jack-rythm
Member
Ok people....
I have been putting this off for a while.. not due to laziness but due to amount of time it has taken me to uphold all the equipment etc.. lack of funds.. you know the score...
Brief...
A few months ago I was browsing on here looking at the iwagumi style set ups and fell in love with them. I appreciate the jungles & dutch style tanks dont get me wrong, I have a jungle nano and love it. But as an Architect I cant help but get over the simplicity of an iwagumi... this by no way, means simplicity is simple.. In fact from experience you seem to spend more time achieving and building simplicity, than you do any other element of spatial delivery. Forms and space is a key significance to an iwagumi tank. I am by far, an experienced aquascapist, quite the opposite. I had only taken on the hobby about a year ago now being eased into it by my friend who actually recommended this site for me. Although it has been the best thing I have become obsessed about it has also ruined parts of my life I am a fond reader of diana walstad work, and although a lot of her theories will contradict all the high tech aquascapists opinions I couldn't turn my head and not listen. I genuinely would have an interest in this due to the job and eco life I aim to live so began to revise and try to understand the differences. To be honest some points I believe are not mandatory. With this hobby you can only test and experiment. Reading only gets you so far. My idea was to come up with a fully cycled and usable self inhabited low-tech tank with no filtration or heating. When I first read about this i didn't believe it. HOW?? But after reading and seeing and experimenting I found that the real question was WHY wouldn't this work?...
Idea...
browsing through this site and registering to magazines etc I became engrossed with differences within an iwagumi set up. Also taking in to account the walstad approach I needed something simple but able to carry out its tasks.. I already a 3ft tank and was deciding to put it into that but then it hit me. I remembered a project I had to do for university in paris. I had to design a triptych illustration for the places and buildings I visited.. for those who do not quite know what a triptych is its a "set of three" so to have 3 nano tanks all supporting the same theme, next to each other and connected, this immediately becomes a triptych. Now I had my understand and idea I had to create a Praxis. I searched for rock and flora for months trying to find something inert for my shrimp to survive happily.. I came across dragon stone and immediately knew I wanted that in my tank. I always found dragon stone on and off with some set ups. some could look beautiful but some could hinder a scape causing imbalance and clutter. I wanted minimalism and it was hard to keep focused on certain times. Your mind will naturally go off and decide your needs more in your tank than you actually truly do. Im an artist and I ruin my painted by doing too much.. this is fact. I had to tae this flore into account...
This is how it came to play...
Set up:
Tanks: Self built 30cm 6mm cubed optiwhite tanks, with White smoked film to the back panes. These were the VERY first optiwhite tanks I ever made so as a professional I kept them for myself and labelled them as practice tanks. Everyone has to begin somewhere right?
Lighting: 100cm Boyu, 2x 21w T5's & 1x 21w blue marine T5. (one bulb is currently taken out for my low-tech design) UPDATE ON MY LIGHTING - I only use 1x 24w t5 tube for a 7hr photo period ( get the blue on when im feeling 'party time'
Filtration: 3x Eheim 2213's with 13mm glassware lily pipes all with clear tubing and single taps.
Heating: None
Substrate: 9l ADA Amazonia Aquasoil, 5l EBI Gold shrimp substrate capped on top of ADA. Pulp from filters around the house.
Hardscape: Dragon stone
Flora: riccia fluitans, Pogostemon helferi & eleocharis parvula, bacopa, peacock moss, weeping moss, mini pelia
Fauna: None as of yet, although shall be ordering chilli rasboras (a few random fish to get started with)
Cabinet: Self built and painted to suit surrounding (black metal)
cabinet build:
The current cabinet I was supporting was two pine coloured ikea low units that I decided to sand down, paint and shelf. I had to paint it black because the sofa next to it was black! I also think the contrast of white light and greens would play off the colour black extremely well. here is my cabinet process...
Once I had built the cabinet I could see something start to shape and form and was excited. I had ordered 5l of EBI Gold and it still hadn't come. I was expecting it in 3 days so I started to messa round with my hardscape trying to come up with striking styles. I think the main difficulty was getting all three to connect and support one another. I had countless attempts of this. I would have great success with two then the final one would not fit.. so out it all came again.. I knew my substrate was not complete so I had to take in to account different heights and positioning. Here are some examples of what I came up with..
Whist I has waiting for the EBI I had my riccia in a baking tray under my light in lots of mesh pads I got from ebay..
I have actually run out of riccia due to all this but I have managed to order 200g off eBay for 15 measly squid! so well chuffed about that. expecting it monday so monday morning I will be preparing more mesh pads for the far right tank. I decided not to put to hach hardscape in that particular tank because I felt I was getting carried away with flora.. I aimed to only have riccia but pogostemon and eleocharis managed to creep in... Honestly? I will probably end up taking out the eleocharis and filling with riccia.. My EBI finally came so that went straight in and I could finally start messing with scaping. I kept the middle tank how it was but altered the side tanks. Its incredibly difficult to achieve successes through all three. Im not entirely sure I have managed it but am hoping once the ricca begins to sprout we will see a change and an element of tranquility throughout the tanks.. here are photos of the decided scape...
They seem to be in the wrong order... but you get the idea..
So now im up to date, comments and tips and criticism is always welcome as you know. I am currently waiting for the mesh pads and will get an update of that once they arrive. I aim to post at least a couple of times a week and hope that this posts lives for a while..
