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About me:
I've been keeping planted aquariums and shrimp breeding tanks for almost a decade and for the majority of that time aquariums were my primary hobby. In 2021 I had ~30 tanks running simultaneously containing almost 200 types of plants that I had collected over a 5 year period and more than a dozen types of shrimp. In this time, it was harder for me to not setup new tanks than it was to grow any aquatic plant sent my way. Below are some of the tanks I've kept over the years.
At the end of 2021 I moved from Texas to Massachusetts and gave away all of my plants, tanks, and shrimp to friends I had made over the years. It took some time to find a permanent place to live so I didn't have any tanks until I was unexpectedly given an ADA 120P in summer of 2023.
The early days of the 120P:
I went through the typical tank start growing pains with a diatoms phase, green hair algae, and every other issue one would expect from a new tank. Even with the new tank difficulties, it only took me 2 months to get to a healthy tank again. For the next 1.5 years, everything went smoothly and the tank went through many iterations.
Setup on June 28th
Diatoms outbreak on July 19th
Green hair algae outbreak by August 18th
Everything was cleaned up and growing great by September 1st
The start of the disaster:
In February 2025, I started running into issues. BBA started growing in small tufts on the substrate and green hair algae started attacking the old growth on the plants. I'd run into this issue in the past and was usually able to fix it pretty quickly by dialing in the CO2, cleaning the substrate, cleaning filters, and replanting only the most healthy tops of the plants. Even after doing this multiple times, I haven't had any luck fixing the algae. It always comes back
The start of the algae
Multiple trim and replant cycles along with some new plants
Relatively clean after a trim and replant cycle
10 days later
Where I am today:
I'm getting so frustrated by the persistent issues that I'm about ready to shut down this tank. As a last ditch effort, I purchased a pack of healthy plants from Burr740 to see if healthy plants can help me get through the algae phase and get back into a good place.
The tank as of January 2nd 2026. The healthiest plants in the tank were received earlier this week from Burr740.
Really poor color on my plants with a lot of green algae on the lower leaves. The nice looking bacopa is from Burr740. The original stems of Bacopa have barely grown in the last month. If I pull them up, there are very few roots.
Another example of the old growth issues. The Limnophila mini vietnam also has not grown at all in the last month. Lots of algae grows on the substrate as well.
Another comparison of Burr's Ludwigia sp. red vs mine. Very slow growth and poor rooting.
Really weak older growth on Rotala sp. singapore and poor coloration compared to Burr's plants. This plant has always been very easy for me to keep and this is part of why I'm thinking there is something big that I'm missing. Didiplis diandra is another easy plant that keeps melting at the base and its making very little progress because of this.
Below is the key information about the tank.
Tank size: ADA 120P (120 cm x 45 cm x 45 cm)
Lighting: 3x NiloCG Prizms ran at the lowest setting for each channel. Lights are on for 7 hours a day. I want to increase the lighting, but any time I do the algae gets significantly worse
Filtration: Oase Biomaster 600 and a SunSun HW-303B. There's a spraybar on the bottom left that points along the length of the tank at substrate level and the other output is on the top right corner of the tank pushing the opposite direction.
CO2: Vertical reactor on the SunSun filter and a Sera reactor on the Oase. CO2 comes on 4 hours before lights on and turns off 1 hr before lights off. Drop checker is yellow when lights turn on. The pH drop is ~1.4-1.5 at lights on (5.8 at lights on and 7.3 when water is fully degassed). Plants start pearling within 10 minutes of the lights coming on.
Substrate: A mix of ADA aquasoil, Fluval stratum, and Controsoil. A bag of Controsoil was added ~2 months ago to try and give the plants a boost. The remaining substrate is from when I setup the tank and is almost certainly not providing much nutrition or buffering capacity.
Water change schedule: Weekly 70-80% water changes with tap water coming from the MWRA (water report here). KH is ~2. GH is less than 1(3.7 PPM Ca, 0.7 PPM Mg based on the report). Water is treated with sodium carbonate at the water treatment plant to increase the pH to ~9.2, but the pH rapidly decreases after the water comes out of the tap. One potential issue is the tap water is extremely cold. It comes out at ~50F and I add a mix of water from the tap along with heated water. The temperature drops to ~60F for 2-3 hours whenever I water change. I don't keep any livestock so I'm not sure if this is a problem. This was not something I needed to consider back in Texas.
