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Stumpy.

Ady34

Global Moderator
UKAPS Team
Joined
27 Jul 2011
Messages
5,097
Location
Co. Durham
Hello.
After my previous journal ‘Aftermath’, which had a couple of scapes within it, I said I would start a new journal for the next one.
So slightly retrospectively (the tank is now planted 😬), I will begin logging the process.

I decided to move some plants and the livestock from the aftermath scape into the recently vacated EA600 tank which was previously another iwagumi scape. This was meant to be a ‘holding’ tank but I threw some old Talawa wood branches into it with some dragon stone as it was going to be set up for a few months whilst I got everything organised for the ea900 scape. The plan was to re-use some plants and rehouse the fish and shrimp in the new scape……

I had some manzanita stumps in storage that I had bought last year as I really liked their more unusual forms.
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I used 4 of the pieces shown and came up with this layout that I was happy with:

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I quickly decided I wanted to use frodo stone with the wood and that I wanted a sand and graded gravel foreground again.
I finalised the hardscape and substrate by positioning the frodo stones under and to the sides of the wood to create a barrier between the sand foreground and soil background. I filled any gaps with filter floss and gravel to prevent soil ingress as best possible and then finished the effect with the dennerle rio xingu gravel, mixed with a little Ada river gravel and a sand mix of Ada Colorado and la plata for a slightly more muted tone to blend with those of the wood and stone.
The wood was bonded to the rocks with both epoxy putty and superglue and filter floss to ensure the dry wood did not float on filling.
I used a base layer of ADA powersand with ADA additives under a Tropica soil to offer a long term nutrient rich and healthy substrate.

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Some more detail images:
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The stumps have cut ends not typically accepted in aquascaping as more natural breaks are preferred. I however really liked the look so have chosen to embrace them rather than soften or disguise them:
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The next step was to decide on a plant list. I knew I wanted a more NA feel to this scape, and I wanted something that required little trimming, so I set about compiling a list…..
…..this list ended up not including the plants from the ‘holding’ tank as that had become a tank all of its own and I now had different plans for the 900.
 
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The cut ends lend a kind of post apocalyptic feel, like the remains left after humans have devastated the landscape!
Yeah, I don’t really know why I like them, but I do 🤷🏼‍♂️😃
 
Whilst finalising a plant list I took the opportunity to test fill to ensure the wood had stuck fast and wasn’t going to float….

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Phew……

PLANTING:
I decided upon a plant list and fortunately have forum sponsors @Horizon Aquatics just round the corner. I purchased the bulk of the plants here but also sourced some beautiful cryptocoryne spiralis sp. from @Konrad Michalski and some nymphaea gardneriana from @taistrietman .

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Filling:

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And once full:

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Filter installed and operational:

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Full plant list:
Cryptocoryne balansae
Cryptocoryne spiralis tiger
Cryptocoryne spiralis red
Cryptocoryne albida brown
Cryptocoryne wendtii Tropica
Bolbitis heudelotii
Microsorum pteropus trident
Microsorum pteropus green gnome
Leganandra meeboldii red
Nymphaea gardneriana
Bucephelandra mini needle leaf
Bucephelandra lemandau
Anubias nana
Anubias nana mini
Anubias nana petite
Anubias nana bonzai
Anubias mini coin
Anubias nana kirin
Anubias pangolino
Riccardia chamedryfolia
Lilaeopsis mauritiana
Lobelia cardinalis mini

The next couple of weeks haven’t been so good 😬

Cheerio,
 
Looks great from initial planting well done ady stunning as always 👏 i have to agree the stumps look great in the manzi wood, very heavily plated brings it together brilliantly.
 
I think the cut ends work really well because they're aged and not too neat. So many lovely plants 😍 I'm looking forward to seeing it growing in.
Thank you, I really do like the weathered stumps. The plants were very lovely, but that didn’t last long….

Looks great from initial planting well done ady stunning as always 👏 i have to agree the stumps look great in the manzi wood, very heavily plated brings it together brilliantly.
Cheers Dean, they initial planting was when it looked it’s best, it’s been a turbulent start for sure…..
 
…..to elaborate on the issues I have faced since set up…..

Very quickly within 3-4 days a large scale anubias melt, like all of them…I had a little crypt melt which is to be expected, and one patch of in vitro bucephelandra melted it’s leaves but left the rhizome intact.
After this the wood fungus arrived, I haven’t got images unfortunately of it at its worst but it was thick, much greater than any I have had before. The tank smelled really bad, rotten! I got hair algae, staghorn algae and then very quickly diatoms, the tank was filthy, lots of detritus and organic wastes…..

