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Hello everyone,
I'm excited to share the beginning of my 75P aquascape journal here on Scape Crunch!
This aquascape is inspired by the timeless works of Takashi Amano and his iconic Nature Style layouts. While I have experience with Dutch hybrids and aquatic garden style aquascapes, this will be my first true attempt at a Nature Style aquascape.
For me, aquascaping is a constantly evolving journey. It challenges us to try new approaches, refine our skills, and embrace the ever changing nature of the underwater world. Committing to this style is both a personal challenge and an opportunity to grow as an aquascaper.
If you have any questions, thoughts, or feedback, feel free to jump into the thread. I’d love to hear from you!
Thank you for taking the time to follow along...
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Specs:
Lighting: WeekAqua A430 Pro
Filtration: Oase Biomaster Thermo 350
Filtration Hosing: UNS Pro Filter Tubing
Co2 Cylinder: Misc 10lb Cylinder
Co2 Regulator: GLA GRO Co2 Regulator
Co2 Diffuser: GLA Atomic Stainless Steel CO2 Diffuser
Inflow & Outflow Pipes: GLA X Series Stainless Steel Lily Pipe Set
Substrate: UNS Controsoil - Brown, ‘fine’
Fertilization: 2Hr Aquarist - APT 'E'
Other Misc Equipment:
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Plant List | 8/3/25 :
1 ) Blyxa japonica
2 ) Pogostemon Erectus
3 ) Pogostemon stellatus 'Dassen'
4 ) Echinodorus Tenellus (Helanthium tenellum)
5 ) Eleocharis sp. Mini
6 ) Rotala 'Orange Juice'
7 ) Cryptocoryne Petchii
8 ) Anubias Bonsai
9 ) Anubias Barteri Petite Coin
10 ) Fissidens Fontanus
11 ) Microsorum Pteropus 'Windelov'
12) Cryptocoryne "Flamingo"
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May 19th, Hardscape:
I began this aquascape in my living room, in a spot where it would be viewed primarily from the left side and center, as pictured. Designing a layout to be appreciated from more than just a head-on perspective presented a unique challenge for me..
I wanted the hardscape to feel balanced and cohesive while also complementing the natural flow of the surrounding living space.
With the help and insight of several talented friends in the aquascaping community, with special thanks to Import, Dennis Wong, and others, I spent several weeks shifting the wood until everything felt just right. The layout in the image below was the result of that process. To me, it captured a sense of flow that resonated with me and thankfully, my partner loved it too!
June 8th, Planting:
After finalizing the hardscape, it was time to move on to planting!
I designed a planting layout that I felt would compliment the scape well, incorporating a variety of species that were new to me. In the past, I’ve been more familiar with high tech oriented plants. This time, in keeping with the Nature Style, I chose species like Java Fern 'Windelov', Echinodorus 'Tenellus', and Anubias Sp.
Attaching each plant was incredibly tedious, and covering the hardscape with moss was especially labor intensive. It took about five to six hours to complete, even if it might appear minimal in the photo. Still, the entire process was a lot of fun, and I was really happy with how it all came together in the end.
June 27th, Diatom Explosion:
A couple of weeks after planting, I experienced what might have been the worst diatom outbreak I’ve ever encountered. It was so severe that the tank actually became a featured example in the 2Hr Aquarist article titled, "How to control brown algae (diatoms) in planted aquariums"
Staying motivated during this period was incredibly difficult. Despite daily removal and meticulous management, twice as many diatoms would return within just an 8 hour period. It felt like an endless battle! The war on diatoms was overwhelming at times, but with persistence and support from fellow aquascapers, I was reminded that this is just part of the journey, and that things would eventually get better...
July 15th, Diatoms Receding:
July 30th, Status Update:
Within just one month~, the diatom outbreak had completely disappeared. After countless rounds of manual removal, careful dosing with Excel, and trying everything I could think of, the moment finally arrived when it simply vanished. One day it was just gone...!
