# Do!aqua Mini-M: riverrun



## Ugly Genius

This tank exists because I found kick-butt rocks for eight dollars at a bonsai store in Japantown. I also wanted to do another 'scape with UG.

I've used UG in the past to varying degrees of success, but I never created a hardscape that did the plant justice as I feel that a carpet of UG looks best on slopes.

So, with my eight dollars worth of rocks and a bag and a quarter of Amazonia Powder, I created my hardscape and slope.









_Initially, I filled the whole tank to help me remove some Duckweed that snuck in during planting,
and to fully saturate the substrate._


















_Here's what it looks like now, drained._


















_There's too much water in the front, I know, but I'm leaving it there initially until I gauge how quickly the top portions dry out._​
This tank will dry-start for the first two months. After that, I may or may not fill it. (I probably will.)

If the UG takes to the dry-start, I will probably not add CO2. This means I'll use a HOB filter and about twenty-eight watts of CF from a fixture that is dim-able -- I got it years ago from Sharper Image -- and turn the light down to the equivalent of twenty-two watts. A reasonable light level for a tank this size without CO2, I'm thinking.

Speaking of HOBs, anyone have a recommendation for a Mini-M? I like the idea of a HOB as they allow for more oxygen exchange than a canister, resulting in, presumably, a more robust bio-filter. (I'm currently on a bio-filter-kick as I feel they are the unsung heros of a fish tank.) However, I've fallen in love with the Eheim 2211s and may get one of those if you guys think the benefit of a HOB is minimal.

Also, any tips you have for keeping the upper portion of a slope saturated is much appreciated. I've got a spray bottle, but if you got better ideas, I'm all ears.

Anyway, welcome to my fifth journal in less than a year.


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## Dollface

honestly I would just go with the 2211, if you want more oxygen exchange, raise the spray bar up. otherwise, an aquaclear 20 is a good go-to. 

you could look into automatic misters, but really if you seal it well enough, and spray it occasionally, it should be good to go.


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## ch3fb0yrdee

Whats the name of that bonsai store in Japanese town? Is it close to AFA?


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## CL

ch3fb0yrdee said:


> Whats the name of that bonsai store in Japanese town? Is it close to AFA?


Yes, he said in source that it was close to AFA, but I'm not sure what it's called.

I saw the tank filled up in the first picture and was like "No! He's given up on the emersed idea"

So are you gonna put this tank in your sig when you think of a name for it?:biggrin:


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## Martin Schellinck

katsura gardens...i've gotten stone there before also. it's 1.50 per pound I believe for that particular one.


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## brohawk

Hoppy referenced to me some other thread he'd read on the web where you tip the tank back w/ some supports during dry start so the substrate becomes level w/ the water. It's been working great so far for me. I only have to spray things down every couple days now.


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## Craigthor

Damn *UG* I disappear for a few days and you ahve another tank up and running. I love the rocks and hate you CA guys as you can get nice hardscape stuff and cheap.... j/k on the hate part but damn.

Great looking addition to your collectoritis of tanks... 

Now to finish updating myself on your threads.

Craig

P.S. I'm back to stay!


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## JadeIceGreen

I would kill for rocks with that kind of texture and detail. 

Personally, I would actually prefer the main rock to be bigger, you could also try to tilt the main rock so that it exerts a bigger personality over its smaller counterparts. This would also create a tension when the scape is viewed, something like, "the rock is gonna fall!" kind of feeling. This tension is essential to Iwagumi scapes.

You would also properly need to keep your foreground plants low, especially on your awesome right foreground. That empty space there between the two rock formations is going to look so good when filled. And to contrast this space further, plants that are taller behind your extreme right rock is gonna frame that entire area nicely.

I do not think you want this tank to be a strict Iwagumi tank, but if you do (it will be a little boring! haha.) then I suggest getting another sharper, taller rock to be placed behind the current big rock. That will add depth to your focal point, which is the main rock. The current big rock which would be then in front of your main rock will add a powerful base to tie your main rock to the entire scape.

I would also highly recommend Eheim 2213 to be your filter. I run this on my Mini M and its simply awesome. You can use Eheim's double tap to control the flow rate if you need to, and when the flow rate slows down because the media is slightly clogged, just open it full throttle! That means longer filter cleaning intervals which I think will appeal to you. *wink*

Okay, sorry for this long post, I had no idea how I rambled on.... 
Looking forward to this scape!


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## Ugly Genius

brohawk said:


> Hoppy referenced to me some other thread he'd read on the web where you tip the tank back w/ some supports during dry start so the substrate becomes level w/ the water. It's been working great so far for me. I only have to spray things down every couple days now.


Thank you, *bro*! I just did this and this was the a ha! I was knew existed but for which I did not have the "a" or the "ha".

I've got to hit the shower, so I'll reply to everyone else after work.


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## brohawk

No prob! Now if you ship me some of those rocks you scored, we'll call it even...


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## legomaniac89

Man is that hardscape wicked. When that UG fills in this'll look incredible. Maybe try a couple tufts of a shorter hairgrass behind the center rock? That'd look pretty sweet blended in with the Utricularia


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## bigstick120

That rock is sweet!!!


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## danakin

Looks like an octopus a little to me.


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## legomaniac89

danakin said:


> Looks like an octopus a little to me.


Do!aqua Mini-M: Cephalopod

Sorry, couldn't help myself :biggrin:


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## Ugly Genius

I'm really leaning towards the 2211, *Dollface*. You're right about raising the spray bar. I've only found one source for the 2211 online, though. Hopefully, they'll become more available in the next two months when I fill this thing up. (I've decided I'm going to fill it up for sure.)

*ch3f*, it's about a block away from AFA. Katsura Gardens, as *Martin* pointed out.

*cl*, I'll put it in my sig once a name is found. Gotta observe this little guy for a while so I can get a feel for it's character before naming it.

Thanks, *Craig*. I'm hella happy you're still in this game. We'd be at a loss without you.

That's all really good advice, *Jade*. Judging from what you observed, you have a pretty good idea of the look I'm going for. My main concern is keeping the UG low so as to minimize the "shrinking effect" plant growth has on a hardscape.
This tank will not be a iwagumi in the strict sense of it all. My main intent is to showcase UG. (The plant.)
So far I have a couple of favorite plants: Mini Microsword, Mini Pellia, and Special Fern. I have a feeling UG can be added to this list, but I've yet to fall in love with it as I've yet to create a 'scape in which I'm proud of how it turned out.
As for the rocks, I absolutely agree. However, given the shape of the rocks, and my goal to have a rockscape that is solid (i.e. won't tip when I'm trimming), the placement you see is the only one that worked given my stubborn insistence on having the rocks stable and fit in the grooves of each other. It's a case of function winning out slightly over aesthetics.



brohawk said:


> No prob! Now if you ship me some of those rocks you scored, we'll call it even...


You never know, *bro*.

*lego*, you friggin' read my mind. I thought the same exact thing! I thought that if I do introduce DHG, I'll add it after the UG's had a month and a half head start. I'd then slowly introduce other plants as the 'scape matured. It would make me feel like a conductor of a symphony guiding the tempo of the tank.

Thanks, *big*

*danakin* and *lego*, don't it? Why do all of my recent 'scapes look like animals?

I'm feeling a lot more confident of the success of the dry-start method because of *bro*'s "tip the tank" advice. That said, I have a feeling that this tank will take the full two months to fill in. I'm growing UG emersed in a bowl in my bathroom and after about three weeks, only now is it starting to throw out new growth.
We'll see.


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## legomaniac89

Ugly Genius said:


> *lego*, you friggin' read my mind. I thought the same exact thing! I thought that if I do introduce DHG, I'll add it after the UG's had a month and a half head start. I'd then slowly introduce other plants as the 'scape matured. It would make me feel like a conductor of a symphony guiding the tempo of the tank.


Ugly geniuses think alike, I guess :hihi:


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## Ugly Genius

Ha, *lego*! Guess they do...guess they do.


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## Francis Xavier

UG, I'm pretty sure the old way of iwagumi thinking in all the limitations is being slowly out-moded. Even Amano's new Iwagumi's don't strictly adhere to the classic standard. Which brings up my theory that the only thing that matters in an Iwagumi is the rock layout and how the plants are used in conjunction with the composition to emphasize it. I should write a book or something on this...I have just about all the rough draft data for something like that just sitting around.

This is a little bit of a far-reaching critique, but I'd bear in mind with a shorter composition it's easy to overshadow the layout, so any tall growing plants would have to be carefully applied. My problem with UG right now is it's shade of green, blade shape and growth pattern. It makes it a little difficult to properly choose taller plants that go well cohesively with it. But for some really really strange reason I want to think that 'special fern' -might- go well with it. Although I don't think I'd ever see myself using a primarily UG foreground in conjunction with Mini Pellia in an Iwagumi. The only easy way i'd see it working if it was a UG carpet with a driftwood layout and the mini pellia was growing on the driftwood. That way the layout composition and texture cohesivity can be solved simply by the texture and composition of the driftwood, in which case the mosses on the driftwood are accentuating the driftwood as opposed to being used to accentuate the layout as a whole.

Oops, my mind wandered.


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## garuf

Nice tank, that plant in the back makes me wish it was taller though. I've heard UG doesn't like the dry start method? How are you finding it? Also, what are your plans on filtering etc?


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *X*. Good points. I'm not sure myself if I would categorize this layout as iwagumi. On the surface, it has many of the characteristics of iwagumi, but when setting it up, I followed not the iwagumi principles, but rather an image of coastal rocks being ravaged by ocean waves.
Also, because the 'scape was inspired by and created for the eight dollars worth of rocks I found, I felt a moral obligation to use only those stones. (This is opposite of how I usually work, where I have an image in my mind and try to create what I see as closely as possible.)
I think it will work in my favor long-term in that it will hone my skills with maintaining a hardscape after the plants have grown in. Ideally, I, like many of you, would prefer that the main stone (which is actually two stones placed side-by-side) was larger. However, because of the aforementioned "moral obligation", I could not use a larger stone as I had to use part of the eight dollar bunch.
Like you alluded to, stems would be difficult to add to this and I probably won't. However, because the rockscape is so short and looks like a landscape, I am considering tying Riccia in small bunches to fishing like across the upper section of the tank to look like clouds. I think that would be rad.

*garuf*, thanks. Yeah, I agree with you about the rock, but like I said, I had a moral obligation to cheap rocks to use what I had.
It's too soon for me to tell if UG likes the dry-start method. I'll know more in a few weeks. If I see any indication that it doesn't, I'll fill it.
Filtering will probably be a 2211. I have a 2213 on Elements and I think that the flow from that would be too much in a tank as sparsely planted as this one. Lighting will probably be two OttLite Plant lights placed a fair distance from the water's surface. I don't plan on using CO2, but you know me, I usually do end up going the CO2-route regardless of what I plan.


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## JadeIceGreen

The only solution I can think of is to pile the rocks higher (usually it does not work as you will know that AquaSoil somehow loves to flatten itself even when we create such nice slopes, *sigh*) or get bigger rocks. 

I bet you know these two solutions anyway.. I guess since its not a strict Iwagumi, cut yourself some slack and just go ahead with what you feel. From your talents, I know you won't waste such splendid rocks and even if the tank is all stem plants (now I've done it), it will still look great. 

Somehow, you always make it happen. 
Think less, Scape more, Let your innermost feelings guide you!


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## Francis Xavier

That's just it UG! that's exactly what iwagumi is supposed to be. modeling a rock-only layout after nature, shorelines, mountains, hills, they're all fair game. That's the one and only rule that matters. It's a good hardscape, it actually looks like it harkens back to Riven's original setup.


