# A New Adventure (a jungle mess)



## Ian Holdich

After seeing the quality of Georges TMC signiture, i thought i would treat myself. I sold the old 80cm of earlier in the week, and took delivery of this one this morning. I had planned this one out for a couple of weeks now. I wanted to go for a good old timeless nature aquarium. I am really really impressed with the quality of the TMC tank and stand. Excellent value for money. The one thing i didn't do was cut a half moon out of the cabinet. Something i wished i had done now, as the pipes just won't bend around the corners, well they will when i buy some 90 degree angles. TBH, the flow isn't to bad with the inlet and outlet at the back.

some specs
tank- 60x45x30
lighting - TMC 1500nd tile (a much better colour rendition that the previous tile)
filter - Ehiem 2073
substrate - Tana sand and tropica under substrate
hardscape - Redmoor wood and dragon stone
pressurised C02 @ 2 BPS
ferts - TPN + (5 Squirts a day to begin with) - NA colour and NA power
plants - HC, Bolbitis, Crypt Parva, amania, weeping and cristmas moss, anubias nana, ludwigia articua, Ranunculus, crypt petchii, crypt willisii

here's the tank...


IMG_3368 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

the silicone work is perfect!

IMG_3370 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

and here's the set up, the water isn't as clear as yet, but here's a teaser.

IMG_3388 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Nathaniel Whiteside

Nice mate! You sorted a tile quick! Where you get it?


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## Ian Holdich

My lfs has a good stock of lighting, luckily he had received these a few days ago. He told me he'd ordered some so, I was really lucky.

They have really good coverage over a 60cm don't they!


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## Ady34

Sweet!
Did you keep any fish in the end mate?
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## Nathaniel Whiteside

Yeah mate, thats good! Im gonna have to run mine on about 30% when i get them both on the rail!

What you running them at? Ive got both channels only on 60% and its been up ages


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## Arana

Looks great, any more photos?


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## Ian Holdich

Ady34 said:


> Sweet!
> Did you keep any fish in the end mate?
> Cheerio,
> Ady.



Thanks mate, and the neighbour has the fish at the moment, I have kept the shrimp and otos in a hold I set up. I wanted to see what the tank looked like before I gave/sold them on. I think I'll restock tbh.



Whitey89 said:


> Yeah mate, thats good! Im gonna have to run mine on about 30% when i get them both on the rail!
> 
> What you running them at? Ive got both channels only on 60% and its been up ages



At present they are on 100% as that is what I ran the grobeams on, I will have to turn they down I reckon. Will see how it goes.


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## Gary Nelson

Very nice mate, a quality product! I have to say you did not mess about getting it set up! Did Amano deliver it and give you a hand?! 
From the photo you have put up it looks very nice indeed and I'll be looking forward to seeing more - you will be setting me off on wanting to change mine again


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## Ian Holdich

Arana said:


> Looks great, any more photos?



Hahaha! The water is to cloudy at present, I wasn't going to post any pics tonight. Thanks for the comment.


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## Ian Holdich

Gary Nelson said:


> Very nice mate, a quality product! I have to say you did not mess about getting it set up! Did Amano deliver it and give you a hand?!
> From the photo you have put up it looks very nice indeed and I'll be looking forward to seeing more - you will be setting me off on wanting to change mine again



I really can't get over the quality of the tank tbh, for what you actually pay for it. It's a nice size as well. Nice and deep and not to high. Was really easy to work with. 
Haha, I wish he had popped over, I had planned it for a couple of weeks, so it was pretty straight forward to set up. The cabinet was really easy to assemble, and I hate flat packs. It took about 15 mins to do.


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## Westyggx

Looking good mate, looks really good quality that set up i love that tile. How much if you dont mind me asking? Cheers


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## Arana

Westyggx said:


> Looking good mate, looks really good quality that set up i love that tile. How much if you dont mind me asking? Cheers


 
  was just going to ask the same thing and where did you order it from?


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## Ian Holdich

Westyggx said:


> Looking good mate, looks really good quality that set up i love that tile. How much if you dont mind me asking? Cheers




Thanks mike, I wish I was allowed to have a hanger in the living room, I suppose the mrs lets me have the set up. The brackets don't look out of place tbh. I think the tile worked out around £ 160 ish. I bought some other bits as well, so I just handed the card over and shut my eyes lol.


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## Ian Holdich

Arana said:


> was just going to ask the same thing and where did you order it from?



I got it from the aquarium in Lincoln, it's my lfs, but they have a website. They were in the pfk a couple of months back and Nathan Hill loved the place. He has some great hardware in. He also stocks some good planted stuff.


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## gramski

Great tank, your Bolbitis looks really good.


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## Ian Holdich

gramski said:


> Great tank, your Bolbitis looks really good.



Thank you gramski, I was impressed also with the bolbitis, it's blinking massive!


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## Nathaniel Whiteside

Ian, I just rammed mine up to 100% to take some photos for John at APFUK.

WHATTTT! I forgot just how bright they are! I needed some shades.


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## Iain Sutherland

All new start hey mate, even moved the location to confuse us Looking good, keen for the clear water shots tonight.
The signature certainly looks the business and the silicone work looks mint,  TMC have hit the ground running with this range and the tile looks smart.
Its a tidy looking set up and scape Ian.


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## oddn0ise

Looking forward to those clear water pics... things are looking good!


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## jack-rythm

Off topic sorry in advance lads.. But what sort of tile do u recommend for a 450mm cube. I expect to hang it so I have the change to raise and lower it?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


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## Gill

Simply stunning tank and well worth the money,If I ever had the budget for a tank like that. Would buy one in a heartbeat.


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## jack-rythm

MORE PHOTOS!!!!


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## George Farmer

Hi mate,

Now that's what I call a rapid workflow! 

In the time it's taken me to figure out how to set the plug-in-timer for my heating mat, you've bought an entire new set-up, aquascaped it and photographed it. lol

Glad you're happy with the quality of the Signature tank and cabinet. It's a shame about the (lack of) half-moon, but hopefully it's something TMC will address. You're always welcome to borrow my jigsaw.

The single 1500 Ultima tile looks great and the spread seems ideal. Is it losing much intensity in the corners of the aquarium?

Have you considered the white TMC MountaRay brackets? I think it would go better with the cabinet, but not sure about the rest of your interior. Aquajardin stock them I think, as an exclusive to go with their own branded PureAqua gloss white cabinets.

I'd probably run your lighting at 50% or so for the first couple of weeks, then gradually ramp it up 5% per week, or 1% per day. That's one of the advantages to the Power Controllers... 

The 'scape looks great. A classic NA-style, which is certainly a good thing in my book. 

Watching...


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## whatok

PICS PLEASE


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## jack-rythm

where do i buy these units from#?


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## George Farmer

TMC GroBeam 1500 Ultima Tile | Aquarium Supplies


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## Ian Holdich

wow guys, thanks for the replies! Still very impressed with this tank.

@ Whitey and George, thanks for the advice regarding the lighting strength, i have accidentally left the light on full 100% today as i have been at work. I have just got in and the thing is pearling like mad...who says they can't get pearling under leds! lol, i will take the lighting down a smidge tomorrow. The light is perfect for the tank size, very minimal spill and reaches the corners easily.

Regarding the brackets, i'm afraid the Mrs won't let me get the mountrays...i'm working on it though. TBH the brackets don't look to bad in real life. you get a good view of the top.

thank you again everyone for the comments, here's a couple of pics of the water, now clear.


side shot NA by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


fts NA by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Nathaniel Whiteside

Love it mate, fantastic start. Gonna be a nice one!

You got the 1000ND or the 1500?


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## Ian Holdich

It's the 1500, it's got a really nice colour rendition to it. It looks a little different to the grobeams, even though they are both rated the same kelvins.


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## Nathaniel Whiteside

Ian Holdich said:


> It's the 1500, it's got a really nice colour rendition to it. It looks a little different to the grobeams, even though they are both rated the same kelvins.



Nice, does it require a different controller to your two 600s? 

If not Im fancying selling both of my 1000Nd's plus one controller in favour of this.


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## Ian Holdich

Whitey89 said:


> Nice, does it require a different controller to your two 600s?
> 
> If not Im fancying selling both of my grobeams plus one controller in favour of this.



No, it uses the same controller, so, it was really just plug and play.


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## Nathaniel Whiteside

Ian Holdich said:


> No, it uses the same controller, so, it was really just plug and play.



You absolute beauty. Might just sell my Tiles controller free then, and indulge in 2


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## B7fec

Looks great Ian, another great scape in the making for sure true NA style. The 1500 tile looks super bright..... would love to swap my Arcadia OT2 luminaire out for some of those, but being a 90cm that could get expensive. Anyway lovely new tank, cabinet and scape.... will be watching this journal all the way!


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## Jason Greenslade

Oh my word, this tank looks fabulous.  Everything is so clean looking and theres no rim breaking the view.  One thing though, dont these open top tanks chuck out a lot of evaporation ?  I worry about dampness and condensation.  Or is it not an issue ?  Or do you pros just put up with it, LOL.


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## Mark Evans

Great Ian. The best layout on the forum to date.

I knew this would happen... From watching your progression as a scaper, it kind of goes without saying; this was always destined to be amazing!


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## Ian Holdich

B7fec said:


> Looks great Ian, another great scape in the making for sure true NA style. The 1500 tile looks super bright..... would love to swap my Arcadia OT2 luminaire out for some of those, but being a 90cm that could get expensive. Anyway lovely new tank, cabinet and scape.... will be watching this journal all the way!



Thanks Ben, much appreciated, as I keep saying, I'm so happy with the setup (tank, cabinet and light). I reckon you'd easily get away with 2 for a 90, no probs. 



Jason Greenslade said:


> Oh my word, this tank looks fabulous.  Everything is so clean looking and theres no rim breaking the view.  One thing though, dont these open top tanks chuck out a lot of evaporation ?  I worry about dampness and condensation.  Or is it not an issue ?  Or do you pros just put up with it, LOL.



Hi Jason, thank you for the comment, as for evap, ime, it depends on how warm the water is and how warm you room stays. My living room tends to stay quite warm, and the temp it set at 24 at the moment, so no evap at the min. In my old tank I kept rams and they like water water, so the temp was set at 27, I did get some evap from there. But there isn't any damp in the room.



Mark Evans said:


> Great Ian. The best layout on the forum to date.
> 
> I knew this would happen... From watching your progression as a scaper, it kind of goes without saying; this was always destined to be amazing!



Wow, thank you mark, what a nice comment. Tbh it's helped along the way having friends like yourself, we've shared ways to do things and tips and tricks. In all honesty seeing your scapes in real life have always given me real inspiration. So thank you for that.


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## jack-rythm

I can't wait for this to fill in. You have achieved something amazing Ian. Again. I can only hope to be as good as you in the future man. Your speed was outstanding lol it appeared from nowhere too! Do you have an aquascapers magic wand hidden in your pillow case? One issue Mate, sorry to go negative after such a positive start.. I speak for others on this... MORE PHOTOS

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


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## Alastair

Wow mate this looks fantastic already especially given how quick you've set it up. Can't wait to see this get even better and clearly shows us all how talented you have become with each of your scapes. 
The tank itself looks really nice and if the lighting wasn't seen then I'd actually be given the impressio that this was a bigger tank. 
Well done mate


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## tim

Perfect nature aquarium layout looks like it's out of one of amano's books, top job Ian !


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## DrRob

Nice to see you using sand. Looking forward to this one growing in fully, it has huge potential.


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## LondonDragon

Congrats Ian the scape is looking awesome  been looking into these tanks also as they seem good value for money! going to keep an eye on this one for sure


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## Jason Greenslade

Hi there.  I see from the first page you have used Tropica underneath the sand.  Do you mean this stuff ... Tropica Plant Substrate 2.5 litre ?  And can I ask how much you used in a tank that size ?  I really like the look of that sand too.  It would be good to know quantity again so I can work out how much I might order for my new tank Im hoping to buy next month.


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## Ian Holdich

thank you all again, i really appreciate the comments.



Jason Greenslade said:


> Hi there. I see from the first page you have used Tropica underneath the sand. Do you mean this stuff ... Tropica Plant Substrate 2.5 litre ? And can I ask how much you used in a tank that size ? I really like the look of that sand too. It would be good to know quantity again so I can work out how much I might order for my new tank Im hoping to buy next month.


 
Yep, thats the stuff. I think i used just 2.5 ltrs, again i used about 10-15kgs of sand. I have used the Tropica stuff in nano tanks and its worked well. We'll see how it fairs in this one.

I thought i'd get some pics in the light of the cabinet, inside and out.



inside by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


cabinet shot by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Iain Sutherland

thats nice and tidy mate, think ive got the kitchen sink in my cabinet


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## Jason Greenslade

Ian Holdich said:


> have


 
OK Great thank you.  Your tank certainly shows us how it should be done.  Im very impressed.


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## Ady34

I love the look of this scape and tank Ian, all that moss has given it an instant mature feel, that and the mega bolbitis! What fish have you got there, Embers?


easerthegeezer said:


> thats nice and tidy mate, think ive got the kitchen sink in my cabinet


Ditto, was going to say the same, that is the most clutter free cabinet I've ever seen!
Great job.
Ady


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## Ian Holdich

easerthegeezer said:


> thats nice and tidy mate, think ive got the kitchen sink in my cabinet


It's only been up for a few days! Give it a couple of weeks and it'll be crammed.



