# Schruz's Works - Wabi Kusa, Emersed setups, Planted tanks



## schruz

:text-imnewhere: 
Hello everyone, I'm Andras Tundik from the Hungarian Aquascaping Forum. Even though I have registered to UKAPS months ago and have read quite a bit of the posts and topics here, this is my first post. On the Hungarian forum, I'm running quite a few journals, since I have a number of emersed and submersed projects going on at the same time.

I wouldn't have the capacity to run separate journals here as well, next to the Hungarian ones, thus I'll try and run one journal here in which I will include most works. I am aware that squeezing many different projects into a single journal is usually not a good idea, however I would really like to share my scapes with you guys, and this is the only feasible way I can find. My apologies in advance. Hopefully the precious moderators will not have any problems with this 

Let's jump into it! Ill try in chronological order.

My first aquascape 2 years ago, was a quasi Dutch style 96l tank.




*Lighting:* 4x24W T5 HO 6500K tubes, 8h/day
*Filtration:* canister filters: 1x Eheim Professionel 3 2071, 950l/h and 1x Sachem Marathon 600l/h
*CO2: *Pressurized system with glass diffuser
*Substrate:* not so fine sand
*Ferts:* GreenAqua Micro + Macro according to EI, EasyCarbo
*Water change:* 50% weekly, tap water (in Hungary tap water is unfortunately veeeeery hard)

*Flora:* heteranthera zosterifolia, ludwigia repens, cryptocoryne beckettii, cryptocoryne willisii, hemianthus micranthemoides, bolbitis heudelotii, sagittaria teres, hydrocotyle sibthorpioides

*Fauna:* Paracheirodon innesi, Neocaridina heteropoda sp. Red Cherry, Clithon snails

Then I have set up a 49 liter Nature Aquarium about a year ago.




Through time it changed shape a bit, and currently looks something close to this pic, sent in for the 2011 AGA Contest



*Lighting:* 2x26W PowerCompact 6500K tubes and 1x18W PC, 10h/day
*Filtration:* Eheim Professionel 2 2026, 950l/h
*CO2:* Pressurized system with glass diffuser
*Substrate:* JBL AquabasisPlus and JBL Manado
*Ferts:* GreenAqua Micro + Macro according to EI, EasyCarbo (recently stopped with EasyCarbo for the benefit of my tiger shrimp)
*Water change:* 50% weekly, full RO

Current flora: eleocharis parvula, cryptocoryne wendtii, hydrocotyle vulgaris, hemianthus micranthemoides, anubias barteri var. nana, microsorum pteropus, echinodorus tenellus, pogostemon helferi, marsilea hirsuta, rotala sp green, vesicularia montagnei

Current fauna: Danio margaritatus, caridina multidentata, caridina cantonensis sp. "Tiger", Clithon snails

Then, about 9 months ago followed a complete clean-out and rescape of the 96l tank. The new, 1 day old aquarium.




The current state, and the AGA 2011 picture.



*Lighting:* 4x24W T5 HO 6500K tubes, 10h/day
*Filtration:* canister filters: 1x Eheim Professionel 3 2071, 950l/h and 1x Sachem Marathon 600l/h
*CO2:* Pressurized system with glass diffuser
*Substrate:* ADA PowerSand and ADA Aquasoil Amazonia
*Ferts:* GreenAqua Micro + Macro according to EI, EasyCarbo
*Water change:* 50% weekly, 1 part tap water to 4 part RO water

*Flora:* rotala sp. green, ludwigia arcuata, lindernia rotundifolia, cryptocoryne beckettii, bolbitis heudelotii, glossostigma elatinoides, hemianthus callitrichoides, echinodorus tenellus, staurogyne repens, microsorum pteropus 'narrow', anubias barteri var. nana, anubias barteri var. coffeefolia, fissidens fontanus, vesicularia dubyana

*Fauna:* paracheirodon innesi, neocaridina heteropoda sp. Red Cherry, caridina multidentata, Neritina snails

Right after the rescape, I became very interested in emersed aquascaping and the concept of Wabi Kusa. I made several Wabis ever since. This first pic was taken at Terra Plaza, an aquarium, terrarium, paludarium event and sale in Hungary. I was asked by *viktorlantos*, member of this forum and one of the founders of the Hungarian forum and GreenAqua Co. to take it there and display it next to the amazing aquascapes of the company and other pros. It was a great honor to me 




Same "dish" with the addition of ludwigia peruensis at the back.

emersss-16 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Other Wabis.










Unfinished, HC needs to grow in the front.

emersss-5 by András Tündik, on Flickr

And my most recent passion, an emersed Iwagumi project. I do not intend to fill the tank up with water.

waaaaabi-2 by András Tündik, on Flickr

waaaaabi-7 by András Tündik, on Flickr

waaaaabi-9 by András Tündik, on Flickr

waaaaabi-11 by András Tündik, on Flickr

waaaaabi-13 by András Tündik, on Flickr

waaaaabi-14 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Tank is about 20l. Hardcape is Seiryu stones. Substrate, ADA Amazonia. I sometimes water with aquarium water, and spray regularly with RO water. Still needs to grow in at places. However this has all grown in *21* days, quite fast paced I must say!

timelapse by András Tündik, on Flickr

Well thats all I have for now. I hope some of you will enjoy these pics.

I'll try my best to update if there's anything new with... well, anything


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## plantbrain

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Nice tanks and good development and care over time!!


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## cibserg

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Please tell me how do you keep the humidity hi enough for this type of emersed growing.
I think theese plants needs are high, regarding humidity. Or I am wrong?


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## ghostsword

*Schruz's Works*

Hydrocotyle does well at room humidity, no issues at all, just keep water on the bowl.

At least that is what I do.


.


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## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				plantbrain said:
			
		

> Nice tanks and good development and care over time!!


Thank you very much plantbrain! You dont mind me asking I hope, but are you Tom Barr by any chance?   



			
				cibserg said:
			
		

> Please tell me how do you keep the humidity hi enough for this type of emersed growing.
> I think theese plants needs are high, regarding humidity. Or I am wrong?



Hello cibserg! As ghostsword said, hydrocotyle sibthorpioides does not require high humidity levels to survive. It lives on areas of wetlands which are rarely submersed by water and are further away from open water surfaces which would cause higher humidity. But there are many other plants in my wabi kusas that do require higher humidity. HM and HC for instance dries out easily emersed if not taken care of. In order to keep humid conditions, I spray the plants generously twice a day with pure RO water. RO, because that leaves less or no calc on surfaces. Additionally I water them every 3-4 days with nutrient rich aquarium water. This provides sufficient nutrition alongside Aquasoil Amazonia.

Most aquatic plants do require these procedures when grown emersed according to my experiences. There has been a few times when I wasn't able to spray regularly, and the damage was clearly visible. Many leaves started to wither away and the plants stopped growing so rapidly.

But all in all, emersed aquascaping is much easier than submersed aquascaping. You have said that these plants have high needs. Well, most of them have high needs when submersed, but when emersed they are rather easy to grow, and in the absence of algee, you do not need worry about having too high levels of any of the growth factors. All emersed plants require is planty of lights (can easily be provided by you), planty of spraying and nutrients (equally easy to provide) and CO2 (which you don't need to provide at all, since its readily available in the air).

I'd like to encourage you to try out this version of aquscapeing. Its really fun and if you dont have the time and/or money to start a new planted aquarium, its a great substitute.  If you have any other questions regarding wabi kusa please feel free to ask.

New pictures. I took the time and effort to make some nicer quality images of my emersed projects finally. Hope you'll like them.


emers_projects-4 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_projects-3 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_projects-2 by András Tündik, on Flickr


emers_projects-6 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_projects-9 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_projects-12 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_projects-10 by András Tündik, on Flickr


emers_projects-1 by András Tündik, on Flickr

You can view more pics on my Flickr page, also in higher resolutions. Thanks for taking the time to read and watch!


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## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Oh and some new pics of my planted tanks.


aquariums-25 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Emersed Life, by itself started on top of the "moss tree". Must have left some cuttings inside after pruning.

hmmoha-1 by András Tündik, on Flickr

aquariums-2 by András Tündik, on Flickr

hmmoha-2 by András Tündik, on Flickr

aquariums-1 by András Tündik, on Flickr


aquariums-27 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Same thing happened in this tank.

aquariums-5 by András Tündik, on Flickr

aquariums-7 by András Tündik, on Flickr

aquariums-6 by András Tündik, on Flickr


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## cibserg

*Re: Schruz's Works*

This is great work Andras ! 
Thank you for your answers and for the new pictures.


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## GreenBrighty

*Re: Schruz's Works*

You have some very nice tanks.    Please post some more pictures.


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## schraptor

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Nice work Andras !
Would you be so kind and identify emersed plants on some of pictures you have shared, e.g. what do we see at emers_projects-6 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrastundik/6329570365/)  or http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6040/625 ... 1877_b.jpg ?


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## Ian Holdich

*Re: Schruz's Works*

those last set of pics are great...well done dude!


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## Piece-of-fish

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Superb... I am so jelous of your Wabikusas   
Do you just keep them in room humidity?


