Filling the Fangorn Forest Aquascape! Dry Start Results

[@SimplyBetta]

BOY have I had a rough few months, blame it on multiple debilitating preschool-related illnesses. I'm being dramatic. Or am I? What do you think, did the dry start method end of working alright? I sure think so. Tank balancing and algae control is my next challenge, and I'll be doing it with some livestock in the next video on this. Can you guess which species I'll put in there? Thanks for watching, guys!

[@AndrewFishman]

"I hope the algae clears up soon" is something I have been saying for a little while. About 40 years or so.

[@annasensee8132]

Your tank is gorgeous! Axolotls would be cool in there❤ We're lucky to go 2 weeks without someone being sick. My son's in Pre-K, and daughter's in kindergarten, plus going to church. We have a wide range of places to get illnesses.

[@tonyp8762]

Taylor, what a great job with this set up. I have been waiting to see how it went with all of the stock you acquired over the past year and now, thank you. Really really nice, God bless.

[@SimplyBetta]

@@AndrewFishman LOL

[@SimplyBetta]

@@annasensee8132 I feel your pain, it's been one thing after the other here. I have a pre-k and a 1st grader and I get EVERY big they bring home. Mom solidarity.

[@gooeygolden3414]

Girl the editing is fire like I can feel the warmth from this side of the screen

[@SimplyBetta]

I really appreciate that :)

[@karaausby9618]

I think the algae adds to the vibe!

[@SimplyBetta]

Thanks! Right, I like all the green. I just need to get it to where it won't suffocate my plants now ^_^

[@bloatus7611]

For someone who used to be unsure of their aqauscaping skills, this is just flat out beautiful. Incredible setup! Expensive but worth it. The algae kinda makes it look even more lived in. I don't have the patience and too much time on my hands for a dry start but this kind of makes me want to give it a try. Can't wait to see what you add to it. So many possibilities. I don't know if you've ever kept Apistos but I think you'd fall in love with them. I also think this would be a perfect place for a couple gobies.

[@SimplyBetta]

Thanks, I appreciate it! Def. spendy, but getting everything over a few years vs all at once really helped. And thanks for the suggestions, I've never had apistos or gobies

[@Mati_Moo]

I've been following this tank idea from the conception and it's so cool to see it finally complete minus the fish. You did a great job with the plants and the perspective of the layout. It looks super rad 👌

[@SimplyBetta]

Thank you, I appreciate that :) My next challenge is to get the plants to do what I picture in my head, that's tricksy

[@ROGaddiction]

@@SimplyBetta Please make your presentation better, it is like a vegetable seller is appointed to sale Gold.

[@gametester47]

You are now my mental monologue when simping for Sicce lol!

[@happyshabbygames]

Kudos for doing what helps you sleep at night and being extra cautious with the bracing. I do this at work and sometimes drive my coworkers crazy! 🤣

[@SimplyBetta]

better safe than sorry!

[@ChattanoogaEd]

Wow I love it so do much ‼️

[@SimplyBetta]

Thanks Ed!

[@shesellsfish]

Wow! That turned out absolutely fabulous. I'm in agreement with you about bracing the floor, peace of mind is priceless, and 10 years from now your know for a fact you're floor won't be sinking at all in that area of your house. Can't wait to see what you stock this beautiful, mythical, mysterious tank with. 👍❤️👍

[@SimplyBetta]

Thanks so much! I have no regrets about bracing the floor ^_^

[@brianp6180]

Awesome tank Taylor! You are so creative. That scape is the bomb!

[@WombatMuffler]

So, to make your bio blocks extra effective, I recommend drilling small holes all the way through them. It will greatly increase the area that water is continuously in active contact with the beneficial bacteria. This tip also works great with lava rock. You will 100% notice the difference in water quality and clarity in doing this. Also, you earned a new subscriber today. Your content is awesome.

[@SimplyBetta]

That's a tip I've never heard before, but it makes sense! Thanks, and thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it :)

[@cking8776]

Glad you're back. Missed you much!!! 🥰

[@justmyway508]

Absolutely love this entire video, an incredible piece of content. An overall an awesome tank in the end. I love how it came out and am super jealous of the fert dosage pump and lighting setup. Thanks for sharing all of this.

