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What Dreams May Come

Silviu Man

Member
Joined
12 Jun 2017
Messages
345
Location
Barlad, Romania
Dear All,

After six months of plans and thinking about this project, after I have studied all I can found about planted aqvarium, substrate, plants, filtration, light, ... and many changes in my current aqvarium trying to figure out how different plants are growing and thrive, I decide to start my new project, What Dream May Come.

The ideea of the project is inspired from the moovie (probable most of you have seen it) with the same title. Here is a trailer, that can give you a basic view over this subject :



In aqvarium I will try to show the part of Cris world after death, with their dream house, the rocky place and the hill with the soulmates tree, together with a corner of lost souls (but not insisting too much on last one). It is an abitious project but I am prepared for it.

The house (a roman clasical domus) will be made by granite and will be made by myself. I learn about modelig the granite, that eventually looks not so difficult if you have proper material and tools. Granite is unpolished, 2 and 3 cm, different with the piece. The house will be 6-8 cm high, 26-28 cm lenght, 12 cm width; these are the proportion I've calculated from the available pictures. The house will be placed on a rocky hill, in the left side of aqvarium. The hill will end wiht a steep rocky wall.

Here you will find a nice picture of the house, together with the rocky hill :

http://thirstforcinema.blogspot.ro/2014/02/what-dreams-may-come-1998.html

Then will be a meadow, growing slowly to a hill with a rocky plateau where the tree will stay in a partial shadow.

I will give more details togehther with pictures, step by step.

Now, technical details :
The aqvarium, stand and light will be made by a professional company, Aquadec.

Tank : 1400x550x700, with cross tighteners, Ultra clear diamnat glass, 12 mm.
Stand : Aluminium structure, covered by wooden countertop. The structure will totaly close the front so the aqvarium front wall will be shown like a display. This way all the equipments, including light, will be covered.
Light : 6x ...?w. Still working, taking into account the depth of teh tank, the volume of water and, nevertheless, the plants. But it will be suspended under a cover made by two sliding pieces, with two special fan for suspension system.

Plants ... A very long story! I have tested in my 100/20 litters aqvarium a lot of plants : HC, Marsilea, Althernanthera, Pogostemon, Staurogyne, Christmas Moss, etc. I will have there mostly low high plants. The trees will be made by moss on wood. Very important will be the combination of the plants in the left side and a clean meadow of HC in the right side, up to the tree. I will come back with details.

Filtration : 2 x Eheim Professional 3E 600T, 2x internal prefilters and 2 x surface skimmers.
Controler : still need to find a solution.
CO2 : professional CO2 addition with rechargeable cylinder 2 kg, ceramic diffusor and counter.
Substrate : one basic substrate (1 cm sand) + one fertil substrate + one planting substrate (that could be an universal one, like Tropica Aqvarium Soil)

Steps :
- making the aqvarium and stand
- making the light system
- making the house
(these steps in the same time)
- instalation of aqvarium and equipments
- first stage of aqvarium cycling : 3 weeks, only with water, basic substrate and some floating plants, low light, filtration working, bacteria addition, ...
- arranging and planting the aqvarium (three stages: the bottom, the rocky hill, the tree hill)
- second stage of aqvarium cycling : 1 week before fauna
- introduction of the shrimps, snails and fish.

As I said, I will show details from each step I pass by.
Any advice from you ... more than welcome! Thank you.
 
I haven't seen or heard of that movie but I want to watch it now. Good luck with your project, can't imagine what it's going to look like but I'm sure it will be good.
 
Hi,

Looks like I start to run in forthright with this project. Of course, first problems : I analized the water from my office and NO2 was 0,1! Last days the inside temperature rise to 31 C. Anyway, there are solution for this. I am focussed now un the elements of the scape. The granite house is already projected and the wooden model will be ready soon.

I was planing a trip in the mountains to find the proper rocks for it. Sometimes, important things are under our noses. Just like it happens to me. Driving today to a client, I saw a mound with concrete and stones thrown together close to a building in construction, on the side of a parking. I took a break from driving and, by chance, I found four rocks covered with grass. When I got them out, I didn't believe what I found : looks like exctly what I am looking for. Here they are :

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I just briefly wash its and make some pics.

