Primordial - The beginning of the end.

[zanguli-ya-zamba]

Will you use a spray bar method for distribution ?? Or a Lilly ?

 

[Tim Harrison]

I'll use a lilly pipe for now but this is definitely on my wishlist Cascade Glass Spray Bar 400mm x 13mm Closed End . But it'll have to stay there for now; I've spent a fortune on aquascaping materials over the last two weeks or so.

 

[aliclarke86]

I find it more reminiscent of Dartmoor national park if you have ever been. Its a fantastic place. http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/__data/assets/image/0003/276753/20120925-Neil-Higher-tor.jpg

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[Tim Harrison]

I have many times...it's nice that it's evoked memories of Dartmoor. The image below, snapped with my phone, is kinda my inspiration...

Not sure it translates well though...

 

[Ady34]

I much prefer the new layout too Troi. The angle shot shows perfectly the alignment of the rocks and it looks very natural. Will look great with just the grass

 

[justin85]

Very nice scape!

 

[Tim Harrison]

Thanks Ady, I've stood the large rock at the top up a little more it wasn't quite right, I'm hoping the plants will arrive tomorrow And thanks too Justin.

 

[tim]

I think you've captured your inspiration image rather well, the rocks flow very nicely together and the grass will compliment the scape perfectly IMO, will you be leaving any of the foreground unplanted or are you going for full coverage ? Looks spot on troi.

 

[Tim Harrison]

Hi Tim, thanks. I plan to just plant between the rocks, so there will be at least some open sand all the way around.

 

[Tim Harrison]

Well, the plants arrived today, and they are excellent specimens. So it's all planted and I'm back cooking on gas once more...

 

[Alastair]

Very nice Troi. You've certainly gone over the dark but in style and your scaping is getting better each time. Really nice layout and very eye catching

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[plantbrain]

The grass will grow in nice and be easy to care for, you do not NEED much light for this tank.
The sand looks like dolomite and then the Seiryu, carbonates also.
DO NOT RELY on the drop checker for CO2. Plants and pH/KH are better.

Add shrimp soon, maybe 2 weeks after set up.

 

[Ady34]

Agree with Alastair. Getting very skilled at this mate, really like the simplicity in planting against the intricacy of the rocks, it kind of highlights the hardscape, with the plants accompanying rather than the other way round.
Will look really nice when the grass fills in in the same way that George's Project Scree was so successful.
Cheerio,
Ady

 

[Curvball]

Beautiful. Love the simplicity.


Posted from the comfort of my iPhone...

 

[foxfish]

I think the scape looks fantastic - very well done indeed.
I feel kind of guilty to ask though.. the tank seems to have quite wide silicone joints...or is that just an illusion?

 

[aliclarke86]

The second shot (angle from the right) looks awesome!! Really great job mate. Going back to your post about insperation, I think insperation is the key word. Taking from it what you love and creating something with it in mind. I think it translates beautifuly mate. Grand job

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[Tim Harrison]

Thanks guys for all your kind comments.

Very nice Troi. You've certainly gone over the dark but in style and your scaping is getting better each time. Really nice layout and very eye catching
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Thanks Alistair, I guess there are so many talented aquascapers on this forum who are willing to help with techniques and best practice that some of it's bound to rub off...eventually

The grass will grow in nice and be easy to care for, you do not NEED much light for this tank.
The sand looks like dolomite and then the Seiryu, carbonates also.
DO NOT RELY on the drop checker for CO2. Plants and pH/KH are better. Add shrimp soon, maybe 2 weeks after set up.

Tom, thanks very much for the advice. I've never really had that much success with hairgrass, it's always just kinda hung in there, so I need as much help as I can get. I'm gona get Amanos in there ASAP.

Agree with Alastair. Getting very skilled at this mate, really like the simplicity in planting against the intricacy of the rocks, it kind of highlights the hardscape, with the plants accompanying rather than the other way round.
Will look really nice when the grass fills in in the same way that George's Project Scree was so successful.
Cheerio, Ady

Thanks Ady, I've tired to stick to the fundamentals of Iwagumi, where the rocks are the star and plants the complement, so it's nice of you to notice.

Beautiful. Love the simplicity. Posted from the comfort of my iPhone...

Thanks Curvball, I like simplicity...less is often more

I think the scape looks fantastic - very well done indeed.
I feel kind of guilty to ask though.. the tank seems to have quite wide silicone joints...or is that just an illusion?

Thanks, foxfish it's always nice to get compliments from one of the hobby's grandees And yes they are...thanks for pointing that out...I hadn't noticed until you mentioned it. I guess the tank is getting on a bit, I'm not sure exactly how old it is, but George will know, it's his old shallow

The second shot (angle from the right) looks awesome!! Really great job mate. Going back to your post about insperation, I think insperation is the key word. Taking from it what you love and creating something with it in mind. I think it translates beautifuly mate. Grand job Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 4

Thanks ali, I think that's the hard bit, knowing what you want to achieve in your mind but then translating it to reality.

 

[plantbrain]

I think 50 umols is plenty of light.
Now on going maintenance routines for folks with such scapes:

About 1x every one to three months or so, you will likely need to do a large water change.
When you do this, H2O2 and Excel/easy carb will help spot clean the rock and keep it clean.
Some harder green algae are okay as long as it's not changing the color of the rock too much, too obvious etc....... it makes a nice patina.
Excel will kill BBA pretty good.
H2O2, most everything else if the Excel did not work.
Just do not get any on the plant leaves if they are emergent when you do this. Submerse is generally okay.
Siphon the sand up that has any algae, add more and rake it around some to keep it from getting covered.

This hairgrass type grows very easily for me and my client's.

Very clean water and filters stay clean for months, so you can focus on the fish.

ADA adds $$$$$ to the tank, equipment, hardscape, then they go cheap on plants and even cheaper fish(or absent near as I can tell in many cases).
Frankly I've never liked that approach, it's like having an awesome Zoo display, then filling it field mice and farm animals.

Most of us come from the fish hobby, then focus on the scape side, but..........generally most hobbyists always wanted a nice scape AND their nice fish as well.
ADA tends to focus on the scape, and the fish are after thoughts. There is no good reason not to focus on the fish 1St, then focus on a suited scape for those species.
Open minimal plant scapes tend to offer this aesthetic, and most all aquarist like this design approach.
A good blend of both goals.

 

[Tim Harrison]

Thanks Tom I've been wondering about the best way to keep the rocks and sand clean once they inevitably start to become covered in algae. I always thought that scrubbing away with a hard toothbrush on its own would eventually prove a loosing battle.
I'm pleased with the minimal aesthetic I've created and have been thinking about what species of fish would suit it best. For some reason Glowlight tetras recently popped in to my head, I suppose because it's one of my favourite fish from way back, but I wasn't sure it'd be suitable for a minimal plant scape like mine, so I Googled it and discovered George had beaten me to it with Project Scree. I think its orange stripe would be a perfect compliment to the grey and green of the scape, but I'm also thinking that maybe they'll appear a bit too washed out against the light coloured sand.

 

[foxfish]

I have recently got into buying killi fish eggs on line...really good fun I also love Japanese rice fish, they are very active & look great in breeding colour which is pretty much all the time LOL