Back to my Roots

[darren636]

Awesome mate, great piece of wood 😎
Its funny how you class this as a small set up 😀

He's lost it

 

[drodgers]

keeping on eye on this so far so good 🙂

 

[Andy D]

Awesome mate, great piece of wood 😎
Its funny how you class this as a small set up 😀

When you consider what he has in the pipeline this is tiny!

 

[Iain Sutherland]

erm where are the plants going?

 

[Alastair]

The wood looks stunning mate! I'll be keeping a watchful eye on this one.

Thanks Michael. The minute I saw it I knew I had to lug it all the way back. Worth every bit of sweat 😉

Very nice piece of wood, I am envious .

plenty more of it if you need any sanj

Stunning mate 🙂

That's a solid piece of wood you got there 🙂

Cheers Vazkez, hopefully it'll look much better covered in mosses etc

You don't need plants when you have wood like that!

I thought the same thing at first lindy. I fancied just doing it for all my crystals and paros but as my big tank isnt here yet I thought I'll do a shallow high tech as a change to low tech.

This is absolute perfection already. This is exactly what I've wanted from my driftwood since I started the hobby. Looking forward to this one enormously.

Awesome thanks Henry. Very kind words hope it grows to how I'm expecting it.
Pumping in mega amounts of co2 ferts to get great growth from the start, then I'll tone it down to allow shrimp in.

Hi Alastair,
Love Shallow tanks. Looking🙂 forward to your updates
Wow the tree root is a truly Stunning piece

Hiya greenfinger thanks. I'm aiming to update each week, or every 5 days. Planted fully last night.

Dude. Sod the plants.

haha I know pal. Never getting rid of it. Sure it'll be used in many a tank..

😱 As if it were made to fit...
Well we're all expecting another masterpiece now Alastair, so no pressure!

Might I ask where and how you are finding all of these amazing pieces of wood?

Thanks Crossocheilus, I wouldn't go far as to say masterpiece but I'm hoping for a really nice scape. My big tank.will be my most thought out aquascape..

You got my attention

😉 thanks Martin

 

[Alastair]

Liquorice gourami would love that

I'll be keeping it for them eventually lindy. I want separate out my choccos from the paros.

Looks ace Sir
Not sure about going hich tech on a shallow with this amount of possible dead spots, just my 2 cts.
It would make a perfect biotope for some very special species though.

Thanks Ed, it was initially meant to be a biotope but changed my mind as I have my blackwater tank down stairs. I've used the spray bar that comes with the fluval g6 along with the co2 art inline diffuser and bubbles are getting everywhere.

You're are a master of understatement: small.
Looks excellent already

Ha ha thanks Darren. It's small, compared to my more recent but the wood does seem to make appear even bigger.

That's THE WOOD! Shocked.

😀 thanks Alex, I hope I can keep a nice balance between wood and plants. Nothing too over powering. It's all planted fully now.

Wow! I love the wood piece!

Cheers dude 🙂

 

[Alastair]

Nice wood mate! 🙂

Cheers mate. Co2 is at massively high levels now, should be grown in well enough for when your over.

Stunning piece m8 .... look forward to the journal 🙂

Thanks Brian mate.

Jaw dropping wood Al..🙂

Thanks Faizal, always kind words from you.

Awesome mate, great piece of wood 😎
Its funny how you class this as a small set up 😀

Ha ha it is really, kind of. I've tried not to make anything too bold, I want it all to look natural. Just hope it works. Fair few hours of planting on this too. Didn't realise it would be that much.
Adding pictures shortly. The Hortilab invitro Plants are the healthiest most fully filled pots I've ever used and so fresh too. Stunning plants.

 

[Alastair]

He's lost it

Many a person has told me that Darren ha ha.

keeping on eye on this so far so good 🙂

Thanks mate.

When you consider what he has in the pipeline this is tiny!

true words Andy. This will be a tenth of my big one, and 35 times smaller than my big big one next year.

erm where are the plants going?

