Aquarium
Oase “Living Waters” biOrb LIFE (45 L)
The Fireplace Aquarium’s smaller low-tech sibling is the Shrimphaus.
Residents
We run a ‘peaceful community tank’ with a blend of plants and animals that (are supposed to and mostly do) live harmoniously together.
Animals
Fish
- Rummy-nosed tetras
- Five-banded barbs
- or are they six-banded barbs?
- Otocinclus catfish
- Ember tetras
- Purple harlequin rasbora
Shrimp
Snails
- Zebra thorn snails
- Nerite snails
Plants
Background
- Bacopa caroliniana
- Rotala rotundifolia ‘Blood Red’
Midground
- Alternanthera cardinalis variegata
- Alternanthera reineckii ‘Mini’
- Microsorum pteropus ‘Windelov’
- Cryptocoryne nevelli
- Rotala rotundifolia ‘Blood Red’
Foreground
- Cryptocoryne nurii
- Schismatoglottis prietoi
Carpet
- none
Epiphyte
Fireplace Aquarium 13-Apr-2025
Notes: new Rotala ‘Blood Red’ in the back left
Previous Residents…
Usually these are ‘previous residents’ because something didn’t work out quite right…
Plants
- Alternanthera reineckii ‘Rot’
- Alternanthera reineckii ‘Rosanervig’
- Anubias barteri nana ‘Pinto’
- Anubias nana ‘Snow White’
- Bucephalandra caterina
- Cryptocoryne lutea ‘Hobbit’
- Cryptocoryne parva
- Cryptocoryne beckettii ‘Petchii pink’ – wasn’t pink!
- Cryptocoryne wendtii ‘Flamingo’
- Echinodorus radicans
- Hottonia palustris
- Hydrocotyle verticilliata
- Hygrophila polysperma
- Littorella uniflora
- Lobelia cardinalis ‘Dwarf’
- Lobelia cardinalis ‘wavy’
- Ludwigia palustris mini ‘Super Red’
- Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’
- Marsilea crenata
- Marsilea hirsuta
- Pogostemon helferi – eaten by shrimp
- Riccardia chamedryfolia
- Vallisneria asiatica
Accessories
Things that keep things going, or make them nice.
Food for critters
- Various flakes, pellets and wafers
Temperature control
- Fluval M50 submersible aquarium heater
Lighting
Water movement
- VorTech MP10w ‘quiet drive’
- NEXBERG aquarium mini piezo air pump
Decorations / hardscape
- biOrb Amazonas Root Aquarium Ornament (41cm)
Water quality
- ‘Estimative index‘ fertilizers
- Algaecide aka ‘liquid carbon‘
- Water conditioner
Carbon dioxide (gas) delivery
- Controlling aquarium CO2
- regulator, secondary restrictor, needle valve
- Bottled CO2 tank
- CO2 diffuser
- Drop checker
Plant substrate
- Aquasoil
- Biohome biogravel
- BiOrb ceramic media
Vendors
Where it all comes from. No kickbacks, just honest impressions.
- Aquarium Gardens
- great outfit in St. Ives. super friendly and helpful people and wonderful in-store scapes for inspiration
- ProShrimp
- good vendor, often has better pricing than most
- Aqua Essentials
- good selection and service
- ScapedNature
- Outfit in Norwich. Lots of great stuff – shipping can be pricey.
RIverwood Aquatics- sadly now out of business
- Ebay
- second-hand kit. you can do well here
- MaidenHead Aquatics
- the local shop, part of a garden centre
- Charterhouse Aquatics
- major online shop. the aquarium came from here
- Machine Mart
- affordable supplier of disposable CO2 cylinders. 600 g cylinder lasts about 4 months
- Welder’s Warehouse
- sells a 1300g disposable cylinder – working well
- Solufeed
- micro mix ‘dry salt’ fertilisers and Fe-EDDHSA
- Java Plants
- new vendor for me
- Best Aquarium Shrimps UK – very excellent ebay vendor, super happy with them
- APC pure
- Good source of ‘dry salts’ for Estimative Index fertilizer
- Shrimp Cove
- amazing provider of fancy aquarium shrimp. these guys really love their shrimp!
Online Resources
UK Aquatic Plants Society – lots of great information here
Dennerle plant database – very helpful
The Small Planted Tank – Dutch aquascaping site, lots of great information and a personal touch