# Aquacube 8lt scape. Woodland glade.Update 8 DEC 08!



## Graeme Edwards (22 Nov 2007)

Hi guys,

I though it was about time i put my hand to another pico. 
Some basic stuff-
Filter-HOB60
Lighting- 11W florescent, its actual the lighting that came with the free PFK cube.
Heater- Newattino plus 10W
Substrate- Tropica plant nutrition and black fine gravel over the top.
Hardscape- Dead and pree soaked heather wood, its that dead and pree soaked, it sinks. Rock are some kind of light porous lava rock.
Ferts- Tropica plant nutrition+ and Easy life carbon.

Heres the hard scape.
This image shows the basic composition im after. You would call it a mound or central composition. The yellow line is shows you that im unhappy with the angle of the rock, the line is the angle i would like to achieve. I want to create a free flow of space around the cluster of branches.





This image shows how i would like it to appear after some decent growth.





The reddish area is hopefully going to be something like Ludwigia arcuata , or Rotala wallichii  , basically i want some red in there at that focal point.
The rocks will be covered with fissidins moss as well as parts of the branches.
The grass will be Eleocharis parvula , if i can get it. If not something very similar.
Hemianthus callitrichoides ''Cuba'' is the for ground plant.
And some of the stem plants, probably no more than 3 species will be something like Hemianthus micranthemoides ,Didiplis diandra ,something along those lines, depends on what i can order.

So there you have it.

Cheers,
Graeme.


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## Tom (22 Nov 2007)

Veey nice plan. Looks like another stunning pico! I would go for the wallichii as the red plant rather than arcuata personally because of the size of the tank. 

Tom


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## Arana (22 Nov 2007)

Wow that's a great start   Makes me wanna buy a cube to play with!

Looking forward to seeing the updates on this one


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## Themuleous (22 Nov 2007)

Nice wood, not sure if the rocks are not a bit to big for a tank  of that size?  Same goes for the wood to a lesser extent.

Sam


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## George Farmer (22 Nov 2007)

Sweeeeet...

I'm with Tom on the R. wallichi over L. arcuata.  Arcuata may overwhelm as the leaves can span well over 2" in total.

I think the wood and rocks are perfect size and compostion.  

Looking forward to seeing this one progress.


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## planter (23 Nov 2007)

Hi Graeme,

Good to see you having another go!

The wood looks great although im not sure about the rock position, the middle one seems too central IMO (but what do i know?).  

Look forward to following this one .

The hagen sand looks really nice too.


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## Themuleous (23 Nov 2007)

George Farmer said:
			
		

> I think the wood and rocks are perfect size and compostion.



Just me then...


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## CJ Castle (23 Nov 2007)

Nice... Looking forward to planting...


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## Graeme Edwards (10 Jan 2008)

Bit of an update.

This is a shockingly bad picture of the cube, its about 3 weeks after planting now. Grow is steady but slow. There is some thread algae in there at the mo, i could do with some shrimp to sort that out. Dosing the easy life carbon each day at 0.5ml and Tropica+ at 0.2ml every other day. Water changes are 2-3 times a week.
I need to get some more plants in there, mainly hair grass,id like to add a tiny amount of riccia, see how it fairs with the liquid carbon.
Ill take more time with the pics, when it has developed better, just a teaser really.








Cheers.


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## George Farmer (10 Jan 2008)

Sweet mate.

Interesting B+W shot.


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## Dan Crawford (11 Jan 2008)

i love it, that fissidens (sp?) is the business. A worthy scape to it's more than worthy predecessor.


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## Dave Spencer (12 Jan 2008)

It`s your attention to detail I really like, Graeme. Things like little tufts of hairgrass that are just about noticeable, and the spindly wood that is perfect proportion to the size of the tank. The way the branches get noticeably thinner as they reach the water`s surface works really well, also.

It must be a real pain lugging those 1l jugs around the house at water change time!

Dave.


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## Graeme Edwards (8 Feb 2008)

A bit of an update chaps and chapess.

Im not going to reveal all just yet. Im really happy with its progress.
To remind you all. Im using easy life carbon at 0.6ml per day and Tropica Nutrition+ at 0.2ml every other day. 
Ive now added 6 cherry shrimp which are doing very well, one is even carrying eggs. They are doing a great job on keeping my plants tended to and give the cube some extra interest and movement. Ive also added some pogostemon helferi and some rotala nanjenshan. The shrimps and the quality Tropica plants came from The Green Machine. They are getting in some micro rasbora, maculata, so ill have a think about adding some of them.
The plants don't pearl, but they are doing very well, if a little slow. I only have the lights on for around 7 hours, maybe i should bump that up abit.

Heres some pics.

















Cheers.


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## Themuleous (10 Feb 2008)

Looks good, but only one photo is working?

Sam


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## Graeme Edwards (10 Feb 2008)

Thats weird, they were working the other day. Must be something on Image shack.

