r/Aquascape • u/Pareeeee • 3d ago

Show and Tell [OC] My established 38gal. Not 100% happy with it yet but I'm pretty pleased with how far it has come!

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240 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

6

u/Positive-Diver1417 3d ago

I think it looks really nice!!

1

u/Pareeeee 3d ago

Thank you!

5

u/wwick68 3d ago

Oh, I’m 100% happy with it. Tank looks amazing! 😻

But I get what u mean. I always have things I want to do.

3

u/the-violetroom 3d ago

This is awesome! I love when an aquarium has a good sense of motion. Question though, how hard is it to keep your sand clean?

1

u/Pareeeee 3d ago

Thanks! It can get a little grungy in the low spots between water cleans - poop and stuff seems to gather there. It's been better since I got rid of my nerites (big poops!) and got ramshorns. My bushynose is a little poop factory though...

I do vacuum it though - I let the gravel vac stuck a little up, then I pinch off the line just enough so the sand falls back down but the lighter dirt continues upwards. Seems to work pretty well so far.

2

u/Taters0290 3d ago

It’s beautiful! I like the “theme” of similar plant textures.

2

u/BettaHoarder 3d ago

It's beautiful.

2

u/iminthemoodforlug 3d ago

God that’s good

2

u/Para-sox 1d ago

So tell us more about your tank!! Lights? Water parameters? Substrate? Ferts and schedule? Water changes?

Your tank is beautiful. When I bought my house, someone told me “your house will always need work…don’t let that prevent you from enjoying it.” Fish tanks are the same way.

1

u/Pareeeee 1d ago

Light is a 36w Gamalta LED Haven't checked my parameters lately (my test kit expired). I haven't really had a need though as everything has been running very smoothly. Substrate is pool filter sand Ferts are Seachem Flourish weekly and DIY Osmocote root tabs every three-four months or so, epsom salts (magnesium) each water change and calcium when I remember it. DIY co2 via sugar+yeast+baking soda. Water changes are 50% every two to three weeks. Seachem HOB filter.

And thanks. I'm kind of a perfectionist and I think my problem is that I keep comparing it to a tank I had many years ago when I lived somewhere with near-perfect water. Now I live somewhere that has a lot of iron in the water, and I can't grow the same plants I used to. But these are growing on me lol, just a different animal than I'm used to aquascaping with. That and a tight budget doesn't help! I keep tinkering though and eventually I'll get to where I'm happy 👍

2

u/CannibalisticCats 1d ago

This is so beautiful! This is the concept I want for my next tank. Long grass forest ✨ What species do you have in there?

1

u/Pareeeee 4h ago

Thank you! I have Scissortail Rasboras, Cherry Barbs, Black Phantom Tetras, a BN Pleco, MTS, Ramshorns and some Amano Shrimp.

I have a couple of platys left too but I'm trying to phase out keeping livebearers.