[Crazy Bunny]

Hi Mot,

This is Bunny. How are you?

I hope you don't mind I start a thread direct to you. It's a bit impolite to hijack your threads asking different questions.

so here I am. :laugh2:
I've read much of your threads. The way how you help all the fellows here by detail list & planning. You are incredible ! roud:

OK. enough hand-shake and blah blah.... and here is my quesiton:

I noticed your past scrape using a lot of bare driftwood.
Recently I start my journey on 40 gallons 75P. And bought exact same woods as you. although mine came a little lighter in color. but am sure its the same type of wood.
Mot, I wanna ask you how do you treat your wood when you have it for the first time ?
I can't boil it because of the size. My plan will just spray wash it on my bath tub and put it in and cycle. (forever....... lol)
I am sure it will get all mold up as bacteria start to eating off the wood surface.
Should I wait til all mold stuff gone THEN tie moss ?



Need some input on it as I know you have Hand-On Experience.

Thanks as always !!! a big one to you !!

Bunny

 

[mot]

Thanks for the kind words Bunny. I appreciate it. Yea the wood I like to use is spiderwood aka water azalea root. The only prep I do is to waterlog it by soaking in a large plastic tub outdoors for anywhere between 2 to 4 weeks depending on the pieces with an occasional water change to help remove tannins and whatever else leaches from the wood. And you are correct the new wood will probably grow fungus like crazy like this...

Also I do not boil my wood as I believe it shortens its "life" in the aquarium.

Since you asked so nicely, I have an amusing story regarding the aquascape your referring to... I had the typical white fungus covering every bit of the wood which you could see was a lot of wood so a crazy amount of fungus. The tank was on its way to being cycled as I had two fully cycled filters so I dropped my otos back into the tank in the evening as I know they love to eat this stuff. When the lights came back on the next morning I saw hundreds of these black worm like things everywhere on the sand and rocks. Took me a moment to realize it was oto crap. Sure enough all of them had super huge bulging bellies and a continuous rope coming out the back end. These guys were just machines in one end out the other. This went on for days until all the fungus was gone. I was using a siphon hose twice a day to clean all of it off the substrate and wood. Felt like I had to as I just knew that much crap would lead to algae issues fast. So...yea...there is one way to get past the fungus period quickly. The short story is that its not a big deal and will go away on its own in 2 to 3 weeks. It can be siphoned off as well quite easily.

As you mentioned I didn't put any plants in there until past this fungus period. As you suspected this was intentional as I knew it was coming and would need to be dealt with first and would be a crazy mess. Honestly I'm not sure if this fungus would kill the moss. I cant ever recall having any issues but then I couldn't remember if I ever tied moss off on new spiderwood. I also was trying to recall any of the ADA View videos where they use spiderwood that has the moss tied on outside the tank. And everyone that I can remember had dark spiderwood meaning it had been already aged in a tank. I do recall at least one forum member that said that wherever the white fungus touched it killed his moss. Im racking my brain for his plantedtank name... If I remember it Ill add it here so you can review his journal.

The good news is that once the wood goes through this the first time you wont need to deal with it again.

Also the wood will darken and go from a light reddish color to dark brown over a few months. Pieces that look lighter and darker when you first start will pretty much end up the same dark brown in the end.

Hope that helps.

 

[Crazy Bunny]

Thanks Mot.

Hello Mot.
Super happy see your detail reply and story sharing !!! :laugh2:
Yup !! your pic tell everything. LOL. First time when I tried to use this type of wood for my smallish tank (5 gallons)
It mold so bad I thought the wood start comes to live and walk off the tank itself ! I end up freakin' out and threw away 30 dollars worth of moldy thingy.....
I lived in an apartment so soaking the wood will become impossible for me. Am thinking just wash it in general and scape and cycle with new filter. I guess it will take me 8 weeks for this fishless cycle. Don't you think ?
Your story gave me the clinch :surprise:when I thought all your woods turn into a "Black Worms Wood" but anxiety greatly reduced when you announced those are the poops from your otto.
Almost everyone tell me Otocinclus LOVES those fungus but everyone hiding the poop secret from me !! lol.
Here is the attach of the photo of my scape.
"Don't Laugh" !!! :grin2: I have brain fart too many times when I try to make this thing comes in place.
The whole thing will move into tank before more detail to be add.

 

[mot]

You are welcome. Ther horizontal branch in the middle that i find distracting. It blocks the view behind it where your vanishing point would be in the center.

 

[Crazy Bunny]

You are welcome. Ther horizontal branch in the middle that i find distracting. It blocks the view behind it where your vanishing point would be in the center.

You are welcome. Ther horizontal branch in the middle that i find distracting. It blocks the view behind it where your vanishing point would be in the center.

I know !!!!Good Job !!!! that's exact what I have in my mind and bugging me few days !!
it would be a great sacrifice if I cut that potion off, i tilted it before so it sorta point it down but the main branch will look off.
i hate to see the tank looks like cut in half so that thing has to go even if I need to cut it.
Am just wanna see what plan next before my hand reach my saw. lol.

 

[mot]

Yea. Measure twice cut once. I know with a nice piece of wood like that it is very difficult decision to cut it. So you have the right idea. Play with it and see if there is another scape that works better without cutting.

