# p@h 30cm, Dragonstone Iwagumi attempt (DSM) Now Flooded



## m_attt (22 May 2013)

Been a while since I've been on the site, Have to say some people who had just started the hobbie wow you have amazing tanks now. I had a lot going on and the tanks had to take the background. So now things are more stable I thought i'd have a go at my first Iwagumi. Its defiantly not as easy as loads of people on here make it look. a small cube seams a really hard size to get the perspective right.

so after a days placing and re-placing i finally have a rock arrangement that i'm happy with (criticisms welcome) so will leave it for a few days and make sure i'm happy still then order the plants. Going with the dry start method as want some carpet plants, had success before but fancy trying something new. and gives me some time to sort the rest of the equipment i need.

so pictures.


DSCN0131 by mattt4985, on Flickr


DSCN0135 by mattt4985, on Flickr


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## jimjim27 (23 May 2013)

looking good so far


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## Steve Smith (23 May 2013)

Great layout Matt.  The small rocks up front may disappear fast, but the placement overall looks really good


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## m_attt (23 May 2013)

Thanks for the kind words, yeah think i forgot the height of the plants when pushing the rocks in the sand, was probably going with HC at the front so if i lift the rocks out so they rest on top hopefully they shouldn't disappear to much.

Going to order the plants so will update soon


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## George Farmer (23 May 2013)

That's a lovely rock layout. You have a good eye for composition.

Good luck with the DSM.


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## m_attt (24 May 2013)

wow thanks George, nice to get a comment like that from someone with your experiance


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## vauxhallmark (24 May 2013)

Is there any space to plant behind the rocks? Or maybe you don't want any there!


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## m_attt (24 May 2013)

Hi, here's a pic from the top plenty of room around it all for plants and cleaning  most likely going to be hair grass around the back so doesn't need much room.


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


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## DanMac (24 May 2013)

Very nice, You can tell that's going to look great straight away.

I too am going to be putting in hairgrass at the back of my tank, I am using a fine gravel as substrate which is only 2 inches in depth in the areas I want to plant it. Also I dont have a carpet, Would 2 inches be enough to hold the hairgrass if I dont disturb the area too much after they're in?

Cheers.


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## m_attt (24 May 2013)

thanks, yes it should be Ive grown hair grass carpets in sand  inch or so deep


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## m_attt (25 May 2013)

Planted this up today, with the new 1-2 grow, S.repens, HC and Mini Hairgrass. was very impressed how far the HC went, cuts up loads more than 8 peices like it says on the pot. S.Repens was good stuff too. Not so impress with the Hair Grass though, was a lot of wastage did not divide up easily and had to remove a lot of browned leaves.

will wait for the sun to go down a bit and get some shots up.


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## m_attt (26 May 2013)

sorry for delay, quick snaps before clean up. not the best never been good at photography. 

any tips to keep up heat and humidity with out causing rot or mold. Currently have glass lid in with cling film over the top to seal gap.

regards


DSCN0152 by mattt4985, on Flickr


DSCN0151 by mattt4985, on Flickr


DSCN0143 by mattt4985, on Flickr


DSCN0141 by mattt4985, on Flickr


DSCN0140 by mattt4985, on Flickr


DSCN0138 by mattt4985, on Flickr


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## Ady34 (26 May 2013)

Very nice.
Not sure how you will keep humidity high without a heat source. Many use under tank heat mats to warm it up a little, in larger tanks a container with water and a heater work, but obviously no good in here as there's nowhere to seat it.
Maybe your light will add heat to the sealed tank.....maybe a lamp with a filament bulb could be used to warm it a bit....unsure of the science behind that though, just me speculating really.
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## SalvadorNL (26 May 2013)

Very nice layout. I'll be following this journal


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## Palm Tree (26 May 2013)

You should be fine without a heat source, I never use one and I have never had a problem.


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## Mr. Teapot (26 May 2013)

Always enjoyable watching someone craft something so effortlessly. Can't wait to see how this progresses from such a strong start. Love the rocks, plants and the whole layout. Must have been really problematic designing a layout to fit a symmetrical space and love the way you've made it all work. Fantastic.


