# Style of Wabi Kusa



## Steven_Chong

Before I start, I'll admit that this tank totally bites off of ADA's new Wabi-Kusa concept. For those who have never seen a wabi-kusa, the idea is to grow a ball of emersed plants semi-emersed or submersed.

That said, there's a bunch of things going into this idea:

-Wabi-Kusa Style
-Ikebana Style
-Hawaii Biotope

In addition to the wabi-kusa concept, I'm trying some ideas from Ikebana arrangement. I also wanted to make this a "Hawaii Stream" biotope, and all the plants were collected from a local stream. Well, enough explanation-- photos!










The empty tray . . . I mean aquarium.  Lighting is an overhead 19w spiral florescent. My friend Long sits working on some of the plants.










Lay out decorative white sand and a pot for the emersed plants.










Fill the pot with some old flourite, and soaking it to wet the florite and sand.










First plants go in-- support "mid-ground" plants. They are not submersable plants, and I don't know the species. They grow semi-emersed, and look sort of like emersed lobelia (but aren't).










Stems. I think they are an ammania species, but not sure.










Finished Planting with Pennyworts, aquatic and terrestrial mosses tied to the rocks in the appropriate locations.

I'll show some more photos when the water clears!

I'm planning to stock the tank with fancy guppies and wild-form cherry shrimp-- both invasive species that have unfortunately taken up permanent residence in Hawaii streams, but are rather conveniant for the purpose of this biotope.

I'll give some explanation on ikebana with photos afte the water clears.


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## Dewmazz

Damn Steve! At it again already...
I totally dig the Wabi-Kusa concept, but I've always wanted to do one of the "underwater planter-boxes" myself. I presume you have a 2006 ADA catalog? Page 163, bottom right hand corner...
I love your ability to incorporate Hawaiian environmental elements into your aquascapes. My skills look like crap compared to yours (though I'm a far cry compared to a year ago!). I look forward to this setup. And BTW, I'll probably be attending UH Manoa (or associated mainland college) next year. Do you ever find you have to constantly disassemble tanks? ( I presume you live in the dorm most of the year, or no?) My brother had to move rooms what seemed like every trimester...


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## gabeszone

A good style to put medaka fish into your tank or any cold water type of fish.


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## Craig Tarvin

I want to see what you're up to Steven, but the pictures are really dark, or is it just me?


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## redstrat

Some brighter pics would definately be nice  Do you have any idea what that tall stem plant is?


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## krisw

Great idea and setup! Make sure to post more pictures as you take them!


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## Steven_Chong

Sorry guys, I accidentally set exposure comp to -2 for all the set-up photos. Here it is today.

The ikebana concepts are in the arrangement. While I was studying in Tokyo this summer, we were given a demonstration by an Ikebana Master as part of the program. His assistants taught us some of the basics before the demonstration. The most basic uses a large dish, and placing the spike stone (which is used to hold the flowers in place) in on the right or left side, in the front or back. For this, I had a pot instead, and placed it in the back left. In Japan, the position is decided on the season-- in the summer, the plants are put in the back so that one feels "cooler" by seeing more water in front. In the winter, the plants are brought to the front to create more sense of "warmth." It's hot year-round in Hawaii, so I figured it would be alright in the back. Besides, I wanted to use moss-stones, and in a way, I do bring the plants "to the front" this way.

Thanks for the comments/compliments all!

dewmazz-- I do find myself annoyed by the work of disassembling and re-assembling, but it's not too bad. Thanks for the compliments dude, but I think I'd be embarressed if, after the years of painting and aquascaping I've had, I couldn't do something at least at this level. Really, I still have a long ways to go. You just got to keep going, you know? Everyone can get good at art if they try IMO (at least at execution skils). Yeah, I have a few copies of the catalogue lying around . . . XD

gabe-- come on now, you know there are no medakas in Hawaii. XD Besides, for this tank, I'm actually trying to do something more "Fantasy" than "Natural." I'm making a living ikebana instead of a stream.

davis-- not real sure what any of the plants are. My hunch is I have nabbed a local ammania.


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## gabeszone

So are you going add fish? What kind? This style in Japan uses some kind of cold water fish. Anyways its looking good! I kinda figure you werent going to find any medaka lol!


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## Moody

I love this concept steven. Im curiouse of a few things.........
The first is have you any idea how this will progress with regards how tall/big the plants will grow?
Will they grow far to large and spoil the arrangement? 
How will you controle this? is this is an isue?
Are you suplimenting the lighting, ferts etc?
What is the water you have used RO, Tap ar rain?
How will you control algea on the glass and decrotive sand?
Will there be any filtration?

