A 2ft Rockscape

[Urban Aquaria]

The setup looks great... with lots of CO2 injection, unblocked light and quality ferts regimen, its ideal conditions to super accelerate HC plant recovery and growth. You'll have a nice and lush HC carpet within the next few weeks.

[marle]

The setup looks great... with lots of CO2 injection, unblocked light and quality ferts regimen, its ideal conditions to super accelerate HC plant recovery and growth. You'll have a nice and lush HC carpet within the next few weeks.

Thanks Urban.. I hope so too! Its a dream come true if i can successfully grow a lawn of healthy HC. Due to the new setup i am facing some hair algae problems too. Am thinking of using Yamatoes to solve the problem. However, theres a pair of apisto in the tank too..

[Shadow]

your apisto probably will hunt the yamato in no time

[marle]

shadow, yamato is surprisingly ninja-like, it hides in the day but is extremely active at night. lol.



Lessons learnt so far:

1) When planting emmersed HC, make sure to plant them right the first time by planting them deeper into the substrate to prevent it from floating.
2) Made a good choice acquiring some floating plants to suck up excess nutrients
3) Saved on getting a better filter but don't know if this is a good decision. My first choice would have been a canister filter attached to Up Aqua Atom Diffuser to spray the c02 all around the tank. My current c02 diffuser is cheap which cost $4. Current filter is a low cost HOF.
4) Should have gotten more substrate to create a higher slope. Slope looks like its losing its gradient over time.
5) Dennerele starter tabs were added into the substrate after planting. It should have been added before plants were added.
6) Regular water change if possible. Right now only once every two days 30%.
7) Regular trimming of the plants to the desired scape, remove dead leaves and floating leaves. (Just trimmed the japonica and hairgrass)
Tackling Green spot algae and hair algae now. Acquired 5 commando Yamatoes to look at the hair algae problem.
9) My apisto diplotaenia is digging around sometimes at just a couple of spots creating two small sunken patches. Diplotaenia pair for sale anyone?
10) I feel the hardscape is very important to create a power aquascape. With an excellent hardscape, our job to create the scape we want is 50% done already.
11) Plants can make or break a scape too, with the right mix of plant group, it will create a kick S scape!


My goal: To achieve the soothing relaxing feeling an Iwagumi scape can offer.

P.S: My rocks are from the same source(Green Chapter), but some how or rather, the colour difference is even more obvious now. i am ok with it and quite like the effect its offering. I am still thinking about a rock they are selling, but its $160. sigh. Pretty happy that the HC is starting to look like its bouncing back to good health. I am enjoying the process of this aquascaping project and the joy of getting healthy plants free from algae to trimming it is very fulfilling!

[Shadow]

shadow, yamato is surprisingly ninja-like, it hides in the day but is extremely active at night. lol.

Adding yamato before HC fully creeping may not be good idea since it will dig around and up-root your HC

Lessons learnt so far:
1) When planting emmersed HC, make sure to plant them right the first time by planting them deeper into the substrate to prevent it from floating.

You can use tooth pick to secure it

4) Should have gotten more substrate to create a higher slope. Slope looks like its losing its gradient over time.
5) Dennerele starter tabs were added into the substrate after planting. It should have been added before plants were added.

What substrate are you using? you might not even need to add Dennerele starter tabs

9) My apisto diplotaenia is digging around sometimes at just a couple of spots creating two small sunken patches. Diplotaenia pair for sale anyone?

That is the typical apisto behavior

10) I feel the hardscape is very important to create a power aquascape. With an excellent hardscape, our job to create the scape we want is 50% done already.
11) Plants can make or break a scape too, with the right mix of plant group, it will create a kick S scape!

Bingo!!! but wrong plants selection can also destroyed perfect hardscape

P.S: My rocks are from the same source(Green Chapter), but some how or rather, the colour difference is even more obvious now. i am ok with it and quite like the effect its offering. I am still thinking about a rock they are selling, but its $160. sigh. Pretty happy that the HC is starting to look like its bouncing back to good health. I am enjoying the process of this aquascaping project and the joy of getting healthy plants free from algae to trimming it is very fulfilling!

Its normal, same batch of rocks does not necessary to have same color nor same surface pattern.

[felix_fx2]

marle... well done...
i can see it's taking shape..soon.... erm maybe like 30-60 days it will be better la...

My last scape i also had hair algae problems to only a small zone and it never spread. (also why i never gave mine away during decom.)

you have any moonlight? if have use it right towards the end if photoperiod.... it make pearling look awesome...

[marle]

Good Morning Guys,

TGIF. Anyways, Shadow, thanks for the toothpick tip, its quite an innovative idea. Will try if necessary. Regarding the substrate i am using, theres 2kg of powersand and 9kg of Ada Amazonia. I read somewhere that Amazonia might be too acidic and might hurt the plants new roots during the initial phase of planting when the roots are not strong. Is this right?

I have also nearly bought Penac P & Penac W, Tourmaline BC, Bacter 100 and clear super to fast track the maturity of the tank and encourage long term root growth. Quicker maturity of the tank will probably cause less algae outbreak. I didn't do so in the end due to the high cost involved.

This is what i read:

Aqua Soil leaches a lot of acidity. The effects of excessive acidity: the plants are burned at the root. While aqua soil by itself does not provide enough acid to burn plants out, plants -do- wildly benefit by a way to neutralize the acidity at the root level.

Penac P & Penac W

These two additives come in first, and they do precisely two things: neutralize the over-acidification of soil and rapidly oxygenate the water at the substrate level.

This means two things for you: plant roots grow easier and are more healthy and it means that the initial rapid oxygenation helps spurn bacterial growth immensely.

