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Hello everyone!


I’m starting this journal to document my ADA 90P aquascape and get feedback from the community as it evolves.

This will be a moderately planted, CO2-injected setup with a focus on a natural, balanced look.

I’ve kept planted tanks before, but this build is meant to be my most refined project yet — a clean, rimless layout inspired by ADA-style aquascapes.

I am using the following apps to help me:
— ChatGPT to help with prep work and to draft this journal.
— Amazing Marvin to organize my thoughts during this process.
— Copilot, an iOS-only app, to track my spending. I figure the calculations may help someone else planning to get into the hobby. (Spent $2,500 on the previous tanks.)

I am in the early stages of planning and do not have all my equipment yet.

I will either add updates to this post or pin another one lower down as I go forward with the scape.

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About Myself​

I work in the healthcare field and have a weird schedule with long stretches of time off, so I can devote time to this hobby.

I have two elementary-age kids who have not yet begun showing interest in my hobby, lol.

I have a bad back, so I’m constantly looking for hacks that prevent me from hurting it more.

I had a fish tank growing up stocked with a few guppies and swordtails, which was eventually converted to a turtle tank due to poor maintenance.

My interest in aquascaping started in late 2023 after viewing a bunch of Instagram reels. The hobby helped a lot with my mental health.

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My First Tank​

My first tank was a Waterbox AIO 20, which I bought off Facebook Marketplace.



I learned the basics of lighting, CO2 injection, fertilization techniques, etc. from this tank.

Lessons learned from the experience:

• A 20-gallon was too low of a volume.
• An AIO tank does not really fit the aesthetic of an aquascape like a clear one does.
• Some Amazon swords are too big for nano tanks.
• The tank had a snail problem and inspired me to create a pea puffer species tank.

I decided to go the Walstad route for this next tank. I went down the Father Fish rabbit hole and ended up ordering his substrate mix. I used ADA La Plata sand as a sand cap, and I guess, due to its finer texture, it induced anaerobic conditions.


It is no longer self-sustaining, so I am dosing with ferts intermittently. I’m also using it as a grow-out tank for future plant retrievals.

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Inspiration​

I’m aiming for a balanced nature-style aquascape with a triangle layout — strong hardscape slopes on one side with either an HC Cuba carpet or La Plata sand on the other.


This aquarium by Dave Pierce, owner of Aquarium Gardens in the UK, is my inspiration:



This cinematic is awesome

A detailed descriptive video by George Farmer.

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Residence Layout​

Space is somewhat limited in my house, so the aquarium will be placed in a specific spot beside the fireplace.
Most of the faucets in the house aren’t compatible with standard attachments like those used with the Python water change system.
There is a garden hose outlet a few feet outside which may be compatible and I should look into.
On the bright side, the patio is right next to the tank location, which will make draining water during maintenance much easier.
There is one power outlet at the site, although it’s not GFCI-protected.

I eventually plan to set up a larger tank, possibly a 120P or Waterbox 4820 in the basement. My main concern at this time is protect it from my young kids’ boundless energy. I might install a protective screen or barrier around it to guard against stray soccer ball kicks!

Equipment​

I would be grateful for any feedback or suggestions regarding the equipment list below.
I wonder if I should make a separate thread requesting advice about this stuff. I will see the level of engagement on this thread and then decide.

I have some stuff from the previous iterations but planning on buying a lot of new equipment. Have been sourcing used equipment from Facebook Marketplace. Luckily, I am a couple of hours away from Chicago, so that increases my options.

Tank:
Will be ordering an ADA 90P when it becomes available. I am also waiting for the Waterbox Blue Friday sale to see if the 3620 is discounted. There is a 2 inch overhang with the 3620 on the stand that I have ordered. I was thinking of addressing this with a piece of marine plywood placed over the stand but now second guessing.

Stand:
I have the Archaea Modern Cabinet in Driftwood on the way.
I was looking at ideas regarding undertank organization and could greatly use some advice.

I saw this image on Instagram and was instantly hooked:



This is an old image and the account is not very active.
I wonder if anyone has any idea about what waterproof felt pads are used under the filters and on the door.

This is what I am thinking:

I have a Jebao auto doser with dosing containers that will go on one side inside the cabinet.
Will mount an ATO device to the same side
I plan to attach two power strips to the back, one for the stuff that I can turn off during water change and the other for the rest.
Motion activated rechargeable light pucks go overhead.
One door will have a magnet to hold aquascaping tools on one side.
The other door will hold racks for fish food and chemicals/fertilizers.
Filter, CO2 and RO reservoir on the floor.


