Glass Box Diaries

Here’s a quick update on my ember tetra and pygmy corydoras tank 👇

I started with 10 ember tetras, but they’ve been really shy in this setup, so I added another 10 to try and boost their confidence.

At first, the new group was far more outgoing and swimming in the open—but after a couple of days, they settled in and now they’re just as hidden as the original group.

Not sure if they’ve picked up that behaviour from the others or if something in the tank is making them feel cautious.

I’ve checked all the water parameters and everything is spot on, so I added some floating plants to give them more cover.

I’m also considering introducing some Endler’s livebearers as dither fish to help bring them out more.

The pygmy corydoras are doing great as always—just cruising around and getting especially active at feeding time.

The blue neocaridina and amano shrimp are also doing well, although I suspect the ember tetras are picking off the baby shrimp.

I see tiny ones occasionally, but never any juveniles, even after a few months.

The amano shrimp have also been stealing food from the pygmy corys, so I’ll likely move them to another tank soon.

Overall though, really happy with how the plants are growing—just planning to add some floaters this week 🌱

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

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1 week ago | [YT] | 749

Glass Box Diaries

Here’s a quick update on my 160-litre (40 US gallon) community tank, now 737 days old.

The tank is set up with Fluval Stratum aquasoil and runs on an AllPondSolutions HOB500 filter.

For lighting, I’m currently using a Nicrew C10 alongside a Hygger 957, although I may replace the Nicrew soon as it seems to be losing intensity.

All of the fish are doing really well. The new neon tetras and pearl gourami I added recently have settled in nicely.

The neons quickly joined my existing group of neon and cardinal tetras, and they’ve been schooling together ever since.

The pearl gourami tends to keep to itself, weaving in and out of the plant cover, and thankfully it’s been completely ignoring the shrimp in the tank.

Speaking of shrimp, I’m considering moving some over from a few of my smaller tanks, as those are starting to become a bit overstocked.

Most of the plants are doing well too. However, as I mentioned in my two-year update, my Echinodorus ‘Red Diamond’ is being overshadowed by the anubias and java fern, so I’m planning to move it into a new tank once it’s ready to be replanted.

I also have some zebra danios currently in quarantine, and in about a week I’ll be adding them to this tank so my two older danios can finally have a proper group of their own species.

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

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 653

Glass Box Diaries

Here’s a quick update on what used to be my jungle-style betta tank. It’s set up with Fluval Stratum as the substrate and lit by a Hygger 957 light, which I run at full intensity for six hours a day.

Unfortunately, Marmalade the betta passed away a couple of weeks ago. That said, it was likely for the best, as her quality of life had declined quite a bit after developing dropsy around six months ago.

For now, I’ve moved a few Endler’s livebearers into the tank, and they’ve settled in really well. However, as I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a huge fan of these portrait-style tanks, so later this year I’m planning to replace them with larger rectangular setups that provide more horizontal swimming space.

The yellow Neocaridina shrimp and pink ramshorn snail colony haven’t changed much since the last update—they spend most of their time grazing on algae and biofilm around the tank.

I’ve also removed the Limnophila sessiliflora that was growing in the back right, as it was starting to take over, sending out stems almost like runners. In its place, I’ve added Hottonia palustris, which seems to be settling in nicely so far.

The rest of the plants are doing well, but as I mentioned, this setup is likely temporary. Many of these plants are essentially being held here until I upgrade to a larger rectangular tank later this year.

#aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #plantedtank #plantedaquarium

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3 weeks ago | [YT] | 644

Glass Box Diaries

Here’s a quick update on my filterless, heaterless Bloody Mary Neocaridina shrimp bowl, which is 156 days old.

The bowl uses Fluval Stratum aquasoil as the substrate, along with a small piece of corbo catfish wood and two small rocks for the hardscape.

For lighting, I originally used a 20-watt Sansi grow light, but it was to be far too powerful for this setup.

I’ve since switched to two small houseplant grow lights for the time being, although I’ll probably move to a 10-watt Sansi puck light once I find a permanent rack for this bowl.

Here's the full plant list for the bowl, and thankfully, none of these plants struggled during the winter months when the room temperature dropped to around 18°C, or 64°F.

As we move into the spring months, temperatures are starting to rise, so plant growth should begin to increase, and the Neocaridina shrimp should breed more frequently.

The Rotala rotundifolia in the back left of the bowl is the key plant for this setup, as it’s the main source of water purification. It helps remove toxins from the water and keeps the shrimp colony safe.

