# zeldar's 60-P Unzan scape *Redone 4/1/13*



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

I have moved in with my girlfriend so took down the 4 tanks I had going. It was too much to keep up with nowadays and I hardly even looked in the tanks unless I was doing a quick waterchange. I felt like I was neglecting the tanks and inhabitants. So after donating the fish to the LFS and selling all the shrimp (so sad to see the Pure Lines go), plants, and equipment I got moved in this past weekend.

Of course I am setting up ONE aquarium. No more than 1, mark my words haha. Since I am only going with one tank, I wanted to make it a nice one. So I headed down to ADG to pickup a 60-P 'mist'. I got some other goodies as well: Aquasoil normal and powder, PowerSand, Bacter 100, Green Bacter, and going to try the ADA fertilizer system. I want to make the daily maintenance of the tank as minimal as possible so def too lazy for mixing dry ferts...

I bought a pretty decent stand for tank from Dr. Fosters and Smith. It was only $100 and seems to be sturdy and looks good. I bought a 24" Fishneedit T5 24watt x4 bulbs. I am going to build a light stand from some square stainless steel I ordered online and suspend it above the tank. Let's hope it turns out how I envision it...

Then came the hardscape. I had originally bought ~25 pounds of Ryuoh stone form ADG hoping to come up with an Iwagumi. After several frustrating hours rearranging the stones, I gave it up. Stupid me bought 8 stones all of the same size so it all looked to uniform. So I went back down to ADG to exchange them for some driftwood. I dug through their boxes of driftwood and found some possible candidates but still didn't love a scape. I said screw it and went for the Unzan stone that was just sitting there taunting me. I got a large and 2 small pieces. This stone is pretty awesome and its basically an instant scape. Just put them in the tank and poof! a scape!

I got holes drilled in the stand for co2 and filter lines and the tank filled with water tonight. There aren't any plants in there yet as I just bought some HC and still looking for E. Tenellus 'red'. I am pretty sure those will be the only plants in the tank.

I snapped a couple pictures before drilling and filling with water. More to come tomorrow, its getting very late and work in the morning is approaching!

Tank Specs:
tank: ADA 60-P mist
light: Fishneedit 4x 24watt T5HO
substrate: Aquasoil normal and powder
filter: Eheim 2215 with aquamagic pipes
co2: 24oz. paintball tank with GLA regulator diffused with a Do Aqua 20D music glass
ferts: Brighty K, Step 1, Step 2
flora: HC, e. tenellus 'red', e. hydropiper in the pockets (if i can ever find any)
fauna: def a school of small fish (tetra or rasbora most likely), 10 pygmy corries, amano shrimp, a couple assassin snails


----------



## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Very nice start-- I'm sure that unzan cost you a fortune! I bet it's worth every penny though. Some _Blyxa japonica_ might look really cool amongst the rocks. Sounds like you have a good plan though and i'm excited to see this tank progress.


----------



## garloki72 (Oct 31, 2010)

Also looking forward to see this tank progress!


----------



## fusiongt (Nov 7, 2011)

Woah massive rock. I don't know why I thought this, but it would be sweet if you drilled some holes in the rock and put a airstone underneath it. It would be a volcano! Hah probably a novelty but might be fun =)


----------



## wacky (Jun 4, 2012)

Very nice start!!!


----------



## grogan (Sep 13, 2011)

Looks good bud. I just picked up a 60p also. Good luck


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Thanks AzFish! Blyxa would look pretty cool but I think it would get too busy for what I want to achieve here. I honestly want the rocks to be the overpowering focal point and I know Blyxa would eventually get too big for the scape.

fushiongt, i thought of a valcano right when I saw the piece at ADG! and you cant tell from the picture, but there is a pocket at the very top, exactly like a valcano! haha but sorry, no airstone...

Good luck with your 60-P grogan! Its been my favorite size that I have worked with so far. It's a little bigger than a nano which gives you more room for scaping but not too big that its a hassle for water changes...

Thanks for all the other compliments!


----------



## wetbizquit (Jul 9, 2006)

dude....... how much did you pay for that rock/where did you get it?


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

That stone is going to look magical when wet.

Any shots of the tank stand?


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

As stated in the first post, I got the stones from ADG. They had one Large rock left and it was really nice... They also had several small and a couple medium pieces.

I'll get some pictures of the stand sometime soon. It's the first one that comes up when you search "aquarium stand" on Dr. Foster...


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

I got the light stand finished and installed. It turned out pretty good in my opinion. Beats paying the crazy ADA light stand price! The SS rods were $60 shipped so not too bad. It did take some serious elbow grease to drill the 8 holes. SS is a pain to drill through! It ate up 4 nice drill bits!


















Here is a close up view. Please don't mind the bird nest knots, I am going to get the claps today if they have them at the hardware store. Then I need to trim off the extra wire cable to clean it up and run the light power cords down the back of the SS rods. 









