Come share your tank with us Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:59:14 +0000 Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:59:14 +0000 Tropical Aquariums SA https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/forums/members-systems.18/ Tue, 14 Apr 2026 18:32:22 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/5ft-low-tech-planted-african-biotope-project.39609/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/5ft-low-tech-planted-african-biotope-project.39609/ invalid@example.com (GregM) GregM So its been a hot minute (closer to 11 years) since I've done this. The world has changed, many things have changed, but the time has come to revisit this old fixation..

I have managed to source a banged up, used and abused tank, being sold by a dude in the middle of nowhere which suits my purposes perfectly. Its a little smaller than I have had in the past (1500X 640X640) so quite deep but not as long. The frame is welded steel with the glass panels individually integrated into said...

5Ft, low tech,planted - African Biotope Project]]> 40 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 10:47:04 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/ill-just-leave-this-here.39595/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/ill-just-leave-this-here.39595/ invalid@example.com (LilMissMurder) LilMissMurder

(Not least because it's bloody heavy)]]> 23 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 06:08:38 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/3-tapajos-for-sale.39341/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/3-tapajos-for-sale.39341/ invalid@example.com (Reinhardt Botha) Reinhardt Botha
If you wanders why I'll selling ylthe fish above, I want to create enough space to place smalle colorful fish inside, and I personally think that 100 liters is to small for Tapajos,...

3 Tapajos for sale]]> 5 Tue, 17 Feb 2026 13:54:28 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/nano-new-year-build.39204/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/nano-new-year-build.39204/ invalid@example.com (LukeJHB) LukeJHB
Starting off the new year with a new tank. It's double the size of my last system, a whole 40 liters . Was gifted the tank as a Christmas present and decided to shut down my previous nano to put more time and resources into this one.

Very excited to see what I can do with the extra 20 liters of volume.]]> 122 Fri, 13 Feb 2026 17:01:47 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/planted-nano-40l-jebo.39610/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/planted-nano-40l-jebo.39610/ invalid@example.com (GregM) GregM
So this was really a test tank.. trying some new, budget substrate, a cheapy Chinese lamp, some locally sourced hardwood and one shop bought spider wood.
The plants are all from some serious begging and borrowing, there is some bolbitis, pelia, hygrophilia, anubia. The plants outside of the tank are a mix of things i found in my property, mostly ferns and one experimental sweet potato...

Planted Nano 40L Jebo]]> 5 Sun, 19 Oct 2025 17:35:00 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/new-240l-dirted-planted-nano-fish-tank.39225/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/new-240l-dirted-planted-nano-fish-tank.39225/ invalid@example.com (Jakes) Jakes
About three years ago, I bought my daughter a 60L tank. It was initially filled with white gravel, artificial plants, and GMO tetras. I didn't enjoy maintaining that tank. I felt constantly burdened by the chore of cleaning, and I simply wasn't interested in keeping it.

However, last April, I stumbled upon a video by Droeks about dirted and planted...

New 240L dirted/planted nano fish tank]]> 157 Wed, 17 Sep 2025 13:58:44 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/new-revised-fish-room-starting-soon.39286/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/new-revised-fish-room-starting-soon.39286/ invalid@example.com (Jaco de Jongh) Jaco de Jongh
We have quite a few tanks running in an outside room and peak 3kwh loads in the fish room on a cool day. One side of the room is completely open and I know that will pretty much be the constant load during the winter so I thought.

Close up the opening, Insulate the roof, get an Aircon in there and do room heating instead of seperate tank heating. Regulate the temp at 26-27 and add a heater only for fish you...

New / Revised fish room starting soon.]]> 46 Thu, 15 May 2025 09:06:33 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/amano-new-year-build.39205/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/amano-new-year-build.39205/ invalid@example.com (LilMissMurder) LilMissMurder
In the spirit of all things 2025, I'll be joining Luke to also set up my new (to me) tank, which I got today. The tank is in excellent condition and I'm the proverbial piglet. It's much bigger than I anticipated, in that way that playing air tape measure is bound to deceive.

It's an ADA 60-P (I think), the dims are W600x450Dx390H. Included was a fancy ADA LED light which is designed for it. Nishant was also kind enough to throw in a tonne of frags (which I have yet to learn what's...

Amano New Year Build!]]> 361 Sat, 03 May 2025 12:39:01 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/adaro-mid-year-build.39374/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/adaro-mid-year-build.39374/ invalid@example.com (LilMissMurder) LilMissMurder
610x325x300H, 60L. The canonical cheapy two footer. The bespoke stand is 60cm high, which is too short for my liking and I'll be extending the legs if I can find square tubing that fits flush over the OD. The upper "surface" of the stand does not have a cross-bar so the bottom pane is floating over nothing - it'll probably be fine but I don't trust it and will cut a plank to suit. I will...

Adaro mid-year build!]]> 11 Mon, 11 Mar 2024 08:25:56 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/whoknows-systems.33294/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/whoknows-systems.33294/ invalid@example.com (Whoknows) Whoknows @TetraJacques and @A new day so here it goes.

This is my community tank that was meant to be for African cichlids. (Didn't end up enjoying them as much as I'd hoped) Also sorry for the reflection


Stocking for this tank is vast
4x pearl gourmai
6x neon golden barbs
7x herliquin rasbora
3x dwarf Neon Rainbow fish
4x seprae tetra
6x Xray tetra
6x...

