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And so it begins...

N

netsukekoi

Member
Joined
26 Oct 2023
Messages
35
Location
Portsmouth
Newbie here - had a 'tropical tank' as a teenager, not much success with the plants but enjoyed the fish, then acquired a 4 foot tank in my 20's complete with a rock, some gravel and a very large Oscar. Move of house meant the Oscar went to the local pet shop/aquarist supplier and tank went to my in-laws. Helped them set up a brackish water tank which they ran for a few years and for the last 30 years I have had koi. So I know all about water quality and filtration, but zilch about growing plants or aquascaping generally.

I bought a tank on impulse and my journey has begun. It is a Superfish Home 85 - am sure I will regret the big white filter box in the tank and know I should have gone for a canister filter in the cupboard, but hey ho. Access to the power point in the cupboard below is under the tank, so am going to have to mount some form of power strip above /behind the light strip - bought some specialist neoprene to go under the tank so as not to have a problem sitting on the cable, now realise I should have used an exercise mat - cheaper and thicker - but we learn... Also need something behind the tank to hide said cables, but the standard poster backing is not going to work - so need to source something more suitable. Suggestions?
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Cool, looking forward to see what comes out of this :) As for background I always go with frosted film, simply because I like the look. Reflects the light and makes the scape pop without "robbing attention". An example including good instructions on how to apply and where to buy:

This or a simple black background are usually "aquascapers" go to choices. Could also go without background in case your wallpaper is a good match 🤭
 
OK - my frosted backing arrived today, will get that applied in the next day or two when I sort the electrics - then I can actually get started on the tank.....

Another impulse buy today - can someone tell me what they are (I know, I really should find these things out before I buy them) - and to get levels in the tank, I know I need to use media bags of substrate to get the right levels without everything slowly sinking to the lowest point - but does it matter what I fill the media bags with? (If too deep won't it be anaerobic? Wouldn't a brick be better in that situation?)

Sorry - probably silly questions but am trying to avoid the worst mistakes rather than make them and then learn from them - which I know is the only way but....
 

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netsukekoi said:
to get levels in the tank, I know I need to use media bags of substrate to get the right levels without everything slowly sinking to the lowest point - but does it matter what I fill the media bags with? (If too deep won't it be anaerobic? Wouldn't a brick be better in that situation?)
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A comment by contest winner Josh Sim in a Green Aqua workshop video gave me confidence to use crushed lava rock for this.
He did not use crushed lava rock in the video. He responded to someone's question about alternatives - that's when it came up.


Similar to the example of that workshop, I am using a nutrient-rich aquasoil on top.

And I found that by far the cheapest way to get this rock was at a landscape yard, plus a small sledgehammer and chisel (and eye protection).

It is early stages, in my tank, and not everything has gone perfectly, but there's no problem that I've tied to this choice, yet.
 
Using crushed lava is more than fine. If anything, I'd guess that it lends itself to a more oxygenated environment. I typically use crushed lava in media bags. Doesn't need to be super small, either. I tend to break them into golf ball sized pieces. Eco-complete is another alternative, but probably a bit more pricey. I know you're in the beginning stages of this, but it is especially nice if you're going to run the scape for a year or less. You can reuse AS, but honestly I find it's best to replace if you're starting a new scape.
 
DeadFish said:
Using crushed lava is more than fine. If anything, I'd guess that it lends itself to a more oxygenated environment. I typically use crushed lava in media bags. Doesn't need to be super small, either. I tend to break them into golf ball sized pieces. Eco-complete is another alternative, but probably a bit more pricey. I know you're in the beginning stages of this, but it is especially nice if you're going to run the scape for a year or less. You can reuse AS, but honestly I find it's best to replace if you're starting a new scape.
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Hmm - the difference in price between lava rock and Eco-complete is not that great, so I may just go with the latter - it can't be 'too deep' can it? / would something more open like lava rock be better ? Decisions, decisions....
 