[@pauld.3332]

Really like the look of your tank. I'll have to check your planting video again. Seeing the emersed growth makes me want to start a terrarium with some of these. Really enjoyed the editing as well as the dorkiness/geekiness. It's really noticeable that it's a passion project. LOTR for life!

[@SimplyBetta]

Haha thank you, my method did make a pretty dang cool terrarium. It was almost a shame to fill it!

[@jpuckett343]

I have just found you channel and am so pleased that I did. Not only are your vids informative but very entertaining.... keep up the great work! Ty

[@Loveofpets]

I love your sense of humor 😅. Your tank looks so beautiful!

[@SimplyBetta]

Aww shucks, thank you

[@drdoolittlefishhobbyist6055]

Your energy is awesome and your set ups are stunning x

[@Half_theBattle]

Excited to see your progress, and I hope your future is healthy and fun. It's always a delight to see and hear you, Taylor.

[@deandickens2203]

I'm gonna vote for a massive school of Pygmy Corydoras because the hover like hummingbirds and like to perch on plants and hardscape. And they're adorable. The more of them there are the safer they feel too. I have a betta with mine in 16 gallons and when there's at least 10 they can always find a couple of friends to swim around with even when the betta is being all agro.

[@SimplyBetta]

That would be so cute! I'm still toying with ideas, I really like the idea of a group of schooling fish like a tetra, a handful of minnow-y fish to flit around, but also shrimp :) So much to choose from

[@dillonkentworth6718]

OMG hummingbirds is a great comparison! I’ve just gotten my first 6 Pygmy corys this week and have had a hard time describing them to people.

[@IbrisOfAmber]

Yaaaasss! The next vid in my favourite fangorn forest series has dropped! Been waiting for this for so long 😊 The tank is looking spectacular! I'm in awe every time I see your beautiful masterpiece 🥰 Not sure what fishies you plan on populating the tank with, but I've got my fingers crossed that either a rainbow unicorn betta (because every dark and mysterious forest needs a unicorn) or an ominous looking crown tail betta (for that spooky look) will be one of the residents here. I simply can't wait for the next vid now!

[@SimplyBetta]

You're too kind! Thank you ;)

[@sebramski1]

i'd start with an algea eater, haha lol very nice vid. i laught my a off when you started to fill the tank

[@SimplyBetta]

Right! I'm actually sourcing some now that my tank is all cycled and nice :P And thanks! ^_^

[@softaco3088]

Your moss in the grinder taught me something new. nice.

[@cakeeeetime]

I WILL SUMMON THE BRUINEN EVERY WATER CHANGE NOW! YOU MADE THAT CHORE A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER!!!!!

[@SimplyBetta]

Hah!

[@simianlife5949]

Such an amazing scape. The depth you've created is magical. Can't wait to see some critters in there.

[@mattgray9297]

I’ve never seen someone have so much fun while doing so much work! Great edit & the tank looks great!

[@Idkseemskindafishy]

I think the algae looks pretty cool in it 😂 but I can understand the frustration of doing all that work and then algae showing up. Can’t wait to see what inhabitants you choose!

[@jesselox3470]

It looks sooo good! Yes, even with the algae!

[@BeagleRescuer13]

Holy Schnikies Lady!! By far my favorite tank you have done. It turned out just ah-mazing!! Well done!

[@SimplyBetta]

Wow, thank you :)

[@simonark1176]

I'm kinda jealous of whoever will be living in there 😅 looks soooo awesome i love it

[@brettkreider18]

it looks fantastic i really hope you put bright colorful shrimps into it !

[@deannalight4851]

This is coming along great!!! It is beautiful and magical. I can't wait to see all the plants mature and fill the tank. You are doing fantastic with it all. I enjoy watching your progress. ☺️

[@SimplyBetta]

Awww shucks, thank you ❤

[@andrewmoran9192]

Good idea about the bracing, excellent piece of mind! First video I have watched, subscribed! Love your energy! And this scape is amazing! Keep the videos comin!

[@SimplyBetta]

Thanks Andrew, I appreciate it!

[@666Maeglin]

Anything with dwarf in their name would fit perfectly in this themed aquarium

[@jordanwilde9226]

So glad to see this finally complete (sans feesh). It turned out beautifully and you should be very proud.

