Branch

[Wolf6]

After almost a year of waiting! Main hardscape:


Final result will have 2 smaller branches as well for a more natural feel. The smaller branches will be moved into better placing once all is watered in, and the brown rock is just for weighing down the branch. Hope its enough...tomorrow is filling day I think, followed by 2 week dark start.

 

[Wolf6]

Full:


Dont mind the floating small branches, I am confident they will sink in a few days.

And gone:

2 weeks of darkness! Longest 2 weeks of my life first water change is tomorrow, next one monday, then friday, then monday, and then again on friday. And then planting on friday, Saturday or sunday!

 

[shangman]

It looks amazing!! Really reminds me of some local streams, I love how natural it feels. Can't wait to see how it develops and how it looks planted 😍

 

[Wookii]

I have to say, that Beech (?) branch is a stroke of genius, it completely makes the scape and gives it that natural look as Rosie says.

Did you have to do anything to 'prep' the branch ready for use? Or is that what the two weeks of dark soaking and water charges are for?

 

[Wolf6]

A look inside the cabinet while changing water. Aqua medic temperature control,
Jebao return pump, auto doser and co2 both still turned off until after dark start, 2 twinstar nano+ units already on, and an empty plug for when a new light comes in for the refugium as my original plan of using my old scapers light didnt work out as the power unit wouldn't fit through the opening in the cabinet.

 

[Wookii]

Nice! Where did you get the dosing liquid container?

 

[Wolf6]

I have to say, that Beech (?) branch is a stroke of genius, it completely makes the scape and gives it that natural look as Rosie says.

Did you have to do anything to 'prep' the branch ready for use? Or is that what the two weeks of dark soaking and water charges are for?

Thanks a lot and @shangman too!

The branch, indeed beech, was found (by my kids) in autumn last year whilst looking for wood to use as center piece in this tank. It was thoroughly scrubbed, soaked in water for a week, scrubbed again and lose bark removed, then dried for 9 months or so in the empty tank, and then scrubbed once more with some more lose bark removed, and now it is soaking in the tank for 2 weeks. I contemplated pouring boiling water over it but decided against it, I feared it may do more harm then good.

 

[Wolf6]

Nice! Where did you get the dosing liquid container?

Ran into it at a local fish store, ocean & lake here in the Netherlands. Looked all over the internet before that and they were sold out everywhere so when I saw it in the store instantly grabbed it This version has 3 sections, there was also a version with 4, but since I use all in 1 ferts 3 was more then enough

 

[Wolf6]

Plants are arriving, final ones should arrive tonight. Tomorrownight or saturdaynight will be the big day I managed to stay pretty close to what I intended to get! I will probably set up CO2 and the auto doser tonight already to make sure the plants get what they need from the get go.
Full plant list:
1 x "Crepidomanes malabaricum"
1 x "Fissidens Nobilis"
1 x "Weeping mos"
1 x Fontinalis antipyretica (from my own tank)
1 x anubias nana petite (from my own tank)
1 x fissidens miroshaki (from my own tank)
1 x fissidens fox (from my own tank)
1 x fissidens fontanus (from my own tank)
1 x Bucephalandra brownie helena (from my own tank)
1 x Bucephalandra Kedagang - in vitro cup
4 x blyxa japonica (mix of own tank and in vitro)
1 x Elodea densa
1 x Bacopa caroliniana -In Vitro cup
1 x Elatine hydropiper -In Vitro cup
2 x Cryptocoryne costata
1 x Marsilea hirsuta-In Vitro cup
1 x Sagittaria subulata
3 x Eleocharis sp. mini -In Vitro cup
1 x Bucephalandra Biblis Red
2 x red tiger lotus
6 x Eleocharis sp. "montevidensis"

A total of 21 species, more then I intended but for me its a victory that I didnt order even more and 3 of them are mosses that look quite similar. Luckily I have another tank upcoming in which I can place the other plants I reaaaaally wanted but couldnt in this one I might end up moving one of the buce species in here to that tank as well, I feel 3 might be a bit much.

 

[Wolf6]

Its done! Just a hasty snap of the result but it was quite a battle. The moment I touched the large branch it decided that 2 weeks of soaking was not enough and went up up up so I had to drain all water and glue it to the rocks and even add one more extra rock at the back of the wood for extra weight. I prefer tying mosses to the wood over glueing but in this case I could no longer tie so had to glue. I will probably have to scrape some spilled glue off the hardscape once its all settled in.
Then came the planting of the blyxa, my favorite plant but I forgot how much I hate planting it. They are like 'not too deep or I will rot!" And then you plant them less deep and they are like "dont look at me wrong or sneeze or breathe or I will float!". But they seem to be in place now.

The refugium is also ready for some shrimp, lighted by a simple lominie spotlight for 6 hours after the main tank lights are off.

 

[Wookii]

Love it - it looks great, like a little section of country stream - planting is on point too. Good work 👍🏻

 

[bazz]

Very nice!!!

 

[shangman]

After planting it looks even better, can't wait to see this one grown in, maybe with a few choice botanicals to complete the river effect! I really like the dead leaves left on some of the twigs.

 

[Wolf6]

Thanks for the kind words all
Now the hard part starts, observing closely. Started with 6 hours of light at 45% intensity, dosing 13ml of plantedbox all in 1 fert every morning and easycarbo on anything suspicious.

Fissidens miroshaki on the wood and elodea with eleocharis montevidensis forming the background.


Blyxa, hairgras and fissidens nobilis at the base of the wood. Red tigerlotus behind the blyxa.


Crepidomanes creeping down the wood on the left, weeping moss, buce and crypts right. And more blyxa.

 

[Tim Harrison]

Very nice 👍

 

[Ady34]

Lovely, very natural looking.
Will enjoy watching the progression.

 

[Laoshan]

I think it’s a great scape, especially with the combination of different types of branches. Very inspirational!

 

[Garuf]

I have to admit it’s not usually my kinda “thing” with more biotope adjacent scapes but this one oozes a refinement and charm I hope that the tank keeps as it matures. Good luck, I’m sure it’ll be great.

 

[Wolf6]

So far so good one week in. Finetuning co2, dosing 15ml of planted box all in one per day and occasionally add some easycarbo. Removed some clado that had snuck into the tank attached to some of the elodea, think I caught all of it before it spread. Added a few sacrificial shrimp earlier this week and having seen them do well added 4 embers and one otto from my old tank into this one. They all seem fine for 48 hours now, so moving the rest of my old tank into this one tomorrow. That means 16 embers (I think), 7 serpeas, 2 simulans terras, 5 ottos, 6 kuhlis, 6 amanos and unknown numbers of cherries will be moved and the old tank turned off. If that all goes well for some time I will move the contents of the smaller tank into this one as well, meaning another 9 embers, 4 amano and 7 or so pygmies as well as one or 2 ottos and some Taiwan bee shrimp. The rest of the shrimp will be moved into a container together with the plants to await setting up the new shallow tank.

 

[Wolf6]

They are in and all but one seem ok. One of the serpeas hasnt dealt well with all the stress of plants being removed and being caught by a net and the whole acclimatisation . He is lying in the soil between some plants, I dont think he will make it. Hasnt moved yet while the others are exploring the tank. He isnt on his side or anything though.
I decided to leave one of the embers. I have suspected it to be infected with neon disease for a while, its form is bent and has a white area near the base of its tail. But it eats well and swims around fine, so I'll set up a small nano to let it live out its days. Alone but I cant get myself to euthanise it yet.