After being inspired by Jervis and EvolutionZ, I decided to have my first go at the hugely popular iwagumi scape too.
Of all iwagumi styles, I chose the Sanzon Iwagumi style, here is a short description of it.
"The most common iwagumi style is called sanzon iwagumi. Sanzon means "three pillar" in Japanese and these aquascapes make use of three rocks, with two smaller rocks and one larger rock. According to the Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System , this term was first used in the 11th century Japanese garden treatise "Sakuteiki." The grouping of stones comes from Buddhism; the central stone is called the chuusonskei (or the big Buddha) and the smaller flanking stones are called kyoujiseki (or attendant stones). The kyoujiseki are often tilted or pointed towards the chuusonskei as if bowing down to it. The chuusonskei is almost always positioned according to the Golden Rule."
Credits goes to http://www.aquatic-eden.com/2007/02/...aquariums.html, http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/s/sanzoniwagumi.htm.
Here are some pictures of my setup.
My tank is an exact replica of ADA Mini M, 36cm x 22cm x 26cm (5mm) made by N30, very good quality and workmanship with minimal silicon. A blue mat that was supplied by N30 is also used to evenly distribute the weight of the tank.
One problem with a tank of this specifications is that normal light sets that are made in 30cm, 45cm, etc spans will not fit, they also look bulky as the tank width is only 22cm and a light set will easily take up half the width. Also, light sets under 60cm are usually "weak" in output as they lack the T5 option.
My main criteria for my light set is to be sleek and powerful, I wanted something in the 20+ wattage range. I enquired about ADA's Mini Solar http://www.adana.com.sg/productsPage/ada_lighting.html, and it cost a whooping $440 so that was out of question. I finally settled for Arcadia which in my opinion is one of the best light makers out there. So I bought 3 Arcadia Arc Pod (9 watts) and they look great! Incidentally, 27 watts is the same wattage as ADA's Mini Solar, and I can assure you, they are extremely bright!
One of my dream items have always been a mini lily pipe set from ADA but for now, they are still out of my reach and so I am using eheim instead. And yes I know, we all hate the green tubes. I always wondered why eheim dun sell optional transparent inlet and outlet tubes, I bet alot of us would get them and they are unbreakable too!
Last edited by JadeIceGreen; 12th Jan 2009 at 22:14.
Very nice so far Bro! Why don't you consider ANS's glass Lily pipes? A pair of inflow and outflow lily pipes would set you back just about under 7 red notes.
Wah bro, you scary leh, reply so fast..
Yeah, alot of us following your lead, so why not do something challenging like an awesome 10 feet planted tank then we cannot follow?
I am going to go for 27 watts first as recommended by Takashi Amano, good thing is that if its overpowering, I can just remove one of them. For plant types, that will be in a future update, but can guess lah, iwagumi only restricted to those few plants.
Thanks bro!
I dun know if you call me a perfectionist but if I am going to buy glassware, I am going to go for ADA. So I rather save up and get them at a later stage, also ADA was the ones that started it, so I want to use the original as the flow created by the lily pipe will be different. But this is just me! I know that there is nothing wrong with ANS stuffs.
Here is an update.
My chiller for my 20l tank is Taiwanese brand I've never seen before. I was assured by Ben from Petmart that it is better than Resun CL280, being quieter and lesser heat output. They have also been using it for their riccia tank for a few years. Petmart has earned my trust since the beginning of my aquarium hobby and so I had no problems buying this lesser known brand.
For those that happen to own this chiller as well, perhaps you would like to share your experience with us.
The chiller compared to the size of my tank
The chiller comes with an extra transformer which nicely sits on top of it saving space.
I can't wait to get this baby running.
Wow another new setup to look forward to. Btw 3X9W(Arcadia) ≠ 27W(ADA), reason the point of single tube intensity is different, the end result maybe be different.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!! TIME TO LAY BACK AND RELAX!
A Journey Of A Thousand Miles Begins With A Single Step
The chiller seems to be Peltier type instead of compressor type.
Its equipment is spectacular. Congratulations on whim. Certainly that tank is going to be incredible. You can tell where you purchased this chiller? paid and how much? One of these would be perfect for my marine of 58 liters.
Wow, I didn't know that! Well, that is something I've learnt today. Hopefully the plants grow as nicely as a single tube.
What is the difference? If I am not wrong, it is a compressor type, anyway, I am heading back to petmart tomorrow to get more details on the chiller as so many are asking about it.