Here is a pic of the stand. Its about as basic as it gets but thats fine.









The holes I drilled for the filter lines came out pretty nice, although I would say a bit too big. I will probably use a sharpie to color in the brown part.









And the goods inside the stand: filter, co2, and two ballasts


----------



## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Love it! Very nice light stand.


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Finally got some plants in here. I had a melted shipment of HC so had to reorder. The plant list has changed quite a bit in the last 2 weeks. I was going to go with just HC and some tenellus between the rocks. Then HC in the front and glosso in the back. Then HC in the front and HM in the back. Now the plan is HC in the back and between the rocks, hydropiper in the front (we will see if I can get it to spread, if not I'll try glosso), and rotala macrandra in the back behind the main stone. I'm kinda worried the macrandra's leave size may be too large for this scape. Once it grows in some, if it looks off I may pull it and go with Colorata, Sunset, or Green.

I don't really know what will be planted in the Unzan pockets on the main stone. Right now there is the tiny bit of UG and hydropiper just bc I had it leftover from the move. May go with HC or glosso.

I checked the ammonia and nitrite today for the first time. Shockingly they both showed 0!! The aquasoil has only been cycling for 12 days or so. It does have a mature filter on it but that has never sped up the aquasoil leeching of ammonia. Is the new aquasoil have less ammonia or something? I'm nervous to add fish thinking its a false reading or something...



















Ahhh, planting ol' HC never gets old...









Macrandra in the back


----------



## mythin (Jun 26, 2009)

Tank is looking nice! was nice meeting you too, i havent done anything with the mini m yet, but that unzan looks nice


----------



## Stinkmonky (Apr 16, 2012)

I believe larger leaf carpets such as glosso should go in front while hc should go into the back. This mimics a sort of realism. Amano and the art of iwagumi emphasize on replicating what you see in nature.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


----------



## freph (Apr 4, 2011)

Stinkmonky said:


> I believe larger leaf carpets such as glosso should go in front while hc should go into the back. This mimics a sort of realism. Amano and the art of iwagumi emphasize on replicating what you see in nature.


Not sure about replicating nature, but this doesn't sound like a bad idea.

The tank looks very good right now...I like it. The HC will look awesome when it grows in. Any plans of a mixed carpet with riccia/glosso maybe? Pure HC or mixed, I'm sure it'll look amazing either way!


----------



## Stinkmonky (Apr 16, 2012)

freph said:


> Not sure about replicating nature, but this doesn't sound like a bad idea.
> 
> The tank looks very good right now...I like it. The HC will look awesome when it grows in. Any plans of a mixed carpet with riccia/glosso maybe? Pure HC or mixed, I'm sure it'll look amazing either way!


It gives the appearance of depth. Like the leaves are getting smaller in the distance IMO 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


----------



## windfish (Dec 2, 2007)

Those rocks are great. Can't wait to see how this fills out.


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

> Tank is looking nice! was nice meeting you too, i havent done anything with the mini m yet, but that unzan looks nice


thanks! Put that mini m to use! haha head over to ADG and pick some Unzan up!



> I believe larger leaf carpets such as glosso should go in front while hc should go into the back. This mimics a sort of realism. Amano and the art of iwagumi emphasize on replicating what you see in nature.


thats an interesting perspective, I have both hydropiper and glosso coming in today so I will try the hydropiper first up front. I'm not convinced I can grow it and have it spread sideways. I got a tiny bit of it a while back and it never really took off but that tank didnt have great co2 or regular ferts so maybe it will do better this time.



> The tank looks very good right now...I like it. The HC will look awesome when it grows in. Any plans of a mixed carpet with riccia/glosso maybe? Pure HC or mixed, I'm sure it'll look amazing either way!


I will never ever in my life touch Riccia again. That stuff has tricked me into using it too many times. I do love seeing it all pearled up. But I will stick to seeing it in yalls tanks haha. I have nightmares where Im still picking Riccia out of my tank years after its been removed hahaha

As for the mixed carpet idea. I am sure the HC/hydropiper/glosso will all run together eventually and I wont try to stop it much as long as it doesnt start growing upwards or become uprooted. So we will see how it turns out.



> Those rocks are great. Can't wait to see how this fills out.


Thanks! I'm excited to see where it goes as well.


----------



## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Aww man, I'll teach you how to use Riccia. I had the same thoughts as yourself the first time I used it - utterly gave up in frustration for like 2 years. 

Then it dawned on me that Riccia really is the key transition / texture plant for mixed carpets. Once you master it, it's pretty awesome. I'm not going to lie though - I do pull bits of Riccia out of my Rotala Colorata, but most times they just get well hidden in the thicket and cause some extra pearling.