Remineralization: I add 22 PPM calcium and 6 PPM magnesium at water change
Fertilization: 20N-6P-26K is added immediately after water change. A second dose at 10N-3P-13K is added halfway through the week. Micros are Burr740's most recent recipe dosed at 0.15 PPM Fe 3x per week.
Temperature: Tank is heated to 73F during the winter. During the more mild parts of the year I remove the heater and go with whatever the ambient temperature is.
It looks like I'm doing everything right on paper and based on my past experience keeping tanks, but there is clearly some major issue ongoing. Right now I'm thinking its inconsistency in the CO2 that I'm just not seeing (I just started the CO2 2 hours earlier last week because I was noticing the drop checker wasn't always yellow at lights on), not enough light, or too cold of water during water changes. I want to keep some records through this journal to keep myself engaged with the tank and to make sure I'm being consistent with everything. I'm also hoping some additional eyes can help me see where I'm going wrong because I really, really miss having a nice looking tank.
I've been keeping planted aquariums and shrimp breeding tanks for almost a decade and for the majority of that time aquariums were my primary hobby. In 2021 I had ~30 tanks running simultaneously containing almost 200 types of plants that I had collected over a 5 year period and more than a dozen types of shrimp. In this time, it was harder for me to not setup new tanks than it was to grow any aquatic plant sent my way. Below are some of the tanks I've kept over the years.
At the end of 2021 I moved from Texas to Massachusetts and gave away all of my plants, tanks, and shrimp to friends I had made over the years. It took some time to find a permanent place to live so I didn't have any tanks until I was unexpectedly given an ADA 120P in summer of 2023.
The early days of the 120P:
I went through the typical tank start growing pains with a diatoms phase, green hair algae, and every other issue one would expect from a new tank. Even with the new tank difficulties, it only took me 2 months to get to a healthy tank again. For the next 1.5 years, everything went smoothly and the tank went through many iterations.
Setup on June 28th
Diatoms outbreak on July 19th
Green hair algae outbreak by August 18th
Everything was cleaned up and growing great by September 1st
The start of the disaster:
In February 2025, I started running into issues. BBA started growing in small tufts on the substrate and green hair algae started attacking the old growth on the plants. I'd run into this issue in the past and was usually able to fix it pretty quickly by dialing in the CO2, cleaning the substrate, cleaning filters, and replanting only the most healthy tops of the plants. Even after doing this multiple times, I haven't had any luck fixing the algae. It always comes back
The start of the algae
Multiple trim and replant cycles along with some new plants
Relatively clean after a trim and replant cycle
10 days later
Where I am today:
I'm getting so frustrated by the persistent issues that I'm about ready to shut down this tank. As a last ditch effort, I purchased a pack of healthy plants from Burr740 to see if healthy plants can help me get through the algae phase and get back into a good place.
The tank as of January 2nd 2026. The healthiest plants in the tank were received earlier this week from Burr740.
Really poor color on my plants with a lot of green algae on the lower leaves. The nice looking bacopa is from Burr740. The original stems of Bacopa have barely grown in the last month. If I pull them up, there are very few roots.
Another example of the old growth issues. The Limnophila mini vietnam also has not grown at all in the last month. Lots of algae grows on the substrate as well.
Another comparison of Burr's Ludwigia sp. red vs mine. Very slow growth and poor rooting.
Really weak older growth on Rotala sp. singapore and poor coloration compared to Burr's plants. This plant has always been very easy for me to keep and this is part of why I'm thinking there is something big that I'm missing. Didiplis diandra is another easy plant that keeps melting at the base and its making very little progress because of this.
Below is the key information about the tank.
Tank size: ADA 120P (120 cm x 45 cm x 45 cm)
Lighting: 3x NiloCG Prizms ran at the lowest setting for each channel. Lights are on for 7 hours a day. I want to increase the lighting, but any time I do the algae gets significantly worse
Filtration: Oase Biomaster 600 and a SunSun HW-303B. There's a spraybar on the bottom left that points along the length of the tank at substrate level and the other output is on the top right corner of the tank pushing the opposite direction.
CO2: Vertical reactor on the SunSun filter and a Sera reactor on the Oase. CO2 comes on 4 hours before lights on and turns off 1 hr before lights off. Drop checker is yellow when lights turn on. The pH drop is ~1.4-1.5 at lights on (5.8 at lights on and 7.3 when water is fully degassed). Plants start pearling within 10 minutes of the lights coming on.
