# Ditched the Iwagumi Look and Going Mini Dutch -12g



## binbin9 (Dec 22, 2011)

I started my 12 Gallon Long as an Iwagumi setup, because I loved the simplicity and elegance of the aquascape.

Here are several shots of the tank as it grew in.

*January 2013*









*February 2013*









*March 2013*









*April 2013*









However through the course of scaping my 12 Gallon I couldn't resist buying a new plant on a weekly basis. (An addiction I'm sure many of you on APC also have a problem with).

I started IE Dosing along with my Seachem Products and my plants were growing uncontrollably. It kinda looked like a messy jungle and no longer had the clean look of an Iwagumi tank.

So I had the itch a month ago to go full dutch on the tank. Which suits my plant purchasing style. =)

Here's a quick run down of my setup.

*Hardware:*
12 Gallon Long - Mr. Aqua
Oddysea T5HO - 39W light - 1x6700 bulb and 10K bulb
EHeim 2213 Canister with DIY spray bar that extends the length of the tank, to avoid dead spots.
2 xDIY CO2 (Don't judge me, it works great for me :icon_lol with a the line feeding into a drill holed in the output pipe. Works like a reactor since the spray bar is so long it gives the CO2 time to mix with the water.
Hydro in line Heater

The dimensions of the 12 gallon long are 35.4L x 8.3W x 9.4H, which small and not ideal for a dutch aquarium. Which is probably why after going through over 70 pages of the 12 Gallon long club I didnt see one single attempt at a 12G dutch.

However there are so many mini versions of plants around I figure it would just take a bit of research to find the right plants to create the same illusion of a 125G dutch aquarium (I enjoyed this part)

I want to achieve this look or get possibly very close to it.








Not my photo, wish it was =)

I had my work cut out for me since Dutch Aquariums require so many plants to give it that full and lush look. So in the pass 2 months I've been buying plants from every where and everyone.

Local auctions, Aquabid, TPT, ebay, craigslist, even Viet Wah (which is a local asian grocery store). 
**Mini plug to Sean and Han for supplying my with great looking plants.

*Two months later here's my species list:*

Alternanthera reineckii mini
Ammania Gracilis
Anubias nana
Bacopa
Blyxa
Cabomba
Cardamine
Chain swords
Crypt wendtii
Dwarf Sag
Downoi
Elatine Trianda
Eriocaulon Cinereum
Fissidens
Glosso
guppy grass
HC - Dwarf Baby Tears
hornwort
Hydrocotyle SP Japan
Hydrocotyle Verticillata
Java fern
Lace Java Fern
ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata 'pantanal'
Limnophila Aromatica wavy
Loebalia Cardinalis Dwarf
Ludwigia Acruata x repens
Ludwigia sp Red
ludwigia senegalensis
Marsilea Minutia
Micranthium Umbrosum
Micro Swords
Mosses[censored]
Needle Leaf Ludwigia
Pellia
Pennywort
ranunculus inundatus
Riccia
Rotala Indica
Rotala Indica True - Ammania Bonsai
Rotala Wallichii
Star Grass
Staurogyne repens
Subwasertang
SYNGONANTHUS SP. 'BELEM'
Tiger Lilly
Trident Java fern
Utricularia graminifolia
Water Wysteria

Not all of them made it into the tank of course. 
Im still in search of *Rotala pearl mini type 1*

The tank is about 97% planted now and today I received my center piece plant from sjb1987 (Sean). Eriocaulon Cinereum

Freshly planted.









I'll post more photos and eventually a full tank shot once I can get the Rotala Mini Type I planted.


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

Wow, that's really impressive! Nice collection! I like the dutch better than the original Iwagumi. What's the red long-leafed plant in the left foreground? Looks beautiful.


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## binbin9 (Dec 22, 2011)

Thank you. Alternanthera reneickii mini.

this tank what usually would be mid ground became background.


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## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

Your iwagumi tank looks gorges! Can't wait to see what your Dutch will look like. You must take full tank pics!


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## binbin9 (Dec 22, 2011)

While I wait for a few more plants to arrive, here are the components of the tank. Most of these have been freshly planted but my carpeting staurogyne repens has been there for about 2 months. I started off with only 8 plants.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

So do you now find Iwagumi to be freaking boring to hell and back?

Does the new layout keep your eyes longer on itself?


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## binbin9 (Dec 22, 2011)

I still love some iwagumi setups but I have no self control when it comes to limiting a tank to Blyxa or HC or just DHG.