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## Ugly Genius

Okay, after reading here and there about the Eheim 2211, I've decided that I'll probably go with the 2213. 
The 2211 _is_ cute and is by all accounts a great filter. 
However, I know my weaknesses. 
One of them is cleaning the filter. 
Simply put: I procrastinate doing so like you would not believe. A 2213 would afford me more time before cleanings, allow for a larger surface area inside the canister on which bacteria can grow, and allow for more flow inside the tank.
It's also a lot more readily available.

Nothing new to report with the tank. It's still sitting at an angle in my kitchen.
There's been no drying out or UG die off as of yet. It's only been two days, but I'm kind of impatient. (Which is a magnificently-ridiculous characteristic to have when you're absolutely in love with the hobby of planted tanks.)

To make myself look even _more_ wishy-washy, in two months I probably _will_ inject CO2 into this tank. The reason being is that I'm afraid of the UG dying off when it goes to submersed growth with the more CO2-restricted state-of-things underwater. It'll probably be pressurized. Probably a regulator from GLA. Those things rock. 

(Here's another unfortunate characteristic that I have that does not jive with this hobby: I'm vain. 
Not conceited or anything like that, but I _do_ care what other people think of me. 
However, all of my extra cash goes to this hobby and not the things you'd think a vain person would care about. Things like shoes, pants, and shirts. Haircuts, even! [I cut my own hair. Clippers. Number three. Number five if I'm feeling wild like a hippie.] I don't think I've bought a new pair of shoes in a year! And I love video games, but I haven't bought a new one in months. So the thought of dropping one and a half Benjamins on a regulator is super-duper exciting. The thought of dropping even one Benjamin on a pair of shoes seems frivolous.)

Anyway, my point in all of my parenthetical comments is that my love for this hobby goes against almost every single characteristic that I have, yet I still love it.

(And my tanks are very clean, but you'd need vaccinations to enter my house.)


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## CL

I just noticed the new sig, and I gotta say, I like it!


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, cl. Just changed it right now. I can't have too many more tanks as I'm at the 1,000 character limit for signatures (including formatting text).


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## ddtran46

Mannnn...I wish I had some nice rocks...:icon_cry:


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## JadeIceGreen

The best thing about Eheim 2213 is that it comes with a filter basket and is the only classic series filter to have it. 

It really makes cleaning a breeze! You are going to enjoy your filter. =)

EDIT: I forgot to ask, do you see any difference between the ADA Mini M and the DoAqua! Mini M? Besides the sticker of course.


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *ddtran*. Sorry about your lack of rocks. I've seen your hardscapes, though. They look awesome.

*Jade*, the only difference between the two is so slight, you'd have to _really_ inspect the Do!aqua one to see any flaws in the silicone work. The clarity of the glass is the same as the last generation of ADA tanks, and that was already pretty darned good. I'll snap some photos when I fill the tank to show the differences.

Work's got me exhausted. Too tired to work on my tanks. Too tired to do much of anything once I'm in sweats and done for the day.
So emersed growth is working perfectly in this regard. Nothing to do. Just sit and watch the grass grow...
...or not.


























I've added two Special Ferns just for kicks. I also added Japanese Hairgrass.

The UG's still getting settled. As of now I have twenty-eight watts poured onto this tank. Tomorrow, I'll be kicking up to forty-one as it looks to me like the UG's ready to start spreading. (Source has had thirty-nine watts for the past three and a half weeks and growth has been great. Hoping for the same here.)


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## Ugly Genius

Forty watts now.
Thirteen watts from the OttLite, twenty-seven from the Sharper Image lamp.









_Tank's laid back 'cause that's how we do.
Rocks, too..._​


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## chase127

That tanks chillin yo.


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## Ugly Genius

chase127 said:


> That tanks chillin yo.


Hey, weren't you chris127 a hot second ago?


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## rrrrramos

Whoa is this one not in the kitchen? That doesn't look like UG countertop to me!
That being said, I like it, the rocks look awesome! Bummer you won't be joining the 2211 Club :/


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## Ugly Genius

*rrrramos*, it is in the kitchen. 
I actually moved an old dresser into the kitchen to put it. Yep, a dresser.
Tonight, after the sun's set, I'll snap a photo of the kitchen to show you all how Ugly does what Ugly does when he does what he does in his kitchen.


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## Ugly Genius

My kitchen now.


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## Kayen

Where is Elements then?
Nice kitchen, needs more food IMO.


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## Centromochlus

> nice kitchen, needs more food imo.


lol.


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## rrrrramos

Heh, looks good. Bright, but good. I just gave my 2.5 the kitchen treatment. Found the perfect little spot for it too. 
You do pretty well at concealing what would seem to be a jungle of wires and equipment.


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## PinoyBoy

I admire all your tanks... But you don't cook much do you?


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## MedRed

Love the hardscape! No room for cooking in that kitchen! lol


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## Ugly Genius

Here's the funny thing...
I order so much take out, there is more food in my living room than there is in my kitchen.

Some close-ups of the rocks.


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## Outlawboss

Sweet rocks. I don't know how you get so much personality into all your tanks through hardscape alone. Either you're really lucky or an Ugly Genius! I think it must be the latter.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Outlaw*!

Here's a technique I use when setting up a hardscape. 
Let's take a rockscape as an example. 
It works very much like a puzzle. 
I start out by choosing my main rock. This rock will be, obviously, the largest and most distinctive of all the rocks. 
I then find a "co-star". The "co-star" is the rock that fits into one of the main rock's sides as if it were a puzzle piece; as if nature had weathered the two so that they fit like a hand in glove. This "puzzle piece fitting" is very important. It gives the layout a natural-looking foundation and, more importantly, forces you as an aquascaper to not try to draw the most impressive layouts with the shapes of the individual rocks, but with nature in which they lay with each other. (Sometimes, this will even require that I sacrifice a cool feature of the "co-star" in order to have the two rocks mesh puzzle piece-style.)
If I'm lucky, I'll have a third rock that will also fit snugly in a crack of the main rock. If so, I place that one, too. 
The remainder of the rocks -- I don't follow the odd-number-of-stones only rule; I just place how many the rockscape needs to look good -- are then accented around so as to appear a part of, yet separate from, the focal rocks.
The main point of this puzzle-style is that aesthetics are built around the relationship of the cracks and edges of the rocks and not on the profile of the landscape they create.
Give it a try on your next rockscape. It makes those difficult "what looks best" decisions easier. 
All you have to ask is, do these rocks' edges match up? If so, it's good.


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## JadeIceGreen

I wish I had that kitchen, lol.
Looking forward to close up on the seams of the Do!Aqua tank.


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## chase127

Ugly Genius said:


> Hey, weren't you chris127 a hot second ago?


yes i was


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## Ugly Genius

I don't watch this tank all that much because it's still in it's "throwing down roots" phase and not growing all that much (i.e. boring), but today I looked closely at the tank while waiting for my food to arrive (Chinese porridge -- hella good) and a feeling of satisfaction washed over me -- that I had done good with this hardscape.
The tank's simple. This is something I can appreciate with all the plant complexity I have going on in all of my other tanks.
I'm now getting excited about filling it. It's still got a month and a half to go, but if Source -- which I _might_ rename "Might" -- has taught me anything, it's that dry start's go quick.

Anyway, picts...


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## spikeit

Hello UG,

You are truly a zen master nano scaper... just a quick question on the rocks you bought at the bonsai store.. did you ever test them with vinegar to see if they fizzle? I find some amazing rocks as well but unfortunately they did not pass the vinegar fizzle test...

Thanks,
R


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *spike*!
The rocks passed the vinegar test. In fact, I think they may be Ryouh or Seiryu as when they are dry, they look exactly like Ryouh and Seiryu, which, in turn, look a lot like each other.
Sucks about finding good rocks that don't pass the test.

Speaking of the rocks, there's an unknown plant that I did not put there growing out of some of them. I don't have a picture, but here's what they look like.









_This is not my photo.
I got it from here. 
This is a blog I followed quite closely when I first 
started learning about this hobby five years ago. (I then took a four-year break.)_​
I've been dosing Brighty K, Step 2, and Brighty Special Lights with reckless abandon as I noticed that in a small bowl in which I'm growing UG in my bathroom, it exploded after the addition of liquid ferts. 
Hair algae's formed on the substrate surface as a result, but I have plenty of time to deal with that later.
Seeing the hair algae form after super-dosing ferts makes it hard for me to swallow the idea that excess nutrients do not cause algae.
After all, algae, like all living things, need food to live and grow. Our plants can only eat so much of macros and micros in a day, so if there is an excess, I'd say that the opportunistic algae would probably be happy to live off the scraps.
That's the way I see it, at least.


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## CL

spikeit said:


> zen master nano scaper


sig/ custom user title worthy?


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## Ugly Genius

Welcome back, *cl*! How was your vacation?


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## CL

Ugly Genius said:


> Welcome back, *cl*! How was your vacation?


Dude it was sick! So much fun. I got back Tuesday at 3 a.m.. Yesterday I went to take a nap at 7 p.m. and just woke up around 8 a.m. I had no clue if it were night or morning. 
I was worn out. haha.


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## JadeIceGreen

Its true that algae grows from excess nutrients.

But in a filled tank, this is not a concern as regular water changes take care of the excess nutrients, which you can't do at your present stage.

You may want to try holding back Special Lights as an overdose will induce algae as they contain nitrogen and phosphate which the STEP series do not. From my personal experience, once I start dosing Special Lights in my Mini M that is full of glosso, algae appears that very day.

"Green Brighty STEP 1 through STEP 3 are not likely to cause algae to develop since they have no nitrogen or phosphorus."
http://www.aquajournal.net/na/basics/basics_07.html

Will you be getting Do!Aqua glass pipes and Mini CO2 for this tank? They are pretty affordable!


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## macclellan

Ugly Genius said:


>


The dainty little flowerpot, carefully placed in the focal point of the layout, adds much needed color and playfulness, serving as the perfect lighthearted counterpoint to the otherwise overbearing seriousness of this thread with "moral obligation" talk concerning rock use and whether the tank is or is not _really_ iwagumi. 
Brilliant - no, genius! :thumbsup:


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## Ugly Genius

I've got to walk the walk that I talk.

Every now and again, people will PM me with questions about growing this, that, or the other. My usual advice is: _Don't panic. Give the plants what they need and eventually they'll acclimate and grow to the point that you wish they'd slow down._

In an irony:
The UG's melting in places. In other parts it's growing great. 

In true, glass-is-half-empty fashion, I'm worried about the melting portions. The mindset of person's PMing me for advice on how to fix their carpet of UG, HC, Glosso, et cetera is now my own.

And so on this beautiful Sunday morning, I PM myself. _Don't panic. Give the plants what they need and eventually they'll acclimate and grow to the point that you wish they'd slow down._


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## Ugly Genius

Too good a rock not to use. As all stones are Ryouh, they will all darken up to the same color.








Once the UG's grown out, I believe this larger rock will serve the overall 'scape better even though right now, I prefer the center stones I had previously.

UG's taking forever to grow in. I'd wager that this tank will take a full three months to carpet.


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## rrrrramos

I like the new rock. It adds a nice contrast from the rest of the tank. 
As far as the carpet goes, I bet if you filled it up now, the UG would grow faster than you'd know what to do with it. But I don't think that's what you're looking for. Either way it looks like it's growing better than you were saying before, and it is starting to look really nice and green


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## Francis Xavier

It's a toss man, the old rock fit in very well with the other rocks; the new rock adds needed height and presence to the tank. I'm looking forward to seeing this one grow in.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *rrrrramos* and *X*.

Riven's main stone was bugging me all by it's lonesome. It needed a counter-balance.


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## deleted_user_16

^love it


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## thief

It the missing link to the all beautiful stone. Finally it has been solve! It is now Balance!roud: *hail*


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## FrostyNYC

Really incredible job, once again.


