Quetzalcoatl
Member
Hi Ukaps.
I`m back after a brief absence away but I am now eager to get stuck back in and share with you my trials and tribulations along the way with this new journal.
I am by no means a Pro, I wouldn`t even consider myself intermediate level yet. I still have much to learn but the knowledge and understanding I have gained over the last couple of years will hopefully go some way in making this scape a success?
I have always been drawn to the simplicity of an Iwagumi inspired layout. And after the constant battle of trimming and maintenance of my last "Dutch Style" scape something much more low maintenance was on the agenda.
I have decided to keep it traditional and use Seiryu stone for the hardscape. I have been playing around with layouts for a week or so but I am still undecided. I brought a huuuuge piece of stone from TGM way back at the end of last summer. It weighed around 13kg and at £6.50 per KG (you do the math) you can see why I wanted to use it!! I had brought it with the intention of using it my180ltr when I got around to rescaping but due to the current 60ltr tank I am now using I feel it is going to be too over powering even if I bury half under the substrate. You can see what I mean in the 2nd picture below.
Here is what I have come up with so far with number 3 being the current and preferred layout. I am sorry for the quality of pictures all I have at present is my iphone. Hopefully as things progress I shall call on friends who have the equipment to do it justice (If we get to that level )
I have used filters on some shots to try and reduce the ammount of reflection I was getting. Here goes.
(No 1)
(No 2) The monster piece of Seriyu stone. 1/3 is buried.
(No 3) Current.
FLORA
Hemianthus callitrichoides
Eleocharis parvula
Now, I am taking a bit of a risk here as I have tried and failed on numerous occasions to grow a HC carpet! However, optimism and stubbornness have prevailed and due to starting a scratch with some decent aquasoil I thought I would give it another crack. I will, this time however, go down the DSM route, so please be prepared for a slow moving journal.
Now in regards to DSM I do have some questions?
Is it best to mist daily? How often? and is there any advantage adding ferts to the water I am misting with? I have a bit of TPN+ knocking about and plenty of dry salts to play with.
How long should the photoperiod be? Will the HC be at risk of drying out if exposed to prolonged
Periods of light?
I`ve read differing opinions on keeping the roots wet. Should the substrate remain wet or only the surface foliage?
Finally, how is the HC likely to react when the tank is flooded? Can I expect to see a lot of melt whilst the plant adapts to submerged conditions?
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated as I`m picking up my plant this weekend and getting busy.
SUBSTRATE
Colombo Florabase (Black)
HARDWARE
I have acquired quite a bit of stuff over the last couple of years. Some stuff I have sold on, some stuff I`ve used from the start, and other stuff I`ve not had the heart to throw away. I have compiled a itinerary of equipment that I will use for this scape.
Juwel Reckord 600 - 60ltr
Fluval G6
2x24watt Hagen GLO T5 Luminnaire
AM1000 Reactor
Hydor ETH300
22KG BOC CO2 cylinder with JBL Regulator
And half of the wife`s kitchen cupboard. (See below)
I am a bit concerned about flow using the G6 and AM1000. I did suffer a significant loss when using the two in conjunction on the last tank but with this tank being 1/3 of the size I`m hoping all will be ok. I do have a spare Eheim 2080 to fall back on but fear that would be overkill for this 60ltr.
Fauna
Still undecided on this yet. I would like a small shoal of Galaxy Rasboras but I have no experience of keeping these so any advice or pointers would be a bonus! I will definitely be keeping Japonica`s in there and a couple of Ottos.
So then that`s about it for now. I am really excited about getting going and I hope with the help of my Ukaps family I can finally win my battle with HC along the way. I am picking up 6 pots of the lovely stuff and 2 pots of Parvula tomorrow and shall update when the planting is complete. Until then all comments and critiques are welcome.
Cheers everyone. Speak soon.
I`m back after a brief absence away but I am now eager to get stuck back in and share with you my trials and tribulations along the way with this new journal.
I am by no means a Pro, I wouldn`t even consider myself intermediate level yet. I still have much to learn but the knowledge and understanding I have gained over the last couple of years will hopefully go some way in making this scape a success?
I have always been drawn to the simplicity of an Iwagumi inspired layout. And after the constant battle of trimming and maintenance of my last "Dutch Style" scape something much more low maintenance was on the agenda.
I have decided to keep it traditional and use Seiryu stone for the hardscape. I have been playing around with layouts for a week or so but I am still undecided. I brought a huuuuge piece of stone from TGM way back at the end of last summer. It weighed around 13kg and at £6.50 per KG (you do the math) you can see why I wanted to use it!! I had brought it with the intention of using it my180ltr when I got around to rescaping but due to the current 60ltr tank I am now using I feel it is going to be too over powering even if I bury half under the substrate. You can see what I mean in the 2nd picture below.
Here is what I have come up with so far with number 3 being the current and preferred layout. I am sorry for the quality of pictures all I have at present is my iphone. Hopefully as things progress I shall call on friends who have the equipment to do it justice (If we get to that level )
I have used filters on some shots to try and reduce the ammount of reflection I was getting. Here goes.
(No 1)
(No 2) The monster piece of Seriyu stone. 1/3 is buried.
(No 3) Current.
FLORA
Hemianthus callitrichoides
Eleocharis parvula
Now, I am taking a bit of a risk here as I have tried and failed on numerous occasions to grow a HC carpet! However, optimism and stubbornness have prevailed and due to starting a scratch with some decent aquasoil I thought I would give it another crack. I will, this time however, go down the DSM route, so please be prepared for a slow moving journal.
Now in regards to DSM I do have some questions?
Is it best to mist daily? How often? and is there any advantage adding ferts to the water I am misting with? I have a bit of TPN+ knocking about and plenty of dry salts to play with.
How long should the photoperiod be? Will the HC be at risk of drying out if exposed to prolonged
Periods of light?
I`ve read differing opinions on keeping the roots wet. Should the substrate remain wet or only the surface foliage?
Finally, how is the HC likely to react when the tank is flooded? Can I expect to see a lot of melt whilst the plant adapts to submerged conditions?
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated as I`m picking up my plant this weekend and getting busy.
SUBSTRATE
Colombo Florabase (Black)
HARDWARE
I have acquired quite a bit of stuff over the last couple of years. Some stuff I have sold on, some stuff I`ve used from the start, and other stuff I`ve not had the heart to throw away. I have compiled a itinerary of equipment that I will use for this scape.
Juwel Reckord 600 - 60ltr
Fluval G6
2x24watt Hagen GLO T5 Luminnaire
AM1000 Reactor
Hydor ETH300
22KG BOC CO2 cylinder with JBL Regulator
And half of the wife`s kitchen cupboard. (See below)
I am a bit concerned about flow using the G6 and AM1000. I did suffer a significant loss when using the two in conjunction on the last tank but with this tank being 1/3 of the size I`m hoping all will be ok. I do have a spare Eheim 2080 to fall back on but fear that would be overkill for this 60ltr.
Fauna
Still undecided on this yet. I would like a small shoal of Galaxy Rasboras but I have no experience of keeping these so any advice or pointers would be a bonus! I will definitely be keeping Japonica`s in there and a couple of Ottos.
So then that`s about it for now. I am really excited about getting going and I hope with the help of my Ukaps family I can finally win my battle with HC along the way. I am picking up 6 pots of the lovely stuff and 2 pots of Parvula tomorrow and shall update when the planting is complete. Until then all comments and critiques are welcome.
Cheers everyone. Speak soon.