• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Bonsai Mountain Scape

Kalum

Kalum

Member
Joined
8 Jan 2018
Messages
1,078
Location
Scotland
After starting my first tank (Superfish Home 60) I found that I was limited more than I first realised I would be due to the all in one nature of the tank. Being a bit naive I thought I'd be able to achieve what I had pictured in my head but soon realised that without making fundamental changes to the tank I'd have to compromise or end up with a frankensetein tank

In the end, I decided that I'd do it right and give myself all the tools to build what I want so that it's only down to my own application and learning that will need to progress to make it work. So this is where this journal starts out...

Tank - Aqua One Opti White 60 x 40 x 40
Lighting - Twinstar 600s with TC421 controller
Filter/heater - Eheim Pro 4+ 350t (2373)
CO2 - CO2 Art dual stage regulator, CO2 art inline diffuser and 1.5kg bottle
Glasswear - 17mm Cal Aqua Labs influx x3 lily pipe & efflux g3 outlet

Substrate - ADA Aqua Soil Amazonia (normal and powder)
Ferts - UKAPF EI salts
Hardscape - Ancient Rock (manten) & bonsai
Plants - Rotala sp Colorata, Limnophila Hippuridoides, Fissidens Fontanus (phoenix moss) , Riccardia Chamedryfolia (mini pellia), Hemianthus Callitrichoides (HC), Staurogyne Repens, Alternanthera Reineckii Mini, Hygrophila Siamensis 53b

Other - lava rock and egg crate to create a bit of substrate height. Hugo Kamishi natural sand and Marina grey creek 2-4mm gravel for a feature path around the rock. Chihiros 17mm clear tubing to replace standard black eheim tubing.

Inhabitants - 1 half moon rose tail Betta, 6 Espei Rasbora, 8 Celestial Pearl Danio (possibly add more danios and 4 ottos at a later date).

Still waiting on a few things to arrive but this is how it sits at the minute and will be set up over the coming weeks

20180217_205104-1008x756.jpg 20180217_205217-756x1008.jpg 20180218_135110-1008x756.jpg
 
Thanks Nigel, still waiting on the TC421 to arrive so it's not set up yet. But as far as I know the 600s runs at 2.5A, it's the 900s thats too much for the 4A channel so needs modded
 
You really know how to upgrade 😀

I'd keep the Superfish Home 60 as a quarantine/hospital tank
 
Patrick Crowley said:
Some nice gear there Kalum

I look forward to this one. Plus also keen to see how the Aqua One Trio turns out.
Click to expand...

Thanks Patrick, will be a busy few weeks but should be interesting

alto said:
You really know how to upgrade 😀

I'd keep the Superfish Home 60 as a quarantine/hospital tank
Click to expand...

Haha at least this way I can only blame myself and not the setup, I've got a 32L trio shrimp only tank I could use as hospital tank so will just have the 2 running, a 3rd is just a bit much for keeping up at the minute...

Nigel95 said:
Should be right then. The only website I could found that advertised the amps said it was 5. Thats why. 🙂
Click to expand...

Appreciate the input anyway Nigel, always good to double check. On green aqua website it states 2.5A for the 600s and 5A for the 900s,not checked the actual light if I'm honest but will make sure when setting up
 
As I'll be using a lot of stone in this, inert stone was the way to go in my mind

After searching about, with nowhere close by to pick out what I want and not keen on playing a lottery of ordering a lot of expensive stone I might not like when it shows up, I've spoken to Aquaman Nature Studio over in Poland and they are putting together a project scape for me. Sent them a sketch of what I want along with photos as reference so will see what they come up with. Should be done by midweek
 
Last edited:
Hello Kalum

Lovely bit of kit, will be looking forward to seeing how this one turns out.

Thou having all the kit is only part of it 😉 (as i'm finding out with my own scape 🙁), but looking at you're other scapes you certainly seem know what your doing.

Hope you manage to get the hardscape you're looking to for.
 
Thanks Steveo, cheers for the reminder about sourcing the stone as well. They should get back to me today so will see what they have available at the minute.

Been watching your journal closely and it's pretty similar to what i'm looking to do and similar setup (apart from i can't match that ADA filter.....😱)

I'm sure i'll have my fair share of teething issues with this as well but it's all part of learning about it all. At least i'll have everything i need to make it work in theory so it's just down to me to make it work!
 
So the first picture of the hardscape has arrived, it's been set out in an 80 x 40 x 40 and mine is only 60 wide hence the open space to the right, plus my bonsai will be in the back right corner

The general layout is what I'm after but the stones used on the left look thrown together rather than one piece which bothers me so back to the drawing board
1x-1210x639.JPG
 
Last edited:
Kalum said:
(apart from i can't match that ADA filter.....😱)
Click to expand...
A Eheim Pro 4+ 350t seem to have a lot of feature that my ADA ES600 doesn't have, the integrated heater for one will reduce the amount of kit in the cabinet, it has compartments, my filter is essentially an glorified EHEIM classic in a stainless steel tube. Maintenance is likely to be a bit of mare, and you noticed that i have left my filter exposed to show it of, but in doing i didn't account for the pump noise, its quite noisy so have had to line walls in acoustic foam just to make it bearable...🙄 in hindsight i might have gone with something else, less noisy and easier to maintain.