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## Khanh

Your rock work is great! Very nice mini aquariums.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Khanh*. The hardscape is still evolving, but I think I'm close to how I'm going to leave it once the UG's filled in. I'd estimate the carpet to be forty-five percent filled in. Probably another month before I can fill it.

Speaking of which...
I'm thinking of having this tank really low maintenance. (I _do_ realize that I always say that a given tank will be low maintenance and then end up going the opposite direction. And I _do_ realize that I also say that I realize that I always say that. But this time, despite realizing that I always say that and saying that I realize that I always say that, I...nevermind.) It'll have twenty-six watts, but hung high so as to lessen the intensity. I've grown UG without CO2 and I figure that since I'm dry-starting it and there'll be no rush to have it grow out quickly, I'll forgo carbon dioxide. I'll use a HOB filter because I want to plant a moss or some such inside it's container as it seems cool to have a tank filtered by plants. I plan to stock the tank heavily with shrimp because rockscapes are too boring without something moving inside of them.

That's the plan, at least. Fill Day is still a month away, so who knows--?


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## mgdmirage

what kind of rock is this?


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## oldpunk78

are we (as a whole with iwagami[sp?]) trying to recreate mountains or something entirely different? idk - i just got back from a mountain vacation and didn't see a whole lot like we are trying to recreate. i do love this current evolution - i guess i'm just curious as to what we are trying to achieve. 

this was the closest thing i could capture on film (so to speak) 










i'm definitely not trying to criticize here, just looking for answers.


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## Francis Xavier

Iwagumi is an interesting beast to tackle. Contrary to popular belief, it has a very, very wide range of things that it can represent. Iwagumi dates way way back as a cultural type of garden design used by the Japanese, and these principles all carry over to Iwagumi as implemented in aquaria. It also has ties, by nature of the type of art that it is, with Suiseki (the art of stone appreciation, and finding and displaying stones that look like objects such as mountains, animals, people, etc).

Imagine a zen rock garden (karesansui), where most commonly it has just big black stones and sand (although low-lying mosses and shrubs have been used before too). The sand represents water (this is why it is raked). The stones are harder to describe, in a lot of cases they represent islands, but most importantly they are designed to give the viewer a certain feel or impression (I know the terminology is loose at best here). As I understand it, the sand doesn't necessarily have to represent literal water such as the ocean to island example, but more importantly, represents the _essence_ of water as one of, if not the most important elements of life and creation. So the relationship in those layouts doesn't necessarily need to be so literal as island and water. The best way I can think of to explain it right now, is that this relationship represents mountains, islands, ponds, streams, hills, in an _abstract_ way, not a literal way. Hence the importance on the "impression" of the individual viewer, so they may reach some kind of moment of zen, I would suppose.

Now, take another example of Iwagumi - Iwagumi as used in Tsukiyama gardens. This type is perhaps less well known in the western world, but had a lot of popularity in Japan in the past 100 years or so. I remember when I was writing my japanese thesis on the subject of japanese gardens, my professor commented on learning how to make these in school when she was young. This type of Iwagumi is attempting to recreate a _literal_ reconstruction of a famous landscape of Japan or China, as an example. The major goal in these designs is A) to recreate a real landscape B) to make the garden look much bigger than it is. Most of these gardens tend to be rather small, but look much bigger. One of the ways they do this is by planting shrubs and bushes in such a way that they block the periphery buildings, etc from view. By doing this, usually they try to capture say, a mountain in the background that gets framed by the plants to make it look like the mountain is a part of the garden, instead of far off in the distance.

These are only a couple of examples - I would suggest looking at pictures of various japanese gardens, or better yet, visiting them if you have the opportunity. These gardens probably provide better insight than looking at aquarium Iwagumi's. 

The short answer to your question is that _very_ basically an Iwagumi _can_ replicate a mountain chain, a rocky shore, a cliff-face, rolling hills, or just about anything that involves stone. Or it can be more subtle and just allude to being rolling hills or mountains in abstract ways. Basically, the only real thing that ties all Iwagumi designs together is some very simple rules, that essentially amount to proper placement in accordance to golden rules, the existence of a main stone and supporting structure/stones (even in mountain scapes there is a main stone at the focal point somewhere, even if cleverly hidden and blended with the others), the lack of driftwood (only rocks!), and a careful selection of limited amounts of plants to accentuate the rocks (this doesn't necessarily mean that you can only have one carpet and one background plant, it just means that the rocks must frame the rocks, or magnify their presence, etc etc etc, they aren't just jungle masses more common of driftwood or non hardscaped layouts).

Hope this helps,

-X

P.S. good work so far UG!


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## oldpunk78

thanks for the insight francis. very helpful. 

UG - what are you trying to recreate? (if you don't mind...)


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## Ugly Genius

*nk*. riverrun -- the name stolen from the first word of James Joyce's terribly difficult book, _Finnegans Wake_, in which the first word of the book, "riverrun", flows mid-sentence and uncapitalized from the last, unpunctuated and fragmented, sentence, "A way a lone a last a loved a long the", alluding to the cyclical nature of everything in which the beginning and the end are fluid and one in the same and all things go to the place from which they've come -- if it can be considered iwagumi, is only by happenstance.








I started with a forest theme in mind for this tank; low light ferns and mosses. Something easy to maintain that I could grow out slowly without CO2, high light, and the subsequent frequent trimmings.

On the way back from AFA after picking up the tank, however, I wandered into the bonsai store around the corner. There I found the rocks you see in this tank (save the one from Riven) for eight dollars. As I found them to be intriguing, the forest theme -- which would require a different type of rock and at least one piece of driftwood -- was abandoned on the spot.

It's here where I start to answer your question. (Sorry for the rambling to get to this point.)

Here's the thing:
When I'm setting up a hardscape, I don't look Mother Nature in the eye for inspiration. At least not directly in the eye. I'd estimate that my process is three times removed from the source. 
Amano looks to the source, Mother Nature, for inspiration. 
His vision has since been refined by all of our interpretations of his interpretations to become the tanks we see on TPT and elsewhere. 
I, in turn, interpret what I see all of you do and filter it through my own aesthetic sensibilities to come up with what ever you see me create. 
Three degrees of separation from the source.

I see this hobby as an art of limitations. We are limited by the size of the tank, the hardscape materials on hand, fauna, and, most felt and frustrating, flora. (After all, who in this hobby has not at one time or another thought, _I wish there were a plant that grew like this and was this color._?) In this hobby, we're forced to work within the confines of these limitations and make the best tank that we can.

So it was with riverrun. I had these stones and I studied each one for a couple of hours. Relying on my experience with all the other tanks I've done, I chose the rocks I thought best suited to a single-plant hardscape. (At this point, I knew I wanted to use UG again.) Having selected the rocks, I further studied them to determine their best side and how I could show their best sides when placed all together. (This often requires that I sacrifice one stone's best side so as to better accentuate another.)

The end result was only moderately successful in that all supporting stones are too small and will be buried by grown-in UG, but I did some things here that hopefully will compensate for that. (For example, the left-hand flat rock is very wide. Where there will be little vertical rock presence, the space it creates in the carpet floor will be a cool effect, I'm hoping. Where the rock's physical presence is not as important as the space it creates in the carpet.)

It was only until after I studied all the stones, laid them down in the tank, and planted the UG that I saw that it looked a bit like waves crashing on a shoreline or water flowing down a mountainside.

Mother Nature was not even considered consciously until well after the fact.

So for me, what I'm trying to create is something that looks pretty and feels right. Both are equally important. Beauty and emotion.

As I stated earlier, riverrun is not an iwagumi. It has many of the characteristics that *X* described, but in my mind it is decidedly not iwagumi. Mainly because in any tank I make, I want to always reserve the right and ability to change a 'scape on the fly without adhering to rules and guidelines laid out by others before me. I do not, for example, want to be told that I broke a rule by having an even number of rocks instead of an odd number. Because truth be told, sometimes given the size and shape of a collection of stones, the even number _may_ actually look better than the odd. I understand the concept behind having an odd number, but philosophy and beauty do not always walk hand in hand, and I would rather hold the hand of beauty.








My tanks are an abstract interpretation of nature filtered through limitations inherent in the hobby, self-expression, and reactions to tanks done by others that either inspire or frustrate me.

I think that's pretty much it. It also a lot more complicated and simple, but I've already rambled on far too long.

Thanks, and good question, *pu*


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## Tex Gal

This is such a great tank. I love all yours!


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Tex*.
Right back at 'cha. I can't imagine seeing your 125 in person. It's beautiful! You have a gift for colors and textures that reveals to me just how much more I have to learn in this hobby 'cause I ain't even close to your level.


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## Ugly Genius

Some angled shots....



































...to spice things up, you know.


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## CL

Wow, incredible! That ug has grown super fast! I love the scape too 
Your best rockscape so far, IMO


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, thanks, *cl*! We'll see how well the rockscape fills in once I fill it. I'm a bit fearful that some of my supporting stones are too low, but I'll cross that bridge, so to speak, when I get to it.

(Missed having you around, bro. Got worried we lost you to NaClH2O.)


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## CL

Ugly Genius said:


> (Missed having you around, bro. Got worried we lost you to NaClH2O.)


lol, I'll never give up my planted tanks 
For Christmas I might buy myself a 60P along with the full high tech gear


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## amphirion

one question. how are you managing to grow UG on the rocks? is that UG on the rocks? how do you manage to keep it from drying out?
---i just realized that was 3.


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## Ugly Genius

Your three questions in one can be replied to with one answer. It's Java Moss.
It there half by accident, half by experimentation. I had some there in the previous incarnation of this tank and removed most of it during the rescape, but some stayed on. I'm keeping it there as I want to see what it's like to grow moss emersed.


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## Ugly Genius

Don't listen to me.
Thirteen or so posts up, I said that this tank would be low-tech. Low-light, HOB filter, et cetera. I bought a CO2 system off the SnS earlier this week that I'll be dropping in this tank.
It'll still be medium light, though.


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## CL

Ugly Genius said:


> Don't listen to me.
> Thirteen or so posts up, I said that this tank would be low-tech. Low-light, HOB filter, et cetera. I bought a CO2 system off the SnS earlier this week that I'll be dropping in this tank.
> It'll still be medium light, though.


Sweet :biggrin:


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## Craigthor

did ya get that advanced co2 system? Or that ADA speed regulator set. if the set want to part out a couple uf the pieces for connections?

Craig


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *cl*. I'm sure I'll be happy long-term that I'm at least injecting CO2. Chances are, if it weren't pressurized, I'd at the least inject DIY. So at least this is a bit easier.

*Craig*, I just got the Advanced System. I had vowed never to use an Advanced System as the cost of the cartridges eventually costs more than a ten pounder, but for a hundred bucks for the regulator, tubing, and diffuser, I thought why not.

This morning I added some HC to the top of the slope between the main stones as HC and UG look really good together. Usually, I would have the UG on the slope and the HC at the bottom for a waterfall of UG into a pond of HC effect. Things being what they are, however -- namely me already planting the UG on the bottom and the HC being an afterthought -- I'm doing the opposite.









_I have no idea what that plant is in the lower right-hand corner.
I'll be plucking it once the tank is filled._​
I think it will come out cool.
The only question is whether I can keep it alive emersed so high on a slope.

The UG's entering the explosion phase. It should be only a matter of weeks before the tank is completely carpeted.

I'm going to give some advice for growing UG:
Be patient.
Don't panic.