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## m_attt (26 May 2013)

SalvadorNL said:


> Very nice layout. I'll be following this journal


 
Thanks, hope it grows now 




Palm Tree said:


> You should be fine without a heat source, I never use one and I have never had a problem.


 
ideal, the room is normally 21-22 degrees and the tank has steamed up now so fingers crossed its enough




Mr. Teapot said:


> Always enjoyable watching someone craft something so effortlessly. Can't wait to see how this progresses from such a strong start. Love the rocks, plants and the whole layout. Must have been really problematic designing a layout to fit a symmetrical space and love the way you've made it all work. Fantastic.


 

Thanks for the kind words, it was far from efortless , took a day of playing with rocks and reading guides on laying out rocks and perspective. had to walk away from it a few times. Being a small cube was hard to not make it look like a pile of rocks in the middle.


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## m_attt (27 May 2013)

what temp/humidity should i aim for, it has steamed up now and the rocks are staying wet so would that be enough?


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## Nutty (27 May 2013)

Hi m_att

Scape looks great, really good job making the tank look bigger than it is!
How long do you think you'll dry start for?

Cheers,
Nutty


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## m_attt (27 May 2013)

cheers, Im not sure not really read up on it. was going to see how it goes. prob whenthe plants have gown in and start to spread


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## logi-cat (28 May 2013)

layout looks brilliant, it'll look amazing once everything grows in.


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## m_attt (28 May 2013)

thanks


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## Reidy (29 May 2013)

looks like a really nice setup,and to be fair they are some very nice pieces of dragon rock


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## m_attt (30 May 2013)

lucky hit with a hammer lol.

We all know plants love co2 so i thaught i would try something with my old paintball tanks and airline. seal the tank and fill it with co2 


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


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## Andy Thurston (30 May 2013)

I wondered if it would help when i started my propagator but figured just replacing the air once/twice a day would be enough 3-4 weeks later its really taken off, growing like a weed. That being said people use co2 in hydroponic setups so it might help. I suspect its more work for a little improvement


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## m_attt (1 Jun 2013)

update, after 1 or 2 weeks. haven't done anything other than the occasional mist with sprayer. can see why DSM is preferable the plants look so green and healthy and growing in very well compared to a wet start carpet.


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


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## terry82517 (2 Jun 2013)

Are you leaving a gap in the cling film or opening it up for some time once a day?  I can't decide what is the best way to go about it! Worried about getting mould!


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## m_attt (2 Jun 2013)

it has a glass lid, then wrapped tight in clingfilm. open it every 2 or 3 days i was worried about mould as not done one before but all seams fine and doesn't smell bad or mouldy, still fresh.


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## Rich Jackson (2 Jun 2013)

I take it you are just opening the bottle and filling the airspace in the tank with CO2 then sealing it up again?


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## m_attt (2 Jun 2013)

Yeah pretty much that


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## Reidy (3 Jun 2013)

looking nice


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## m_attt (7 Jun 2013)

this is were its at now, dont know why i didn't use a DSM before, the plants look great so healthy also credit to the new 1-2 grow range.


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


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## m_attt (11 Jun 2013)

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Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


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## Ady34 (12 Jun 2013)

Looks really impressive and filling in nicely


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## m_attt (12 Jun 2013)

Thanks Ady, Im very impressed with the 1-2 grow, the growth rate is amazing.


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## Deano3 (12 Jun 2013)

looks lovely and green, very healthy and spreading nicely

Dean


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## m_attt (30 Jun 2013)

now flooded , can recomend a dry start to anyone. works wonders. will update with better pics soon. stuck old eiheim in/out for now untill get some glassware. co2 here on monday.


