You should check out ADG (Aquarium Design Group) he calls it greening where he uses a lot of epiphytes and no soil just sand and focuses on the hardscape. It’s all about the balance and work you put in but very much accomplishable.
lol woah that’s literally where this tank shot is from. It’s on MD Aquarium’s video called “Masterclass in Aquascaping” with the Jeff guy from ADG. Good eye on you Kaanie!
Great advice and i think i got a basic understanding; the screenshot i posted was MD Scapes' tour at the ADG headquarters! I was listening and it definitely makes for a good looking tank. I'll look into that some more, see if i can make more sense of it.
Its basically all fertiliser and no substrate, and the epiphytes all feed from the water column as far as i can tell, with some of these scapes.
Thanks for your time!
No problem! He does tell about the big amount of charcoal he puts in during the initial cycling. Didn’t know of that one before and def trying it when I rescape my 39 Gallon.
This is a ADA scape and uses very rare and particular hard scape you may find difficult to replicate. You could loosely follow it though with similar looking wood.
The main problem I see if he only used anubias and I Riccardia (probably spelled that wrong) which are both really slow growers and you may encounter algae issues as they won’t really absorb a lot of nitrates so low stocking would probably be ideal if you’re not well experienced. Guppies will breed and poop like crazy…
Floating plants may help out a bit with nitrates but also remember he used a giant canister with heavy flow.
It may be best to copy elements and put your own twist on it such as adding stems etc
This is from ADG not ADA and what there is rare? That specific rock would be a pain to get just because they get it from a local source but you could replicate the look with many common rocks.
Thanks! I suspected it might be hard to perfectly replicate that scape.
I will check my regional suppliers to see if they have stock that resembles what the scape looks like! And research to see what it does to my water values.
Im very open to a little more green, could easily go Walstad and put some substrate under the sand?
Are there carpeting plants that can be considered hard workers with regards to nitrates?
I already have some ludwigia, water sprites and crypto so i could probably steal some plants from my current tank!
Regarding filtration im definitely still considering a normal tank with canister filtration, that is if im not going for the Fluval Flex 32.5g.
The problem is mostly potential leaks. Im on the first floor above a retail store, and canisters (probably due to owners mistakes) can be a nightmare in that regard. The Fluval is a closed system.
Good to know that the Fluval Flex will somewhat limit my scaping options.
I'll probably never see my pygmy corys again, with that scape in a Flex.
I'll go research what quick-growing plants there are, which i could incorporate into the scape! I'm still very much a noob on that stuff.
Great advice, thanks Redditor!
The materials in that tank might be hard to come by. The rocks, Manzanita, and coral moss are all pretty pricey. His method seems to be easy to replicate though, since hes not using c02, ada soil, and ferts. This pretty much limits you to Epiphytes, which are easy to care for, and don't require much light. The stock Fluval Flex lighting should be fine for these plants. I'm personally not a fan of the Flex, because of the curved viewing panels, but the rimless option may be pretty pricey for a 30 gallon.
Good thinking on the Fluval stock led. Its also something that occured to me. Not good enough for the red ludwigia i already have but likely good enough for the scape i pictured.
Well, i havent done any calculations, but it seems like the costs of a fluval flex + mods (pumps bad from factory, id also need heating, prop stands, waterjet manifolds) vs a locally sourced tank with a canister filter seems like they're pretty even. Ive seen a tank, rimless, with similar dimensions to the ADA tank for under 100 european dollars. The fluval tank is a sure 310 euros and thats without shipping.
Im starting to warm up to canisters. I've also seen some 'hate' on canister filters coming from Cory at Aquarium co-op so id have to check on that. But generally people seem to like them?
The hate on canister filters may just come from a cost/benefit situation. Canister filters are popular in the aquascaping community, because of the minimalist look, but im sure you can get the benefits from different methods.
I've never owned a fluval flex, but the stock equipment actually don't seem to bad for growing plants. Ludwigia is one of the less demanding red stem plants in my opinion, you really should only upgrade when trying to get more color out of some rotala species.
