# Under The Mangrove Tree.



## Ian Holdich (15 Oct 2012)

Just thought i'd share with you what i have been slogging my guts out with since 17.00 tonight. Just got finished, been planning this for 24 hours now. 

I'll give a little run down of the tank specs...

Tank - Eheim 80cm
Filter - Eheim 2073 (great filter!)
C02 - Inline @ 1 bps
Ferts - Tropica advanced 5 pumps a day
Substrate - Florabase
Hardscape - JBL Bogwood


quick pic


IMG_2748 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

more tomorrow when the water clears.


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## Ady34 (15 Oct 2012)

*Re: New 80cm (no name as yet)*

Wow!
'I like em big, I like em chunky....'
Love the look of that mate.
Actually I'm a bit envious, it looks great


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## Ian Holdich (15 Oct 2012)

*Re: New 80cm (no name as yet)*

thanks Ady, i don't think good old bogwood is used often enough in scapes. I was going through some of Amanos early scapes today and he used bogwood to great effect. I thought i'd have a go. Thanks again mate.


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## Stu Worrall (15 Oct 2012)

*Re: New 80cm (no name as yet)*

looks superb Ian!


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## Antipofish (16 Oct 2012)

*Re: New 80cm (no name as yet)*

Thats bogwood ?  WOW !  Nicest looking bits I have seen for ages.  I thought it was big ass chunky Manzanita mate.  Nice


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## Ian Holdich (16 Oct 2012)

*Re: New 80cm (no name as yet)*

yep, just good old fashioned Mangrove bogwood. Time to add loads of carbon! lol

water has cleared lovely, i'm really pleased with  the way it's turned out.

and thank you for the comment Stu, much appreciated!


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## Ian Holdich (16 Oct 2012)

*Re: The Mangrove*

Water is clear (i love you Purigen)

There was a bit of movement when i filled it last night, took me til 01.00 in the morning to sort it out.

here's some pics


the Mangrove by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


pink rotala by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Gary Nelson (16 Oct 2012)

*Re: The Mangrove*

Now that's what I call a fast turn around !!! It looks great Ian and you would not think its is just less than 1day old, the wood looks fab as well - are you putting the same livestock back in or are you having a change?
I'll sure be watching this progress and can't wait to see the plants fill in - Sir Evans sure has given you some great inspiration


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## Alastair (16 Oct 2012)

*Re: The Mangrove*

Awesome Ian, looks fantastic and nice to see someone else using good chunky wood. 


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## Antoni (16 Oct 2012)

*Re: The Mangrove*

Looks like very promising scape! I will keep a close eye on this one


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## Iain Sutherland (16 Oct 2012)

*Re: The Mangrove*

Funny was looking through amano complete works last night and thought you don't see bogwood used much... And here it is, executed brilliantly.  
Is the foreground Lil. New zealandae. ( spell?)
Top job.


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## HarryRobinson (16 Oct 2012)

*Re: The Mangrove*

Top job you've done there Ian! Well done!


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## Ian Holdich (16 Oct 2012)

*Re: The Mangrove*



> Now that's what I call a fast turn around !!! It looks great Ian and you would not think its is just less than 1day old, the wood looks fab as well - are you putting the same livestock back in or are you having a change?
> I'll sure be watching this progress and can't wait to see the plants fill in - Sir Evans sure has given you some great inspiration



thank you Gary, theres no point in hanging around when the ideas are floating around. Theres going to be different livestock in here.



> Looks like very promising scape! I will keep a close eye on this one



Thanks for your comment Antoni!



> Funny was looking through amano complete works last night and thought you don't see bogwood used much... And here it is, executed brilliantly.
> Is the foreground Lil. New zealandae. ( spell?)
> Top job.



Thank you mate, it must be something in the name Iain! i was doing the exact same thing. The foreground is Lilaeopsis, looking forward to having a grass carpet.



> Top job you've done there Ian! Well done!



Thank you Harry much appreciated mate.


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## Iain Sutherland (16 Oct 2012)

*Re: The Mangrove*

You'll have to give me some tips for the lilaeopsis, thinking about it for my next one but might be quite shaded..?  Will be interested to see how it goes under the microsorum and wood.

Think this is a real ale nature scape


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## Ian Holdich (18 Oct 2012)

thanks Iain, we'll see what happens.

here's a vid from tonight (please view in 720p)


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## danmullan (18 Oct 2012)

Looking good so far Ian, nice vid too. 

Seems very bright for just two grobeam 500's or did you use extra lighting?