UG takes forever and a day to get going. During this period, expect to see an almost alarming amount of die off. This is normal. Even if you loose ninety percent of your initial plantings due to death-during-acclimation, as long as one blade of UG is living, you're going to be fine. Just keep the light on it, make certain it's got a good bio-filter to feed on, and plenty of CO2 if you're starting submersed.
I think if you go a couple of pages back, you'll see that I, too, panicked for a moment about the die-off. It does get pretty bad, but things will turn out fine.
Here's something else that I discovered:
Once UG is going strong, even if you remove it from a high-tech tank with good light and CO2 and into a low-light, non-CO2 injected tank, it will still thrive. I've had a bunch in a mega low-tech Betta tank and for months it continued to grow to the point that it out-competed almost every other plant in there.
My point is that you do not need to move Heaven and Earth to grow UG. Just patience and restraint.
And this is not me being all "I'm so good I can call a 'difficult' plant 'easy'." It really is an easy plant. What gives it the perception that it's difficult is that people panic when they see the apocalyptical die-off and make things worse by changing everything in their tanks to try to save the UG from it's inevitable death.
Let it die and it will live.


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## Ugly Genius

I wanted to lessen the impact of the Riven Impact stone so I changed the left-hand supporting stone to something taller.

















It also gives me a lot more room to grow my carpet.


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## thief

:eek5::drool:This tank is my dream tank. I got to say it really inspires me. What else is there to say. I guess I will leave the rest when I see it fully grown. For now I will say this: WOW...roud:


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *thief*. That means a lot because you've got a ton of skill and I think I read somewhere here that you're still just a kid. You and cl scare me. Just kids and pumping out 'scapes like you do. It's nuts.

In other news, the CO2 system came today. A hundred bucks for an ADA Advanced CO2 system isn't bad. A regular regulator and a ten pound tank is better, but it'll do.
This tank's still a good four weeks out from being filled, though. I want the entire substrate covered in UG and will not fill until that's finished. With the slight rescape I did this weekend, there is significantly more ground to cover. (This is the first time I've ever used the phrase "ground to cover" not as a figure of speech but to literally mean ground to cover.)
I've yet to see the UG flower. I wonder if it will.


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## @[email protected]

thats a really artistic scape UG, it looks really good.
you should try your hand at something larger then 10 gallons IMO. just to see how you do.


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## jourdy

Those rocks are awesome.
It kinda makes me sad knowing I won't be able to get my hands on those kind of rocks here.


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## Francis Xavier

UG, I think you made the right choice in adjusting the left stone, it really brings this scape together in my opinion.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *@marko*. You've been posting in my threads from the very beginning and I really appreciate it.
Assuming I'm still working in, say, six months, I may go for a 60-P. This is all contingent on the economy not getting worse and me not loosing my job. (It's really scary now, isn't it? They say it's getting better, but is it really?)

Thanks, *jordy*. I am very lucky to be close to so many places with so many nice rocks.

Thanks, *X*.

HC's still hanging in there. I didn't plant it or anything. Just took a wad from a holding tank and plopped it on top of a mound of AS in the middle of the tank. I'd like this batch to take as I don't want to pull back the Fill Day because I had to restart my HC.

UG's doing good. I'm happy with the growth. Pretty soon the tank will be two months old. One more month is about right for when the UG will be grown in.

For this fill, I'm going to try a slow-fill process where I fill a little less than a quarter of an inch of water a day for two weeks so as to allow the UG to acclimate slowly. I want to see if this makes any difference in how the UG adapts.



































Added a small frond of Mini Christmas Moss to the newly-placed left-hand rock. More as an experiment for how it grows emersed, but if it grows and looks pretty doing so, I'll keep it there when the tank's filled.
The Java Moss I have on the main rock is growing pretty well emersed. It's growing faster than it did when it was submersed.


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## blair

_Very_ impressive UG. I love the arrangement and the soft carpet to accent it :thumbsup:


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## ddtran46

Hands down..one of the best Iwagumis I've seen.


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## Indignation

This scape is amazing UG, you definitely have a talent!
I can't wait to see it submerged.

Does the type of stone you got from the bonsai store have a name?


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## Gill

This is a Stunning Scape, well done


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *blair*, *ddtran*, *Indignation*, and *Gill*. Your comments mean a lot. I appreciate them all. Keeps me motivated.

Last week, the left side of the hardscape was bothering me. This week it was the right. (Although, last week the right side bothered me, too. I just didn't have a rock that worked. So...)

I went to the bonsai store after dinner with the girl and found just the right rock and quite by accident. The rock you see was just a backup. Just in case, kind-of-thing.

Anyway, I was able to add more UG "flow channels" with the inclusion of the two rocks on the right -- flow channels being channels through with the UG will flow.


























The rock before, while the same type of rock, was too white. The new ones match in color and texture better. Also, because I raised the level to which the right-side rocks rise, they will not be buried as much when the UG grows in.
Meaning, I think that this configuration will look better once it's filled -- more future-proof, as it were.

Oh, I asked the bonsai store from where they get their rocks. Imported from China. Pretty cool.


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## CL

Wow, it looks even better now. Impeccable scape man! Don't you think that there is too much water in there, or does the ug like it like that? I know that my hc was quite temperamental about water level when growing emersed, but ug is more swampy in nature, so I could see how it works well that way. It actually looks like it's growing better in the water like that.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *cl*!
You're right. There is too much water. I added an extra bit as I added new Aqua Soil when I added rocks and I wanted it to fully saturate. I'll drain the excess tomorrow.
From what I've witnessed, UG grows better in less water. The areas in saturated soil grow almost five times as quickly as the areas submerged in water.

Oh, I saw the Fluval Edge tanks at AFA today. They are nice! While you'd be limited in the hardscape you can get in there and glass scrapings would be a b!t&#, they do look cool. For a low light setup, I'd totally get one.


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## CL

Yeah, the fluval edge looks pretty cool. Too much of a novelty for me though. There is a guy attempting to set one up as a reef on nr. 
The lights are kinda wrong though. Put they do look sharp.


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## Craigthor

I like UG.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

So is growing plants emersed pretty easy? From what I understand, you plant them individually in a checkerboard pattern, seal off the top, and make sure it's humid in the tank. Is this right?


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Craig*!

Yep, just like that, *Zoo*. 
Don't even worry about humidity levels. As long as the tank's covered tightly, it'll take care of itself. 
The simpler you keep it, the better off you'll be. Don't worry about giving it fresh air or CO2 or ferts or anything. Just plant it, cover it, occasionally mist it, and leave it the heck alone.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> occasionally mist it


I plan on leaving it emersed for a week while I'm in LA. How often do you have to mist it?


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## Ugly Genius

Are you doing a slope? If so, angle the tank like this with supports in the front so that the water line is parallel with your slope. If you do this, you'll be fine for more than a week without misting.


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## CL

Ugly Genius said:


> Are you doing a slope? If so, angle the tank like this with supports in the front so that the water line is parallel with your slope. If you do this, you'll be fine for more than a week without misting.


I've done the same thing when growing emersed and it works great. :thumbsup:


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> Are you doing a slope? If so, angle the tank like this with supports in the front so that the water line is parallel with your slope. If you do this, you'll be fine for more than a week without misting.


No, I plan on having the substrate flat.

So you're saying as long as the water level is parallel to my substrate, I won't have to worry about misting?


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## deleted_user_16

flat substrate? ew, scapes need slopes


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## Ugly Genius

Yeah, *Zoo*. You'll be fine.

*fish*, leave Zoo alone!  My personal belief is that slopes should be an option, but not a necessity; used only if they serve a design purpose and not viewed as a requisite. Amano prescribes a flat substrate for some layouts. If you look at some of the nanos he's done in _Nature Aquarium World Book 2_ and you'll see that the larger percentage have flat substrates. 

That said, I sloped the heck out of this layout. As a matter of fact, I won't be able to fill the tank until the roots have developed deep enough to keep the slope. This tank has become an act of botanical engineering.

















On a completely unrelated note, Franny's in heat and Zoo's going wild for her. Zoo's incessant panting is driving me nuts.
I'm all for love.
Just not when it's so loud.


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## legomaniac89

Can you make an exact replica of this tank and ship it to me? :hihi:


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Wow that UG has really filled in!


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## rrrrramos

Ugly Genius said:


> Are you doing a slope? If so, angle the tank like this with supports in the front so that the water line is parallel with your slope. If you do this, you'll be fine for more than a week without misting.


I'm trying this out, though with my light setup is proving it to be a bit tough! I absolutely love the dimensions of this tank, you were dead on about it being a perfect sized tank.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *lego*.

While all of the UG was grown in this tank, *Zoo*, some of it has been moved around so as to allow for a more even spread as it grows out.

Isn't it, *ramos*? When I get an urge to start up a new tank -- which is frequent -- I usually want to get another Mini-M.


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## Ugly Genius

Fill Day was supposed to be the first of September. It might end up being a bit further back than that as I want the carpet fully covered prior to filling and it's still got quite a bit to go. I'd estimate another five or six weeks.


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## Ugly Genius

With the purchase of my first ever HD TV, my tanks have been ignored. While passing riverrun on the way to the TV, I snapped these pictures.

















Hint: If you're dry-starting HC, there is no need to plant it in the substrate. Just drop it on top of the substrate, press down lightly, and it'll grow just fine.


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## CL

This tank is so awesome. The layout is incredible and that ug looks fantastic. I love it.


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## A Hill

Beautiful tank, not like that is a surprise or anything. I have to say, it has changed quite a bit from the beginning but never making it look worse... 

The only problem I have looking at your collections of tanks is that I want to rid myself of my 55g and replace it with a few nano tanks because in my opinion they're much more fun to scape.

Keep it up,
-Andrew


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## Craigthor

WOW! UG this one is coming along nicely. Rather impressed with your paitence for the dry start. It definitely helps having more than one tank for this method.

Craig


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## trigun808

i want an update when u feel better! i want to see it now, i bet there was way more growth, btw i can't get this song out of my head.... 21 guns by green day (someone want to explain to me what the song is actually about? (besides guns?) anyway, let nothing stop you from succeeding in planted tanks


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## Ugly Genius

Here's an update.

















The tank's been ready to fill for a couple of weeks, but I haven't had the gumption to do so. There are still a couple of bare patches and I'm going to wait for those to fill in so as to not have to add CO2 to the tank when I fill it. I'll keep it low light with a HOB filter.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

[STRIKE]You grew UG emersed on that slope without tilting the tank back?[/STRIKE]

EDIT: Nvm, answer found

Won't some of the UG die off when transferring from emersed growth to submerged growth?


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## rrrrramos

Glad to have you back man, I still dig this tank, I think it will look just as great with water in it as it does without!


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## Ugly Genius

Yeah, it grew like that sans tipping, *Zoo*.

Thanks, *rrrrramos*! Good to be back. We'll find out in a couple of weeks how this thing looks filled.


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## CL

W00t! It's finally filled in!


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## oldpunk78

wow! that looks like it could be right out of an ada gallery. can't wait to see it filled.


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## lessthanlights

Obviously your rocks are one of a kind but can anyone recommend a WYSIWYG vendor for rocks?


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## Outlawboss

Holy crap, coolest carpet I've ever seen. Wow dude, I never cease to be amazed by the things you come up with.


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## Church

This tank is absofreakinglutely AMAZING!!!!


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## hyphination

Sorry to hear about the recent events that have transpired. Keep you head up and keep on going. Your tanks are awesome. And your FG in this tank is friggen sweeeeeet!


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## kcirtappatrick

Good to have you back! I 2nd what hyp said. your tanks are fantastic!


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## koop

Are you using anything else besides the Amazonia Powder for the substrate? Type I or II? Is there really a difference? I'm planning a similar tank with a UG carpet and few if any other plants- maybe a dwarf hair grass. Did you layer regular with powder or strait-up powder? Any power sand or additives? 