Kalum said:
I'm sure I'll have my fair share of teething issues with this as well but it's all part of learning about it all
Click to expand...
I hear you, I've actually been involve in this hobby for quite a number of years, but had a break for a couple of years from it due lack of time and other commitments, but glad I'm back relearning and learning more each day. Deciding to attempt to create a UG carpet certainly hasn't made things easier, that plant is giving me more grey hairs. :drowning:, but loving the challenge.

Seem like your going for a mountain scape, looking good, thou the bonsai could a little out of scale in the above scape. I when back over your thread but couldn't see a picture of the bonsai. I'm considering an bonsai scape for my next nano project, which i would like to keep an betta like yours, something along the lines of the scape below, thou still looking for the right bonsai and need to get my other scape settle first.

upload_2018-2-23_5-19-12.png
 
steveno said:
A Eheim Pro 4+ 350t seem to have a lot of feature that my ADA ES600 doesn't have, the integrated heater for one will reduce the amount of kit in the cabinet, it has compartments, my filter is essentially an glorified EHEIM classic in a stainless steel tube. Maintenance is likely to be a bit of mare, and you noticed that i have left my filter exposed to show it of, but in doing i didn't account for the pump noise, its quite noisy so have had to line walls in acoustic foam just to make it bearable...🙄 in hindsight i might have gone with something else, less noisy and easier to maintain.


I hear you, I've actually been involve in this hobby for quite a number of years, but had a break for a couple of years from it due lack of time and other commitments, but glad I'm back relearning and learning more each day. Deciding to attempt to create a UG carpet certainly hasn't made things easier, that plant is giving me more grey hairs. :drowning:, but loving the challenge.

Seem like your going for a mountain scape, looking good, thou the bonsai could a little out of scale in the above scape. I when back over your thread but couldn't see a picture of the bonsai. I'm considering an bonsai scape for my next nano project, which i would like to keep an betta like yours, something along the lines of the scape below, thou still looking for the right bonsai and need to get my other scape settle first.

View attachment 113428
Click to expand...

The integrated heater was the deciding factor for me, was a bit apprehensive thinking if the heater packs in then it's a costly fix/replace but after pricing up a separate equivalent Eheim 350 and Hydor 300w heater there was very little cost saving so it made up my mind. The maintenance is an easy thing to overlook and it's my first external filter so that'll be something i'm still to experience. As long as any bio media is bagged etc it shouldn't pose too much of a problem in your case? Bit surprised about the pump noise from the ADA, possibly due to it being all metal? It still does look great though.........:woot:

Yeh carpets are my nemesis so far, but i know i've had poor flow/co2 distribution in my current tank so hopefully i can rectify that in this one as i'll be trying an HC carpet (again)

Scale is something i've been thinking about and i know i'm making life difficult with being adamant about the bonsai but it was the driving factor in me going down the planted route but fingers crossed i can make it work. It's around the same height as the smaller stone in the scape above so hopefully will work ok in that hardscape, it does in my head but i'm still learning on that side of things so comments are always welcome on that front
 
Kalum said:
As I'll be using a lot of stone in this, inert stone was the way to go in my mind

After searching about, with nowhere close by to pick out what I want and not keen on playing a lottery of ordering a lot of expensive stone I might not like when it shows up, I've spoken to Aquaman Nature Studio over in Poland and they are putting together a project scape for me. Sent them a sketch of what I want along with photos as reference so will see what they come up with. Should be done by midweek
Click to expand...

You can also check out Facebook Ancient stone also situated in Poland i believe. The show and offer complete scaped setups, dimensions are given as wel as price + shipping cost.

Like this one 🙂 € 87 and shipping to UK is €18.
28056596_926075350901317_3128055151686210902_n.jpg
 
zozo said:
You can also check out Facebook Ancient stone also situated in Poland i believe. The show and offer complete scaped setups, dimensions are given as wel as price + shipping cost.

Like this one 🙂 € 87 and shipping to UK is €18.
Click to expand...

That's the same company zozo :thumbup:

I did see that one and I do really like it, but it's just a bit big for what i have planned :banghead:
 
Where did you mange to get one of those from, I've been after one for a while, but sadly I don't think they're made any more.
Click to expand...

Pure luck, I was looking at buying a new ADA tank but had a quick look on gumtree and it was for sale locally so jumped at it. Dimensions are great and impressed with the quality

Just seen your wanted thread and I think it's classed as an 85 not 80 btw
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top