ricbennett3

This thing is busting out of its glass.

Wow, this tank has changed a lot in a year. It’s now home to 8 exclamation point rasbora.

Continues to grow and change. Almost three months in. Easy maintenance. Spray a couple times a day, change water once a week. Trim some things that try escaping the glass. Fun to see the plants grow in different ways than underwater.

Trimmed plants, cleaned glass and HOB filter, and swapped out some water. The exclamation point rasboras really don’t like when I mess their house, but has to be done I guess.

This is about four weeks old now, I think. Set it up just after Christmas. I had it under plastic the first three weeks. Now it open to the atmosphere and I spray it a couple times a day.

My first attempt at a Wabi Kusa. I used Christmas moss, some kind of Ludwigia, Brazilian Pennywort, some Monte Carlo, a bit of Pogstemun Octopus, and some other stuff. All trimmings from my tanks except the moss.

Thanks all. I will trim dodgy leaves and let the rest be.

I’ve seen people hack crypts down to the ground. Is there a benefit to doing so every once in awhile? I’ve not trimmed these at all.

This is my longest running tank. Set it up Oct. 2021. Had this bent white cloud in it since the beginning. I’ve put other white clouds in to grow out over time. He’s had this female in there for about a year now, though. Some shrimp and snails. Pics are from set up to today.

Well, a couple months in and most things are going well. The chain sword isn’t very happy but it is growing where it hasn’t melted away. The Anubias are growing. The big one threw a leaf out of the water. The pogostemon and crypts are loving life. The peace lily and monstera are growing. Betta and shrimp are happy. This tank doesn’t take a ton of maintenance. I do have trim the roots of the peace lily, because they keep growing into the filter and around the heater. Should I trim the crypts? I’m always afraid to ruin them but I see people mow them down online and maybe that would make them less leggy. Idk. So many choices to make in this hobby.

I’m setting up an ADA 45P. I nerded out and spent too much money for a ten gallon tank:) It will be a low tech (no Co2) set up for now. I have a Twin Star light. I bought some Elephant Skin Stone and have been playing with hardscape ideas. I’m trying to create a pocket in the back corner(s) for aquasoil and stem plants. The foreground will be sand and a bit of gravel that matches the stone. Which is your favorite? I’ve played with other layouts, these are my best so far. *the grey stones would be another direction entirely. I’d want more stones to make a walled area for planting, but love that triangular one (had to buy it). Inhabitants will likely be Pygmy Corys, Endlers, and shrimp. I’m thinking some easy red plants for the stems, and Anubias in the cracks. Crypts likely as well in the gaps and just in front of the rocks.

I found at least fifteen blue dream shrimp living in the canister of my oase 200 when I cleaned it. All juveniles. All seemed happy. They are in the tank now. Must have grown up in the filter though. There is a pre-filter sponge. Coarse, but not easy for much to get through. Did not expect that.

As a lover of tiny leafed plants, I like crypt parva. I would get rid of the crypt lucens. It’s easier to care for, but I enjoy the smaller more compact look of the parva.

Between the algae issues, the weird rooted plant problems (likely a poor substrate setup), the checker Barb that continues to outsmart and outmaneuver me, the scratch I added to the front glass, and the aquasoil churn up (thanks Pygmy Cories), this tank has provided many headaches. I do occasionally dog the look of it though, love the skittles shrimp offspring, and absolutely adore the silly Pygmy Cories (only a monster wouldn’t), so maybe that’s a win🤷🏼‍♂️.