Dimensions 60 × 36 × 36 cm

Title Crystal Paradise Ablaze

Volume 78L

Background backlit, white background

Lighting Commercial LED pendant style light bar,
RGB-W colors,
6500K temperature,
3100 lumens,
45 watts

Filtration Micro surface skimmer power head (300 L/h),
Small hang on back filter (480 L/h)

Plants Rotala spp. H'ra,
Hygrophila pinatifida,
Micranthemum tweediei 'Monte Carlo,'
Vesicularia montagnei 'Christmas Moss,'
Staurogyne repens,
Eleocharis acicularis 'mini'

Animals 35 Caridina cantonensis var. 'Crystal Red'

Materials Pacific Hornwood,
Seiryu stone,
Aquasoil

Additional Information I designed this aquascape with the long-term interests of my colony of Crystal Red Shrimp in mind. I desired the challenge of keeping these often demanding species of shrimp in a high-tech aquascape that was designed in a way to emphasize their natural beauty with plants. I believe that during the past 10 months, I have accomplished this. That said, finding the correct balance of CO2, filtration, surface-gas exchange, lighting, and fertilization has not been easy, or without a few heartbreaking frustrations. I anticipate continuing to maintain this aquascape long-term; however, it is likely there will be some variation in the choice of the background stem plants used in the coming months. I am contemplating switching to Rotala spp. green, as well as adding some ecologically friendly, farmed Bucephalandras. Perhaps as this aquascape crosses the 1 year mark, the colony of shrimp I have selected for this tank will have matured enough to begin breeding in sustainable numbers, as this would be my ultimate goal.

The title of this aquascape holds a deeply emotional tone right now, as we in the aquarium hobby watch the devastation of the Amazonian ecosystem due to out-of-control wildfires. While I did not specifically set out to design an aquascape that evoked a sense of these insufferable infernos, I was struck by the blaze red of the Rotala and Hygrophila erupting from the lush green world created by the Monte Carlo, Stuarogyne, and Vesicularia. The strong and stately pieces of Pacific Horn Wood suggest the grandeur of the magnificent rainforest trees. The sense of motion created by the position of these pieces may leave the viewer with a feeling of trees toppling down as the destructive effects of fire weakens them to their very cores. I have carefully enticed the stunningly beautiful Crystal Red Shrimps into the foreground of this aquascape as an almost literal representation of the animals displaced as they flee their forested paradise.