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## tim (18 Oct 2012)

Nice strong hardscape there Ian will be another excellent scape to add to the portfolio is the tall grassy plant to the left and right of the rear cypress helfri ? Which lilaeopsis sp did you use ? Maybe easier if I just said can you post a list of flora used     very strong work mate


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## Ady34 (19 Oct 2012)

Nice tank, nice video 
Cardinal tetras would look awesome in there too.
You been swiping Marks rare echinodorus plant?
Cheerio
Ady


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## Ian Holdich (19 Oct 2012)

> Looking good so far Ian, nice vid too.



Seems very bright for just two grobeam 500's or did you use extra lighting?

Thanks Dan, it's just 2 grobeams over the top. The exposure was set at -3 as well. They do throw off some light IMO.



> Nice strong hardscape there Ian will be another excellent scape to add to the portfolio is the tall grassy plant to the left and right of the rear cypress helfri ? Which lilaeopsis sp did you use ? Maybe easier if I just said can you post a list of flora used  very strong work mate



Thank you Tim, yes the grassy plant is Cypress, and it's Lilaeopsis brasiliensis. I will get a full plant list up.




> Nice tank, nice video
> Cardinal tetras would look awesome in there too.
> You been swiping Marks rare echinodorus plant?
> Cheerio
> Ady



Cheers Ady, I wish i had swiped it while he wasn't looking...thats aponogeton red in the back there.


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## Alastair (19 Oct 2012)

Looks awesome Ian I love the wood placement. 
What's the song playing in the video btw?? 


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## Ian Holdich (19 Oct 2012)

Thank you Al! 

The song is Bronte, by Gotye. The only decent song on his album! lol


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## Ian Holdich (19 Oct 2012)

just a quick one (sorry)

A few people have mentioned the mound in the front and how it detracts from the scape a little. I tried to move the substrate back this morning, but it just fell back. Got off the phone to Mark earlier and he gave me a great tip to just syphon the substrate at the front out. Hey ho it worked, no more mound.


mound gone by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Ady34 (19 Oct 2012)

ianho said:
			
		

> > Nice tank, nice video
> > Cardinal tetras would look awesome in there too.
> > You been swiping Marks rare echinodorus plant?
> > Cheerio
> ...


  
That's using the power of a phone to view the video on, Echinodorus or aponogeton? Easy mistake to make  
Love the way you just decide its time, empty, rescape and change the fish in a night or two and have a tank that looks mature   great stuff.
Also prefer it without the mound in the foreground 
Cheerio
Ady


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## Mark Evans (19 Oct 2012)

This will, in time, be your best layout to date i think.


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## Ian Holdich (20 Oct 2012)

> That's using the power of a phone to view the video on, Echinodorus or aponogeton? Easy mistake to make
> Love the way you just decide its time, empty, rescape and change the fish in a night or two and have a tank that looks mature  great stuff.
> Also prefer it without the mound in the foreground
> Cheerio
> Ady



That last tank was going for near on 5 months, i hope this one does the same TBH, if not longer, we'll see.



> This will, in time, be your best layout to date i think.



thank you Mark, very much appreciated mate.


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## John S (20 Oct 2012)

Looking really good.

What number is the aquascapers emergency helpline?


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## Ian Holdich (22 Oct 2012)

lol, thanks Dave! Good idea though mate, it could be like NHS Direct!

One week on and things are going well, fish are starting to colour up, and there is a little spread on the lilaeopsis already. The rotala is going green (not happy).


IMG_2882 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


IMG_2879 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Mark Evans (22 Oct 2012)

ianho said:
			
		

> The rotala is going green (not happy).



   



			
				ianho said:
			
		

> and there is a little spread on the lilaeopsis already.



A good sign. After a week, you should start to see the older leaves start to yellow. Cut them down to the substrate. They'll turn into an algae magnet otherwise.


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## Ian Holdich (22 Oct 2012)

cheers dude, i'm gonna start talking to my Rotala, that might work...


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## tim (22 Oct 2012)

are you adding extra iron to this scape ian ?


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## Antipofish (22 Oct 2012)

ianho said:
			
		

> cheers dude, i'm gonna start talking to my Rotala, that might work...



You could try red nail varnish


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## Ian Holdich (26 Oct 2012)

The lilaeopsis is starting to spread already, and the moss is starting to take hold.

quick pic


IMG_2914 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Ady34 (26 Oct 2012)

Looking great Ian, what are the new fish?


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## Mark Evans (26 Oct 2012)

Ian, this will be quite something. There's a certain 'something' about it

It has an 'in ya face' vibe. Very powerful indeed.