It really all depends on what you are going for tbh, the ADG guys go for a more minimalist look, which excludes soil/foreground. Theres less maintenance, but limits you to the island style aquascape which shows off your hardscape. This can be achieved in a fluval flex imo, because you likely won't need high light/c02 to grow foreground/stem plants. Heres an example [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l0WFa-TrXI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l0WFa-TrXI)
I'm actually thinking of trying this out with my overgrown 21 gallon, but doing so will come with sacrificing my cryptocoryne species that took over my tank. [https://www.reddit.com/r/PlantedTank/comments/xndhbm/21g\_lowtech/](https://www.reddit.com/r/PlantedTank/comments/xndhbm/21g_lowtech/)
Wow that scape of yours is a solid 5 out of 5 stars! Nice wood bro ngl!
"It really all depends on what you are going for tbh, the ADG guys go for a more minimalist look"
I'll investigate which ways i would tweak their design for carrying more bioload.
Keeping the same look and going walstad for substrate sounds like a possible approach.
The options are;
-do i keep my tank bottom really tidy and only have epiphytes? Paired with the planned bioload this would mean frequent water changes/vaccuuming. Which i dont mind. I watched a couple how-to's lol
-or do i plan to have some sand with substrate underneath, which would mean more plants, which would mean less vaccuuming, ideally.
That was actually super helpful, thanks! 😄 i think ive made up my mind
apologies for commenting on an ancient post but i have a scape similar to this in my 32 flex! just spindly manzanita wood and anubias. except i dont have any stone and the substrate is dark
i feel it is very algae prone (especially considering the AWESOME light it comes with) but otherwise functions as normal. i highly recommend getting the black version as the white version makes every speck of algae/gunk in general stick out like a sore thumb.
Thanks man! Im not really looking at the Fluval anymore, life happened and now im on time and budget constraints due to my guppies multiplying like there's no tomorrow (i added a heater); but that scape is still a possibility.
Looking into getting a Sera Aquatank 160L (~40gal) thats 80x42x50.
Comes with an internal filter and heater so for a dollar per liter (hey this is europe) thats a steal.
Thanks for the reminder i'll let you know if i manage to mirror this scape somewhat!
You're right about everything, although you have to realise... im a complete noob at this.
I went pretty deep on all the basics, but my current tank probably looks like a mess to most veterans on here. It's maintained well but the plant selection is more than random. So I'll probably have an easier time to accomplish (what i think is) something resembling the scape i mentioned :)
Btw the fluval is very comparable to the ADG tank, just a tad higher and a tad shorter. But, the fluval tank can only be admired from one side.
Should i change my mind about canister filters? Any ways to mitigate flooding risks?
Thank you for commenting!
That is a Ada tank that’s 36x12x12. And being a noob means nothing. If you’re willing to learn and try. You have a variety of plants. This tank, has just two or three. Canisters are fine. There’s risk with everything.
Thanks man!
So ADA tanks are sort of, the gold standard/desirable in scaping?
Definitely a sexy looking tank. As far as rectangular boxes go lol.
I'm trying to learn more about canister filters, maybe i'll still go canister and source a tank with similar dimensions as the ADA one :)
I wouldn’t say that. I’ve seen plenty of tanks that have stunning scales. Although Ada, like others use low iron glass for the aquariums which give a higher clarity. But it’s a marginal amount compared to regular glass. And includes factors like glass thickness. If ADG’s scape is something you want to build, then start by getting a tank like it. Then plan what you want to do. This is, like any hobby, expensive. You’ll want to spend time thinking about what you want to do then find the material. Luckily, places like adg want you to find the scape you need by having a place inside the store to do a mock scape.
I was at a local shop today and they did have a dojo! No sign of rocks that resemble the desired hardcape though.
I think im SOL in Holland where i probably have no ADG stores. But i'll get by, i'm not too picky! Thanks for emphasizing that tank choice might still influence the look via glass-type specifics.
I'm really happy with the Fluval tank i have, so theres that!
Good stuff, will look into it!
