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BTW George, you can schedule Sept 4th and 5th, the flight and a few meals are free from Houston and back.

Hoping we will get him back again in Sept.

It was good to finally meet George and Emma in Washington DC. He gave an excellent talk, you all are lucky to have him over there. Ironically the last thing on my mind was to talk about aquariums, I wanted to run through some trails and creeks but my foot was bugging me. George like myself is...

I have 2 of these big tanks to do.........and one guy have a reef tank that matches the planted...........so I'll actually do 3 of these, but less work with the reef. This piece will go in one of the tanks, not sure which just yet. About 1 meter tall. It's larger than you think, about 2 meters...

Not sure on age, but I'd guess the larger older ones might be in the 20-30 year range. Leaves live about 4-5 years on most species in the genus. It will invade a post high intensity fire region really fast and you see lots of very dense stands. Poor soil, bad soil for pine trees, then even more...

Meth labs? Too much Breaking Bad eh?

New site, very nice spot.

Manzanita A. patula I likely will do some type of diorama style for the next tank I do............I obviously have the techniques and skill set, and the hardscape materials to pull off a decent mix of various elements I like, so I might use a tree scene most likely. I might fuse that with...

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

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.

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...

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

Any landscaping supply places also.

Pompei, all ash, no rock really, but if you hike up the volcano.......or if you go to landscaping rock and sand suppliers......then cities, well, not so bad. But if you want nice stones and larger ones, DIY and collect it yourself, well.........it'll be a search for sure.

Any region in the north or the Southern Ghats likely have plenty of nice lava. Dry desert like regions or vertical elevation helps. Flat over grown agricultural land, cities, not so good. .

I have to wonder if they add the tacky stuff just to raze people.

If you ever need to move it and adjust anything, which is better? Anything loose is going to move around, if you pull up plant roots later, do you think the roots will get entangled in the foam or crate? Not an issue in marine systems. But in planted tanks, it can be. I've have plenty of set...

I glue sheets of rubber(yoga mat etc can be used) to the base of the rock to make a nice stable pad several layers thick, this will not crush like eggcrate or float up later.

The two rear pieces are in excess of 100lbs each. Not easy to move around, but easier to shape and trim, place, etc than the seiryu. Easier to get taller vertical height. This stone has plenty of natural variations that allow for planters without chisling etc, but it can be chiseled. Nicer than...

Okay, the cheese is what sold me:)

BTW, this stuff is incredibly difficult to fragment or break. Small pieces are bad enough, but a 20-30 cm thick piece?

I have big stones. This 1st one is a bear to lift for me. At least 200lbs, but the scale only goes to 300lbs with me on it, it's well over. Not one of these is under 60-70 lbs and that's only a coupe, the rest are in the 100-150 lbs range.

Darrel, You folks should really take a look around your areas to source this and other materials. There's plenty of rock, but finding some you can take and are suited to your taste is quite another matter. Most stone used for Japanese styles are NOT textured, but are smoother, like the...

A manual for lava rock? Damn...........unforgivable.

I got a pallet of the Black Lava, will post some tomorrow perhaps. Also got another 350 kg worth of the seiryu larger sizes. One stone is 100cm x 20cm x 30cm maybe 75 kg alone. Would make some nice landscaping garden stone for a rock garden.

Actually a hole saw works well to make the general hole shape, then you can nip off the remaining without FRACTURING the rest of the piece. Say a 3-4-6-8 cm hole saw sizes, you drill into the lava and chose the longer shapes if you want to mimic the Unzan look. Smaller but deeper holes are...

They'd be 60-90 cm tall and if one fell or got tipped, they'd break the tank(and it's a client's , not mine, and he might knock it over). Balancing them is not nearly at the same level as a dinky little 120 cm tank using a 10kg rock. Placing a 50-60 kg stone with poor balance upwards on a small...

I should mosey out to see about some of the rock tomorrow and I'm focused more on the Lava rock for now. ADA's "Unzan stone" is horrifically overpriced for what it is. I know in the UK, you lack much Lava, but, we have it coming out the volcano's not far from where I live along with all sorts...