With your plant growing skills and your ability to keep things clean, i have no doubt that this will be your best to date!


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## tim (26 Oct 2012)

i still cant quite get my head around this hardscape after aquagreen but it looks so good dominating to be precise another top scape mate


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## Ian Holdich (26 Oct 2012)

> Looking great Ian, what are the new fish?



Thanks Ady!

they are Gold White Clouds, lovely little shoalers.



> Ian, this will be quite something. There's a certain 'something' about it
> 
> It has an 'in ya face' vibe. Very powerful indeed.
> 
> With your plant growing skills and your ability to keep things clean, i have no doubt that this will be your best to date!



That means a lot mate, thank you. Gotta love Carbon and Purigen.



> i still cant quite get my head around this hardscape after aquagreen but it looks so good dominating to be precise another top scape mate



Thank you Tim, your comments are really appreciated.


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## Ian Holdich (29 Oct 2012)

2 weeks in...
The Rotala will need it's first trim soon.

IMG_2947 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

New growth from the Ranunculus

IMG_2943 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

full tank

IMG_2941 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (29 Oct 2012)

Hello Ian,
Let me start by saying this tank is looking very well considering its only a couple of weeks old. The growth is fantastic! Looks super healthy, well done.

Initially, however I did find the hard scape was not what I would have preferred. As I like the Manzanita and of course your previous Redmoor hardscape. I thought the bogwood style was too bulky and heavy for me.

That said, this really is looking great, are you intending to keep the carpet low and the sides clear to create an 'island' looking style scape?

Cypress are very well placed, giving a beautiful texture, complimenting the rotala, which will be an explosion of colour when it fills out.

Good luck with the future of this mate, I'm sure it'll be something special


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## Ian Holdich (29 Oct 2012)

cheers Whitey, i choose bogwood for a bit of a change, i was looking at some of Amanos early scapes and it was mainly big bulky bogwood used, and for me they looked great. I love Manzy and Readmoor also, but my previous scapes used both. I'm keeping this in the Island style, hopefully once the grass fills in it should look OK. Thanks for the comment mate.


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (29 Oct 2012)

ianho said:
			
		

> cheers Whitey, i choose bogwood for a bit of a change, i was looking at some of Amanos early scapes and it was mainly big bulky bogwood used, and for me they looked great. I love Manzy and Readmoor also, but my previous scapes used both. I'm keeping this in the Island style, hopefully once the grass fills in it should look OK. Thanks for the comment mate.



Completely understand and respect your choice for choosing something different. 
I'm sure you'll change my perception of the hardscape material with your amazing growing and planting skills.


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## Antipofish (29 Oct 2012)

Ian is looking cracking mate : Another nice one   What rotala sp. is it ?  Also, will you be triming the rununculus any time soon ? LOL.


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## Ian Holdich (3 Nov 2012)

when it goes, i'll send you some.

Instagram your scape! 


instagram2 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


instagram3 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr



instagram by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


instagram4 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Ian Holdich (7 Nov 2012)

Quick pic, trying the ripple! lol


ripple by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## danmullan (7 Nov 2012)

Looks cool mate, nice ripple.

The L.Brasiliensis looks long. Just out of curiosity how are you going to trim it? Seems to be spreading nicely.


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## Ian Holdich (7 Nov 2012)

Hey Dan, thank you...you just trim as you would hairgrass, i'm gonna leave it a few weeks yet to settle in a bit more.


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## Ian Holdich (12 Nov 2012)

Good weekend at aquatics live, came home with some Rilli shrimp from Freshwatershrimp.co.uk and also there new NA ferts, they seem very concentrated like the Elos stuff, but a heck of a lot cheaper. They do a nice range as well, well packaged.

NA ferts by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

and the shrimp


shrimp2 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


shrimp1 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Ian Holdich (15 Nov 2012)

Just got a few extras for my camera today from Amazon, a few filters and a bigger flower hood. Just been testing it out.


night time by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

The lilaeopsis is spreading well around the tank, I want to trim soon and hack it right down. 


root spread by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Alastair (15 Nov 2012)

Looks gorgeous Ian 


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## Ian Holdich (16 Nov 2012)

thank you Alastair, you were missed at AL.


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## nayr88 (16 Nov 2012)

Great tank. 

I've never seen those shrimp before but they i like them alot, how are they settling in? NA ferts looks good too how do they stack up with dosing/price to ADA?


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## Ian Holdich (17 Nov 2012)

thank you Nayr!

The Rili's are as hard as nails! they are fine.