Jason Greenslade said:


> OK Great thank you.  Your tank certainly shows us how it should be done.  Im very impressed.



Thank you again Jason. 



Ady34 said:


> I love the look of this scape and tank Ian, all that moss has given it an instant mature feel, that and the mega bolbitis! What fish have you got there, Embers?
> 
> Ditto, was going to say the same, that is the most clutter free cabinet I've ever seen!
> Great job.
> Ady



Thank you ady, and you spotted the fish! They are my harlequins out of my last tank, they will help to keep the filter ticking over. I was impressed with the bolbitis. It's really healthy as well.


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## danmullan

Looks really good mate, classic NA.

The set up looks really nice. Silicone is much neater than my Natural Aquario tank.


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## Tim Harrison

All looking superb...lovin' the tech, very elegant, and the scape is none too shabby either. Nice images as well.


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## Iain Sutherland

danmullan said:


> The set up looks really nice. Silicone is much neater than my Natural Aquario tank.


 
Thats a worry  i know they have made changes to quality standards though... 
Your right though Dan, its an impressive bit of kit for the price!!


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## whatok

Cosmic. How many A.nana 'pots'/portions have you got in there?


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## Gary Nelson

Very nice mate - it really does look so neat, the sense of scale on the scape is brilliant! It suits your room well too, your mrs must be pleased?


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## Ian Holdich

Thank you guys <3



whatok said:


> Cosmic. How many A.nana 'pots'/portions have you got in there?



Thank you for the comment, I took the anubias out of the old scape. It was only two posts, there's probably 8 posts worth in there now.



Gary Nelson said:


> Very nice mate - it really does look so neat, the sense of scale on the scape is brilliant! It suits your room well too, your mrs must be pleased?



Cheers Gary! The mrs is very happy with this style of tank in the living room. She stated that the old one looked old fashioned compared to this one. She's a good un really.


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## George Farmer

This looks the business. You just need the white MountaRay unit now! 


cabinet shot by Ian Holdich, on Flickr[/quote]


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## Ian Holdich

George Farmer said:


> This looks the business. You just need the white MountaRay unit now!
> 
> ]



White mountrays! I thought you was joking in you last post...are you joking? I haven't seen them anywhere.


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## Nathaniel Whiteside

George Farmer said:


> This looks the business. You just need the white MountaRay unit now!
> 
> 
> cabinet shot by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


[/quote]

#plasticote


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## nduli

Very nice.....subscribed.


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## Iain Sutherland

i think someone mentioned aquajardin do them to match their snazzy white fluval tanks mate?


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## Nathaniel Whiteside

Iain Sutherland said:


> i think someone mentioned aquajardin do them to match their snazzy white fluval tanks mate?



Nah there another brand i think.


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## Iain Sutherland

Whitey89 said:


> Nah there another brand i think.


pure aqua, still AJ


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## George Farmer

Ian Holdich said:


> White mountrays! I thought you was joking in you last post...are you joking? I haven't seen them anywhere.


No mate - I wasn't joking. My understanding was that TMC produced a batch of white units for Aquajardin, to go with their pureaqua cabinets. Speak with Ed Franklin from Aquajardin, or post in their UKAPS sub-forum.

I set up a quick aquascape for them using white units -


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## Ian Holdich

Thanks for that! That'll please the mrs even more! 

*wanders over to the aquajadin sub forum...


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## tim

Pics of them about halfway down this thread mate Pureaqua Aquariums and Cabinets From Aquajardin | UK Aquatic Plant Society


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## Iain Sutherland

The cube at the end was awesome and the light was totally unobtrusive.  The wife will love it


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## Nathaniel Whiteside

Iain Sutherland said:


> pure aqua, still AJ



Sorry mate, I thought you were referring to their tank that looks like a Fluval Ebi. That comes with  white bracket with LEDs, think it's superfish or something ?


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## justin85

Stunning tank mate, Love TMC LEDs I have them on one of my Cichlid tank.


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## Ian Holdich

Thanks Justin! 

Can't go a day without a pic! Lol

Here's a pic of the gush hang on drop checker, a neat little bit of kit.


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

And I can't resist a another pic, sorry.


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## hydrophyte

Fantastic setup and photos!


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## Ian Holdich

Thank you hydrophyte, the HC is starting to send out runners, so alls good.


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## jack-rythm

Looking stunning! I love the gush DC, that's insanely cool! Where and what is the gravel from?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


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## Ian Holdich

jack-rythm said:


> Looking stunning! I love the gush DC, that's insanely cool! Where and what is the gravel from?
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2



Thanks jack! 

The sand is unipac tana sand, it's been in my shed for a year or so. I bought it for the old tank, but went with soil. Tbh, I feel a nervous not using aqua soil. I suppose we all get a little nervous when using a set up for the first time, due to the lighting, c02 and distribution layout. We'll soon see if it was the aqua soils doing all the hard work!


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## Ian Holdich

1 week update.

We have white brackets and they suit the whole thing. Looks a lot better in the room.


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

Things are taking off (slowly). 


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

Next job...to get another small lily pipe!


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## George Farmer

Hi Ian

Looks like it is coming along a treat! 

The white brackets look great. I take full credit for this, by the way! lol

Regarding the aquascape; what is the plan with the HC?  

Will you let it cover the entire foreground or leave some open sand? It's refreshing to see so much open space at the front of an aquascape - I like that you are taking advantage of the aquarium's generous front to rear depth. 

What's your water change and general maintenance schedule, please?

What's your CO2 rig?


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## Ian Holdich

Thank you for the comments George. 

Ill give you full credit for the white brackets, I didn't even know they existed, so cheers for that.

The plan with the HC, is to keep an open sanded area at the front, so trim the HC regularly. I haven't worked with an aquarium with a depth like this before, so i find it great to give a nice open space at the front.

At the moment, we are changing about 30% of the water a day. I'm using 100% ro at present with a cut of tap water every third day. I'm measuring tds, to ensure there is a stable level. This seems to be working so far. I have used this in my last couple of scapes. It's getting 6 pumps od tpn+ daily, with extra iron and some humic acid in the way of NA power.

I'm using good old jbl bottles running at 3 bps at the moment. Running through a atomiser in the inlet.


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## George Farmer

Thanks mate. You got skills.


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## Ian Holdich

Thank you George, that means a lot.


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## Alastair

looks fantastic mate


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## Ian Holdich

Thanks Alastair! Will get a full cabinet shot today to show off these new brackets properly.


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## webworm

Looks great. Brackets a great improvement. Something to aspire to.


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## Ady34

It's amazing Ian seeing shots like the last ones you posted.
This is a great aquascape with a great sense if scale, highlighted in the above picture with your son sat watching the tank from the sofa. You really appreciate the great proportions within the tank and how well executed the hardscape and planting are. It's an absolute beauty and is already my favourite of yours to date. Looks like you already have an iaplc shot (edit out hardware), so you can just get on with your next scape now! Lol.

The new white brackets are much more suited to the whole set up, it looks outstanding.....I want one!

Keep the pictures coming.
Cheerio,
Ady


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## bape

lovely looking scape


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## Ian Holdich

Thank you very much everyone. Ady, I think this will be my iaplc entery for this year. Gave the moss a good trim and it nice and green. 

Here's a pic of some emersed 1-2 grow that remains wet from the wood. It was going a little brown, but I trimmed it earlier and it's also nice a green underneath

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

Here's a random nice looking snail! 

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

And here's a better pic of the whole setup with the white brackets. It looks much better in the room. 

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## LondonDragon

Looking great Ian   , out of curiosity what the price of the tile and the white brackets? thanks


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## Ian Holdich

LondonDragon said:


> Looking great Ian   , out of curiosity what the price of the tile and the white brackets? thanks



Thank you Paulo! The tile was £160 and the brackets were £24.


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## LondonDragon

Ian Holdich said:


> Thank you Paulo! The tile was £160 and the brackets were £24.


Thanks, not a bad price at all! Tempting!


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## jack-rythm

Would people say this would be enough coverage for dwarf puffers? im creating a puffer tank but dont want to go tooooooooo junlgley if you know what I mean.. do you think once this grows in it would be sufficient? the light shimmers on the walls looks awesome


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## Ady34

That's an unusual looking snail.....any idea what it is?


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## jack-rythm

that snail is cool!! if it breeds ill have first dibs!!! actually not IF... WHEN lol


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## LondonDragon

Ady34 said:


> That's an unusual looking snail.....any idea what it is?


Looks like a nerite! and most likely will not breed


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## jack-rythm

LondonDragon said:


> Looks like a nerite! and most likely will not breed


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## Antoni

Look at this tank! It is turning up really nicely, Ian! I like! And the photography skills has evolved a lot!


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## Arana

Superb job Ian, just stunning


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## Ian Holdich

Ady34 said:


> That's an unusual looking snail.....any idea what it is?



I'm not sure, maybe Paulo is correct. It has just appeared from nowhere. It have come in on the plants.



Antoni said:


> Look at this tank! It is turning up really nicely, Ian! I like! And the photography skills has evolved a lot!



Ah my mate antoni! Thank you for the comment, much appreciated!



Arana said:


> Superb job Ian, just stunning



Thank you arana, very much appreciated.



jack-rythm said:


> Would people say this would be enough coverage for dwarf puffers? im creating a puffer tank but dont want to go tooooooooo junlgley if you know what I mean.. do you think once this grows in it would be sufficient? the light shimmers on the walls looks awesome



I'm not sure what you mean mate, do you mean, is the tank sufficient for puffers?


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## jack-rythm

Ha sorry if it didn't make sense, I was wondering if dwarf puffers would be ok in a tank similar to yours with the same sort of coverage u have? Or would u think puffers would require a more dense environment? Sorry to change the subject  

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


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## Ian Holdich

jack-rythm said:


> Ha sorry if it didn't make sense, I was wondering if dwarf puffers would be ok in a tank similar to yours with the same sort of coverage u have? Or would u think puffers would require a more dense environment? Sorry to change the subject
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2



In a species only tank they may do ok. I'm no expert on puffers, but I'm sure there's plenty of hiding spots.


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## Ian Holdich

Pimped my cabinet.

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

Have also had the tile on 100% for a couple of hours and things are pearling great. The HC is a sea of bubbles at present. Will try and get a vid up next week.

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## whatok




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## Ian Holdich

thank you Whatok.

Here's a quick video, please view in 720p. I have been in nottingham today and nipped into wheatcroft garden center and picked up some 5 banded barbs. Nice little things...



ps spot the spelling mistake!


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## Arana

nice vid mate


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## stu_

Nice work with the close ups, good to watch.
Enjoy the _Pentazona ,_ they're an underated fish


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## rolexbene

Viewed in 1080p even better, nice vid mate really nice tank.


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## martinmjr62

Lovely video Ian ,great looking tank


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## Ian Holdich

Thank you guys!

@ stu, I agree, very underrated. I have always like tiger barbs, but never really fancied them due to their behaviour. These seem to fit the bill.



rolexbene said:


> Viewed in 1080p even better, nice vid mate really nice tank.



Thank you! I watched it on my tv last night in 1080 and it looks really good (if I say so myself) lol.


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## Mark Green

Looking amazing, that’s a good quality set up you have there. Those lights are just fab, I want some.


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## bogwood

A very inspirational, and helpful thread.  Ive been looking very closely at white cabinet options, and a new braceless tank. So much so ive just ordered some white mounting brackets. At least a start.


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## sdlra

Love it


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## andyh

bogwood said:


> A very inspirational, and helpful thread. Ive been looking very closely at white cabinet options, and a new braceless tank. So much so ive just ordered some white mounting brackets. At least a start.


HAAHHAHAH i knew you wood cave in after i sent you a link to Ian's Wonderful tank!
Thanks Ian for helping without knowing it!

Andyh


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## Ian Holdich

Mark Green said:


> Looking amazing, that’s a good quality set up you have there. Those lights are just fab, I want some.



Thank you mark! Really excellent build quality on these tanks, the cabinets are also very good value for money.



bogwood said:


> A very inspirational, and helpful thread.  Ive been looking very closely at white cabinet options, and a new braceless tank. So much so ive just ordered some white mounting brackets. At least a start.



Thank you bogwood! I have seen ada tanks and there isn't a lot in it, there really isn't. Obvioulsy the cabinets aren't Ada standard, but they are very neat and tidy. 



sdlra said:


> Love it


Thank you sdlra! 




andyh said:


> HAAHHAHAH i knew you wood cave in after i sent you a link to Ian's Wonderful tank!
> Thanks Ian for helping without knowing it!
> 
> Andyh



Thanks Andy! I'm glad I have my uses lol.

Oh and a quick shot of a barb just to keep the pics coming

Pentazona barb by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## jack-rythm

Barbs look great mate, real good job indeed


----------



## Ian Holdich

jack-rythm said:


> Barbs look great mate, real good job indeed



Thanks jack, they are nice little fish, the males show some interesting behaviour towards other males. They are dancing as we speak.


