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Aquarium - "ETESUS"

Paulo Soares

Member
Joined
6 Nov 2014
Messages
604
Good Morning,

After my "AQUA-SUSSOA tank,

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/aquarium-sussoa.42794/

i decided to take a different course on this hobby. I course in wich i dont´t feel so comfortable cause I've wood tanks in the past and I know what I'm going to get in to.

This time I want to develop a truly nature aquarium.

To say the thruth i could try something simple and easy, such as a island ou a couple of trunks and wokr along with it. But I decided to complicate even.

I give more importance or recognition by the effort some do to achieve an objectiv then for the goal itself. That's my way of being in life for life no matter my own or professional.

So i started this project with lots of wood and of course i´m on half way yet.. I'm only here today to share this first developments.

Starting on 14th October i´ve reached so far what the photos below show. And at this point I don't dislike what is already done till now.

I´m working without any agenda but only through emotions. I´m not crossing a good moment in life with my Dad´s health issues so i´m working on this tank as my daily emotions provide me to.

I get home and if i feel energy (even if is a negative one) i look at the tank and my hands automatically starts to move wood.. taken out and in, more touches and experiences. Puttiing and removing, turn to right, turn to the left, breaking a branch here and there and rip these trunks as my pleasure lets me. Positioning, repositioning, more or less deep down the gravel etc.. and so I'm at this stage of making and breaking till the day i reach something that i
spontaneously look and showt: "Done! Don´t touch it anymore!”.

By this time here are some aspects to consider:

I don't intend to have stones in sight. All those i´m using in this project will be outlined with substrate so that all the tank base aspect will be substrate only.

For the time being I haven't decided yet the vertical plan (degrees) I'm going to give to the tank. It´s to soon.

Undecided on what I'm going to do in the middle of the tank ... If a sponge imitating a river, or La plata Sand (which annoys me because it's more than viewed..), or gravel or even more wood branches.

The “trees” will be fully covered of mosses. How many species will i use? Only one species? I don't know. Probably different species of MOSS.

But this will be a big challenge. Prune an aquarium so filled as I want this to be will certainly not be an easy work/job.

I´m thinking that probably I'll have to develop some tools/techniques cause in the existing scissors market i may not found the needs. Because the big trunks/branches volume i´m going to put it will be not easy to insert an Hand/Scissor to the bottom. This my feeling as I am developing this.

I believe this issue is the biggest challenge on this type of tank. Trimming Maintenance!

Just like you I´ve seen so far lots and lots of nature aquariums and each time i look at them some questions imediatelly cross to me:

"How the guy prune/trimm this?"

"How to prune and clean what it´s being cut at the same time in between all those branches?

And another thing that i´ts been worring me and i believe the most important is the bottom of the tank. If it does not stay or recreate a trully soil forest nothing else matters. I can have a pristine wood with beautiful Moss but if the soil does not recreate a forest i´ll be loosing the entire layout.

I'm also thinking about connecting branches in the side glasses. That is, the branches come from side glasses reaching the wood so that it will give a whole vision where the viewer will have to imaginate waht is not in there. The trees being integral to the composition giving the impression that the forest comes from all sides and it is not just a picture or a part of a forest. I don't know if I can convey the goal.

But ok there you have my challenge or the way i want to follow.

About reusing substrate:

This is something i´ve never done before. In all my previous tanks i always put new fertile and grain substrate. But in this one I'm going to reuse the grain. I'm not going to insert fertile substrate due to the choice of the plants that in departure will be around Anubias, Bucephalandras, Microsorum and Bolbitis. Using this kind of plants to emerge from a type of carpet that i also still haven´t decided what will be.

This 30 liter substrate itself was a heartache to sieve and filter.. The photo below exemplifies the importance of doing so. What you see on the floor has 3 cm high and is literally dust! Dirt in the grain that stemmed from the "SUSSOA". Not to mention the dust that pop up whe i was filtering this. Imagine this in the tank if you do not do this.

37829623886_f382584e26_z.jpg
Lixo Substrato by Paulo Soares, no Flickr


37168242714_f3531d162d_z.jpg
Substrato by Paulo Soares, no Flickr




Other pictures, are the material that I still have available to work.

Assembling date:

14th October 2017

Aquarium:
100x40x40

Live Stock:
No live stock

Lighting:
Twinstar 900E (Adapted by me for 100 cm aquarium)

Filter:
EHEIM Profissional 4+600
Cerâmics Equo Stilla (3 baskets).

CO2:
NEO Difusor
CO2ART Regulator and Solenoid
Cal Aqua Double Drop Checker
Reagent JBL 2 ML.
Injection Time : 24/7

Photoperiod:
1º Month 6 Hours
2º e 3º Month 7 Horas
4º Month - 8 Horas
5º Month 9 Horas

Hardscape:
Red Moor Wood
Black Pagoda and others.

Substrate:
Tropica Soil

Fertilization:
Osmocote universal Pro 6 Months (15+9+11+2 MgO+Micros)

Plants:
On Study yet.


