Aquascaping World Forum http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/ en Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:55:03 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/blueevolution/misc/rss.jpg Aquascaping World Forum http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/ Micranthemum Umbrosum emersed http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/aquatic-plants/3477-micranthemum-umbrosum-emersed.html Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:26:53 GMT Lets show some photos of an other emersed culture with an interesting and easy to grow plant **Micranthemum Umbrosum....** *few photos* ... Lets show some photos of an other emersed culture with an interesting and easy to grow plant Micranthemum Umbrosum....

few photos








enjoy It...
Tony...







]]> Aquatic Plants Aqua Pura http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/aquatic-plants/3477-micranthemum-umbrosum-emersed.html What is aquascaping like in your country? http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/general-aquascaping-discussions/3476-what-aquascaping-like-your-country.html Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:47:31 GMT I often wonder how the aquascaping hobby varies from country to country. - Is aquascaping gaining popularity in your country? - Do you think... I often wonder how the aquascaping hobby varies from country to country.

- Is aquascaping gaining popularity in your country?
- Do you think you have more aquascaping guru's or mostly fledgling aquascapers than other countries?
- Are your country men/women more focused on growing aquatic plants than actually aquascaping?

Bottomline, what is aquascaping like in your country? :-?

-John N. ]]> General Aquascaping Discussions John N. http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/general-aquascaping-discussions/3476-what-aquascaping-like-your-country.html Most Important - Water Column or Substrate Fertilization? http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/water-chemistry/3475-most-important-water-column-substrate-fertilization.html Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:37:11 GMT What fertilization method is the MOST important for a healthy aquascape? Water column or the substrate? Or both? :-? Please discuss your... What fertilization method is the MOST important for a healthy aquascape?

Water column or the substrate? Or both? :-?

Please discuss your choice.

-John N. ]]> Water Chemistry John N. http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/water-chemistry/3475-most-important-water-column-substrate-fertilization.html <![CDATA[September 2010 Aquascape of the Month: "Sky Cliff"]]> http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/announcements/3473-september-2010-aquascape-month-sky-cliff.html Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:21:28 GMT ASW is extremely excited to feature our first ever aquascape from Mexico. This aquascape entitled "Sky Cliff" from aquascaper Héctor Baca, is a masterfully intricate mountainscape that ranked #80 in the 2010 International Aquatic Plant Layout Contest (IAPLC).



This 180 liter planted aquarium layout captures a real life cliff landscape with deep shadows, curves, and colors. Sky Cliff also represents an extraordinary sense of depth and intelligent use of aquarium space from front to back, and from top to bottom. Like Hector, you may be surprised where the original source of inspiration came from.

Read the complete details of this amazing planted aquarium layout here: Aquascape of the Month September 2010: "Sky Cliff".

Please join me in congratulating Hector on his fantastic aquascape and for making ASW's Aquascape of the Month.

-John N. ]]> Announcements John N. http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/announcements/3473-september-2010-aquascape-month-sky-cliff.html <![CDATA[September 2010 Aquascape of the Month: "Sky Cliff"]]> http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/aquascape-month/3472-september-2010-aquascape-month-sky-cliff.html Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:19:09 GMT *September 2010 Aquascape of the Month* *______________________________________________* *Sky Cliff* *by **Héctor Baca* _Image:...
September 2010 Aquascape of the Month
______________________________________________
Sky Cliff
by Héctor Baca



INTRODUCTION
Starting nearly three years ago (December 2007) I was captivated by aquascaping and planted aquariums. From that time, my taste and passion have increased for aquascaping. I deeply admire the details, the colors, and the beauty of the underwater landscapes.

To get to where I am today, I spent three years of intense research, trial and error, and learning from my experiences. My name is Héctor Baca and I am an aquascaper from Mexico. My profession is as a journalist and completing research is a necessity. I got entangled into planted tanks without realizing it. Little by little, the influence of its beauty and mystery grabbed me.

My first design was a complete failure, but it was essential for learning how to keep aquatic plants and to understand their nutrients, light, carbon dioxide and maintenance needs. In Mexico at that time, there are very few aquatic plant enthusiasts, and even fewer practicing aquascaping layouts. I had no other option than learn from the internet, where I found Takashi Amano’s Nature aquariums and slowly discovered other Japanese aquascapers such as Hinori Handa and Fumio Shiga. Later I found aquascapes from Cliff Hui and David Chow.

In six months I maintained, at last, an aquarium in optimum condition: free of algae. So I gave myself the task of starting work on the Achilles' heel: the design. Since then to date I have designed more than 20 aquariums. I currently only keep three aquariums, one of 90x45x45 cm, 60x30x36 cm and 45x29x31 cm. However, in the latest productions I have focused on the use of stones and the exploration of multiple visual planes.

