JL's Aquascapes and Fish

To everyone on Fishlore, I thank you all for all the excellent guidance given these past few months. You all have truly made the aquarium hobby my favorite hobby of all time! I figured everyone would appreciate me compiling everything I have gained and learned over these past few years pertaining aquarium aquascaping (and into the future) onto this one thread. I figured I would start this thread out by showing the development over time of my first aquascape attempt, my 29 gallon aquarium housing Tetras, Rasboras, Shrimp, and Snails! The tank was started way back in October 2020 before I even became a member on Fishlore. However, I lurked the forums often here because the advice was always fantastic and worthwhile. IMO I think it is really neat seeing the progression of this tank over time, so I will start by sharing that for other members to see. Thank you all for being as awesome as you are!


October 22, 2020


November 8, 2020


December 31, 2020 (When I joined Fishlore officially)


January 27, 2021


February 17, 2021


March 20, 2021


April 19, 2021


May 14, 2021

 

Just simply delightful and a pleasure to look at. My aqua scaping skills are almost nonexistent, it's overwhelming to me and I'd have no idea where to begin. Maybe with a fantastic piece of DW. Then... yes, a blank stare!

Really great job!

 

Just simply delightful and a pleasure to look at. My aqua scaping skills are almost nonexistent, it's overwhelming to me and I'd have no idea where to begin. Maybe with a fantastic piece of DW. Then... yes, a blank stare!

Really great job!

Don't worry about it! Anyone IMO can create an aquascape if they just put your mind to it with the right resourses! Maybe this article I wrote a while back can help you out some?
Aquascaping Tips and Tricks for a Beginner
If you need anything else tips wise from me, feel free to ask me anytime and I can help you create something truly amazing!

 

Don't worry about it! Anyone IMO can create an aquascape if they just put your mind to it with the right resourses! Maybe this article I wrote a while back can help you out some?
Aquascaping Tips and Tricks for a Beginner
If you need anything else tips wise from me, feel free to pm me anytime and I can help you create something truly amazing!

I guess my greatest issue now is that I have a 40 gallon wide, established for 1.5 years with about 30 fish and lots of shrimp. I can't tear it down and start over! I recently got more plants going and wouldn't want to disturb their roots either. Sooo, I'll have to be content with my flatscape and just enjoy seeing what you and others do.

I have one large piece of DW I might be able to put back in and work around, if anything. I had it the first 3 months with this tank. I boiled and soaked and soaked it, but it never stopped turning my water dark. Some like that effect, but just getting a new tank and fish, I wanted to be able to SEE them! Perhaps I could work on soaking it again. Just the wrong type of wood for my preference. It was pretty tho!

 

I guess my greatest issue now is that I have a 40 gallon wide, established for 1.5 years with about 30 fish and lots of shrimp. I can't tear it down and start over! I recently got more plants going and wouldn't want to disturb their roots either. Sooo, I'll have to be content with my flatscape and just enjoy seeing what you and others do.

I have one large piece of DW I might be able to put back in and work around, if anything. I had it the first 3 months with this tank. I boiled and soaked and soaked it, but it never stopped turning my water dark. Some like that effect, but just getting a new tank and fish, I wanted to be able to SEE them! Perhaps I could work on soaking it again. Just the wrong type of wood for my preference. It was pretty tho!

For sure. I just wanted to give you an opportunity if you were planning a rescape or new tank, but I completely understand either way! You could always do more groups of stem plants in your setup. They would add extra height to your design and not really require you to do an entire rescape. But I know whatever you decide to do will be the best for your fish.

 

Is your driftwood store bought?

And in the first pic, is that spider wood?

 

Anyone IMO can create an aquascape if they just put your mind to it with the right resourses!

Very very very very very nice tanks! I also agree that anyone can create a good aqua scape if they put their minds to it, but you my friend, you're very talented! That's why you're a guru in this part of the hobby, so good job. = )

 

Is your driftwood store bought?

And in the first pic, is that spider wood?

All the driftwood in the tank is store bought Spiderwood. The design utilizes 11 different pieces (one big piece/ 10 smaller pieces). The reason I did this is that it allowed me to manipulate the shape of the design more than if I just used 2 large pieces.

