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Take a PAR meter then you have a standard comparison for light, not Watts, or your eyeballs. I find it interesting folks give light a free pass, but are very critical about fertilizers. Tropica made the best article that explains all the various methods: Tropica Aquarium Plants - Rådgivning -...

E. hydropiper is growing in after much replanting, the top sloped part is still getting uprooted by the elephant noses and shrimp. The soil is new and is lighter up in that section. Blood vomits are doing well, and time to split a few already. I need to find a better home of the S. uraupes...

The overflow and the sump are critical to keep the CO2 stable. The quieter you can get the overflow prefilter the better. Search "Bean Animal overflow". Use something like that and modify the overflow. Sealing up the wet/dry section of the sump is relatively easy. I would likely use a nice...

Actually the ADA lights are very LOW PAR, much less than you might predict. The light is also a good 45 cm or thereabouts above the tank. I've measured the ADA lights using a PAR meter on 6 different tanks. They all fell to about 40-50 umols at the surface of the sediment, this tank looks no...

You know, the 70 gallon tank is a sucker...........I keep looking at the growth that's really gotten dense and starting to take a life of it's own. I was not pleased at the mid point. Now.......well........... The new wood is really well soaked and matured now. I have the new Mr Aqua Soil...

Yes, I had a feeling. I'm headed up to collect more wood tomorrow and then the next week a big haul till it;'s closed off for the mud snow season. We get about 14 meters of snow a year in this region average. If I spot some nice top, I'll send it.

I use a small fish specimen container and hang it on the tank, and pull the diffuser out while still hooked up and soak in "Tilex"(or similar in the UK), bleach at full strength will work fine. Then after 10 minutes, I'll rinse the diffuser and pour the bleach etc down the drain. Then I'll...

I would think so since Crypts and similar type plants(the Hygro has Crypt like attributes). C affinis is the oldest kept Crypt that grew well for many hobbyists in the 1970's and before.

Mopani is typically blocky and tough to scape with. I need to locate a few accessory pieces that match well with this main one.

Hygro araguaia, pretty easy plant, the Crypts take more time to fill in a look nice. But I like this color more personally and Found a better long term home in another tank for the Crypts.

18C seems okay.

All the Rotala sunset transplants are doing well and no melt. I'll be hacking the Cuphea tomorrow, not sure if I should uproot and trim that, or trim like a hedge. I think I'll try the hedge method 1st. I'll hack the UG and sold some of that and the Cuphea and a few others that need a trim...

FYI, HC will grow well out side in a pot just like a typical plant. The only issue is if it gets below freezing, then you need to take it back inside. Water it daily if the temps are above 15C. Partial sun works well. I grow it here in CA, USA where the humidity is often well under 20% during...

The pH meter works much more accurately than you could possible measure with a drop checker. Is the Drop Checker(DC) measure lime green, or slightly yellow green?(folks have trouble with this.) Can I track this color change over the day when the CO2 is being added? (Not really) How long is the...

I might move the Tonina where the Rotala Sunset is and then move it up front somewhere maybe or somewhere in the back.

Some changes and I have a theme in mind later. Rotala Sunset, Erio Compressum, and Ludwigia sphaerocarpa are all nice native USA plants that have recently come into the hobby via the work of fellow hobbyist. Highlighting these species will be pretty much the central region of this tank. I have...

Yes, Congo tetras and the Arnold's, they are too big and would trash the finer plants, had them before. Norman's lampeye is the best option I've seen as of late. There's Barbus hulstaerti I likely could get some Chinoglanis cats also.

Looks like a mean little killi that could eat a shrimp 1/2 its own size. But I might try them as the amanos are large and I really do not care if they pick off the RCS, I got hundreds breeding like roaches. Thanks

Yep, been there done this. Tank bred, no way I'd do any Xenos or wild's though. I love them. My tank is KH1 or less, GH about 2, hardly good rift fish conditions. Good for plants though. I think in a non CO2 planted tank, they would do well with say Dolomite gravel etc.

