# Silver Lining - Alex's 96l (Planted)



## fish.com1 (20 May 2009)

Well, my rooms being decorated this weekend after a slight accident with some plant substrate and test solution...

So after it's done i will be able to set the tank up again, so i am now in the process of buying all equipment, after saving for what feels like half my life  

Anyway the specs are

Tank 
80*30*40
96 litres, juwel rekord 96 (internal removed)

Filtration
2*Tetratec ex700 with eheim and tetra media
ebay glass lily pipes

Lighting
18w T8 juwel daylight tube
6 hours for first six weeks then rising to 8 hours

Heating
Hydor eth 200w
25c

Substrate
Oliver Knott Naturesoil normal and fine versions
tropic white sand

Fertilisers
DIY Tropica plant nutrition+ daily

C02
Most likely DIY liquid carbon

Hardscape
Seiryu Stone

Plants 
Bolbitis Heudelotti
Eleocharis acicularis
Veriscularia dubyana

Maintenance
2 50% water changes every week for the first six weeks, then moving on to 1 25% water change each week

I have spent around 4 hours cleaning the tank and removing the filter etc this week. As i said i have just started to buy the equipment, and hopefully should get a delivery or two tomorrow . 

Here is the cleaned tank









Excuse the england badge wallpaper  

Thanks for looking
Alex


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## samc (20 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

ill look foward to seeing what youve in mind    if you could id put another tube in if possible


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## fish.com1 (21 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*



two deliveries today heres what came

Tetratec filters




Unboxed




Filter media




Aquascaping tool kit, dispenser bottles, storage containers, cleaning brushes and aqua ties




Inside tool kit




Digital timers from argos




seiryu stone




I'm excepting the external heater anytime soon also  

cheers
Alex


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## Superman (21 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Ahhh, new tank setup. That's the best bit!
Enjoy.


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## REDSTEVEO (21 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Yeh, New tank setup. Great, its not the doing it that gets you its the waiting.

Patience is a virtue 'my aÂ£$%e.

Steve


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## Dan Crawford (22 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

It looks like your all set, i bet you can't wait! Get the paint brush out pal and hurry them along LOL


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## a1Matt (22 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

exciting times for you 

word of warning - I bought some of the same timers from Argos and one of them worked fine for a few days then started switching erratically.  Hopefully you will not have the same problems, but thought I would mention it so that you can keep an eye on it.

On the bright side I have a tetratec filter as well (ex1200) and love it


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## glenn (22 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

what brand is the aquascaping tools kit and where did you get it from?


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## fish.com1 (22 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*



> Ahhh, new tank setup. That's the best bit!
> Enjoy.


Thanks Clarke



> Yeh, New tank setup. Great, its not the doing it that gets you its the waiting.
> 
> Patience is a virtue 'my aÂ£$%e.
> 
> Steve



Cheers steve, I agree the waiting is the best part  



			
				Dan Crawford said:
			
		

> It looks like your all set, i bet you can't wait! Get the paint brush out pal and hurry them along LOL


  
Yeah i'm looking forward to it, i've been planning this since christmas!

It's all painted up, but the floors being fitted on tuesday  , so i'll have to wait a few more days





			
				a1Matt said:
			
		

> exciting times for you
> 
> word of warning - I bought some of the same timers from Argos and one of them worked fine for a few days then started switching erratically. Hopefully you will not have the same problems, but thought I would mention it so that you can keep an eye on it.
> 
> On the bright side I have a tetratec filter as well (ex1200) and love it



I bought the digital ones because the clockwork ones kept ticking loudly, so I hope these don't do the same  

Good to hear about the filter 


			
				glenn said:
			
		

> what brand is the aquascaping tools kit and where did you get it from?



It's made by aquarium gardening, and it's from aqua essentials 

http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=35


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## LondonDragon (22 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

New tank nice  looking good some far (equipment wise hehe) I have been using those timers for a while and they are fine, I have 6 of them and so far no problems, AE sells some which are identical.


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## fish.com1 (22 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*



			
				LondonDragon said:
			
		

> New tank nice  looking good some far (equipment wise hehe) I have been using those timers for a while and they are fine, I have 6 of them and so far no problems, AE sells some which are identical.



Cheers Paulo, glad the timers are ok.

Just ordered the naturesoil and tropic white sand from aqua essentials. How are you finding the natuersoil Paulo, I know your using it in your shrimp tank


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## LondonDragon (22 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*



			
				fish.com1 said:
			
		

> Just ordered the naturesoil and tropic white sand from aqua essentials. How are you finding the natuersoil Paulo, I know your using it in your shrimp tank


So far so good, but I don't have much in terms of plants here, all low demanding and only dosing TPN+, so can't really compare, the fine version looks great though in terms of plants I could not say to be honest, and haven't done any tests to the water parameters.


