The Planted Tank Forum banner

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
 
See less See more
35
#927 ·
I want to see what somebody does with that little 10x10x10 superior.
 
#929 ·
Oh believe me, I'm with you on taking the 180-P over this one. In this case, the opportunity here was far too good to pass up. This is kind of like, opting to take the 100% titanium or white gold built Mercedes over a Ferrari...a point where if you're going to buy it retail, the price for you is just truly far beyond being relevant. We had just such a client, who decided to abandon his deposit and cancel the order two days before arrival.
 
#931 ·
Dear sir, I read the e-book text made from this thread and I just wanted to thank you for the philosophical bits you put in there. I'm really amazed how a couple of well written lines can change a mindset. Thank you again!

One question that bugs me and I doubt you can answer it fully. Is there a way to replicate the function of the bacterial substances you employ to construct that wonderful substrate?

In my country these products are not readily available and my understanding is that I must order over seas for these products as the last shop that used to sell them told me there is a huge shortage of your product mostly in Europe and they will not attempt to bring them again because of a lack of request.

I'm planning to make do with other alternatives for the key ingredient: bacteria

I was hoping you can give some pointers of what type of product might provide something close to its function.
 
#939 ·
That you had a mindset shift based on my written words is a deep compliment to me, thank you for your words!

I am not familiar with other products that achieve the same effect, but I do believe in the past year to two years or so there have been some alternatives developed out of other companies, though I believe their availability is primarily in SE Asia.

If you know other hobbyists in the area with established tanks, you may 'seed' your substrate with a sample of theirs, however, this does carry the risk of contamination of whatever type of algae's they may have in their aquaria (which is inevitable to get anyway if you are trading plants / and or in commercially available plants, etc etc). With this strategy you would do the same as the additives - place the sample underneath the substrate.

Over time, these bacteria will occur naturally and will be seeded into the aquarium via the roots of the plants you place in the tank - as these bacteria are symbiotic with the roots of the plants (if they did not exist, it would be more difficult for the plants to absorb raw nutrients through roots, the bacteria actually break down the raw nutrients into a usable form by the plants).

There is a case where this is most prevalent - in the case of species of Anubias, which have a great deal of trouble growing via Tissue Culture because they are so reliant on symbiotic bacteria to grow. In this case, during the tissue culturing process, the plant is made sterile, removing contaminants, fungi, etc for a healthier plant specimen free of pests. However, with Anubias, this also has the unintended side effect of killing off all the beneficial bacteria in the rhizome, rendering the growth of the certain Anubias species largely ineffective. Other, less dependent species, are much easier to propagate via tissue culture for these reasons - or perhaps because they are regenerating from cells at a very basic level. My measured scientific knowledge on the subject, while expanding, is still limited, but this is as best I know how to describe it.

What the additive Bacter 100 does is it speeds the process along at the start when the aquarium / new ecosystem is at its most vulnerable. From the get go by having a super punch of bacteria from day 1, you effectively aid the development of the ecosystem getting established. This then speeds the development of plants along in the aquarium by way of increasing nutrient absorption capabilities through the roots.

So in your case, trying to seed it with some samples of someone elses soil would help you out quite a bit. Alternatively, if you raised enough ruckus in with your closest European distributor of ADA, they might get you some Bacter 100 to shut you up!
 
#932 ·
Well actually, I don't like the superiors at all, just don't like the rounded corners.

Oh believe me, I'm with you on taking the 180-P over this one. In this case, the opportunity here was far too good to pass up. This is kind of like, opting to take the 100% titanium or white gold built Mercedes over a Ferrari...a point where if you're going to buy it retail, the price for you is just truly far beyond being relevant. We had just such a client, who decided to abandon his deposit and cancel the order two days before arrival.
 
#933 ·
Re: Frank's Planted Tank How-To Mini Novel - What is Wabi Sabi?



Same here, a white gold Mercedes sounds too gaudy and just odd... give me the Ferrari!!! I like all ADA tanks because of the craftsmanship... but I absolutely hate getting algae off a curved tank. So frustrating.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
 
#935 ·
With the arrival of a few new plant's on Friday, the first layout of 2013 has begun.

Returning to the classics - a Mini M layout once again. In the visioning process of this aquascape, I wanted to perfect an image in my mind that had never been fully realized in the previous layout, shown here:


Green in the Fog by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

That particular layout had some potential, but in the end I had imported some algaes from another aquarium which kind of always plagued the setup. I liked it, but it didn't satisfy my vision.

When it came time for me to move residences, I opted to not continue the layout as it was and to start a new once things got settled, and now is the perfect time as aquascaping season is officially here as we prepare for the IAPLC 2013 competition!

To get back to the original inspiration, here is a photograph I took while visiting Japan, which emphasizes one of the key points of the layout type I want to achieve.


Stream Side Inspiration by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

There is an ancient feeling to this segment of a stream, ferns growing in tandem with moss on the stones near a stream side. This is the type of feel I am reaching for, and have finally gotten together the materials to do just so:


Mini M "Stream Side" by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

"Stream Side," Layout, composition is Bolbitus Heteroclita "Mini" and Peacock Moss on Unzan stone with sand foreground. Aquarium size: 20L, (5.5 gallon) in Mini M aquarium.

Layout Benefits:

-Slow growing plants, much less maintenance intensive on the trimming side

Layout Challenges:

-Very little aquasoil - liquid dosings, especially in Nitrogen and Phosphorus will have to be upped.
-Method of moss attachment will take time, and Amano's will pick it off the stones, so algae may become somewhat of an issue up front - requiring extra diligence in the first month.

As for the technical details, I'll get to those in a follow up post, covering the step-by-step setup as well as the sanitizing process of the filter and equipment used before to prevent any residual spores from coming in and setting up shop.
 
