Glass Box Diaries

125-Day Planted Aquarium Update (Inert Sand, No CO₂, No Root Tabs)

This is my 70-litre (18 US gallon) planted aquarium, now 125 days old and home to two honey gouramis, nine lambchop rasboras, and a colony of mixed-line Neocaridina shrimp.

The tank uses inert sand with no root tabs, a Seachem Tidal 35 filter, and a Chihiros B Series light. I moved the honey gouramis over a couple of weeks ago, and they've settled in perfectly. One has claimed the back left corner, the other the back right, and one has already started building a bubble nest.

The lambchop rasboras are doing well too, and I'm thinking about increasing the group soon. I was originally considering adding Panda Corydoras, but I'm now leaning more towards moving my ember tetras and pygmy corydoras over from another aquarium instead.

The "Skittles" Neocaridina colony originally included red, orange, yellow, and blue lines. Apart from the reds, most have gradually lost their colour over time, although they still produce some really interesting wild-type shrimp.

Overall, I'm really happy with how the plants are progressing. I recently added an Echinodorus 'Aflame', which is supposed to be an easy red sword plant, so it'll be interesting to see how it performs over the coming months.

The standout plant has to be the Aponogeton ulvaceus. Most nurseries recommend growing it in a nutrient-rich substrate, yet it's thriving in plain inert sand and has already produced both runners and a flower.

Several other plants that are usually considered heavy root feeders are doing well too, including all of the Cryptocoryne species and most of the Echinodorus swords, although my Echinodorus 'Tricolour' is still taking its time.

The houseplants are starting to fill in nicely as well, with spider plants, Epipremnum, and Philodendron all taking advantage of the warmer summer weather.

The only real challenge at the moment is algae.

I'm fairly sure it's being fuelled by excess organics released as the Centurion wood decomposes, but thankfully it's gradually becoming less of an issue as the tank continues to mature.

PLANT LIST

Rotala Blood Red SG
Hygrophila Polysperma
Hygrophila Compact
Lindernia Rotundifolia
Pogostemon Helferi
Echinodorus Reni
Echinodorus Regine Hilderbrandt
Echinodorus Aflame
Echinodorus Tricolor
Cryptocoryne Undulata 'Broad Leaf'
Cryptocoryne Beckettii Petchii Pink
Cryptocoryne Lutea Hobbit
Aponogeton Ulvaceus
Nymphaea Aquatica
Anubias Nana Kirin
Anubias Stardust
Salvinia Cucullata

#aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #tropicalfish #lowtechtank

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1 week ago | [YT] | 471

Glass Box Diaries

My Aquarium Is 840 Days Old… Here's How It's Doing...

Over the last month it's had a couple of major upgrades, with the biggest being a new Seachem Tidal 55 filter and a Seaoura SR659 light.

So far, both have been performing really well, and I'm happy with the improvements they've made.

I also recently mentioned that my Siamese algae eater had started eating some of my plants, but thankfully that seems to have stopped. It may have been stress caused by last week's heatwave.

It also looks like one of my zebra danios is carrying eggs.

There are plenty of fish in the tank that would happily eat any fry, but there are also lots of dense plants for them to hide in, so it'll be interesting to see if any manage to survive.

Other than that, all of the fish are doing well, and the shrimp population continues to thrive.

I'll be taking down one of my shrimp tanks soon to make room for another aquarium, and when I do, all of the cherry shrimp will be moved into this tank to give the Neocaridina colony an even bigger boost.

The plants are all growing well too.

I thought I'd removed every Nymphaea lotus 'Green' bulb over a year ago, but at least one must have survived because it's started sending lily pads up to the surface again.

The houseplants with their roots growing in the aquarium are doing really well as well.

I recently upgraded the pothos and spider plant to a new grow light, and both have already started putting out plenty of fresh growth.

The pothos has even sent out a long runner, which I'm training along the light to create a natural green backdrop behind the aquarium.

Overall, I'm really happy with how this tank is developing, and apart from that brief issue with the Siamese algae eater, everything seems to be heading in the right direction.

