# Breathing Jungle



## gooddinglucas (4 Jan 2018)

Hello UKAPS,
I'm excited to start my first aquascaping journal here. I'll be rescaping or "modifying" my current 15 gallon (56.8 L) 24in x 12in x 12in (60.9cm x 30.5cm x 30.5cm) from a  single jungle island style to a dual island style. Maybe less "island" and more "jungle" this time. I would like to introduce new plant species to add a bushier, fuller, wilder look.

Ecoscape has descended from it's original glory after moving it to a sunlit room and neglecting maintenance.









I'll be doing something like this.
Keep in mind that I'll be buying new driftwood for the right side, so don't worry.







I already have Dwarf Hairgrass, Hygrophila pinnatifida, java fern, s. repens, and this unidentified tall grass. I want to introduce needle leaf java fern, hydrocotyle japan, Bolbitis Heudeloti and maybe Aponogeton Boevinianus.

I'm considering this piece of driftwood. https://www.ebay.com/itm/No133-Drif...-Aquarium-Stump-Branch-Aquarium-/162276445413

The biggest challenge will be setting up a temporary tank for my boraras brigittae, which I would otherwise drop in my 10 gallon for the mean time, but they are incredibly
timid.

Time to start buying stuff! Also, has anyone tried ordering aquascaping materials such as stone from Amazon? I've been seeing some there but I'm skeptical.


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## gooddinglucas (4 Jan 2018)

Setting up the tempory holding facility. Going to dump some clean seachem flourite and some clean water from Ecoscape. And yes, that is a thermostat hooked up to a heat tape. I dont have a tubular heater, only an inline heater.



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## gooddinglucas (4 Jan 2018)

Ordered the driftwood linked in post #1. New aquasoil will be ordered soon too.


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## gooddinglucas (5 Jan 2018)

Setup the holding facility. Will test water before moving fish and plants. Driftwood also shipped. Psyched! Aquasoil is also ordered



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## gooddinglucas (7 Jan 2018)

Getting there... 



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## gooddinglucas (10 Jan 2018)

After a few days of aquascaping, I'm making some deep progress into this hardscape. I need to finish and start planting soon because my livestock are getting stressed in the holding facility. 

I'm open to hardscaping suggestions too!



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## dw1305 (10 Jan 2018)

Hi all, 





gooddinglucas said:


> I'm open to hardscaping suggestions too!


Can you do anything about the flush cut stump at the front right? It just looks un-natural to me,and draws the eye. 

cheers Darrel


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## AverageWhiteBloke (10 Jan 2018)

Can you throw some plant cuttings in the holding facility? Maybe it will settle the fish a bit. Be careful with that heater as well bud, my understanding is you need to keep them vertical to stop pockets of air to prevent overheating the element.


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## gooddinglucas (10 Jan 2018)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all, Can you do anything about the flush cut stump at the front right? It just looks un-natural to me,and draws the eye.
> 
> cheers Darrel


Might be able to angle cut it to hide the cut from the front, but i was really just going to let it overgrow

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## gooddinglucas (10 Jan 2018)

AverageWhiteBloke said:


> Can you throw some plant cuttings in the holding facility? Maybe it will settle the fish a bit. Be careful with that heater as well bud, my understanding is you need to keep them vertical to stop pockets of air to prevent overheating the element.


I already have a bunch of plants in the holding facility.  Thanks, I didn't know it was for gas bubbles too! Purged some gas already.


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## gooddinglucas (11 Jan 2018)

Definitely close to a week/two weeks away from full planting and filling



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## dw1305 (12 Jan 2018)

Hi all, 





gooddinglucas said:


> Definitely close to a week/two weeks away from full planting and filling


The Java fern leaves look a bit dry, ideally you want enough water in the atmosphere to make them look "glossy".

cheers Darrel


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## zozo (12 Jan 2018)

dw1305 said:


> It just looks un-natural to me



To me too.. Can't grow like that, it's actualy upside down. So for imitating something natural we need some imagination and fantasy.. It was cut down and dug up and kicked into the water by a mad heavy breathing Lumberjack. Then it floated around for a while, it soaked and sank and accidently tipped over and landed upside down on the ponds bottom.

What are the odds? But its a tank with a story..  

For the rest it's a nice looking scape, but that stump indeed, is sticking out like a sore stump.

And Darrel and I never realy critique any hardscape. It's the first time i see him do this.. And i see it also..


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## gooddinglucas (12 Jan 2018)

Dont worry, the plants a
Were just a little dry at the time of photo. I'm definitely looking hardscape tips 

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## dw1305 (12 Jan 2018)

Hi all, 





gooddinglucas said:


> the plants a were just a little dry at the time of photo


 You may find that the leaf margins end up dying and giving a ragged out-line, you may also get <"dead blotches">. We've had a it a couple of times on the forum (and I've had it in my tanks), and eventually I realised it was where I'd let the plants dry out during maintenance etc. 





zozo said:


> And Darrel and I never realy critique any hardscape. It's the first time i see him do this.. And i see it also..