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## fish.com1 (23 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Thanks Paulo.

The warehouse aquatics delivery came today. The hydor external heater and some hikari foods came in the parcel

External heater




Unboxed




Hikari foods




Thanks for taking a look  
Alex


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## fish.com1 (27 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Well a bad day today, I went to raise funds for the tank at game, I took 9 games,  three games for the playstation2 (need for speed carbon, juiced, star wars 3) and six for the wii (mario and sonic, ssx blur, simpsons, table tennis, battallion wars 2, fifa 08), to trade them in for cash. I got offered a measley Â£25 for them all!   I was hoping for double that at least, so I told them (in my head  ) to naff off! I'll try and sell them at school, I know i'll make more than Â£25 there  

And to follow that, the naturesoil and sand had come today, but no-one was in to sign for them  , so were going to collect them tomorrow from the post office.


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## fish.com1 (28 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Turned out it was the lily pipes that we missed yesterday so went this morning to collect them from the post office. Then when I got back the Naturesoil and sand had arrived  

Lily pipes - inflow





Lily pipes - outflow









Naturesoil in 10lnormal and 3l fine versions





Tropic white sand 9kg





Oh and i forgot to mention yesterday, my rooms finished so me, the tank and the equipment are all moved back in  
The lino was fitted on tuesday (bargain, only Â£13.99 a square metre!) and i moved back in on tuesday evening.
Heres some photos of my room if anyones intrested:

Bed



Desk



Door



Tanks, Tv




I need to wash the sand and scrub the rocks, so hopefully tomorrow i will get the tank set up with hardscape  

Thanks for looking
Alex


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## Vito (28 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Hey Alex, Nice setup so far, I am curious as to why you went with 2 TTEX700 instead of one TTEX1200.
Regards to the game trading, Game offer mere peanuts for trade-ins, in my experience Computer exchange (CEX) are far more generous than any other retailer, and you can get prices online so your not disappointed at the store.
I'm a big fan of iwagumi and I can't wait to see this one up and running.
All the best!

Vito


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## Lisa_Perry75 (28 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Looks really good, I bet you can't wait to start! Can't believe thats a boys bedroom though - its tidier than mine!!!


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## George Farmer (28 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

I just noticed the open PFK on your desk...   Nice one!

I'm looking forward to seeing this one progress.


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## fish.com1 (28 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*



			
				Vito said:
			
		

> Hey Alex, Nice setup so far, I am curious as to why you went with 2 TTEX700 instead of one TTEX1200.
> Regards to the game trading, Game offer mere peanuts for trade-ins, in my experience Computer exchange (CEX) are far more generous than any other retailer, and you can get prices online so your not disappointed at the store.
> I'm a big fan of iwagumi and I can't wait to see this one up and running.
> All the best!
> ...



Hi Vito

I went for the 2 ex700's because the ex1200 just wouldn't fit in the cabinet, and if one failed at least there is another to keep the tank running  

Thanks for the advice on the trade-ins, i'll have a look at Computer exchange  



			
				Lisa_Perry75 said:
			
		

> Looks really good, I bet you can't wait to start! Can't believe thats a boys bedroom though - its tidier than mine!!!



Thanks Lisa, it's not so tidy now,   theres boxes, rocks and lots of random fishkeeping gear chucked all over the place 



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> I just noticed the open PFK on your desk... Nice one!
> 
> I'm looking forward to seeing this one progress.



Cheers George   shame to see the great planted tank series ending, it was a great read  

I'll hopefully be setting up with substrate and hardscape tomorrow, can't wait  

Cheers 
Alex


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## fish.com1 (29 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

No hardscape today i'm afraid,   but i'm all prepared for tomorrow


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## Superman (29 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Wish I had room for tanks in my bedroom!
Aren't they're noisey?!


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## rawr (30 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

I have three tanks in my bedroom - they're not allowed anywhere else!  They're not noisy at all, although when the internal filters get clogged sometimes it can be quite loud.

This promises to be a nice aquascape, can't wait to see what you do with it.


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## fish.com1 (31 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Clarke, you get used to the noise  

Thanks Thomas  

After two and a half hours of rock arranging yesterday, and another half hour this morning, here is my first ever Iwagumi... 










This is completely different to how I had planned it, so The plants I mentioned will most likely change.

All comments and criticisms welcome, as always  

Cheers
Alex


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## samc (31 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

good first attempt   

although it isnt really a true iwagumi as such it could turn out nice


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## nry (31 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Liking those rocks


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## rawr (31 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

I like it, although it's just like a 'clump' of rocks if you get me? Maybe try to space them out a bit more? It's different anyway, and originality is something to strive for nowadays.


