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

385K views 1K replies 153 participants last post by  skarpy 
#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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#967 ·
Now let's see how you fix it! My tank is going though the same thing! I literaly told myself yesterday "ugh I should probably just start over" but I really don't want to have to start over. I love the scape and want to get it back on track.
 
#969 ·
So the aquarium is out of hand and the task is to get it back to recovery. At the moment, it looks quite disheartening and you're unsure if it is even worth trying to recover it.

Fortunately, in this case here, the problem is much easier to deal with than it looks. The algae that has formed in this initial period and has been allowed to get out of control is a soft, green filamentous algae and diatoms (brown). Congealed together it looks nice and nasty and boggy though!

That being said, this kind of algae, left unresolved, often helps lead to more complicated algae types later. We've also got this nice little issue at the top of the aquarium where what looks like some kind of fungus is growing from the evaporated water levels, and there's hard water stains everywhere.

We're going to fix 90% of the problem within 30 minutes.

Step 1

Turn the filter and co2 off and Remove all that glassware from the tank!


algaediffuser by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

The diffuser taken off!


lilypipeadd by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

The inflow pipe


outflowpipe by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

The outflow pipe.

Now, add one capful of Superge to a Clean Bottle (bleach can also be used, though Superge has a polishing agent for glass added to it, so it's up to your preference) :


onecapsuperge by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

Then follow up by adding all three pieces of glassware into the Clean Bottle, shutting the lid and put it off to the side for a little while (20 minutes)


placeglassinsuperge by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

It's very important here that we sanitize the glassware from algae at this stage. Algae on the diffusion disc will make co2 delivery less effective, while algae in the inflow and outflow pipes will reduce flow. Additionally, if we were to clean the rest of the aquarium and leave these out, then we'd still have the unsightly algae on the glass in the aquarium. Besides the algae being unsightly, it will also provide a good place for the algae to recuperate and grow from - leading to another outbreak quicker.

Follow up to Step 1:

Remove the clear hose & filter tubing from the canister filter and place it to the side - we'll come back to that later. At this stage, drain water from the canister filter completely into a bucket.

Step 2:

It's time to tackle the algae! Use a Pro Razor Mini or other Razor blade and scrape the algae off the glass.


algaescrape by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

Use vertical strokes going up and down to thoroughly remove algae from the glass - follow this up with another round going horizontal to remove any troublesome algae that stays behind.

By looking at the glass in the aquarium from an angle, you can see exactly where the algae is.

For hard water stains, use the pro razor to scrape away the hard water, and using some of the aquarium water, rub it against the glass, this will help dissolve and remove the hard water stains from glass quickly.

Step 3:

Drain the aquarium completely - today we'll use a normal 10mm diameter hose to remove the water and remove heavy algae from the area. Stir up the sand with the pro razor to get any algae in the sand loose for removal with the hose.

Let the aquarium sit there for a moment while you tackle the next task.

Step 4:

Remove the glassware from the Clean Bottle while near a sink and run a spring washer through the glass pipes to remove any remaining algae. Rinse thoroughly in water and set them to the side. Use the spring washer to clean out the clear hose from the filter and thoroughly remove any built up algae in the tubing.

For the diffuser, simply rinse thoroughly under the sink until you can no longer smell a chemical odor coming from the glass. Bring these back to the aquarium with you!

Step 5:

Fill the aquarium back up with water, for nano size, typically a small pale (such as one you'd use to water plants) is sufficient - pour water over your hand or a plate slowly to prevent disrupting the substrate.

Once the aquarium is full with water, remove any remaining hard water stains (in this case with the aquasky light as well - running a microfiber cloth over the acrylic casing (separated from the light) removed water stains after an initial dipping into water).

The best technique at this point is to use your hand to rub the hard water stains around the rim, and follow up quickly with a towel or microfiber cloth to dry.

Step 6:

Place the filter & co2 back up, turn both on.

-Dose Brighty K
-Dose Green Bacter
-Dose Green Brighty Step 1

It's important at this stage to not hold back with your fertilization - as this primarily will only inhibit plant growth more than prevent algae growth. It is useful after this point to dose phyton git, which helps kill algae as a phystoncide. I've noticed that use of this product regularly as a preventative measure helps lesson the impact of algae outbreaks in general.

