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Brian's Mini M - Ohko Scape

6K views 34 replies 14 participants last post by  Opare 
#1 ·
Greetings All... I've been out of the hobby for quite some time but due to my love for it, I'm back for another scape adventure. I'm not going big or anything, just a rescape of my GLA 6g tank (Mini M clone) I had laying around in the garage un-used.

I think I'm going to go with a nano high-tech build. Although I'm not that great at iwagumi, I'll see what I can do with the materials I have with such limited real estate.

Either which way, I'm excited because I got my hands on some excellent layout material, Ohko stones, from Aquatic Mag. More on this below with pics :)

Here's the skinny:

**Tank: GLA 6g (Mini M clone)
**Light: Finnex Ray 2
**Substrate: Brightwell Aquatics Rio Escuro-F Fine Particle Size Substrate
**Hardscape: Ohko Stone
**CO2: Aquatek Mini Paintball
**Ferts: GLA micro / macros
**Flora: HC, S. Repens (tropica 49), and Blyxa or Tall hairgrass (e. montevidensis) -- maybe some mini fissidens in the ohko crevices.


Initial plan of attack? Hardscape + HC = DSM (dry start method)

Tank:


Ohko stones. So yeah, Aquatic Mag sent me some premium looking stones. Packed very well with some bubble wrap and they were kind enough to send me a variety of pieces of different sizes. This will certainly give me options when it comes to scape-time and whether I want to keep large stones or break it up to fit my needs.

Looky-looky :grin2:



Gave them the photo-studio treatment:



I mean, just look at these beauties!


Stay-Tuned! More to come!!!
 
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#12 ·
Finally!! Scaped and DSM started!

Okay, I seriously lagged it on getting this going. But hey, better late than never! Unfortunately, the nice fresh pot of HC I got for this melted to almost nothing in my other tank before I finally made time to scape this. I was able to salvage some HC and get this thing hardscaped over the weekend. With the help of the dry start method, I'm hoping the HC will grow in fairly quickly. I'm going to add some tropica 049 (s. repens) in the back this weekend ahead.

Before I reveal these pics, it's important to note, that my iwagumi skills are lackluster and although I'm satisfied with the layout, I probably could have done better if I put more time and effort in the layout plan/strategy. So be nice (or brutally honest, I can handle it)! :wink2:

--Step 1--

Add in nice sloping layer of fresh ADA AquaSoil. Secret sauce: I strategically placed some Flourish Tabs! >:)



--Step 2--

Ohko placement. 7 stones used... sticking with odd numbers... CHECK!



--Step 3--

Plant minuscule amount of HC Cuba to demonstrate the power of the Dry Start Method! Real reason, most of my HC melted due to lagging it! CHECK!




--Final Step--

AquaSoil watered, HC sprayed, and plastic wrapped to seal in the juices! Add the tried-and-true Finnex Ray 2 on a timer for a 6 hour photoperiod... CHECK!



Okay guys, let me have it! Does my scape suck or will it do? Also, any tips on the DSM? Mainly to avoid the infamous mold that has notoriously crawled and webbed into previous DSM attempts in the past?


Thanks and happy aquascaping!
 
#13 ·
Pretty decent scape in my opinion. Soil has a bit of an odd shape to it, like it's highest in the centre. That's a nit pick though, the rock choice is really nice. To avoid mould try and not make things too damp. Also, I think having aeration sessions may help. I haven't done a DSM myself, this is just what I've picked up from the internet.


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#14 ·
Thanks, Opare! Yeah I guess the slope wasn't perfect, but I figured it needn't be since it rarely is in nature. Guess when the green grows in more, you'd hardly notice. Anyways, thanks for the tips on the DSM. Any idea on how long to air out the tank and not risk drying out the plants? I need to dig through the older threads and do my research!! Lol

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#15 ·
Maybe 5-15 minutes? It's a big range, but I'm really not sure. When people do the wabi-kusa emerged growth, I read that they air it for 30 minutes, but that may be a bit too long. Especially considering their goal is to get the plants used to lower humidity levels, whereas that isn't the case here. Maybe having a corner peeled back may be enough, rather than opening everything up for a set time.


