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

[Geniusdudekiran]

I just really wish it were lower...

[brooks54@comcast.net]

I see everyone subscribing to your post. How do I do that so I can follow along in my adventures in starting a planted tank. I'm sure your posting this will be of great help to this noob.

[2wheelsx2]

Originally Posted by brooks54@comcast.net

I see everyone subscribing to your post. How do I do that so I can follow along in my adventures in starting a planted tank. I'm sure your posting this will be of great help to this noob.

By posting, you've subbed, if your profile is set for that (I think that's the default). If not, you can go to the top of page, click on "Thread Tools" and you'll see a subscribe button.

[brooks54@comcast.net]

Originally Posted by 2wheelsx2

By posting, you've subbed, if your profile is set for that (I think that's the default). If not, you can go to the top of page, click on "Thread Tools" and you'll see a subscribe button.

Thanks 2wheelsx2. Going to Thread Tools and then selecting subscribe did the trick

[trenton]

I agree with other peoples comments, the legs are distracting from rimless tank.

I also think it would look better if the legs were the same thickness as the tank glass and if the colour of the acrylic was matched to that of the glass to make it a more unified look.
It is still pretty slick though!

By the way. I have been watching this thread for quite a while and have pulled quite a bit of invaluable information from it. Great job on your how-to entries. Very helpful!

[orchidman]

I'm not a fan of how it looks either. It looks too chunky. I like the solar series better!

[@marko@]

to be honest, im not that crazy about the fixture itself. i think it is larger than it needs to be. they could have made the acylic top smaller, to just be a small edge around the LED setup, and the legs could be a lot thinner.
the light however, looks very nice and bright. can you control any of the LEDs separately (turn only some on, dim some, etc.)? thats what i find alluring about LEDs (yet to actually shell out the cash for one), that you can have a legit sunrise/set, and different colored LEDs in on at different times to simulate clouds vs full sun, and stuff like that. they give much more control than the crappy power compacts i have been using.

[Francis Xavier]

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.

[frrok]

is adg going to be selling that Unzan stone?

[Francis Xavier]

Yes, as well as branch wood & horn wood.

Will be up probably Monday or Tuesday.

[2wheelsx2]

Nice vesicular basalt.

[freph]

Got any leftover tennellus/riccia/etc you're willing to sell? I'd be happy to take it off of your hands.

[icepotato89]

cool light, if it were me i would try bury one of the stones deeper. at the moment they look a bit too symetrical to my eyes. awesome thread!

[CmLaracy]

Originally Posted by icepotato89

cool light, if it were me i would try bury one of the stones deeper. at the moment they look a bit too symetrical to my eyes. awesome thread!

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

[orchidman]

i agree. although im sure you have a good reason for what you did, to my untrained eye it looks like the stones are wayyy to similar...


and seeing the aquasky now, i wish the legs were shorter, just like kiran said!