r/PlantedTank • • 25d ago

Your "Dumb Question" Megathread - October 2026

1 Upvotes

You can ask any questions you have in this thread! It refreshes monthly, previous mega-posts can be found using the search bar.

Please keep in mind the community rules.

Happy planting! 🌱🫧


r/PlantedTank • • 9h ago

Tank Goal: color

Thumbnail
gallery
198 Upvotes

I wanted to just make the most colorful, lush tank I possibly could, and I feel like I've been pretty successful. I have a preference for some less common species and love having just lots of specimens of colorful things cool things to look at. My hydrocotyle tripartita mini Japan variegated has been a bit nakey from a ramshorn snail outbreak, which also decimated my buce brownie ghost 2011 and brownie blue, but I'm waiting for some regrowth. I know I could get some groups neater, but I don't mind the more unmanicured appearance. My photography skills are kinda crap, but these pics do an okay job showing everything and I did not enhance any colors, it is just really that colorful.

Tank details:

Landen 100P

Week Aqua P900 Pro (R 90, G 72, B 66, UV 0 for 7hrs)

UNS Inline CO2 diffuser tuned to run at 40ppm CO2

Oase Biomaster Thermo 850 with purigen reactor and Titan Vecton UV (flow is a little weak and I'll be converting filter to bypass mode with an inline pump soon)

NilocG Thrive+ fert on dosing pump

Livestock:

Amano shrimp — approximately 20

Bleeding blue tetras (Hyphessobrycon margitae) — 9

Dwarf chain loaches (Ambastaia sidthimunki) — 8

Ember tetras (Hyphessobrycon amandae) — 9

Gold neon tetras (Paracheirodon innesi, gold color morph) — 18

Julii corydoras (Corydoras julii) — 10

Otocinclus (Otocinclus sp.) — 1 remaining :(

Pearl gouramis (Trichopodus leerii) — 3 (1 male, 2 females)

Plants (28 species in all):

Alternanthera reineckii 'Rosanervig' Mini

Bacopa colorata

Bacopa salzmannii 'Purple'

Bucephalandra 'Brownie Blue'

Bucephalandra 'Brownie Ghost 2011'

Cryptocoryne parva

Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Bronze'

Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Flamingo'

Eriocaulon cinereum

Eriocaulon sp. 'Vietnam'

Hygrophila lancea 'Araguaia' (sp. 'Chai')

Lobelia cardinalis 'Mini'

Ludwigia arcuata

Ludwigia glandulosa

Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata 'Pantanal'

Ludwigia ovalis 'Pink'

Ludwigia palustris 'Super Red'

Nesaea pedicellata 'Golden' (syn. Ammannia pedicellata 'Golden')

Pogostemon erectus

Pogostemon helferi 'Downoi'

Rotala colorata

Rotala ramosior 'Florida'

Rotala ramosior 'Sunset'

Rotala tulunadensis

Rotala wallichii

Staurogyne repens

Staurogyne repens 'Purple'

Syngonanthus macrocaulon

Tonina fluviatilis


r/PlantedTank • • 9h ago

Tank I love this hobby

Thumbnail
gallery
92 Upvotes

r/PlantedTank • • 1h ago

Just sharing

Thumbnail
gallery
• Upvotes

r/PlantedTank • • 12h ago

My dudes in the garden

Thumbnail
gallery
44 Upvotes

Trying to get the most out of my 20g long. It's about 4.5 years old now :)


r/PlantedTank • • 9h ago

Garage Tank

Thumbnail
gallery
23 Upvotes

I had a spare 29 gallon sitting around. My son (6) was wanting to set up another tank so we made a project of it. After cycling we got to work with a plan. Built a stand, rearranged the garage and got to stocking. Java fern, mosses, and donor plants from our other setups. My son was adamant we did a black substrate and it had to have some skulls! We are 3 weeks in to stocking and we’re digging it!
- black emperor tetras - 10
- ember tetras - 10
- female betta - 2
- pygmy cory cats - 4
- cherry shrimp - 6
- Indian anchor catfish - 1


r/PlantedTank • • 3h ago

Beginner How do I get more plants ?

Thumbnail
gallery
7 Upvotes

Hi a started my very first tank like in June. This is probaly on me, but I was really excited to get plants and I would hit up people on Facebook market place for their clippings and I dont know why I thought they would just grow like crazy and fill up the whole tank. Recently I order from an online store. The Amazon sword came in amazing made my tank look so much better. Also got Dwarf Baby Tears from the same place and was kinda disappointed they are so small and I felt the roots where not that big. I want to know what places yall recommend to buy from or how to make the alredy existing plant I have grow more.


r/PlantedTank • • 3h ago

Beginner Flowering Anubius

Post image
5 Upvotes

Noticed this a couple days ago.


r/PlantedTank • • 6h ago

Tank Just wanted feedback

Post image
8 Upvotes

Hello everyone, this is my first time posting on this subreddit. Just wanted people’s opinions on how my tank looks! And if you have any recommendations on what plants I should add or remove. Thank you!


r/PlantedTank • • 1d ago

Tank Vals going wild

Post image
438 Upvotes

Debating on trimming and pulling but I kinda like the jungle look


r/PlantedTank • • 7h ago

CO2 Co2 drop checker showing blue, but I’m using more co2 than I used to use with a non in line diffuser

Thumbnail
gallery
8 Upvotes

“Upgraded” to an in line diffuser, and I’m seeing my drop checker stay at blue, regardless how how much co2 I pump in. I don’t feel like it’s better than the one I had previously. I used to have 2-3 bps, but now I’m sitting at 5bps trying to hit green. It also seems like the bubbles hit the surface almost immediately.

