# Without Foundation - James Maslin



## JamesM (28 Apr 2009)

Speaking with some members from ukaps late one night, we got chatting about what could possibly make a Great British 'Scape - many jokes were passed around about shopping trolleys, empty beer cans and bottles, sticklebacks and the like, but it got me thinking about alternative ideas... and when I stepped out of the house the next day, it hit me! Living in a new house on a new estate is great, but our back lawn was a mess, so a few summers ago I turned the entire lawn over to start fresh, only to discover about 50 or so bricks left over from some (lazy) builders. A few bricks I'd kept for unknown reasons were happily being covered by winter growth just behind my shed, and they looked just the ticket...

Continue Reading...


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## JamesM (28 Apr 2009)

1 month update





Comments and critiques very welcome


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## nry (28 Apr 2009)

Lol, why not!  Though I'll admit to checking the first post date to ensure it wasn't April 1st!


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## vauxhallmark (28 Apr 2009)

Hysterical - I love it   

Mark


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## rawr (28 Apr 2009)

This is brilliant! I have been thinking about something similar for a while.


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## Superman (28 Apr 2009)

I bet you're _'bricking it'_ waiting for positive comments.

Looks good


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## Dan Crawford (28 Apr 2009)

Nice work mate, now thats "ground breaking"!


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## JamesM (28 Apr 2009)

Thanks guys! Appreciate the comments 

I'll copy over the full journal with time, just busy atm.


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (28 Apr 2009)

JamesM 

I bet you were brickingit inrelation to how it would look.

Regards

Paul.


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## GreenNeedle (28 Apr 2009)

I actually think it looks good and works   And I'm not joking.

AC


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## LondonDragon (28 Apr 2009)

Hehe cool idea James, we need an overview shot rather than one upwards  to get a better feel for it.
Plant grows looks excelent, all you need is some grass coming out of the holes hehe  great stuff


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## JamesM (28 Apr 2009)

Thanks guys 

Paulo, yeah, more shots coming soon mate... I'm hiding a few bald patches atm


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## aaronnorth (28 Apr 2009)

i actually like it, very original and it works.
Great job!!


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## Dave Spencer (28 Apr 2009)

Strangely enough, this really works for me, too. I bet Oliver Knott wishes he had thought of it first.

Were there any worries about any chemicals leaching out of the bricks?

Dave.


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## Mark Evans (28 Apr 2009)

great mate, but you know i like it.

it's just one of those things that work, not very often in life does something work that shouldn't. I'm glad your part of plantedbox.com!

my guess is the bricks are fine, after all it's just fired clay.


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## JamesM (28 Apr 2009)

Cheers guys 

I did wonder if there may have been concrete added to the bricks, but a builder friend thinks they are just clay too, so I should be good. I did test with vinegar and soaked for 72 hour - tests were pretty much the same as plain water after 72 hours, although my test kit is next to useless  Mature filter was used from my previous setup (Evolution) and fish and shrimp are all happy.


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## John Starkey (28 Apr 2009)

Hi James,speechless but it does look cool,
Regards john.


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## a1Matt (28 Apr 2009)

I like it. lots. I suspect that many have had the idea, but very few have had the kahunas to do it.

I think you should enter into some comps as a UK biotope (not joking).  I guess you would need to take the livestock out and put some UK fauna in for the photo shoot.


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## George Farmer (28 Apr 2009)

Superb!  

A novel and brilliantly innovative idea, done justice by the excellent plant choice, layout and overall composition.

What more can I say?!


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## JamesM (28 Apr 2009)

Many thanks guys, I really appreciate all the comments, and the fact they are good is a very welcome bonus


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## LondonDragon (28 Apr 2009)

JamesM said:
			
		

> Many thanks guys, I really appreciate all the comments, and the fact they are good is a very welcome bonus


You were worried about nothing, its a great idea mate  its one of those things people will either love it or hate it and its been so well executed that most love it off course  congrats


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## JamesM (28 Apr 2009)

LondonDragon said:
			
		

> JamesM said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you my friend


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## TDI-line (29 Apr 2009)

He he, you the man.      