Shame!


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## Ray (10 Feb 2008)

Please do fix the photo's - I can only see the 3rd one down and from that I suspect you are a genius - its stunning!  3 more should confirm my suspicions...

Makes me tempted to stick one on my desk at work, very calming during nightmare conference calls...  I wonder if the facilities people would find it against health and safety or something?


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## Dan Crawford (10 Feb 2008)

come on mate, let's have a propper look!


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## George Farmer (11 Feb 2008)

Oooo, very nice mate.

I don't blame you for holding back on a full tank shot...


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## ceg4048 (11 Feb 2008)

Wow Gareme, you are truly the zen meister. Every petal looks perfectly positioned and perfectly sized/placed. We are not worthy...

Cheers,


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## TDI-line (12 Feb 2008)

Nice work Van-Goth.

Another masterpiece in the making.


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## Graeme Edwards (12 Feb 2008)

Thanks guys, your all to kind with your compliments.
Ill reload some more pictures some time tonight.
Ill give it a few more weeks for a full tank shot.

Cheers.


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## planter (28 Mar 2008)

*Re: Aquacube 8lt scape. Woodland glade.*

Any chance of an update Graeme?


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## John Starkey (11 Apr 2008)

*Re: Aquacube 8lt scape. Woodland glade.*

Hi All, i saw Grahams pico when Lisa,Sam,George,Dan,and i went back to Grahams after our meet at TGM, well i can tell ya this little setup blew me away, it is awesome when you see it in the flesh everything is just perfect and to cap it all the cherry shrimps had babys, i think Graham should be entering this into the ADA contest this year, regards john.


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## GreenNeedle (11 Apr 2008)

*Re: Aquacube 8lt scape. Woodland glade.*

Looking through this journal, I find it quite hard to say BUT the pic of total darkness in your room with the little cube of light on the right looks absolutely stunning and makes me wish I could do something like this.

I would try this effect with mine but the streetlights lighten the room a little and the tank is like a room light in itself. lol

Did you do anything on the camera settings so it didn't produce too much light in the darker areas?

I will own up I liked this picture so much that this is what is in front of me these days:



Hope you don't mind.

Andy


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## Lisa_Perry75 (11 Apr 2008)

*Re: Aquacube 8lt scape. Woodland glade.*

I'm sure Graeme wouldn't mind at all you using his photographs, he's quite used to it   

This tank is awesome in real life, really really stunning!


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## Graeme Edwards (12 Apr 2008)

*Re: Aquacube 8lt scape. Woodland glade.*

  Haha, thats crazy!

Lisas right, my pictures are all over the place, cant keep on top of who's got them, using them or putting them on canvas in their own homes.
Glad you like the picture so much you have it as your wall paper, thanks.
I took that picture with my DSLR. Set the camera to under expose. With the cube being so bright, I could get away with it. Looks cool doesn't it!

Thanks for the kind comments. 
I might try to take some decant shots of it very soon. But I cant show you them until its been entered into the ADA, thats the rules unfortunately.

Thanks again for the kind words.

Graeme.


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## Garuf (18 Apr 2008)

*Re: Aquacube 8lt scape. Woodland glade.*

C'mon Graeme give us an update, I never really got to see this tank when it was first set up.


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## Graeme Edwards (8 Dec 2008)

*Re: Aquacube 8lt scape. Woodland glade. Update 8 DEC 08.*

I thought I would dig these pictures out of the dustbin of life. Life took a turn for me as this was being created, and so life got in the way and I had more important things to deal with   . Unfortunately the aquascape suffered for it and these images are all that remains of what could of been a very promising aquascape.....such is life....many lessons to be learned.









Im afraid this images is the best of a very bad bunch, Ive tried to rescue it the best I can, but theres only so much you can do, hence the florescent greens and over exposure.




Some nicer close up shots, check out the Fissidins. Note, Fissidins does not do well with EasyCarbo!









Cheers.


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## Mark Evans (8 Dec 2008)

Graeme Edwards said:
			
		

> Ive tried to rescue it the best I can, but theres only so much you can do, hence the florescent greens and over exposure.



at least your honest, TBH it looks awesome. ive always thought we don't see much from you Graeme, and when we do its well worth seeing. love the fissdens. i got some fissdens growing in another tank....lovely stuff indeed.


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## Dan Crawford (8 Dec 2008)

I saw this tank at it's prime and it today is one of my favorite scapes of all time! The pictures certainly don't do it justice.


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## The Green Machine (8 Dec 2008)

This guy should do this for a living !


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## LondonDragon (8 Dec 2008)

The-Green-Machine said:
			
		

> This guy should do this for a living !


Soon everyone will be working for TGM hehehe


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## Steve Smith (9 Dec 2008)

I wish


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## Dan Crawford (9 Dec 2008)

I heard they only employ the best......


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## Graeme Edwards (9 Dec 2008)

8)


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