[@SimplyBetta]

Thanks Jordan! : )

[@rohoaqualuna6356]

Wow, it's beautiful!! Such a lovely tank. We will be looking forward to your updates! Glad you are feeling better. Maybe for the wires and canister a custom wood box that matches the stand with an access door either on top or the front. Maybe a little LED light strip to light it up in there. And whatever livestock you put in, I think the color should stand out against the forest, and something should be in there that makes use of the trees/wood (shrimp or plecos) but not little shrimp. Maybe like bamboo or vampire shrimp and a vibrant colored pleco. Then some vibrant colored fish that like to school so it looks like a swarm moving through the forest. Regardless of what goes in there I know it will be awesome. Your ideas are always cool. Thanks for the share!

[@SimplyBetta]

Thanks fothe ideas! :)

[@rebekahstahl1018]

Oh my gosh the nerd level in this video is perfect 🤣 I ADORE this ❤

[@dillonkentworth6718]

I love watching your projects! Your personality is so cute and creative

[@SimplyBetta]

aww shucks you're too nice

[@KerriGilpin]

Wow what a setup! Love all of the plant growth, the moss came in magically! To hide your CO2 and cables, get some wood or white pvc garden materials (where you got the lid) and build a tiny cabinet to match the white stand! Or… thrift a small cabinet and gut it to fit your needs.

[@SimplyBetta]

Thanks Kerri, a little cabinet is a great idea ;)

[@thehairywoodsman5644]

your energy level is awesome ! a video from you in the morning is better than coffee !

[@SimplyBetta]

hah! Well thank you Hairywoodsman :)

[@1DanielleLouise]

This is pretty dang inspiring. I definitely wouldn't hate an update video in full lotr nerd mode :D

[@elvenrat]

As a huge lotr fan, i‘m so exited to see it finally finished!

[@SimplyBetta]

Wohoo! Next step - the inhabitants!

[@elvenrat]

@@SimplyBetta 9 black bettas 😱😱😱. Or betta, one white betta! And alot of black shrimp or jade green ones 🤩. Well but the betta would probably eat them. Looking foreward to what it will be!

[@CichlidAquariums]

We use the same material for our 300 Lake Malawi tank. We cut 4 rectangle holes, then secured the cut outs with velcro. That way we don't have to left an 8ft lid all at once. ❤ Not that you needed to know that.

[@DanielRobinsonDanielSun]

Eagerly waiting to see the finished tank of this with fish in it and see how the plants are looking. I check you're channel often. 👍👍💜🇦🇨💜

[@SimplyBetta]

Thanks! My next video (i think) will be about this tank and the new livestock :)I'm editing it now

[@candicehardin2225]

Oh the dry start worked so well! The atomizer and fans obviously functioned beautifully! I have no idea what you will add other than some neat shrimp? Maybe you can choose some fish based upon their resemblance to sturdy and diminutive hobbits or a fish with flowing finnage like wizard robes, perhaps juvenile long finned green plecos that resemble elves for stealth and grace, perhaps something menacing like orks too but perhaps predators would be bad for a community tank? I have so enjoyed this tank and I think its intense the sump/pump/fertilizer/alert/overflow support system you have put together! I have no time for such complexity. Sponge filters are my limit currently. Would love evil driftwood tank update to see if the spooky crabs survived. Maybe you added some disturbing albino blind fish that look like zombies.

[@whatever9554]

A gorgeous tank, and I love all the effort you put into setting it up. For hiding the wires I'd probably just have an open backed stand next to the tank, and hide the wire box inside of it. Would also help with safety 😅 Electricity on the floor next to an aquarium always makes me nervous. Anyway, you could hide the wires inside furniture and then have a plant on something on the stand so it won't look out of place.

[@bethfoort]

This tank is soo flippin" cool, even the algae looks good!

[@SimplyBetta]

Haha thank you Beth

[@fishtroverts]

The tank looks amazing!

[@aurorasurrealis1032]

I'm dying at the gollum clips and lotr edits 😂

[@XCaliKev]

👍😎 Looks great Taylor. Really good job editing, well done. ✌️

[@SimplyBetta]

Thanks! ❤

[@soyebmullick]

I've been eagerly waiting for the next episode.please please please don't make us wait for another 3 months.

[@SimplyBetta]

Haha I won't, I had a bad few months 😵 but it's all better now!

[@soyebmullick]

@@SimplyBetta 👍 great! Take care Ma'am!!! Hoping to watch a great episode soon!!! Love from India

[@bbitsaboi]

It would be so cool to see a bunch of different loach species, kuhlis, pandas, dwarf chain exploring this set up with a bunch of shrimp. Pair that with a few schools of tetras or Danios and it'd look like a dream!

