[amphirion]

wanted to play around with the theme of light and dark for this next piece. so i selected plants that would create an intense dark green background along with other plants that would "pop". so far i am pleased with the effect, but time will tell once when everything starts to grow in full force.

one challenge i am currently facing is propagating Ludwigia "white"- the plant seems to behave like L. inclinata var. verticillata 'Cuba', meaning it is not a brancher. if anyone has ways of encouraging multi branched growth and successful propagation, i am all ears.

as always, thanks for taking a look. peace.

 

[loach guy]

Nice tank! I can't wait to see how it turns out. What do you plan on stocking it with?

 

[amphirion]

Thanks, me too! Some nano fish. Debating on some wild betta species such as persephone but could also go CPDs as well.

 

[Ugly Genius]

Love it! I like that the hard and plantscapes flow from right to left. Very Amanoesque. (I noticed that many of Amano's scapes would flow right to left -- being Japanese, perhaps -- and most Western scapers flow left to right.) Anubias, MP, and Crypts...perfect for this hardscape. And that dark cave right of center is awesome.

Did you dry start or fill it right away?

Are you using one of those diffusers that create micro bubbles? How's it working for you?

Great job, amp. I'll be keeping my eye on this one. Update frequently.

 

[amphirion]

Thanks Ugly Genius! Good to see you back in the game again, will be following your progress as well!

I started this tank with the DSM at least for the first 3 weeks or so and I just flooded the tank about a week ago. The mosses more or less were able to attach themselves to the rock, while the plants are taking much longer to lock in. Im not too worried as the mosses will help anchor the plants to the rocks as well.

I am using one of those atomic diffusors sold at AFA and it works surprisingly well for me, it is attached to a paintball regulator.

 

[Ugly Genius]

What regulator are you running?

 

[amphirion]

Edit-- I just checked their website and can't seem to find the one that I have. They might have discontinued it. It was the Atomic V2 paintball regulator.

 

[amphirion]

just a small minor update.
decided to move downoi from the left side of the tank to the center of the tank,

which makes the left side more open for so many activities.

so what should i use to fill up that spot? any suggestions? was thinking about doing something mixed- mini pellia otherwise is a default go to. Narrow mini java fern is also a possibility but the leaves might be a bit too long. Have they created Hygrophilla pinnatifida 'mini' yet? I would buy that so quickly for my scapes, the coloration would have been perfect.

I also need to procure a bit more Bolbitus heteroclita 'cuspida' soon to fill out some parts of the left side of the tank to preserve homogeneity. Otherwise, the tank still looks good.

 

[RcScRs]

Do you feel like it's too busy?

 

[LRJ]

Is that BGA up in the left corner?

 

[amphirion]

@RcScRs: no, not at all. I liken it to more of an impressionist piece. Each plant chosen for its ability to contribute to the painting. Highlights, dark shadows--but also shapes and textures add to the ensemble. Right now it might seem busy because plants haven't fully grown out. Once when they start growing out and merge with each other, things should appear to tone down.
@LRJ: unfortunately yes. It's due to that portion of the tank being cut off from circulation.

 

[cosmic_shaman]

Are those just some big rocks? Like from outside?
I wish I could find some cool ones like that around here!

I personally like busy, well-stocked tanks (at least the ones that I've seen since I joined this site a little bit ago), so this is very appealing to me.
I look forward to seeing this as the plants progress in size

 

[RcScRs]

Maybe our philosophies differ greatly, but I can see where you're going. I look forward to seeing it filled in.

 

[amphirion]

@cosmic_shaman: some of them were given to me by a friend (the two main pieces--from their backyard), others were found at petco (out of all places), and a lava rock bbq bag.

@RcScRs: thanks my friend. I hope i dont disappoint! Keep on doing what you do! Life would get too boring if we all made the same tanks.