netsukekoi said:
Hmm - the difference in price between lava rock and Eco-complete is not that great, so I may just go with the latter - it can't be 'too deep' can it? / would something more open like lava rock be better ? Decisions, decisions....
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I don't think it will matter - I've used it to build up ~12cm slopes. If there is not much cost difference, just go w/ the eco-complete (or whatever inert, cheap substrate) for the convenience. There is some liquid in the eco-complete, but I'm not sure how much weight that carries. If the bag is 10 kilos, you might only get 9 kilos of actual substrate. Easiest, cheapest route is best w/ this stuff.
 
Thanks for the input so far - apologies this is less of a journal and more of a 'Help, what do I do next' log....

OK - so now I have my electrics sorted and a nice frosted background, a pile of stones that caught my eye and some nice bits of wood....

Time to start building my hardscape - but how best to anchor my 'sticky up bits of wood' (I believe thats the correct technical term) - do I cable tie them to the media bags of substrate or glue them to slate/bricks or what? More hints and tips on how those wonderful scapes are achieved that I see online without the need to pour a bed of concrete would be appreciated...
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OK - no idea how I got 2 photos and before any wags point it out, yes, I know that box will not hold much water....
 
For glueing rocks and wood together I bought a bag of cigarette filters. I take the paper off and use the wool inside. I place it between the pieces - it molds to the cracks. I then apply liquid cyanoacrylate super glue to the wool so it soaks in. After a minute there is a puff of smoke and in most cases it gets very durable. I didn't glue the media bags to anything, but you might.
 
netsukekoi said:
More hints and tips on how those wonderful scapes are achieved that I see online without the need to pour a bed of concrete would be appreciated...
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To my eyes, the way you arranged the root and stones seem unnatural. The presence of human hand is way too obvious. I'm sorry, just my opinion.
 
_Maq_ said:
To my eyes, the way you arranged the root and stones seem unnatural. The presence of human hand is way too obvious. I'm sorry, just my opinion.
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No worries it is a work in progress - have played some and still think I need to do a lot more to make the rocks natural (or may be choose between rocks and wood) - but this is where I am today - thats 3 roots, trying to work around the big white filter I will have top left of the tank
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I really like the changes! Just to relate, from my experience, I wish I had been a bit more comprehensive in setting boundaries between soil and sand. The hardscape design is a point where you can create the most impassible boundaries. I was also glad that I kept the volume of hardscape in mind when thinking about fish and filtration capacity - any thoughts on those things for your tank yet?
 
To be honest, I should start with some sort of vision and then build towards it but I am doing the complete opposite - I saw a tank I liked the look of which would fit in the comparatively narrow space available - then I saw some rocks that I liked, but having played with them I could not visualise a tank that looked like I wanted it to - not that I knew what that was, so I thought I'd add a bit of wood. As you can see, that has developed and I now have more wood than rock. I think I will play some more and then start thinking about how I will plant it and at the point, hopefully boundaries between soil and sand may start to come into my thinking.

Am sure there is a better way - but as a newbie, every step is a learning experience and I tend to focus on each without thinking ahead to the next, which I know I will regret - already do as I should have gone for a tank without a big white internal filter - but this is it for this one, so will see what I can do with it.
 
Looking at other aquascapes is a good way to go, then use what wood rock you have to hand,it's not copying it's using it to reach your goal
Think we all inspired by a aquascape we like
 
Paraguay, Agree completely - I have various aquascapes coming through in my various feeds plus when I find time, I watch various YouTube pieces and the like - I started out wanting a really natural, wild, jungle look tank but I have always appreciated many Japanese artforms and Iwagumi has real appeal - so for this one, I am expecting to carry on stumbling along, probably ending up with something which meets neither of these aspirations - but to be honest, with my koi, I spend much more time and effort on the filtration and tech than I do the fish, so don't doubt I will be the same with this tank.
 
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