I don't normally comment, and I'm really not in a position to criticize any-one, because all of my tanks are definitely an aesthetic free zone. 

It always amazes me how good people are at aquascaping, even in small tanks. 

I think the last time I commented was probably <"Mission completed">, and before that <"Aquascape Number 1">.

cheers Darrel


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## zozo (12 Jan 2018)

dw1305 said:


> eventually I realised it was where I'd let the plants dry out during maintenance etc.



This i also exerienced, especialy Java fern is extremely sensitive to this. Have a lot planted close to the surface emerging every water change. if i do maintenance and leave the tank partialy drained to long and forget to spray i see the java leaves shrivel up rather soon. Maybe 30 minutes or so and not much longer.. Causing damage that the leaf doesn't recover from. Everytime it happens it results in leaf loss and a few months draw back since that plant is such darn slow grower. 



dw1305 said:


> I don't normally comment, and I'm really not in a position to criticize any-one


 Dito. And personaly i'm rather into the long term tank setups. So i have too little practice and experience to reference to.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (12 Jan 2018)

dw1305 said:


> I don't normally comment, and I'm really not in a position to criticize any-one, because all of my tanks are definitely an aesthetic free zone.



I had a double take as well, actually checked to make sure it was you that said that haha. I never saw the "stump" I think I know what you mean though. I think the scape looks fine, but I don't tend to put too much effort into original scape. First and foremost for me is how easy is it going to be to work on the tank, I tend to move stuff about later as I get a feel and find features I thought were nice initially end up hidden by plants.


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## gooddinglucas (12 Jan 2018)

Where is the stump and the upside down java fern? Need some clarity lol


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## AverageWhiteBloke (12 Jan 2018)

I think it's position 1 mate.


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## zozo (12 Jan 2018)

No2 is the upside down wood.. And indeed the Red circle No1 is the stump that actualy represents the top side of that piece.
The way it is placed now it represents this.


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## gooddinglucas (12 Jan 2018)

zozo said:


> No2 is the upside down wood.. And indeed the Red circle No1 is the stump that actualy represents the top side of that piece.
> The way it is placed now it represents this.
> View attachment 112585


Alright I'll consoder your recommendation... I honestly never noticed this till now

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## zozo (12 Jan 2018)

gooddinglucas said:


> I honestly never noticed this till now



That's what we are here for..  Not to put you down, but to get you up.. It's very common for starters to not see the forest for the trees. It's a lot to take in..
And regarding scaping i consider myself still a starter too..


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## Edvet (14 Jan 2018)

A lot of scaping wood is used upside down actually, always bothers me, but that' just me. I am more biotope inclined,


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## dw1305 (14 Jan 2018)

Hi all, 





AverageWhiteBloke said:


> I think it's position 1 mate.


That is the one. Like "@zozo" says the stump is upside down, I have some of the reservations that "@Edvet" has, but in this case it really is just the flush cut stump. If you don't want to move it you could glue, or staple, some moss to the flat surface. 





gooddinglucas said:


> upside down java fern?


It isn't upside down, it is just dry. If you look at position "2", the fronds look mat in the light, rather than glossy, and once they look like that they don't normally recover.

You can see the difference in these photos, the first one is fine. 





gooddinglucas said:


> ...


The fronds needs to stay wet and glossy like the ones above, which means a lot of spraying if they are out of the water for long.

The rhizome is probably still all right.

cheers Darrel


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## Tim Harrison (14 Jan 2018)

Lucas, if it were my scape I'd be inclined to work on the rock part of the scape a bit more.
In short, I think it may help to add more rocks to give your islands more height and presence, as well as a greater sense of depth and perspective.
Once you're happy with the position of the rocks and the general shape of the islands, try messing around with both rocks and wood to make it look like the roots grew there naturally.
Sloping the substrate front to very high at the back will also help give you a greater sense of depth and perspective and will help with the positioning of the hardscape.
You may then find it easier to create an overall look that you are happy with.


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## gooddinglucas (16 Jan 2018)

Initial planting . Tim, I also re-worked the rocks and really improved the effect, probably why I'm planting now.






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## gooddinglucas (19 Jan 2018)

Filled three days ago and second water change yesterday. Started a strong 8 ppm ammonia. 
Getting some very light tannons which I kinda like as the boraras brigittae often are found in quiet black water streams



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## gooddinglucas (27 Jan 2018)

Featuring a dark DSLR picture! All jokes aside, the aquarium is doing fine; typical strong start with rapid, healthy growth. I've been trimming off any and all old leaves that are growing algae. The staurogyne repens in the front is collecting some brown algae on the older leaves. In response, I've reduced my light period from 13 hours to 11 hours. 

I change 2-4 gallons (7.6L-15L) daily and dose 1 ml Flourish Excel and 2 ml Phosphersus. 

