Welcome to ScapeCrunch
We are ScapeCrunch, the place where planted aquarium hobbyists come to build relationships and support each other. When you're tired of doom scrolling, you've found your home here.
Social Feed
Please remember I have returned from the dark ages, and am catching up with all things tech in this hobby. Others probably already know this, but in case anyone else new to higher technology aquarium keeping has the same issue, feel free to learn from my mistakes.
First, yes, I have a heater in a planted tank. Is it essential? No. Why am I using one? I have a large tank, in a basement.
While we have a great HVAC system, we also have a disabled very large retired livestock guardian dog that lives in the basement.
He is a 200lb Spanish Mastiff that is tetraparetic and requires a Hoyer lift, and a wheelchair, to assist his mobility, or my back would be absolutely broken (my husband already has a torn shoulder from lifting him). This spinal problem is degenerative, and as it progresses he becomes less heat tolerant, and gets heat stressed if the room is too warm, which is about 9 months of the year. If he had his way, the room would be set to 30 F (-1 C) year around. So we run the AC in the warmer months to keep him more comfortable. If you ever come to visit my tanks in person, you WILL need a light sweater. I only mention this, so we don’t run down the you don’t need a tank heater, why are you using a heater?, firing line. As I don't have arctic species of fish, I have the heater for the livestock in the tank, not the plants, with a simple goal of maintaining a more STABLE temperature for the tank (23 C). Keeping said dog comfortable causes the tank to fluctuate quite a bit.
Anyhoo, back to the Inkbird issue.
I started with two Biomaster2 thermo canister filters. I switched one out for a Netlea SS V.2 DC pump filter (which I love), but that removed a heater, and the Biomaster 2 850 is not sufficient alone to maintain tank temp without triggering constant heating alarms on the Inkbird ITC-306A controller (dual heater model).
Last weekend, I added a Chihiros Pro inline heater between the Netlea and the yugang reactor. This morning I got another E5 continuous heating alarm from the Inkbird. I could see the temperature trend on the Inkbird chart from late Monday through this morning were in continuous decline, suggesting the heater(s) weren’t heating the tank. The Inkbird did its job, in that it told me something was amiss. I am just tired of the E5 alarms.
I thought the Chihiros pro would resolve the E5 errors. It turns out, the Inkbird controller and the Chihiros have a conflict of interest, and the Chihiros pro heaters aren’t really compatible with Inkbird controllers. Lesson learned. It looked like the Oase heater was trying, but it's underpowered for a tank this size (142 gallons). One issue that was mentioned by Chihiros is that the repeated powercycling from the Inkbird can wear the components down in the Chihiros inline heaters prematurely. The other is that the Chihiros requires handshaking via its Bluetooth controller (like all things Chihiros) to resume normal function, so once the Inkbird senses it has reached target temp, and shuts the Chihiros down, the Chihiros heater may not resume normal function when turned back on.
Rather than retype it, a few Google searches later, my AI conversation referred to this as ‘Power Cycle Amnesia’, which certainly would explain why my Inkbird’s trend chart was in decline (also makes me wonder what happens after a power outage).
This is what I was seeing on the temperature trend chart from the Inkbird. It looked like it did after I removed the second Biomaster, before the Chihiros heater arrived. However, for your entertainment, this is why you should NEVER automatically trust everything AI tells you. This was AI’s first suggestion to remedy the situation, that I simply set the Chihiros heater, brakes fully off, to 35 C/95 F
Does anyone see an issue with this scenario? 'Blast maxiumum heat without hesitation'. Needless to say, in the event of an INKBIRD FAILURE, I wasn’t comfortable with that approach
There. Your morning giggle. You're welcome. And no, I do not hold much stock in AI responses, but honestly these days it is difficult to avoid in most browser searches, and sometimes it's fun to see what AI has to say on a subject, but responses are always digested with a heavy dose of skepticism due to their sources (FB/Reddit etc.)!
So, for those running the Chihiros Pro inline heaters (@Naturescapes_Rocco , @JayP ?), do you trust the Chihiros inline heater’s thermostatic controllers to shut the heater down in the event that it would overheat, or are there smarter controllers out there (Rocco, is yours running independently, or via the GHL Profilux?)? I can’t be the first person to try plugging in a smart heater to an Inkbird, as I inherently don't trust heaters for tanks, but apparently that was not the right thing to do. I am fine unplugging it from the Inkbird, as it should function better, just not sure how I feel about trusting it in the event of a component failure. The Inkbirds run the standard glass rod heaters fine, as they have simple on-off thermostatic controllers, and those heaters often fail in 'stuck on' mode, but Inkbirds are pretty simple tech, and aren’t really designed for these high tech heaters. Just not sure how much I trust the Chihiros to operate completely unsupervised, as Chihiros equipment is so heavily app/Bluetooth dependent, especially when I am out of town
First, yes, I have a heater in a planted tank. Is it essential? No. Why am I using one? I have a large tank, in a basement.