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## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Thank you all!   



			
				GreenBrighty said:
			
		

> You have some very nice tanks.    Please post some more pictures.


Ill be glad to mate, now that I see some interest  Soon ill share some new closeups of my emersed Iwagumi project, and then soon ill try keep posting about everything else too.



			
				schraptor said:
			
		

> Nice work Andras !
> Would you be so kind and identify emersed plants on some of pictures you have shared, e.g. what do we see at emers_projects-6 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrastundik/6329570365/)  or http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6040/625 ... 1877_b.jpg ?


Sure mate, its a pleasure. 

emers_projects-6 by András Tündik, on Flickr
What is visible on this pic: Ludwigia arcuata, Rotala sp. 'green', Hemianthus callitricoides 'Cuba', Hemianthus micranthemoides, and Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides.
What is also in this wabi, but is only visible on other pics: Lindernia rotundifolia and Eleocharis parvula and not for display: Vesicularia dubyana

The arcuata is the red one. It doesn't always turn red for me in emersed form, only in extreme light. This cube is lit by 15W of a spiral T2 PowerCompact which is 800 lumens and 6400K. I think it turns into such a beautiful color because the lamp is very close to the surface of the wabi and because it is on for 12h/day

If you dont mind shraptor, ill link this pic instead of what you asked for. Its the same bowl, with same plants but in a better form and captured on a finer quality pic.

emers_projects-4 by András Tündik, on Flickr
Plants in this one: Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides, Ludwigia repens, Ludwigia peruensis, Ludwigia arcuata, Hemianthus micrantemoides, Hygrophyla corymbosa var. angustifolia, invisible even when looking at it in real life: Java moss (Vesicularia dubyana) ill explain in a sec why its in there if not visible.

There also has been some Sagittaria teres in this bowl but it turned out it doesn't do well in wabis, alongside 
e. tenellus. They refuse to turn into their emersed form and their new leaves wither away right away. Pity...

Ill link these too, maybe someone is interested.

emers_projects-3 by András Tündik, on Flickr
Plnts in there: Lindernia rotundifolia (willing to flower beautiffully once strong enough), Hemianthus callitricoides 'Cuba', Eleocharis parvula, Glossostigma elatinoides
Rather overgrown and invisible, but alive and growing: Pogostemon helferi and Heteranthera zosterifolia.


emers_projects-2 by András Tündik, on Flickr
H. sib., E. parvula and Ludwigia peruensis.



			
				Piece-of-fish said:
			
		

> Superb... I am so jelous of your Wabikusas
> Do you just keep them in room humidity?


Yes, with regular spraying which creates humidity around the bowls. But its a bit more complex... Ok I'll explain exactly how it works for me.

You see, most of the plants you saw in the pics, are from prunings from my tanks. Thus when planted, they were in their submersed form. I experimented a little and found that if I leave them be like that after planting, most plants dont live through even the next night, because they dry out. It is too big a shock and too big a change in environment for submersed plants to survive immediate "dryness" (not complete dryness of course but compared to being under water...).

To overcome this problem i came up with the idea of creating a little greenhouse out of each Wabi Kusa. I covered the bowls and containers with other glass bowls I found in my kitchen. I thought it is logical that if I increase humidity for the first couple of weeks, the plants will adapt better to the new environment, become strong and then, the cover can be removed and the plants are ready for development in room humidity. I opened up the cover every day to aerate the contents, and let some "fresh" CO2 in for the plants.

Thankfully I was right. After 2-3 weeks sometimes a month at most, the cover could be removed forever since during this time the submersed plants have developed enough emersed leaves and roots to survive. For about another 2 weeks  after this I made sure to spray the plants 3-4 times a day than I reduced even that to 2 times a day. I suspect it could be reduced even to one spraying per day, but I can't find a reason why not to spray it at least twice a day, say in the morning and in the evening. Its really no effort.

As of yet, I haven't found a better way to help convert submersed plants into wabi-environment-baring emersed ones  The key I think is the artifical, gradual "climate change" I made. The step by step decrease of humidity makes the plants sturdy for Wabi Kusa.

Now evidently, if you lay your hands on fresh emersed plants at your LFS, than you may skip the above process, though i'd advise to spray more in the beginning even though the plants are in emersed form.

Now, why I use moss in most bowls... I have read that moss by nature has the ability to keep mold and fungus away. I spread a layer of some aquatic or forest moss on the surface of the substrate for this reason. Since it requires low lights it survives the shades of other plants and grows very slowly, not disturbing the overall look. And I never get mold. Not sure if it really is because of the moss, but I do think so.

Wow... long post again. But I hope it was worth my aching fingers


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## NeilW

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Some awesome wabi's, well done indeed. I've recently had better success with emersed plants. Some good tips too, thank you


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## schraptor

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Long, but definitely worth reading. Actually you have been a mind-reader here, as next question I wanted to ask was how do you convert to emersed forms   
I think I will try making one of these by myself pretty soon  

I forgot to thank you for that extensive description of plants used -> thanks !


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## Piece-of-fish

*Re: Schruz's Works*

This is most valuable wabi post I have come across so far. Thank you so much. I am off to Ikea for a wabi bowl tomorrow morning   
Thankfully I have plenty of plants to play with.
Keep them coming. 
Any tips abut trimming and substrate which you use?


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## spyder

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Great photos and great work. Loving the wabi shot's. I'm taking that moss idea on board for future reference.   

Thanks for sharing your photo's.


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## Morgan Freeman

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Awesome stuff. I'm a self confessed emersed nut now 8)


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## viktorlantos

*Re: Schruz's Works*

The Wabi master from Hungary  

Andras is taking care of these bowls just like his tanks or even better. I think that's the main secret. We easily neglect these bowls and fail with them on a short term.

I love to see all these creations and the emers world gives another area to challenge. 
Can't wait to test myself in this area   

Great collection my friend


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## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Thank you everyone, once again! Its really great to know that my Wabi Kusas incite interest even in Britain. 



			
				viktorlantos said:
			
		

> Great collection my friend


And it soon will gain new pieces! 

Ahh... Viktor. I was hoping you will find my journal here sooner or later  Thanks for the kind remarks mate!



			
				Piece-of-fish said:
			
		

> Any tips abut trimming and substrate which you use?



In a planted tank the substrate should be nutritious and oxygenated. Here this is especially important I think. There is no water column from which the plants can take ferts up so the only source is the substrate and its dampening with aquarium water. There neither is a filter so the substrate should have all characteristics possible to act as a biological filter. Im using JBL AquaBasis Plus and ADA Amazonia on top of it, any version would do. I mix Amazonia with a few pieces of porous biological filter media, depending on the size of the container. If you have ADA Bacter Ball or anything similar at home to urge the multiplication of the nitrifying bacteria put that in the pot too  This way you'll get the most porous and most nutritious bottom I can think of. Im sure any powder type concentrated plant substrate would work too in the place of AquabasisPlus. Actually, you can even leave such a soil out, Im just making 100% sure there is everything the plants need.

I have also tried using potting soil exclusively earlier. Its cheap, it works, plants grow in it. It has many downsides though...
1. Its nutrients wear out quickly in water. Growth in the beginning was much more rapid than later.
2. It may have rotten odors and may attract mold more.
3. If you plan a Wabi Kusa like Im planning soon, that is a substrate-ball-in-the-middle type one with "open" water around it (more ADA style) soil is a no-no because it turns the water brown.
4. It is not at all oxygenated in itself underwater. Maybe you can help this with filter media or JBL Manado or something similar.

Pruning is rather similar as underwater. Except that you might need to do it more often 'cause plants are faster emersed. You can also replant pruned plants like in an aquarium, they will soon root themselves.

One more thing. I think, that the taller the walls of the container, the easier it is to get good results. I suspect this is because containers with taller walls keep humidity for a longer time. Supporting this, shall I say hypothesis,  is that my wabis in the short walled ceramic pots were the hardest to get going, whereas my emersed Iwagumi project with the tall aquarium wall, was the easiest.

Things I'd like to share come into my mind on the go...  so there is still more  There are no algae in this emersed world, but their malignant character might sometimes be replaced with plant lice (if that is how you call them in English). Plant juice sucking insects. I had some... There is two ways to get rid of them for good. Putting the whole wabi in a big bucket of water carefully for a night so that all leaves are submerged, and/or spraying with insecticide dedicated against the type of lice you've got. I had some white ones which made a gooey substance. First I drowned them than I sprayed with insecticide just to make sure. They were gone. Check your houseplants for them too, because they easily spread to your wabis when they are in the same room.


