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So this tank is still running. :)

Very Amano-esque with the rock walls. I think they look fine, to be honest. Once wood and plants are in play they'll look completely different.

I don't think it would matter too much if you have a piece of wood you like, but I think redmoor root or an interesting piece of manzanita would like nice. A similar twisty wood would look nice too.

Thanks, @gareth777 :) It came like that. A sledge hammer makes short work of it though. The smaller pieces came from breaking up some less interesting bigger ones. :)

Since we're a week old, decided to film a quick phone video. Excuse the co2 mist. Looks better in HD. :)

Ooh, emersed crypts, awesome!

Your rockwork is fantastic; really brilliant! :) I think you're right though, the wood is a little small in contrast to the height of the tank and the roots growing through the rocks. If you're going to do them as actual trees, I think they need to be a little higher up. The one on the right...

Fantastic job! :) What wood have you used?

I just visit landscaping stores for rock. I often find stuff I see sold in fish stores for a few dollars a kilo. I'd collect some myself, but my part of Sydney is mostly crumbling sandstone. As for wood, I usually visit a friend's property in the middle of no where and collect my own. I'll never...

Oh no, I thought you meant other swords fitting into a scape - those guys all integrated other echinodorus species into their scapes nicely. E tenellus isn't really an echinodorus (at least not according to some botanists I know who say it's a helanthium), just hack away. When I had it growing...

Wow, fantastic job all around. Given time the tenelus will fill in. It can be super weedy once it gets going. I also think echinodorus can be a bit tricky to work into a design, but I really like seeing them in the background with emersed foliage - like Marcel's tank or some of the tanks done...

Fantastic job! The water should clear up pretty quickly, usually in the first 24 hours. I think you'll get different answers for water changes with new soil. Some people don't do them, others daily for the first few weeks. I usually shoot for 2-3 big ones a week for the first fortnight. After...

Awesome! Are you thinking of having any emersed growth on the branches?

They're really neat! I saw a smaller one on Amazon for $50 (about £25). I'd gladly pay that if shipping to Australia weren't $100.

Looks great, Tim. Reminds me of the jungles of south east Asia. :)

Thanks, Tim. I think it has some potential. It's also certainly the type of scape that is easily replanted. At some stage down the road I'm sure it will become a stem forest haha.

So I ended up making a few adjustments and planted this the other day. Today is its second day running. It's not groundbreaking by any means, but I did set out with the idea to create something that reminds me of my local rainforest. For the most part, there are parts of the tank I can look at...

It's not marsilea. In fact I'm pretty certain it's not even an aquatic. If you chat with some of the aquascapers in Indonesia on Instagram, they'll tell you it dies submerged after a couple of weeks. Seems to grow indefinitely emergent though.

Ooh, gosh, fail. I was going to say something larger because the fish were so numerous and looked quite small, but everything else looked so tiny, quaint and cute. :lol:

Hi guys, Thought I'd start a thread for my new tank that my lovely family gave me for Christmas. :) Tank: Cade 600B - 60x45x45. Lighting: Maxspect Razor 120W. Substrate: ADA Aquasoil, Sand. Hardscape: Basalt rocks and Eucalyptus stumps/roots Co2 and Fertilisers: Inline via canister filter and...

Love the little tank too! What size is/was it (Mini M?)?

It's great! I don't think it needs any colour, the sand offers a nice contrast and I'm a fan of shades of green tanks! :)

Picks jaw up off floor. Amazing, Yo Han! It reminds me of Amano's smaller wood scape at Sumida.

I've done eleocharis in old Aquasoil with occasional fertiliser and no liquid co2. It wasn't particularly dense, but I did have more plant matter than I thought I did when I pulled it apart.

Excited to see what you come up with! Shoreline was definitely my favourite. The third layout is very interesting and gnarly, but the centre piece throws it off for me.

I like it. I think once the plants grow in everything will look and feel good. :) My two cents since you asked for some feedback: I think levelling the sand out at the front would help. Having the left side the same thickness against the glass as the right would add some depth. Right now I...

Java can be pretty weedy, should grow in no time. Roy's given you some great advice so far. :)

Just a quick snap of my tree stump wabi. It's almost a year old now. :) Sent using Tapatalk

Wow, fantastic hardscape!

It's a beautiful tank! Provided you were happy with the tank and gave you some enjoyment, I don't think it matters much what others think. :) Indeed. Last year the owner of Australia's ADA Gallery in Melbourne had a brilliant nature aquarium (very reminiscent of some of Amano's larger tanks)...

