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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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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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#857 ·
That is awesome. Putting that on my "bucket list." I would love to see what you are about to in person. Goodluck and have fun.
 
#865 · (Edited)
Hey guys!

Full report when the jet lag is done and over with!



I had the honor of placing #125 out of 2021 entries into this year's IAPLC. It ranked as the 2nd highest American entry and the highest nano aquarium ranking.

It's been a fun journey with this layout - from the people it has helped teach all the way to the end in the IAPLC. For me personally, there has yet to be a layout so valuable in meaning to what it means and represents to me.

When I finally had the honor of meeting with Mr. Amano, he asked me a simple question: "how long have you been doing Nature Aquarium before ADG?" When I gave him the answer, he requested his assistant to print out the layout I entered, and upon receiving it from her took an evaluative look at it and said:

Takashi Amano said:
This layout is quite good. Very simple and for such a small size it expresses a feeling of wabi sabi well. For a first entry into the contest, you have done very well. Congratulations. I have no suggestions for improvement on this layout.
 
#877 ·
Hey guys!

Full report when the jet lag is done and over with!



I had the honor of placing #127 out of 2021 entries into this year's IAPLC. It ranked as the 2nd highest American entry and the highest nano aquarium ranking.

It's been a fun journey with this layout - from the people it has helped teach all the way to the end in the IAPLC. For me personally, there has yet to be a layout so valuable in meaning to what it means and represents to me.

When I finally had the honor of meeting with Mr. Amano, he asked me a simple question: "how long have you been doing Nature Aquarium before ADG?" When I gave him the answer, he requested his assistant to print out the layout I entered, and upon receiving it from her took an evaluative look at it and said:
Congratulations frank! What a moral booster to be credited from the master himself!

I hope someday I can get back to aquascaping and enter into the IAPLC. After Sandy, Im not sure when my life will be "normal" again. :(
 
#868 ·
I seriously just wish I had the ability to make a tank go right from day one like you do. Seems like there's always something I can't do right. Riccia won't grow, gets overrun by algae. HC and dirt gets blown away until it carpets over so I can't turn my filter outflow up = bad CO2, turnover, bad O2. That tank is amazing.
 
#878 ·
A teaser to the opening of ACT III:



ACT III to start soon!

Layouts to come:

*Wabi Kusa
*Mini M version III
*60-P version II
*on the docket is reloading the Mini S!

Sessions to come:

*understanding wabi sabi
*technique perfection

ACT II & III Intermission:

Nature Aquarium Party Report! Sumida Aquarium blow-your-brains out awesome plus Nature Aquarium Gallery & Autumn in the mountains of Urabandai.
 
#879 ·
Thank you to all my friends for the congratulatory posts! I am humbled and appreciative.

Some people who stand out:

Freph - you'll get there, look again at some of my earlier work and on the first page and you'll see it didn't all come in a day. Keep at it and you'll be there sooner than you think.

Frrok - I've lived through my fair share of bad hurricanes. It might not seem like it now but life will get back to business-as-usual sooner than you think. I'm glad for your safety in the event of Sandy.

TBS - thank you very much my friend! When will you enter?

acitydweller - Thank you for your kind words, are you doing okay with Sandy?

andrewss - the rasbora are an excellent fish!

SaltyNC - thank you for your congrats!

fplata - thanks man! when will we see your 120H hitting the contest rounds?

FlyingHellFish - I was surprised twice. Once when a nano aquarium ranked in the top 200, and second when it placed at 127, beating out much larger scale layouts. It just goes to show that much is possible - when you think of it in terms of the 2021 that entered, that places a tiny 5.5 gallon aquarium in the top 6% or there abouts.

bluestems - they certainly do have an excellent personality, don't they? Kubotai are similar in this regard!

Green_Flash - Thank you my friend!

iter - it's interesting, the feel of wabi sabi. I think it might be the most difficult thing to pull off in the hobby. It's something that I see lacking a lot in european layouts - which isn't a bad thing, they aren't necessarily going for the Japanese aesthetic.

somewhatshocked - soon the photos will be made available!
 