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## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

New pics of the emersed Iwagumi after spraying. What would you call this in English? It is not an aquarium, nor a paludarium... Is it a terrarium or what?

emers_iwagumi-3 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_iwagumi-4 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_iwagumi-2 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_iwagumi-10 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_iwagumi-11 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_iwagumi-30 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_iwagumi-19 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_iwagumi-18 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_iwagumi-17 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_iwagumi-16 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_iwagumi-15 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_iwagumi-14 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_iwagumi-13 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_iwagumi-12 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_iwagumi-8 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_iwagumi-7 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_iwagumi-6 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emers_iwagumi-5 by András Tündik, on Flickr

And a nice ambient one for the end 

emers_iwagumi-9 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Plants in this setup are HM, HC, L. arcuata this time staying completely green. Lindernia rotundifolia, Rotala sp 'green', Hydrocotyle sib., Glossostigma elatinoides, Eleocharis parvula, Staurogyne repens Vesicularia montagnei this time also for display and Ceratopteris thalictroides.
*Lights:* 2x20W PowerCompact 6500K, 1150 lumens in two sexy Wave ZenArtist lamps. On for 10h/day, might increase it to 12h/day for the arcuata...
*Substrate:* as described above.


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## Piece-of-fish

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Nice one.
I got myself 4 sexy glass bowls. It is all your fault.   
Can they grow just with light on the windowsill? Or do I need to use artificial light.


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## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				Piece-of-fish said:
			
		

> Nice one.
> I got myself 4 sexy glass bowls. It is all your fault.
> Can they grow just with light on the windowsill? Or do I need to use artificial light.



I havent tried with natural light, though planning to. Actually next summer Im planning a huge wabi in the garden  But the winter months are approaching and I doubt there is enough light outside that shines on your windowsill. Im using IKEA lamps actually, I should have told you so you could have bought some. But IKEA doesnt sell proper bulbs for plant lighting so you'll need to get them elsewhere. I'd advise lams which work with E27 type bulbs, because there is a wider range of wattage choices and colour temperature with those.


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## Piece-of-fish

*Re: Schruz's Works*

So how powerful are the lights? how much wattage?


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## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Well, its really trial and error. There are no rules here like with planted tanks. Buy lamps with up to 100W capacity and than you can buy smaller wattage bulbs and experiment. The Do!Aqua wabi is lit by 30W 6500K. It could be lit with much more and than the lamp could be placed higher up from the bowl but I need to take into account the coastly electricity we have here in Hungary. After all Im running a few lights on my 2 tanks and numerous wabis...  The bulb is about 15cm from the plants. The lamp is capable of 60W and I would prefer using a 60W bulb so I could move the lamp higher, but cant afford it the moment. The two smaller wabis in ceramic pots share the same bulb also 30W, 15cm away from the plants. The cube wabi is lit with 15W, 5-10cm away from the plants.

The more W and mostly lumens the better though, if you can afford it.


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## Piece-of-fish

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Thanks, well will try to use something not more than 30w. Electricity is also expensive here and I am using too much already.
Last question for now. I will use Colombo florabase and probably all emersed plants from tropica. How much water do i need to add. Should I totally flood the substrate?
Cheers


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## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

just add water till it reaches the surface of the substrate. Make sure not to cover any plants with water though as they wont have acces to CO2.


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## Piece-of-fish

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Perfect... Many thanks.


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## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Westyggx sent me a pm asking about lamps I use. I thought its a good idea to post the convo here because someone else will definitely find it useful:



			
				Westyggx said:
			
		

> schruz said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I use this, and I made a base for it so it can stand by itself it can bare 60 watts:
> http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/40370283/
> 
> And also this, baring 40 watts, though this is E14 type for which it is harder to find the right bulb:
> http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/00152461/
> 
> Glad I could help!
> 
> Cheers,
> Andras
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks andras where do u buy the bulbs from and which ones should I buy? Thank you
Click to expand...


Well I don't know about Britain mate  I buy small stuff like that here in Hungary from local retailers. First decide which lamp you want. The E27 or the E14 and decide the wattage. As I wrote in my journal, I am using daylight Power Compact (6000-6700K) bulbs. Actually I use these or their T5 HO counterparts on my planted tanks too with great results. Colour temperatures between 5000-8000K could work also but I dont have experience with those...

I would simply Google this up for instance: E27 6500K 30 watts power compact

Just change the values to whatever suits you better. If google shows up crap, thats because there is too much info you gave at the same time. In that case erase the wattage completely and do a new search.

When you look at the bulbs pay attention to their lumens output, as this is perhaps a more accurate value with modern bulbs than wattage. If its not listed, dont buy it im sure it isn't listed on purpose  After lengthy searches I managed to buy a very good E14 type bulb for my KVART IKEA lamps: 15W 6400K T2 spiral with 800lm

Aim at T2 spirals. Thats apparently the newest generation of compact fluorescents. 800lm for a 15W bulb is rather good. Its not a must to buy T2s. Im using many T5 CFLs with great results. T2s just apparently conserve even more power and provide even higher output.

There is an important difference between lighting plants above and under water. In water, light rays lose considerable amount of their power, the moment they reach the water surface, let alone when they reach greater depths. Evidently above water this is no problem, a greater amount of the bulb's light energy can be converted into "biological enregy" for photosynthesis, thus plants grow faster (also due to abundant CO2 levels). Keep in mind, I was never good at physics, but I believe the general idea went through... 

Now, although its great to use high wattage/lumens bulbs, dont forget, that with greater wattage comes greater heat and thus greater evaporation. If you decide to use, say a 100W bulb place it far enought from the plants, so they dont dry out.


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## ghostsword

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Great emersed plants..  I am glad that there is another emersed plants nutter here, was tired of being just me..  

I keep most of my plants on the garden, but with winter coming I need to start planing for them to come inside. 

Your iwagumi is fantastic, nice use of rock.  

Please keep the pictures coming. I find them truly inspirational.


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## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				ghostsword said:
			
		

> Great emersed plants..  I am glad that there is another emersed plants nutter here, was tired of being just me..
> 
> I keep most of my plants on the garden, but with winter coming I need to start planing for them to come inside.
> 
> Your iwagumi is fantastic, nice use of rock.
> 
> Please keep the pictures coming. I find them truly inspirational.



Thanks for the warm words ghostsword 

New pictures.

Replanted the glosso carpet 2 weeks ago in my 100L tank. It was too thick and let go of the substrate. I will need to prune more often. Its amazing how fast this plant grows in a full high tech environment. On the picture here, the carpet was already pruned once, a week ago. No sign of it that I can see...


current_state3 by András Tündik, on Flickr

current_state1 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Had to replant the HC too.

current_state4 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Eliminated the fissidens ball. It has grown too round for my taste lately. Retied it to small stones and put it in the base of the cryptocorines.

current_state-23 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Emersed parts are developing.

current_state5 by András Tündik, on Flickr

current_state6 by András Tündik, on Flickr

current_state7 by András Tündik, on Flickr


current_state-26 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Sorry for the reflection in the bottom left corner  Its the Emersed Iwagumi's lights though, so its not that big a vice   

current_state2 by András Tündik, on Flickr


Wabi Kusas

Just to give you an idea how they are placed in my flat.

current_state8 by András Tündik, on Flickr

current_state9 by András Tündik, on Flickr


current_state0 by András Tündik, on Flickr

current_state1 (1) by András Tündik, on Flickr

current_state-25 by András Tündik, on Flickr

A type of creeping plant appeared in this Wabi out of nowhere. Anyone knows what plant it is? I dont think its aquatic.

current_state-24 by András Tündik, on Flickr


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

The little terrarium is at its lushest state so far. Tomorrow, me and my friend are gonna build a cupboard on which it will take its new place in my flat. Than we will prune it a little because it is too lush and would get out of hand otherwise. Ill post some pics showing its new place tomorrow.


emersed_iwagumi_2011.nov.26-42 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_iwagumi_2011.nov.26-41 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_iwagumi_2011.nov.26-40 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_iwagumi_2011.nov.26-39 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_iwagumi_2011.nov.26-38 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_iwagumi_2011.nov.26-37 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_iwagumi_2011.nov.26-36 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_iwagumi_2011.nov.26-35 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_iwagumi_2011.nov.26-34 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_iwagumi_2011.nov.26-33 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_iwagumi_2011.nov.26-32 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_iwagumi_2011.nov.26-31 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_iwagumi_2011.nov.26-30 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_iwagumi_2011.nov.26-29 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_iwagumi_2011.nov.26-26 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_iwagumi_2011.nov.26-27 by András Tündik, on Flickr


----------



## Arana

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Wow! inspiring journal and great photos schruz.


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				Arana said:
			
		

> Wow! inspiring journal and great photos schruz.


Thanks Arana!

Update on the 100L tank.
Also needed to replant the lindernia rotundifolia bush in the back left corner. It started to sparse up and look unhealthy.
Looks a bit weird at the moment but soon the sight will be full and healthy again. 


emersed_iwagumi_2011.nov.26-28 by András Tündik, on Flickr


----------



## andyh

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Wow Stunning pictures and plant health!

Keep up the journal

Andy


----------



## Mark Evans

*Re: Schruz's Works*

The Wabi projects are immense!


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Thanks Andy, thanks Mark!  I'll try my best to update regularly. So far I could.


----------



## Morgan Freeman

*Re: Schruz's Works*

I love this thread so much.

I'm thinking of having wabi kusa on each table when me and the OH finally get married. I just need to practice!


