A mid-size aquarium layout featuring Abandoned Island, 166 L, by Mykola Palamarchuk. The hardscape focus sits on lava rock, oak driftwood.
Hardscape (lava rock, oak driftwood) forms the skeleton — negative space between wood and stone guides the eye from foreground to depth. The plant list (Vallisneria sp. nana, Сyptocoryne wendtii, moss sp. Bubble, Anubias barteri var. nana) favors mosses and epiphytes; packing the foreground too dense can make the tank feel heavy. background: lava rock and JBL Manado substrate, foreground: Hagen quartz sand substrate helps stabilize root-zone nutrition in the early weeks.
50W DIY LED light – main, 20W DIY LED light – background lighting sits at a approachable technical level for this mid-size aquarium. Fluval 305 filtration needs enough turnovers without blasting the hardscape; browse matching filters. Low-tech tip: favor slow growers and avoid dense planting if filtration is modest.
Lighting, filtration, substrate, and plant details sit in the specs table below, or browse more layouts in 162–220L.