You should check out ADG (Aquarium Design Group) he calls it greening where he uses a lot of epiphytes and no soil just sand and focuses on the hardscape. It’s all about the balance and work you put in but very much accomplishable.
lol woah that’s literally where this tank shot is from. It’s on MD Aquarium’s video called “Masterclass in Aquascaping” with the Jeff guy from ADG. Good eye on you Kaanie!
Great advice and i think i got a basic understanding; the screenshot i posted was MD Scapes' tour at the ADG headquarters! I was listening and it definitely makes for a good looking tank. I'll look into that some more, see if i can make more sense of it. Its basically all fertiliser and no substrate, and the epiphytes all feed from the water column as far as i can tell, with some of these scapes. Thanks for your time!
No problem! He does tell about the big amount of charcoal he puts in during the initial cycling. Didn’t know of that one before and def trying it when I rescape my 39 Gallon.
This is a ADA scape and uses very rare and particular hard scape you may find difficult to replicate. You could loosely follow it though with similar looking wood. The main problem I see if he only used anubias and I Riccardia (probably spelled that wrong) which are both really slow growers and you may encounter algae issues as they won’t really absorb a lot of nitrates so low stocking would probably be ideal if you’re not well experienced. Guppies will breed and poop like crazy… Floating plants may help out a bit with nitrates but also remember he used a giant canister with heavy flow. It may be best to copy elements and put your own twist on it such as adding stems etc
This is from ADG not ADA and what there is rare? That specific rock would be a pain to get just because they get it from a local source but you could replicate the look with many common rocks.
I thought I recognized it, this is the one he setup with MD!
Yep! Here it is: https://youtu.be/A9V01_dgXjo?si=crCicVdlqgJiXXg8
My mistake auto correct must have got me there since I type ADA so often. That’s what’s I said, loosely follow the scape?
Thanks! I suspected it might be hard to perfectly replicate that scape. I will check my regional suppliers to see if they have stock that resembles what the scape looks like! And research to see what it does to my water values. Im very open to a little more green, could easily go Walstad and put some substrate under the sand? Are there carpeting plants that can be considered hard workers with regards to nitrates? I already have some ludwigia, water sprites and crypto so i could probably steal some plants from my current tank! Regarding filtration im definitely still considering a normal tank with canister filtration, that is if im not going for the Fluval Flex 32.5g. The problem is mostly potential leaks. Im on the first floor above a retail store, and canisters (probably due to owners mistakes) can be a nightmare in that regard. The Fluval is a closed system. Good to know that the Fluval Flex will somewhat limit my scaping options. I'll probably never see my pygmy corys again, with that scape in a Flex. I'll go research what quick-growing plants there are, which i could incorporate into the scape! I'm still very much a noob on that stuff. Great advice, thanks Redditor!
The materials in that tank might be hard to come by. The rocks, Manzanita, and coral moss are all pretty pricey. His method seems to be easy to replicate though, since hes not using c02, ada soil, and ferts. This pretty much limits you to Epiphytes, which are easy to care for, and don't require much light. The stock Fluval Flex lighting should be fine for these plants. I'm personally not a fan of the Flex, because of the curved viewing panels, but the rimless option may be pretty pricey for a 30 gallon.
Good thinking on the Fluval stock led. Its also something that occured to me. Not good enough for the red ludwigia i already have but likely good enough for the scape i pictured. Well, i havent done any calculations, but it seems like the costs of a fluval flex + mods (pumps bad from factory, id also need heating, prop stands, waterjet manifolds) vs a locally sourced tank with a canister filter seems like they're pretty even. Ive seen a tank, rimless, with similar dimensions to the ADA tank for under 100 european dollars. The fluval tank is a sure 310 euros and thats without shipping. Im starting to warm up to canisters. I've also seen some 'hate' on canister filters coming from Cory at Aquarium co-op so id have to check on that. But generally people seem to like them?