[@bovidaeloony987]

Shrimp would be awesome and really contribute to the sense of scale! It is looking amazing!

[@SimplyBetta]

Totally coming!

[@davidbaker6382]

Looks fantastic. I love that moss you pained on. The plant Lobelia (S-B) sounds good for a Tolkien theme tank :). I can see Treebeard wandering about in that tank. It has a very Fanghorn vibe.

[@emilyshirley775]

I absolutely love your content! This tank is exquisite! The nervous nelly in me wants you to install a CO2 monitor, just in case you do have a leak. CO2 is an asphyxiant, and can kill you before you know anything. Though this is a very small tank and I assume the room isn't "sealed". Also, you may or may not have installed one already and it is none of my business. Just the safety person in me! (I deal with CO2 at work, and the safety is in my face there every day) Thanks so much for the awesome content! Also, please just do what you are comfortable with. I am always just the most nervous person at my work and over think things sometimes. Also, someone may have already gave this recommendation, so disregard if that is the case! Or even just disregard anyway!

[@deathandtexas2016]

Absolutely love this video. Absolutely love this scape. Absolutely HATE PVC Ball Valves!!! Subscribed.

[@lyerillydoh8561]

You should do voice overs. That voice you have is pure gold!

[@SimplyBetta]

Haha thank you, I do those sometimes!

[@FlavioChriste]

I just found your channel and I really like this Fangorn Forest scape. Looking really nice, the wooden-scape is beautiful. But what really brought my attention is this industrial SUMP-setup. I´ve never seen this where you can buy the plastic pieces and apply them as you need. My Sump, and all sumps i´ve known are basically another aquarium (glass-made) underneath the main project. I´m from São Paulo, Brazil, and thank you for your content.

[@joeyhacker7518]

Green Tiger Barb Tetras would look amazing but this tank looks so good that most types would work great!

[@ZebMeierWatz]

😮😮😮 Wow the result looks awesome! 🏆

[@michaelalexandercanade3449]

Wow! Getting better everyday. Congratulations! 🎉 I am not an expert but hope so too.

[@mingbritson]

AWESOME!!! Congrats on this huge milestone!

[@SimplyBetta]

Thank you! ❤

[@krystynab4591]

I knew it! You are an elf. 😂 That explaines a lot ❤ I love elves

[@ebaero6673]

This tank will be epic! - one tip for using auto dosers - put a note in your calendar to check the hose pipes every 6 months or so. They can get brittle - and crack - as I found out, when I saw fertilizer dripping out of the bottom of my pride and joy hand made cabinet! - not a fun thing to clean up and can get everywhere! The pipes on my setup were more than two years old - but it was never something I thought to check before!

[@SimplyBetta]

Ooo thanks for the heads up ;)

[@lilirose72]

As someone who does daily dosing manually with multiple tanks- that dosing pump will be a godsend! I got sick in November/December and didn't keep up with my dosing schedule, and I'm just now managing to get on top of the algae again.

[@SimplyBetta]

It has been so nice so far, the app even alerts my phone if the fertilizer jugs are getting low. I love this thing. Hi Lilirose, hope all is well!

[@WhatIsMisophonia]

That's something a lot of people don't get; Your tanks likely suffered from the nutrient deficiency of a few specific nutrients, which caused plant photosynthesis to drop off, and the more frugal and efficient algae to have less competition, such that at least some of every nutrient that allows them to breed and grow was available. I was thinking Simply Betta should have taken the opposite approach and not fed nutrients into the tank before the plants were adapted to the newly submerged state. There should be more than enough nutrients to feed the plants in the initial water fill for a few weeks (unless of course she used pure or mostly RO water, or her water is very soft).

[@lilirose72]

@@WhatIsMisophonia It's my experience that newly submerged plants need plenty of nutrition along with plenty of water changes- it's when you can't do both that plants suffer. Thanks for your input!

[@gregridings9962]

Looks great.

[@dallasaquascapingguy]

OMG I Love it! I have been waiting for this update.. I'm not hating some of that algae on the trees either. Thank you for the fun video. Hope to see you at Aquashella in Dallas! 😃

[@SimplyBetta]

haha thanks!