Lighting:
I got a good deal off Facebook Marketplace for a WeekAqua L 900 so will be going that route.

Initially, was planning to use an old Chihiros WRGB Pro 45 that i have but fell short lengthwise. Was planning to rim mount but did not like the aesthetic of the black Chihiros one.
I really love the ADA Solar RGB mount but 350$ is too much. I looked into DIY stands and currently researching 8020 T slot builds but it looks like too much work.
For now will use the rim mount that came with the Week Aqua.
If you have any ideas, let me know.

Hardscape:
I had a terrible time with driftwood on my first aquascape. I introduced it later after planting was done. I tried gluing it down on to a piece of slate that I got from Floor & Decor but it would neither stick nor stay down.
This time, I will be gluing Driftwood to black egg crate and place it in the tank before I layer the substrate. I won't glue down the rocks so that I can move them around.

I bought a large piece of Driftwood from Belinda's Driftwood which I will start soaking soon. It is Osage Orange apparently.
Will start foraging for smaller pieces soon. Planning to go to SR Aquaristik and other stores in Chicago.

Also looking for Frodo Stones and Black Lava Rock or Black Basalt.
If you know any deals, let me know!

Filter:
Oase Biomaster Thermo 600. Looking into filter media setup.
Debating between steel vs glass lily pipes. Outflow will have a skimmer.

CO₂:
I have a 5lb CO2 tank with GLA Pro Double Stage regulator, glad I went with this for the previous build.
Planning to get the ARC CO2 Reactor. This needs more research.

Heater:
Integrated in the Biomaster Thermo. I have another smaller Oase heater for redundancy.

Substrate:
ADA Amazonia II with Power Sand Advanced (layered). I will also get the powdered version if I plan to go the HC cuba route.
Base will be washed lava rock in mesh bags at the left hand corner to add height. This will be layered on top of black egg crate.

Fertilization:
Bought a gallon of GLA Nectar AIO after reading up quite a bit on this. I do not have the time to mix my own dry salts.
Will be doing EI dosing.
Using Jebao 2.4 WiFi 4 channel doser for auto dosing. Got it off FB marketplace for cheap.

Maintenance:
Water changes
I think part of the problem for my loss of interest in the previous tank was water changes. I hated carrying the heavy 5 gallon buckets and the mess that I made with them.
Recently, I saw people using eheim canister filter water intakes with strainer to do water changes. Seems like the perfect solution, hose won't fall off the tank and the strainer will filter out shrimp. Refilling should not cause hardscape disruption either with the strainer diffusing water flow. I will use a Python hook to hang the outflow to the bathroom sink or toilet.

ATO:
XP Aqua with an Ikea tote as reservoir.

RO water:
I had an Aquatic Life RO system jerry-rigged to a plank of wood to make it portable:



I will be look into installing a permanent one in the basement.

Tools:
Aquascaping tools from Hygger bought off Amazon.
Python water change system.
I have a power head for water changes.
Will probably get an additional Sicce Syncra 2.0 if I can find a good deal.

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Flora & Fauna​

Plants:
This is the plant list that I came up with:

Foreground: HC cuba

Midground: Staurogyne repens, Cryptocoryne parva and Alternanthera reineckii
Background: Crinum calimistratum, Cryptocoryene spirali, Rotala rotundifolia, Cabomba caroliniana and Hygrophila pinnatifida
Epiphytes: Anubias nana petite, Bucephalandra kedagang, Microsporum pteropus trident
Planned Livestock:

• Small schooling fish (e.g., chili rasboras, and Pearl danios
• Amano shrimp × 10–15
• Nerite snails × 3–4
• Cherry shrimp
• Maybe some Blue dwarf Gouramis.

(Will finalize stocking once tank stabilizes)
Holy wall of text! Thank you for reading till the end! Will keep updating as I go along.

Edited for better formatting. Added ATO

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Welcome to ScapeCrunch, @Wabisabi!
We would love to get to know you. Please tell us about yourself. What tank do you have?

I was going to use DOH! instead of STOP! in the title, because I can't believe this didn't occur to me earlier.