The ferts are A LOT cheaper than the ADA ferts, more around the price of the Tropica ferts, they are a hell of a lot more concentrated than these though. The 'Stage' fert is the all in one and the starting dose is 1 pump per 125ltrs.


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## Iain Sutherland (17 Nov 2012)

Looks sweeeet Ian, my kind of tank and probably my favourate scape of yours.  Not that there was anything wrong with the others!
The lilaeopsis is looking pretty rampant and the rilis are a great addition, must be nice to relax to after you've been saving the world all day.
Hows talking to the rotalla working out for ya?
laters


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## Ian Holdich (17 Nov 2012)

Thank you Iain!

The Rotala remains a nice shade of green, i have started to verbally abuse it now, to make it go red...

ps, a week ago tonight we was tearing up London town (this means falling over and getting ripped of by Amy Winehouses indian dad)


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## Iain Sutherland (18 Nov 2012)

I hear if you talk about their mum they go a lovely shade of red!

yep i agree, WE were falling over, not just one drunk plum.....

'your a bunch of mugs!'


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## tim (18 Nov 2012)

Good looking scape Ian love those rilli shrimp isn't there the chance they will breed with the cherry shrimp though


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## Ian Holdich (24 Nov 2012)

Thanks Tim, yes they will breed with the Cherries, but we'll see what come of them. 

here's a quick FTS from this evening.


fts by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Antoni (24 Nov 2012)

Getting all in shape already, nice work my friend!


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## Alastair (24 Nov 2012)

Looks gorgeous Ian, I agree with eazer, I've loved all your scapes but this has to be my fave. Well done mate


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## Ian Holdich (25 Nov 2012)

> Getting all in shape already, nice work my friend!



Thank you mate, it needs a few more trims at the back and the grass needs to fill in before its first cut.



> Looks gorgeous Ian, I agree with eazer, I've loved all your scapes but this has to be my fave. Well done mate



Cheers Al for the nice comments.


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## Ady34 (25 Nov 2012)

Filling in really nicely Ian, the moss patches soften the thick set wood nicely. 
Its a really bold scape with great shape, i think if your ammania sp. bonsai was trimmed and replanted to follow the 'arc' of the wood line into the ends of the tank then it would be perfect. That may or may not be your plan, you may want to keep the open spaces at either side to highlight the wood formation, but either way its still a great scape and i love the x-rays, understated fish choice but always look great  
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## Ian Holdich (25 Nov 2012)

thanks for the post Ady, always love your posts. Great idea regarding the Bonsai, will give that a bash i reckon.


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## Swee (25 Nov 2012)

Hi Ian, this is beautifull  , but I feel it a bit symetric, maybe if the piece of wood in the left was down it would seems to me more natural.


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## Ian Holdich (29 Nov 2012)

thank you Swee, and good to meet you at AE! I wanted it to be a little symmetrical, to see how things would pan out. I actually quite enjoy this scape though.

heres a boring little video for you all! (please view in 720p)


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## stu_ (29 Nov 2012)

Not so boring if you don't know what you're doing like me.  
Is it just a case of trimming back to the height required, and layering from front to back?
Tank's starting to come on a treat BTW


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## Ian Holdich (29 Nov 2012)

Thanks Stu, yes trim as you want, we need to invent a underwater lawnmower!


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## Mark Evans (1 Dec 2012)

Looks great, Ian. Although, you're in desperate need of curved or wave style scissors.


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## Ian Holdich (1 Dec 2012)

cheers mate, i did start with some curved scissors, but they're those chunky but funky JBL things, was knocking stuff all over. Time to email, Freshwatershrimp!


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## Westyggx (1 Dec 2012)




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## Ian Holdich (1 Dec 2012)

Hey mike...I think it has something to do with the music in the vid. It's a boring vid anyway lol.


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## Ian Holdich (6 Dec 2012)

Any cichlid experts care to sex these, they were sold as a male and female...


Blue ram by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## tim (6 Dec 2012)

Hey mate nice fish I'm by no means expert but males normally larger and normally have longer rays to the dorsal fin females normally chubby IME of German blues these are electric blue aren't they


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## Gary Nelson (6 Dec 2012)

A very nice edition there Ian, I'm a big fan of blue fish against green anyway, but Rams are fascinating to watch as they swim and put their water brakes on and hover! 
I always thought on rams you can tell a male from female by a redder belly...? Maybe wrong though!?


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## Antipofish (6 Dec 2012)

Your taste in fish is as exquisite as your choice of plants Ian.  Nice one


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## Ian Holdich (8 Dec 2012)

Cheers guys, well they are swimming around together happily, so I,m guessing male and female. It's really hard to tell on these fish...