[@omaeve]

I started filling up a new tank today. It’s a pie shape. I put a circle of lava stones as big as I could get in the tank as the area to plant my Anacharis Elodea. The first thing I bought for this tank. I also added Java fern, and Ludwigia. I managed a hole in about 10 gallons today. I was having to wait until I had bought some sand to My fluval stratum. I put in one fish that likes to jump out of the fish tank. The only one I have that does that thing. In the tank a half an hour after I filled it up for my test fish. All my water is rain water that runs through a reverse osmosis system. The entire bottom inside and outside of a circle of lava rocks are very tiny lava rocks. Yes, I spent ages sorting through my love of rocks to get all three sides of I rinse them in a metal colander and I boil off the water so I can have the red sand, when I need to crazy glue stuff to cover up the white of the crazy glue when it cures. I find that the base layer of lava in my tanks second layer substrate third layer black sand really gives me a good planting medium and also very stable parameters.

[@SimplyBetta]

That sounds pretty cool, fellow rock collector! :D

[@kurtbrutting5118]

Super Awesome Stuff !!!

[@Sannive]

The algea outburst actually looks kinda cool!!! O.O !!!

[@SimplyBetta]

It does add a certain look, doesn't it

[@magicalbooknerd]

It looks BEAUTIFUL!!! Makes me want to reread LOTR! 🧝‍♂️💚

[@SimplyBetta]

Thank you, please do! :)

[@FeistyNugget411]

For cable management you can get a large basket or decorative hamper and put a hole on the back for the wires. I did something similar and have a smaller hide for my internet modem and router.

[@SimplyBetta]

Yeah I like that idea!

[@laurenreynolds3366]

Wow this was so great! I’ve loved watching it come along. Super fun and you sure are great at all the things! 😊 yeah preschool illnesses are no joke 😢

[@SimplyBetta]

I appreciate it, Lauren!

[@Aiden-V2.0]

Has anyone seen Taylor lately? I'm worried she went back down into the crawl space to hang out with Gollum!🤣 I actually love the way this looks as a mossy mess, makes it look more mature and spooky. Buuuut i can see why people dont want their paid to plant greenery getting choked out in the process. It's coming along great, can't wait 'til the next update!

[@robloxcosplayz2148]

bettas would look so mystical in this tank!

[@Tachical_Bichir]

Ever since I found out your Penny from RWBY a few months ago all I see is Penny aquascaping and instead of Swords its a bunch of tools for aquariums. Also I love the tank! Geek up the fantastic work!!

[@SimplyBetta]

haha I like that idea, thanks! :D

[@haydendebarros1254]

Is it weird that I actually like the way the algae looks on everything, I think it gives it a very natural forest look

[@SimplyBetta]

No you're right, I like it too. I just need it to stop smothering my plants so much :)

[@jimmypalle]

Wow that is looking awsome!!

[@SimplyBetta]

Thank you!

[@jimmypalle]

@@SimplyBetta when will the next episode come?

[@ingrossa]

That’s so cool!

[@daigorostaurenghi5072]

This tank is an absolute gem, I will never reach this level but I'm happy with my two aquariums. I think I'll look for more information about the app-related technologies because it seem like saving a lot of time and effort. Giving you a hug from Italy! Speaking about fish...Idk, maybe some black guppy will keep the "dark and forest-y" mood, but I'm not a fish expert.

[@SimplyBetta]

Thank you! There is absolutely no need to reach this level, by the way. I'll do it for the both of us. :) I've really been enjoying using technology to make my life a little easier every day!

[@georgeballentine1045]

Looks so good

[@ericmogielnicki3101]

"tingly spidy sense" that's anxiety Taylor, welcome to the anxiety family 😭😭😭

[@SimplyBetta]

LOL

[@phatmanNumba1]

Did you cure your wood beforehand? Did you ever get mold growing on your wood?

[@Cgraseck]

Glad to see the tank progressing Taylor! I'm setting up a fourth reef tank at the moment. I'm sure the algae is just so excited for the impending invasion🤨. PEOPLE! This has been up for four hours and there are only 350 likes...... Lets goooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!! Cheers, Chris

[@SimplyBetta]

Wow, 4 reef tanks!

[@Cgraseck]

@@SimplyBetta Yes but not as difficult as one planted tank 😁

[@clj4805]

Even with the algae it already looks soo cool! I can't wait for the day I own a house so I can set up an aquascape without having to worry about moving.