Three of my 5 active aquariums have black backgrounds. I like the way the black makes colors pop. For my first scape, I went back and forth on leaving it clear, going with frosted, or black. I read lots of pros and cons for the various options and decided to go with clear initially. That only lasted about a week when I decided to switch to black (painted). At the time I hadn't really put much thought into measuring PAR in my tank. Photone was not yet a thing for Android, and even if it were, it would have been very difficult to take readings in that tank. Then my farm tank came along, also with a painted black background. My PAR readings in that tank showed considerable variation with a 90cm Week Aqua M series light. I blamed the light. I then changed to an L series. Same issues, so I blamed Week Aqua again as a design issue or poor manufacturing consistency.

And here we are today and I've measured PAR in my new garden tank which has a Week Aqua 120cm L series. Nice consistent PAR across the front glass, 110 to 115 PAR at the substrate. Measuring the length of the tank down the center where I would expect a little higher, the numbers fall off a bit. But measuring along the back wall (also painted black) the numbers drop way off to 79 to 83. I tried removing the light shades, no difference. That's when it hit me (or should I say the light bulb came on). Could the black background be effecting light levels? Well, duh! The black back glass is absorbing light rather than reflecting it like the clear front. A quick google search confirmed. In fact, BRS has and old video discussing it and providing actual data of the effect. Why didn't I ever see this brought up in all the discussions about choosing tank backgrounds? Interestingly, even white/frosted backgrounds result in slightly lower numbers than clear per BRS testing. Something to think about for the next builds. My apologies to Week Aqua for blaming them when it was actually a physics problem.

Hello Everyone. After a short 2 month wait, I finally received my 6', 235g Planet Aquariums tank. I've decided to document the build here as a way to document it's growth as well as, and maybe more importantly, seek advice as I've already stumbled onto a few 'problems'. So, without further ado, here is what I have so far:

Tank - 235g Planet Aquariums Mega Matrix (72" x 30" x 25")
Sump - 60g Breeder
Lighting - Skylight Hyperspot M (x2)
Mechanical Filtration - RedSea ReefMat 1200
Additional Filtration - Poret Foam (yet to purchase)
Return Pump(s) - Jebao DCP-10000
CO2 Reactor - Yugang from ARC
Dosing - Chihiros 4-Head with Magnetic Stirrer
Heater - 500W Titanium
Controller - Neptune Apex with pH and temp probes
Auto Feeder - Avast Plank
ATO - XP Aqua Duetto using a 35g Brute container filled with RODI water as source water.
Hardscape: UNS Controlsoil - Brown
Pacific Driftwood
Black Sieryu Stone

As a general thought at this point, the Apex will have some basic functions - control the temperature (77-78F), monitor the solenoid on the CO2 regulator should pH venture outside of acceptable ranges, and control the auto feeder. A 'feed mode' will be activated which will turn off the return pump prior to the auto feeder running so that the food is allowed to be eaten rather than washed into the overflow and into the sump filter. Aside from that, not much more is necessary other than simple on/off control for the return pump as the lights are on their own controller.

Controller and board:



ReefMat in sump:



Full shot of rear:


Current Scape - Half Complete:


That's about all I've gotten done so far. Still working on fiddling with the hardscape on the right and then start on the left side. I'm open to any suggestions thus far and thanks for following along!

The existing connectors are seriously long, like 5-6" of added length, and at an angle that is either good or horrible for your setup.


If you want to just convert the reactor's connectors to standard 5/8" (aka 16/22mm aquarium tubing), all you need are these:



3/4" PVC Union Fittings, with a 3/4" female NPT thread.


Much better, WAY smaller! Easier to fit in my cabinet.

My regulator is leaking, as shown in the picture. Can I fix it, and if so, how?
Thanks!

Welcome to ScapeCrunch, @Stendkerfan!
We would love to get to know you. Please tell us about yourself. What tank do you have?

There are several threads discussing the new Aquael Hypermax 4500BT. I'm sure many would like some reports on it's performance over time. We have a thread discussing nano canister filters. We're all waiting for one of @Naturescapes_Rocco in depth write-ups discussing his filtration set-up. @Pepere and @*Ci* have unique set-ups as well, @Kwyet has used a matten filter, and we have several other members running sumps. That doesn't even include all those running sponge and HOB filters.

The idea is that we can consolidate a lot of filter information in one place making it easier to find rather than searching through so many threads. Maybe this won't work but I thought it was worth giving it a try. Perhaps it may be better listed as an article at some point.

I'm going to get things started by discussing factors I feel are most important to me when choosing a filter.