Should I go back to my old setup with a co2 diffuser in the tank?

I also feel Ike the in line is destroying/will destroy my co2 bottle. It previously lasted me 1.5 years at 2bps for 6/7 on.


r/PlantedTank • • 6h ago

What species of plant is this crypt ?

Thumbnail
gallery
4 Upvotes

This was sold as crypt willisii which is a green plant but now that it is grown up (6 months old) i'm leaning torwards wenditti brown but perhaps not given the leaves pattern and shape:

(when purchased from aquariumplantfactory - 2nd picture ):

pictures of uns willisi tissue shows some brown (all pictures i can find on the web). Also in very soft acidic water (ec 30 ph < 6) this plant is growing very very fast (no co2 injection).

It seems happy with no minerals but it is freaking me out. Maybe a hybrid of some sort ?


r/PlantedTank • • 4h ago

Question Fresh planted tank

Thumbnail
gallery
3 Upvotes

I just set up this 5 gallon tank. I only have 2 outlets so I have my light and filter plugged in. I don’t have an outlet yet for my heater yet so my water is somewhat cold. I have these weird “suds” on the top of the water. My hornwort is turning brown. Also an odd white looking algae but it doesn’t pull off the plants easily.

Side note does anyone have tips for planting in fluval stratum?


r/PlantedTank • • 4h ago

Plant ID need help id-ing this moss(ball)?

Thumbnail
gallery
2 Upvotes

new to planted tanks, started off with some java fern & other basic starter plants. ive always wanted a moss ball and thought it would be the perfect addition to my betta tank. went to petco and bought was was advertised as a "moss ball". i thought it was possibly just a different kind and bought it anyway, even tho it didnt look like a marimo. 8 months later it is HUGE and takes up all my tank. does anyone know what this is??? is it even alive??? before and after picture attached 😭


r/PlantedTank • • 14h ago

UNS 90L - 6 weeks old

Post image
12 Upvotes

UNS 90L - biomaster 350 - 20 Microdevario kubotai - 10 shrimp - 2 snails

Plants

- staurogyn repens

- Eleocharis acicularis

- Hygrophila pinnatifida

- Marsilea hirsuta/minuta

- Microsorum pteropus 'Narrow'

- Rotala rotundifolia 'H'ra'

- Vesicularia ferriei 'Weeping'

- Vesicularia dubyana 'Christmas'

- Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Flamingo'

- Hydrocotyle tripartita

work in progress, starting to grow in ... what else could i stock i with?


r/PlantedTank • • 13h ago

Progress!

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

8 Upvotes

Sooo happy with how it's coming along! Any suggestions? I'm doing frequent water changes so the water is less tea colored from the new driftwood.


r/PlantedTank • • 12h ago

Question Advice needed. Bought what was supposed to be 1 male and 2 female Gulf Coast pygmy sunfish. Now grown, one female looks much more like an Everglades pygmy. More details in post body.

Thumbnail
gallery
8 Upvotes

The other two are true Gulf Coast pygmies and I don’t know how well the different subspecies intermingle. I’m worried about her being lonely. I have raised her from a juvenile and am attached. Should I order a male for her? Resources I’ve combed through give mixed information.


r/PlantedTank • • 8h ago

Tank Rate my tank!

Thumbnail
gallery
3 Upvotes

Planted 30gal with shrimp and snails! The smaller stuff in the bottom left corner has been recently added and im just waiting on it to grow in a little lol


r/PlantedTank • • 6h ago

Question Help replacing gravel in aquarium.

2 Upvotes

The gravel in my forty gallon is kinda sharp and I’m wanting to remove at least a good majority of it to make it fully sand or smooth gravel. Does anybody have tips on how to do this without destroying my whole scape and having to remove every single fish?


r/PlantedTank • • 1d ago

Tank My 5 gallon tank

Post image
186 Upvotes

r/PlantedTank • • 15h ago

In the Wild Cute fish, caught from a swampy river

Thumbnail
gallery
9 Upvotes

Y. morleti


r/PlantedTank • • 7h ago

Question Chihiros WRGB 2 10th Edition or Slim

2 Upvotes

I want to change from my Fluval Plant 3.0 to either a Chihiros WRGB 2 10th edition 90cm or the Chihiros WRGB 2 Slim. I have a quite heavily planted 200l low tech tank with the dimensions of 100 x 40 x 50 cm.

Would the 10th edition be overkill (at 100W) compared to my 46W Fluval that I run at 60% at the highest atm.

Would the slim at 69W be a better choice with no c2o. I would like to grow more types of plants as mine is mainly low tech stems.


r/PlantedTank • • 5h ago

Changing up the set up to my tank, and as I was taking everything out, I noticed this. I have no idea what it is. But any chance can anyone help me identify what this is and get rid of it please

Thumbnail
gallery
1 Upvotes

r/PlantedTank • • 5h ago

Tank What should i upgrade in my tank

Thumbnail
gallery
1 Upvotes

Tank dimensions: 9 × 6 inches


r/PlantedTank • • 6h ago

Tank At a loss with what to do with this tank both aesthetically and health-wise

Thumbnail
gallery
1 Upvotes

Low-tech 5g Betta Tank with easy plants. I’ve been unhappy with it for awhile. My plants are growing but simultaneously seem to be struggling with some kind of issue and algae. I want to improve it aesthetically and help my plants because they look poorly.

I also want the amazon sword in the back to be able to grow above water but it just droops.

I dose Flourish 2-3x weekly and don’t do much maintence with the plants. I have a hygger light which is on for 10 hours, but is on relatively low intensity except for peak times.

What can I do?