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Congrats!!

It was definitely a challenge at first haha. Onto more challenges: two things that I want to accomplish this year - making videos to share and getting on that IAPLC projector! Approaching this with a newcomer's mindset - that means trying over and over again until I get better and better. Step...

And... Here is my highlight of 2017! A .GIF of the process for my 75cm this year.

What lucky bettas haha! Lots of stimulation =).

Can't see the photos for some reason in the latest post =(.. but you're gonna need a lot more pieces of wood first!

Great improvement! Some stem plants in the back to hide the corners might be something to consider.. or some type of "layering" effect with different plants.

Very quickly and without ruining the fun for you as I have to go to bed in a couple minutes..

Everything that you're experiencing is normal with a new set-up especially if you have a decent light and CO2. The melting of plants is normal as well since they were mostly tissue culture... I've never really had anyone tell me that all their tissue culture plants made it so I wouldn't fret...

I think if you want to take this scape to the next level, you need to exaggerate the base of the wood pieces more. Give it a thicker feel somehow, perhaps more detailed, a more "bonsai" feeling or aged looked. I've read lots about people gluing multiple pieces of wood together to give that...

When you are at the edge of the water, you usually don't see roots sticking straight out from what I've seen on my hikes. The tree roots usually cling onto the stones/soil and they aren't always visible. But when a stream flows through the forest, the bigger stones usually build up near the...

Any update on this set-up? The main thing that stands out for me is that everything is a bit spaced out. You may want to bring things closer to have a feeling of "continuity".

I think the best way to approach this is to find a photo of the environment you're trying to replicate - and get hardscape that matches to that vision. Is there some specific setting that you love or are envisioning? Without having something/an idea to build towards, you'll find yourself...

Sounds very convincing haha. I think the one benefit of the smaller tank is that it fits more in line with furniture that it would theoretically be around as a discussion piece. But looking very good - I especially love the set-up/equipment choices hehe. One question - is there any reason why...

^ Would like to see an updated photo as well.

Nice and healthy growth! And I agree that you may want to thin it out a bit... although I'm betting your fish love it in there right now haha.

Simple and easy on the eyes! If you want to take this tank to the next level, I would try to fill in the gaps between the stones a bit with some plants (perhaps longer hair grass? or letting the current hairgrass grow longer in those arrows?) and somehow create a bit more shadows with the stones...

Wow! It's come a long way since you first posted. Really liking the community vibe going on here =).

If in doubt, do water changes and remineralize. I used to think I could get away with it, but ever since I've been increasing my WC frequency (around 20-50%) - I've noticed all my plants and livestock to be a lot happier. The algae will go away over time as your filter matures... and regarding...

Really like how everything looks so far. I haven't really seen a planted edge that's really caught my eye but this is looking quite full. Looking forward to seeing what it looks like after a few more months of maturation.

It looks like it's growing in very, very nicely. If anything - I would say that the left side is a bit too bare.

You never know - every betta is different. He might completely ignore the RCS haha.

The type of algae I see in the last photo usually appears for me in the beginning stages of a tank set-up. I wouldn't worry too much about it (looks like staghorn rather than bba)... When a tank matures, a lot of issues do go away for me. I would say your filter still hasn't completely matured...

I've bought a ton of buce in the past.. and have killed them all. Honestly they are very difficult to grow/thrive for me... a lot of people say it's easy but I think that's a lie haha. From my experience and my friend's (who also love buce) - it seems like consistency is the key. Any type of...

Very healthy and lush. Love those crypts up front with some pebbles here and there!

I think that's an excellent idea to start with (and it looks like you're doing a fine job!). I see that you have some species of plants in there that might not take off so well without CO2 (they won't die, but they won't flourish either - looking at that hydrocotyl sp. as I've never gotten it to...

Haha well you gotta do what you gotta do! No BBA in the tank since I made the original post above which was like 3-4 weeks ago on my FB page.

