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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
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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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#527 ·
good luck on in the contest.
i might put in my 30C, just to see what spot i get....IF i get the time to replant my UG this week, otherwise itll be to unruly by the time the contest rolls around.
how do you deal with UG frank? trim or replant?
i try trimming, but UG just flips me the bird and floats up anway.

the latest FTS, is absolutely stunning frank. :proud:
looks like something right out of dream. the r. fluitans especially.
 
#528 ·
good luck on in the contest.
i might put in my 30C, just to see what spot i get....IF i get the time to replant my UG this week, otherwise itll be to unruly by the time the contest rolls around.
how do you deal with UG frank? trim or replant?
i try trimming, but UG just flips me the bird and floats up anway.

the latest FTS, is absolutely stunning frank. :proud:
looks like something right out of dream. the r. fluitans especially.
I think that's one of the coolest compliments I've ever gotten. Thanks!

As for UG, I stick to trimming plants as much as possible vs. replant. Though Dollface would be best to ask on UG, as my experience with UG is limited.
 
#529 ·
So I've been thinking about the challenge for "low tech," and have devised a potentially better way to start, inspired a bit by Amano.

First, I'm thinking a small container using riccia, dwarf Belem and a stem of a rotala or so.

In this manner building up slowly towards creating a more formulaic system behind growing things out in a modern way.

I do really want to do a layout with Oiso sand for experimentation, however for many plants they don't grow well in pebbles, but crypts tend to grow really well there so it will be interesting to see what can be done.
 
#541 ·
Thanks mluk,

I have a funny story about netting out all the trimmings of the Riccia.

The Maculatus are so comfortable in the Mini M, that they've gotten to full color point, and when I'm around they spend a lot of time following me around (hoping for food).

When I hide from them, they spend most of their time milling about (still zero casaulties or jumpers) in the open areas of the tank and in the tennellus area. They actually sleep in the thicket of tennellus (which I think has more to do with flow than plant).

So, upon using a net to get riccia trimmings out, I had a great deal of trouble getting the Riccia out, because the Maculatus would swim into the net and chill out in the net, and make no attempt to jump out or anything.

Which meant I would have to try to carefully guide them out or dump the trimmings out in the tank for them again. Even a few Amano's did this.

If I just lay a net there, these guys will gun for it.
 
#543 ·
Do you enjoy using those scissors best for trimming Nano size tanks??

Thats pretty amusing, but frustrating guess those Maculatus are just trollin you :D lol

If you had CPD's you wouldnt have this problem because the second you come up to the tank you wouldnt see them for a while lol.
 
#544 ·
The spring scissors are my favorite for Nano Tanks.

The reason is they don't require you to hold them at the handle and the whole tool is leverage for cutting, which lets you get into smaller spaces easier.

Outside of Nano tanks, they aren't as practical (takes too much time) except for precision trimming. Also, outside of Nano tanks my favorite scissors are the wave scissors, which are all around the best scissors ever, I would say.
 
#545 ·
I've never had any problems trimming the Riccia neatly, but always had problems getting all the trimmings out, much to my annoyance. They always end up growing all over the tank in places I didn't want. But then it was probably because I didn't prune often enough so the tank was a bit overgrown at times.
 
#548 ·
The right fish net with filters off makes removing trimmings easier. Also, use airline tubing to remove any left overs. The next day, the filter will intake any left-over remnants which you can remove.

The tank looks absolutely beautiful Frank. Can't wait to get the Mini M ordered, setup and started! How about a video exploring the whole tank? ;) That tenellus section looked wonderful from what I could see in the riccia video.
Thanks Freph! Can't wait to see your Mini M go. The Tenellus section is definitely one of the most interesting there. I already have ideas for more nano's using the plant.
 
#549 ·
Nano Tank Guys!

There's a new competition open only to the US & Canada, hosted by Aqua Botanic for Nano Aquariums.

The three categories cover:


  • Planted Nano
  • Freshwater Biotope Nano
  • Marine/SW Nano
I was invited to participate as a judge in this competition, and happily accepted to aid in promoting this segment of the hobby (so don't worry, you won't have to compete against me).


I would encourage, as with the IAPLC to make an entry even if you don't think you can win! Do it for the experience.
 
#552 ·
Over the course of the next few weeks I'll post some contest refinement tips and how to's so you can learn how to avoid losing misdeamenor points. Great techniques to general practice as well.

Upcoming contests to prepare for:

The big boy (everyone should enter for practice) : IAPLC

The AGA (international, hosted in USA. Enter to rep the USA! Has categories) : AGA

The Aqua Botanic Nano Challenge
 
#554 ·
I'll probably enter into IAPLC and AGA, yes.

With IAPLC I don't anticipate a high ranking, purely due to the nano size vs. larger tanks, as you can get infinitely more detail work in for larger tanks for a competition like that. Nanos are more of a macro scene, large tanks more of a micro panorama.
 
#562 ·
Really hate to turn this thread into an algae identification thread but I got no replies for this mystery algae.




It's this black tar, older leafs are affected more than younger ones. Some of it is on the gravel, some on the flat rock and HC. I notice that the areas of the flat rock that is covered, doesn't get the black algae.

Any ideas? I think it's BBA.
 
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