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## nry (31 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

I think the planting could stop them being a lump of rocks...though they're a lump of rocks that perhaps look much better in person.


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## Tony Swinney (31 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Hi Alex

Looks like a great start     If it were me I'd be tempted to rotate the tallest rock a few degrees clockwise, and move the right hand rock further to the right to give a little separation to the group, but thats just me, and I'm only going off a flat front view   

Good luck with the planting.

Cheers

Tony


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## fish.com1 (31 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Thanks for the constructive comments  

Looking at the tank today, I can see what you guys mean that the rocks need to be more seperated. I'm going to have another play around today, with the rocks and substrate etc.

Cheers 
Alex


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## fish.com1 (31 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Right second attempt after another four hours at it this afternoon  













Comments please  

Cheers 
Alex


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## Garuf (31 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Such good rocks! I've really liked all of them so far! all have been pretty much perfect for a hair grass/marslia scape! The new ones are my favourite, it's just a mtter of tweaking them once the substrate is in to add extra depth.


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## samc (31 May 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

that one is great   fills more of the tank too


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## fish.com1 (1 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Cheers Sam and Gareth  

I really appreciatte feedback so would love some more comments.


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## Tony Swinney (1 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Looks great Alex     Maybe a bit too much height difference between the left hand one and the other two, and maybe the right hand 2 are too similar in height.  Or maybe not   

Just my thoughts   

Tony


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## George Farmer (1 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Hi Alex,

Super journal so far mate.  Well done!





Personally, when I'm using rocks I try to make them look as natural as possible.  Like they're coming out of the ground and they've been there for thousands of years.  This is what nature teaches us, but it's not a rule that you have to follow, of course.

However, with this in mind, I consider the left hand large rock to be a little unnatural looking and at odds with the more natural rocks to the right.

The profile of the left rock does not seem to balance well with others.  Do you see what I mean?

You could try and move the large rock around i.e. turn it upside down, back to front etc. etc.  Try all conceivable angles.

The largest rock is the most important in Iwagumi, so it's worth spending some time (I know you done so already - sorry!) to get it right.

The the smaller rocks will follow.

I hope that helps and hasn't put too much of a downer on things.  If you want to go for a truly original Iwagumi then stick with what you've got.

Keep up the good work!


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## fish.com1 (1 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*



			
				Tonser said:
			
		

> Looks great Alex  Maybe a bit too much height difference between the left hand one and the other two, and maybe the right hand 2 are too similar in height. Or maybe not
> 
> Just my thoughts
> 
> Tony



Thanks for the advice Tony.

 I may try and build up the naturesoil more around one of the rocks to get more variation in height.



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> Hi Alex,
> 
> Super journal so far mate. Well done!
> 
> ...



Thanks George for the advice  

I am trying to go for something a bit different, but I can see what you mean about the large rock. I will have another play around this week and perhaps try some different rocks, and try the large one in differnet positions.

Thanks for the helpful post  

Cheers
Alex


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## Tony Swinney (1 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Stick with it Alex     I find rock choice and placement really tough, and find that I have to walk away often, and come back to it with fresh eyes.  At some point you will see it, and it will just look right   

Tony


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## paul.in.kendal (1 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Can I throw a spanner in the works, Alex - and George?

While I can understand exactly what George is driving at, I've been wondering if there is scope for less 'typical' rockscapes.  While what Alex has come up with is not commonplace in nature, there are precedents for it:




That's Brimham Rocks; this is Rough Tor:




Then there's Norber erratic:




These are all daft, 'unnatural' rock formations - but I'm sure plenty of us know of plenty more.

While nature doesn't give us these bizarre arrangements routinely, they're not THAT unusual.

Just a thought


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## Garuf (2 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

I love all of those wild examples. When I used to do railway modeling there was a saying that went "nothing is every wrong, there's always going to be a prototype for something, no matter how far fetched you think it is". This is exactly what you did here.


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## Themuleous (2 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Personally I love the rock work as you've got it. Different and interesting.  It looks 'natural' to me, esp now you've shown us the photos of the landscape that's inspired it.  

Stick with it I say! Its your tank, do want you want with it! There is no wrong way of doing it, so long as its want you want 

Sam


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## George Farmer (2 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> If you want to go for a truly original Iwagumi then stick with what you've got.


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## Vito (3 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*



			
				fish.com1 said:
			
		

>



I have to say I am really drawn to this layout, it kinda reminds me of a fantasy mountian, with the right planting I would say it could be a real success.