Thanks for your compliments!
I'll let you know after I get more details about the chiller.
Its a thermoelectric chiller. TEC... no compressor
http://www.cblue.com.tw/english/cs049%20eng.htm
Don't mind can u ask the guy who sold u this how much does he think the power bills for running the chiller 24/7 for a mth will amount to? Thanks
Thermoelectric chiller isn't as efficient as compresor chiller but it is quite. So if noise is importan that it is a good choice.
You can search wiki for more info on peltier or theroelectric cooling
I can't say for sure because it is also depend on the start-stop. What I mean by start-stop is the chiller will stop operating when the target temp reached and start again when it is off by certain degree. This is based on compressor chiller. I'm not sure about Thermoelectric chiller, never try .
For all those awaiting details on the chiller, Petmart has emailed their supplier for more information and I will post it here once it is known. For the cost, please PM me. Thanks for your patience.
And here is an update on my filtration system.
ADA uses Eheim 2211 for both their Mini S and Mini M (my tank size), so I am using Eheim 2211 too. Eheim is an awesome brand in my opinion, I know of friends who have used the same filter for 5 years without having to change the impeller or O ring, and if you change them, your filter can last another few years without problem, so its well worth the extra cost as it will be cheaper in the long run. German research, design and workmanship is amazing to say the least.
I chose the classic version over the newer Ecco filters because I believe in a design with no basket system. This will ensure more complete filtration and is in part confirmed by how ADA filters are also not equiped with baskets. But how effective this is, I think no one will ever know.
Another good think about the classic range is its backwash function, so there is no need to even remove the filter media. I love it!
Alright enough talk, I see people yawning liao, heh, here is my filter setup.
The bottom of the filter, water enters from the hole at the six o clock position.
German thoughfulness and planning here, a plastic strainer thingy to ensure that your filter media do not cover the base of the filter and thus preventing uneven water flow.
Eheim blue pre-filtering pad to trap the larger debris. This part is known as mechanical filtration.
Biological filtration is the most important part of the filter, and this article from http://www.aquajournal.net/na/notes/index.html best describes it.
"Ammonia that is generated from fish waste and dead leaves of aquatic plants is highly toxic. In high enough concentration, fish and shrimp are poisoned and killed. Nitrifying bacteria multiply in a filter and convert toxic ammonia to nitrite (NO2) and then to non-toxic nitrate (NO3). Thus organic matter is converted to inorganic matter and the water is purified. Not only bacteria but also a large number of protozoa colonize filter media. Protozoa mainly pray on bacteria and other protozoa. For example, if disease-causing bacteria that infect fish try to multiply, as long as the filter is functioning well, they are eaten by protozoa and the rate of disease outbreak is reduced. The microorganisms in a filter play an important role in natural ecosystems as well. They are the “decomposers” at the bottom of the ecosystem pyramid. A biological filter is an important part of Nature Aquarium that supports its basic concept of a small ecosystem where fish, aquatic plants, and microorganisms coexist and its environment is stabilized through a system similar to the one in nature."
I am using ADA's Bio Rio as my biological filter.
As the first month of the aquascape is a crucial one in which plants are still recovering from planting, chemical filtration is very important to remove all excess nutrients that the plants do not use to prevent algae. I am using Eheim's Aktiv Carbon.
A fine Eheim filter pad goes next to prevent fine debris from going back into the tank.
Another plastic strainer thingy right at the top.
Eheim 2211 holds about 1 litre of filter media. For the first one month, I will be running 500ml of Bio Rio and 500ml of Eheim Aktiv Carbon. For the second month, I will then run 750ml of Bio Rio and 250ml of Eheim Aktiv Carbon. And hopefully from the third month onwards, 1 litre of Bio Rio.
To help jump start nitrifying bacteria in my Bio Rio, I will be adding Seachem Stability.
Does 2211 have a media tray like 2213? I don't really like media tray because all the dead leave can come out via the gab between tray and filter wall. From the photo, does look like have a tray.
Eheim 2211 and 2213 has basically the same design. The filter media tray is "plastic strainer thingy" that JadeIceGreen mentioned. Wont the dead leaves be stopped by the filter pads and media? I don't see much gap for the dead leaves to flow through.
I am using 2211 and 2232. 2211 has little to no gap, whereas 2232 has a huge gap between the media basket and the filter.
Can PM me where to get the light set and the price for the chiller?
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