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good attempt at pushing the boundaries with photography. keep it up...someone has to!

Many thanks everyone. It's been an absolute joy posting on this forum over the years. Life goes on, and things happen that we cannot undo. I'm sure the hobby within the UK will grow, and at some point, there may be people who will genuinely challenge for the title of IAPLC champion. Good...

Thanks for the interest guys, but sadly, the tank is now disassembled. I'm uncertain of when any kind of layout, or journal, will be completed. My sincere thanks to everyone who has followed my work, and to all that have subscribed to my you tube channel. See you all in the future....came...

Ben! You'll be surprised at how little flow is needed in an aquarium. Everyone bangs on about how much flow is needed....the 10x rule etc. It really isn't needed. Over the last 3 years, I've come top realise that not everything depends on flow, co2 and ferts. I've run quite large aquariums...

Where was this journal hiding?....Stunning layout, with exceptional plant handling and gardening abilities!

I'm using tropica substrate, capped with a large grain size gravel. Where it's steeper at the back, I have 2 layers of tropica substrate. Because it's about 10 inches deep, I've gone... tropica substrate-1 inch gravel - 4 inches tropica substrate - 1 inch gravel - 4 inches Using thin strips...

Thanks for the feedback. Paulo, they are available to buy mate. For some reason, I think I've embedded the video wrong. I've watched it on my other devices, and 'in forum' in doesn't look sharp at all, yet in you tube, it's sharp as a tack!

Thank you chaps :) Here's a few clips, with music! I didn't use the glide track, hence the poor panning shots.

It might be Alastair, but I think it's light. I really limit my light, and have done for some time. The crypts still need to change form. They're are new leaves coming through, but plenty of the old ones left. Which will be cut off tomorrow. (Don't shout at me Michael :nailbiting:...I know, I...

Here's a quick update pic @ 3 weeks...The LED's are great! They're that bright, I can shoot @ iso 100 :wacky: It's very slow growth, but very trouble free. LED-@-3-weeks by saintly's pics, on Flickr

Here's an image of the lobby tank @ Tropica... tropica-Michael by saintly's pics, on Flickr

LOL! :lol: You're bang on with the LED's I've got it set, so that the last hour is the LED's that produce the 'pink/red colours. The fish look AMAZING under these. Like this image George? :facepalm: Cheers mate. Just looking for an image from an old photobucket account for George, and...

It's a great light Alastair. I've bought some Rams today. I was a little unsure about these, as I thought they needed R/O, but these are from a tap water tank. ram by saintly's pics, on Flickr

Stu, I didn't realise they were so boisterous! I may take them out., but there's now one reason why I may not. I've just got an Arcadia LED luminaire to try out. It's the freshwater Classica version, which is extremely bright. After much preparation, I've got it sorted out. It's all about the...

I did wonder if it was tongue in cheek...but wasn't sure LOL George, when I wrote 'algae free' I did smile, and think....OOOOPS! The tank is full of it! :lol: Viktor, no problem mate. Good post. I think it's good to show some of the things that get forgotten and try and bring them back...

lain, mate this is such quality. I must agree with George, saying, this is currently one of the best layouts on the forum. Very reminiscent of an Amano layout from a few years back. If the picture didn't have your name on it, I'd of said it was one of his! The final picture is amazing mate...

I think there's slight confusion. The Cladophora is an algae, it's not a moss covered in algae. A lot of people think Cladophora is a moss, and call them moss balls. It is actually an algae. For now at least, my tank is algae free.

You'll get bored soon mate! :D Shrimp-they are indeed an integral part to a healthy, algae free environment. Prevention is better than the cure, yet the cure is also the prevention! :bookworm:

Frome a previous video, I mentioned that 1 rock had algae on it from a previous scape...which is true. In the space of about 3 hours, this 1 shrimp cleaned the stone. I've only just noticed. Both of these photos were taken today. shrimp by saintly's pics, on Flickr

Mark- You are correct. It's Crypt Parva. First time I've tried it. Very slow growing, and loves the light. Steve- Cladophora, is a slow growing form of algae. In it's natural environment of rivers and streams, it creates the 'ball' effect by rolling around on the river bed. They can grow as...

Cheers Dean. Beware of the moss police....It's actually an algae.:angelic:

Thank so much chaps for such kind words. It is good to be back posting. I think Cladophora is such an underrated species. The 'instant' look it can give is great, and the deep green it produces is wonderful. It also has such a 'soft' look about it. The fishing line is still visible, but...

LOL :lol: Go Boy!

Tim, I've used slate which I've cut down to size, and used garden ties to attach the Anubias. Same process for the Cladophora. The Cladophora is something I'm going to be using a lot of. Especially in an upcoming Iwagumi layout! Alastair, you cant beat Purigen!!!...oh, and water changes.

