Wishing all Chinese friends a very HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR many happy return
Jan 30, 2014
THE PIONEER PROPER SCAPE
The 2 footers
The Beginning
It all started when I was looking for a cat to be pets. Having traveled throughout the Penang island but was unable to find a desirable cat, I immediately changed the decision to revive the hobby of my late father, keeping Arowana fish. But at present, to have a good Arowana we need to spend quite a lot of money. I decided to choose a pair of Angel Fish as starter, five Cardinal Tetra and a pair of idontknowtherealname Guppy . Coupled with some kind of live aquatic plants as decorations. Went back to my hometown in Kedah to collect some gravel from my childhood historic waterfall (where I almost lost my life) Lata Bayu/ Asam Jawa for the base of my tank.
Not satisfied with the result, I visited several aquarium stores and are destined to meet a very famous shop CTY. there I started to feel overwhelmed by the wide range of decorations plant and fish. Most caught my attention is a very beautiful show tank with aquatic plants as it was cut out of the forest. Like been poisoned, I decided to create a common aquarium. By taking the first steps to increase the number of trees and some driftwood. Added with some basic aqua-planting accessories CO2 diffuser, thermometer and some fertilizer.
Ohh.. also a Rainbow Gourami..(such a beauty..)
The Beginning
It all started when I was looking for a cat to be pets. Having traveled throughout the Penang island but was unable to find a desirable cat, I immediately changed the decision to revive the hobby of my late father, keeping Arowana fish. But at present, to have a good Arowana we need to spend quite a lot of money. I decided to choose a pair of Angel Fish as starter, five Cardinal Tetra and a pair of idontknowtherealname Guppy . Coupled with some kind of live aquatic plants as decorations. Went back to my hometown in Kedah to collect some gravel from my childhood historic waterfall (where I almost lost my life) Lata Bayu/ Asam Jawa for the base of my tank.
 |
| Early 2008 |
 |
| 2 days after.... =P |
 |
| Love the color display |
From that day after... I become OBSESSED with aquascaping. Join Malaysian and UK forums, get to know the world of aquascaping and I fell deeper in the beautiful pit... More plant, rock, driftwood, light, tanks, accessories.. to list some of the learning steps.
 |
| Few month later |
 |
| Lost count later |
It will costs you hundreds and thousands to get you to Takashi Amano like scape (still in my dream) but the experience and satisfaction is priceless.
IAPLC 2014
Its bigger better and are you ready? Am I? .. skip this year due to workload. but who know? it is still long to go before due.
Your vote decides the world’s No.1 layout. Everything starts from your entry.
About IAPLC
Your vote decides the world’s No.1 layout. Everything starts from your entry.
Grand Prize JPY 1,000,000!! Closing Date: May 31 2014
The IAPLC2013 has received a total of 2,164 applications from 57 countries and areas.
Your door to the IAPLC2014 attracting global attention opens by applying for it!
Your door to the IAPLC2014 attracting global attention opens by applying for it!
Contest Prize
| Prize | Number | Prize money | Premiums |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Prize |
1
|
JPY1,000,000
| Certificate, Metal Plate |
| Gold Prize |
1
|
JPY300,000
| Certificate, Metal Plate |
| Silver Prize |
2
|
JPY100,000
| Certificate, Metal Plate |
| Bronze Prize |
3
|
JPY50,000
| Certificate, Metal Plate |
| Honor Prize |
20
|
JPY10,000
| Certificate, Metal Plate |
| Winning Work |
100
|
----
| Certificate |
Jan 29, 2014
Plant Adaptable to light source choice
Continue from my last post .Light Choice.. here i will touch on how plants adapt to different type light intensity and how well their growth
THE ADAPTABLES
Eg- Hairgrasses, Staurogyne repens, Hemianthus callitrichoides sp Cuba [HC] that can do well in LIL up to HIL.
