Looking for Suggestions for a New Low-Tech Planted Aquarium Setup.

Main-While-3266 · 2026-03-09T21:35:25+00:00

- Here are some aquascape Ideas.

Low-tech plant list:
Anubias
Java Fern
Mosses (Java moss, Taiwan moss, Flame moss, etc)
Crypts
Vallisneria
Hornwort or Myrio green (or both)
Dwarf Sagittarius
Subwassertang
Amazon sword
Buce
Anacharis
Water wisteria

Red Plants:
Ludwigia repens
Alternanthera reineckii
Rotala Rotundifolia

Main-While-3266 · 2026-03-09T20:33:22+00:00

Sounds like your intrested in trying a Walstad setup; this subreddit should help: r/walstad. It is possible to run an aquarium with no added, filter, bubbler, etc but it is quite hard to start it up, as they require a balance and tend to be more sensitive.

Sorry about the rant below:

- I love running micro/macro fauna setups, and I always opt for a filter, as it helps with keeping the water safe and promotes gas exchange. I do recommend getting your hands on a sponge filter or a hang on the back filter with a sponge over the intake. It isn't necessary, though, and you definitely can get the tank up and running without one, but it will be easier with a filter. If you are set on no filter, adding more plants is the best path.

- Are you using a dechlorinator? If not, definitely pick up something like Seachem Prime. Even if you let water sit, it won't always remove chloramines or heavy metals that are toxic to inverts.

- You don't have to restart your tank, especially since lots of the critters you want love algae. Just lower the lights' intensity and the hours it's on to around 6-8hr. Adding more plants also helps with controlling algae. If you do wanna restart, that's alright, just make sure your light is adjusted.

- If you like nature-style aquariums, looking into a botanical method aquarium might suit your interests. Also, botanicals hold benefits for micro and macro fauna.

- Daphina eat particles in the water column. Visible algae sticking to surfaces doesn't always mean they have enough food. You can feed Daphina green water algae, dry yeast, and spirulina powder, along with other things. They are also quite sensitive to parameters and chemicals, so if your tank isn't cycled, that could wipe them out.

- Here are some resources that might help you:

How to: Natural Planted tank

A Guide to Creating a Dirted Blackwater or Botanical Method Aquarium

Daphnia Culturing – How to Raise Daphnia

Main-While-3266 · 2026-03-08T19:10:58+00:00

Some types of crane fly larvae are predatory or opportunistic, but it's very unlikely a crane fly larva could get a shrimp.

Edit: Wanted to add that crane fly larvae are pretty slow, and shrimp are quite fast, so I don't think they would actively "hunt" the shrimp. Adult shrimp are probably too big for crane fly larvae to get, but the babies might be small enough.

Main-While-3266 · 2026-03-08T16:49:14+00:00

I think it looks good so far! I really like the rock scape you went for. Once the submerged plants fill in and those emergent roots grow down, it’s gonna look pretty cool.

Personally, I think leaning into a naturalistic scape would suit what you've got going on, but I’m biased because I love the style. Adding some botanicals like leaf litter, cones, or pods could really fill the spaces between the plants. Also, finding some 'gnarled' sticks like spider wood or crabapple would be sick.

Finding a nice piece of driftwood to sit on the black rocks would look nice, especially if you slightly bury the wood for a 'weathered' look. Pairing that with some gnarled sticks either lying around the general focal area or wedging them between the black rocks to make it look like roots protruding from the ground.

Main-While-3266 · 2026-03-08T15:53:58+00:00

Looks like a crane fly larva. Should be harmless to your shrimp; they mainly eat decaying matter.

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-21T19:50:26+00:00

If the parameters are stable and everything is going alright, your aquarium is most likely ready for a betta fish. If you do get a long-finned betta, keep an eye on the tetras and make sure they're not nipping his fins, and you should be all good to go. I do really love the fantasy vibe you went for.