This Wabi-Kusa is very cool, but is it alot of work to maintain the feeling the concept is suposed to prevoke? Is that the point? Is it on the line of the art of bonsai, with out the time and paitiance you are not rewarded. Or is it a concept that once set up, will tend to its self?

Regards,
Graeme.


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## Blue_Dolphinvn

I like this kind of aqua-bonsai set-up, that look very similar to the original nature with emersed, submersed & semi-emersed grow in the same place like the edge of a pond...
Could you tell me which plants & moss you have used?
Thank,


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## Paul Higashikawa

Sugei na, Steve-san!

Steve got it going on, man! It looks very refreshing 

Just the other day when I was cleaning my tank, I took one look at all the plants I cut out and thought," Why not make'em into a ball of Wabi Kusa!"
The way I did mine was pretty easy. Just take them plants and bunch them into a ball. For added weights to sink, a piece of rock can be inserted in the center. You can also add some substrate inside the ball, but it's not necessary. 

Again, a very refreshing look. Definitely give us more updates later!


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## TNguyen

Looking good! Make me one to try one later on. 

Thanh


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## Steven_Chong

Gabe-- I'm planning on mixed fancy guppies. 

Graeme-- Amano's original concept seems to be very maintenance free. The catalogue gives the impression of "letting the plants go wild" without much trimming involved (though of course the glass is perfectly algae free). I'm not really sure how this'll work out, but I'll take the measures necessary to keep it looking good. Sand can be replaced, and scrubbing this tank feels like no effort if you can imagine. I was planning on maybe dosing a very tiny amount of ferts, but no CO2. My water changes will be frequent. I'm using the water straight out of the tap (which is not so different from the water in the stream that runs through the forest in my backyard and supplied most of the plants).

I also have the light very high above the tank in hoping to create a low-light setting. I am actually planning on putting in an air stone in the back left corner and running it 24-7. When it comes to these semi-aquatic mosses, I find water movement is more important than great quantities of CO2 to their health.

Well, I only have a month here anyway before I go back to California and set up my real tank. 

Blue--I'm just making guesses, and then only about their genus. But here are my guesses:

Ammania sp.
Juncus sp.
Vesicularia/taxiphyllum (the mosses) sp.
Hydrocotyle sp.
+2 Unknown terrestrial plants that hug the river edge

Paul-- Iya, sugei jyanakute. Kantan no darou.  (typical Japanese to turn down compliments, right? lol)

I was really curious about how Amano's are heald together. Well, I'm sure the secret will come out soon enough.


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## turtlehead

looking good looking good. I like, I have actually started my own too Steven haha. More pictures when the fish go in please.


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## dennis

Nice and interesting as always! I think you could do with a little more transition between the underwater rocks and sand but otherwise, very, very nice. One question, where did you get that tank?


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## ianiwane

There is medaka in hawaii, we call them mosquito fish.


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## Steven_Chong

John-- Sure thing 

Dennis-- I bought this tray at Tokyu Hands in Ikebukuro (though there are many locations through out Tokyo). Tokyu hands is a sort of all-in-one store with everything from Travel stuff, to anime models, to appliances, to having a pet store at the top floor that carries hamsters, kabuto mushi (Wrestling Beetles), and some ADA stuff. This, I bought on the office materials floor though. XD


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## Kelley

What a fascinating tank! Will someone take over its care when you return to school? Also, what did you do with the lovely fish that you purchased for your previous aquascape? I hope that you found them a good home.


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## Steven_Chong

Probably coming down at the end of the break.

The fish? They went to a friend in SCAPE until I get back.


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## ranmasatome

Steve... your post always makes my fingers itchy..


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## FazTeAoMar

Steven, very nice! It is definitely something different. I had seen that mini work of art in Amanos Aquajournals and in photos of his gallery but never understood the concept behind it and the power of such work.

regarding the stem plants, don´t you need some humidity to prevent them for drying? I am really tempted to setup something like this... 

Please keep posting updates. 

Regards,
André


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## schaadrak

Awesome.

I was planning to set up a paludarium with the land to water transition looking almost exactly like this. It's great to have some thing I can refer back to. 

This would be a great setup to keep a dragonfly nymph if you could be there when it molted into an adult.

Andre- I think keeping the plants bunched together that way and the fact that there so close to the water keeps the humidity levels in the immediate area high enough. Adding an air stone like Steven was talking about would pull even more moisture into the air as well.


