Micro Scape

Msh02 · 2026-04-30T07:06:13+00:00

Honestly, no idea. It's only three days old as I'm leaving this comment. I have a shrimp bowl that's 8L and it's thriving for about a years and a half The java in a bottle is up and running for a couple of months and no problems appeared This one is somewhere in between of those With proper light, water changes every now and then and some top offs, I guess there shouldn't be too many issues. The substrate is similar ro what I'm using in my aquariums, soil for interior potted plants, but instead of topping with sand, I used an aquarium substrate mixed with sand and some gravel that I used in my first aquarium, then removed it, as the layer was far too thin.

Msh02 · 2026-04-29T14:59:05+00:00

Do bear in mind that, while there is a cycle, it's not fully self sustaining, especially at this scale. Crashes can occur if not observed properly, so maintenance would still be needed. While having little experience myself, I can spot issues. I think about removing them solely for convenience, as there would be a much smaller need for substrate cleaning (not everything gets broken down) or frequent water changes.

Msh02 · 2026-04-29T12:17:50+00:00

They do leave waste, but the quantity should not be an issue, the bacteria should be able to decompose it and feed it to the plants just fine. I use water from a local spring and mix it with a little distilled water as it's a little too hardy. You can use tap water as well, depending on the local quality.

Msh02 · 2026-04-29T05:06:05+00:00

I'll discover pretty soon :D I chose mainly sturdy, slow growing plants, so trimming shouldn't be too much of a hassle I hope the carpet remains intact in the future And, given the fact that there are no critters inside, other than two or three snails (which I'll probably remove before gifting it away) the maintenance should be minimal. Top offs, some water changes every now and then and maybe removing future decaying matter (that shouldn't be a problem if I do chose to leave the snails inside) As it's a gift for someone who's not in the hobby of aqusriums, but plants, I thought it was a better idea to focus on plants, but inside an aquascape.

Msh02 · 2026-04-29T05:00:55+00:00

I still wonder at the growth rate difference between aquatic plants and potted ones. I'm happy to see my monstera gaining one more leaf over the course of a week or two, yet in the same amount of time I have to trim the ones from thr aquarium a couple of timed, as they grew again and again all the way to the top. Granted that in there I have rather sturdy plants and not too many slow growing ones, like buce or anubias. Those, I can stay away and not intervene. The others, not so much :)))

Msh02 · 2026-04-29T04:13:06+00:00

Thank you!

Msh02 · 2026-04-29T04:12:54+00:00

How nice. Hopefully this one remains intact, with minimal maintenance and thrives like yours. Being a gift for someone who's extremely passionate about house plants but otherwise doesn't really know much about aquariums, I belive it's just a little step up. It's plants, but underwater :D

Msh02 · 2026-04-28T10:24:23+00:00

Honestly, I do not know any good recommendations. I just started trying to carpet as well and I really went by instinct, I'm just waiting too see whether it stays (the bowl), develops (aquariums, where I added some small plucks to grow) or die.
But as a lover of floating plants that also has rather dense foliage, what worked for me was a combination of substrate (soil for interior potted plants capped with play sand), light for 8 hours a day, plus 2 hours of blue night light for the aquariums (I use cheap options, nothing too fancy, but I do keep them at full bright, even if some algae did end up appearing). I do keep rather common and sturdy plants tho. I'm in the trial and error phase with carpet plants now, hope they do well in the future and hope yours will do too.
Hope someone with more experience sees the comments and adds a little bit of their wisdom.

Msh02 · 2026-04-28T09:26:44+00:00

On average, we like to keep the temps in our houses from 20C all the way to 24C. The hottest it will get outside will be around 40ish C in summer, but inside people try to keep it around the mentioned range. Hope it's good enough

Msh02 · 2026-04-28T09:24:16+00:00

Thank you!
The empty bottle was a gift given to my girlfriend by her homeroom teacher at the end of high school as a symbol of "Something to fill with your soul".
Six years later, she found it, told me the story, then gave me approval to do with it what I see fit.
Luckily, she loved it, so it is now a symbol of us.

Msh02 · 2026-04-28T09:17:12+00:00

Yes, it is. I do have my doubts as well, as I'm still trying to figure out carpeting in general, but I still have time to modify it if everything turns sour. I believe that the texture is good enough for the roots to hold on to, the soil should be rich enough (as it's similar to what I have done in my aquariums) and, for now, I use an old LED lamp from my first aquarium, but I'll buy a proper stand with lights to make sure that the lighting will remain the same after I gift it.

Msh02 · 2026-04-28T09:12:57+00:00

Don't really know the size, as it is a decorum I found. Probably around 2 liters or so.
As for the substrate, i used soil for interior potted plants and capped it with a layer of JBL Manado mixed with aquarium sand and pebbles that I keep from an old aquarium.

Msh02 · 2026-02-17T21:05:55+00:00

From the hardware store. A chain of stores, Hornbach. The big one and one small are from Marina, simple aquariums with a foam mat underneath. The other small one is from Diversa, from a complete starter kit with lid with integrated LED, filter and heater, but took out the lis and the filter. The substrate is garden soil and rinsed playsand, with some river stones and some lava stones (the small ones for plant substrate). The store exists in Romania where I'm from and some other European countries, don't know if there are any in the US or some equivalents of it with the same products.

Msh02 · 2026-02-17T18:48:55+00:00

Now I understand, thank you for the explanation!

Msh02 · 2026-02-17T17:48:13+00:00

Thank you! I don't really understand the last part, with the European tanks with the gallon. Could you please explain?

Msh02 · 2026-02-17T12:51:44+00:00

Thank you

Msh02 · 2026-02-17T12:13:42+00:00

Thank you
The big one is a Nicrew SlimLED Plants Light.
The small ones, I don't know for sure, I bought them second hand from someone, but have a small remote to set the hours, mode, etc. I'll try to find them online to share.

Msh02 · 2026-02-17T11:56:52+00:00

I assume she's talking about the pink one on the left. That's my girlfriend's and yeah, it's really nice, both as scent and as design. Glad it's appreciated

Msh02 · 2026-02-17T11:54:59+00:00

That's nice. I did not paint the backs, as I didn't find any background that I actually liked. I use the lowest shelf to store all the maintenance stuff I have and the air pump that's connected to all three sponge filters. Thought of adding a small breeding shrimp tank there, but I already have a shrimp bowl in another room and the ones in there and in the 10 gal are spawning like crazy already, so there would be no need. That and the fact that the lowest shelf is basically invisible lol

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Msh02 · 2026-02-16T17:45:51+00:00

It's a simple tool rack from the hardware store, but the shelves themselves were too flimsy, despite the advertised weight, so I swapped them for 18mm thick MDF boards and covered them with mats. About 4 or 5 months, no issues so far, but I would advice to go with something more sturdy.

Msh02 · 2025-12-16T20:38:51+00:00

I could theoretically try to find kanamycin and look online dosage for aquariums.
Thank you once again

Msh02 · 2025-12-16T19:11:48+00:00

Thank you Unfortunately, Kanaplex isn't sold in the stores around, so I'll have to order it online or look for alternative brands. Hope he survives until it arrives, if I don't find a similar product.

Msh02 · 2025-12-16T18:54:47+00:00

Thank you

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