Today, the aquascape rests in a peaceful state, steadily growing and filling in. Daily dosing of 2.2 milliliters of APT 'E' alongside 50% weekly water changes seems to have brought everything into a healthy balance. This sense of serenity comes with its own challenges, though.
For the life of me, I cannot get my Pogostemon 'Erectus' to grow. I have tried several different approaches, yet it remains frozen at the same height, looking as lovely as ever but refusing to budge. I may end up replacing it, but for now I am giving it more time.
Anyway, that is enough rambling from me for now. The images below are the latest from the aquascape...
Until the next update, enjoy!
I'm excited to share the beginning of my 75P aquascape journal here on Scape Crunch!
This aquascape is inspired by the timeless works of Takashi Amano and his iconic Nature Style layouts. While I have experience with Dutch hybrids and aquatic garden style aquascapes, this will be my first true attempt at a Nature Style aquascape.
For me, aquascaping is a constantly evolving journey. It challenges us to try new approaches, refine our skills, and embrace the ever changing nature of the underwater world. Committing to this style is both a personal challenge and an opportunity to grow as an aquascaper.
If you have any questions, thoughts, or feedback, feel free to jump into the thread. I’d love to hear from you!
Thank you for taking the time to follow along...
------------------------------------------
Specs:
Lighting: WeekAqua A430 Pro
Filtration: Oase Biomaster Thermo 350
Filtration Hosing: UNS Pro Filter Tubing
Co2 Cylinder: Misc 10lb Cylinder
Co2 Regulator: GLA GRO Co2 Regulator
Co2 Diffuser: GLA Atomic Stainless Steel CO2 Diffuser
Inflow & Outflow Pipes: GLA X Series Stainless Steel Lily Pipe Set
Substrate: UNS Controsoil - Brown, ‘fine’
Fertilization: 2Hr Aquarist - APT 'E'
Other Misc Equipment:
- GLA Misc. Drop Checker
- ~46” Mountable Plug Strip
- GLA Atomic Premium Quick Disconnect & Flow Control Valve
- GLA 17mm Stainless Steel Extension Piece - Inflow (X-Series)
- GLA Misc. Tungsten Tools
- UNS Surface Skimmer
------------------------------------------
Plant List | 8/3/25 :
1 ) Blyxa japonica
2 ) Pogostemon Erectus
3 ) Pogostemon stellatus 'Dassen'
4 ) Echinodorus Tenellus (Helanthium tenellum)
5 ) Eleocharis sp. Mini
6 ) Rotala 'Orange Juice'
7 ) Cryptocoryne Petchii
8 ) Anubias Bonsai
9 ) Anubias Barteri Petite Coin
10 ) Fissidens Fontanus
11 ) Microsorum Pteropus 'Windelov'
12) Cryptocoryne "Flamingo"
------------------------------------------
May 19th, Hardscape:
I began this aquascape in my living room, in a spot where it would be viewed primarily from the left side and center, as pictured. Designing a layout to be appreciated from more than just a head-on perspective presented a unique challenge for me..
I wanted the hardscape to feel balanced and cohesive while also complementing the natural flow of the surrounding living space.With the help and insight of several talented friends in the aquascaping community, with special thanks to Import, Dennis Wong, and others, I spent several weeks shifting the wood until everything felt just right. The layout in the image below was the result of that process. To me, it captured a sense of flow that resonated with me and thankfully, my partner loved it too!
June 8th, Planting:
After finalizing the hardscape, it was time to move on to planting!
I designed a planting layout that I felt would compliment the scape well, incorporating a variety of species that were new to me. In the past, I’ve been more familiar with high tech oriented plants. This time, in keeping with the Nature Style, I chose species like Java Fern 'Windelov', Echinodorus 'Tenellus', and Anubias Sp.
Attaching each plant was incredibly tedious, and covering the hardscape with moss was especially labor intensive. It took about five to six hours to complete, even if it might appear minimal in the photo. Still, the entire process was a lot of fun, and I was really happy with how it all came together in the end.