Substrate: A mix of ADA aquasoil, Fluval stratum, and Controsoil. A bag of Controsoil was added ~2 months ago to try and give the plants a boost. The remaining substrate is from when I setup the tank and is almost certainly not providing much nutrition or buffering capacity.
Water change schedule: Weekly 70-80% water changes with tap water coming from the MWRA (water report here). KH is ~2. GH is less than 1(3.7 PPM Ca, 0.7 PPM Mg based on the report). Water is treated with sodium carbonate at the water treatment plant to increase the pH to ~9.2, but the pH rapidly decreases after the water comes out of the tap. One potential issue is the tap water is extremely cold. It comes out at ~50F and I add a mix of water from the tap along with heated water. The temperature drops to ~60F for 2-3 hours whenever I water change. I don't keep any livestock so I'm not sure if this is a problem. This was not something I needed to consider back in Texas.
Remineralization: I add 22 PPM calcium and 6 PPM magnesium at water change
Fertilization: 20N-6P-26K is added immediately after water change. A second dose at 10N-3P-13K is added halfway through the week. Micros are Burr740's most recent recipe dosed at 0.15 PPM Fe 3x per week.
Temperature: Tank is heated to 73F during the winter. During the more mild parts of the year I remove the heater and go with whatever the ambient temperature is.
It looks like I'm doing everything right on paper and based on my past experience keeping tanks, but there is clearly some major issue ongoing. Right now I'm thinking its inconsistency in the CO2 that I'm just not seeing (I just started the CO2 2 hours earlier last week because I was noticing the drop checker wasn't always yellow at lights on), not enough light, or too cold of water during water changes. I want to keep some records through this journal to keep myself engaged with the tank and to make sure I'm being consistent with everything. I'm also hoping some additional eyes can help me see where I'm going wrong because I really, really miss having a nice looking tank.
116 Replies
·
10493 views
Staff member
I Donated 2026
Founding Member
Hello Welcome, fordohio
Welcome to ScapeCrunch, @fordohio!
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?
2 Replies
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45 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!
1 Replies
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35 views
Supporting
I Donated 2026
Rockstar
Article Contributor
This is not a step by step tutorial, more for inspiration and general information!
My very first DIY stand was a 100cm two-door home-depot plywood stand. It looks fine in pictures, but was NOT up to the insanely high, unhealthy standards of excellence that I hold myself to with everything:
No journal for this old tank.
The lesson here was: don’t use home depot plywood! It sucks. Find a real plywood dealer and spend the extra $.
My next stand was way more ambitious: a 150cm x 60cm stand, designed to hold up 2400+ lbs, made from quality baltic birch plywood. 3 doors, two interior weight-bearing vertical panels, adjustable leveling feet. It worked great, and can be seen in my two journals Many Lessons and Inert Sand Trials:
I did a WAY better job on this stand, and it now resides with @Kwyet ! Also, a spray finish really makes a big difference.
After that, the 90cm Experiment Tank stand. Two doors, and instead of a cumbersome middle panel, I used one hefty plywood column:
Scottish accent Fookin' crispay
This tank also had a waterproof, sealed bottom “rim” so up to 2cm of water would have to fill the stand bottom before it overflows. Useful for emergencies or leaks, when combined with loud water leak alarms! This stand and tank is in my garage, soon to be sold to anyone in Colorado who wants it!
This stand is for my new 120cm tank! This stand is the culmination of seven years of stand-making. All of my mistakes, lessons, preferences, and skills were combined to make the stand of my dreams!
And of course, I had to move homes and got seriously injured, requiring surgery, while I was trying to finish it. Sorry for the lack of pictures!
I would not say this design is beginner friendly. It’s not expert, but likely intermediate difficulty. I have a Wen track saw and a Sawstop PCS Cabinet saw, which changes the entire process compared to someone working with more difficult tools. I also have a Graco Magnum X7 paint sprayer for a professional paint finish.
First, I started with mocking up the stand in Shapr3D, my modeling program:
My local lumber company had really good deals on 5x5’ sheets of ¾” baltic birch plywood.
IT IS CRITICAL for precision woodworking like this (no trim to cover up mistakes) to get exact measurements, particularly for the thickness of the plywood. For example, using a pair of digital calipers, this 3/4" plywood was 17.8mm thick (0.7 in a lot smaller than .75"), which is what I used in my modeling program to create the exact length of cuts to properly span 120cm long and 60cm deep.
