will be able to phase them out within a few weeks.
The main problem I have had is, of course, algae. I admit I have constantly changed multiple things in quick succession so I think I have generallly been causing quite a bit of plant stress and have been reaping the consequences of this with GDA mostly. The front glass has needed cleaning twice weekly until very recently.
THankfully I have managed to achive rather more of a settled state over the last 2 weeks and foresee only slow and occasional changes from this point. I have my long term fert scheme sorted out and steady. Daily dosing gives me nice and steady levels. NO3 now really only changes within roughly a 6-7 ppm range during the week. LIghting is steady and now seems appropriate. PAR is around 20 on the substrate, up to around 100 near the surface, so its a relatively low/medium light set up. PLant growth is now generally fast enough for me and I hope that I am approaching having the plant mass to see then end of the constant GDA conflict.
I am sure there will be further evolution to come but thats where we are at the moment.
Heres a couple more pics. The angle makes it look as if there is a large swathe of unplanted gravel at the front of the tank but in reality its only about 5cm I like to maintain a bit of a space for front glass maintenance and to create a bit of a clearer space on the substrate for me to view fish doing their thing. the substrate is also much deeper than it appears as the tank is at least 1" deeper than the wooden front part of the stand.
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Staff member
I Donated 2026
Founding Member
This is the future home for the announcements when someone obtains an achievement badge. Let the games begin!
1988 Replies
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49117 views
Supporting
I Donated 2026
Rockstar
Amazon prime day is less than 2 weeks away so I thought I'd start a thread in advance to discuss any bargains we might see.
The reason this came to mind now was that I just happen to be browsing for other things when I noticed this small curved edge low iron tank pop up. I would probably buy one of these if it drops even lower for prime day.
10 Gallon Ultra Clear Glass Rimless Curved Edge Aquarium
The reason this came to mind now was that I just happen to be browsing for other things when I noticed this small curved edge low iron tank pop up. I would probably buy one of these if it drops even lower for prime day.
10 Gallon Ultra Clear Glass Rimless Curved Edge Aquarium
45 Replies
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Supporting
I Donated 2026
Rockstar
There are several threads discussing the new Aquael Hypermax 4500BT. I'm sure many would like some reports on it's performance over time. We have a thread discussing nano canister filters. We're all waiting for one of @Naturescapes_Rocco in depth write-ups discussing his filtration set-up. @Pepere and @*Ci* have unique set-ups as well, @Kwyet has used a matten filter, and we have several other members running sumps. That doesn't even include all those running sponge and HOB filters.
The idea is that we can consolidate a lot of filter information in one place making it easier to find rather than searching through so many threads. Maybe this won't work but I thought it was worth giving it a try. Perhaps it may be better listed as an article at some point.
I'm going to get things started by discussing factors I feel are most important to me when choosing a filter.
1) Filtration Performance: This goes without saying. The filter’s primary job is to keep our water clean and free of anything that harms the inhabitants. Of course, there are multiple factors that play into this. Some say flow is most critical, while others claim media volume is most important. Are there other factors? I still have limited experience, but my view, having done considerable reading, is that flow tends to be a bit overblown. You’ll see recommendations of anywhere from 4 to 10 times turnover rate with most leaning toward the higher end of that. I don’t think turnover rate is really the detail to be concerned about, at least with heavily planted tanks like are the norm here. I think the focus should be simply on ensuring flow achieves the goal of effectively moving water through the system to remove toxins/waste, delivering nutrients, and aiding gas (oxygen/CO2) transfer. If a turnover rate of 3 or 4 does that without dead spots in the tank, you should be good. After all, most of us here are plant focused and therefore, the fish we generally have are smaller community species that typically don’t care for high flow (there are, of course, exceptions).
I think there’s a simpler answer regarding media volume; more is better. Obviously, there must be a balance between internal volume and overall size of the filter. Real estate in and around our aquarium stands is precious. Filters like the Fluval FX6 and the newest Aquael Hypermax are huge. If you’re going for one of those, you’re likely putting it on a large tank with plenty of space underneath but again, it’s a matter of finding the right balance that provides the performance you need in a manageable size.
2) Reliability/Durability: This is where solid reviews come in handy and why getting feedback from users here is invaluable. Filtration performance becomes moot if the filter isn’t running, or worse yet, just flooded your house. Being able to easily source spare parts is also valuable, which is why sticking to the top well-known brands is often a safe route. It’s also why many aquarists place canister filters in protective containers, something else to consider when taking into account, size of filter. (this is something I should really do as I’ve had to clean up a few significant spills after filter maintenance and not getting the top secured in place properly
)
3) Tie – Maintenance/Noise Level: These two factors are equally important to me. If the filter is a pain to maintain, I’m going to put it off, and that’s bad. It affects the performance. But equally important to me is how noisy it is. I tend to be sensitive to annoying little sounds regardless of where I am; at home, in the car, at work, you name it. If the aquarium is in a part of the house I spend a lot of time in, well then, it’s even more important.
