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Many thanks everyone. It's been an absolute joy posting on this forum over the years. Life goes on, and things happen that we cannot undo. I'm sure the hobby within the UK will grow, and at some point, there may be people who will genuinely challenge for the title of IAPLC champion. Good...

Thanks for the interest guys, but sadly, the tank is now disassembled. I'm uncertain of when any kind of layout, or journal, will be completed. My sincere thanks to everyone who has followed my work, and to all that have subscribed to my you tube channel. See you all in the future....came...

Where was this journal hiding?....Stunning layout, with exceptional plant handling and gardening abilities!

I'm using tropica substrate, capped with a large grain size gravel. Where it's steeper at the back, I have 2 layers of tropica substrate. Because it's about 10 inches deep, I've gone... tropica substrate-1 inch gravel - 4 inches tropica substrate - 1 inch gravel - 4 inches Using thin strips...

Thanks for the feedback. Paulo, they are available to buy mate. For some reason, I think I've embedded the video wrong. I've watched it on my other devices, and 'in forum' in doesn't look sharp at all, yet in you tube, it's sharp as a tack!

Thank you chaps :) Here's a few clips, with music! I didn't use the glide track, hence the poor panning shots.

It might be Alastair, but I think it's light. I really limit my light, and have done for some time. The crypts still need to change form. They're are new leaves coming through, but plenty of the old ones left. Which will be cut off tomorrow. (Don't shout at me Michael :nailbiting:...I know, I...

Here's a quick update pic @ 3 weeks...The LED's are great! They're that bright, I can shoot @ iso 100 :wacky: It's very slow growth, but very trouble free. LED-@-3-weeks by saintly's pics, on Flickr

LOL! :lol: You're bang on with the LED's I've got it set, so that the last hour is the LED's that produce the 'pink/red colours. The fish look AMAZING under these. Like this image George? :facepalm: Cheers mate. Just looking for an image from an old photobucket account for George, and...

It's a great light Alastair. I've bought some Rams today. I was a little unsure about these, as I thought they needed R/O, but these are from a tap water tank. ram by saintly's pics, on Flickr

Stu, I didn't realise they were so boisterous! I may take them out., but there's now one reason why I may not. I've just got an Arcadia LED luminaire to try out. It's the freshwater Classica version, which is extremely bright. After much preparation, I've got it sorted out. It's all about the...

I did wonder if it was tongue in cheek...but wasn't sure LOL George, when I wrote 'algae free' I did smile, and think....OOOOPS! The tank is full of it! :lol: Viktor, no problem mate. Good post. I think it's good to show some of the things that get forgotten and try and bring them back...

lain, mate this is such quality. I must agree with George, saying, this is currently one of the best layouts on the forum. Very reminiscent of an Amano layout from a few years back. If the picture didn't have your name on it, I'd of said it was one of his! The final picture is amazing mate...

I think there's slight confusion. The Cladophora is an algae, it's not a moss covered in algae. A lot of people think Cladophora is a moss, and call them moss balls. It is actually an algae. For now at least, my tank is algae free.

You'll get bored soon mate! :D Shrimp-they are indeed an integral part to a healthy, algae free environment. Prevention is better than the cure, yet the cure is also the prevention! :bookworm:

Frome a previous video, I mentioned that 1 rock had algae on it from a previous scape...which is true. In the space of about 3 hours, this 1 shrimp cleaned the stone. I've only just noticed. Both of these photos were taken today. shrimp by saintly's pics, on Flickr

Mark- You are correct. It's Crypt Parva. First time I've tried it. Very slow growing, and loves the light. Steve- Cladophora, is a slow growing form of algae. In it's natural environment of rivers and streams, it creates the 'ball' effect by rolling around on the river bed. They can grow as...

Cheers Dean. Beware of the moss police....It's actually an algae.:angelic:

Thank so much chaps for such kind words. It is good to be back posting. I think Cladophora is such an underrated species. The 'instant' look it can give is great, and the deep green it produces is wonderful. It also has such a 'soft' look about it. The fishing line is still visible, but...

Tim, I've used slate which I've cut down to size, and used garden ties to attach the Anubias. Same process for the Cladophora. The Cladophora is something I'm going to be using a lot of. Especially in an upcoming Iwagumi layout! Alastair, you cant beat Purigen!!!...oh, and water changes.

