# The other halves 60...



## Iain Sutherland (25 Jan 2015)

The other half was showing an interest in the tanks so I thought I'd embrace that and give her a shot at the 60 high tech.
It seems that she actually does listen when I'm boring her about hard scape composition and aside a few pointers she came up with this.







She also chose the plants and planted it while I did a WC on the 120... Suffice to say I'm quite impressed.  

Plants are HC, eleocharis sp mini, Juncus repens and hydrocotyle tripartita.
You can probably guess her inspiration was tony Sweeney's iwagumi that graces the header logo.

Will add some planted images once the lights come on.


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## Iain Sutherland (25 Jan 2015)

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## Greenfinger2 (25 Jan 2015)

Nice rock work  Planting is looking good too


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## Tim Harrison (25 Jan 2015)

Nice...it'll look grand when it's all grown in.


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## kirk (25 Jan 2015)

Looks good Ian. So how long has your other half being doing your scapes and you passing them off as yours.?  When my other half can make a good job of the fridge freezer and cupboards putting the shopping away in date order, I may let her do................a water change.!  I'm not being sexist I'm just ocd and have a problem with tins and packet labels facing in different directions.


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## Mick.Dk (25 Jan 2015)

- so it's proven..........aquascaping is contageous !!!
( but my "significant" seem to be immune, though......... maybe too high doses for too long )

Give her our applause, Iain......


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## PARAGUAY (25 Jan 2015)

I predict tanks all over the house Ian


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## brancaman (25 Jan 2015)

kirk said:


> So how long has your other half being doing your scapes and you passing them off as yours.?



Busted


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## PARAGUAY (25 Jan 2015)

l


brancaman said:


> Busted


Just checking those aqauscaping results


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## Iain Sutherland (26 Jan 2015)

kirk said:


> Looks good Ian. So how long has your other half being doing your scapes and you passing them off as yours.?


haha if she continues at this rate i might have to!  I to stop showing her ipad pad games because she kept kicking my ass first go 



PARAGUAY said:


> I predict tanks all over the house Ian


already there


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## ADA (26 Jan 2015)

Nice, when I met my missus she had a tank full of submarines and treasure chests lol, now she has a low tech rock scape, always nice when they listen.


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## Alexander Belchenko (26 Jan 2015)

Very nice I'd say. Very good executed for the first scape. I bet you're very pleased. So, how long till your half decides to participate in IAPLC then?


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## mantis147 (26 Jan 2015)

No chance my mrs would ever think of touching a tank nice setup btw!


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## Frenchi (27 Jan 2015)

Like this one very nice 


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## banthaman.jm (15 Mar 2015)

Very nice rock work, if only I could get the Mrs into aquascaping....
Jim


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## Iain Sutherland (9 Apr 2015)

Been a while... Tanks had a few trims by shaky novice hands which gave me great enjoyment to watch. It's now stocked with 8 Kubotia raspora, 5 CPD, a pair of rams and a couple of African banded barbs on snail duties before moving to the big tank.
It looks good so far, loads of pearling but juncus repens slow to recover... All crappy iphone pics.






Only other interesting thing is that my 'amano' shrimp have bred.. Counted 20 odd 







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## kirk (9 Apr 2015)

This is looking great iain. Wish my plant were doing so well, if my plants haven't grown whilst I've been away camping I'm shutting ours down.   Amanos having srimplets? Have you done something special to the water.? Salt etc.


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## alto (9 Apr 2015)

Iain Sutherland said:


> Only other interesting thing is that my 'amano' shrimp have bred.. Counted 20 odd


 this has also been my experience in past tanks, if there are enough zoes released, some survive

I've been waiting for this update 
Congrats to your "other half" - like her fish choices too!


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## Iain Sutherland (9 Apr 2015)

Thanks guys, I really have very little to do with this tank aside feeding and ferting so the credit is all hers.

Nothing done to the water for the amanos, it's happened to other people before, I believe they are a different species that don't have a larval salt water phase. 