I collected the exact measurements of each part needed, and threw it into Opticutter to determine how to best cut my 5x5’ plywood sheets:
You don't need to study these sheets; the photos are just to show you how Opticutter works to save you from creating too much waste, and using the fewest cuts!
4-plywood-thick center column, with "notch" for the front brace to fit flush:
Top down first on a flat, even surface, then add sides and back:
Flip right-side-up, and add the bottom panel:
Add the rear brace, the front brace, and the center column. Make sure the front brace and column are flush with the front of the top/back panel edges.
Add the front panel and bottom lip pieces:
For the doors, create a notched finger pull (side view):
Door hinge stuff:
And it's done! Here's some of the few pictures I DID take of this process, sorry! I had a lot going on:
Gluing the 4-ply-thick center column:
To make the access holes in the back and side panels, I 3D printed some plastic guides for my router bit to follow, then roughly cut the inside out so the router had less material to work through:
Perfect routered holes:
I learned to score the plywood with my box cutter first, so when it chipped from the rough jigsaw cut, it chipped ONLY to the scored lines:
I removed the excess interior material with the jigsaw, then routered. I also used a roundover bit (in process on the left hole, right hole not rounded):
Any chips or imperfections could be fixed later with bondo wood filler and sanding.
Once I had my access holes cut out, I could assemble! I used clamps to hold the panels together and flush, used an Incra T-Rule (amazing device) to mark a line that was the middle of my plywood panel's core:
Then, I drilled countersink holes with this bit for the screw heads to sit below the level of the wood:
Screws:
Since the screws on the top, bottom, and rear of the stand would never be visible, I decided to skip the annoying "pocket screw and glue" scenario and just go with crazy robust torx-head 1.5” construction screws. I LOVED it. Definitely my preferred method, though they really do require pre-drilling AND drilling countersink heads. Still, way stronger than pocket screws my god.
Wood filling and Priming:
Bondo wood filler is amazing stuff. I used TONS of it, this was just the first pass:
Apply, sand, apply more, sand more.
Then I primed with Sherwin Williams Gallery Series primer, and sprayed with a TrueAirless 515 tip in my Magnum X7:
Once the primer was dry, I sanded it, and sprayed again. Once dry, sanded again. Lots of sanding:
I wiped the tank down with tack cloth, then went for the finishing coat using a Graco FFLP 310 Tip and Sherwin-Williams Gallery Series Waterborne Topcoat in true black. Probably a matte or satin sheen, I can’t recall. Not cheap, good paint! Make sure to filter your paint through a find mesh before spraying.
By far the best, most perfect finish I've ever had on a stand. BTW, the doors are fully adjustable up, down, left and right to get them nicely aligned. Blum hinges rock!
Once it was all put together, I got some help to move it into the new house. And installed the oversized Aquarium Mat.
I paid Tommy, the owner of Aqua Rocks Colorado, a delivery fee to have my custom 120x60x50cm tank delivered and installed on the stand. Once positioned evenly around all sides, I trimmed the aquarium mat with an Xacto knife, and was finished!
I'm tired today, but I'll upload more pics of this stand soon to this thread and to the 120cm Journal, too!
My very first DIY stand was a 100cm two-door home-depot plywood stand. It looks fine in pictures, but was NOT up to the insanely high, unhealthy standards of excellence that I hold myself to with everything:
No journal for this old tank.
The lesson here was: don’t use home depot plywood! It sucks. Find a real plywood dealer and spend the extra $.
My next stand was way more ambitious: a 150cm x 60cm stand, designed to hold up 2400+ lbs, made from quality baltic birch plywood. 3 doors, two interior weight-bearing vertical panels, adjustable leveling feet. It worked great, and can be seen in my two journals Many Lessons and Inert Sand Trials:
I did a WAY better job on this stand, and it now resides with @Kwyet ! Also, a spray finish really makes a big difference.
After that, the 90cm Experiment Tank stand. Two doors, and instead of a cumbersome middle panel, I used one hefty plywood column:
Scottish accent Fookin' crispay
This tank also had a waterproof, sealed bottom “rim” so up to 2cm of water would have to fill the stand bottom before it overflows. Useful for emergencies or leaks, when combined with loud water leak alarms! This stand and tank is in my garage, soon to be sold to anyone in Colorado who wants it!
The new 120cm stand:
This stand is for my new 120cm tank! This stand is the culmination of seven years of stand-making. All of my mistakes, lessons, preferences, and skills were combined to make the stand of my dreams!