During this time I've been surrounded by good friends to create a group of designers AD (AcuaDesigners), and we are about to launch a website www.acuadesigners.com, with the aim of disseminating and enhancing the aquascaping hobby in México and other Spanish speaking countries.

This year my aquascape has received the Members Choice Award from Aquatic Plant Central (APC), placed fourth in the Singapore AQ-ADA Aquascaping Contest 2010, and ranked #80 of 2010 aquascapes competition the International Aquatic Plant Layout Contest 2010.


From Dinosaurs to "Sky Cliff"

It is a curious thing, but my wife inspired this aquascape’s layout. We were watching the movie “Dinosaurs” and in the beginning of the tape there are wonderful cliffs and she said to me “Why don’t you design it?” My intitial reaction was a rejection. However, I gave myself the task of searching the web images of cliffs. After much searching, I found an image of a very green cliff. This gave rise to the title of this aquascape “Sky Cliff”.

For the development of any aquascaping design the first thing I perform is a sketch of what I intend to create. This gives me a good idea of what I need to do for the design and what materials (rocks and plants) I need for the design. More importantly, the sketch allows me to get more immerse into the idea and vision.


Foundation of Volcanic Stones

One of the biggest challenges was the selection of stones. Fortunately, fortunately part of Mexico City is located over a volcanic area. There are fields where I could find and select the perfect shaped stones. I had to find large rocks that could withstand all the visual weight and composition planned in the layout.

The aim of the aquarium was to create several levels, which contribute to stimulate the perspective, in order to obtain the effect of a cliff. I took into account the width, height and length of the aquarium, so that the design was, to put it in some way, in 3D.




Breaking the Mold: Designing a Fresh Aquascape

This aquascape was designed to break the mold of the typical planted aquarium layout. In order to do this, I had to figure out how to use current design ideas and take them to the next level. I took the basic principles of painting (proportion, balance, harmony, rhythm, and contrast) and applied it to the aquascape’s design.

The idea of Sky Cliff was to build great mountains, but problem was how to build them? Finally I decided that it was better to take two large stones and then start working visual layers, adding more stones, and creating areas of contrasts and depth.


Before undertaking this project I made a small cube Zempoala Cliff's that served as a basis, it taught me that a good way to gain height is to take a big component and then develop the whole hardscape.

To achieve height in this aquascape, I used gravel between the stones to keep the rocks in place for a solid foundation. The first layer of the aquarium consists of gravel topped off by planted aquarium substrate. The goal is to create a solid shape with a strong foundation from the beginning. Even before adding plants, the rock formation looked stunning and beautiful.


Plant Selection

Plant selection was one of the easier tasks. Hemianthus callitrichoides "Cuba" is a generous and invasive plant that grows on the rocks without any problems. I used various mosses and hairgrass (Eleocharis parva) on and between rocks to provide a sense of remoteness along the Cliff.



GREATEST CHALLENGES

While selecting plants was the easiest task, the most complex part of this aquascape was the proper develop of the foreground of Hemianthus callitrichoides "Cuba" and the moss growth on the stones. The main problem was that a light was insufficient to penetrate the deep water and shadows. To solve this, I used two 70 watt HQI for the steepest part of the design.

My other headache was cleaning the glass. The cliff layout takes a tremedous amount of space and limited my movement when I needed to wipe the glass. However, the final result was very satisfactory.


FINAL THOUGHTS & ADVICE

The most important thing in any life activity is to never losing our sense of wonder and enjoyment of nature. Before undertaking any project it is essential to look at as many aquariums to create an idea. All great things are learned, from the simplest to the most complex.

In the future, I am preparing two aquascapes and one Ryoboku. I hope to showcase them to the Aquascaping World in a nearly future.


Click here to view Tank Specifications
Click here to view Plant and Fauna List
]]> Aquascape of the Month Jur4ik http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/aquascape-month/3472-september-2010-aquascape-month-sky-cliff.html A Haven For Aquascaping http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/general-aquascaping-discussions/3471-haven-aquascaping.html Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:19:08 GMT One thing that has been lacking tremendously in our hobby and industry is the framework for creative's to meet under a more professional setting to help push forward and discuss aquascaping in particular.

The Problem:

Almost No Jobs to reward creative individuals in the aquascaping field.

Zero Professional recognition or distinguisher between normal "pet stores" or "fish aquarists" and "Aquascapers."