June 27th, Diatom Explosion:
A couple of weeks after planting, I experienced what might have been the worst diatom outbreak I’ve ever encountered. It was so severe that the tank actually became a featured example in the 2Hr Aquarist article titled, "How to control brown algae (diatoms) in planted aquariums"
Staying motivated during this period was incredibly difficult. Despite daily removal and meticulous management, twice as many diatoms would return within just an 8 hour period. It felt like an endless battle! The war on diatoms was overwhelming at times, but with persistence and support from fellow aquascapers, I was reminded that this is just part of the journey, and that things would eventually get better...
July 15th, Diatoms Receding:
July 30th, Status Update:
Within just one month~, the diatom outbreak had completely disappeared. After countless rounds of manual removal, careful dosing with Excel, and trying everything I could think of, the moment finally arrived when it simply vanished. One day it was just gone...!
Today, the aquascape rests in a peaceful state, steadily growing and filling in. Daily dosing of 2.2 milliliters of APT 'E' alongside 50% weekly water changes seems to have brought everything into a healthy balance. This sense of serenity comes with its own challenges, though.
For the life of me, I cannot get my Pogostemon 'Erectus' to grow. I have tried several different approaches, yet it remains frozen at the same height, looking as lovely as ever but refusing to budge. I may end up replacing it, but for now I am giving it more time.
Anyway, that is enough rambling from me for now. The images below are the latest from the aquascape...
Until the next update, enjoy!
115 Replies
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10645 views
Following @Dennis Wong advise to hold growth variables as steady as possible to avoid transition stress has been my single greatest tool to aquatic plant success.
I am fortunate to have Tap Water that is consistent all season with 6 ppm Ca, 1 ppm Mg day in day out all year. It is consistent because the water utility adds most of the Calcium and Magnesium in it.. the source water is extremely soft. The head of the water department has told me it never gets close to their target. They continually test and adjust the feed to hit target.
It is simple enough for me to just add gypsum and epsom salt to boost it to what I want.
Helping a fellow member here who is starting a 75 gallon tank in an apartment. Ro unit is simply not an option for him in the apartment for now. schlepping bottles of RO for a 75 gallon would also be a hardship. It is a tank just for family enjoyment and not intended to be a competition tank. He will be dosing diy ferts, high light and co2.
His public water supply has an average DGH of 8 with reasonable calcium magnesium balance. But the Seasonal variation is between 4.5 DGH and 11.2 DGH…
In the situation where RO is not currently an option what would peoples responses be?
At 8 DGH steady throughout the year, I would probably just go with it.
It would be easy enough to test tap water DGH before doing a water change. It would be easy enough to create a table to alter how much to-adjust gypsum and epsom salts as tap water hardness decreases with seasonal shifts down to 4.5. But the question is for the times it hops upwards to high end of range.
One could schlepp bottles for those weeks and hope those weeks are outliers…
Or one could simply target a higher DGH all of the time in the interest of stability..
So I understand the potential issues, but not enough of what numbers matter…
Am I overthinking? I know @Dennis Wong has said the Carbonate hardness has a bigger impact on plant health than General Hardness,
Is ranging General Hardness less of a concern?
Water report indicates 3.5 DKH with no report regarding seasonal variation..
I am fortunate to have Tap Water that is consistent all season with 6 ppm Ca, 1 ppm Mg day in day out all year. It is consistent because the water utility adds most of the Calcium and Magnesium in it.. the source water is extremely soft. The head of the water department has told me it never gets close to their target. They continually test and adjust the feed to hit target.
It is simple enough for me to just add gypsum and epsom salt to boost it to what I want.
Helping a fellow member here who is starting a 75 gallon tank in an apartment. Ro unit is simply not an option for him in the apartment for now. schlepping bottles of RO for a 75 gallon would also be a hardship. It is a tank just for family enjoyment and not intended to be a competition tank. He will be dosing diy ferts, high light and co2.