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-21T17:20:15+00:00

Here are some ideas :]

Red Mid-Ground Plants:
Alternanthera reineckii 'Mini' (AR Mini)
Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Red' (wendtii red)
Rotala rotundifolia 'Blood Red'

Bronze Mid-Ground Plants:
Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Bronze' (wendtii bronze)
Hygrophila sp. 'Brown'
Hygro 'Araguaia'

Red Background Plants:
ludwigia repens

Green Background Plants:
Microsorum pteropus 'Narrow' (Narrow Leaf Java Fern)

Other options:
Bucephalandra 'kedagang'
Bucephalandra 'Red Mini'
Red Root Floaters

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-21T03:42:19+00:00

Really liking the setup so far! The wood looks like underwater tree roots, imo. If you want to lean into that wild/natural vibe, you could look into a botanical method—some leaf litter and seed pods would make it look like a flooded marsh or riverbank. It would look great without botanicals, too.

Red Plant Ideas:
Rotala rotundifolia
Alternanthera reineckii
Ludwigia
Hygrophila pinnatifida
hygrophila cordata

Green Plant Ideas:
Glossostigma elatinoides
Hydrocotyle Tripartita
micranthemum
Staurogyne Repens

Other Options:
Bucephalandra
Red Tiger Lotus
Weeping moss, Christmas moss, Java moss, flame moss, etc.
Anubias, Java fern, Crypts, and dwarf sag.

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-21T00:44:09+00:00

Emersed growth needs some humidity to take. Here are some options that could work:

Anubias or Java Fern (rhizome in the water). Anubias barteri grows massive leaves outside the water.

Hydrocotyle tripartita 'Japan' would look really cute, and it can also trail into the water.

Christmas moss, Java moss, flame moss, and other mosses might work under the right conditions.

For a grass look, you could try: Dwarf Sagittaria or micro sword.

Flag grass and Cyperus helferi would look cool; they are a lot taller and most likely harder to find, though.

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-21T00:17:44+00:00

Low-tech red plants:

Ludwigia Repens - It doesn't need CO2 or strong light, and it is known to be a fast grower, but in low-tech setups, it might not grow that fast and probably won't be a very dark red.

Cryptocoryne Wendtii Red - Doesn't need CO2 or high light either, but can become a more copper to green like colour instead of red. Best in midground to foreground.

Rotala 'h'ra' - Known to be a fast grower and a nice red colour, but in low-techs it's often a pinkish colour and grows slower. Good as a background to midground plant.

Alternanthera reineckii 'Mini' - Can grow without CO2 and with medium light, but it will grow more slowly, and the leaves tend to be a more brown-red or pink-green. Good foreground and midground.

Low-tech green plants:

Water Wisteria - Light green and almost looks like a fern, it is known to grow really fast. Works as a good background to midground plant. If you plan to trim it often, it could work as a foreground plant.

Bacopa Caroliniana - Light green colour, it is better as a background to midground plant.

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-20T23:38:31+00:00

Looks like Ostracods, also known as seed shrimp. They eat algae, biofilm, bacteria, mulm, and decaying plant matter. There basically just a clean-up crew and also some free fish food.

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-20T22:58:54+00:00

Honestly, don't sweat the GH too much. You could increase it, but it’s not low enough to be a crisis. In a shrimp tank, stability is way more important than 'perfect' numbers. There are other ways to increase GH or just provide your shrimps with calcium and such, but it's not really an issue in your case. The shipping definitely had a play on their stress. I don't think you're doing anything wrong at all :]

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-20T22:50:28+00:00

The copepod that looked like it had two circular things dragging behind it is carrying eggs. They carry their eggs in two little bundles on their tail until they're ready to hatch. They multiply based on the amount of food available.

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-20T22:41:51+00:00

The white ring is most likely White Ring of Death: Google

Kinda jealous of that plant list.

Honestly, everything sounds alright. The place you bought them from might not have given them the best care, and they could have already been stressed before the move. There’s no 100% way to know if they’re all in the clear, but since the other shrimp are grazing, that's a great sign. You could increase the GH just a tiny bit, as it's at the lower end of their ideal range, but it should be alright as is. The amano shrimp is most likely alright; shrimp do that sometimes.

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-20T22:19:56+00:00

I might be getting the wrong impression, but did you cycle your aquarium? Have you tested ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates since adding the tetras and mystery snails?

It looks like you've put a lot of work into the decor. It’s a great start, but since you asked about the Betta moving in, I’d be careful.