----------



## schraptor

*Re: Schruz's Works*

I'm already looking for a good 'bowl'


----------



## a1Matt

*Re: Schruz's Works*

I've got a wabi tip to share for when mites or flys infest the plants.
Pick up a small spider, plonk it in wabi and leave it to eat the pests.  Takes a few days for some results and if the infestation is heavy about a month to clean up completely.

Thought I'd post it here as this thread is (rightly so) getting a lot of wabi traffic


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				a1Matt said:
			
		

> I've got a wabi tip to share for when mites or flys infest the plants.
> Pick up a small spider, plonk it in wabi and leave it to eat the pests.  Takes a few days for some results and if the infestation is heavy about a month to clean up completely.
> 
> Thought I'd post it here as this thread is (rightly so) getting a lot of wabi traffic



Definitely, very valuable thanks! Please everyone else, feel free to share your tips and tricks!

I also heard on the Hungarian forum from someone that a few ladybugs could eliminate a lice infestation since their prime or only food is leaf lice. (Maybe they don't eat all kinds, but I'm sure it is easy to find more info on that on the "Interweb"  )


----------



## Morgan Freeman

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Wouldn't a quick co2 blast kill off any nasties? I do it to all my terrarium plants.


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				Morgan Freeman said:
			
		

> Wouldn't a quick co2 blast kill off any nasties? I do it to all my terrarium plants.


Tell us more about this please, I have never heard this method.

Finally a glassbox of life in the ground foor of my apartment. Today my aquascaper friend and I have built the copboard that now holds the Iwagumi. Actually it is much more correct to say that he built it and all I mostly did was watch and tell jokes  This piece of furniture is capable of holding an aquarium with a base up to 60x30 cms in the future if I get bored of the emersed Iwagumi.But that is distant future  So a few nice ambient pics and some not so nice with flash, so you can compare size of things and have a clearer idea of the tanks placement in the flat.


The project's new place by András Tündik, on Flickr

The project's new place by András Tündik, on Flickr

The project's new place by András Tündik, on Flickr

The project's new place by András Tündik, on Flickr

The project's new place by András Tündik, on Flickr

The project's new place by András Tündik, on Flickr

The project's new place by András Tündik, on Flickr




The project's new place by András Tündik, on Flickr

The project's new place by András Tündik, on Flickr

The project's new place by András Tündik, on Flickr


----------



## Gary Nelson

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Great photos! simple clean lines... looks great


----------



## leonroy

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Inspiring stuff schruz, makes me want to start my own Wabi kusa project. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before ADA get you to provide their Wabi kusa promotional shots, your stuff is leagues ahead of anything else I've seen!


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				Gary Nelson said:
			
		

> Great photos! simple clean lines... looks great


Thanks!



			
				leonroy said:
			
		

> Inspiring stuff schruz, makes me want to start my own Wabi kusa project. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before ADA get you to provide their Wabi kusa promotional shots, your stuff is leagues ahead of anything else I've seen!


Mate, thanks for your warm words. You made my day, even if you exaggerated a lot 

The emersed Iwagumi had a large prune so that the rocks are visible again.


iwagumi_dec_06-22 by András Tündik, on Flickr

iwagumi_dec_06-11 by András Tündik, on Flickr

I thought it was time for a new before-after pic too.


beforeafter by András Tündik, on Flickr


----------



## leonroy

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Wow. Are the colors that intense in real life?


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				leonroy said:
			
		

> Wow. Are the colors that intense in real life?



Yes  The picture is pretty close to real life.


----------



## Piece-of-fish

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Yep, made me start couple of mine as well   
Is iwagumi going uncovered just in room humidity?


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				Piece-of-fish said:
			
		

> Yep, made me start couple of mine as well
> Is iwagumi going uncovered just in room humidity?



What do you mean? I don't understand your sentence.


----------



## Piece-of-fish

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Is aquarium open top all the time?


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				Piece-of-fish said:
			
		

> Is aquarium open top all the time?


Yes it is. Please go to page 2. There, I explained in detail the process of setting it up successfully so that it can be opened up all the time after a period of time, once the plants are mature enough. Actually, its partly an answer to another similar question by you  If you leave it open right after planting, chances are it wont work.


----------



## Piece-of-fish

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Thanks, i do remember you saying that and the process as well. This one just looks too good to be true


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

I made a new Wabi. The plants are in a 30 cm diameter ADA Cylinder Plant Glass.


newbowl-1 by András Tündik, on Flickr

newbowl-2 by András Tündik, on Flickr

The cover looks quite homemade , I just couldnt find a glass bowl in the kitchen that is large enough to cover up such a large Plabt Glass. I'd now like to thank Ms. J. K. Rowling, for writing such sturdy and massive books  The cover is not air tight or anything, but it does the job I think.

*Substrate:* I wanted to make substrate balls out of Amazonia and black mosquito net, but it just wouldnt look good and wouldnt stay strong no matter how hard I tried. So I threw away the idea and just did the regular substrate method. There is a mixture of ADA Amazonia and Malaya in there since I didn't have enough Amazonia left.  On the bottom-middle of the glass there's some Substrat Pro and some other porous stuff. I didnt have any concentrated plant substrate either so I left that out as well this time. I'm expecting a little slower growth due to these reasons, although regular watering with nutrient rich tankwater should compensate for the substrate's hindrances 

*Plants:* Most plants are fresh emersed ones this time. I went shopping in the Green Aqua store 
_Hydrocotyle verticillata
Pogostemon erectus
a small amount of submers Rotala wallchi
submers Ludwigia glandulosa
Myryophyllum matogrossense
Hygrophila pinnatifida
half submers Hygrophila sp. Araguaia_

Later I might plant some other species. I'll see what else would harmonize well with the current ones once they have grown in a little.

*Lighting:* For now I'm using my old Arcadia lamp, 2x24 W T5HO. I'm undicided of the bowls final place yet and the lights I will use in the end.

Maintainance will be the usual. Since I'm using emersed plants this time, I expect that it will be OK to remove the cover earlier than in my other projects.


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

The award ceremony of the Hungarian Aquascaping Contest 2011 was today. There were 65 contestants.

I recieved 17th place with this tank:


Hungarian Aquascaping Contest 2011 - 17th place out of 65 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Im completely satisfied with my results. Regarding the fact that I am currently running 7 different planted projects, its kind of a miracle that this tank was able to recieve such a nice placement.

My other tank recieved 27th place.






Im completely satisfied with this one too. Cube tanks dont tend to recieve too good results in general but compared to that fact, the tank still managed to be in the middle range of the results.

Both of my tanks are in the top half of the HAC 2011. I don't think I could wish for a better Christmas present


----------



## mattb180

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Very nice Schruz and well done on your top half finishes!


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				mattb180 said:
			
		

> Very nice Schruz and well done on your top half finishes!


Thank you very much mate! 

Made a new cover solution, because the previous one had an overly large surface where humidity could escape and this proved to be a problem. I pruned the roots of some of the plants I planted and those started to swelter. Now they are fine  Higher humidity compensated for my mistake. A lesson to learn: when planting emersed, don't prune roots! Its logical after all. Roots are the only parts of plants when emersed that can take up enough water to keep the plant alive.


newbowl11-2 by András Tündik, on Flickr

newbowl11-1 by András Tündik, on Flickr

It kinda looks like a laboratory experiment to me. Cool.


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Well I havent posted in a while, sorry for that...

Some somewhat outdated pictures, gonna take new ones soon.

Glosso carpet in 100l tank is full and healthy again.

fairytale-2 by András Tündik, on Flickr

fairytale-1 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Emersed growth on 100l tank.

fairytale-4 by András Tündik, on Flickr

fairytale-3 by András Tündik, on Flickr

One week old pics of my new Wabi Kusa. The Wabi is 2 weeks old on the pics, it is at the moment 3 weeks old. Its much denser since then, beacause I moved it closer to the lights. It reached the age when the plants are pretty strong and bring a lot of side shoots. I took most of the cover off by now, only left some at the back. Since there mostly emersed plants in there from start, they required less time to acclimatize. Soon will post new pics.
t
emersed_things-11 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_things-5 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_things-6 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_things-7 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_things-8 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_things-9 by András Tündik, on Flickr


Tiny new leaves on the hydro. Since then their appearance is exponential...

emersed_things-10 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_things-12 by András Tündik, on Flickr

And finally the emersed Iwagumi. One week old photos. It needs serious trimming on the pics. Im gonna do it tomorrow hopefully.

emersed_things-2 by András Tündik, on Flickr

emersed_things-3 by András Tündik, on Flickr

An interesting little pic 

emersed_things-4 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Something else. I am going to rescape/restart my 50L planted tank by the end of January. Better said, I'm going to turn it into a half planted tank half emersed thingy. I hope it will work the way I planned it. Details coming soon


----------



## schraptor

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Great stuff you got there mate. Trying some wibi-kusa myself.
I really like the last shot


----------



## rebus

*Re: Schruz's Works*

That last photo looks fantastic! 

Stu.


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Thanks guys!



			
				schraptor said:
			
		

> Great stuff you got there mate. Trying some wibi-kusa myself.
> I really like the last shot



Please share your photos, I'd really like to see them. Or are you publishing them in the emersed growth section?