His public water supply has an average DGH of 8 with reasonable calcium magnesium balance. But the Seasonal variation is between 4.5 DGH and 11.2 DGH…
In the situation where RO is not currently an option what would peoples responses be?
At 8 DGH steady throughout the year, I would probably just go with it.
It would be easy enough to test tap water DGH before doing a water change. It would be easy enough to create a table to alter how much to-adjust gypsum and epsom salts as tap water hardness decreases with seasonal shifts down to 4.5. But the question is for the times it hops upwards to high end of range.
One could schlepp bottles for those weeks and hope those weeks are outliers…
Or one could simply target a higher DGH all of the time in the interest of stability..
So I understand the potential issues, but not enough of what numbers matter…
Am I overthinking? I know @Dennis Wong has said the Carbonate hardness has a bigger impact on plant health than General Hardness,
Is ranging General Hardness less of a concern?
Water report indicates 3.5 DKH with no report regarding seasonal variation..
16 Replies
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186 views
Journal transitioning 75g to high energy
After a couple years of disappointing plant growth as a low energy tank, I've decided to add CO2 and get serious. I'm a long time aquarist (20 years), but never CO2, so would appreciate help and feedback on my plan.
Current setup:
standard 75g marineland aquarium
fzone LED
biomaster thermo 350
corner matten filter driven by a DC pump
Sand
fertilization with APT3, Fe, K, fzone root tabs.
Fauna:
Flora:
add a yugang reactor inline with the filter.
Current setup:
standard 75g marineland aquarium
fzone LED
biomaster thermo 350
corner matten filter driven by a DC pump
Sand
fertilization with APT3, Fe, K, fzone root tabs.
Fauna:
- Brutus, the royal acara Aequidens diadema
- An electric blue acara Andinoacara pulcher
- A T-bar cichlid Amatitlania sajica
- 5 melon barbs Haludaria fasciata
Flora:
- Windelov Java fern Microsorum pteropus
- Valisneria Americana
- Cryptocoryne wendtii
- Rotala sp.
- Amazon sword Echinodorus amazonicus
- Hygrophila angustifolia
- cichlids love tearing up the plants and digging
- occasional bouts of cyano
- general poor growth of the plants (except for the Valisneria)
add a yugang reactor inline with the filter.
- Aquarocks Colorado small acrylic yugang ($95) Yugang Horizontal CO2 Reactor - Acrylic
- 10lbs CO2 tank. (~$120 + $65 to fill) https://www.amazon.com/VEVOR-Aluminum-Cylinder-Adjustable-Dispensing/dp/B0DWMXPR8V?th=1
- how much are people paying for CO2 tanks and refills? the only places near me charge $65+ to refill a 10 lbs tank.
- Regulator. undecided. Any suggestions?
- Aquarocks Colorado ($160) ARC Premium Dual Stage CO2 Regulator
- CO2Art ($150) https://www.co2art.us/collections/c...dual-stage-regulator-with-integrated-solenoid
- Fzone ($136) https://fzaqua.com/products/fzone-pro-series-aquarium-co2-regulator
- Archea ($110) https://aquaforestaquarium.com/coll...ual-gauge-co2-regulator-fits-cga-320-cylinder
- others?
- CO2 tubing ($10) Silicone CO2 Tubing
14 Replies
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180 views
Hello guys what could be the cause of pale new growth?
0 Replies
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22 views
Supporting
I Donated 2026
Rockstar
Edit: Newest tank starts here: Journal - Kwyet’s 125 / now 140G Nature Tank
——
This was one of the first tanks I set back up when we moved into our new house. As such, it was done very quickly so I could get it re-cycled and the fish in ASAP. Surprisingly, even though the filter sponges were just kept damp in plastic bags for 4 days, cycling took less than a week. I was NOT going to try to catch the pictus catfishes again, so I just lowered the water level in their holding tubs and poured them in. These guys are vocal when annoyed, so I assure you that I could hear them cussing at me, lol!