The rest of the plants are mostly decorative and grow too slowly to provide any real water-purifying benefits.

When it comes to feeding, I’m currently adding a single Fluval Bug Bites Green Label granule three times per week, as the shrimp colony is still very small.

That said, the majority of their diet comes from the algae and biofilm that naturally grows in the bowl and overfeeding can easily cause water parameter issues in a setup like this, so it’s always best to keep feeding light and play it safe.

#aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #shrimpkeeping #shrimpbowl #shrimptank #plantedtank #plantedaquarium

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3 weeks ago | [YT] | 459

Glass Box Diaries

Here’s a quick update on my Medaka Walstad Method aquarium, which is now 250 days old.

Like most Walstad-style tanks, it uses a capped dirt substrate — a thin layer of topsoil covered with fine gravel.

The tank is lit by an affordable entry-level Seaoura SR616 light. I recently increased the photoperiod from six hours to twelve hours per day at maximum intensity.

For most of its life the tank has been completely filterless, but about a month ago I added a small filter to increase water flow as an experiment for the shrimp. That said, I’ll probably remove it again soon.

The Hygger nano heater that was previously running on this tank did eventually fail. Thankfully it didn’t short out, electrocute anything, or overheat — it simply began losing power gradually. I’ve since replaced it with an EHEIM heater.

Unfortunately, I did lose one of the Medaka a couple of weeks ago. Since these fish typically only live for a couple of years, I suspect it was simply natural causes.

I currently have a few new Medaka in quarantine that will be moved into this tank soon.

The shrimp colony is doing incredibly well. I actually lost count of how many generations they’ve had months ago, but there are babies everywhere, so I’ll probably move some of them into other tanks soon.

This tank is also a bit of a “Skittles” test. I originally started with three red, yellow, blue, and orange Neocaridina shrimp to see how quickly their offspring would revert back to wild-type colours.

So far, most of them are either red, pale yellow, or wild-type, although I have spotted at least one blue baby in there as well.

Moving on to the plants, the cooler water temperatures recently seem to have pushed some of them into a slight dormancy period. That’s caused a few minor issues, but they should bounce back soon.

I’ve also made a few changes to the background planting. The back left now has regular Rotala Blood Red, the back right has Rotala Blood Red SG, and the back middle now features Pogostemon quadrifolius. This is a new addition and is still growing in.

There was nothing wrong with the previous plants — I just wanted to test how both versions of Rotala Blood Red would perform in the same tank. Since I already grow Limnophila sessiliflora in several of my other tanks, I also thought it would be a good opportunity to try a Pogostemon variety instead.

#aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #plantedtank #plantedaquarium #walstad #walstadmethod

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4 weeks ago | [YT] | 478

Glass Box Diaries

Here’s a quick update on my 25-litre (6.6 US gallon) filterless guppy and cherry shrimp tank, which is now 686 days old.

This aquarium follows the Walstad Method, using topsoil capped with fine gravel as the substrate. The plants handle most of the filtration, naturally purifying the water and helping keep conditions stable and safe for the livestock.

The tank is lit by the entry-level Seaoura SR616, an affordable aquarium light. Recently, I doubled the photoperiod, increasing it from six hours per day at maximum intensity to twelve hours per day.

As you can see, the plants are already responding to the additional light. The Rotala rotundifolia is beginning to develop pink, orange, and red hues, while the Bacopa caroliniana is also starting to show some reddish coloration under the longer photoperiod.

For the most part, the guppies are doing well. However, one of them has lost a section of its tail at both the top and bottom, and the missing areas are almost exactly the same length.

Because of how suddenly it appeared, I suspect the damage may have been caused by the fish resting its tail against the heater during a heating cycle, rather than it being tail rot.

The cherry shrimp colony is also doing well and seems to be benefiting from the longer photoperiod, as it allows more algae and biofilm to grow in the tank, providing them with a natural food source.

#aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #plantedtank #plantedaquarium #walstad #walstadmethod

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4 weeks ago | [YT] | 670

Glass Box Diaries

Here’s a quick update on my filterless, room-temperature Pearlweed jungle tank, which is now 663 days old.

This aquarium follows the Walstad Method, using just over 1 cm (about half an inch) of topsoil as the nutrient layer, capped with roughly 2.5 cm, or about an inch, of fine gravel.

The only plant in the tank is pearlweed, but as you can see it’s absolutely thriving—even though the fish room temperature is still sitting at around 18°C, or 64°F.

For lighting, I’m using a very affordable entry-level Seaoura SR616.