Currently, I am very close to 0ppm Ammonia. I still have 5ppm of lingering Nitrates, but I'll clean the filter and see if it fixes itself. pH around 6.4. Livestock introduction in around a week...?

Wanting to order Narrow Leaf Javafern, Bolbotis Huedeloti mini, and maybe Blyxa Japonica.
the Java Fern will inhabit the rear portions on either side of the valley, and the Blyxa Japonica,if purchased, will be in a similar area. Bolbotis Huedeloti will inhabit the rear corners in an attempt to further direct the focal point _into_ the valley.


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## gooddinglucas (29 Jan 2018)

Ordering plants within the week



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## gooddinglucas (30 Jan 2018)




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## gooddinglucas (30 Jan 2018)

Just noticed my water is buzzing with very small white worms and very small white/clear bugs. I am actually a little excited at this because my Boraras Brigittae are micropreadators. I just need to make sure that these creatures aren't parasitical or harmful to fish/shrimp.


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## gooddinglucas (3 Feb 2018)

Bolbitis Huedelotii, fissidens fontanus, and Microsorum Pteropus added. The moss is just below the powerhead flow to keep it clean and circulated. The Bolbitis Huedelotii came is 6 very small rhyzomes which I planted in the back areas. They're not yet visible. The Very close to acceptable parameters for adding lifestock. .25ppm Ammonia, 6.4 pH, 3-5ppm Nitrate. The Nitrate is a weird story. Readings sit around 0 for the first hour, then after that is levels out at 5ppm. Is this just the test solution fully reacting or dying organisms releasing more nitrate? Confusion.


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## gooddinglucas (6 Feb 2018)

Added 1 Amano Shrimp. 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrate, ~3ppm nitrate. Shrimp is acting normally. If all goes well for a week, I will introduce the rest of the livestock. All plants are growing well.


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## Tim Harrison (6 Feb 2018)

Coming along nicely Lucas.


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## dw1305 (6 Feb 2018)

Hi all, 





gooddinglucas said:


> ...... dying organisms releasing more nitrate?.


You are fine, it isn't dying organisms. 

When proteins are organically degraded they end as ammonia (NH3), this ammonia is then taken up by plants, or enters microbial filtration where it is eventually converted to nitrate (NO3). How quickly that conversion occurs depends upon a number of factors, but the time scale is always going to be longer than the hour.  





gooddinglucas said:


> Readings sit around 0 for the first hour, then after that is levels out at 5ppm. Is this just the test solution fully reacting?


 Nitrates are extremely soluble, so when you add them as chemical salts (KNO3 etc) you should get a very quick dissolution, and within minutes the water column will all have the same amount of NO3- ions. 

The rise in readings will be to do with the test kit and probably interference from other ions. Monovalent ions are quite difficult to measure accurately, even in a lab. 

cheers Darrel


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## gooddinglucas (6 Feb 2018)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all, You are fine, it isn't dying organisms.
> 
> When proteins are organically degraded they end as ammonia (NH3), this ammonia is then taken up by plants, or enters microbial filtration where it is eventually converted to nitrate (NO3). How quickly that conversion occurs depends upon a number of factors, but the time scale is always going to be longer than the hour.   Nitrates are extremely soluble, so when you add them as chemical salts (KNO3 etc) you should get a very quick dissolution, and within minutes the water column will all have the same amount of NO3- ions.
> 
> ...


Literallt the exact scientific explanation i wanted. Thanks

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## gooddinglucas (7 Feb 2018)

Just started dosing Potassium. Increasing in .5ml increments until I hit 2ml/day. had a minor ammonia spike (.25ppm) during filter off period (water change) that stressed the shrimp but all is back to normal. Guessing I suspended the nitrification processes by temporarily reducing oxygen levels...?


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## gooddinglucas (10 Feb 2018)




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## Eduard18 (11 Feb 2018)

Boraras brigittae - lovely little fish ; I have them and I love these little guys


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## gooddinglucas (11 Feb 2018)




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## gooddinglucas (13 Feb 2018)




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## gooddinglucas (4 Apr 2018)

Doing fine,  everything growing.  Just having some foggy water and some branchy stiff algae in a few places. 



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## Tim Harrison (4 Apr 2018)

Looking good Lucas. Your water conditions, and what sounds like staghorn algae point to relatively high organics in the water column. Substrate disturbance is often cited as the cause.
It also may point to inadequate fertz dosing, and low and/or fluctuating CO2. Make sure your drop checker is lime green at lights on and all the way till lights off. And make sure your flow and distribution of CO2 is good.


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## gooddinglucas (4 Apr 2018)

I have no co2 hahahahaha

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## Tim Harrison (4 Apr 2018)

Haha, well that might explain it then...in that case I think you are doing very well 
Do you dose fertz?


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## gooddinglucas (4 Apr 2018)

the algae is green and stiff. I dose 2 ml of Excel,  Potassium,  and Phospherous *almost* daily unless i forget!  Nitrogen from the aquasoil,  ya know? 

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