Here’s one of the last pictures of the tank before moving:
And here is what it looked like after the move in August 2024:
It left a lot to be desired, and while the painted blue background looked fine with my blue walls in Florida, it doesn’t look as good here with beige walls. I wasn’t going to move it out and scrape away the paint though, so it is what it is.
At this point I believe it had 1 angelfish (kept because it swims off-kilter), 1 Denison barb (kept because of a small white growth on chin since it was a baby), 2 old bronze Cory cats (because of age), and 3 Spotted Pictus catfish (because they were hard to acquire), 2 Super Red Bristlenose Plecos and 1 Glo-fish Rainbow shark (just because, lol!).
More to come.
——
This was one of the first tanks I set back up when we moved into our new house. As such, it was done very quickly so I could get it re-cycled and the fish in ASAP. Surprisingly, even though the filter sponges were just kept damp in plastic bags for 4 days, cycling took less than a week. I was NOT going to try to catch the pictus catfishes again, so I just lowered the water level in their holding tubs and poured them in. These guys are vocal when annoyed, so I assure you that I could hear them cussing at me, lol!
Here’s one of the last pictures of the tank before moving:
And here is what it looked like after the move in August 2024:
It left a lot to be desired, and while the painted blue background looked fine with my blue walls in Florida, it doesn’t look as good here with beige walls. I wasn’t going to move it out and scrape away the paint though, so it is what it is.
At this point I believe it had 1 angelfish (kept because it swims off-kilter), 1 Denison barb (kept because of a small white growth on chin since it was a baby), 2 old bronze Cory cats (because of age), and 3 Spotted Pictus catfish (because they were hard to acquire), 2 Super Red Bristlenose Plecos and 1 Glo-fish Rainbow shark (just because, lol!).
More to come.
76 Replies
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7270 views
I asked this question in a recent thread but it received no traction, so maybe it deserves its own thread. .........
When planting newly received emersed growth stem plants could it not be beneficial to leave the leaves on the stem of the section to be buried ? Yes these leaves will rot but could this not be possibly providing a useful ammonia source for the newly introduced plant and promote root development etc ? What evidence do we actually have of the pros and cons of doing this ? I must admit that do trim as Naturescapes_Rocco has suggested in another thread, by removing all leaves apart from a small top section but every time I do, it always makes me wonder about this factor.
I can see all the benefits of not leaving any excess emersed growth leaves on the exposed part of the stem but on the actual buried part of the stem could it possibly be even beneficial ??
When planting newly received emersed growth stem plants could it not be beneficial to leave the leaves on the stem of the section to be buried ? Yes these leaves will rot but could this not be possibly providing a useful ammonia source for the newly introduced plant and promote root development etc ? What evidence do we actually have of the pros and cons of doing this ? I must admit that do trim as Naturescapes_Rocco has suggested in another thread, by removing all leaves apart from a small top section but every time I do, it always makes me wonder about this factor.
I can see all the benefits of not leaving any excess emersed growth leaves on the exposed part of the stem but on the actual buried part of the stem could it possibly be even beneficial ??
5 Replies
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78 views
Thinking about building an aquascape inspiration site — want honest feedback before I build anything
Long-time lurker in the hobby. I’ve been chewing on an idea for a website (maybe a weekly newsletter too) that’s focused purely on curated aquascape inspiration — not another feed to scroll, but something with an actual point of view: why a scape works, what makes the hardscape/planting choices interesting, styles worth studying, that kind of thing.
Before I build anything, wanted to ask people who’d actually use it:
• Where do you currently go for aquascape inspiration — Instagram, YouTube, forums, contest archives?
• Does that already fully scratch the itch, or is there something missing (context, explanation, curation vs. just a feed)?
• Would a smaller, curated site/newsletter add anything for you, or does it feel redundant with what’s already out there?
• Would you ever visit or subscribe to something like that regularly, or is it a “look at once, forget” kind of thing?
Genuinely trying to figure out if this fills a real gap or if I’d just be adding noise to a space that’s already well served. All takes welcome, including “this already exists” or “nobody needs this.”
