# Portinho da Arrábida - uma vista de Troia



## GreenNeedle (4 Jul 2011)

Long time since I last started a journal on my main tank   The last one was 'Once upon a time at the riverbank' which started on 2nd March 2009 and ran until April this year.  I thought I would start this journal early so you can laugh at how much I change my plan before I set it up.

I had already planned the new scape at the prior to breaking down the tank and had named it 'Rio Bonito' however I then decided to change the decor of my lounge and I always tend to scape to the surroundings.  Therefore I felt 'Rio Bonito' wouldn't be the scape for the new decor.

I'll show you pics of the lounge when I set up the tank so you can see what I mean however it is quite modern looking, minimalistic and pretty techy.  Not in a gadgety bachelor pad way.  It has class (at least I think so) Therefore I want the scape to 'mirror' the modern minimalist feel of the room.

I will do Rio Bonito later on in my life 

So inspired by the new lounge I had in mind something like Felipe Oliveira's 'Rounded Stones' when it was in it's infancy and the plants were still quite low.






This is Felipe's site:
http://faao.blogspot.com/

I don't want to copy things.  just use inspiration and this was the starting point.  so I googled aquascapes using lots of stone and less planting or at least discreet planting.

Low and behold up came a picture that I instantly loved.  Clicked on it and it was George's original Project Scree   George's scapes have always had a heavy influence on my scaping although probably not noticeable from my attempts. lol

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=12095

I am no fan of Iwagumi.  I find them uninspiring and pretty boring with stones placed in carpets etc however this scape of George's seems to have taken Iwagumi or at least rock hardscaping to another level.

At the moment I can't see too far past George's scape in terms of what I want to do.  A bit like being inspired by a song and then everything you write yourself sounds just like it. lol. however I want to do something along those lines albeit with the trademark Needle Fern in the scape.  I don't mean it is easy to copy a scape.  I can easily put rocks in similar positions to George's however I am not so sure I have the eye that George has so of course mine may not have that perfection of placement etc.

It will of course have to have some thinking over suitable components within the tank as I do not select fish for a scape.  My fish move from scape to scape.  Therefore I have to make sure the substrate is suitable for my Corys.  Another consideration is I can't use sand if I want to have a slope as they will level it out within days.

As I was planning to return to CO2 and 'higher' light for Rio Bonito I've already bought most of the new CO2 rig.  Just need to get an FE and some 4dKH.  I have sourced my rocks, started looking for suitable substrates and the plants I plan to use (which will likely change and change back etc prior to starting) are from my little nursery (One of those 3 tier mini greenhouses filled with propogators and the like in my cupboard)

Never really worked with rock before.  Just used stones as accents and I've always let the plants do their thing jungle style.  Not letting them get out of hand but enjoying the sight of loads of green   Therefore tis will be a challenge. First time with no wood in the tank and trying to use the open space well (meaning above the scape)

Hope things go well and you enjoy the journey.  And apologies to George for using his hardscape as a starting point.  I will probably try to imitate his completely before I start moving things around a bit.

Regards
Andy


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## Ian Holdich (4 Jul 2011)

*Re: 125ltr as yet untitled scape in the advanced planning st*

look forward to it Andy! Nice start to your journal mate.


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## GreenNeedle (4 Jul 2011)

*Re: 125ltr as yet untitled scape in the advanced planning st*

I should add that I will be hoping to get this up and running in the next 4 weeks.  Baby due (yes a real one, its not a pet name I am using for the scape) on 9th August. lol

Onto the detail:
TANK- 125Ltr 80 x 35 x 46cm with frosted sheet on rear panel
FILTER- Eheim 2024 700lph external filter
HEATER - Hydor ETH200 inline heater
CIRCULATION PUMP - Resun Waver 2000 (2000 lph)
Pressurised CO2 through inline Up atomizer
37W 5500K LED lighting 9 hours a day set to sunrise/sunset stagger (Lowered down to 6" = high light)

Dosing will be via the EI method.  My trace is the original AE trace with some Fe EDTA/DPTA mix added in.

Substrate will be the usual Mulm and Leonardite at the bottom,  A small amount of 4 year old Tropica on top of that and then some small natural gravel to get my slope.  A white or light coloured sand will be used for the foreground.

The hardscape will be identical rocks to the Mini Landscape rocks which I have sourced at a local cash and carry.  These are 1ft x 1ft so nice and big yet under a fiver each 

Plants will be......Needle Fern, Flame moss and Fissidens Fontanus.  I may decide to add something later but want to keep the plant list down and resist the urge to put Crypts/Anubias in.