Aside from that, Day 1, 30 minutes later is complete and there will be one follow up water change tomorrow!


day1finished by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr
 
#971 ·
Spreading Bacter 100 over the top, or dosing Arethra Myacin (spelling butchered there) will kill BGA.

Use an airline hose before hand to manually remove as much as possible before dosing. Then follow up with the Bacter 100 or Myacin.

Once you kill it once, it won't come back - but if you let it get infected to the root level, it is considerably more difficult to kill and will require repeat dosings and treatments.
 
#975 ·
Adding floating plants would only further shade the layout and inhibit the growth of the plants underneath - if you were to add, I would add more plants that survive in the substrate.

The best thing to do is to keep up with the tank, use it as a learning exercise and start budgeting for a very basic Co2 system and light - it'll definitely earn you a lot of return on your dollar over time.
 
#978 ·
If the aquarium is totally grown in or mostly full - then this hints at a filtration capacity problem (or again, the co2 consistency issue), speaking in terms of biological filtration capacity.
It is mostly full I would say, but only because I planted it to the amount I wanted it, knowing the plants wouldn't grow fast. So it is full because I planted it not because the plants filled in. If that makes sense...could be filtration. How does filtration directly affect algae? Would you suggest changing from 50/50 mechanical to bio media to 100% bio media?
 
#979 ·
It is mostly full I would say, but only because I planted it to the amount I wanted it, knowing the plants wouldn't grow fast. So it is full because I planted it not because the plants filled in. If that makes sense...could be filtration. How does filtration directly affect algae? Would you suggest changing from 50/50 mechanical to bio media to 100% bio media?
I will speak on this, even though you are asking Frank, I have done many low tech tanks without hard to grow plants (HC for example) with no CO2.

The first key thing is having the right amount of light. It may or may not be low light. I like CFL bulbs on nano tanks because you can go from low light to high light by swapping bulbs. I get two sets of bulbs, starting with the lower and if I don't see good color I up the light (more important than growth to me because good color will get good growth). Good color is relative here because you won't get crazy rich colors with the amount of light that is reasonable. You saw the plants I sent you, that wasn't great color, even for low tech but they all had color.


Filtration, IMO, isn't as significant but you want good filtration. More good bacteria, more good happens in the tank. However, I have had plenty of low tech tanks that didn't have great filtration that worked great.

Watch what happens after water changes. If you get algae afterwards, do smaller, or less often, or smaller less often. That changes the CO2 level. Even though you are not injecting CO2, their is CO2 in the water. Large water changes lead to inconstant CO2 levels.
 
#982 ·
Re: Frank's Planted Tank How-To Mini Novel - ALGAE MESS! and how to fix it fast!

Maybe you can answer this one Frank. My stems will not grow vertical.. all to the side under the aquasky. Right now my co2 is around 1-1.5 bps and dosing one pump each daily. Everything was good until now, I'm starting to get some algae on glass. Not diatoms but green stringy one. What would you say is different here compared to ada view mini m setup. In 8 days the stems were to surface (2" growth). Mine are making new leaves and shoots but refuse to go up. Perhaps the reason of growth rate and algae is a sign up needing more nutrients? If my light is so high couldn't I bump the co2 to 2bps, and raise ferts to two pumps or is there something I am missing?

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
 
#983 ·
Maybe you can answer this one Frank. My stems will not grow vertical.. all to the side under the aquasky. Right now my co2 is around 1-1.5 bps and dosing one pump each daily. Everything was good until now, I'm starting to get some algae on glass. Not diatoms but green stringy one. What would you say is different here compared to ada view mini m setup. In 8 days the stems were to surface (2" growth). Mine are making new leaves and shoots but refuse to go up. Perhaps the reason of growth rate and algae is a sign up needing more nutrients? If my light is so high couldn't I bump the co2 to 2bps, and raise ferts to two pumps or is there something I am missing?

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
I sure can explain it.

Aside from the fact that the Niigata gallery sits on a special magnetic spot on the planet which polarizes nature for optimal growth, it's a pretty easy explanation.

