Re-scape 2ft: 24x12x18

[Navanod]

My quick fix solution to Snails and worm problems:

1. Bomb the tank with Fenbendazole powder. Kills all worms and hydras without killing anything else.
2. Drop in a platoon of assassin snails.
3. Treat all other items and plants with potassium permanganate solution to kill young snails and eggs.

However, if the snails are MTS, you're better off sunning and heating the soil or soaking in mild potassium permanganate solution...just remember to drop alot of de-chlorinator to detox later (PP can be rendered inactive by dechlorinating solution)

Abit drastic, but beats going through by hand...

[reveru]

yeah i also think you should skip the black sand, quartz etc. i used to have it in my planted tank. it impeded the growth of the plants. very noticeable even if you mix with substrate. maybe if you planting HC, you should get 3L of aquasoil powder. will make your life much, much easier during planting, even if you have very, very, very sharp pinsettes.

[Blue Whale]

Oh...got sharp pinsettes, just not ADA one and rather much shorter. Ha ha...Snails aside. With my hunter group around, snails usually are much much controlled already. Hence no need for further action.

Reconfigure my budget again. Hee Hee.

Okay, here is the plan. Get the aqua soil, power sand and bacter 100 (Biotope open 12pm) in by 2pm. Next step would be placing some satay skewers and check for tank balance. Select the driftwood and place it in. I intend to take a few photos and post it up see which one has the best face.

Any suggestion on my plants?
Tiger Lotus Lily
HC - intend to add more
Christmas moss tied on coconut (I sorta like this, intend to get more to tie too)
Java Ferns (quite a lot, dunno what to do with it)
Unidentified plant (already on mess, green reddish, very short)

My intention is to flood a bit then do the planting. Once done, I will sealed up and inject a bit of CO2. Maybe 2 skewer holes so that pressure don't built. Full lighting for a while. Thereafter just wet wet a bit the setup. After confirmed stablise, everyday add a bit of water until eventually it gets flooded up and full filter operations and CO2 operation. I will do the various water test although Az2 is generally consider quite stable. NPK dosage will moderate. Give me your thoughts on this.

[boxedfish]

just do it.. good luck

[Biotopeshop]

Oh...got sharp pinsettes, just not ADA one and rather much shorter. Ha ha...Snails aside. With my hunter group around, snails usually are much much controlled already. Hence no need for further action.

Reconfigure my budget again. Hee Hee.

Okay, here is the plan. Get the aqua soil, power sand and bacter 100 (Biotope open 12pm) in by 2pm. Next step would be placing some satay skewers and check for tank balance. Select the driftwood and place it in. I intend to take a few photos and post it up see which one has the best face.

Any suggestion on my plants?
Tiger Lotus Lily
HC - intend to add more
Christmas moss tied on coconut (I sorta like this, intend to get more to tie too)
Java Ferns (quite a lot, dunno what to do with it)
Unidentified plant (already on mess, green reddish, very short)

My intention is to flood a bit then do the planting. Once done, I will sealed up and inject a bit of CO2. Maybe 2 skewer holes so that pressure don't built. Full lighting for a while. Thereafter just wet wet a bit the setup. After confirmed stablise, everyday add a bit of water until eventually it gets flooded up and full filter operations and CO2 operation. I will do the various water test although Az2 is generally consider quite stable. NPK dosage will moderate. Give me your thoughts on this.

Tiger Lotus - it is a Big plant, especially when it is planted in a 2ft tank. This plant is known to "displace" other plants around it by sending out leaves to reach for the surface, taking away the lights. Its roots will rapidly suck up nutrients in the substrates at the same time.
If you intend to add a little redness in your layout, you can consider ludwiga brevipes, just behind the powerful side of your driftwood. L.aruata tend not to do well in initial setups using Amazonia 2 soil.

Regards

[Blue Whale]

Tiger Lotus - it is a Big plant, especially when it is planted in a 2ft tank. This plant is known to "displace" other plants around it by sending out leaves to reach for the surface, taking away the lights. Its roots will rapidly suck up nutrients in the substrates at the same time.
If you intend to add a little redness in your layout, you can consider ludwiga brevipes, just behind the powerful side of your driftwood. L.aruata tend not to do well in initial setups using Amazonia 2 soil.

Regards

Thousand apologies >< just saw the Tiger Lotus got big holes, seem like few of the fishes munch through the lilies...hence can't plant it anyway.

>"< I could use this if I can find it. I am not really good with plants, I hope Victor also got some spare hc there.


back to work on the tank...a bit tired but want to finish the last bit. And everyone, thank you for the encouragement. I am still quite scare of planting hc after 2 unsuccessful attempt and 1 successful one.