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#18 ·
Yeah I'll do some reading and research to minimize the risk for fungus. Here was my wabi thread.. After a while it just became hydrocotyle sp. Japan and peacock moss. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/showthread.php?t=324617

Edit: oh and a third plant till the end was HM baby tears.

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#20 ·
Yeah I'll do some reading and research to minimize the risk for fungus. Here was my wabi thread.. After a while it just became hydrocotyle sp. Japan and peacock moss. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/showthread.php?t=324617

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Hydrocotyle tripartita/all it's other names is a real weed. Your wabi looked pretty good though!


On a side note, could anyone tell me how to sub to a thread..? I'm pretty new around these parts. :p
Welcome to TPT! On the Tapatalk app on phones it's the tick, on the website if I remember correctly it's in thread tools.




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#22 ·
Thank you and welcome to TPT! :)

Hydrocotyle tripartita/all it's other names is a real weed. Your wabi looked pretty good though!
Yeah it certainly is a weed. I've had a bit of this plant hitch a ride with other plants I have a long time ago. This stuff almost grows in all conditions, but barely just survives in low light. I've only had one plant that took the prize as king weed that grew in all lighting conditions and that's Sunset Hygro -- no wonder its banned in some states or something like that..
Bump:
I'm doing a DSM on a Mini M as well, but your scape is so much better because you have more rockwork. I only have four usable stones and I'm worried about how it'll turn out, but that's irrelevant.

I got the white crap when I had the tank sealed. There was a tiny opening in one corner, maybe 2cm by 2cm. I would mist once a day, right before the photo period, and had light going for five to six hours a day.

After removing the moldy plants, I tried making the opening bigger. About an inch and a half open from front to back, running all the way across the tank. Didn't change anything else, and over the course of a week, didn't see any new mold growth. However, I didn't see much plant growth.

Trying something new today. Opening is now half an inch from front to back, all the way across the tank. Lighting period is now five on, two off, five on. I'm adding 1-2 ml of Excel to the misting bottle and misting twice a day now, once at the beginning of the first photo period at 7am (when I leave for work) and a light misting again three hours into the second photo period, around 5pm. I got the idea of adding Excel to the misting bottle from another person who did it to prevent mold. Hope it works.

Good luck!
Thanks for the compliment and the info on some DSM techniques. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for mold and use some Glut and/or H20 as weapons against it. If it gets out of hand, I'll probably just flood the sucker. That reminds me, I need to get my pressurized co2 in order shortly. haha
 
#21 ·
I'm doing a DSM on a Mini M as well, but your scape is so much better because you have more rockwork. I only have four usable stones and I'm worried about how it'll turn out, but that's irrelevant.

I got the white crap when I had the tank sealed. There was a tiny opening in one corner, maybe 2cm by 2cm. I would mist once a day, right before the photo period, and had light going for five to six hours a day.

After removing the moldy plants, I tried making the opening bigger. About an inch and a half open from front to back, running all the way across the tank. Didn't change anything else, and over the course of a week, didn't see any new mold growth. However, I didn't see much plant growth.

Trying something new today. Opening is now half an inch from front to back, all the way across the tank. Lighting period is now five on, two off, five on. I'm adding 1-2 ml of Excel to the misting bottle and misting twice a day now, once at the beginning of the first photo period at 7am (when I leave for work) and a light misting again three hours into the second photo period, around 5pm. I got the idea of adding Excel to the misting bottle from another person who did it to prevent mold. Hope it works.

Good luck!
 
#23 ·
Oh one more thing guys... I forgot to post pics from last Sunday. I added some staurogyne repens in the back. I see a little more growth from the HC. I suspect it's just acclimating to emersed growth conditions as I do see more progress this week, albeit marginal improvement. Maybe I'll just update in 2 weeks after this set of pics to see a more dramatic improvement in growth.

Edit: I think I want to put a tall hairgrass in the back-center. What species do you think will look good but tall enough to hit the surface of the water and just drape over a bit? Eleocharis acicularis?

Yes... you're right! Too much text and not enough pics. Here ya go!





 
#24 ·
Well, the changes to lighting/misting did not work well. After just one day on the new schedule, I had a tiny bit of mold, and the tips on my s. repens started to die. Switching to a five on, four off, five on schedule to fit with my work schedule, and I'm making the opening a bit bigger.

I gotta say, trying to figure out this DSM thing is frustrating, but fun! Haha
 
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