ADA exclusively uses wabi kusa now - which are basically plants "pre-growing" while being farmed. This means that when they use a wabi kusa, the plant in question has already been well established, has everything it needs to grow and is optimally healthy in most cases.

A similar kind of advantage can be had with Tissue Culture plants because they arrive healthier at your door and make an easier transition to a planted tank.

Where as when we get other plants, even from living-but-sub-optimal tanks, they have to 1.) Get cut, 2.) planted, 3.) make transitions and adjust to a new environment where all the variables are still up in the air.

If you look at earlier Amano work and time lapses - you'll see growth similar to yours, and it's not typically until the end of the first month that the stems are at the top.

If you're starting from zero by using a normal plant (non wabi kusa, non tissue culture propagated), then basically starting with tissue culture is like +1, and bona fide wabi kusa is +3.

Basically the stems you have now are doing a very common plant strategy for dominance in their environment - they're growing out to cover ground so they can grow up to shade out other plants. You can steadily increase you dosages without much issue and just keep things going.

The wabi kusa with Rotala green in it just has like 10 trillion individual stems in it, so they're already "spread out" and they have no choice but to go up except on the periphery. Like my 60-P at home now, which had a rough start, I had like 100-200 stems of Rotala Green going and it's formed a hugely thick bush that is now pushing up since there are other stem plants essentially blocking the path.

The only difference (aside from wabi kusa) between your aquarium and Mr. Amano's, is Mr. Amano's first hand experience. He just knows how much to plant, where to plant and in what quantities from over 20 years of doing it. That's really the only magic going on.

In a lot of cases, the reason for mishaps or improper growth is simply experience and technique. For example - today I did a 100% water change on the 180-P in the gallery on the third week, instead of the normal 40%. Not only in that tank am I stretching the schedule (daily water changes for 2 weeks, every other day in week 3 & 4). I can't even tell you approximately why I did it - except that to my eyes the water looked weird / off from what it should look like. So, that's not a schedule or a thing that can be taught, it's purely just practice and experience.

As it turns out, it was a good thing to do that water change, as there was a power outtage over the weekend, and the water wasn't flowing for 5-6 hours.
 
#987 ·
It's staurogyne Porto Velho - I replaced the bolbitus heteroclita mini after my suspicions of it not being truly aquatic. It seems to stay alive in water but not a single new bud concerned me. Fortunately this layout style is easy to modify on the go - once I get a complete shot of it like this ill add a few varieties to change the layout over time and enjoy different interpretations of the same core skeleton.
 
#988 ·
SXSW is most def an awesome experience! i go almost every year. but on to the real question what kind of fish are those? i saw some in my LFS and almost got them but wasnt sure on their requirements or what they were!
 
#992 ·
Honestly, I have no idea, there are like 14 furcata's and 6 kubotai with two oto's.

I tend to heavily stock fish in planted aquariums - mostly because you can way bend the rules for stock levels and make excellent fish displays with optimal health.

Within minutes of being added to the aquarium, two pairs of the furcata's started courting in a pretty awesome display. I think I got a small video of it. All the fish are displaying great coloration and mating behavior. In the case of the Furcata's though, I'll probably remove any that get too large for the scale of the aquarium.

I have something like 250 Boraras maculata in one of my 60-p's as well, but that's also an extremely densely planted 'farm' tank with lush stems covering it.
 
#993 · (Edited)
What's Frank been up to?

It's been quite the season and I'm happy to say that it seems the planted aquarium continues to grow excellently in the USA. More and more I'm seeing excellent layouts from other Americans and hobbyists on this forums and nothing pleases me more than to browse the forums and go "that's a cool looking tank."

Mini M's have been especially popular among you all. Gotta love some of these awesome tanks:

Drew's first go at the Mini M is growing in nicely with a classic simple design.

Definitely interested in seeing how John's Mini M progresses over the next few months. Great execution of a non-literal translation of inspiration from a landscape!

I'm a fan of Philip's Mini M, particularly the stone placement and choice of plants. Help me pester him for an update or two.

ad3hybrid, well, what can I say. This layout makes me want to elevate my nano game execution again. Big props here!

Jonathan's Mini is still rockin' but I admire his dedication for perfecting his aquascapes in the Mini M.

