Richard Swales
Seedling
Hi There
I am undergoing a new project to create an Iwagumi style Aqua Scape aquarium. This series of posts will journal my project week to week as a progress to keep you and indeed myself in the loop!
I want to use this build my skills in aquascaping by being able to reflect and critique myself, which will hopefully make any future projects an improvement on this one.
I am going to be further things about this tank on my blog https://sofishticatedblog.wordpress.com as well as streaming my tank on Younow on my channel SoSofishticated so check out those if you want to look beneath the hood, so to speak.
So back to the journal...
Lets star with a look at the tank before I started:
As you can see a bit of a mess and not a very appealing tank!
I have already made a start to this project but so here is a rundown on the changes I have made so far
Equipment:
I decided to upgrade pretty much all of the equipment in my tank apart from the heater and the actual tank.
Aquarium:
The tank is a 60x30x40cm 6mm thick glass Jewel tank.
Filtration:
Previously I was running a Fluval U2 internal filter which has been excellent, but doesn't look great in the tank and stands out like a sore thumb! Because of this reason and the fact that I wanted a bigger capacity filter I went out an purchased a Eheim Ecco Pro 130 from my Local fish store. I have been running it for a couple of weeks to get it cycling and so far seems perfect for my needs. It's simple to setup and operate and runs nearly silently! The only annoying this is that the hose, intake and outtake pipe are all green, which looks odd in my tank, but I suppose once I get planted up they will blend in.
Heating:
I have been using a Sera heater for a while now and it has always been reliable so if it aint broke don't fix it!
Lighting:
Previously this tank had a hood with a built in tube light but the previous owner cut gaps in the hood so he could sit an Arcadia LED over the rim of the tank. I quite liked this idea but didn't like the hood as it was bulky and i don't think it would have suited the aqua scape to come. I decided to buy some rim clips from amazon and managed to get hold of a sheet of acrylic to act as a lid.
The original plan was to leave the Arcadia LED but it broke a couple weeks back so at the moment I am running an Aquael Decor LED and an Aquael Leddy Smart LED, but I have an Aquael Leddy Slim LED on order at my LFS (Can you tell I like Aquael lighting products?).
I am hoping this will be enough to grow plants, but I am prepared to order another one if needs be.
C02:
I have run C02 in the past, but it was one of those disposable chamber type things. It worked well on the nano tank I had it on, but I know that it won't cut the mustard this time around.
I started looked at C02 options a while back as it is something that I don't really know a lot about. A lot of people on the forum (UKAPS) say that it is better to go for a big C02 canister as it will be cheaper to run in the long run, but that involves buying all the parts for the system separately and finding somewhere to refill the bottle when it runs out and I don't feel confident running such a big system at the moment. So i went for the Fluval 88g Disposable C02 set. I know a lot of people will say that it won't last much more than a month and then refills are expensive but having the peace of mind that the kit has everything I need from a reputable brand suits me right now, though I might consider a bigger system in the future when I get more comfortable with it.
Substrate:
I opted for the most talked about substrate that it widely regarded as the best there is when it came to aquarium substrate. ADA Amazonia Aqua Soil. I have not read a bad review of this and though while pricey I want to make sure the plants have the best chance to grown...plus it looks neat too!
I did put a bottom layer of Tropica Plant Growth Substrate underneath as I didn't think I would have had enough ADA for the tank.
Hard Scape:
As stated I am creating an Iwagumi aqua scape and I infact I want to create a Sanzon-Iwagumi, which traditionally uses 3 stones. This is mainly because I want to keep it simple, but also my tank isn't massive, so I want to ensure I leave enough room for the inhabitants to swim.
I originally was set on finding Dragon stone for the hardscape which my LFS had in stock, but when I got down to look at it the pieces didn't quite tick all the boxes I was looking for (shape, size etc.). After looking at what else my LFS had to offer I noticed another type of rock, but I have no idea what it is called, though it has a similar texture to Dragon stone, it might even just be another type of Dragon stone I have no idea!