And of course, I had to move homes and got seriously injured, requiring surgery, while I was trying to finish it. Sorry for the lack of pictures!
I would not say this design is beginner friendly. It’s not expert, but likely intermediate difficulty. I have a Wen track saw and a Sawstop PCS Cabinet saw, which changes the entire process compared to someone working with more difficult tools. I also have a Graco Magnum X7 paint sprayer for a professional paint finish.
First, I started with mocking up the stand in Shapr3D, my modeling program:
My local lumber company had really good deals on 5x5’ sheets of ¾” baltic birch plywood.
IT IS CRITICAL for precision woodworking like this (no trim to cover up mistakes) to get exact measurements, particularly for the thickness of the plywood. For example, using a pair of digital calipers, this 3/4" plywood was 17.8mm thick (0.7 in a lot smaller than .75"), which is what I used in my modeling program to create the exact length of cuts to properly span 120cm long and 60cm deep.
I collected the exact measurements of each part needed, and threw it into Opticutter to determine how to best cut my 5x5’ plywood sheets:
You don't need to study these sheets; the photos are just to show you how Opticutter works to save you from creating too much waste, and using the fewest cuts!
Steps I followed for this stand:
- Cut all panels using table/track saw.
- Make 4-ply support column. Make notch cut ~145mm from top of column to fit behind front brace. Glue and trim/clean.
- Cut out "access holes" in panels, including pocket holes for front and back brace, predrilled holes for front brace (in middle, and upper portion for future front panel) and predrilled holes for back panel. Use a router with roundover bit to create round, smooth holes for cord and tubing access, as well as handles for moving the stand around!
- Run the "standing height "of the side and back panels (and 4-ply center column) through table saw to make uniform height for all 4 parts. All of these 4 parts should be cut to the exactly same height.
- Trim door “finger-pull” with a router. Just a 45-degree "slice" off the door's corner to make a finger pull.
- To assemble: Flip top upside down, test fit sides and back, secure with screws. Make front edge flush, back can be trimmed down with router flush bit if necessary.
- Attach the bottom panel, Make front edge flush, as the back can be trimmed down.
- Add 4-ply column, ensure front edge flush.
- Add front and back "braces".
- Add front panel, and bottom "lips" that hold any spilled water in.
- Spray and sand stand, fill gaps with Bondo wood filler. Sand and repeat until corners, cracks and divots are smooth.
- Caulk the inner corners where water would be.
- Paint stand and doors.
- Attach doors.
- Add feet.
- Run electrical and LED strips.
- Cut foam mat to size.
4-plywood-thick center column, with "notch" for the front brace to fit flush:
Top down first on a flat, even surface, then add sides and back:
Flip right-side-up, and add the bottom panel:
Add the rear brace, the front brace, and the center column. Make sure the front brace and column are flush with the front of the top/back panel edges.
Add the front panel and bottom lip pieces:
For the doors, create a notched finger pull (side view):
Door hinge stuff:
And it's done! Here's some of the few pictures I DID take of this process, sorry! I had a lot going on:
Gluing the 4-ply-thick center column:
To make the access holes in the back and side panels, I 3D printed some plastic guides for my router bit to follow, then roughly cut the inside out so the router had less material to work through:
Perfect routered holes:
I learned to score the plywood with my box cutter first, so when it chipped from the rough jigsaw cut, it chipped ONLY to the scored lines:
I removed the excess interior material with the jigsaw, then routered. I also used a roundover bit (in process on the left hole, right hole not rounded):
Any chips or imperfections could be fixed later with bondo wood filler and sanding.
Once I had my access holes cut out, I could assemble! I used clamps to hold the panels together and flush, used an Incra T-Rule (amazing device) to mark a line that was the middle of my plywood panel's core:
Then, I drilled countersink holes with this bit for the screw heads to sit below the level of the wood:
Screws:
Since the screws on the top, bottom, and rear of the stand would never be visible, I decided to skip the annoying "pocket screw and glue" scenario and just go with crazy robust torx-head 1.5” construction screws. I LOVED it. Definitely my preferred method, though they really do require pre-drilling AND drilling countersink heads. Still, way stronger than pocket screws my god.
- SPAX #8, 1-1/2" Interior Flat Head Torx Wood Screws
- INCRA T-Ruler 6 inch for marking my ~8.9mm line (middle of the plywood core I was screwing into).