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## Craig Tarvin

It looks really cool, try to keep pics updated!


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## dhavoc

Andre-in Hawaii, the last thing we need to worry about is humidity levels. the average is 50-70% most of the year. we dont get the extremes (high or low humidity levels) that the mainland does, so thats mostly a good thing. the bad is that there really is only "one season" in Hawaii, it just rains more in the winter time and the temps drop a little to the low 80's in the day and the high 60's at night. i love snow and skiing but to after seeing Denver this past couple of days i think i'll just visit to get my snow fix.

Steven, nice setup, never saw one of these before and its got me interested.


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## filipnoy85

Beautiful! Where'd you find your tray?


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## snowhillbilly

I know we have been asked not to use one line sentences, but far out man, great job.


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## Steven_Chong

dhavoc pretty much got it. The humidity isn't too much of a concern-- it's the same in my house as where the plants grow. Though, the plants are doing their little "drop the leaves and put in new ones 'cause I'm growing somewhere else" bit. Real annoying, but they are showing some new growth. I might just replace them at the end if they don't grow back fast enough. Don't have a qualm about replacing plants in my "ikebana" 

Filipboy-- I got it at a department store in Tokyo. Still, you might be able to find something similar. This was meant to be an "office tray."

Thanks for the compliments/feedback all!

Little Update:

My computer is in the shop, so I got no photoshop . . . 














































I added in 4 male guppies and 20+ neocaridina denticulata (wild cherry shrimp). I'll keep you all updated.


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## Hurriken

Steven,

This is a really good thread. Its helping me as a beginner. 

I have read that when selecting and placing rocks in an aquascape, rocks of similar size, shape, and color should be used. I noticed you have some larger rocks here and also small stones. I think it looks great and very natural. I was wondering if you could comment on the use of rocks in an aquascape. Are there some 'rules of thumb' or is it all in the eye of the aquascaper?


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## schaadrak

With the simplicity of this setup and the great looking end product, I'm surprised that there's not more people attempting this style.

I'm cruious as to how you think a bonsai would do in that set-up? It would obiously need a larger land area and some way to remove the tree for root pruning without distroying the landscape. Soils and plant species are a couple of other big factors.Well, time to research.

Man, it seems like all I ever do is research for one then find another that peaks my interest. I can't decide what kind of tank to start. I think I've got AADD (Aquatic Attention Deficit Disorder).


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## KYCox

steven,

how do you keep the water clean? 
do you change water daily?
would you mind telling us more about studying in japan?


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## Steven_Chong

Hurriken-- I'm glad I can be some help, though I wouldn't look at this as an example of the best way for growing aquatic plants. As for the rocks, There are better defined rules for iwagumi. This is not iwagumi, and for the most part I tried to just use them to set the basic shape and support the plants. Therefore, there is not "main stone." However, it is good to stick to the most basic ideas-- odd number of stones (2 and 4 are usually bad though 6 or 8 might be ok), keep some empty space, and use smaller stones to support larger ones.

schaadrak-- I sympathize with your AADD.  I've never done bonsai so I wouldn't know about that but, I have seen bonsai trees kept in terrarium before (in photos).

This "style" is new and old. In a way, it's just ikebana but with plants that live and a dish that's clear.

KyCox-- I did water changes every other day. Nu'uanu (my home valley) water is very good.

Studying in Japan was exciting. Tokyo is a gray place but it's bustling with life and a sub-concious level of culture. For me though, the really special times were those I spent with my Dad site-seeing. One thing an aquascaper needs to do is reach out and absorb the beauty and cues from nature. Japan was truly inspiring.

From casual things like staring out of the shinkansen window to catch a quick view of a misty forest of bamboo and sakura.

Over-powering things, like the mind-numbingly beautiful garden grounds of Ginkakkuji, whose designer is still considered a genius by the people of Kyoto centuries after its creation.

Small things, like the cool sweet water of Koimizu, and seeing riccia and mosses bubble at the base of the pool there.

Calm things, like taking in the sight of cool green maple trees at Miyajima island from a Ryokan window while drinking cold sake.

And of course, grit-driven and determined moments like walking around rise paddy are (in the middle of nowhere!!) where no one spoke a lick of english (my Japanese was severely tested), in the pouring rain, looking for this "Nature Aquarium World Gallery" that's supposed to be around here _somewhere._ We did eventually find it-- we ran into a nephew of Amano's (believe it or not) who took us to the gallery.