I spent around 3 days deciding on placements for the rocks but I settled on this design and I think all flows well together:
Plants:
(This is where I am up to as I write this so from this point on they are just plans...)
I took a while to decide on the plants for this as I have never really looked into plants at all. Usually I just pop down to my LFS and see what they have that looks nice. Although there isn't too much choice and they don't seem to get much variety in and nothing really interests me.
As with most Iwagumi scapes I need a carpeting plant to fill the bottom of the tank and then I am after some larger plants towards the back just to fill it out a little but and not make it too simple.
For the carpet I am planning or ordering some Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo' and Eleocharis Parvula Hairgrass. Hopefully I can find a balance to plant both of these as a carpet with the MC taking most the ground and the Hairgrass planted at the base of the rocks, though I might not use the hairgrass at first and just see how I go.
As for background plants I really have no idea! I am planning on visiting some shops in my region that I haven't been to yet to see if anything catches my eye, but I will keep you posted.
Livestock:
Finally onto the livestock. I am still deciding exactly what to have in the tank. I know that I want to try and move my current Black skirt tetra and Panda Corydoras over but what to add with them?
I think I will firstly opt for a small group of Amano shrimp. I hear they are great algae eaters and I have enjoyed keeping shrimp in the past. Then I am after a small schooling fish. I am thinking either Harlequin Rasbora or Rummy Nose Tetra. I thin the tetras school better but I prefer the shape of the rasboras, so we shall see. I also really want to get some Celestial Pearl Danios. Ever since I saw a picture of one while browsing Pinterest a while back I know that I just had to have some, so I will most likely get a group of them too. I am thinking 5 shrimp, 10 schooling fish and then 5 CPD's but it might be too much with the cory's and the Black skirt, which I might end up donating to a tank at a school local to me.
This will be a few weeks yet thought so it could all change!
So thats it for the moment! Whats next??
Well this week I am heading over to some LFS's to check out plants and hopefully my light will turn up this week so that I can get planting!
More updates to come in the future!
Let me know your thoughts!
Thanks for reading
Richard
I am undergoing a new project to create an Iwagumi style Aqua Scape aquarium. This series of posts will journal my project week to week as a progress to keep you and indeed myself in the loop!
I want to use this build my skills in aquascaping by being able to reflect and critique myself, which will hopefully make any future projects an improvement on this one.
I am going to be further things about this tank on my blog https://sofishticatedblog.wordpress.com as well as streaming my tank on Younow on my channel SoSofishticated so check out those if you want to look beneath the hood, so to speak.
So back to the journal...
Lets star with a look at the tank before I started:
As you can see a bit of a mess and not a very appealing tank!
I have already made a start to this project but so here is a rundown on the changes I have made so far
Equipment:
I decided to upgrade pretty much all of the equipment in my tank apart from the heater and the actual tank.
Aquarium:
The tank is a 60x30x40cm 6mm thick glass Jewel tank.
Filtration:
Previously I was running a Fluval U2 internal filter which has been excellent, but doesn't look great in the tank and stands out like a sore thumb! Because of this reason and the fact that I wanted a bigger capacity filter I went out an purchased a Eheim Ecco Pro 130 from my Local fish store. I have been running it for a couple of weeks to get it cycling and so far seems perfect for my needs. It's simple to setup and operate and runs nearly silently! The only annoying this is that the hose, intake and outtake pipe are all green, which looks odd in my tank, but I suppose once I get planted up they will blend in.
Heating:
I have been using a Sera heater for a while now and it has always been reliable so if it aint broke don't fix it!
Lighting:
Previously this tank had a hood with a built in tube light but the previous owner cut gaps in the hood so he could sit an Arcadia LED over the rim of the tank. I quite liked this idea but didn't like the hood as it was bulky and i don't think it would have suited the aqua scape to come. I decided to buy some rim clips from amazon and managed to get hold of a sheet of acrylic to act as a lid.