I sent this piece thinking it would offer a nice stump top look with flowing roots coming off in the displayed position. This will take up much less area than some of the other pieces I had in mind and weighed less also. Ideally, I wanted something a bit larger, but..........in general...

The elephant noses shall stay, they are pets and I've had them for awhile. I wish they'd eat RCS. They eat brine, live etc, and mysid, but will not touch the live cherries. If I mash the live RCS, they will eat that. Weird. I plan to chose the fish sometime this week or next when I'm at the...

The new plants list and some returning species: Blood Vomits "Tirthuria sp" Elatine hydropiper Rotala Green Cuphea Ludwigia sphaerocarpus Syn. variety Lago Grande Crypt affinis metallic red I am most pleased with the Cuphea, it's really taken well and was very green and emergent grown when I...

Been picking at the tank, have a couple of changes still to make(story of my life). Tank has bounced back as far dosing/ferts, no algae or other issues. Never missed a beat after being totally broken down and set up again. The H araguaia and the Blood vomits, I'll make a few changes in there I...

He may not have had a choice about many of the fish. Good thing there's no foreground plants. I'd be interested to see how many of these fish are here after 1-2 years. I've added 100's of otto's many times, only to be left with maybe 10 later. No way shrimp of any sort would live, Rose lines and...

Some trim the UG like grass. This should work and be fine I suspect. Some pull the mat up and then replant plugs from that. If you do not want to replant or sell UG, then trimming it like grass might be the best method. I sell about 50% of what I uproot and replant from the mat and people...

I've had plenty of shrimp over the years. CO2 seems to be the biggest issue for them, I've never found ferts for plants to any issue and no one can falsify that, because......they do well and have for several generations and I sell quite a few. CO2 does not kill them, it does appear to reduce...

l'Autodrome de Linas --Montlhéry is also a fun ride, toast the tires and rims at the end. We have a Mini Cooper and I drive a 4 wd Truck.

If you want to see San Francisco by drifting car.......... here's the best way: Watch it, it's well worth it. Don't tell me you never wanted to.............

Martin, if you see the rocks I used for the clients 220 gallon, they are massive and you only see about 1/2, or even less in some cases. Big whopping rocks, if you can get them. I usually dislike smooth river rock stones like these and the color, but......I think you did a great mock up.

Any takers?

It'll rot really fast, with water changes, you are okay. Green wood/bushes etc, bad idea. Old long dead, very dense/hard= best. Vines coming down have not been done that much really. LED lighting gives the best color and effect IME with that type of scaping. Kessil Amazon sun produced a...

I'm not sure why more have NOT used these,I set up a 75 Gallon sign these a few months back . ADA uses the same form, but from stone: Let me assure EVERYONE, Cypress knees are 1000X easier to cut to size/height, but it will float on its own, so the slate bottoms are used to keep it...

I like the leaf loss in the fall/winter, signifies the changing of the seasons. Most Japanese Gardens use evergreens to keep the feeling of the garden year round. Nice beech tree, as those branches fatten up, it'll look better and better, nice shallow pot also.

Yep, that was the 2nd water change, I added the wood after the 4th. Tank has fully cleared and is totally cycled already. I just packed the plants in for now, I still need some more ADA aqua soil so I'll pick some up next week or so. It will take some time to get the planting the way I like...

Nahh......I was hoping it would be a bit smaller around the base and then flatter than it was. I'm not entirely happy about it. I'll keep my eye open for a similar piece and I know there are some out there, I just have not found it yet.

It lends well to the shape of the tank. I think we have things backwards frankly, we should find nice hardscape stuff, THEN FIND the right sized tank for it. This makes sizing and modifying hardscape materials critical and also worrying about scale a great deal. So even with 3-4 tonnes of...

