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Aquariums (aquascaping)

Mafkees
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Hi OF,

The search option didn't yield any results for an aquarium thread, so I figured I'd start one. I've been into this hobby for a few years now and, not unlike watches, I found that it's a rabbit hole of extravagances. I've come a long way from starting a 30L aquarium with a handful of tetras to now owning a custom built open top tank with laminar flow. I can go over the tech, if someone's interested.
*disclaimer: my posts will be in metric units 😁

For now I'll post some pictures.

Old build, 60L. High tech: CO2, high lighting. (2020-2021)
upload_2022-4-10_10-21-11.jpeg


Current build, 160L. High tech: custom build in Optiwhite glass, very high flow (~7.000 liters per hour circulating laminar).
It is very tricky to capture on camera.
upload_2022-4-10_10-24-32.jpeg


The high lighting allows for amazing emerse growth. These plants grow at a very high rate and thus take up a lot of the nitrogen in the tank (if not all).
upload_2022-4-10_10-23-57.jpeg
Edited:
 
STANDY
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Started to go the planted tank rabbit hole but spend too much time away with work at least once or twice a year.

Have all the gear to one day get into it again...

Nice tanks👍👍
 
TDBK
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I've been thinking about building a reef tank for a while. Beautiful but daunting.
 
STANDY
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Here is a post from a while back.

I am a fan of Takashi Amano and his work and have a book of his work, (that wasn’t easy to get years ago).


STANDY STANDY
More of a planted tank guy

7AD4466D-2F56-4B00-860D-973EA13D1A05.jpeg


(Web picture) Similar style I am currently growing.


Big fan of Takashi Amano and his work

https://imgur.com/gallery/dMiO3


This is the aquarium thread

https://omegaforums.net/threads/any...-of-the-swimming-variety.103264/#post-1350062
 
Barking mad
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I have had two aquariums for three or four years now. Nothing fancy, the one pictured is in the man cave and is 1.6 meters long. I have not so long ago added CO2 which has boosted the plants dramatically. The fish in the tank are all delinquents and spend their time tearing up the plants but they are fun to watch.
IMG_3749.jpeg
 
ghce
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Just bought this cool first edition book which is useful for those invested in saltwater tanks.

IMG_20220413_155017.jpg IMG_20220413_155029.jpg
 
cvalue13
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STANDY STANDY
I am a fan of Takashi Amano and his work and have a book of his work, (that wasn’t easy to get years ago).

i did not need this introduction 😁
 
STANDY
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cvalue13 cvalue13
i did not need this introduction 😁

This is the coffee table book you need

BDF8437E-4DE5-439E-8325-3A9A49A9497C.jpeg
 
Oddjob
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Mafkees Mafkees
Hi OF,

The search option didn't yield any results for an aquarium thread, so I figured I'd start one. I've been into this hobby for a few years now and, not unlike watches, I found that it's a rabbit hole of extravagances. I've come a long way from starting a 30L aquarium with a handful of tetras to now owning a custom built open top tank with laminar flow. I can go over the tech, if someone's interested.
*disclaimer: my posts will be in metric units 😁

For now I'll post some pictures.

Old build, 60L. High tech: CO2, high lighting. (2020-2021)
upload_2022-4-10_10-21-11.jpeg


Current build, 160L. High tech: custom build in Optiwhite glass, very high flow (~7.000 liters per hour circulating laminar).
It is very tricky to capture on camera.
upload_2022-4-10_10-24-32.jpeg


The high lighting allows for amazing emerse growth. These plants grow at a very high rate and thus take up a lot of the nitrogen in the tank (if not all).
upload_2022-4-10_10-23-57.jpeg


Nice job and nice post mate !

I was also into it for 4 years, I had three Nano tank, but mostly with Killifish and Bettafish. Then i had to sell it because of lack of time due to my job after a promotion. Not enough time for that now but I will get back on it one day for sure !

I follow this post now and looking forward new pics 😀
 
cvalue13
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STANDY STANDY
This is the coffee table book you need

BDF8437E-4DE5-439E-8325-3A9A49A9497C.jpeg

Searching around, I find one new hardcover in English that’s very expensive (Different cover from yours - all English), then many used in what appear to be full Japanese (and possibly some softcover versions)

Is yours both English and Japanese?