I forgot to add the picture of Anubias with it's unfurling leaves. Nearly all of the Anubias' are producing new growth, at quite a rapid rate. Anubias-leaves by saintly's pics, on Flickr

They are nice Ian. Here's the boss. He's claimed his spot, and no one comes near. silvertip-boss by saintly's pics, on Flickr

As I've mentioned, I've put a dozen silvertip tetras in the tank. I've had them before, and they've always been relatively peaceful. However, with this bunch, 2 of the males seem to be fighting all of the time. They've coloured up really nicely, so I guess there claiming there status? when a...

Thanks guys. I like to add species such as Eleocharis tightly against the glass. Usually on the side. This gives me a 'guide' as to how quick plants are growing. It does not apply for every plant, but gives me an idea. Eleacharis sp. new is growing approx. 1cm per day vertically. The newer...

The taxman will want his cut :greedy: Alastair...:lol: I could not resist buying some cheap fish. I've had sivertip tetras before, and when they colour up, they look amazing. A fave of mine. I also needed to see something swimming about. I bought 12. They've settled in straight away...

Looking great Ian. I hope the HC hangs in there for ya!

£2.00 it is then. I can start shipping ASAP! Here's a very short segment....The green on the rock was from a previous set up by the way!

This looks fabulous! The last picture...did you take the image? It's such a great photo.

Boredom within our scapes is what leads us to improve our next layout. It's a good lesson. This is good layout, but to echo George, a mixture of plants could improve the foreground. Even 'break' it up, with an additional 'clump' of something different altogether. A small crypt sp. just to stop...

you wont be disappointed with Geissmann! my Infinity is awesome. Heavy... but awesome.

Cheers Hydrophyte. :) George, it is magic water. Going for £2.00 per Litre :lol:

After our talk, you know where I stand with this Alastair. As mentioned by someone previously, maybe turn the biggest piece the other way around/ upside down. As I also said, there's no 'wrong' hardscape. When you told me about your ideas for the current positioning of the wood, they could...

Hi mate. This was the best tank on display at the show, followed by that pretty awesome reef in the VIP room! Is the 'challenge' still on re IWAGUMI V's 1 pot? ;)

Thanks. It's a quick start, and hopefully it will remain growing in the same manner. It's quite amazing to see how much crap the shrimp are eating already. Not visible to the naked eye, they're eating something, as you can see the crap piling up on the cladophora beneath the stones. A fair few...

Thanks guys. Alastair, it was good to meet you mate @ Telford. I'll come over to your thread shortly, after our discussion about 'wood' The growth has impressed me also. I wasn't expecting such a quick start to be honest. I've just put about 40 shrimp in.

So, after returning from Aqua Telford, I'm feeling week at the knees. LOL standing for 2 days solid, takes it out of you. It was a great show in all, and saw and met some great people. Was good to see Georges tank for real. It is indeed a beauty. Anyhow, I've come home after being away from...

Hi George, A few things have changed, in so many ways. When a hobby becomes a job, it changes the mind set. A change which shocked me a little, but with time, and new routines, things slowly change for the better. In terms of aquascaping, there are no massive changes. Oh, actually there is...

Thank you chaps. George, the Echinodorus is 'red diamond' If it gets too big, I'll just trim the leaves off. This is a multi purpose layout. The first being, a layout for myself, but secondly, a layout for acquiring images for my work. I had to find middle ground. So, an image with blue...

Thanks Alastair! Here's the FTS day-1-a by saintly's pics, on Flickr

how do I edit the title of the thread guys?

Nothing is impossible my friend. You know that already. You're clever, I know! Indeed, research it. So, after tirelessly preparing plants, I'm finally done. Here's a snap after filling. It of course needs time to develop, and become 'natural' looking. There's plenty of slow growing plants...

Bad luck comes in waves for me mate! Here's the last shot before planting. Beachems taken and I'm off to bed now :doctor: blue-iwagumi by saintly's pics, on Flickr

Those stones are in there good mate. They are slightly buried, and don't tip, even with a bit of 'pushing' I was going to prepare for planting, but I ate something nasty last night,(I cooked it...says a lot about my cooking) and I'm suffering today! :sick:

You need to get the correct wheels. I researched, and approached a company here in the UK, gave them the total weight, and they told me which wheels to get. They use a chart to choose what wheels are needed for any given weight. Combined, these castor wheels will take over 2 tonnes. They're...

Cheers Alastair. It's blue schist I believe. A couple of these stones are on lone from Dan Crawford who got them from TGM. the biggest stone to the right is known as coppice green granite, from CED stone supplies. They're identical! I have several 'big' stones, some bigger than what's in this...

here's a very short clip...watch in 720p and beyond!

Indeed Ady. What with the lights crashing onto the tank, and nearly taking a chunk out of the glass with the stone, I consider myself lucky, to say the least. The title has personal meaning, so thanks for liking it.