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Francis Xavier said:


> Aww man, I'll teach you how to use Riccia. I had the same thoughts as yourself the first time I used it - utterly gave up in frustration for like 2 years.
> 
> Then it dawned on me that Riccia really is the key transition / texture plant for mixed carpets. Once you master it, it's pretty awesome. I'm not going to lie though - I do pull bits of Riccia out of my Rotala Colorata, but most times they just get well hidden in the thicket and cause some extra pearling.


Nope, no way Frank haha. You are not going to win me over. I will admit you have 2 amazing mixed carpets going right now and the riccia pearling is so cool but I just can't bring myself to give it another chance. Until you invent riccia that you can plant in the substrate or doesnt float...


----------



## Uptown193 (Apr 25, 2011)

Hey whats up I love your setup you have here. Looks very clean and professional. Your light is very nice too, do you know if it comes in black? I need a new light and I want it to be fairly thin design. Oh and nice avatar pic. Wu-Tang forever....


----------



## flowerfishs (May 6, 2009)

nice looking rock scape!


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Uptown193 said:


> Hey whats up I love your setup you have here. Looks very clean and professional. Your light is very nice too, do you know if it comes in black? I need a new light and I want it to be fairly thin design. Oh and nice avatar pic. Wu-Tang forever....


 
haha damn right Wu Tang Forever

I appreciate the kind words on the tank.

I'm not sure if the light comes in black, but I don't think so. Try googling fishneedit and its the first site that comes up.


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Here are some pictures of the hydropiper. I know it doesn't look like there is much in there, but the entire front is planted. I had to bury most of it because the pygmy corries LOVE uprooting everthing. It all turned yellow which is to be expected since it was grown emmersed. I hope it will transition to submerged soon and send up some good new growth.

You can see I am getting the classic brown algae in the tank. Even following the daily water change plan, its getting pretty thick. The 2 Ottos aren't making much of a dent but I'll add around 6 Amano shrimp and they should do the trick. 

I have pretty much decidied on a school of 20 Espei Rasbora for the tank. However, if someone has a last second idea, I could be swayed!

The HC and Rotala have done a little vertical growth. The HC was emmersed grown as well so its older leaves are turning a little yellow/brown as it transitions, but it continues to grow so I'm not too worried. 

I am thinking there needs to be some hairgrass in this tank. Just a little bit between the rocks would look good I think. There needs to be something that has some height to it besides the rotala.


----------



## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

This is a great looking tank, love that Unzan stone!


----------



## mythin (Jun 26, 2009)

good luck with the hydropiper, most of mine melted, but I was doing dsm, maybe you will have better luck since its submerged with co2. let me know if you want any dhg 'belem' or rotala mexican goias.


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Well, the corries did what they do best- uprooted EVERYTHING. Most of the hydropiper is just gone. I guess since its so small, once they uprooted it, it was sucked up into the filter... The HC was slowly growing but it was also uprooted so last night I replanted basically all of it. I only left a tiny bit through the soil hoping it would be harder for the fish to dig it up. Needless to say, the tank looks like it was just planted! All the macrandra is gone and I will be going with Colorata which should come in today.

I did add some hairgrass and hydrocotyle to the Unzan pockets. Once it grows in, it should look pretty cool...

As you can see, the tank is now fully stocked. The stocklist: 20 espei rasbora, 9 pygmy corries, 2 otto, 6 amano shrimp, 1 rescued RCS










restarting the HC process...

















the espei's









king of the mountain









This tank not only has the pygmy corries terrorizing the tank, it also has Pepa. She will sit on the windowsill just waiting for a unsuspecting fish to swim by the glass, then, WAP! a gentle paw hits the glass and the fish swims off to the other end of the tank. haha she is mesmerized by the tank and it works better than any toy to keep her entertained for hours on end.









Pretty eyes...


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

More plants added: Rotala Colorata to the back and some e. tennelus between the left and main rock.









Finally got some light hanger clips


----------



## mythin (Jun 26, 2009)

Nice looking good! The espei's look like they are schooling well! where did you pick those up? I never had luck with the hydropiper I had also, it all melted away in DSM, i did save a little bit in a grow out tub and its still alive, so I have a 5-6 plantlets left, but it grows so slow and its so small that i dont know if its worth it. 

Still Love that unzan though, i may have to go pick some up from adg soon.


----------



## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

Lookin' good, Greg! Glad to see you got some R. colorata. I feel so bad about that


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Well the colorata isn't doing very good at all for some reason. It just isn't growing and the little bit that is growing is green. I have no idea what's wrong with it... If it doesn't shape up soon, I'll just let the tennelus fill in the back.

I added a couple roseline sharks. 

I'm getting a reef tank so this may take a backseat haha










not growing


















roseline's


----------



## BeachBum2012 (Jan 16, 2010)

This is my first time seeing your setup. I must say that I like it very much. The stones look great.