Inhabitants are 8 x Corydoras Schultzi (black), 20 x Boraras Merah

Then there are 1000+ cherry shrimp to go in.

The frosted sheet has been bought and am awaiting it's arrival.  The hardscape rock will be bought by the end of this week.  Will have to break some up as they are huge rocks.  The substrate will be pondered over between visits to various 'gravel sellers' including Maidenhead.  The sand will be bought as and when I am next to a shop selling a nice light coloured one and the FE will be bought when I am ready to start.

One thing holding me back a little is I have to paint and varnish the skirting boards still before I move the tank back in from the Kitchen where it has been for the past 2 months.

One thing I am going to experiment with along the line are RGB LED strips.  I bought some of these to use for ambient 'effects' in my lounge.  behind the TV etc and I think they would be useful to use with the tank lighting for special effects etc.  I can choose from an array of differing colours and it should look cool through the frosted pane.  I may even buy 2 so I can shine one down and one up and get 2 differing colours to meet.  That is something for later though and only for photos.

Regards Andy


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## ghostsword (5 Jul 2011)

*125ltr as yet untitled scape in the advanced planning stage*

Looking forward to this scape mate, sounds like an amazing plan.

I really like the black corys, lovely looking fish! 


.


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## chump54 (5 Jul 2011)

*Re: 125ltr as yet untitled scape in the advanced planning st*

Andy, best of luck with the baby, very exciting/scary times ( I have 3!).

scape sounds great, I do like a rocky scape.

can you tell us more about the rocks, I'm looking for a much more sustainable version of mini landscape rock. I'm guessing if its cheap and big it won't have travelled half way round the world first.

cheers

Chris


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## GreenNeedle (5 Jul 2011)

*Re: 125ltr as yet untitled scape in the advanced planning st*

I'm going to get the rocks tomorrow.  There aren't a huge amount as this isn't a garden centre.  It's a trade warehouse chain that sell everythin and they have a few cages of rocks in there.  One variant of the rock is like the mini landscape rock in that it is grey with subtle white veining.  Not as jagged as the mini landscape rocks as they are nicely worn but still have character.

Not to be too selfish but I'll tell you where they came from tomorrow as there are a lot of scapers in the vicinity of Lincoln and I don't want to get there tomorrow to find out they have a new fastest selling product. lol.  There may be a store near you.

The pieces I saw (there were about 9 pieces) were a foot by 10" by 5".  big pieces.  and I think they were £3.99 each (+ VAT) which is super cheap.  There are many other choices tough including a full cage of stones that are like the rounded boulders in Felipe's scape above.  They were the same price.

Andy


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## chump54 (5 Jul 2011)

*Re: 125ltr as yet untitled scape in the advanced planning st*

 hey thats cool... totally understand.

Chris


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## ghostsword (5 Jul 2011)

Great prices.. 

I am also on the look out for large rocks.. granite boulders would do. 

I want to do a shrimp biotope, small amount of sand on the bottom, under a cm, then large rocks and two koralias for water movement. Do post where you got your rocks, after you got your rocks.. 

Cheers,
Luis


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## GreenNeedle (5 Jul 2011)

Maybe boring these days but I go to Portugal every year, sometimes twice (Thats what you get for marrying a foreigner  ) therefore if I create something it tends to be based on something I've seen in Portugal or England.

The name I have chosen is the name of a beach near my wife's family village.  They live in Palmela near Setubal.  This is on the edge of the Serra da Arrabida which is a line of hills along the coastline on the edge of the Arrabida national park.  Her village is one side of a stretch of hills and the other side is the coastline.  You can see the sea from her parents' apartment window 

A little unuseful bit of info for you:
If you have seen the James Bond film 'On her majesty's Secret Service'  you have seen these hills.  When Diana Rigg's character is shot whilst Bond is driving along after they are married it is along one of the roads in this 'range'.

Portinho is a pretty beach and if you view it from the sea (or in this case as the title suggests from Troia) the beach is lovely and almost white and the hills immediately rise up behind the beach.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm94 ... aandTo.jpg

Troia is the other side of the opening of the river/harbour of Setubal.  Along one side the beach stretches as far as the eye can see.  Dolphins swim in the harbour.  Basically this little area of the world is a real 'feel good' place to be.