1) Filtration Performance: This goes without saying. The filter’s primary job is to keep our water clean and free of anything that harms the inhabitants. Of course, there are multiple factors that play into this. Some say flow is most critical, while others claim media volume is most important. Are there other factors? I still have limited experience, but my view, having done considerable reading, is that flow tends to be a bit overblown. You’ll see recommendations of anywhere from 4 to 10 times turnover rate with most leaning toward the higher end of that. I don’t think turnover rate is really the detail to be concerned about, at least with heavily planted tanks like are the norm here. I think the focus should be simply on ensuring flow achieves the goal of effectively moving water through the system to remove toxins/waste, delivering nutrients, and aiding gas (oxygen/CO2) transfer. If a turnover rate of 3 or 4 does that without dead spots in the tank, you should be good. After all, most of us here are plant focused and therefore, the fish we generally have are smaller community species that typically don’t care for high flow (there are, of course, exceptions).

I think there’s a simpler answer regarding media volume; more is better. Obviously, there must be a balance between internal volume and overall size of the filter. Real estate in and around our aquarium stands is precious. Filters like the Fluval FX6 and the newest Aquael Hypermax are huge. If you’re going for one of those, you’re likely putting it on a large tank with plenty of space underneath but again, it’s a matter of finding the right balance that provides the performance you need in a manageable size.

2) Reliability/Durability: This is where solid reviews come in handy and why getting feedback from users here is invaluable. Filtration performance becomes moot if the filter isn’t running, or worse yet, just flooded your house. Being able to easily source spare parts is also valuable, which is why sticking to the top well-known brands is often a safe route. It’s also why many aquarists place canister filters in protective containers, something else to consider when taking into account, size of filter. (this is something I should really do as I’ve had to clean up a few significant spills after filter maintenance and not getting the top secured in place properly )

3) Tie – Maintenance/Noise Level: These two factors are equally important to me. If the filter is a pain to maintain, I’m going to put it off, and that’s bad. It affects the performance. But equally important to me is how noisy it is. I tend to be sensitive to annoying little sounds regardless of where I am; at home, in the car, at work, you name it. If the aquarium is in a part of the house I spend a lot of time in, well then, it’s even more important.
I don’t know if Oase was first to do it, but the idea of the prefilter was, I think, a game changer for many. I imagine it was derived from people installing foam filters on the intake pipes. Having an easily removable section with foam filters that catch a lot of large particles before entering the primary filter chamber is a great idea, resulting in expanded intervals between main filter head removals for cleaning.
Another aspect of maintenance is ease of priming. This could also be an aspect of performance but I don’t think it is quite as important. I’m not sure there is a canister filter that is truly or consistently easy to prime. Some may start out that way, but over time, become less and less so. This is an area I’d really like to see product designers put more serious thought. My experience so far is with Oase and the Fluval 07 series. Hated the Fuval priming and I’m just so-so with the Oase. Let me know your experience with priming other brands.

As for noise, I don’t mind the slight hum of an impeller as long as it’s steady and consistent, much the same way some people, including myself when I was younger, like the smooth steady sound of a fan at night to help them sleep. It’s when the sound becomes inconsistent, I’m bothered. I also don’t care for the sound of splashing/trickling water while I’m focused on other things. Only when I’m camping near the banks of a creek or other body of water is this OK . This is one of the main reasons I’m not a fan of HOB filters. I’m also tweaking my CO2 reactor designs to minimize the bubble sounds of CO2 entering the reactor.

4) Cost: Let’s be clear, the cost doesn’t stop when you pay the retail price for the filter. There’s the cost of media and spare parts plus the cost of electricity. What’s the rated wattage of the filter. I see the Aquael filters claim to consume lower power and are therefore cheaper to run. What about special filter cartridges or foam. Is it easy to cut foam filters from inexpensive bulk material? How often are gasket replacements necessary, or are there common issues with parts failing over time. Of two Fluval 07 filters I’ve used, both needed replacement impeller shafts. Oase Biomaster filters seem to have an issue with the input/output head often needing replaced.
I admit cost isn’t a critical factor for me, but I know it is for many others, so this is another instance where finding the right balance is key, in this case, the balance between price and performance.

Share your thoughts. Do these factors seem to align with yours or do you think I’m way off base. Tell us what types and brands of filters you prefer and why.

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Welcome to ScapeCrunch, @david_76!
We would love to get to know you. Please tell us about yourself. What tank do you have?

Is anyone familiar with this sword and does it actually stay compact? I’m considering it in my scape as a long as it truly acts as a foreground/mid ground plant.