While we have a great HVAC system, we also have a disabled very large retired livestock guardian dog that lives in the basement.
He is a 200lb Spanish Mastiff that is tetraparetic and requires a Hoyer lift, and a wheelchair, to assist his mobility, or my back would be absolutely broken (my husband already has a torn shoulder from lifting him). This spinal problem is degenerative, and as it progresses he becomes less heat tolerant, and gets heat stressed if the room is too warm, which is about 9 months of the year. If he had his way, the room would be set to 30 F (-1 C) year around. So we run the AC in the warmer months to keep him more comfortable. If you ever come to visit my tanks in person, you WILL need a light sweater. I only mention this, so we don’t run down the you don’t need a tank heater, why are you using a heater?, firing line. As I don't have arctic species of fish, I have the heater for the livestock in the tank, not the plants, with a simple goal of maintaining a more STABLE temperature for the tank (23 C). Keeping said dog comfortable causes the tank to fluctuate quite a bit.
Anyhoo, back to the Inkbird issue.
I started with two Biomaster2 thermo canister filters. I switched one out for a Netlea SS V.2 DC pump filter (which I love), but that removed a heater, and the Biomaster 2 850 is not sufficient alone to maintain tank temp without triggering constant heating alarms on the Inkbird ITC-306A controller (dual heater model).
Last weekend, I added a Chihiros Pro inline heater between the Netlea and the yugang reactor. This morning I got another E5 continuous heating alarm from the Inkbird. I could see the temperature trend on the Inkbird chart from late Monday through this morning were in continuous decline, suggesting the heater(s) weren’t heating the tank. The Inkbird did its job, in that it told me something was amiss. I am just tired of the E5 alarms.
I thought the Chihiros pro would resolve the E5 errors. It turns out, the Inkbird controller and the Chihiros have a conflict of interest, and the Chihiros pro heaters aren’t really compatible with Inkbird controllers. Lesson learned. It looked like the Oase heater was trying, but it's underpowered for a tank this size (142 gallons). One issue that was mentioned by Chihiros is that the repeated powercycling from the Inkbird can wear the components down in the Chihiros inline heaters prematurely. The other is that the Chihiros requires handshaking via its Bluetooth controller (like all things Chihiros) to resume normal function, so once the Inkbird senses it has reached target temp, and shuts the Chihiros down, the Chihiros heater may not resume normal function when turned back on.
Rather than retype it, a few Google searches later, my AI conversation referred to this as ‘Power Cycle Amnesia’, which certainly would explain why my Inkbird’s trend chart was in decline (also makes me wonder what happens after a power outage).
This is what I was seeing on the temperature trend chart from the Inkbird. It looked like it did after I removed the second Biomaster, before the Chihiros heater arrived. However, for your entertainment, this is why you should NEVER automatically trust everything AI tells you. This was AI’s first suggestion to remedy the situation, that I simply set the Chihiros heater, brakes fully off, to 35 C/95 F
Does anyone see an issue with this scenario? 'Blast maxiumum heat without hesitation'. Needless to say, in the event of an INKBIRD FAILURE, I wasn’t comfortable with that approach
There. Your morning giggle. You're welcome. And no, I do not hold much stock in AI responses, but honestly these days it is difficult to avoid in most browser searches, and sometimes it's fun to see what AI has to say on a subject, but responses are always digested with a heavy dose of skepticism due to their sources (FB/Reddit etc.)!
So, for those running the Chihiros Pro inline heaters (@Naturescapes_Rocco , @JayP ?), do you trust the Chihiros inline heater’s thermostatic controllers to shut the heater down in the event that it would overheat, or are there smarter controllers out there (Rocco, is yours running independently, or via the GHL Profilux?)? I can’t be the first person to try plugging in a smart heater to an Inkbird, as I inherently don't trust heaters for tanks, but apparently that was not the right thing to do. I am fine unplugging it from the Inkbird, as it should function better, just not sure how I feel about trusting it in the event of a component failure. The Inkbirds run the standard glass rod heaters fine, as they have simple on-off thermostatic controllers, and those heaters often fail in 'stuck on' mode, but Inkbirds are pretty simple tech, and aren’t really designed for these high tech heaters. Just not sure how much I trust the Chihiros to operate completely unsupervised, as Chihiros equipment is so heavily app/Bluetooth dependent, especially when I am out of town
8 replies
·
53 views
I'm thinking about building a monthly subscription box specifically for planted tank hobbyists. Not a generic aquarium box -something focused on the aquascaper side of the hobby.