Nothing special - I did exactly as I described haha. Just keep up with your water changes (more is better), remineralize, suck out as much detritus as you can (swirl the bottom of your substrate) & reduce feeding. Spot dose with excel where needed later on (with all the filters and everything...

I've been.. trying to clean up and make the whole den and whatnot more aesthetically pleasing so I haven't been keeping up much with various things. Lots of tanks in disarray, and tons of moving things around (stressssss). I already flooded my IAPLC 2018 tank (100x36x40) and am dying to share...

Really like where this is going! I think the roots up front are a little distracting though (think less is more here). If you can, I would add more "trunks" to the back of the scape, it feels a little sparse right now. When you go into a forest you see a ton of layers.

It is quite reminiscent of your old scape... If you're feeling adventurous, perhaps you may want to adjust to a diagonal path (instead of straight down the middle). But looking very nice!

Your buce look very happy! I've stayed away since they never work out for me =(... But back to what I really wanted to say.. You need an inline heater hehe - you already have chosen such nice equipment its time to hide that heater x)!!!

Indeed looking good!!! Fine woodworking skills :) one day I would love to be able to build furniture as a hobby as well.

Love your equipment choices (especially the ADA light hahah!) - I think some "yellow"-er plants may aid in softening the overall impression (my personal preference). I kinda feel like you should also try letting the rotala go completely from left to right but shaped exactly as how you have it...

I agree with the comments above (adding some terrestrial growth). Looking great!

I really, really like where this is going! I think you could take it to the next level with 2 more stones to accentuate the vastness of the one you have now.

I think you need to add as many plants (low-tech, java ferns, bolbitis, etc.) as aesthetically possible - it will really help with the algae!

I like the evolution of your attempts - the latest one is definitely better than what you had before! I think you should google Iwagumi scapes and really study why they work so well - I always have picture references of tanks I love when I work on mine!

Great start!

If your goal is to have a harmonious tank with happy fish - I think you've achieved it! If you want to go a bit deeper on the aquascaping end, what you can do is consider how to make it feel even more "full" - whether it is by adding more crypts/plants, stones and/or things you'd think you'd...

I actually like how busy it looks. I think what you might want to do instead is increase the substrate line and slope it higher from back to front (and angle some pieces of wood towards your vanishing point. Excellent start!

Nice change up!

Just a couple photo updates... 60P - No CO2 and working out quite well! 45P - Helped my friend set up his tank and teaching him at the same time. MiniM - Still deciding what to add in.

This is a custom 75cm tank (75cm length x 36cm tall x 40cm deep). I upgraded to an 100cm tank this year with the same height and depth for next year's contest =D!

We are all walking down the same path =)!

I'm at 142!

I can finally share this! Rank 142 out of 2056 in this year's ADA IAPLC contest.

Noted! I'll try and see if that works for me or not. I'm running an Eheim 250 Classic (or 2215?) Also... I had a visit from @Dan Crawford today! Thank you for taking time out of your vacation to come and share some of your experiences. Most importantly... thank you for the UKAPS towel hahah...

I actually wanted to give off an edge of the beach feel with this tank... with the wood being bleached of life by the sun (so no plants are growing on it). I do think I need to figure out a way to make it more "aged" looking though.

Ah, timer failure as in your lights were on for way too long? Or as in there was no light at all? If there was no light then there would be no issue... but if you have strong lighting, something will use that energy if the plants don't. I haven't used the type of lighting Krank has before, but...

I think you're on the right track but might have a few too many stones. Try to keep things going at the same angle and repositioning stones that dont fit well (or remove them?)!

This is getting quite scientific... which I am not that great with haha. Here are my thoughts: From my experience with trial and error, algae is almost always a result of poor plant growth and excessive nutrients. It's good to do EI dosing, but it can be dangerous... If you have too much...

Love the wood!!! Looking forward to seeing how it turns out =).

