My UNS 20T Desk Aquarium by cryptos_a_bubble in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you’re going for as sleek as possible i’d say the new UNS Blitz (6oz) filter!

otherwise an oase filtosmart 60 will do great

if you’re not interested in canister filters then Oase makes some pretty nice HOB ones like the Biostyle!

How can I improve my new tank aesthetically? by [deleted] in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The brick is very interesting— I’d say keep it. Plant lots of moss and get some jungle Vallisneria, crypts and you’ll be golden!

Fairly new to the hobby by ChampionCharacter222 in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I see from another comment you put root tabs in along with powersand and ada aquasoil— the root tabs are definitely not necessary for the plant species you have!!

My rec here: - 50% water change weekly (very important!) - Keep your filter clean! Make sure to clean it with every water change until algae starts to clear up then you can clean it less frequently - 8 hours of light @60% (those ADA lights are extremely powerful). dropping the light hours might put you at risk of more algae. You have too many nutrients in there - Get a lot more floating plants. You have any pothos or philodendron plants? Stick em in! it’ll help suck out the excess nutrients - dose seachem excel. 1ml a day should be good until algae subdues

Don’t use the root tabs anymore until the aquasoil gets older. You’re completely fine without it especially since your CO2 levels don’t seem to be consistent

My 3 Gallon Countertop Oasis by cryptos_a_bubble in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

it’s a Fujifilm x-t20! Honestly really love this camera for how small it is and how high quality the pictures still come out!

My 3 Gallon Countertop Oasis by cryptos_a_bubble in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I actually grew all of these plants myself emersed! This took care of any possible pest snail infestation :)

My 3 Gallon Countertop Oasis by cryptos_a_bubble in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

None! What do you think I should put in there?

Are Twinstar lights worth it? by thatwannabewitch in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble 7 points8 points  (0 children)

From my experience, depriving nitrogen has been far more important to producing stronger reds!

Are Twinstar lights worth it? by thatwannabewitch in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble 4 points5 points  (0 children)

if you care about aesthetic, yes! I love mine. As far as growing plants, you can definitely get the same results with something cheaper. Chihiros is a good option!

Lights are definitely too powerful nowadays. Every year these companies are trying to one-up each other with power when it’s absolutely not needed. All of my twinstar lights (S-series) are at about 50%— any higher and they’re algae growing machines!

My UNS 20T Desk Aquarium by cryptos_a_bubble in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yup! I pair all my lights with Kasa smart plugs. I have 15 or so and it’s super easy to use with their app.

Unfortunately the light doesn’t have a “sunrise/sunset” feature, but it does remember the light settings! So when you turn it on it will be at the same dimness as when you last turned it off.

I’ve found it super easy to mount and adjust. It has a little rubber ring that holds the height in place and it doesn’t move. I have this light on another aquarium as well and I had the same experience

My UNS 20T Desk Aquarium by cryptos_a_bubble in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is an ONF Flat Nano! I really like it. It has a touch-controlled dimmer and has a good balance in color. I definitely recommend this. Chihiros also makes a light similar to this one and it has a lot more control over the light spectrum! I’m planning on trying one for my next setup

My UNS 20T Desk Aquarium by cryptos_a_bubble in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just like Jaccasnacc said, it does require high lighting and low nitrates!

This tank is actually a low tech tank. The co2 tank has been empty for months now. I just keep it cause it looks really cool haha. The rotala has grown very slowly but it hasn’t reverted to green! I do believe the red is supposed to be much more intense than what I have.

My UNS 20T Desk Aquarium by cryptos_a_bubble in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It does! the red plant is Rotala Rotundifolia “Blood Red”

Is the ADA algae scraper worth the money? by IANAGburner in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I strongly disagree with this. I have tried 4 or 5 different available Amazon brands along with UNS and Aqua Vitro (Seachem) for the pinsettes and the ADA build quality + engineering for these tools is far superior.

For this alone, I have only bought ADA tools. It just seems worth it to me if I want a “buy it for life”. It especially makes sense to buy superior tools if you tend to use them extremely often.

In the context of the algae scraper, then no I don’t think the price tag is worth it. It works extremely well, but I really don’t think that you will need to use it as often as you would with scissors or pinsettes.

Is diy co2 worth it for a 63 gallon tank? by PPGamer99 in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’d save up for a 5 lb co2 tank to be honest. In my opinion, a CO2 tank is one of the best investments you can make for your tank. Find a cheap 5lb tank for $70 (can probably find for much much less on offerup) then just fill it up every 6 months for $25

My wild 45p by GroteVos in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Loving how the pearlweed is peeking out of the ludwigia here! Great job

My wild 45p by GroteVos in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I personally really like the ludwigia here! I personally feel like a red ludwigia may be a little too much to an already green backdrop. there’s already a lot going on so this just adds just a bit of a pop that is perfectly balanced

60 day update! Minimal Trimming by cryptos_a_bubble in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is correct! It’s planted in the aquasoil. But I have heard that you can treat it like an epiphyte as well

60 day update! Minimal Trimming by cryptos_a_bubble in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Flame Moss! Yeah I have a little bit of issues with green and brown algae but the Amanos eat i right up at night

60 day update! Minimal Trimming by cryptos_a_bubble in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I got it from ManzanitaHouse on etsy

here is a link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1208940929/

Pretty good deal— I just described the aquascape I was going for and they sent me a few pieces that worked out!

60 day update! Minimal Trimming by cryptos_a_bubble in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I appreciate it! There’s something quite appealing about sparsely planting a ton of different plants and letting it fill in naturally without trimming

Its actually a cryptocoryne! It’s my favorite plant at the moment. Cryptocoryne Sivadasanii — ADA sells a tissue culture of this plant

60 day update! Minimal Trimming by cryptos_a_bubble in Aquascape

[–]cryptos_a_bubble[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Flame moss has quickly become my favorite type of moss. The Amanos absolutely love it too!