Wood filling and Priming:
Bondo wood filler is amazing stuff. I used TONS of it, this was just the first pass:
Apply, sand, apply more, sand more.
Then I primed with Sherwin Williams Gallery Series primer, and sprayed with a TrueAirless 515 tip in my Magnum X7:
Once the primer was dry, I sanded it, and sprayed again. Once dry, sanded again. Lots of sanding:
I wiped the tank down with tack cloth, then went for the finishing coat using a Graco FFLP 310 Tip and Sherwin-Williams Gallery Series Waterborne Topcoat in true black. Probably a matte or satin sheen, I can’t recall. Not cheap, good paint! Make sure to filter your paint through a find mesh before spraying.
By far the best, most perfect finish I've ever had on a stand. BTW, the doors are fully adjustable up, down, left and right to get them nicely aligned. Blum hinges rock!
Once it was all put together, I got some help to move it into the new house. And installed the oversized Aquarium Mat.
I paid Tommy, the owner of Aqua Rocks Colorado, a delivery fee to have my custom 120x60x50cm tank delivered and installed on the stand. Once positioned evenly around all sides, I trimmed the aquarium mat with an Xacto knife, and was finished!
I'm tired today, but I'll upload more pics of this stand soon to this thread and to the 120cm Journal, too!
Questions? Ask below! I love to help out.
4 Replies
·
158 views
Hello Everyone. After a short 2 month wait, I finally received my 6', 235g Planet Aquariums tank. I've decided to document the build here as a way to document it's growth as well as, and maybe more importantly, seek advice as I've already stumbled onto a few 'problems'. So, without further ado, here is what I have so far:
Tank - 235g Planet Aquariums Mega Matrix (72" x 30" x 25")
Sump - 60g Breeder
Lighting - Skylight Hyperspot M (x2)
Mechanical Filtration - RedSea ReefMat 1200
Additional Filtration - Poret Foam (yet to purchase)
Return Pump(s) - Jebao DCP-10000
CO2 Reactor - Yugang from ARC
Dosing - Chihiros 4-Head with Magnetic Stirrer
Heater - 500W Titanium
Controller - Neptune Apex with pH and temp probes
Auto Feeder - Avast Plank
ATO - XP Aqua Duetto using a 35g Brute container filled with RODI water as source water.
Hardscape: UNS Controlsoil - Brown
Pacific Driftwood
Black Sieryu Stone
As a general thought at this point, the Apex will have some basic functions - control the temperature (77-78F), monitor the solenoid on the CO2 regulator should pH venture outside of acceptable ranges, and control the auto feeder. A 'feed mode' will be activated which will turn off the return pump prior to the auto feeder running so that the food is allowed to be eaten rather than washed into the overflow and into the sump filter. Aside from that, not much more is necessary other than simple on/off control for the return pump as the lights are on their own controller.
Controller and board:
ReefMat in sump:
Full shot of rear:
Current Scape - Half Complete:
That's about all I've gotten done so far. Still working on fiddling with the hardscape on the right and then start on the left side. I'm open to any suggestions thus far and thanks for following along!
Tank - 235g Planet Aquariums Mega Matrix (72" x 30" x 25")
Sump - 60g Breeder
Lighting - Skylight Hyperspot M (x2)
Mechanical Filtration - RedSea ReefMat 1200
Additional Filtration - Poret Foam (yet to purchase)
Return Pump(s) - Jebao DCP-10000
CO2 Reactor - Yugang from ARC
Dosing - Chihiros 4-Head with Magnetic Stirrer
Heater - 500W Titanium
Controller - Neptune Apex with pH and temp probes
Auto Feeder - Avast Plank
ATO - XP Aqua Duetto using a 35g Brute container filled with RODI water as source water.
Hardscape: UNS Controlsoil - Brown
Pacific Driftwood
Black Sieryu Stone
As a general thought at this point, the Apex will have some basic functions - control the temperature (77-78F), monitor the solenoid on the CO2 regulator should pH venture outside of acceptable ranges, and control the auto feeder. A 'feed mode' will be activated which will turn off the return pump prior to the auto feeder running so that the food is allowed to be eaten rather than washed into the overflow and into the sump filter. Aside from that, not much more is necessary other than simple on/off control for the return pump as the lights are on their own controller.
Controller and board:
ReefMat in sump:
Full shot of rear:
Current Scape - Half Complete:
That's about all I've gotten done so far. Still working on fiddling with the hardscape on the right and then start on the left side. I'm open to any suggestions thus far and thanks for following along!
