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Frank's Planted Tank How-To Mini Novel - The Mini S Returns! New Layout

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#1 · (Edited)
This Journal is dedicated to Khoa Pham. The first person I ever taught Nature Aquarium to - and the first real customer I ever had. May the teachings in this Journal bring the same joy to others as it did to him.

Cryptkeeper54 converted the first half of the thread into an eBook available for download here, the eBook contains the final photo of the Mini M layout which the first half of the thread covers - which has not yet been published anywhere else, so be sure to check out he gorgeous HD photograph!

Follow Me On:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/iaquascape
Facebook: http://facebook.com/fwazeter
Tumblr: http://wazeter.tumblr.com

Instagram: @fwazeter

Communicating with me outside Social Platforms:

Email: fxiv@me.com
TEL: 832-459-5172

Table of Contents:

Opening ACT 1 - New Layout Mayhem!

1. Introduction - Page 1

2. Getting Started - Step 1 - Page 2, Post 19

3. Setting the Substrate - Step 2 - Page 2, Post 25

4. Penac Pearling - Page 5, Post 64

5. Laying out a hardscape - Stone Arrangement: Step 3 - Page 5, Post 73

6. Basic Maintenance - Page 5, Post 74

7. Philosophy - Enjoying the Process - Page 6, Post 83

8. Planting and Planning for a Mixed Carpet: Step 4 - Page 7, Post 91

9. First Month Filter Setup & Day 5 maintenance: Step 5 - Page 8, Post 111

10. Aquarium Data - Equipment Used - Page 10, Post 143

11. How Co2 is distributed by water with a diffuser - Page 11, Post 160

12. Trimming Carpet Plants - Page 13, Post 191

13. End of Week 1 - Page 13, Post 195

14. Modifying the Layout - Removing an unnecessary element - Page 16, Post 231

15. Trimming Riccia - Page 18, Post 269

16. Size: Large vs. Small Aquaria, thoughts - Page 19, Post 280

17. A word on the International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest - Page 19, Post 284

18. End of Week 2 - Page 20, Post 286

19. Introduction to A New Way of Thinking: Why what you may have learned could be wrong - Page 21, Post 312

20. A New Way of Thinking: There is No Such Thing as Multiple Methods - Page 22, Post 325

21. A New Way of Thinking: Invalidating the Theory of "High Tech" - Page 22, Post 328

22. The NO B.S. Introduction to "The Method" - Page 23, Post 334

23. NO B.S. Method - The Most Important Post I've Ever Written - Page 23, Post 345

24. Removing Diatom Algae and Week 3 Tank Update - Page 24, Post 359

25. End of Week 3 - Week 1, 2, 3 Comparison Overview - Page 25, Post 371

26. The Method - Principle One: Malthusian Organisms - Page 25, Post 374

27. THE CHALLENGE! - Page 26, Post 382

28. ADA's 20th Anniversary (Takashi Amano Story) & Making a Small Layout Adjustment - Page 29, Post 431

29. The Method - Principle Two: The Law of Minimums - Page 31, Post 456

30. The Method - Principle Three: The Cyclical Nature of the Aquarium - Page 32, Post 471

31. Week 4/5 Celebration Video Coverage! The Beauty of Riccia Fluitans! - Page 33, Post 486

32. The final published shot of the aquarium before contest entry - Page 35, Post 514

BEGIN INTERMISSION! Fun Stuff in Between Works!

33. Trimming Riccia Video - Page 36, Post 538

34. Removing BBA manually - Page 39, Post 571

35. Aquatic Poetry?! And 720p video of the Layout - Page 39, Post 579

36. Frank Wazeter on Blog Talk Radio! Aquascaping Discussion. - Page 40, Post 588

ACT TWO: Enter LED Lighting Technology and a brand new layout!

