# 40 gallon cube



## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

ok.....my turn.




























I just finished this today. I know that it doesn't look all that great yet, but it will be interesting to see it in about a month.

I am paying tribute to the dude that first got me into aquarium-keeping. I hope that it turns out well!

I also apologize for the picture quality, but I am still trying out the new digital camera settings, and I have never uploaded anything onto APC before. GO EASY, Sleezy!

Parameters:
40 gallon cube.
pH-6.7
water filtered through peat moss.
Filtration: Overflow system (built in) with Magnum canister for CO2 injection
Pressurized CO2 (5 bubbles/second)
Lighting: (Ha!) DIY 3 Coralife 2x18watts per fixture=total of 118 watts; 2x65 watts PC

Substrate: Eco Onyx sand

Hardscape: driftwood (three pieces); two pagoda stone

Nutrients:
Excel, Phosphorus, Iron, Potassium 3 to 4 times a week
Water Changes: 5 gallons twice a week

Flora:
Fissidens Fontanus
Fissidens Zipp.
Fissidens Fontanus sb. Fontanus
Unknown Asian Fissidens

Juncus Repens
Anubias Nana
Anubias Nana vs. Petite
Stargrass
Rotala Magenta vs. Narrow
Ludwigia Inclanata
Hygro sp.
Crypt Wendtii
Crytp Lucens
Ambulia

Fauna:
18 Boraras brigittae 
20 Cherry Shrimp
5 Green Midget Shrimp
5 Crystal Reds
5 Amanos

I hope that you like it. It will look better, I promise! Just need some more growth, and to take off all of the sewing thread.


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## freydo (Jan 7, 2006)

for an initial setup, it shows a lot of promise. it should look pretty good once things grow in.

it looks like your math is a touch off. i've got a total of 108 watts of lighting by your coral life fixtures. but overall, that's quite a bit of lighting you've got there, even if for a noon time burst. which i have at almost 6wpg. as long as you're on top of your ferts and tank maintenance, that should be an awesome tank.

good job


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Yeah, Freydo......I'm running at about 6.3 watts/gallon. But it is only at that wattage for about 2 hours a day.

Initial scape looks ok, but I really think after a few trims, it will look pretty good. I'm trying to go for something a little bit different looking by having some nice colors in there along with some rarely used plant species. Of course, my photography skills aren't anything to brag about either 

Time will tell! Wish me a little luck......if you would


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

Nice start Donald, should look really beautiful once the fissidens grow in, etc. That is a very unique piece of wood off-center. Are you going for a sort of exotic look? What is the tribute about?

Pic wise it's tough to tell the color of the plants, etc. Can you take the pics without a flash?


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

House..

I just wanted to go for something a bit more unique than another Iwugami or Amano type looking aquarium. Don't get me wrong....I find those types of aquariums to be very nice to look at! I am in awe of some of them, but I have always tried to go against trends (to a degree).

The tribute really has to do with the style of the aquarium. My buddy was my cooperating teaching when I was doing my student teaching back in the day. He was HUGE into fish tanks, and I saw some of his. He had designed them to really look like a type of "freshwater reef" where most of the midground area in the tank was dominated by hardscape. The plants would kind of surround the hardscape. A little sloppy-looking by today's standards, but it looked incredible at the time.

So, in a day in Age where everything must follow rules to look a "certain way," I have said "to hell with it." I going a different direction to see if I can obtain a certain style. Reading Steven Chong's Spring journal, and watching him get some undue (in my opinion) harsh criticism of something that I felt was really nice looking also inspired me with trying this out.

I will take better pictures o're the weekend. I tried without the flash House, but it looked rather dull.
Wish me luck, and I'll have updates next week.

Also, thank you to those people (Billionz, you HouseofCards, and WolfenxXx) who provided plants and shrimp for this project....


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## freydo (Jan 7, 2006)

yeah... pictures are pretty cruddy ... just kidding.

i'm glad you're doing what you want, while giving everyone else the bird. but when you post updated pictures, then we'll get on your case


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

JERKS! HA! 

Well, forgive my pics.....I'm still in my infancy with that!

Constructive criticism is one thing, but understand that 1. you don't have my vision, and 2. IT ISN'T DONE YET! Hence, the updates. If it was done, I would say something to that degree. But I've noticed some people here that have given me plants keep checking my profile to see if I've posted pics of their plants like I keep promising and had yet to do that. I figured that I owed them so they could see what I am doing with those items they sold to me.

If you just want to rip me apart, PM me, we'll meet in some dark alley, and we'll scrap! Joking!

And, I am not that much of a rebel. Politically speaking, I lean towards a conservative side (BE NICE!)
But, my wife is very much a liberal, as well as most of my friends. I think everyone is entitled to do what they want as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else, or contribute negatively in society. Art is a great way to do that. But, I don't see myself giving anyone the bird, per se. Just want to be a tad different, is all!

I look forward to receiving you critiques next week, Freydo!


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

That's a nice piece of wood!


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

:humble: Hey, thanks! I thought it was kinda neat!


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## ranmasatome (Aug 5, 2005)

Donald, i will hold my comments until it gets more mature and a better picture is taken..haha..
take it easy man..


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Ranmasa-

In the words of Homer Simpson (when he purposely got fat to go on disability): Thank you for your pity!


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Err....yeah....it's the....camera's fault, right? HA!


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

No FFWS, that's for sure. So, good for your first go.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Steve-

What is "FFWS" mean? "Fissidens Fontanus........"? something something?


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## freydo (Jan 7, 2006)

from his post: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquascaping/37228-aquascaping-philosophy-102-a.html

FFWS:

Field in Front of Wall Syndrome:

When one first comes to the world of Aquascaping, one's eyes are caught on the jewels of the Aquascaping world. A beginner aquarium designer finds himself entranced by the sparkling fields of riccia or heminathus callitricoides, and the brilliant red stem plants such as Ludwigia arcuata or Eusteralis stellata. Entranced by these plants, they are the ones he first seeks out. The usual result of this is the development of Field in Front of Wall Syndrom (FFWS syndrome).

FFWS syndrome is the most basic mistake of beginner aquarium designers, and that is to build a layout with enormous amount of space given to either the foreground and/or the background, with virtually nothing given to the mid-ground. The result is the appearance of a field in front of a wall of stem plants.

Even if the plants are grown well, the result will be an Aquascape that is flat, and visually unappealing. The parts do not work together and so the Aquascape is split. Moreover, this layout type creates no sense of depth whatsoever, and so seems small and boring. FFWS is something that must be conquered in order to create a good layout.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Gotcha! Thank you for the defined term......

......i do what I can with what I have! 

Actually, it is almost like cheating. By using a lot of hardscape in the mid-ground, you don't really have to worry about finding those plants that will create a midground for you.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

For those of you wondering where the heck my update photos are:

I noticed a hydra infestation has broken out. Let me take care of those buggers and get them under control first, then I'll post new tank pics. Due to all of the fissidens in the tank, not much has changed since last time. I did add a two hour blackout during mid-photoperiod to help with some of the green spot algae, and it seems to have helped.

I'll keep everyone up-to-date. If you have any more questions, let me know!


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Hydra all gone! I added a concentrated salt solution for a day, followed by a massive addition of hydrogen peroxide/manual removal for about two hours, followed by a massive water change.

No fish, shrimp, or plant loss!

I am waiting until Saturday when I get some Marsilia minuta to redo some of the landscape. Foreground should look better and sloped a bit more. I hope to take some pics on Sunday, so stay tuned!

Of course, comments and questions are welcome, but as I said earlier, this is still in the early goings so don't be too critical!


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

*40 gallon cube-4/22/07 update*

Geeze....what a past two weeks!

I had noticed hydra growing. There weren't too many at first, then they systematically started taking over the tank. I think that they came from some peat moss that I had placed in there about three weeks ago. They were everywhere; the glass, plants, wood....it was nuts!

No, no, no.....that will not do!

I added three and a half cups of sea salt to the tank for a period of 24 hours, after which I took hydrogen peroxide via an eyedropper, and squirted the areas where they resided. That worked! And it destroyed my hair algae as well..double bonus! After about two hours or so, I performed a 50% water change, and did about 30% water changes for three days following that.

I lost a few snails, but there are plenty where they came from! Anyhow, here are some updated photos:

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/attachment.php?attachmentid=4636&stc=1&d=1177277972

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/attachment.php?attachmentid=4637&stc=1&d=1177277972

I added some marsilea minuta and some ranalisma rosata in the foreground after I had sloped the sides from the earlier photos. I am planning on taking out the Ludwigia Inclana and adding some Polygonium Sao Paulo instead. I think that it will look a bit nicer. Also, the hygro in the back corner will be taken out as well, and I'll put some more Juncas Repens in its place. The rocks on top of the marsilea minuta will be moved in about a week or so after in starts rooting. I may keep the rock in there, but I will change the location.

Everything else is doing quite well, and I am very happy! It is taking a bit longer than I had hoped, but all's well that ends well.

Here is a pic of the 100 gallon planted tank.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/attachment.php?attachmentid=4638&stc=1&d=1177278491

Consider this a "sneak peek" as I will post pics of this when it is complete. I am waiting for the Myrio in the back to grow quite a bit more.

Suggestions and critiques are more than welcome now. I will take more pics next week after I move/remove the rocks on top of the marsilea.