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After two weeks of daily water changes the smell had disappeared, I tested the water and all was good so I added the first clean up crew of clithon snails and amano shrimp…..they quickly got to work….
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Shortly after a small group of ottos were added and a siamensis flying fox…
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A one eyed otto belly full with diatom delight…..
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The cuc quickly took care of diatoms and wood fungus and with regular bi daily water changes things were looking much cleaner, I replaced the melted anubias and It seemed things were on the right track….
 
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Hellooo again 👋🏻
…..whilst the wood and algae cleared, the anubias melt continued in this scape and after several replacements of vast amounts of anubias I resigned myself to the fact that reinfection of the anubias rot wasn’t going to stop. I had to bite the bullet and use bucephelandra as an alternative. It wasn’t the look I originally envisaged but at least the tank could settle and the gaps were filled.
Once the buce was added the tank looked and felt better and I added various species of tetras as they are colourful and characterful….perhaps too many 🤣
I unfortunately still can’t quite shake the original vision and due to this I don’t have the love for the scape. The minor adjustments it needs to get it ‘singing’ haven’t happened as the desire has gone so I will be taking this scape down in the near future and starting another .The fish are all doing well and the diamond tetra have multiple offspring which is nice.
Here are a few images of the scape to end the journal on a more pleasing note….

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I added some persicaria São Paulo which grows lovely emersed…
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the nymphaea gardneriana produced a lovely flower recently also which was very nice…
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Cheerio
Ady.
 
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It's a shame this isn't lasting as it's looking great @Ady34 , but if it's not giving you what you want from it then it's like trying to flog a dead horse, looking forward to seeing what comes next... ;)

The light screen works perfectly here, like you said the depth it gives is unrivalled :clap:

Oh and if you've gone off the buce for the next scape let me know, I'd be happy to give them a new home :p
 
It's a shame this isn't lasting as it's looking great @Ady34 , but if it's not giving you what you want from it then it's like trying to flog a dead horse, looking forward to seeing what comes next... ;)
Thanks Kalum and yep, the horse has been flogged!
You know what’s next, the lovely ADA 75p set up I purchased from yourself last January is getting a dedicated scape 😃🙌🏻
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The light screen works perfectly here, like you said the depth it gives is unrivalled :clap:
Yeah, the lightscreens add a level of slight infinity to the rear.
Oh and if you've gone off the buce for the next scape let me know, I'd be happy to give them a new home :p

I’ll let you know mate, I’m not sure exactly what my plan is but if there is any spare I’ll be in touch 🙌🏻
absolutely love it!

and the schnauzer too!
Cheers, Oshi is a fan of watching the fish, especially now he has a viewing perch in the chair temporarily relocated from the opposite side of the room….
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Cheerio
 
I love the scape Ady, with or without the Anubis. You’ve not had the best of luck with your scapes recently. But you persisted and created a masterpiece anyway.

I guess sometimes you’ve just got to go with the flow and see where that takes you. Nature often has different ideas, it’s the essence of wabi sabi. I hope you get to realise your full on vision with the next scape though.
 
I love the scape Ady, with or without the Anubis. You’ve not had the best of luck with your scapes recently. But you persisted and created a masterpiece anyway.

I guess sometimes you’ve just got to go with the flow and see where that takes you. Nature often has different ideas, it’s the essence of wabi sabi. I hope you get to realise your full on vision with the next scape though.
Ha, too true!
The tank does offer enjoyment but I just lost the desire to commit to it long term after the anubias issues…..I do have an idea for an anubias only scape for a betta fish in the 45p to ‘get back on the horse’ though 🤣🤣
 
I love this tank, very natural flow and plantation, sad to hear about the anubia,
Sometimes it just won’t work. Probably something in the wood, I had similar diatoms in my last bigger setup which resulted in massive melting of all the epiphytes and even some stems!

Cheers
 
I love this tank, very natural flow and plantation, sad to hear about the anubia,
Sometimes it just won’t work. Probably something in the wood, I had similar diatoms in my last bigger setup which resulted in massive melting of all the epiphytes and even some stems!

Cheers
Thanks, yeah it could have been something in the wood however it was only the anubias that were effected. The initial issues may have been melt however afterwards it was the rhizome rot whereby the leaves remained intact but detached from the rhizome which was mush. When you moved or squashed it it released a white cloud into the water. New plants added could become infected however some have survived. I will not however use these plants in another aquarium with anubias just in case.
Cheerio,
 
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