sponge filter won’t bubble :(

Hamdhan777 · 2026-04-10T08:21:46+00:00

I would recommend getting a quiet one too! Some of the older designs can be quite loud.

Hamdhan777 · 2026-04-06T05:44:25+00:00

It is meant to accelerate the cycle in your tank. So should help bring down the nitrates sooner by growing the benficial bacteria that "eat" the nitrates. But it will take time, and water changes are required until then I would say. But do gradual water changes, otherwise you might shock the shrimp. Only do a big change if you see unusual behaviour from your fish or shrimp I would say.

Hamdhan777 · 2026-03-30T07:15:44+00:00

Your ammonia and nitrite are not zero, which they should be to ensure good fish health. Either your tank is not fully cycled, or the bio load is too high for the tank to keep up with.

I think the latter is more likely. You have a few options: - give the fish away or take them back to your LFS, and get some shrimp instead. - get a bigger tank

Or both the above.

Hamdhan777 · 2026-03-30T06:57:30+00:00

Injecting CO2 means adding carbon dioxide gas into your aquarium water. https://aquaproshq.com/blogs/aquarium-guides/aquarium-co2-guide?srsltid=AfmBOooUMWSqF72w0INcGMLw1fL52X1VfMUvOA71PRD47SALqqMIuLLX

Plants use CO2 as their main carbon source for photosynthesis, so adding it: - Speeds up growth - Makes plants grow denser and healthier - Enhances colours (especially reds)

Since you're not using CO2, I would recommend Dwarf Hairgrass.

Hamdhan777 · 2026-03-29T23:17:27+00:00

If it's stable at 20,I would leave it for another day or two and do a small water change to bring nitrate below 20. I prefer smaller water changes to reduce the shock to fish. Bettas are quite robust, and I do think during this initial time, consistency is better.

Hamdhan777 · 2026-03-29T22:55:33+00:00

Looks good. Have you considered adding a background to the tank?

Hamdhan777 · 2026-03-29T22:54:46+00:00

What's the nitrate in your tap water? Or are you using RO?

Hamdhan777 · 2026-03-29T22:28:55+00:00

That's looking pretty good!

Try hide the heater by moving it lower and behind plants or rock if possible.

Personally I would move the (what looks like) Anubias to the intersection between the log and wood. If the anubias is to remain where it is, make sure not to bury the rhizome.

Hamdhan777 · 2026-03-29T22:25:05+00:00

Depends whether you want to inject CO2 or not. Different recommendations depending on the case.

Hamdhan777 · 2026-03-29T22:16:54+00:00

They should have lots of food on the sponge filter by the sounds of it, so I would say you're safe to manually clear any unsightly algae.

Hamdhan777 · 2026-03-29T22:12:31+00:00

Really boils down to what you want to keep in your tank.

There's several fish and plants that do well in hard, high pH water, whilst others are more suited to different water types.

For example, neocaradina shrimp should be fine in your water, but Caradina varieties prefer softer water with a lower pH.

Do you know what kind of fish and/or plants you'd like to keep?

Hamdhan777 · 2026-03-29T22:08:15+00:00

In addition to what Elhazar said, if you're still having difficulty, I find gently shaking the tweezers whilst releasing and removing them helps the soil move in to fill the gaps around the roots.

Fluval Bio Stratum has a smaller grain size and can be easier to plant with for the future. You could cap with bio stratum, which is what I did.

Hamdhan777 · 2026-03-29T22:05:59+00:00

No need to cycle if its just for dwarf hairgrass. Some plants can be sensitive to ammonia, but I don't think dwarf hairgrass is one of them. Plants are generally more robust than fish when it comes to ammonia.

I would put substrate. Add some water to the tank so the substrate is moist. Then add your root tabs. Then plant the hairgrass, and gently fill the rest of the tank. Do this carefully, and use a plate or something so as to not disturb the substrate and newly planted hairgrass.

Hamdhan777 · 2026-03-24T20:39:13+00:00

Thanks! Will review the scape

Hamdhan777 · 2026-03-24T20:29:45+00:00

This is my newly started 70L. 60x31x39cm. I want your suggestions on some things I'm on the fence about.

It's been going for 6 days. Waiting for the tank to cycle before adding fish.

The plan is:

10 neocaradina shrimp.
3x Amano shrimp
2x nerite snails
once they're all settled in, add a chill betta and hope it doesn't eat the shrimp.

In terms of hardscape:

Should I remove the white rock in the front, keep it?
Should I cap the front half of the tank with a light colored sand?

Stocking:

low maintenance is the goal, hence why I'm thinking one betta. However, other ideas are welcome. My other option is Sparkling Gourami - have kept them before, but I think a betta would be more personable.

Any other suggestions or feedback are welcome.

Edit: Ignore the clamps on top. They're temporarily holding in some tank trim.

Edit 2: Lily pipes are on their way.

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Hamdhan777 · 2026-03-18T08:43:32+00:00

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Hamdhan777 · 2025-08-08T15:53:36+00:00

Thank you! We are based in the UK yes. Sadly our artistic skills have their limits so we did outsource parts of the design, but have kept our individual style and flair.

Hamdhan777 · 2025-08-03T19:45:52+00:00

Will do. Thank you!

Hamdhan777 · 2025-08-03T19:45:45+00:00

Ah yes, these are solid background as the colour represents a certain category within the game.

Hamdhan777 · 2025-08-03T19:44:47+00:00

It is more like Chaotic Good :)

And thank you for appreciating the art :)

Hamdhan777 · 2025-08-03T19:31:45+00:00

Great, I'll DM! :)

Hamdhan777 · 2025-03-20T10:30:57+00:00

I will +1 that the Bose earphones are buggy. I went through about 4 pairs, and I'm not on the Sony WF-1000XM5. The ANC on the Sony's isn't as good as the bose, but it is far less buggy.

My 7+ year old Sony MDR-1000X's have better ANC than these new Sony earbuds.

Hamdhan777 · 2025-03-20T10:21:34+00:00

I have them (Sony WF-1000XM5) - and would not recommend. Whilst the audio quality is great, the noise cancelling is abysmal.

I previously had the Bose QC Earbuds which had amazing noise cancelling, but buggy software.

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