This picture looks at Troia from the top of the hills above the beach (a bit further along than Portinho) 
http://v21.nonxt4.c.bigcache.googleapis ... _counter=1

So using rock and creating a sort of long beach along the front with the sand I am using for the Corys immediately I thought of the beach in front of the mountains 

It is a loosely related title rather than a recreation.  I can't remember giant needle ferns poking out from behind these hills but then I do go there when its Festa das vindimas (Wine festival) and after a couple of bottles of Moscatel washed down with euro fizz beer maybe I do see things a little differently 

I'm not going there this year because of baby no3's impending arrival however will definitely be going next year and hopefully I may have learnt Portuguese by then instead of using babelfish for my titles. lol

AC


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## ghostsword (5 Jul 2011)

Great tittle.. A Arrabida is one of the most amazing drives one can do, from the top of the mountain all the way down to the most amazing clear waters, almost deserted beaches, and great views all around. 

There were a couple of monasteries on the hills, and some have been converted into hotels or BB. Travel a bit more and you get to Obidos, and this is pure paradise.

It will be a great scape, if you can mimic the hills, of granite I believe, then a beach area. Add a road and a model car and we will almost believe that we are there with Bond now.


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## LondonDragon (5 Jul 2011)

Portinhos da Arrábida is my favourite beach and the best thing is that I will be there next week!! Can't wait!!

I see the challenge is obtaining suitable rocks, other than that it should be straight forward, good luck


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## GreenNeedle (5 Jul 2011)

ghostsword said:
			
		

> if you can mimic the hills, of granite I believe, then a beach area. Add a road and a model car and we will almost believe that we are there with Bond now.





> I see the challenge is obtaining suitable rocks, other than that it should be straight forward, good luck



Lol.  I did say I'm not trying to reproduce or replicate the actual visual.  I'm just using the effect, the essence.  Will more liekly than not look nothing like the reality once Needle Fern are added.

Not sure what the rock I am getting tomorrow is, but I don't think it is Granite.

AC


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## GreenNeedle (6 Jul 2011)

OK guys I've got my stones and they cost me £25.13 (plus 2 knackered wrists   .)  

See this thread for where I bought them.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16656&p=171939#p171939

On with the journal.

After selecting 6 stones of varying sizes (choosing ones that looked the bestest and not worrying too much about grabbing the largest) I loaded up the utility vehicle:




Then I started out a baseline hardscape using 5 of the stones (comments/suggestions/advice welcome.)  The upright one is the same but not much veining on the front side I have here.  Would be a shame to turn it around and lose the character of it.  Wicked fissure in this stone.  There is another stone left which I will break up and use in some areas to ''blend'.  I may well also have to break the largest stone on the left.







This is from the side with the Utility vehicle in the background.




And a gauge for size.  This is from above and the ruler is 61cm (why not 60?  I have no idea)  This is going in an 80cm tank and the picture above is already touching front and back glass in places (35cm depth)




And some close ups of the rocks:
















Like I said earlier this stone is pretty similar to mini landscape seiryu but not so jagged.  I think it has a softer more weathered natural aesthetic to it.

Will get the hose on it later to see what it looks like clean.

Regards
Andy


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## GreenNeedle (6 Jul 2011)

Come on guys.  For once I am wanting the advice of the 'rock police'.  Not making fun.  Would like some opinions on the above.  I will continue moving things about in the meantime and have broke 1.5 stones already.

Seems these rocks are actually layers of slate and quartz.  Some of the broken pieces look like liquorice allsorts

I quite like this layout however I anticipate comparisons to armadillos, Stegosaurus' and Sydney Opera house. lol







Some of the fractured edges from my bludgeoning are really sharp. Would sanding do any goo to soften them a little?

AC


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## LondonDragon (6 Jul 2011)

Place them in the tank with substrate then take the photos, will look completely different when you do that, also test the rocks under water, sometimes you get a few surprises with colour!!


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## GreenNeedle (6 Jul 2011)

can't do that Paulo.  I have 1 tank and it is full of fish, shrimp plants et al.

My rescapes are a case of fish out, rescape, fish back in.  24 hours of work sometimes 

Andy


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## LondonDragon (6 Jul 2011)

Bummer that is going to be a tough exercise, put the fish in a bucket with the filter running 
Scaping takes time so you will have to be precise on the rock work before the day of the rescape, just place the rocks on sand or something to give you a feel for it then


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## GreenNeedle (6 Jul 2011)

The picture above is in a freshly weeded patch of my garden  I wanted something of a similar texture so they could be 'bedded' down a little rather than slipping all over the table.

How about this for a sort of sketch.  The dark green dots are Fontanus, the light green dots are flame moss and the long green bits are Needle.  sand at the front and lightish gravel the rest:




Andy


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## BigTom (6 Jul 2011)

I do like the overall rockscape there Andy. My only comment would be that it feels a little bit like it's leaning backwards, perhaps angling the main rock and one or two of the smaller ones so they're pointing a touch more forwards might work? I'm bloody terrible at hardscaping though so feel free to ignore!