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## Greenfinger2 (10 Apr 2015)

Hi Iain, Nice Scape looking really cool Congratulations to the other half. Nice fish and Baby Amano's superb


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## Iain Sutherland (13 Apr 2015)

She had the scissors out again.  Juncus still slowly recovering, biggest annoyance is the right had rock that has changed colour dramatically!










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## banthaman.jm (14 Apr 2015)

The rock really has changed colour, but the tank still looks excellent.  It's a shame my other half dose not want to give a scape a go as she really likes this tank.
Jim


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## Iain Sutherland (22 Apr 2015)

Added some ottos, 8 more kuboti's and 20 fire red cherries... It's positively busy in the thank now!




Annoyingly though, again, for no apparent reason the ammania has started melting 


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## Iain Sutherland (22 Apr 2015)

Top half just drops off!


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## Iain Sutherland (8 May 2015)

Got a snazzy new light from ed at freshwatershrimp...





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## Greenfinger2 (8 May 2015)

Hi lain, Nice bit of kit


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## Phil Edwards (8 May 2015)

Looking great Iain!


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## Ryan Thang To (9 May 2015)

Iain Sutherland said:


> Got a snazzy new light from ed at freshwatershrimp...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have the same but the double leds 602 Very bright and good looking.

Cheer
Ryan


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## Iain Sutherland (9 May 2015)

Mines not an ADA aquasky, it's a copy for a quarter of the price 


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## Ryan Thang To (9 May 2015)

Iain Sutherland said:


> Mines not an ADA aquasky, it's a copy for a quarter of the price
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yep i know it the chihiros aquasky right


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## Iain Sutherland (10 May 2015)




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## Ryan Thang To (11 May 2015)

Nice video lain.


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## Iain Sutherland (11 May 2015)

thanks, this one is in a pretty happy place at the moment... will be get a change around later in the week, few different plants with some nice textures.


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## mlongpre (11 May 2015)

Very envious of this tank! Looks great!


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## Christos Ioannou (11 May 2015)

Speech less - its so healthy!


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## Iain Sutherland (24 May 2015)

Couple of pics with strange editing...







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## Ryan Thang To (24 May 2015)

Iain Sutherland said:


> Couple of pics with strange editing...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Another amazing pictures lain. If only i can take pictures like that


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## tim (24 May 2015)

Really like this, the variety of textures really adds to the iwagumi layout, holds a lot more interest than the classic two or three plant iwagumi, top job by the OH mate


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## Iain Sutherland (24 May 2015)

legytt said:


> Another amazing pictures lain. If only i can take pictures like that


Thanks, camera does most of the work mate   All a bit over saturated though, laptop is on its last legs...



tim said:


> Really like this, the variety of textures really adds to the iwagumi layout, holds a lot more interest than the classic two or three plant iwagumi, top job by the OH mate


Cheers tim, took some convincing to get her to change the layout, fish are never happy in a traditional iwagumi.
Will take some time to grow in and suffering a bit of melt since changing my light twice in two weeks as now running a radion xr15fw, but should bounce back and look good in a couple of months...


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## JohnC (25 May 2015)

Iain Sutherland said:


> Will take some time to grow in and suffering a bit of melt since changing my light twice in two weeks as now running a radion xr15fw, but should bounce back and look good in a couple of months...



Photos are still great 

why the change of light again? how did you find the *cough* aquasky? 

Best Regards,
John


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## Iain Sutherland (25 May 2015)

new pic
IMG_6182 by iain sutherland, on Flickr


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## banthaman.jm (26 May 2015)

The more i see the tank the more i like it, great photography.
Jim


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## Iain Sutherland (29 May 2015)

JohnC said:


> why the change of light again? how did you find the *cough* aquasky?


The reds rendition wasnt great with the chihiros, great light and very powerful but as i was adding red stems i wanted them  to pop.  That and i got offered one for a great price from another  member who shall remain nameless


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## Iain Sutherland (29 May 2015)

banthaman.jm said:


> The more i see the tank the more i like it, great photography.
> Jim


thanks Jim, will update later tonight with progress...