Hemianthus Callitrichoides (HC)-LIL 2ft tank 8 hours. I grew this in 4 weeks and ripped out the plant like a carpet and give out to fellow scapers. I received lots of request on A to Z how I plant, fertilizer dose, and such. I will get to that part in later post okay? It will be put under rescaping my tank. For the time being, you may drop by my flickr page to view more plant growth photo lapse from link posted above. Feel free to leave comment and question. TQ
Staurogyne repens-MHIL 3ft tank 8 hours.
They are usually grown as carpet plants deep at at the bottom of the tank so these plants would not yellow at HIL settings because the deeper you go, the less intensity the lighting.
They are usually grown as carpet plants deep at at the bottom of the tank so these plants would not yellow at HIL settings because the deeper you go, the less intensity the lighting.
Jan 28, 2014
Light source to shape your scape - By StanChung the Master.
Using Lighting as a Design Element for Aquascaping
The intensity of the lighting & photoperiod[duration it's on] can affect the shape of the plant's growth & colour.
Knowing this can help you 'design' the plants to your objectives.
Takashi Amano was one of the first if not the first to segregate plants into Shade and Brighty[sun loving] plants.
I'd like to add there are some versatile plants that can do well[look good] in both low intensity lighting & high intensity lighting. I call them the Midty- just kidding- I'll just use The Adaptables
*I'll be using some short forms such as
LIL-Low Intensity Lighting_______________eg- 100-120W+ for a standard 3X1.5X1.5 feet tank.
MIL-Medium Intensity Lighting__________eg- 140-180W+ for a standard 3X1.5X1.5 feet tank.
MHIL-Medium High Intensity Lighting___eg- 200-220W for a standard 3X1.5X1.5 feet tank.
HIL-High Intensity Lighting_____________eg- 250W+ for a standard 3X1.5X1.5 feet tank.
[these are my definitions and depending on the quality/type of the bulbs, reflectors & water clarity- your mileage may vary GREATLY!] For example 120W is not low if you use super efficient LED lighting.
The above would refer mostly to fluorescent lighting and MH/HQI[metal halide & modified metal halide-Mercury Quartz Iodide] combinations.
Ok let's dig in to the topic-
SHADE PLANTS
Shade plants include Ferns, Mosses, Cryptocoryne, Anubias and other dark green leaved plant species.
If you're making a tank for shade plants- LIL to MIL is sufficient but if you have a lot of driftwood blocking lighting from reaching the bottom then you might not be able to grow carpet plants like dwarf hairgrasses in the shade.
Although shade plants need less light to survive, it will actually look much better in my opinion with MIL to MHIL. With HIL, mosses tend to turn yellowish and ferns close to the light will look bleached almost.
Java fern sp, Spiky moss- Grown in MHIL, 3ft tank, 8 hours. Notice the Java fern sp has leaves that are nice bright green & pointed upwards due to high oxygen saturation in the leaves. Spiky moss produce fronds that are compact and shaped nicely. Weeping moss doesn't even look like weeping moss if kept in LIL or in the shade.
Bolbitis heudelotii- I read a well known researcher said that at MHIL-HIL, their leaves 'burned'. I found this to be untrue.
Just look at this picture- 6X36W for a 3ft tank-MHIL.
Till Next post....
The intensity of the lighting & photoperiod[duration it's on] can affect the shape of the plant's growth & colour.
Knowing this can help you 'design' the plants to your objectives.
Takashi Amano was one of the first if not the first to segregate plants into Shade and Brighty[sun loving] plants.
I'd like to add there are some versatile plants that can do well[look good] in both low intensity lighting & high intensity lighting. I call them the Midty- just kidding- I'll just use The Adaptables
*I'll be using some short forms such as
LIL-Low Intensity Lighting_______________eg- 100-120W+ for a standard 3X1.5X1.5 feet tank.
MIL-Medium Intensity Lighting__________eg- 140-180W+ for a standard 3X1.5X1.5 feet tank.
MHIL-Medium High Intensity Lighting___eg- 200-220W for a standard 3X1.5X1.5 feet tank.