I will, it's for a client in Florida who's learned a lot, so he's certainly ready for this. Finding and sourcing rock is one reason why we rarely see larger tanks done with it. I'll be working more and more with stone in the coming few years. I also have some insane driftwood plans for a piece...

Yes, but the scale will look dramatic in a 200 cm L x 100cm W x 60cm T tank. Which is where this set is going. Black Lava is very similar to the ADA stone Amano is hocking these days. Unzan stone is pretty much black lava.

One of the main challenges for the scapers in the USA is finding good high grade rock, well, trying to find it for larger tanks, near impossible. It's just not highly valued here. This is good because this means a a nice rock will be cheap, bad because you have to spend a lot of time searching...

No, not all bonsai require this, many elms are fairly tough, I grow mine outside, but Ficus and many other species are good for indoor culture. HC will grow as a ground cover outside in CA, USA on my bonsai pots, they get watered daily, but the humidity is much less here than the UK. Think...

Should use a bald Cypress or a Mangrove etc. Elms are okay, but would not survive long term. Unless the tank water is isolated from the soil, they need drainage.

Damn good job, I think you are on to something, make them and sell them.

Re: Keep your surface clean Or just get a wet/dry like Amano has for his personal tanks and like all my tanks, no issues.

Boy, that is one pasty white ugly fish. Maybe those lights will help tan him up?

I think this a great direction folks.

You guys could do the contest much better I think. Better than the AGA etc. Video(most cameras have this function) or go with a NBAT type thing at the local regional level. In person home show type of thing. I think and cannot stress how important IN PERSON interaction and learning is in...

This is a train wreck......... but....it's their business.........

My newer tanks have all been the nice ADA like stand and wide shallow tanks. I find working on them more pleasurable. I still have the 180 Gal, but due to the size and thick glass at 20mm, it's a bear to move. But that will be upgraded evetually. I'll replace the lights next and then once we...

Now there's a real plumber. Sue for defamation :lol:

Yes, they are very strict, but many change things the day or the visit to make up and score higher. For example, lower the nutrients in the water= the higher your score will be. So a nice rich EI dosed tank full of lush well growing plants would score poorly, unless I "cheated" and did a...

I like beananimal's design, but it's large and DIY. I use a CPR overflow and a simple wet/dry filter filled with sponge filter. The CO2 is fed through the needle wheel into the return. I do not have any use for the drilled holes in the tank any longer. The set up is similar to this but a bit...

I tend to think of roots and stumps over turned in river banks..........the smaller pieces can be used to emulate the roots stuck in the soil etc.........from a central stump etc:

1.5 years or so. the key is using low light and and decent fish loads and patience, something RARELY seen from the ADA fan boys........they spend time on the hard scape(I suppose I do as well), but less time on allowing slower growth species to fill in. Amano does though...........I know he...

I take no responsibility for the fish selection in the 450 gal :)

It takes patience to deal with Anubias, but the pay off is grand. Here's 450 I did: Hardscape then lots of Anubias later

Wet/dry filters are on every tank I do. I seal the top edge for the wet/dry trickle section, but that's all, this prevents CO2 escaping. I sell Manzy, if you are after some, I do ship to the UK, there is a size restriction and ship typically runs 50-100$ USD.

You will note Flourite, then I switched to black flourite sand, then white dolomite, then finally ADA AS.

All these coffeefolia are from this same tank and started off as small little 3-5 leaf plants.........so they do well over time in this tank.....I had this tank like this about 1.5 years ago: Then Going back farther:

The cabinet cuts out 2ft of the front of the tank. Hard to get a decent pic of this tank. Tank is about on it's 4th week after total tear down. Need to add some color in the back, I'll have a V shaped hedge of stem plants in the middle rear. 240cm x 72cm x 72 cm About 200 Congo tetras, z...

I use the manzi itself as the "rock".

Azores and the Canary Islands are good places to see. Thanks, reminds me of the fog we get here in CA.

I would make sure you have a very good time Viktor! Any of you. Ole and Troels where given just a small tour when they came here from Denmark. I am a good host! We have many diverse habitats in such a large country, even within California, which has some of the widest ranging habitats in a...