Sheer class, all the way.

Now i'm off to buy a crocodile skeleton on Ebay.


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## Graeme Edwards (29 Apr 2009)

Thats a brave move....

I wonder what Amano would make of it,


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## JamesM (29 Apr 2009)

TDI-line said:
			
		

> He he, you the man.
> 
> Sheer class, all the way.
> 
> Now i'm off to buy a crocodile skeleton on Ebay.


w0000t! 

Cheers, Dan! 



			
				Graeme Edwards said:
			
		

> Thats a brave move....
> 
> I wonder what Amano would make of it,


I've got Amano on speed dial, and he suggested adding a garden fence background. That was the really brave part, and yes, I did try it   

What do you think though, Graeme? Honestly...


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## Graeme Edwards (29 Apr 2009)

I think its pretty cool. Very novel, but some how, it works. It shouldn't, given the subject, but to speak with artistic tongues, it seems to say allot about how we see our own personal spaces in the Uk, its a shame to me. I see this in fields and parks around the UK amd it is a common sight. Just think about what you are representing,the daily decay of modern life, the sights we all see on a daily basis, the detritus left by fellow man. So in many ways James, you have said allot about nature and the human race in the Uk, its blighted by our own hands, which is a shame.

I like it for all those reasons, not because of the bricks, but because of what it represents. 

The guys in my last place of work joked about doing their own nature aquarium, bricks, beer cans etc.

Well done James.


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## Tony Swinney (29 Apr 2009)

Yep, well done James - breaking down the walls (so to speak  ) and doing something different   

Tony


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## JamesM (29 Apr 2009)

Thank you, Graeme 

That's the exact train of thought I had the more I thought and looked at it. Where I live was nothing more than beautiful clean grazing fields about ten years back, now its full of roads, shops, people and several thousand houses, with very little green open areas, and even those are full of bricks, tyres and other rubbish! It has its own beauty in some ways though, and certainly shows the impact we have on this planet.

Tyres... now there's a thought...  

Thanks Tony mate!


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## samc (29 Apr 2009)

i like it too for the same reasons as graeme said good thinking


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## plantbrain (29 Apr 2009)

Oliver Knott would be proud.

Enter it into the ADA contest, I'd read the comments on this one

It's actually well done.
The beauty of the Brick.
Why does urban blight need to be ugly?
You got 5+ points from me there.
New perspectives.........

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## JamesM (29 Apr 2009)

Thanks Tom 

I did think about competitions, like http://aquaticscapers.com/ but its not ready for that, and I don't know too much about the other comps  And its been shown now, so I guess I'd be ruled out


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## Superman (29 Apr 2009)

Just shows that you always don't have to "conform" to the standard scaping styles.
I agree with everything said above that it's fab and doesn't look out of place.
What ever next?


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## aaronnorth (29 Apr 2009)

JamesM said:
			
		

> Thanks Tom
> 
> I did think about competitions, like http://aquaticscapers.com/ but its not ready for that, and I don't know too much about the other comps  And its been shown now, so I guess I'd be ruled out



just dont post your final tank shot. Besides, it isnt finished yet is it?

I think this would do well in the AGA competition.


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## TDI-line (29 Apr 2009)

I think it needs a few empty crisp packets, a squashed can of Tennets special brew, and a maybe a copy of Razzle, just for authenticity.

Whose got a spare copy...


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## JamesM (29 Apr 2009)

You guys are great 

Can hedgehogs swim? You think there's room for one in there?


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## TDI-line (29 Apr 2009)

I think there's room for two.


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## vauxhallmark (29 Apr 2009)

JamesM said:
			
		

> You guys are great
> 
> Can hedgehogs swim? You think there's room for one in there?



