# Mighty Cave - ADA 60P



## Mikeba (10 May 2017)

Hi everyone,

So it's time for a new scape. Broke down my previous one and the aquarium is looking too empty for my liking 

*The setup:*

*Tank: *
ADA 60P (60x30x36cm)

*Light:*
ADA Aquasky 601

*Filter:*
1x JBL 901e greenline

*Other Equipment: *
Inline atomic CO2 diffusor
Chihiros Doctor
Lily Pipes (outflow)(inflows)
Eheim skimmer

*Hardscape: *
Seiryu stones

*Substrate: *
ADA Aquasoil Amazónia
ADA La plata sand
ADA La plata sand (big)

*Ferts:*
EI Daily

*Plants:*
Not sure yet.

*Photos:
*







Think I will move this over to the 60P tomorrow and maybe tweak some more in there. I'll post more pictures soon, promise. 

Hope you like it!


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## Eduard18 (10 May 2017)

Looks promising, so ominous  but I think you should build a bigger entrance, you know, plants full grown could " steal the scene "


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## imak (10 May 2017)

It must be hard to replicate that inside the aquarium... Great hardscape  

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## Mikeba (11 May 2017)

@Eduard18 Thanks! It does have a grimmy atmosphere does it  Good point about the cave. Although the foreground will stay sand, so I'm hoping it will not give a problem.

@imak I have build/rebuild this scape a few time already, so placing the stones like this again shouldn't be a problem. Biggest problem will be working in an actual box and not having the freedom you have in an open sandbox


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## swackett (11 May 2017)

Looks impressive, can't wait to see it planted.


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## Mikeba (12 May 2017)

Thanks @swackett !

*Update:



 



 
*
Still alot of work to do, but we are getting there   More pics will follow in the coming days.

Some of my concerns for the moment are:

planting space in the back (I wish I had a 45cm depth aquarium )
if I should create the second "island" in the right corner or not (scape feels a lot more "squished" inside the aquarium)
what plants to use

All ideas are welcome


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## Eduard18 (13 May 2017)

Are you sure that the construction is solid ?  I'm a bit concerned about the stones at the base- left in an oblique position and right, partially on the glass ;
Secondly, the name of the scape is " Mighty Cave" , cave is rocks, so plants come second , to emphasize the hardscape; IMHO : mosses - dark green, like weeping moss and/or fissidens fontanus - in the back of the cave red Myriophyllum or Proserpinaca or H.pinnatifida and on the right side Eleocharis or Crypto parva if you use red Myriophyllum behind the cave, or Pogostemon erectus if you  use Proserpinaca or HP for the cave
Your choice pioneer


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## Mikeba (14 May 2017)

@Eduard18 Yep, the construction is rock solid, no worries. 

Great tips on planting! A little bit out of my comfort zone (was thinking about using good old Rotala behind the cave), but I like the fine structure your plants have, would be great for an enhanced sense of scale. 

I was actually thinking about Riccardia between the rocks, but I have my worries about it ... never used it and it's described as a difficult moss. 
Eleocharis & Crypto parva are on my list. And I was thinking about Monte Carlo for the right foreground.


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## Eduard18 (14 May 2017)

Well , riccardia does need a lot of light and CO2, that's for sure , but it's not that difficult; I'm using it in my "Tint the World" nano, on top of the root, near the water surface to be sure that it's getting the maximum amount of light and it's growing; in your cas, with ADA lights I guess it would work on the right size of the cave, near the center of the tank, 3rd or 4th layer of rocks, or both 
As a carpeting plant I think Marsilea hirsuta , with its wilder appearance and the fact it doesn't form a compact carpet, will complement better the "spirit" of the tank , but it's your tank, your choice


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## Mikeba (15 May 2017)

Currently waiting for the ADA Aquasoil and sand; should be delivered tomorrow.

In the meantime I made a little sketch with the possible plant selection.





The dark green on the rocks is Riccardia.

Any thoughts/suggestions/ideas?


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## doylecolmdoyle (16 May 2017)

Looks good, squeezing stems into the back will be a challenge unless you cover the rocks with soil and plant on top?


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## Mikeba (16 May 2017)

@doylecolmdoyle Thanks! I'm afraid the planting space will not be high enough if I would do that, which will result in too much trimming. I hope the space will suffice and I can always use some Hygrophila in the spaces that are too compact due to stones.


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## Mikeba (16 May 2017)

*Update:*

Today the Aquasoil and La Plata sand arrived so I could finally add the substrate to the aquarium.