HIL-High Intensity Lighting_____________eg- 250W+ for a standard 3X1.5X1.5 feet tank.
[these are my definitions and depending on the quality/type of the bulbs, reflectors & water clarity- your mileage may vary GREATLY!] For example 120W is not low if you use super efficient LED lighting.
The above would refer mostly to fluorescent lighting and MH/HQI[metal halide & modified metal halide-Mercury Quartz Iodide] combinations.
Ok let's dig in to the topic-
SHADE PLANTS
Shade plants include Ferns, Mosses, Cryptocoryne, Anubias and other dark green leaved plant species.
If you're making a tank for shade plants- LIL to MIL is sufficient but if you have a lot of driftwood blocking lighting from reaching the bottom then you might not be able to grow carpet plants like dwarf hairgrasses in the shade.
Although shade plants need less light to survive, it will actually look much better in my opinion with MIL to MHIL. With HIL, mosses tend to turn yellowish and ferns close to the light will look bleached almost.
Bolbitis heudelotii- I read a well known researcher said that at MHIL-HIL, their leaves 'burned'. I found this to be untrue.
Just look at this picture- 6X36W for a 3ft tank-MHIL.
The leaves are so fully oxygenated they point upwards.
I've even tried HIL- Their leaves are paler but no burning.
This would be a design element knowledge you can use to photograph your tank for posterity or Aquascaping competitions.
IMO the leaves burned because they were adapting to a new tank-all ferns do, so just trim off all the large leaves and just use the rhizomes when planting.
I've even tried HIL- Their leaves are paler but no burning.
This would be a design element knowledge you can use to photograph your tank for posterity or Aquascaping competitions.
IMO the leaves burned because they were adapting to a new tank-all ferns do, so just trim off all the large leaves and just use the rhizomes when planting.
Till Next post....
Mar 1, 2010
Aquarium Tank
Study on
type: Which is best for aquascaping. Bracess/ unbracess. On shelf cheap/ optiwhite aquarium pro and cons.
size: pico, nano, medium 1.5 footer to 3 footer, large 3.5footer above.
why ADA?..pro and cons.
type: Which is best for aquascaping. Bracess/ unbracess. On shelf cheap/ optiwhite aquarium pro and cons.
size: pico, nano, medium 1.5 footer to 3 footer, large 3.5footer above.
why ADA?..pro and cons.
Feb 22, 2010
My Aquarium Today
RISE OF THE TIGER
The scape style is called Iwagumi (rock formation)but mine is half scale Iwagumi, which only have the main stone without the supporting stone as per Takashi Amano full scale Sanzon Iwagumi.
I will discuss more on the Iwagumi style later. For now i will try to eloborate more on my current tank specification.
The Tank
Normal 2 footer cheap tank.
Dimension: 60l x 30d x 45h cm
Volume: 81liters/ 21 US gallons/ 18 UK gallons
*Quicklink to aquarium calculator:
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/information/calculate.htm#Aquarium Volume Calculator
Filter
Eheim Classic 2217
Flowrate: 1000l/hr
*Quicklink to EHEIM Asia Pacific:
http://www.eheimasiapacific.com/prod_e_extfilter_classic.html
Lighting
DIY 2x 36watts Philips 865 daylight 6500k
Using 1x 36watts x 2 Philips e-ballast. (with wiring diagrams *credit goes to Nasfish my-mac.net/forum)
Analog timer for photoperiod ON/OFF
Pic soon
DIY light stand
pic soon
DIY light housing using
CO2 Injection
2kgs Mods CO2 fire extinguisher tank.
MIC manual regulator
pict soon
CO2 silicon tubing
picture soon
Plastic valve to control CO2 distribution
Aquamedic glass bubble counter + ruby checkvalve
Rhinox 1000 glass diffuser
picture soon
MIC Powerhead for finer CO2 distribution.
Aquamedic Glass dropchecker
Temperature control
Pic
DIY fan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)