# A Frugal Guy's Aquascape Journal (Could Be In AGA 2006)



## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

as the name of the topic says, the goal is to create a beautiful aquascape without breaking the bank. i will often update so please check back as often as you can. if my vision coincides with the deadline then i would probably enter it in aga 2006. thank you for viewing.

these are the main materials which i am gonna do the hardscape with.
the tank is a normal sized 10g, the substrate will consist of _sphagnum peat moss by scott's _and _schultz aquatic plant soil profile_.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/nap83/J1-TankSubstrate.jpg

the rocks that i will be using. the pieces came from the c&o canal in the potomac river in maryland. i have gotten bored with doing aquascapes with light-colored rocks, so i geared toward black ones. i also liked the peculiar shapes.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/nap83/J2-Rocks.jpg

lighting will be _lights of america's full-spectrum daylight bulbs_. it carries 25 watts each which brings me to a total of 5wpg for the 10g. if the light becomes too high for plants to handle and if algae becomes a problem, i'll definitely switch to 20w or 15w to lower intensity.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/nap83/J3-Lighting.jpg

lighting installed.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/nap83/J8-LightsScrewedIn.jpg

lighting intensity, now that's bright.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/nap83/J9-Bright.jpg

first layer of the substrate. i was thinking it was either too thick or too thin, this is only the second time i have done this to a tank, hopefully it'll work.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/nap83/J4-PeatMossLayer.jpg

second layer of the substrate. half a bag of _schultz aquatic plant soil profile_. as everyone says and as i have experienced this particular substrate is a lot lighter than the expensive brands but as i have observed the substrate holds air a bit longer than other brands. before planting, i would've already soaked the substrate for 3 days so it should be weighed down by then. and from what i have read _schultz aquatic plant soil profile _contains *more, yes more iron than flourite***. i can't compare any differences in growth since my last tank was a mixture of _flourite_ and _sapsp_, we will see in this tank as it progresses.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/nap83/J5-SchultzProfileSubstrate.jpg

side view of the tank. you can see the thickness of the substrate and the sloping.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/nap83/J6-Slope.jpg

hardscape. i dumped one of the rocks because there wasn't enough space, i felt the design is pretty good. please feel free to critique the design but please remember that i am not takashi amano nor would this tank be a copy of an amano tank. i try to aquascape to what pleases me and not what pleases others (except for the judges of course) in a way that i am not just copying something that has already been done a thousand times. thank you 
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/nap83/J7-Hardscape.jpg

the fauna in this tank will be a lone betta coming from my girlfriend's doomed moss-wall 10g tank. i'll also be housing oto's to compete for algae and some white cloud minnows which are also from my girlfriend's tank. if the specimens do not please me, i will be gearing towards some lamb-chop rasboras and oto's.

again, thank you for viewing, and i hope to see you guys on the updates!

*mike austria*

**here is the article where i have read such findings


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Good luck! Hope to see your entry in 2006.

What size tank is it by the way?

By the look of your avatar you keep apistogramma cacatuoides. I just got a pair to breed and let me tell you... these little buggers grow fast with baby brine shrimp feedings!


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

thanks zapins! hah! you caught me while i was editing the thread (i couldn't get a small pic to post so i had to deal with links).

i am an avid fan of apistogrammas, i have a pair of cockatoos, a pair of borellis and my latest find (drum roll please) a pair of norbertis, i just love the big lips on those specimens. 

if all works well you guys will see this project in aga 2006, thank you.


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

i've been typing away and haven't even listed the plants that i will be using. they will be coming on monday so i can't wait. just typical fast growers. 

lemnophilla sessiflora

echinodorus tenellus

didiplis diandra

rotala indica


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

here's my vision of the tank, there will be a lot of changes i'm sure but here is the original concept.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/nap83/J10-Vision.png


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

To Moderators, Sorry But I Have Put The Thread In The Section I Wasn't Going For. I Have Reposted The Same Subject In "aquascaping", You Can Delete This Anytime. Thank You.