The result:


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## Dominik_K (17 May 2017)

Hi,

this is really looking good! My congratulations for this well made hardscape. One little thing to think about: How about some Minilandscape gravel on the sand? Just a tiny bit to smooth out the transition? I think that would make the tank even more natural.

And one question for my education: Is that styrofoam still underneath the sand and soil or did you remove it?


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## Mikeba (17 May 2017)

@Dominik_K Thank you for the kind words! Good idea about the gravel, I'll better start smashing some stones 

The styrofoam is still there, I only removed it in the front sand area.


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## CooKieS (17 May 2017)

Nice one, it looks like another ukaps member has done months ago (can't remember his name unfortunately )

About the plantation; to get an better scale you better choose small stems and carpeting plants; I would replace monte carlo with elatine hydropiper or hc cuba and pogostemon with HM for example


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## CooKieS (17 May 2017)

CooKieS said:


> Nice one, it looks like another ukaps member has done months ago (can't remember his name unfortunately )
> 
> About the plantation; to get an better scale you better choose small stems and carpeting plants; I would replace monte carlo with elatine hydropiper or hc cuba and pogostemon with HM for example


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## Mikeba (17 May 2017)

@CooKieS You mean @The_Iceman ? Because he was a big inspiration for starting this scape. 

I'm going to look into the plants you mention, thanks for the suggestion!


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## doylecolmdoyle (17 May 2017)

Looks great, I like the use of the la plata big one the sand area, looks like you have more room at the back than what it appeared in earlier photos, should be ok for some stems back there, can wait to see this planted


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## CooKieS (17 May 2017)

Mikeba said:


> @CooKieS You mean @The_Iceman ? Because he was a big inspiration for starting this scape.
> 
> I'm going to look into the plants you mention, thanks for the suggestion!


 Exactly! His tank was awesome 

You're welcome


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## Vivian Andrew (18 May 2017)

Wow really nice looking hardscape


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## Million (18 May 2017)

This is really original and cool, well executed so far. Looking forward to seeing it planted. Who's going to live in that deep dark cave?


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## Mikeba (18 May 2017)

Thanks @Million ! 

That's for the bad shrimps. You know, the ones that stir up the aquasoil and make the sand dirty


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## Nigel95 (21 May 2017)

Good hardscape


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## Mannic05 (22 May 2017)

The hardscape looks very dramatic and real to me. I hope it will look like the planting plan, because that looks very promising.

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## Mikeba (22 May 2017)

All plants are in, except my Riccardia and Ludwigia Mini Super Red. They should be deliverd in a few days.

So the complete plant list:

Proserpinica Palustris "cuba"
Ludwigia Mini Super Red

Hygrophila Pinnatifida
Hemianthus micranthemoides

Elatine hydropiper

Crypto Parva
Eleocharis Mini
Riccardia Mini Pellia
Hoping I will be planting mid-week.

_Additional question:_  The crypto parva and HM are in tradidiontal pots, al the rest is in vitro. I'm afraid the pots will dry out or go bad if I keep them in there for another 3 - 4 days. So, could I plant everything, spray with water to keep moist and cover up with plastic foil until the rest of the plants arrive?


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## Mikeba (25 May 2017)

*Update:*

Today I finally got around planting. Everything went smooth, mostly because of the in-vitro plants. Man! I'm never buying potted plants again. The quality and amount you get is incomparable! 

Now for some pictures:






















 Hope you guys like it!


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## doylecolmdoyle (26 May 2017)

Looks good! the rock in the middle of the sand looks a bit out of place to me, my next scape I am going to use all tissue culture / in-vitro plants, here in Western Australia we have the tightest laws on importing plants so basically everything need to be grown locally or native. So hard to get good plants but some TC stuff is popping up


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## Mannic05 (26 May 2017)

Looks good, can't wait to see this tank before the first trimming. 

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## Vivian Andrew (26 May 2017)

When plants grown this tank is gonna look stunning for sure


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## Alexander Belchenko (26 May 2017)

very nice indeed.


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## Andy D (26 May 2017)

Looks good! Reminds me of THIS one.


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## Mikeba (27 May 2017)

Thanks guys! I hope I can live up to all your expectations  Everything is going well and yesterday I did the first water change. 

I can already see some new fresh leaves popping up 

I will make some more detailed pictures in the coming days so stay tuned.


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## Dominik_K (28 May 2017)

This is stunning! Nothing more to say here  And the smaller pieces of mini landscape really improved the hardscape, glad that realized that!