I also drag folks out into nature myself when I lived in FL and likely will have another plant fest sometime next year perhaps, depends on the little one and how she is doing. You folks should come, it's cheap over here and FL is easy on the wallet. Send the kids to Disney land etc, then you...

I live in natural aquatic systems as much as anyone on these boards. While there is inspiration, it does NOT imply I have any skill regarding horticulture or landscaping. This is where I collect wood, this is a 300-400 meter waterfall about 3 miles way from me. Another location not far from...

I like George's as well.

I can be painfully brief. I think SC's idea of a 2 volume text is good. One more slated for the common folks and then advanced more for those that have the green thumb already. I will not self publish however, I intend to have a publishing company do this and really get the books out to the...

Yes, that is part of the issue. But how do we overcome this? I do not wish to have only my views added to this and to th art, I'd rather see a comparative work, that is much more the goal, the basics, I think........as far as trim etc.........ADA covers most of it, but as far as the art, we...

I do agree with judging them as true art forms, not based on aquarium criteria. However, there is a counter to that as well, should we judge those for scapes or for their aquarist' skills? What makes a winning aquarist? Planted tanks in the USA are simply a low priority overall for the Fish...

Yes, I agree. Still, I've seen these folks above, scape over the years( a decade for Jeff and Mike Senske). Steve, and George in particular, seem to think more and take a longer time in the process before setting it up. Well, the contest is not a reflection of the scapers goal, which often has...

Reef folks in the USA will spend lots and lots, but in general, planted tank people here are VERY cheap. But...........a good scaper need not be someone who spends a lot of $. I've seen some real nice stuff DIY and low budget.

But these folks have not even made the top 100 in the ADA contest........George and Steve Lo made it to #20. I read the AJ today, most of the journal was about how to set up and maintain the scape, there where a few example,s wood and rock, aesthetic sand etc..............in fact, that was most...

I have been having a conversation about the sad state of aquascaping in the USA. This relates to the Art aspect, not the healthy plants, etc.........it seems many are more interested in other things than really pursuing the art or novel styles. Is there a similar feeling in the UK? Many are...

Excellent commentary Stephan. I think folks pander to Amano and ADA, eg, "Fan boys", the same may be stated for nice Dutch style scapes. Few really want to challenge them or go beyond and take risk. I set up aquariums for myself, no one else, not Amano, ADA etc..............I also consider the...

I know you have stupid people in the UK, but man oh man..........they are just fed this horse manure via the corporation machine here. Fear and misinformation is how they do it and dumb down everyone that is obsequious enough to fall for it. Sad, the comments make me want to beat people :evil...

No, that's not how it works, for all the snow, there's a lot of desert that the large corporations (whether they are family owned or not, they are still large companies) bought up prior to the Central Valley Water authority was established. But the land is worthless and was bought for cheap...

Well, the place is more than knee deep in snow. It can snow at 2500 meters anytime of the year, this was a big year. We might have a few more storms, maybe 1-2 in April and maybe 1-2 in May if we are lucky. Some roads go to about 3200 meters, HYW 120 over Yosemite national park for example...

I thought I'd show you all where the manzy comes from and why they only get 1 meter tall: http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather- ... 2011-03-23 We have had over 17 meters of snow this year. These pics are from 2 days ago and we got another 30cm. Be a bit till this melts. Maybe June? So it...

I'd remove them big old ugly lights and replace with something smaller and less distracting. I think the point is a lush jungle garden that adds both the aquatic and terrestrial plants in one nice spot in the home. Scaping to some predefine aesthetic seems less the point. But.......they could...

You should be able to supply most of the UK with this plant in another 2-4 weeks I suspect. Regards, Tom Barr

This algae post trim on old ratty leave sis common, it occurs on this species as well, but the new growth is always clean and free of any of it, after 3-4 weeks, those leaves are buried and have virtually no light, this also can occur with stem plants trimmed much higher to create "domes" but...

Well, many are overly cautious with trimming. They think they cannot just mow it to the nub. HC trimmed: Post grow out 3-4 weeks later: close up(this was thick Gloss rug): Regards, Tom Barr

Added a pre mow pic, then it was trimmed about 4 weeks after that, then regrown in 2-3 more weeks. As far as a method, Scissors and trimming just like one might with a hedge in front of a house. Then wait for the new stems/stumps to regrow. Keeps the mat growing nice and short/low. Also keeps...