 

[Crazy Bunny]

Yea. Measure twice cut once. I know with a nice piece of wood like that it is very difficult decision to cut it. So you have the right idea. Play with it and see if there is another scape that works better without cutting.

yea Mot. I totally agree. Think twice and cut once.
Now, I am trying to deal with a guy who sell bonsai driftwood at Vietnam. so hopefully I can score some good thing from him. ;-)


Pic show below of one of the stump he has before.
and how can you not love this ? lol..


J

 

[mot]

Pretty nice if your trying to recreate a life size forest in your swimming pool! I just looked up their facebook page and they have one of my photos on there tagged with their website.

https://www.facebook.com/aciebonsai...472033363946/1000471033364046/?type=3&theater

Geez....

 

[Crazy Bunny]

Pretty nice if your trying to recreate a life size forest in your swimming pool! I just looked up their facebook page and they have one of my photos on there tagged with their website.

https://www.facebook.com/aciebonsai...472033363946/1000471033364046/?type=3&theater

Geez....

REALLY !!:surprise: damn !! at least they should ask your permission first.
That's not good.

Yeah... that piece is too big. lol !! :grin2:
They have some smallish one but ain't know what he has until he send me a ready stock photos.

In the meantime, I DID !!!! cut the wood. (Pic below)
I hope this will give the eye sight a break not feelin' the tank got chop in half.
More detail will be add day by day.

What ya think ?

Bunny

 

[payluder]

Pretty nice if your trying to recreate a life size forest in your swimming pool! I just looked up their facebook page and they have one of my photos on there tagged with their website.

https://www.facebook.com/aciebonsai...472033363946/1000471033364046/?type=3&theater

Geez....

busted!

 

[mot]

Much better Bunny. I like it. The only change I would suggest is to build up rock now in the middle just as high or slightly higher than the main large branch in front. Some of the smaller rocks would be perfect. So that it goes from large rocks on the ends to small in the middle so that the middle is the low point still.

Bump:

busted!

Yep. Ill ask them to remove it. It's only fair that they pay me if they want to use it to sell their products. Its funny too that is a bad photo of that tank. Go figure.

 

[payluder]

I totally agree mot specially after taking your photo and adding their own watermark on it to make it seem like its theirs.

 

[Crazy Bunny]

Much better Bunny. I like it. The only change I would suggest is to build up rock now in the middle just as high or slightly higher than the main large branch in front. Some of the smaller rocks would be perfect. So that it goes from large rocks on the ends to small in the middle so that the middle is the low point still.

Bump:


Yep. Ill ask them to remove it. It's only fair that they pay me if they want to use it to sell their products. Its funny too that is a bad photo of that tank. Go figure.

Thank You Mot !! yeah it does get a little better. at least not an eye sore. lol.

I agree with they going to use your photos for commerical purpose, they should pay you.
bad photo but good scrape Mot. ;-)
where did you get that tree ?

Best Wishes
Bunny

 

[mot]

Thank You Mot !! yeah it does get a little better. at least not an eye sore. lol.

I agree with they going to use your photos for commerical purpose, they should pay you.
bad photo but good scrape Mot. ;-)
where did you get that tree ?

Best Wishes
Bunny

Bought if from a forum member here quite some time ago. Cant remember their name. Turned out to be complete rubbish and fell apart after that one scape. I thought it was real when I bought it. I felt dumb when it came and obviously was not. oh well...live and learn.

I just looked closer at the photo you posted and it looks to be made out of the same material mine was made of with some kind of glued sawdust and branch bits. Now I feel like they owe me for my photo plus a refund for the crappy fake tree...

 

[Crazy Bunny]

Bought if from a forum member here quite some time ago. Cant remember their name. Turned out to be complete rubbish and fell apart after that one scape. I thought it was real when I bought it. I felt dumb when it came and obviously was not. oh well...live and learn.

I just looked closer at the photo you posted and it looks to be made out of the same material mine was made of with some kind of glued sawdust and branch bits. Now I feel like they owe me for my photo plus a refund for the crappy fake tree...

IT DOES !!!!!:surprise: after I get a closer look of what other photos they have. The base of the bonsai just really don't match the stem..
I knew that lots of people glue their own tree and sell it.

anyhow forget it. lol... I call it off.. too risky to deal with something that so far away. :frown2:

Meanwhile, I just went in one of the local store who sell mainly driftwood decoration for wedding or events and they have some thiny branches I want.
But it was from a Birch tree. is that safe ?
Pic Below

 

[houseofcards]

Yep. Ill ask them to remove it. It's only fair that they pay me if they want to use it to sell their products. Its funny too that is a bad photo of that tank. Go figure.

That company is based in Vietnam so if they don't respond to you, the host is responsible for copyright infringement so you might have to contact them. I've had a lot of companies including Aquatic Magic on Ebay use my photos. I bet there's more of your photos around that your not aware of.

 

[Crazy Bunny]

Oh well.... let's look at the bright side right..
if our tank ain't good enough then I don't think they will use it for show. lol.

Now we just have to make our own watermark and lamninate to every of our works with it.

Bunny.