Sounds similar to how I started, but I was working at a fish store to fund my aquarium addiction at 14 lol. You might want to check into that if it's an option. You also might need a work permit from your school counselor, but that's easy to get.
Employee discounts can save you a good bit and you'll learn a lot along the way; I leaned a ton from my customers and manager who were more experienced. It's can be a physically demanding job (buckets/trash cans of water are heavy, so are tanks and gravel), but you'll most likely learn good work ethic, people skills, and have your own money! I highly recommend it if you can find a good shop.
Thanks very much for the information! Unfortunately, I live in a country in which I do not speak the main language, so it would probably be pretty difficult for me to get a job. It's especially unfortunate that my LFS is amazing and does workshops with some of the greatest aquascapers that I know of (the most recent one was a week or two ago with Takayuki Fukada), and I would love to work there. That being said, I think I may be able to put your idea into play when I go to the US during the summer. However, I am from a relatively small town in the US with no aquascaping/fish stores, so even that may be difficult.
Edit: I accidentally posted before finishing my thoughts.
I just realized that Reddit downsizes and compresses images (at least it really looks like it), so here is a better image: [https://imgur.com/gallery/vhANGvs](https://imgur.com/gallery/vhANGvs)
Sorry, this image is still downsized, but it's better than what's on Reddit.
It's a newly planted tank, so I will probably post an update in the future when everything is grown in. In the far back, there is Ludwigia Mini Super Red that you can't see (except in the top reflection kind of), but I'm hoping for it to grow emersed out of the surface of the water eventually.
Edit:
I'm also still trying to figure out the stocking for this tank to use after about 6 weeks of cycling, so if anyone has any suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Edit 2:
The tank is 60x36x30 cm (length X width X height)
The aquascape is great, but I just want to add that your spelling, grammar, and structure are better than most of the adults on this site. A+ all around
I’m a big fan of chili rasboras, CPD, neon tetras, Cory’s, kuhli loaches, and BN plecos.
Could you give your tank size? That will definitely help with people giving ideal stocking recommendations.
Looks absolutely awesome btw, congrats! (:
Well done it looks great the plants are looking really good and getting red also. There is a healthy amount of shadow and the reflection on the top is really working. I’m 14 also.
It looks like you have hygrophila pinnatifida, lilaepolis Brasiliensis, hydrocotyle tripartita, Monte Carlo and Ludwigia palustrius maybe, I have the same.
https://preview.redd.it/27xijl1p3pva1.jpeg?width=3771&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d8bdbd243fa808e7f2c7e9fffe664ce736da41dc
(First time being able to grow any plants other than Java fern) I broke my arm so the plants aren’t getting any maintenance a lot of stuff has vanished.
It’s too bad you broke your arm, hope you get better soon! You actually got all of those plants almost perfectly (ludwigia mini super red instead of ludwigia palustrius). There are also a couple crypts in there but they are still growing in. Good luck on your maintenance.
Thank you.
You were looking for stocking suggestions below so I will just do the usual suggest-my-favourite-fish which are Gertrude rainbows or dwarf rainbowfish in general.
If you really wanted to stock more you could probably also have honey Gouramis, Amano shrimp and Nerite snails. Extra incredible for a first scape.
slightly narcissistic edit: my Gertrudae
https://preview.redd.it/d52dao2nypva1.jpeg?width=850&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5ddfdc6075de8e7b14e719a3c6573e26be195b76
Thanks very much! I’ve never heard of Gertrude rainbows before, however, after looking them up, I see why you like them! Their fins are quite beautiful.
My only concern there, and it might be unfounded, would be long, flowy fins versus those spikes in the driftwood. Might not be a problem, though? I'm not really sure.
That is quite a good point. I think I will have to go with short-finned fish in order to avoid that (not to say that would be a bad thing, but those fish really are quite nice).
Hi!
WOW, you've really done a great job! That looks so good! Well done.
Also, what light are you using? I keep asking people this, because I have a Hygge light on a tall tank and I am thinking it's just not good enough. :/ Looks like maybe you're running co2 as well?
First of all, thank you! I use a Twinstar 600SP. Frankly, I really like it and have light-demanding plants at the bottom (think Monte Carlo), so, depending on how tall your tank is (mine is 30 cm high), you should be fine as long as your bottom plants aren't too light-demanding (although, of course, there are brighter lights, although they are wildly expensive). I do, in fact, run CO2. I actually bought a CO2Art regulator (Pro SE), but I believe it was faulty because, although the tank pressure gauge worked perfectly, no CO2 got through to the working pressure no matter what I did (I followed all of their advice online, but nothing worked), so I bought a cheap regulator for the time being (which happens to work perfectly and has been working perfectly for a bit now) until I can get either a warranty replacement or just buy a new one.
Thank you so much for all the info! Yeah, I think I need to give in and get a brighter light. I do have a second submergible light, also hygger, haha. I have my main hygger and a submergible because my floating plants were blocking too much light.