Pre mowed: Mowed: About 2-3 weeks later: Helps to see pics and not be told what to do for trimming. This can help newbies a lot if you illustrate the trim methods. Regards, Tom Barr

Where's Spider when we need him? He's a fellow Pole, he should be able to help you out pretty well. The UK has experienced a renewal of sorts and really taken off by leaps and bounds, see some of the gallery and George Farmer's stuff/post. There are some excellent Polish aquascapers. I've had...

Rocks and moss, ferns etc growing on the rocks or wood: Same type of thing here, different shape of the tank Reef folks do a similar thing also. Regards, Tom Barr

Document everything, get as good pictures as you possibly can. I agree by keeping the style groupings distinct in the competitions, they can preserve and embrace both forms. It also gives the younger kids something to work on later afterwards. Good method for the collector also (Which most where...

Fred's tank ranks highly I'd say for me, with Dad a tad behind, but still........ have not seen it in person. I think the touches of more modern styling will eventually pull apart the old rules. I'm not so sure that is a good thing, you should retain the part that is the culture that defines...

. Combination of animals, factor 4 2. Health of animals, factor 4 3. Development of animals, factor 4 4. The amount of animals, factor 2 5. Choosen plants, factor 2 6. Health of plants, factor 3 7. Development of plants, factor 4 8. Water parameters, factor 2 9. General impression, factor 3 10...

Focal point is one biggie. Long tanks are harder for many and the shape of the tank is an issue. Must use larger/longer groups to achieve the focal point. Harder to do with this shape of tank, ADA has trouble as do most with such shaped tanks. Spacing between plants etc. ADA rules? Bad...

Heiko is on all the watch and search list at customs. I take only pictures. Regards, Tom Barr

BTW, the light readings are much lower than you might think and lots of water changes prior to the showroom being open. Most are fairly easy scapes to maintain, however, the shear volume is the issue here. You want lower light(all are suspended, which allows you to rise and lower according the...

There are a dozen dehumidifiers in there BTW. You see them on the floor everywhere. Regards, Tom Barr

I will see about packing up some longer pieces later, the max length is about 35cm this time. Nicer small stuff this time however. Should be there this week sometime. regards, Tom Barr

Item went out yesterday. Lots of nice small pieces, good for 60-90cm tanks Regards, Tom Barr

More is shipping out today, lots of nice clean smaller stuff, good for the 90cm to 60cm range aquariums. Perhaps longer if you use them in different ways. I have some longer boxes, but still looking for the best box to fit the wood, that's the bear/hassle in doing this. I have some really nice...

If you are in the group buy, I am sending another box over today(hell froze over). the cost is just for shipping since I have Manzy coming out my ears and it's better than the other less character wood. CA is where most all the species are in this genus, so I have several species to chose from...

Got some more wood Sat at about 2500meters, this requires less cleaning. Nice stuff. I'll send it in this week and try and pack some today. Regards, Tom Barr

There's more wood. If folks prefer longer pieces, the box starts to get much smaller around. I think I'll add some like that next time and then pack the void space with the smaller shorter pieces. We can still add more weight, the real issue on my end is getting the most wood I can into a box...

Let me know if the wood is nice and economical for you folks. I'll have more soon. Soak it and let it mature for a few weeks before passing judgment. It will get a nice two tone in some cases, with red and darker brown. Regards, Tom Barr

I think this batch will do well for the smaller tanks. Larger 120 cm tanks will require a different shape box. also, I can likely wedge more wood into these boxes if I have more stock available. I just had a pile and tried to get what I had sitting there. With a larger collection and some...

Snowing up where I was planning on collecting this weekend..........damn. Regards, Tom Barr

It was about 40C for a few days here, but at 2300 meters, it's still fairly cool at night. I might try this or the following weekend. I saw snow at 2900 meters and at 2800 meters, so...... We might have another storm come in this week, we need the rain/snow here. But it will push back the date...