PLANT LIST
Echinodorus Bleheri
Echinodorus Cordifolius 'Fluitans'
Echinodorus Aquartica
Echinodorus Ozelot Red Flamed
Echinodorus Red Diamond
Echinodorus Tropica
Anubias Barteri Var. Barteri
Anubias Glabra
Anubias Coin Leaf
Anubias Nana
Cryptocoryne Hudoroi
Java Fern
Lagenandra Meeboldii Red
Nymphaea Lotus Green

#aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #tropicalfish #plantedtank #plantedaquarium

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1 week ago | [YT] | 563

Glass Box Diaries

This is my 6.5-litre (1.7 US gallon) filterless, heaterless Walstad Method shrimp jar, which is 411 days old today.

How To Set Up Your Own Filterless Shrimp Jar - glassboxdiaries.com/pearlweed-walstad-shrimp-jar/
My Pearlweed Care Guide - glassboxdiaries.com/plant/micranthemum-glomeratum-…


The setup is incredibly simple, using a thin layer of topsoil capped with sand and a Hygger clip-on light as its only piece of equipment.

Despite that simplicity, it has remained stable and thriving for well over a year.

Pearlweed is the only plant in the jar, and it does an amazing job of maintaining safe, stable water parameters throughout the year without the need for a heater.

It's a fantastic plant for this style of aquarium and has played a huge role in the jar's success.

The jar is home to a small colony of Neocaridina cherry shrimp, which spend most of their time grazing on algae and biofilm.

To add a little variety to their diet I feed Fluval Bug Bites (Light Green Label) twice a week.

Overall, this has been one of the easiest setups I've ever maintained.

The shrimp are thriving, maintenance is minimal, and much of the credit goes to the Pearlweed, which has proven to be the perfect plant for a simple, low-tech setup like this.

#aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #shrimpkeeping #cherryshrimp #neocaridina #shrimptank #shrimpjar #walstad #walstadmethod

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1 month ago | [YT] | 453

Glass Box Diaries

A Quick Update On My Planted Community Tank!

This is my 160-litre (40 US gallon) planted community tank, and today it’s officially 805 days old.

My Setup And 2 Years Later Video For The Tank - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OyIQ...

The tank runs on Fluval Stratum aquasoil with an AllPondSolutions HOB500 filter, alongside a Hygger 957 and Nicrew C10 light.

Overall, everything in the tank is doing really well. The fish are thriving, the shrimp and snails are breeding heavily, and the warmer ambient temperatures pushing the water above the heater settings seem to have sent shrimp breeding into overdrive.

One of the zebra danios was a bit of a troublemaker when it was first introduced, but thankfully it has settled down over time.

Most of the plants are growing really well too.

The Echinodorus tropica has started struggling because it’s being overshadowed by my Anubias island, which has reduced the light reaching it, and my Siamese algae eater has started nibbling at the weaker leaves.

The Echinodorus Red Diamond is dealing with similar issues under the shade of the Anubias and Java fern.

The houseplants growing with their roots in the water are also thriving, and the warmer weather has really boosted the growth of the Pothos and Monstera.

I’ve also got a propagation station beside the tank that I’m planning to fill with different plants to create a more natural background around the aquarium.

The Nicrew light has been having a few issues recently, so I may replace the current setup with the Chihiros B Series light I originally bought for another tank.

Overall though, I’m really happy with how this aquarium is evolving.

#aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #plantedtank #plantedaquarium #tropicalfish

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1 month ago | [YT] | 506

Glass Box Diaries

Quick update on my 45L (12 US gallon) tank — now 246 days old 🌿

This setup is currently home to my regular White Cloud Mountain Minnows, two Honey Gourami, and a colony of Amano shrimp.

I still haven’t made a build video for this tank yet, but if everything goes to plan, that should finally be coming next month.

For months, this tank served as my quarantine setup, but I recently decided it was time to turn it into a permanent display and stocked it with regular White Clouds. One thing I love is that it sits right next to my golden White Cloud tank, so I get to enjoy both varieties side by side.

I also added two Honey Gourami, although I’m thinking they may end up moving into my 70L (18 US gallon) tank soon. Finding Apistogramma for that setup has been harder than expected, so there’s a chance the Honey Gourami become the centrepiece fish there instead.

