A large aquarium layout featuring Reflections of Ludwigia, 189.5L, by Jen Williams. River Wood and Stromatolite (fossilized algae) set the depth lines of the frame.
Read the stone and wood (River Wood, Stromatolite (fossilized algae), Balagen and Betanu sand) as visual pathways before judging the plant mass. The plant list (Ludwigia polycarpa, Ludwigia arcuata, Ludwigia palustris 'super red', Ludwigia inclinata 'twister') favors background stem plants; packing the foreground too dense can make the tank feel heavy. black board substrate helps stabilize root-zone nutrition in the early weeks.
Fluval Planted 3.0 (x2), 12 hour ramp up/down, 6 hours full lighting sits at a approachable technical level for this large aquarium. Oase Biomaster Thermo 600, Oase Crystal Skim 350 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.
Livestock (5 Black Banded Sunfish (Enneacanthus chaetodon), 4 Tessellated Darters (Etheostoma olmstedi), 12 Corydoras pygmaeus) fits this large aquarium — prefer species that will not dig up the substrate and wreck hardscape lines.
Setup notes: All plants are Ludwigia sp., and originally meant to be a biotope entry with the Enneacanthus and Etheostoma but L. polycarpa is not found with the other species natively.
Use the specs table as a shopping checklist for equivalent gear — then explore 162–220L.