This tank is my favorite inspirations for my first planted tank!


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## Ugly Genius

TEST FILL


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## CL

Rad!


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## paulrw

wow! thats the greatest carpet i've seen.awsome layout to.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *cl* and *paul*.

FYI, I said "ef it" and put Element's CO2 on riverrun. (Elements looks like crap as I ignored it completely during my funk period. I'll tear it down and start over one of these weekends.) In the meantime, if I can find the CO2/light balance for riverrun quickly, I may just leave it filled. I'll be slapping a HOB filter on this tank this afternoon to see if I can find that balance quick enough.

BTW, aside from the UG, HC, and moss, I don't know what the other plants are. They grew out of the rocks I got at the bonsai store and are most likely terrestrial and will die soon.


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## ldk59

Well, I guess it's too late for a "Dry-start intervention"... 

Tank looks fantastic UG... this might just be one of your best
efforts!

BTW, glad to see you back roud:

Larry


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## -kenny-

awesome


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## oldpunk78

the combination of the ug and that stone is just awesome. this is my favorite ugly tank so far. it's inspiring.


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## rrrrramos

Shmexxyy! I like the HC in the back there man. Oddly fits!


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## legomaniac89

WOW! That is truly amazing! The best UG carpet I've ever seen, for sure


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## deleted_user_16

amazing ugly, bravo


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## Lindo

Just awesome. I really learn from your tanks and appreciate the effort.


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## stuworrall

superb tank!


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, everyone!

So far the tank's going great filled. A bit of BGA, but not unexpected, I suppose.

The other day, I slapped on an AquaClear 20. I have a spare Eheim 2232 I could have used, but I like the ease of use of a HOB. (I loathe cleaning canister filters.)

Two MTSs and two RCS. I'm hoping the three-plus month long dry-start got the bacterial colony growing strong enough to support these four guys. The tank pearls at about three hours after lights on, so hopefully, even if it isn't fully cycled, the plants are in high enough gear to eat up the bad stuff.









_I love the cleanliness of a newly-setup tank._


















_The CO2 and AquaClear._​
In the below photo, you can make out the Bladderwort that snuck in on the UG all those months ago and survived the dry-start. Initially, I was irked as Bladderwort (as a rule) sucks ass. However, after studying it for some time, I've grown fond of it here. I'm still going to try to remove as much of it as I can (an impossible task!), but at the same time, I do appreciate the whimsical quality it gives the UG carpet. It looks like barbed wire treble clefs growing out of a field of grass. It's a peculiarly beautiful accent to the plantscape if you see it up close.








Oh, and you'll notice that there's no heater in this tank as of yet. It's been HOT here in SF. Today's cool, but the past week has been crazy. Next week's forecasted for even hotter.
I love hot weather.


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## CL

Fantastic job! Probably one of the best, if not The Best nano iwagumi that I have ever seen. Truly contest worthy!


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## @[email protected]

great tank!
the UG looks amazingly flat.


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## Dollface

@[email protected] said:


> great tank!
> the UG looks amazingly flat.


 That's because emersed growth UG grows very, very short leaves.

As a side note I'm intrested to see how your UG fares in transition from emersed to submersed form.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, guys.

The UG in the front two-thirds of the tank actually is submersed as I kept that part submersed for much of the dry-start and it never had a chance to switch from submersed to emersed. I think the flatness, if anything, is from the periods in which I did have the tank bone dry and the leaves were pressed flat by gravity.
The HC on the other hand, is emersed. It switched just a couple of weeks ago. It stayed in emersed form for a good two months, I'd say. What surprised me is that the leaves didn't die and sprout new growth, but rather transformed from dark green small leaves to slightly larger, pale leaves.
One plant that does not do well during dry-start, you'll all be very happy to learn, is Duckweed. This tank had a ton of it at the start. Virtually all of it died during the dry period. When I filled this tank, there were probably five Duckweed leaves left of the hundreds that were in here at the start. It died, disintegrated, and turned into compost.

I've read that UG can do well in nutrient-poor environments as it can supplement it's nutritional needs with micro-organismims it traps in it's bladders. I'm curious though. Does anyone know what these micro-organisms are? Does it eat the bacteria from the bio-filter or something else? I think it would be cool to raise whatever type of micro-organisms it eats and feed it to the plant from time to time. Like, does it eat the cultures in Stability and Cycle and the like? Do you know?

I can't say why, but this tank is doing much better -- knock on wood -- algae-wise than Source did after I filled it. Source got hit fast and hard by algae almost a day after filling it. This tank has shown no signs save a bit of BGA that it seems to be repelling on it's own. The only difference between the two is that Source's lights are half an inch closer to the water's surface. It could also be that UG is more of a nutrient sponge than Mini Microsword.
Of course, it's too soon to tell so I'll just shut the hell up lest I jinx myself. Source took a good two months to clear and I'm loathe to go through that with another tank as algaefide tanks suck.


----------



## windfish

This is my favorite tank you've done so far.


----------



## speedie408

Awesome tank!! Very inspirational. Like you said, that bladderwort complements the UG very well. I'd be interested to get some from you if you're just tossing them away.  Very interesting plant indeed and your UG looks flawless. How fast does UG normally grows, because mine is taking it's sweet time.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *wind* and *speedie*. (*Speedie*, trust me, you do _not_ want Bladderwort. Just trust me on this.)

I think we've all been here.
You scan every square inch of your tank looking for the shrimp and find nothing. After moments that seem like hours, you wipe your hands of the whole thing and say, "No one knows this tank like I do. So if I can't find a sign of life of the little guys, no one can. They're dead for sure. Jumped. Or got sucked into the filter. Or eaten. The fact is, they're gone."
Then you go to work, come back and -- bam! -- there they are.
How the f--- do they do that?
They literally disappear and then they're all of a sudden back.
It's nuts.
That happened to me today.
Cool.
But nuts.

_ODST_ dropped today for the 360. It's a good game. I had low expectations as it came from Bungie's second string developers -- as it were -- but so far, it's great. The dude from _Firefly_'s in a staring role, as is the hot blonde from _Battlestar Galactica_. (Love her.)

Anyway, my point in all this is that this tank has an even number of rocks. Six.


----------



## ALIFER

Great work on riverrun. It's very intriguing reading thru the grow out evolution and watching the rockscape grow as well as the plantscape.

-Rick


----------



## Tex Gal

Boy do I hate that gibbia! That stuff is a pain!! If I see even the tiniest amount it's outta there! The tank looks great. It's screaming for nano fish!


----------



## rrrrramos

Ugly Genius said:


> Thanks, *wind* and *speedie*. (*Speedie*, trust me, you do _not_ want Bladderwort. Just trust me on this.)
> 
> I think we've all been here.
> You scan every square inch of your tank looking for the shrimp and find nothing. After moments that seem like hours, you wipe your hands of the whole thing and say, "No one knows this tank like I do. So if I can't find a sign of life of the little guys, no one can. They're dead for sure. Jumped. Or got sucked into the filter. Or eaten. The fact is, they're gone."
> Then you go to work, come back and -- bam! -- there they are.
> How the f--- do they do that?
> They literally disappear and then they're all of a sudden back.
> It's nuts.
> That happened to me today.
> Cool.
> But nuts.
> 
> _ODST_ dropped today for the 360. It's a good game. I had low expectations as it came from Bungie's second string developers -- as it were -- but so far, it's great. The dude from _Firefly_'s in a staring role, as is the hot blonde from _Battlestar Galactica_. (Love her.)
> 
> Anyway, my point in all this is that this tank has an even number of rocks. Six.


Try Scarlet Badis. I had three in my tank and was amazed whenever I even saw just one. To top it off, I tore down the tank they were in, only to find today a female swimming around that I'd figured had just died! 
But yeah, I feel ya on the shrimp though :hihi:


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *ALI*.

*Tex*, it does, doesn't it? I'll get fish this time around. I'm going to wait a couple of months so as to nail down the CO2 and light balance. I'd rather find the balance without the additional variables of fish food and poop.
I feel you on Gibba. Bladderwort is really tough to get rid of. I do daily picking of it, but it likes it here. On the plus side, it looks a lot like wheat blowing in the wind of the current filter. Kinda pretty, actually.

*rrrrramos*, Scarlet badis are bad, too, huh?









_I have no idea what plant this is. It grew from a rock during the dry-start._​


----------



## KentCurtis

UG this is too good. I am mad at those rocks. Im convinced rocks like that or anyone who sells them are at least 150 miles away from me in any direction, and probably farther. Hey, I can always spend a minimum of 60$ at AFA online though for some seiryu thats not WYSIWYG though~!


----------



## gotcheaprice

Great looking tank! Looking forward to setting mine up. You've inspired me to use UG instead of HC.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Kirk* and *got*!

riverrun's bacterial bloom cleared by yesterday afternoon.

I'm really liking the AquaClear HOB filter. Perhaps due to the design inherent in a HOB -- in particular the gas exchange afforded by its open-top design -- the bio-filter seems more robust in that all the tell-tale signs of a less-than perfect bio-filter are not there: algae, suffering fauna, excess organics, et cetera. When I redo Riven Tanglewood (perhaps this weekend), I will use an AquaClear instead of the canister ZooMed.


----------



## rrrrramos

Ugly Genius said:


> ​



This is my favorite picture of yours. It looks great!


----------



## hyphination

loving the hardscape!!!btw what are your ott-lites standing on?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *hyph*.
The OttLites are standing on eight CD jewel cases.


----------



## FrostyNYC

I love the bladderwort. It makes it seem like that lush lawn is coming alive, reaching out, twisting, grasping, and moving. Beautiful.


----------



## hyphination

Oh and one more question how high is the substrate in the front and back of your tank?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Frosty*!

*Hyph*, the front's an inch and a half from the surface of the dresser on which it sits and the back ranges anywhere from three and a half inches up to about six at it's highest point in the center.
Note that without rocks and a solid root structure, a slope that steep probably won't hold. So if you want to have it that steep you need lots of rocks and you need to dry-start to the point that the plants throw down roots deep which can take up to -- if not over -- three months.


----------



## Indignation

I think this is the first tank I've seen that U. Gibba looks good in. The setup is amazing UG, bravo. Do the rocks affect water chemistry at all? (kH, gH)


----------



## ES4

My goodness.... relatively new to the forums here.... but talk about perfection. I can only hope that mine turns out 1/4 as nice.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Indi*. The rocks do affect the GH, I think. It's not so much a problem for me as SF's water -- so I'm told -- is very soft.

*ES4*, thanks, man.

The new _Nature Aquarium Book 2009_ is available at AFA now. (This is ADA's catalog, if you weren't aware.) This year's a really good one. Where last year's had a lot of info on layout design, this year's focus is on the technical side of things. Light, CO2, filtration, and ferts. Most of the stuff we already know, but it's a good primer on stuff we may have forgotten.

I really wish ADA would make a HOB filter. A beautiful clear glass HOB with stainless steal German-made mechanics. It would have a toungue-shaped glass slide for the water to gently flow into the tank with only the slightest ripple across the water's surface as if licked. It would have a built-in heater, too.

Anyway, enough wishing. Here are some photos snapped right now.

















I raised the OttLites one more jewel case as I started to see Hair Algae form on the rocks.


----------



## Randy Lau

Hey UG I want to use my first post to comment on riverrun. 

I'm loving this tank. I just read the entire thread and don't know if I can get up early tomorrow anymore to go rock hunting. 

The pictures in post #152 are my favorite especially the macros! Best on the net.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Randy*. Glad you could join us here.
Good luck on the rock hunt. Hope you made it to the bonsai store in Japantown. That's the place to get your rocks.