I stayed up far too late watching YouTube videos of Amano designing tanks
 
STANDY
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I have the English version… (pic above I posted is a web picture)

Probably the best book I have ever placed on the coffee table. Know 3 friends that now have it in their book collection…
Edited:
 
cvalue13
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STANDY STANDY
I have the English version…
Probably the best book I have ever placed on the coffee table. Know 3 friends that now have it in their book collection…

STANDY really coming after my wallet in all new ways
 
STANDY
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cvalue13 cvalue13
STANDY really coming after my wallet in all new ways

The step by step shots in the book are great


The guy is a magician

AB7CD40D-294C-450B-9C38-8A5B2AF3AF70.jpeg
 
Mafkees
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Nature style is the way to go. Nothing plastic belongs in an aquarium, other than the suction cups of hardware.
Personally I just prefer the 'slice of nature' style above the 'landscape' style. I like to envision my tank is a riverbank cut out and dumped into my tank, instead of a landscape viewed from afar.
 
cvalue13
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I can’t find any good videos or guides to the absolute basics of maintenance and upkeep

I’m aware the high level answer is: a lot

but out of almost just academic interest I’m curious about the basic components, the basic maintenance schedule, the basic maintenance components, etc.

I find a lot of cool “masterclasses” on design, etc., but very little on how the actual sausage is made
 
Mafkees
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Since you're asking out of academic interest, I'll answer in similar style: it depends.

In my setup, with an absolutely insane amount of plant mass (in total I reckon there's 1,5-2kg of plant mass) and high lighting, albeit only 6 hours a day artificially, the 160 liters of water is drained of macro-nutrients (nitrogen in particular) in a day or two, maximum. This is including naturally occurring nitrogen in my tap water as well as nitrogen from decay in the plants and wood and the fish food I put in the system. I could run this tank indefinitely with only water top ups (to counter evaporation) and not worry about a water change in terms of nutrient excesses. Every, and I mean every trace of nutrients is exported out of the water as part of a physical plant.

However, since my water is very alkaline, I am required to do a water change at least every 1-2 months to counteract alkalinity buildup.

On the contrary, if one would run a fish only tank, without plant mass, a weekly water change would be bare minimum, in order to dilute the nitrogen in the water.
 
MCC
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Maintenance also depends on the fish you keep. I had a discus tank until the second half of last year when due to health issues I could not continue to look after it.

Discus eat a lot and produce lots of waste and that means 1 water change of 30% a week.Lots of people will tell you that you need more than that but if the tank is planted and balanced then once a week is enough. You can also leave Discus for a couple of weeks without feeding if you go away. The tank will be just fine but if you have any small fish in there then don’t expect to see them when you get back as the Discus will see them as a tasty treat once normal feeding stops.

I kept my tank running with no fish to keep some of the bacteria in my filters and will restart the tank gradually over the summer.
 
cvalue13
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Mafkees Mafkees
Since you're asking out of academic interest, I'll answer in similar style: it depends.

As usual, the best first answer 😁

drilling down:


Mafkees Mafkees
Every, and I mean every trace of nutrients is exported out of the water as part of a physical plant.

Including, however, algae? I probably don’t need to reiterate how ignorant I am here, but I would think that algae are one of the primary foul-ups, and I’m not yet fully following all the nitrogen talk.

I run a 1000 gallon koi pond and water garden in my back yard, so I’m not 100% off planet here, but instead perhaps just informed enough to be extra confused 👍

41AD2EF1-A76F-4588-8DA2-6CCD7BB6DD93.jpeg
 
Mafkees
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cvalue13 cvalue13
Including, however, algae? I probably don’t need to reiterate how ignorant I am here, but I would think that algae are one of the primary foul-ups, and I’m not yet fully following all the nitrogen talk.
First off, regarding the nitrogen: where oxygen is what animals breathe, CO2 is what plants breathe. In the same regard, our protein is their nitrogen. They need it to build cells. Of course, this is vastly simplified for explanation. A planted aquarium void of nitrogen therefore doesn't allow plant growth.

Regarding algae: is not a nutrient, but a plant-like organism that is lower in complexity than actual plants. It is essentially a lower life form, but a life form nonetheless. Therefore any algae, in growing, uses the same elements that plants do. My aquarium has virtually no algae and that is thanks to the plant mass leaving nothing behind for algae to grow on. Essentially, the plants overpower algae. This is an ideal situation, opposed to the contrary, where algae overpowers plants. This is largely thanks to my surface plants, which have unlimited access to CO2 and therefore are only stunted in growth by the availability of nutrients in the water.

cvalue13 cvalue13
I run a 1000 gallon koi pond and water garden in my back yard, so I’m not 100% off planet here, but instead perhaps just informed enough to be extra confused
Hey, that's a really cool pond! Lovely!
 
cvalue13
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Mafkees Mafkees
My aquarium has virtually no algae and that is thanks to the plant mass leaving nothing behind for algae to grow on. Essentially, the plants overpower algae. This is an ideal situation, opposed to the contrary, where algae overpowers plants.

thank you, this is what my questions were driving at (otherwise understanding the basics of the plant biology, and wondering how your tank retards algae blooms while still permitting of desired plant growth).

Which is to say, I don’t mechanically follow 100% how your desired plants somehow outcompete the algae for nutrients, but interesting to learn this is somehow possible.

I’ll keep hunting for a good primer on the ins and outs if these planted tanks!
Edited:
 
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