I've got a whole thread on another forum detailing how to's with this aquarium, however, here I'd like to just sit back and relax a bit with it. This is my personal aquarium at home, and I've always liked this place as an area to relax and share a bit. My main objective, is after mastering single carpet plants for 2 years now, to fully master mixed carpets: I think from here on out all of my layouts will be mixed carpets, excepting where a single carpet is more appropriate. Without too much extra introduction, here she is: Hardscape shots: Planted: Planted day two (ignore extra riccia stone on the secondary rock, I had an extra and nothing to do with it yet):
Hey Juri, Long time no talk, thank you for the compliment. Yes the stone is Manten. It has become my favorite for Iwagumi. -Frank Wazeter P.S. What are your latest projects?
3NIAR, Charity Project and shrimp rack are up to date, links in my signature It is a pity Manten is not available in Germany, hope new ADA Distributor will have some cracking hardscape as I would expect from an ADA Distri
hey dude, nice set up and rocks-- I'm kind of inclined to say you could have (should have?) gone simpler on the number of tank species... I also see that you have true willow moss (fontinalis species), which I'm also unsure of as a selection for this tank. fontinalis is really wild and stringy, and doesn't form uniform bushes like most mosses (it also branches off longer and longer!). Furthermore, it's one of the bigger aquatic moss species. Hmm... for a small iwagumi layout, seems like it could get out of hand. Especially the batch in the front seems a bit "forced" in there. There area in front of the main rock is pretty confined for the number of elements you're trying to build in (riccia, hc, willow moss) which makes it feel kind of cramped when an iwagumi should feel spacious. Of course you're the one who sees the tank in real life, so I think you can make the best judgement call.
You can use willow moss almost as a stem plant in smaller scapes but it does have a habit of looking manky and tangled. Great rock work and a great scape.
Nice work Frank, interesting ground cover. The mixture of foreground plants gives the scape a natural overall appearance. Very cool. Dan
Hey Steven, Glad to talk with you again! How's Niigata treating you? I think you are absolutely right about the true willow moss. I wasn't too happy with how it was growing and replaced it. Willow Moss growing: I'll probably add a small stone with riccia in it along that front side, as well as in a few more crevices that are popping up as the scape is evolving. Tenellus runner needs to be clipped soon! But i'm trying to grow some of it out for another tank, which I received as a gift from Luis Navarro a few days ago:
I saw the video of this one on Facebook. It looks very nice. I love that manten stone and need to get some for my next project. Thanks for sharing, Frank.
Fish! The aquarium is now closer to completion and has that feeling of relaxing anticipation for the whole layout. Within 10 minutes of acclimation the fish are eating, doing breeding dances and coloring up! A good diet will bring out their full color.
It's ready for a rescape already! Looks great, for me it'd be tidier without the Riccia but I'm bias.
I think Frank is holding off for contest. Right now the riccia has hidden some of the continuity to the rock arrangement IMO.
Hey. I wanted to ask you about the fish. It you do not have vyprigivaet? I had a sad experience, acquired a 10 handsome, and a week later none left (
Darting through the aquascape, the tiny rasbora become like shimmering jewels, playing in the flow of water. Like the seasons, the scenary changes with trimming, maintenance and care. Displaying their full colors in vibrance, the rasbora nibble at the surface, seeking attention with excitability. Across the way, the Otocinclus lazily hang in their favorite spot: right near the inflow of the filter. Moving ever so slightly every few minutes for another spot of micro-algae. Shrimp tend to the plants and rocks, diligently scouring the aquarium for algae, quietly acting in the background. Meanwhile, in the backdrop Riccia and moss pearls releasing oxygen into the aquarium and creating a shimmer to the scene of vibrant green. Together, fish, shrimp and plants create a wonderful and relaxing scene. Existing in a state of tranquil evolution. Watch the Video in 720p In other news, I'll be speaking on Saturday on Robert's Aqua Botanic Radio Show about Aquascaping and Iwagumi. Listen in for some useful techniques and tips. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/aquabotanic
Have you begun writing for the Aqua Journal or ADA catalog? I think this last post was a perfect audition This is a great little tank...I think I already said it, but it warrants another complement. The variety of low growing green plants adds a lot of texture and variation.
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