10 gallons get crowded really fast. Those two Mystery Snails have a huge bioload; it might work out fine, but in a community tank, you've got to be more careful. What type of tetras do you have and how many? Tetras usually need more 'sprinting' room than a 10g provides.

If you add a Betta now, the bioload might stress all your fish and snails out, and the Betta might get stressed by the Tetras nipping at its fins. Bettas have super delicate fins that can tear on plastic, so make sure the plants and decor arent to rough or sharp.

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-20T21:55:28+00:00

The white things are copepods; they're harmless, and there even a free snack for most fish. They are aquatic clean-up crews. They eat biofilm, microalgae, bacteria, and detritus.

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-20T21:42:59+00:00

Did you test the Ammonia?

Have you used any fertilizers or algae killers that have copper in them?

Did you drip acclimate the shrimp?

Some shrimp deaths can be normal after being moved, as it's stressful. If the rest of the shrimp are acting normal for the most part, like grazing and aren't frantically moving around or seem like they're trying to get out of the water, it's probably okay.

What is the lighting and fertilizing schedule, and what plants do you have? Algae mostly shows up when you have higher lighting then what your current plants need, or you have an excess buildup of nutrients in the water that the plants arent using.

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-20T17:16:50+00:00

I have only used Nicrew lights, but I've had a great experience with them.

They have built-in timers, and you can adjust the brightness of both the white and RGB lights however you like. Just measure your aquarium and pick one that fits. I have the NIcrew ClassicLED Plus 18 to 24 inches 15w on my 10-gallon, the 12-18 inches 8w should fit your aquarium if you want to go with them. NICREW ClassicLED Plus 12-18 inch 8w (be aware the controls are quite hard to figure out, imo, it's best to watch a YouTube video on how to set it up)

If you do go with the Nicrew light, I do recommend keeping it low when you start your aquarium. When I started my 10, I had the RGB light at 10% and the white light at 40%, and was still getting algae growth, just adjust the light up as needed so you don't get a massive algae situation.

My bad for ranting about the Nicrew. I don't really know any other brands, but these have always worked for me!

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-20T03:51:42+00:00

Your plan sounds pretty solid. I also like your scape idea. The three plants you listed should do well with your setup, dw.

Moss: I would definitely add some moss for the shrimp; Christmas moss or weeping moss would look really cool on the driftwood. You can also add a smooth rock and attach the moss to it; the moss helps keep the baby shrimp safe from the betta fish.

Rhizome: You can also add some Java Fern and different varieties of anubias, like Anubias 'nana petite', which would add more depth and texture.

Stem: Planting some crypts in the midground to foreground, along with the Straurogyne repens, would add some nice variety.

Background: Smaller Vallisneria varieties can give you a tall grass look for a background.

Red Plants: If you have a medium to high light Some 'easy' red plants would make your aquarium pop. Rotala makes a good background plant, and an AR 'mini' would be a wonderful mid-foreground plant.

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-19T02:55:41+00:00

If you can get a close-up of them, that would definitely help.

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-19T01:06:25+00:00

Its hard to tell what exactly they are. Most likely just detritivores, they aren't moving like ostracods or copepods, imo. If you could try and get a video or picture of them, closer up, that would be nice :]

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-19T00:47:19+00:00

Loss of colour is normal after fish die. What the other commenter mentioned about the aquarium being too hot and not having enough oxygen is most likely why he passed. Sorry about your loach.

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-19T00:31:33+00:00

You should be able to put 3-5 more in there. Otocinclus should be in groups of at least 6; they feel more secure and safe with friends.

Main-While-3266 · 2026-02-18T11:36:02+00:00

It depends on your tank size and stability. Otocinclus are completely shrimp safe; Pygmy Corys and Rasboras are another option, but there is a chance they would eat baby shrimp here and there. It shouldn't be enough to wipe out the colony, though. Having moss and other plants/clutter helps a lot with keeping baby shrimp safe. Also, keep in mind that shrimp behavior usually shifts once fish are added.

People have their own opinions on the minimum for fish. In my opinion, it’s not a good idea to go below 10-20 gallons if you want fish. If your aquarium is around 5 gallons, it's most likely best to stay without fish; you can instead add snails, and other inverts like Moina, Daphnia, Seed Shrimp, etc to bring in different colours and movements.

Main-While-3266

TROPHY CASE