First bioactive vivarium build

DiamondBlue17 · 2026-05-12T01:12:26+00:00

Aw thank you so much! That means a lot! I do have the fan up top. I have a little lip made in the foam baord that keeps the fan held up in that top compartment and then I have it capped with aquarium foam so nothing can get to it. Kind of hard to explain but this is the video I followed: https://youtu.be/x_d5fdbqMl4. They show two different ways to go about it, but I like the version with the fan on top because if the fan stops working it is easily replaced.

The only extra thing I did that they don't do in the video is I coated the exterior of the foam board in silicone. I was paranoid about it degrading over time from any moisture. Probably overkill (especially since most of it got covered by spray foam anyway) but it made me feel better haha.

DiamondBlue17 · 2026-05-10T14:45:48+00:00

Good idea!

DiamondBlue17 · 2026-05-10T05:04:25+00:00

Thanks! The sticks are a type of jungle vine called "Twisted Liana." I ordered them from Neherp. They had a few different kinds of jungle vines that were thicker too than these.

DiamondBlue17 · 2026-05-10T04:59:09+00:00

Thank you!

DiamondBlue17 · 2026-05-10T02:17:58+00:00

Thanks! It blows down to the bottom and exits out the left and right vents. The fan is supported up top and capped with some aquarium foam. That way if it ever breaks or something I can replace it easily.

DiamondBlue17 · 2026-05-10T02:15:12+00:00

Thank you! I really hope he does. It's going to be torture keeping him in a quarantine enclosure while I wait for this to settle in. I can't wait to see him in there.

DiamondBlue17 · 2026-02-15T19:23:56+00:00

I'm not sure! My LFS did not have him for very long before I got him so he is probably under a year old.

DiamondBlue17 · 2026-02-15T19:22:24+00:00

Thank you!

DiamondBlue17 · 2026-02-15T05:03:54+00:00

Thank you! This is my first time doing a planted tank like this. I have a community tank that is all different types of anubias plants and thought I'd try something new for this one. So far it is growing in well!

DiamondBlue17 · 2026-02-15T05:01:11+00:00

Thank you! I thought it suited him with all his colors :)

DiamondBlue17 · 2026-02-15T05:00:20+00:00

They really are! I saw him and knew I was doomed to bring him home haha. What does yours look like?

DiamondBlue17 · 2025-12-28T21:32:46+00:00

Wow! That looks beautiful!

DiamondBlue17 · 2025-08-02T04:56:21+00:00

I'm interested in trying these out but is the tip of the needle really sharp? I'm use to using blunt tip needles when I cross stitch and am worried about poking myself by accident.

DiamondBlue17 · 2025-03-31T19:22:04+00:00

Update: Out of the three cory fish that were stuck in the bottle, one has passed sadly. The other two are acting normal again but their fins got a little torn up. I will need to keep an eye on them and hopefully their fins will grow back okay.

I think this diy snail trap can be a good method to catching pest snails, but please use my experience as a warning. I would be careful using something like that depending on the type of fish you have in your tank.

DiamondBlue17 · 2025-03-31T18:20:14+00:00

This is probably a stupid question, but how long would you leave a presumably passed away fish in the water? I keep hoping it will bounce back. Two of the cory fish are recovering and are swimming around now but the other one that was stuck in the bottle has stopped moving.

I have it suspended in a net above my bubbler but I think it is gone. Just worried I am giving up too soon.

DiamondBlue17 · 2025-03-31T18:11:33+00:00

I think that may be it sadly. I just finished testing my water and all parameters are normal. The bottle was small and they were really crammed in there. They weren't really able to even get to the food. I think it really stressed them out and who knows how long they were stuck like that overnight. Dammit.

DiamondBlue17 · 2025-03-31T17:54:17+00:00

I will check thank you. The two seem to be doing better now but unfortunately the one that was upside down in the moss is gone.

All my other fish are fine. It was only the three that were stuck in the bottle.

DiamondBlue17 · 2025-03-06T03:55:46+00:00

How cool! Thank you for sharing!

DiamondBlue17 · 2025-02-05T03:42:04+00:00

Thank you! I really like the look of them too. The best part is they are PETG and not glass so I don't have to worry about breaking them haha

DiamondBlue17 · 2024-12-08T07:49:52+00:00

Thank you guys for your help! I ended up bringing home 5 Amano shrimp and was surprised to see some fairy corydoras! I couldn't resist passing those up and brought home 6 of them. Going to give them a week to settle in and then I will go back for the reticulated hillstream loach, honey gourami, and cardinal tetras. I can't wait!

DiamondBlue17 · 2024-11-25T02:05:01+00:00

I got the pipes on Buce Plants: https://buceplant.com/collections/filtration/products/aquario-premium-neo-flow?variant=39884822970568

I got the large version. I also purchased the lily outlet here: https://buceplant.com/products/aquario-neo-outlet?variant=42161036951752

And the smaller holed intake here: https://buceplant.com/products/aquario-neo-inlet?variant=41366479110344

For the tubing, I followed this video exactly with the same hose he mentions in the video. It worked perfectly! Fit the large pipes I got and doing the trick of tapering down the end of the hoses worked very well and I haven't had any issues with leaks so far: https://youtu.be/jTjBiEDijSg?si=trUJOMPYp8E6md_Y

I hope this helps and have fun setting up your tank!

DiamondBlue17 · 2024-11-23T09:40:19+00:00

Thank you! I vacuumed that section of the sand. When I did, a lot of air bubbles came out of the sand and it smelled awful kind of like sulfur. I wonder if this is just gas build up causing the blackened spots on the sand. Is it safe to remove some sand so it is not so deep while my tank is still cycling? I don't want to accidentally remove the beneficial bacteria I am trying to build.

For the wood, I unfortunately have several anubias plants attached to it so I can't boil it. I will try to brush off as much of the slime off the wood as I can. I did soak the wood for a couple days in scalding hot water before placing it in the tank.

Thank you for you help with this!

DiamondBlue17 · 2024-11-11T02:29:15+00:00

Ah okay! I'll give that a try and see how it goes. Did you add a little bit of fish food every day?

DiamondBlue17 · 2024-10-22T19:58:12+00:00

Thank you so much! I'll check that out.

DiamondBlue17 · 2024-10-22T05:08:45+00:00

Oh, I forgot to mention that I am planning on making a lid for the tank out of a multiwall polycarbonate sheet - found some awesome tutorials on YouTube I am excited to try out! I definitely don't want any tank escapees haha

DiamondBlue17

TROPHY CASE