Streetwise Indoor Aquariums

[Streetwise]

[OceanTruth]

Looks amazing as usual!

Can I ask what kind of moss you used for the driftwood that sticks out above the water line? Does it need to be sprayed down periodically?

[Streetwise]

Cheers @OceanTruth! That is moss from the Vermont woods, and it may also come with lichen and other surprises. I pour top-off water on it, but it is very resilient, since it can survive our winters. It is not suitable for planting underwater, but it can survive at the waterline.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Streetwise

[OceanTruth]

@Streetwise That is so awesome! I need to get outdoors when the weather warms a bit more. I need to hunt for some goodies like that! Lol.

[Garren]

Looking amazing!! Really love the natural environment. 

[Streetwise]

I removed almost all of the duckweed from my 7.5 gallon cube.

My ember tetras came out a bit more with a more open surface in that aquarium.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Streetwise

[Trish]

Your tanks are beautiful @Streetwise, is humidity a problem in your apartment with them uncovered?  

[Streetwise]

Cheers @Trish! I have about 72 gallons worth of tanks and buckets in my apartment. It is an old building with poor insulation, but heat is included. I'm not sure if humidity is an issue, but it might be a positive in the dry winter months. I run AC in the summer, and try to keep the place at about 68-72º F year-round.

[Streetwise]

Edited March 19, 2021 by Streetwise

[OceanTruth]

I know it’s driftwood, but I like the mountain like vibe it gives off in the tank. Even your algae looks lush and green. I need to try those Fluval nanos in the future. It looks like you use them with great success.

[Dawn T]

@Streetwise, sorry if you already addressed this and I missed it somehow, but what's in the buckets? You growing out plants in them? Do they contain fish? Shrimp? Tank looks cool!

[Streetwise]

Sorry for the late reply. The plan: one bucket each for:

🪣 Decomposing maple 🍁 leaves

🪣 Spare wood + foam + plants

🪣 Off-gassing chlorine

I ended up adding mulm, accidental shrimp fry, and water lettuce. I used my spare lights, and dropped in some Co-Op sponge filters. Each is still different.

I hope to deliver a massive amount of water lettuce to the turtle and goldfish tanks at work tomorrow.

I think that five gallon buckets might be the perfect summer tub size for apartment or condo dwellers, so these may all move outside for a season.

While I will continue my long-term maple experiment, I really want to breed more shrimp that I can continue to keep.

Edited April 1, 2021 by Streetwise

[Streetwise]

Edited March 26, 2021 by Streetwise

[Streetwise]

[Streetwise]

 

[Streetwise]

I moved a few tanks and buckets.

Cat nap spot with a pico, another window tank, and three buckets on two chairs.

Edited April 1, 2021 by Streetwise

[Isaac M]

Awesome aquariums @Streetwise, I love the natural look. The pico tank with the wood and pothos (I think its pothos?) sticking out the top looks awesome! I run almost all my aquariums dirted as well and let the plants go wild. 

[Streetwise]

Cheers @Isaac M! Pothos is a great guess from a distant shot. Those are rubber plant cuttings. The waxy skin keeps them from rotting in water before they deploy roots.

I am always happy to meet other organic soil hobbyists on the forum!

[Isaac M]

@Streetwise does the rubber plant hold up long term? I make diy riparium planters for my aquariums and I have had success with some plants but am always looking for more. I have always had a hard time finding a species list for plants that do well in a riparium setting. I mostly use peace lilly, prayer plant, hygrophila corymbosa (which produces these tiny purple flowers), lucky bamboo, bacopa and another grassy plant I forgot the name of. 
 

Yes! I am glad I gave organic soil a try, the balance you can achieve with heavy planting and the soil makes aquarium maintenance so easy and makes a lush forest. I have a 55 gallon, 40 gallon and 10 gallon that are dirted. 

[Streetwise]

I hope to give away my rubber plant cuttings because they will outgrow my lights, but I enjoy fostering them. I find that an individual cutting will either rot or survive within about a week. If they develop a root system, they will thrive.

Edited April 1, 2021 by Streetwise

[Streetwise]

Rubber plant roots:

[Streetwise]

I moved my utility 2.5 to the window with the other 2.5 gallon tanks. I also removed the glass dividers and the foam that I was using as substrate and glass support, leaving just the organic soil from the center chamber. The soil and cap collapsed to a little hill, and I planted some plants, and scattered some fine gravel on it. I left all the mulm.  

I could have just redone the whole thing, but I thought it looked interesting. I will probably put another color of neo shrimp in there, like the other two in the triptych.

[Daniel]

Just now, Streetwise said:

I moved my utility 2.5 to the window with the other 2.5 gallon tanks. I also removed the glass dividers and the foam that I was using as substrate and glass support, leaving just the organic soil from the center chamber. The soil and cap collapsed to a little hill, and I planted some plants, and scattered some fine gravel on it. I left all the mulm.  

I could have just redone the whole thing, but I thought it looked interesting. I will probably put another color of neo shrimp in there, like the other two in the triptych.

Nice symmetry!

[Anita]

5 hours ago, Streetwise said:

I moved my utility 2.5 to the window with the other 2.5 gallon tanks. I also removed the glass dividers and the foam that I was using as substrate and glass support, leaving just the organic soil from the center chamber. The soil and cap collapsed to a little hill, and I planted some plants, and scattered some fine gravel on it. I left all the mulm.  

I could have just redone the whole thing, but I thought it looked interesting. I will probably put another color of neo shrimp in there, like the other two in the triptych.

Oo-oo-oo, look at those deep window sills! I'm jealous. 😍

[Streetwise]

@Anita, my vintage village apartment has heat included, wide windowsills, and a dirt basement. Nothing is level except for my camera. I do have chlorine, rather than chloramine, in my local water. However, I may still live in a flood zone.

Edited April 3, 2021 by Streetwise