The only shrimp in this tank right now are Amano shrimp, and they’ve done an amazing job keeping algae under control. That said, I’m a huge fan of Neocaridina shrimp and I’m tempted to add a colony here soon — I just can’t decide which colour.

For anyone curious about the scape: the rocks are Black Sky Rock.

PLANT LIST
🌿 Staurogyne Repens
🌿 Pogostemon Helferi
🌿 Blyxa Japonica
🌿 Cryptocoryne Parva
🌿 Lobelia Cardinalis Mini
🌿 Bacopa 'Compact'
🌿 Eleocharis Pusilla

Plant-wise, Pogostemon helferi is the newest addition, while Cryptocoryne parva and Lobelia cardinalis ‘Mini’ have recently made a return after I’d struggled to grow them successfully in this setup before.

I’m also fairly sure the White Clouds are breeding and scattering eggs into the Blyxa japonica at the back of the tank, so there’s a good chance I’ll start spotting some fry soon. There are plenty of hiding places back there, which should give them a decent chance of making it.

#aquarium #fishkeeping #fishtank #plantedtank #plantedaquarium #nanotank

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1 month ago | [YT] | 686

Glass Box Diaries

A Quick Update On My Filterless, Heaterless, Walstad Method Pearlweed Jungle Tank (No CO2)

This is my 25-litre (6.6 US gallon) filterless, heaterless Walstad Method pearlweed jungle tank, and today it’s 739 days old 🌿

How I set this tank up - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8_Bi...
Pearlweed plant care guide - glassboxdiaries.com/plant/micranthemum-glomeratum-…

The tank runs on a topsoil substrate capped with fine gravel and is currently lit by an affordable entry-level Seaoura SR616, running at full intensity for 12 hours a day.

It’s home to my Bloody Mary neocaridina shrimp colony, and they’ve definitely been making the most of the warmer weather, with breeding noticeably picking up. The warmer temperatures have also sent the pearlweed into overdrive — at the moment I’m trimming it every 2–3 weeks, and I expect growth to speed up even more once summer arrives.

One thing people ask me a lot is how the lower pearlweed leaves don’t melt away under such dense growth… and honestly, I don’t really know. Somehow enough light still reaches through and keeps everything healthy.

There aren’t any fish in here yet, but I’ll probably turn this into one of my grow-out tanks for baby Medaka rice fish. I recently added spawning mops to my platinum medaka tank and I’m planning to order eggs from a rarer line next week, so I’ll need some extra space ready for the fry.

#aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #cherryshrimp #neocaridina #plantedtank #plantedaquarium #walstad #walstadmethod #shrimptank #shrimpkeeping

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1 month ago | [YT] | 410

Glass Box Diaries

My 160-litre (40 US gallon) planted community tank, with a Peace Lily and Monstera deliciosa at the end, really adds to the jungle look.

I’m thinking of tweaking the setup this coming weekend and moving the tank forward so I can fit more climbing aroid plants behind it, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to reduce the weight enough to do it safely.

#aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #tropicalfish #plantedtank #plantedaquarium

1 month ago | [YT] | 535

Glass Box Diaries

A Quick Update On My Filterless, Heaterless, Easy Shrimp Bowl!

This is my 11-litre (3 US gallon) filterless, heaterless shrimp bowl, and today it’s 220 days old. It’s home to a colony of Bloody Mary Neocaridina shrimp that stayed fairly inactive through the colder winter months, but things have started to pick up with the arrival of spring.

My easy-to-follow tutorial on how I set the bowl up - glassboxdiaries.com/cherry-shrimp-bowl/

PLANT LIST

🌿 Rotala Rotundifolia
🌿 Lobelia Cardinalis Mini
🌿 Anubias 'Mini Coin'
🌿 Buce Kedagang
🌿 Eleocharis Parvula

As the ambient temperature in my fish room increased, the shrimp began breeding, and over the last couple of weeks I’ve spotted several tiny baby shrimp around the bowl.

I want to keep the adult population under 10 shrimp, but since I keep shrimp in all of my tanks, it’s easy enough to move any extras into other setups if needed.

For anyone interested in the plants, most of them are doing really well.