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## freydo (Jan 7, 2006)

everything is filling in nicely, and looking very healthy... picture quality on the other hand... 

your 100 gallon is looking awesome as well. good job!


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

You shut up about my poor picture taking abilities, Freydo! 

Yeah.....I can either get nice color with a flash, or alter the settings, and it "blues" it out ("Oot" in Canadian....HA!). I swear, they looks decent on my laptop, then I get here to work and look at them and think "Eww!"

I'll keep pluggin' away. By the time I get it figured out, it'll be mature.....I guess I'm going to have to learn Photoshop after all, huh?

Thanks, Freydo, for the compliment. Sorry it burns your eyes to look at my photos!

On a more serious note: I am actually finding it much more difficult to scape this 40 gallon cube than I had anticipated, and I don't really know why. I suppose that I am trying to go for more of a diminutive and "dainty" look; that leads to a lot of planting and replacing hardscape and plants with smaller leaves. I guess that to obtain the desired "depth," you really have to be very precise with your selection of hardscape, plants, and fish. Otherwise, one plant of hygro is going to look just plain silly next to bunches of plants with whispy or small pinnate leaves. 

I would rather scape five hundred gallon tanks than one 40 gallon. I have to give credit to those of you who aquascape nanos and picos: IT ISN'T AS EASY AS IT LOOKS!!! But I will say that I have learned much more from this one 40 gallon cube in four months than I have learned in 10 years with 55 gallon-100 gallon tanks. So, it is all good in the hood!


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Grrrrr......

UPDATE: 4/26/07

I threw out the Rotala magenta vs. "Narrow Leaf" because I hated it. It grew well at first, but then crapped out on me. Polygonium Sao Paulo is going in its place.

I also added a curve to the limnophilia on the left to soften the look a bit, and took out the Ludwigia Inclanata. As with the Rotala, it wasn't kickin.....it grew, but never turned the bright orangey-red that I wanted to until it would hit the surface of the water. The leave size was a bit too big as well.

Instead of the L. Inclanata I put in a grouping of Eriocaulaceae Type 2....so that's between the limnophilia and the stargrass in the back. I took out a the piece of big driftwood on the left side, and moved one of the smaller "branchier" pieces into its place. Once I have a seller send me a nice group of Juncus Repens in a few weeks, the hygro species in the back right will come out. I added Taiwan moss to some of the remaining driftwood.

I still think this cube will turn out very well, and still pay tribute to my former mentor, but overall I had the inkling to make this aquascape a bit "daintier" than what it was turning out to be. I think the smaller-leaved species that I have put in there to replace some of the plants will add some more depth to the tank.

No pics until next week or until the Sao Paulo recovers from its journey. Hopefully by then, the Ranalisma minuta will be a nice carpet, and it will give me time to practice my photography. Perhaps next time, I hope that the thread can be removed from the rocks and driftwood hold the Fissidens species.

Feel free to critique!


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## FkHoR (Apr 27, 2007)

Very interesting!


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

*Updated! 5/6/07-40 gallon cube*

**_Updated 5/6/07_**

Hey everyone!!

The past two weeks have been pretty good with this tank! I think that I'm finally getting to the point where I'm done taking out plants in exchange for new ones, moving hardscape around, etc. It has certainly been less annoying!  I'm beginning to enter the phase where I can start enjoying my tank, though it isn't quite complete yet.

So, here's where we stand as of today.....

As promised, I removed the Rotala Magenta sp. "narrow leaf" from my tank, and replaced it with Polygonum "Sao Paulo." The rotala wasn't handling being uprooted and replanted and certainly hated the new lighting schedule that I put the tank on.....it was turning green, so it was time to go. The Sao Paulo arrived, but it was in rough shape.....I don't know if it ships poorly, or was just a bad grouping, but it looked pretty unhappy when it got here. But salvagable, which is all I cared about. After a quick trim of the bottoms, I put them in where the Rotala used to be. The Poly still has some dead leaves, especially towards the bottom, but the tops are growing fine and starting to blush, so it will just be a matter of time before I will have enough to do a nice trim of the tops and replant those to have a really nice group of them! It doens't grow as fast as I had hoped, but good things are worth waiting for!

I also took out the stargrass and hyrgo from the right-back corner. The stargrass was looking sickly, though it was still growing. My guess is that it was under too much light, and the hygro was nice with bright green and coppery leaves, but too big for my tastes, so out that came. in its place, I planted several blyxa aubertii and blyxa japonica to give a bit more of an "elegant" feel to the scape. I replaced the stargrass with something that could handle my lights a bit better, that being Eriocaulaceae Type 2. I will be getting another 7-8 stems next week from a seller I have bought from before, so eventually I should have a nice lacey background!

Also, I moved the Juncus Repens so it is all in one group.....I'll ge getting another bunch of that from the same seller as well. I have found that the tank looks better (in my opinion) with frilly, grassy, and smaller leaved plants, and they all compliment one another nicely!

Future changes this week will include replacing the pagoda stones with a few Manzanita branches and sticks. The stone is too blocky looking for the tank, and the Fissiden species just looks a bit too weird on it. So, I'll re-tie the fissidens to the manzanita when I get it, and take the pagoda stones out. I'm also getting two sexed pairs of dwarf crays that get no bigger than 1.5" so that will be a cool addition to the family!

The cherries are really bright and beautiful, and I have seen several berried females and shrimplets running around! The Borarases are doing well, too!

I also lowered my tank temp this week to around 73-74F to try to help the Fissidens, and lowered my light to about 4.5 watts/gallon. I almost died when I cut a grounded light cord to one of my lights that wasn't working that I had mistakenly thought was unplugged. It didn't just spark when I cut it, it exploded! It took a few seconds to calm myself down after that! Let that be a lesson to all of you: don't be like me and cut power cords when they are still plugged in! 

Overall, I estimate that this take will look astounding (I hope) given another month to have the plants grow out and be trimmed! I'm also hoping that my Fissidens by that time will have colored up to a nice green due to the lower temps, and eventual shading from the growing plants.

Anyhow, I'll give another update in another week or two. Feel free to comment or critique, and notice the change from the first set of pics of this tank to the ones I took today. pretty cool!

I also included some more shots of my 100 gallon at the end. This one is about two weeks away from completion, and I'll start a new thread just for it. It was too late to do a Journal on it, and I don't have enough time to do anymore than one Journal anyways, but I hope you like it. I know it needs a trim, but it is another "sneak peek."


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## Genin (Jan 28, 2007)

the 40 is progressing very nicely, but your 100 is STUNNING!


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Thanks Genin......it's getting there! It has been so much easier to scape the 100 gallon than the 40 cube. I hope that the 40 gallon will look as good, if not better than the 100 gallon in a month or so. That, and I need to practice on my picture taking skills.


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

double on what Genin said


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## Dave Spencer (Mar 4, 2007)

Love the 100G Donald. It is going to interesting to see you bring the 40G up to the same standard.

Dave.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

WHY DOES EVERYONE HATE MY 40 GALLON????  LOL!!

Well, Dave.....I hope to bring that up to a better standard, for both of our sakes! I think part of the problem is that every time I post an update, half of the tank has been re-planted, so it's like I'm keep posting newly planted 40 gallon Cube constantly.

Now, I'm pretty satisfied with placement and plants, so it should start to improve in looks. I hope.


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

Hey you're getting there! Obviously you have a knack for it, it' just needs to grow in 

I do think that (from the angle of the pics) your driftwood in the 40 has kind of a ... messy feel. Dunno how to say it really. But the general shape of it makes me cock my head a little. It's hard to say how it will end up blending with the rest of the scape.

but I love the cool, fresh feel your tanks have


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Hey Jess---

Thanks for the vote of confidence! As far as the driftwood is concerned, I think that it will look better when the plants around and in behind them grow and fill in the spaces. However, I was trying to go with a bit of a "gnarled" feel to the tank.......where the hardscape take the dominant role of the viewer's attention, not the plants as usual. I guess this is what a meant by the "homage" to my "mentor"; as I said earlier in this thread, he really fashioned his freshwater tank to emmulate a salt water reef system.....where his huge, chunky, but tasteful driftwood was set up as a "reef" system, and that is what really drew my attention to the tank. The plants, though healthy and colorful, were secondary in the scape.....they "complimented" the hardscape, which is reverse to how scapes are now. 

Some nano tanks emphasize the hardscape.....this is really what I wanted to capture on a bigger scale. The branches are meant to capture your attention by providing odd angles and lines so it will cause you to want to come closer and look harder so the viewer will notice other aspects of the tank. I think with my 100 gallon, just like most planted bigger tanks, the viewer looks at it, sees nice colors and plants, and thinks "wow, that's beautiful" and moves on. It doesn't really "stick" in their heads, though.

The 40 gallon is being designed to draw your attention to it, and make you remember what it looks like. Real quick: what does the 100 gallon look like in your mind? Now, what does the 40 gallon look like? Which did you remember better in more detail?

My drawings are/were like that: you may not like the content, or the darker side that they portrayed, but the viewer was drawn into the picture by first noticing color, then content, and thinking "wait....what?" which would cause the desired effect of stepping closer and closer to the drawing. Each time they moved closer, they would notice something else about the picture, and step closer, etc. etc. My drawings were designed for both a macro and micro viewing; provide dark background with sudden splotches of color and interesting lines to capture attention, then provide details as soon as the observer came in for a closer look. They may not like the picture overall, but they would remember it.