----------



## jack-rythm

Sounds very peaceful lol. Any ideas for fauna on my new 27l jungle? I love yours but feel I don't have sufficient space   maybe ember tetras or do the need room too?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Alastair

jack-rythm said:


> Sounds very peaceful lol. Any ideas for fauna on my new 27l jungle? I love yours but feel I don't have sufficient space   maybe ember tetras or do the need room too?
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2



chilli raspbora maybe??


----------



## jack-rythm

Alastair said:


> chilli raspbora maybe??


Seems a popular choice.. Just can't find them anywhere!  

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Alastair

jack-rythm said:


> Seems a popular choice.. Just can't find them anywhere!
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


shame mate i can get them quite easily. might be worth asking lfs to see if they can order in


----------



## Iain Sutherland

this is really coming along ian, its a really nice layout and awesome fish choice with the pentazonas... i was going to get mine back from daves tank but will have to get my creative juices going for something new now lol  they really do suit nature style tanks.
looks like you nailed  the flow and co2 on this one right off the bat and some absolutely cracking pictures bud.


----------



## Ian Holdich

Iain Sutherland said:


> this is really coming along ian, its a really nice layout and awesome fish choice with the pentazonas... i was going to get mine back from daves tank but will have to get my creative juices going for something new now lol  they really do suit nature style tanks.
> looks like you nailed  the flow and co2 on this one right off the bat and some absolutely cracking pictures bud.



Thanks Iain, it still has some ranunculus in there waiting for your return! How big did your pentazonas get and how long did they take? 
I was worried about the flow tbh as the outflow and inflow are both at the back of the tank as you can see, but I seems to be working perfectly.


----------



## Ian Holdich

Now into week 3 of this tank, and things are going well. The HC is spreading nicely, the mosses have taken well. There are new shoots coming up from the bolbitis. 

Here's a couple of pics from different angles.


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

And one of the main focal point 

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## Ian Holdich

with dancing on ice on tv all night, i thought it'd be a good opportunity to get the cam out.

here's a quick vid of the Pentazona barb. Please view in 720p


----------



## Alastair

And one of the main focal point 

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr[/quote]

love this last shot mate. awesome. if that inlet on the right wasn't noticed the tank Is very deceiving in size, or should I say scape is. it looks much bigger. and for only 3 weeks too.....   I'm being drawn back to gas addiction...must resist


----------



## Ian Holdich

Than





Alastair said:


> love this last shot mate. awesome. if that inlet on the right wasn't noticed the tank Is very deceiving in size, or should I say scape is. it looks much bigger. and for only 3 weeks too.....   I'm being drawn back to gas addiction...must resist



Thank you Alastair! Lay off the gas mate, you'll need a 20kg on you new monster. I love this set up though, the pearling happens very quick when you ramp the led up. Something I missed on my last set up. Thank you again for the comment.


----------



## jack-rythm

how many Pentazona barb do you have in that tank?


----------



## hydrophyte

Really cute little barbs! They had some pentazonas at the LFS last week.


----------



## Stu Worrall

Sorry ian, havent been on much lately and missed your new tank.  Look stunning mate!  love the depth on it and the white led kit looks great.  fun time soon trimming the mosses and trying not to spread it all around the tank!


----------



## Ian Holdich

jack-rythm said:


> how many Pentazona barb do you have in that tank?



There's 10 in there at the moment, I think I'll leave it at ten tbh, they get to about 5cm so that's plenty big enough.



hydrophyte said:


> Really cute little barbs! They had some pentazonas at the LFS last week.


Cheers hydrophyte, they are good little fish, not as timid as they were when I first picked em up. They are starting to colour up nicely now as well. 



stuworrall said:


> Sorry ian, havent been on much lately and missed your new tank.  Look stunning mate!  love the depth on it and the white led kit looks great.  fun time soon trimming the mosses and trying not to spread it all around the tank!



Thank you for the comment stu, the depth of the tank made it so easy to work with. Ill say it again, but I'm really impressed with the TMC set up.
I have already trimmed some moss, all filters off and nets underneath, the stuff just tends to float mid tank. Not looking forward to the big trim though!


----------



## Ian Holdich

Got a few pics from tonight, was in Nottingham again yesterday. Picked up a couple of freshwater gobys. I have had a decent convo with Andy h who keeps these and has done for a few years, on the best way to keep these. Apparently they colour up nicely.

Here's the male stiphodon (they are really difficult to photograph) 

stiphodon male by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

Female

stiphodon female by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

And just a couple more pics (sorry), cherry colouring up nicely in ro water

Cherry shrimp by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


The ludwegia is growing nicely at the back

Ludwegia  by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

A shot from where I'm sat

Full tank by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## Ionut Godea

Lovely tank and lovely fish!


----------



## Alastair

Are they both s.elegans mate? ? They look great I've got a male and on the look out for a female. What are you feeding them on.


----------



## andyh

Ian, that is looking nice!

The last photo is cracking! Moss on wood does it for me every time (clearly need to get our more, i know!)

Great Stiphodons!


----------



## Ian Holdich

Ionut Godea said:


> Lovely tank and lovely fish!



Thank you ionut! 



Alastair said:


> Are they both s.elegans mate? ? They look great I've got a male and on the look out for a female. What are you feeding them on.



Was hoping for a positive Id on them, but I know they're notoriously hard to Id. They do look like elegans, although they were just labelled as stiphodon sp (Indonesian rock goby). 



andyh said:


> Ian, that is looking nice!
> 
> The last photo is cracking! Moss on wood does it for me every time (clearly need to get our more, i know!)
> 
> Great Stiphodons!



Thanks Andy, you gotta dig the moss at the moment. It's the future! Lol


----------



## Alastair

The male is definitely elegans mate. Identical to mine but not sure about thefemale. Great pics of them both though mine doesn't keep still long enough to shoot. 
That last tank shot is great by the way


----------



## Ian Holdich

Alastair said:


> The male is definitely elegans mate. Identical to mine but not sure about thefemale. Great pics of them both though mine doesn't keep still long enough to shoot.
> That last tank shot is great by the way


 
Thanks Al! did yours colour up anymore? they are really difficult to photograph. They appear to turn their backs as soon as the camera comes out!lol


----------



## Alastair

Ian Holdich said:


> Thanks Al! did yours colour up anymore? they are really difficult to photograph. They appear to turn their backs as soon as the camera comes out!lol



Lol exactly what mine does, prefers his buttocks to be shot instead.
Colour wise i only noticed the blue on his face was more prominant once he was settled and happy. Also the black line would sometimes appear much darker.


----------



## George Farmer

Coming along just fine mate! Lovely photos and the scape is evolving very nicely.

Nice fauna shots too. Where the gobies an impulse purchase or planned?

I didn't realise the new Tropica Ludwigia sp. "1" had such long leaves.... I was hoping they'd stay smaller/compact. It is the new Tropica Ludwigia isn't it?

How's your Ammania sp. 'Bonsai' doing?

Sorry for all the questions but you love them really!


----------



## Gary Nelson

I really like the new additions mate, really good photos too! The white brackets definitely look better as well, a really nice view from your chair on the FTS


----------



## Ian Holdich

Alastair said:


> Lol exactly what mine does, prefers his buttocks to be shot instead.
> Colour wise i only noticed the blue on his face was more prominant once he was settled and happy. Also the black line would sometimes appear much darker.



Cheers for that al, he's been out most of the day today, which is pleasing me, as I thought they may be hiders. Got a couple of face shots today lol! 



George Farmer said:


> Coming along just fine mate! Lovely photos and the scape is evolving very nicely.
> 
> Nice fauna shots too. Where the gobies an impulse purchase or planned?
> 
> I didn't realise the new Tropica Ludwigia sp. "1" had such long leaves.... I was hoping they'd stay smaller/compact. It is the new Tropica Ludwigia isn't it?
> 
> How's your Ammania sp. 'Bonsai' doing?
> 
> Sorry for all the questions but you love them really!



Thank you George, questions are alway most welcome. The gobys were a bit of an impulse buy really. I have been to the qmc in notts this week, and nipped into wheatcroft garden centre on the way back, and picked em up. I have always wanted to keep a couple of these. I saw Nathan hill with them in his tank and fancied them. I also remember Andy h keeping them. 

The ludwigia is actually Alternanthera  'Mini' oops, my bad. The amania is doing well, this is the second time with it now and it's always been quite hardy IMO. It takes to being hacked back really well as well. 

Got a couple of face shots of the stiphodon.

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## nayr88

Stunning tank Ian! That's style is something id love to replicate, I always get Carried away and turn my tanks into a bit of a jungle with way to many textures and plants, where as this is perfect, the right textures and the greens are just so damn green!!! Haha nice one mate


----------



## jon32

Great photo's Ian and stunning tank!


----------



## Ian Holdich

nayr88 said:


> Stunning tank Ian! That's style is something id love to replicate, I always get Carried away and turn my tanks into a bit of a jungle with way to many textures and plants, where as this is perfect, the right textures and the greens are just so damn green!!! Haha nice one mate



Thank nayr, you scapes always look neat and tidy. One thing I have learnt with all the practice is to try and invisage how the plants actually turn out. Saying that, the scape never turns out how I think it's going to! Lol



jon32 said:


> Great photo's Ian and stunning tank!



Thank you Jon!


----------



## tim

Seriously nice goby shots mate, scapes another winner Ian, attention to detail is the key to a good looking healthy scape, nice work mate


----------



## Deano3

great photos ian looks awsome love the shots of the gobs they look very healthy 

Dean


----------



## hydrophyte

I love that second _Stiphodon_ shot.


----------



## Ian Holdich

thanks guys!

been ramping up the TMC tile to 100% for 3 hours. The plants have been pearling like mad. The scape is due it's first trim soon.

here's a vid, please view in 720p


----------



## Ady34

Stunning.
The moss is looking superb.

What was the finger dipping for? 

Cheerio,
Ady


----------



## tim

Nice very nice mate, hc has really spread well, were you tasting your tank water cause it looks like gin and tonic ?


----------



## Ian Holdich

Ady34 said:


> Stunning.
> The moss is looking superb.
> 
> What was the finger dipping for?
> 
> Cheerio,
> Ady





tim said:


> Nice very nice mate, hc has really spread well, were you tasting your tank water cause it looks like gin and tonic ?



Cheers lads! Yeah you have to taste the water the get a feel of the water. It's like being a chef...

If you see at the end when I switch the filter back on, I'd left the heater on and it produced that funny looking clouding when you add hot water to cold water. I was making sure it wasn't boiling! Lol


----------



## Arhino74

i'm so envious, stunning tank!


----------



## George Farmer

Great video mate. What software do you use? I'm getting excited about videoing my work soon, and this is hugely inspiring.

The scape is developing beautifully. It should represent the UK very well in the IAPLC. 

Great work mate. Kudos.


----------



## Ian Holdich

Arhino74 said:


> i'm so envious, stunning tank!


Thank you very much for the compliment Arhino! 



George Farmer said:


> Great video mate. What software do you use? I'm getting excited about videoing my work soon, and this is hugely inspiring.
> 
> The scape is developing beautifully. It should represent the UK very well in the IAPLC.
> 
> Great work mate. Kudos.



Thanks again George, hopefully it do ok in the iaplc, you never know in that comp though, regarding the software it's only windows live movie maker. And then tweaked a little in youtube. Nothing really special. I bet you can't wait to get the new camera!


----------



## Alastair

Great video mate looks amazing. Forgive me if I've missed it but are you adding any fish?


----------



## Ian Holdich

Alastair said:


> Great video mate looks amazing. Forgive me if I've missed it but are you adding any fish?



Thanks al! Yes mate, there is some pentazona barbs, a couple of ottos, shrimp and the gobys. Might get a couple more female gobys yet.


----------



## Alastair

Oh yeah there is duh me!! Total mind block when I wrote that lol.
I was talking about the goby's when you posted the pics. Think ill go stand in the corner with my hat on :/


----------



## BigTom

Lovely. Bolbitis looks so much more attractive in high tech than it did in my tank.


----------



## Ian Holdich

BigTom said:


> Lovely. Bolbitis looks so much more attractive in high tech than it did in my tank.


Thanks Tom! I'm surprised how quick it's growing actually. I'm a bolbitis virgin, I wish I'd tried it earlier. Great plant!


----------



## CMG

Hi Ian,
George Farmer guided me to you a couple of days ago and i have now reached the eight page of your adventure 
Very, very nice work!!
I'm also going to start a project in a signature 60x45x30 and i'm searching for the best lighting solution. I'm going to try a very simple stone scape with a lot of glosso and mostly dificult plants. Do you think it's a good choice for me?
Thanks 
Christian


----------



## Dave Pierce

Lovely work mate subbed you on youtube!

Makes me want to go out and buy a decent camera and do some filming! Best start saving ...


----------



## Ian Holdich

CMG said:


> Hi Ian,
> George Farmer guided me to you a couple of days ago and i have now reached the eight page of your adventure
> Very, very nice work!!
> I'm also going to start a project in a signature 60x45x30 and i'm searching for the best lighting solution. I'm going to try a very simple stone scape with a lot of glosso and mostly dificult plants. Do you think it's a good choice for me?
> Thanks
> Christian



Hey Christian, thank you for the comment. Just remember its not all about the lighting, you need to nail the c02 and distribution well to ensure there isn't an algae outbreak. I'm running this light at 100% of its power now and it's doing well at present (however, in the back of my mind I'm a bit scared). If you are using this unit with this bracket I would strongly suggest running pressurised c02. But one unit is plenty for healthy plant growth. 



