ADA Mini-S: Riven

[CL]

Great pics as always, UG! You can never get tired of pearling

[Ugly Genius]

Thanks, cl.
About pearling. It's weird. There are some days this tank pearls like nuts and other days that it doesn't. Nothing's different between the two days.
I've got the ADA CO2 on this until Source is finished with the dry-start, so it's not due to DIY CO2 inconsistency.
There are just some days in which it pearls a lot more than others.
It pearls every day, but there are days where it looks like the water's boiling and others where there are just a few bubbles here and there.
Dunno why that is.

Eight types of ground cover.
Mini Riccia, Riccia, Mini Microsword, Glosso, Mini Pellia, HC, Staurogyne, and Tall Dwarf Hairgrass.
Nine, if you count the Lawn Marsh Pennywort.

[Ugly Genius]

I think my Oto may have an alcohol problem.
Ever since swapping over Source's pressurized CO2 system and letting the DIY fizzle out, my Oto's been sucking on the DIY diffuser a lot more than the diffuser merits algae-wise; the thing has been clean of algae for a week now.
I think he may be going through withdrawals.
I've seen withdrawals (in people) first-hand and I recognize all the behaviors that indicate a person going through DT's. Hyperactivity, irritability, paranoia...wait, that's how Otos are anyway.
Still, I think my little guy actually has an alcohol problem.

[lookin_around]

Lol an alcoholic Oto...That is Mint! Thats some nice groundcover you've got going. I shiver at the thought of having to trim it all though.

I don't know what it is, but trimming just doesn't seem to be my thing. Those little pieces get everywhere, and then I seem to spend more time trying to scoop them up in my little net than the actual trimming.

Man I need to get pressurized on my tank. Lol I say this after buying a slip on for my bike just yesterday. Gah, I just can't seem to commit to dumping more money into this tank.

[Ugly Genius]

Hey, lookin. Speaking of trimming, I did a bunch yesterday. Good thing about a nano is trimming takes about fifteen minutes.

[CL]

Sharp!
Those carpet plants look stunning!

[KentCurtis]

UG this tank looks awesome. My tank right now only has driftwood as the main hardscape components.... all the local stores only carry some very limited stock of rock/driftwood....it sucks. This take is very inspirational to me - like I told you, I am still waiting on G/F approval to purchase my own ADA mini and light (good lord, see ya $210) haha, but when I do I will be studying these journals of yours!

[Reginald2]

I really love your ground cover. Using several different plants like that really adds some scale.

Looks great. Sorry to hear about your oto, one day at a time.

[JadeIceGreen]

2 days and 74 pages later...
Very good write up UG!! I love your writing. =)

Your foreground of carpet plants is awesome, it takes planning and guts to plant so many different types of plants in such a tight space and nurture them into that sweet looking thing.

I initially wanted to upgrade my Mini M into a 60-P but after reading your threads, you made me realized that instead of always having bigger tanks, we nano planters should be proud about our small tanks and the challenge they present. Granted, big tanks are huge in potential and after planting a 5 feet for my in laws, they are just awesome. But when money and space are not on your side, nanos are extremely cool as well. (Damn, that didn't work, I still want a 7ft planted tank someday... )

And I completely agree with what you said. Rather than spend all your money on one big tank, several small tank gives you the opportunity to have different scapes all at one go. This somehow makes us sane and we don't go jumping about wishing for a gallery like ADA does. (at least it works for me!)

If I may add a little critique, (holds up shield to ward off the Manten, Seiryu, Shou, Ohko and Fuji rocks that are launched at me by UG's fans.. Hey! I am a fan too! Oooo.. that is a big rock you are throwing.. put it down!) you may want to trim the stem plants on the right a little.. I feel that the tank lost a little sense of impact with your main rock and stem plants at the same height, an invisible line has been drawn across the tank at the height.

Or what you can do is to grow stem plants directly behind your main rock and have them drape down a little above the main rock. The stem plants can also then be trimmed at a sloping angle from left to right. This will further highlight the edge of your rock and frame it nicely.

And thanks for Herbert Von Karajan - Beethoven Symphony No. 6 In F Major 'Pastoral'. Its now my new scaping track..

[Ugly Genius]

Thanks, Reg. I'm digging the ground cover, too. Once upon a time, I was a Glosso purist. It was all Glosso or nothing. Times have changed, haven't they?