Each month would rotate through things like:
The idea is basically a consumables replenishment box + something new to experiment with each month - aimed at people already running CO2, dosing ferts, and actively growing plants.
Few questions for anyone willing to share:
Genuinely just trying to figure out if there's demand before build anything. Honest feedback appreciated - even if it's "no this is a terrible idea.
Each month would rotate through things like:
- Liquid + dry fertilizers to try
- CO2 accessories (diffusers, drop checkers, check valves, etc.)
- A plant sample or tissue culture
- Hardscape/substrate samples
- A care/aquascape tip card
The idea is basically a consumables replenishment box + something new to experiment with each month - aimed at people already running CO2, dosing ferts, and actively growing plants.
Few questions for anyone willing to share:
- Is this something you'd actually pay for?
- What would you want to see in it that haven't listed?
- What would kill it for you (wrong products, bad value, etc.)?
Genuinely just trying to figure out if there's demand before build anything. Honest feedback appreciated - even if it's "no this is a terrible idea.
1 replies
·
6 views
Hello Welcome, Gofishygo
Welcome to ScapeCrunch, @Gofishygo!
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
·
3 views
replies
Legacy View
I'm thinking about setting up a carnivorous plant terrarium. I'm looking for a place to go like Scape Crunch to ask a few questions. My experience with aquarium forums has me leery of where I go for info. FaceBook is a 
storm. Reddit is slightly better. There are a couple forums, but I don't want to end up in a Planted Tank type situation where the wrong question gets me banned. Any suggestions?
FWIW: I've grown carnivorous plants in the past and had good luck with them. However, from what I can find, doing a terrarium might have a few different rules than just a fun pot garden outside.
storm. Reddit is slightly better. There are a couple forums, but I don't want to end up in a Planted Tank type situation where the wrong question gets me banned. Any suggestions?FWIW: I've grown carnivorous plants in the past and had good luck with them. However, from what I can find, doing a terrarium might have a few different rules than just a fun pot garden outside.
13 replies
·
205 views
I'm setting up a 6 gallon bookshelf tank on my counter and will be injecting CO2. I normally go for inline diffusers whenever possible, but because I'm running an Oase Filtosmart 60 on this tank, the small hose size is very limiting. I haven't found any in-line diffusers that can fit the 9/12mm hose, so I've been looking into in-tank diffusers.
What CO2 diffusers are people running in their nano tanks? There are so many cheapo off brand options and I don't want to buy garbage, but I'm also partial to stainless steel hardware and the reliable brands don't seem to offer those. Are people still using bazooka style diffusers?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DD6X3TND/?coliid=I2DH7PBBFP7B61&colid=3MOI634OWW6W3&th=1
What CO2 diffusers are people running in their nano tanks? There are so many cheapo off brand options and I don't want to buy garbage, but I'm also partial to stainless steel hardware and the reliable brands don't seem to offer those. Are people still using bazooka style diffusers?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DD6X3TND/?coliid=I2DH7PBBFP7B61&colid=3MOI634OWW6W3&th=1
7 replies
·
58 views
Hello all, my name is Mike and I just found this site by accident. I think @gjcarew told me @GreggZ had moved here but some how I failed to remember; so I'm glad I found this site today. I am a fan, as you can tell, of GreggZ. He taught me just about everything I know (through his journal on that other site) and I was also banned over a 0dKH discussion 
. So you know, I kind of feel close to the guy. Joking aside, I was able to go from this. 
To this within a short period of time just by reading his journal.
And as time passed I was able to get this nice scape that made my wife happy.
Then I had the pleasure to meet @gjcarew over on a different site and I reached out to him with questions and such; through those conversations he motivated me to make an attempt at the 2022 AGA Dutch competition. Unfortunately, I messed the tank up right when I was about to take my photos and I couldn't recover the tank in time. Here's that tank. Obviously, there are tons of problems with it, but I was proud of it regardless. I believe it had a shot at a top 10. Not really.
I messed up the Myrio and started to get algae because I wasn't front loading properly and I didn't realize it. I believe I went too lean and thought the Landen would cover the difference.
I won't lie, I felt completely defeated and I kind of slowed down on all my tanks and didn't put my full attention into them anymore. Also, my wife and I were getting a bit burned out with so many tanks to maintain. This is where my journal begins.