Just to recap on previous posts that have unfortunately been lost. My initial idea of creating a scene from ideas I had before have slightly changed. I did want to recreate the following... gumi3 by saintly's pics, on Flickr gumi4 by saintly's pics, on Flickr I created these scenes...

Hi everyone. It's been some time since I've posted any kind of journal, I must admit, I have been a 'lurker' rather than a 'poster. Some may recall the following images that I had taken,. My next layout should incorporate some of these 'foreground' ideas, with some more unusual choices for the...

Hi everyone. Can I start by saying a massive thank you to everyone who was involved in both of these layouts. A big thank you to those who travelled from a far: namely 'Murf' who came over from Ireland. The input was greatly received by Tropica, and pets at home. The second layout...

Maintenance will be carried out by in-store colleagues. There's a wealth of well educated members in the new malden branch who will look after this aquarium. We have advised what should happen, and it's along the lines of any newly setup planted aquarium. The plants are from the 'easy'...

May I say I massive thanks to everyone who contributed to this display! As it's already been mentioned, everyone worked extremely hard, and the whole event worked like a well oil machine. It goes without saying that, this can only help and inspire enthusiasts and new comers alike. That's the...

Hi everyone, I'd like to anounce that anybody who plans to attend the New Malden store, may gain entry @ 9.00am 24th August, Saturday morning,and 10.00am for the Sunday. Many thanks, and we look forward to seeing everybody there! Mark.

That's 1-2 grow for you. IMO,way too early for trimming.

Hi George, This always sounds like a cliché, but I saw this today, and pictures and videos do this no justice. (not saying you cant take a pic) The moss, and ricardia is immense. You do need to attend to those stems though.

Thanks chaps. Cheers George. Very soon (next few days) I'll be announcing 2 upcoming events, regarding 2 rather large aquariums. (approx 5000L and the other being approx 10000L) We need hands on help with these projects, and i'll be looking for some major support from you guys. They're...

Hi guys, and many thanks. It's a great to get support from you guys, and hopefully, i can deliver whats needed of me. I've been off line for a while, but soon, in the coming months, i should get a new journal going with the 120cm Again, many thanks to you all. going right back to my early...

Thanks chaps. I must point out; these are not in fish tanks. There's no water. They're just 'scenes' that I wanted to create but with aquatic ideas in mind. Hi Grathod. To be honest, I'm not sure flooding it (or putting these mosses in water) would work. I think they may die. They're not...

Cheers Lancsrick. Here#s the basics in the following image... light-tent by saintly's pics, on Flickr It's a proper photography tent, which diffuses the light from every angle. Even the front if I put the front on. Don't need that though with no shiny surfaces. There's 2 x 500w lamps...

i had something similer to that Ian. I thought it was a sought of riccia...obviously wrong. Here's the last of the test photos' A ripple added. Time to move on to more land based layouts. gumi-ripple by saintly's pics, on Flickr

Heres one last shot with stone... gumi-7 by saintly's pics, on Flickr

Here's the stone.You can use either copper green granite (if you can find it, or purple schist #(i think is similer) stone by saintly's pics, on Flickr

Cheers George. I've changed the title. Still not sure it's great. I've got some more ideas coming to me. I have a thought, that at a seminar, creating an iwagumi but using terrestrial mosses. This will help in giving an 'instant look' rather than letting the brain decide on how it may look 4...

Cheers Time. Here's a few more. All Ps'd, but then how how would i create them. There's one with a sunset vibe, which is slightly different. gumi5 by saintly's pics, on Flickr gumi-6 by saintly's pics, on Flickr sunset-gumi by saintly's pics, on Flickr

Thanks for looking and commenting Antoni, The plants are indeed terrestrial. The forest gets an overall yearly with (mostly) the silver birches getting lopped. There's a lot of debris and piles of moss all over the place, so I don't feel bad about taking from nature. And to be honest, if you...

Wasnt sure if this is photography or aquascaping. After trying to recover from a chest infection, i'm getting bored, amnd as usual, doing too much when i should rest. Anyway, here's a few Iwagumi layouts. The 'false' way. gumi1 by saintly's pics, on Flickr gumi2 by saintly's pics, on...

i hope youve got a big bucket to throw up in! :nurse: it's all pretty healthy even in the bits where its 6 inches thick! Luis, Thanks mate for such kind words. The intention of getting the woodland moss into the house wasnt meant to be pushing new ground, but somehow, it does kinda open up...

Thats how close the moss is to the surface Ad. It's not had a water change in over 4 months. The water is imaculate! To get this tank in any kind of order, i'll have to be pretty heavy handed with the snips. :wideyed:

There's a fair few in there mate lol

Cheers Aron. I've added the blue in PS. I find PS pretty handy sometimes to see how something could look, if you added the 'real thing' such as a graduated blue background. but for convenience, it's easier to add in PS. For my FTS' i tend not to use PS too much. Colour correction and thats...