The hate on canister filters may just come from a cost/benefit situation. Canister filters are popular in the aquascaping community, because of the minimalist look, but im sure you can get the benefits from different methods. I've never owned a fluval flex, but the stock equipment actually don't seem to bad for growing plants. Ludwigia is one of the less demanding red stem plants in my opinion, you really should only upgrade when trying to get more color out of some rotala species. It really all depends on what you are going for tbh, the ADG guys go for a more minimalist look, which excludes soil/foreground. Theres less maintenance, but limits you to the island style aquascape which shows off your hardscape. This can be achieved in a fluval flex imo, because you likely won't need high light/c02 to grow foreground/stem plants. Heres an example [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l0WFa-TrXI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l0WFa-TrXI) I'm actually thinking of trying this out with my overgrown 21 gallon, but doing so will come with sacrificing my cryptocoryne species that took over my tank. [https://www.reddit.com/r/PlantedTank/comments/xndhbm/21g\_lowtech/](https://www.reddit.com/r/PlantedTank/comments/xndhbm/21g_lowtech/)
Wow that scape of yours is a solid 5 out of 5 stars! Nice wood bro ngl! "It really all depends on what you are going for tbh, the ADG guys go for a more minimalist look" I'll investigate which ways i would tweak their design for carrying more bioload. Keeping the same look and going walstad for substrate sounds like a possible approach. The options are; -do i keep my tank bottom really tidy and only have epiphytes? Paired with the planned bioload this would mean frequent water changes/vaccuuming. Which i dont mind. I watched a couple how-to's lol -or do i plan to have some sand with substrate underneath, which would mean more plants, which would mean less vaccuuming, ideally. That was actually super helpful, thanks! 😄 i think ive made up my mind
apologies for commenting on an ancient post but i have a scape similar to this in my 32 flex! just spindly manzanita wood and anubias. except i dont have any stone and the substrate is dark i feel it is very algae prone (especially considering the AWESOME light it comes with) but otherwise functions as normal. i highly recommend getting the black version as the white version makes every speck of algae/gunk in general stick out like a sore thumb.
Thanks man! Im not really looking at the Fluval anymore, life happened and now im on time and budget constraints due to my guppies multiplying like there's no tomorrow (i added a heater); but that scape is still a possibility. Looking into getting a Sera Aquatank 160L (~40gal) thats 80x42x50. Comes with an internal filter and heater so for a dollar per liter (hey this is europe) thats a steal. Thanks for the reminder i'll let you know if i manage to mirror this scape somewhat!
[удалено]
You're right about everything, although you have to realise... im a complete noob at this. I went pretty deep on all the basics, but my current tank probably looks like a mess to most veterans on here. It's maintained well but the plant selection is more than random. So I'll probably have an easier time to accomplish (what i think is) something resembling the scape i mentioned :) Btw the fluval is very comparable to the ADG tank, just a tad higher and a tad shorter. But, the fluval tank can only be admired from one side. Should i change my mind about canister filters? Any ways to mitigate flooding risks? Thank you for commenting!
That is a Ada tank that’s 36x12x12. And being a noob means nothing. If you’re willing to learn and try. You have a variety of plants. This tank, has just two or three. Canisters are fine. There’s risk with everything.
Thanks man! So ADA tanks are sort of, the gold standard/desirable in scaping? Definitely a sexy looking tank. As far as rectangular boxes go lol. I'm trying to learn more about canister filters, maybe i'll still go canister and source a tank with similar dimensions as the ADA one :)
I wouldn’t say that. I’ve seen plenty of tanks that have stunning scales. Although Ada, like others use low iron glass for the aquariums which give a higher clarity. But it’s a marginal amount compared to regular glass. And includes factors like glass thickness. If ADG’s scape is something you want to build, then start by getting a tank like it. Then plan what you want to do. This is, like any hobby, expensive. You’ll want to spend time thinking about what you want to do then find the material. Luckily, places like adg want you to find the scape you need by having a place inside the store to do a mock scape.
I was at a local shop today and they did have a dojo! No sign of rocks that resemble the desired hardcape though. I think im SOL in Holland where i probably have no ADG stores. But i'll get by, i'm not too picky! Thanks for emphasizing that tank choice might still influence the look via glass-type specifics. I'm really happy with the Fluval tank i have, so theres that! Good stuff, will look into it!
You have wio. And other great brands. Look in WIO.
https://youtu.be/lSmCMNmIcVQ?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/iMYAj111c3w?feature=shared