Tanks, Glass boxes and Waterbowls

[MattW]

90L - New Scape​

Here is the new scape 5 days after setup. I had built this scape based on one I saw on a blog over on aquariumopstarten.nl. That scape used a great combination of wood, dragon stone and many plants in a 3ft tank. With my tank being a 2ft aquarium, it was a bit of a tight squeeze to fit everything into proportion, but I think I achieved a similar look. Of course, my tank currently doesn't feature any wood; that is being sorted out soon with oak branches. The tank was quite cloudy after its first fill, as I didn't pre-rinse the substrate this time. Using a skimmer + filter floss and some API AccuClear made quick work of that. The current filtration on this tank is a mature APS EF-150 canister filter, alongside a sponge filter and a DIY powerhead (for more water movement). I added the 6 Sawbwa and 5 Amanos a day later when the water had cleared up, as I had reused some mature substrate/media, + filters from the old tank. The fish seem more active and happy compared to when they were in the old scape. Making an open swimming area for them has definitely paid off. I've done 3 liquid tests so far and had no irregularities, which is great . I do intend to increase stocking. I currently have the 3 Sawbwa fry in the 12L. I have also decided to buy, when I can, a couple more Sawbwa to add fresh blood into the group, in case of future breeding. I'm still looking for Rosy loaches, but I do have a couple of backup options in the works, in case the Rosy's aren't available. There are a couple more things that I need to change/add to the scape, but overall I'm happy with it and will be even happier when the plants grow in.

Plant list - as of 20/11/25

• Anubias barteri Coffeefolia
• Anubias congensis
• Anubias barteri var. nana
• Cryptocoryne undulatus
• Cryptocoryne wendtii brown
• Cryptocoryne parva
• Cryptocoryne nurii "Rose Maiden"
• Schismatoglottis prietoi
• Süsswassertang
• Limnophila sessiliflora
• Ludwigia repens
• Vallisneria
• Hygrophila corymbosa 53B
• Crinum calamistratum
• Nymphea Tiger Lotus
• Water Lettuce
• Bucephalandra Theia Red
• Bucephalandra Lamandau
• Hornwort
• Hydrocotyle tripartita
• Pogostemon Q. 'Octopus'
• Mermaid weed
• Monte Carlo
• Microsorum Pteropus Windelov
• Rotala H'ra
• Pothos
• Ludwigia Repens 'Rubin'

 

[MattW]

90L​

Over two weeks since set up and no problems whatsoever. I've done a couple of water changes and another liquid test, which had no alarming results. Reusing the filter, substrate and plants from the old scape has made this an effortless tank to maintain in its early stages. I have been dosing a lot of API Leafzone recently, which has benefited the plants greatly. I decided to add in a few stems of Limnophila hippuridoides from my 60L to give the tank a bit more colour variation. I do think I could do with adding in another red plant, though. I'm looking at trying Ludwigia Palustris again or Ludwigia Repens 'Rubin'. Repens has done much better in my tanks than Palustris previously. As for the oak branches I was going to add. I'm having second thoughts now. I think the plants and cobbles are just enough. As for the current stocking, they are still flourishing with breeding every day. Also, I didn't realise how fast Amanos could swim . Those pheromones really do have an effect on them.

60L​

This tank is still recovering from the vicious trimming I did a few weeks back. I ended up gravel vaccing the back area when I pulled up the plants, as it was heavily compacted in with mulm and waste. Thankfully, I had no complaints from the neocardina and ricefish as they now have a lot more swim room. The cuttings I planted are now getting new stems appearing, so they will hopefully be back to their jungle look in the next month or two. The next job is sorting out those crypts are the front. I don't really want to mess with them as they are beautiful-looking plants, but they have taken over the foreground and are smothering the bucephalandra that sits behind them. Some may have noticed the slight change to the Fluval U3 filter. I found that the smaller ricefish were struggling with the flow at the front of the tank when I was using the spray bar mode. Switching to the other two modes just resulted in the same issue, so I decided to add a DIY filter baffle made from a sponge filter housing. This directs the outflow to 4 different positions rather than one (see pic). The positions allow for both surface agitation and underwater flow at the same time, meaning there are no stagnant areas of the tank and no areas that are too fast-flowing. Ideally, it could have been better if the housing were black. A simple fix would just be to add a sponge to cover the housing, but I'm not sure how much impact that would have on the flow, as I don't want too slow an outflow. Another thing that has surprised me is the resurgence of red form Neocaridnia shrimp. As the original group was a mix of cull-grade shrimp, I expected a tank of brown colour and clear shrimp. Amazingly, the number of red colour shrimp is increasing each week! Sadly, my 4-year-old nerite snail passed away this week.

12L​

Not many changes to this tank since the last post on it. I'm still keeping up with WC's and regular feeding. The Sawbwa fry are getting close to the size I would be comfortable adding to the 90L. No sexing colours have appeared yet. The only difference between these fry is that one has a larger black spot than the other two. A prominent sign of a female fish. Definite confirmation of the sexes is through colouration, though. The ricefish fry are still way too small to be added to the 60L.