[@SimplyBetta]

That's the tough part, isn't it? Maybe a nano tank is in order :)

[@Evil_Genius_888]

Sorry to hear you got sick. Other than the algae, it looks fantastic! I finally moved my forest scape from the 40g breeder to a 47g rimless and have over 100 cherry shrimp and 20 CPDs in it. Your wood choice is so much better than mine! LOL! I don't have a sump, but I am putting an ATO system in and I've been thinking of an audo doser too.

[@SimplyBetta]

I love my auto doser so far! I wish I would have tried one ages ago! Thanks, evil genius

[@borjagueza677]

Awesome!❤

[@joeyhacker7518]

This is amazing🏔🌲🗺 🙌‼️

[@arnoldcarino9935]

That looks really good

[@SimplyBetta]

Thank you :)

[@sayurikitamura7109]

Amazing 🎉 I'm subscribed ❤

[@Fishratsnatrualaquarium]

The algae almost adds to the forest look

[@SimplyBetta]

It does!

[@WhatIsMisophonia]

Good thing the drystart worked, what with people worried about the moss concoction you painted on the driftwood. How did you like constantly adding water to that massively overheating little cup of water for your fogger :P Don't tell me that didn't happen, I haves expirimence in these matters. Anyway, why exactly did you add the fan? I assume it's to help reduce potential fungal problems, despite the high humidity. Sumps are another one of those things I think are a ripoff, considering all you need is a large water-tight container you can partition off and add media and other stuff to, and tupperware or an old small fish tank can do that. Even though I take more of a natural approach with dirt under a deep sand bed, I am still jealous of your auto fert-dosing system. I may rely mostly on fish food for fertilizer, but I also dose specific nutrients the plants are using more of to avoid deficiency. I'd like to see you experiment with a dirted tank and compare the results to this auto-fert aquasoil system. Seems like most female aquarist youtubers won't touch a dirted tank with a 10 foot pole; Which is ironic considering how so many women love gardening, but the main reason they don't like dirted tanks is because they're too dirty lol. So you have a contractor in the family, and he's all like "get your ass under your own house, lady; I ain't doin it" 🤣I'm impressed you did the work, honestly. I've done renovation work on old houses in the past (and helped other people with their houses out of the goodness of my own two-sizes-too-small heart), and I don't ever want to get under another house again; Especially the ones with so low a crawl space you have to do the military crawl to get through. I'd rather take a kick in the nuts and call it a day. Also, you're hilarious and I loved the Gollum stuff. As far as filter media goes: I just got some of those plastic pot scrubbing pads that have been recommended by more than a few people as an affordable filter media which has just the right porosity to allow thick mature bacterial biofloc, and supposedly has similar performance to K1 media. The issue is, the pot scrubbers cannot be bought is a large of bulk as K1, so if you're doing a large filter, K1 might be the cheaper option. Here's more info: aquariumscience.org/index.php/7-2-8-pot-scrubbers/ Also, nylon was recommended, but I may have accidentally bought polypropylene pads instead. Polypropylene is fine (and cheaper than nylon) but will biodegrade in 20 to 30 years, while nylon will not. I'm a bit surprised at all the algae. You really shouldn't have been growing algae, even without the water changes, considering you don't even have fish to feed. Did you immediately start off with the auto-fert hooked up (I don't care what manufacturers tell you to do; never trust an elf, er, I mean manufacturers)? I'd have let the plants alone with only what's available in the water for the first month or so, since they won't feed a lot while they are adapting to the newly submerged conditions, or just added some algae feeders. With all space and all the plants (even while they're adapting), you really wouldn't need to cycle for just a few fish, since the plants will consume whatever ammonium a few fish will produce.