[felix_fx2]

Why never try dry start for HC?
You must have forgotten what most/how lotus grow out in the real world,

I strongly agree with reveru and shadow. black quartz is more eye candy then of real use. But i am using them in my anne's tank.

[Blue Whale]

Felix, don't run too fast on me. ha ha...okie, let me run through.


Power Sand layer
Those who attended Iwagumi workshop, you don't have to use set square like Thio have highlighted. Any hardware store you can find scrapper but not the metal one, plastic one, cost less than $2.


Adding ADA Bacter 100 and ADA Amazonia II Aquasoil.
Bacter 100 is a substract additive, constains more than 100 kinds of substrate bacteria in a dormant state. Az2 is the the 3L being recovered from previous setup. New 9L (10kg), one is also added to slope effect.


Skewers are being mark out on the standard height that I want to archive.



Checking on the linear progression.



Checking on the side progression



Seems like still need a bit of adjustments but don't have to be perfect. Will be bringing out the driftwood from the storeroom for a placement check before I tie the Christmas moss onto the driftwood. Hemianthus callitrichoides are currently out of stock hence I will plant it when I find it. Tank balance will later be checked. Once all the plants have tied or planted, will flood a little and check again.

Ludwigia brevipes is out of stock. Ludwigia arcuata is also no where to be found, yes Thio you are right, arcuata is tempting indeed.
Got some Red Rotala instead, I believe is the Rotala Colorata if I never see wrongly. First timer on Rotala, going to see what's the effect like.

[Blue Whale]

Comparatively, looks okay to me, so I am going to start inserting the driftwood.

[Blue Whale]

Hmmm....three different faces. Even if I use black water it will take a while for the color to change. I am going to dig my storeroom some more for other driftwoods.

[Blue Whale]

Okay, a Second selection mingling some same types...Ooo I like this ghostly drifties.

Critics, please take up your position and give your best criticism. 5 pieces of driftwoods. Counting by the head.
From Picture 1, left to right, 1,2,3
From Picture 2, left to right, 4,1,5

[Wilfred]

wow, I like this piece too,
Picture 1, 1(don't know why it don't look like the same piece in picture 2 no.1)
Picture 2, 5

Err, how do you plan to scape it? placing left 2 and right 1?

[reveru]

hi bro, just take note, if you intend to create more depth (perspective), may help to raise the overall slope a little bit steeper. cos after you flood, the slope will come down. i learnt my lesson and after that need to re-do the slope, it was a troublesome job.

[Blue Whale]

Wilfred, it means turning the dw (Driftwood), until you get the correct face.

Nicholas, you mean compacting and soil erosion effect. This is one area of concern for me too. I don't intend to flood by pouring water in. It will be either Melt Ice or Tube water injection using gravity to help me fill up. The placement of filter will play a part for that soil erosion thingy. Luckily the filter won't be active until water level get to a certain height, meaning once it get about half height of water, I can use another mini filter first. I will look at progression again as advised. Still turning the dw.

Scapers, if you noticed anything wrong during my setup, kindly feel free to highlight. When I am working, I am quite "blind" hence using photos, post, sit back and ponder over the setup. Your 2 cents might turn out to be beneficial to me. Thanks!

[Blue Whale]

From this:

To This:

To This:


I find the third picture has a more evil face, I just need to turn the big daddy on right a bit to get a fuller face. Almost finalizing the scape.

[Biotopeshop]

Photo0319b.jpg

Photo0319b (1).jpg

You must have your thoughts in expressing this arrangement, that we should respect and try to bring the feeling out from the scape

However, I do find the angle of the combination being too sharp. The drop in height at the right side is almost forming a right angle. I feel that a tilt would be more natural.

Cheers

[Wackytpt]

You can always order Ludwigia arcuata from from the LFS. I used ordered before from Biotope & C328 before.

However most of the time, the plants come in the emersed form.

I do have they growing nicely in my tank once they change into the submersed form. However I am having a bit of alage problem in the tank.

[Blue Whale]

Thio, You are finally here. Okay, I actually keep thinking the one at the back, is very redundant. In fact, the front two is sufficient.
I don't have a theme.
Something harmony yet not noisy, Majestic yet not too grand.

Nicholas, understood. Just came back from both places this week. not fruitful trip...woodlands to clementi is real far, can't always drop by.

[Blue Whale]

This is getting more difficult. The angle. Big daddy doesn't like to do turning. I still find it difficult to adhere to odd numbers.

[Wackytpt]

Thio, You are finally here. Okay, I actually keep thinking the one at the back, is very redundant. In fact, the front two is sufficient.
I don't have a theme.
Something harmony yet not noisy, Majestic yet not too grand.

Nicholas, understood. Just came back from both places this week. not fruitful trip...woodlands to clementi is real far, can't always drop by.

Why not order it from Biotope then? Since it is nearer to you.