Dave Pierce said:


> Lovely work mate subbed you on youtube!
> 
> Makes me want to go out and buy a decent camera and do some filming! Best start saving ...



Thank you Dave! It's good to see an aquarium working IMO, it gives it another dimension. 

Ps, I used to love your radio show.


----------



## CMG

Thanks Ian,
I'm going to use CO2 and the soil i bought for it is arround 13 Liters of Amazonia powder with 2 more of power sand. 
I don't understand what you mean with being scared; is it to much light? (I had no intention of buying the controller, so it will run always at 100% but if i have to buy it i will) And why do you recommend me the use of co2 wit this light in particular? Because it's strong or weak?
Nice weekend 
Cheers


----------



## Ian Holdich

CMG said:


> Thanks Ian,
> I'm going to use CO2 and the soil i bought for it is arround 13 Liters of Amazonia powder with 2 more of power sand.
> I don't understand what you mean with being scared; is it to much light? (I had no intention of buying the controller, so it will run always at 100% but if i have to buy it i will) And why do you recommend me the use of co2 wit this light in particular? Because it's strong or weak?
> Nice weekend
> Cheers



It's quite high light really, as the tank is shallow (30cm deep). With the brackets the light is about 12cm from the top of the water level. I can tell the light is quite high without a par meter as the HC pearls like mad after about 4 hours of the light being at 100%. You won't 'need' a controller with it, but you will need to crack the c02 and distribution straight away. Also keep up with the water changes for the first couple of weeks.


----------



## Ian Holdich

Just into a month of this tank now. 

Here's a fts after a couple of days

fts NA by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

And here's a pic from this evening

4 weeks full tank. by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

Things are coming on well at present...I'm still feeling like I'm being pretty lucky with this scape. With the light being quite high, as per conversation above.

Ps, must get a glass intake!


----------



## CMG

Ian Holdich said:


> It's quite high light really, as the tank is shallow (30cm deep). With the brackets the light is about 12cm from the top of the water level. I can tell the light is quite high without a par meter as the HC pearls like mad after about 4 hours of the light being at 100%. You won't 'need' a controller with it, but you will need to crack the c02 and distribution straight away. Also keep up with the water changes for the first couple of weeks.



I have read in a lot of places, 50% daily change of water in the first days!!!!! This will be my first demanding planted but i had 600lt of reef and all i ever did was 5 to 10% every two weeks! How much did you do in yours? And, sorry but as you probaly noticed english is not my mother language, what do you mean by crack co2?


----------



## Ian Holdich

CMG said:


> I have read in a lot of places, 50% daily change of water in the first days!!!!! This will be my first demanding planted but i had 600lt of reef and all i ever did was 5 to 10% every two weeks! How much did you do in yours? And, sorry but as you probaly noticed english is not my mother language, what do you mean by crack co2?




Your really looking 50% for the first couple of weeks really. This is done as the plants settle. I did 50% everyday for 2 weeks, then done to 33% ish, on the third week, every other day. I'm now doing 25% twice a week, and it will probably stay that way for the tank life.

When I say 'crack' c02 I mean 'get it right' this means get the levels right and the distribution correct from the first day.


----------



## Dave Pierce

> Thank you Dave! It's good to see an aquarium working IMO, it gives it another dimension.
> 
> Ps, I used to love your radio show.


 
Haha yeah DJ Dave Pierce Radio 1... sadly its not me! I used to like his radio show too 


In regards to your latest pictures...growth has been excellent...that moss is really setting that lovely piece of wood alive. Where did you get the wood from?


----------



## Ian Holdich

Cheers mate, the wood is redmoor and it was from my lfs. He stocks it. You can get it all over the place though. Aquaessentials do some as do the green machine.

This was actually 3 bits made in to one with the power of bonsai wire.

Here is the wood before it went in the tank


Redmoor wood by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

I should have really documented it, but, the wood went in before all the substrate, so IMO it makes it look more natural, rather than just plonking it on the tomp if the substrate.


----------



## Dave Pierce

Thanks I will have to look out for this at my LFS. I'm just setting up a little 13L nano tank and I'm after a nice little piece of this wood to sit in there...ideally with branches poking out the surface of the water. Your tank is good inspiration!


----------



## Ian Holdich

Thank you dave! 

Nice bright day today so I decided to take some daylight pics. Sorry for the pic overload.


Sunny day by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## Nathaniel Whiteside

Ian Holdich said:


> Thank you dave!
> 
> Nice bright day today so I decided to take some daylight pics. Sorry for the pic overload.
> 
> 
> Sunny day by Ian Holdich, on Flickr



Whoa Ian,
Thats some unbelievable growth, looks amazing. 

Enjoy a good placement this year


----------



## Ian Holdich

Thanks nath! 

Just need to get a glass intake now...I'm waiting on a cheque to clear and I'm gonna treat myself to a gUSH inlet I reckon.


----------



## Nathaniel Whiteside

Ian Holdich said:


> Thanks nath!
> 
> Just need to get a glass intake now...I'm waiting on a cheque to clear and I'm gonna treat myself to a gUSH inlet I reckon.



Nice one sir, 
Ive just purchased a cal aqua influx X3 and efflux F3   should be here soon!


----------



## LondonDragon

Looks great Ian  the more photos the better to be honest  keep up the good work


----------



## tim

Work of art this is mate  plus one for more more pics


----------



## Nathaniel Whiteside

Great photography too mate, its becoming increasingly professional in its quality. 

Wish i possessed the kit and the skill to portray things in such a way.


----------



## LondonDragon

Nathaniel Whiteside said:


> Wish i possessed the kit and the skill to portray things in such a way.


All you need is a compact camera  have a look at the macros on here: [NANO] Double Opti White - Cherry/Sakura Breeding Colony | UK Aquatic Plant Society taken with a TZ7, don't need a fancy DSLR


----------



## Nathaniel Whiteside

LondonDragon said:


> All you need is a compact camera  have a look at the macros on here: [NANO] Double Opti White - Cherry/Sakura Breeding Colony | UK Aquatic Plant Society taken with a TZ7, don't need a fancy DSLR



We've got a Nikon Coolpix s6200, don't think its much cop?


----------



## Stu Worrall

oof that looks swish in the daylight!


----------



## Ian Holdich

LondonDragon said:


> Looks great Ian  the more photos the better to be honest  keep up the good work



Thanks Paulo! Ill have to keep the pics coming then...lol



tim said:


> Work of art this is mate  plus one for more more pics



Thanks tim...did I tell you I have a gcse in art?! ; ) 



Nathaniel Whiteside said:


> Great photography too mate, its becoming increasingly professional in its quality.
> 
> Wish i possessed the kit and the skill to portray things in such a way.



Cheers again nath! This will be the next part of the hobby that'll grab you. Thank you for the compliment.



stuworrall said:


> oof that looks swish in the daylight!



Thank you stu! Means a lot.


In other news got some stems from George today, so shall be adding them to that back tomorrow.


----------



## hydrophyte

Tank is looking great Ian!


----------



## George Farmer

Hi mate

That living room shot in the sunshine is divine! You've really captured the essence of the nature vs. modern juxtaposition.

Good luck with the stems. Not sure how you'll find the Ludwigia - mine's lost most of its red and the leaves are too big now for my liking!

It's a great set-up and great 'scape. One of the best on here IMHO.

Keep up the great work, and keep the excellent photography incoming! 

Cheers,
George


----------



## markj

Nice looking setup

Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Ian Holdich

hydrophyte said:


> Tank is looking great Ian!



Thank you hydro! Much appreciated.



George Farmer said:


> Hi mate
> 
> That living room shot in the sunshine is divine! You've really captured the essence of the nature vs. modern juxtaposition.
> 
> Good luck with the stems. Not sure how you'll find the Ludwigia - mine's lost most of its red and the leaves are too big now for my liking!
> 
> It's a great set-up and great 'scape. One of the best on here IMHO.
> 
> Keep up the great work, and keep the excellent photography incoming!
> 
> Cheers,
> George



That's a real compliment George and I thank you for that. Popped the stems in at the back, the hottonia is a really nice looking plant. The lud sp1 reminds me of a ludwigia I bought not so long back, called diamond red. Thanks again.



markj said:


> Nice looking setup
> 
> Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2



Thank you mark!


----------



## Alastair

Looks fantastic mate. Especially a day time shot. The growth is really lush so quick. You've definitely become a natural


----------



## cookie3985

Hi, first of all fantastic scape Ian, really inspirational. 

Not sure if this has been asnwered already but I really like the effect and neatness of the LED lighting. Would the same brackets extend to an 80cm tank and would I need more than one to give the plants enough light?


----------



## Ian Holdich

cookie3985 said:


> Hi, first of all fantastic scape Ian, really inspirational.
> 
> Not sure if this has been asnwered already but I really like the effect and neatness of the LED lighting. Would the same brackets extend to an 80cm tank and would I need more than one to give the plants enough light?



Thanks cookie! 
When you buy the TMC lighting stuff, you buy it all separately. So, when buying brand new you would need to buy the mns rails cut specifically to, the length you require. The brackets also come separately. Regarding the tile, I think at a push you could put one on an 80cm.


----------



## cookie3985

Ian Holdich said:


> Thanks cookie!
> When you buy the TMC lighting stuff, you buy it all separately. So, when buying brand new you would need to buy the mns rails cut specifically to, the length you require. The brackets also come separately. Regarding the tile, I think at a push you could put one on an 80cm.


 
Thanks a lot for your reply I'll bare that in mind when I'm trying to convince my better half


----------



## Mark Evans

I'd agree with George. One of the better layouts on UKAPS right now.

Maybe one thing I'd consider. The foreground looks great, but a just a little too uniform. Let it grow out a bit more randomly.

Nice Photoshop trick with the blurring mate.


----------



## charlie

Wow, great tank in situ. The photo looks amazing.


----------



## Ian Holdich

Mark Evans said:


> I'd agree with George. One of the better layouts on UKAPS right now.
> 
> Maybe one thing I'd consider. The foreground looks great, but a just a little too uniform. Let it grow out a bit more randomly.
> 
> Nice Photoshop trick with the blurring mate.



Thanks Mark, hopefully you'll get over at some point and see it. I agree with the HC at the front, I'm not going to trim it for a while and see how/where it grows. 



charlie said:


> Wow, great tank in situ. The photo looks amazing.


Thank you for the comment! 

Just a quick couple of shots and a big up for tropicas 1-2 grow moss. Love the stuff...

Submersed moss

Moss by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

And here's the submersed moss going into emersed. 

Moss by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## Ady34

Awesome photos and great looking moss.


----------



## Gary Nelson

wow! Those shots of the moss are fab! Very nice indeed - the FTS that I missed that you have posted look stunning to mate, my favourite scape you have done so far and a great journal


----------



## George Farmer

That moss looks good enough eat. Nom nom.


----------



## Alastair

George Farmer said:


> That moss looks good enough eat. Nom nom.


+1......


----------



## Ian Holdich

Thanks guys, I have struggled with moss in the past, the last couple of scapes have has 1-2 grow moss and they have grown well. 

Moss on toast for tea tomorrow.


----------



## Mark Evans

Ian, stunning moss! And great photos to illustrate the journal.


----------



## charlie

I am loving the moss reflection in the first photo. Reminds me of a lakeland photo with an island reflected into the dead calm lake surface.


----------



## Ian Holdich

Mark Evans said:


> Ian, stunning moss! And great photos to illustrate the journal.



Thanks mark! The moss still isn't as thick as the stuff in your 120, that was like a moss shag pile! 



charlie said:


> I am loving the moss reflection in the first photo. Reminds me of a lakeland photo with an island reflected into the dead calm lake surface.



Thanks Charlie, I'm glad it gives you that impression. It's nice to see nature in a scape. Thanks again for the comment.


----------



## LondonDragon

The moss is perfect Ian  great photos too


----------



## Ian Holdich

Cheers Paulo! 

Finally got around to ordering my glass lily inlet. I went with the gUSH gNano from aquarium plant food. A very impressive little bit of kit.


gUSH lily pipe by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

Nicely packaged

gUSH lily pipe by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

Makes a big difference to the scape not seeing that green piping! 

gUSH nano lily pipe by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## George Farmer

Nice one mate.

gUSH is the best glassware I've owned yet.

Looks swish on your set-up, especially with the great photography to do it justice.


----------



## Ian Holdich

George Farmer said:


> Nice one mate.
> 
> gUSH is the best glassware I've owned yet.
> 
> Looks swish on your set-up, especially with the great photography to do it justice.



Thanks George.
Agree, it's worth paying a little extra, its really it clear glass as well. I have got a quite expensive Cal aqua and it's as good if not better.


----------



## Stu Worrall

Nice one. Looks loads better. I did look at them when I broke my ada inlet but gush don't seem to do a non nano 13mm one so I had to go cal aqua. One to suggest to them George?


----------



## John Starkey

Hi Ian,I have just spent the last hour reading your journal,I must admit it certainly makes me want to sell a lens and get another setup, ( not my 500 mm lol),a very good read and a lovely setup,I especially like your moss images,excellent clarity.look forward to future updates,

John.