The initial plan: I'll be making some changes, but for now, this is about all the motivation I have for today. As is often the case, whenever you touch ADA AS, it mucks the tank up severely. If you redo a tank and re level things, it's mud stew. While this requires several complete water...

Sounds like the same precedents with water right laws here in the USA as well. Lawyers make out great on those issues. I try hard to conjure up win-wins for all the groups, otherwise forget it. Land value increases, they always like that, more and better use of the water and quality, they all...

Calling out the policies of countries, the products and particularly shaming the products and companies that sell and market such products is a wise approach. The USA? We are great at one export: Weapons. Pretty shameful. Hopefully the nations can can learn from the past rather than using...

Looks like I'll redo the tank not this week, but maybe the next week. Wood has been soaked, then blasted clean, then is soaking now for another 1-2 weeks. It'll leach some tannins for another month or so, but 2x a week 60-70% water changes will not make that an issue.

I could do this for my 70 Gallon Buce tank for the emergent parts, they do well here outdoors. But I'm more aquatics and then Bonsai or natives type of Green thumb. We have an excellent carnivorous plant shop about an hour's drive from here. I've kept and had several species and done well, but...

Yep, agreed, both in the EU, Asia and NA, as well as the tropical regions. I refuse to support any food made with Palm oil, this is what happens to most illegal logging land afterwards. If not that, then small scale gold mining, or open air iron ore mining etc. This is well documented, but...

I was ready to give the guy my wallet. I felt like I was actually there in the photos, which are massive 2-3 meter prints! I know how the wetlands feel, since you are right there in them at his studio. It's like beign at Ansel's studio right there in Valley of Yosemite National Park. You can...

RCS: that which cannot be killed.

Remember that nature is not necessarily the optima for breeding and health for fish. Same is true for agriculture and livestock. The issue for many such question is that most of the livestock we get are FARMED raised, much like domesticated farm animals. They are well adapted to the local...

I use glass lids, they do not bend or bow, all plastics will over time. I use them at night only. I use felt pads to softly set the lids on the tank.

I use lids for reducing humidity in the winter when the lights are off. Saves some energy in heating the tanks and less mold build up in the home.

In general, there is scant research done for Tropical wetlands, rivers and lakes. Less for soils. Some, but not that much compared to the US or Europe. We have the everglades in the USA, which is a subtropical fen. A lot of research is done in the state of Florida for this reason, but also with...

Well, once you see how it's going to be used and the scaling done, i'll look even better. I find a number of these where I collect, but getting them loose is another matter. A chain saw is of limited use also, they tend to be well lodged into the ground or have some green left, so the roots...

Well, no longer a teaser Bit of a teaser: I'll add a few more branches to this and have them hide the overflow more and the return in the 70 Gallon. Footprint is 24"x36" inches, about 60x90cm base. I walked by the tank a few months ago and got the idea and where I wanted to go with this...

So wait, you want a low tech non CO2 tank, but you have Nuke powered light, want water changes and high tech stuff??? I hope the plants are mostly emergent.

Darrel, I've known a wide array of hobbyists types, from the "hands off type", to "the meddler". If they avoided the water change, had a few simple rules followered, they did well with Carpet plants also. I'm talking a nice HC rug. The Hobbyists? One of them was Diana Walstad. While I might...

I think your personality and the location of the tank seem to be the problem, not the method:) You want something to mess with, that's the problem. You cannot leave it be. I have some tanks like this. I redo them if so. The low tech tanks I liked the best I have out in the garage ....or have...

Otto cats most certainly. Apistos often come in in batches, even with low KH water and peat, many importers and breeders lose the wild fish. I agree they do better, but I'd argue that it's the KH that matters, not the TDS as much(but they will be related to some degree). I'm not a specialist...

DSM work well for carpeting plants for Non CO2 methods. But do not add a lot of stem plants, try to minimize the no# of species, keep the design more along the lines of an iwagumi style etc, much more open. If you want a more jungle like feel; then you might want to try a different method and...