And with a blue sky added. So a bit of real nature + modern technology = False beauty Maybe a good way of designing scapes i guess?.... blue-sky by saintly's pics, on Flickr

here's a pic of the 120cm. no water change in maybe 4 months now?...very little ferts. the tank is 80% moss now lol moss-tastic by saintly's pics, on Flickr

not unless it can breath out of water mate :-) Thanks Viktor. Certainly a new line of photography i'd like to follow up. Even getting into vivariums could be cool. No mate, just my trusty 135mm f2 @ F2 At home, but can you imagine the shots you could get taking the kit down to the...

Some prety good Guesses. I went to coolect the moss, and photographed it at home using a lighting tent. A pretty awesome bit of kit to have. light-tent by saintly's pics, on Flickr It's given me a new lease of life, something to expand on. Not just the aquatic side of photography, but the...

my local woodland area is really starting to look nice again, with winter in decline...(ehhh?) Anyway, here's a snap of the various moss down there. Was the image taking at the woods, or at home? :snaphappy: woodland-moss by saintly's pics, on Flickr

Ian, stunning moss! And great photos to illustrate the journal.

Somehow, I've missed the photos on page 22. That was what I was expecting...with the stems. I've imagined this layout being quite 'sporadic' when it comes to plant placement...especially the stems. A few sprigs here and a few there. A bit wild almost. The Amania sp. bonsai is a great plant...

Exceptional, George. One of your more 'natural' looking layouts. It looks different to how I imagined it to look.

I'd agree with George. One of the better layouts on UKAPS right now.:angelic: Maybe one thing I'd consider. The foreground looks great, but a just a little too uniform. Let it grow out a bit more randomly. Nice Photoshop trick with the blurring mate.:snaphappy:

Looking great, George! Good of you to share the algae woes, But as you and I....and pretty much everyone in the hobby actually, know that this is just part of start up issues. It happens. This layout will look truly immense. When it starts to develop a bit more, I'll come over and shoot...

Sorry for the rehash of an old tank. I've re-edited this with hopefully, better colour management. I've got to grips with Edius colour management, and correcting W/B is quite easy now. Best to watch @ 720p or higher, and Preferably, on a mobile device....(cough*Samsung* cough)

Looks great George. There seems to be some ugly git in one of the shots though...:facepalm:

Great Ian. The best layout on the forum to date. I knew this would happen... From watching your progression as a scaper, it kind of goes without saying; this was always destined to be amazing!

I just need to expand my mind now. A slightly different background shot.

Sorry to use the forum as a sounding ground, but i just wanted to test a video. I've worked out how to add multiple files, and also combine Edius and Photoshop to work at the same time. Anyway, i wanted to see how it looks in a youtube window. Thanks.

Crackin scape. You need to get more distance between the tank and background. It's casting the notorious 'shadow line' At least 30cm will get rid of this issue.

It's crossed my mind, George. I'd be confident in doing so too. But, it's time for something new, so I'll be stopping CO2...and everything else for this one. LOL I'm bringing out the BIG rocks for the next layout, and for substrate....Just gravel and Tropica under gravel substrate. A...

A thought provoking idea on the 'dry start' method, George. Do you think, if successful, you may end up running the tank full time in this manner? Or do you still plan to 'flood' it' once it's established? This could look quite something if run 100% dry start. Mosses would look 'tighter'...

Hi Ady, It's still running. A good 8 weeks without a water change now. No problems, apart from massive over growth. Experiment going well I'm planning the next layout, but with many changes on the horizon with my working life, I'll need to decide in which direction I'll take the new scape.

will do Paulo. Go back to IOS?...no way! i've stuck with Iphones from day 1. Changing to a galaxy s3 was the best thing i've ever done! seriously. get rid of your iphones. S3 is simply amazing!

When i press the 'whats new' button on my android phone, it always shows different threads than when i press 'whats new' on my PC. Why is this?

Great! George. Reminiscent of Stu's layout. An intricate style of planting, with shorter varieties will suit this. The less plant species the better in my opinion. Manzanita really is a great hardscape material, and can often take the hard work out of creating layouts.

George! I like them all. Are you pushing boundaries?...No. Do you want to push boundaries?....probably not on your return from duty. Break your self in. Add to your already prolific library of scapes. Improve on things that you might have missed on similar layouts. It's not all about setting...

Well done chaps. I honestly couldn't think of 2 better guys for the job. Steady posters, polite, and well mannered. And above all, talented.

Hi George, Looking forward to yet another GF creation. A nice, clean, and clinical approach. I do echo sanj's remark...the NA range is quite something. Regards, Mark

Cheers Superpuma. I'm looking forward to creating it. I have a plan which, if it succeeds, could be EPIC!...