The only issue so far has been the lower leaves on the Lobelia cardinalis ‘Mini’ starting to melt, likely because the dense upper growth is blocking light from reaching the bottom.

Right now, the bowl is lit by two USB-powered houseplant grow lights, as I still haven’t upgraded to something more powerful.

The Eleocharis carpet was originally grown under 20-watt Sansi grow lights, but I eventually removed those because they were causing too much algae growth.

I’ll probably either replace the Lobelia with more Rotala rotundifolia or trim and reset it using the topping method to see how it responds.

Aside from that, I’m really happy with how this bowl is progressing and excited to see how it continues to develop over time.

#aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #shrimpkeeping #cherryshrimp #neocaridina #shrimpbowl #shrimptank

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1 month ago | [YT] | 275

Glass Box Diaries

A Quick Update On My Planted, Room Temperature Golden White Cloud Minnow Tank!

This is my room-temperature golden white cloud mountain minnow tank, and today it’s 624 days old.

The tank is 45 litres, or 12 US gallons, and it runs with Fluval Stratum as the substrate, a Hygger HG76 light, and an AllPondSolutions hang-on-back filter.

For the most part, the golden white clouds are doing really well, although I did lose one this past month to swim bladder disease. I quarantined the affected fish and tried treating it, but unfortunately it didn’t make it.

Thankfully, it appears to have been an isolated case, as none of the other fish have shown any signs of illness.

The yellow neocaridina shrimp are also doing well, and there are a few pregnant females in the tank right now.

I’ll also be breaking down another tank later today, so I’ll be moving its yellow neocaridina shrimp into this setup as well.

For anyone curious about the plants, I did make one change over the last month. I removed the Hygrophila 53B and replaced it with Lobelia cardinalis, which I’m still waiting to grow in.

Aside from that, the rest of the plants seem to be doing well, and with the warmer months now in full swing, I’m hoping the Lobelia starts filling out the middle section soon.

#aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #nanotank #plantedtank #plantedaquarium

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1 month ago | [YT] | 572

Glass Box Diaries

This is my 70-litre (18 US gallon) planted tank, and today it’s 68 days old.

I set this aquarium up with an inert substrate as part of a test focused on water column fertilization for aquatic plants, and so far the results have been really positive.

The tank is currently home to my lambchop rasboras and a colony of skittles neocaridina shrimp, although I’d love to add some amano shrimp in the future as well.

Originally, I planned to make an Apistogramma borellii the centerpiece fish for this setup, but they’ve been surprisingly difficult to find locally. Because of that, I may end up ordering one online instead.

Another option would be moving the two new honey gourami I recently picked up into this tank, which would also give me the chance to add some panda corydoras.

Here’s the current plant list for the aquarium, and it’s worth keeping in mind that most of these plants have only been in the tank for around a month.

🌿 Rotala Blood Red SG
🌿 Hygrophila Polysperma
🌿 Hygrophila Compact
🌿 Lindernia Rotundifolia
🌿 Pogostemon Helferi
🌿 Echinodorus Reni
🌿 Echinodorus Regine Hilderbrandt
🌿 Echinodorus Tricolor
🌿 Cryptocoryne Undulata 'Broad Leaf'
🌿 Cryptocoryne Beckettii Petchii Pink
🌿 Cryptocoryne Lutea Hobbit
🌿 Aponogeton Ulvaceus
🌿 Nymphaea Aquatica
🌿 Anubias Nana Kirin
🌿 Anubias Stardust

The Aponogeton ulvaceus has been growing incredibly quickly and has already produced a huge number of leaves.

The Cryptocoryne undulata has also really impressed me with its growth rate, especially for a crypt, since they’re usually considered much slower growers.

I’ve also added spider plants, a couple of pothos varieties, and a philodendron to the rim of the tank to encourage some emergent growth as well.

One thing I’m not enjoying with this setup, though, is the Centurion wood. It’s already starting to break down, and while I can siphon out the debris, it’s definitely a hassle to deal with — especially since this usually isn’t an issue with woods like spider wood, mopani wood, or corbo wood.

#aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #plantedtank #plantedaquarium #tropicalfish #freshwaterfishtank

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2 months ago | [YT] | 588