Streetwise Indoor Aquariums

[Streetwise]

It was low from evaporation. I just top-off.

That’s better!

[Guppysnail]

ORD 😍 thank you. I was just curious if there as some benefit 😁

[Torrey]

On 1/14/2022 at 7:25 PM, Guppysnail said:

ORD 😍 thank you. I was just curious if there as some benefit 😁

Because I keep open tanks, I keep my water levels low to prevent jumpers from suiciding on me. I don't use lids because we are in the desert and I don't like bloody noses😅

[Streetwise]

[Streetwise]

Those are 2.5 gallon no-tech organic soil shrimp tanks next to cold-frosted windows. Neocaridina are so hardy!

[BETTA999]

you have beautiful aquariums

[Streetwise]

I dug out most of my sand from my oldest tank. I’ll check again tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how it clears up. The soil is from 2019.

My plan is to clear out the checkerboard sand, remove the jungle val, and check the soil depth. Then I will make adjustments, cap with minimal gravel, and replant.

[Streetwise]

[Guppysnail]

That’s some fantastic nerm glitter on your arm. 🤣

[Streetwise]

@Guppysnail, my arm looks like a ginger root with that angle!

[Streetwise]

Minimal gravel added. HoB added.

[lindabee53]

How long will it take to clear, or am I missing the point?

[Streetwise]

@lindabee53, I am modifying my oldest organic soil tank. I moved all the fish and shrimp, staged the wood in a bucket, and pulled the jungle val. Then I removed about two gallons of sand.

Tonight, I smoothed out the soil and added some gravel. I added water and an HoB, to go with the dual sponges.

This should help clear up the water, so I can decide where to top-off the gravel.

You are absolutely correct that I posted that photo to document how long it would take me to see the substrate!

[Streetwise]

Let me add some background. I setup this tank in 2019, and I had only skimmed the Diana Walstad book. I used a lot of soil, more than recommended. I started with a black sand cap, and then added some white sand for what I thought would be a cool look.

It gradually mixed to look like digital camouflage. I added gravel to try to make it look better, but the cap depth just stalled all my plant growth.

I had better growth in subsequent tanks, and I have been trying to move from sand to gravel with each newer tank. Why?

Gravel allows the mulm to rejoin the soil. If I look at the side-view of some of my other tanks, I can see the layer that sand creates.

[Streetwise]

[Torrey]

On 1/22/2022 at 12:30 PM, Streetwise said:

Let me add some background. I setup this tank in 2019, and I had only skimmed the Diana Walstad book. I used a lot of soil, more than recommended. I started with a black sand cap, and then added some white sand for what I thought would be a cool look.

It gradually mixed to look like digital camouflage. I added gravel to try to make it look better, but the cap depth just stalled all my plant growth.

I had better growth in subsequent tanks, and I have been trying to move from sand to gravel with each newer tank. Why?

Gravel allows the mulm to rejoin the soil. If I look at the side-view of some of my other tanks, I can see the layer that sand creates.

Thank you for sharing all of this.

Too bad I didn't wait 6 more months to start my 10 gallon Walstad inspired tank, my "white river" and beach front have been thoroughly covered up as the blackworms and Malaysia trumpet snails excavate the gardens to their own liking.

Of course, I am definitely *not* having the problem of the cap being too deep🤣😅😏

[Streetwise]

[Streetwise]

I want to try new shrimp. Maybe Sulawesi, maybe Caridina.

I plan to add some Cryptocoryne Lucens, but I welcome other plant ideas.

[Torrey]

@Streetwise any mosses strike your fancy?

Besides the fact that mosses keep shrimp really happy with microfauna, most mosses prefer the subdued lighting in a darkwater tank.

Milfoil has a rather delicate look, and is a cool place for shrimplettes. It does grow fast, even in the lower light. Plan on a good trim each month. Trying to think of other tall, "delicate" looking plants to use as a backdrop to frame and showcase the hardscape, and also grow well with the shrimp's conditions that you want.

[eatyourpeas]

Bolbitis (Bolbitis Heudelotii Difformis) may look cool in there as well.

[Streetwise]

@Torrey, there is some moss on the wood. I would like to try some that is more compact, and doesn’t Velcro with floating plants.

@eatyourpeas, tempting!

[Odd Duck]

On 1/25/2022 at 6:58 PM, Streetwise said:

@Torrey, there is some moss on the wood. I would like to try some that is more compact, and doesn’t Velcro with floating plants.

@eatyourpeas, tempting!

The Fissidens species are better behaved than most mosses and not too “snaggy”.  They grow slower and stay much shorter.  They are still a risk to scatter like any other moss, but less likely to take over.  Hooker’s Moss (Physcometrium hookeri) and it’s relatives like Jade Lotus Moss (Jungermannia truncata) or Distichophyllum ‘Maibarae’ (only name I can find) would also be very cool.  All 3 of these are faster growing than Fissidens, get taller, are more substantial, a bit more “grabby”, but still far more controllable than Java, Christmas, anchor, spiky, flame, or their relatives.

[Streetwise]

I added water to the 20H.

[FrozenFins]

@Streetwise your aquariums blow me away everytime. 

I've tried the walstad method of aquariums for a very short period of time, maybe 2 months after the inahbits died. However during those 2 months I saw plant growth I've never seen before in any of my setups. The 10 gallon I currently have up and running I've considered turning into a 20 Long. The 20 Long I've considered setting up would have to include a deep substrate with soil.

[Streetwise]