I don’t know if Oase was first to do it, but the idea of the prefilter was, I think, a game changer for many. I imagine it was derived from people installing foam filters on the intake pipes. Having an easily removable section with foam filters that catch a lot of large particles before entering the primary filter chamber is a great idea, resulting in expanded intervals between main filter head removals for cleaning.
Another aspect of maintenance is ease of priming. This could also be an aspect of performance but I don’t think it is quite as important. I’m not sure there is a canister filter that is truly or consistently easy to prime. Some may start out that way, but over time, become less and less so. This is an area I’d really like to see product designers put more serious thought. My experience so far is with Oase and the Fluval 07 series. Hated the Fuval priming and I’m just so-so with the Oase. Let me know your experience with priming other brands.
As for noise, I don’t mind the slight hum of an impeller as long as it’s steady and consistent, much the same way some people, including myself when I was younger, like the smooth steady sound of a fan at night to help them sleep. It’s when the sound becomes inconsistent, I’m bothered. I also don’t care for the sound of splashing/trickling water while I’m focused on other things. Only when I’m camping near the banks of a creek or other body of water is this OK
. This is one of the main reasons I’m not a fan of HOB filters. I’m also tweaking my CO2 reactor designs to minimize the bubble sounds of CO2 entering the reactor.
4) Cost: Let’s be clear, the cost doesn’t stop when you pay the retail price for the filter. There’s the cost of media and spare parts plus the cost of electricity. What’s the rated wattage of the filter. I see the Aquael filters claim to consume lower power and are therefore cheaper to run. What about special filter cartridges or foam. Is it easy to cut foam filters from inexpensive bulk material? How often are gasket replacements necessary, or are there common issues with parts failing over time. Of two Fluval 07 filters I’ve used, both needed replacement impeller shafts. Oase Biomaster filters seem to have an issue with the input/output head often needing replaced.
I admit cost isn’t a critical factor for me, but I know it is for many others, so this is another instance where finding the right balance is key, in this case, the balance between price and performance.
Share your thoughts. Do these factors seem to align with yours or do you think I’m way off base. Tell us what types and brands of filters you prefer and why.
The idea is that we can consolidate a lot of filter information in one place making it easier to find rather than searching through so many threads. Maybe this won't work but I thought it was worth giving it a try. Perhaps it may be better listed as an article at some point.
I'm going to get things started by discussing factors I feel are most important to me when choosing a filter.
1) Filtration Performance: This goes without saying. The filter’s primary job is to keep our water clean and free of anything that harms the inhabitants. Of course, there are multiple factors that play into this. Some say flow is most critical, while others claim media volume is most important. Are there other factors? I still have limited experience, but my view, having done considerable reading, is that flow tends to be a bit overblown. You’ll see recommendations of anywhere from 4 to 10 times turnover rate with most leaning toward the higher end of that. I don’t think turnover rate is really the detail to be concerned about, at least with heavily planted tanks like are the norm here. I think the focus should be simply on ensuring flow achieves the goal of effectively moving water through the system to remove toxins/waste, delivering nutrients, and aiding gas (oxygen/CO2) transfer. If a turnover rate of 3 or 4 does that without dead spots in the tank, you should be good. After all, most of us here are plant focused and therefore, the fish we generally have are smaller community species that typically don’t care for high flow (there are, of course, exceptions).
I think there’s a simpler answer regarding media volume; more is better. Obviously, there must be a balance between internal volume and overall size of the filter. Real estate in and around our aquarium stands is precious. Filters like the Fluval FX6 and the newest Aquael Hypermax are huge. If you’re going for one of those, you’re likely putting it on a large tank with plenty of space underneath but again, it’s a matter of finding the right balance that provides the performance you need in a manageable size.
2) Reliability/Durability: This is where solid reviews come in handy and why getting feedback from users here is invaluable. Filtration performance becomes moot if the filter isn’t running, or worse yet, just flooded your house. Being able to easily source spare parts is also valuable, which is why sticking to the top well-known brands is often a safe route. It’s also why many aquarists place canister filters in protective containers, something else to consider when taking into account, size of filter. (this is something I should really do as I’ve had to clean up a few significant spills after filter maintenance and not getting the top secured in place properly
)3) Tie – Maintenance/Noise Level: These two factors are equally important to me. If the filter is a pain to maintain, I’m going to put it off, and that’s bad. It affects the performance. But equally important to me is how noisy it is. I tend to be sensitive to annoying little sounds regardless of where I am; at home, in the car, at work, you name it. If the aquarium is in a part of the house I spend a lot of time in, well then, it’s even more important.
I don’t know if Oase was first to do it, but the idea of the prefilter was, I think, a game changer for many. I imagine it was derived from people installing foam filters on the intake pipes. Having an easily removable section with foam filters that catch a lot of large particles before entering the primary filter chamber is a great idea, resulting in expanded intervals between main filter head removals for cleaning.