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## Steven_Chong

*Final Photos*

I did wrap this up, and here are the finished photos:





































Cherry Shrimp (Wild Form)














































Whole tank shot:










I found photographing this aquarium very difficult. It's so small, and trying to capture the terrestrial and aquatic parts together is difficult. In the end, I ended up with 2 different types of full-tank shots. One that shows more of the emersed plants, and this one that shows under-water better.


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## epicfish

Wow, the last picture looks amazing. If only I had those skills. =)

My time will come. =)


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## turbomkt

Very nice, Steven. It's too bad you have to leave this project and go back to school


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## slickwillislim

Very well done. I really like this project, very interesting. Its to bad most plants would probably shrivel up in my house. I would have to put a dome over it or something and then whats the point. I am growing some emersed plants and I can't imagine makeing them look as nice and natural as yours.


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## Steven_Chong

You guys are complimenting me too much for putting some pond weeds in an office tray. :mrgreen: Thanks all

Epic-- You can do something like this, it's not that hard.

Turbo-- It's already been torn down, and I'm already back at school. 

Slick-- What you should try doing is gett a wadd of plants, put them in a shallow aquarium, and just see which ones grow out of the water-- and go with those.  Of course, for me with only 1 month of winter vacation, I don't have that patience. XD


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## DelawareJim

Beautiful setup! I just discoved this linked to another thread. 

The simplicity is fabulous. I really like the close-up's with the moss. It looks so natural and fresh. It evokes a natural stream side very well. 

It's a shame you had to take it down, it would have really been intereting to watch it continue to evolve.

Cheers.
Jim


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## brennewoman

This looks like it would be ideal for a terrarium, vivarium setup. I'd love to have a large, tall case with something like this, some fish in the deep end, maybe poison dart frogs on land...etc... Oh for a house big enough for all the different tanks I want!


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## skincareaddicted

Hey Steven, 

I was just looking over this thread, very beautiful. I showed a friend and she wants to try wabi-kusa. How were your guppies able to breathe with no aerator? I notice you saying you change the water every other day, does that replenish the oxygen supply for them? or do the plants release enough oxygen? I am new to all this so sorry for the newbie questions.

~Kristen


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## Steven_Chong

The guppies are now living with my cousin in her fish tank. 

As for your questions, as Amano would say-- healthy plants make for healthy fish. 
Also, the larger the water surface, the more oxygenated water is. Compared to say a fish bowl, this tray had a lot more oxygen for the amount of water.


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## Mellonman

Steven_Chong said:


> I was really curious about how Amano's are heald together. Well, I'm sure the secret will come out soon enough.


Did you finally find out Steven ?


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## gotcheaprice

Wow, great job Steven!

I might try something like this in the future. Did you get all your plants from the stream near your house? I might go some time to go collecting xD 
Also, were the rocks from the stream too?

Arg, now to find a "tank" like yours... Lol, office max or office depot O_O.


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## DarrylR

This thread is awesome . Inspiring me to do it but all I got is white and green acorus plants as a semi-aquatic terrestrial plant LOL.


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## taoyeah

what size is the tank?


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## Hawaiian

WOW Braddah Steven, I lived in Waipahu for many years. While growing up there I was always down at Waikele stream catching green swordtails for the LFS and tilapia as bait for blue picher crab and once in awhile Samoan crab. I also use to take plants that I though would look great in my 20g, you know the old ones with slate bottoma dn the chrome or brushed metal frame, Oh may be before your time.Mostly mosses and some other plants that well I did not know the name of. I remember taking moss covered rocks with my dad having the weirdest looks for me doing this instead of swimming or goofing around as my sibblings often did. I also caught wild guppies there and these were the hardiest fish for my 40 breeder terrarium. 

Tutu Wahine (Grandma) was always growing and tending to her Illima plants for the Leis she provided for teachers on special ocassions. So I used one of those little trees in that tank also. I really miss Hawaii now and even more that winter has set its teeth in here in Nebraske, dont ask LOL.

Take Care of You and Yours while in Cali for school Bra.

Ike


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## GulfCoastDiscus

Nice pictoral Braddah. Wow I wish I thought of this when I too lived in Hawai'i. I was on the Waianae side and mostly dessert.hahahah

One question...The light your using adequate enough for the plants to thrive? 

Mahalo bra.


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## fishscale

I just had to go and find this thread, didn't I. Looks like I won't be selling one of my 10g's afterall. So, this will bring the count up to one 55g, one 20g L, one 10g, 2 nanos, and one of these doohickeys. Terrible!!!!


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