🐠 TOTM Helina - September 2026 Tank of the Month Winner

[connorlindeman19 19]

We have a winner in Tropical Fish Forums'
September Tank of the Month Contest

We had 5 awesome tanks entered in this month's TOTM contest.
It was a close contest, but only one could win...
And the winner is.......
@Helina


Let's all congratulate her​

Aquarium technical details:

• Aquarium: Eheim Aquastar 54 litre LED (14,3 US Gallons), working since 2020, moved twice
• Filter: EHEIM biopower 160 with Eheim Substrat Pro biological filter material and Seachem Purigen for crystal clear water. Intake holes protected from shrimps with filter floss
• Light: Eheim classicLED PLANTS 7,7 W, 6-8h per day
• Heater: Eheim thermocontrol 50 W, at 24 Celsius
• No aeration, fast surface filter flow from tube with many holes, imitating natural surface flow

My favorite pets:

• A shoal of 8 Green Neon Tetras (Paracheirodon simulans)
• 20+ Neocaridina davidi var. "Yellow Striped" shrimps
• 1 male Honey Gourami (Trichogaster chuna)
• 1 Macrotocinclus affinis algae eater

Plants for greenery that I love:

• Tiger Lotus, Cryptocoryne, Java Moss, Leopard Vallisneria, regular Vallisneria, Amazon Sword plant and 2 Moss Balls

Fertilizers, I should add more often:

• Tropica Premium Nutrition 2-4ml (1-2 pump) /50 litres 1-2 times a week
• Seachem Iron, 1-2 ml 1-2 times a week.
• Root tablets are JBL ProFlora Ferropol Root
• No added CO2

Feeding, which these aquatics are crazy after:

• daily automatic flake feeder: crushed JBL Pro Novo Guppy, containing 18 % Spirulina algae
• occasionally: JBL Pro Novo Artemio containing 100 % dried artemia, dusted to small pieces
• almost every day: a tiny frozen cube of gelatin food of spirulina algae and mixed fish foods

Water parameters from 22 July 2026 checkup at Helsingin Akvaariokeskus -fish store:

• NO3: 10
• NO2: 0
• GHd: 5
• KHd: 3
• pH: 7,6
• CO2: 2,2
• Fe: 0,3
• K: 5
• Mg: 3
• Conductivity: 204
• PO4: <0,02

 

[connorlindeman19 19]

Congrats @Helina for the win. Beautiful planted aquarium. Fantastic job.
In second place are @Whitecloudminnowguy09, @MattW and @bgarthe. Good going.
In last place is @Back in the fold.
Big thank you to all the entrants and voters.

We are currently accepting entries for our September Pet of the Month contest. Enter here if you have a pet other than fish: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/enter-now-september-2026-pet-of-the-month-contest.500368/

 

[Fishmanic21 137]

@Helina
Gorgeous tank. You have a real talent for aquascaping aquariums. Nice job! Looking forward to seeing your next creation.

 

[Essjay21 136]

Congratulations

 

[emeraldking1 52]

Congrats on the win, @Helina ...

 

[Innesfan21 4]

Well-deserved, a real beauty of a tank.

 

[gwand21 137]

Congratulations on a lovely, well crafted tank.

 

[MattW21 137]

Congrats!

 

[Back in the fold1 10]

Very very nice ! A beautiful aquarium .

 

[Jennet1 59]

Very well done. Congratulations.

 

[bgarthe22 39]

Congrats Helina. Well done.