Very very very very very nice tanks! I also agree that anyone can create a good aqua scape if they put their minds to it, but you my friend, you're very talented! That's why you're the guru in this part of the hobby, so good job. = )

I appreciate the kind words greatly! Just because of this simple badge it doesn't make me better with designing aquascapes than anyone else. If anything, all that badge shows that I love to talk about aquascaping aquariums much more than the average Fishlore member.

 

Alvinn's right. You and Stargirl can both probably give lessons to those of us who are creativity-challenged!!!

Maybe a job for after you retire, or a new business idea?

 

Alvinn's right. You and Stargirl can both probably give lessons to those of us who are creativity-challenged!!!

Maybe a job for after you retire, or a new business idea?

Hey, if you need help designing your next (or current) aquarium don't hesitate at all to shoot me a pm! I would love to help you design your next aquascape and I could even make fake mockup images of sort as well to help you decide! Let me know if you may be interested in my offer.

 

Hey, if you need help designing your next (or current) aquarium don't hesitate at all to shoot me a pm! I would love to help you design your next aquascape and I could even make fake mockup images of sort as well to help you decide! Let me know if you may be interested in my offer.

Thank you!!!!! I will take you up on that maybe this summer!!!

 

Thank you!!!!! I will take you up on that maybe this summer!!!

I also have an article pertaining this subject that I would be honored if you wanted to check out as well.
Aquascaping Tips and Tricks for a Beginner

 

I do have a quick question about driftwood. I saw in a youtube that someone did not recommend spider wood for bettas due to possible fin damage.

Would you recommend mopani wood? I am looking at websites to buy from right now. Do you buy on-line or from physical stores?

 

I do have a quick question about driftwood. I saw in a youtube that someone did not recommend spider wood for bettas due to possible fin damage.

Would you recommend mopani wood? I am looking at websites to buy from right now. Do you buy on-line or from physical stores?

If the sharp edges of the Spider Wood are sanded down correctly, I can't see why you cannot use it. I used Spider wood with my old Betta for months without any fin damage. Mopani wood is a really pain in the butt to prepare as it leeches a ton of tannins (good if you go for a blackwater setup). I bought most of my wood online due to the cheaper price, but it may be better for a complete beginner to find an exact shape they are looking for to make a good setup. Remember what I said above, it is much easier if you have many smaller pieces than one large piece unless you are scaping a really large tank 40 gallons or larger.

 

Following again!

 

I combined this old thread of mine into this new one.
10 Gallon Betta Tank Aquascape | Freshwater Aquarium Builds Forum | 493498

Here is the main details of the old thread;

"Greetings, all. I am going to be starting my second aquarium (thanks MTS), after the huge success of my first. It will house a new Betta, with cherry shrimp and snails. So, I really want to put emphasis on the tank design itself this time. This 10 gallon aquarium has been in storage for a long time, but it has a working heater and filter already from when I had my last Betta (feels like eons). It is a high tech diy co2 injected tank with ferts and a soil substrate this. The hardscape consists of Seiryu Stone and Manzanita Driftwood. This is my first triangle style setuo. If you are unsure of what I am talking about with a triangle style, I mean that there is a heavy emphasis on one side of the tank and then it tapers down to a bare and open other side. The substrate in the tank is ADA Amazonia. and I am excited to make this new slice of nature!"

Things you should know about the tank;

Size: 10 US Gallons
Type: High Tech Planted Aquarium
Substrate: ADA Amazonia
Light: Finnex 24/7 Planted Plus
Hardscape: Seiryu Stone and Manzanita Driftwood
Plants: Dwarf sagittaria, Spiky moss, Hydrocotyle japan, Pearlweed, Rotala h'ra, Pogostemon octopus, Bacopa monnieri, Bacopa caroliniana, Ludwigia rubin, Limnophila heterophylla, Water Wisteria, Staurogyne Repens, Crypt Wendtii, and Crypt Undulata
Livestock: Cherry Shrimp, One Betta (eventually), Ramshorn Snails and Bladder Snails

Tank with just Hardscape



Tank when it was first set up on April 27th



Tank as of Today



I will continue to update this thread with development of this 10 gallon and the 29 gallon aquascapes. I have a feeling I will also be starting yet another aquascape (A really big one this time) real soon.