Over-filtration is awesome, but I'm getting tired of rescuing shrimp from inside the filter. I really want to show these guys tough love and let them suffer for their mistakes, but I'm the type of person who won't allow people to kill spiders if I'm around (I'll scoop them up in my bare hands and take them outside -- even if they bite me in the process) so my sentimental pseudo-buddhist heart breaks once I walk away from the tank thinking, "You got yourself there; you get yourself out." Twice I've rescued shrimp today after thinking just that.
All the while me being this "compassionate animal lover", I can't bring myself to putting a sponge on the intake because they're ugly.
Sometimes it sucks to be me.


----------



## trigun808

haha like i said this is m favorite tank!
my ug is getting there! always great to hear from u and any advice on hair algae?


----------



## Ugly Genius

trigun808 said:


> any advice on hair algae?


Yeah, try not to get it.

Just kidding. Lessen the lights and clean the filter. 
It's pretty common for me in new tanks. Given time and the correct long-term balance of light, CO2, and ferts, it goes away for the most part. I haven't noticed a correlation between too much of any given nutrient and hair algae. Mostly it's too much light and a dirty filter that does it for me.


----------



## legomaniac89

Incredible. I just can't get over how great this tank looks. You really nailed it with this one UG roud:

Hey, by the way, if you ever pull a nice clump of that invasive Utricularia out, send it my way, wouldja?. I grow quite a few carnivorous plants and that's one I don't have yet


----------



## Ugly Genius

riverrun is pretty much completely carpeted. A small quarter-inch square in the back right is the only bare spot remaining.









_I've since removed the Riccia in the smack middle of this photo. Too conspicuous._​
I've had to trim the UG down twice as I don't want the bottom portion to die off. UG is as much of a pain to net after trimming as HC, you should know.

Shrimp running on a field of UG looks really cool. Like buffalo running across a plain. It's really a neat sight to see in person. I'd love to see a large iwagumi tank of UG stocked full of shrimp. I bet it'd be the coolest thing ever.


----------



## theblondskeleton

Great layout! I'm a huge fan of the iwagumi and iwagumi-like layouts, and this is absolutely intriguing. 

PS - I have a 90 gallon I have been planning for iwagumi in it's next incarnation. Can you imagine an ocean of UG in THAT?


----------



## hyphination

Damn lovin' that UG! makes me want to make a scape similar to yours.


----------



## niptek

You should enter this scape in the IAPLC contest. =) 

You ever thought about getting the ADA solar mini-M lamp?


----------



## trigun808

mmm my thought about what u said niptek is why spend more money when the cheaper one is just as good and serves its purpose right?


----------



## Outlawboss

Fantastic, UG. I know what you mean about the shrimp looking like buffalo on the range. I get the same feeling with the HC I've got. I love that effect.


----------



## niptek

trigun808 said:


> mmm my thought about what u said niptek is why spend more money when the cheaper one is just as good and serves its purpose right?



pictures just looks a bit more dimmer than other's mini m with solar lamp i've seen on this forum or maybe its the camera?

what camera are you using UG?


----------



## dxiong5

YES! Over the course of several days, I read through this journal. I'm quite inspired by the progress and overall state that this tank is in now. I just received my first ADA tank today, a Mini-M! (It's 3 months used, but I got it for a good deal). I was thinking of an Iwagumi style with dwarf hairgrass, but after seeing this, I want to try UG instead. Thanks for all the advice and inspiration!

-Don


----------



## clsi

Hi, not sure if it was asked but where in japantown are you getting your hardscape? Do you know the name of the store? THanks!


----------



## CL

He said it was really close, if not right across the street from (I can't remember) AFA.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *blond*. A 90-P of UG would look sick!

Hey, *nip*. Thanks. The camera is a Sony Cyber-shot. It's super old, but I will no longer talk smack about it because it's served me so well for so long. Faithful things deserve our love.
If the Solar lamp were not so expensive, I would totally get it. Like, *tri* said, the OttLites work just as well -- if not better because of the more even spread -- then why not--?

Thanks, *Outlaw*!

*xiong*, thanks for reading and good luck with your Mini-M. Great sized tank!

*clsi*, like *CL* said, it's around the corner from AFA. It's called Katsura Gardens. Walk out of AFA, go left, cross the street at the light, turn left again, walk passed the Kabuki theater, past the restaurant, and enter the mall at the end of the block. The bonsai store is on the left inside the doors. You can't miss it.
Although my advertising of the place as caused them to jack the price up from a buck-fifty a pound to two dollars a pound. I swear, some of the shops I mention in these journals should give me a cut.
(BTW, *clsi*, are you like the sporty version of *CL*. Like how there's the Honda Civic and then there's the Honda Civic Si.)

riverrun's looking like crap right now. I've got a HUGE BGA outbreak. It's covered a lot of the HC and a considerable amount of the UG. I don't know why. Most of the algae guides I've read are about as close to useless as you can get. Most say it's insufficient nitrate, or too little flow, or too much flow, or old bulbs, or dirty filters. The truth about algae is that no one knows what causes what. At least, not to the extent that a we all want where it's spelled out in a clear and accurate formula like this: 

_Do this, then you'll get this algae_​
Mostly what we have are people hypothesizing a cause and then another coming along and stating that, 'No, that's wrong because I dosed excess amounts of _x_ and did not get _y_. So your theory has been disproven.'

Here's my theory on the whole thing. Algae is like all of us -- it likes to eat stuff. It'll keep eating what it eats until there's not enough of what it likes to eat to keep it alive. Once that happens, it dies.

So here's to hoping that the BGA eats all that it likes to eats and then dies.


----------



## prototyp3

This turned out to be one sweet scape. I especially like the whole right side, the rock pile has a nice look to it. Next time you thin that UG out I'd be interested in buying some.


----------



## Ugly Genius

I may be out of the loop for a bit. Finally, after a long time waiting, I took the plunge and got the greatest thing ever...








2009 CBR 600RR in metallic black.

I am in love.


----------



## CL

I remember you posting that- or something similar- about a year or so ago. Congrats on the new baby


----------



## dxiong5

Wow!


----------



## oldpunk78

Ugly Genius said:


> I may be out of the loop for a bit. Finally, after a long time waiting, I took the plunge and got the greatest thing ever...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 2009 CBR 600RR in metallic black.
> 
> I am in love.


awesome new ride man! i am jealous. 

...his tanks may suffer.


----------



## trigun808

my dreams have been stolen...... 
T_T
nice bike


----------



## speedie408

Man... I'm so envious. That bike is sOOo sick. If I wasn't married to my wife, I'd own that same exact bike. Take some nice pics of it and share dude. Better yet, ride it to the SFBAAPS Plant Swap tomorrow so I can do a photoshoot for you.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, guys. 

Here's the bike actual.









_This photo was taken with camera settings for tank photography. The light looks decidedly 10,000k, don't it?_








In the second photo, I want you to notice something. Look behind the bike. Look at the sky. That, my friends, is motorcycle-riding weather! 
My life is in no way blessed -- I've had my share of f---ed up crap happen -- but sometimes things just click and I just know that I am, from time to time... 
One. 
Lucky. 
S.O.B. 
The day'll probably be about sixty-seven degrees -- not too hot or too cold to ride in gear. 
Perfect weather, a new bike, and it's a Sunday.
You can't beat that.

Anyway, this post is decidedly off-topic so let me say something Riven-related.
It looks pretty much the same.


----------



## Church

Just watch out for the a-holes in the 4-wheel vehicles.


----------



## dxiong5

Ugly Genius said:


> ... Anyway, this post is decidedly off-topic so let me say something Riven-related.
> It looks pretty much the same.


:hihi:


----------



## gsxunv04

I like your aquascaping, where did you get your rocks from? What type are they?


----------



## yesclassic

gsxunv04 said:


> I like your aquascaping, where did you get your rocks from? What type are they?


 here you go:


Ugly Genius said:


> *clsi*, like *CL* said, it's around the corner from AFA. It's called Katsura Gardens. Walk out of AFA, go left, cross the street at the light, turn left again, walk passed the Kabuki theater, past the restaurant, and enter the mall at the end of the block. The bonsai store is on the left inside the doors. You can't miss it.
> Although my advertising of the place as caused them to jack the price up from a buck-fifty a pound to two dollars a pound. I swear, some of the shops I mention in these journals should give me a cut.


----------



## dxiong5

Well, I just read through this again and didn't find much on you encountering algae, except some hair at the start and BGA once you filled. My tank has been sitting emersed with UG on ADA AS I for only 3 days and I'm starting to see what appears to be BGA (not really blue, but bright green spots on the leaves). I'm thinking about going submersed and just dumping loads of CO2 in the tank >.< If only I was as patient as you...I'll try to hold out.


----------



## Triphazard

Nice scaping... nice bike too


----------



## lookin_around

Let the addiction begin.


I must say, don't start with mods until you are ready for another addiction even on top of riding! haha, great looking bike man, I'm positive you'll love it!

Ride the crap out of it and get out to the track! Let me know if you'll be doing any trackdays in the future. I think I'll be hitting buttonwillow at least once more before the year is over.

Again, Congrats! I know that after changing a few things on the bike to give it just the "look" I wanted, I am even more envious of it now than when I saw her on the showroom floor for the first time, can't help but stare at her sometimes lol.

BTW - Tank is looking great! Lol

-End rant - back on topic.


----------



## dylanserbin

Ugly Genius said:


> Thanks, *Craig*!
> 
> Yep, just like that, *Zoo*.
> Don't even worry about humidity levels. As long as the tank's covered tightly, it'll take care of itself.
> The simpler you keep it, the better off you'll be. Don't worry about giving it fresh air or CO2 or ferts or anything. Just plant it, cover it, occasionally mist it, and leave it the heck alone.



All my questions about planting UG emersed have just been answered in one simple post. Thanks.


----------



## ALIFER

Ugly Genius said:


> I may be out of the loop for a bit. Finally, after a long time waiting, I took the plunge and got the greatest thing ever... 2009 CBR 600RR in metallic black.
> I am in love.


Hey UG,

Did you spring for the C-ABS linked braking system? I used to race moto-x, so I'm not opposed to back'n it in on a bike once in a while, but Honda's new ABS looks sweet, especially on wet roads.

Good ride'n to you,
-Rick


----------



## lookin_around

ALIFER said:


> Hey UG,
> 
> Did you spring for the C-ABS linked braking system? I used to race moto-x, so I'm not opposed to back'n it in on a bike once in a while, but Honda's new ABS looks sweet, especially on wet roads.
> 
> Good ride'n to you,
> -Rick


Doesn't look like it from the pics he posted, although its hard to tell for sure.

I've been craving to try out the ABS on one of these things on the street, have heard nothing but good things about it for street riding.

Do you also own a CBR, Rick?

We need to start a motorcycle club in off-topic or something, lol!

I have a feeling we'll be seeing less of UG and I can imagine a screeching halt on any new tank additions, other than little stuff here and there.


----------



## Moody636

I'm beginning to think there is a link between planted tanks and riding. I've got an 06 zx-6r, but my new addiction is aquariums.

Great tank, by the way!


----------



## husonfirst

Nice bike. Back in the day, I had a 1994 CBR 600. It was black and purple. Enjoy the ride.


----------



## ldk59

husonfirst said:


> Nice bike. Back in the day, I had a 1994 CBR 600. It was black and purple. Enjoy the ride.


LoL, back in "the day" I rode a black & red 1988 CBR 1000F :biggrin: 
(Yes, they made crotch rockets back then!)

And to keep this on topic... at that time I also had 6 planted tanks
in my house, the smallest of which was 70 gal.. wish I had that much 
space in the house these days...:icon_sad:


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *everyone*!

Despite my lack of posts, I am still here. I just took the bike in for its six-hundred mile service. Six-hundred miles in two weeks.

