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The Island - ADA 75P - It's been a while....

Kalum

Member
Joined
8 Jan 2018
Messages
1,090
Location
Scotland
This has been a few months coming after my barn find of a tank earlier this year, so I’ve been playing with ideas and stockpiling hardscape since and waiting till I had more time to get this set up. A return to high tech and my first proper attempt at a fairly high light tank.

Tank – ADA 75P (140L)
Stand – ADA Garden Stand
Light – Chihiros Vivid with Chihiros hanging kit
Filter – Eheim Pro 4+ 350t with course foam, Matrix and Purigen
Co2 – Co2Art Pro-SE & inline diffuser via 2kg FE
In/Outlet – Cal Aqua Influx X3 lily pipe & Chihiros Stainless outflow

Hardscape – Seiryu stone & Manzanita wood
Substrate – ADA La Plata & Amazonia
Ferts – EI

New plant list:
3 x Rotala rotundifolia 'Orange Juice' (Pot)
3 x Rotala rotundifolia (Pot)
2 x Microsorum Pteropus Trident (Pot)
1 x Vallisneria nana (Pot)
1 x Bolbitis Difformis (in Vitro)
1 x Bolbitis heudelotii (in Vitro)
1 x Cryptocoryne parva (in Vitro)
1 x Cryptocoryne x willisii "nevillii" (in Vitro)
1 x Riccardia sp. "chamedryfolia" (in Vitro)
1 x Weeping Moss (from Konrad)

Plants from current tank:
Bucephalandra Mini Needle Leaf
Bucephalandra Lamandau Red
Bucephalandra Lamandau Mini Red
Bucephalandra Braun Rot
Bucephalandra Mini Cherry
Bucephalandra Deep Purple
Bucephalandra Mini Lamandau Purple
Bucephalandra Mini Coin
Bucephalandra Super Red
Bucephalandra Theia
Bucephalandra Spec Brownie
Frogbit

Livestock (planned):
Apistogramma (TBD)
Celestial Pearl Danio
Microrasbora Kubotai
Otocinclus

Started setting the tank up today so will progress as it goes...

Old and new
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Great tank dimensions i will defently be folling this one.

Thanks dean

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk
 
After 3 hours cleaning manzanita I finally got round to an initial layout of the stones, they will move a fair bit for the final layout when I come to glue them in but this is the general idea, will see if I can bring the stones forward more to give more planting area but I need to keep the wood away from the front glass

A lot more manzanita to go in to give height to the layout

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Nice hardscape, lovely set up :)

Check with Dave at AG if there is any chance of getting the bolbitis difformis from the Tropica limited edition pots. They are really good. I think you will be lucky though as they were really limited supply.

Likewise look at the normal bolbitis in a traditional pot. They are so much better than the in vitro pots.

You may wish to look at Rotala Yao Yai. Nice mix with orange juice. Again AG has it but you may need to phone because I donot think it’s it’s on the website yet.

Are you running an Eheim skim or the smart ADA one to assist with flow and surface film?

S.

Ps. Are you going to put an ADA Solar RGB, a super jet filter and silver cover for the gas bottle on it at some time?
I would! :lol:
 
Cheers @Siege

I've already had my AG order come in on friday just passed so have all plants sitting waiting on me finalising the hardscape :lol: I got the bolbitis difformis linea in vitro as the ADA is hidden away if they have any left like you mention lol

Usually the bulk of my order is with AG but a lot was showing out of stock so got most of it from my other go to which is Aquasabi, I'll see how I get on with the normal bolbitis in vitro as its sitting here now but appreciate the advice mate

Treated myself to some of the Tropica scissors and tweezers from AG as well while I was at it, they sent the wave instead of the spring but I quite like them as well now I've seen them :thumbup:

I've noticed a couple of people mention yao yai but never seen it grown out yet

Yeh got an eheim skim sitting in the box ready to go back left, outflow will be front left

Haha mate I wish I was that flush so my knock off Solar RGB (Vivid) and Eheim will have have to make do, but I am thinking about putting a cover on the co2 bottle but it won't be the ADA slip on :greedy:

Vivid on and playing about with manzanita, it's just thrown in to get a rough idea of location and will stew on it over night and glue the hardscape tomorrow then planting time

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That rock rock is really strong.

