For context I set up this tank for a science project which I also used as an excuse to get back into the hobby. I previously had some novice experience with fishkeeping as I previously owned a 70 gallon tank that my mom forced me to keep and then later take down cuz she changed her mind, this had an affect with my mental health and passion for the hobby.
Besides that now I'm living with my dad and he's a lot more considerate and less controlling when it comes to a lot of things.
I set up this tank purely from the very foggy experience I had from 4 years ago, in execution it did pretty well, I did all the basics, cycling, regular water tests etc. but I still have a lot of things I wish I could've done better;
First being the choice of plants, as seen in the image I used hydrilla to make a sort of dense forest bit, but now I realize that the growth rate is way to much to handle and frankly it doesn't really look that good.
Second is the hardscape, I basically just stuck together 3 pieces of seiryu stone and wood and called it a day.
Lastly the substrate system, the substrate is basically a mix of sand and gravel which initially didn't have any usable nutrients until a few weeks ago when I got some root tabs, by then I already had a lot of plants including a few heavy root feeders.
In terms of the husbandry and care for the fish and livestock, I've suffered no deaths even after dealing with an ich infestation with my Cardinal tetras, which I'm honestly pretty proud of.
Honestly I really wanna fully remove the hydrilla and replace it with better stem plants, maybe lymnophelia, cabomba, or maybe rotala. But at the same time I'm scared of compromising how established the tank has been over the past month. I honestly just want to wait until next year before doing a full takedown and rescape.
With the new experience I have now I plan to set up a 2nd tank probably 5-10 gallons for a Betta, I plan to do a walstad method tank since I've really wanted to try it out ever since getting back into the hobby.
In terms of the tank and how it is now, it's doing well and I'm looking to replace the cheap light with a better full spectrum one with a built in timer and adjustable brightness.
Yeah so that's pretty much it for this long ass rant about my tank. I'm very much open to advice<3
Posted by Sympzzz
1 Comment
Always room for improvements. I’m so glad that you are aware of the things in the hobby and willing to do better. You can definitely find better hardscape from your surroundings, don’t fall for the advertisements. Even driftwood is easy to find if you are really willing to find the right piece.
If you are considering a complete revamp of if don’t throw the substrate away. Pond soil in cloth bags can definitely provide the nutrients and top it off by the current substrate. And plants you can definitely find the better arrangement with your current mindset. If you have time you can keep the fast growing plants as well