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## Rabbit229 (23 Jun 2015)

Awsome


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## Iain Sutherland (8 Aug 2015)

Hey folks, been a while since i updated this little one so off we go...

Cant remember if i mentioned before that i swapped the light for a radion rx15fw.  Its now been 10 weeks or so and i have mixed feelings.  First off ive had real issue connecting to the programming system, Radion say its an issue with the lead and i havent bothered to buy another (there help desk sucks by the way) so its running on an old analogue timer at 100%.  Next thing is i hate the bracket, its so clunky and big and black... they really need to try harder with aesthetics!  On the up side i totally love the colour it gives off, i use the greenest presetting there is and it just looks killer, really warm and the plants pop.  Then the big gripe... while i havent tested the PAR yet (need to get the aquascaping legend round for a beer soon )  i find it really gutless.  Ive run this at 100% for all the time ive had it now and while it looks bright the plants tell me otherwise. HC has been struggling a lot more than im used to, proserpinaca palustris cuba is bright green when it doesnt take much to make it orange at least, stauro isnt very compact, reineikii mini is tall etc....  So i now have both lights on, the churios ?sp? thing which i know gives 100 par at 30cm and the radion at 100%.

In other news...
After hearing about Stu's success at running co2 24/7 i thought id give it a go, started this about 4 weeks ago and so far so good.  Plants seem happy and now with loads of light pearling starts after 30 mins after lights on.

The eriocaulon cinereum had taken over the tank, they are a truly stunning plant and have made me want to try a load more erios ASAP.  However they do take up a lot of room as they dont like to be crowded.

Rams have gone to a more suitable home, it now houses the kubotai, CPD's, cherries, CRS and 20 lampeyes being fattened up enough to go in the African tank without being eaten.

Tank had a rough few weeks as i was away and to be honest was lacking motivation... back on track now, few big cleans and a good trim, double dosing liquid carbon etc

Photos will follow when i get home (might as do this bit while im getting paid


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## Iain Sutherland (8 Aug 2015)

as promised...

60 by iain sutherland, on Flickr

erio by iain sutherland, on Flickr

cpd by iain sutherland, on Flickr


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## Ryan Thang To (9 Aug 2015)

oh wow. lan this pictures are amazing. nice work. i hope the wify help out with the water changes lol

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## Greenfinger2 (9 Aug 2015)

Hi Iain, Exquisite Scape. Great photos too


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## Rabbit229 (9 Aug 2015)

What's the name of that grass and the fish is beutifull, what are they ive never seen them


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## Dantrasy (9 Aug 2015)

the yellow spotted fish are celestial pearl danios 

i think the plant that shoots up a stalk is erio parkeri, or some other _Eriocaulon_


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## Iain Sutherland (9 Aug 2015)

legytt said:


> oh wow. lan this pictures are amazing. nice work. i hope the wify help out with the water changes lol



she is still doing the maintenance on this one, its her baby but plant choices i have kind of taken over.



Rabbit229 said:


> What's the name of that grass and the fish is beutifull, what are they ive never seen them


Dantrasy is right on the fish, the grass like plant is eriocaulon cinereum, it was prettier prior to putting out all the seed spikes and i cant get them to stop now.   I have read if you dont pull them off the plant dies after seeding??? Leaving a couple now to see what happens as they just keep growing back.


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## Sk3lly (9 Aug 2015)

I was going to say if you dont pull those seed pods then it kills the plant. Or so ive heard anyway. Then as i carried on reading you mentioned it anyway.

Tank looks really great


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## JohnC (21 Aug 2015)

Iain Sutherland said:


> So i now have both lights on, the churios ?sp? thing which i know gives 100 par at 30cm and the radion at 100%.



is that not an insanely high amount of light!! how long for?

Cudos to your partner for keeping on top of the maintenance...

looks great. I really want to try that eriocaulon cinereum but i don't think my current USA planted + pro light will give out enough energy for it to grow well (about 50 par across the substrate of the new tank)... lovely plant thou.


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