24025722018_baa52f0122_z.jpg
20171022_215759 by Paulo Soares, no Flickr


37829634066_157a82c052_z.jpg
20171022_215756 by Paulo Soares, no Flickr


37829634896_e03e5f730a_z.jpg
20171022_215751 by Paulo Soares, no Flickr


37847019692_fac1f6d64b_z.jpg
20171021_151838 by Paulo Soares, no Flickr


37829652836_5f498712f2_z.jpg
20171021_151835 by Paulo Soares, no Flickr


ONE OF THE FIRST ATTEMPTS


37621068120_795271b608_z.jpg
20171021_095504 by Paulo Soares, no Flickr




SOME DETAILS SO FAR


37829646106_a0cfb6e665_z.jpg
20171022_215014 by Paulo Soares, no Flickr


37829644926_32fdfb197e_z.jpg
20171022_215038 by Paulo Soares, no Flickr


37158278913_93d0d951fe_z.jpg
20171022_215051 by Paulo Soares, no Flickr


37829641836_d8ae2465f4_z.jpg
20171022_215102 by Paulo Soares, no Flickr


37158274903_3419a77bec_z.jpg
20171022_215110 by Paulo Soares, no Flickr






ACTUAL STAGE SO FAR (IN DEVELOPMENT..)


37158283113_0378a3166f_k.jpg
20171022_214955 by Paulo Soares, no Flickr



Best compliments to all of you!
 
Hi Paulo!
This is looking great! Background is veri nice too!
I will close follow your project, as looks to be a succesfull one.
Very good job so far. Maybe you will consider a lot of moss on the roots, then after Anubias and Bucephalandra. Just a suggestion ...
Nevertheless, it will be very difficult not to cover the background (it looks too good) so small plants and a very smart positioning of them could be your chalange.
 
Hi Paulo!
This is looking great! Background is veri nice too!
I will close follow your project, as looks to be a succesfull one.
Very good job so far. Maybe you will consider a lot of moss on the roots, then after Anubias and Bucephalandra. Just a suggestion ...
Nevertheless, it will be very difficult not to cover the background (it looks too good) so small plants and a very smart positioning of them could be your chalange.

Hello Silviu!
Many many thanks dear friend.
You got the picture! Exactly what i have in mind. Just the backgorund is a doubt.. i don´t know. But that is something easy to change.

Maybe you will consider a lot of moss on the roots, then after Anubias and Bucephalandra

No doubts about it! That is one thing to do.

A big hug.
 
If your ideea is to have a kind of path in the mid, that will come as a prolongation of the canion ... then the background is esential!
I would do so. With water in the tank, it will look totaly different.
 
Good morning Silviu,

I will take under consideration your proposal. Even here in Portugal my friends are telling me to maintain that background. So i will do so.

A big hug dear friend!
 
Did you take any decision regarding plants? ... or living beings?

Hi Silviu,
No not yet. I really don´t know allready wich plants to insert. The trees will be mosses of course.
But for the ground i´m stucked.

I have had watched many many layouts like this but no fixed ideas yet.

Best regards
 
[QUOTE="Paulo Soares, post: 502592,


37829634066_157a82c052_z.jpg



37829634896_e03e5f730a_z.jpg




Best compliments to all of you!

Paulo,
that rocks in the window are really cool!
Maybe worth trying to use them,
cheers[/QUOTE]


Hello Tiago,
I haven´t decide yet the ground layout.. if only composed with sand and plants or also use the stones. many doubts for now. I´m going to work and see wath i can come up with ;)

Big Hug (Abração!!)
 
Good afternoon,

I believe i reached my goal. Now the planting will do the rest. I haven´t studdy yet wich plants i´ll be using on this set.

Starting to fill with the water right now. In a month or so, i may be able to take out those sticks that are fixing the wood to the ground by pressure.
I´ve found this solution much better then using glue or any chemicals to fix them.

Meanwhile it will be cicling so that in a month or a month and half i´ll do the planting, and the Osmocote by then starts to slowly melting spreading nutrients to the water.

Hope you enjoy.

Best regards



37309098314_b1b803698e_o.jpg
3 by Paulo Soares, no Flickr

37309109034_b144c455ff_o.jpg
2 by Paulo Soares, no Flickr
 
So, you want to have a cycling without plants?
And how you will put the plants after?
I also suggest to remove the roots from the center, its cover the path from the background.
First set-up looks better, in my opinion.
 
Last edited:
So, you want to have a cycling without plants?
And how you will put the plants after?
I also suggest to remove the roots from the center, its cover the path from the background.
First set-up looks better, in my opinion.

No of course not.. in the meantime i will put some Valisnerias and other ordinary ones.

To plant is easy.. in the wood it will be mosses so i´ll be using Cotton or and glue. The others is a regular planting.


I also suggest to remove the roots from the center,

That is something that i have to look for indeed.. as time goes by i´ll be observing. But many thanks for your apreciattion ;)

Best regards
 
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