I wanted a solution to reduce our work load, and I definitely wanted a bigger tank to house my livestock from the other tanks. I was also sick of lugging canister filters around the house then plugging them to realize I forgot to connect a tube. Fountains of water on our walls wasn't working out so well! I also wanted absolutely no water outside of the tank. By chance, I found the Innovative Marine SR Pro2 120 and bought it.
Now here's the cool thing that happened. I was using a 20 inch RO housing for my reactor, but the tank is only 16 inches high. Four inches of Cerge's reactor was incredibly ugly. And again, by chance, I found the solution. Enter the Yugang Horizontal reactor. I affectionally call it by his forum name because I couldn't be happier with how amazing this thing is. It's so simple, yet so brilliant. I reached out to Yugang and asked if he got the reactor to work. He replied with "my CO2 spray bar works so well I never tried it". I then asked if anyone else got it to work and he said no one has tried it. So I told him I would and apparently, I really am the first person to run this thing through some trials. I think that's pretty cool honestly! Yugang made some calculations for me and on the second build, we nailed it. I get a 1.5pH drop and the design makes it so no additianal CO2 can be added. It's seemingly impossible to gas my fish as the reactor has safety built into the design length. Amazing! I'm so glad there are so many people smarter than I am. It makes my problems so much easier to manage
.
The reactor is nothing more than cheap PVC with a gentle stream of tank water flowing under a pocket of CO2. Add a cheap bypass and a method of injection and you now have a Yugang reactor. This success has energized me enough to have another go at the AGA. I bought new lights (Weak Aqua P600's), jammed as many plants I could into the tank and I'm starting my plant selection now. I have a long ways to go but I'm hoping to achieve my goal. The tank is nothing to look at right now; getting plants here in Albuquerque is quite the challenge so I'm mostly waiting on submerge growth and to get them propagated. I also have way too many species but the selection process has begun. I just need to see which ones will grow in Ace Hardware pool filter sand. So far, all seem like they are coming along fine in the sand.
Oh, here's the reactor.
And here's the really ugly tank in it's current condition.
I promise, it will look much better soon. It's been a scramble to pull everything together so quickly.
I hope some of you follow along; I know I will have tons of questions soon enough for all of you!
. So you know, I kind of feel close to the guy. Joking aside, I was able to go from this. To this within a short period of time just by reading his journal.
And as time passed I was able to get this nice scape that made my wife happy.
Then I had the pleasure to meet @gjcarew over on a different site and I reached out to him with questions and such; through those conversations he motivated me to make an attempt at the 2022 AGA Dutch competition. Unfortunately, I messed the tank up right when I was about to take my photos and I couldn't recover the tank in time. Here's that tank. Obviously, there are tons of problems with it, but I was proud of it regardless. I believe it had a shot at a top 10. Not really.
I messed up the Myrio and started to get algae because I wasn't front loading properly and I didn't realize it. I believe I went too lean and thought the Landen would cover the difference.
I won't lie, I felt completely defeated and I kind of slowed down on all my tanks and didn't put my full attention into them anymore. Also, my wife and I were getting a bit burned out with so many tanks to maintain. This is where my journal begins.
I wanted a solution to reduce our work load, and I definitely wanted a bigger tank to house my livestock from the other tanks. I was also sick of lugging canister filters around the house then plugging them to realize I forgot to connect a tube. Fountains of water on our walls wasn't working out so well! I also wanted absolutely no water outside of the tank. By chance, I found the Innovative Marine SR Pro2 120 and bought it.
Now here's the cool thing that happened. I was using a 20 inch RO housing for my reactor, but the tank is only 16 inches high. Four inches of Cerge's reactor was incredibly ugly. And again, by chance, I found the solution. Enter the Yugang Horizontal reactor. I affectionally call it by his forum name because I couldn't be happier with how amazing this thing is. It's so simple, yet so brilliant. I reached out to Yugang and asked if he got the reactor to work. He replied with "my CO2 spray bar works so well I never tried it". I then asked if anyone else got it to work and he said no one has tried it. So I told him I would and apparently, I really am the first person to run this thing through some trials. I think that's pretty cool honestly! Yugang made some calculations for me and on the second build, we nailed it. I get a 1.5pH drop and the design makes it so no additianal CO2 can be added. It's seemingly impossible to gas my fish as the reactor has safety built into the design length. Amazing! I'm so glad there are so many people smarter than I am. It makes my problems so much easier to manage
.The reactor is nothing more than cheap PVC with a gentle stream of tank water flowing under a pocket of CO2. Add a cheap bypass and a method of injection and you now have a Yugang reactor. This success has energized me enough to have another go at the AGA. I bought new lights (Weak Aqua P600's), jammed as many plants I could into the tank and I'm starting my plant selection now. I have a long ways to go but I'm hoping to achieve my goal. The tank is nothing to look at right now; getting plants here in Albuquerque is quite the challenge so I'm mostly waiting on submerge growth and to get them propagated. I also have way too many species but the selection process has begun. I just need to see which ones will grow in Ace Hardware pool filter sand. So far, all seem like they are coming along fine in the sand.
