# Koke no Uta



## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

What do you get when you combine:

1 bag of riccardia/moss rocks left behind the house 2 months ago
1 bag of sticks/mulch from the local river
1 bag of 10 cent/fish feeder guppies










My ADA 2009 Entry, "Song of Moss"

Close ups:


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Ah yes... You make it sound easy... 

But you forget the main ingredient you added.

You can't buy that at the store. You can't find it behind the house.

Taste.

--Nikolay


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## NowMed (Feb 10, 2009)

thats awesome !!


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## Jdinh04 (Oct 7, 2004)

The scape looks nice, I like the natural look that the moss, rocks, and the pieces wood give off. For this type of scape, I would of went with a darker sand just to balance things a little bit. Overall, it'll be a great tank for some shrimp though


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## jrb77 (Sep 9, 2008)

x2 on the darker substrata...
But dang fine job on a low budget entry!


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## trackhazard (Sep 20, 2006)

I like the light sand. Really makes the moss pop.

I just wish the tank had been clearer when the photo was taken.

Good job, Steven.

Charlie


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

Thanks all! As to the question of a darker substrate, I'd say yes and no. It would certainly good if I had gone with say, river pebbles over sand. However, I wouldn't say that it would be better so much as different. I might try switching if I have time.

@Shrimp-- I may add some 10 cent/shrimp feeder shrimp (wild-form Neocaridina denticulata, wild cherry shrimp), because they're cheap.  Maybe I should enter this in biotope again this year AGA as a Hawaii Biotope with just wild feeder guppies and feeder shrimp.

Close ups:


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## fishlover (Jan 2, 2007)

I know what you get: An AMAZING work of art, Steven you are so good at aquascaping it discourages me! great job with just "what you could find"


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

That's really pretty. I do think the darker substrate would be good. Moss is just so pretty!


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## FBG (Jan 2, 2006)

It is truly amazing what can come out of just your backyard and turn it into an aquascape...but you have to have taste as Niko said.

this aquarium looks as it is pretty small, what is the width and length of the aquarium?


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## gsparsan (Jan 9, 2009)

Very nicely done. If the picture did not show the thickness of the glass, I would have thought it much bigger than it is.


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

Yeah, it's pretty small (12"l x 12"deep x 6"tall), but with a lot of depth proportionately

edit: @fishlover-- never be discouraged!


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## fishlover (Jan 2, 2007)

Thanks. I sincerely think you should get a great ranking in IAPLC 09 with this tank. It's great in the sense that it is simple and full of natural feeling...Once could really believe that this is a slice of a small stream!
When you say "behind my house" you mean Hawaii right? I'm just asking cause I suppose if it's right, this tank will not last long, like your wabi kusa?
By the way, does _Koke no Uta_ mean "song of moss"? Thanks


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

Koke is Moss (though refers to the broader category including liverworts), Uta means song, "no" is a possessive indicator like 's (or here translated as "of"). So yeah, Koke no Uta

And yeah about the points about hawaii and the lifespan of this aquascape. Maybe I'll put the rocks back behind my house and see how they look when I come back again. xD


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

Posting with some photos I shot/edited today:










Also, a close up of those new residents you can see hanging out in the bottom left of the whole-tank shot:




























Atyoida bisculcata, a freshwater shrimp native to Hawaii. Said to be filterfeeders related to wood/fan shrimp who can climb to the top of Hawaii's tallest waterfalls. You go to any LFs in Hawaii and can buy wild cherry shrimp (brown form of Neocaridina denticulata) for 10pc/$1, but sometimes you'll find some of these guys mixed in, and they've become popular with planted tank guys here.

Honestly, I have to be skeptical as to whether they are really Atyoida species, as in all the tanks I've seen them in, I've never watched one filter feed, and they don't seem to have any fans on their legs. Of all the freshwater shrimp I've seen, their appearence, size and behavior most resembles Amano Shrimp (which by the way, are illegal in Hawaii).

