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looks great, and happy.

Yeah, plants have a way of growing. Mine is very full at about 6 weeks, but nowhere near what it will be at 12. I did plan for the final layout though. I've started staging my water change water where I get a bucket from the creek, let it reach temperature, then dump it into a bucket of...

So....how did you put the jar of dirt into the substrate? Was it like the old Indiana Jones swap?

My entire under the sand substrate is from the creek in my backyard. There is every sort of life in there. The only "pest" I have encountered is some clado on a rock I also grabbed. There are aquatic worms and all sorts of small and microfauna in that stuff, not too mention bacteria. I also use...

5 weeks (give or take). Just some general tank shots. Most of the plants are coming in well. I am battling a bit of Cladophora that came on my creek rock, but mostly just manually removing it. Full: Right side: Front right. Front middle Front left So new additions are a trio of dwarf...

I'd like to make a general comment about the state of science, especially as it relates to things like fishkeeping. There aren't enough PhDs out there to try and focus on this and that in a hobby this large with so many variables. Some of the older hobbyists have far more experience and have...

Blackout film Try static vinyl film. Tons of it (colors) on amazon and comes off easily if you want to change it. You just spray water on the glass and squeegie out any bubbles.

Interesting situation. It does sound like a bacterial bloom. That said, I guess it will eventually have to work its way through to clarity. As long as everything is happy, I guess you just keep waiting. As to the light overlap, I did wind up going back to a couple hours break in the middle...

That's a great tank. I really like the hardscape. It should be fun to watch it develop plant-wise. You've got a good eye for things.

My guess is, by their growth habits, that the Utric and MC will each find respective parts of the open areas that they prefer, and basically run up against each other, but not intermix much, and the Eliocharis will probably wind up popping up through both of them This will be fine with me. I'm...

Well, it looks like it has found a happy place. I have been going round and round on low foreground plants, so it's all fresh in my mind. I still think my MC will fill out nicely, but I also want something to keep the Eliocharis in check. I have ordered some Utricularia graminifolia to place...

After a second look, are you certain that is MC? It looks a bit more like Hemianthus micranthemoides now that it has grown out. I know there is a bit of wild west with some of the small stuff out there. I got mine as TC from buceplants, but it hasn't grown out yet, but is pushing some bigger...

He looks happy and healthy. Those angels are right up in his business, lol. The tail does appear to have a bit of damage, just keep an eye on it for any rot/infection, but it should come back properly. Monte Carlo is looking great.

Tank looks great! I have planted the seeds for the idea of a 75G with 40G sump/fuge, and we are likely to move a bit closer to my daughters school so...probably just have to wait. A 125 Long is a nice size too. 72" x 18" x 21". I once bought one for about $100 but never had the spot for it. I...

I too have dreams :D. I just don't have the right spot in this house for something more than maybe a 40G breeder. It's not even a small house, but a weirdly inefficient layout with almost no place for even a medium sized tank without being awkward. I am much more about building nice-looking...

I am a little confused so will attempt to clarify. You have the 100 and are looking for something after it is mature as a planted and nano fish tank, or you are wanting to do the 100 as a planted and nano fish tank (my favorite kind)? If it is the latter, then that's a great idea. If it's the...

There will still be problems for sure, lol. It's just the way of aquariums, and I definitely wasn't always as patient as I am now. Not really a planted tank discussion, but I changed a lot over the years of practicing Falun Gong. I am definitely a bit envious you have the big tank to play in...

That's good to know your MC looked like that too. It's currently pretty similar to that photo, but very green and healthy color-wise. I expect it to start spreading a little bit now. Now that I have two lights running, everything is getting the appropriate light on both front and back at all...

Update: dwarf hair grass (Eliocharis pussilla) is going wild. I may regret having it, or I may just have to embrace it as the low growing groundcover. We have a few fish now. A menage of dwarf honey gourami and oto, and what's left of a 10 pack of neons (4). Just don't bother IMO. They used...

I would get some decent water in a bucket with an air stone and acclimate the goldfish. Then dump literally everything out of the tank and start over. Goldfish are usually pretty durable and should last in the bucket for a bit. Throw some floaters or a wad of plants in the bucket for good...

Lol, I purposely used dirt a bit tongue-in-cheek because "dirted tank". Soil is much preferred.

You can often get it to an university that has a horticulture dept and get a general soil test done. They should be able to tell you what type and a bunch of other nutrient related stuff. Some agriculture extension offices -- I am not sure what Canada does, but surely has something similar. A...

Yeah, this is the reason I put that primer together. If you are using garden center "soil", it is typically just a bunch of organic matter mixed with a little sand and some slow-release fertilizer -- this isn't much different than aquatic plant substrate in function. You used to be able to get...

I thought I would add a few more thoughts on pre-made aquatic plant substrates and how they can be integrated into an actual dirted tank. As you can see above, my feeling is they have a place and I am not anti-aquasoils in any way. But for the purpose of this discussion, the focus is on true...

I would ask what is your reasoning for gravel? It's obviously fine to have some aggregate in the mix, but if the intent is a planted tank, sand would be better IMO. I used multi-purpose sand from HD as opposed to play sand. It had a nice river-sand look to it. Also, for reference, I have...

I have the same general issue with my light schedule. I like to see my tank and 8 hours isn't enough. My solution was to buy a second light, lol. Now hear me out. I started with one Aquarium Co-op light. It's a very good, light wise, but doesn't offer a bunch of programming at that price...

What an interesting turn of events surrounding that fish. Hopefully the new one finds a happy home there. On a side note, this hobby is a path of learning patience and measured response. I recall somewhere in this thread that you know you don't have the most patience for some things, but If...

Rotala is a great choice for either back corner. If you want color mix, there are very red varieties and much greener. Parrot feather is up to you. It just requires a fair bit of pruning to keep it in check (nice texture though). I would try and balance the symmetry with a wider shorter...

Sorry to hear about your stowaway incident. Sometimes things just happen and it's nobody's fault. You will enjoy the shrimp. I bought 40 at various stages from tiny to adult from a guy on r/aquaswap for cheap. I just saw my first tank-born shrimp tonight. They do such a great job cleaning...

Thank you! It should start to look like something halfway established by then. We'll shall see.

Oh yeah. Second light should arrive this week. Just another ACO. I don;t need more, just really like wall to wall coverage. I will probably run the 2nd one at 50% and use it for the front half with maybe an hour cut off of each end and use the back for 8 hrs at 60%. I forgot in the last post...

Pics from 2 week update. These are from a few days ago. A few things to note are some added floaters, the "a fish" my daughter originally asked for that started all of this and some plants trimmed and moved. The Eliocharis is really filling in. I'm going to have to watch it so it doesn't...