37. The Arrival of Nature Aquarium's First Ever LED light: AQUASKY!Page 45, Post 664

38. AQUASKY's Premiere - Solar Mini M retired, AQUASKY on a fresh canvas - Page 45, Post 670

39. The Tear Down of "San Marcos River Summer," and the Creation of the New Layout - Page 46, Post 683

40. Maintenance Regime on the Mini M! - Page 47, Post 692

41. Grow out of the Mini M - Days 1-7 Comparisons between Old and New - Page 47, Post 704

42. The 60-P Developing with it's semi-permanent Cameo Appearance! - Page 47, Post 705

43. What has beautiful inlay designs and optimal functionality? ADA Anniversary Premium Goods! - Page 48, Post 712

44. Getting rid of that bothersome algae on the glass - the easy way. - Page 48, Post 715

45. Pencilfish Hunting in Riccia & the 60-P props back up again! - Page 49, Post 726

46. Autumnal Hues with the Beautiful Rotala Colorata - Page 49, Post 733

47. Sad News - The passing of my first student. Rest in Peace my friend. - Page 50, Post 736

48. When stem plants become brilliant and add dynamism to the layout -60-P - Page 50, Post 746

49. Time Elapse and Algae Killing in three days in the 60-P - Page 51, Post 751

50. Taking down Khoa Pham's aquarium & Mini M update - Page 51, Post 753

51. It's all in the Details - adjustments on the Mini M with Unzan Stone - Page 52, Post 767

52. Coming up next - the beautiful Microrasbora Kubotai! - Page 52, Post 776

53. Microrasbora Kubotai, subtle coloration adds an incredible dynamic to the layout. - Page 53, Post 782

54. Nano Fish Acclimation Guide! How to get 100% survival rates with ease! - Page 53, Post 789

55. Bringing the Layout to life with Fish - going from "cool" to "lost in the aquarium." - Page 54, Post 797

56. Mystic Photograph of the Kubotai + eBook Remastering of Act 1 - Page 55, Post 819

57. Ranking #127 in the IAPLC (international aquatic plant layout contest) and personal critique by Mr. Amano - an epic end to a great layout. - Page 58, Post 865


ACT I Finale Shot - #127 IAPLC 2012


ACT II Finale



"How do I create a beautiful mixed carpet in my planted tank?"

If you've ever wondered how to create a mixed carpet for your planted aquarium or amazed at how Amano does it, through the course of this thread you will learn how to grow just that.

Sometimes, the task can seem impossible or overwhelming. So before I really begin to share these secrets, allow me to bring you along my history and development with planted tanks. You will see how you can create a fantastic layout, even if you are starting from humble origins.

Sit back, relax and read every word carefully, because it all starts with a vision:

My Background History:

At this point, I've thoroughly mastered growing single carpets as can be illustrated here:




Of course, this would also include your foreground and background stuff (for example, HC and hair grass), as you can see a relatively old example here:



That one kind of brings me back. Dollface might hate that photograph.

An older (yet more recent example) of an aquarium I never quite did take a finished photograph of:



That one taught me quite a few lessons about riccia: you see those bald stones? that was from a few pieces of riccia that were "spoiled" when they arrived, Lesson: always use the greenest and freshest riccia!

Something Important to Know: I will always recommend that you master growing one species of plant at a time, for example: an iwagumi that's all hair grass or hc, or microsword etc.

Why? because this will give you the greatest skill in manipulating, shaping the plants growth, while knowing at what speed it grows and what it's nutrient requirements are. Think of it like breaking down a math problem into easy, simple to digest and understand components in order to solve a very complex problem (in this case, the mixed carpet).

Along the way there have also been some mishaps and failures:

How about this blast from the past (2008? 2009? I think):



This was my first ever attempt at a mixed carpet. It went surprisingly well, but I never did try to that extent again. See a close up from Glosso and HC growing together:



Oh, and of course, there was the first iwagumi:



I didn't even remember that somehow I had managed to get Riccia to intertwine with HC in that layout (e.g. it was a Random A$$ Accident) :



Oh boy! Look at that algae! Honestly I think that accidental mixing has been my best attempt yet...3-4 years ago...

And finally, there was my very, very first planted tank:



Man, how embarrassing is that?

There have been some other successes and failures over the course, but honestly? The failures teach you the most. The successes just give you some extra confidence.

Which brings me to some other examples:



I probably should have spent some time polishing that one up a bit. Now that I look back on it, the sparser growth actually creates a nice effect for what I was trying to achieve.