Whoknow's systems]]> 339 Sun, 24 Dec 2023 16:25:22 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/our-planted-adventure.38539/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/our-planted-adventure.38539/ invalid@example.com (len.weideman) len.weideman
Newbie here and will share my planted journey for those that like to follow others’s systems. Please feel free to critique and give advise….

We bought a 120 Elegance system and did the initial setup to start the cycle. Substrate used Amazonia and then colorado sand for contrast.
Added some dragon rock. Want to to and keep it minimalistic with only shades of green. Something carpeting for the front and then stuff that gets taller towards the back of the tank. I envision something...

Our planted adventure]]> 11 Wed, 20 Dec 2023 07:49:20 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/the-restart-of-my-love-affair-with-tanks.38696/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/the-restart-of-my-love-affair-with-tanks.38696/ invalid@example.com (Washief Volkwyn) Washief Volkwyn
After more than a decade gone. I took all of old equipment out of mothballs and started again. Reused most and still have some spares. MTS was bad in those days. Only replaced old lighting 3 x 1,2m 16W planted LED. Worked out to about R600.

Blank slate. 27 November.

Tried the soil capped with PFS but made too many rookie mistakes.

This is after started filling with water. Ran filters and 3 days...

The restart of My Love affair with tanks]]> 4 Thu, 07 Dec 2023 16:11:12 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/jps-1-2m.34040/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/jps-1-2m.34040/ invalid@example.com (JPB) JPB

• 1.2m tank with pet store lid
• Blastrite substrate
• (edit: 4 x rosemary roots)
• (edit: 3 x dragon stone)
• 200l water
• 1m SunSun LED tube clipped onto lid with terry clips on 7h timer
• Dophin f-2000 internal filter wrapped in stocking with 250g of matrix and stock sponge.
• Cheapy sponge filter on cheapy air pump as backup / use for quarantine / use for future shrimp tank /...

JPs 1.2m]]> 96 Fri, 10 Nov 2023 07:59:48 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/reviving-my-4ft-tank.38628/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/reviving-my-4ft-tank.38628/ invalid@example.com (tlchidau) tlchidau I will let the tank cycle and then stock it.
I currently have a bit of Vallisneria spiralis, moss and anubias barteri.
Looking to add more plants.







]]> 3 Fri, 29 Sep 2023 06:43:47 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/my-tasa-inspired-tank.38544/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/my-tasa-inspired-tank.38544/ invalid@example.com (Shabir) Shabir
I have to admit the forum has been really quiet lately, hoping to add some activity with this tank and inspire others on here to post updates on their progression over the last few months

So let's get into the tank I'm about to post. As the title of this thread says, this tank was inspired by the knowledge I've attained from fellow members on here. When I started to become an active member on here I knew nothing about plants or a planted tank and in not even...

My TASA inspired tank]]> 7 Mon, 07 Aug 2023 06:57:19 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/possible-3rd-tank.36517/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/possible-3rd-tank.36517/ invalid@example.com (Lord Vader) Lord Vader
If the tank holds, then I'll proceed to set it up. I bought a 15l bag of river sand from Builders Warehouse for only R 40. I still have some dragon rock left from the previous scape, as well as black lava rock. I've got two options in mind:


1. Island style with river sand &...

Possible 3rd Tank]]> 30 Wed, 03 May 2023 16:08:55 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/eye-of-the-tiger.37766/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/eye-of-the-tiger.37766/ invalid@example.com (Lucky01) Lucky01 Namibian driftwood
Tigers eye stone
Langa soil
Standard led lighting
Staurogyne repens
Buce
Coral moss
]]> 21 Mon, 20 Mar 2023 08:08:14 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/doubledutchs-slow-restart.35041/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/doubledutchs-slow-restart.35041/ invalid@example.com (DoubleDutch) DoubleDutch
Got some 90 cm. and 60 cm. LED lights.
A shame the 90 need cross mounting (1 cm too long to place them straight hahahaha). Not sure yet if I'll remove the shelf above the tank and mount lighting on the upper shelf. In that case I'll lower the metal bars to the top of the tank (without placing a shelf on it only for support)

I think I...

DoubleDutch's (slow) restart]]> 350 Fri, 27 Jan 2023 19:50:59 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/the-paladarium-my-first-worthy-scape.38177/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/the-paladarium-my-first-worthy-scape.38177/ invalid@example.com (Shabir) Shabir
At the end of last year I began the hunt for a critter I found that caught my attention more than usual and I made it my goal to ensure I find a way to have them. The tank used to house some cories and shrimp and it was way over grown, I also needed to move my Cory's out into a bigger tank so I decided to tear the tank apart, move the cories and redo...

The paladarium. My first worthy scape]]> 8 Wed, 23 Nov 2022 10:30:13 +0000 https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/my-30l-shrimp-tank.37557/ https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/my-30l-shrimp-tank.37557/ invalid@example.com (JGBeeslaar) JGBeeslaar and just setup a simple marine instead. But enough of that stories. After a few failed attempts of getting motivation to set up a planted tank, it finally happened. I bought a 30l from 4m in Benoni as they were cheapest and someone could bring it for me a few days later,...

My 30l shrimp tank]]> 37