I don't have much time to comment the pics atm, but I've commented them on Flickr so you can read that if you'd like. 


The bowl is 24 days old.


wabikusas-5 by András Tündik, on Flickr

wabikusas-6 by András Tündik, on Flickr

wabikusas-7 by András Tündik, on Flickr

I've planted Staurogyne repens in there.


wabikusas-8 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Older wabis.


wabikusas-25 by András Tündik, on Flickr

wabikusas-9 by András Tündik, on Flickr

wabikusas-11 by András Tündik, on Flickr

wabikusas-12 by András Tündik, on Flickr

wabikusas-13 by András Tündik, on Flickr

wabikusas-14 by András Tündik, on Flickr


wabikusas-15 by András Tündik, on Flickr

wabikusas-16 by András Tündik, on Flickr

wabikusas-17 by András Tündik, on Flickr

wabikusas-18 by András Tündik, on Flickr

wabikusas-19 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Wow 

wabikusas-20 by András Tündik, on Flickr


wabikusas-21 by András Tündik, on Flickr

wabikusas-22 by András Tündik, on Flickr

wabikusas-23 by András Tündik, on Flickr

wabikusas-24 by András Tündik, on Flickr


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

After an end-of-year overall pruning. Sorry for the dirty glass (the tank was filled with water for the pruning).


wabikusas-2 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Moss.


wabikusas-3 by András Tündik, on Flickr

About a month ago some Rotala rotundifolia was included in the mix. I didn't prune this plant at all due to its young age.

wabikusas-1 by András Tündik, on Flickr


wabikusas-4 by András Tündik, on Flickr


----------



## AndersH

*Re: Schruz's Works*

You really have made me want to venture into the wabi kusa business.

Your work is so beautiful, and I especially love the iwagumi. Stunning


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				AndersH said:
			
		

> You really have made me want to venture into the wabi kusa business.
> 
> Your work is so beautiful, and I especially love the iwagumi. Stunning



I am pleased to hear that AndersH  Trust me, once you make a wabi, you will want and actually realize an other one, and another one, and another one... And why not? Its much cheaper and requires less work then having multiple planted tanks. Although having multiple tanks is even better 
_______________________________________________

Well, I have pruned the new wabi today. Ill post pics tom. or after tom. I pruned it for a not so obvious reason. I was a bit impatient and lifted the cover a touch too fast. This caused some individual stems to shrivel and die randomly. I've put back the plastic foil halfway, to provide some more humidity. I didn't want to cover the whole thing up again cause the plants are requiring much more CO2 at this stage. Instead I pruned and replanted. What this provides, other then a more lush appearance, is the increased ability for the wabi as a whole to stay warmer and thus keep and manage humidity. Its a bit like hair on our arms I reckon.

And while pruning I've noticed that all my Hygrophila araguia are starting to flower. So far I thought its new shoots, but by today the flower startings looked different enough so that I could tell they are not actually shoots 

I'm one happy emersed nut


----------



## Morgan Freeman

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Great work again!

I assume you flood the tank in order to easily remove cuttings?

I'm an addict now, 3 emersed jars on my windowsill.


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				Morgan Freeman said:
			
		

> Great work again!
> 
> I assume you flood the tank in order to easily remove cuttings?
> 
> I'm an addict now, 3 emersed jars on my windowsill.



I don't flood the wabis, I prune those without water, but I flood the emersed Iwagumi. Glad to hear you're in the club of wabi fans 

Did you post pics somewhere? I'd like to see your and all other's stuff. What I saw in the emersed growth topic are mostly older works, though genuinely amazing! But I'd really like to see some new things. Or did I miss you're posted works?


----------



## Morgan Freeman

*Re: Schruz's Works*

They're nothing special, it's the thread titled "Pint and a Pot". That's two of them anyway, the other I've just started. I'm going to pick up a 20cm optiwhite cube soon and get something scaped with some seiru stone I have spare.


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

A not too well shot, quick picture after the first pruning. As I said, the Hygrophila is about to flower so I didn't prune it 
Ill post pics of the flowers once they open.


bowl-2 by András Tündik, on Flickr

bowl by András Tündik, on Flickr


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

My Hygrophila sp. 'Araguiaia' flowers   


Araguia flower by András Tündik, on Flickr

Araguia flower by András Tündik, on Flickr

__________________________________________________________________________________

Today was the last day of my 50l scape  I Took it to bits. One last sad pic:






But the new project, the rescape, shall I say, will be cool if it will work out.


----------



## schraptor

*Re: Schruz's Works*



> Please share your photos, I'd really like to see them. Or are you publishing them in the emersed growth section?



Nothing to be shared yet mate. If anything grows in there, I'll share some pictures


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Ugh, long time passed since I have posted in this journal. Quite a lot happened though.

First off, all is well with the new Wabi. It survived the first pruning a few weeks ago very well. Soon time for a new pruning.


Large Wabi by András Tündik, on Flickr


___________________________________________________________________________________________________


As I said earlier, the cube tank in its old form is over, and the new setup has been up and running for 1 and a half weeks now. Its partly emersed and partly a high-tech nano. 

*Specs*

*Tank dimensions: *35x35x40 cm, 49 l capacity, only filled with 20 l though
*Filtration:* Eheim Professionel 2, 2026
*CO2:* Pressurized system with glass diffuser
*Lighting:* 2x26W PC, AN Solar Duo Boy and 1x18W PC Blau, 70W altogether
*Substrate:* ADA Power Sand Special, ADA NEW Amazonia, ADA NEW Amaonia Powder
*Fertilizers:* GreenAqua Micro and Macro according to EI, no EasyCarbo for this setup (wanna keep and breed Tiger shrimp)
*Waterchange:* Currently 50% every other day, and I'll see whether its fine to change just once a week, but I think this is gonna be a twice a week tank.
*Hardscape:* ADA Fuji rocks

*Flora:*

*Emersed:*
Uttricularia graminifolia
Hemianthus callitricoides 'Cuba'
Cypherus helferi
Eleocharis parvula
Hydrocotyle sp. 'Japan'
Vesicularia montagnei

*Submersed:*
Uttricularia graminifolia
Hemianthus callitricoides 'Cuba'
Lileaopsis brasiliensis
Blyxa japonica
Hydrocotyle sp. 'Japan'
Vesicularia montagnei


*Fauna*

Danio margaritatus
Caridina cantonensis sp. "Tiger"
Clithon corona

Fauna is not yet in there of course. The filter is completely matured. Its been running in the old tank and in a bucket since its death.  Its flow rate is reduced with its built in regulator because of the small amount of water. Only the emersed corner is covered with plastic foil. I covered most of the tank in the beginning, except for the front 10 cm but the water warmed up to 30 celsius so I removed the foil quickly. Its a hard situation. The emersed area benefits from that warmth in the beginning, but it evidently hinders the submersed area... Right now, I chose to comprimise for the benefit of the submerged area. The emersed is doin OK but not at all as if it would be covered properly :/ We'll see. most plants survived the first week so I dont think there will be a big problem. As for the lights. 70 W is quite a lot for 20l I know, but the lamps are about 30 cm away from the water surface. The effect of so much light at such hight is not high intensity, but rather full coverage.

The moss is not yet visible on the rocks. I saw Amano in an ADA View video chop moss up on a cutting board as if it were parsley or something, than he sticked the mesh on his palms and stroked the Fuji stones. The moss pieces sticked on the surface of the stones and stayed in place even after the tank was filled with water. I tried it and it works!  Although I'm expecting slower development from the moss because of the stress it must have received.

Pics:








One day old:


Paludarium - no equipment by András Tündik, on Flickr

halfway-3 by András Tündik, on Flickr

One week old with Flickr boxes for the plants:


paludarium_first_week-1 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Change in the first week:


day1-week1 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Gonna try and update weekly.
Hope you like my new project!


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

A Wabi of which I didn't share many photos yet. Its running since August 2011 and my father is taking care of it in his flat. When I went there today I realized that it deserves some photos because it really has become beautiful. It is interesting to see that even Lindernia and Glossostigma turnes red under sufficiently high light. This is definitely thanks to the T2 spiral bulb I've chosen for this Wabi. I recommend it to everyone. It gives much less heat compared to T5s and other types of PCs. 


One of my Wabis by András Tündik, on Flickr

One of my Wabis by András Tündik, on Flickr

One of my Wabis by András Tündik, on Flickr

One of my Wabis by András Tündik, on Flickr

One of my Wabis by András Tündik, on Flickr

One of my Wabis by András Tündik, on Flickr

One of my Wabis by András Tündik, on Flickr


----------



## clonitza

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Really love both your tanks and photos, when I see them they make me fill my nanos once more. 
Thanks for posting them,
Mike


----------



## Antoni

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Wow this is another masterpiece of yours! Definitely master of Wabis! 

Very interesting that under the high ligth the plants are getting red. So it is not up to the spectrum after all.. What is the Wattage of this bulb? 
What do you think about LED lighting. I don't know how good the commercially available LEDs are, but they are prety cheap and you can get many different fixtures E4, E27 and so on...