Oh yes, definitely. To be accurate, I suppose I meant none of the ones I had would have made for an interesting/large enough father stone, but other than that I completely get where you're coming from. And it definitely is fun - beats what I should have been doing. My mum even decided to have a...

To be honest, I'd probably chuck wood on top of this if it were for a tank. I think it would look a bit more balanced this way, and resemble a lot of creeks I run past. None of the pieces I had at hand were interesting enough for an iwagumi/rock only hardscape.

After watching George and Adam livescape yesterday, I felt compelled to have a go. (I think I need a sand pit now, it really fulfilled my need to rescape without actually doing it). The stones are some sort of quarried igneous rock (either basalt or andesite) and rather plain Jane at times...

Shale can be pretty brittle stuff. In fact, if you get a crack somewhere, you can usually pull the rock apart with your fingers.

I really like the stone and your hardscape. Really excellent! Can't wait to see how it matures.

I think shale too. It looks like the stuff I dig out of my backyard. I've used it before, but never long term, so I don't really know how well it holds up versus, say, seiryu or something like that. The bucket test is a good idea. :)

Fantastic hardscape, there's so much depth! :eek:

Planted some lobelia cardinalis mini in there tonight. I wasn't really looking to get some, but the price was too good to pass on since it can be somewhat hard to come by here in Australia. Nice little plant. Yep, what Darrel said. The dendrobium is still there and the bigger leaves belong to...

Wow, this has gone bonkers since I last saw it. Looking great, Marcel. Love the echinodorus flower and the pup. :)

Thanks, Tim. :)

Fantastic, Paulo! Can't wait to see what you do with it. :)

Long time no post—I do apologise. Here is a quick phone snap of how it is looking today. Not sure how well the anthuriums will tolerate the wet feet in the long run, but I'll just rehome them if they start to show signs of being unhappy. There are still some stems in the back behind the java...

Thanks, Rebel! :) Will post some photos hopefully tomorrow. The tank and tree stump wabi are coming along nicely. I've also started another wabi, which will get its own thread at some point.

Where in Australia are you? I'm in Sydney and never really have a problem with uncovered wabis drying out. They don't like the aircon in summer, but I usually just mist them more frequently. As for glassware, I've never really found anything I liked either. Most of the time I opt for a stone...

No need to cover them permanently, misting twice a day is good enough. During the acclimation process you'll need to cover/uncover them until they adjust to room humidity, but after that I find regular misting is sufficient. I also saturate the substrate with old tank water about once a week...

It's looking fantastic, Roy!

You can replant cuttings and also grow it on emersed if you want.

Gosh, that looks great! I love the rock colour, it's so warm and inviting; really blends with the wood well.

Thanks, Roy. :) Indeed. The fish are really loving it. :) Thanks, Tim. :)

Just a quick phone snap. It's starting to fill in more and more. Hopefully in another month or two the foreground species I added will be properly intermingled and wild.

I like it more like this, Tim. :) I can picture what you're trying to do. In a couple of months I see it looking more like the moss covered rocks and wood I see in the shallows nearby.

Monte Carlo looks nice weeping. You can either plant it at the top and let it cascade down the rock as it grows, or shove it into cracks on the front face of the rock.

Really sorry to hear that, what a pain. :(

It's coming along nicely!

Fantastic, Marcel! :)

I'm really sorry to hear that, Jordi. :(

A little update: Since last time, my tank hasn't really changed much. I did end up adding some monte carlo amongst the staurogyne (waiting for it take off), and also added some hydrocotyle tripartita. The cyperus helferi has produced a flower a stalk and is now growing emergent. All fish seem...

Looks awesome, Roy! :) I really must get myself a small shallow tank, I really miss the little riparium type thing I had running. Any plans for livestock?

Maybe contact ITC Aquatics as they're the UK distributor? http://ecotechmarine.com/find-retailers/international-distributors?country=UK

Welcome to UKAPS :)

I'm very excited to see what you do, Tim! Gold stars from me, I love it.

Rotala rotundifolia and heteranthera zosterifolia flowers are utterly gorgeous. Ludwigia arcuata flowers fairly consistently for me emersed, the same for persicaria porto velho. Lindernia rotundifolia also has a nice flower.

Amazing, Ivan. You've really captured the same feeling I get when I'm standing in a rocky outcrop with big boulders on all sides.

I've had this happen too with an Up Aqua diffuser, but it was an in tank bazooka style one. At first I thought it was the regulator and went through several tests, talked with the regulator manufacturer, etc and came to realise it was the stupid diffuser back stuffing gas -- even though it had...

That looks fantastic, Jordi!