Anyway, they're beautiful. 

I'll try to post more photos and details about Atyoida Bisculcata in the shrimp section later.

I know I'm double posting and bumping my own thread up here, but I'm going to be really depressed if no one replies to this. xD


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## fishlover (Jan 2, 2007)

Nice!!!!!!!!and thanks for the little japanese lesson. I think I've read about this shrimp somewhere. Being a shrimp lover I can say that this shrimp is AWESOME!!! But won't it jump out of the tank? I mean, if they can climb waterfalls... Once again great work, I it would be cool if the rocks got completely covered in moss for the next scape.


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

@fishlover-- they do have incredible strength and climbing ability, but like most shrimp they'll stay in unless they are panicked. Still, I decided to seran-wrap the tank's top to make sure they wouldn't get out.


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## uttoshii (Sep 13, 2006)

Hi Steven, it's a beautiful tank , the hardscape is great , the way you combined wood and stones couldn't be more natural , your choice of "old broken" pieces of wood is perfect , that with the moss (what kind of moss is that?) and the result is stunning . 
the tank looks much bigger than it is , the depth created by the harscape by opening the left side and using some wood appearing from the back of the stones is impressive for such a small tank .
the title , 苔の歌 is a perfect match to that scene , i also like it a lot


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

Thanks Uttoshii, I feel greatly praised coming from you, I trust your sense. 

The moss are actually all from hawaii, the main 2 are "Manoa Moss" and a Riccardia sp. found here. A friend of mine named Robert here dubbed this moss that looks like a Vesicularia "Manoa Moss," and I would not have believed there are moss that can grow aquatically here until I saw it in his tank. Personally, I can't help but think it's just Singapore moss (Vesicularia dubyana), which is said to be found throughout the pacific rim and Asia. It does not look especially different from other Taxiphyllum/Vesicularia species. The Riccardia species is pretty similar if not the same to your typical coral moss.


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## kirua 666 (Nov 8, 2006)

Seriously, I love !

It's a real natural style, all simple on the result but many details on the hardscape.
The tanks look bigger than is it with the utilisation of big wood pieces on the foreground and small wood pieces on the background.
The rocks with the moss are perfect.

I really love your style Mr Chong


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## pele (Mar 3, 2009)

I really like,very natural and lovely


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## chadly (Dec 19, 2005)

cool! All moss tanks are very nice. The light sand works great.


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

Thanks all, I really appreciate your comments and rates! 

I just finished filling out the application form, and thought I'd share with you guys what I wrote in the comments section:


> Title: Hawaiian: "Limu Mele" 日本語：「苔の歌」
> 
> 日本語：英語では、「Song of Moss」というタイトルで、森の中に歩きながら感じる気持ちを伝えたかった。動かずに、ゆっくりしか変わらずに、ずっと静かなはずの場所なのに、なぜか、不思議にどこから美しい声を聞こえるように、小さな、小さな声。その森の中の感情。明るい砂を使って、素早く流れてる川のイメージを作りたかった。森の奥に、木は生きていて、死んでいて、人間の手が届かない場所なのに、驚くほど清明にきれいである。オパエ・カラオレ　（アトヨイダ・ビッスクラタ）が好きな素早いて、清明な川や滝のように。使われている苔や生物は皆ハワイに存在して、自分達の森は自分達で伝う考えがあった。
> 
> ...


The Japanese is pretty much just a direct translation of the English, thought trying to make both sound as natural as possible. Don't think it really matters, but since I've been busting ass to study Japanese I thought I might as well put it to use, since I've finally reached a level where I have some confidence in my writing (I'm better at speaking . . .).


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## NowMed (Feb 10, 2009)

I know i already posted on your tank, i had to say your tank is one of my all time favorites. :thumbsup:


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## Pinto (Mar 22, 2008)

Very NICE work!
Truly a work Art!


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