Oh, here's the reactor.
And here's the really ugly tank in it's current condition.
I promise, it will look much better soon. It's been a scramble to pull everything together so quickly.
I hope some of you follow along; I know I will have tons of questions soon enough for all of you!
804 replies
·
76938 views
Announcement Final 2 weeks - Please help us make our goal
Hi,
We are in the final 2 weeks of our annual Help Us Cover Our Costs drive. We are short by only $89.
This annual drive is very important to the community because it ensures that we have enough funds to pay for the next two years of site maintenance and to continue to bring you ScapeCrunch for free without any other sponsorship other than the supporting membership.
I know many have already given, so thank you for that. My ask is to please consider contributing any amount, if you can. Really, any amount will help us bridge the $89 gap this year.
Here is the link: Viewing Donation Drive: 2026 Annual Cover Our Costs Drive
Thank you for being a part of our growing community and for helping us cover our costs.
All the best,
Art
We are in the final 2 weeks of our annual Help Us Cover Our Costs drive. We are short by only $89.
This annual drive is very important to the community because it ensures that we have enough funds to pay for the next two years of site maintenance and to continue to bring you ScapeCrunch for free without any other sponsorship other than the supporting membership.
I know many have already given, so thank you for that. My ask is to please consider contributing any amount, if you can. Really, any amount will help us bridge the $89 gap this year.
Here is the link: Viewing Donation Drive: 2026 Annual Cover Our Costs Drive
Thank you for being a part of our growing community and for helping us cover our costs.
All the best,
Art
1 replies
·
71 views
Has anyone had much experience with this plant?
A local shop has just received stock of this version of bacopa, and I’m struggling to find many reports of people’s experiences growing it.
schoolofscape.com.au
I’m a bit gun shy when it comes to white variants of plants that seem new to the hobby, and it’s not cheap so hoping to hear from someone whose grown it before I take the plunge!
Does it hold it’s white form? How much more sensitive than regular bacopa is it?
A local shop has just received stock of this version of bacopa, and I’m struggling to find many reports of people’s experiences growing it.
Bacopa Monnieri 'White'
Enhance your aquascape with Bacopa Monnieri ‘White’. A rare and stunning aquatic plant. Delivered anywhere in Australia.
schoolofscape.com.au
Does it hold it’s white form? How much more sensitive than regular bacopa is it?
18 replies
·
529 views
I've just spotted these latest Hygger luminaire lights.
All the bumf seems to claim that they only have RGB LEDs (all 5054 type). Very reasonable prices. Is this a complete bargain for a genuine RGB light ? Or is there a catch ?? THis is way off my areas of expertise.
www.hygger-online.com
All the bumf seems to claim that they only have RGB LEDs (all 5054 type). Very reasonable prices. Is this a complete bargain for a genuine RGB light ? Or is there a catch ?? THis is way off my areas of expertise.
hygger Aquarium Bluetooth LED Light - hygger
hygger Bluetooth LED light is simple and intuitively controlled by APP, its CRI is up to 95, and 300+ colors to choose from for 12"-55" freshwater tanks.
9 replies
·
212 views
This is the future home for the announcements when someone obtains an achievement badge. Let the games begin!
1971 replies
·
46721 views
20 gallon breeder seems to have algae issues whenever I go above 10 watts of light in the tank. Co2 Injected.
I'm currently on a 10 hour photoperiod.
I was wondering If I would get better results in color plant robustness if I just did a short but intense burst of light for shorter instead of slow but longer?
Tank is mostly just buces + some eriocaulons. I've noticed better buce color in higher light, which is why I'm asking.
So.
6 Hours (30 Watts) Vs 10 Hours (10 Watts).
My best guess for par values would be 100-150 par (30 watts) 30-50 par (10 watts).
I'm currently on a 10 hour photoperiod.
I was wondering If I would get better results in color plant robustness if I just did a short but intense burst of light for shorter instead of slow but longer?
Tank is mostly just buces + some eriocaulons. I've noticed better buce color in higher light, which is why I'm asking.
So.
6 Hours (30 Watts) Vs 10 Hours (10 Watts).
My best guess for par values would be 100-150 par (30 watts) 30-50 par (10 watts).
9 replies
·
238 views