 

To everyone on Fishlore, I thank you all for all the excellent guidance given these past few months. You all have truly made the aquarium hobby my favorite hobby of all time! I figured everyone would appreciate me compiling everything I have gained and learned over these past few years pertaining aquarium aquascaping (and into the future) onto this one thread. I figured I would start this thread out by showing the development over time of my first aquascape attempt, my 29 gallon aquarium housing Tetras, Rasboras, Shrimp, and Snails! The tank was started way back in October 2020 before I even became a member on Fishlore. However, I lurked the forums often here because the advice was always fantastic and worthwhile. IMO I think it is really neat seeing the progression of this tank over time, so I will start by sharing that for other members to see. Thank you all for being as awesome as you are!

You really have such an artistic eye! I’ll need to come back and read the whole thread later.

 

5-18-2021 3:16 pm
Here is a small status report of the 10 gallon aquascape. The Cherry Shrimp are loving their new home!


This is quite possibly the best picture I got of any shrimp, this male is certainly one of the most vivid ones despite his gender!



A bunch of Hydrocotyle Japan and Pearlweed! I plan on propagating these plants and trying them in the 29 gallon very soon, they have grown amazingly so far!



Rotala h'ra! This plant has not completely turned red yet, but this certainly is a great start!



Limnophila Heterophylla! This plant will be propagated and placed in the 29 gallon aquarium as well! I feel it will add immensely to the jungle vibe in there already.


A side view of the aquarium, I am very proud of how this image looks!

I also purchased some new plants for my aquariums, as if I don't have enough already...
It's as the saying goes, you can never have too many plants in an aquarium. I will also post a status report of the 29 gallon later today and introduce you to the inhabitants in that diverse ecosystem.

 

I just made an order today! I'm getting more Anubias and Java Fern Windelov, but I mainly did the order to get a Tiger Lotus bulb to go into the 29 gallon aquascape. In order to complete the look, I will be adding Anubias in the yellow spots, the Java Fern in the blue spots, and the Tiger Lotus in the empty red spot. Tell me what you all think about this!


PS: Also got a bunch of root tabs to ensure the S Repens grows in strong again!

 

If the sharp edges of the Spider Wood are sanded down correctly, I can't see why you cannot use it. I used Spider wood with my old Betta for months without any fin damage. Mopani wood is a really pain in the butt to prepare as it leeches a ton of tannins (good if you go for a blackwater setup). I bought most of my wood online due to the cheaper price, but it may be better for a complete beginner to find an exact shape they are looking for to make a good setup. Remember what I said above, it is much easier if you have many smaller pieces than one large piece unless you are scaping a really large tank 40 gallons or larger.

I never could remember what my big piece of DW was, but yes, it was Mopani, and it leeched and leeched until I couldn't take it anymore! Glad you wrote the name here, will never do that again. lol

 

5-20-2021 10:11 AM

10 gallon tank


Tank is quickly getting overgrown again!



All the male cherries were going nuts this morning! I saw some shed molts, and now I have 3 berried females! This tank will be filled with shrimp in no time!



The Rotala h'ra is gradually turning red now after all this time! It really contrasts the Moneywort and Triparitita Japan nicely!

29 gallon tank


Aquarium Co-Op order came today! I must say, the Windelov and Anubias plants filled in the midground of the aquascape perfectly!



Now to just wait for the foreground and backgrounds to grow in again after the trim...

I am hoping the new Tiger Lotus grows in red, lush and full, but we will have to see how that goes! At least it is a bulb this time.

 

the 10 Gallon Tank is just about ready for major trim number two now!

 

the 10 Gallon Tank is just about ready for major trim number two now!

Looking awesome!! Love the color coming in. What do you dose for ferts?

 

Looking awesome!! Love the color coming in. What do you dose for ferts?

The 10 gallon tank uses ADA Amazonia with a little bit of added Easy Green and Easy Iron with Co2 injection. The 29 uses Easy Root Tabs, Easy Green, Easy Iron, and Easy Carbon.

