Current setup

Fireplace Aquarium 21-Apr-2026
Notes:  Rotala ‘Blood Red’ doing better in the front

Previous Residents…

Usually these are ‘previous residents’ because something didn’t work out quite right…

Animals

• Yellow goldenback shrimp
• Clown killifish (banded panchax)
• Rummy-nosed tetras
• Five-banded barbs
  • or are they six-banded barbs?
• Otocinclus catfish
• Purple harlequin rasbora

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

• Aquarium lighting
  • Kessil A80 ‘tuna sun’
  • Kessil spectral controller

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 Peterborough (worth the trip).  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!
• Shrimp Corner
  • another good provider of fancy aquarium 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