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## Mikeba (29 May 2017)

Thanks @Dominik_K ! It was a great idea and really enhanced the natural feeling 

Made a little video yesterday.


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## ChrisP (1 Jun 2017)

Looking good! What lily pipes are those?


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## Mikeba (2 Jun 2017)

ChrisP said:


> Looking good! What lily pipes are those?


Thanks! The outflow is ADA Lily Pipe P. Inflow is not an official brand I guess, bought it on a website of a friend.


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## doylecolmdoyle (17 Jun 2017)

Any updates?


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## Mikeba (18 Jun 2017)

doylecolmdoyle said:


> Any updates?



The Proserpinica Palustris "cuba" melted away twice. Had bought a pot too much, so I replanted them after a week, but to no avail. So I swapped them out with Rotala wallichii. Also no luck with the Elatine hydropiper. It kept making new leafs, but the old ones melted away immediately. So I removed them and planted Monte carlo instead. And my Riccardia turned brown, but it's recovering as I see new green growth. 

The other plants are doing great so I am still positive 

Had some CO2 problems (faulty amtomic diffusor), so I think that was the source of the plant melt. But I replaced it and everything is looking good for the moment. Fingers crossed! 

I will take some new pictures in the coming week.


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## Mikeba (19 Jun 2017)

Quick video


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## Doubu (22 Jun 2017)

Excellent job planning... I am taking notes haha!


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## BBogdan (22 Jun 2017)

Really nice scape ! Good job ! ...I am curious how it will look when plants are fully developed.


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## Mikeba (26 Jun 2017)

Thanks guys! Really nice to read all these comments, keeps me going 
*
Time for a photo update! 
*
4 weeks in now. Plants are doing great and riccardia is recovering nicely. But I'm starting to see some brown dust algae popping up :S Hope I can keep it under control.


































Sorry for the picture spam


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## Tom Bennett (9 Jul 2017)

what a beautiful tank!!!


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## Mikeba (17 Aug 2017)

*UPDATE*

Hi all,

I'ts been a while since my last update so here goes  

I'm still recovering from dust/brown algae, but things are looking alot better than the past weeks. My Rotala Wallichi suffered the most and I'm concidering swapping it out with Rotala Colorata. I'm also going to order more moss to attach to the wood pieces I added in this week.

So, it's time for a (first) trim! I'm planning on trimming in the upcoming days.

What do you guys think?









ADA 60P - Mighty Cave by Michael Baumrucker, on Flickr


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## Tim Harrison (18 Aug 2017)

Looking great now it's growing in.


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## Nigel95 (18 Aug 2017)

Great hardscape and the woods definitely gives it an extra touch!

Love the texture on the stones.


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## Mikeba (22 Aug 2017)

Thanks guys  

@Nigel95 I'm thinking about adding even more wood. I like the extra natural feel and detail it brings  But first I need to order more moss!

I'm not sure if I should just add more riccardia or maybe some riccardia + weeping moss. Maybe some Anubias Nana 'petite" on some places? Suggestions are more then welcome


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## Nigel95 (22 Aug 2017)

Mikeba said:


> Thanks guys
> 
> @Nigel95 I'm thinking about adding even more wood. I like the extra natural feel and detail it brings  But first I need to order more moss!
> 
> I'm not sure if I should just add more riccardia or maybe some riccardia + weeping moss. Maybe some Anubias Nana 'petite" on some places? Suggestions are more then welcome



Could always try out more wood 

Riccardia will attach to hardscape but weeping moss is better with permanent fishing line. Or try out some beautiful bucephalandra!

EDIT: I think glue will suit better for your hardscape.


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## subterranean (22 Aug 2017)

I've not come across Hygrophila Pinnatifida before, what a beautiful plant! I've ordered some for my 80l tank - have you just glued it down there?


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## Mikeba (28 Aug 2017)

Nigel95 said:


> Could always try out more wood
> 
> Riccardia will attach to hardscape but weeping moss is better with permanent fishing line. Or try out some beautiful bucephalandra!
> 
> EDIT: I think glue will suit better for your hardscape.


I'm going to glue down the moss anyways, like I have done with the Riccardia and Hygrophila (@Sublimeaccuracy). 

Although it's better to tie Hygrophila down to wood with ADA wood tight (or twist-tie form the DIY). The roots will attach themself into the wood and you can remove the wood tight after a few weeks. They haven't attached to my stones yet, so I'm curious if they ever will 

I came across this video a few weeks ago and I'm going to try his technique to attach moss to wood with super glue.