I don't know if you ended up doing anything about the holes that you drilled in the stand, but if not I have an idea for you. Office supply stores or amazon should sell round cable grommet for office desks. Might make the hole look a little better.


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Little update... Nothing has changed other than some growth. The Colorata stems just don't seem to grow at all. I trimmed them for the first time ever! I don't know what it is, but I can't grow stem plants to save my life. Come to think of it, none of the plants in this tank grow very fast except the hydrocotyle. 

My goodness, I can grow me some algae. This is the first tank that is REALLY getting hit hard by green algae on the glass. I don't know how to stop it! After I clean the glass, I'll be able to see it again in a day! And it will be hard to see through the glass within a week. It's such a hassle to scape the glass every week and takes forever to get it all off. Not sure why I'm getting it either. The tank has a bunch of flow, high co2, 6.5 hr photo period. There is also BBA covering the stones although its not too noticeable in the pictures. I need to get some Excel to combat, but just been to lazy to go get it.

I did add a Vuppa since I get the nastiest, thickest layer of film on this tank ever. It does a great job of totally removing the film, although a bit expensive.


----------



## jkan0228 (Feb 6, 2011)

Do you have a plan for the roselines once they outgrow your tank?

I like the hardscape btw, should look fairly decent once all the plants fill in.


----------



## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

How's the 2215 working out for you? I've got a 2217on my 60-P and the flow is way too much...screws up my scape and stresses my fish. Going to downgrade, but trying to decide between the 2213 or 2215.


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

jkan- I'll have to trade them into the LFS once they get a little larger...

jmhart- the 2215 seems to be fine for this tank. I doesn't provide too much flow at all. I think it works perfectly on this tank. The lily pipe creates disturbance on the water surface and to the opposite end of the tank which stirs up the co2 bubbles and the water comes back around to the intake. You could always dial down your 2217 with the Eheim quick connects to reduce the flow....


----------



## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

Looking great, Greg. I'd get some more Hydrocotyle for the far left, if I were you. I love the cloud formation that it grows in!


----------



## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

Well I think it looks great. Your foreground plant is HC yeah?

For the stems try rotala sp green, that is pretty easy to grow. 

Love the DHG in the Unzan pocket, very cool.


----------



## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

Your rocks are great. It seems like there is some sort of imbalance that is getting in the way of your plant growth. With such a beautiful scape that you put together back in August, you'd think by now a lot would be filled in with plant mass. All apologies if I missed a section in your journal, but things don't seem to be flourishing like you'd expect. what's your fert schedule like? how have you gone about measuring co2? looking forward to your tank updates!! best, walter


----------



## Overfloater (Jan 12, 2004)

I like your light bar. I constructed something very similar with supplies from Lowes for about $8. Even when compared to shelf brackets, I'm sure it's the least expensive method I've found to hang my lights and it looks better to boot. Took me about an hour to build. 

I'd leave the colorata in for awhile. It always starts out green and as it gets closer to the surface it will color up.


----------



## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

spotted your elos mini build on NR, sweet.


----------



## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

Maybe there isnt enough food for the plants. Try dosing more or maybe switch over to good ol' EI.
I really lile this scape though dont give up on it yet. You pulled it off even with the main focal point smack dab in the middle.


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Well, I finally have the 60-P set back up after the move. I ended up basically tearing it down since it was going to be so hard to move with plants and fish in it. I did leave the soil and rocks in during the move, but everything else was removed.

Now that it is set back up, I switched up the plants but kept the hardscape basically the same. I did try to slope the substrate to the back, but I'm sure it will go back down over time. I don't think I have kept a slope for over a month after filling a tank haha

So the new plant list and locations are as follows. There is HM in the back left corner, next to it is some severley dying/dead Butterfly Mini which will probably be taken out once it is confirmed dead and no new growth appears. To the right of that is what might be Colorata or possibly another Rotala (I'm waiting on the seller to ID for me). In the right corner is Rotala Green. L. Brasiliensis is in the left stone pocket, between the left and middle stone, mixed in the middle stone pockets, and on the right in front of the Rotala Green. HC makes up the foreground and left side. There is some DHG and Glosso in the middle stone pockets as well. I put some mini pellia and mini fissidens on the stones so since the Unzan is so pourus, there should be no trouble with them attaching to the stones and creating a cool look once it grows in.

I will let the tank sit for a month or so with no water to let the roots establsih and the MP/fissidens take hold on the rocks. I don't really have a plan for livestock but I'm sure I will pick a group of small tetras or rasboras. Maybe a ton of Chili Rasboras would look cool in the tank. We will see...


----------



## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

Looks like a good start, that unzan looks like it has lots of scape opportunities with plants.


----------



## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

any update?


----------



## parrottbay (May 14, 2012)

Any update?


----------