Under your claim, TDS.......which is a general measure of ions/conductivity, are the main factors, not fertilizers per se. I can have low TDS and fertilizers. So perhaps we should say that high TDS kills fish/bad for them also? Generalizations get you in trouble. Which wild caught fish...

Old myth, mostly rooted in fish only aquariums, not with plants as plants remove the nutrients and need a good supply.

Light pretty much, it's resistant to algae, CO2 variation(not CO2 demanding, likely due to low rate of growth relative to many stem plants). Sediment does NOT matter, it has very wimpy root systems and you can see the whitish fine roots in the water column pretty well. Grows somewhat well once...

the 350? Yes, they are all iphone pics. I'll download them later on.

Adding on to what George states: I would suggest you consider some rock/stone to add height and depth to the sediment. My 120 Gal was too shallow to do much there, I even skimped on the sediment depth to max the height I have to work with. With your tank, you can really do some fun things...

H2S needs/requires a continued source of reduced carbon, the only REAL source of this might be an Aponogeton bulb that dies. This is basic stuff for wetland soil, and anyone worth their spit in that field.... knows it. So unless you have a high loading rate of reduced carbon coming into the...

I will likely not trim anything etc in this tank for another 5-6 days. The tornado is going nuts as are most of the back ground plants, the red pant is doing very well ATM, not sure why. Tends to grow a bit paler in the middle stages and then reddens as it tops the surface. I could trim a few...

They like the work, they are getting paid and they get to be Amano's minions. The hours of work suck though, 12 am till about 6 am? Amano is likely too old and stiff to do this type of work. These guys said they got nose bleeds from hanging upside down:-) You do get a massive headaches, I've...

Hey, we love the way you say "Aluminum and Vitamins". Keep the unique parts of the culture. It's what makes you who you are and different.

View the video.

If you own 10 aquariums, then managing that will drain time and detail away from doing say 1-2 tanks VERY well. George has 1 smaller tank, but he does a lot of nice work on it. I reduced the number down to 3(reef not included or holding tanks), but had 10-12 at one point. I think the ferns...

If it's anaerobic in the sediment, then by the very nature of anaerobic soil, you cannot have circulation from above, because then it would no longer be anaerobic, it would be aerobic. If there's no circulation, then it cannot pose an issue because it's isolated from the aerobic zone where the...

Where do you think aquatic plants grow naturally? In anaerobic soil. All flooded submersed soil is anaerobic. Unless it's like pure sand or has no organic matter.

Well, you can see the depth of the tank much better, scale and general patterns/shapes etc, that are lacking in most 2D pictures. I think a lot scapes look very different when you video them.

Flow in the tank is deceptive. I cleaned the return and placed it down a bit so there's less effect. About 800 gph.

Yes, essentially the same.

Take a cooking measuring cup, invert under water, remove all the air, then take the CO2 line and bubble the gas into the inverted container. Measure the total volume of gas collected after say 300 sec/5min. This is golden, it will be the same standardized measure no matter WHAT, for anyone...

I'll likely redo/scape the tank in the next month or two. Don't worry, it'll still have most of the same plants/colors etc. I redid a few things and trimmed about 1-2 hours ago, so there's some haze, but used a different camera.

I use mls/5 minute, not bubbles/sec, which are worthless units.

Compare the 1st pic and this one above. A lot more growth than I thought.

Excellent job and use of the plants. the only things and they are small, the red plant likely should have been removed and then the left front could have had the Ech Tennellus hacked back to match the Riccia area like on the other side. Basically keeping the groups a bit more separated...

Well, that's the challenge I like and enjoy, making the tank look good from each angle. Dutch style is the FTS only. Contest shots, FTS only. But aquariums are not FTS only, we can enjoy them from many angles and we are not static 2 dimensional people. I find the rational for FTS views only...