As a result of all this riding, my tanks have suffered considerably. I've forgotten to turn on the lights a few times, did not a single water change, and never even considered dosing. So the tanks look like crap.

On the plus-side, my bike looks awesome! Polished it two or three times in the week I've had it.
I'm also thinking I might start modding the thing. I'll probably start with a fender eliminator as the stock fender looks like of lame on a CBR.

Here's my advice to people not hyper-obsessive over planted tanks:
Go low light. It's easier. The one tank I have that is low light, Minikui Tensai, looks great.


----------



## Mr. Fisher

Ugly Genius said:


> Thanks, *everyone*!
> 
> Despite my lack of posts, I am still here. I just took the bike in for its six-hundred mile service. Six-hundred miles in two weeks.
> 
> As a result of all this riding, my tanks have suffered considerably. I've forgotten to turn on the lights a few times, did not a single water change, and never even considered dosing. So the tanks look like crap.
> 
> On the plus-side, my bike looks awesome! Polished it two or three times in the week I've had it.
> I'm also thinking I might start modding the thing. I'll probably start with a fender eliminator as the stock fender looks like of lame on a CBR.
> 
> Here's my advice to people not hyper-obsessive over planted tanks:
> Go low light. It's easier. The one tank I have that is low light, Minikui Tensai, looks great.


 
Have fun on that bike, but be careful. My co-worker was parking his bike and got clipped by a big-rig. Cracked his helmet...and he got a concussion.

My other buddy has pins in his wrist from taking a turn to confidently.

I learned how to drive on a R6, and it is fun, but I don't think I'll get one.

Low light is great!


----------



## nismo tetra

Awesome tank. I had never heard of UG (the plant not you lol) until i started looking at your threads. Looks very nice. I will one day have to try that plant out.

Beautiful bike although I'm not a huge fan of the two wheels option, unless in a controlled atmosphere (track). To many people I know 6ft deep right now from those. More so from the morons (general public) that we have the luxury to drive with everyday rather than them doing tricks, racing etc. I prefer the 4 wheel, roll cage, crash and walk away approach. Although that way is 100x more expensive.


----------



## Mr. Fisher

oldpunk78 said:


> are we (as a whole with iwagami[sp?]) trying to recreate mountains or something entirely different? idk - i just got back from a mountain vacation and didn't see a whole lot like we are trying to recreate. i do love this current evolution - i guess i'm just curious as to what we are trying to achieve.
> 
> this was the closest thing i could capture on film (so to speak)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i'm definitely not trying to criticize here, just looking for answers.


 
Is that a view from Plumas Eureka State Park? roud:


----------



## Ugly Genius

Slowly, I'm getting myself back into this game. The weather's starting to turn cold and this means fewer and fewer riding days for yours truly. Which means, more planted tank time.

Today, I looked at riverrun and a tear rolled down my cheek. It looked terrible. It was overgrown and unkept. So I rolled up my sleeves, put aside my ambition to polish my new bike for the umpteenth time since I got it, and channelled the pre-CBR UG.

While it still needs detail manicuring, riverrun should be able to bounce back after my affair with the Honda.









_Prior to the trim I just did, riverrun looked like crap.
Seriously, this is beautiful compared to how it was.
Even with all the loose leaves floating around._​
Once I finish the detail manicuring, I'll post some close-up shots.

The bike's still awesome. Put a thousand miles on her so far.


----------



## Ugly Genius

An addendum.
If you're into nano tanks beware of polishing your motorcycle or car. Chances are that with the eye for detail that you developed in maintaining a nano tank, you have a hyper-keen sensitivity for the little things. Things like dirt under a faring that no one will ever see but you will feel compelled to scrub with a Q-tip even if it takes you fifteen minutes to get it "just right".

So polishing a motorcycle that is no more than five feet long can take up to two hours.

And that's when you're in a rush.


----------



## leaf

Dude, sick tank, and sick bike! I've always drooled over one... that is until the new zx6r came out! :hihi:

Your tank speaks for itself. Very well done.


----------



## leaf

I don't bother cleaning up my bike anymore than obvious dirt/grime on the fairings and swingarm. I do use my aquascaping detailing on my chain though - that thing is immaculate after almost 10k mi.


----------



## Outlawboss

Even when she's out of shape, she's beautiful. 

Glad you're about to resurface.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *leaf*!
I never polished my previous bike. People would tease me and say, "Don't you like your bike--? Why don't you clean it?"
I'd respond, "I love _riding_ my bike, not cleaning it."
The beauty of the CBR 600RR, however, changed me. Made me cleaning machine.
I'm dreading my first chain clean and lube. I don't have a rear-wheel stand yet so I'll have to clean it with the bike on the kickstand. Sucks.
The ZX-6R is winning all the bike of the year awards, isn't it? The only thing is I can't stand is the front headlights. I loved the 2007 look of the bike. Not so fond of the following years, though. It looks like a slow-witted fish from the front.
The differences in performance between all the top bikes, ZX-6R CBR, GSX-R, and the Z6, are subtle nuances that I probably would not be able to appreciate as I've only been riding for about three years and have yet to drag a knee or even pop a wheelie.
Although I do handstands on my bike.
But that's with it parked.
If there were a sport for doing "tricks" on parked bikes, I'd be the champion.
Or the loser.
Depends on your point-of-view.

Thanks, *Outlaw*. Gimme a couple of days to fix her up and we'll see how she fared.

BTW, I left the lights off for about a week on this thing. UG fared fine.

P.S. _Borderlands_, _Dragoon Age_, and _Assassin's Creed 2_ are off the hook! Get them!


----------



## Moody636

Ugly Genius said:


> The differences in performance between all the top bikes, ZX-6R CBR, GSX-R, and the Z6, are subtle nuances that I probably would not be able to appreciate as I've only been riding for about three years and have yet to drag a knee or even pop a wheelie.


Wait, what? You've never popped a wheelie in 3 years of riding?

You must have some great self control. I think I popped my wheelie cherry the first week by accident.


----------



## oldpunk78

oldpunk78 said:


> ...his tanks may suffer.


:hihi:



Mr. Fisher said:


> Is that a view from Plumas Eureka State Park? roud:


that was a random shot from the Tahoe area.



Ugly Genius said:


> Today, I looked at riverrun and a tear rolled down my cheek. It looked terrible. It was overgrown and unkept.
> 
> 
> _Prior to the trim I just did, riverrun looked like crap.
> Seriously, this is beautiful compared to how it was.
> Even with all the loose leaves floating around._​
> Once I finish the detail manicuring, I'll post some close-up shots.
> 
> The bike's still awesome. Put a thousand miles on her so far.


still looks good to me. i can't wait to see it in all it's glory!


----------



## Green Leaf Aquariums

Im sure the tank will come back around UG  

With that said, my first wheelie was on a 1974'ish Yamaha RD400, still my favorite bike to this day. Nothing like the smell of 2Stroke oil burning in the morning


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## fish_fasinated

looking AWESOME as always UG


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## Francis Xavier

Hey UG, it looks great. What really ties this tank together for me, in all reality, is the mound of plants in the upper center to the right of the main stone. Something about that little addition brings it all together.


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## Ugly Genius

Nope. Not a single wheelie, *Moody*. I'm a pretty conservative rider, I guess. I get the adrenaline rush occasionally and do stupid stuff as happens to most of us from time to time, but for the most part, I keep it pretty safe on my bikes.

Thanks, *punk*!

I didn't know you rode, *Orlando*. Makes you cool on a whole now level as you were already cool sans bike.

Hey, *fish*! Thanks.

Thanks, *X*. I'm digging the HC in the center. All told, there are six species of plants in this tank. UG, HC, Riccia, Java Moss, Mini Christmas Moss, and Potias.

I just got back from the gym so my arms are pumped full of blood and of the ten photos I snapped, the below is the only one that did not come out blurry on account of my shaking arms.








I haven't gotten around to the detail manicuring I planned to do, but the tank seems to be bouncing back on it's own regardless.

As it's getting colder, I'll have to drop a heater in here soon.

For the record, I have stopped dosing this tank completely and growth has not suffered as a result.


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## Reginald2

I think you may have overdone the weights a little, if your arms are still shaking too much to get a some pictures.

Forgive me, but it seems that I read somewhere that you didn't dechlorinate your water, does that help out with Algae?


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## thief

Actually I don't use dechlorinator myself in my tanks either and actually I've never been skeptical about it and why it's a huge deal. I wouldn't say it protects anything as I still get algea and such (mostly diatoms) but then again we or from different parts, maybe UG can shed some light why he hasn't dechlorinated his water.


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## Ugly Genius

Hey *Reg*. I tend to overdo much of what I love to do, and weights are no exception. (Thank God I don't have a drug problem. I've got a personality tuned perfectly for one of those!)
As for the dechlor, once upon a time I didn't dechlorinate my water and noticed no adverse effects. For the past few months, however, I have been dechlorinating. There was no reason why I didn't dechlorinate and there was no reason why I started. I simply wanted to see if it would affect the overall health of the tank.
It didn't.

Once again, the tank has fallen pray to my inattention. I forgot to turn on the lights for a week, yet it has grown unruly yet again. (What's with that--? There is no light or CO2 but the thing grows like nuts!)

I want to talk to you guys about this forum. If your experiences are anything like mine, your friends think you are a super-nerd for frequenting something so -- to their eyes -- boring. 
_How fun_, they remark, _can growing plants in water be? Really?_
And, sure, maybe they have a point, but my point is not to talk about how to convince them that it's not boring, but to let you know that virtually every forum dedicated to something specific is -- to the uninitiated -- rather nerdish. 
Dig deep enough and all topics become esoteric.
Case in point, since getting the new bike, I've been frequenting various CBR forums. You'd think that forums frequented by hip, cool, sportbike riders would be a fun and dangerous place to write and read.
Nope.
Filled wall to wall with nerds. (More so than here, if you want my opinion.)
Where we worry and fret about the concentration of dissolved CO2, they worry over the increase in bhp afforded by a piece of metal sticking out of an engine's headers.
Where we worry about light intensity, they worry -- much worse, it seems to me -- about the _exact_ amount of rear break to apply during a panic stop.
My point is, fellas (and the four girls in the world who are into this hobby), that _everyone_ is a nerd.
You just have to dig deep enough to see it.

Speaking of which, my 360 red ringed last week. Sucks. Right in the middle of starting _Modern Warfare 2_, too. Lame. I'll be sending it back to MS soonish.

So now here I am, 360-less in weather too cold and wet to ride, and pumped full of RedBulls.

What's a nerd to do?


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## roybot73

http://www.americannerdbook.com/index.html

_Excellent_ read. My neighbor and good friend designed the cover. And speaking of "nerdiness", she actually modeled the D&D style rpg figurines on the cover _by hand_ instead of buying them. There's also a calculator whose display spells out the classic grade school "55378008".

Back on topic - really interesting that an unlit, unfertilized tank can continue to grow to the point of unruliness. Any ambient window light?








_PS3_ :hihi:


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## thief

Lol UG this is kind of freaky but my Xbox (why to I always spell it Ebox???) just got the 3 red rings about 20 minutes and will be sending it out this week as I certainly want it here for vacation time! Thats too bad though about the MoD2 as I can still play on the Bro's PS3. In the end were all nuts I believe no matter what we are into!


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## NJAquaBarren

"With that said, my first wheelie was on a 1974'ish Yamaha RD400"

Honda QA 50, somewhere around 1970.

AB


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## NJAquaBarren

Looks great UG. Inspirational.


