60P Variations

[finniche]

Introduction:

This journal is about creating different scape concepts in 60x45x36 cm ADA60P tank.

After getting into the aquascaping side of this versatile hobby I have watched and sort of analysed hundreds, if not thousands, of pictures(and videos) of aquascapes. More than a few have stuck in my mind and have created an urge in me to try something in similar vein.

60P set is a new addition and I think a great platform to try these ideas out. My aim is to keep this journal running for a long time, giving me time to present several variations. It is probably not going to be a fast moving or really frequently updating type of journal, but hopefully a long lived one.

Bit of a backstory for those who are interested:
I have had aquariums in my living spaces since I was a school boy, over 40 years ago. On and off, longest pause being something like 5-6 years. I have bred several fish species, kept wild discus and malawi cichlids among others. When possible plants have always been present in my tanks. For about five years now I have been into aquascaping more "seriously" and currently have four tanks running.

 

[finniche]

So, onto variation number one: Hakkai stone iwagumi

I was a TFH subscriber for some time and ever since I saw hakkai stone scapes by Amano back in 1990`s this has been sort of a bucket list thing for me. Not really a single scape as a framework for this, more about the overall ambience of several ones.

Never done an iwagumi before. Happened to find hakkai stones available in aDutch aquarium web store with international shipping option. Purchased 25 kg with spesifications first, then 10kg more after inspecting the first batch. Quite a difficult thing to do, shopping hardscape blind-folded. Used pretty much all of the suitable ones in this. Hakkai has been non-existend or at least unreachable for me, living in Finland, until recently. I guess Europe has had a big delivery or even continuous source for them now. There must be a barren creek or a river in Japan somewhere.

Two weeks or so later I found out that basically the only aquascaping specialist store/web store here in Finland has gotten some hakkai also. It is only a 45 minute drive from me, so this could have been a lot easier, if I only had the knowledge and the patience.

Scaping process was quite fast since I only had seven stones to work with. Had to sort of force the biggest stones in a vertical position to get height in the hardscape. All the stones I have are somewhat flat shaped. Looks a bit artificial and arranged( as i find lot of iwagumi scapes do)

, but still I am quite pleased with the result. I have understood that this arrangement is the twins style of iwagumi.

 

[finniche]

The set up is
ADA60P (60x45x36)
Skylight Hyperspot S
Oase BioMaster 250 with inline CO2

Tank is in the corner of our kitchen, here is some in situ images

One thing I am trying to consider with these variations -scapes is that they are also gonna be seen and viewed from the right side angle.

 

[finniche]

Plants:
Elatine hydropiper
Eleocharis parvula
Eleocharis acicularis
Lilaeopsis mauritiana
Lilaeopsis macloviana
Helanthum tenellum(from another scape)
Helanthum bolivianum "angustifolius"(from another scape)
Riccardia moss (attached to small stones, from another scape)
Limnobium laevigatum(temporarily here)

Removed the Elatine from the sand areas and added riccardia, looks better that way, in my opinion. Hope to spread the moss eventually and maybe add detail gravel to sand area, maybe.

 

[Lauris]

that's a bunch of sexy rocks you have there! 😍

 

[Courtneybst]

Beautiful stones! Hakkai are on my bucket list too.

 

[finniche]

The scape is now one week old. I was lazy and did not use old soil or established filter media with this one, so let´s see about those diatoms after a little while. Lights are on for seven hours and CO2 on full blast. Added a little potassium for the first time yesterday. Daily water changes up to that, every second day from now on. This is our morning viewing, so the lights are normally on from morning till afternoon. The other two tank lights in the kitchen are on from afternoon to evening time.

Two FTS, one with a little added winter daylight.

I am happy to receive any comments, feedback or questions, hope you enjoy!

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

There must be a barren creek or a river in Japan somewhere

Beautiful stones! Hakkai are on my bucket list too.

I'm pretty sure they are water rounded basalt, so no local source for @finniche. I couldn't find any photos specifically for basalt, but this is the same thing in <"Carboniferous age Limestone">.

Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0 <Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

In the UK we have a source <"in W. Scotland and N. Ireland"> and I'd guess there is somewhere (on Skye?) where you could find something very similar.

<"This is Canna"> (which I visited in 2011), which might also do (or Rhum, Eigg etc), but you would need to carry your stones back on the ferry.

cheers Darrel

 

[finniche]

Thank you for the geology report, Darrel!
I was thinking about the stones and based on image searches my guess was also basalt.