 

10g after the trim, looks much better IMO!


tank was beginning to dim at this time, so that is why the pic is slightly darker. You can see one of my Cherries in this pic if you look close enough!

I'm thinking this tank will be Betta ready in about 1.5 months or when the Cherry Shrimp colony grows large enough.

The Anubias flower also just bloomed today in the 29 gallon, I am so excited about it. This is my very first Anubias flower I ever got after all this time!

 

The Anubias flower also just bloomed today in the 29 gallon, I am so excited about it. This is my very first Anubias flower I ever got after all this time!

I have seen blooms out of water, but first time underwater.
Congrats!

 

Tj

View attachment 791328
I have seen blooms out of water, but first time underwater.
Congrats!

Thank you! It was definitely a shocker to see the bud coming up! It was just a bud for a few weeks and there it was in all it's glory this morning! I hope I get even more flowers in my tank soon.

 

Good Luck!
Post pics...

 

Here are some pics of the 29 gallon (this morning for me) so let the pic sharing begin!



First things first, the Lambchop Rasboras laid eggs again in the tank last night! I have 4 females for sure that continuously fill up with eggs! However, they are usually all gone an hour or two after being laid because the Rasboras and other fish eat them all up quickly! However, I wonder if I should just save a few eggs and see if I can get some more Rasboras! I have only ever breeded Platies, Rosy Red Minnows, and Cherry Shrimp before (not counting snails, looking at you Ramshorns and Bladders!). So I would most likely need a breeder box of sorts to seperate the eggs. Would anyone else be interested if I did something like this and share the journey in this thread?



Found my 3.5 year old Nerite Snail today! He was with me since late 2017 and still going strong! I had another Nerite (same kind, Horned) in early 2016 that died about 5 months ago! He was almost 5 years old when he passed!



...And this massive Tiger Nerite that we have had since 2018! This specimen is about as big as an average Mystery Snail, huge for any Nerite!



Despite moving some shrimp over to the 10, plenty of Cherry Shrimp still call the 29 gallon aquarium their home! This is where the culls of the 10g cherry colony will go if they are not red enough.



The new Tiger Lotus has not died yet, fingers crossed it will grow into a beautiful red plant soon enough...



Found what I believe to be Giant Duckweed plant this morning in the 29 gallon. If you look closely, the plant towards the center has much larger leaves than the other smaller plants around it. If you know for sure if I am wrong or right, please let me know, that would be much appreciated.



Despite what most people say about Neon Tetras on Fishlore (being boring, used too much, etc), I still love mine so much! I mean, look at their colors against the greenery in this tank! It is just mesmerizing looking at them school in the midground section of the aquarium.



I must say, I always look forward to feeding the fishes in this tank each and every morning! When I open the lid to feed, there they all are at the top front, dancing like a bunch of little Bettas for their breakfast!

 

Your fish must be living their best lives. =)

 

Your fish must be living their best lives. =)

that is the main goal here, I hope they are happy living with me.

 

that is the main goal here.

Don't we all, lol.

 

The 10g again after the 3rd hair cut. The Dwarf Sag is finally visible in the left back corner!


The Berried Shrimp are getting close to having babies, I will share some photos when I see them! Remember, the tank will get fish soon, but not until the Shrimp adequately populate the tank first.

 

Latest update. It may not seem like it, but I have been working a ton over the memorial holiday, so I haven't had much time to get on the forum. However, I was able to capture some updates of my aquariums if anyone is interested.

29 Gallon



Plants are beginning to thrive again after the massive trim from the last two weeks. The front and back area still needs some more time to fill up, as I converted this tank into a jungle Style Aquascape! Water Wisteria has a ton of side shoots to form dense bushes, which is what I want in this design! I want everything to grow wild in there! To help with this goal, I added a Tiger Lotus bulb 2 weeks ago.




This is how the bulb looked this morning! It is looking great and has plenty of new leaves already within two weeks! I think this will form into a beautiful plant to contrast the Water Wisteria and Pogostemen Octopus which will make up the majority of the background!




The new Pogostemen is doing great in the 29 gallon trimmed from the 10!