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## GreenNeedle (7 Jul 2011)

Some photos of the area I am using for inspiration.

This is me on Troia beach facing the Serra da Arrabida hills (or the start of them.)  Setubal would be just to right side of the picture the other side of the estuary.  I think this is in 2005.  Was only 30 then. lol.  This is at peak beach time and probs about 35C in August.  Yes peak time, empty beach and the atlantic to the left. If you look to the left of my head there is a drop of water on the lense.  Draw an arrow down and my wife lives (or lived) in a village behind the hills you see.




Again 2005 (seems the best year for me taking photos of this area) This is a photo I took on top of the Serra da Arrabide looking down on the Troia Peninsual.  The beach you can see over the estuary is the one I was on in the photo above.




Just to show the rocks these hills comprise of.  Ignore the car, wife and mother in law 




A couple of pics from on the hills looking down at Portinho beach:







And to end a picture of me and my mother in law.  Can you tell that neither of us like our photographs being taken:




The wife will love me putting photos up her just after giving birth. lol.  this one is taken from Palmela castle (The Sera da Arrabida) is behind me as I take this picture) and looks out over the Tagus flood plain.  Palmela is a hill on it's own next to the Serra da Arrabida so it slopes down into the flood plain.

The hills in the far horizon are 20 miles away and Lisbon is set into them.  Lisbon would be just out of picture to the left.  Its half a photo away. lol




Regards
Andy


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## GreenNeedle (7 Jul 2011)

BigTom said:
			
		

> I do like the overall rockscape there Andy. My only comment would be that it feels a little bit like it's leaning backwards, perhaps angling the main rock and one or two of the smaller ones so they're pointing a touch more forwards might work? I'm bloody terrible at hardscaping though so feel free to ignore!



I think you are right but if you look at the fence and the rulers they are the panes of my tank. lol  So I can't lean it forward or it'll be touching the glass.

I'll have a play tomorrow and swp the large rock with the one behind it and see if I can lean it forward from the rear.  Maybe that will remove the 'sydney opera house' resemblance   I think in those pictures it looks like a bookshelf where the one on the left has fall over and the other lean on it.

AC


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## GreenNeedle (7 Jul 2011)

LondonDragon said:
			
		

> Place them in the tank with substrate then take the photos, will look completely different when you do that, also test the rocks under water, sometimes you get a few surprises with colour!!



I'm gonna get a cheapy little tank to put my spare fern, anubias and Bolbitus in this weekend.  I'll empty the plants form this tank into that and then try placing some rocks in the tank.  No light above it though.  the tank is sat in the kitchen with 12 hours of sun drenching it at the mo.  Also the substrate is flat because of the Corys levelling it (sand) but should give some idea.

Actually I'll stick some holes in the ceiling and hang the LED up in there.  Just need a little plaster to patch them up after it returns to the lounge. lol

Then for the next week I'll put the filter for the new cheapy in this tank to get some bacteria in it. (Purigen is removed and bleaching at the mo so all ammonia is free)

Andy


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## gmartins (7 Jul 2011)

Certainly a great place for inspiration Andy. Among the best landscapes you can find in Portugal. Nice diving spots as well. The only problem is that water is freezing cold   



			
				SuperColey1 said:
			
		

> ... this one is taken from Palmela castle (The Sera da Arrabida) is behind me as I take this picture) and looks out over the Tagus flood plain...



Just a small correction. That would be Sado not Tagus.

cheers, G


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## GreenNeedle (7 Jul 2011)

Nope.

The Sado is one side of the Serra da Arrabida, the other side of them are the plains stretching from the south of the Tagus to the foot of the Serra.  I assume being the other side they are the Tagus floodplains.

However I guess if there is flooding both rivers will spill into the same place with the Sado flooding Setubal on its way into the plain 

Yep the water is cold.  I walk in up to my, toes and then walk out again. lol

Andy


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## GreenNeedle (8 Jul 2011)

I've played around with the hardscape a little here.  What do you think?  I think it looks much better like this.











Regards
Andy


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## Radik (8 Jul 2011)

I like rock composition and also rock texture. Good choice.


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## LondonDragon (8 Jul 2011)

That last one looks pretty good Andy


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## Garuf (8 Jul 2011)

Nothing but moss? 
Go on, you know you want to.


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## ghostsword (8 Jul 2011)

I would use a background of crypts, then staurogyne in front.

What is the size of the tank again?


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## NeilW (8 Jul 2011)

Looks bloody awesome mate. I always struggle to see the potential in rounded stone, but when someone uses it well its stunning. 

