Aquascape of the Month July 2009: "Oshun"

July 2009 Aquascape of the Month
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Oshun
by Jordi Pelegrí

INTRODUCTION
My name is Jordi Pelegrí, I live in Barcelona and I have 30 years old. I am currently working in a dance school, as public relations and professor of Salsa. My passions are dancing, the photography and aquaria.

After having a small aquarium in my teens, I took a break from the hobby for a few years, I have taken up the hobby again, and over a year I experimented with different aquarium fish and plants to reach the conclusion that I really like aquatic landscapes and aquascaping.

I must say that I am really a beginner in the field of aquatic landscapes. The aquascape featured here, Oshun is my first acceptable creation in my eyes.

During this year I have attended many forums where I have learned a lot about this hobby. I'm currently moderating a forum of a shop in Barcelona and occasionally participate in other forums. I recently had the good fortune to be a part of the CAE, where there are many aquascapes from my country to which I have learned a lot from. I am also lucky enough to have a great sponsor , which works directly with the maintenance of tanks, workshops and everything possible to promote this hobby.

At the moment I am keeping 3 tanks (120 liters, 60 liters and 30 liters) and I am waiting to add another 38 liters to the collection. They are dedicated to aquascaping and invertebrates; only one of these tanks features plants which also coexist with fish.

All my progress and creations, as well as the other concerns I publish regularly on my blog dedicated exclusively to photography and aquariums.


AQUASCAPING TECHNIQUES

Design the Aquascape "On the Fly"

This aquarium was created with the intention to make two distinct islands, but I eventually saw that it was quite difficult to control the green mass. So I decided to let it grow more as it did to see the final result.

As I am inexperienced aquascaper, I committed several errors in planning which include the placement of stones which were too small. I had changed the rocks by using larger stones when the plants grew, so they didn’t look overgrown completely.

In fact this aquarium was created "on the fly"so to speak. I changed the layout, and adapted plants, little by little, until the final result. I actually did not even have an initial source of inspiration for this tank, and a fully thought out plan. I started with various species of aquatic plants that I wanted to work with, and above all I wanted to try aquascaping with Dragon Stones. At this point, I was focused on trying the various combinations of the two elements.

The title of this aquascape came to me only recently. Oshun refers to an Orisha god of Cuban mythology, and is defined as: Orisha greater. Owner of fresh water, rivers and springs. Orisha of femininity, the sensuality and love. Goddess of honey, gold and money. To me, the title just seems to fit this aquascape perfectly.

Oshun received a Second Place finish in the 2009 Acuavida Aquascaping Contest. This is a great acheivement for me.

Using Dragon Stones in the Hardscape

Basically I used the dragon stones hardscape as the primary base. The substrate is completely flat and first I put the rocks just to narrow and blend the space between plants placed in the background and midground of the aquarium. As I mentioned before, I gradually changed the stones because they were too small. As I placed in the new larger stones, I also added a tilted effect to the rocks so they became a central focal point.

How to Create Depth and Bushy Plants

To get my plants to look bushy, I had to repeatedly prune each stem of the plants. In the case of M.umbrosum and H.micranthemoides I cut stem straight, similar to cutting hair, by the I thought fit with the height of the other plants. L. brevipes was also cut stem by stem to match the desired height.

Initially I trimmed each plant bush to give them a unique shape. I started with the largest bush and cave it a steep descent/slope. This was to break up the typical shape of a concave designed aquarium. It was now a mix between the model concave and triangle designs.

In the middle I used L.brevipes in front of Hemiantus micranthemoides to give a greater visual depth to the layout. However, you’ll notice the overall depth is achieved by the light. Most of the light is in the front, so the end of the solid plant masses remains in the shadows and appear to be farther away.

Unlike most photographers, who add light to the aquarium to take photographs, I have done the opposite and have a shutdown of the two screens of PLL to leave the back as dark as possible, the photos are made with 72 w.

GREATEST CHALLENGES

The biggest challenge of this aquarium was shaping the plant bushes, specifically M.umbrosum. This plant has a tendency to disengage from the ground and float, which can be a major problem in keeping it in place. Sometimes I had to put rocks in the middle of the bed to avoid it from leaving the ground. Besides that, the only drawback of this aquarium is that it needs to be pruned every week.

FINAL THOUGHTS & ADVICE

I cannot offer much advice since I still consider myself of student of aquascaping. However, I will say the most important thing in planted aquarium is to establish a good routine and to focus on a regular schedule for water changes. Once you controlled the growth and consumption of plants, you will be able to enjoy them thoroughly. Experiment with pruning to get a good aquascape. I recommend experimenting a lot, check out the various resources available on the internet, and share what you have learned with others.

I encourage all people who venture into this Aquascaping World to not be afraid of the initial complications that arise while learning how to grow plants and aquascape, Over time, it will become easier and you’ll find it quite satisfying and addictive.

Click here to view Tank Specifications

Click here to view Plant and Fauna List

[tetrax]

Fantastic Tank!!
Congratulations Pele...............

[pele]

thanks Pepe!!!!

[Pejc]

Fantastic tank!

[Raven]

Excellent work !! Congratulations, you must be very proud for your tank.
Thank you for the text and the informations also !

[Vele bit]

Bravo! for the aquascape !! And I like all your other hobies.

[pele]

Thanks all!!!

[J House]

Wow, with all that trimming you certainly captured a beautiful moment in time. I could appreciate all the work that takes. Life is definitely about quality which this in both scape and photo, congrats!

Can you tell me what your other picture specs are since you stated that you only used 72watts to take the full tank shot - thanks!

[pele]

Can you tell me what your other picture specs are since you stated that you only used 72watts to take the full tank shot - thanks!

i don't understand these part very well, can you explain it?

[Anti-Pjerrot]

Unlike most photographers, who add light to the aquarium to take photographs, I have done the opposite and have a shutdown of the two screens of PLL to leave the back as dark as possible, the photos are made with 72 w.

We would like some more details about the photo-setup for the other pictures.

[pele]

you can see all there, can use the google traductor to understand better it

Pele Blog's: Fotografiando el acuario

[pele]

Pele Blog's: Homenaje a Oshún

now you have the evolution, put up the volume!!!!

[globali]

Very nice.