Here's a couple of pics from tonight, framed by mark (cheers dude)


In situ by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


Nature aquarium by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Iain Sutherland (8 Dec 2012)

coming along really nicely mate and the pictures are very smart... im dreading trying to take a proper picture.
Rams are a great addition too.  Do you think your cherry numbers will start dwindling?


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## Ian Holdich (8 Dec 2012)

Thanks Iain, you'll be should getting a proper pic I'm sure! I got the rams after seeing those in the tank at aquatics live, there was that tank at aquajadin that had em in with loads of cherries. I took the risk, and they aren't bothering with them at all. I'm sure they will pick off babies, but I'm not really bother as there are more than 100 shrimp in there at the mo.


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## Alastair (8 Dec 2012)

Love this tank Ian, definitely my fave of yours yet 


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## Antipofish (8 Dec 2012)

Ian that second image is flipping awesome mate !  You are giving Mark a run for his money hehe.  I would be very interested to read a full run down of the shoot.  Any chance you might post it in the photography section ?


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## Ian Holdich (9 Dec 2012)

Thank you Alastair, it's been my fave layout as well, due to its ease. Still using the Nature Aquario fert system as well and they also seem to be doing the job.

Thanks Chris...the pics were just taken on the canon 550d, with the kit lens, the aquarium light pushed to the back of the aquarium and another T5 placed over the top as well. The led then lights the wall, to give a blown out look. Then sent to mark for framing. Nothing really special.


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## Ian Holdich (11 Dec 2012)

The rams have settled in well, they are leaving the shrimp alone...here's a quick vid of them (best viewed in 720p)


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## danmullan (15 Dec 2012)

I really like the rams mate, in such a green tank the blue is the perfect contrast. Nice choice.

Also your lilaeopsis looks super healthy, along with all the other flora. Impressive stuff


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## Iain Sutherland (15 Dec 2012)

nice mate!


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## Mark Evans (15 Dec 2012)

Great fish Ian. I've always been a fan of these, or Rams in general.

If I may add a couple of things about the vid mate....5 to 7 seconds per clip is just enough time to hold the interest of the viewer. 

Try not to focus during a clip. I know fish move, so raise the f stop to cover more ground so to speak.

any 'jolt' from the camera or tripod,  can be 'cut out' during a transition when editing. 

It looks like you could pull back the exposure too...just a little. drop the ISO or increase the F stop. 

Other than that mate, nice stuff.


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## Antipofish (15 Dec 2012)

Cracking video Ian.  This is from a camera I presume not a camcorder ?  The fish look cracking too.


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## jojouk (16 Dec 2012)

Nice


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## Ian Holdich (16 Dec 2012)

Cheers guys, I added this vid last week, so didn't expect to see this bumped lol. 

Cheers for that mark, it was only a quick vid to show the rams, I didn't concentrate to much on it. Regarding the settings, I'm not sure you can manually change them around that much on the 550d? 

@ Chris, yes it's from a canon 550d, it's a great little slr, just noticed for some reason that they have gone up in price a bit as well. It seems to baffle the experts a little as well, as its marketed at a beginner, however, when you read the reviews many say that it sits in between an expert and a beginner. Love it though.


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## Mark Evans (16 Dec 2012)

Ian Holdich said:
			
		

> not sure you can manually change them around that much on the 550d?



You sure can mate. Shoot in 'M'


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## Ian Holdich (16 Dec 2012)

You can only shoot video in the video setting though, I'll have a look through the menu options. Tbh I haven't probably used the vid to its full potential. I wanted to try and get on top of the pics first. I'll have a mess around with it.

Here's a couple more pics of the rams. I still have a army of cherries as well, after 2 weeks...


ram2 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


Ram1 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## tim (16 Dec 2012)

Coloured up nicely those rams mate ranunculus is looking good too


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## Gary Nelson (16 Dec 2012)

Really nice mate, stunning colours they are showing now too! what water conditions are they in? RO? I'd love some but have hard as nails water! When you pour it out the tap it has tattoos!!!


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## Mark Evans (16 Dec 2012)

Gary Nelson said:
			
		

> I'd love some but have hard as nails water! When you pour it out the tap it has tattoos!!!


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## Ian Holdich (16 Dec 2012)

Cheers Tim, the ranunculus has taken really well in the tank. Spreading like wild fire, there may be some up as a freebie in a few weeks time.