I forgot to add the picture of Anubias with it's unfurling leaves. Nearly all of the Anubias' are producing new growth, at quite a rapid rate. Anubias-leaves by saintly's pics, on Flickr

They are nice Ian. Here's the boss. He's claimed his spot, and no one comes near. silvertip-boss by saintly's pics, on Flickr

As I've mentioned, I've put a dozen silvertip tetras in the tank. I've had them before, and they've always been relatively peaceful. However, with this bunch, 2 of the males seem to be fighting all of the time. They've coloured up really nicely, so I guess there claiming there status? when a...

Thanks guys. I like to add species such as Eleocharis tightly against the glass. Usually on the side. This gives me a 'guide' as to how quick plants are growing. It does not apply for every plant, but gives me an idea. Eleacharis sp. new is growing approx. 1cm per day vertically. The newer...

The taxman will want his cut :greedy: Alastair...:lol: I could not resist buying some cheap fish. I've had sivertip tetras before, and when they colour up, they look amazing. A fave of mine. I also needed to see something swimming about. I bought 12. They've settled in straight away...

Looking great Ian. I hope the HC hangs in there for ya!

£2.00 it is then. I can start shipping ASAP! Here's a very short segment....The green on the rock was from a previous set up by the way!

This looks fabulous! The last picture...did you take the image? It's such a great photo.

Boredom within our scapes is what leads us to improve our next layout. It's a good lesson. This is good layout, but to echo George, a mixture of plants could improve the foreground. Even 'break' it up, with an additional 'clump' of something different altogether. A small crypt sp. just to stop...

you wont be disappointed with Geissmann! my Infinity is awesome. Heavy... but awesome.

Cheers Hydrophyte. :) George, it is magic water. Going for £2.00 per Litre :lol:

After our talk, you know where I stand with this Alastair. As mentioned by someone previously, maybe turn the biggest piece the other way around/ upside down. As I also said, there's no 'wrong' hardscape. When you told me about your ideas for the current positioning of the wood, they could...

Thanks. It's a quick start, and hopefully it will remain growing in the same manner. It's quite amazing to see how much crap the shrimp are eating already. Not visible to the naked eye, they're eating something, as you can see the crap piling up on the cladophora beneath the stones. A fair few...

Thanks guys. Alastair, it was good to meet you mate @ Telford. I'll come over to your thread shortly, after our discussion about 'wood' The growth has impressed me also. I wasn't expecting such a quick start to be honest. I've just put about 40 shrimp in.

So, after returning from Aqua Telford, I'm feeling week at the knees. LOL standing for 2 days solid, takes it out of you. It was a great show in all, and saw and met some great people. Was good to see Georges tank for real. It is indeed a beauty. Anyhow, I've come home after being away from...

Hi George, A few things have changed, in so many ways. When a hobby becomes a job, it changes the mind set. A change which shocked me a little, but with time, and new routines, things slowly change for the better. In terms of aquascaping, there are no massive changes. Oh, actually there is...

Thank you chaps. George, the Echinodorus is 'red diamond' If it gets too big, I'll just trim the leaves off. This is a multi purpose layout. The first being, a layout for myself, but secondly, a layout for acquiring images for my work. I had to find middle ground. So, an image with blue...

Thanks Alastair! Here's the FTS day-1-a by saintly's pics, on Flickr

how do I edit the title of the thread guys?

Nothing is impossible my friend. You know that already. You're clever, I know! Indeed, research it. So, after tirelessly preparing plants, I'm finally done. Here's a snap after filling. It of course needs time to develop, and become 'natural' looking. There's plenty of slow growing plants...

Bad luck comes in waves for me mate! Here's the last shot before planting. Beachems taken and I'm off to bed now :doctor: blue-iwagumi by saintly's pics, on Flickr

Those stones are in there good mate. They are slightly buried, and don't tip, even with a bit of 'pushing' I was going to prepare for planting, but I ate something nasty last night,(I cooked it...says a lot about my cooking) and I'm suffering today! :sick:

You need to get the correct wheels. I researched, and approached a company here in the UK, gave them the total weight, and they told me which wheels to get. They use a chart to choose what wheels are needed for any given weight. Combined, these castor wheels will take over 2 tonnes. They're...