Mine speak Japanese, so I am sticking to my belief they used to live in a beatiful, clear stream in the land of the rising sun.🤪

Seriously though I often think about the ecological aspect of air freights of hardscape materials. Should use local stuff more.

As seen from the map my choices in rocks are a bit different from the popularly used in scaping. But on the other hand we do have plenty of wood here.😇

 

[castle]

You can definitely find very similar on the west coast.

 

[Tyko_N]

Seriously though I often think about the ecological aspect of air freights of hardscape materials. Should use local stuff more.

As seen from the map my choices in rocks are a bit different from the popularly used in scaping. But on the other hand we do have plenty of wood here.😇

I use the Swedish equivalent to this site when I need some specific kind of rock for my tanks, although I have 200+km to the nearest decent aquarium store so I might be slightly more motivated to go running around in the forest
It looks like you have some sandy areas around Turku (green and orange in the map below), where you can often find some nice smooth rocks, although I'm not sure what the laws regarding collecting are in Finland.

 

[plantnoobdude]

Hakkai stone is from mountain called hakkai mountain. There is a beautiful river aswell, the name is slipping my name. When I used to live round there, swimming in the river on the summer I could see lots of similar rocks....

 

[finniche]

That is the origin story, but I am not sure all stones sold as hakkai are actually from there nowadays.

 

[finniche]

I use the Swedish equivalent to this site when I need some specific kind of rock for my tanks, although I have 200+km to the nearest decent aquarium store so I might be slightly more motivated to go running around in the forest
It looks like you have some sandy areas around Turku (green and orange in the map below), where you can often find some nice smooth rocks, although I'm not sure what the laws regarding collecting are in Finland.
View attachment 201589

Thanks! Yes, plenty of light and warm coloured rounded stones to be found. They suit some types of scapes for sure. This time I just really wanted the original, old school NA vibe.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Mine speak Japanese

Damn, I knew there must be a way of finding out where they came from.

I've never been to Finland, but we had a house-swap north of Stockholm and I really admired the ice smoothed granite outcrops.

I've heard of Turku, purely because we asked about the large groups of young men disembarking from / embarking on the Norrtälje ferry to Turku. I was told they go to drink, and while drinking is expensive in Sweden (and even more in Finland?) that you can get a cheaper drink at sea?

Years ago I use to regularly travel from Fishguard to Rosslare, and on Saturday night and that used to be a party ship as well, with most foot passengers not actually getting off in Ireland, but having another 6 hours of drinking on the way back.

cheers Darrel

 

[finniche]

Yes, sounds about right.😅 Ferries to Sweden and later to Estonia used to be a favorite national pasttime. But can you believe it, young people have found other ways to entertain themselves nowadays.

The archipelago around Turku is really beautiful with hundreds of small islands. Near Stockholm is (almost) the same.

Wood in my ”Juniper” scape is from one such island

 

[finniche]

Maybe I’ll try about a weekly update rythm. Plants look little struggling. No noticeable growth, although I do see pearling towards the end of the lighting period.

Floaters have some yellowing in the old leaves. Helanthums are yellowy also and some leaves are translucent. Small bits of Elatine have melted. Moss is brownish looking.

Also, roots of the floaters have the diatoms, not noticing it anywhere else at the moment. Algae seems to love the floaters’ roots. I have perceived this with green hair algae in previous scapes. That algae, those roots and E. vivipara is the stuff of nightmares.😱

Done water changes dilligently. Started ferts after today’s maintenance. Hopefully things turn for the better soon.

 

[finniche]

Scapewise, I think the right side needs taller plants eventually. To camouflage the vertical side of the rock a bit more. Sand area could look better with some detail gravel and mayde a ”wilder” looking moss.

This is the thing I have been starting to enjoy more and more: get the scape going, observe and come up with things to improve it. Live with it.😊

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Floaters have some yellowing in the old leaves. Helanthums are yellowy also and some leaves are translucent. Small bits of Elatine have melted. Moss is brownish looking.

You could up the fertiliser level a little bit? Although I'd say the new leaves on the Frogbit look healthy?

I'd pinch the old yellow leaves off the Frogbit plants, then that would give you a bit more idea about what is happening now.

cheers Darrel

 

[finniche]

Sound advice, thanks Darrel!

Have to try and find the right level with ferts now. NPK and micros, two liquids, nothing too complicated, that has been my style.

I think I have a lot of slow growers in this one, but I can always try some temporary stems if I have to up the ferts considerably.🤞