I’ve had it going for about 8 months now. Originally it was going to be only CRS, but unfortunately my KH was repeatedly on the rise. After testing my rocks, my water, etc I came to the conclusion that it’s due to the pea gravel I used in filter bags to prop up the rocks.
So though the CRS population has dwindled, there is still life. I got some RCS instead, which seem to be doing well, as well as 3 Amanos and 12 Pygmy Cory catfish.
Just wanted to share my aquascape :) I am happy to answer questions - I did a good amount of research but keep in mind this is my first tank.
Edit: please ignore the ugly fresh trim on the Rotala, and the horrible background!
My 8 month old tank is also pygmy cories, CRS, and had some red cherries too, what are the odds?
Wow, well done! I have few questions:
How many years in the hobby/attempts did it take you to reach that point ?
Any major tip you would give ?
Did you plant everything in one go or in batches ?
I guess you water change/ maintenance every week ?
Thank you :)
This is my first tank! What you’re seeing is a lot of research and $$$. I spent like 3 months googling, watching videos, browsing aquarium & planted tank subreddits etc. The channel that helped me the most was Green Aqua.
I would recommend lots of plants, and a good filter. Also there are small adjustments that can be made to really “elevate” a tank, like sloping low in front to high in back.
I planted it all in 1 batch to start, then slowly I’ve gotten more plants just to try here or there. Sometimes they don’t work out.
Yep weekly maintenance is a 30% water change, clean both pre filter sponges. Scrape walls occasionally and clean tubes occasionally. Every other week I am trimming something. Fertilizer is Easy Green twice a week.
Thank you :)
What is that beautiful red plant you have in there? :)
Edit: Did you also make a boom for your RRFs? xD
The pinkish red in the back is Red Amania. The smaller red here and there is Ludwigia Super Red.
And yeah lol bought it off Etsy. I don’t want them covering the entire thing because most of my plants need more light
What kind of substrate did you go with? Would you change it if doing it over?
I used almost two full bags of Eco Complete (lava gravel wet with bacteria filled water) and a small bag of UNS Contrasoil just in the planted areas.
And yes I would make changes lol. I would have used maybe only 1 bag of eco complete - it was helpful to have the early bacteria but as you can see I filled it too high lol.
I also would have used more soil. It’s much easier to plant in compared to the eco complete.
Looking good! How many gallons/liters?
60 liters, so about 16 gallons. And thank you :)
Though I guess it technically holds less because I filled up the substrate a little too high lol