Cheers Alastair. It's blue schist I believe. A couple of these stones are on lone from Dan Crawford who got them from TGM. the biggest stone to the right is known as coppice green granite, from CED stone supplies. They're identical! I have several 'big' stones, some bigger than what's in this...

here's a very short clip...watch in 720p and beyond!

Indeed Ady. What with the lights crashing onto the tank, and nearly taking a chunk out of the glass with the stone, I consider myself lucky, to say the least. The title has personal meaning, so thanks for liking it.

Just to recap on previous posts that have unfortunately been lost. My initial idea of creating a scene from ideas I had before have slightly changed. I did want to recreate the following... gumi3 by saintly's pics, on Flickr gumi4 by saintly's pics, on Flickr I created these scenes...

Hi everyone. It's been some time since I've posted any kind of journal, I must admit, I have been a 'lurker' rather than a 'poster. Some may recall the following images that I had taken,. My next layout should incorporate some of these 'foreground' ideas, with some more unusual choices for the...

That's 1-2 grow for you. IMO,way too early for trimming.

Crackin scape. You need to get more distance between the tank and background. It's casting the notorious 'shadow line' At least 30cm will get rid of this issue.

Nice mate, really nice. The wood composition is outstanding! The plant choice and positioning is spot on. The foreground part especially, is very 'soft' which I really like.

That's a nice re-scape. I rather liked it before the re-scape. It did look rather healthy.

Hi. When I say 'unbalanced' it's just a minor niggle; nothing major. Sorry, I should have elaborated in my previous post. It's not the hardscape that throws it out. The grass to the right distracts the eye a little. A simple trim and keeping it lower will improve things. Firstly, and more...

You've got such a distinct style hydrophyte. I can always tell it's your tank just by the plant choice. The colours of these plants are very attractive and make me want to attempt a tank in a similar vein.

The inspirational images are great. The layout also is great. A little 'unbalanced' but a good exercise in growing plants, and an exercise in which it looks like you're succeeding at.

This looks fabulous, and in time, will look top notch. You're still in the honey moon period for a new tank. That time when everything grows rampantly in the first week or so. Just be aware of when diatoms start. I'd think about getting ottos and shrimp in the setup now. Nothing else. I...

So how many bulbs have you got?.... 2 x or 4 x 54wt5? If there's any way of running them independently, then do so. Remove reflectors, or do what I've done in the past, place masking tape over the clear plastic which protects the tubes from moisture. Lighting, in any aquarium is key. Gain...

Nice layout mate. However, I do feel that's an awful lot of light with no co2. Even with CO2, I'd cut back on the amount of light you've got there. Would I be right in saying your seeing a bit of algae on that nice white sand?.....cut back that light!

:) Absolutely crackin' mate. Way to go!

Hey, Andy! This is really inspiring mate. Making me rethink my next 120cm layout.

:lol:

You sure can mate. Shoot in 'M'

Great fish Ian. I've always been a fan of these, or Rams in general. If I may add a couple of things about the vid mate....5 to 7 seconds per clip is just enough time to hold the interest of the viewer. Try not to focus during a clip. I know fish move, so raise the f stop to cover more ground...

Looks great Ian. I really do like the stone choice. :thumbup:

Looks great, Ian. Although, you're in desperate need of curved or wave style scissors. :thumbup:

Fantastic hardscape Ady!

This is crackin mate. It reminds me of an earlier Amano work. The large stone works really well in this layout, along with its little brothers. The natural look of the grass type plants works great to. I'm contemplating using large stones and wood together in the next layout. Iwagumi, with...

Re: Fluval Studio 900. 'Coastal Erosion' Journal... ? Nice wood Ady. Looking forward to meeting you @ Aquatics Live. :thumbup:

Re: 12 liter shrimp nano all change This is a great layout. Good illusions to. It looks a lot bigger than it is...which is a great thing.

Ian, this will be quite something. There's a certain 'something' about it It has an 'in ya face' vibe. Very powerful indeed. With your plant growing skills and your ability to keep things clean, i have no doubt that this will be your best to date!

:lol: :lol: :lol: A good sign. After a week, you should start to see the older leaves start to yellow. Cut them down to the substrate. They'll turn into an algae magnet otherwise.

Well done Owen. A nice looking tank. Hats off to you for your hard work in presenting the tank with videos etc.