One more question Shadow, for the lights, is 8000k or 6500k better for healthy plants growth? Or it doesn't matter at all?

felix_fx2, thanks ya i should think the tank needs some time to look better and i have yet to buy and tie riccia on pebbles to complete the scape. I don't have moonlight now, also not sure what product this is? Yeah, looking at the plants pearling must have felt good..

[Shadow]

Where do you got the info from? It might be true, I never actually pull out the plant to see the roots condition . However, so far I have not experience or heard from people that I know to have problem growing plants in ADA Amazonia.

Those additive was not necessary, good to have but not necessary, even Amano said so during his seminar at KL few years back.

I do not think 8000k or 6500k will make much of the different. Theoretically 6500K to have more red spectrum which is good for plants but I doubt you will notice the different if any.

[marle]

Shadow - http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...4&postcount=25

very interesting thread.. imo..

[marle]

Source: http://www.adana.com.ph/tips-and-tec...ature-aquarium

Maintainence report from ADA. Jap girl teaching you how to clean your filter below.

Daily

Clean aquarium glass and remove algae if needed
Top up water level
Add nutrients/minerals
Check CO2 bubbles per minute output


Weekly

Clean aquarium glass and remove algae
Trim all tall stem plants and remove the ones that have floated
Trim all ground cover and middle ground plants
Change 10% water
Top up water level
Check water chemistry
Add nutrients/minerals
Check CO2 bubbles per minute output

Monthly

Secure/clean thermometer
Remove CO2 diffuser and let it soak in ADA SuperGE; leave it soaking while you continue working on other things
Clean aquarium glass and remove algae
Trim all tall stem plants and remove the ones that have floated
Turn off filter pumps, heater, surface skimmer
Close filter pump in/out hose connection to prevent water flow
Gently remove output lily pipe and place inside bucket
Open filter pump in/out hose to allow water to start flowing into bucket
Remove 25% of aquarium water (max)
Save the aquarium water inside bucket (you will use this later for rinsing the filter media)
Trim all ground cover and middle ground plants
Remove all floating plants and discard
Remove filter hose assembly from filter equipment to give extra length for you to remove lily pipes
Remove lily pipes from hose
Remove filter hose assembly with hose attached to it
Clean lily pipes using ADA Spring Washer
If still difficult to remove algae, soak in ADA SuperGE
Clean filter hose using a long pipe brush
Reconnect filter hose to filter hose assembly
Remove filter equipment and clean filter media in the saved aquarium water
Reassemble filter equipment, lily pipes, etc.
Add water, prime filter
Use a syringe to blow air into the CO2 diffuser to dislodge anything that may be clogging the diffuser
Reconnect CO2 diffuser to the CO2 system
Turn on filter, heater, surface skimmer
Check water chemistry
Add nutrients/minerals
Check CO2 bubbles per minute output

[milk_vanilla]

sounds like we should be a full timer to comply with that recommended task

[Shadow]

Not really lah, that just to scared people

The only thing that I do daily or almost daily is top up water, fan reduces water quite a lots.

[AQMS]

seriously marle......
the daily task i do....weekly task,half of the list.... monthly..........zzzZZZZzzz

[limz_777]

the videos shows the super jet filter , dont they use prefilter sponge ? even recommend to put na carbon ?

[marle]

@milk_vanilla - i believe with the passion there, a hobbyist might do probably more than what is required. The hard part is maintaining the passion.

@Shadow - one thing i gathered is that changing water regularly especially for a new start up is vital to remove excess nutrients to prevent algae out break.. Master, is my HOF filtration enough for this 2ft tank?

@Zerofighterx101 - you are not alone. haha..

@limz_777 - i know of a place with the super jet filter running on display... Fishy Business.. Attached a vid for your reference below.


A cool tool you can use to feed your fish.. The Japs are really innovative. Time to go Ikea?


SUPER JET FILTER!

[Shadow]

yes changing water regularly even if it is not new setup can create miracle gains algae .

Personally I don't think HOF suitable for your setup, you HOF flow is only one side, unless you add power head or wavemaker.

[limz_777]

it mention that the whole bag is coal, wont it absorb all the ferts , interesting

[Urban Aquaria]

it mention that the whole bag is coal, wont it absorb all the ferts , interesting

Apparently although the carbon does absorb ferts (along with harmful components and medication)... there is still enough nutrients and ferts for the plants to grow, especially during the initial period when ADA soil is releasing so much of it.

I guess that's one of the reasons why filter manufacturers recommend using carbon during the initial cycling period (to clean up the water), then after that throw away the carbon and replace with other media once the water parameters stabilize.

[marle]

Am thinking of getting an Ehiem 2213 combo with Up Aqua Atom diffuser but the current HOF is so easy to manage. Of course, the beneficial bacteria available is definitely lesser. ADA should look into producing more budget canister filters to cater to a wider market.

@Urban Aquaria, I have never used carbon for most of the tanks i start. Currently, i am using Nutrafin's anit-chlorine. Nutrafin claims its product can remove chlorine, chloramine and also neutralizes hazardous metals in the water. No casualty of livestock so far.

- Initial plans were to add riccia pebbles all around. *didn't do it. Why? Lazy.
- Behind the large rock i should add some more japonica / HM to create the slope feel and add depth. Might look into it next week!

Some pictures i took today.. (its a Sunday! )

Main Goal: Grow healthy plants.. so far satisfied with result. Some hair algae spotted growing on the Japanese hairgrass.


Apisto. Diplotaenia living harmoniously with horn snails and bigger sized yamatoes.

[marle]

BBA, Staghorn and hair algae has invaded the tank.