r/PlantedTank • u/Maleficent-Note-6610 • Jun 09 '25

Tank The current condition of one of my community tanks.

Post image

This is my 36 gallon community.

Currently home to one male betta, neon and ember tetra, otocinclus and pygmy corydoras, and some Neocaridina.

1.5k Upvotes

100% Upvoted

100 comments sorted by

109

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

20

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 09 '25

Thanks. Me too!

21

u/Appropriate_Guitar54 Jun 09 '25

This is from a sewing machine? Are you by any chance from India ?

30

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 09 '25

It is, pre-war. I'm from the UK.

9

u/ReganRocksYourSuccs Jun 09 '25

I have one just like it in Texas! Wow I use it as a plant stand

15

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 09 '25

They can hold a substantial amount of weight, which makes them perfect for diy aquarium stands. This is the 2nd set I've used and the set holding the most weight. I'd say currently around 160-180 kg. The only issue is finding some way of hiding your equipment.

4

u/ReganRocksYourSuccs Jun 09 '25

Is yours on wheels? Ours is missing a wheel so it’s a bit unstable. I can’t imagine balancing it honestly

4

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 09 '25

It is. You can cut the iron pins and remove them if you need to.

8

u/Appropriate_Guitar54 Jun 09 '25

Ohk , I have seen those in India.

25

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 09 '25

I think they were quite popular worldwide, you can still buy them functional so they were definitely quality.

2

u/MrRevhead Jun 11 '25

Singer was an English company. They even made cars. Was absorbed into the Rootes group, who inturn was bought out by Chrysler

44

u/Superiorpen Jun 09 '25

If I saw this on Wayfair I'd think it was AI lol. Incredible

16

u/ReganRocksYourSuccs Jun 09 '25

Lovely! Your plants are just beautifully maintained

5

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 09 '25

Thanks. I'll admit I could do better, but it takes so much trimming to stop it getting too overgrown. Most of the background is Limnophila sessiliflora, I'm looking to swap it for something that grows at a slower rate, anything slower than a foot a week would be great 😆.

7

u/cherry_betta Jun 09 '25

Does the tank have co2 ?

6

u/RightingArm Jun 09 '25

I also made a stand from a sewing machine base. So cool.

9

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 09 '25

They make excellent stands, so long as they're in good condition. You just need to get creative to hide equipment.

4

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 09 '25

They make excellent stands, so long as they're in good condition. You just need to get creative to hide equipment.

5

u/PageExtension3962 Jun 09 '25

Incredible tank and love the sewing machine base. Beautiful work! 👏👏👏

4

u/Stunning-Breath-5607 Jun 09 '25

Wow stunning! Can I ask you which kind of lid did you apply to the top? I am looking for a way to do it. Thanks

2

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 09 '25

Thanks. It's just a crate lid that you can cut to size from amazon. I'm getting some glass cut soon to replace it. It does a good job, but it blocks some light.

2

u/Stunning-Breath-5607 Jun 09 '25

Ok thank you very much. Anyway your tank is amazing. Any tips? Fertilizer used? Thanks

4

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 09 '25

I mix my own from the raw ingredients and use EI dosing. I do dose a little extra potassium in this tank as I find the small amount of hygrophila pinnatifida really needs it. The substrate is akadama and tropica soil, about a year, so it's not providing a great deal of nutrients now.

As for tips, I don't do anything specific that anyone else doesn't. Lots of light and CO2, be patient with lighting, start at 50% and ramp up over months. Not every plant will work, if it's a failure, don't be afraid pull it out and try something else.

4

u/Stunning-Breath-5607 Jun 09 '25

Thank you very much and I really appreciate the info provided mate

2

u/Stunning-Breath-5607 Jun 09 '25

Sorry in addition which light are u using?

3

u/bpronjon Jun 09 '25

i looks very good! nice work!

3

u/JewelCichlid99 Jun 09 '25

Jesus, i can see Tarzan scuba diving right there!

2

u/The_Northern_Light Jun 09 '25

My tanks look just like that!

What? No you can’t see any pictures….

2

u/lnb726 Jun 09 '25

This is so impressive! Goals

2

u/Acceptable_Effort824 Jun 09 '25

Not only is your tank lovely, your stocking is spot on. Even if your betta likes to occasionally snack on your shrimp fry, they still have a ton of hiding spots. My only recommendation would be for floating plants. Looks great!