Waterbowl​

Autumn has taken its toll on this pond. As you may see, the majority of the bottom of this pond is covered in leaves. The resident ramshorn population is almost gone, with only a few left. I will definitely be doing a better job with this pond when spring comes around. The majority of aquatic plants are gone or melting away, along with the Arum lily dying back and the Reed mace turning brown.

 

[Back in the fold]

Awesome !

 

[MattW]

90L​

This tank is doing great so far. I did hit a diatom algae phase, which I think has passed. Mainly coating the glass sides and broader leaf plants, nothing that a toothbrush couldn't handle . I added 3 new Sawbwa on the 8th, and they have been settling in well. A single male and two new females, which takes the total up to 9 now. I ended up adding some Ludwigia Repens 'Rubin' that I got off eBay. Those stems are still settling in but are showing new growth. Now it's just a waiting game to see if they can achieve the red look in this tank. I have discovered a number of dead bladder snails popping up recently. My first thought was that they were older snails, but I found a very small one dead the other day, out of its shell. I'm interested to know what's causing this. Are Amano shrimp capable of this?

60L​

Since the last update, I removed a couple of Crypt nurii "Rose Maiden" from the foreground. It has improved the overall dynamic of the tank as the Daisy's have more room to scavenge at the front and make use of the Bucephrandra as an egg-laying area. I did end up trialling a sponge over the filter baffle, but it ended up as an alage sponge instead, so I'll have to think of something else. The stems and val are still recovering and probably will take longer than I thought to get back to the look I want.

12L​

So the 12L has been put on temporary hold for the moment while the fish have been moved to a 20L bucket for more growing room. The fry are all doing fine and recently enjoyed a buffet of live daphnia, which ended up being eaten in less than 3 days. The colours are slowly coming through on the Sawbwa Fry. I believe I have 1 male and 2 females at the moment. As for the two Daisy fry, they are growing a lot slower than the 30 or so I bred previously. I am wondering if the colder temps are a reason, as the bucket most mornings is sat at 19c and becomes warmer through the day. I do have a makeshift lid to reduce heat loss and a spare heater, which I'm considering adding now.

Waterbowl​

I went outside this morning to check on the waterbowl after some cold temps last night. Ended up finding a 1-2cm thick sheet covering the water. I did crack it open with a rock, as there are a couple of snails still hanging around. It's a good job I removed the pump last week, as this definitely would have damaged it badly.

 

[MattW]

90L​

There are now 12 Sawbwa in this tank, as I added the 3 fry I had bred. Turns out I had 2 males and 1 female. So the total is 5 males and 7 females. A good ratio imo. There have been a few additions plant-wise, as well as a DIY CO2 system from Dennerle plants. I ended up adding all my Crypt nurii "Rose Maiden" from the 60L into this tank as their size was becoming an issue. I also added the Bolbitis from that tank and put that above the disused sponge filter that hides in the back left corner. The amano shrimp seem to love that part of the tank now. I also had a move around with some of the other plants. I brought the Anubias coffeefolia & Schismatoglottis prietoi towards the front, so I had more room to plant more Ludwigia stems as the Limnophila sessiliflora had become stunted. I am still on the search for a suitable loach species. I have found a couple of stores on the other side of Manchester do have possible species. It's just finding the time and way to get there at the moment.

60L​

This tank has been a strange one recently. I added the 2 DRF fry from the 12L, and they fitted right in with the others. Neocardina shrimp are still thriving, yet I find the adult ricefish have become less active at the front, with them preferring to remain under cover, only coming out for food. The younger fish are always at the front, along with loads of swimming shrimp. I do wonder if the recent temperature and scape changes have sent them into a bit of shock, as we have had some very cold nights, and I did remove all the adult Crypt nurii at the front. I think the tank does look better without them taking up the front since they swamped the other plants. There are still some smaller Crypt nurii in the tank, but they remain at the side rather than the front. I seem to have hit a crossroads with my Vallisnaria, as some plants are doing well while others are not. I did put in some twisted val to add some more variety at the back, but they have yet to take off. I also added giant duckweed as a measure to combat excess nutrients that BBA has taken advantage of. So far, it has spread very quickly, so there must be quite a fair bit of excess nutrients. I have also bought some liquid carbon that I have been dosing every couple of days. Hopefully, with some more time, everything will even out.

12L​

Since there are no more fry left, I returned from the bucket to the 12L. This tank has become a plant dump/microfauna breeding experiment. I am currently attempting to start a mini culture of Daphnia and Copepods using yeast as their main food source. I did remove the heater as I don't think it's necessary for what I need. So far, I have seen small microfauna starting to pop up when using a flashlight and magnifying glass.

Waterbowl​

The first snow the other week ended up freezing the bowl solid, and hopefully didn't kill the plants . I expect temps to get much worse now, so I'm hoping the plants can make it through the extremes. I'm excited for spring, however. I hope the wildlife will make use of this pond.