#888 ·
TBS - thank you very much my friend! When will you enter?

Haha, as soon as I can catch up ;) nah, I'll likely enter this coming year as soon as I get the 120P in presentable shape again. We'll see how she fares. I hope you can get more folks stateside to enter! Let's represent, people!

And again, really remarkable work, Frank. That final shot is quite beautiful. It's one of those works you can go back to over and over and just immerse yourself in for a while. I have yet to hit that with my aquariums, but all things in their own time. It appears I have a lot to learn about wabi sabi, myself :)
 
#881 ·
^ ROFL , a better rank indeed. Top 125 has a better ring to it than 127.

Anywhoo, how was the whole trip? Any new additions to the hobby? New aquascaping techniques?

I hate to sound like a broken record but your HC Cuba is mighty good looking, how do you keep the bottom leaves from yellowing or dying out? Mine looks great on top but is yellow on the bottom. And, yeah I tried the whole trimming as close to the substrate as possible. :icon_roll

 
#883 ·
#125 does sound a lot better, doesn't it? I remember why I thought #127, because #126 was a really cool layout in a much larger aquarium by a Japanese shop owner, and I was surprised to score higher.

The whole trip was pretty amazing - I learned how the Sumida guys take care of the world's largest planted aquarium, amazing what you can learn speaking some Japanese! Those guys are the real heros behind that aquarium - and you'll never hear about them outside of that video.

For yellow - up your potassium and iron, remember that the planted aquarium isn't a static beast. Meaning that just because, say, one pump of Brighty K on day 1 is enough, it doesn't mean it's enough on day 30. So you're slowly adjusting over time to compensate.

Of course, maintaining good trimming technique to keep it trimmed shorter helps quite a lot, as the lower portion will die from lack of light if it grows over itself too much.
 
#882 ·
that really is a teaser.
thats some nice emergent growth. im actually planning on setting up my own wabikusa soon, im hoping on using you and kiran as a resource to help me work out any kinks if anything starts going wrong.

looking forward to all the new scapes
 
#887 ·
Ditto. That video was intense. So much work and dedicatin for those tanks.

Congrats Frank on your masterpiece nano tank.
 
#889 ·
Thank you for the cool props!

TBS - thank you very much my friend! When will you enter?

Haha, as soon as I can catch up ;) nah, I'll likely enter this coming year as soon as I get the 120P in presentable shape again. We'll see how she fares. I hope you can get more folks stateside to enter! Let's represent, people!

And again, really remarkable work, Frank. That final shot is quite beautiful. It's one of those works you can go back to over and over and just immerse yourself in for a while. I have yet to hit that with my aquariums, but all things in their own time. It appears I have a lot to learn about wabi sabi, myself :)
That's probably one of the coolest compliments I've ever received - that means a lot, thanks!

As one of the contest judges described wabi sabi:

"I have a feeling of wabi sabi, *deep breath* when I am sitting on a summer day sipping tea while looking over the scenery of the land while a cool breeze crosses my face."
 
#890 ·
What is Wabi Sabi?

Wabi Sabi, a mysterious Japanese sense of aesthetics, which has most often been described as admiration for the imperfect - an admiration for something as simple as a patch of weeds growing alongside a rock, is easily misunderstood.

It is not quite so simple as merely saying that in your design you have achieved wabi sabi by letting things "grow wild," as there is a controlled chaos to it, a measured imperfection and an emotion.

To describe it, and for you to understand it, you must put yourself in an emotional state that inspires a deep, inner feeling.

Wabi Sabi is...like re-igniting that feeling of love you felt for someone for the first time, heart racing and blood rushing to your head. That feeling of anticipation, waiting for the next time you meet or talk to that person. At the same time, it's that feeling of heart-break that spurns from that same love. While also being the desire to do it all over again.

To feel Wabi Sabi is to feel that entanglement of emotion and to express it and inspire it in other people - in this case, with aquatic plants.
 
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