You will note that one of the Erio's is yellowing from the base, started about 2 weeks ago, not sure why either. None of the others have done this either. Not replanted, moved, flowering or anything else I can figure. Right rear corner is coming along, but slower than hoped. UG you can clearly...

Yea, but I had my issues with that also. Client liked the idea a bit much. I wanted to nibble down the rocks, but if I broke one the wrong way, I had no real backups. I could not risk it. I also wanted a steeper slope, but he was concerned about having less pace for the fish to swim. I was...

They are very different sizes, but you cannot tell so much after the tank was put together. We tried to use some smaller stones in the front and other spots, just did not look right at the end. If I had my way, I would have sawed the stones down about 10-15 cm and made them flat on the bottom...

I agree about Diorama, I feel it's a bit tacky, but I like it at the same time. So I tend to go with if it looks good and is well done, it is good. But it's nothing we might see in a well done Japanese landscape garden. Some elements can be added, but.........I do not think you would ever see...

Shrimp are effective and then bacteria and microinverts. They break the waste down well. The tank stays very very clean. I could set up a dozen such tanks and maintain them pretty well without that much work. nd they could support high fish loads. I think the ADA aesthetic frowns on good fish...

Slide show is pretty nice and mellow: Day 43 Lava Scape Slideshow by gerrydirish | Photobucket

Other versions:

I keep companion plants out in my bonsai which is really where and what Wabi-Kusa is all about. I enjoy those very much and use aquatic plants instead of more traditional Bonsai herbacous species. A tank this size can do many things and often times that gets away from many aquatic gardeners. I...

Well, for the mor epicture oriented folks, this is a bit more relaxing than video: Nice run of various shots. Now one thing many of you may not realize, I had to fly 3000 miles across the USA and ship/bring everything to this site to do this scape. Not the easiest thing either. Day 43 Lava...

I've had a few Asian folks really hate this scape and the rocks. Mostly ADA fan boys. They felt like I just tossed the stones in here any which way:) They did not justify it much, said it lacked a focal point. But it's clear as day when you sit in front of the tank. Scaping for a specific...

One thing that is interesting is that we have a single type of stone, a single fish species (mostly), single plant species(not including the pennywort), and at a large scale. You can see how the fish schooling behavior is influenced by the scape. If you added more plants and other designs...

That's a boat load of current. Havign been to where Rainbows are from, I would likely place all the flow on one end of the tank, hide the equipment with driftwood or rock, or some plants in the front field a view, this or a circular flow pattern would suit them very well. They like good high...

I nagged him to tripod and HD the sucker, there's no bad views from this tank really. Each side is pretty well done. It's not a FTS tank. I really do not enjoy such tanks. I need to see and be around the tank. One of the reasons why I cannot judge tanks for on line contest, it's a photography...

Apogee light meters seems pretty good, the local UK folks should all pitch in and then ship and share it. This way it only cost a few $ per each hobbyists. I think 50 umols is a good range once the grass grows in nice. About 8 hours total, that includes the ramp up/down. 12 x 39W but these...

Check out at 8:00 on for the brief version. Card's schooling behavior is now about where you want it. the client always wanted a big tank full for card's that was easy to care for. They move through the rocks nicely and the simple mono culture will rough texture contrast strongly with the...

I think 50 umols is plenty of light. Now on going maintenance routines for folks with such scapes: About 1x every one to three months or so, you will likely need to do a large water change. When you do this, H2O2 and Excel/easy carb will help spot clean the rock and keep it clean. Some harder...

The grass will grow in nice and be easy to care for, you do not NEED much light for this tank. The sand looks like dolomite and then the Seiryu, carbonates also. DO NOT RELY on the drop checker for CO2. Plants and pH/KH are better. Add shrimp soon, maybe 2 weeks after set up.

I think most of us ask, then think, "hey, I google here.........." I'm no different.

I owe you a stump I recall. I have a few, PM me.

See wet/dry filter sumps how they work on Youtube fro many versions of the same topic. Wet/dry filters how they work - YouTube