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

[pejerrey]

Originally Posted by francis xavier

that's why i say there's only the method. The one method that works, in which all others are derivative.

the fx method?

[pejerrey]

Originally Posted by pejerrey

the fx method?

I guess I'm out of the challenge with my non ferts, non co2, akadama soil 6 gal because I use a canister.... Boooo

[FlyingGiraffes]

Vintage ADA, must be a hipster.

[roybot73]

Sweet setup. Wish the "Green Glow" fixtures were still in production. I'll bet that that fixture was used on most, if not all of the 60-P setups throughout the entire "Nature Aquarium World" series. Good stuff.
You score that from Jeff?

[zoragen]

Can't wait to see your tank marko.

I started my foray into planted tanks w/ a 6 gal eclipse for a betta.

Fluorite base & a few plants (crypts, sword, dwarf sag) & minimal ferts.

It's now my quarantine tank - soon to be just a place for a few plants. Which means it will probably become a betta tank again

[Francis Xavier]

Just a small update for right now, as I'm enjoying the Mini M. Without sounding too cliche, it has a 'zen' relaxation for me at the end of a long day.





I added some Amano's which I ordered about 400 of that came straight from Japan. They're the ideal small size and are vigorously eating algae. I have about 300 extra after dispersing them into various tanks. If you need some Amano's I can let em go for $2.25 / ea or 10 for $20 + shipping. Send me a PM, since this isn't a sales thread.

Originally Posted by roybot73

Sweet setup. Wish the "Green Glow" fixtures were still in production. I'll bet that that fixture was used on most, if not all of the 60-P setups throughout the entire "Nature Aquarium World" series. Good stuff.
You score that from Jeff?

The whole system was a gift from my great friend, Luis Navarro. He was downsizing his aquariums at home.

The old Green Glow / NA style 60-P is something I've wanted for a long time for it's sentimental value. While technology has moved on, this particular setup was the quintessential ADA system until the Solar I replaced the Green Glow, and was the foundation for what we have today.

[Lludu]

Originally Posted by Francis Xavier

So here's the parameters:
You decide what the plants will be.
You decide what the limitations on equipment will be.
You decide how much I can spend within reasoning.

The only thing I'll start with is a nano Rimless aquarium (since this has nothing to do with how the 'scape' turns out and the plants grow) and $50 maximum budget allowed to use at my discretion.
The direct objective is to create a "low-tech," tank which is set by current standards and show the effectiveness of The Method.

Plants: Java Ferns, Mosses, Anubias, Crypts

Equipment: HoB Filters (or one of the following Canisters: 2211/13, Zoomed, Toms Rapid), Lighting Fixture under $80, No Pressurized Co2 - Only Flourish/Excel (Liquid Co2), No other additives (unless it is part of your discretionary funds). Eco-Complete, Akadama, AquaSoil, or Fluval Stratums

Pricing: Maximum of $300


I think that will make a very nice low tech tank... thats how I run my tanks and I love them... lets see what you can do with that...

[frrok]

Originally Posted by Francis Xavier

Just a small update for right now, as I'm enjoying the Mini M. Without sounding too cliche, it has a 'zen' relaxation for me at the end of a long day.





I added some Amano's which I ordered about 400 of that came straight from Japan. They're the ideal small size and are vigorously eating algae. I have about 300 extra after dispersing them into various tanks. If you need some Amano's I can let em go for $2.25 / ea or 10 for $20 + shipping. Send me a PM, since this isn't a sales thread.




The whole system was a gift from my great friend, Luis Navarro. He was downsizing his aquariums at home.

The old Green Glow / NA style 60-P is something I've wanted for a long time for it's sentimental value. While technology has moved on, this particular setup was the quintessential ADA system until the Solar I replaced the Green Glow, and was the foundation for what we have today.

Do the Amanos from Japan stay smaller than the one that you can typically get from a lfs?

Just a comment on the relaxing effect of aquariums. I absolutely love this aspect. There is nothing better than coming home to a beautful aquascape. Especially one in the nature aquarium style. Even in my "low tech" Or non-co2 tanks I try to achieve as much of a balance as possible and try to envoke a natural environment. This is very important to me. It's especially important to undertstand some of the philosophy.

[Francis Xavier]

I'll be honest. I was a bit frustrated with how the true "willow" moss is growing in. It just doesn't have the growing patterns that I'm looking for. In a word, I need something that will accrue mass rather than spread like it's Marsilea Minuta for the effect I want.

So, I took to the task of tying new moss (peacock moss from Dollface) to stones and replacing the willow moss.



A little surprised at the growth rate there.



New full tank shot



You can really see how much brighter the layout got with the new moss replacement.

Admittedly, I did keep some of the other willow moss in the back to keep a barrier for the hair grass.

Originally Posted by frrok

Do the Amanos from Japan stay smaller than the one that you can typically get from a lfs?

Just a comment on the relaxing effect of aquariums. I absolutely love this aspect. There is nothing better than coming home to a beautful aquascape. Especially one in the nature aquarium style. Even in my "low tech" Or non-co2 tanks I try to achieve as much of a balance as possible and try to envoke a natural environment. This is very important to me. It's especially important to undertstand some of the philosophy.

They will eventually get larger. But getting them while they're smaller size is primo since they'll eat more algae than the larger / older guys. Of course the females are always huge and the males stay smaller.

[Francis Xavier]

A side note: all that hc and riccia was looser plant growth from dead or dying particles still in the substrate. Amano's act as a sort of trimming force for weaker plants too. I was far too lazy to remove those from the filter last night.

[Francis Xavier]

I'd like to share a special event with you all today:

It is the 20th anniversary of Aqua Design Amano's corporate history.