Maybe, in a looser sense, I am trying to attempt that here. Maybe have the observer look at the tank and be drawn initially into the scape by providing color and intriguing lines to capture attention, and have them step closer to take a look at the details.


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

Wow! Ok, I get it now. Now that I see what you're trying to accomplish, it makes sense. It's awesome that you're going for something different. and I agree... you never know how a tank is going to look until it has a few months to grow in. I'm excited to see where you tank goes!


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## arowanaman (Jun 14, 2006)

I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents, I too like the 100 gallon tank I can't wait to see the 40 gallon in its completion I like the look of the piece of wood in it but not sure on the layout I seen in the pictures of it maybe more crypts arround it maybe they may give it more age appearance in the contrast.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Thank you Arowanaman! Suggestions and critiques are more than welcome, and I appreciate your honesty.

I know that some of the layout looks a bit odd, but that's one of aims that I am going for. I did have cryptocone lucens and wendtii in my earlier layout, but I didn't really care too much of it. The colors were right, but the leaf size was too big, and I felt it dominated the tank too much. Well, if not then, in the future for sure. I like my selections the blyxa japonica and aubertii; I still have nice bright green behind the wood without having a dominant leaf size. I'm trying to keep the plants "dainty" looking as it will compliment the hardscape, and not have the hardscape compliment the plants. It is opposite of what is common and practiced, and I believe that as the scape matures, it will look better with time. This project is supposed to look great and at it's peak AFTER it matures, and not "right now," or in the short term. It is a bit of an experiment.....you could say.

Also, regarding your "age" comment, I think that I understand where you are coming from. However, I am attempting to have the wood look aged, surrounded with vibrant and fresh growth. Imagine a dead, black, and gnarled tree surrounded by fresh new growth on the trees, shrubs, and flowers or vines in late May/early June. That is what I'm trying to do here. Have colorful, healthy, and thriving plants surrounding dark, brooding, and stark-looking hardscape. 

And I have a few Manzanita pieces coming next week to add, to the hardscape isn't even done. Also, next week I will have more Eriocaulaceae Type 2 coming which will be added to the background, along with another bunch of Juncus Repens.

Think of Life intermingled with Death type of thing.....that's what I'm going for.

PS-Sorry if I have irritated anyone out there with my "artsy-fartsy" mumbo jumbo.....I try not to let that escape, but I am experiencing a visit from the Vicodin Fairy who is treating me for some torn ligaments in my lower back  Whoo-hoo! DON'T DO DRUGS, KIDS! It apparently makes you start using "artsy-fartsy" mumbo jumbo terminology.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

*40 gallon cube-5/21/07*

_**Updated on 5/21/07**_

I thought it was about time for an update; I had done a fairly major replant of the foreground about two weeks ago, and thought that it needed a bit of time to recoup. The 40 gallon cube is finally finished as far as "placement" is concerned! Whew! Took a while, but I am excited about it! I think that once the plants have filled out a bit, this tank will be on equal footing as my 100 gallon. On that note, there are no pics of the 100gallon this week because I did a major "hack" job on it last weekend, and need the stargrass and ludwigia to fill in a bit more.

Still having a bit of a problem with the Marselia minuta; I planted it, and some places took hold much faster than other places, so what I have happening now are nice healthy runners of new plants growing under the minuta that didn't root. So, I have to go in and keep snipping off the older plants that don't stand a chance of rooting. It's a tad bothersome. Also, it keeps creeping into the Ramalisma rostrata patch, so I'm undecided if I should try to add a plastic barrier under the substrate to keep the minuta in check. Probably will have to.

I have a VHO ballast and ice caps that will be coming in tomorrow which I plan on using to burst the aquarium for about four or five hours. Methinks that it will do the Poly "Sao Paulo" and Eriocaulaceae Type 2 some good. Surprisingly, the downoi is doing remarkable as well as the bylxa japonica and aubertii. All is well, and I am very happy with the arrangement of the wood. I believe that it pays a good tribute to my "mentor" as a good focus for the aquarium, and it'll be interesting to see it as the moss grows out from it!

Please comment or critique if you would like! Hope all is well with you fellow APC-ers!
Don

PS-Pics are: First layout, Current layout whole tank, current layout whole tank#2, right side, and center.


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## arowanaman (Jun 14, 2006)

not bad not bad starting to look allot better the wood is definatly eye catching and attractive too.


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

Very Nice!!! I really like the changes and the wood arangement  I can't wait to see the blyxa fill in some I think it will be very be stunning then.  keep the updates coming it looks great!


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Arowana and Davis--

Thanks for the compliments! I appreciate that, especially since this little bugger took WAY longer to finalize in arrangement and plants than I had initially thought it would. It's nice to be able to just sit back and perform "regular" maintenance and fertilization on it now!


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

I apologize for this shameful bump, but I hope that you all will allow me to indulge myself:

GO PISTONS!


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

Don, what kind of bulbs are you using for this tank?


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Davis--

Hi buddy!! Finally, Michigan finally won something against an Ohio team! Whew! 

To answer your question about the lighting: I have two 65 watt 10000K PC's, two Coral life t5's, and I am about to put up one or two 40 watt VHO fluorescents to burst for five hours. I really need that Polygonium to start growing a bit faster to fill in some of the gaps!! Yeah, yeah.....it is a bit of a Frankenstein set-up for the lighting, but it appears to be working well (so far). Luckily for me, I have about a billion cherries in there to help with algae formation on the moss, and I'll tweak the lighting schedule down the road to see if I can't help minimize some of it.

As long as I come out of this wiser, it will be worth it! But, I think we're finally headed in the right direction now!!


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## peewee790 (May 26, 2007)

Looks Great Don! Can't wait to see an update!


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

You know, I've changed my mind about that driftwood. It looks like an old gothic tree from a Tim Burton movie. So now I believe it pretty much kicks butt.

Oh--- and those are german blue blushers in your 100 right?


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Yes, Jessie....Those are German Blues. I'll have to rid of them in a year. You want them? Free of charge, minus shipping of course! All of you will be surprised when I post my next update. !00 gallon will blow your mind in about one month, but I will start a separate journal for it. Thank you Jessie and PeeWee for your compliments.......it has taken a ton of effort, and I'm glad that most of you have enjoyed the results! Makes me feel......squishy inside!


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

Wow! How many of them do you have? I might be interested when the time comes.

post yer next update!!! nowwww


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## ranmasatome (Aug 5, 2005)

Donald... like you say.. blow my mind away please.....oh wait.. tahts 1 month away.. awwww...
It definitely is taking on nicely.. great job!


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Ran.....I was wondering when I was going to hear from you to criticize my picture taking  Thanks for the comments....I'll post an update on Sunday for the 40. The 100 is in the middle of being re-scaped, and it looks pretty pathetic right now! LOL!

Jess-- I have six German Blues in there. Including fins, they are all about the size of my palm...but they looked better when I had one atinic bulb in there....really brought out the blue in them!!

As an aside, I have to apologize for the comment made last night regarding my 100 gallon. It wasn't very humble, and I had been drinking and was apparently feeling cocky. What I meant to say is that I had a good idea for it, and I HOPE that it turns out well. Sorry if I turned anyone "off." Having a sense of humility is key not only in this hobby, but in Life in general. I am sorry!!


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

oh please. drink a beer and be cocky all you want. That tank is gorgeous, you should be proud of it now and with whatever else you do to it.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

No, no, no, Jessie! I like how it's come along......but like everything, it takes hard work and luck, too!

There is no room for cockiness. I have some pride in it, but I'm not a Knott, Amano, etc. Always have to stay humble!! I am glad that you like it, though, Jessie. I'm flattered! So, thank you!


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## cassiusclay (Feb 19, 2007)

filling in nicely :-D i LOVE the wood in there very nice!!!!


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## Genin (Jan 28, 2007)

I think it looks really cool Donald, especially the tall grass on the right side. What are those plants? The moss is really pearling in those pics!


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Cassius--thank you! 

Genin--the tall grass plant from right-center to right is blyxa aubertii. I LOVE this plant!! It basically has the same growth habit of blyxa japonica except it just gets taller, and a bit more of a slight reddish hue under bright light. Also, the moss does pearl, but it takes a heavy CO2 and probably a good 8-9 hours before it looks like that. So, don't be that impressed  I'm hoping to get enough time for an update photos tomorrow.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

**Updated 6/10/07**

Hi Guys!!
Not too much has changed. I think that everything is filling in nicely finally, so I am pretty happy with the 40 gallon! From the foreground, I had to remove the Ranalisma Rostrata because the Marselia minuta was simply crowding it out, and it was starting to get some dying leaves and looked fairly ugly. I also divided the Downoi and those are growing nicely now. I would think the little patch in the foreground where the Rostrata used to be will be filled in within a week or two by the Minuta.

Whereas I am getting the height in the plants now, I did run out of iron and phosphorus for about a week and a half; as a result, I have lost some of the nice purple-red color that my Polygonium 'Sao Paulo' was showing. I made the switch from the Seachem line to dry ferts from aquariumfertilizer.com which is a ton cheaper and I think they are more effective. Anyhow, I didn't realize that I needed KSO4 to mix with my KPO4 to make a phosphorus solution, so the coloration in the 'Sao Paulo' has weakened, though it has grown appreciably in the past two weeks. I'll get the color back into it now in another week. It really is a marvelous plant!! Such a bright reddish-purple!!
It is certainly an eye catcher!