Almost no Networking ability or for people who would be potentially interested in becoming an aquascaper to get into contact with others who already do it (i.e. hidden community)

This is not acceptable, and as such these, among other problems has lead to a first step towards changing that:

The Aquarium Design - Aquascaping Group on LinkedIn

Access to this group is through approval only to keep it professional - however by professional I mean anyone who seriously enjoys aquascaping (not necessarily an aquascaping professional) and wishes to see a more professional spin and wishes to help make more careers in aquascaping possible either for their own benefit or for others.

Why was LinkedIn chosen for the first step?

-Multitudes of career, design, et cetera Professionals in a plethora of fields use it and accept it as a referencing point.
-Step's 'outside' the box of what currently exists
-Is inherently more useful than Facebook for people to create profiles to help them find or promote jobs/careers, which is a huge plus in this economy.

Join with me and let's help change how the world views our hobby. ]]> General Aquascaping Discussions Xavier http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/general-aquascaping-discussions/3471-haven-aquascaping.html Need some advice for cloudy glass http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/algae/3468-need-some-advice-cloudy-glass.html Tue, 07 Sep 2010 23:08:51 GMT Does anyone know how to clean algae "stains" from glass? My aquarium is housing turtles now, and the glass is fine when wet, but the upper portion of the glass (which I would like to see through) above the water line refuses to dry clearly, no matter how much I scrub. Does anyone know of a way to get these stains off? Any household products or methods that will make it look nicer? Any advice would be much appreciated :) ]]> Algae Bumblr http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/algae/3468-need-some-advice-cloudy-glass.html Most Useful Aquascaping Tips http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/general-aquascaping-discussions/3466-most-useful-aquascaping-tips.html Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:35:18 GMT One of the goals here at ASW is to promote information sharing between aquascapers. With an international community, I'm sure we all have something unique to share with one another.

Please share your most useful Aquascaping Tips and techniques to help your fellow aquascapers and budding scapers.

-John N. ]]> General Aquascaping Discussions John N. http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/general-aquascaping-discussions/3466-most-useful-aquascaping-tips.html <![CDATA[''Resurrection'']]> http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/aquascaping-showcase/3465-resurrection.html Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:53:19 GMT Image: http://www.aquascapingworld.com/gallery/images/4714/2_p1020921.jpg Image:...





Name: Resurrection.
Tank: 100x47.5x47.5 about 240l.
Light: 4x20w Jebo bulb.
Filter: Atman 3338.
CO2: 2-3 buble per second.
Substrate: GEX Water Plant Sand.
Plants: Glossotigma elatinoides , Rotala Macranda Green , Alternanthera reineckii 'rosaefolia' , Haloragaceae , Eriocaulaceae
Fish: Neon tetra, Molly. ]]> Aquascaping Showcase Duc http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/aquascaping-showcase/3465-resurrection.html Greeting from that there wet uk http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/introductions-greetings/3464-greeting-there-wet-uk.html Tue, 07 Sep 2010 07:50:16 GMT Hello from this er wet yorkshire :rain: im new in to planted tanks iv kept/breeding malawis for a few years so have not needed plants or much... Hello from this er wet yorkshire :rain: im new in to planted tanks iv kept/breeding malawis for a few years so have not needed plants or much aquascaping as they do it there selfs lol but in starting a 70l planted tank so will ee how it gose :yo: ]]> Introductions and Greetings malawistu http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/introductions-greetings/3464-greeting-there-wet-uk.html Hello !!! http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/introductions-greetings/3463-hello.html Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:26:57 GMT Hi All...
I'm Duc. I'm from Viet Nam. This year, I was 14 Years old. Thanks John has activated this account. Approximately five months, I will from Vietnam to America to live with his family. Hopefully by then I'll see when more people have the same interests as me.:welcome: ]]> Introductions and Greetings Duc http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/introductions-greetings/3463-hello.html Pseudomugil furcatus – Forktail Blue eyes http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/fish/3462-pseudomugil-furcatus-forktail-blue-eyes.html Sun, 05 Sep 2010 21:45:34 GMT Some close-up shots of my fishes….:Happy: I have those lovely furcatus in my 100L moss tank (species tank) for 3 years now, with many succesful... Some close-up shots of my fishes….:Happy: I have those lovely furcatus in my 100L moss tank (species tank) for 3 years now, with many succesful breedings… ;) they are already 5-5.5 cm (max. size).... I would like, to thank my friend Raven (Alex Korakis) for his incredible "shots"....:Happy:





]]> Fish Aqua Pura http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/fish/3462-pseudomugil-furcatus-forktail-blue-eyes.html DIY CO2 Ideas http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/equipment/3461-diy-co2-ideas.html Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:12:38 GMT I have been researching the whole DIY CO2 thing before I go ahead a do it I began researching the fermentation process and exactly what it involves.... I have been researching the whole DIY CO2 thing before I go ahead a do it I began researching the fermentation process and exactly what it involves. First of all my setup will involve 2 1 liter desani bottles and a dorm fridge sized soda bottle. the yeast solution will be in the desani bottles with two hoses going to a T connector and a hose going to the soda bottle and a hose from the soda bottle to the aquarium. I plan on using a airstone in the aquarium to diffuse the co2 in the water.