As you know, these are only a couple of the dozens out there, if ya haven't checked these guys out, go on over and give them some props.

On other notes, the original layout from here:


San Marcos River Summer by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

Has finished up it's segment on TFH. Part 3 and 4 are particularly good - about wabi sabi and finalizing layout tips, they're in the March and April issues respectively.

Finale and Part 4 (April)

Part 3, the Wabi Sabi segment (March)

Each of the 4 segments covered material that I did not cover here, so it's worth a read if you want some more in depth material based on that layout.

If you're a subscriber to ADA's Aqua Journal, then you'll see another, different wabi sabi segment written in the latest issue - unfortunately it's all in Japanese. But, pretty pictures none-the-less.

More Recent Events

Believe it or not, I do have two layouts running at the moment, one of which you're already familiar with, the Mini M version 3 layout...But I actually took an updated photograph last night for you:


Wazeter Mini Iwagumi Version 3 by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

You may have noticed the Rainbow Furcata's are gone - they were doing fine, but their size with the way I was feeding them was throwing off the scale of the aquarium.

So I replaced them with 26 of these excellently awesome little guys:


Wazeter Mini Class N Lime Green Endlers by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

The good news is they breed consistently. The bad news is there is only 5 males to 21 females (sounds like the males are having a good time, no?).

That said, I've immensely enjoyed this tank, as I can completely neglect it (even at one point, I left this one without co2 for 5-6 days), and it doesn't really affect the layout.

Once I get this version to a "complete" point, I'll add more plants and show the flexibility of a theme and the change of a layout over time. So, this is definitely a "long haul" relationship this go around.

Something You Haven't Seen Yet

Day One, 60-P


Wazeter Cube Garden Superior by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

Day Two, 60-P


Wazeter Cube Garden Superior by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

Week Two, 60-P


Wazeter Cube Garden Superior by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

You'll notice where the Furcata ended up.

I'll talk to you more later, but for now I'm all worded out.

Have a good one'

-Frank

P.S. Oh, and by the way, there's a new video from the original Mini M layout, which you can watch over here:

http://www.tfhmagazine.com/blogs/category/adventures-in-aquascaping/

P.P.S. My next project is to get another Mini S and Mini M going, as well as some of the cool 25cm cubes we have laying around, some of which are still available. The brain is swirling with new ideas!

P.P.P.S. I forgot to add - IAPLC is coming up, make sure you get your entries ready!

P.P.P.P.S. One more thing, I promise - one of our gun-for-hire IT guys got a Sphero at Austin's SXSW festival, and well, sphero + 180P Planted aquarium = Frank goofing off for a minute. Sometimes, I have a quirky sense of humor - I laughed for hours. Check the video out below:
 
#1,003 · (Edited)
Happy Friday / Good Friday / Paycheck Day / Party Night / Movie Night / Entertain the Spouse Evening / Event Night / Night at the Opera

Did I miss any? Oh, yeah, maybe planted tank maintenance day?!


As I enhance my video skills with the iPhone, I've got an unprecedented 3rd video in three days for you!



You can actually view this one in 1080p HD too!

But, what I wanted to show in this tank is the subtle beauties - as for an aquascape, technically speaking it's just moss and some staurogyne porto velho.

However, it's the small things that make this layout great, which only video can really show if you're not seeing it in person. Ultimately, that's because it is the interaction of the fish within the scene.

Watch the video and you can see what I mean!

The way the Class N Lime Green Endlers in particular interact with the moss gives an excellent sense of relaxation while watching it in person. Particularly, the 'drab,' females provide the most entertainment, as you witness them nesting in the moss, in fact, the shoal of 20 or so females have claimed various spots on the moss-covered stone to inhabit as a nest.

This interactivity with the layout itself is one of the most spectacular displays of fish harmony within the layout. Contrarily, on the surface level, the Kubotai in the aquarium add an extra sense of color and activity to the scene as a whole, versus the endlers being more of a tiny detail in the scope of the layout.

What this creates is an eye-catching first look, and then a suck-you-into-the-layout second look as you notice the tiny endlers nesting.

You can kind of see what I mean with this snippet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=fLtyVvaZH34&list=HL1364570265#t=29s
 
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