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## sari (3 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

I prefer the first layout too, with clever planting you could do miracles with that! I love the stones, so unusual.


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## paul.in.kendal (3 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Yup, me too.  I love the way the top rock overhangs thin air (or rather water  )


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## fish.com1 (4 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Wow. Cheers everyone for the great posts and nice comments. Thanks for posting those unusual scenes up Paul  

I have changed the rocks  , but I have tried to keep the unusual/original feel to it.









I have also tried to position the main stone a little higher than before so it looks more in proportion with the tank size. The smaller rocks are pretty much unchanged with just a few minor tweaks.

Comments again please   

Cheers
Alex


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## fish.com1 (5 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Anyone any thoughts?


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## soton_dave (5 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

i'd say go for what you like personally,for every person who likes it i bet theres one who doesnt,at the end of the day your the ones who's going to be looking at it,changing water,trimming plants etc so your the one who's got to be happy with it.

i personally like bogwood scapes rather than iwagumi's but thats just me personally,to me planted tanks are all about individuality there are no rules as to what should be put where in a planted tank,its one of the few things in life that we can decide 100% on.

sorry im not being helpfull with your rock placement.

cheers dave


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## Garuf (5 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

it's too spread out now, the first one you did in this style was on the money you just need more substrate.


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## paul.in.kendal (6 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Hi Alex
I reckon you've got two options: follow George's advice: 


> Personally, when I'm using rocks I try to make them look as natural as possible. Like they're coming out of the ground and they've been there for thousands of years. This is what nature teaches us, but it's not a rule that you have to follow, of course.
> 
> However, with this in mind, I consider the left hand large rock to be a little unnatural looking and at odds with the more natural rocks to the right.
> 
> ...


Alternatively, you could follow George's advice...


> If you want to go for a truly original Iwagumi then stick with what you've got.
> 
> Keep up the good work!


!!!! The decision is clearly yours, and no-one would be so uncharitable as to suggest you'd got it 'wrong' - there IS no 'wrong'!

Personally, I've got to say I really like the artifice and drama of that high, curling stone - there's a dominance that contrasts with the recumbent second stone, creating a strong contrast and tension.  It's got energy.  

But you've got to live with it - perhaps you'll have nightmares with that cobra waiting to strike in the corner of your bedroom!


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## fish.com1 (6 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Cheers Dave and Gareth. I have more naturesoil, but want to get the rocks right before I put it in, because with too much in it landslides over the barrier onto the sand  



			
				paul.in.kendal said:
			
		

> Hi Alex
> I reckon you've got two options: follow George's advice:
> 
> 
> ...



 

Thanks Paul again, which layout were you talking about then?

I know I am the one has to live with it every day but I also love to have other peoples opinions to think about.


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## paul.in.kendal (6 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

I did like your original, but I also like this tweaked version, with the two main groupings a bit further apart



If it was my tank, I'd experiment with shifting both groupings to the left, so that the gap between them (which creates all the positive tension) is not smack bang in the middle of the aquarium.

If you want some surreal images that show how taking the natural world just a few steps beyond normal can work, try looking at the work of Hokusai: 
http://visipix.dynalias.com/cgi-bin/vie ... &l=en&n=39
You can search this site for "Hokusai mountains" or "Hokusai Rocks" - well worth it.

But a BIG word of warning - I've never had an aquarium in my life!  (I've ordered my very first one from TGM).  So mine is probably the very LAST advice you should be taking!


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## FishBeast (6 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Love it. Like the ratio. Is it gonna be 1-1.6 with a triangle planted shape?


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## fish.com1 (7 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*



			
				paul.in.kendal said:
			
		

> I did like your original, but I also like this tweaked version, with the two main groupings a bit further apart
> 
> 
> 
> ...



 

I bet you can't wait for the tank, looking forward to a journal  

I don't fancy moving the groupings left really, because then there will be very little sand left at the the laft side, and it may look daft with loads on the right. Thanks anyway  



			
				FishBeast said:
			
		

> Love it. Like the ratio. Is it gonna be 1-1.6 with a triangle planted shape?


Thanks  

I'm not sure what ou mean by the ratio  , sorry.


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## paul.in.kendal (8 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*



> I don't fancy moving the groupings left really, because then there will be very little sand left at the the laft side, and it may look daft with loads on the right. Thanks anyway


You see?! YOUR tank, YOUR decision! Go for it - I'm sure it'll be great whatever you do.



> I bet you can't wait for the tank, looking forward to a journal


I'm itching all over...


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## fish.com1 (13 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Well, it's been a busy week, sorting out the tank, and revising for an RE and maths exam... I'm pooped  
I t was worth it though, as I now have a layout which I am happy with...

First of all, I had to sort out the sand, as my barrier, wasn't too effective when the rocks were displacing the substrate  





So after around 2 hours, I had picked out most of the naturesoil, and was left with all this





Oh by the way Lisa, what were you saying about a tidy room  





After learning from my earlier mistake, and not wanting to spend another 2 hours picking naturesoil out of sand, I came up with a simple plan, to keep the sand clean...





Kitchen roll  
The idea being, that any displaced naturesoil, would sit on top of the kitchen roll, and allow me to, carefully take out the messy kitchen roll leaving clean sand





Anyway, after all the preperation here is the finished layout...

















This is how the layout is going to stay(  ), so now I can start thinking about plants. My initial thoughts are 
Fissidens Fontanus
Marsilea Hirsuta
However if i decide on something a little more demanding, I have a backup plan  









I have two 11w arcpods, so one for each hood flap, if need be 8) 
Thanks for looking
Alex


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## fish.com1 (21 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*



> This is how the layout is going to stay(



 

















I would appreciatte some critique on this, especially from people who have experience with iwagumi style layouts, as I have no experience whatsoever.

Cheers 
Alex


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## fish.com1 (23 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Sorry if i'm boring everyone to death all the different layouts  , but I would be very grateful to hear what people think


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## Steve Smith (23 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

It's a really different looking rock layout Alex   I like it, but I think it's just missing something.  The main pillar of rock has a lot of tension, giving the feeling that it's teetering on the edge and could fall at any moment  8) 

Perhaps a smaller stone to the left of it, asif almost supporting it?

I think with the right plants this could be a little gem though!  I see tall hair grass around the tall pillar, almost masking part of it, and shorter hair grass around the base, mixed in with maybe glosso or HC, and maybe something like Staurogyne around the base of the rocks too.

Just how I see it


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## fish.com1 (23 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*



			
				SteveUK said:
			
		

> It's a really different looking rock layout Alex  I like it, but I think it's just missing something. The main pillar of rock has a lot of tension, giving the feeling that it's teetering on the edge and could fall at any moment 8)
> 
> Perhaps a smaller stone to the left of it, asif almost supporting it?
> 
> ...



It has already fallen steve, and made two little scratches in the glass  

I am going to smash the spare stones I have, into smaller pieces and then place them around the plants when planting.

Thanks for the advice on the planting, I have been thinking about using hairgrass, but don't want to go for the typical style planting of iwagumi's. However I am thinking of using hairgrass still, to cover the hole in the left side of the tall rock, and to plant around the other rocks.

Thanks for the advice


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## Steve Smith (23 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Ouch!  Not good 

Something else it reminds me of, is a concrete lighthouse, out in the north sea somewhere.  It conjours some pretty dramatic pics in my mind 

Hmn, if you're looking to steer away from the norm I'm not sure what plants to suggest.  Maybe crypts?  Parva would make a nice smaller crypt, and maybe one or two of the odd crypts from Aquafleur?  Or perhaps some Hydrocotyle verticilata.  That looks amazing if it's done right! (something I'm trying to do at the moment)...

Struggling to offer any other suggestions on the plants!  Perhaps some Pogostemon Helferi?  Doesn't get used in iwagumi/rock layouts as often as it should!  (I have it in my 90cm!)


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## fish.com1 (24 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*



			
				SteveUK said:
			
		

> Ouch! Not good
> 
> Something else it reminds me of, is a concrete lighthouse, out in the north sea somewhere. It conjours some pretty dramatic pics in my mind
> 
> ...



Thanks for the thoughts Steve  

I actually had some thoughts for planting, sorry I didn't make that clear   My thoughts were similar to what I was thinking to begin with, Bolbitis, Moss, and Eleocharis or marsilea, but I do like your idea of hydrocotyle. I've seen that in Dan';s tank and it looked amazing...

Thanks again Steve.


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## fish.com1 (28 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

I ordered the digital scales, and the powders for the diy tpn+ last night, the powders from fluidsensor online.

I would appreciatte any more views on the hardscape/planting. Bolbitis will almost defianetly be used now, and most-likely moss as well. Then either hairgrass,marsilea,hydrocotyle etc.

Cheers 
Alex


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## Mark Evans (28 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

usually in iwagumi layouts the focal stone should t really lean vertically. it may look a little better angled slightly for a more pleasing look?

by no means is it wrong what you've done. but at the end of the day it's about aesthetics right?....so with that main stone leaning in towards the right stone, may translate into something a little better.


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## fish.com1 (30 Jun 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*



			
				saintly said:
			
		

> usually in iwagumi layouts the focal stone should t really lean vertically. it may look a little better angled slightly for a more pleasing look?
> 
> by no means is it wrong what you've done. but at the end of the day it's about aesthetics right?....so with that main stone leaning in towards the right stone, may translate into something a little better.



Thanks Mark  

From living with the tank as it is (i haven't changed it  )for a while,i think the right stone needs to be a little higher, and I can see what you mean about angling the main stone more.

The scales, and powders came today, just waiting on the potassium sorbate from ebay for the diy fertiliser.


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## fish.com1 (8 Jul 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

The Potassium sorbate came last wednesday, so I have everything I need, bar fish,shrimp and plants  

It was my birthday on monday, and I am now the excited owner of a new nikon d40   Hopefully with a little practice I'll be able to get some better shots than with the camera i'm currently using.

This shot is taken with the camera I have used for all the other shots, because I haven't got a memory card yet for the nikon.






Please let me know what you think  

Cheers 
Alex


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## fish.com1 (23 Jul 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

The tank has taken a rather bigger change this time, infact a change of hardscape material  

I decided that since my parents said that I had to keep this setup the same, for a long time(basically until I leave home  )I wanted something a little more intresting, more complex, than an iwagumi stlye layout.

Seen as I already had some redmoor root wood, I decided to take the plunge, and get some more.

I have also taken the sand out, as it was half naturesoil, by the time i'd finished with the rocks  , so when I am happy with the wood, I am going to put some more in.

For the past 2 days I have just been watching tv (dave  ) with my hands in the tank, it's been great  

Here is what I have come up with...









I would love some opinions, and critique on this, I actually quite like it, just a few things need to change...

Cheers 
Alex


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## samc (23 Jul 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

i prefer this one too. you could create a nice low tech setup here with lots of ferns and moss


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## lljdma06 (24 Jul 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

I like this better as well.  Very nice positioning.  Low-tech is always nice.


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## fish.com1 (24 Jul 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Thanks guys, I think I am going to go for ferns and mosses, and try to keep it for a long time


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## aaronnorth (24 Jul 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Good hardscape layout


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## rawr (24 Jul 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

I really like that hardscape, you could have the makings of a great aquascape there! Keep us posted.


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## fish.com1 (24 Jul 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Thanks Aaron and Tom  

I'm off on holiday tomorrow, so when I get back I can start thinking about planting  

I need a way of securing the wood to stop it floating, so if anyone has any ideas I would appreciatte it. I think i'll post something in the aquascaping section too.


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## Themuleous (25 Jul 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

I have to say I think its a shame you changed the hardscape I really liked the rocks, very unusual.  The wood scape is nice but I much preferred the rocks 

Sam


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## paul.in.kendal (27 Jul 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*



			
				Themuleous said:
			
		

> I have to say I think its a shame you changed the hardscape I really liked the rocks, very unusual.  The wood scape is nice but I much preferred the rocks
> 
> Sam


Me too.


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## fish.com1 (11 Aug 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Thanks Sam and Paul. Paul I think i'll leave the iwagumi's to you, yours is much nicer than mine was  

I think it's about time I changed the title now 

I have had some luck on the C02 side of things, because I managed to convince my parents, to let me (or them  ) buy a C02 system. I now have an Â£87 debt   but at least I have a better chance of healthy plant growth  

So yesterday I ordered :
The DD C02 system
4DKH solution 100ml
dazs C02 diffuser mini cup
Some more sand
Silicone (for the wood)
Clear C02 tubing
Drop checker
Nutrafin low ph test kit (bromothlyne blue)
and finally a dazs beetle counter from ebay


So now all that is left to buy is just plants and shrimp  

Plants I will be ordering:
Bolbitis heudelotti
Anubias bateri var nana
Cyperus helferi
Elocharis parvula
Hydrocotyle verticillata
Fissidens fontanus

and I will also be getting 20 cherry shrimp a few days after the tank is set up

When I plant will depend on when the ebay stuff from hong kong or wherever comes, and the contents of my piggy bank   

I almost forgot, the layout has been tweaked and I am now happy with it, so I just need to secure the wood to stop it from floating.

Thanks for reading.


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## fish.com1 (18 Aug 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

The Co2 system, bubble counter, diffuser, 4dkh solution and low ph test kit have all arrived. Pictures below.













I am going to flamingo land for the weekend  , so will finallly be able to set the tank up in the next few weeks, after i'm back.

Cheers
Alex


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## fish.com1 (2 Sep 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Right, everything has arrived excep the clear c02 tubing and also the drop checker from hong kong, but it has been nearly three weeks since they were dispatched, so they should arrive very soon. I also ordered some seachem prime, purigen and also some zeolite, all of which I have recieved.