Heres a couple of my favourites by Amano;
http://www.amanotakashi.net/portfolio/nature_aquarium/images/007.jpg
http://www.amanotakashi.net/portfolio/nature_aquarium/images/005.jpg


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## BigTom (8 Jul 2011)

Really liking the rescape, and ghostswords suggestion of staurogyne for the foreground.


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## GreenNeedle (8 Jul 2011)

Garuf said:
			
		

> Nothing but moss?
> Go on, you know you want to.



Nope.  Must have the Needle in there  

Thre'll be nothing in front.  Just flame moss peeking through the 'joins' between each rock and fissidens fontanus growing over the rocks in patches.  This will take a long time to mature and I'll probably stick some Java Ferns on rocks in the corner to add to the plant mass while it matures.  They will be removable easily though 

Staying away from the Crypts in this one Luis   The tank is 80cm long and 46cm tall.  Its a standard Fluval Duo Deep 800 from years ago.

Glad you like it guys 

Andy


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## GreenNeedle (10 Jul 2011)

With hardscape arranged in several ways outside of the tank I decided to try my favourite in the tank. This tank has just had plants attached to rock in it for the last 3 months (mosses, ferns, anubias) while I got ready for the new scape.

They were pulled out, the hardscape added and then I put a few of them back in just to have some fern in there so ignore the brown stones. they will not be there in the final setup.

 This is just a test/trial to see if I want to alter the hardscape in any way. The fish are still in there as are the shrimps.

 I think it is pretty close to how I will set it up for real so in 2 weeks I will remove the rocks, put the tank back in the lounge and then start from scratch with new substrate and plants attached to the final hardscape.

You do however have to visualise how it may look in a year's time.  A lot of the rock (not all) will have Fissidens Fontanus growing on it.  The intersections and patches around the sides/front will have flame moss growing out of it and the Ferns will grow from behind.

I am tinkering with the idea of Bolbitus as I have a huge bush of it and not used it in a scape yet.  I am pretty wary of using it though as it may ruin the subtlety of using just one large growing species.  I may end up selling a load of Bolbitus as it is filling up a 23 litre tank at the moment. lol

Some pictures.  This is the boldest hardscape I have ever done.  It is incredibly powerful from any viewing angle, maybe it is a little overpowering but I like the way the tank frames the rock.  I think it fits the space perfectly and because the hardscape is so visually powerful I will have to be careful with the planting so that I don't take away this effect.


























I meant to take these pictures last night when it was dark but I fell asleep. lol  Looks incredible solely under the white LED light.


The LED luminaire is 80cm above the tank. This is because the cables are cut to suit it's position in the lounge where it hangs from the underside of a shelf and not from the ceiling. Doesn't seem to matter though. Does a great job even at that height.

For the LED fan boys   The DIY luminaire (electrics) are still untouched 2 and a half years after they were built.  It has had a fresh outer (box) though when I redesigned it, however no LEDs failed or replaced in 2 and a half years.









Regards
Andy


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## Mark Evans (10 Jul 2011)

I really like it Andy. Kinda quirky


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## flygja (11 Jul 2011)

That luminaire is insanely high up! If I'm not mistaken, they're 3W LEDs running at 700mA? The light peneration would be unbelieveable.


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## GreenNeedle (11 Jul 2011)

Indeed they are 3W @ 700ma.  Not putting the full juice into them though.  They are getting 3.5V each which I am told equates to something like 2.45W.  They have 45degree lenses on them.

So they are underpowered, 80cm high and still awesome lighting.  I'm going to take some pics tonight after it gets dark and you'll see what I mean 

Andy


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## GreenNeedle (11 Jul 2011)

Mark Evans said:
			
		

> I really like it Andy. Kinda quirky



Can't work out whether that is a compliment or not. lol

Andy


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## LondonDragon (11 Jul 2011)

Looking pretty good Andy, finally you doing some hardscaping  looking forward to when the plants grow in, well done.


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## GreenNeedle (11 Jul 2011)

Just a pointer on how the tank was doing non CO2, non water change, whilst in between scapes.  I pulled this Bolbitus Heudelotii out and am now selling the lot.  thats anough to fill a 30 litre tank wall to wall . lol:










Selling here if anyone is interested:
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=16736&p=172662#p172662

Andy


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## GreenNeedle (12 Jul 2011)

Tonight I took some pictures after the sun had gone down just to show how powerful this LED setup is. Remember this is just 1.12WPG but is at present 80cm above the water surface.

