PLANTED TANK SUBSTRATE
Planted Tank Substrate Guide: The Complete Layer
The substrate is the one part of a planted nano you cannot swap on a Sunday afternoon, so it is…
Nano Tank Guides Library
Step-by-step setups, water chemistry explained in measurable terms, and the beginner-killing myths called out by name.
PLANTED TANK SUBSTRATE
PLANTED TANK SUBSTRATE
ADA Amazonia Substrate Guide: Setup, Cycling & Lifespan
ADA Amazonia is the aqua soil most high-tech planted tanks are built on, and for good reason: it is the…
NEOCARIDINA SHRIMP
Crystal Red Shrimp Care Guide: Soft-Water Caridina
Crystal Red shrimp are kept in soft, acidic water: RO remineralized to a TDS of roughly 100–130 ppm, GH 4–6,…
PLANTED TANK SUBSTRATE
Capping Substrate for Planted Tanks: The Method
Capping is the cheapest way to get serious plant growth in a planted tank: a nutrient layer of soil on…
PLANTED TANK SUBSTRATE
Buffering Soil for Caridina Tanks: A Chemistry Guide
Caridina shrimp — the soft-water bee and crystal shrimp — cannot live in the water that comes out of most…
PLANTED TANK SUBSTRATE
Active vs Inert Substrate for Planted Tanks
The choice between active and inert substrate decides more about your tank than any filter or light will. Active substrate…
PLANTED TANK SUBSTRATE
Fluval Stratum Substrate Review: Honest Verdict
Fluval Stratum is the aqua soil I recommend most often to people building their first shrimp tank — not because…
NEOCARIDINA SHRIMP
Caridina Shrimp Care Guide: The Soft-Water System
Caridina shrimp need soft, acidic, mineral-poor water held inside a tight window: TDS around 100–150 ppm, GH of 4–6, KH…
PLANTED TANK SUBSTRATE
Planted Tank Substrate Depth: How Deep to Go
Substrate depth is the spec people guess at and regret, because it is the one thing you cannot adjust without…
NEOCARIDINA SHRIMP
The Shrimp Grading System, Explained
Shrimp grading is a system for ranking ornamental shrimp by the coverage, opacity and pattern of their colour — not…
NEOCARIDINA SHRIMP
Remineralizer for Caridina Shrimp: GH+ Done Right
For Caridina shrimp you want a GH-only remineralizer — a mineral salt that raises general hardness (the calcium and magnesium…
ALGAE BY CAUSE
Green Film Algae on Nano Tank Glass: Causes and Control
Green film on the glass of a nano tank is the most common algae there is, and the least worth…