New aquascape.

Inspired by Larius iwagumi aquascape I decided to start another one myself.
But not iwagumi, I was thinking more of an Island.
So I set out clearing out and cleaning a tank. L60 x W38 x H34cm 75Litre opti-white.
I did some dry runs to get an idea what I could come up with.
This was one I liked.

But it left very little room for planting. Also if I covered all the wood in moss (like I planned to) it would make trimming and maintance hard and time consuming.
It did however teach me I needed to use wood spaced out more, less of them and use ones a bit thicker.
So set out starting the aquascape.
With a handful of moss at my disposal.

I started to tie the moss to wood. I also used slate and stone tied to the base to help stabilize them.
ADA wood tight or similar is great for this.

The first piece goes in. Making sure there is enough room to get my hand down the side of it for maintance like glass cleaning and plant trimming. The same applies for all the wood pieces.

Another piece goes in to complement the first piece.

Then more pieces.

I tied on some small ferns ( Microsorum sp. mini) to hide the mess were all the wood meet.

I wanted to leave some sandy area and used ADA Amazonia (pre soaked/cycled) for the rest of the base.

This is as far as I got. I will post as I progress.

Darren.

Looking good Mr, D,


H,

Very nice can't wait to see the end result

James

Looks really good! What filter, lights CO2 do you havr on it?

VERY NICE Darren! I'm glad you decided to
post the progress to bits.
This should look very well in the end!
Will follow this one 4 sure!

I have on my mind next project once I will get sorted my existing one..
I do love centred compositions in cube, so I might go a similar path
to yours just not Iwagumi and in 30-40(L) cube. I might try a custom build
tank what may add more challenge (or fails ) to my next project

(p.s. you got my name wrong )

That looks great, and very well documented!

Maybe a silly question but I'm not very familiar with aquascaping. What do you use to tie the branches to the stones? I pressume you use stones to weigh the pieces down.

Andreas

This is what i like Can't wait for next photos.

@ pit. More photos coming your way.

@ Andreas. There is stuff called wood tight. It is designed for tying on fern, anubias etc. A lot quicker than tread.
It is the same as the wire ties you find on new electrical equipment to keep the wire in a firure 8.
You will see pictures of it bellow.
The woods were already soaked. I keep some wood in large fish bags with some water. This keeps them water logged and ready for use.
I tie the stones to the wood to keep them stable and easy to position.
If the wood was not soaked then I would also use the stones to weigh them down.

@ wackoo. No equipment on it yet. Tank is still dry. It usually takes me a few evenings to set up a planted tank. I just keep it sprayed down and damp then covered in cling film.
I will post details of what I'm using when I set them up.

@ Lauris (hope I got it right this time ) It's all about the challenges and the fails.
I've set myself up to fail with certain parts of this tank. You will see what I mean as you read on.

Ok i've added a few more plants. Some Bolbitis heudelotii under the woods on the left and a little at the back.
Also some Rotala wallichii just right of center to the back. This should add a splash of color braking up the mono tone of the moss.

I wanted to try do something a little different. I wanted to use a stem plant like a carpet plant.
I have done it before with a dry start. This gave the roots time to hold the plants down.
But since this is not a dry start I had to make up hooks with the wood tight.

There is a good chance these will not hold the plants down long enough for roots to develop at the nodes (were the leaves join the stem) and hold the plants down. I will know in a day or two.

Ludwigia rupens "rubin" with the hooks in place. This plant is on the right back section.

I used Ludwigia perennis in the same way on the left and sweeping around the back.
I've never used this plant before. Anyone any experience with it? Is it hungry for any particular nutrient?

Top shot.

The tank is filling at the moment. So tomorrow is time to put on lights, Co2, filter etc.
More plants will be added later. I just need to get it up and running.

A quick shot of the tank filling.

Darren.

Excellent scaping Darren!

What does wood tight look like?

Can ya maybe post a pic?

Cool looking tank. I like the way of adding water too It will looks stunning in 2-3 weeks time

Darren,

Cracking looking start mate best of luck with it and Please Photos!! More Photos!!

SM

Fine Scaping out of You Darren
Very nice
Well documented Step by Step thread too, Nice colour contrasts in the Plants, Gonna look lovely when it grows out...



Des

Darren, do you have more tanks at home?

pit wrote:

Darren, do you have more tanks at home?

I'm guessing he might have a few........

Thanks for the explanation Darren.

Keep up the good work, looking forward to seeing more!

Andreas

Nice tank Darren, the island looks great and you did it in few days, I wish I was half quick you are!
What will you put?

Cheers for the comments.

@ gunnered: There is a description of wood tight and picture in my last post.
If you are not sure just google ADA wood tight.

@ pit: yes I have more tanks and no I'm not posting pictures of them

@ Aroshni: the tank has lost that island look I was going for. That is why I've filled some of the sides with plants as well.

OK so I've been a little bit busier than expected and haven't done much to the tank.
As I expected the Ludwigia didn’t stay pinned down with the hooks I made.
The rupens ended up with the root end sticking up in the air and the perennis with the top standing up towards the light.
These were cut down and planted as normal.
I have a strong feeling these won’t work. I am open to suggestions for a plant/plants that are brown or reddish in color for the sides. Particularly the left hand side.
There has also been some melting on the fern’s and moss.

I also added a small amount of Hemianthus micranthemoides Just right of centre near the back (not visible yet). This should add a bit of contrast to the other green plants used.
A couple of strands of Eleocharis sp. Mini was also added to the front. Just to break up the sand area just left of centre.
I’ve used another bit of java moss around the base of the wood and ferns at the front. This I can grow like a small carpet of grass or i might grow it to look like small bushes.
I have also moved some of the wood on the right and pulled it back towards the centre.