[@SimplyBetta]

Hi! Thanks for stopping by, I'm pleased at the dry start method. it was tricky trying to keep it properly damp for the moss, but not too damp for the plants below! I was having to mist every 30 min for the first few days because that wood was absorbing everything I sprayed on it. The fogger was a good idea to have at night and for when I had to go to work - I would plug it in and get maybe an hour of fog before it would turn off due to the water level in the bowl getting too low (it would spray out drop by drop thanks to the atomizer) . Maybe having a model with an auto-shutoff was my saving grace there? Hah! The tiny usb fans were so I could get some air movement in there, I was worried about it getting too stagnant in there. It also looked really cool when it swirled the fog around, they were totally worth it. Also, as a note, next time I would totally just do the moss painting part with no other plants so I could keep it really damp in there and not worry about it getting too wet or moldy for my other plants to thrive. Then when the moss establishes I would add in the other plants. Oh well, live and learn. Looking back, I probably could have held off on starting the auto-doser. In my mind I was going to do my usual large frequent water changes for a few weeks to combat the new tank algae, but I didn't count on getting miserably sick for weeks. Oops! I'm fixing it now and have algae eaters on the way! the algae is going down already just with the extra water changes and a touch less light. Oh yeah, the scrubbing pads! I know that's what King of DIY uses for his media, thanks for the link. You know, this setup could have worked perfectly with one or two canister filters instead of a sump, but this tank of mine was definitely designed for a saltwater setup. Oh well, I don't mind the extra water volume I suppose, and I'll definitely use a section of it as a refugium. Haha glad you liked the Gollum part! He's my best pal. I'd rather take a kick in the nuts too than to go down there again, but I'm the only nimble little adult 'round these parts. I should set up a secret plant farm down there, nobody would know of my illicit cryptocoryne grow operation. Wait, that would get dirt under my nails, I can't do that! (lol)

[@WhatIsMisophonia]

@@SimplyBetta Wait, did you add fertilized aqua soil? That stuff will definitely leach all kinds of fertilizer into the water which is part of why those fancy high tech guys have to do so many water changes early on, but you probably knew that. A sand cap holds in nutrients better, even if it's just an inch. Traditional Walstad uses gravel, but it also uses unfertilized garden soil or compost. Deep sand dirt uses fertilized soil with two inches of sand to hold in ferts.

[@troublingleaf]

Any updates? I'd love to see this after the plants have converted to their submersed form

[@mayukhbera]

Love it!

[@Prince-sb4hm]

Off topic.. but for me you’re the real life Dr.Kepner from Grey’s Anatomy 😩❤️ (Edit): not just bc of looks.. but also how fun, bubbly and your attitude and gestures ❤❤❤

[@ericsonvaldez2970]

I miss seeing you blogging about Bettas fan from the Philippines ❤❤❤

[@SimplyBetta]

Don't worry, my bettas will be back soon :)

[@nabokovfan87]

Definitely a bummer about the co2 bottle leak. As far as power and routing, you should have a seperate hole (not the one the water pipes use) to route power internal to the cabinet. If you don't then I'd recommend mounting it where it cannot be dripped on (maybe the wall?) and just attach it to somewhere you can easily get to. Looking forward to hearing about the dosing setup.

[@SimplyBetta]

That would be the best option! Sigh, wish I would have thought about that before, well, finishing the tank

[@slickdog78]

Idea for hiding the CO2 canister and the cords and whatnot. Put up a little curtain on the left side of your stand. Voila, no more cannister or cords... This project is coming along nicely. Can't wait to see what you decide to stock in Fangorn. Personally, I think a nice hearty group of Celestial Pearl Danios, White Cloud Minnows or Green Neon Tetras would be awesome. Possibly a couple shrimp of the Amano or Cherry variety. I need to get back into aquariums. I want to keep some Apistos so badly. I think they're beautiful fish.

[@SimplyBetta]

Haha I like that idea, sounds easy :P What to stock in here has been a tough decision, but I think I've done it! I have my fish ordered and on the way, I'm stoked

[@alysonemery5287]

The Gollum bit had me dead 😂 I have such a girl crush on you, Taylor! 😂

[@SimplyBetta]

LOL thanks alyson ^_^

[@GerardMedano]

Beautiful layout! algae was expected I don´t think it´s posible to skip that step. Green neons would look awesome in there.

[@SimplyBetta]

Thanks! I was actually considering some green tetras because they're so small, but I can't find any. I'm also considering ember tetras, the orange might look pretty cool with the green

[@GerardMedano]

@@SimplyBetta I have a nano tank with embers, but I'm a bit disappointed with them, because they don't seem to school very well together as much as I would like. Pigmy guramis and roomy nose a good option also.

[@SimplyBetta]

@@GerardMedano thanks for sharing! Gosh I wonder if those little Ruby tetras would be a good option, too. I better do some googling

[@bjornstacy9590]

Now you just need a figure of Treebeard in the tank