I also like a lot your terarium -aquarium experiment! When the plants take off above and under the water it will looks great. I like  the appearance of the Cypherus helferi!


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				clonitza said:
			
		

> Really love both your tanks and photos, when I see them they make me fill my nanos once more.
> Thanks for posting them,
> Mike



Thanks! I'm glad my work makes you happier Mike. 




			
				Antoni said:
			
		

> Wow this is another masterpiece of yours! Definitely master of Wabis!
> 
> Very interesting that under the high ligth the plants are getting red. So it is not up to the spectrum after all.. What is the Wattage of this bulb?
> What do you think about LED lighting. I don't know how good the commercially available LEDs are, but they are prety cheap and you can get many different fixtures E4, E27 and so on...
> 
> I also like a lot your terarium -aquarium experiment! When the plants take off above and under the water it will looks great. I like  the appearance of the Cypherus helferi!



  You definitely made me blush with your kind words mate. Thank you. Bulb is 15W. But I reckon one doesn't even need to bother much about watts these days as long as they are compatible bulbs with the lamp. I think that lumens are becoming much more important with these PCs. This one's 800 lumens which, for such a small Wabi (about  12 cm wide, 12 cm deep) is a great amount. I still believe in wide spectrum bulbs and proper Kelvins though, so keep that in mind too. I moved the bulb very close to the surface of the Wabi gradually (now its about 6-7 cms from the plants), and now, since its so old and sturdy it can handle this much light without drying up. I find that with every single aspect of a Wabi's technical know-how, the key thing is gradual change, be it humidity, light, pruning etc. Once matured (about 2-3 months) the bowl needs much less attention and can handle quicker changes.

LED lighting. Hmm... I sont have much experience with LED, I haven't tried them even on aquariums, though many people on the hungarian forums nurture really amazing tanks with it. I'm sure it works with Wabis, when it comes to quality of light. My only concern is, maybe its not at all well grounded, that LEDs produce a spotlight. There are limited lamp body possibilities that are available for such small bowls (mostly reading lamps and table lamps) and they are short. Thus if you put a LED bulb in them, they focus the light mostly to the middle of the Wabi, and the outskirts wouldn' develom as well perhaps. If you can find a lamp body that is tall enough and still looks good for lighting a wabi, go for it cause your being green and stylish  After all Amano uses 70W HQI lamps for his Wabis which are also spot. But those lamps make it possible to move the bulb away to 40-50 cms from the surface of the bowl (and thats not only for to better light coverage but because HQIs would burn the plants with their great heat emission if too close).

Succesful, long term Wabis are still quite rare, more widespread in Asia but not common. Let alone Wabis withhout DoAqua! equipment. Therefore I'd like to encourage you to try out as many things as possible so that we can learn and develop our Wabi skills. If the led bulb doesnt work, you can always replace it with a compact fluorescent one, so go for it.


----------



## Antoni

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Hi,

thank you very much for the sufficient explanation. Yes I must agree that wattage is not really relevant those days, besides the fact that there are so many different light sources out there on the market. Every one with different specification. For instance in my nano which is about 18 l of water I'm using a 20 w PCL 6500K. I'm using only easycarbo, no CO2 and the plants are doing great, without any algae problems - and this is more than a watt/liter/the light is just 5 cm of the water surface/ 

Anyway, I'm thinking of trying to make a DIY lighting fixture with LED, so I can make it as high as I need it. Will keep you posted! 

This thread of yours is inspiring!

Regards


----------



## Antoni

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Hi,

thank you very much for the sufficient explanation. Yes I must agree that wattage is not really relevant those days, besides the fact that there are so many different light sources out there on the market. Every one with different specification. For instance in my nano which is about 18 l of water I'm using a 20 w PCL 6500K. I'm using only easycarbo, no CO2 and the plants are doing great, without any algae problems - and this is more than a watt/liter/the light is just 5 cm of the water surface/ 

Anyway, I'm thinking of trying to make a DIY lighting fixture with LED, so I can make it as high as I need it. Will keep you posted! 

This thread of yours is inspiring!

Regards


----------



## dw1305

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Hi all,
Linear T2 tubes should be more efficient than linear T5's, it is just a case of finding them and luminaires they fit in. T2 lamps are more available in Europe than the UK, but they are coming in.

MR16 LED lights should be readily available in "day-light" and in wide angle. They are fairly safe near water being 12V. A 12V driver to step down the 240V would be cheap as well, and could run several fittings.

cheers Darrel


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				dw1305 said:
			
		

> Hi all,
> Linear T2 tubes should be more efficient than linear T5's, it is just a case of finding them and luminaires they fit in. T2 lamps are more available in Europe than the UK, but they are coming in.
> 
> MR16 LED lights should be readily available in "day-light" and in wide angle. They are fairly safe near water being 12V. A 12V driver to step down the 240V would be cheap as well, and could run several fittings.
> 
> cheers Darrel



Thanks for the contribution  My experience is that not only linear, but any types of T2 bulb is the most efficient version of the compact fluorescent family. And for screw type PCs, fittings are readily available (the most common house lamp fittings: E14, E27) So I would only bother with linear T2s above aquariums, not Wabis.


----------



## dw1305

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Hi all,


> Thanks for the contribution


 Thanks for posting this thread, the Wabis are great. Both the 240V 11W & 20W "Daylight" ES27 lamps are about £8 in the UK, so really good value.

cheers Darrel


----------



## OllieNZ

*Re: Schruz's Works*

On the LED front Im using 2x 3w 6500k gu10 fitting bulbs over my 60x35x35 no tech and getting good but slow growth. The surprise for me is how well the sagittaria subdulata is growing. 30cm seems to be the max usable light spread though Im thinking of adding a 3rd bulb to the tank.


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

My paludarium was 2 weeks old on February 1st. it was time for the first overall pruning. Almost everything was pruned except for the Blyxa.

At the end of the second week


Week 2 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Comparison:


Day one and week 2 by András Tündik, on Flickr

After the first pruning:


Week 2 - after the first pruning by András Tündik, on Flickr


----------



## viktorlantos

*Re: Schruz's Works*

I had a chance to make some photos from these amazing wabis. 
Some of them will be displayed in our showroom, meanwhile we gave Schruz (Andras) some new plate to work on   

Enjoy  


Wabi Kusa Photo Session by viktorlantos, on Flickr


Wabi Kusa Photo Session by viktorlantos, on Flickr


Wabi Kusa Photo Session by viktorlantos, on Flickr


Wabi Kusa Photo Session by viktorlantos, on Flickr


Wabi Kusa Photo Session by viktorlantos, on Flickr


Wabi Kusa Photo Session by viktorlantos, on Flickr


Wabi Kusa Photo Session by viktorlantos, on Flickr


Wabi Kusa Photo Session by viktorlantos, on Flickr


Wabi Kusa Photo Session by viktorlantos, on Flickr


Wabi Kusa Photo Session by viktorlantos, on Flickr


Wabi Kusa Photo Session by viktorlantos, on Flickr


Wabi Kusa Photo Session by viktorlantos, on Flickr


Wabi Kusa Photo Session by viktorlantos, on Flickr


----------



## Ady34

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Very impressive. 
I have to say im not into wabis myself, i like the fish too much, but these are absolutely top notch. I love the bow fronted set up, and the photography is superb too.
Really good stuff.
Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## NeilW

*Re: Schruz's Works*

I would love to see a step by step tutorial on how to create something this amazing   

Awesome work on both the Wabi's and the photography


----------



## Mark Evans

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Impressive isn't the word! 

Awesome would be my choice of word!


----------



## LondonDragon

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Some great stuff here guys  awesome indeed  congrats


----------



## Antoni

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Stunning, stunning, stunning! I love wabi kusa and you are mastering it!


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

OK guys Im very sorry for not thanking you the warm remarks for so long. I'm writing my thesis and preparing for my end of program comprehensive exams at the uni so recently I had no time to update my journals.

Anyways thank you guys very much! As Viktor hinted, we made a little deal. I make wabis and when bored of them give it to the GreenAqua guys to display it in their shop. In return they provide me with free quality ADA material to build new ones.

Check out my Flickr page for older photos so you can compare then and now status of the new Wabis. Link in my sig.

I had the time today to take new quality pics and do some forum updating. As you can see, every side of the topic was examined ha-ha-ha-ha  

Crypto Mix:

The Crypto Mix is a few days more then a month old today.

I am quite astonished by the results. With the plastic foil being completely off for 1.5 weeks already the Crypts are doing very well with 2x spraying a day. This ADA glass with its high walls and small opening does wonders in keeping humidity. I estimate the humidity level to be something like 50-60% inside and that seems to be enough for the crypts.

*SO! I can now confirm that in the right container, Cryptocoryne species are also completely Wabi Kusa capable.*

I even had to prune the Crypts already.


Crypto Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr

Crypto Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr

Crypto Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr

Crypto Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr

Crypto Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr

Crypto Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr

Crypto Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr

Crypto Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr

Crypto Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr


Echino Mix:

The Echino Mix is also a month old.

Everything grows like crazy. Not a surprize since Im lighting with 58W temporarily.

UG is very easy to grow emersed, just make sure it isnt planted near a more agressive taller plant as it can rule it out.