The Rasboras are breeding yet again, but they are still eating their eggs as expected. I really want to save the eggs eventually to get some babies and maybe sell some of them to you awesome people on Fishlore! I really love my Lambchops, a ton of color, activity, and peacefulness in a small package.

10 gallon




Plants are on fire in this tank! Growth has been absolutely insane lately! Plus, the Staghorn Algae is finally resolving itself, I got much less now than a few weeks ago!




You can see that the wood is not staghorn infested anymore, yay!




The Pearlweed carpet has never looked better! It has filled in nicely indeed and I will be carpeting the plant in the 29 gallon as well once I get some excess.




Curiously, the Bacopa Caroliniana is turning red in my tank! I have never heard of this plant turning red before, but I think it looks cool though!




To conclude, the shrimp are still alive and kicking in the 10 gallon! The berried shrimp should be having some babies soon as well!

Going to be making a third tank in a few months (a 75 gallon) as well once the summer rush is over with my job, I am very excited about that.

 

Man, those lambchops are the nicest I've seen. I still can't believe you keep them in high pH. And the scape? Come on man of course we're interested

Great work buddy

 

Man, those lambchops are the nicest I've seen. I still can't believe you keep them in high pH. And the scape? Come on man of course we're interested

Great work buddy

Thank you so much! It means a lot to me. As for the Lambchops, they have really surprised me myself. When I got them, they were really drab and not that nice looking. They were all quite emaciated but I really wanted some of the Rasboras badly and that was the only shipment they had for a long time. I ended of purchasing a sizable group of them and even if they had health problems they would be the first fish in the 29 gallon anyways so I could observe their condition. I paid $2.99 per fish and bought 13 of them that day. One died that night and my heart sank. I thought that they would all perish soon after because the tank parameters are not optimal for them. However, after giving them generous portions of different foods and letting them live in a natural environment, the remaining 12 fish slowly but surely gained color, weight, and size. I have not had anymore deaths after the first death and it has been almost 6 months now. They are all in very healthy shape and the females are almost constantly full of eggs (especially one female in particular, she is larger than her sisters and larger than all of the Lambchops but 2 of the males). I do have one fish with a slightly bent spine, but his color is super vibrant just like the rest of the fish. Even the runt in this school has great color. The males are so colorful now that the two largest males are almost a deep coppery red. They always have little quarrels within their group, it is very entertaining for me to watch. They have already bred a few times but as mentioned above they always eat the eggs but I wonder if I could salvage some of the eggs and sell some of my Lambchop offspring to other members on Fishlore.

 

Thank you so much! It means a lot to me. As for the Lambchops, they have really surprised me myself. When I got them, they were really drab and not that nice looking. They were all quite emaciated but I really wanted some of the Rasboras badly and that was the only shipment they had for a long time. I ended of purchasing a sizable group of them and even if they had health problems they would be the first fish in the 29 gallon anyways so I could observe their condition. I paid $2.99 per fish and bought 13 of them that day. One died that night and my heart sank. I thought that they would all perish soon after because the tank parameters are not optimal for them. However, after giving them generous portions of different foods and letting them live in a natural environment, the remaining 12 fish slowly but surely gained color, weight, and size. I have not had anymore deaths after the first death and it has been almost 6 months now. They are all in very healthy shape and the females are almost constantly full of eggs (especially one female in particular, she is larger than her sisters and larger than all of the Lambchops but 2 of the males). I do have one fish with a slightly bent spine, but his color is super vibrant just like the rest of the fish. Even the runt in this school has great color. The males are so colorful now that the two largest males are almost a deep coppery red. They always have little quarrels within their group, it is very entertaining for me to watch. They have already bred a few times but as mentioned above they always eat the eggs but I wonder if I could salvage some of the eggs and sell some of my Lambchop offspring to other members on Fishlore.

To have them breeding in those conditions too is just wild. That is basically how I've learned to care for rasboras as well, though I recently rehomed my group. Good quality food is so important for those guys.

We need a Rasbora Guru title in here

Oh by the way, I took followed your lead and finally got me some Easy Green. I plan on replacing my Anubias in a few weeks so hoping they do better with a more concentrated fert. Is your 29g low tech or are you running CO2 on them both?