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

^ hmmm i guess they just moved this thread here then huh, thanks mods!

anyways, here's some updates; much to my dissapointment three bunches of my lemnophilla sessiflora was dead on arrival and no signs of didiplis diandra, only a free cryptocoryne wendtii "green", it seemed like a blessing in disguise since i actually like the layout as of right now. 
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/nap83/J11-FirstPlanting.jpg
you might also noitice that i have already installed a _whisper_ filter on the left side, it's not too much of a hassle since the tubing is transparent, this was used in a shelldweller tank and an apisto tank before so the sand digging took it's toll on the impeller, perfect for a planted tank since the outflow does not disrupt the water current even if the knob is on high. i have also put in a co2 unit by _hagen_ (the tubing can be seen on the right side), but replaced the ladder (which is currently being used in a bigger tank) with _coralife limestone_ as a diffuser, seems to be working pretty well but we'll see in the next week in regards to growth.

here is the left side layout, if it exhibits vigrous growth, i will keep the c. wedntii "green" here, i have also placed java moss underneath the rocks for the specimen to spread out within the three sides of the placed rocks. i'm thinking that this could be detrimental to the c. wendtii's health but not that much. 
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/nap83/J12-JavaMoss.jpg

the right side of the layout "the stairs", i will be adding more rotala indica here if it suits it.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/nap83/J12-RightSide.jpg


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## LunchBox (Jun 9, 2006)

that's great you have your tenellus already in submerged form. I got some for my 10g and it came as an emmersed form (roughly 6" long!), and I've had to be real patient with the old leaves dying back and new ones growing in. fotrunately it looks like you get to skip that step 

bummer you were missing those plants. the tank definitely looks like it's missing those areas. hopefully you'll be able to get some replacements or your money back.

as far as the planting it looks to me like you're off to a good start  If it were me though I would group all the rotala together instead of a bunch on each side. maybe go to your vision layout and put them behind the wendtii, which would give you a nice texture contrast. then once your other plants arrive you could load them into the other emptier areas of the tank 

anyway, just my $0.02. keep up the good work


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

yes, i was just thinking that (and thanks for your input), i just wanted to see people's reactions if the whole tank was rotala indica, hopefully the plants will arrive soon so i can see what it looks like if the ambulia is covering up the right side.

i'll probably start bunching it up on the left side as you said as soon as get back to my apartment. i wouldn't think light penetration would be such a problem if i'm housing 5wpg, i was just afraid of the lower leaves falling off.


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## LunchBox (Jun 9, 2006)

right on 

yeah I wouldn't bunch them too tightly if you catch my drift... don't want to cut off the light to the bottom  I was thinking just to group them together behind that wendtii so you have a nice patch of the stuff 

naturally if you run out of room and have some left you could drop it elsewhere, since you don't want it too crowded in the corner 

keep us updated on the progress


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

*update*

went to my favorite lfs today to get some oto's and the store owner gave me two bunches of _ludwigia repens_ since i was bitching about my missing _didiplis diandra_ from my recent order from an online store. how could i object? 8)

with the three oto's i have also added (maybe temporary) the inhabitants of the tank; my girlfriend's betta and three white clouds. if i get an amount of responses that the inhabitants does not suit the tank then i'll replace them with *1)* a school of harlequin rasboras, or *2)* take the betta out and add more white clouds.

here's the first layout;
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/nap83/J13-NewLayout1.jpg
i've bunched up the rotala on the left to make way for the red ludwigia that connects the far left to the right side of the background (i know, it looks like something's missing since the asian ambulia's not here yet).

here's the second layout;
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/nap83/J13-NewLayout2.jpg
notice that i took out the c. wendtii and place it in the far right of the foreground. the java moss stayed intact in the middle of the three rocks but i am also trying to get a "branch" of water wisteria tied down vertically with metal ties and pushed down the substrate to create a "bush" look in between the three stones. i have done this in the past and seems to work well since all the nodes starts sending out shoots that holds it down flat in the substrate. :twitch: ahhh to end the confusion, here's what i'm talking about;
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/nap83/J14-Technique.jpg

*what do you guys think?*

**please be reminded to look at the layout in "grown" form, the aquascape is only two days old and needs time to adjust. i know the c. wendtii will flourish in this light so maybe putting it in the far right foreground would give the aquarium a certain impact when the e. tenellus starts spreading out. also the asian ambulia is still mia (or do i even need it at this point?)

thanks for the kind words.

*mike austria*


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

*update*

i'll be posting the pics tomorrow, hopefully it will grow in quite well, i have added water wisteria around the triangle rock on the far right, which is planted vertically for "bush" effect. i have also added dwarf hairgrass in the middle of the three stones in the far left (i got the idea from an ada tank heh).

ps, why is it that hard for the red ludwigia to stay in the substrate?

*mike austria*


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

*update*

i will post pics soon and am very excited with growth.

i have transferred plants around the tank and i'm liking it, i have since added l. sessiflora and crypt willisii "lucens".

growth has been good with co2 and a whole lot of iron and comprehensive supplements.


