# 'Lava Negro'



## Alastair (20 Dec 2013)

whilst my big tanks growing in and i get round to adding the rest of the plants to it, i thought id make a start on my spare 100 litre tank for a few crystal shrimp soon. 

couldnt think of a title name but considering the scape uses black lava i thought id just use the spanish pronunciation as its name.


tank specs: 60x38x38cm 

filtration: eheim liberty 2042

lighting: Fluval Aqualife & Plant Multi Spectrum Nano led. 

Substrate: Tmc Nutrasoil Black

Hardscape: Various sizes of black lava rock given to me by a friend and Unipac Black Lava Rock.
					a nice rooted piece of driftwood and a thin piece of redmoor

Plants: Low maintenance ferns, anubias and little moss.

just waiting for my eheim liberty so using a little fluval u1 just for now.
heres the tank before starting 

 

im very interested to see how the fluval aqualife tile performs.
Out of the box it feels really well built and solid, and was very simple to put together.  i just had to attach the fitting to the glass and attach the tile to the chrome light arm. its around 7800k but gives off a lovely color and even though its not meant to you can raise it giving a wider spread, although it looks great pushed down as it gives shade to the side of the scape. currently its up. 

 http://www.ukaps.org/forum/KineticUploader/up.html#
 
 

start of set up 
 

just uploading some pics to flickr now


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## Iain Sutherland (20 Dec 2013)

sweet, as i said before mate love the idea of anubia and fern....but  you know that its crying out for some compact buce's climbing up that rock work

Chili - Aquarium shrimps plants aquascaping London

cant wait to see it planted mate, the shrimp will be happy inverts no doubt.


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## James O (20 Dec 2013)

Very nice!  The shrimp should really stand out from the substrate and rocks.  Are you going to have a  background - black maybe?


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## Gary Nelson (20 Dec 2013)

Looking great mate, the light looks a nice bit of kit.... Looking forward to seeing more of this


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## darren636 (20 Dec 2013)

What's the light like ? Do you like the light? Light. Like. Light. Did it leave your wallet feeling light? I don't like light wallets. But I do like bright lights.


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## tim (20 Dec 2013)

Lovely layout Al, as Iain stated crying out for bucep's on that rock work, stunner in the making mate


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## Deano3 (20 Dec 2013)

looks great Alastair love the hardscape and interested to see how the light performs

Dean


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## Ian Holdich (20 Dec 2013)

Nice hardscape mate!


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## Alastair (20 Dec 2013)

Iain Sutherland said:


> sweet, as i said before mate love the idea of anubia and fern....but you know that its crying out for some compact buce's climbing up that rock work


thanks mate, having just seen the link you posted, i think ill be buying some of that. thats a lovely variety. £11 pound for a plant though. best be worth it mate ha ha



James O said:


> Very nice! The shrimp should really stand out from the substrate and rocks. Are you going to have a background - black maybe?


cheers James, thats what im hoping for, the shrimp will contrast really well and plenty of caves and hiding places for them. background im really struggling to decide, i thought black but then seeing it full now i like the clear look, downside is i can see all the equipment.



Gary Nelson said:


> Looking great mate, the light looks a nice bit of kit.... Looking forward to seeing more of this


 
Charz Gary mate, it came together really well. im pleased with this and the light really does look nice mate, colour it gives off is perfect and gives a lovely spread everywhere. theyll be updates on this as i add other bits to it, and the shrimp in a few weeks time when its finished giving off ammonia. 



darren636 said:


> What's the light like ? Do you like the light? Light. Like. Light. Did it leave your wallet feeling light? I don't like light wallets. But I do like bright lights.


 


tim said:


> Lovely layout Al, as Iain stated crying out for bucep's on that rock work, stunner in the making mate


wallet didint feel much lighter and light is bright . i must say yep i do like the light alot. if you had red plants this would really bring the colours out. it also has a night light mode which is a very soft faint blue. 



Deano3 said:


> looks great Alastair love the hardscape and interested to see how the light performs
> 
> Dean


Hiya Dean thanks mate. its planted and filled so will be able to see how the plants do under it. 




Ian Holdich said:


> Nice hardscape mate!


 
Hiya pal, thanks for the comments. id tried a few different layouts at first, almost went for a full wall across the back of lava but settled for this


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## Alastair (20 Dec 2013)

heres a few shots of it planted up and a phone pic of it filled. excuse the bag of stones on the wood but i found a floater when i came back home just before so had to wedge the wood back down.

DSC_0492 by Mr-T-, on Flickr

left side

DSC_0496 by Mr-T-, on Flickr

middle

DSC_0497 by Mr-T-, on Flickr

right side

DSC_0498 by Mr-T-, on Flickr


20131219_223613 by Mr-T-, on Flickr

and a filled shot - excuse the bubbles on the glass

Untitled by Mr-T-, on Flickr


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## BigTom (20 Dec 2013)

Great choice on the anubias, they really seem to suit those sorts of nooks and crannies.