 

To have them breeding in those conditions too is just wild. That is basically how I've learned to care for rasboras as well, though I recently rehomed my group. Good quality food is so important for those guys.

We need a Rasbora Guru title in here

Oh by the way, I took followed your lead and finally got me some Easy Green. I plan on replacing my Anubias in a few weeks so hoping they do better with a more concentrated fert. Is your 29g low tech or are you running CO2 on them both?

The 29 is completely low tech. I have the entire easy green lineup now and it has worked wonderful for me! I don't actually completely follow the directions and dosed differently in both my tanks. Here is what I do that has worked great for me (Keep in mind that tank size also plays a role in how much to dose as well);

29 low tech
1 pump of Easy Green every day
1 pump of Easy Iron every other day
1 pump of Easy Carbon every other day
Easy Tabs are dosed in a grid portion 6 inches from one another when root feeders show signs of nutrient deficiencies or multiple tabs by the same plant if it is a large sword, lotus, etc (all plants, even the carpeting ones are all planted in inert substrate within the 29)

10 high tech
1 pump of Easy Green twice a week
1 pump of Easy Iron once a week
1 pump of Easy Carbon once a week
No Easy Tabs in this tank, ADA Aquasoil has a ton of nutrients pre loaded in the substrate.

 

The 29 is completely low tech. I have the entire easy green lineup now and it has worked wonderful for me! I don't actually completely follow the directions and dosed differently in both my tanks. Here is what I do that has worked great for me;

29 low tech
1 pump of Easy Green every day
1 pump of Easy Iron every other day
1 pump of Easy Carbon every other day
Easy Tabs are dosed in a grid portion 6 inches from one another when root feeders show signs of nutrient deficiencies or multiple tabs by the same plant if it is a large sword, lotus, etc (plants are all planted in inert substrate within the 29)

10 high tech
1 pump of Easy Green twice a week
1 pump of Easy Iron once a week
1 pump of Easy Carbon once a week
No Easy Tabs in this tank, ADA Aquasoil has a ton of nutrients pre loaded in the substrate.

Thank you, that is super helpful. Truly impressive for low-tech. My tannins have been a lot less in the 20 high lately so I'm hoping to have some of my plants come back with the Easy Green. N deficiencies hit hard after I switched from tap to remineralized RO for some reason

 

Latest update. It may not seem like it, but I have been working a ton over the memorial holiday, so I haven't had much time to get on the forum. However, I was able to capture some updates of my aquariums if anyone is interested.

29 Gallon

Plants are beginning to thrive again after the massive trim from the last two weeks. The front and back area still needs some more time to fill up, as I converted this tank into a jungle Style Aquascape! Water Wisteria has a ton of side shoots to form dense bushes, which is what I want in this design! I want everything to grow wild in there! To help with this goal, I added a Tiger Lotus bulb 2 weeks ago.

This is how the bulb looked this morning! It is looking great and has plenty of new leaves already within two weeks! I think this will form into a beautiful plant to contrast the Water Wisteria and Pogostemen Octopus which will make up the majority of the background!

The new Pogostemen is doing great in the 29 gallon trimmed from the 10!

The Rasboras are breeding yet again, but they are still eating their eggs as expected. I really want to save the eggs eventually to get some babies and maybe sell some of them to you awesome people on Fishlore! I really love my Lambchops, a ton of color, activity, and peacefulness in a small package.

10 gallon

Plants are on fire in this tank! Growth has been absolutely insane lately! Plus, the Staghorn Algae is finally resolving itself, I got much less now than a few weeks ago!

You can see that the wood is not staghorn infested anymore, yay!

The Pearlweed carpet has never looked better! It has filled in nicely indeed and I will be carpeting the plant in the 29 gallon as well once I get some excess.


Curiously, the Bacopa Caroliniana is turning red in my tank! I have never heard of this plant turning red before, but I think it looks cool though!

To conclude, the shrimp are still alive and kicking in the 10 gallon! The berried shrimp should be having some babies soon as well!

Going to be making a third tank in a few months (a 75 gallon) as well once the summer rush is over with my job, I am very excited about that.

Awesome update!! Super exciting and great to see the colors that are coming in especially. What light do you have on the 10g?