I put a Jbl e700 filter on it rated at 700L/H and used a Hydor in-line heater. I might change it for an e900 for extra flow. I use symecMicron in the filter to keep the water clear.
Co2 is on and set at 120bpm. I can keep this high as long as I don't have live stock in there.
Co2 comes on 2 hours before the lights and off with them.
I have an air pump on a timer to come on when Co2 goes off and off again when Co2 comes on.
This will supply both the fish and plants with oxygen.
Lighting is 2x24w t-5's. This is also temporary until I hang my light pendent. Set at 6 hours a day.
It will eventually be 3 or 4 x 24 watts. A mix of Geismann bulbs will be used.

Just a quick snap of the tank. photo was taken just after a water change so its a bit cloudy.

I will get some clear shots over the weekend and post.

Swwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeettttttttt!!!

SM

good stuff Darren!
personally I like the way it is now
If I would be you I would leave it until the plants
start to fill in and you will start to form them..
Maybe you will get away with the plants you have in..
At this stage it looks like in nice balance and not over-planted
however its IMHO, I do see a great potential in the way it's planted now

about air pump.. I'm just about to selling my one? maybe I should not?
when I adjusted the spray bars as you suggested (third section aimed UP)
I actually see how the current deliver oxygen to my tank with that 3rd section..
so should it be enough to supply my tank and have a good gas exchange?
I just cannot imagine an air pump in my set-up. lol

platty252 wrote:

@ pit: yes I have more tanks and no I'm not posting pictures of them

It's a pity... No, it's shame on you, that you keep them only for youself. God said to share with others, and i don't ask for to much I'm just joking, but I realy would like to see them.

This one looks great

Darren what do you think of this reddish? www.tropica.com/en/plants/plantdescription.aspx?pid=023C
I think can be a beautiful contrast with the dark gravel and the green of the base plants.

Darren is a shy, retiring Man who hides his light under a Bushel.

H.

@ Homer: What are you saying about my retiring Bushel?

@ Aroshni: Yes I taught about using Alternanthera reineckii 'Mini'. But I think the color would over power the tank. It also likes a lot of light.
Which is a pity because in every other way it would be perfect.
Any other suggestions would more than welcome.

@ Pit: The big man spoke to me personally and said " don't show pit to many pictures. It could make him go blind".
I might show some at a later date.

@ Lauris. The Ludwigia perennis on the left side is my only real concern at the moment. I might have to leave it there for the moment but I can see me getting rid of it at some stage.
I changed the front left slightly. I will post pictures tomorrow.

You don't need an air pump the way you have part of your spray bar set for gas exchange.
I'm using glass lily pipes which I like to leave submerged. It saves me lifting them up by just putting an air pump on a timer.


I will up date tomorrow.

What an amazing talent this guy has, looks brilliant Dar well done mate very creative love it

Cheers for the comment Jeff.

The front of the tank were the soil and sand divided kept catching my eye and the L. perennis would look very big at the front glass so I removed some of the soil, replaced it with sand and added some Marsilea hirsuta and Eleocharis sp. mini.
I think this looks better and will be easier for maintenance.

I love Marsilea hirsuta the way it can have many different colors in its leaves. But it has to be the slowest plant I have ever grown.

The Ludwigia rupens is doing well and showing nice color.
It is gathering a bit of dust. A sign I don't have enough flow or I need to modify the flow.

The Rotala wallichii has grown about 1cm and has enough light after 5.5 hours. The top of it then closes. This should look nice when all the plants grow in.

The Microsorum sp. mini is not doing so well. I find it dies back a bit any time I move it.
This came from another tank with similar conditions and still melts a bit. It will be fine soon enough.

Over all I am happy enough. I need to look at the flow and next week or so add a little more light.
I am feeding lightly at the moment. Just 2ml of profit a day and 1ml of iron every other day.
I'm changing 30-50% of water every 2-3 days. I will slowly reduce this and slowly increase the fertz.

This is how it looks this evening.

Darren.

Really gorgeous already Darren....looks fantastic....

fantastic ! what livestock you thinking of adding ?

Cheers Brian and bmc.

The fish that are going in are:

Pair Inca Dwarf Cichlid. (Apistogramma Baenschi “Inca”).
7-11 Amapa Tetra. (Hyphessobrycon amapaensis).
11-15 Pygmy Cory. (Corydoras pygmaeus).

Although not biotope correct (neither are the plants) they all like the same food's and water conditions.
There will also be some inverts aswell. I'm just not sure what yet.

So this will be a busy little tank compared to most planted tanks you might see.
I would have liked to use marbled hatchets (Carnegiella strigata) instead of the Corys but I don't want to put a glass cover on this tank.

Really nice work

platty252 wrote:

Cheers Brian and bmc.

The fish that are going in are:

Pair Inca Dwarf Cichlid. (Apistogramma Baenschi “Inca”).
7-11 Amapa Tetra. (Hyphessobrycon amapaensis).
11-15 Pygmy Cory. (Corydoras pygmaeus).

Although not biotope correct (neither are the plants) they all like the same food's and water conditions.
There will also be some inverts aswell. I'm just not sure what yet.

So this will be a busy little tank compared to most planted tanks you might see.
I would have liked to use marbled hatchets (Carnegiella strigata) instead of the Corys but I don't want to put a glass cover on this tank.

super choice of fish .. love them amapa's and pygmys are massive !