Now for my actual question. I read that the production of alcohol can be curbed by oxidizing the solution (or introducing oxygen to the mixture some where). I began thinking the ways in which this can be accomplished for the DIY co2 application. Here is my hypothesis, could the introduction of an airstone to each bottle connected to an air pump be enough to oxygenate the mixture and stop the production of the alcohol. now if this were to be done I do understand that there would be some extra pressure in each of the bottle and assuming that the bottles wont explode then there would just be a increase in co2 flow rate to the aquarium. so for some main points

1. would this actually stop the production of alcohol.

2.would the pressure be too much for the bottles.

3. would the mixture of co2 and oxygen in to aquarium through the hose at the same time hurt or help.

4. how long would the yeast actually survive assuming that you replenished the food (sugar). or if you didnt.

any added suggestions or thought would really help. (dont bash me if this is on the forum already) ]]> Equipment MrCodexx http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/equipment/3461-diy-co2-ideas.html How to set up a high-humidity planted riparium http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/general-aquascaping-discussions/3460-how-set-up-high-humidity-planted-riparium.html Sun, 05 Sep 2010 02:17:27 GMT *Riparium How-To: High-Humidity Setups* I am starting this thread with a semi-organized description of considerations and methods to have in mind... Riparium How-To: High-Humidity Setups

I am starting this thread with a semi-organized description of considerations and methods to have in mind when assembling a high-humidity riparium setup. This kind of tank is best for growing certain emersed aquatic plants that require very humid air. It is important to note that not all emersed aquatics need to grow in such conditions. Emersed Echinodorus swordplants, for example, are best grown with plenty of air circulation and somewhat drier air. The following lists the main groups of emersed aquarium plants that do require high-humidity:
  • Cryptocoryne--all crypts that I have grown, with the exception of C. ciliata, require very moist air
  • Anubias--especially A. barteri varieties. Some of the larger species, such as A. hastifolia, might be less demanding of high-humidity.
  • Microsorum (Java fern)

There are certain other groups of plants that can grow and look right in a high-humidity riparium, but these are the most useful ones that I have applied. These groups of plants are of special interest to aquarium hobbyists because they are readily available.

High-humidity ripariums display can have a lot of visual appeal. The combination of the above water and below water areas in the same frame offers unique design opportunities. The next shot shows the best riparium of this kind that I have put together so far, a setup that I had going last year in a 55-gallon tank.



In addition to the enjoyment of the whole planted layout, a high-humidity riparium can be appealing in several other ways. It is intriguing to grow the emersed forms of aquatic plants and compare them with the underwater growth habits, which are often distinct. High-humidity ripariums can be used for a particular hobby area that has been gaining in popularity in recent years, the culture of emersed Cryptocoryne for the sake of encouraging the development of spathes, their unique floral structures. The following picture shows a fresh spathe produced by the C. usteriana that I currently have growing in a 20-gallon high-humidity riparium.



This post will quickly become too long with much additional explanation, so I intend to break up the narrative into several posts to follow. Here is the general organization that I have in mind.
  1. Aquarium setup and life support.
  2. Plant selection.
  3. Riparium planters and planting methods.
  4. Adapting aquatic plants to emersed growth and growing in the riparium.
  5. Livestock
  6. Additional specific observations and tips.

With the next organized post that I write I'll start with topic #1, considerations to have in mind while planning out the aquarium enclosure for a high-humidity riparium. ]]> General Aquascaping Discussions hydrophyte http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/general-aquascaping-discussions/3460-how-set-up-high-humidity-planted-riparium.html Hello http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/introductions-greetings/3459-hello.html Sun, 05 Sep 2010 00:48:06 GMT Hello fellow members of Aquascaping World! Looking forward to making friends and being part of the community! 8):chestbumping: Hello fellow members of Aquascaping World!

Looking forward to making friends and being part of the community! 8):chestbumping: ]]> Introductions and Greetings Phosaurus http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/introductions-greetings/3459-hello.html