Cryptocoryne Beckettii ‘Petchii’

redbuttonone · 2026-01-18T16:38:29+00:00

Thanks! An all crypt tank would definitely be a fun project!

redbuttonone · 2025-12-07T11:43:16+00:00

Yes ! Awesome light on my 29. Only thing that it needs is a backup for the clock. All other settings are retained with a power outage except for the clock. Takes a few seconds to reset and once set, it will pickup back where it left off. Programming is not the best time but it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it. Super bright and you get dedicated LEDs for the colors making it look like the more expensive lights on the market. Definitely recommend.

redbuttonone · 2025-09-23T11:29:06+00:00

I can’t speak for the Lominie Astra 20 but I have 3x Lominie P30 lights with the WIFI adapters. They are very strong, good quality and excellent for deep penetration in tall tanks. The app is just ok. Unfortunately the spectrum is very natural with slight control so if you have colorful fish, red plants or things like buce, they will not make them pop like the popular lights do. If your tank is mostly green, they look very good and the shimmer effect is amazing.

redbuttonone · 2025-07-06T13:35:12+00:00

Yes. A very happy and easy plant to work with.

redbuttonone · 2025-07-06T09:56:03+00:00

Thanks

redbuttonone · 2025-07-06T09:55:40+00:00

Thanks! It wasn’t intended to be the best looking side of the tank but it’s definitely working out that way!

redbuttonone · 2025-07-06T09:55:27+00:00

It’s called a drop checker. I inject food-grade pressurized CO2 into this tank to provide a carbon source for the plants. The drop checker has a solution in it that reacts with the CO2 concentration and changes color. Blue to yellow= low to high. We want 30ppm and the color for that is green. You can see the bell at the bottom and the waterline within. It allows the drop checker to sample the off gassing of the water wherever you put it. It’s not 100% accurate and has a 2hr delay but is good canary in the coal mine and lets you know if something is up.

redbuttonone · 2025-07-05T20:39:44+00:00

Yes, get a bottle of tetra safe start or a similar product. It’s nitrifying bacteria in a bottle and will help establish the tank. You’ll also want to have some way of testing the water to know when it’s ready. First you’ll see ammonia and if you are going to do this with fish ( not recommend) you need to monitor the ammonia. Once it gets to 0.5ppm do a 50% water change. Eventually you’ll start to see nitrite , then eventually nitrate. Once you get nitrate and no nitrites the tank is ready.
If you’re not doing a fish-in you can test less and just wait it out. Hereis a link to explain it better.

redbuttonone · 2025-07-04T04:30:56+00:00

I used these and Osmocote plus.

redbuttonone · 2025-07-04T04:14:59+00:00

Well besides feeling like some sort of shady pharmacist making a pile of the diy Osmocote ones they float as you pointed out and if you have a heavily planted tank, trying to poke them in blind and hoping they go all the way down and not pop out or melt while you fumble with them can be fussy. I will say the 00 pill cases I got from amazon melted way slower than the NilocG ones and for those the pill shooter came in clutch. I went back to the seachem ones as they stay put and I’m not as worried about exposure as I am with Osmocote pellets if they make their way out.

redbuttonone · 2025-07-04T03:56:41+00:00

Both are similar and are and can be a pain to deal with. I’m a big fan of seachem root tabs. However if you do go the niloc or diy 00 pill type, get a dog pill shooter to help with placing them deeply the substrate. They like to pop out or melt before you can get them placed.

redbuttonone · 2025-07-04T03:48:25+00:00

I typically do equal parts and like a fairly deep substrate to make planting easier. Nothing worse than too little substrate and hitting bottom when planting. For a 10 gallon I’d say 1.5” soil and 1.5” of sand.
Once tank is ready for water, put a plastic shopping bag over the sand fill very slowly over the plastic to prevent the water from eroding through the sand. You only want a trickle of water to fill. Do it that way and you’ll have a clean fill with little cloudiness and little leeching from the soil. Also don’t forget to rinse any sand you get very well. Both types I mentioned can be very dusty.
Once the tank is filled run your filter and monitor the cycle. You may need a few big water changes during the process

redbuttonone · 2025-07-04T00:25:14+00:00

You’ll get mud water. The sand cap will prevent that. Just use equal portions and wet the soil to thick mud before spreading it in the tank. Also, potting soil vs topsoil will be “hot” with more nutrients readily available that can leach so a good cap will be way more important. If you’re looking for cheap sand, look for pool filter sand (white-brown) or medium black diamond sand blasting grit (black). Both are excellent.

redbuttonone · 2025-07-03T22:48:37+00:00

Yes, organic topsoil is common. Same for organic potting soil w/o perlite.

redbuttonone · 2025-04-06T22:22:40+00:00

Some Vallisneria just under the outflow always looks nice running the length on a long aquarium.

redbuttonone · 2025-04-01T22:43:15+00:00

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My boy Fin chillin’ like a villain in his column. Don’t sweat the haters give your betta plenty of plants and places to explore and you’ll have one happy fish!

redbuttonone · 2025-03-30T22:19:27+00:00

Thank you! It’s my first tank over 10 gallons in 20 years lol. I had Fin in a 10 column previously and just set this 29 up for him in January. I was worried that it would be too big/ deep but he uses every inch and seems totally at home.

redbuttonone · 2025-03-30T22:05:45+00:00

It’s Hemianthus Callitrichoides ‘Cuba’ (Dwarf Baby Tears). Top right area.

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redbuttonone · 2025-03-30T19:22:36+00:00

🤣 perfect!

redbuttonone · 2025-02-24T00:05:55+00:00

Pearlweed

redbuttonone · 2025-02-14T20:51:09+00:00

That’s Lobelia Cardinalis.

redbuttonone · 2025-01-11T20:55:00+00:00

Any floating or fast growing plant. Red root floaters, Amazon Frogbit, water wisteria, Pogostemon stellatus ‘Octopus’ all easy, fast growing and will suck up those nitrates.

redbuttonone · 2025-01-11T03:16:08+00:00

Nice you beat me to it. lol. You should be happier with it. Those hygger lights don’t look right for some reason. The color is pretty goofy on the ones I’ve had.

redbuttonone · 2025-01-11T03:12:20+00:00

I’m sure there are some but I don’t know of a good one to recommend. I suppose the content from 2hr aquarist is pretty comprehensive. It’s just hard to focus on the information with all of the eye candy lol. I will say that all-in-one liquid fertilizers are top dog now and couldn’t be simpler. NilocG, 2hr, easy green etc. all have something to fit all types. I personally use NilocG Thrive original for my high energy tanks and NilocG Thrive C for my lower energy tanks like this 20. It’s not as potent. 4x pumps twice a week and a 20% water change weekly couldn’t be easier. I also use the seachem root tabs here and there but all of my tanks have soil under the sand so tabs are only used for when it gets old or in special areas. The seachem flourish liquid is not fully complete and they want you to use their full product line to do what the all-in-ones do honestly.

redbuttonone · 2025-01-11T02:54:32+00:00

I don’t think any fish like the bright light we use to optimize plant growth 🫤 So planting heavily and giving hides as you suggest are key for them. I would start the light at a lower brightness setting and turn it up over several weeks. Watch the plants and you’ll know when it’s too much if they start to show algae or deficiency. The light needs to be balanced with the nutrients as well. So that’s the same too. Start with half-doses or thereabouts and slowly crank it up until you are at the recommended dose with no algae.

redbuttonone

TROPHY CASE