Updated photo of my 60P now in the living room - still working on how to make this look more natural. This is a tank that I am expecting to run for at least 2 years. I definitely want to add shrimp, but not sure what type yet... Anyone have suggestions on a colour that would complement and look...

Oops! I didn't take into account the size of your tank (260L) is about 68 gallons according to Google. I would say 5-6 is a tad bit on the low side. My tanks were 25/28 (94/105L) gallons at 2-3 BPS. But as AWB said in the above post, method and distribution of CO2 is also important... Making...

Just to give you another reference point, I've never had more than 3 bubbles per second and my plants (especially the carpeting plants) always pearl with in 1-3 hours of lights turning on... Just a note - plants grow better in lower pH environments. I've noticed for my tanks that my plants take...

I think you're on the right track. I have come to believe that algae growth is usually an indicator of poor plant growth. Whether your plants need more light, Co2 or nutrients to thrive - that remains the question. Once your plant mass can utilize the nutrients you supply/light you give it/etc...

There's a lot going on and some great advice from the people above. Just a note about CO2 - don't rely on a drop checker, it doesn't tell the whole story. Even if you have adequate CO2 your plants might not be growing well (due to various issues). You didn't mention gH in your post, I have...

They're super easy to maintain, and it kinda grows drooping downwards. If you have strong lighting it stays a little smaller but with weaker lighting it reaches for the top and grows larger. It grows back nicely but if I were to trim I'd try to cut as low as possible or you'll end up with like...

That's Bolbitis Heundelotti (can't spell) - and that's a heater haha! It's my favourite plant - uses up a ton of space, blocks a ton of light and very fern-like.

A lot has changed on the tank at work - with the most obvious being the removal of a large portion of moss on the spider wood branches. This was primarily due to a mishap - a 12 day long 24/7 light period type. I should've taken a photo of what happened, but was really discouraged and did not...

If you want to place not in the top 20, you can still do it with a smaller tank!

I entered this year! Will share the photo once results are out... prob not going to make Top 127 so wont be an issue (sharing photo right after).

That's what happened with mine basically - they weren't really exposed to humans walking back and forth cause I only enter the fishroom once a day to do maintenance/feed and whatnot =(... Whenever something hits the stand they also all jump. The funny thing is I noticed this with my rasbora...

True fish lover. If that happened to me... I would've tried to give them on my local forums for free.

I kept trimming mine and replanting... you do it enough times it becomes super thick!

Excellent job planning... I am taking notes haha!

I'm sure it'll be more than fine, the main point is to have something stiff enough that doesn't dissolve that will stay in place. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You can try reducing your light period even further. For my personal tanks I've never had a light period longer than 6.5/7 hours, and I almost always start at 5-6 but with higher intensity. I've learned that the longer your lights are on, the less intense you want them to be to prevent any...

Looks awesome! May I ask if you use additional lighting when taking these photos? They are absolutely crystal clear!

What kind of filtration do you have? BBA from my experience is also a result of poor filtration (as in mechanical, biological, chemical). Here are my recommendations: 1) Stop dosing for a week or two. Don't follow the bottle's instructions as dosing is tank dependent. You don't have much plant...

As per Alto, manually remove everything. Algae from my experience can be suppressed by strong plant growth. It looks like your current plants aren't taking off. If that's the case, I would actually reduce light period or intensity (monitor effects) and make sure that plants are growing before...

You may want to add some sort of substrate support or else those nice slopes you got there are going to fall right over... x) Happened to me many times haha.

It's been a long time, but I am finally back! I have been using Facebook more often but it can be very toxic... so I think the forum environment is a bit more suited to my personality. Here is the last photo I took of the tank... I didn't get an actual final shot because I was in a hurry to...

Looking forward to seeing the final photo!

Beautiful caridina! There is nothing I love more than seeing shrimp in a planted tank =)

Curious to see this mature! I actually preferred the version where it was just stones - it felt like it had a better balance than as of the moment.

I normally hate cubes because no matter what I do, it always looks the same... so I must commend you for an excellent job using the depth and creating something totally different than what I've seen!