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## Iain Sutherland (20 Dec 2013)

Alastair said:


> £11 pound for a plant though. best be worth it mate ha ha


sure you can work something out 



Alastair said:


> i thought black but then seeing it full now i like the clear look, downside is i can see all the equipment.


white foam board would work quite well mate and fits with the liberty. If your feeling creating a bit of orange/yellow/blue spraypaint to get the shrimp in the mood baby...

Ive seen Amano rub mashed fissidens over lava rock prior to filling (like dry starting almost), some will float but a lot will take due to the little holes and looks pretty smart, would likely work with coral pelia or Cladophora would be interesting to see.  Sorry for going on, just things i want to try but dont have enough tanks


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## Lindy (21 Dec 2013)

Looking really nice! You seem to be able to do no wrong... .

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## James O (21 Dec 2013)

Alastair said:


> cheers James, thats what im hoping for, the shrimp will contrast really well and plenty of caves and hiding places for them. background im really struggling to decide, i thought black but then seeing it full now i like the clear look, downside is i can see all the equipment.



How about some of that opaque plastic on the rear glass?  Then a sheet of white card leaning against the plugs with a small gap between.  That way you'd not be able to see the wall/card and could even backlight with a cheap led strip 

Nice planting btw. Are those the narrow 'needle' leaf java ferns?


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## Alastair (21 Dec 2013)

BigTom said:


> Great choice on the anubias, they really seem to suit those sorts of nooks and crannies.


Cheers tom. They were a few old pots id had standing in the holding tank from the intial plant of the big tank. 
I love the anubias petite mate. Wish tropica could do a mini variety of the petite too. 


Iain Sutherland said:


> sure you can work something out
> 
> 
> white foam board would work quite well mate and fits with the liberty. If your feeling creating a bit of orange/yellow/blue spraypaint to get the shrimp in the mood baby...
> ...



Funny you mention that mate as george sent me some of his fissedens/riccia mix which I thought id stick in my mini shrimp tank. Its only under a 3w ikea led with no ferts no co2 and ia growing really well. Slow but very lush. I might get some and try and attach it to the lava somehow. The riccia pegged it but the fissedens is doing great. 
Ive just got some cladaphora so might see if I could attach it to the base where the lava meets the substrate.  Ill drain the tank down and give it a try this evening. 



ldcgroomer said:


> Looking really nice! You seem to be able to do no wrong... .
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk



Aww thanks lindy that's really kind of you. I might move the lower fern on the right though as when that takes off itll cover the gap between the two islands. 



James O said:


> How about some of that opaque plastic on the rear glass?  Then a sheet of white card leaning against the plugs with a small gap between.  That way you'd not be able to see the wall/card and could even backlight with a cheap led strip
> 
> Nice planting btw. Are those the narrow 'needle' leaf java ferns?



Not a bad idea that james. The opaque wouldnt be too bad actually. Think ill get some ordered and see how it looks. The gap between the back of the tank and the plugs is really tight. Doesnt look it on the photos. Maybe a nice orange sunset look behind the tank. 

Yes they're the narrow leaf java not needle leaf.


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## Plunket (21 Dec 2013)

Loving this one mate....crystal heaven


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## Aron_Dip (21 Dec 2013)

Looks wicked mate.. will make a great home for your shrimp


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## steveno (21 Dec 2013)

Looks great, looking forward to seeing shrimp in there...


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## Ruke (31 Dec 2013)

Looks very nice with a nice light set up


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## roge21 (31 Dec 2013)

Looks very well


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## Pedro Rosa (31 Dec 2013)

Very good Alastair. Really nice hardscape and planting.

Pedro.


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## Ben C (31 Dec 2013)

Really nice, Alastair. There is nothing more beautiful than a healthy Anubias.


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## Alastair (1 Jan 2014)

Plunket said:


> Loving this one mate....crystal heaven


thanks mate. Its growing in really well now. They better like it. 


Aron_Dip said:


> Looks wicked mate.. will make a great home for your shrimp


cheers buddy. Ive got an itch to do a bigger version in the living room :/ 


steveno said:


> Looks great, looking forward to seeing shrimp in there...


 thanks steveno.  Kind words. Shrimp will be in next week finally. Will be careful which I pick to go in. Quite liking just snowballs and golden bees for a nice contrast.  


Ruke said:


> Looks very nice with a nice light set up


hey ruke. Thank you. And yes the light is really really good. Not too powerful, no algae yet very nice plant growth and colour.  


roge21 said:


> Looks very well


 thanks mate. 


pmgsr said:


> Very good Alastair. Really nice hardscape and planting.
> 
> Pedro.


Hiya mate. Thanks for the positive feedback. Im proud of it. Very simple but looks nice with next to zero input needed. 


Ben C said:


> Really nice, Alastair. There is nothing more beautiful than a healthy Anubias.


Agreed ben. Id love a big tank of this stuff


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## Alastair (1 Jan 2014)

Ive just taken a quick photo on my s4 but will take some proper photos with my dslr next week once shrimp are in. 



 

Growth is going well, the larger anubias nana is flowering too. Im only fdoing 1 10percent water change a week and adding one pump of tropica specialised and everything looks very healthy. 
Ive since added an eheim liberty 2042 and the water looks crystal clear as if purigen is in. Great filter and great flow too. 