This was the very first layout I had worked on at Aquarium Design Group: and also the first time I had done -anything- with driftwood. I wish I had taken a full shot of this tank then.



With that said, what's the next objective? Mastering the Mixed Carpet.

Before I delve more into How-To and the fun of keeping the journal going, let me preface:

There will be mistakes. There will be frustration. And my intent is to teach you how to master these principles so that you can learn quicker than me. This is why I've had a lot of fun going over some of my past layouts, success, failures, embarrassments and all.

So, without further ado, here is the newest layout I've set up at home:





I promise not to bore you with equipment details: I'll only share them when necessary and when it's valuable and worth your time to know.

Before we go on further, I have a homework assignment for you:

Important Exercise:Visualize your ultimate layout you want for your aquarium. Now, picture yourself successfully planting each individual plant, and then watch the plants grow. Imagine problems coming up and solving the problem. Watch as the aquascape evolves from freshly planted to completed, and imagine how you feel when you've accomplished the task.

Now sit back, subscribe and continue to watch for updates to take the next step, and the next exercise. Make sure you catch me on my next major update where I'll teach you the fundamentals behind setting the substrate, and if you're lucky, the arrangement of the stones!

P.S. if you've found these techniques valuable, help share the information with new comers by linking back here in your own journals when you use my techniques!

Member Highlights! Check out these people and their awesome work:

Here are some of my students who are also members of TPT (message me if you aren't listed and should be, or if you are listed and feel you shouldn't or don't want to be!) :

These people all share a passion for planted aquariums and have had great success moving forward! Cheer them on as they work their way towards being masters of the planted tank universe.

Khoa N. Pham -



http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=122232

fplata -






http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=181063



freph -





http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=181281

mluk27 -





http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=174106&highlight=mluk27

Dave Allen -



http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=184547

Dollface -





http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=170180

pejerrey -





http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=169143

ozydego -





http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=181009

dantra - http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=161640

frrok -



http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=160093

flyinghellfish -



http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/member.php?u=49336

orchidman -



http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=188790

Brian MC - http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/member.php?u=51675

2wheelsx2 -



http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/member.php?u=6864

Jeff5614 -





http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=107781

Lludu - http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/member.php?u=52328

Zeldar -



http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=186330
 
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35
#683 ·
The tear down



I took down the old layout, and had about enough plant matter to fill a 60-P (24" x 14" footprint).

In taking out the old main stone, I had forgotten just how large the stone was - removing it revealed a gaping chasm of untouched aquasoil and a root density from the plants so thick that there was nothing but a wall of white surrounding it.

Before the tear down, I of course got a final shot for IAPLC - but you'll have to wait to see that photo for a while, unfortunately.

Onwards, to the new layout

With the amount of plant matter I had, I was lucky that's wanted to reuse much of the same plants. It's important to have a degree of repetition as you learn, so you can truly master how each plant grows for increasingly complex layouts.




Divider for sand and aqua soil - sand in the front and Bacter 100, Clear Super, Tourmaline BC, Penac W and Penac P under where the Aqua Soil Amazonia will go

For this layout I want to use sand and the new Unzan stone - sand + Riccia is a combo I've longed wanted to do. I briefly thought about driftwood and stems, but I have stems going in the 60-P and I really wanted to use Unzan stone, so that won the day.

You can see in the above photo my make shift divider for where aqua soil is - I used all of the substrate additives to create that base of bacteria and acidity neutralizing positive effects of Penac, etc (which, evidently is used in Germany to remove toxic sludge from environments and aid in root development of new plants).



Final Fantasy divider and AQUASKY - a match made in heaven.

A fun filled fact - Square is the same age I am - and company launched in the same month no less!

Being too lazy to take photos of Riccia stone tying and hair grass planting, I'll move on:



Unzan stone has nifty pockets which can be filled with aqua soil (or have a wabi kusa planted in them) - since I haven't got a wabi kusa that size - I've opted to fill with aqua soil, but first I put one spoon of Bacter 100 and Clear Super in the pockets before filling with aqua soil - this way the tennellus I plan to put there has direct access to the same beneficial effects.

