Thanks!
This is definitely not a high tech, quite the opposite. Apart from having that dodgy soil (powder size), few small dragon rocks and a couple of twigs, there is nothing much in it. Even stock 1000L/h pump is replaced with downtuned 120L/h pump. I'll probably replace it with Czech airlift soon.
Light is just a old plain cheap 4000K CFL lamp. I tried with low power light that has some from UV spectrum. I am about to build my own computer controlled light with independant control of each LED, but didn't have enough time to play with it.
So, mainly, this setup is created by just putting things in a box, and left to figure out itself. First couple of months there was only a few snails (MTS) till I discovered copepods, tiny detritus worms and some other miniature creatures. Then I decided to put in 20ish red cherry shrimps. No casualities, just lots of babies after a while.
Maintainance - just cleaning side and front glass with a sponge. Change about 2-5 liters of water taken from the top once in 2-3 weeks. Never vacuumed substrate.
Yes, it's hornwort (foxtail as they call it). I actually just wanted something that grows fast and it's easy to propagate. Usually I start with fast growing plants, and then after a few months I introduce some slow growing ones. No rush
Main attraction is moss on "branches", as it gives depth and making things interesting above and below. I personally don't like setups where there is a pile of hardscape and plants. I love to see as much on substrate level as I can, while having something over it to make tunnels and passages. I'm always trying to find the smallest of everything, from soil, driftwood, stones, plants, but with plenty of details. Also, I do drill stones and connect them with driftwood to make it stable.
Once the tank is fully established I might try with more demanding plants, lights and CO2. Who knows
The only thing that I don't like about this setup is the tank. It has filter chamber and it's way too large for this setup.