Otherwise, I am looking at getting rid of the Juncus Repens on the right. I like the color, but it looks too wild for me.....so I'll probably replace that this week.

As usual, any of your comments or criticisms are welcome!  Hope everyone's doing well!
Don


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

It's filling in and coming together really great! How do you like the Limnophila on the left? That stuff is a pain for me, even though fry love it.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Thank you Jessie! That is actually ambulia on the left, and yes....it does grow very quickly!!

I don't really mind the fast growth of it because it really sucks up any extra nutrient load, provides good hiding places for my shrimp, and because it is a 40 gallon, it is relatively easy to keep it trim. This is opposite in my 100 gallon where I have Myrio Matton. that grows too quickly, and that is a bit more of a pain to trim given the size of the tank!! YIKES!


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

Oooh you're right. I always get the two mixed up. But yes. I have it and it's gangbusters.

I had red foxtail (some cunfusing Myrio) that was such a gunk trap it was unbelievable. I eventually tossed it. I love the look of the bushy plants, but am far too critical of it's maintenance.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

I think that the key, Jess, is to have a pretty decent current, along with regular ferts and a weekly trim of the tops. Whereas the ambulia I have is pretty "full" looking, it doesn't really seem to trap a ton of debris in it or be an area of concentrated algae growth. Besides that, I am with you; I'm actually a little confused myself as to why it hasn't become "gunky." I trust that I am doing something right.....I hope my luck doesn't run out! LOL!


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

I've yet to get into the EI method. I'm just a little Flourish and Iron here and there when I remember .
But both grow out of control for me regardless. The red foxtail grew nearly and inch a day.

If I had more patience, it would great. But I'm a quasi-lazy student and kitten mom, so out it went!!

So.... any teasers on what you're doing with the 100???


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

HA! Don't get me started on some of the fast growers that I've had.....my bacopa carolina was a nightmare of a plant in my 100 gallon. I couldn't keep that bunch looking nice for any longer than five days before it had to get whacked and replanted again. Holy cow!! The ambulia is lucky...if it grew much faster, I probably would have completely replaced it, but luckily for me, it takes to pruning the tops off VERY well...if I had to constantly replant the tops, there would be no way that I would be willing to keep it!!

I should be starting a 100 gallon thread (or journal perhaps?) in the next few days. I completely ripped it apart last Friday, and am waiting for the new plants to come in this week. No worries...it isn't that impressive right now  But, I think I have a good plan.

You should really try EI.....it is much cheaper and more effective!! No way am I going back to Seachem....it worked really well, but if I can spend $90 once a year for ferts as opposed to $70 once a month, I think I know which one I am going to stick with!!


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## arowanaman (Jun 14, 2006)

this tank looks really good. Looks like a well ballanced layout even with all the fast growning stem plants you seem to keep it under good controle.


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

See, I would love to try the EI method, but I've yet to find any clear answers on appropriate dosing for my tank. I've been told that I'm over-analyzing, but can't for the life of me get any clear answers from anyone. Basically, I just want someone to say "Put this amount of this in your tank every other day", but it's been too vague for me to feel comfortable. I'm very paranoid, yes, but dumping the periodic table into my tank is a scary thought, IMO. 

I don't even dose enough Seachem right now for it to rot a hole in my wallet, so I'm living comfortably in my current state of denial.

Maybe I'll try EI once I redo my tank  right now I'm soaking a holy ton of Manzanita. I have no idea how I'm going to scape with it. But what I do know is that I got WAY more than I needed (Rich from M. Burl Works is awesome) and will probably not even use all that I'm soaking.

So maybe I'll be posting a FS thread one of these days!


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Arowanaman--
Thank you; it takes a lot of work pruning everything so it looks "just right" but it has been worth the effort! Still need to learn how to take better pictures though! I'm not very good at that.....

Jessie--Well, how much to dose depends on a number of factors...how much light are you running? Do you have CO2? What size is your tank? What type of plants do you have? Stuff like that. It really isn't all that complicated, but if your tank is doing well with what you are doing, then why change it?  If you ever do decide to make the switch to EI, let me know, and I'll try to help you!

I also love me some Manzanita!! Wonderful stuff!! Keep what you don't think you need....you never know if you will get a bigger tank, or even decide to overload your 125G with it. I've seen two freshwater tanks, each around 300G that were chalk full of Manzanita with various anubias and crytps and moss. Not a little.....it was completely jammed packed almost all of the way to the surface of the tank. IT was friggin' awesome! And I think you SHOULD start your own aquascaping journal! It has been kinda neat looking back and seeing the differences in the pics, and reading everyone's comments and suggestions have helped me a great deal!


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

Ya, I just need to really hunker down and get a game plan going. I do have plans for plants that will really need more supplementation. My Ludwigia glandulosa just doesn't agree with the whole "feed yourself!" notion. haha! So we'll see where it goes and I'll do some more digging for coherent articles on the method. I'm not a bio-chemist, so some articles are just..... what???

Anyways! I will hang on to that Manzanita, at least the vast majority of it. It's too fun and pretty to get rid of 

As soon as I start to gut my tank, I will update my tank thread and turn it into a journal


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## Genin (Jan 28, 2007)

It really filled out amazingly. The last shot was nice and clear, the tank is looking great. There is a color difference in the lighting though, did you change your bulbs?


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Jessie--Cool! DO IT!! Yeah, the L. Grandulosa is way too pretty not to feed it properly. I have some in my 100G, and it is phenomenal! I think that you will feel the same once it starts coloring up for you after proper ferts are administered.....it will be well worth the effort!!

Genin--Thank you! The EI ferts really brought out more growth, and I hope that it will look better after a few weeks of phosphorus dosing...the Polygonium 'Sao Paulo' was really gorgeous, and whereas it grew a few inches in two weeks, the purple-red of the leaves faded because I ran out of phosphorus. It has some catching up to do. 

Yeah...the last picture is the best, though I am a way behind in my photography skills, if you couldn't tell  ! Always something....I didn't change the lighting, though. I used a different setting on my digital camera, and had administered an overdose of iron that day, so it does look too yellow. If I ever get time, I need to practice with the camera quite a bit, and take some photos that do the tank some justice!!


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## russell (Dec 7, 2004)

don,

i was looking through the aquascaping section and saw your name. i must say, i love the 100g. that 40 is definaltly looking pretty cool too.

i had a 30 that was kindof shaped like your 100, and i too went with a smaller tank and tried driftwood and a very natural look. it definately helped my skills, im sure you are picking up on some new stuff also. 

i just got a new tank and i am planning on making a post like this one.

again, great looking tanks!!!

russell


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Russ--you are absolutely right! I have learned more with my 40G than with any other tank! You really get a solid knowledge base concerning things like perspectives, leaf size, fauna, depth, and so on. I had to pay attention and learn scale, unlike with my larger tanks where I could throw anything in and make it look ok.

The 100G.....don't get too attached  It has been scrapped and is in the process of a new journal write up. I hope to have something by this weekend, time permitting!!

Good luck with your new tank, and I look forward to seeing it down the road! Thanks for the compliments!


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

_**Update: 06/26/07**_

Hi guys! Not much to report. I think that this tank is almost complete; I need the polygonium on the right to increase in height, and the 'Sao Paulo' to finish coloring up. I think one last update after this one, and this journal will be finished. Next update will be 2-4 weeks from now.

I have been battling a small case of utriculata outbreak in my tank. It is easy to remove, but because the tank is so densely planted, it is difficult to find it all. More of a minor annoyance than anything. If someone knows a way to kill this stuff, please let me know!

Comments and suggestions are more than welcome! Hope everyone is doing well!
Don

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquarium-pictures/displayimage.php?imageid=4593
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquarium-pictures/displayimage.php?imageid=4592
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquarium-pictures/displayimage.php?imageid=4591


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## patrick76 (May 21, 2007)

100 Gallon looks great!!


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

Nice! The color adds a really awesome splash. The wood has really come into being a wonderful addition.

Updates on the 100??


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Thank you, Patrick and Jess!

Jess--Actually, I finally started a new thread for that tank a few weeks back; I haven't updated it yet because I am really having a bit of a problem with green water. So, no pics recently. I hope by the weekend everything will be ok, and I'll have an update then. I hope.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

Wow that's some transformation from the beginning. Really nice, love the red section in the middle of the tank. At first I wasn't sure if the Cabomba was going to work (too overpowering), but looks like you worked it out. Everything looks really lush and healthy.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Thanks, House! I need to get the 'Sao Paulo' a little more red.....I don't know what happened. It was really, really reddish-purple, then it grew quite a bit and lost it's color. It is starting to come back now, but it isn't happening as fast as I would like. Oh well! Oh, sorry House....that's actually ambulia, not cabomba. Funny you mention that though....I was thinking the same thing a day or two ago....I thought "Wow, that really looks like cabomba!" Great minds think alike!


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

One picture that I wanted to show......I forgot! This is the Polygonium 'Sao Paulo' and my first attempt at a macro using the same camera. I needed the practice!