Here's that dappled impressionist mumbo jumbo that i was referencing. even the hair algae adds to the--- just kidding. will probably get a few amanos to deal with that. the older coral moss growth is dying but being rapidly replaced by new growth. ideally, it would be all filled out.

a baby Anubias 'petite' snuggling next to a Anubias 'white'

 

[Ugly Genius]

I think the tank's near-perfect for what it is. In addition to the great hardscape, the plant choices are impecable. (Except for the absence of bolbitis. I ding any tank without bolbitis! I love that stuff.)
To me the flow of the plants is quite convincing, meaning I can see them growing as they are here in nature of their own accord.

Keep it up!

P.S. I wrote a more detailed post that got deleted when my daughter did what she does when she does what she shouldn't. I'm writing this much shorter reply on my iPad and I hate writing on my iPad. Either way, the gist was the same as what I wrote just now, albeit longer. If my daughter had even the slightest concept of what it means to be sorry - she hasn't the slightest - she'd say sorry and probably something to the effect of, "Ooh pretty!"

 

[RcScRs]

I think the tank's near-perfect for what it is. In addition to the great hardscape, the plant choices are impecable. (Except for the absence of bolbitis. I ding any tank without bolbitis! I love that stuff.)

To me the flow of the plants is quite convincing, meaning I can see them growing as they are here in nature of their own accord.



Keep it up!



P.S. I wrote a more detailed post that got deleted when my daughter did what she does when she does what she shouldn't. I'm writing this much shorter reply on my iPad and I hate writing on my iPad. Either way, the gist was the same as what I wrote just now, albeit longer. If my daughter had even the slightest concept of what it means to be sorry - she hasn't the slightest - she'd say sorry and probably something to the effect of, "Ooh pretty!"

I think this is where I disagree with this scape. Though not my preference of rock work, I will agree it's very fresh compared to the myriad of overdone iwagumis that are over manicured and always use sand to make up for the lack of plant variety, depth, or whatever else.

The planting though is somewhere I think can be done a little more carefully? I feel like especially in aquascaping, there's an idea of recreating nature, doing so usually in a controlled manner. However, when not done that way, it tends to look chaotic and sloppy and think that's my gripe right now with the tank.

It's weird how something something naturally appealing to eyes is the most artificial, and what does come naturally tends to not hit the same chords. I do think that when it does fill in, that continuity and order that I'm looking for will be more satisfied, but right now it does look messy to me.

lol I'm not sure what convicted me to write something so long and argumentative, but I really like how fresh and different this is turning out to be. Really jealous of your wonderful plants especially.

 

[Mumford]

I like it! Do you have plans to add any slightly larger buces or Anubis to add a little variety? Or are you keeping to petites only? And do you have any photos of the white lud? I'm not familiar with that plant

 

[amphirion]

@Ugly Genius: well sir, I'll have you know that I actually have two species of bolbitis hiding there. One is B. heteroclita 'cuspida' while another is a new species introduced to the aquarium world known as Bolbitis sp. buea. I hope that is satisfactory. I'll take pics when I get home from work.
@RcScRs: each to his own. As for control, you might have noticed that the scape is dominated by Anubias nana petite with a few whites. The bucephalandra are scattered throughout the anubias patch help with the chiaroscuro effect with their black leaves. As with nature, such as with plants a meadow, usually there are overly dominant species but patches of other species accent certain areas, while distinct the boundaries between two species may merge at the border, they are never sharply defined though we can achieve this if the plants vary in height. Hopefully I can achieve this goal once the plants fill out.
@Mumford: I was thinking about that. The buce black skeleton kings are in the back and I think any more of them would be too much for the tank. A medium sized buces is in the tank (super blue) but they are still young so it will take them time to gain size. Maybe I could add in an Anubias pinto or regular sized nana but space would be an issue. I'll take pics of the white lug when I get home from work. But you can actually see it in one of my shots 10 posts up.

 

[cosmic_shaman]

Petco! Never would've thought to look there! Thanks for the heads up

 

[amphirion]

@cosmic_shaman, if you were curious, the brighter red rocks were the ones that were purchased from petco. the older rocks have been painted a bit with algae. hopefully the newer ones will follow suit.

@Mumford: as requested--
Lud 'white'

and just to throw it in:
Bolbitis sp. Buea aka Didymoglossum erosum

threw in a couple amanos. i hope they behave.