Before I build anything, wanted to ask people who’d actually use it:
• Where do you currently go for aquascape inspiration — Instagram, YouTube, forums, contest archives?
• Does that already fully scratch the itch, or is there something missing (context, explanation, curation vs. just a feed)?
• Would a smaller, curated site/newsletter add anything for you, or does it feel redundant with what’s already out there?
• Would you ever visit or subscribe to something like that regularly, or is it a “look at once, forget” kind of thing?
Genuinely trying to figure out if this fills a real gap or if I’d just be adding noise to a space that’s already well served. All takes welcome, including “this already exists” or “nobody needs this.”
3 Replies
·
62 views
This is my first time using a reactor. I have a Landen 100p (40x18x18 inches) and just received my Aqua Rocks Colorado Stainless Yugang Reactor. I had a spare Eheim 4+ 350 so it's now hooked to that with just foam filtration. My other filter is an Oase Biomaster Thermo 600 with an 850 head. I'm a little confused on the initial setup. I have my Co2 turning on at 9:30am, lights on 12-8pm. I have the offsets at 50% of the reactor, and the surface area is 4 inches larger than the calculations said I needed.
I know that contact time is the factor so my Eheim is about 50% flow. Do I initially increase the Co2 rate to purge the air out of the reactor, then dial it back so i'm seeing off-gassing every minute once I'm reaching my ppm? I'm using a Co2 Art Elite Pro regulator. My psi sits between 35-40 on a 20lb tank. Co2 is easy for me to get and cheap so I'm not concerned with excess. There's not a lot of information I can find on these so anything helps. Thanks for reading!
I know that contact time is the factor so my Eheim is about 50% flow. Do I initially increase the Co2 rate to purge the air out of the reactor, then dial it back so i'm seeing off-gassing every minute once I'm reaching my ppm? I'm using a Co2 Art Elite Pro regulator. My psi sits between 35-40 on a 20lb tank. Co2 is easy for me to get and cheap so I'm not concerned with excess. There's not a lot of information I can find on these so anything helps. Thanks for reading!
3 Replies
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97 views
Staff member
I Donated 2026
Founding Member
Welcome to ScapeCrunch, @dmitrysokolovvet!
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
·
13 views
Thinking about building an aquascape inspiration site — want honest feedback before I build anything
Long-time lurker in the hobby. I’ve been chewing on an idea for a website (maybe a weekly newsletter too) that’s focused purely on curated aquascape inspiration — not another feed to scroll, but something with an actual point of view: why a scape works, what makes the hardscape/planting choices interesting, styles worth studying, that kind of thing.
Before I build anything, wanted to ask people who’d actually use it:
• Where do you currently go for aquascape inspiration — Instagram, YouTube, forums, contest archives?
• Does that already fully scratch the itch, or is there something missing (context, explanation, curation vs. just a feed)?
• Would a smaller, curated site/newsletter add anything for you, or does it feel redundant with what’s already out there?
• Would you ever visit or subscribe to something like that regularly, or is it a “look at once, forget” kind of thing?
Genuinely trying to figure out if this fills a real gap or if I’d just be adding noise to a space that’s already well served. All takes welcome, including “this already exists” or “nobody needs this.”
Before I build anything, wanted to ask people who’d actually use it:
• Where do you currently go for aquascape inspiration — Instagram, YouTube, forums, contest archives?
• Does that already fully scratch the itch, or is there something missing (context, explanation, curation vs. just a feed)?
• Would a smaller, curated site/newsletter add anything for you, or does it feel redundant with what’s already out there?
• Would you ever visit or subscribe to something like that regularly, or is it a “look at once, forget” kind of thing?
Genuinely trying to figure out if this fills a real gap or if I’d just be adding noise to a space that’s already well served. All takes welcome, including “this already exists” or “nobody needs this.”
0 Replies
·
31 views
Staff member
I Donated 2026
Founding Member
Hello Welcome, Vis123
Welcome to ScapeCrunch, @Vis123!
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
·
21 views