----------



## charlie

The new Inlet looks great, it really compliments the clean lines of the set up. It must be nice to finally get rid of the green eheim tubing


----------



## Ian Holdich

stuworrall said:


> Nice one. Looks loads better. I did look at them when I broke my ada inlet but gush don't seem to do a non nano 13mm one so I had to go cal aqua. One to suggest to them George?



Cheers Stu, the glass is really well polished on these. It doesn't seem that they do a 13mm, I'm sure John from apfuk will read this.



john starkey said:


> Hi Ian,I have just spent the last hour reading your journal,I must admit it certainly makes me want to sell a lens and get another setup, ( not my 500 mm lol),a very good read and a lovely setup,I especially like your moss images,excellent clarity.look forward to future updates,
> 
> John.



Hi John, nice to hear from you! Thank you very much for the compliment. These set ups are great value for money. I'm sure you'd work magic on one of these.


----------



## Ian Holdich

charlie said:


> The new Inlet looks great, it really compliments the clean lines of the set up. It must be nice to finally get rid of the green eheim tubing



Thanks Charlie, it's great to get rid of the green tubing, it certainly makes the scape look different.


----------



## Nathaniel Whiteside

Ian Holdich said:


> Thanks George.
> Agree, it's worth paying a little extra, its really it clear glass as well. I have got a quite expensive Cal aqua and it's as good if not better.



Really Ian? Better than an influx X3 (17mm) ?


----------



## LondonDragon

Ian Holdich said:


> Makes a big difference to the scape not seeing that green piping!


It sure does, they do look quality, now all I need is an open top tank!!


----------



## thomas.bham

Hi Ian.
Can you tell my if you still use TPN+? And how much do you dose it?

By the way your tank looks really good!


----------



## Ian Holdich

Nathaniel Whiteside said:


> Really Ian? Better than an influx X3 (17mm) ?



I'd say on par with the large x3, they are almost the same design, with the hole at the bottom. The glass seems to be polished better.



LondonDragon said:


> It sure does, they do look quality, now all I need is an open top tank!!



Haven't you ordered one yet! You know you want to Paulo! 




thomas.bham said:


> Hi Ian.
> Can you tell my if you still use TPN+? And how much do you dose it?
> 
> By the way your tank looks really good!



Thanks Thomas! 
I'm using TMC nutrafeed at the moment, only because I ran out of tpn+. They are much of a muchness tbh. They are also dosed the same. I'm using 6ml on this tank at the moment.


----------



## Alastair

Really nice inlet mate. Bet you had a big sigh of relief when you stepped back and saw no green inlet lol.


----------



## Ian Holdich

Sure did al! Here's a few pics without said green tube! 

Right side of tank

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

Full tank

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

And a crypt that's taken it submersed form

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

Sorry for the pics, I'm sure your all bored of this tank by now lol.


----------



## tim

Keep the pics coming mate it's a top scape, looks the business with the glassware, do you always take your fish out for the photos though


----------



## Andris87

Your HC looks like really natural in the foreground. Beautiful scape


----------



## Ian Holdich

tim said:


> Keep the pics coming mate it's a top scape, looks the business with the glassware, do you always take your fish out for the photos though



Thanks Tim! The barbs are really skittish, and am thinking of adding another small school of something to see if they bring them out a little more.



Andris87 said:


> Your HC looks like really natural in the foreground. Beautiful scape



Thank you Andris, needs trimming at present, I'm trying to let it grow a little more wild at present.


----------



## George Farmer

Looking really good mate. 

I've been biting my tongue for a while now regarding the HC. I hope you don't mind my input...

For me it's a little too much of a contrast against the other planting. Please allow me to elaborate. 

HC is really bright green, and it's tiny leaves makes it look flat/uniform (in photos, at least).  This combination when set against the really naturalistic planting behind, and natural gravel in front makes the HC pop excessively to my eye.

I don't want to sound too harsh, and I suspect in the flesh the contrast is no way near as much. Our eyes automatically make adjustments that smoothen out contrasts that most cameras cannot. Another point is that we can't see much detail in the shadows where the HC stops, so the contrast is further exaggerated. 

Perhaps I am being to impatient and when the HC fills-out more, the contrast may lessen. I'm just not sure if the colour will still be too at odds with the remaining planting, no matter how 'wild' it's allowed to evolve.

Another consideration would be to add another transition plant behind or amongst the HC.  Some more Anubias between the HC and 'shadowy' area. The leaf shape compliments the HC, and the darker leaf colour helps to blend the HC better. Hairgrass planted amongst the HC may also work well.

Finally, in your 'defence', it's relatively easy to critique an excellent aquascape, as any single area for improvement, no matter how small, pops right out. And in this case it's the HC. 

So please try to take this as compliment - because it really is already a superb aquascape with incredible potential.

Cheers,
George


----------



## Alastair

Yeah.......massively bored of the pics mate.  Awful  

The tank looks much bigger now the outlet has gone and as always cracking pics (probably not the right term when it comes to a glass Tank)


----------



## Ian Holdich

@ George, (I won't hit the reply button, long post), but thank you for the detailed reply. I know what you're saying, and I have thought about adding some crypt parva amongst the HC, but didnt want to make a mistake by doing so and ruining a HC Carpet. The constrats in the shadows is also a good spot on the pics. In real life the shadows don't seem to stand out as much, and there are various crypts there, which are not seeable on the pics. I'm gonna let the HC do it's own thing for a few weeks and see where it goes, I suppose I can just trim it back if it looks rubbish. 



Alastair said:


> Yeah.......massively bored of the pics mate.  Awful
> 
> The tank looks much bigger now the outlet has gone and as always cracking pics (probably not the right term when it comes to a glass Tank)



Thanks Alastair, thanks for not being bored of the pics lol!


----------



## George Farmer

Oh yeah, and never apologise for posting pics, especially when they are of such a high standard!


----------



## charlie

Keep the pics coming. You have this tank at home every day to get bored of. Some of us have to switch the internet on to get a fix like this. Don't listen to George, what does he know . I would let the hc grow for a bit longer and see what happens. Rome wasn't built in a day


----------



## Stu Worrall

more pics, more pics! 

looks great with the new lily.  Ive always liked mixing hairgrass in with HC but with talk about contrasts above you can lose it as its quite the same colour.  I like the idea of some crypts in there as well as the anubias.

Ive got a bit of everything in the front of my 90cm, ammania, tennelus, ludwigia, HM, hairgrass.  (to name but a few  but I do like to mix it up   )


----------



## Ian Holdich

stuworrall said:


> more pics, more pics!
> 
> looks great with the new lily.  Ive always liked mixing hairgrass in with HC but with talk about contrasts above you can lose it as its quite the same colour.  I like the idea of some crypts in there as well as the anubias.
> 
> Ive got a bit of everything in the front of my 90cm, ammania, tennelus, ludwigia, HM, hairgrass.  (to name but a few  but I do like to mix it up   )



I'm gonna get on it today, probably not to the extent that you have stu! And thank you stu. It's always good to get ideas from everyone, as sometimes we can't see our own mistakes as we're sat looking at it all day. Cheers mate.


----------



## viktorlantos

Cheers Ian, the scape looks great!

On the glass stuff, i do like them too, but for your 2073 this is probably too small. Has only a few stripes where it pulls in the water, so you will loose a few hundred lph from your filter power as 2073 is around 1000lph

This stuff is good for a nano with a filter size around 400-600lph above that size you will see decreasing on the flow


----------



## Ian Holdich

viktorlantos said:


> Cheers Ian, the scape looks great!
> 
> On the glass stuff, i do like them too, but for your 2073 this is probably too small. Has only a few stripes where it pulls in the water, so you will loose a few hundred lph from your filter power as 2073 is around 1000lph
> 
> This stuff is good for a nano with a filter size around 400-600lph above that size you will see decreasing on the flow


Thank you viktor! 
I was worried about that as well, however, it has a quite a large hole in the bottom of the pipe, a little like the Cal aqua inlets. Because I'm a bit sad, I loosely measured the flow...The method I used was to measure the amount of water pumped out in 10 seconds, then x6 to get output per minute, then x60 to get output per hour. 
It's currently doing just over 800lph. I know George is also using one of these on his scape as wel, and flow doesn't appear to be a problem in his tank. 
I was gonna get the 13mm inlet from TMC, but that really did only have about 6 slits in it. I decided against that one.


----------



## Ian Holdich

Crypt parva added to the HC, also some anubias and hygro pinnatifida added. IMO it looks a lot better. Thank you again for the suggestions.

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr



image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## George Farmer

I think that's better mate. Should mature in a more naturalistic style to harmonise better with the rest of the aquascape now.


----------



## George Farmer

Out of interest Ian - what white balance are you shooting at? Is it auto?

Try setting it manually at 5000K - works a treat for me and should for you too, as we have the same lighting and similar cameras...


----------



## Ian Holdich

George Farmer said:


> Out of interest Ian - what white balance are you shooting at? Is it auto?
> 
> Try setting it manually at 5000K - works a treat for me and should for you too, as we have the same lighting and similar cameras...


 
Hey George, thank you, regarding the white balance, i shoot in aperture mode. I don't shoot in raw...maybe i should. I'm not sure white balance can be altered in Aperture mode, so it will be auto WB??


----------



## Nick_593

This tank is simply 'stunning'.. 'Save as' for inspiration!!. =)

Looking forward to more updates!.


----------



## Ian Holdich

Nick_593 said:


> This tank is simply 'stunning'.. 'Save as' for inspiration!!. =)
> 
> Looking forward to more updates!.


Thank you for the comment nick! It's much appreciated.


----------



## George Farmer

Ian Holdich said:


> Hey George, thank you, regarding the white balance, i shoot in aperture mode. I don't shoot in raw...maybe i should. I'm not sure white balance can be altered in Aperture mode, so it will be auto WB??


Sorry mate, I thought you had a 7D, but it's a 550D isn't it? 

I'm not sure if you can customise the colour temp in-camera to the same degree. I think the closest would be to set it to the 'daylight' WB (sun icon), as I think this is about 5200K.  You should be able to do this in jpeg and Av.  I always shoot jpeg too, by the way (but manual exposure).

It's worth a try anyway. Type my eye the AWB is resulting in your images appearing a bit too cool (blue), but it could just be my eyes/monitor.

The thing about shooting in AWB all the time is that sometimes the camera gets a bit 'confused', so even if you're shooting the same subject in the same conditions, two exposures can have different colour casts. This is more apparent with fluorescent lighting though due to its high frequency flicker.

Anyway, that's enough geek speak! Anymore thoughts on new fish?


----------



## Ian Holdich

Cheers for that George, I have had a look on youtube and you can change the wb, as said not as custom as the big slr's. will have a try later...(this means more pics) 

I have had a look around at fish, I might just end up getting some cherry barbs. Was looking at some vids and saw marks on youtube...it may have swayed me.

Marks cherry barbs


----------



## George Farmer

Cool. Looking forward to more pics. Don't be shy! 

Cherry barbs are a good choice. They'll probably encourage braver behaviour from the Pentazonas too.


----------



## Iain Sutherland

Cherries sound great Ian, shame you not closer as my 10 are going back to MA soon and they have lovely colour


----------



## Ian Holdich

Here's a new vid...just a quick one. Please view in 720p


----------



## cookie3985

Great vid Ian, that moss is looking great. Nice pearling HC carpet too, good work. It will be interesting to see how George's suggestion of adding something to it works out.


----------



## charlie

Good choice on the cherries. I found they bred quite easily in the tank so you may get some more soon !


----------



## pepedopolous

Just wow! If I ever have a scape 10% as good as this I will be in heaven!


----------



## Ian Holdich

cookie3985 said:


> Great vid Ian, that moss is looking great. Nice pearling HC carpet too, good work. It will be interesting to see how George's suggestion of adding something to it works out.



Cheers cookie! I have added some really small c parva to the carpet. There is also a couple of anubias rhizomes in there. It's gonna be a slow process with the carpet. 



charlie said:


> Good choice on the cherries. I found they bred quite easily in the tank so you may get some more soon !



Thanks Charlie, they have also brought the banded barbs out more, which is a bonus. 



pepedopolous said:


> Just wow! If I ever have a scape 10% as good as this I will be in heaven!



Thank you for the compliment!


----------



## Ian Holdich

Final stocking...

The last small group of fish to go in are corydoras sp black venezuela. Kept corys a long time ago, saw these and fall in live with them. The HC has fully taken now, so they shouldn't dig it up (hopefully). Stunning little catfish...


Black cory by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


Black cory by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


Black cory by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## Iain Sutherland

they are gorgeous mate, never seen them before. Really nice addition.  Jealous much!


----------



## tim

Lovely little fish corries, they really stand out against your tana sand, really nice fish selection to compliment another top scape, nice mate.


----------



## LondonDragon

Gotta love corries and those are amazing  never seen those before either  video time!!


----------



## Iain Sutherland

LondonDragon said:


> video time!!


+1

how many did you get Ian?


----------



## plantnoob

loving this tank mate . those black corys are the dogs danglers !


----------



## Ian Holdich

Iain Sutherland said:


> they are gorgeous mate, never seen them before. Really nice addition.  Jealous much!