@ Gary, cheers mate, they are kept in ro cut with a little tap water. The gh is about 8, ph is between 6.2-6.8, the tds sits around 100 ish. Lincoln tap water is hard as as well, ph from the tap is 8, gh 26, tds 450! Incidentally I was reading a study at work the other day regarding the link between hard water and aortic valve disease...there's something to look forward to! Lol


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## Antipofish (16 Dec 2012)

Ian Holdich said:
			
		

> Cheers Tim, the ranunculus has taken really well in the tank. Spreading like wild fire, there may be some up as a freebie in a few weeks time.
> 
> @ Gary, cheers mate, they are kept in ro cut with a little tap water. The gh is about 8, ph is between 6.2-6.8, the tds sits around 100 ish. Lincoln tap water is hard as as well, ph from the tap is 8, gh 26, tds 450! Incidentally I was reading a study at work the other day regarding the link between hard water and aortic valve disease...there's something to look forward to! Lol



What RO unit do you run Ian and what "wastage" rate do you experience (notwithstanding recycling if you do that).


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## Ian Holdich (16 Dec 2012)

I buy my ro in chris, as I'm on a water meter, and our water is so hard, it'd be to expensive.


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## Antipofish (16 Dec 2012)

Ian Holdich said:
			
		

> I buy my ro in chris, as I'm on a water meter, and our water is so hard, it'd be to expensive.



Wow. Im doing the maths as we think...

1000L water supply and waste return £3.20

Claims say 4 parts dirty 1 part pure so £3.20 gets me 200L of RO water.

My LFS charges £4 for 25 L so 200L would cost me £32 which is 10 times the price of running an RO.  Surely even factoring in the cost of replacement cartridges it is still cheaper ?  I am probably missing something as I don't know heaps about RO but as I am thinking about getting it, I am keen to know more as I don't want to dive in and spend money on something thats gonna drain my wallet !


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## Ian Holdich (16 Dec 2012)

Wow £4 is a lot for ro water! 

I get 2x25ltr barrels a week for £4. Thats ok for me as I get to keep fish I couldn't keep with my tap water. I can't really be bother setting up an ro unit either.


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## stu_ (16 Dec 2012)

That'll be the North/South divide


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## Antipofish (16 Dec 2012)

stu_ said:
			
		

> That'll be the North/South divide



Tell me about it.  Ive even thought of setting up an RO unit and letting it run and selling any excess.. I could make a killing at £2 for 25L 

On a technical note though, if you have really hard water, does it take more "source" water to filter the same amount of RO ?


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## jojouk (17 Dec 2012)

Those Rams are really amazing  Stunning!


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## Ian Holdich (24 Dec 2012)

sorry missed these replies since the change over...

yes Chris, it uses more (a lot more!)

and Jojo, thank you.

not much to report, as i haven't touched the tank for a couple of weeks, thanks to the NHS and over working me!

I have taken a nice pic of the Myriophyllum mattogrossense 'Red' today when i finally did a water change.


Myriophyllum mattogrossense 'Red' by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Arana (24 Dec 2012)

Love the tank and the fish....Stunning


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## Gary Nelson (24 Dec 2012)

It looks very nice that mate, a picture of health!
That 'Myriophyllum mattogrossense' is starting to cover up the sunken helicopter now though


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## Ian Holdich (25 Dec 2012)

Thanks guys, needs a bloody good trim!


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## Deano3 (25 Dec 2012)

wow amazing looking tank and like many have said love the blue rams there stunning

Dean


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## Ian Holdich (28 Dec 2012)

Thanks Dean!

I have had chance today to get in and give it a trim, heres a really quick vid of the tank at 3 months.
please watch in 720p


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## Ady34 (29 Dec 2012)

Really nice Ian.
Its filled in really quickly and i love the fish in there now too, perfect for this scape.
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## Iain Sutherland (29 Dec 2012)

love the way rams swim!  Its looking top draw mate, wish i could grow moss half as well.....
What ferts are you using on this Ian?  Following marks comments im wondering if EI and moss is particularly compatible....
Going away for 3.5 weeks soon so tank will be dosed very lean, curious to see how the moss is when i get back.
Cracking scape mate.


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## Gary Nelson (29 Dec 2012)

I've just watched the little video and love it! Those blue rams look very happy indeed! You have this tank spot on now mate.  I think that this is the best one you have done so far


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## Ian Holdich (29 Dec 2012)

@ ady, thank you, it has filled in quich tbh, the narrow leaf java has really grown quick. Quite surprising really.

@ Iain, cheers mate, again the moss has taken well in this tank. I'm using the NA ferts in this tank. They go in stages a little like the Ada ferts. This is just getting trace at the moment as the water Is pure RO, Then it's getting these two

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr
the "colour" is a concentrated iron source and the "power" is humic acids. There isn't any n and p going into this tank, but it has a nutrient rich substrate.