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## spitfire (Jul 21, 2006)

*OK what happened next*

Where are the updated pictures?


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

a very fruitful update:

it's been 2 weeks and being discontent with everything, i've changed the layout and i'm very happy with it, actually i have changed it a few times.

i have taken out the white clouds, added a lot more oto's and 6, inch and a half amano shrimp. i'm just worried that the betta would eat them.

here's a full tank shot, look at the growth.


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

i've finally added some ambulia, took 2 of the rocks out, added ludwigia and wisteria.

i've cleaned the tank up a bit, i took out the big filter (which was an eyesore) and replaced it with a whisper-i filter for water movement (right side). i've made a co2 bell out of a starbucks cup while waiting for my aquaticmagic order (a co2 ladder).

heh, too much burps.










right side view of the tank.










left side view of the tank










middle.










e. tenellus pearling.










red ludwigia is the betta's home.










right side view, with the betta. man that bell is an eyesore.










a little dutch (heh not really).










updates soon! thanks for viewing.


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## risk2123 (Aug 31, 2006)

looking good!!!!! those rocks make it look awesome! keep us updated!


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

is your lightning setup still the same, 2x 25watts Screw in bulb?


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

i lost an amano shrimp today and traded in 2 for a juvenile sae. man those specimens are too hard to get around here.


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

xcooperx said:


> is your lightning setup still the same, 2x 25watts Screw in bulb?


i lowered the lighting from 5wpg to 4.5wpg then now its around 4wpg, too much algae is growing even with overdosing co2.


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

> it's been awhile since i have updated due to my busy schedule, but oh how time works wonders. when compared to the above pictures, the tank has taken a different form. the aquascape has been mildly changed and the technical equipment was rid off. the tank now houses aqmagic's heavenly ladder, the filter's gone and a heater was placed that keeps the temp at a constant 80d. i have also started fertilizing the tank with potassium, iron, magnesium, phosporous and comprehensive supplements 3-4 times a week. here is the tank before the trimming.


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

> still going by how "frugal" the aquascape should be, the nutrients i dose are fairly cheap. my potassium comes from "NoSalt" found from the supermarket, along with Epsom Salts (Magnesium), Fleet Enema (Phospates), i use Flourish Comprehensive & Iron though i use a syringe to inject the substrate with these rather than buying expensive Root-Tabs.

here is the current pictures after the trim and the rearrangement and additions of new rocks.





































here is also some of my "main" plants pics



















sorry for the long delay and i will post pics when the tank is done. thank you for viewing.

> mikey


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

> i will also be housing at least 13 endler's livebearer's that i have in a grow-out right now. i'm pretty sure the plants will show more health in the upcoming weeks due to the addition of fertilizers, i've decided to add nutrients just now for the fact that i wanted algae to stabilize so the plants can take more benefit from it. again, thanks for viewing. 

> mikey


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## risk2123 (Aug 31, 2006)

lookin nice mikey!!! is that a piece of driftwood in the very back?


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Wow, looks great. Wish I saw this thread before I spent a bajillion dollars on my setup.


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

risk2123 said:


> lookin nice mikey!!! is that a piece of driftwood in the very back?


yes, though the driftwood is caved-in and with the addition of the black background it just seems more like a shadow. i like it anyways, very amano-esque "driftwood shadows". i have some java-moss tied to it if anyone had noticed.

thank you for the nice compliment.


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

epicfish said:


> Wow, looks great. Wish I saw this thread before I spent a bajillion dollars on my setup.


haha thanks, this cheapness took time, my old set-ups were darn expensive but with time and the research i found inexpensive replacements. i'm just glad that it works.

thanks for the compliment.


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

> here is some backstory about the tank that i didn't post when i put the pictures up.

> as the name of the forum implies it was supposed to be a project meant to go to the aga 2006, unfortunately i didn't think the tank was in full bloom when the deadline came up (and it's still not in my opinion). the purchase of the camera i was saving up for was also halted so there's no way i could compare to the other entries with my sister's kodak 5.0. how we all know that pictures speak louder than words. 

> also by the time of deadline the tank almost crashed by a freak co2 mixture accident, the alcohol mixture leaked back into the tank and killed off the amano shrimp and the sae, i was basically left with the black molly and the oto's oddly enough. but with this, the hair algae completely turned white and was rid off by the black molly. for some reason when the sae was still alive he didn't do zilch with the hair algae. 