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

Very pretty -- gosh I love how thick everything is growing. Nice work! I did post on your 100g thread, but I just need to be a jerk and bother you more about it 

I know how you feel with the green water. My tank went through a phase of pea-soup too. I caved and bought a UV, which I'm thinking might have something to do w/ diamond tetra eggs "making it" and giving me about 10 youngins.

I'm on week 3 of soaking Manzanita... still turning its water brown, but I'd rather wait it out than deal with that in my tank. Perhaps I'll start posting updates in my thread soon. Cuz I know you want to see that AquaSoil that you're so jealous of!!!! *Ka-POW!*


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## Kelley (Aug 27, 2006)

I am extremely jealous of your marsilea foreground! What is your secret? Mine has grown soooooooo sloooooowwwwwwly.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Jess--YOU ARE SUCH A JERK!!  Jk! UV sterilizer....I thought about buying one a little while ago, but the price made me think that it was overkill unless I was going to do a saltwater system. I AM A STUPID NOW!!! Durp! No worries about the mazanita still floating.....it takes a long time for it to sink. I have one that is going on three weeks now, and still happily floating at the surface. And the tannins help soften the water a bit....but doesn't harm anything (as you know). Yeah, make sure you post an update of your tank with that marvelously unneccesary Aquasoil. You have my blessings, and I REALLY hope you love it! LOL!!


Kelly--Thanks about the comments about the marselia minuta. The secret is to buy it as a carpet from a master aquascaper. And this guy is a "master"; he judged some ADA contest along with Amano and Knott over in France. I didn't know this at the time, then I saw his name in a post in the Aquascaping forum here. I was like "Oh........that's interesting!"  HA! You could say that I lucked out. Otherwise, I noticed that if you use fert tabs in the substrate, in about two weeks, the stuff goes absolutely nuts with growth. CO2 helps, and I keep a very strict fert schedule with this tank; heavy on the iron and phosphorus. You can try that......I hope I helped you. PM if you need further advice, as I would be happy to help you any way I can!


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## Kelley (Aug 27, 2006)

Thanks for the tips, Donald.  I dose a modified EI regime and have the pressurized cranking. I will try the fert tabs. Do you use the seachem ones? 

I've got to try something. My tank looks bald without a foreground!


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Kelley--

It doesn't rapidly spread until it is fully adjusted to your tank conditions. Brighter light seems to help, but mine took a solid six weeks before it established and grew quickly! Yes, I used the Seachem tabs, and it did seem to help it. What are your lighting and tank specs? Do have a pic?


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

hahahahaha
The price of the UV definitely made me cringe, but I was far too impatient to wait it out, especially after planting two big orders of plants and not being able to see them. I think it's a handy tool to have around jerk but I don't leave it on all the time because the bulbs are costly. It did work a miracle and my water was crystal clear within about a week. 

The manzanita is in no hurry, I'd rather wait it out than rush it. But it'll look really awesome with my silly jerk Aquasoil, good thing I haven't drafted or drawn any plans for it. I'm too scatter brained to plan anything and lack the self discipline to stick with it once the excitement and disarray of actually redoing the scape sets in.

Anyhoodle, thanks for the blessings! I think I'll stick a "No Fishin DonaldmBoyer" ceramic sign right in the middle of it.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Gawd! You kill me! HA! How's the buddah doin'? I would almost friggin' pay you to make a tank with only the most Christ-awful obnoxious aquarium decor. Skulls, laser light things, treasure chests, bright neon red plastic plants......you are well on your way to that type of tank!  

Your boy must not yell at you enough to take that crap out of there! LOL! He's like, "I bought this tank as a gift for you, and you are totally crapping it out?!?! FOR SHAME! A GOLD BUDDAH?!?!" You crack me up!


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

Nice update. I like how its progressed and it looks great. 

I am usually not a fan of the asian ambulia, or cabomba. It often looks leggy and grows so fast. BUT I think it works in your tank. The only stem that bugs me is the first one on the far left. It seems something more midgroundish should be blocking the leggy bottom of the stem or perhaps you should move just that one back a little. 

That is an excellent foreground you've grown there. Marselia minuta is a great plant. Its grown in so dense.

I really like the wood. I recently rescaped two tanks with manzanita and its really great stuff. Nice colors and great shapes. The moss gives is a great feel with out making it seem to soft or bushy. Looks natural. 

Good use of the cube. You used the depth to add to the tank instead of just having a big foreground or background.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Hey Slicky! Thanks for the comments! I have found with ambulia that if you provide enough light, and trim the tops off that it becomes much "thicker," and dense looking. It also creeps in that aquarium, so in addition to individual planted stems, I also have plenty of creeping sideshoots too which really adds to it. It was chancy for the reasons you had mentioned, but it ended up working well!

The stem that "bugs" you is a Polygonium species that I received as an "extra" from a recent plant purchase. I have no idea which one it is, and I planted it in there after I removed all of that Juncas Repens from earlier photos. Right now, I simply want it to grow a bit so I can see what it looks like with high CO2, ferts, and light. Then I'll split it and create a nice hedge. I thought it would compliment the Polygonium 'Sao Paulo.' 

Love the Marselia too! I was wary of buying it and initially wanted to go the route of Ranalisma Rostrata for the foreground. Luckily, Mr. Ghori talked me into taking his carpet of the minuta. It is very clean, fairly unique looking, and wonderfully thick and dark green. I really like it!

I think that I have achieve a very nice balance between the hardscape and plants. I know that not everyone likes it, but I had set out to highlight the hardscape and find plants to compliment that. The plants have added to it, and I have to admit that it was a lot of work finding the right plants that would accomplish that. Notice how that with the exception of the Sao Paulo, the plants do not grow through any gapes in the manzanita, and the hardscape is pretty un-obscured from view. In this respect, I think that I accomplished the my main objective which was to pay tribute to the guy who initially introduced me to aquascaping. Remember, he concentrated on the hardscape too.

You bring up a great point, too, Slick. It is something that I want to talk about later on in this thread about how much of a pain in the butt it has been utilizing the dimensions of the cube appropriately!!!!!!!! ESPECIALLY WITH THE OVERFLOW FILTRATION!! It almost was my death trying to scape this tank around the filtration, and maintain the right persepctive. It really made me mad at myself a few times! The experience that I gained, however, was invaluable.


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

The Buddha is doing awesome. however I'm unsure if he'll be aquarium-safe. He's hollow and I can tell is made of some sort of resin, outdoor rated. Very nice, and if he doesn't work in my tank, he'll live outside.  

And, I'll have you know: The Buddha was the boy's idea. He originally came up with the concept and after seeing that it can be done tastefully via Oliver Knott, I might do it. I might not. 
I will also have you know: He wanted to get a plastic SHIP WRECK, GREEK PILLARS. I have only so far caved in on his requests for Black mollies and Buddha. Buddha, who happens to be my pal anyways, went over fine. The ship wreck, not.

I want to get one of those mini volcanoes that spews gravel or sand and plunk that sucker right in the middle of my tank. I think spewed clown-puke gravel would look so tasteful sprinkled over downoi and HC. JerkSoil with a little pizazz. Ya know?


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Jess, that would certainly be very eye-catching. You could do a replica of Pompei with the volcano in the background and half buried pillars sticking out of the ground! But, I would say that if you add the Buddah, you are going to be called out as a copycat of Knott, and I'm not sure that you could handle that type of criticism 

The only problem with mollies is that you are going to end up with alot of mollies. Prolific little things! I'm looking forward to seeing your tank when its ready for sure!


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

Yea, the mollies are fun, definitely add an aura of comic relief! The male is big and beautiful...blue in his tail fin and yellow edging on his dorsal.

Anyhoo. I'm trying to come up with someone whose critism for having a bubbha would actually phase me.... except for Oliver Knott who I would just cower in front of an offer a shoe-shine. haha We're all copy cats 'round here....*coughiwagumi* This of course depends on if it is aquarium-safe....which I'm not sure of yet.

But whateva, it'll come out nice whichever way. Then I'll change my name to KickAss McSassafrass.


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## stepheus (Jun 13, 2006)

Don...be done with the green water faster! we want an update. hehe. i just discovered the last picture. really nice progress. got me dreaming up some tanks using some ideas that i might steal from yours. really like what you ve done with the driftwood. i agree with House about the "cabomba" tho. lol.

btw, besides buddha statue, why not try a chinese "God of Fortune/Prosperity/Longevity" or Kuan Yin statue. Link for Kuan Yin and the other 3 other gods. I am sure they'd give some kind of serenity to an aquarium. Found in chinatown's chinese prayer shops.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Jess--only one way to find out if the "bubbha" is aquarium safe.....so, it'll have to take "the plunge" either way and you may as well find out sooner rather than later! As far as your idolizing of Mr. Knott, that sounds like a bit of a personal problem, and I suggest that you seek professional help in Thorton for that  BTW, I am in total agreement with your "cough-wagumi!!!!" opinion. They are beautiful, but they are getting a little "hack-boring!!!" Someone come up with a new "thing" please!

Stepheus--you cannot rush perfection!!! LOL! Yeah, the 100G isn't looking so hot right now. It has been a very humbling experience. Just proves to show that no matter how advanced you think you are, you can still make stupid mistakes. You would probably lead a revolt against me if I posted pics of it right now.......