32 Replies
·
663 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..
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Rockstar
Article Contributor
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.
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I Donated 2026
Expert in Residence
MOTM Winner
I came into some Hygrophila polysperma "white" by Tropica recently. Grew it out and it seems to be able to be shaped into good midground bushes so I decided to create a layout to showcase it. Contemplated whether to use it as the only white plant in the tank, but decided to use some Anubias white petite as well so that the white polysperma doesn't stand out awkwardly.
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Rockstar
Article Contributor
See this post regarding AR Mini trimming/planting, and this post regarding Cyperus helferi trimming and planting!
I have hardly seen this subject talked about enough, but I think that it's one of the biggest reasons contributing to beginner's algae-filled downfalls! If you're buying plants from big stores like Aquarium Plants Factory (really good btw), Buceplant, etc. 90% of the plants you are receiving are terrestrially-grown.
Here's an important fact about terrestrially-grown aquarium plants
100% of all terrestrial leaves, when submerged under water, for any plant, will eventually get algae and die.
Some can take a while (anubias, java fern, cyperus helferi), while others will either melt (Crypts) or quickly get algae (AR Mini, Staurogyne repens, stem plants, etc)
But what about buying submerged-growth plants? From hobbyists, or BurrAqua, for example?
There is still a chance that your tank's conditions are different enough that many, if not most leaves you plant, will melt/die/attract algae.
How do we fix this? By leaving only enough leaves for the plant to continue to absorb light and put out new growth. Usually the top 4-6 leaves for stem plants.
It's a lot of work up front, but you will MAJORLY reduce the amount of waste, DOC 's, and algae-inducing scenarios if you trim your plants before planting.
I've done this in ALL of my tanks in the last 4 years with great success.
The easiest way to do this is with stainless squeeze scissors over your sink:
Here's the ones I recommend.
Yes, it takes a ton of patience. But if it could make a big difference in preventing the 2-3 month algae bloom in your tank, would you do it?
Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea', only a few top leaves left, 3" of stem.
Hygrophila corymbosa. Note how I left the leaf nodes on the stem? That's where roots will grow from. Almost all stem plants need nodes to grow roots, even if you've removed the leaves from them.
Terrestrially-grown AR 'Mini' from APF. See how I did the same in this thread for my previous tanks.
This Anubias barteri var. coffeefolia was grown terrestrially (often called 'emersed' or emergent) in a greenhouse. I removed all but the newest 3 leaves, and trimmed the roots too. Terrestrial roots are quite different from submerged with certain plants.
Almost ALL Cryptocoryne species are grown terrestrially. These plants grow as a Rosette, where the inner-most leaves on the "stem" are the freshest, and the outer-most are the oldest. I removed a TON of old terrestrial leaves, leaving just enough for the plant to be able to grow new submerged leaves in my tank as quickly as possible, while leaving as few algae-attracting terrestrial leaves as possible. I also trimmed the roots, which were 5" long upon receiving the plant.
Lobelia cardinalis 'mini'
Penthorum sedoides. Would also look very similar for Staurogyne repens, too.
Did you know that Blyxa japonica is actually a stem plant? It looks like a rosette, but it's actually a squat, wide stem plant. The lowest/outermost leaves are the oldest, and even though this is a true aquatic plant with no terrestrial form in nature, I know that it likes to throw a fit and melt a good portion of it's oldest leaves when transitioning to my tank's conditions. Here's what it looked like when I received it from @Burr740:
Nice and trimmed up. Less problematic at the 1-2 month mark in the tank's development, I know it!
What about delicate/feather plants?
They're super annoying to prep. I still only keep the top 3-4" max.
With Myriophyllum mattogrossense 'Golden', I only keep a few inches and still try to remove some of the lower leaves that would otherwise just rot by being buried in my inert sand.
What about Myriophyllum sp. "Roraima"? F*ck that. Nightmare to trim lower leaves, just trim it to 3" (not pictured) and discard the bottom when planting.
Curious what you guys think! I know I could receive plenty of "I've never done this, my tank has been fine" but I'd recommend trying it first before having a strong opinion of it
By the way, all plants pictured were actually used in my upcoming 120cm Showcase tank:
I have hardly seen this subject talked about enough, but I think that it's one of the biggest reasons contributing to beginner's algae-filled downfalls! If you're buying plants from big stores like Aquarium Plants Factory (really good btw), Buceplant, etc. 90% of the plants you are receiving are terrestrially-grown.