Ha ha there all in mate. Every bit of them. Photos coming shortly

 

[darren636]

I'll get a tea going whilst waiting for pictures.
Your loyal subjects await!

 

[darren636]

 

[tim]

Epic wood scape Al, looking forward to the planted pics 🙂

 

[Alastair]

I'll get a tea going whilst waiting for pictures.
Your loyal subjects await!

Haha cheers Darren lol

 

[Edvet]

Pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..we need pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..pictures..

 

[Alastair]

Epic wood scape Al, looking forward to the planted pics 🙂

Hey buddy
Thanks for the kind words, I knew I couldn't leave it amongst all the foliage. It's funny to think how many dog walkers ramblers etc would have walked past this and not batted an eye lid. Saying that it did need a but of elbow grease to pull it up. And.....there's more of the stuff 😀

Just hope the planted pics don't disappoint. I can see the end result...kind of

 

[Alastair]

So, it's about day 3 or 4 after full planting with as much as I could get in but leave room for it all to grow in.
Planting the Hydrocotyle tripartia leaf by leaf took ages, but hopefully front right and all the left rear quarter will be thick with it in a month. Amongst this I've placed eleocharis mini to mix it up a little. I'm thinking of placing a very bright red stem toward the back area somewhere that will really pop, or maybe an echinodorus species but need to find one that's really small.
Then along most of the front is micranthemum sp Monte Carlo, all 15 pots of the stuff.
Behind this, are some Erio, Staurogyne repens and Marsilea Hirsuta in the shaded areas as it'll do well their.
Right side infront of the Rock is pogostomon helferi, and small patches of weeping moss dotted along the branches.
I've placed some terrestrial mosses on the main trunk just dipping it's toe in the water and its doing well, and another moss/plant behind that kind of grows on the floor in bogged areas of the woods. Whilst it's not doing much above water for some reason the part that's underwater appears to be getting fuller and a light green simular to fissedens.

I have to say though, and it's not just because I'm sponsored by them for my tanks, but the Hortilab invitro plants are phenomenal. Extremely healthy, way more bang for your buck they're crammed with plants and a very healthy almost resin like gel.
Well worth buying them from Richard at aquaessentials if anyone's buying some plants soon.

I actually have e. Parvula, e.sp mini and one helferi left, and the xxl Monte Carlo should anyone be interested.

Here's a comparison of the standard pots and their xl pot.

Hortilab plants by Mr-T-, on Flickr

And not boxed


Hortilab plants by Mr-T-, on Flickr

Hortilab plants by Mr-T-, on Flickr

Lighting used is the arcadia eco aqua 30w led, I'm using the 6500k but over a bigger tank I think a mixture of the freshwater and 6500 would look brilliant. Never seen them in person until I got them, and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of them, the fixture capabilities and accessories that you can have, and the varying lense you can use, 60 degree 90 degree and 120 degree.
The black material is a thick aluminium I think. Really neat and tidy. Excuse the photos of the lights above the tank shortly I just need to finish tidying up the cables, power supplies etc..


Arcadia eco aqua led 30w freshwater by Mr-T-, on Flickr

Size comparison against a 500ml bottle of easy carbo


DSC_0092 by Mr-T-, on Flickr

Posting photos up of the tank imminently

Thank everyone

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

Subscribed! Looking awesome matey.

 

[Alastair]

Subscribed! Looking awesome matey.

Hiya mate. Long time no see. Good to see you posting and following me again. How's things??

 

[Mark-jan]

Thats 1 sexy looking light!

 

[Alastair]

Just a couple of pics of the tank after 4 days of planting, next lot of pics are due Saturday so I can compare growth. I'm using lots of co2 and ferts plus two water changes a week...

Does anyone have a Fluval G6 spray bar they would happily sell on????


Day 4 'back to my root's by Mr-T-, on Flickr


Day 4 'back to my root's by Mr-T-, on Flickr

Can leave this to grow in whilst I get the big tank sorted as that's here soon 🙂

 

[Mark-jan]

That looks amazing! Is the wood not blocking too much light?