My Low Tech Walstad Aquascape turns half a year old today. Colors based on the career of Ozzie Newsome.

[Nanotanks]

20 Gallon tall, 75 degrees. Using an Aquaclear 50 HoB filter and a Fluval Planted 3.0 light. Plant-cycled, with the centerpiece plants being some buce, altherna reineckii red, and crypt usteriana red. 

First fauna in were Otocinclus, and they are breeding, but they are so accustomed to the photoperiod that I never see the big ones unless I'm getting up in the middle of the night. Second were ruby tetra. Then some tucanos, some male endlers, and my chill big boy, Ozzie (the Crimson and White King).

It's getting close to balanced as I dial it in: my biggest problem is some blackbeard algae. The filter is running without any help from me except changing the topmost media: some filter floss once every two weeks, and topping off with Prime-treated tap water. I am fortunate to have soft, acidic water.

Edited September 19, 2021 by Nanotanks

[Colu]

Nice scape

[Mmiller2001]

Do you use a light siesta?

[Nanotanks]

I do! It's so weird you should ask that, it's something I started about halfway in and it worked so well with me and my schedule that I never thought of changing it. Because it is low-tech, I can't ever go past halfway what this light can do without destroying my tank with algae. So I have a siesta mid-day, from 12-2.

[Mmiller2001]

The reason I asked is because fluctuating CO2 can be a trigger for BBA.

[Griznatch]

Very nice and grats on the baby otos!

[Nanotanks]

On 9/29/2021 at 4:11 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

The reason I asked is because fluctuating CO2 can be a trigger for BBA.

Thanks! I did not know that.

I'll change up the photoperiod and see if that helps. So far, by observation only, it seems that slow-growing plants like buce and anubias seem to attract it. I hardly ever see it on my stem or root feeders, mainly on the epiphytes.