Thanks Iain, they are becoming a little more common now. I know a couple of others on here have them.



tim said:


> Lovely little fish corries, they really stand out against your tana sand, really nice fish selection to compliment another top scape, nice mate.



Cheers Tim, well chuffed with them. They look ace schooling about.



LondonDragon said:


> Gotta love corries and those are amazing  never seen those before either  video time!!



Haha! You don't need to ask me twice mate, will get some footage on Sunday.


----------



## Ian Holdich

Iain Sutherland said:


> +1
> 
> how many did you get Ian?



Sorry mate, I got five, I might pic a couple more up on payday.



plantnoob said:


> loving this tank mate . those black corys are the dogs danglers !



Thanks mate! You'll need to get some for your new scape!


----------



## plantnoob

once the hc beds in i will be adding corys . i would love some of these


----------



## Gary Nelson

Nice choice on the Corys Ian, they are great little characters


----------



## Ian Holdich

cheers guys.

here's a little vid for Paulo (best viewed in 720p)


----------



## charlie

Ha ha didn't see the otto that appears at about 22 secs till it moved at 38 secs. Nearly jumped out of my skin


----------



## Ian Holdich

Pic overload time (sorry)... Had some time this afternoon to mess around with the camera. I thought I'd so a proper update as I haven't really done a proper update from different angles.

Right side of tank, there has been some melt right at the back, I have turned the gas up a little and we'll see what happens.

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

Left side

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

Top

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

The corys schooling

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

The bolbitis pearling, gonna have to trim this soon as its getting a little over crowded with bolbitis.

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

Thanks for looking.


----------



## Dave Pierce

Loving the moss in this tank!! Those black corys are cool as hell


----------



## martinmjr62

Ian, one word ,Stunning.
The black corys really stand out,never seen them before. I love watching my schooling Panda's going about their business,wicked little fish.
Keep it up mate, a real inspiration.
Cheers
Martin


----------



## hydrophyte

That looks fantastic Ian!


----------



## LondonDragon

Looking great Ian, love those corries


----------



## greenink

That's it. You've just inspired me to get two of those LED tiles for my 120cm.


----------



## Ian Holdich

Dave Pierce said:


> Loving the moss in this tank!! Those black corys are cool as hell



Thanks dave! The corys are great little things, great to watch.



martinmjr62 said:


> Ian, one word ,Stunning.
> The black corys really stand out,never seen them before. I love watching my schooling Panda's going about their business,wicked little fish.
> Keep it up mate, a real inspiration.
> Cheers
> Martin



Thank you Martin! Just thinking if I'd used soil I probs wouldn't have seen them! 



hydrophyte said:


> That looks fantastic Ian!



Cheers hydrophyte! 



LondonDragon said:


> Looking great Ian, love those corries



Thank you Paulo, you'll have to treat yourself when you get your new tank.




mikeappleby said:


> That's it. You've just inspired me to get two of those LED tiles for my 120cm.



I'm sure you won't be disappointed, you'll have to have em suspended quite low for a 120, but they'll work we'll. they're a nice colour rendition as well.


----------



## plantnoob

amazing ! moss looks great , and im loving the black corys


----------



## Ian Holdich

Thanks mark! 

I have changed a couple of things in the last week. I have removed the alternanthera mini at the back as it just wasn't getting tall enough. I have added some bacopa compacta as that gets a little bigger. I have also swapped the inline diffuser back to the outlet, I noticed a massive drop in diffusion having it on the outlet. 

Herers a few pics...
The new bacopa

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

The dogs new fave place! 


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

And the fish being fed tonight.

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## tim

ian, sorry just reading through your last post above you switched so the diffuser runs into the filter for better diffusion just you said you moved it from the outlet to the outlet (i get confused as to which is which) does that give you less mist in the tank ? looking great this is mate. your little lads massive he towers over the tank


----------



## Alastair

Love those corys mate. Me and westy saw some in a local shop to us and they looked fantastic but with a dark substrate you'd never see them. They look great in contrast to your sdubstrate and that right side shot and top shot of the tank are fantastic. Haven't been on for a couple of weeks and looks even better now.


----------



## GreenNeedle

Tank looks great mate.  Re-designing my cabinets so was looking at yours for tips. lol.

Keep an eye on those Corys.  Being line bred they tend to be less hardy.  If you see any 'grey' patches on them especially around the face then you need to get on top of it quick or they end up with massive holes in their heads.  Keep an eye on the Otos too.  Don't know why but they tend to like to have a taste of their skin sometimes!!!!

Andy


----------



## Ian Holdich

tim said:


> ian, sorry just reading through your last post above you switched so the diffuser runs into the filter for better diffusion just you said you moved it from the outlet to the outlet (i get confused as to which is which) does that give you less mist in the tank ? looking great this is mate. your little lads massive he towers over the tank


Cheers Tim, sorry, typo, I have moved the diffuser back to the outflow. Once the filter was getting clogged, there was noticeably less pearling and some bba on the crypt parva. Moving it back has resolved this problem.



Alastair said:


> Love those corys mate. Me and westy saw some in a local shop to us and they looked fantastic but with a dark substrate you'd never see them. They look great in contrast to your sdubstrate and that right side shot and top shot of the tank are fantastic. Haven't been on for a couple of weeks and looks even better now.



Thanks Al, yes they wouldn't be much fun on aqua soil, as you wouldn't see em much. 



SuperColey1 said:


> Tank looks great mate.  Re-designing my cabinets so was looking at yours for tips. lol.
> 
> Keep an eye on those Corys.  Being line bred they tend to be less hardy.  If you see any 'grey' patches on them especially around the face then you need to get on top of it quick or they end up with massive holes in their heads.  Keep an eye on the Otos too.  Don't know why but they tend to like to have a taste of their skin sometimes!!!!
> 
> Andy



Hi Andy, thank you, and cheers for the advice. The cabinet was so easy to put together, pity I haven't kept the instructions as I would have brought them up for you. It's a dead simple design, give me a shout if you want any pics of the cabinet at any angle.


----------



## GreenNeedle

Instructions   The picture did the job.  Already finished my plans and MDF ordered   Little different to yours but was just the top bar that I was looking at above the door 

Yours looks really cool mate.


----------



## Tony Swinney

Ian Holdich said:


> image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


 
Hi Ian -  this is beautiful.  The sense of scale is brilliant - it looks like a much bigger tank in the pic above   Those venezuelan corys are a very nice addition too, attracting the viewers attention without taking anything away from the scape. 

Tony


----------



## Ian Holdich

Tony Swinney said:


> Hi Ian -  this is beautiful.  The sense of scale is brilliant - it looks like a much bigger tank in the pic above   Those venezuelan corys are a very nice addition too, attracting the viewers attention without taking anything away from the scape.
> 
> Tony



Thanks tony, means a lot. The corys are great and I'm sure you'll love them as well. Corys are under used in aquascapes IMO. Some can suit an aquascape IMO.


----------



## Steve Smith

Especially the dwarf species!

Love this scap Ian   As everyone has said, the sense of depth is impressive to say the least.


----------



## flygja

Great photos mate! Could you share what are you camera's white-balance settings? I can't seem to get mine right. Anything above 4200k is too yellow and anything below that is too blue!


----------



## Ian Holdich

SteveUK said:


> Especially the dwarf species!
> 
> Love this scap Ian   As everyone has said, the sense of depth is impressive to say the least.



Thank you Steve, it's made easier by the tank being 45cm deep. Thanks again! 



flygja said:


> Great photos mate! Could you share what are you camera's white-balance settings? I can't seem to get mine right. Anything above 4200k is too yellow and anything below that is too blue!



Thanks flygja, I must admit that some of the pics do look blue, and I do use the AWB on the camera. I have tried the 5200k on the wb, but things came out to yellow for me. So,  I do stick with AWB, then just run it through 'snap seed' on the ipad, if it needs altering.


Have added a echinodorus horemanii red at the back also, IMO it just finishes the scape of nicely. Will get some pics later.


----------



## Iain Sutherland

Hey ian, as the other have said the tank looks way bigger than it is.  In that picture it looks like my old 90x75, very smart mate.
This has grown in so nicely, wish i had half of your moss skills.
Hope you all had a good time at tropica.


----------



## fish fodder

Wow wow wow


----------



## Ady34

Hi,
looking stunning Ian, gotta love the echinodorus, it will suit well....rip up your hc and bet some tenellus  
Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Ian Holdich

Iain Sutherland said:


> Hey ian, as the other have said the tank looks way bigger than it is.  In that picture it looks like my old 90x75, very smart mate.
> This has grown in so nicely, wish i had half of your moss skills.
> Hope you all had a good time at tropica.



Cheers Iain, the moss has done well, I can't praise the 1-2 moss enough, starts a little yellow, but soon colours up.the tropica trip was good, the nursery is the thing of dreams! 



fish fodder said:


> Wow wow wow



Thank you ff! 




Ady34 said:


> Hi,
> looking stunning Ian, gotta love the echinodorus, it will suit well....rip up your hc and bet some tenellus
> Cheerio,
> Ady.



Thanks ady, will get a couple of pics of the echinodorus later. It's a stunning little plant.


----------



## Ian Holdich

Water change day today, still using 100% ro water and just adding ferts. The tds is rising over the week by around 50 ?ppm?


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

There appears to be an unknown shrimp walking around in the tank, god knows where he came from or what he is.


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

Here's the echinodorus heoremanii red, I'm unsure whether it'll be in the final shot, but I love this plant. 


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## Gill

Looks like a Wild Cherry, i have a few of them in amongst mine. And again a Stunning tank Ian.


----------



## RynoParsons

haha looks like the shrimp we get in south african rivers


----------



## Ian Holdich

Gill said:


> Looks like a Wild Cherry, i have a few of them in amongst mine. And again a Stunning tank Ian.



Cheers gill, having looked I tend to agree. It is more black that anything else. I'm remaining it a black wild cherry shrimp or Neocaridina heteropoda var holdich.



RynoParsons said:


> haha looks like the shrimp we get in south african rivers



You'll have to send some over!


----------



## Antoni

This scape  looks better and better everyday. I like the natural look of the tank and when it is fully grown and the carpet become more wider it will be even better!


----------



## Ian Holdich

Antoni said:


> This scape  looks better and better everyday. I like the natural look of the tank and when it is fully grown and the carpet become more wider it will be even better!



Thanks mate! It's the expensive c02 I'm using, I got it imported from France! 

Managed to get some bucephalandra from Alan, who sells the rare plants. Have been after some of this stuff for ages! Here's some pics...
Sangau

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

And sinatang 


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## BigTom

Oooooo, bucephs. Can I ask how much?


----------



## Ian Holdich

BigTom said:


> Oooooo, bucephs. Can I ask how much?



Too much!


----------



## Mick.Dk

Hmmmmmm - so you did end up buying those B-plants


----------



## Ian Holdich

Mick.Dk said:


> Hmmmmmm - so you did end up buying those B-plants



Hey mick, I fell in love with this plant and had to get some. This will be going into my next scape also. It's a lovely plant.


----------



## Mick.Dk

I sure agree - thy're lovely.........and expensive...........and D... slowgrowing 
But the ones I know of (quite alot of "strains" ) tend to actually grow a little - well - less slow, under water 
Good luck with them. Some get a tinge of metallic blue, actually........
Mick.


----------



## Ian Holdich

After a busy week at work, I had an hour today to get it trimmed as it was looking a little overgrown. I have added some rummys as this will be ready for its final shots soon. The barbs just hide way to much. 

Here's a fts.

After trim by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## Gary Nelson

It's looking great mate! The moss is superb, a picture oh health!


----------



## NanoJames

Lovely tank, Ian! The moss covered wood really sets everything off. It's easy to see you've put a lot of time into this one!


----------



## Iain Sutherland

I have found  all the barbs i have kept tend to be on the shy side excluding cherries that is, i think its not so much shy rather they like surface cover.  When they are out its a lovely treat and i wouldnt swop them 
Will be great to see a final FTS Ian, your pictures have come along loads since ive been a member and really do justice to your scapes.  Both scapes into IAPLC?


----------



## Ian Holdich

Gary Nelson said:


> It's looking great mate! The moss is superb, a picture oh health!



Thanks Gary! Moss is the future! 



NanoJames said:


> Lovely tank, Ian! The moss covered wood really sets everything off. It's easy to see you've put a lot of time into this one!



Thank you James, you're right this has been hard work to keep on top of. It's due to the lighting being higher than I'm used to. I normally run quite low light tanks. It's been worth it though. 



Iain Sutherland said:


> I have found  all the barbs i have kept tend to be on the shy side excluding cherries that is, i think its not so much shy rather they like surface cover.  When they are out its a lovely treat and i wouldnt swop them
> Will be great to see a final FTS Ian, your pictures have come along loads since ive been a member and really do justice to your scapes.  Both scapes into IAPLC?



Cheers Iain! Thank you for the comment, and no ill just be entering this on into the iaplc. I don't believe an individual should enter more than one tank. It's against the rules and tbh it would be as exciting IMO.


----------



## Iain Sutherland

Ian Holdich said:


> It's against the rules and tbh it would be as exciting IMO.


ah, didnt know that.  Both are worthy entries mate.