This morning I have been trying to make my finalized plant list which is below. I have included the amounts so I would love to know if this is enough plants to begin with? I will also get a few bunches of egeria or something to help in the early stages.

Bolbitis heudelotti x10
Anubias bateri var nana x4
Anubias bateri var nana "petite" x2
Hydrocotyle verticillata x4
Vallisneria nana x2
Fissidens fontanus x however much I can get from ukaps members   

Everything except the vallis, and fissidens I am hopefully going to get from the aqautic room. The valllisneria nana, will be from tgm, and finally I am going to ask for soem fissidens in the buy sell and swap section.

If anyone has any other ideas for plants, please let me hear them  

Also, I am going to start the tank using the method dave described here - 
http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=299827

Here is the first month of the tanks life broken down into 4 weeks

Week 1
High C02 (drop checker yellow)
High plant mass
full fertiliser dosing
full light - 4hrs
50% water change every day 
500g zeolite in one filter
100ml purigen in the other filter

Week 2
Same as before only water changes every other day (still 50%)

Week 3 and 4
Same as before, only water changes will be carried out twice a week( still 50%)

After the first month, I will up the light to 6 hours, and also turn the C02 down so the dop checker shows green, and will then add some shrimp and some fish. I will also cut water changes down to once a week, and only 1/3rd of the tank.

Does all this sound ok?

Oh, and the wood is soaking still most pieces have sunk after boiling, but some are still a little bouyant.

Thanks for reading
Alex


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## fish.com1 (2 Sep 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

I have ordered the plants from the aquatic room, so they should come next thursday, and I will be able to plant up the following weekend    

Just to give you an idea how long I have been waiting to set this up, I was hoping that the tank would be fully stocked with fish, by easter at the latest! It's nearly christmas


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## fish.com1 (27 Sep 2009)

*Re: Alex's 96l low light Iwagumi*

Right finally here we go.

The aquatic room couldn't get the bolbitis I ordered in stock, so I had to wait for the following week for the rest of the plants to be shipped as they had missed the courier. Then the next week, the plants didn't get shipped again for some reason, so were sent out last monday, and they then came tuesday. In the meantime I recieved the elocharis acicularis from ebay (fluidsensor), and also managed to get some fissidens from oatfish. I ordered 4 bolbitis from TGM and they came this friday. Oh, aswell as all that I got an arcadia luminaire from mattyc  

This weekend I set the tank up, and have just finished installing all the equipment. Here are the all important pictures...

Hardscaped tank




Planted




Finished with equipment in
















Please feel free to comment and critique, but go easy as it's my first true planted tank  

Cheers
Alex

Oh and the scape has a new name - Silver Lining - named after the colour of the fish that will evantually be going in there - Platinum Tetras


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## samc (27 Sep 2009)

*Re: Silver Lining - Alex's 96l (Planted!)*

that looks really good  

you've done a grand job


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## aaronnorth (28 Sep 2009)

excellent tank, it looks really good


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## JamesM (28 Sep 2009)

Yeah, I quite like this, great job


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## viktorlantos (28 Sep 2009)

Really nice scape. As the photos too. I met with these scapes nowadays all over on the japanese blogs. So you're on the right track 

Congratulations


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## Nick16 (28 Sep 2009)

i dont know if i missed it somewhere in this topic 
where did you get your lilies from? what diameter are they? E.g 17mm


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## rawr (28 Sep 2009)

I really like the simplicity of this! It looks great, nice one.


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## fish.com1 (28 Sep 2009)

Thanks everyone, thats made my day  

Nick the lily pipes are from ebay and are the 13mm ones

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aquarium-Infl...Fish?hash=item29fe3c2ce8&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

I think they do 17mm ones though if thats what your looking for.

Back to the tank, I have done a 50% water change tonight and installed the timers, drop checker, and made the tpn+  

I put some cetarophlyumm demersum on the surface last night, but it "malted" everywhere, so I have taken it out.

Thanks for looking
Alex


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## fish.com1 (4 Oct 2009)

The tank is now a week old, and there haven't been any major problems. Some wood came loose a few days ago and I mucked up the substrate a bit while I repositioned it, and also the filter outlet wasn't blasting the c02 around effectively, but I have fixed that and apart from them minor problems, everything is going smoothly  

There is no signs of algae. I currently have the c02 on from 4-8, and the lights from 5-9, and am dosing 5mls of tpn+ every day. I trimmed back the bolbitis midweek, but apart from the eleocharis, I haven't seen much noticable growth, maybe one or two new anubias leaves.

Here are some pictures. I had a better go at photographing the tank tonight. I messed around with raising the iso, aperture, shutter speed etc, and I think these photos (the full tank shot one anyway) are a bit better than the last ones.