@ Gary, thank you, the rams are great, they still haven't eaten my cherries either which is a bargain! It'd be nice if they'd give me some babies to sell! Lol


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## Gary Nelson (29 Dec 2012)

You should have soon mate, looks like one of the females that was climbing the wood was carrying eggs!  Well she had a belly full anyway...


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## Ian Holdich (29 Dec 2012)

Oops I meant the rams, they could earn me a tidy little sum! Will be a millionaire next...


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## tim (29 Dec 2012)

Looking very healthy in there mate good luck with the rams some of the healthiest I've seen were tank bred German blues my lfs had in a few months ago lovely fish mate


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## Ian Holdich (6 Jan 2013)

Thanks Tim!

This tank is gonna be ready for its final shot in a couple of weeks time. Ill keep it running for a bit longer, but a rescape is on the books. Here's a shot from tonight...pretty much the same as the last few shots, the tank it's really a slow one!

Slice of nature by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## hydrophyte (6 Jan 2013)

Tank looks fantastic Ian!


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## Dorian (6 Jan 2013)

Superb


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## Alastair (6 Jan 2013)

Really really nice Ian. Shame to take this down 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Iain Sutherland (6 Jan 2013)

Lovely photo Ian, looks mint! Shame to pull it down so soon, resist.....


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## Ian Holdich (7 Jan 2013)

Thank you everyone! 

It will be  a shame to take this down tbh, but onwards and upwards! I have really enjoyed is set up, the fish seem to have also enjoyed this set up. It's been good to use good old fashioned bogwood as well.


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## Alastair (7 Jan 2013)

Ian Holdich said:


> Thank you everyone!
> 
> It will be  a shame to take this down tbh, but onwards and upwards! I have really enjoyed is set up, the fish seem to have also enjoyed this set up. It's been good to use good old fashioned bogwood as well.



Totally agree mate, not often you see nice chunky bogwood in scapes anymore. Lovely tank mate but onto better things 


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (8 Jan 2013)

I've just watched your video Ian. It was unbelievable. Really looking exceptional mate.

Can I ask how you dose? with the Electric blue Rams so sensitive? I read you dose no N & P? But your plants show no signs of malnutrition under the Grobreams.

also, what are the parameters like in terms of TDS GH & KH? if you don't mind me asking.
That'll be all, 
Cheers,


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## Ian Holdich (9 Jan 2013)

Thank you for the compliment nath. I'm not sure these rams are as sensitive as people make out tbh. Just keeping things consistent seems to be the way forward. Saying that they are in ro water. I do dose some np, but only a couple of times a week. This is via the nature Aquario range, which is pretty concentrated stuff. The tank is also well stocked and has a nutrient rich substrate, the grobeams aren't that high light either, so the tank doesn't need to be overdosed. 

As for parameters, I only test tds, and that ranges between 150 and 220 at the moment.


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## Ian Holdich (15 Jan 2013)

just a few pics from tonight...i'm really enjoying these rams in the tank. They are still leaving the shrimp alone. There are even baby shrimp in the tank that aren't being touched

here's the male, he's hanging in this area a lot, so here's hoping for babies.

mangrove2 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

the femail isn't far behind him

mangrove1 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

and heres a token pic of the microphyllum, this is a really nice delicate plant, one of my faves at the moment.

mangrove3 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Ady34 (15 Jan 2013)

Stunning fish and great photos Ian.

What do you feed the Rams, anything special or do they just take dried and frozen foods?

Cheerio,


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## hydrophyte (15 Jan 2013)

Great pictures of those rams.


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## Ian Holdich (15 Jan 2013)

Thanks guys...

@ ady, they get tetra prima. I swear by this stuff for fish. It seems to colour fish up really well. I know of people who feed discus and other colourful fish this stuff. They also get live food once a week.

@ hydrophyte, thank you for the compliment, they are quite easy to photograph as they don't move much! Lol


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## Ady34 (15 Jan 2013)

Ian Holdich said:


> Thanks guys...
> 
> @ ady, they get tetra prima. I swear by this stuff for fish. It seems to colour fish up really well. I know of people who feed discus and other colourful fish this stuff. They also get live food once a week.



Yeah I use tetra prima, it's a great food and likewise I think it enhances colours. I'm fancying some Rams again now, just the last ones would take nothing but live foods which was a bit if a pita......they are lovely feature fish though, and well worth it, especially those electric blues!