 Ignore the tree and moses on slate in there. I have just put some plants straight in from the scape before still attached to rocks.. that way I can easily remove them if necessary. Once I do the actual rescape the flame moss on the slates plus 2x more will be glued to the hardscape as will the Fissidens Fontanus which is currently in my 23ltr shrimp tank.

 I've also taken some close ups just to show how beautiful this rock is. I particularly like the last one where the green Needle contrasts beautifully with the grey/white of the rocks. They also show the multilayering of these rocks with blue, plum and green slate veined with what looks like quartz.





























I think you can tell from the number of photos I am taking that I am enjoying this one.  I am sitting down in front and just watching all the time.

Regards
Andy


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## GreenNeedle (18 Jul 2011)

Just to add a little update.

Everything is now ready apart from substrate.  Will be buying that on Thursday.

Will be painting the skirting boards Wednesday/Thursday, varnishing Friday.

Then the wife is off to stay with her sister on Saturday overnight (Mother in law arrives from Portugal on Friday) so I will be doing the 'real' scape on Saturday night.....probably through the night as I normally do 

Then I can take some piccies of it in situ which should kind of explain my comments r.e. scaping to suit the decor in the aquascaping sub-forum 

All excited now

Andy


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## flygja (19 Jul 2011)

Please remind me, what are the optics you used on your LEDs? Are they clear or diffused ones? I've got mine hung 60cm from the substrate with 60deg optics and my hairgrass carpet is still doing well. 

Also... substrate? You've already got everything in there. Are you gonna take everything out again?


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## Tom (19 Jul 2011)

Those rocks are really nice Andy


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## GreenNeedle (19 Jul 2011)

flygja said:
			
		

> Please remind me, what are the optics you used on your LEDs? Are they clear or diffused ones? I've got mine hung 60cm from the substrate with 60deg optics and my hairgrass carpet is still doing well.



The optics are clear 45 degree:







> Also... substrate? You've already got everything in there. Are you gonna take everything out again?



Unlike others I cannot trial things in an empty tank.  I have one main tank and the inhabitants go from scape to scape. Fish are first scape is built around them.  So what you see in the pics prior is me trialling the hardscape in the tank as it stands at the moment.

The substrate in those pics is Tropica capped with sand which I put in there in September 2007.  This will be replaced with gravel.  I want to slope but with Corys there is no possibility of sloping with sand as they level it very quickly.

My plan is to keep the foregound as a sand and then use gravel for the rest so I can slope it 

Short answer:  Yes it's all coming out.  need to attach mosses and needles etc then back in with CO2 added, lighting lowered et al 



			
				Tom said:
			
		

> Those rocks are really nice Andy



Glad you like them Tom

Andy


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## GreenNeedle (23 Jul 2011)

The day arrives and I finally put this scape into reality. I washed the gravel and sand first because I don't want to have to clean the dust out of my filter.





 The bottom layer is 5mm of Leonardite and 10mm sphagnum moss peat. This is just in the corners. I don't want it under the foregound sand nor in the cavity between the central rocks as this is where the Corys tend to congregate,

 I baked the old Tropica for 4 hours in the oven and then crumbled it up and layered that in the corners.





 At this point I put some cardboard dividers in to stop the foreground getting mixed with the rest of the substrate and in went the sand.





followed by a nice slope of the gravel behind it.





And then I took the dividers out:





 I first put the main rocks into the tank





 which then had Fissidens Fontanus and Needle Fern glued to them.





Next step I added the perimeter smaller rocks and glued some Flame moss in areas to blend the space between adjoining rocks.





 Finally I added the smaller shards and started filling it up. I think it looks wicked.








Then I filled her up:




And this is how she looks (water level is low because fish are going back in so need the 10 litres for the bucket to float in :










 Ignore the cabinet. The doors are off at the moment because I am painting it to match the new lounge decor. Therefore I will have to trim the doors once I've done the cabinet then it will be back to looking sweet 





Regards
Andy


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## Mark Evans (23 Jul 2011)

Great Andy. I really like the look of those lights..at least the images give the sense of a nice colour rendition


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## BigTom (23 Jul 2011)

Great start. Obviously this is going to be a bit of slow grower, but in a few months it should look stonking - in the meantime the hardscape is interesting enough on its own.


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## GreenNeedle (23 Jul 2011)

Surprised no-one asked why I made a 'path' then put rocks on top of it 

I've got 10 portions of Bolbitus on rocks in there to add plantmass when I'm not taking photos   I didn't sell them in the end.