Jade, never feel you have to protect yourself for having stated an opinion. At least not from me. And pretty much everyone who posts here doesn't look like the stone-throwing type. (Well, maybe one or two are, but they would throw small stones. Underhand. And at your upper arm only.)
Afterall, you made some very good points. I agree with all of them.
The rockscape did loose a lot of "impact" with the inclusion of the stems. And despite constant tweaking on my part, I've yet to nail down the balance of the main rock and stems. I'm still working on it, but it's a slow process as the final image of what I want this tank to look like is still materializing in my mind's eye.
Tonight I will trim the stems down, though. Perhaps that will clear the canvas enough for me to determine how to balance out the 'scape. I have a feeling that I can get this tank where it needs to be without the inclusion of any more plants. It's going to come down to trimming it to where everything balances out.
One day, I hope to get a bigger tank, too. If I'm in this hobby a few years from now, I'll get a big tank. A HUGE one. For years I've been haunted by an image I saw back in Japan of the most beautiful freshwater plant environment about two hours away from Mount Fuji. (I've been meaning to write to you guys about it for almost a year, but keep forgetting. I'll try to write about it soon.) Anyway, part of the environment was a hole in the ground that lead to a cave. I want to recreate that cave in a big tank. (I should mention that it is this freshwater cave that I saw that drives me to make tank after tank in this hobby. It was the first time I ever saw plants pearling, and it was all natural. No CO2, no ferts, and no intervention from man; just a hole in the ground and the most beautiful, pure, and pristine water I had ever seen. I've been chasing that image with every tank I make.)
And thanks for taking the time to read my journals. It's super cool that I have people reading and writing to this thing. I'd like to eventually kick up the entertainment value of these journals by posting video, but, one, I don't have a good video camera, and, two, I have never edited a video in my life. (And, three, most of the videos would probably be of me doing handstands next to each of my tanks with Beethoven music as the soundtrack.)

[Ugly Genius]

A kotatsu is the most awesome piece of furniture you could ever own. I game, watch TV, chill, talk on the phone, and even play with Franny and Zooey under my kotatsu. During winter months, nothing -- not even grappling hooks, which are seriously kick-butt all year round -- is better than a kotatsu.
I found this cool-looking fifteen watt, 6,500k lamp at Lowes the other day and not having a tank on which to put it, I filled yet another bowl with water, added some rocks, and will let this one grow out low-tech on my kotatsu.

See Franny staring at the bowl?
The sad thing is, when I finished filling it with water I understood why she was starting at it.
Their water bowl was empty.
Poor little girl was thirsty and wondering why I was putting her "new" fancy(!) waterbowl so far out of reach.

Dunno what I'll plant in it yet besides the Staurogyne. Probably just some easy-growers to give me something to look at when the levels are loading while playing 360 games.

EDIT:
Forgot, trimmed Riven Impact a bit.

For those of you following this journal for a while, you gotta admit that this incarnation has stayed up from quite a while.
By my standards, at least.

A few hours later...
I finished planting. Mini Java Fern, Anubias Nana "Petite", Crypt Parva, Special Fern, Taiwan Moss, Mini Moss (terrestrial on rock out of water), Staurogyne, Giant Duckweed, and Mini Microsword.

[thief]

Very cool. It looks like we got another hard core halo fanatic like myself eh!!! I should play you one day. Some of the art in that book is awesome too. Great stuff in it, man I can't wait until I am at the point of so many ADA tanks as you are!

[Ugly Genius]

Hey, thief. Yeah, I dig Halo pretty big-time. Except for 2 -- sucked. Very much looking forward to ODST and Reach. I'm on Live as Hapa Jedi. I'm on sporadically, but if you see me and feel like playing, hit me up. (Any here, really.)

[Francis Xavier]

UG, kotatsu are -awesome- especially in japan during the winter when there's usually no centralized heating.

[jarberg27]

I have never posted to this thread. I did not read this thread from start to finish. However, over the last six months, I have read all one thousand one hundred and nine posts. I love Ugly's tanks.

I remember the first time I saw his iwagumi mini-s (back when it still WAS iwagumi). I thought: boring!

Somewhere between then and now I somehow clicked the wrong button and accidentally ordered my own mini-m. It arrives in a few days.

UG: for each of us that comes out of the woodwork with the classic "long time listener, first time poster" there are a dozen more loitering in the back.

You inspire and you provoke. How many posts of yours have I said "I want that. Wait, can I do that? Eh, well, if I can't I just won't post *those* pictures."

But you always post. And for that, I say thank you. On behalf of the masses:

Yours,

constant reader