Thanks for the links, dude, but being a good Catholic boy, I would probably try to put a crusifix in there  Actually, placing statues isn't my style, baby! I think that they are too distracting, but that's my opinion. 

Thanks, Stepheus, for the 40G compliments! I appreciate it! Feel free to steal away  Seeing your tanks, though, I wouldn't think that you need to borrow any my ideas.....yours seem pretty friggin' good on their own!


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

hahaha oh quit.
I probably stepped on some toes with my iwagumi comment; while I love their serenity and fresh look, they all look the same to me after the 20th time. Just my opinion... and that's an opinion coming from someone who prefers a cluttered and more busy look, as I become bored very quickly. Regardless, I think trying something new and going a little crazy sometimes is very refreshing in a world of 5 versions of fancy rocks that all look the same yet with different names.

Stepheus..awesome idea. I wasn't able to find a Kuan Yin (my favorite) but perhaps I should just look harder


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

I'll just be honest.......I think Iwagumi's are a total "cop out." Yes, it takes skill, yes, they look nice, etc. I am not ripping on anyone in particular, but I just don't see why they are all that popular. Looks like Ireland landscapes. Whew-hoo! Yippie-skippy! It is over-simplistic, and aren't incredibly challenging. Process: Find nice rocks, put em in there. Add hairgrass and HC. Done. Post on APC with some sort of goofy title THAT MUST INCLUDE either of the following words: ADA, ADG, or "cm". Not for me, thank you. I skip past them now......I wish people would be a bit more creative. I mean, you have the ability to manipulate Mother Nature, literally thousands of plants to choose from, a vast selection of hardscape items, and yet to use the aquarium to try to replicate the look of a terrestrial landscape??? Are you kidding me? It is a waste, and TO ME, totally defeats the purpose of having a nice glass box that can hold water. Replicate something underwater!!! GAH!

I guess I missed something at some point.


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## arowanaman (Jun 14, 2006)

this is where I disagree I think it is harder to make rocks look good in a tank than driftwood. if you are only using rocks versus only using driftwood in a tank. Just the slightest angle difference on a rock makes a world of difference while you can just drop a piece of driftwood in a tank and it will look good.
Iwagumi's are some of the hardest most challenging planted tanks I have setup. I might add I have setup over a 100 planted tanks and even partially do it for a living now and it is hard to do them and make them look convincing to a nature scape. I like to replicate mountain ranges for my personal tasts but grass lands with rocks popping out is most popular for customers latly.


Sorry if I am rambling I am drunk so forgive meartyman:


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

Yup, I hear ya. I think Iwagumi scapes would be best in [most likely custom tanks] that are no more than 15" tall and in a nice, contemporary office conference room. Otherwise I mostly bite my lip at all the pretty wasted height of space. I also don't understand the deal with placing the rocks in whichever correct or trendy new ratio at the time. Odd numbers makes sense, as even numbers bug me. And another thing, we ALL know that we're all Googling the centimeter-to-inches calculator so the cool factor flies out the window. They are just too one-dimensional for my tastes and lost their luster after the first edition of Nature Aquarium World. However, I do love them when people create them to match the surroundings of the room, or when they have a lot of depth, as in sloping substrate and more than two species of plant. Personally, I wouldn't have the discipline (and that is what I think doesn't connect them to me) and would end up having a spaz and sticking a nice big bunch of Alternanthera in there to ruin the Zen.

However, my opinion is all in balance, and many people would scoff and cover their laughter at my tank which is currently just an over glorified rectangular garden salad begging for some golden ratio or XYZ mathematical concept when all I know about the golden ratio is tattooed on me in the version of a nautilus shell and i love run-on sentences.

Bottom line, everyone should do what they love with their tank 

And no, I've never tried one. And no, I shouldn't knock it before I try it. I'm a big talking head and probably don't realize what I'm rambling on about. But this is a forum and we can all be honest and I honestly do love everyone's tanks on here, regardless of my personal preferences.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Meh....to each their own, of course. I would say that I have experienced much more difficulty using manzanita in a scape as opposed to stone. Stone has more definite dimension to it, and whereas I could see it being tricky to align the proper angles of said stone in a tank, the branchiness of the driftwood has proven to be more difficult for me to place in a tank. There are secondary dimensions to consider; does the wood have arches and curves? Is it multi-branched, and how does that effect placement? How thick? Length? Color? and so on.

Screw the ratios and mathematics. They prove useful as a very general "guide" but if they are followed exactly, then the results looks unnatural. It is more fun to create your own rules and discover it on your own then to follow handbooks and someone else's rules. 

Jess--I think that the odd number of stones in Iwagumi relates to luck; an even amount of stone is supposed to be bad luck, an odd number is supposed to bring good luck.


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## arowanaman (Jun 14, 2006)

I do have a problem just using one type of plant in my Iwagumi's"personal tanks" but if a customer wants mono plant desing then fine but I like too many types of plants to just use one plant in a tank. I would feel real bored with the tank if it only had one type of plant in the tank.


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

I don't know why you guys dislike iwagumi's so much. I fell in love with a few shots of glosso fields and grassy hills and thats what got me started in planted tanks. You don't need to make bold statements with bright reds or dense jungles to make a beautiful tank, I like that. I have found iwagumi's to be harder in every dimension:

They are harder to scape because you see the whole hardscape. From conception to completion you see the hardscape. Unlike most aquariums where the hardscape gets covered anyways. 

The physical act of planting an iwagumi is more time consuming in my experience. This of course depends on the plants you choose. HC is a pain to keep down in the beggining and Glosso has to be planted independently to get a nice even spread.

Algae is a lot harder to control. Its hard for so few plants to outcompete algae. 

Its easy to use branches and driftwood in an aquarium because manzanita and a few other types look natural any way you put them in there. And the colors are easily matched. Add moss to soften them... Rocks especially the ones used in iwagumis are not what you would find in a river, its hard to make that foreign shape and arrangement look natural underwater. 

They need to be trimmed or replanted in relatively short periods of time. Stems need to be trimmed but not really replanted.

I will admit they are simple when you look at them. But it takes a lot of effort and planning to get them to look that way; calm and serene. 

How many people really post with great looking iwagumis? If it was so easy and such a cop out I would think it would be more common to see it done well? Not to insult anyones work, I am just saying its not easy.

Sorry to clutter your tank thread. I am biased towards the iwagumis because I have a 60g tank with just glosso a foot from my head as I am typing this.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

DonaldmBoyer said:


> I'll just be honest.......I think Iwagumi's are a total "cop out." Yes, it takes skill, yes, they look nice, etc. I am not ripping on anyone in particular, but I just don't see why they are all that popular. Looks like Ireland landscapes. Whew-hoo! Yippie-skippy! It is over-simplistic, and aren't incredibly challenging. Process: Find nice rocks, put em in there. Add hairgrass and HC. Done. Post on APC with some sort of goofy title THAT MUST INCLUDE either of the following words: ADA, ADG, or "cm". Not for me, thank you. I skip past them now......I wish people would be a bit more creative. I mean, you have the ability to manipulate Mother Nature, literally thousands of plants to choose from, a vast selection of hardscape items, and yet to use the aquarium to try to replicate the look of a terrestrial landscape??? Are you kidding me? It is a waste, and TO ME, totally defeats the purpose of having a nice glass box that can hold water. Replicate something underwater!!! GAH!
> 
> I guess I missed something at some point.


Donald,

My 46g Iwagumi is about 3 weeks old and I plan on posting pics soon so be gentle man, LOL. Anyway I do agree with arowanaman and slick that it is very difficult to pull off because you don't have the benefit of colorful, lush plants to cover the hardscape or soften the focal point. It's pretty much a naked setup in terms of using hardscape to appeal to your sense of beauty and nature. I also think rock is much more dramatic than wood and adds to the appeal for me anyway.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Oh Geez! Here we go... LOL!

I apologize to those of you who are the creators of Iwagumi tanks. I thought about what I had wrote last night, and I think that I didn't really explain myself properly. A few points I would like to make in order to clarify:

1. If you like setting up and appreciate the challenge of making an Iwagumi-style tank, by all means do so. This is about what you enjoy, not about what you think others may like.
2. On that note, I appreciate the talent that goes in to creating said style of tank. I know that they aren't "easy" to scape, and there is skill that goes into it. I am sorry if I offended anyone, and that wasn't my intention at all.
3. I am not stating that my tank(s) are any better or worse than anyone else's; I am happy with I have been able to do with it, and I appreciate the fact that some people also have enjoyed viewing it. It certainly isn't a "pinnacle" of anything, so don't think that I have attained a "summit" and am now in a position to start laying out judgements.
4. To Slick and House specifically, I have seen your tanks, and complimented them because I like them. You may do something that I don't like, but a.) that is unimportant, and b.) I would never trash someone on a thread. I simply wouldn't say much if anything! Point is that if I like what I see, then a compliment is in order to the creator of the tank. Slick and House, your tanks are great because of what they look like. They look very nice, and I don't say anything that isn't the truth.

I am hoping that I have explained myself a bit better now in regards to how I view Iwagumi's: there's nothing "wrong" with them. Create them if that is what you are in to doing, and I know that they aren't a breeze to throw together as I alluded to last night. 

OK, so here is how I differ from the majority. Again, this isn't directed towards anyone, and the following is my own personal and subjective opinion, and not a judgement per se.