Mini M layout: Shimmer Sands



Plants:

Dwarf Hair Grass (eleocharis acicularis)
Riccia Fluitans
E. tennellus

Stone:

Unzan stone

Nile Sand + Aqua Soil & Additives - no power sand this time since the slope in the back isn't as dramatic and there is only limited areas of soil.

Dosing, first week:

Brighty K ( 1 squirt) + Green Bacter (5-6 drops)





Once the roots of the tennellus get established I'll trim them down to the base - right now they're a bit overbearing.
 
#689 ·
Gotta agree with this, the stones look like identical twins. Not only are they VERY simliar stones in almost every way, they are also arranged in almost the same exact way. One of them could definitely use some turning and lowering as icepotato mentions; I'd say the right one for sure, as opposed to the left. Also, it looks good right now, but between how intense the light is and how high up it is, that tenellus in the stone will quickly become way to thick IME. Looks promising though. I like the in-depth progression in this journal, very informative regardless of if you agree with it all or not :thumbsup:
 
#692 ·
I set out on my normal water regime for a new tank - if you've been keeping up so far then you know the method calls for one water change a day for the first week.

For your viewing pleasure, I have wonderfully unique photographs of the tank looking almost exactly as it did a two days ago.

Except one photo has half the water in it:



And the other is presumably after the water change, I could have just photoshopped it though:



(it really is after the water change).

This layout will go quick - I'm invisioning simulans tetra as the go to guys maybe even some microrasbora kubotai - since they won't get as drowned out in this layout.

And to round out the day, here is a cameo of the 60-P:

 
#694 ·
Yes: laziness and no sense of urgency (substrate line).

If I had a carpeting plant I'd have an extreme sense of urgency to get it and keep it straight.

But here I'll wait until water changes are twice a week to bother since nothing will grow with the sand
 
#697 ·
Yeah, the R. Colorata kind of took over. It's a super thick bush now. Also, it was supposed to be more orangish, but everything in that tank, if it can turn red, is the deepest possible red it can be.

R. Wallichi is in there, R. Bangladesh (which you can literally watch grow a few inches in an hour once it gets going) and D. Diandra. Also some H. Pinnatafolia, which I'll have to watch since it's behaved and stayed small - which means in about a week I am betting it explodes in size.

In the end there may be too much red!

sounds like a good reason, lol!

you do water changes everyday for the 1st week, every other day for the 2nd week, and two times a week for the 3rd week?
Yes.
 
#704 ·
I'm sorry for the lack of updates of late guys & gals.

Honestly, it's been a bit hectic keeping pace with demand lately!

I did, however get to take pictures along the way.


Day 4:




The Amazing part here - is that after such a short period of time the Riccia is 'standing up,' and growing in very small and tight. Normally the time it took for it to begin growing like this under MH and CF bulbs was about 1.5-2 weeks, and the leaf pattern was broader and wider until trimming occurred.

Day 5:



Day 7:



By the end of the first week the Riccia was nearly fully grown in, standing tall and very very tiny.

Also, at the end of Day 7, I began dosing Green Brighty Special Lights, so the dosing became x1 Special Lights + x1 Brighty K (squirts).

Day 9:



Day 10:



The Former Layout:

Day 3:



Day 4:



Day 6:



Day 7:



Day 8:



Day 11:



With the previous Solar Mini M - it took til the 11th day for Riccia to start really pearling, etc.

The difference between growth patterns here, is that under the Solar Mini M it grew much taller and broader. Under the AQUASKY, it's been coming in a lot shorter and much, much thinner, more nano sized.

The Tennellus and the Hair Grass though, are definitely going through some adjustments, they're transition from the light types and uprooting / re-planting. New growth is clean and slender in, which tells me that both plants should be trimmed here in the next few days. Root growth is pitch white - an excellent sign of health in plants.
 
#708 ·
With the previous Solar Mini M - it took til the 11th day for Riccia to start really pearling, etc.