Thanks Tim... when I was making changes it felt like years LOL. I think I spent at least 3-4 hours every other day moving things around for the last 2-3 months or so.

One of very many updates to come. My 75cm tank is going to be my first IAPLC entry this year - I have put together a collage of some of all the changes I've done to it (with very many omissions). My method has been kind of backwards - many people set up the hardscape first and then adjust...

Canadian dollar is super weak =(.... Yes we did go there but the one in Shinjuku was larger. Actually the really nice aquarium shops (Aqua Tailors) and another place (can't remember the name) was in Osaka but I already dragged Vivian to many places... so we didn't visit those. I am still on the...

LOL what's wrong with us?! Yeah it was not easy... we went from Kyoto -> Tokyo -> Niigata -> Bus -> Walk 40 mins... it was exhausting but completely worth it. You should've definitely gone... well too late now... x) Next time though! I didn't end up buying anything as everything was basically...

Sorry guys it's been a while - a lot has happened and I've been neglecting my forum activity for quite some time - along with visiting Japan! Seeing Takashi Amano's aquariums in person was just absolutely amazing... I realize in the photo below I should've stood to the left... but for some...

Wow... that is a long light period along with very little algae issues, very impressed - everything looks so healthy!

I don't but I can take one for you the next time I start taking photos - and thank you!

Nope - just one type. It grows like a weed... it's almost out of control...

And the next 90CM Update: - After posting to another FB group, friends chimed in about BBA. My initial thoughts about BBA being caused by excessive Nitrogen was totally debunked. I actually went overboard and went beyond EI dosing - and found that all my algae was dying before my eyes. There...

I forgot I actually started a separate post thread for this tank and posted an updated photo in my other thread. Going to start updating this one again. Here is the last post in my other thread: Biweekly maintenance before lights and CO2 came on - 50% WC and trimmed where necessary. Main...

My only experience with destroying BBA right now is to up dosing + CO2 as my light was already adequate (as per some discussions with a friend). It was the weirdest thing - I was sure it was going to cause more algae issues but when I upped both the algae literally started to die in front of my...

Thanks Tim. I was considering it but it might not grow out in time... In which case I will stick with my original plan of entering my 90cm. The use of a different lens definitely helped! I agree with you - I think I may end up lowering one of the pieces by an inch. Thank you for all the...

75CM Update: - I re-adjusted things again (actually, multiple times over several weeks, this is like my 7th attempt). It just didn't look balanced. I moved the wood to the back to open up the space (as I was feeling a bit cramped). I also re-balanced a lot of it (was feeling way too in my face)...

It's looking great and there's SO much plant mass! If you're still noticing some algae issues a few weeks later, you may want to raise the light a few inches up. Worked for me!

Looks awesome! Love the bolbitis =)

Great start =)... I see that you are also suffering from aquasoil spillage into the sand... do you have any plan of attack to clean it up or will you let it be as is? I'm still trying to figure out the best way myself to do a sand/aquasoil scape where I am not fishing/separating granules every...

Thanks! My light is set to the second highest setting available. What helps is propping the light further up... but from my experience - only hair algae can be attributed to too much lighting. BBA is usually an imbalance of nutrients of some sort. Have no idea which.. sorry lol =(

I was fortunate enough to get budget at my workplace to maintain a tank for my coworkers =)! Here it is after a couple months, everything still growing in and at a good pace as it's low-tech, no CO2. Supplemented with a lot of my own materials. I wish we had access to more materials in Canada...

Again, very impressed by the amount of research/dedication - especially with the dosing. I never bothered because it seems complicated (and I don't have the mental capacity at the moment), but maybe that's the reason why I killed so many plants in the past doing trial by fire haha.

Looking forward to seeing it all come together!

Wow... congrats on the baby!!! =D

If you see them pearling I think you're going in the right direction. Give it a few weeks and let it root, then trim to the height you want and it'll start spreading! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great start! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk