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Low Tech lava rock and wood

3rdTimeLucky

3rdTimeLucky

Member
Joined
12 Jul 2016
Messages
50
Location
London
My previous scape can be found in this journal
https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/low-tech-spider.42031/page-2#post-479756

I have since done some changes - most notably using about 25kg of lava rock from Greenmachine. There have been some additional plants, plus I lifted up the Kessil light by using the 90 degree connector. It makes the colours look a lot better.

I hope you like the changes. The new scape has been running for about 4 or 5 months.

Tank is 60x60x60 Evolution Aqua with sump. No additional C02, but add EasyCarbo and Neutro ferts. Water changes are almost non-existent (I know George Farmer has a journal somewhere, where he didn't change the water for months). I seem to have hit a sweet spot, and just top up evaporated water with RO. It haelps that the tank has massive biological filtration (the sump, plus the lava rock, plus another 9kg bag of volcanic rock substrate.

Substrate is a mix of ADA amazonia, Tropica soil, some ADA sand, plus the the lava rock substrate mentioned above.

Single Kessil tuna sun a360 light. Lights on for 7 hours a day, ramping up to 30% intensity and then back down.

Currently has approx 18 cardinal tetra, 3 lampeye (previously had 9, but lost most of the to jumping out of tank). Male Apistogramma Agazzisi (trying to source a female at the moment). There are some amano shrimp and assign snails, plus single otto.

There is a bit of algae here and there, plus a little growing of some of the plants near the surface.

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What i like the most in the way you setup the scape is working diagonaly with the depth in the cube from corner to corner.. An extra Pythagorean dimension.. Very inspirational and very nicely done.
 
zozo said:
What i like the most in the way you setup the scape is working diagonaly with the depth in the cube from corner to corner.. An extra Pythagorean dimension.. Very inspirational and very nicely done.
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Thank you for the complements - although I'll need to google Pythagorean dimension! Ha.

I bought the tank because of where it would fit in my living room, and only then found out how difficult it is to scape a 60cm cube. It's a tank that really ought to be used for marine. Banking up the substrate could only really work for me if I did it all towards the back corner.

There's a TGM tank where lava rock is used to bank up substrate right up to to the surface of a 60cm. I haven't been able to reproduce that, but I'm pleased with the improvements from my first scape.
 
Any photos of the tank pre / mid planting?

Have read some interesting articles about lava rock in freshwater going from it will denitrify everything to it will kill all your fish with nasty bacteria.

25kg seems a lot, presumably there is some in the sump?
 
jameson_uk said:
Any photos of the tank pre / mid planting?

Have read some interesting articles about lava rock in freshwater going from it will denitrify everything to it will kill all your fish with nasty bacteria.

25kg seems a lot, presumably there is some in the sump?
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Hi, sadly these are the first photos I have. The photos don't show the full amount of lava rock very well. There are about 10 rocks of the same size as the prominent one in the front-left. the large mass of wood and plants in the middle is coming through a wall of lava rocks, that form a sort of semi-circle. There is also some lave rock buried under the substrate at the back. Without this, i would have had to have a very large amount of substrate in one large amount. Hopefully the layers of rock help reduce build-up of gases etc.

I had not seen any articles with concerns about using lava rock, and i have not experienced any. I spoke with TGM in advance (and was lucky enough to get straight through to James and to discuss my ideas with him). He has done one of his own tanks with lava rock, and he never mentioned anything to be concerned about. I guess it goes without saying that it is important to buy from reputable sellers, so you know there is nothing "bad" mixed in. I have only had positive experiences with it so far. It perhaps isn't the most pleasing on the eye, but it has quite a natural effect, which works with this scape
 
webworm said:
Citations needed for this one I think.
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Probably more soothsayers on forums and blogs without any scientific evidence.

Seems to be agreement that anaerobic pockets could form but some articles talk a out this allowing bacteria for denitrification but others talk about this allowing things like botulism to develop.

Will try and pull out some things I read when I get home to check my browsing history.
 
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