They can swim for a little while, but will get exhausted, and need a ramp up to a dry land area. Have had one die in a pond before I built a ramp for them to get out   

M


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## jay (29 Apr 2009)

Vary clever. Bet Oliver Knott is kicking himself now


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## TBRO (29 Apr 2009)

LOL - This makes me smile


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## JamesM (1 May 2009)

Another updated pic for practice, with equipment removed.


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## Mark Evans (1 May 2009)

Class! just needs a nice shoal of starlings now  8)


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## LondonDragon (1 May 2009)

Looks great James  congrats


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## JamesM (11 May 2009)

Many thanks for the comments guys 

No updates on the tank yet, but George has kindly posted a blog about this tank on the PFK website. Check it out, and please leave some comments! 

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/p ... blogid=276


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## George Farmer (11 May 2009)

JamesM said:
			
		

> Check it out, and please leave some comments!
> 
> http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/p ... blogid=276


Yes, please do give some feedback on the blog itself.  You have to register if you're not already, but it's free...

I figured this could be one of the more active blogs with potential for some really interesting discussions.


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## JamesM (26 Jun 2009)

Without Foundation has been up and running for 3 months now, and while I've had a few problems with BBA and gassing the livestock, things are going great  

Here's a quick handheld pic:






The blyxa is starting to overpower the scape imo, but I'm living with it for as long as possible... I also added some fast growing stems the absorb excess nutrients and balance things out. I personally like the stems, but as they don't fit the concept of the layout, they wont stay.

I'm wanting to do something else now, so how long this will exist I have no idea.

Opinions on the blyxa and stems is very welcome!!!

- James


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## Dan Crawford (26 Jun 2009)

I'd keep them both mate and let the scape evolve, i'm a massive fan of letting a tank take it's own route. I think it looks much better now, the stems look great and if you trim them well they could _make_ the scape as the match so well with the "stones". The blyxa does a great job of making a nice transition so if you can give it some careful pruning here and there you could keep it going for a long long time. Nice work.


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## rawr (26 Jun 2009)

Like Dan, I love seeing a tank evolve. I think the stems can work, although the thing that I noticed is that some more transition between the Stems/blyxa/foreground would look better but that'll probably come in time. I love the algae on the bricks too.


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## LondonDragon (26 Jun 2009)

Looking great James  I do like how it is just maybe trim the stems a little


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## TDI-line (26 Jun 2009)

Looks great James, i'd keep them both also.


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## a1Matt (26 Jun 2009)

It is nice to see an update for this tank  8) 

My two pence...

The stems do not work for me.
I'm liking the blyxa a lot


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## George Farmer (26 Jun 2009)

I really like this.  It's evolving great!

How about some moss on the bricks?


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## JamesM (26 Jun 2009)

Thanks guys 

The stems aren't actually planted - they're just wedged in behind the blyxa... I keep having to reposition them which is why they look a little messy. These are cuttings from Mark's MA scape, but sadly they don't seem to be keeping their red colour, which is a shame as they do match the bricks quite well.

I too like to see a tank evolve, which is why I named my previous 'scape Evolution  So the stems will stay for now, but I'm really itching to do something, err, well, more normal before I start work on my Don Brautigam inspired 'scape (Andy will understand this one I'm sure!) 

George, I did consider moss on the bricks, but remembering the mess it made of my lawn in Evolution, I decided against it.


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## George Farmer (26 Jun 2009)

Try dosing less nitrogen and you may get the red in the Rotala.  Watch out for other defs, of course.


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## Mark Evans (26 Jun 2009)

George Farmer said:
			
		

> Try dosing less nitrogen and you may get the red in the Rotala. Watch out for other defs, of course.



IME that dont work. i managed to get it red with high Nitrogen dosing. i'm almost certain it's a trimming and lighting connection.

every time i've grown it it gets redder each trim. in effect james is re setting plants growth by putting it in new water. this is all guess work BTW  

looks cool matey, i prefer it without the stems though.