The original plan was to leave the Arcadia LED but it broke a couple weeks back so at the moment I am running an Aquael Decor LED and an Aquael Leddy Smart LED, but I have an Aquael Leddy Slim LED on order at my LFS (Can you tell I like Aquael lighting products?).
I am hoping this will be enough to grow plants, but I am prepared to order another one if needs be.
C02:
I have run C02 in the past, but it was one of those disposable chamber type things. It worked well on the nano tank I had it on, but I know that it won't cut the mustard this time around.
I started looked at C02 options a while back as it is something that I don't really know a lot about. A lot of people on the forum (UKAPS) say that it is better to go for a big C02 canister as it will be cheaper to run in the long run, but that involves buying all the parts for the system separately and finding somewhere to refill the bottle when it runs out and I don't feel confident running such a big system at the moment. So i went for the Fluval 88g Disposable C02 set. I know a lot of people will say that it won't last much more than a month and then refills are expensive but having the peace of mind that the kit has everything I need from a reputable brand suits me right now, though I might consider a bigger system in the future when I get more comfortable with it.
Substrate:
I opted for the most talked about substrate that it widely regarded as the best there is when it came to aquarium substrate. ADA Amazonia Aqua Soil. I have not read a bad review of this and though while pricey I want to make sure the plants have the best chance to grown...plus it looks neat too!
I did put a bottom layer of Tropica Plant Growth Substrate underneath as I didn't think I would have had enough ADA for the tank.
Hard Scape:
As stated I am creating an Iwagumi aqua scape and I infact I want to create a Sanzon-Iwagumi, which traditionally uses 3 stones. This is mainly because I want to keep it simple, but also my tank isn't massive, so I want to ensure I leave enough room for the inhabitants to swim.
I originally was set on finding Dragon stone for the hardscape which my LFS had in stock, but when I got down to look at it the pieces didn't quite tick all the boxes I was looking for (shape, size etc.). After looking at what else my LFS had to offer I noticed another type of rock, but I have no idea what it is called, though it has a similar texture to Dragon stone, it might even just be another type of Dragon stone I have no idea!
I spent around 3 days deciding on placements for the rocks but I settled on this design and I think all flows well together:
Plants:
(This is where I am up to as I write this so from this point on they are just plans...)
I took a while to decide on the plants for this as I have never really looked into plants at all. Usually I just pop down to my LFS and see what they have that looks nice. Although there isn't too much choice and they don't seem to get much variety in and nothing really interests me.
As with most Iwagumi scapes I need a carpeting plant to fill the bottom of the tank and then I am after some larger plants towards the back just to fill it out a little but and not make it too simple.
For the carpet I am planning or ordering some Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo' and Eleocharis Parvula Hairgrass. Hopefully I can find a balance to plant both of these as a carpet with the MC taking most the ground and the Hairgrass planted at the base of the rocks, though I might not use the hairgrass at first and just see how I go.
As for background plants I really have no idea! I am planning on visiting some shops in my region that I haven't been to yet to see if anything catches my eye, but I will keep you posted.
Livestock:
Finally onto the livestock. I am still deciding exactly what to have in the tank. I know that I want to try and move my current Black skirt tetra and Panda Corydoras over but what to add with them?
I think I will firstly opt for a small group of Amano shrimp. I hear they are great algae eaters and I have enjoyed keeping shrimp in the past. Then I am after a small schooling fish. I am thinking either Harlequin Rasbora or Rummy Nose Tetra. I thin the tetras school better but I prefer the shape of the rasboras, so we shall see. I also really want to get some Celestial Pearl Danios. Ever since I saw a picture of one while browsing Pinterest a while back I know that I just had to have some, so I will most likely get a group of them too. I am thinking 5 shrimp, 10 schooling fish and then 5 CPD's but it might be too much with the cory's and the Black skirt, which I might end up donating to a tank at a school local to me.
This will be a few weeks yet thought so it could all change!
So thats it for the moment! Whats next??
Well this week I am heading over to some LFS's to check out plants and hopefully my light will turn up this week so that I can get planting!
More updates to come in the future!
Let me know your thoughts!
Thanks for reading
Richard