On this day, April 12, 1992, Aqua Design Amano was officially incorporated in Japan. Of course, Aqua Design Amano was originally founded in 1980 by Takashi Amano when he was only 26 years old! Until 1992 it was a privately held small firm, when, upon release of Nature Aquarium World, the company went incorporated and began it's global expansion.

Since that time, it's been a hell of a ride for the hobby - it's seen many things come and go. The advent of the internet has spread it farther than any other singular means before, and with it, the message of the planted aquarium.

I'd like to share with you the following story:

A story of Takashi Amano's childhood:

In the post-war days in Japan there were no refrigerators, so people who lived in the interior couldn't eat fresh seafood. As children, we often caught carp for our families, especially in my home town where we had large expanses of wetlands.

Our fishing method was a primitive one: we would scoop the water along the banks with a net that was tied to a bamboo pole! Of course, there was always the more dangerous approach, where we would dam up the ends of a big submerged pipe, empty out the water with buckets and then climb in to get fish, hishi, lotus and other plants. What we brought home to our families from these trips was an important source of protein back in those days.

The catch was always evenly divided, using a fair method of rock-paper-scissors. However, if we had the fortune of coming across a colorful tanago (bitterling) or goby, one of us would always enthusiastically give up our entire share of the catch for the privilege of bringing home this living beauty.

The lucky boy would lovingly carry the fish home in one of the rubber shoes we all wore in those days. The shoe would be filled with water for the fish, for the two kilometer (1.25 miles) walk home. The road was so stony that it would leave bloody blisters on the boy's feet.

The feet would make it, bloody as they were, but the fish, due to heat and lack of oxygen never made it home alive. I was scolded many times for coming home empty-handed this way.

There were many plants in the wetlands that resembled the two-temple and Hygrophila that I use today in my aqua scapes. The abundant plants (sasabanohiromo, mizuoobako (ottelia) Matsumo, and mizuwarabi) were a beautiful sight in the water.

When I finally broke some of these plants off and stuffed them into my shoes, the fish, amazingly, survived the trip home!

Many of my layouts come from childhood memories like this one.

In honor of the 20th anniversary, and due to people asking me, I have a limited quantity of open substrate additives (Bacter 100, Clear Super, Tourmaline BC, Penac P and W), which I can portion together in mixed bags for uses on 5-20 gallon tanks for $25 ($32 shipped) while my supply lasts. You can pm me for details if you'd like to try them.

[@marko@]

is that from one of his books? i remember reading that somewhere.

pmed about the substrate additives.

[Francis Xavier]

I just added a table of contents of some of the most noteworthy articles here.

There are 28 unique, fully fledged articles on mastery of the planted aquarium.

I only selected the most useful posts to feature here in the table of contents - points of interest and particular areas of valuable information for future reference.

Can you believe it! 28 articles from one aquarium. That's more than most informational booklets, blogs and forum threads get over a life time and it's only been three weeks.

Truly, you can improve your aquascaping and planting skills immensely just by using this thread as an informational source.

Originally Posted by @marko@

is that from one of his books? i remember reading that somewhere.

pmed about the substrate additives.

Yes, the story was from the original Nature Aquarium World book - which I edited and rewrote to modernize the language.

[pejerrey]

Originally Posted by Lludu

Plants: Java Ferns, Mosses, Anubias, Crypts

Equipment: HoB Filters (or one of the following Canisters: 2211/13, Zoomed, Toms Rapid), Lighting Fixture under $80, No Pressurized Co2 - Only Flourish/Excel (Liquid Co2), No other additives (unless it is part of your discretionary funds). Eco-Complete, Akadama, AquaSoil, or Fluval Stratums

Pricing: Maximum of $300


I think that will make a very nice low tech tank... thats how I run my tanks and I love them... lets see what you can do with that...

Sorry, I need to ask:

is the tank i posted before a "low tech" then? -Confused-

What's in it:
- 15x9x10. ~6 gallon.
- Eheim 2213 Rated 50 gal. max. Running a diy UGF
-planted Cascade 200 HOB filter with activated carbon and fluval media and fluval sponge pre filter.. Rated 50 gal. max.
- Internal heater.
- Some fissidens, lots of limnophila, and a nice sized farm of the coveted mini-Xmas moss, lobelia cardinalis, red cabomba, dwarf anubias, etc.
- Archaea 27x2 10,000k light fixture
- yamaya Rocks
-akadama double red line substrate
- Only DI water.
- No ferts, no CO2/excel.
- 1CPO, 12+SS CRS and many Fire Reds

[Francis Xavier]

Originally Posted by @marko@

ill join in too, if youll have me.
i always see bettas kept in barebottom jars, or in unscaped tanks with just some anubias and hornwort thrown in. im sick of it.
i will build not just a betta tank, but a low-light divided betta barracks, from a 5.5 gal. and by god, im going to scape the little 4x8 plots, and make them look good (or eat my words ).

Great Marko! The important lesson isn't so much to focus on being low-tech, as it is an exercise in methodology. Whether it is "high-tech," or "low-tech," (as we discussed, this only applies to describing equipment, not plants or method) the exact same patterns, scaping and growing methods are the same.

The only difference is a few small details (relative to the larger picture).

Start out with as many plants as possible!

Originally Posted by Seattle_Aquarist

Hi Frank,

Nice looking setup!

BTW, you are way too young to be "Kicking it old school" lol

Great to hear from you Roy!

Haha, I would agree with the age, but I still have a special place in my heart for the original equipment used!

You had a few great planted aquariums going last I saw you - how are things going with them and the GSAS?