The difference between growth patterns here, is that under the Solar Mini M it grew much taller and broader. Under the AQUASKY, it's been coming in a lot shorter and much, much thinner, more nano sized.
Why do you think that is? What about people who want taller and broader? I'm having a tough time keeping my HC Cuba "big" and "wide", would the small size be an indicator of low Co2?



I glanced over your thread on the lights, I guess ADA keeping it's trade secret because I'm not sure what makes these LEDs different from others. Regardless, I actually really want to get one, it's just ADA products are kind of non-existance up here in Canada.

Did you happen to measure the PAR of the lights?
 
#705 ·
For those looking to the 60-P, here are more recent photos after a trim.

After trim:





Today, two days later after trim right after lights came on:



The layout here is approaching its final shot for completion. Stems usually take about a 3 month process of trimming and pruning to get a full bodied look.

Daily Dosing: Brighty K x8 squirts, Green Brighty Step 1 x8 squirts

ECA x10 drops, Phyton Git x8 drops, Green Gain x5 drops.

After water change: Green Bacter x15 drops
 
#706 ·
Its incredible the difference between the AQUASKY and Solar mini, makes me want one even more. I really love the rock in there too. Does the LED have a ripple effect like a MH?

The 60p is looking incredible, I love the red stem plant. It should look incredible when the stem plants grow in more in the back.
 
#710 ·
Speaking of which, Frank actually suggested I go miyabi when I asked him about an ADA set up. Very nice of him looking out for the hobbyist instead of being all business. I'm east coast and they are west, I'll inquire about shipping.

Anyways, nice progress you got going, I like the new look. Wish my HC Cuba were all uniform in size like yours.
 
#712 ·
Anniversary Premium Goods are here!!

And they are gorgeous. I couldn't resist putting together a set of my own from the initial order.

Pro Razor Mini, Anniversary


I honestly didn't expect the patterning to be this cool!


Pro Scissors Short Type - Silver


A Fancy Shot - The other tool is Pro Scissors Short - Black & Silver Pattern


I didn't buy one of these yet (quantities are extremely limited) - but the laser engraving here is beautiful on the Co2 Advanced System





I'll have some "action shots" later.
 
#715 ·
A Post of Some Value Rather than just shiny pictures

So it's gotten to be about time to trim everything back. I have to admit, I didn't expect Tennellus to have such a rough transition time from the last layout (it had a lot of melting here), but all is well.

Today, I'm going to do just some regular maintenance after the two week mark:

1. Clean Filter Hose and Lily Pipes
2. Clean Diffuser
3. Clean Algae off the glass of the tank
4. Trim



Pro Razor Mini is my new favorite tool ever. It's infinitely easier to scrape algae off the glass with this tool, due to the long handle (and consequently your hand not getting in the way). I can't believe I didn't buy one of these earlier.



When scraping the algae off the glass, make clean straight "up and down" passes - from top of the tank, to the top of th esubstrate layer. Only one or two passes should get everything off the glass and you'll be good to go.







Before moving on to trimming, I'm going to go ahead and take the dirty diffuser and clean it up real quick. Putting 1-2 capfuls of Superge into a Clean Bottle filled to the neck line (the point where the container goes from a 90 degree angle to a 45 degree angle) is sufficient enough to totally clean and polish the glassware.

I put my lily pipes here too for nano size.



Easy!



Now it's time for the trim. Here I'm going to go ahead and cut the Tennellus all the way down to the base, as well as the Hair Grass in the back, and surprisingly, the Riccia in the front. When you trim you might as well go trim everything to keep the timing of the layout in sync.

Using Pro Scissors Short - Curve Type, Anniversary Black & Silver.



And we're all done! The diffuser and Lily Pipes are all nice and clean (I didn't get any photos of cleaning tubing with Spring Washer's, since I was distracted by a conversation, but that was the other step, just simply putting a spring washer brush through the lily pipes and tubes).

You can also see the results of the trimming here.

Dosing: Green Bacter after water change.

Alternating: Green Brighty Step 1 & Special Lights every other day x2 squirts, Brighty K x2 squirts.

Amano shrimp will need to be added sometime in the next week or so - there's some nice brown algae for them to munch on and devour.
 
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