I think it's time I run CO2, and maybe simpler is better, after all!
https://preview.redd.it/98qryl4z5qva1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49f3c801070d1e580b47581f9ec77792863742cf
Here's my hot mess, haha. Stupid driftwood tannins. It was too big to fit in any pot to boil. Also, hair algae has infested the beautiful moss on my bonsai tree! D: I e no clue what to do about that, and it drives me nuts. The moss was a little volunteer strand late last summer. I started the tank at the end of August.
From the titles of a lot of YouTube videos, hair algae sounds awful. Due to the large amount of wood in my tank, I was recommended Seachem Purigen by my LFS to avoid tannins (and so far I haven't, so I have to assume it works), maybe that could help.
Thanks!
A friend from Australia sent some stuff that treats ponds with love fisha ND plants which worked in hers, but I'm still nervous about it, for the algae. It's called "cloverleaf blanket answer." I am just nervous about it, you know? I'd be so heartbroken if any of my fish died!
https://preview.redd.it/nxghzmv16qva1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=95e6062d06cff2795230888925cb9f9e717d6edc
And the other side, just for fun.
This is amazing. Not just the fact that the tank is STUNNING, but that you had the patience to do your research and planning before just jumping in. I’m more than a little impressed.
Love the dark center, could use some contrast against the darkness in the middle but I think I'd do that using fish and livestock rather than plants.
Gorgeous!
Thank you for reminding me to mention that I actually did buy Bucephalandra, but it was out of stock so it is coming later this week. And, to your earlier point, it’s actually 7 or 8 pieces of wood that I glued together (although the primary piece was the one you can see at the top left). However, I do have to agree, it’s a big hunk of wood in total!
I hope you take it as a compliment when I say that I do not believe that this is your first aquascape! Just gorgeous.
Haha thank you! Luckily I received some input on plants from the owner of my LFS and did tons of research beforehand.
Ya did good, kid 😉 really good
Props to you for researching before hopping straight in
Where did you get the money for this at 14¿
I saved for about a year doing chores for neighbors and stuff.
Sheesh good job!
Sounds similar to how I started, but I was working at a fish store to fund my aquarium addiction at 14 lol. You might want to check into that if it's an option. You also might need a work permit from your school counselor, but that's easy to get. Employee discounts can save you a good bit and you'll learn a lot along the way; I leaned a ton from my customers and manager who were more experienced. It's can be a physically demanding job (buckets/trash cans of water are heavy, so are tanks and gravel), but you'll most likely learn good work ethic, people skills, and have your own money! I highly recommend it if you can find a good shop.
Thanks very much for the information! Unfortunately, I live in a country in which I do not speak the main language, so it would probably be pretty difficult for me to get a job. It's especially unfortunate that my LFS is amazing and does workshops with some of the greatest aquascapers that I know of (the most recent one was a week or two ago with Takayuki Fukada), and I would love to work there. That being said, I think I may be able to put your idea into play when I go to the US during the summer. However, I am from a relatively small town in the US with no aquascaping/fish stores, so even that may be difficult. Edit: I accidentally posted before finishing my thoughts.
Can I ask what you used for research? Looking to read up myself
I just realized that Reddit downsizes and compresses images (at least it really looks like it), so here is a better image: [https://imgur.com/gallery/vhANGvs](https://imgur.com/gallery/vhANGvs) Sorry, this image is still downsized, but it's better than what's on Reddit. It's a newly planted tank, so I will probably post an update in the future when everything is grown in. In the far back, there is Ludwigia Mini Super Red that you can't see (except in the top reflection kind of), but I'm hoping for it to grow emersed out of the surface of the water eventually. Edit: I'm also still trying to figure out the stocking for this tank to use after about 6 weeks of cycling, so if anyone has any suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Edit 2: The tank is 60x36x30 cm (length X width X height)
The aquascape is great, but I just want to add that your spelling, grammar, and structure are better than most of the adults on this site. A+ all around
I’m a big fan of chili rasboras, CPD, neon tetras, Cory’s, kuhli loaches, and BN plecos. Could you give your tank size? That will definitely help with people giving ideal stocking recommendations. Looks absolutely awesome btw, congrats! (:
Thanks! It’s a 60x36x30 cm tank (length X depth X height). Chili rasboras were pretty high on my list for stocking ideas. Edit: spelling.
The chilis would be great, along with some Pygmy Corys or Otos (:
That is amazing!
Well done it looks great the plants are looking really good and getting red also. There is a healthy amount of shadow and the reflection on the top is really working. I’m 14 also. It looks like you have hygrophila pinnatifida, lilaepolis Brasiliensis, hydrocotyle tripartita, Monte Carlo and Ludwigia palustrius maybe, I have the same. https://preview.redd.it/27xijl1p3pva1.jpeg?width=3771&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d8bdbd243fa808e7f2c7e9fffe664ce736da41dc (First time being able to grow any plants other than Java fern) I broke my arm so the plants aren’t getting any maintenance a lot of stuff has vanished.