Andy


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## Mark Evans (23 Jul 2011)

SuperColey1 said:
			
		

> Surprised no-one asked why I made a 'path' then put rocks on top of it



Enlighten us Mr C


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## GreenNeedle (23 Jul 2011)

corys + cave =  unseen fish   Sand is better under there if the Corys are gonna 'shelter' (more like hide) there 

Andy


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## viktorlantos (23 Jul 2011)

Looking good Andy  
The stones looks nice. Look forward how the Microsorum will grow on these nice rocks. Never glued this plant before, but i have some of your microsorums and that's brill.   

LEDs looks good, looks very bright on the pics.


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## GreenNeedle (23 Jul 2011)

The frosted background I've put on may be making them look brighter but they are bright anyway.  Was hard to get shots without it just being a white box so I took many with daylight/room lights on.

Andy


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## GreenNeedle (25 Jul 2011)

Quick update.  Pictures later.

I saw some Boraras Merah (Phoenix Rasbora) in the Aquarium, Lincoln the other day (LFS near me) and immediately decided I was going to get 20.

So I rehomed the Espei and Platinums to a TFF member on Sunday.

Today I got the Merah, and of course best laid plans and all that   I bought 30.  Just acclimitising them now.

On a sour note, one of my black corys is looking worse for wear.  Was one with a deformed back and has been in decline for the past month or so.  All the others are fine 

I'll update with some pics later once they've settled in.

Andy


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## chump54 (25 Jul 2011)

a great choice of fish, never kept them but they are on my list 

Chris


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## GreenNeedle (25 Jul 2011)

30 hard to find fish for £21 so couldn't resist   70p each....bargain

I've put the Cory out of it's misery.  Was covered in shrimp and better for it to be quick than eaten alive.

Andy


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## GreenNeedle (25 Jul 2011)

Some pictures:

The Boraras Merah being acclimitised:




Exploring the 'mountain tops'




A shot from the distance showing the 'temporary' plant mass




Loving fighting against the 2000lph waver 2000




The return journey over the 'mountain tops'




No idea why that chair is there. lol.  This is my viewing station.




Andy


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## Sentral (25 Jul 2011)

Nice find! I've never seen these for sale, and to get them at such a good price as well! 

Tank is looking good


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## GreenNeedle (26 Jul 2011)

A busy day reaches it's end 




Regards
Andy


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## BigTom (26 Jul 2011)

Lovely fish. Are they definitely merah and not maculatus?


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## GreenNeedle (26 Jul 2011)

At the moment I think I have a mixture.  Some have the definite neon ring around the black dot, some don't, some are paler etc.  They are really really young with sunken bellies so may take some fattening up and growing on to get full colours before it becomes clear


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## Gary Nelson (26 Jul 2011)

Your tank looks very nice indeed - it will look fantastic when it fill's in a little more


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## GreenNeedle (27 Jul 2011)

A bit like Goldilocks 'Someone's been sitting in MY chair'








Andy


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## SuperWen (28 Jul 2011)

BigTom said:
			
		

> Lovely fish. Are they definitely merah and not maculatus?


Looks like maculatus


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## GreenNeedle (28 Jul 2011)

They are a mixture form what I am gathering.  Maculatus and Merah.

However I'm not happy with them.  they're dropping like flies, can't keep away from the filter inflow, a couple of jumpers, a couple at the surface then dead and they are just far too energetic for my liking.  I like fish that calmly move around.  These are like a swarm of shrimp and as I already have countless shrimp I am after something a lot calmer 

These are moving into my unseen tank in my emersed cupboard.  Then I am going to decide what I want in here in their place.  Bad impulse buy this one. lol

Andy


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## GreenNeedle (29 Jul 2011)

Because I'm in a good mood and a change of behaviour the Boraras may well get a reprieve and remain in this tank now.

The count is (I think 18) remaining and all the 'Merah' seem to have been the weaklings only leaving the Maculatus.  I say think because its hard to count things that move 

No floaters/jumpers/filter sniffers today or yesterday and the fish seem to now be much calmer and do tend to stick in the same area (or half) of the tank as each other now.

I have no idea what made the change.  Whether it is the smaller number, whether it is that they are now a single species.

Could be CO2.  I used the solution supplied with the DC as my bromo blue but was registering green permanently so I redid the DC with API Ph reagent.  This is because of the red gills.  They are fine late on but not during the day so I assume the CO2 was pretty high and the DC wasn't telling me.

Was using 3bps through an Up inline atomizer and from reports on the web these work much better than others with most users reporting they have to turn the bubble rate down.  Mine has been on 1bps for the last 2 days.

Also I have removed the circulation pump.  The plantmass isn't that high so we'll see how it goes.  Just running with the 5.6x turnover of the Eheim now.