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## JamesM (5 Aug 2009)

A little over 4 months have passed now  

Might break her down soon, although my blyxa flowering is putting that on hold for a bit


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## Garuf (5 Aug 2009)

Ooo! Very nice James! Envy! My tank is nothing but a substrate desert, I'm tempted to sell the 18l of month old Ada in it, I'm that poor!


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## rawr (5 Aug 2009)

Wow, this has matured real nice and I like the overgrown look - the flowing just adds to the overall feel.


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## George Farmer (5 Aug 2009)

Super-healthy growth!  Nice photography and post-production work too.

Interesting on the difference between the two drop checkers.  Do they look so different in the flesh?

I love the embers.  The orange contrasts beautifully with the vivid greens.

Nice work, James.  I'm glad I blogged this tank.  Some folk just didn't get it, which makes it even better IMHO.


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## samc (5 Aug 2009)

looking awsome james!

the hairgrass gives a nice texture. i love that stuff


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## JamesM (5 Aug 2009)

Thanks guys 

George, the drop checkers do look slightly different because they were filled at different times after one fell off and lost its content  I move them around constantly too  

I'm a bit disappointed I lost the red of the rotala, but we can't win 'em all. 

Few more randomly selected photos from photobucket...


































Thanks again for all your comments


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## Stu Worrall (5 Aug 2009)

wow, thats grown in nicely now!  looks really healthy


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## TDI-line (6 Aug 2009)

Looking good James, and amazing growth too.


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## aaronnorth (6 Aug 2009)

Stunning James, i miss my 60l


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## mattyc (6 Aug 2009)

i love it who would have thaught bricks could look so good!!!    

Matt


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## LondonDragon (6 Aug 2009)

Turned out great James, love this tank, the plant health and growth is simply stunning. Looking forward to the next scape already hehehe


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## JamesM (6 Aug 2009)

Thanks again guys


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## Vito (6 Aug 2009)

Lovely tank James, look really healthy. Just out of curiosity do you get any of your blyxa munched on? I constantly look into the tank and find that some leave look like the have been nibbled. Just wonder if you experienced the same.


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## JamesM (6 Aug 2009)

Nope mate, not at all.

Are you sure they're being nibbled on and not simply melting? Blyxa loves high co2...


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## Vito (7 Aug 2009)

I would guess eaten as my co2 is vey high. I tought maybe the ottos might be munching on it as I don't feed them anything or maybe it might be the tiny ramshorns in there... anyway Ill try to solve it. thanks.


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## JamesM (10 Aug 2009)

Flowering blyxa


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## skinz180189 (10 Aug 2009)

You know when you've got these thick carpets, what on earth do you do about cleaning all the muck out of the substrate?


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## aaronnorth (10 Aug 2009)

skinz180189 said:
			
		

> You know when you've got these thick carpets, what on earth do you do about cleaning all the muck out of the substrate?



you dont  anything in the substrate rots & is good for nutrients. Just wave your hand over the carpet and siphon any fallen detrius.

Excellent pictures James, i cant get used to auto, do you do much post-processing?


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## JamesM (10 Aug 2009)

skinz180189 said:
			
		

> You know when you've got these thick carpets, what on earth do you do about cleaning all the muck out of the substrate?


Like Aaron says, you don't need to clean the substrate.


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## JamesM (10 Aug 2009)

aaronnorth said:
			
		

> skinz180189 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks matey 

Just the usual edits, colour balance and sharpness. Most shots I take on Auto mode, just because I'm too lazy to attempt anything complex


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## skinz180189 (10 Aug 2009)

Sounds good to me, I need to get a carpet going on both tanks!


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## JamesM (2 Oct 2009)

6 Month update...









No straight-on shots until after the AGA thingy, soz. :silent:


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## Mark Evans (2 Oct 2009)

man, you can grow plants, great. seriously, i cant wait for your next venture.


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## hydrophyte (2 Oct 2009)

Wow! Here's this tank again. I remember this from months ago. It sure has grown in nice.