Can you move the whole thing forward twisting the left hand piece of wood so that it’ll fit, it’ll be more of an island scape? Will give you loads more depth I think.

S.

Ps. Try swapping over the 2 end pieces of wood? see what you think.
 
Ps. As the stems grow in might want to move the skim to the back right facing forward. May blast the stems too much going straight into them.

Just a thought......!
 
@Siege

Yeh I've tried moving the stone forward as much as I can tonight and I just can't get it working as the wood is tight to that stone on the left and wraps around the back

I've tried moving the middle forward as well and the rocks just don't sit as well, I'm going to play about with a few smaller rocks in the morning and see what I can get working

Good idea about the 2 end pieces of wood I see what you're getting at and I'll try that in the morning, I've got another bit of wood I might try and fit in as well but will see...

I was meaning the skim pointing forward in the back left, so same direction of flow as the lily pipe front left, like you say I don't want it directly on any plants as it'll probably be too much for them
 
Fantastic hardscape materials

My 2p critique ;)

Presently you’ve 1/3 foreground 1/3 hardscape 1/3 background ... except that foreground runs all the way into the back so more like 1/4 of the tank footprint will be soil
I’d reverse that trend and move the stones forward - creating more contrast and depth
(Jurijs talked about the “too much foreground effect” in his IAPLC video shoot with George Farmer (I think that’s the one anyway))
And preferring asymmetry I’d foreshorten the sand on one side, creating a soil area behind rock (on that side)
(the opposite of Siege’s Island scape :D or maybe not, the island is just bigger than the tank :p )

Take some photos of the present setup
And maybe start again from scratch tomorrow, moving the rocks forward etc

You could also try FO technique where he places the wood first, and then adjusts the rocks

So funny, I was going to say almost the same as Siege re pot vs in vitro choices on some of those plants :shh:
 
Always happy for input @alto ;)

Yeh the amount of foreground bothers me as well and I've tried a few times to move it forward but I could do with a few more stones to make it work, but the main problem is the wood doesn't work then

But the stone wrapped round to the back will definitely be staying as I can view the tank from all 3 sides and want a better side view

Both bolbitis I've never had before so I'll know for next time :lol: had good success with crypt in vitro in the past and riccardia is great so much easier to work with
 
But the stone wrapped round to the back will definitely be staying as I can view the tank from all 3 sides and want a better side view
I was only thinking a couple inches so you’ll still have the side view :)
 
@alto ah ok got you, yeh that is an option I might see if it gives me a bit more freedom with the rock placement as well, will give it a try in the morning :)

Was bugging me to see what it would look like with the biggest wood on the left as @Siege mentioned so had to have quick reset before sleeping on it....

I added the other bit of wood in as well (on the right and it would be sitting more upright if glued in, resting on the glass the now)

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Have tryouts try swapping the 2 low down pieces of wood. Turning one over maybe.

I think that will enable you to bring the rock forward and have a piece sticking up above the carpet at the front rather than getting lost?
 
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Ps.

Looking at the photos again, I think I prefer the wood sticking upwards how you had it originally. That was perfect.
The central piece looks a little too central in the later version maybe.........?!

Either way it’s Its really good. Hard to go wrong with hardscape that good, just drag it all forward. As alto eluded to, too far back is the most common mistake I see day to day.
 
Another morning, another scape, stone has been moved forward about 5cm and I'm happy with it now, wood is still going to be moved about but it won't be far off what's shown, not sure if the piece to the left is one bit too much and too busy but I quite like it as well...

Heading out for a couple of hours so will see what I think when I get home and it's getting glued! Comments welcome to help me decide ;)

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Just to drive you crazy ...

my favourite wood is the “Yesterday 12:02” post photo - I just prefer less upright wood
and feel like I want another piece curving over the rocks
:D

Stone is photo appears fairly level in height across the tank - can you make this more jagged/less even
 
@alto I totally agree with the upright statement and it's something I'll be trying to avoid when coming to glue, most of the wood is leaning as best as it can for a very rough layout to get an idea at the minute

I want as much of the wood at the back overhanging the stone as possible, haha unfortunately I've run out of 'creepy wood' :lol:
 
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