1. Iwagumi has become too commonplace and "trendy." Whereas I don't often see poorly crafted Iwagumi tanks often here, and most ARE very nice to look at, they are a dime a dozen. It's like eating pizza everyday; sure, it's good for a day.....then even pizza starts getting old pretty quick. Perhaps I have an incredibly short attention span, perhaps I'll even grant the idea that I'm simply a moron who doesn't have his fingers on the "pulse" of aquascaping and am living in some sort of proverbial hole in the ground. All I know is that they are all starting to blend together now, and I don't like looking at the same ol' thing. Perhaps (dare I say?) there are too many copycats now?

2. Iwagumi's in my opinion do not utilize the concept of an "aquarium" very well. This one baffles me. I know, I know.....there are no "set rules" to setting up a scape. I do not understand why replicating terrestrial landscapes in something that contains water (hence, "aqua" part in aquarium) is so appealing. Why not move to terrariums, and use the same stone and instead of glosso or hairgrass, use moss and bonzai plants? To me, the utilization of the water element in any tank is an absolute. I guess I feel that you are cheating the tank out of it's potential. Make of it what you wish. It is an opinion.

3. I feel most importantly is that some, if not most, Iwagumi-style lack dimension, and ultimately cheat the viewer. By definition, it is essentially recreating terra-firma scenes, yes? Then, the creator of such a tank is creating the scape with one image in his mind, a sort of "picture" if you will. And it turns out to look like that picture to near-perfection. The problem is that there is a certain lack of depth by doing that. There never will be the same "perspective" to the viewer as the creator had; what looks like a placement of boulders to me would be incorrect if the creator was attempting to have those rocks look like hills or mountains. The other problem, as I see it, is that even the best looking Iwagumi fails miserably at keeping the audience drawn to the scape. The audience sees a beautiful Iwagumi tank, spends maybe 30 seconds looking at it, and never need to see it again. It's failing lies in it's creation and definition: it looks like a picture, and there is nothing more to see other than what you already do, so the audience does not need to keep looking at it. It is meant to be viewed only from the front, as it is a replica of the creator's image and mental picture from that perspective. There is hardly ever a reason to look closely at an Iwagumi tank or to study what may lie behind a rock or small hill as the creator of the scape doesn't even provide anything to look at behind that rock or small hill. 

To me, that's a failure to capture the attention of the audience. It can still be good or great art, and take a ton of skill, but I wonder.....to what aim? I believe that a "great scape" should not only capture attention, but it should command the viewer to come in for a closer look, and furthermore, that viewer should be rewarded by looking for detail by providing detail that can only be found after he has been commanded by the overall scape to come in for a closer look. What's hidden? What can I see if I look behind that rock or branch or small hill or plant? There is no Life in the Iwagumi tank; it is as dead as the picture in the creator's mind.


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

I see your points. I guess I found the idea of creating the feeling of a mini "terra-firma" as a great idea and powerful. 

I like how they draw a picture for you. It conjures up not only the original image I based it on but every flowing field, rocky shore, mountain range. Because its not an exact copy it leaves room for the viewer to take there own experiences to see what they want. 

You mention terrariums but thats a bit too literal. If your that close to the real thing it limits how much imagination the viewer can use. We try and create the feeling you get from a mental picture more than the literal picture. I am not trying to create a model of the real thing. If I where I would probably not use anything alive at all. Just plastic and styrofoam... 

Iwagumis are simple and they do force the viewer to do more imagining than just exploring. A well made, detailed, and intricate non-iwagumi scape can urge the viewer to look closer just like any reef tank. They force you to look closer to see it for all its beauty. I have two other tanks where this is the goal. For me its two separate goals with two separate outcomes with two different responses. 

I will admit a lot of iwagumis, (including mine) are often mere copies of Amano scapes or other great aquascapers. This isn't really helping to expand the field of aquascaping so I understand your views. I have a hard time projecting what I see into an aquascape and I guess I am kind of copping out by using his idea and sort of his goals. Thats how we learn though. You have to know the rules before you can break them. 

Of course these are just my opinions and not really based on anything but what I have experienced. There are a lot of holes in my argument but I think you get my idea. 

I should have started a new thread for my first reply.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Slicky--

No problems, man! Seriously! If you like it, do it! I'm not trying to prevent anyone from starting an Iwagumi, and your opinions are no more wrong than mine are right! You are a talented scaper in your own right, and I think we all have borrowed ideas from one another; I think in this case that the talent level has become a bit "watered-down," which is unfortunate! Iwagumi's beauty does lie in it's relative simplicity, and it does take a lot of planning and maintenance to keep it looking serene. Be proud of your accomplishments, but I think that we will happily agree to disagree on SOME of these perspectives; not all, but some.  I think that aquariums should utilize the benefits of water in order to create a flow....something that relates to the "element" that it's in. I feel that Iwagumi tanks lack that, and I find it a bit unnatural looking. I'm sure that YOU find the fine detail in the Iwagumi to command the attention of the viewer; to ME, as a casual observer, it looks too much like a nice photograph . Only those involved in the art of Iwagumi would be able to appreciate those details, but in my opinion, not to the casual observer.

I'll have to hijack your next thread! LOL! No....I'm glad you added your opinion. I think I have really enjoyed doing this journal because it has provided me an opportunity to explain my rationale and opinions, and I wanted this to be a bit of a dialogue where people could disagree with me and explain themselves too! It's been fun, and I appreciate your input, for sure! It's been intriguing!


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

Agree to disagree. 

Your right. I didn't really think about the casual viewer and it shows. Not many people look at my iwagumi and say how great it is... I mean they don't insult it but my other tanks draw them away. I guess I can't argue with that... 

Good luck with your tank. I will try and leave your thread alone.


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## MARIMOBALL (Jun 20, 2007)

Don Iwagumi is juss a style, chill. My 120gal is dutch style if you want to label it something. I love the Iwagumi style. Its not a "cop out" "watered down" or dull. I like them because they are a challenge to set up. Sometimes less is more. I pesonally dont get tired of seeing Iwagumi tanks. I really dont get tired of seeing any tank for that matter. What next youl start rippin on Wabikusa style. I say long live diversity there is room for everyone. I do agree that if it doesent interest you then dont comment. Soon Ill be posting my Iwagumi ADA yadda yadda yadda and my Dutch which will end up being an Amazon biotope. Wheew now back to your tank.You have managed to create some real depth to your tank with in only 40 gal but the manzanita still looks a little too centered IMO. Im sure you have moved that manz wood around a couple of times, other than that your tank is looking great.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Marimo--??? It hard to chill when I wasn't mad in the first place! Why does everyone think that I am the world's angriest person?  Honest-to-John! Did you read my last set of posts? It isn't that I don't like Iwagumi, I believe that they are flawed by their inherit design and the fact that to a degree, most are starting to look more and more the same. I did give credit to the one's who keep Iwagumi style tanks! 

And, I actually happen to like WK's.  HA! Thanks for the compliment, Marimo on my tank! I think that if I could take some better pics that you would see that the wood really is pretty off-center and kind of goes at some pretty goofy angles. I'll try to include a top-to-bottom shot so you can see what I mean.


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

DonaldmBoyer said:


> Why does everyone think that I am the world's angriest person?


well, because obviously you're plowed all the time and lash out uncontrollably. JUST KIDDING 

I think this is a great discussion and talks like this break down some of the untouchable barriers that surround the trend vs. passion aspect that can sometimes form when groups of people have a common interest. No ruffled feathers are necessary, it's been made very clear that the things stated in this thread are just opinion and statements of personal taste.

I comfortably say that in my personal taste, Iwagumi tanks bore me, but this is coming from me, a person who's tank is wildly overgrown, I have a more than a few consistent species of fish (collectoritis), I can't stand bare walls and must have them cluttered with pictures and collectibles. My own self is a walking testament to my fascination with constant visual stimuli,... I'm a moderately to heavily (depending on who to ask) tattooed chic who has a bizarre penchant for red liptstick and I totally break fashion rules by mixing multiple bracelets and bangles on one wrist.  As a person, I'm very busy when it comes to detail, so that translates to my personal taste and attention span with aquascaping.

Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely not lack of RESPECT for the style and the people who create them, I just gravitate towards other styles because Iwagumi's have lost their originality factor in my personal opinion.

All is just opinion; everyone is awesome


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

This is YOUR fault, Jess! You bring out the worst in me!!!  and 

And, NO, not everyone is awesome in everything.....maybe we are just trying to "pioneer" a "new way"? Who knows? Not me.

I thought too that this thread made it fairly clear that we are entitled to differing opinions and that is ok. Nobody's mad! I just have my opinion regarding what I see, and I try to explain it is all. It is just that we share some of the same thinking; it gets a bit dull to see the constant theme; and I've never been one to enjoy trends. Something about the aura of "mindless automotons" that is a bit creepy. But that is just me.

DANG IT! THIS IN MY THREAD! WHY AM I EXPLAINING MY OPINIONS ON IWAGUMI'S?


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## arowanaman (Jun 14, 2006)

You sir are worse than Hitler JK 

That is one of my favorite Simpson quotes


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

This one would aptly describe you, Arowana...

"Beer.....the cause of and solution to all of Life's problems."