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## James Marshall (3 Oct 2009)

The tank looks absolutely stunning now, James
The scape has a very natural appearance, which is a huge acheivement considering the inherently unnatural hardscape. I hope this tank gets the recognition it deserves at the AGA  .

Cheers
James


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## JamesM (3 Oct 2009)

Many thanks guys, your comments mean a great deal, and I appreciate all feedback


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## viktorlantos (3 Oct 2009)

Amazing growth and i love the healthy green mass of plants. your blyxa looks awesome.   
but the overall scape too.

well deserve the AGA.


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## TDI-line (3 Oct 2009)

saintly said:
			
		

> man, you can grow plants, great. seriously, i cant wait for your next venture.



He sure can, but don't get James to lay your patio.   

Lovely tank though James.


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## LondonDragon (6 Oct 2009)

Outstanding growth, look forward to your future scapes James  congrats


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## JamesM (6 Oct 2009)

Thanks guys, and welcome back Paulo


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## LondonDragon (6 Oct 2009)

JamesM said:
			
		

> Thanks guys, and welcome back Paulo


Cheers mate, its been a while but I have been lurking about, life is getting settling down again and the winter is coming so I will be around more often


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## JamesM (2 Nov 2009)

She's still going strong, even after a week or so of neglect... No major updates, but I thought I'd share these pics of a rampant blyxa stem and its flower opening above water


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## TBRO (2 Nov 2009)

Cool, thats the first open blyxa flower I've seen. Well done - T


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## samc (2 Nov 2009)

thats pretty cool mate. you plants allways look so good


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## Mark Evans (2 Nov 2009)

now thats what i'm talking about.


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## JamesM (2 Nov 2009)

Thanks guys, I'm really getting a lot of pleasure out of this tank


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## LondonDragon (4 Nov 2009)

Nice work James, that flower is great  shame I can't grow blyxa any longer for some reason! Maybe you should send me a couple of your stems


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## viktorlantos (4 Nov 2009)

beauty shots. the plants are awesome.   
are you using tap water to grow them?


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## JamesM (4 Nov 2009)

Thanks guys 

Yes Viktor, the council's finest tap water.. no idea of water parameters, but I think my water is quite hard.

Paulo, the blyxa was seriously attacked (trimmed) after those shots, but next trim I'll keep some for you bud


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## TDI-line (5 Nov 2009)

Is that one of those new plastic flowers James?


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## Mark Evans (5 Nov 2009)

TDI-line said:
			
		

> Is that one of those new plastic flowers James?



yeah....the ones from your old tank Dan.


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## aquaticmaniac (5 Nov 2009)

I really love this one. It's looking great


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## JamesM (5 Nov 2009)

TDI-line said:
			
		

> Is that one of those new plastic flowers James?


They're you hand outs bud, so credit to you


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## jonnyjr (5 Nov 2009)

Stunning looking tank, and minimalist rock work


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## TDI-line (6 Nov 2009)

saintly said:
			
		

> TDI-line said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Dam, my secret is out.


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## roadmaster (6 Nov 2009)

SuperColey1 said:
			
		

> I actually think it looks good and works   And I'm not joking.
> 
> AC



  I have in fact used just such materials in tanks with dwarf cichlids. Also employed the use of orchid pots in much the same way for Kuhlii loaches. Java Fern and moss readily attach to these materials. I love it!


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## Spanerman (2 Apr 2010)

JamesM said:
			
		

> Thanks guys
> 
> Yes Viktor, the council's finest tap water.. no idea of water parameters, but I think my water is quite hard.
> 
> Paulo, the blyxa was seriously attacked (trimmed) after those shots, but next trim I'll keep some for you bud




Loving this tank James, Im from neath so the chances are we are fed from the same reservoir, Crai probably, and my water is very soft, never had a lime-scale problem, would be interested to test it though 


Sam.


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## tel (2 Apr 2010)

Just read through the thread James, I can only echo what others have said.
Glad that you let it evolve further it really has taken on a character all of its own. 
Well done superb imagination and effort   
cheers  
tel


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