----------



## fish fodder

Having bought the same tank, cabinet etc I can only dream of it looking like this mate!


----------



## Ian Holdich

Iain Sutherland said:


> ah, didnt know that.  Both are worthy entries mate.



Yes mate, it's one entery supposedly per person. People do enter more than one though. I think I'll enter this one though. 



fish fodder said:


> Having bought the same tank, cabinet etc I can only dream of it looking like this mate!



Thank you for the comment ff, I'm sure you'll get yours looking excellent!


----------



## tim

Really looking healthy now this Ian, bucephs are a lovely addition, on my list of plants to grow one day, have you considered keeping this scape longer term and maybe just swapping some of the plants out for a different look, really healthy moss, top scape mate.


----------



## Ian Holdich

Thanks for the comment Tim, I'm affraid this will do about another month or so. Will try something different then. 


I came to do a little maintainence today and noticed the moss starting to bud/flower. Never had this before with aquatic moss. 


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## Alastair

Awesome that mate. Id be well chuffed


----------



## Steve Smith

Looks great!  Remind me again what moss this is Ian?


----------



## charlie

Think Ian said he was going to use Christmas and weeping moss ?


----------



## Ian Holdich

Alastair said:


> Awesome that mate. Id be well chuffed



Cheers mate, it looks different, ill keep the progress up to date...that's if it does anything else. 



SteveUK said:


> Looks great!  Remind me again what moss this is Ian?



Cheers Steve, the moss was tropica 1-2 grow weeping moss. The best moss on the market IMO!


----------



## charlie

Ian, i know you are using an eheim 2073 with this and previous set ups. Can i ask how you find this filter in terms of reliability, noise, maintenance etc. I have always used eheim classic canisters and am considering replacing one with a 2073 and would appreciate some feedback from someone who has run one for some time.


Thanks

Charlie


----------



## Antoni

Me like the flowering moss  Must be healthy environment. I have had some terrestrial mosses flowering, but never weeping! Bravo!


----------



## anasarka

If we want to be accurate, no moss flowering. This is sporangia those boxes erected at different high handles on asexual sporulation way by which mosses reproduce. These boxes with handles are asexual generation of Mosses or sporophyte. Often occurs in aquatic mosses growing surface. Very good photo


----------



## BIN578

What rate would you say that moss grows at as a guesstimate ? It looks lush


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,


anasarka said:


> If we want to be accurate, no moss flowering. This is sporangia those boxes erected at different high handles on asexual sporulation way by which mosses reproduce. These boxes with handles are asexual generation of Mosses or sporophyte. Often occurs in aquatic mosses growing surface. Very good photo


Like "Ansarka" says they aren't really flowers (these only occur in the angiosperms "flowering plants"), but the spore bearing capsules. Mosses and Liverworts are Bryophytes and the green plant is actually the gametophyte generation (n), and the capsule the sporophyte (2n), so the other way around from flowering plants and mammals etc. <Bryophyte Ecology>.

It is definitely being emersed that has allowed them to spore. You may be able to find the correct scientific name for your moss now it has capsules, as most moss taxonomy is based upon the morphology of the capsules.
Weeping moss is allegedly _Vesicularia ferriei. _
cheers Darrel


----------



## Ian Holdich

charlie said:


> Ian, i know you are using an eheim 2073 with this and previous set ups. Can i ask how you find this filter in terms of reliability, noise, maintenance etc. I have always used eheim classic canisters and am considering replacing one with a 2073 and would appreciate some feedback from someone who has run one for some time.
> 
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Charlie



Hi Charlie, the filter is fine on a tank this size, I also used it on the 125 ltr. I probs wouldn't go any higher litreage with this filter. As for performance, you cannot fault ehiem in any way IMO. Runs silently, maintainence is easy and build quality is great. They are easier to maintain that the canisters. I have used a fair few filters and this one is the best I have used. It was a little loud when I first struck it up, and it did take a couple of days to settle. 



anasarka said:


> If we want to be accurate, no moss flowering. This is sporangia those boxes erected at different high handles on asexual sporulation way by which mosses reproduce. These boxes with handles are asexual generation of Mosses or sporophyte. Often occurs in aquatic mosses growing surface. Very good photo



Cheers and thank you for clearing that up. I have seen this a few times on terrestrial moss, not on aquatic moss though.



BIN578 said:


> What rate would you say that moss grows at as a guesstimate ? It looks lush



Thanks bin, ime tropica 1-2 grow grows really well in high tech conditions. I have had this setup running for nearly 3 months and the moss have had a good hacking monthly.


----------



## Ian Holdich

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Like "Ansarka" says they aren't really flowers (these only occur in the angiosperms "flowering plants"), but the spore bearing capsules. Mosses and Liverworts are Bryophytes and the green plant is actually the gametophyte generation (n), and the capsule the sporophyte (2n), so the other way around from flowering plants and mammals etc. <Bryophyte Ecology>.
> 
> It is definitely being emersed that has allowed them to spore. You may be able to find the correct scientific name for your moss now it has capsules, as most moss taxonomy is based upon the morphology of the capsules.
> Weeping moss is allegedly _Vesicularia ferriei. _
> cheers Darrel



Cheers for that darrel, and thank you for the link. Always good to hear from an expert on the matter.


----------



## charlie

Ian Holdich said:


> Hi Charlie, the filter is fine on a tank this size, I also used it on the 125 ltr. I probs wouldn't go any higher litreage with this filter. As for performance, you cannot fault ehiem in any way IMO. Runs silently, maintainence is easy and build quality is great. They are easier to maintain that the canisters. I have used a fair few filters and this one is the best I have used. It was a little loud when I first struck it up, and it did take a couple of days to settle.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for that Ian, good to know


----------



## hydrophyte

Nice work! But mosses do not flower.


----------



## Ravenswing

I really like your Bucephalandras, they are awsome! The whole tank is just amazing, good work and congrats!


----------



## Claire

So this is where you hang out Ian  Tank is looking great. And the 1-2 grow is the best.


----------



## Ian Holdich

hydrophyte said:


> Nice work! But mosses do not flower.



Cheers hydrophyte, yes I'm aware they don't, but wasn't aware what they are called. As above they are capsules. 



Ravenswing said:


> I really like your Bucephalandras, they are awsome! The whole tank is just amazing, good work and congrats!



Thank you very much! The bucephalandras is starting to get new leaves,miso it's doing ok. 



Claire said:


> So this is where you hang out Ian  Tank is looking great. And the 1-2 grow is the best.



Hi Claire, good to see you here and thank you very much.


----------



## ale36

Ian Holdich said:


> Final stocking...
> 
> The last small group of fish to go in are corydoras sp black venezuela. Kept corys a long time ago, saw these and fall in live with them. The HC has fully taken now, so they shouldn't dig it up (hopefully). Stunning little catfish...
> 
> 
> Black cory by Ian Holdich, on Flickr
> 
> 
> Black cory by Ian Holdich, on Flickr
> 
> 
> Black cory by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


i like these corydoras as they are from my place of birth


----------



## Ian Holdich

Shot a bit of a video earlier. Please watch in 720p.


----------



## stu_

Nice vid, gotta love the Rummys.
You seem to have cracked the flow from day one in here.Has the lilly pipe always been back left, and does the flow just bounce off the front glass ?


----------



## anasarka

beautiful aquarium with healthy plants. Well done


----------



## Ady34

Your welcome  It was a pleasure watching Ian, great vid with nice little touches like the shot of the dc. Those little corys are cool, so active and striking against the sand.
Seems you have everything under perfect control with this tank, moss, bolbitus and hc, you've made it seem effortless, very professional.
Great stuff.
Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## aliclarke86

Absolutely inspired by this. Been watching quietly since start and love it every step of the way 

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Ian Holdich

stu_ said:


> Nice vid, gotta love the Rummys.
> You seem to have cracked the flow from day one in here.Has the lilly pipe always been back left, and does the flow just bounce off the front glass ?



Hi stu, thank you, and yes the flow bounces off of the front an carrys round the tank. The filter is overpowered for a tank this size, and the tank isn't very high, so flow remains good. Ehiem test there pumps with media in, so it won't be that short of its rated flow rate. 



anasarka said:


> beautiful aquarium with healthy plants. Well done



Thank you! 




Ady34 said:


> Your welcome  It was a pleasure watching Ian, great vid with nice little touches like the shot of the dc. Those little corys are cool, so active and striking against the sand.
> Seems you have everything under perfect control with this tank, moss, bolbitus and hc, you've made it seem effortless, very professional.
> Great stuff.
> Cheerio,
> Ady.



Thank you ady, much appreciated. Tbh I'm surprised how well it has actually gone in this tank, as the light is higher than I would normally go, it must be something to do with the plant mass in there.



aliclarke86 said:


> Absolutely inspired by this. Been watching quietly since start and love it every step of the way
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2



Thank you very much for your comment Ali, much appreciated.


----------



## Gary Nelson

Very nice that mate, I totally agree with Ady that those dark Corys look fantastic in your scape! A real pleasure to watch


----------



## Claire

Nice video Ian. Could watch that all day. Certainly nicer than studying physiology...


----------



## Ian Holdich

Thanks guys! 

Here's a few pics from this evening. Nothing much on TV...the tank will be going for another few weeks, and then taken down, hopefully gonna get the iaplc shot on Wednesday. 
Here's a pic of a red cherry

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

A pic of HC 'giganitica' thanks Paulo for this...it is staying nice and big in the tank also.

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

A couple of pics of the rummys

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

A stu Worrall esq, shot of the tank

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## Ghettofarmulous

Stunning!


----------



## Iain Sutherland

lovely shots mate, that cherry has mega colour!  Do you have sakuras or is it a big mature lady?
All looking super healthy


----------



## Ian Holdich

Ghettofarmulous said:


> Stunning!



Thank you for your comment! It's gonna have a good trim today.



Iain Sutherland said:


> lovely shots mate, that cherry has mega colour!  Do you have sakuras or is it a big mature lady?
> All looking super healthy



Thanks Iain. It was sold as a cherry a while back, I think it's just a mature female. She's produced plenty of babies.


----------



## charlie

Great stuff Ian. It is looking REALLY nice now.


----------



## Stu Worrall

its looking the shizzle Ian!  Looking forward to seeing it high up in IAPLC too mate (especially as its got sand  )

Im hoping to try some of that big HC soon too


----------



## Ian Holdich

charlie said:


> Great stuff Ian. It is looking REALLY nice now.




Thanks you Charlie! I'm pleased with the way this has gone tbh, I was quite worried at the beginning with the light being so close to the surface.



stuworrall said:


> its looking the shizzle Ian!  Looking forward to seeing it high up in IAPLC too mate (especially as its got sand  )
> 
> Im hoping to try some of that big HC soon too




Thank you Mr Worrall, I'm not holding out in the iaplc, if I can better last year ill be chuffed to muck. 
Once the HC settles, Ill see you some over.


----------



## Steve Smith

HC 'gigantica' ??  Sounds interesting!


----------



## Ian Holdich

SteveUK said:


> HC 'gigantica' ??  Sounds interesting!



That's the name Paulo has given it, it's a strange plant, it creeps the same as normal HC, just about 5 times the size of it. Looks nice though!


----------



## Steve Smith

Similar requirements?


----------



## Ian Holdich

By the looks of things, I have only grown it in my high tech tank. It's doing ok, there was minor melt when I chucked it in, but doing ok now.


----------



## tim

A stu Worrall esq, shot of the tank

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr[/quote]
Love this shot of the tank Ian, been an avid follower of your scapes (and photography) top job look forward to your next scape


----------



## Ian Holdich

Thank you Tim, very kind words. I'm not sure what to do next, maybe an iwagumi, I did think about a Dutch in this shallow tank...would be interesting!


----------



## charlie

NO ! how can you even think about breaking this down yet !


----------



## Ian Holdich

charlie said:


> NO ! how can you even think about breaking this down yet !



Actually, I just got off the phone to George, and he's convinced me to change things around a bit. Sort of an evolution...we'll see what happens.


----------



## charlie

Ian Holdich said:


> Actually, I just got off the phone to George, and he's convinced me to change things around a bit. Sort of an evolution...we'll see what happens.


Glad to hear it is not being totally broken down. Evolution is the way forward, just how nature intended !


----------



## Ian Holdich

We'll see how it goes...I do want to try other stuff in this tank though. TMC tanks are awesome aquascaping tanks.

Been trying to get the final shot for the iaplc this morning. Been at it since 0600 (that's dedication!)

Here's a sneaky...


Iaplc 2013 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## charlie

Great to see the hairdryer in use.


----------



## Ian Holdich

charlie said:


> Great to see the hairdryer in use.


That's not my arm btw ; )


----------



## DrRob

Unless your arm has grown very long.


----------



## charlie

Ian Holdich said:


> That's not my arm btw ; )


Not only is the tank Amano esq, you now have a team of hairdryer holders as well, just like the man himself


----------



## Ian Holdich

charlie said:


> Not only is the tank Amano esq, you now have a team of hairdryer holders as well, just like the man himself



Ha! I wish you could've seen the full pic now, as you'd have seen the mrs sat playing candy crush with the other hand. She's a good multi tasker!


