Build your own successful iwagumi aquarium we will show you how

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Build your own iwagumi aquarium! We will show you how we did it!

The 240L iwagumi aquarium is now four months old, so we’ve put together the key elements that allowed us to make the aquarium run successfully in our gallery for the past months.

The right tool for the job - Intense lighting with efficient filtration

The ADA Solar RGB LED light runs only 7 hours a day. A more extended lighting period would likely trigger the algae growth.

The Eheim 1200XL filter holds 10 liters of Seachem Matrix filter material. The larger filter requires less maintenance and does not cause performance problems during operation. You can use glass, acrylic, or metal pipes to enhance your aesthetics; all of them are now available in 16/22 sizes.

Nutrient-rich substrate - The active soil helps with the water parameters

A total of 78kg of Seiryu stones were used for the installation. Nutrient-rich soil has been placed under the rocks, helping the rapid growth of foreground plants in the first months. Active clay soils have several benefits over conventional sand or gravel. It lowers the KH and pH of the water, stabilizes the pH, which creates more favorable conditions for the plants. It stores the nutrients and makes the plants more easily rooted in it.

Seiryu kő

Efficient CO2 dosing without frequent maintenance

For CO2 injection, our choice was the AquaCare reactor. It is the most efficient form of CO2 injection. The reactor is connected directly to the filter piping, so the gas mixes perfectly with the filter's water. The filter delivers the gas-enriched water equally in the aquarium.

The most beautiful foreground plants can be grown with this type of CO2 method.

Small-size plants - Sterile Lab plants from Dennerle Plants

One hundred plants from Dennerle Plants were used to plant the 240-liter aquarium. Most are sterile laboratory plants, which are smaller and better suited to minimalist arrangements. In the first weeks, with proper feeding, CO2 dosing, and lighting, the plants have grown a lot, and in two months, the plants entirely covered the soil.

What makes plants so green? Rich in nutrients with a little twist

We use our Micro Macro plant fertilizers every day to feed the aquarium plants with the help of the newly released Jebao automatic feeder. Green Aqua Micro Macro fertilizers are rich in nutrients, so we decreased the recommended daily dose to 4-4ml / day. Thus, the green plants develop in the most beautiful shape, and the decorative stones stay algae-free between weekly maintenance.

Soft water or tap water? It is much easier to grow plants in soft water.

Only RO water is used for weekly water changes. In soft water, plants will be healthier, grow faster, have less algae issues. Less CO2 injection is enough for a beautiful aquarium than using tap water. Typically, we change 30-50% of water per week during maintenance.

To keep our water crystal clear, we use Seachem Purigen filter media. 250ml Purigen used for the aquarium in the external filter.