Lighting is on 6 hours a day and its a fantastic little unit.  Very well worth the money. Ive not encountered any algae so far, colours really pop in the tank and im hoping the crystals will look great in their too.  really am taken to this little light.  Mixtures of blue red and white leds. The phone makes it appear slightly pink but its not as my camera will show. The night light is great too.

Id definitely recommend these too anybody looking to buy a small led unit. 
Im buying a par meter soon so can give readings on it.

the wood is still weighted down as its not completely absorbed water yet. Hope its off for next week.

im going to order some bucephs to add in and filling in the gaps with cladarophora balls


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (2 Jan 2014)

Exceptional as usual Alistair. Nice one mate.


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## Iain Sutherland (2 Jan 2014)

my water is cystal with the liberty too, maybe something to do with high o2 levels feeding the bacteria??  The 18mm shrimp cages fit well too with a little jiggery pal.
Shrimp are gunna love that mould!


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## Graham01 (11 Jan 2014)

Great looking setting up as always Alastair what's the make of the tank looking for something much the same


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## Alastair (12 Jan 2014)

Nathaniel Whiteside said:


> Exceptional as usual Alistair. Nice one mate.


Cheers Nath. Very kind mate 



Iain Sutherland said:


> my water is cystal with the liberty too, maybe something to do with high o2 levels feeding the bacteria??  The 18mm shrimp cages fit well too with a little jiggery pal.
> Shrimp are gunna love that mould!


Yeah im very happy with the liberty. Ive just got some fluval pre filters which fit perfectly.  Shrimp going in this week. 



Graham01 said:


> Great looking setting up as always Alastair what's the make of the tank looking for something much the same



Ermmmm good question ill check now graham


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## Alastair (12 Jan 2014)

Have had a little change about with some additional wood and teplaced the narrow leaf with windelov and covered the wood with moss to give it an aged look.
 Im also contemplating making the whole back glass a 'fissedens fontanus wall. I just need to get a loan out for the amount of fissedens needed. 
Its a little cloudy but will clear quickly. 
Shrimp will be in this week too so excited to get the f1s in then the blue pandas in a few more weeks.


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## faizal (13 Jan 2014)

Amazing aquascape Al  . I can already imagine how awesome it will look once the fissidens fontanus wall comes up. I have no idea how you manage to make your ferns look so healthy every time without co2. I keep roasting mine


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## nduli (20 Jan 2014)

Superb little scape. Live the black lava and the light. Hmm I can feel a re scape coming on.


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## Four50 (18 Feb 2014)

Would love to see an update on this, did you manage to get shrimp in and a par reading?


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## Alastair (18 Feb 2014)

faizal said:


> Amazing aquascape Al  . I can already imagine how awesome it will look once the fissidens fontanus wall comes up. I have no idea how you manage to make your ferns look so healthy every time without co2. I keep roasting mine


Hey faizal thanks mate. Kind words as always  

Im still saving for the fissedens wall but everything else is growing really really healthy. Literally just a tiny water change and one squirt of tropica specislised once a week. 
It gets lots of comments when people go from looking at the big tank to my kitchen to see this. 



nduli said:


> Superb little scape. Live the black lava and the light. Hmm I can feel a re scape coming on.



Thanks nduli. The light really is a fantastic unit. Im not just saying that but the colour it gives off is beautiful and both plants and shrimps look amazing under it.


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## Alastair (18 Feb 2014)

Four50 said:


> Would love to see an update on this, did you manage to get shrimp in and a par reading?



Can get some updated photos tomorrow evening for sure. Lights are off now. 

Shrimp are in, f1s x prl and blue pandas/shadows are in this week. 

I have the par meter hear and only briefly tested it but at surface level it was very good and substrate was too. Ill do proper readings tomorrow


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## Alastair (20 Feb 2014)

Going to take some photos of this tonight as its grown in a little but just snapped a first sighting of a f1 prl shrimplet. 

Excuse the crap shot


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## Lindy (20 Feb 2014)

Took a while to spot it but great news! Can't wait to see the shadows...


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## Alastair (20 Feb 2014)

ldcgroomer said:


> Took a while to spot it but great news! Can't wait to see the shadows...



Hey. It took me a while to realise what it was. I thought it was a mts. Have spotted 3 others since. I believe you have berried ones now???


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## Lindy (20 Feb 2014)

My wine red and a prl/shadow panda hybrid are berried 

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## Alastair (20 Feb 2014)

ldcgroomer said:


> My wine red and a prl/shadow panda hybrid are berried
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk


Oooooo sounds good . Thats what that shrimplets from but they kept that one quiet.


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## tim (20 Feb 2014)

Congrats on the babies mate, looking forward to a full tank update. This is set to be another stunner.


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## aliclarke86 (20 Feb 2014)

What's wrong with my tank  no berries at all in the new setup  

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## Iain Sutherland (20 Feb 2014)

Nice mate, don't know what your schedule for WC is but after reading breeders and keepers a lot of them say no WC when about to drop and when you first see tiny shrimpies to reduce the infant mortality rate.... I like that as it means never water changing lol
Itching for full tank shot now... 


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