Here's an important fact about terrestrially-grown aquarium plants
100% of all terrestrial leaves, when submerged under water, for any plant, will eventually get algae and die.
Some can take a while (anubias, java fern, cyperus helferi), while others will either melt (Crypts) or quickly get algae (AR Mini, Staurogyne repens, stem plants, etc)
But what about buying submerged-growth plants? From hobbyists, or BurrAqua, for example?
There is still a chance that your tank's conditions are different enough that many, if not most leaves you plant, will melt/die/attract algae.
How do we fix this? By leaving only enough leaves for the plant to continue to absorb light and put out new growth. Usually the top 4-6 leaves for stem plants.
It's a lot of work up front, but you will MAJORLY reduce the amount of waste, DOC 's, and algae-inducing scenarios if you trim your plants before planting.
I've done this in ALL of my tanks in the last 4 years with great success.
The easiest way to do this is with stainless squeeze scissors over your sink:
Here's the ones I recommend.
Yes, it takes a ton of patience. But if it could make a big difference in preventing the 2-3 month algae bloom in your tank, would you do it?
Here are some specific plant examples:
For most true stem plants, I like to leave 3-4" of stem, trimming roots if necessary, and leaving only 4-6 of the freshest leaves. More than that, they will eventually be algae magnets. Less than that (like 2 leaves only) they might not survive the shock.Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea', only a few top leaves left, 3" of stem.
Hygrophila corymbosa. Note how I left the leaf nodes on the stem? That's where roots will grow from. Almost all stem plants need nodes to grow roots, even if you've removed the leaves from them.
Terrestrially-grown AR 'Mini' from APF. See how I did the same in this thread for my previous tanks.
This Anubias barteri var. coffeefolia was grown terrestrially (often called 'emersed' or emergent) in a greenhouse. I removed all but the newest 3 leaves, and trimmed the roots too. Terrestrial roots are quite different from submerged with certain plants.
Almost ALL Cryptocoryne species are grown terrestrially. These plants grow as a Rosette, where the inner-most leaves on the "stem" are the freshest, and the outer-most are the oldest. I removed a TON of old terrestrial leaves, leaving just enough for the plant to be able to grow new submerged leaves in my tank as quickly as possible, while leaving as few algae-attracting terrestrial leaves as possible. I also trimmed the roots, which were 5" long upon receiving the plant.
Lobelia cardinalis 'mini'
Penthorum sedoides. Would also look very similar for Staurogyne repens, too.
Did you know that Blyxa japonica is actually a stem plant? It looks like a rosette, but it's actually a squat, wide stem plant. The lowest/outermost leaves are the oldest, and even though this is a true aquatic plant with no terrestrial form in nature, I know that it likes to throw a fit and melt a good portion of it's oldest leaves when transitioning to my tank's conditions. Here's what it looked like when I received it from @Burr740:
Nice and trimmed up. Less problematic at the 1-2 month mark in the tank's development, I know it!
What about delicate/feather plants?
They're super annoying to prep. I still only keep the top 3-4" max.
With Myriophyllum mattogrossense 'Golden', I only keep a few inches and still try to remove some of the lower leaves that would otherwise just rot by being buried in my inert sand.
What about Myriophyllum sp. "Roraima"? F*ck that. Nightmare to trim lower leaves, just trim it to 3" (not pictured) and discard the bottom when planting.
Curious what you guys think! I know I could receive plenty of "I've never done this, my tank has been fine" but I'd recommend trying it first before having a strong opinion of it
By the way, all plants pictured were actually used in my upcoming 120cm Showcase tank:
15 Replies
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334 views
Staff member
I Donated 2026
Founding Member
The theme for this month's contest is: Shades of Green
Please take a picture of shades of green in your aquarium. Be as artistic and creative as you like.
The rules:
A $25 store credit from BurrAqua thanks to @Burr740!
Good Luck!
Please take a picture of shades of green in your aquarium. Be as artistic and creative as you like.
The rules:
- Submissions are allowed between August 16 and August 23.
- Voting will start on August 23 at 12:01 am Eastern time.
- Voting will end on August 30 at 11:30 pm Eastern time.
A $25 store credit from BurrAqua thanks to @Burr740!
Good Luck!
3 Replies
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160 views
Rockstar
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
53 Replies
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3338 views