I think I may have stood in front of the tank for a good hr thinking about textures vs color contrast, height, and light requirements.

The thing I'm trying to avoid is a messy jungle where all the plants kinda bleed into each other and you cannot tell where one starts and where the other ends.


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

But in a Dutch tank

In de beperking toont zich de meester (something as: less is more)
Rood slaat dood (something as: Red makes dead)

A rule, not a law, is 1 plant for each 10cm frontglass., and of course, think about the Golden ratio


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## binbin9 (Dec 22, 2011)

Whats the golden ratio?


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

As trick:

length/2.618
height/2.618

Tank 120x50 (cm)

120/2.618= 45.8 put a vertical line from left and right at this number
60/2.618= 19 put a horizontal line from top and bottom at this number

Like

















source=http://www.onsnatuurgenot.nl/aquarium/guldensnede.htm

Then you have 4 points , which are stong points. Put on 2 strong points something (plant, wood etc).

But it is a trick. Search and you'll find many examples (art, photo's, nature) how this is.


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## binbin9 (Dec 22, 2011)

Gotcha the rule of thirds. I use it in photography but never thought to apply it to aquariums but it makes perfect sense, we are looking at a rectangular shape in both instances.

Thank you


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## catweazle (Feb 8, 2010)

Once again two photos from the site of my club: http://www.onsnatuurgenot.nl (translate it via whatever) (specific http://www.onsnatuurgenot.nl/aquarium/guldensnede.htm)



















The first one is with Phi. The second with thirds. Huge difference in this case. Without wood, but with plants only, it is most of the time negligible.


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## binbin9 (Dec 22, 2011)

Heres the layout:
1. Rotala Indica - rotundifolia
2. Ammania Gracilis
3. Crypt wendtii
4. Loebalia Cardinalis Dwarf
5. Bacopa
6. Downoi
7. Blyxa
8. ludwigia senegalensis
9. Alternanthera reineckii mini
10. Staurogyne repens
11. Hydrocotyle SP Japan
12. Hydrocotyle Verticillata under 11
13. SYNGONANTHUS SP. 'BELEM'
14. HC - Dwarf Baby Tears
15. Marsilea Minutia
16. ranunculus inundatus
17. Ludwigia sp Red
18. Rotala Wallichii
19. Tiger Lilly
20. Limnophila Aromatica wavy
21. ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata 'pantanal'
22. Eriocaulon Cinereum
23. Rotala Indica True - Ammania Bonsai
24. Ludwigia Acruata x repens


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## binbin9 (Dec 22, 2011)

Finally got around to taking some photos.


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## binbin9 (Dec 22, 2011)




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## Meshuggahn (Jun 4, 2013)

That is thoroughly impressive. Well done.


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## pweifan (Jun 23, 2007)

I always thought these 12 gallon long tanks were a bit awkward, but this is really gorgeous! Nice job


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## TEXAS (Jun 5, 2013)

I love the colors. What type of lighting are you using?


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## binbin9 (Dec 22, 2011)

thanks just a cheapy oddysea with 6700k and 10k bulbs, weird thing is I replaced the 6700k bulb which brightened up the tank but made the plants grow greener and less red.


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## binbin9 (Dec 22, 2011)

Things were getting a bit weedy so I did trim on the reineckii, ranunculus, rotala vietnam, staurogyne repens, and ludwgia red.

The tonnina Belem has been sprouting tons of new shoots as well and I clipped off a bunch of plantlets and replanted them


















I did add a few plants from a recent trade and auction.

1. Lindernia Rotundifolio - I love how these leave look like little melon balls
2. Erio Parkeri










I also pulled the S. repens from the front of the reineckii and stuck in some UG to get some contrasting leaf structures.


















I did notice some problems while trying to soften the water up for the erios, the ludwigia red and one of the reineckii stems began to show some Ca deficiency.


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## rwong2k (Jan 13, 2005)

wow awesome looking tank, with a lot of nice plants!


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## maxwellag (Jun 1, 2012)

That is an awesome scape! I love the red (ludwigia??) plant in the middle. How is the UG doing?


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## fjord (Sep 22, 2011)

The Golden Ratio is not based on 3rd's. Look it up on Wikipedia. It is akin to the Fibonacci Sequence, whereas, adding two number gives a third number, as in 0+1=1, 1+1=2, 1+2=3, 2+3=5, 3+5=8... In terms of ratio, consider 2:3, 3:5, 5:8, etc. These proportions have been used for centuries by architects, landscape architects, interior designers and designers as a method of deriving a pleasing space in terms of length to width to height.


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