You've got a nice layout there. One thing if I may....if you've got any smaller stone, maybe put 1 or 2 in the foreground. You've currently got most of your stones on the same 'plain'...all in 1 line. It makes the layout look 'flat' rather than 3 dimensional. Other than that, you're on to a...

These rocks are just amazing! were there bigger ones laying around?

A man after my own heart! :angel: i love stone layouts, and youve done a good job of this one. I like the moss which has attched itself. Leads to a more natural look i think.

Damn thats a good image Viktor! just goes to show how natural the layout is.

Re: Hare Hill - the shrimp-scape project Looks fabulous mate :thumbup:

Re: Hare Hill - the shrimp-scape project Cant see the pic my friend :angel:

Looking good Ady. I take it your over most of your issues?..... Great to see baby CRS :thumbup:

This will, in time, be your best layout to date i think. :clap:

Firstly, let me start by saying that this is an excellent scape. I've gone through the whole journal, and it appears your not injecting CO2 right?.... You've done exceptionaly well in doing what you've done. The algae issues, IMO, stem from low co2 and too higher light intensity. Adding an...

Crackin' shots mate.

Nice mate. And cheaper than buying them. If i may, and you may already know this, but print them on matte paper. Gloss will give reflections from the light source. Also, if you plan on using wide angle lenses, print them much bigger than the tank is. :thumbup:

Re: Ed's Re-Scape 240l - "Reach" - First Journal I to agree. I don't tend to cut grass down from the start. Leaving it as it is seems to work better. Only when it starts to die off (after 4/5 days) then you can trim. It seems the plant uses stored energy within the leaf. Great layout. pull...

Pretty tank Mike. You have such a unique take on aquariums. I often find myself looking around your tanks looking for great plant combinations. Good stuff.

Re: Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....yet more pics. Nice shrimp Ady. I look forward to catching my CRS again, and putting them in the new tank.

Awesome.

Re: Fluval Studio 900... IAPLC 2012 'Dragons Crypt'. Good luck Ad with IAPLC Your Arcuata looks really nice. As it should look. Well done mate.

Re: Echinodorus tank (new vid page 9) Thats Ian you can see in the picture....his son took the picture :shh: I've seen Ians pic, and it should do pretty good.

Re: ADA 60-P planted tank 'Prairie' (week 7) video Graduated b;ue background can be a pain to photograph. You need a minimum of 12 inches between the background and the tank, to allow light to 'spill' on to the background. Takes plenty of practise.

Re: Echinodorus tank (new vid page 9) I think you'll do much higher than 1000 :wink:

Re: 4X2X2 Shop Display I get the picturer now. Well done. The left and right are lacking ; is this deliberate? or do you plan on adding a plant species there?

Re: 4X2X2 Shop Display Well, you've got the stems looking as they should. Very nice. Do you have a full tank shot so we can see the overall impression?

Re: ADA 60-P planted tank 'Prairie' (week 7) A photshop filter for slimming or fattening....Filter-liquify. Ive had a lot of fun and many many laughs with this filter in photoshop. i could fin a pic of George and show you....actually, he doesnt need it :lol:

Re: ADA 60-P planted tank 'Prairie' (week 7) You could dose 5ml per day in a 60L no problem. Combined with injected CO2, it'll boost HC like nothing else.

Re: ADA 60-P planted tank 'Prairie' (week 7) Put the drop checker closer to the substrate. So many people have them way to high to the water level.

Re: ADA 60-P planted tank 'Prairie' (week 7) From what I can make out from your image, it appears the type of lilly your using is directing water flow upwards. If you look, there are diatoms about 1/2 inches from the bottom. This is telling me that distribution at the lower parts is at a...

Re: ADA 60-P planted tank 'Prairie' (week 7) Looking great for a first time. I would say however, your HC is requiring something. But apart from that, very well done.

I'd also like to back up on what Clive has said. I was a firm believer in 'Wembley stadium lighting' However, plants really don't need it. It is a misconception that HC needs stacks of light, but it will grow in shaded areas. What's more important is the 'transition' stage of HC...from first...

Throw the test kits in the bin for starters. Reduce photo period, and increase the height of the light. My lighting is on for just 6 hours daily. On start up 5 hours for 2 weeks. It's a 150 MH but ADA. The output is visibly noticeable when compared to say, my Geissmann or my arcadia pendant...