The Echino 'Red Diamonds' are the red plants you can see on the pics. Its beautiful and grows well. After I cut off the old flower branches they have grown themselves new ones as you can see.

But Im experienceing a similar problem as with tenellus. It seems like it doesn't really become emersed. When I got it, it had very different emersed leaves which I cut off since then. The new leaves although very healthy seem to be sumbersed ones. The edges sometimes start to shrivel. I suspect now that if Echinos feel humidity they turn submersed, I can't find an other explanation as of yet. Ill try not spraying for a while and see what happens. The UG will have no prob as it is so short its always in high humidity on the soil.

Weird plants, Echinos. Ive read something on an old forum post in an other forum about people finding it difficult to convert it to full emersed form. I didnt find further info though.

Anyway, the plastic foil is mostly off this Wabi too. 1.5-2 weeks and Im gonna take it off completely.


Echino Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr

Echino Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr

Echino Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr


Echino Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr
Echino Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr

Echino Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr

Echino Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr

Echino Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr

Echino Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr

Echino Mix by András Tündik, on Flickr

If you are interested in updates please check my Flicker page every now and then as I can update that more often then this journal. My paludarium looks good too... wow. that was modest   I really like it Ill post new pics of it soon too.


----------



## darren636

*Re: Schruz's Works*

crypto mix is a work of art.


----------



## pariahrob

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Wow, these are just beautiful. I especially like the paludarium. I saw one at my LFS recently and fell in love with the idea but yours looks so elegant as well.

A challenge for the future for me I think.


----------



## Mortis

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Any tips for growing UG emmersed ? Im growing some but its going very slowly, new leaves seem to be growing quite small


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				NeilW said:
			
		

> I would love to see a step by step tutorial on how to create something this amazing



Neil, on the Hungarian forums I've done a 'question and answer' collection of the most important things on Wabis. I'll translate that soon if you guys want, I don't want to discriminate Britain from this knowledge   But please be patient as I don't have time atm.

Over the summer Im planning to write a short (few pages long) freely downloadable essay for hobbysts on the background and tips and tricks of Wabi Kusa as I came to know it. Nothing scientific or anything, just a know-how... I plan it to serve as a detailed knowledge base with pics and maybe a few handy links etc. Would you guys be interested in such a thing, or would it be an overkill?



			
				Mortis said:
			
		

> Any tips for growing UG emmersed ? Im growing some but its going very slowly, new leaves seem to be growing quite small



Hi! I find UG a slower plant, whatever you provide for it. I'd put its rate of growth somewhere between marsilea species and HC. Its a bit faster emersed though. Also, it tends to be miniscule when above water, that's just its emersed form.

I can give you one tip though: don't plant UG in the traditional way. That is, dont push it into the substrate. It will establish itself much faster if you take apart a potful into small bunches and simply lay them down on the substrate and let the plant find its way into it. This works better because UG is a very peculiar plant. If you look at it closely you'll see that its 'leafs' are also 'stems' that can bud new leaves, roots and runners at the same time in many locations. And this way its parts can be angled in the best angle to root and all.

Since its physiology is so, in lack of a better word, "weird" I also think it does better this way because it doesnt benefit much from light when its pushed into the ground. but when its 'stems' are laid down vertically, their full length can photosynthesize. Now this is just a theory I made up, Im sure a botanist could give a better reason. But I found this the most logical explanation. And the plant for sure does better this way, Ive tried both ways.

By the way, did you see pics of the beautiful flowers it brings if feeling good enough? Like most bladderworts, its flowers are orchid-like beauties. My goal is to make this baby bloom


----------



## OllieNZ

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				schruz said:
			
		

> Over the summer Im planning to write a short (few pages long) freely downloadable essay for hobbysts on the background and tips and tricks of Wabi Kusa as I came to know it. Nothing scientific or anything, just a know-how... I plan it to serve as a detailed knowledge base with pics and maybe a few handy links etc. Would you guys be interested in such a thing, or would it be an overkill?


I for one would like to see this and think there would be many others out there that would appreciate the effort


----------



## Iain Sutherland

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Id be very interested in what you have learnt schruz and after looking at your work think everyone will!!
Beautiful wabi's.


----------



## darren636

*Re: Schruz's Works*

yes- i too would like to see more.


----------



## Westyggx

*Schruz's Works*

I would defo love a how to guide!


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

OK. Deal.  I'll be glad to do it then.

But as I said its gonna happen only over the summer when I'll have time.


----------



## Kristoph91

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Would love to see a guide also, I really want to give one of these a try 
Yours are so bloody good !

Kris


----------



## dw1305

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Hi all,
_Utricularia graminifolia_ grows best in acid, nutrient poor conditions. We had a discussion about a while ago, when I used to have a lot of growing in with my other insectivorous plants. I'm pretty sure that I haven't got any now, as the windowsills the pots were on got very cold when we didn't have any heating in December 2010. 

The lab has new double glazing now, so I may try again if it really doesn't re-appear.

<http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10477&p=112025> & <http://www.ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11289>.

cheers Darrel


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				dw1305 said:
			
		

> Hi all,
> _Utricularia graminifolia_ grows best in acid, nutrient poor conditions. We had a discussion about a while ago, when I used to have a lot of growing in with my other insectivorous plants. I'm pretty sure that I haven't got any now, as the windowsills the pots were on got very cold when we didn't have any heating in December 2010.
> 
> The lab has new double glazing now, so I may try again if it really doesn't re-appear.
> 
> <http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10477&p=112025> & <http://www.ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11289>.
> 
> cheers Darrel



Yes, yes I forgot to mention these facts. Keep this and my suggestions on planting in mind and you'll have a carpet. If you want it sumberged, start your tank with DSM. I think it gets a better hold that way.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________


I named my paludarium "Down by the Riverside". Its part of the lyrics or may be the title of a very old Dixieland song.

The tank is exactly 3 months old.

I'm loving the "live rock" 

Everything's fine, the Brasiliensis is being overgrown by the HC, whatever I do, so it is not too visible.

Have a bit of hair algae on the submersed UG but not much. It attracts it very nicely  Weird plant UG, weird plant..


&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr


Emersed close-ups:


&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr


Submersed closeups (sorry for contrasty pics):


&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Down By the Riverside&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr


----------



## darren636

*Re: Schruz's Works*

no doubt about it, this is a very attractive piece of work.


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Thanks 



			
				dw1305 said:
			
		

> Hi all,
> _Utricularia graminifolia_ grows best in acid, nutrient poor conditions. We had a discussion about a while ago, when I used to have a lot of growing in with my other insectivorous plants. I'm pretty sure that I haven't got any now, as the windowsills the pots were on got very cold when we didn't have any heating in December 2010.
> 
> The lab has new double glazing now, so I may try again if it really doesn't re-appear.
> 
> <http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10477&p=112025> & <http://www.ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11289>.
> 
> cheers Darrel



Darrel, do you know anything about the optimal condition for making UG flower? As you can see, it seems to be feeling good, but no signs of flowers yet, nor in the palu nor in my Wabi. Can it flower in nutrient _rich_ conditions?


----------



## dw1305

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Hi all,
My _Utricularias_ have mainly flowered in the summer, so I think it is a warmth, or most likely, light response. 


> Can it flower in nutrient rich conditions?


 I'm not sure, flowering may be a response to lack of nutrients, but I think it probably is just a response to the plant being healthy and in good growth. 

If you can, I'd up the light a little bit. Mine are on a shaded window NE facing sill, but they will get a small amount of morning sun in the summer, and even diffused daylight is x10 PAR of most lighting.  

cheers Darrel


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				dw1305 said:
			
		

> Hi all,
> My _Utricularias_ have mainly flowered in the summer, so I think it is a warmth, or most likely, light response.
> Can it flower in nutrient rich conditions? I'm not sure, flowering may be a response to lack of nutrients, but I think it probably is just a response to the plant being healthy and in good growth.
> 
> If you can, I'd up the light a little bit. Mine are on a shaded window NE facing sill, but they will get a small amount of morning sun in the summer, and even diffused daylight is x10 PAR of most lighting.
> 
> cheers Darrel



Thanks for the input mate!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

A new terrarium replaced the Emersed Iwagumi project. Sorry for the contrasty/bad pics. Problem is I broke a tube in the middle lamp, and the left one is the factory tube of the Zen artist which is not too strong. The camera is not good enough to see well in these conditions. I'll buy replacement tubes soon.

The title is "Humid Conditions" not simply because there is humidity inside the tank. Somehow when I look at it it reminds me well of an Australian rainforest I've been to where the air was so humid I could hardly breath. The name comes from there.

I can't decide yet whether I am contented with the scape or not... I'll see in a few days.


Lighting:
2x or 3x (will decide later) 20W 6500K PC
plus some sunlight


Substrate:

Tropica Plant Nutrition, mix of ADA Amazonia and Malaya, Eheim Substrat Pro


Hardscape:
ADA Iron Wood
ADA Seiryu stone


Plants:
Glossostigma elatinoides
Eleocharis parvula
Lileaopsis mauritiana
Pogostemon helferi
Pogostemon stellata
Hygrophyla pinnatifida
Hygrophila 'Araguaia'
Rotala wallchii
Cryptocoyne becketti 'petchii'
Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Tropica'
Cardamine lyrata

Terrestrial moss to be added to the wood and rocks at places.