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


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## Ady34 (30 Jun 2013)

Lovely, lush looking and well laid out tank. Deserves the glassware to finish it off nicely 
Cheerio
Ady


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## nayr88 (30 Jun 2013)

Ady34 said:


> Lovely, lush looking and well laid out tank. Deserves the glassware to finish it off nicely
> Cheerio
> Ady


2nd that! with the glassware in place itll been a cracking little piece of living art you have created there m_att. thee old lucky hammer served you well with those rocks aswell


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## m_attt (30 Jun 2013)

thank you both for the kind words


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## LancsRick (30 Jun 2013)

Gorgeous looking tank, and making me seriously consider ripping down my "storage" 20cm p@h tank and giving a dry start a go with it. Talk about the definition of "verdant green".


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## m_attt (5 Jul 2013)

thanks very much 

HC pearling 24/7 


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


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## ghostsword (5 Jul 2013)

Superb tank.. looks really nice.. Great work..


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## m_attt (9 Jul 2013)

ghostsword said:


> Superb tank.. looks really nice.. Great work..


 

sorry just seen your reply, thanks for the kind words.

update, 1st trim has now completely carpeted  in 6 weeks love this 1-2 grow. Its more like 1-2 rug put it in your tank and roll it out lol.


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


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## Samjpikey (9 Jul 2013)

Smart tank , looks like you've encountered no problems . I'm sure many are envious of your experience


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## m_attt (9 Jul 2013)

thanks, i would say its down to the quality of the plants tropica have come up with. to be honest i havent put much effort in the tank, planted it then left it covered misted it every few days and it grew. the s.repens went a bit leggy since flooding as i need a needle valve to sort the gas properly. Needs sorting soon before get issues but other than that fingers crossed its be all good so far.


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## Samjpikey (9 Jul 2013)

Sounds good . 
Did you leave a gap in the top whilst in dsm ?? I'm currently misting twice a day purely the fact that the staurogyne leaves are not moist , is this a sign that they need misting ?? Tank is still above 90% humidity . 
I started dsm 5 days ago and growth has been crazy in the hc and staurogyne and the hair grass has rooted down nicely so I'm hoping will go smoothly for me to (touch wood) , 
Good luck anyways


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## m_attt (9 Jul 2013)

nope was air tight with cling film, tank looked steamy and mositure on sides. misted it as and when i remembered few days at time. my styro had dry leaves. no idea wat temp or humidity was. as said hardly any effort went in, the plants are just top quality.


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## Samjpikey (9 Jul 2013)

Ahhh ok cool , do you think having the co2 in there made a noticeable difference?


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## m_attt (9 Jul 2013)

what before it was flooded? if so i got bored after a few days and gave up ha


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## George Farmer (9 Jul 2013)

Great little tank and impressive results with the DSM. 

Good luck with the longer-term submersed layout- I hope it remains as trouble-free for you  .


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## m_attt (9 Jul 2013)

thanks George, see a few problems sneaking in that need to be sorted but fingers crossed as this is my 1st tank thats worked and im happy with


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## Tomfish (10 Jul 2013)

It all looks so healthy, I struggled to get my hc to look so crisp. Its so green it makes me want to eat it, forget about brocilli, i'd rather steamed hc


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## Gill (10 Jul 2013)

The 1-2Grow HC is very good, have used it in the past with great results in lowtech.


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## m_attt (6 Aug 2013)

had a few problems after such a good start, mainly brown algae down to new setup and still waiting for a needle valve to turn up so fluctuating co2 levels. gave the tank a heavy prune and a clean so hope it will stay at bay. Hairgrass has grown in now, styro needs cutting back constanly and HC has formed a nice thick carpet, must have cut a good cm or two off today.

rubbish pic on phone, will try with better camera later on 


Untitled by mattt4985, on Flickr


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## Spartacus (6 Aug 2013)

That is a gorgeous looking tank - You should be very proud.

I love the colours of the Dragon Stone and the plants. Very lush!

Thank you for sharing


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## Deano3 (6 Aug 2013)

lovely tank, and lovely green and I too am envious of ur experience hopefully stays trouble free or close enough, I am sick of battling algae

Thanks dean


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## terry82517 (3 Sep 2013)

How's the tank mate?


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