#940 ·
One question if you don't mind, is there anything other than rocks I can tie Riccia to? Or could I just leave it on the mat and let it the dwarf hair grass grow into the mat? https://www.azgardens.com/p-2190-riccia-on-mat.aspx Thanks. I am starting my first low tech planted tank!
You can tie Riccia to anything with a surface! Bear in mind that Riccia ends up adopting the shape of the object it's tied too - so if tied to say, moon stones it will have a roundish mound appearance vs. an even hedge from Riccia stones / flat stones.

I would not leave the plants on the mats they sell them on - typically they're made of some kind of fibrous material that seems to cause more issues than it solves. If it is on a steel mesh, it would be okay, but I would still encourage you to retie it yourself to another surface, such as flat, thin stones. This will give you the most flexibility and manipulation in your layout over Riccia.
 
#941 ·
Reading through this forum I see you do daily water changes for the first week and then slowly do less and less. Would you suggest doing the same with a larger tank (55g)? Would the larger volume reduce the need at all or would the bacteria's needs rise proportionally and therefore still benefit from the daily changes?

P.S. Thank you for the inspiration and this thread in general. The philosophy of keeping and maintaining a beautiful tank draw me into the hobby more than any singular plant, fish, or tank ever could.
 
#943 ·
Yes - no matter the tank size, you're going to want to refresh the water supply daily for the first week, every other day for the second week, twice a week for the third and once a week there after.

That being said, the water changes you do during the first week should be the easiest care sessions you ever do for the aquarium - water in, water out, fertilize. Algae should not yet have grown anywhere and there's no need to trim yet. This will also cultivate the habit for water change after the first "hell month."

Everything goes in proportion like you theorized - also too, the bacteria will only grow to the maximum support of the environment.

Great to hear that the thread has been an inspiration for you! Hopefully it will continue to do so.
 
#955 ·
Thanks!

I have a few photos to update this with, I had an incident happen in the aquarium that's useful to teach off of, but I've been too busy to get the photos off the camera and tend to forget (then when I remember I don't have the SD card on me!!).

Essentially what happened is, I used pure RODI water and caused the Moss to brown out since there was no pH buffer at all - due to a lack of aqua soil and no stones that raise / alter pH. The moss is recovering now that I'm not being lazy and adding back in equilibrium, but it's a great example of a problem that can happen quickly and is completely preventable with a step.

But, the road to recovery should prove useful as an instructional tool - at least no algae has shown up yet.
 
#957 ·
Nothing too special! Just ask questions, learn from the principles I've set out and have an attitude that's willing to be challenged. It's a laissez-faire one on one type deal. Just message or call me with specific questions and follow the system and take pictures of your results!
 
#958 ·
Definitely going to take you up on that offer but it's going to be late 2013/Early 2014 before I have all the money for a full ADA Mini S set. So my wait is long... but I'm going all out and cutting no corners so in the end it'll be worth it. I look at it as the cup is half full... this means that I have a year to envision my layout!! I have the flora list down to 98% completion (can't decide between HC and Riccia).

Visualize my scape... Can't wait.
 
#959 ·
In the mean time you may want to pick up copies of TFH (Tropical Fish Hobbyist) magazine for January to April 2013 - I have an article series running in there for that length that goes over the whole process from a different perspective.

I think they can be found at barnes and nobles or somewhere like that.
 
#962 ·
Re: Frank's Planted Tank How-To Mini Novel - What is Wabi Sabi?

I think it just wanted to give me a hard time. Would you be kind enough to tell me what page you went over dosing schedules ect. on for the mini m? I'm not sure how much of what is needed.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
 
#964 ·
I'm not sure what page it was now - but to start 1 squirt of brighty k, 4-5 drops of green Bacter for the first week.

Second week onward step one 1 squirt and brighty k 1 squirt.

Increase dosage slightly as plants grow by your judgement.
 
#966 ·
It's nasty....it's disgusting...it's often the result of neglect....it is algae!

It also just happens and there's just no getting around it. As one of the most common causes of frustration, it can easily drive you to a point of madness in it's eradication. However, when algae does happen, for any reason (maybe you had to go on vacation, maybe you just kept coming home tired and said "tomorrow I'll do a water change for sure," and life gets away from you), you have a choice: start over with a clean slate, give up on the aquarium thing all together, or, more preferably: solve the problem.

At the bottom of this post you'll see a pretty nasty picture. A shameful picture...one that should never happen in the picturesque world of the perfect planted aquarium seen in the pictures.

But, more often than not, the reality for most of us is it's something we've got to deal with at one point or another, and this is what this next series of posts is for. I'm going to show you how a terrible disaster will go to clean within 30 minutes and back to being on the path of beauty within 24 hours.

First, before getting into techniques of solving the problem, let me tell you how this tank got to this point so you can learn how to avoid the problem!

1.) I set the tank up, and three weeks in to it, I've only ever done one water change. Yep, just one.

2.) I dosed some potassium and special lights only a few times in the first week, then neglected the tank completely.

3.) I used pure RODI with no buffer at all and had no stones that add minerals to the water column, and barely any aqua soil, so there was nothing in the aquarium: the result? 2 days after tank setup the pH had no stability and the swings caused the moss to die off immediately and brown out.

4.) I didn't dose any Green Bacter or anything to help the beneficial bacteria get going, then probably killed a bunch of it trying to get established in the first week when I used tap water with no dechlorinator at the one water change I did do.

Without further ado, here's an extremely messy aquarium, one I will show you how to fix completely within 30 minutes and back to beautiful within 24 hours!


P.S. That's not mid water change - that's evaporated water levels!
 

Attachments

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top