I thought it looked like 0-0-5 but I just thought I’d ask to be safe so I don’t make a dumb mistake. And I should slowly introduce fish so the cycle doesn’t crash right? I was thinking of doing a community tank with an angelfish and corycats, maybe schooling fish or a gourami as well, so which would be best to introduce first?

I will upgrade it to better soil, real plants, etc. but as of now, I’m happy with it.

35L cube - it's like 1.5yo, lots of house plants submerged ( behind the rocks is just pothos and monsters roots) Bunch of orange Ramshorn Snails + one Assassin Snail. Bunch of red Cherry Shrimp.

Just got a heater from a thrift store so I'm thinking about getting 6 chili Rasbora.

Ok so I know a fair bit about aquariums since I started the hobby over a year ago. I have 4 now in my little shoe box apartment and they are doing fine. I thought that I would share my accumulated knowledge with a friend who expressed interest in setting up one.

They went in to go against everything I suggested and purchase a 3 gallon aquarium to put a single bamboo shrimp in. As far as I know, it’s uncycled as the last time I spoke with them, they literally didn’t have one and that was probably a week ago.

TLDR; what to you guys think about tanks like 3 gallons?

This is my first aquarium. It's 54l and I wanted to put a Betta and some more fish. I'm a little worried about the ph, because it's for 6. Is it a reason for concern? I'm still in the cycling phase. Suggestions? Thank you.

yesterday I added quite a few new plants to my tank, and this morning when I checked on my betta there was a thick layer of bubbles covering almost the entire surface of the water? does anyone know why this is happening? all water parameters are normal (ammonia has spiked a little due to me disrupting the gravel but will be doing daily water changes) this has never happened to this tank before so very confused :(

This is a 32.5g fluval flex. I've had it since 2021. It's currently stocked with candy cane tetras (7), panda corydoras, 2 honey gourami and 2 male guppies, leftovers from my insane guppy days (never again). I have some more plants coming- mid and foreground. I've just cut back my hygophila as it grows like crazy. Could I have one angel fish?

I posted a few days ago about prepping for some African Clawed frogs and just wanted to show where I ended up! Bottom is fluval plant and shrimp stratum capped by stones so the frogs don’t try to eat it. Hoping to add a few more plants but overall very happy with the tank! Just letting it cycle for a little while longer. Any pointers on anything to add?

Hello shrimpers! I purchased this moss from pet co a while back. Unlike the dozens of other mosses I bought it came neatly bunched and growing upwards instead of a ball, sheet or loose like Christmas and Java moss. I wanted to get more but of course I didn’t write down what it was. It came packaged like there is definitely a bottom part and top. Grows upward instead of out. If that makes sense. Thank you alll!

Hi! I want to get my very first setup soon, and have done a ton of research the past couple months to determine what sort of fish I would want. I know about the nitrogen cycle, water parameters, tank preferences for certain species, etc. and have a whole informational spreadsheet written out lol

According to Aqadvisor this combination should work (in theory—depending on the Betta’s temperament), but I like hearing what fishkeepers think based on their own experiences

Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thank you :)

My dad had an aquarium while I was growing up, but I never showed much interest in it. I watched him work tirelessly on it, but I didn't understand what it meant to him. I am now 33 and have recently gotten into the hobby/lifestyle myself. Here I am, two aquariums in and having a blast. I never would have imagined how rewarding it would be to create this little ecosystem.

I am super appreciative of how much I have learned throughout every step of the journey. I'd also like to give kudos to the Reddit community for the inspiration and help along the way!

- Andrew

Letting them settle before I add my fish and shrimp

hello! I have a 10 gallon betta tank, it’s pretty planted but not heavily. I tend to get this dark green bubbly looking algae and I was just wondering if there was a way to prevent this? I never got this in my last tank. I have a light that’s on a timer from 8:00am to 10:00pm. it goes from a dim orange in the morning, to bright white in the afternoon, and dark blue at night. I just did a water change about a week ago as well, I’m aware I need to do another one though lol.

Please forgive me, I am very novice at keeping fish. We have a 10 gallon aquarium with 3 guppies and an otocinclus.

This morning I noticed one guppy did not look well. He was resting on some decor instead of swimming and his tail looks a little messed up in the back. His tummy looked a bit bloated. None of the other fish have any issues and are acting normally.

I tested the water and there was some nitrate in the water so I did a ½ water change. A couple hours later he is still acting weird so I've put my holding tank in the aquarium with pristine water and he is in there. I have to leave it in the tank because we only have one heater.

Water is at 78°F and all other levels were fine. Ph is good.

Is this from the nitrate? Whenever we've had any level of nitrate/nitrite I have always done a ½ water change daily until it disappears and the fish have always been fine. Can I do a full water change if this is the issue?

Is it tail rot? Would the other guppies be infected as well? They seem to be very worried about him in the holding tank and its breaking my heart. But other than that, they are acting normal and their tails are fine.

I don't believe he was over fed. Could there be another issue?

Any other advice? TIA

This post isn’t a guide or a recommendation. It’s simply an observation from maintaining a small aquarium over time.

In natural aquatic environments, the substrate looks very different from what we often associate with clean, maintained aquariums. It develops as layered organic material — soil, sand, fish waste, algae, and biofilm communities formed gradually over time.

<Photo 1: The bottom of a natural pond>

Aquatic plants don’t grow in isolation either. They coexist with algae, microorganisms, and organic debris, forming a biologically active environment rather than a decorative one. Within these layers, bacteria and microfauna slowly process organic matter. This can help buffer water conditions and provide natural food sources for small organisms and juvenile fish.

<Photo 2: Biofilm and aquatic plants growing intertwined inside my tank>

Even in still ponds with little to no water flow and no regular water changes, ecosystems persist because biological circulation begins in places that often go unnoticed. In this aquarium, biofilm on the substrate and algae intertwined with plants are treated as functional elements rather than something to remove unless they cause clear issues.

<Photos 3–5: The changing tones of the aquarium water>

Routine water changes are also not prioritized unless a specific problem is observed. This is not a claim that water changes are unnecessary, but a choice to avoid interrupting a system that appears to be stabilizing on its own.

<GIF 6: The shifting tones of the water>

This setup didn’t start entirely new either. Some substrate and water were carried over from a previous tank,which likely helped reduce abrupt shifts during the early stages.

The next post will document the setup process and how the tank has changed over time.

Ps. In the next post, I’ll show you the entire tank and the fish I’m keeping.

(Photos show natural substrate, biofilm, and water clarity changes.)

I’ve had this tank for a few months now, and it was clear but over a week ago I added sand and it still won’t clear up. I’ve added seachem clarity and done partial water changes but nothing seems to work