And the full tank shot




Thanks for looking. Please leave your thoughts  
Alex


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## LondonDragon (6 Oct 2009)

Coming along nicely, still looks a little bare to me but that will fill in eventually, the wood will look great when those mosses grow


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## flygja (7 Oct 2009)

Very nice and clean scape! Once it grows and forms a proper mound, it would look wicked.


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## Themuleous (7 Oct 2009)

Def, this'll look quality in a few months.

Sam


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## fish.com1 (9 Oct 2009)

Thanks everyone for the great comments!  

I might try to move the small rocks at the right further forward to take up some more space at the right side. It is looking a little bare over there.

Cheers
Alex


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## Garuf (9 Oct 2009)

How about an anubias on a hunk of rock on the right side? I think that'd look good, maybe with some moss too. That's a really really nice tank you should be very proud of yourself!


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## fish.com1 (18 Oct 2009)

Thanks Garuf  

Heres some photos from tonight - there not great, i was in a bit of a rush  













As you can hopefully see from the images, the hydrocotyle is sending a few new shoots out and one has reached around 6 inches high! I thought _verticalata_ stayed lower than that? Anyway I like how it is poking through the other plants.The anubias has taken off slowly, some of them had to be removed because the leaves were melting at the base. I think some of the rockwool which I didnt get off may have been suffocating the leaves around the rhizome? There are some new bolbitis leaves but they are still quite smalll at the minute.

I am now doing water changes (50%) three times a week, and will hopefully be adding shrimp/otos soon  How many otos will I need? I was thinking 6-8?

Thanks for looking
Alex


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## chilled84 (18 Oct 2009)

how much money have you got lol lol


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## andyh (19 Oct 2009)

Hey Alex

Really like the look of this and it will be great once it fills out a little more.

Hyrdocotyle is an excellent plant, i have plenty in my tank and yes it can grown quite tall, but responds well to a good pruning now and again.


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## fish.com1 (20 Oct 2009)

chilled84 said:
			
		

> how much money have you got lol lol



Not a lot actually, I just happened to save for a long time 


			
				andyh said:
			
		

> Hey Alex
> 
> Really like the look of this and it will be great once it fills out a little more.
> 
> Hyrdocotyle is an excellent plant, i have plenty in my tank and yes it can grown quite tall, but responds well to a good pruning now and again.



Thanks Andy   When the hydrocotyle has filled out a little i'll give it a good cut back  

Thanks
Alex


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## chump54 (20 Oct 2009)

Alex, this is looking great, and feels like a bigger tank than 96l... 

Chris


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## fish.com1 (21 Oct 2009)

Thanks Chris


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## fish.com1 (6 Dec 2009)

I've got some new pictures of the tank as it is today - 













Everyting has been going ok, no serious catastrophes or anyhting. One of the outflow pipes and the glass diffuser managed to break while I was cleaning them, but luckily I had the tetra spare and the plastic diffuser which came with the c02 kit to hand. I doubt I will replace either of them becuase the spraybar and plastic diffuser are fine and the new diffuser is doing a better job than the glass one. I can't really justify the cost of new parts anyway, especially since there doing a fine job.

There havent been any major algae issues just a bit of GSA on the glass. I have added 6 ottos and they have been in the tank for 2 weeks now and seem to be eating fine. I have removed one piece of wood, and added more sand and gravel, and given the fissidens its first trim.

Here are some more images









Im going for Rummy noses instead of platinums, but when I will be getting them I dont know yet, probably after christmas. I also wanted some shrimp but they'll have to wait till i've got some more money.  

Errm i've probably forgotten a lot of things but anyway thanks for looking


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## AdAndrews (6 Dec 2009)

lovely 

I feel for you, having to clean all that sand.


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## skinz180189 (6 Dec 2009)

Love the simplicity of this tank.


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## timme278 (7 Dec 2009)

fish.com1 said:
			
		

> Hardscape
> Seiryu Stone



love the whole thing man, its amazing

i know its a while back, but how much stone did you buy? because im thinking of redoing my 60l and im not sure how much to oder from AE

thanks man


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## fish.com1 (11 Dec 2009)

Thanks everyone.

I think i bought around 14kg of the stone, in 2-3kg chunks but I should have got some heavier, larger pieces as the smaller ones just didnt have enough impact in the tank.

Anyone else any thoughts?


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## fish.com1 (6 Mar 2010)

Im going to do a big water change tomorrow, ill try to get a picture up, havent really been keeping the journal going recently. Ive got some rummy noses, 10 of them, ermm thats all i can think of at the minute, ill do a proper update tomorrow.


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