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## Eduard18 (30 Aug 2017)

super glue works fine, just watch your fingers and don't put too much as it turns white underwater and looks slightly unsightly


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## Mikeba (7 Sep 2017)

Hey Guys,

I've been very busy this week! 

Ordered some more moss and anubias to give a little more detail to the scape.

I'm quite happy with the results, but I would love to hear your thoughts!


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## Daveslaney (8 Sep 2017)

Looks fantastic,Loverly job.


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## Tim Harrison (8 Sep 2017)

This scape keeps evolving and getting better and better


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## Eduard18 (8 Sep 2017)

looks promising


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## Mikeba (11 Dec 2017)

Small (long overdue) update on this tank.

Since switching over to 100% RO water things are really going great. The brown algae I was struggling with for a long time finally disappeared completely and the plants are thriving.

Some parts are a bit overgrown at the moment like the Monte carlo and the x-mass moss, so they need some trimming when I find the time 

The only plant that really doesn't like me is the riccardia  This is my 2nd batch and it's still not going as great as I see in other peoples tanks. From time to time it turns a little bit darker and out of a sudden it starts to grow green again. Real finnicky plant! I will be so happy if it decides to grow lush some day 

Anyways, here are some pics:


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## SKYE.__.HIGH (21 Dec 2017)

May I ask what you think of the Chihiros doctor? Does it actually work, is it worth 60 bucks, does it eliminate most algae or just a small amount? 

Thanks a lot, Skye


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Dominik_K (1 Mar 2018)

Hi,

i came across your scape again and asked me if you could give a raw estimate on how many kilograms of seiryou stone you used in there?

Thanks a lot,
Dominik


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## Mikeba (1 Mar 2018)

@SKYE.__.HIGH I notice more green algae now that I stopped using it for a few months, but I also switched lights in that same period ... so I'm not sure. But I have to replace my electrode every 3 months, they say is happens when you dose a lot of iron. I ordered a Twinstar M5 so i'm curious if it will help.

@Dominik_K I really can't say 

Forgot to update this thread, so here some pictures I took a while back.

New lightning setup including Twinstar 600sp and Chihiros aluminium alloy hanging kit.



ADA 60P - Mighty Cave



ADA 60P - Mighty Cave



ADA 60P - Mighty Cave



ADA 60P - Mighty Cave



ADA 60P - Mighty Cave



ADA 60P - Mighty Cave


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## Mikeba (27 Mar 2018)

Time for anohter update on this tank.

I have been neglecting this tank due to the setup of the 45P, so it was time for a some heavy trimming and maintenance.

This should be the last trim before the final shot, so almost time for something new!!


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## Daveslaney (27 Mar 2018)

Very nice.How do you make the  Hygro pinnatifida grow compact and bushy like that?


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## Mikeba (27 Mar 2018)

Daveslaney said:


> Very nice.How do you make the  Hygro pinnatifida grow compact and bushy like that?


Trim it HARD. It's actually not a very good plant for a 60P scape. I have to trim it weekly so it doesn't grow out of control. Fortunately trimming is easy and only takes a few minutes.


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## Daveslaney (27 Mar 2018)

Thanks.Thats the problem i have with mine it grows quickly to the top of the tank with not many leaves on the lower stem. I will trim it back hard.


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## Mikeba (27 Mar 2018)

Try trimming portions of the lower stem of, it should sprout new growth at those points. Having a lot of light also helps to keep it compact.


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## Mikeba (4 Apr 2018)

I made a full maintenance video of this scape. This was after neglecting this tank for quite some time and skipping a few water changes. 

 Hoping to find the time to make the final shots tonight


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## CooKieS (4 Apr 2018)

Didn't expect so many maintenance and trimming on this tank, Impressive!

Is that the nasty BGA on the front glass near the sand? Ever tried ada bacter, black molly or stiphodon to fight it?


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## Mikeba (4 Apr 2018)

CooKieS said:


> Didn't expect so many maintenance and trimming on this tank, Impressive!
> 
> Is that the nasty BGA on the front glass near the sand? Ever tried ada bacter, black molly or stiphodon to fight it?


Yeah, with the Twinstar on full power plants grow very fast. My stems recovered from the trim in 3 days ... with the Aquasky 601 it took a complete week, so go figure. 

It's GSA I think .. I've had BGA in my previous tank and it was more slimy. I just kept syphoning it out and one day it disappeared on its own... but I was on the verge of breaking down that tank because of it!


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## Tim Harrison (4 Apr 2018)

Looking good, and nice maintenance video


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