What do you think? Could be arranged in the form of a mountain scape, on the background?
 
I saw this one yesterday, it was a life stream on FB.

Might answer a few questions about what you need for a nice mountain scape. :) I found it inspirational...
 
Very interesting and useful!

It really gave me a few ideas. At least the left side is very close to what I intend to do.
I go through it briefly but I will take time to see it in details. Nevertheless, very important is how he position the rocks
not the planting section.

Thank you, zozo!
 
I made first model, a little too rudimentary but it give me a view about how will be positioned and about the perspective and proportion. In the end, the house will be mush slim and a little lower.
This part will take around a third from the lenght of the tank.

MVLnrqC.jpg


I also found a great support team :)
They are watching me all the time! So, I cannot make any mistake!

orD79yG.jpg
 
Just finished the structure for the house that will be main focal point in the left side of the tank. It is not polished yet but maybe will give a little view about how will look, especially when roots will dress it and moss will cover part of it. I am not pretend it will look like in the moovie, but to be close to a roman traditional house. After everything will be polished, with the right joints between parts ... probable will look OK. I hope to finish it soon so I may put it together with the stones in right proportions.

The basic plate will be smaller and entire ensambly will be made so it can be took out from water, clean and put back safely for plants and the supporting gravel. Actually all this kind of elements, including trees made by roots and moss, will be made and planted in same way.

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Just finished the house! I positioned it in front of the stones (this is only to see how it looks, final scape will be different). You can see a white root that will be placed, in the end, a little low and in the back of the house. It will be a kind of Literati Bonsay, meaning that will have moss only of upper roots. In the left side of the house I will have an Anubias Nana Pinto. On the right side will be a steep rock after a narrow plateau from where the steps will be built from up to above. In the front of the house and in a easy slope, will be the garden, with plants like Bucephalandra, Althernanthera, Staurogyne, ....

The front view ...
dFOj5U1.jpg


... and some side views:

V3gsKfA.jpg
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Of course, the end of the roots will be covered with gravel, same the basic plate. Again, small stones are only for the picture. Il will be different.
 
Just play a little with the rocks. I was not pleased with first solution because rocks took too much space and push the house too much in the front.
So, I make some changes for getting much space in the front of the house, for planting. This is last (possible) solution :

vn55Mtg.jpg


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The rock from the base, in the left side is only to support the other. I still need to work for the perfect combination of the rocks (I am living in a country with serious threat of earthquake so need to be sure everything is well fixed) and to the limit in between the rocks; maybe I will use there some moss or a root with moss.
 
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Today suppose to be the big day! Unfortunately, it was not that day.
Everything is ready : the house, the roots, the pathway, the rocks, ... everything ... plants on the way ...
And ... I've received the tank and the stand.
Eheim Incpiria 400 black with dedicated stand.
First, the packing was a nightmare : from inside to outside, a thin sheet of paper, a thin sheet of plastic and a cardboard box.
By accident, during the transport, the backside wall of the tank was scratched and hit, in several places. On a specific hit, already it starts to grow a fissure.
OK, this is because of packing and transport. But, when I opened the stand, I found something unbelievable: a door was in the right position but the second one
was attached by a tape to the first one. First I though it was for transport conditions. When I tried to put it in position I found the hinges are deformed, like something
press on the door and crash it. The packing was intact. This is not from the transport. Somebody put it there BY INTENTION!!!
Looks like they will replace all. So what?! Why they put it there in first place?!
And another two weeks waiting for it, plants comming ... probable I have to find a solution to preserve its...
Big day, indeed!
 
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Sorry for my long absence, a lot of troubles with aquarium. But, today, I finished it. Here are some pics (not to the quality I wish but I promisse to come back with some better).

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I will come back with better quality pics, a soon as water will be clear.
 
Hi!
Day 2, the water is clear.
I've lost some plants, not many. Also, a few pieces of moss on the house and on the tree are not OK but this is not a problem, can be replaced.
A few platns didn't arrived but I hope to get them next week so all spaces to be well planted, as initial plan.

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Cool!

I like the lay out. It almost looks like there's no water in it and just a view that I have to hike!

I'm excited to see this after 6 months!
 
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