14 Gal Iwagumi 6 Month Journal (56k)

[Bradford]

This is my Iwagumi type setup. I understand most people don't accept the title Iwagumi if it has more than 1-2 plants but in reality the main factor is the rock work. Call it what you like it's only a name :P here is my tank I hope you guys like:

Tank Spec 14 Gal DIY rimless
Substrate Eco Complete / Cat Litter
Filter AquaClear 30 / 150GPH
Lighting 1x40PC 6700K On timer 8/hr
CO2 DIY Yeast with glass Rhinox 1000 Diffuser
Rocks Granit. Found in creek. Wanted taller ones but had to make due
Plants: Baby Tears (Hemianthus micranthemoides), Glossostigma (Glossostigma elatinoides), Diandra (Didiplis diandra), Rotala indica, Vallisneria nana
Fish 3x Cherry Barbs, 9 Neon Tetras, 3x Oto's, and 5 Cherry Shrimp

Ferts
Monday
Flourish .5ml
Excel 1.0 ml
Iron 1.0 ml
Phosphorus 1.25 ml
Nitrogen .625 ml

Tuesday
Trace 2.5 ml
Excel 1.0 ml
Iron 1.0 ml

Wednesday
Potassium 1.66 ml
Excel 1.0 ml
Iron 1.0 ml

Thursday
Trace 2.5 ml
Excel 1.0 ml
Iron 1.0 ml
Phosphorus 1.25ml
Nitrogen .652 ml

Friday
Potassium 1.66 ml
Excel 1.0 ml
Iron 1.0 ml

Saturday
Excel 1.0 ml
Iron 1.0 ml
Flourish .5ml

Note: The dosing regiem above was only used in the initial setup and was used for the first three months. Now that the tank is established i dose when needed according to the look of the tank.

DAY 1 Iwagumi Setup






Month 6 Iwagumi Setup








I hope you enjoy thanks for looking,
Bradford

[Bradford]

I have updated the layout and have replaced the rock work with driftwood. I hope you like, comments welcome!

[ncharlie]

When you say

DIY rimless, you mean you put the tank together with glass and glue?

New to hobby.

Thanks

[BlazednSleepy]

I think it means he took off the black rim.

[Chazlightning]

Nice tank. So you just take the rim off like that?

[Bradford]

Originally Posted by ncharlie

When you say

DIY rimless, you mean you put the tank together with glass and glue?

New to hobby.

Thanks

No, I mean that I bought a tank from wal-mart and took the top rim off with a box cutter myself. Some people say that it will not hold but if you keep the bottom rim on like my friend did 7 years ago it will hold It just makes the tank look a bit better without the plastic black trim on the top IMO.

Be careful if you attempt this because I ended up in the ER with 7 stitches in my index finger because the blade slipped when I was cutting the last corner off... Yep, I bleed for the hobby hehe!

[matty26]

you can de rim most tanks. As long as they're not like 100 gallon and up. Most tanks are made to withstand the pressures without their rims. just a heads up. I derimmed a 50 gallon a few years ago and it was fine.

[Bahugo]

Your tank looks amazing, BUT I have to say something.. the fact you replaced the rock with driftwood you really can not consider it an Iwagumi setup anymore. Outside of the name flaw I think it looks amazing, much better with the driftwood IMO.

[tbarabash]

Cat litter?????? You can do that??

[sayurasem]

wow................... 6 months.....

and yet here I am impatiently waiting about 2 weeks waiting for my java moss to become a carpet. lol nice!

[Bradford]

Originally Posted by tbarabash

Cat litter?????? You can do that??

Yes, I use Special Kitty brand from Wal-Mart... it's an unscented nonclumping clay litter. It's nothing more than baked clay, just like SMS or Schultz Aquatic Soil or Flourite. So far i have had much success with this and proves very well for deep rooted plants & its cheap

If you google this you can find some nice articles on the topic!

Thanks for everyone's comments!!!

[Bradford]

Originally Posted by sayurasem

wow................... 6 months.....

and yet here I am impatiently waiting about 2 weeks waiting for my java moss to become a carpet. lol nice!

Java Moss is a very slow grower so just keep at it . One tip for Java Moss i can give you is to spread it out thin and it will grow much faster for you. Many people make the mistake of throwing clumps of it in their tank and it grows much slower. I've had success growing this when its started out very thin and not clumpy! Good luck!

[ThoHell]

Hey what foreground is that? It looks like Vietnam something...

[Bradford]

Originally Posted by ThoHell

Hey what foreground is that? It looks like Vietnam something...

The foreground started out as Glosso but soon after the initial startup Hemianthus micranthemoides aka Baby Tear (not the small var) took hold. Its now mixed with 70% of my tank consisting of Baby Tear.

Under good light reg Baby Tear makes for a great foreground cover imo because it spreads runners and stays short but if the lighting isn't strong enough it can be used as a background plant growing tall and bushy!

I trim it down once a month or so due to its overwhelming grow rate lol, this plant grows very quick in my setup.

[ngfrazier]

I like what you've done. I also prefer the wood to the rock you had. A couple suggestions:

Get a focal point plant behind the wood. I am looking at something similar to what you have, and I think a reddish plant would be nice, like "Ludwigia Peruensis" (http://www.google.com/search?q=Ludwi...=1157&bih=1014).

The other thing which might look cool is " Tiger Lotus, Red (Nymphaea zenkeri)" (http://www.google.com/search?client=...=1157&bih=1014).

Keep up the good work!