Aquarium Environment
Tank dimensions: 60 cm length × 35 cm width × 41.5 cm height.
Filtration equipment: Hang-on filter (with surface skimmer), sponge filter, and air pump.
Lighting: Aquatic plant light.
Lighting duration: 6 - 8 hours per day.
Water conditions: Yilan, filtered water. (Water quality varies by region)
Substrate: 11 liters of coarse black soil + 2 liters of fine black soil (I didn't buy enough soil, making it difficult to plant aquatic plants. I recommend buying more).
Aquatic plants in tank: 1 Anubias nana, 2 Anubias nana petite, 3 Vallisneria, 3 Rotala rotundifolia, 3 Bacopa monnieri, 1 box of Hemianthus callitrichoides, 4 pieces of Christmas moss, 1 piece of bubble grass (gift from the shop owner). Originally had Cryptocoryne wendtii green, but it melted right after receiving it, so I didn't add it.
Special note: Since the tank is kept in the living room where eco-friendly incense is burned daily with poor ventilation, some incense ash falls into the water.
Purchasing Aquatic Plants
Simply put, aquatic plants can be divided into two categories: high-light plants and low-light plants. High-light plants require purchasing a set of "aquatic plant tools," while low-light plants don't.
High-light plants require sufficient lighting and large amounts of CO2, so you'll need to inject CO2 into the tank, which means you'll need additional equipment like a CO2 cylinder (aluminum tank), diffuser, planting tweezers, and aquatic plant scissors.
If you want easier maintenance in the future, buy low-light plants. They have lower CO2 and lighting requirements than high-light plants, but they still need CO2 and lighting—they're not completely unnecessary!
The simplest way to distinguish between high-light and low-light plants is to observe their color. Low-light plants typically have darker green leaves. If any part of the plant is red, it belongs to the high-light category and will be more labor-intensive to maintain.
When buying aquatic plants, try to find professional aquatic plant sellers. Having a wide variety makes shopping more enjoyable. Importantly, some careful sellers use special methods to protect plants during shipping. For example, this seller wraps each plant individually with wet newspaper. Also, since plants are living things, shipping will definitely be slower—you need to be patient!
The Hemianthus callitrichoides and driftwood were purchased from another seller, who also wrapped them very carefully and even included a small gift!
After unwrapping all the wet newspaper, I soaked the aquatic plants in water and used a small sponge filter for aeration (this step isn't actually necessary). When first putting them in, there was a very strong fishy smell because these plants were likely grown in outdoor ponds. Before quarantining the plants, I had to remove the sponge from the plastic pots to let the plants float on the water surface. This step took quite a bit of time, especially for the Anubias nana, whose sponge was deeply entangled.
Although many ramshorn snails came out when soaking, we still need to properly quarantine them with alum to reduce future problems.
Aquatic Plant Quarantine
I sincerely recommend quarantining aquatic plants after purchasing them to reduce the risk of catching snails or dealing with snail outbreaks later. The quarantine method is simple: add alum to water at a specific ratio, stir thoroughly until the alum dissolves, then completely submerge the plants in the water for 30 to 45 minutes to complete the quarantine.
Quarantined plants can only ensure there are no live ramshorn snails, so you still need to observe carefully after adding them to the tank. The ratio is "1 liter of water: 15 grams of alum." In the picture, there are 10 liters of water, so 150 grams of alum need to be added.
Treating Driftwood to Reduce Tannins
When you put purchased driftwood into water, it quickly turns the water yellow. To prevent the water from turning yellow, you can boil the wood in boiling water for about 10 minutes.
Since the tannin release was still severe after boiling once, I boiled it a second time. Actually, no matter how many times you boil it, it will still release tannins, so I decided to put it in the tank after boiling twice.
After boiling, the driftwood needs to be soaked in water. Sometimes it will sink after soaking overnight, but sometimes it still won't sink even after several days.
This piece of driftwood that wouldn't sink finally sank after being boiled twice and soaked for about 7 days. Driftwood that has been boiled twice releases fewer tannins. (Boiling twice means boiling on the first day, letting it sit overnight, then boiling again on the second day)
Substrate
Since this is a shrimp tank, I used black soil as the substrate—8 liters of coarse black soil plus 2 liters of fine black soil. I only realized there wasn't enough soil when planting the aquatic plants, but it was too late. For next time, I might buy 2 bags of 8-liter coarse black soil to have enough.
Sponge Filter
I did a lot of research for shrimp keeping. The vast majority of keepers, including farms and international keepers and farms, strongly recommend using sponge filters because of their high dissolved oxygen, large surface area for beneficial bacteria, and low risk of sucking in baby shrimp. This is why there's a saying that "sponge filters are essential for shrimp keeping."
I was initially very resistant to sponge filters because they're so noisy—the machine is loud, and the sound of bubbles hitting the water is even louder! If you don't carefully choose the brand beforehand, air pump noise can be extremely annoying.
I previously bought a cheap, poor-quality air pump. I was shocked before even plugging it in because the metal prongs on the plug were poorly made—they were very loose when inserted into the extension cord and didn't fit properly. When I plugged it in, I was shocked again by how loud it was—completely unbearable. After less than 1 hour of use, the machine became very hot. I felt there were too many safety concerns, so I stopped using it.
For the shrimp's sake, I specifically bought the latest Japanese model GEX2000s, which is low-vibration and quiet.
Quiet doesn't mean completely silent—there's still sound, just much quieter. The round casing has soundproofing material inside to reduce noise. If the round casing touches something nearby, it won't make a loud noise, so there's no resonance. After running for 24 hours, the machine doesn't overheat.
However, since this is a Japanese specification, the voltage is set to 100V at the factory (the manual says 100V, but the plug is marked 125V). Taiwan's voltage is around 110V, so you still need to monitor it periodically during use.
Hang-on Filter
This hang-on filter has dual water channels and includes a surface skimmer function, making it a great helper for aquatic plant keeping.
Since the manufacturer didn't include protective foam for the intake, I had to DIY it by wrapping it with bio-foam to prevent baby shrimp from being sucked in.
Adding Substrate
The substrate consists of 11 liters of coarse black soil + 2 liters of fine black soil. I only realized there wasn't enough soil when planting. I originally bought ceramic rings to place at the bottom layer but forgot, which made planting aquatic plants somewhat difficult—the foreground soil ended up slightly higher while the background soil was lower. Next time, I might directly buy two 8-liter bags of coarse black soil plus 3 liters of fine black soil.
Tank Setup Process
The process was too rushed, and my hands were wet, so I didn't take photos. After laying the substrate, I added water just above the black soil, then set up the sponge filter and hang-on filter, started planting aquatic plants, and finally placed the driftwood.
I made a mistake while planting aquatic plants—I added soil mid-process. When I was halfway through planting, the water level was about halfway up, but due to lack of planting experience, I didn't realize that too little black soil would make planting difficult. So I added some unused fine black soil mid-process, which caused a layer of soil to settle on the plant leaves, hindering photosynthesis. It's better to avoid this situation.
After turning off all the lights and leaving only the aquatic plant light, the charm it radiates is really captivating—it makes you want to sit beside it all night.