Another aspect of maintenance is ease of priming. This could also be an aspect of performance but I don’t think it is quite as important. I’m not sure there is a canister filter that is truly or consistently easy to prime. Some may start out that way, but over time, become less and less so. This is an area I’d really like to see product designers put more serious thought. My experience so far is with Oase and the Fluval 07 series. Hated the Fuval priming and I’m just so-so with the Oase. Let me know your experience with priming other brands.
As for noise, I don’t mind the slight hum of an impeller as long as it’s steady and consistent, much the same way some people, including myself when I was younger, like the smooth steady sound of a fan at night to help them sleep. It’s when the sound becomes inconsistent, I’m bothered. I also don’t care for the sound of splashing/trickling water while I’m focused on other things. Only when I’m camping near the banks of a creek or other body of water is this OK
. This is one of the main reasons I’m not a fan of HOB filters. I’m also tweaking my CO2 reactor designs to minimize the bubble sounds of CO2 entering the reactor.4) Cost: Let’s be clear, the cost doesn’t stop when you pay the retail price for the filter. There’s the cost of media and spare parts plus the cost of electricity. What’s the rated wattage of the filter. I see the Aquael filters claim to consume lower power and are therefore cheaper to run. What about special filter cartridges or foam. Is it easy to cut foam filters from inexpensive bulk material? How often are gasket replacements necessary, or are there common issues with parts failing over time. Of two Fluval 07 filters I’ve used, both needed replacement impeller shafts. Oase Biomaster filters seem to have an issue with the input/output head often needing replaced.
I admit cost isn’t a critical factor for me, but I know it is for many others, so this is another instance where finding the right balance is key, in this case, the balance between price and performance.
Share your thoughts. Do these factors seem to align with yours or do you think I’m way off base. Tell us what types and brands of filters you prefer and why.
87 Replies
·
5184 views
Staff member
I Donated 2026
Founding Member
The January Photo of the Month contest is now live. Please submit your photo as a post to this thread.
The first theme is: Best Red Plant Solo photo.An example:
Winner: One winner will get POTM Winner user banner under their name and, of course, bragging rights with lifelong admiration.
Rules:
- Make a post in this thread and attach your contest submission photo!
- Only 1 entry per member please - bring your best photo!
- Submission period will be for three weeks and then close to new entries. It will close and voting begins on January 23rd.
- Winner will be chosen last day of the month based on vote count total
- Each member has one vote for each entry based on a 10 point scale. Every photo gets a vote from 1 -10 with 10 being the best.
- The photo should be no larger than 800px x 800px and image editing should be kept to a minimum (i.e., no super saturations, etc.)
- Staff Members reserve the right to disqualify highly doctored images
- The photo should be in jpg or png format and no larger than 1 megabyte
- *** Minimum 5 members must participate for the prize to count ***
Looking forward to seeing your best red plant photos! Good luck!
Best,
Art
24 Replies
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4662 views
I have a 125 Gallon tank that I am Co2 injecting for the first time. I do not like the Co2 reactor I have now so I am going to build a Yugang Rector but do not want to mess up my calculations when building. How does my tops effect the Yugang calculations, plus how safe is it to have tops on the tank as far as gas exchange and oxygenation is concerned. I have a photo showing the top of the tank.
Thanks
Thanks
5 Replies
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T
Supporting
I Donated 2026
I just planted this aquarium 2 weeks ago. I have a dozen Amano shrimp for algae control, no other fish or shrimp. This will be a neocaridina shrimp tank once its seasons. I got into the office early today, before the aquarium lights went on and I saw 3 of these guys swimming in the water column. Once the lights came on, they disappeared quickly. I was concerned that this flatworm of whatever type might be predatory toward shrimp the way leaches and planaria can be. I figure I need to medicate the tank. My LFS recommended Flatworm eXit by salifert. I have some. I wanted to see if anyone might help me identify it. Honestly, once my plants had filled in and I was done planting, I was going to nuke the tank with fenbendazole to make sure there were no hydra, planaria, snails, etc. before I introduced neocaridina shrimp. Thoughts, suggestions, treatments, etc.?
1 Replies
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Founding Member
Hi everyone!
I thought we would have more activity in this forum. I know back in the day, everyone was using shrimp to control algae especially the Yamatos.
Is that not a thing anymore?
Any shrimp-heads still out there? If so, what you got?
I thought we would have more activity in this forum. I know back in the day, everyone was using shrimp to control algae especially the Yamatos.
Is that not a thing anymore?
Any shrimp-heads still out there? If so, what you got?
24 Replies
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4671 views
This thread is for the general discussion of the classified ad Anubias Barteri Nana - Aquarium Plant - Big Sale - $35 shipped. Please add to the discussion here.
4 Replies
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Founding Member
Hello Welcome, WhoIsRoscoe
Welcome to ScapeCrunch, @WhoIsRoscoe!
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
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It's been a couple months and I could use a @Jeff Miotke fix. Any new videos in the works Jeff?
1 Replies
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119 views