Why am I in a good mood?  Spent most of yesterday moving Cory eggs into a little net   Last 2 batches have been duds so hopefully this will be a better result.

Andy


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## faizal (31 Jul 2011)

Wow!!! That's really looking great Andy. I love your lights & cabinets too. Very classy indeed.


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## GreenNeedle (3 Aug 2011)

Got myself a new tank..... Not happy with the hardscape though. lol

This is Kaysha.  Being used as hardscape 30 minutes after being born   These acrylic tanks are ace and the hospital's got loads of them.  How am I gonna complete them all?





Andy


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## Bobtastic (3 Aug 2011)

Congrats!


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## ghostsword (3 Aug 2011)

It is a lovely scape mate, maybe one of your best. Really like the way the layout is presented..  

Looks great! Congrats!!!


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## Ian Holdich (3 Aug 2011)

mate, i'm not sure about the crack in the side of that tank!

well done, Andy.


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## flygja (3 Aug 2011)

Pop that hardscape into an optiwhite and it'll look fantastic. Congrats mate!


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## GreenNeedle (3 Aug 2011)

ianho said:
			
		

> mate, i'm not sure about the crack in the side of that tank!
> 
> well done, Andy.



Best have a word with your bosses matey   I'm gonna leave it as it is for a week or 2 just to see if it is watertight. lol

Andy


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## GreenNeedle (15 Aug 2011)

These photos are from 26th July when the tank was just over 2 weeks old.  Was getting ready for the new baby birth so a bit late puttting them up 

They are shots from between 10:30pm and 11pm in the photoperiod. I can tell that because the 'sunset' stagger has gotten to just the last series of lights. The moonlights are showing up on the left hand side.

There are a few pics of the corys here too. They love night time and are getting ready for overdrive.


















Andy


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## GreenNeedle (15 Aug 2011)

The scape is now 5 weeks old and not a huge amount to report with regards to plant growth. Remember the Bolbitus you see all around the tank is just added plantmass and not actually part of the scape. They are removable quite easily as they are attached to pebbles. The same goes for the few small pieces of Needle fern on the left and right hand 'flat' rocks.

The flame moss is taking off really well but not spreading horizontally much as of yet. the Fissidens a similar result where they are looking very healthy now but very slowly spreading outwards. 

The Boraras are now all Maculatus. No Merah left in there. There are 15 in all and that has been stable for the last 3 weeks. They are starting to school as a group too which is nice. 

This Maculatus is very coloured up.  The others not as much as this.  I think this is alpha No1 
























Andy


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## GreenNeedle (15 Aug 2011)

A few more pics of the Corys enjoying the last half an hour of light (tonight)














Andy


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## ghostsword (15 Aug 2011)

Looks amazing ! How do you do the stager of lights ?


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## GreenNeedle (15 Aug 2011)

The luminaire is one box that effectively has 6 lights units in it (5 series of LEDs and the cathode moonlights)

So each line front to back is a series of 3.  In these pictures only the last series of 3 on the right is on.

So there are 6 leads coming out of the back (in one of those 'zip cable tidies' and each goes to it's own plug and timer.

Andy


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## ghostsword (16 Aug 2011)

So from led goes to driver, then from driver box to power plug and from power plug to timer.

I need to set one like this for sure.

Any book or website you coul recommend? 


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## GreenNeedle (16 Aug 2011)

No driver box.  all the wiring is within the luiminaire shell.  The drivers are the size of a UK stamp and are inside the luminaire.  plain and simple thin leads coming straight out the back of the luminiare to the DC adaptor plugs 





Andy


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## Bobtastic (16 Aug 2011)

Do you have a fan in the luminaire too? or do you just have some form of heat sink? or both? Also do you have the LEDs open or do you have something that screens/protects from moister/splashing?


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## GreenNeedle (16 Aug 2011)

Bobtastic said:
			
		

> Do you have a fan in the luminaire too? or do you just have some form of heat sink? or both? Also do you have the LEDs open or do you have something that screens/protects from moister/splashing?



I do have fans and heatsinking but I don't use the fans anymore.  Rather than do a lot of typing probs better to link to the builds:

http://www.greenneedle.co.uk/LEDMKII1.html

Andy


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## Bobtastic (16 Aug 2011)

Lol, yus I remembered that there was a thread about it a while back. Best not to clutter your Journal with talk of LED. I like the institute shot, it's always nice to see ppls tanks in their proper context.


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## Vince (1 Sep 2011)

I like the scape a lot, it looks so designy and modern. I think the corys are a bit big though, I would go for smaller ones.

Greets,

Vince


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