> there's one piece of advice i can give to any plant enthusiast, black mollies work. amano has stated this but the black molly does more than what the master has stated. i would get co2 build up on the surface of the aquarium and the black molly would feed on it, it will also feed on dead plant matter if it's small enough (i swear to you), and if completely underfed will feed on all algae except brown & hair algae, which the otos hungrily feed on. the hair algae even if the sae didn't eliminate was eliminated by the "freak co2 accident" and removal from tweezers before it sticks to plant matter. 

> the tools i use is inexpensive as well, although i would like to get ada gadgets that looks like they work well, i stuck with tweezers bought from a dollar store, normal scissors that were sharpened to a tee, and my sand flattener is an algae scraper that cost $2 (you get 2 tools in one). i also have a syringe to inject ferts in the substrate.

thanks again for viewing, and i'll get decent pics next time.


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

When I get my new tank, this is the way I'll be going. Probably a 90 gallon. I won't have enough money for 09234234 bags of ADA Aquasoil or Flourite. =P


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

schultz aquatic plant soil has treated me well, we all know that this is not flourite but it does work in it's own way. i read that it has sufficient amounts of iron (more than flourite), i doubt it but at the same time plants have always been healthy even without fertilization, i just needed the vibrancy. and with $6 a bag you can never go wrong, although schultz is terribly lightweight the first month of the set-up, but after awhile it settles in nicely. an addition of peat moss underneath is highly recommended.


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Which would you rather go for? $20 of used Flourite (about 4 bags) or $20 for the peat moss and Schultz Aquatic Soil for a 60 gallon tank?

Would I get the same growth if I went with sand at $10 for 100lbs? If not, I'd rather spend a little more and get good growth with my plants.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

i'll go for flourite, and put some dusting of peatmoss and mulm under. let me know i will send you some peat moss


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

xcooperx said:


> i'll go for flourite, and put some dusting of peatmoss and mulm under. let me know i will send you some peat moss


Just figured out that for $20, the person is selling 4 bags worth of Flourite. If I get a 60 gallon tank, I'll need 6 bags. So it might not be enough. =/


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

you could always mix them (not the peat moss), i find that making a tank "all flourite" is just a waste of money. but that's just me.


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Since I've spent a ton of money, I'm gonna go with what you say. =)


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

flourite basically outlives the tank in most cases. while i do agree that iron is essential to any planted tank, there is plenty in flourite that it will go around, i've always done a mix of flourite and schultz with a layer of peat underneath back then and they have always worked well for me. in my opinion i'll only do all flourite if i'm having an all echinodorus tank.


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Maybe I'll get the flourite and just mix it in with the schultz then. =)


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## Blacksunshine (Aug 11, 2006)

Yo mikey! Tanks looking great! nice work!

Looks much better with the hairgrass spread out.


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

> after adding ferts the tank has been doing really good. i find that ambulia grows more compact with shorter internodes when fertilized, also with their foliage, it's nice and thick. the top part of the ambulia is showing a nice deep pink color, so i'm pretty happy with it. as of the rest of the plants, health is just great, i'll be posting pics tomorrow to compare the difference after a week. 

> the only problem i have is the stunted growth of e. tenellus, i have had so much success in propagating this species but not in this tank. some leaves turn yellow and growth is slow, i doubt that it's a lack of iron and potassium (although it could be) since i dose 3 times a week, the tank carries 5wpg (less i know) and a bubble per second of co2 so there shouldn't be any problems. maybe the water is way too soft for the plant. other than that everything is doing great, sorry for having no pics, you guys just have to wait. 

> thanks for viewing, mikey.


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## qpixo (Sep 9, 2006)

your 10 gal looks great!
I also have a 10gal but only 30w medium light. For now, my 3 plants repens and rotala indica and riccia grow like crazy. 
I had trouble with tenellus so I took them out and planted in my 5.5 gal. They look much better and have runners though. I'm also having trouble to make hemianthus micranthemoides grow better. Some of their leaves are turning dark brown.


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

i rescaped the bajeezus out of the tank, yes it's still running.


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

the tank was basically left alone for awhile until i started getting back into it again, i usually break down tanks much sooner but for some odd reason i was way too lazy to break down this one so i hope you guys like it. the focus wasn't on the fish but they are endler's live bearers.


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## gnob (Feb 8, 2007)

nice looking scap nap83..

those hairgrass have grown.. very healthy i would say..the foreground need triming tho.

Nice


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## capn_kirkl (Jul 4, 2006)

that is some incredible hairgrass, it is really lush looking you have just motivated me to get the ball rolling on some hairgrass related projects here in nd... just waiting for WM to get more in.

thanks 
kirk


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