&quot;Humid Conditions&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Humid Conditions&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Humid Conditions&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr

&quot;Humid Conditions&quot; by András Tündik, on Flickr


----------



## Gill

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Lovely, Where are those light units from, they look very sexy


----------



## Ady34

*Re: Schruz's Works*

Your work amazes me... already looking stunning..... i want to see a completely submerged scape too!


----------



## schruz

Gill said:
			
		

> Lovely, Where are those light units from, they look very sexy


Thanks! They are sexy aren't day?   I love them too. Brand is Wave, prototype is Zen Artist. They also come in white but black I think is way better. I bought them through GreenAqua in Hungary, but I'm sure there are numerous LFS that sell it in the UK. Just do a Google search and I'm sure you'll find 'em.

Side note: the factory tubes they come with are not too good for aquascaping, or at least for fast growth. Luckily any other E27 type longer PC fits into it, use those. Spiral T2s don't fit unfortunately 



			
				Ady34 said:
			
		

> Your work amazes me... already looking stunning..... i want to see a completely submerged scape too!



Why, thank you mate! Your wish may become granted over the summer when I'm gonna built a new aquarium top to bottom instead of the 100L one you can see a couple of pages back.


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works - Wabi Kusa, Emersed setups, Planted tank*

If your Wabis don't look this ugly once every 1 to 2 months then you will not be able to make them very lush on the longrun. I find regular pruning more and more crucial, since otherwise plants get tired and thin up.

I only advise a UG carpet in a flat bowl like the Echino Mix to someone really committed... Its a pain to prune cause there is no way to submerge the bowl unless you have a huge aquarium or barrel which I don't have.

The reason I pruned the UG is that it became so thick that it started to die at a spot. The "ring" of dead plants grew very rapidly. In my theory a lot of ammonium was generated, it killed the adjacent plants which in turn killed the next row etc. I think I stopped the process but now I have a hole in the front of the carpet

One more thing. About a week ago I stopped spaying the Echino Mix with Do!Aqua be-Bright to try and pursue the Red Diamond to become emersed. It did not make the plant do so. All I achieved was that the leaves lost their beautiful red color, as you can see. I am back at regular spraying with be-Bright now.


Pruned Wabis by András Tündik, on Flickr

Pruned Wabis by András Tündik, on Flickr


----------



## ghostsword

I really like your wabis, great fan of your work.

The lights you have are really nice, but I cannot find them in the UK.. Will need to visit the shop and pick some up..  


___________________________
Luis 
@ghostsword


----------



## darren636

*Re: Schruz's Works - Wabi Kusa, Emersed setups, Planted tank*

yeah- cant find those lights!


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works - Wabi Kusa, Emersed setups, Planted tank*

No Wave Zen Artist in th UK?? Wow... I wouldn't have thought that.   Well order it from abroad. There are a lot of foreign webshops selling them I guess.

The terrarium titled "Humid Conditions" is a week old.


Humid Conditions - Week 1 by András Tündik, on Flickr


Humid Conditions - Week 1 by András Tündik, on Flickr

I really should get some nice terrestrial moss on the driftwood...


----------



## Kristoph91

*Re: Schruz's Works - Wabi Kusa, Emersed setups, Planted tank*

That really is lovely, what are the "spiky" looking plants in the right background ?


----------



## dw1305

*Re: Schruz's Works - Wabi Kusa, Emersed setups, Planted tank*

Hi all,
Looking at the plant list I think it has to be _Rotala wallichii_, particularly as the leaves appear to be growing whorls.

Cheers Darrel


----------



## Simanas

*Re: Schruz's Works*



			
				schruz said:
			
		

>



Hello,

How do you collect all the trimmings?


----------



## ddam19

*Re: Schruz's Works - Wabi Kusa, Emersed setups, Planted tank*

Some very nice tanks. Just wish mine looked that good.


----------



## JohnC

*Re: Schruz's Works - Wabi Kusa, Emersed setups, Planted tank*

How did i not subscribe to this post earlier


----------



## ghostsword

*Re: Schruz's Works - Wabi Kusa, Emersed setups, Planted tank*

One of the best posts of the forum.. I am totally inspired by it.


----------



## JohnC

*Re: Schruz's Works - Wabi Kusa, Emersed setups, Planted tank*



			
				ghostsword said:
			
		

> One of the best posts of the forum.. I am totally inspired by it.




I'm just waiting for the cat to move out of this house and i've got 5 small and 1 big wabi jars waiting to go.


----------



## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works - Wabi Kusa, Emersed setups, Planted tank*

Hi all!

Sorry for not posting here at all for so many months. There has been a change in my lifestyle and have very little time left for foruming (unfortunately). The changes are actually good. Work, and finally a functioning band to which it is worthy to invest much time and effort. I'm the drummer and songwriter and also a singer in some songs so I'm quite occupied. This forced me to get rid of some of my emersed projects too because there simple wasnt enough time left to maintain them. I have no Wabis left, the new terrarium with the branches died of a mold attack, then further died of a mold killing substance   What I kept is the paludarium (Down by the Riverside) and my new aquascape (The Clearing) in the place of Fairytale of Vegetation. I am not quitting Wabis and emerged growing forever, but for a while I will not be able to maintain 6 planted projects at the same time like I have before. I now plan to move back underwater but after a few scapes I'll definitely build more emersed projects (in place of submersed ones not next to them)

Steven Caller author of a new online aquarist magazine interviewed me through e-mail recently about Wabi Kusa. Here is the article, I think it sums up some important aspects of emersed growing:
http://aquaristmagazine.com/Andras Tundik Wabi Kusa Interview.html

Please give the magazine a like on Facebook if you can 
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aquarist-Magazine/167521390049267



			
				Simanas said:
			
		

> schruz said:
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> Hello,
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> How do you collect all the trimmings?
Click to expand...


I actually sold this terrarium about a year ago  I used to fill the tank up with water from my aquariums, and pruned it while it was under water. 

I entered the AGA 2012 with my paludarium. These are the pics I've sent in:





















And here is the evolution of my new aquascape, The Clearing.

The tank is 26 days old today and does very well.

Day 4


The Clearing - Day 4 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Day 13


The Clearing - Day 13 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Day 18 after pruning the Pogostemons


The Clearing - Day 18 by András Tündik, on Flickr


And the latest photo at day 21 after pruning the HC for the first time.


The Clearing - Day 21 by András Tündik, on Flickr

Plant list:
Anubias nan petite
Bolbitis heudekotii
Microsorum pteropus nerrow
Microsorum pteropus needle leaf
Hemianthus callitricoides Cuba
Glossostigma elatinoides
Eleocharis parvula
Marsilea hirsuta
Sagittaria subulata
Cryptocoryne beckettii
Pogostemon stellata
Lileaopsis macloviana
Vesicularia dubyana

Hardscape:
Iron wood
Fuji stone

Substrate:
Amanonia and Amazonia powder
Ada power sand special and Tropica plant nutrition

Lights:
4x24 T5 HO 1900 lm 6500 K

Filters:
Eheim 2071 + Sachem Marathon


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## clonitza

*Re: Schruz's Works - Wabi Kusa, Emersed setups, Planted tank*

A break is always good mate to clear the mind and make more interesting projects.
Saved your interview for later reading, back from vacation and still need to spend a lot of time to bring back on track my aquariums.
Good luck with the new one, looks very nice.     What's the height of the tank?
Definitely need to start a wabi this autumn. I might ask you some questions if I get stuck with something.

Cheers,
Mike


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## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works - Wabi Kusa, Emersed setups, Planted tank*

The tank is 40 cms tall. Feel free to ask, I'll try to answer 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## schruz

*Re: Schruz's Works - Wabi Kusa, Emersed setups, Planted tank*

The tank is 1 month old on the pic, now it is a little older. Ill take some more photos in a week.


The Clearing - 1 month old by András Tündik, on Flickr


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## Ady34

*Re: Schruz's Works - Wabi Kusa, Emersed setups, Planted tank*

Very nice


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## fish fodder

Amazing work! Truly amazing


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## shihr

This is really really amazing work!!!!!!!!!! such true inspiration!! please show us more!


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## adamnguyen

schruz said:


> *Re: Schruz's Works*
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> Oh and some new pics of my planted tanks.
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I want to parameters for it ? CO2, light...
you can tell how well plants grow?I am newbie so i need the help


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## Steve Smith

I've linked to this thread on the UKAPS facebook page. Excellent work Schruz!  You've inspired me to have a go myself


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## LondonDragon

Where is Andras? miss his tanks and wabis!!


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## Iain Sutherland

good call paulo, i miss them too.  Been too long.....


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## Antoni

The same here! Wheeere are youuu Andras?!?!


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## Crumbs

All your work is amazing. Wabi Kusa may be my way around the 'two tank rule' in place at the moment! All very inspirational, well done


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## Nick_V

amazing


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