Recently, I changed the lighting schedule as a bit of an experiment, increasing it from six hours per day at maximum intensity to 12 hours per day.

I’ve also recently added two new platinum medaka to this tank while I quarantine them, although I may end up moving my other medaka into this aquarium as well since this heaterless setup is actually a much better fit for the species.

My Bloody Mary shrimp colony has been dealing with some stunting issues. It took me a while to figure out what was causing it, but I eventually realized that the general hardness had dropped quite a bit, which likely made it harder for them to molt properly.

I used to test the GH in this tank every month, but after the aquarium passed the one-year mark, I stopped checking it regularly because I assumed it would stay stable.

However, with the rapid growth of the pearlweed potentially consuming calcium and magnesium, and those minerals possibly becoming depleted in the substrate over time, the GH has now dropped out of the ideal range.

So I’ve started boosting the GH with shrimp mineral salt to see if I can get the colony growing back to a normal size again.

#aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #plantedtank #plantedaquarium #walstadmethod

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1 month ago | [YT] | 620

Glass Box Diaries

Happy Aquarium Day! 🐠

I’ll be going live on the Hooked Aquatics TikTok at 7PM UK time (2PM New York, 11AM Los Angeles) - www.tiktok.com/@hooked_aquatics

#aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #plantedtank #plantedaquarium

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1 month ago | [YT] | 515

Glass Box Diaries

This filterless, self-cleaning aquarium is designed to function as a balanced, natural ecosystem where plants, microorganisms, shrimp, snails, and fish work together to maintain long-term stability with minimal maintenance.

My Full Length Video Update On How The Tank Is Performing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymecL...

Fast-growing aquatic plants absorb ammonium directly as a nutrient source, preventing toxic ammonia and nitrite from accumulating. As the system matures, plants also utilize nitrate and dissolved minerals, helping regulate water quality, limit algae growth, and reduce the need for water changes.

The aquascape features a dense mix of submerged species including Limnophila sessiliflora, Cryptocoryne varieties, Staurogyne repens, Anubias, and Helanthium tenellum ‘Green,’ creating both visual depth and effective biological filtration. Aquaponic houseplants growing from the back rim, including Polka Dot Plant and Pothos, extend this filtration beyond the waterline, absorbing excess nutrients and further stabilizing the system.

Celestial Pearl Danios, Neocaridina shrimp, Amano shrimp, and snails form an active and functional cleanup crew, recycling organic waste into plant nutrients through natural mineralization. Their constant activity contributes to the tank’s self-sustaining cycle while adding movement and life to the aquascape.

At seven months old, the aquarium has reached a high level of maturity, with clear water, stable parameters, and thriving plant growth. The balance between plant mass, livestock, and microorganisms allows the ecosystem to remain healthy without mechanical filtration, gravel vacuuming, or liquid fertilizers.

These photographs capture the evolving beauty of a naturally balanced planted aquarium—demonstrating how ecological principles can create a stable, low-maintenance environment that supports both aquatic life and lush plant growth over the long term.

#aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #plantedtank #plantedaquarium #walstad

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1 month ago | [YT] | 422

Glass Box Diaries

This is my golden white cloud mountain minnow tank, and today it’s 533 days old. It’s a room-temperature setup, currently sitting at around 18°C, or 64°F. Since we’re in the middle of winter, that drop in temperature has led to a few noticeable changes.

My Tank Setup And 1 Year Update Video For This Tank - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LptIJ...

My golden white clouds, yellow neocaridina shrimp, amano shrimp, and pink ramshorn snails are all doing perfectly fine at this temperature, but some of the plants are beginning to show signs of dormancy. The Hygrophila 53B is the clearest example, with holes developing in its leaves. Many people would immediately assume this is caused by a potassium deficiency, but this wasn’t an issue during the warmer months.

Instead, colder temperatures can cause many aquatic plants to enter a dormant state, similar to hibernation, where their internal processes slow down or temporarily pause. Keeping your tank above 22°C, or 72°F, is often enough to prevent this in most setups. However, this tank has already been through one winter, so I know growth will naturally pick back up again in spring.

Interestingly, the cooler temperatures do have some advantages. My white clouds actually seem to prefer this cooler water compared to the summer months. The dominant male has been actively maintaining his territory at the front of the tank, chasing everything else—including females—towards the back. Meanwhile, the non-dominant males and females have been breeding in those areas, although I haven’t spotted any fry just yet.

#aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #plantedtank #plantedaquarium

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1 month ago | [YT] | 464