----------



## charlie

Ian Holdich said:


> Ha! I wish you could've seen the full pic now, as you'd have seen the mrs sat playing candy crush with the other hand. She's a good multi tasker!


She would need to be a good multi tasker. Waving a live hairdryer over a fish tank full of water and not paying attention could be nasty ......or was that the plan


----------



## Ian Holdich

Update time...

I have done a couple of things of late. I have added another small filter on the left side of the tank. Now that the tank is grown in the co2 just wasn't pushing round the back left. This resulted in a bit of crypt melt. Which has now resolved. 

Just a small hydor rated at 600lph. 

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

There is now some eliocharis sp at the back. This gives a nicer effect IMO

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

Micronthemum Monte Carlo

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

Some more bucephalandra


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## Antoni

It looks very nice, Ian! It must get a good rating this year 

I was thinking about the flow...as it matter not of filtration, but on circulation, don't you think, that a power head can sort out the problem? I know you have a filter now, but just have been thinking about this...


----------



## Ian Holdich

Antoni said:


> It looks very nice, Ian! It must get a good rating this year
> 
> I was thinking about the flow...as it matter not of filtration, but on circulation, don't you think, that a power head can sort out the problem? I know you have a filter now, but just have been thinking about this...



Cheers antoni, not sure about the iaplc placement, if I do better than last year ill be pleased.

I did use a korallia at first, but didnt like looking at the tank with it in. It ruined the scape.


----------



## Ian Holdich

I haven't updated for a couple of weeks and I think this will be the last pic of this scape. I have plans to do a shallow 1-2 grow Dutch next. It's something I have always wanted to do...
This scape has been totally neglected over the last 2 weeks as work has taken over my life for a while. To be honest I have got really bored with this scape also. I expect it'll be taken down next week sometime (if I get time). I'm not sure how a shallow Dutch scape will work, but I'm going to try my hardest to make it work. 

Anyways here's the mess


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## stu_

Shaggy..
On a personal note, i've enjoyed this journal so much i've decided to change up my Dutch for a NA style.


----------



## plantnoob

personally mate im loving the way its looking in the last photo . if i could get a " neglected " tank to look that good , i'd be well chuffed  . i must spend more time with my hands in my tank than i do looking at it , and its nothing like as nice as this . look forward to seeing the dutch when you start it up . my fave style by far !


----------



## Ian Holdich

stu_ said:


> Shaggy..
> On a personal note, i've enjoyed this journal so much i've decided to change up my Dutch for a NA style.



Thanks Stu! 
Time for you to get some new pics up? 



plantnoob said:


> personally mate im loving the way its looking in the last photo . if i could get a " neglected " tank to look that good , i'd be well chuffed  . i must spend more time with my hands in my tank than i do looking at it , and its nothing like as nice as this . look forward to seeing the dutch when you start it up . my fave style by far !



Cheers mark, I'm not even sure Dutch will work in a shallow tank. We'll see.


----------



## Marco Aukes

Ian Holdich said:


> Cheers mark, I'm not even sure Dutch will work in a shallow tank. We'll see.


 
I have seen our good old Dutch Style in many different kind of tanks, and I am sure it can work. It will make the impact of the famous "streets" even bigger.

But it's a pitty this has come to an end, definitely one of my favourites here.


----------



## tim

I like the jungle mess mate, looking forward to your Dutch shallow though, you'll make it work


----------



## Iain Sutherland

nice Ian, love the over grown look.  Must be munching through the gas now 

Like the idea of a shallow dutch... im in for the ride.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,


Ian Holdich said:


> To be honest I have got really bored with this scape also. I expect it'll be taken down next week sometime (if I get time).


I know why I couldn't be an aquascaper, I'd have to cut my own hands off before I laid a finger on that tank, the moss is brilliant.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Iain Sutherland

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> I know why I couldn't be an aquascaper, I'd have to cut my own hands off before I laid a finger on that tank, the moss is brilliant.
> cheers Darrel


 
agreed Darrel, bit of a trim, a few more months and it would be even more amazing


----------



## plantnoob

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I know why I couldn't be an aquascaper, I'd have to cut my own hands off before I laid a finger on that tank, the moss is brilliant.
> 
> cheers Darrel


just looked at the larger image in flickr , looks even better !


----------



## Ian Holdich

Marco Aukes said:


> I have seen our good old Dutch Style in many different kind of tanks, and I am sure it can work. It will make the impact of the famous "streets" even bigger.
> 
> But it's a pitty this has come to an end, definitely one of my favourites here.



Thanks for the comment Marco. I need to do a little reading up on the rules of Dutch, to try and make it as close to the mark. 



tim said:


> I like the jungle mess mate, looking forward to your Dutch shallow though, you'll make it work



Thank you Tim, I hope I can make it work! Lol all this stems...



Iain Sutherland said:


> nice Ian, love the over grown look.  Must be munching through the gas now
> 
> Like the idea of a shallow dutch... im in for the ride.



Cheers Iain, this is running at 1bps at the moment, the plant mass is massive though.



dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I know why I couldn't be an aquascaper, I'd have to cut my own hands off before I laid a finger on that tank, the moss is brilliant.
> 
> cheers Darrel



Thank you for the comment Darrel! Give me a shout if you want any moss.



plantnoob said:


> just looked at the larger image in flickr , looks even better !



Thanks again Mark, the image is a lot clearer on the Flickr pic.


----------



## sanj

I really like your scape, love jungles... not so keen on the TMC light supports, did I say that before?


----------



## aliclarke86

this scape is awesome ii hope you don't miss it when its gone


----------



## charlie

This will be a real shame to break it up. I have really enjoyed this journal Ian, and look forward to the next one.

Thank you

Charlie


----------



## Alastair

Shame to take this down mate I loved it. But looking forward to what youve got up your sleeve for the next scape. Im sure it will be another stunner.  
I somehow reckon ians inbox has drastically multiplied with requests for his plants  

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Ian Holdich

sanj said:


> I really like your scape, love jungles... not so keen on the TMC light supports, did I say that before?



Thanks sanj! And no you haven't ever mentioned that! Lol



aliclarke86 said:


> this scape is awesome ii hope you don't miss it when its gone



Thank you Ali, I'm glad you've enjoyed it. Makes it worthwhile.



charlie said:


> This will be a real shame to break it up. I have really enjoyed this journal Ian, and look forward to the next one.
> 
> Thank you
> 
> Charlie



Thank you Charlie, I appreciate the comments throughout the journal.



Alastair said:


> Shame to take this down mate I loved it. But looking forward to what youve got up your sleeve for the next scape. Im sure it will be another stunner.
> I somehow reckon ians inbox has drastically multiplied with requests for his plants
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2



It'll be taken down, probably next tues, so expect a plant sale then. There will be certain plants ill be keeping hold go though...the bucephalandra will be going in the Dutch.
And thank you al for you encouragement throughout the journal.


----------



## alanyusupov

Ian Holdich said:


> A pic of HC 'giganitica' thanks Paulo for this...it is staying nice and big in the tank also.
> 
> image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


At the moment on market it is called Micranthemum sp. "Monte Carlo-3" and still there are a lot of discussion about this plants, some info here:

AZ1110-8 : ホシクサとクリプトコリネとカレーライスなお話
New Large Pearl Grass - New Plants for Planted Aquariums - Aquatic Plant Central
Micrantherum monte carlo | UK Aquatic Plant Society
Micranthemum(?) sp. "Montecarlo-3" : Neue und besondere Wasserpflanzen - Aquascaping - Aquarium - Wasserpflanzen - Flowgrow


----------



## Ian Holdich

Cheers for that Alan! There's masses of the stuff at the moment. It's a fast grower for sure.


----------



## justin85

Hey Ian, what fish did you stock in this tank ?


----------



## Ian Holdich

justin85 said:


> Hey Ian, what fish did you stock in this tank ?



Hey mate, this was finally stocked with Rummy noses, black corries and a few pearl danios.


----------



## justin85

~Cheers mate, really like the 'Black corries' what they like to keep ?  (sorry to jack your thread)


----------



## Ian Holdich

justin85 said:


> ~Cheers mate, really like the 'Black corries' what they like to keep ?  (sorry to jack your thread)



No problem Justin, they were easy to keep. I had them in ro water, however I know someone that keeps them in Lincolnshire water, which it really hard, with no problems, and they breed regularly. They can be expensive as an initial outlay though.


----------



## justin85

Yea most of my stock will be ordered online so the cost will be high! but I am used to paying crazy amounts for fish as I keep wild Tanganyikan cichlids which are pricey to say the least.  Thanks for the info will look in to keeping them.


----------



## Ian Holdich

And this is how it finished


Iaplc 2013 #626 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


----------



## Robbie X

Stunning, again I am inspired and glad I have ultimately decided to go with the TMC tank for my first aquscape.


----------



## Brian Murphy

Just spent the last hour or so looking through this journal Ian and it was really inspiring! It has given me some ideas as to my next set up, so I wanted to ask a question or 2 first.  Why did you go for the 30cm depth instead of the 45cm? I'm thinking better Co2 distribution?


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## kirk

I'm going to phone the gp in the morning. Due to The length of time I spent starring at the picture of the inside of the cabinet. Seriously though. Brilliant work,tanks amazing. Cheers kirk.


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## Robbie X

Hi Ian, been reading the journal over the last couple of days, from all the scrapes I have looked at on the web this is one of my faves. I'm so inspired by this scape! Its probably mentioned in the journal I probably missed it but, what species of moss is used on the Redmoor wood and how did you attach it?
Thanks for the inspiration!


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## Aron_Dip

Robbie X said:


> Hi Ian, been reading the journal over the last couple of days, from all the scrapes I have looked at on the web this is one of my faves. I'm so inspired by this scape! Its probably mentioned in the journal I probably missed it but, what species of moss is used on the Redmoor wood and how did you attach it?
> Thanks for the inspiration!


I'm sure it's weeping .. But I'm sure he used Christmas moss also in this setup mate


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## Robbie X

Aron_Dip said:


> I'm sure it's weeping .. But I'm sure he used Christmas moss also in this setup mate


Cheers Aron, any idea how it was attached? From day one it looked so natural like it had been growing on the wood for years


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## Aron_Dip

Robbie X said:


> Cheers Aron, any idea how it was attached? From day one it looked so natural like it had been growing on the wood for years


there are a few ways of doing it.. Fishing line (place a layer of moss on the wood and then wrap the fishing line around to hold in place), Super Glue (put small amounts of glue on what ever you like to cover and then stick the moss to that).

I would say hey used Fishing line/cotton to attach the moss here


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## Robbie X

Cool, I have some 3lb clear mono in my tackle box, this would probably do the job


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## Ian Holdich

Hi guys, thank you for your comments. 

Aron is correct, this was Christmas moss. Well, it was a mix of java and Christmas. It was attached with green cotton. 

@Brian Murphy I only chose this as it has the clear silicone. The rest have the black silicone.


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## FishBeast

I have enjoyed following this journal very much. Thanks for the journey!


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## Jaap

Ian Holdich said:


> Hi guys, thank you for your comments.
> 
> Aron is correct, this was Christmas moss. Well, it was a mix of java and Christmas. It was attached with green cotton.
> 
> @Brian Murphy I only chose this as it has the clear silicone. The rest have the black silicone.


Whats the distance between the led 1500 tile and the substrate?
Whats the intensity you have it on?


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## Ian Holdich

Jaap said:


> Whats the distance between the led 1500 tile and the substrate?
> Whats the intensity you have it on?


The distance was about 10-15 cm and it was on 100% for 8 hours.


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## Jaap

Ian Holdich said:


> The distance was about 10-15 cm and it was on 100% for 8 hours.


The distance from the substrate I mean...10 to 15 cm should have been the distance from the water surface....how about from the substrate?


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## Ian Holdich

I


Jaap said:


> The distance from the substrate I mean...10 to 15 cm should have been the distance from the water surface....how about from the substrate?



Sorry, I never really did any measurements, but on an estimate, I would say...the tank was 30cm high, the LED was 10-15cms from the surface, so on the safe side I'd say about 45cms.


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## Jaap

Ian Holdich said:


> I
> 
> 
> Sorry, I never really did any measurements, but on an estimate, I would say...the tank was 30cm high, the LED was 10-15cms from the surface, so on the safe side I'd say about 45cms.



Hi Ian

I am planning to get a tank 60 x 40 x 40 and use the 1500ND TMC tile suspended above the tank. Do you reckon the light will be sufficient?

Have you had any problems with the light?


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## Wulfen

Ian Holdich said:


> Update time...
> 
> I have done a couple of things of late. I have added another small filter on the left side of the tank. Now that the tank is grown in the co2 just wasn't pushing round the back left. This resulted in a bit of crypt melt. Which has now resolved.
> 
> Just a small hydor rated at 600lph.
> View attachment 34511
> image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr
> 
> There is now some eliocharis sp at the back. This gives a nicer effect IMO
> View attachment 34512
> image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr
> 
> Micronthemum Monte Carlo
> View attachment 34513
> image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr
> 
> Some more bucephalandra
> 
> View attachment 34514
> image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr
> 
> View attachment 34515
> image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr
> 
> View attachment 34516
> image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


Hi Ian. I just love this tank. It is my inspiration for my forthcoming first planted tank. For me, this is the perfect aquascape. Thank you


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