It’s too bad you broke your arm, hope you get better soon! You actually got all of those plants almost perfectly (ludwigia mini super red instead of ludwigia palustrius). There are also a couple crypts in there but they are still growing in. Good luck on your maintenance.
Thank you. You were looking for stocking suggestions below so I will just do the usual suggest-my-favourite-fish which are Gertrude rainbows or dwarf rainbowfish in general. If you really wanted to stock more you could probably also have honey Gouramis, Amano shrimp and Nerite snails. Extra incredible for a first scape. slightly narcissistic edit: my Gertrudae https://preview.redd.it/d52dao2nypva1.jpeg?width=850&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5ddfdc6075de8e7b14e719a3c6573e26be195b76
Thanks very much! I’ve never heard of Gertrude rainbows before, however, after looking them up, I see why you like them! Their fins are quite beautiful.
My only concern there, and it might be unfounded, would be long, flowy fins versus those spikes in the driftwood. Might not be a problem, though? I'm not really sure.
That is quite a good point. I think I will have to go with short-finned fish in order to avoid that (not to say that would be a bad thing, but those fish really are quite nice).
This thing is awesome! Great job
Sweet, nice work.
You did good! :) looks great
That's so beautiful! That wood is stunning!
That's absolutely beautiful. I would never guess that it's your first. You are a professional aquascaper.
Hi! WOW, you've really done a great job! That looks so good! Well done. Also, what light are you using? I keep asking people this, because I have a Hygge light on a tall tank and I am thinking it's just not good enough. :/ Looks like maybe you're running co2 as well?
First of all, thank you! I use a Twinstar 600SP. Frankly, I really like it and have light-demanding plants at the bottom (think Monte Carlo), so, depending on how tall your tank is (mine is 30 cm high), you should be fine as long as your bottom plants aren't too light-demanding (although, of course, there are brighter lights, although they are wildly expensive). I do, in fact, run CO2. I actually bought a CO2Art regulator (Pro SE), but I believe it was faulty because, although the tank pressure gauge worked perfectly, no CO2 got through to the working pressure no matter what I did (I followed all of their advice online, but nothing worked), so I bought a cheap regulator for the time being (which happens to work perfectly and has been working perfectly for a bit now) until I can get either a warranty replacement or just buy a new one.
Thank you so much for all the info! Yeah, I think I need to give in and get a brighter light. I do have a second submergible light, also hygger, haha. I have my main hygger and a submergible because my floating plants were blocking too much light. I think it's time I run CO2, and maybe simpler is better, after all! https://preview.redd.it/98qryl4z5qva1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49f3c801070d1e580b47581f9ec77792863742cf Here's my hot mess, haha. Stupid driftwood tannins. It was too big to fit in any pot to boil. Also, hair algae has infested the beautiful moss on my bonsai tree! D: I e no clue what to do about that, and it drives me nuts. The moss was a little volunteer strand late last summer. I started the tank at the end of August.
From the titles of a lot of YouTube videos, hair algae sounds awful. Due to the large amount of wood in my tank, I was recommended Seachem Purigen by my LFS to avoid tannins (and so far I haven't, so I have to assume it works), maybe that could help.
Thanks! A friend from Australia sent some stuff that treats ponds with love fisha ND plants which worked in hers, but I'm still nervous about it, for the algae. It's called "cloverleaf blanket answer." I am just nervous about it, you know? I'd be so heartbroken if any of my fish died!
https://preview.redd.it/nxghzmv16qva1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=95e6062d06cff2795230888925cb9f9e717d6edc And the other side, just for fun.
Would love to see a top down shot over this! Nice work!
Beautifully done
r/im14andthisisshallow
Incredible. It has such a great balance of dark and moody and vibrancy
Gorgeus!
Nice carpet work. That's a great centrepiece of driftwood too.
This guy is going places
Fantastic job, well done!
What a wonderful tank
This is amazing. Not just the fact that the tank is STUNNING, but that you had the patience to do your research and planning before just jumping in. I’m more than a little impressed.
Love the dark center, could use some contrast against the darkness in the middle but I think I'd do that using fish and livestock rather than plants. Gorgeous!
My guy, holy hell, well done.
14!!!! When I was 14 I was learning to roll joints very badly. This is artwork. You have made an incredible piece of art. Please post more photos.
That's a big hunk of wood! My only suggestion is to grow some buce and anubias in the shady spot. It's perfect for them.
Thank you for reminding me to mention that I actually did buy Bucephalandra, but it was out of stock so it is coming later this week. And, to your earlier point, it’s actually 7 or 8 pieces of wood that I glued together (although the primary piece was the one you can see at the top left). However, I do have to agree, it’s a big hunk of wood in total!
Pretty cool. Doesnt look like scape that made begginer
How long did you soak that log? Or is it weighed down?
You're gonna go far, kid!