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## MARIMOBALL (Jun 20, 2007)

Yes Don this is your thread. I think we now know how you feel about the "I" word lol. 
Now stop explaining yourself and show us some nicer pictures of your beutiful tank. Can you take a pic of the foreground at eye level. A pic of the that starts at the foreground and faces up twards the branches would also be nice. Sometimes angry is a good feeling otherwise we all would be really boring juss being happy all the time. Don I now uderstand that you were not angry its juss your opinion.


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## arowanaman (Jun 14, 2006)

DonaldmBoyer said:


> This one would aptly describe you, Arowana...
> 
> "Beer.....the cause of and solution to all of Life's problems."


True and sadly acurate :icon_oak: =P~ :drinkers: :noidea:


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Marimo--Cool....we're on the same page, man! Nobody's angry, and that's the way I likes it!  Just philosophical discussion, really! I will try to take some shots of the tank this weekend the way you suggested, ok? It will be more pics, less of me 

Nice start to your Iwagumi, BTW! 

Arowana-Homer Simpson's quote.....wasn't sure if you caught that or not!


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## arowanaman (Jun 14, 2006)

Of cours I did I am a die hard Simpson fan I own all the seasons on DVD to this point sickening I know. 

on a diferent note lets see some pictures of the tank man.


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## LindaC (Nov 7, 2005)

They are coming along very nicely, the 100 looks awesome, the plants look very healthy and water nice and clear.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Thank you, Linda! The 100G is a little lacking right now; had a bad green water outbreak, but it seems to be on the mend now! 40G's chuggin' along pretty good now.....may need a bit of a trim soon, though!


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Happy 4th of July to those who celebrate it! This country may not be perfect, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world. Well, maybe scuba diving off Grand Cayman, but you get my drift! 

I finally discovered the power of photobucket. I love this thing! ME AM SMART! 
Due to "popular demand," I was asked to show some more photos of the 40G cube. I will be doing a trim soon, but will keep the same arrangement. I am hoping to add another 18 watts of power compact to help brighten the 'Sao Paulo,' as I had debated whether I really needed it or not. Umm, I needs it! HA!

Alright, enough gabbing....on with the pics! Comments, suggestions, and critiques are always welcome!


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## arowanaman (Jun 14, 2006)

WOW it is looking really healthy and well fertilized. Lush without being tooo thick.


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## MARIMOBALL (Jun 20, 2007)

very nice the pics are sharp and clear now. I like the foreground its not too big and you have a midground instead if juss a wall of stems. Plants look very healthy and pearling. Id say what the hay get some more light. Your tank is matured now so you shouldnt have algae prob. with more light. juss keep the same photoperiod.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Thanks, Arowana and Marimo! This is just on the cusp of going through a trim, and luckily, this tank doesn't cause me any algae problems. I would like a tad more light; probably a DIY from hardware store, just to bump the color of the Sao Paulo up a bit. I really like this plant, as it is a relatively slow grower, and under the "right" conditions, it turns nearly purple. Very beautiful! Unfortunately, as it has grown, it has faded in coloration. It's "chopping" time!  I'll do a nice trim on it, add some more PC light, and it should turn back into that wonderful color again! It was worth every penny that I paid for it!

The other Polygonium species on the right will be hedged out, and I am debating whether to throw a few stems of the Sao Paulo over there....just enough to catch the attention. However, I am afraid that the green Polygonium will blend in too much, and not be noticed at all. It has a beatiful green color which turn almost "coppery" towards each leaf node. 

The Rotala Indica will be trimmed and reshapened, but I am not looking to make any major changes with it. Maybe try to add a few stems by the blyxa aubertii (which is also a very nice plant!!!) to get another minor touch of color. That's about it. I'll probably do this over the weekend, and take some pics, provided nothing goes wrong, next weekend! I'll get the new lights this Friday!


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

VERY NICE PICS!! I love it, is that blyxa aubertii next to the red? Nice Tank!


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## Jdinh04 (Oct 7, 2004)

Don,

This tank has been through so many stages. With your patience and effort maintaining the tank, it turns out to be a very beautiful tank. The plants look very healthy and are showing nice, vibrant colors.

You've done a great job with this tank, and as of now! It definitely beats the 100g!

Alright now on to my suggestions! How about rip off the whole foreground!?!?! sounds crazy doesn't it? hahaha ... I was thinking maybe you should start trying to HC?


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Hi Davis!--Yes, that's blyxa aubertii! It has done well, and flowers constantly! I didn't think that it would grow in so thick, as it blocks a ton of light to anything below it.....I'll be adding a couple 9 watt PC bulbs in the next few days, and I hope that'll help some of the midground plants. It's a bit too "there" for me.

Hi JDinh!--Interesting idea. I had thought about that when I started replanting the tank to it's final form. HC, HM, hairgrass,glosso, etc., didn't really work for me. I wanted something that was a bit more "uncommon," so I decided on the Minuta. I was going to do R. Rostrata, but couldn't find any sellers. It is extremely easy for me to grow, and doesn't demand hardly any attention. Looks like dark green glosso, and I love it! I had HC in my 100G for awhile, and I hated it! Don't get me wrong; it is a pretty plant, and does a great job in the foreground! But, it is such a pain for me to keep it trim and looking presentable! With my CO2, light, and ferts, I was having to go in there and trim it twice a week! Too much work! It wouldn't be that way for the 40G, but I am still so turned-off by it! 

Also, the dark green and uniform foreground allows the viewer to not be distracted by it, and concentrate his view on bright colors in the midst of the shadow......I am not sure if HC or something else that was bright green would allow for that, and likely "get in the way" of viewing the other parts of the tank.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Hello!

I decided to do a slight redo of this tank because it was getting a little boring. All of my cherries died (too much Trace), and I was pretty bummed out. I replaced the shrimp with some cool looking Neon Green Killies; love the blue of their eyes! Kinda neat to watch pairs of "glowing" blue eyes swim around the tank. I will add some more of those, or some Clown Killies depending on availability.

Anyhow, pretty much everything in the tank was ripped out and thrown away, or will be eventually. I still kept the Polygonium 'Sao Paulo' and the Blyxa Aubertii, but added HC for a nice foreground, some Rotala Mini Type II, and Rotala Colorata. It is cloudy because I just got done planting everything today, but it should clear soon and start thriving. The idea is to eventually have all Rotala Colorata surrounding the Blyxa Aubertii, which I hope will look nice.

Comment as you guys see fit......understand that it is a work in progress, ok? 

Ended as this:









And now starting as this:


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## travis (Oct 5, 2004)

I like the new 'scape Donald. Nice wood placement from what I can see through the haze. I'm anxious to see it when it clears up. The Rotala will look nice when it gets bushier and tighter. Are you getting flowers on your B. aubertii? I thought I could see some flower stalks but it's hard to tell.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Thanks, Travis.....yes, I do have flowers from the Blyxa. Hopefully by next week, things will look much better and I'll be able to post nicer pics. Sorry!  It happens to us all.


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## travis (Oct 5, 2004)

No need to apologize for the water. Like you say, it happens to us all, especially with new 'scapes. I like to tell people that it's a carefully engineered biotope tank and that I spent months working on cultivating just the right type of free-floating particulates to accurately reproduce the exact opacity of the Orinoco River Basin


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Yeah  Sort of a "I meant to do that" type of thing! HA! Nope, just pure substrate and microbes, I have to be honest!


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

Awesome Don! That wood is just great. Is that one piece or multiples?


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Thanks, Jess. It doesn't look like much yet, but I am hoping that it will pretty good in a little while. Gotta have patience with the Colorata, but it should be a knock-out down the road.

It is multiple pieces of manzanita, BTW


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## puttyman70 (Aug 7, 2007)

Hey D
Is that a stump or rock in the back left corner? The haze is kind of dark and mysterious in a cool sort of way, makes the drift wood look spooky. Don't worry I don't know excatly what I mean either.

Sorry for the newbie question but I don't understand. Seachem Trace kills shrimp? I haven't tried any shrimp yet so I don't know much about them.

The tank is looking promising. Keep up the dark gloomy ominous work. LOL


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

PuttyDuder-- That's a stump. I am hoping that the "spooky" undertone will be replaced eventually by fire engine red Colorata which will help to brighten everything up. Just soooo much detritus in that tank that got stirred up when I replanted. It's starting to look better, but I'll put in my polishing filter when I get back from WI on Friday or Saturday.

Regarding the Trace: It is debatable. Some people swear by it and have never had a problem losing shrimp. Others, not so lucky. I fall into the latter. I think that I overdosed and kept dosing. Over time, the copper built up to lethal doses for the cherries. It was my fault....I got lazy with my water changes. It's OK to dose with the Trace as long as you change out your water on a regular basis. 

I will try to appease your likings of my goth-like tank as long as I can. Once the Rotala colors up though--no promises.

Thanks for the comments, people!


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

Goth tank! haha. *puts on some Skinny Puppy* (wait is that industrial?)


Really though. Quit it with the mysterious stuff and keep us posted this time, yes?


:boxing:


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Hey, thanks Jess! I assure you that my mysterious-driven Mulm-in-Water Look is patent pending! 

I am nervous, though. I am in WI for work until Thursday night, and I hope that I don't come back to green water laden Gloom Look!! I've been doing religious 20% water changes at least every other day until things calm down in there, and won't be able to do that now for a few days in a row.

Wish me luck!


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