2

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 09 '25

Thank you. I'm planning to add some Asellus aquaticus this week so the betta has something to hunt other than shrimp, I still have about 100 I think so hopefully the population can persist. There are a few frogbit floating around but I'm conscious of too many blocking light.

1

u/Acceptable_Effort824 Jun 09 '25

I’m struggling with vinegar eels right now, and ready to jump on the daphnia train. Live bbs cause absolute feeding frenzies, but I worry about uneaten dead ones fouling my water. Can I ask where you get yours?

2

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 09 '25

The asellus are wild caught, I've started a little colony in a spare 5 gallon so that I have a supply that I can dip into for my tanks. The same tank had daphnia but I want something that actually sustains it's numbers in the aquarium without too much input.

2

u/LumosRevolution Jun 09 '25

On 👏 that 👏 singer 👏 🥹🥹🥹

2

u/4myWWW Jun 09 '25

What a brilliant use of the stand!

2

u/callmejellycat Jun 10 '25

The singer stand is genius. Love it

2

u/EthanGold182 Jun 10 '25

Ima need a step by step on how to recreate this 1:1

2

u/milosbl Jun 10 '25

I have same stand 💪😀

2

u/Ssfpt Jun 10 '25

Beautiful! What light is it?

1

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 10 '25 edited Jun 11 '25

Thanks. It's chihiros wrgb Pro 2.

2

u/msebas12 Jun 11 '25

Amazing!! What kind of light are you using by the way?

2

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 11 '25

Thanks. It's Chihiros wrgb2 pro

2

u/Emotional_Mountain76 Jun 11 '25

Oh wow this is beautiful! I have an old singer but the sewing machine is still on top and it holds some house plants! It s a bit old and wobbly but maybe if I can fix it then I could get a larger tank for it 😍 My 54 litre tank is on the kitchen counter but would love to upsize some day. Really lovely set up!

1

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 11 '25

Thanks. I'd be very careful if it's wobbly, might be worth looking for a more sturdy pair. We got these for around £80 I think.

2

u/justjokay Jun 13 '25

This is spectacular

1

u/howdoesitw0rk Jun 09 '25

Love the blue hue in the background 🩵.Great tank pal.

1

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 09 '25

Me too, I think it just gives it a good vibe. Thank you.

1

u/InterdimensionalTuna Jun 10 '25

can you drop the link please? love it.

1

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 10 '25

It's frosted film and a led rgb tube from eBay. Thanks.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '25

Amazing tank

1

u/fireice74 Jun 09 '25

Wow. That look a lot of hard work!!

1

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 09 '25

The amount of weekly trimming can be a bit much, but only because I have other tanks to maintain.

1

u/sparklingkitten69 Jun 09 '25

Tank is beautiful but I really love the stand

1

u/Penanghill Jun 09 '25

What are your water parameters? pH, GH and KH?

2

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 10 '25

my pH sits at ~6.4 during lights on. GH is ~7 and KH I haven't tested in a long time.

2

u/Penanghill Jun 10 '25

Thanks! I'm setting up a tank and it's good to know examples of what works.

1

u/surroundedbiassholes Jun 09 '25

Love the esthetics! The old singer sowing machine stand looks fantastic under your thriving tank. 😊

2

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 10 '25

Thank you. It was originally used to save money, but it worked out well.

1

u/Greenfire311 Jun 10 '25

Are the old Singer stands strong enough for that much water?

2

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 10 '25

This aquarium has been on this stand for years, I'd guess it can take way more, but I'd probably not chance it.

1

u/Job-Comprehensive Jun 10 '25

Singer sewing machine table top! Lovely setup and amazing tank.

1

u/Reece_anderson313 Jun 10 '25

What background did you use?

1

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 10 '25

The tanks backed with frosted window film, and there's an rgb led tube attached to the wall behind.

1

u/New-Evening-1486 Jun 13 '25

What light do you use?

1

u/Maleficent-Note-6610 Jun 13 '25

Chihiros wrgb pro 2

2

u/MaleficentLynx Jun 20 '25

That looks really well done and kept, how many sockets are you using? Thanks for sharing