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## Westyggx (15 Jan 2013)

Awesome looking fish there Ian love the colours on them.


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## LondonDragon (15 Jan 2013)

Ian Holdich said:


> the femail isn't far behind him


That is one great photo


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## Ian Holdich (16 Jan 2013)

thanks guys...

@ Mike, they do add a great amount of colour to the tank, great little fish to watch as well.

@ Paulo, thank you! it took a fair few shot to get a decent one!

heres a quick in situ shot, starting to get quite overgrown again.


mangrove4 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## tim (16 Jan 2013)

Overgrown suits the scape a lot mate you could easily keep this for a few more trims looks outstanding


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## hydrophyte (16 Jan 2013)

Looking good!


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## Iain Sutherland (16 Jan 2013)

sweeet!


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## stu_ (16 Jan 2013)

Top notch as always.
Can't believe it's time to take this down
Please tell me you're keeping the Rams...


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## danmullan (16 Jan 2013)

Nice shots of the rams mate. I nearly couldn't believe it when I looked at the start of the journal to see it started 4 months ago. You've done an amazing job of keeping it looking this good for this long. Can't wait to see the final photos.


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## Ian Holdich (17 Jan 2013)

Cheers guys!
@ Tim, I might be leaving this for a little longer now, what I'm thinking is that I'm gonna remove the rotala from the back and just replace with more helferi. The rotala has been trimmed and trimmed now, so without completely replanting and starting again, I think I'll replace it.

@ hydrophyte, thank you for the comment!

@ Iain, thank you and I haven't forgot the ranunculus, give me a shout when you get back from aus! 

@ stu, it will be staying for a bit longer, and yes I will keep hold of the rams.

@ dan, thank you for the compliment! That's the best part of a journal IMO, as you can see how far a scape comes over the months.


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## Ian Holdich (29 Jan 2013)

This journal will now come to an end, I have really enjoyed this scape, but it's time to move onwards and upwards. I have a new TMC 60 signature coming on Thursday, and I have sold this tank. I stripped it down today and have opened another tank to keep hold of the fish. I'm undecided whether to keep hold of the fish or start again from scratch. I have rescued most of the shrimp. Got all the otos too.

Managed to get all this out


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr
Believe it or not this came out of 3 pots! I am keeping hold of it as I may use some in the new scape

Here's some more I may use (Iain, I have saved some ranunculus for you)


image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

Bye bye tank...

image by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (29 Jan 2013)

new tank!

Thats some plants there Ian, wow. Keep them rams, they are exceptional. I saw some in my LFS and was tempted, but heard they were quite tempremental, whereas you have stated they aren't. 

Definitely one to try for me in the future.


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## Iain Sutherland (29 Jan 2013)

theres a testiment to plant health, not that you needed one


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## tim (29 Jan 2013)

some lovely looking plants there ian and some great scapes to look back on, looking forward to see some more top layouts in a 60cm.give me a shout if you ever want to off load some of those ferns


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## Ian Holdich (30 Jan 2013)

@ whitey, cheers mate, I was gonna treat myself to an NA, and still will. These TMC tanks are just to good to pass up on though and it's optiwhite, and this old ehiem isn't. You really can see the difference with optiwhite. I'm moving house in the next year or so, so, they'll be room for a 120, but don't tell the mrs.

@ Iain, thank you. I did have the idea and doing what ed does and just taking the plants out and selling them al for say £50 as they come. 

@ Tim, thank you for the comments in this journal, they're much appreciated.If there's any left ill give you a shout.


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## Ady34 (30 Jan 2013)

Ian Holdich said:


> I have a new TMC 60 signature coming on Thursday


ooh, bet you wont sleep tonight, itll be like January Christmas!
Looking forward to it mate


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## Ian Holdich (30 Jan 2013)

All was fine til this morning, when I went to trim down the bars that the grobeams hang one, to find that they won't fit a 60cm. It looks like I'm gonna have to get a tile if I'm to keep the LEDs. Thanks to George for the info on the tiles, and also whitey as it looks like I'm gonna have the same style lighting as him. Plants are ordered and I have some more red moor. I'm also using sand and tropica plant substrate. Which will make a change, as I have used soil for the last couple of years.


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## Deano3 (30 Jan 2013)

looking forward to seeing updates sure will be good one to watch and very helpful
keep us posted

Dean


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## B7fec (30 Jan 2013)

Really looking forward to your new scape Ian, if it's anything like your previous scape then you'll be onto a winner! I'm very interested in seeing how the Tropica substrate looks and how it stands up to aqua soil etc. Hope you sort the lighting out.


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