Cheers guys
I have been putting this off for a while.. not due to laziness but due to amount of time it has taken me to uphold all the equipment etc.. lack of funds.. you know the score...
Brief...
A few months ago I was browsing on here looking at the iwagumi style set ups and fell in love with them. I appreciate the jungles & dutch style tanks dont get me wrong, I have a jungle nano and love it. But as an Architect I cant help but get over the simplicity of an iwagumi... this by no way, means simplicity is simple.. In fact from experience you seem to spend more time achieving and building simplicity, than you do any other element of spatial delivery. Forms and space is a key significance to an iwagumi tank. I am by far, an experienced aquascapist, quite the opposite. I had only taken on the hobby about a year ago now being eased into it by my friend who actually recommended this site for me. Although it has been the best thing I have become obsessed about it has also ruined parts of my life I am a fond reader of diana walstad work, and although a lot of her theories will contradict all the high tech aquascapists opinions I couldn't turn my head and not listen. I genuinely would have an interest in this due to the job and eco life I aim to live so began to revise and try to understand the differences. To be honest some points I believe are not mandatory. With this hobby you can only test and experiment. Reading only gets you so far. My idea was to come up with a fully cycled and usable self inhabited low-tech tank with no filtration or heating. When I first read about this i didn't believe it. HOW?? But after reading and seeing and experimenting I found that the real question was WHY wouldn't this work?...
Idea...
browsing through this site and registering to magazines etc I became engrossed with differences within an iwagumi set up. Also taking in to account the walstad approach I needed something simple but able to carry out its tasks.. I already a 3ft tank and was deciding to put it into that but then it hit me. I remembered a project I had to do for university in paris. I had to design a triptych illustration for the places and buildings I visited.. for those who do not quite know what a triptych is its a "set of three" so to have 3 nano tanks all supporting the same theme, next to each other and connected, this immediately becomes a triptych. Now I had my understand and idea I had to create a Praxis. I searched for rock and flora for months trying to find something inert for my shrimp to survive happily.. I came across dragon stone and immediately knew I wanted that in my tank. I always found dragon stone on and off with some set ups. some could look beautiful but some could hinder a scape causing imbalance and clutter. I wanted minimalism and it was hard to keep focused on certain times. Your mind will naturally go off and decide your needs more in your tank than you actually truly do. Im an artist and I ruin my painted by doing too much.. this is fact. I had to tae this flore into account...
This is how it came to play...
Set up:
Tanks: Self built 30cm 6mm cubed optiwhite tanks, with White smoked film to the back panes. These were the VERY first optiwhite tanks I ever made so as a professional I kept them for myself and labelled them as practice tanks. Everyone has to begin somewhere right?
Lighting: 100cm Boyu, 2x 21w T5's & 1x 21w blue marine T5. (one bulb is currently taken out for my low-tech design) UPDATE ON MY LIGHTING - I only use 1x 24w t5 tube for a 7hr photo period ( get the blue on when im feeling 'party time'
Filtration: 3x Eheim 2213's with 13mm glassware lily pipes all with clear tubing and single taps.
Heating: None
Substrate: 9l ADA Amazonia Aquasoil, 5l EBI Gold shrimp substrate capped on top of ADA. Pulp from filters around the house.
Hardscape: Dragon stone
Flora: riccia fluitans, Pogostemon helferi & eleocharis parvula, bacopa, peacock moss, weeping moss, mini pelia
Fauna: None as of yet, although shall be ordering chilli rasboras (a few random fish to get started with)
Cabinet: Self built and painted to suit surrounding (black metal)
cabinet build:
The current cabinet I was supporting was two pine coloured ikea low units that I decided to sand down, paint and shelf. I had to paint it black because the sofa next to it was black! I also think the contrast of white light and greens would play off the colour black extremely well. here is my cabinet process...
Once I had built the cabinet I could see something start to shape and form and was excited. I had ordered 5l of EBI Gold and it still hadn't come. I was expecting it in 3 days so I started to messa round with my hardscape trying to come up with striking styles. I think the main difficulty was getting all three to connect and support one another. I had countless attempts of this. I would have great success with two then the final one would not fit.. so out it all came again.. I knew my substrate was not complete so I had to take in to account different heights and positioning. Here are some examples of what I came up with..
Whist I has waiting for the EBI I had my riccia in a baking tray under my light in lots of mesh pads I got from ebay..
I have actually run out of riccia due to all this but I have managed to order 200g off eBay for 15 measly squid! so well chuffed about that. expecting it monday so monday morning I will be preparing more mesh pads for the far right tank. I decided not to put to hach hardscape in that particular tank because I felt I was getting carried away with flora.. I aimed to only have riccia but pogostemon and eleocharis managed to creep in... Honestly? I will probably end up taking out the eleocharis and filling with riccia.. My EBI finally came so that went straight in and I could finally start messing with scaping. I kept the middle tank how it was but altered the side tanks. Its incredibly difficult to achieve successes through all three. Im not entirely sure I have managed it but am hoping once the ricca begins to sprout we will see a change and an element of tranquility throughout the tanks.. here are photos of the decided scape...
They seem to be in the wrong order... but you get the idea..
So now im up to date, comments and tips and criticism is always welcome as you know. I am currently waiting for the mesh pads and will get an update of that once they arrive. I aim to post at least a couple of times a week and hope that this posts lives for a while..
Cheers guys