How are you diffusing the gas? What sort of filtration do you have and how is the flow around the tank?

Nope, never really considered using one. I make sure I have some surface agitation and inject a little bit more co2 to compensate. The fish always seem happy. :)

If it's going into a vase or pot, I just use some leftover ADA Aquasoil. :)

Gorgeous! The marsilea is a lovely little plant, one of the first I ever kept. :)

Awesome, great wabis! Are they just under an IKEA lamp?

Looks lovely, Jordi. Can't wait to see it grow. :)

I really like it, it's quite bold! Followed.

I suppose there are a couple of ways to interpret coloured plants. Some people might use them like a painter uses reds and oranges (probably the most artistic in the abstract sense), others to represent elements of the landscape or perhaps a sunrise/sunset, some might use them to represent...

Of course! Technically I don't think it should be classified as a rainforest (it's a mixture of rainforest like elements and typical Australian eucalyptus and sandstone forests), but the state government has it listed as one. Fortunately this land will never be developed on due to its...

Welcome to UKAPS! :)

I guess I'm a bit fortunate, I live a short walk (5 minutes) from a rainforest. :)

I'm inclined to think like Roy nowadays, although it took some prodding. When I was younger, even though I loved nature aquariums, I always felt they were too utopian. As I developed interests in trail running and hiking, I began to see nature aquariums in a different way. I appreciated them...

I think I've only ever had one hardscape I well and truly liked (plus continue to like without wanting to tinker), and that's in a little low tech tank. I did a mock up of that beforehand. Usually though, I'm a 'throw stuff in' and see it how it makes me feel kind of guy. Usually, I begin to...

Wabi balls are great fun! You'll really love it. :) In my experience, coconut fibre works better as an outer layer than sphagnum moss (less likely to fall apart on me). I usually make sphagnum my second layer, and any additives/dirt/rock for weight the third centre layer. This recipe works well...

I restricted the outflow side of mine by about 1/4 for awhile. It didn't seem to do any damage. Eventually I daisy chained a few spray bars together and that reduced the flow enough for me to have it on full blast.

If you've got any more small/medium rocks, you can always see what they look like added. Keep in mind too it will look less empty with plants in; especially if you use multiple species in a mixed carpet.

As an iwagumi I think it would be absolutely brilliant; that rock is fantastic to look at. I'm not so sure about the wood though.

A midday burst can be nice. I started off with lower steady light, but eventually added in a midday full sun burst. When it comes to light, I think erring on the side of caution is always useful. If it were me, I'd start off with a photoperiod around 5-6 hours and increase if things go...

Welcome to UKAPS! Your tanks are pretty spectacular. :)

If your last tank was densely planted, they're probably not used to their new sparse home. I've experienced something similar before, but mine never really came around to the iwagumi; even when it did fill in. It sort of lead me to believe some fish just aren't suited to an iwagumi. My tank in...

Cracking hardscape! :clap: Can't wait to see what you do with it.

The one I used on my previous filter was pretty reliable (12/16mm), it lasted three years before I got another one. Fingers crossed the 16/22mm one I have now is as reliable. I think having two is the way to go. If it starts to get clogged, I swap it out with the other and give it a long...

That would be fantastic. I've thought about getting some UG just to grow emersed for the flowers. It's the little things that make us happy, isn't it. I had some ludwigia flower the other day and I was over the moon. :lol:

Happy plant. :) On another note, your whole emersed section is absolutely outstanding.

This will look so great planted. Followed. :)

Welcome to UKAPS, Staticrzr. :)

Haha, one of my favourite pieces of music. It's probably not a bad title for an aquascape either. I'll have to keep that one tucked away for my next tank. ;)

Welcome to UKAPS, Roy! :)

Excellent job, I love the emergent wood. :)

This one is my favourite! :)

I think the discus look really good in there, Martin. :) I could also picture them swimming under some nymphaea lotus, if you ever added them along the back. If you didn't go with them, would increase school sizes or perhaps add another fish?

Wow, that looks utterly fantastic; the wood is amazing!

The light should be more than plenty. :) Like the others have said, I'd say it's a humidity issue. If it has come straight from the shop and into your home, it will still be acclimating. Mine usually take a few weeks to adjust, even if it is something as simple as moving one to another room in...

Eheim 2215 was by far the quietest filter I've owned. It stayed consistently quiet until it broke (up until then I couldn't hear it unless my ear was against it). The Fluval 306 I replaced it with is not as quiet in the dead of night, but certainly not loud either.

Awesome! You may say overgrown, but I love it. The ranunculus looks brilliant with the hydro. :)