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## lookin_around

Ugly Genius said:


> Hey *Reg*. I tend to overdo much of what I love to do, and weights are no exception. (Thank God I don't have a drug problem. I've got a personality tuned perfectly for one of those!)
> As for the dechlor, once upon a time I didn't dechlorinate my water and noticed no adverse effects. For the past few months, however, I have been dechlorinating. There was no reason why I didn't dechlorinate and there was no reason why I started. I simply wanted to see if it would affect the overall health of the tank.
> It didn't.
> 
> Once again, the tank has fallen pray to my inattention. I forgot to turn on the lights for a week, yet it has grown unruly yet again. (What's with that--? There is no light or CO2 but the thing grows like nuts!)
> 
> I want to talk to you guys about this forum. If your experiences are anything like mine, your friends think you are a super-nerd for frequenting something so -- to their eyes -- boring.
> _How fun_, they remark, _can growing plants in water be? Really?_
> And, sure, maybe they have a point, but my point is not to talk about how to convince them that it's not boring, but to let you know that virtually every forum dedicated to something specific is -- to the uninitiated -- rather nerdish.
> Dig deep enough and all topics become esoteric.
> Case in point, since getting the new bike, I've been frequenting various CBR forums. You'd think that forums frequented by hip, cool, sportbike riders would be a fun and dangerous place to write and read.
> Nope.
> Filled wall to wall with nerds. (More so than here, if you want my opinion.)
> Where we worry and fret about the concentration of dissolved CO2, they worry over the increase in bhp afforded by a piece of metal sticking out of an engine's headers.
> Where we worry about light intensity, they worry -- much worse, it seems to me -- about the _exact_ amount of rear break to apply during a panic stop.
> My point is, fellas (and the four girls in the world who are into this hobby), that _everyone_ is a nerd.
> You just have to dig deep enough to see it.
> 
> Speaking of which, my 360 red ringed last week. Sucks. Right in the middle of starting _Modern Warfare 2_, too. Lame. I'll be sending it back to MS soonish.
> 
> So now here I am, 360-less in weather too cold and wet to ride, and pumped full of RedBulls.
> 
> What's a nerd to do?


Haha, some great points UG...So true. Maybe we ought to petition a new connotation to be associated with "nerdy" -- something a bit less negative, perhaps.

Well, back to wrenching on teh bike. I've found that by stiffening the sag on the rear suspension by 2 clicks I am able to get a 6 degree increase in lean angle therefore decreasing my lap time by 1.2 seconds.

Haha, just kidding, but now that you mention it I can see what you mean. I guess it just all depends on how devoted you become to certain "hobbies."


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## timme278

hey man, this tank is epic
how much rock did you order by the way? im not sure how much to order for my mini m


cheers mate


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## lilsoccakid74

beautiful tank.


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## FDNY911

This really is inspiring man, really. I just started my first planted tank, emeresed HC. I, for some reason, am pumped up to see how well my tank and your tank will get in the next few weeks/months. 

My Xbox also crapped out on me but only because I had that useless "Intercooler", it shorted out something. I got the Elite now ... " Deathbringer NY " for any CoD2 players out there lol.


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## Ugly Genius

I hope everyone's been doing well.

I'm good. Spent time with the family for Christmas. My family drives me nuts sometimes, but I love em, so whatchagonnado--? You gotta take them as they are or not at all.

A few weeks ago, we were asked by people who make decisions at work to voluntarily take a week of vacation. This means that I'm in the midst of a twelve day impromptu vacation.

This is a good and bad thing. Good because I'm able to get some rest and do what I want for twelve days in a row.
Bad because:
The girl's at Disneyland with her family.
The Xbox's still en route to Microsoft; so not gaming and no DVDs.
It's been on and off rain here in SF; riding's been sporadic at best.
Meaning, besides my daily workouts, I've got zero places in which to release my ya-yas...
...Actually, that's not entirely true. Two days ago, I spent the entire day getting caught up on _Lost_ on iTunes. Jeez, that show got good after that one season that sucked -- the one where the Oceanic Six get all emo after leaving the island. Now it's back to how it was in seasons one through three.

Anyway, now that I've caught up on _Lost_ and have only the gym to let off my ya-yas, I'll let you guys see what happened to riverrun after I ignored it for longer than I care to calculate.


















_I know. I'm sorry_​
Several posts back, I said I'd bring the tank back. Obviously, I was full of it. I kept meaning to stay on top of the tank, but things kept getting in the way. When I say "things kept getting in the way" I mean, "I got lazy."
But now that I have all these days off and not many places in which to get off my ya-yas, maybe -- just maybe -- I can resurrect this tank.

P.S. You do _not_ want to see Riven Tanglewood. That tank looks even worse! And don't get me started on Elements: _really_ bad. Source looks okay. Minikui Tensai looks pretty much exactly as it did when I last photographed it. Quasi-Wabi would break your heart.


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## rrrrramos

How on earth are you able to have so little UG floating? I trimmed mine once, like five weeks ago, and I STILL am finding floating leaves EVERY day. 
Anyways, always been a fan of this tank, always will. It had a very big influence on my Mini-M


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## Outlawboss

It's not so bad. You could recover that tank pretty quickly, knowing your ability to do such things.

Love your tanks dude. They inspired me from the first time I saw them.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *rrrrramos*. Believe me, I have a ton of UG floating around after a trim. For _weeks_ afterwards. 

Thanks, *Outlaw*! I appreciate that.

I want to show you guys what it this tank looks like immediately after a trim and before the detail work is undertaken. 








The brown cloudiness of the water is Microbe-Lift Gravel and Substrate Cleaner; it should clear by tomorrow morning. I use this stuff because...actually, I don't know why I use this stuff as I've never notice it do anything it advertises.

I cut a good inch of the UG but it's still too thick. A deeper mowing will have to wait until tomorrow. I didn't want to do too much to the tank today lest I throw off it's balance.

Tomorrow, I'll do the detail work and I'll post a photo after I've completed that step.


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## pandapr

nice carpet ! 
:icon_bigg for you
:angryfire @ my UG or HC carpet


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## Ugly Genius

As I rolled up my proverbial sleeves ("proverbial" as I'm wearing a t-shirt and were I to roll up my actual, non-proverbial sleeves, I'd look a bit like John Travolta in _Grease_; not a look I'm going for) and began in earnest riverrun's recovery, this song played in my mind. On repeat. For what felt like hours. It's exactly what a carpet of UG requires: patience.

Here's riverrun about two trimmings away from being back on it's feet.








A deeper cutting is required as I feel the current thickness of the UG blunts the impact of the rock layout. This was not possible today, however, as the UG at the desired depth is light-starved (i.e. almost dead). So I'll let the lower leaves get the light they need to come back to life and then trim down about another half inch.
That said, I am happy with this tank, more or less.


















I have a RCS who absolutely loves living in the filter. Every now and then I fish the guy out of the filter -- a considerable effort and pain in the ass, I should add -- only to find the guy right back in there within a day. It's like he waits for me to turn my back and -- slurp -- he's back in there eating away at whatever he likes so much in there.
It's gotten to the point that I've given up trying to "rescue" him.
You can't force a person to change; they have to _want_ to change.
Hit rock bottom, as it were.

My next job is to bring Source back to life. That tank did okay while neglected, but I'm probably going to remove the "swoop" driftwood as I have an idea for a new direction I want to go with the tank while still keeping the kick-butt Mini Microsword carpet in tact.

Riven Tanlglewood and Quasi-Wabi are unfixable. They will have to be rebuilt from the substrate up.


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## garuf

She's a beauty that tank, Have you thought about checkerboarding the ug? It's a technique that first appeared for hc and glosso but it might work. 
Basically you just cut down to the substrate in a chess board pattern, wait for it to spread then cut out the heavier part, that way you minimise the biodenisty and keep things a little more manageable. 

This is my personal favourite tank of yours, you should get some high quality shots and enter it into ADA, my opinion says you'd be top 20.


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## connordude27

Thats UG? (sorry i am terrible at id'ing and naming plants) ITS AMAZING!!! SUBSCRIBED!!


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *garuf*. That's a nice thing to say. Next time around, I'll give the checkerboard cutting a try.

Thanks, *connordude*. Yep, that's UG. It's a pretty nice carpet plant once it gets going.

Nothing new here. Just more of the same.








I'll be adding more shrimp soonish. I'm thinking CRS.


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## dxiong5

Looking good UG, CRS ftw!


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## JennaH

that's some serious UG! nice trimming, slowly taking shape. and yea, the rockscape can't be hidden, it's too perfect 

and this had to be my favorite post ever 


> Actually, that's not entirely true. Two days ago, I spent the entire day getting caught up on Lost on iTunes. Jeez, that show got good after that one season that sucked -- the one where the Oceanic Six get all emo after leaving the island. Now it's back to how it was in seasons one through three.


p.s. season 2 is the best


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## KentCurtis

Ugly Genius said:


> I'll be adding more shrimp soonish. I'm thinking CRS.


I think that'd be a good decision. I can already see a great picture being a CRS sitting atop the HC (if that is HC? I thought I remember you saying it was) there at the highest point in the tank. They would really stand out and add another dimension to the tank compared to the not so attention grabbing amanos.


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## Craigthor

Stunning UG, just thought I would pop back and say hi!

Contemplating setting something up soon. If I do I really want to go BIG!

Craig


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## CL

Craigthor said:


> Stunning UG, just thought I would pop back and say hi!
> 
> Contemplating setting something up soon. If I do I really want to go BIG!
> 
> Craig


A zombie!

Back from the grave 

How many tanks do you have now, UG?


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## neumahrs

This is definitely one of my favorite tanks on here. Very very nice!!!


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *dxiong*, *neumahrs* and *Jenna*! I really appreciate that.

Hey, *Kent*. Soonish, I'll be adding CRS. I have to stop by my usual LFS to find some.

*Craig*, you come back soon and with a vengeance. We need you. To anyone who never saw Craig's thread, check it out. ADA done up right!

Hey, *CL*. I've got eight tanks total. Only four are 'scaped, though. Elements will be brought back this weekend, though. So that would make five 'scaped and three as holding tanks.









_UG's UG_​


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## icepotato89

this is my favorite tank on this site. 3 thumbs up. why did you choose the name ugly genius? every time i look at your posts thats what i ask myself. peace.


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## dxiong5

I remember reading that the leaves of UG grow broader when grown emersed as compared to growing it submerged. Are the leaves any different now that you've filled the tank?


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## Ugly Genius

I trimmed a bit deeper after yesterday's post. It's about a trim and a half away from where I want it. 

Here's four before bed.


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## CL

This tank is truly awesome. The shape of the hc, the awesomeness of the lush UG. As Ebert and Roeper would say, "Two thumbs way up"


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *ice*! 
As for Ugly Genius, a couple of careers back when I was, what looks to me now, just a kid, I did some freelance writing; magazine articles, tech manuals, web pages, and the like. Some of the companies I did work for needed a company name on the paperwork I had to complete to get paid. As I was freelance, I didn't work for a company and I certainly didn't have a company name. (I was just a small fish in a huge tank.) So I created Ugly Genius Co.. 
I thought it sounded beautiful and contradictory, oddly familiar yet perplexing, and, on the forms for some of the larger corporations I did work for, wildly out-of-place. 
Ever since then, the name stuck. I think I've been Ugly Genius for over ten years now.
God, I feel like an old Ugly Genius.

*dxiong*, I have not noticed a difference between UG's emersed versus submersed leaf structure.
What I've read is that the emersed leaf is generally thinner and shorter. What I've observed, however, is that given enough time, both forms eventually grow to the same size. What makes it appear that the submersed form is bigger is, one, the water, and, two, the fact that the water makes the leaves buoyant -- causing them to appear longer and fatter as they are not compressed by the air pressure present during a dry-start and float upwards as a result.
Don't take this as gospel, though.

Thanks, *CL*. I don't know if you are old enough, but do you remember Siskel and Ebert? Siskel was there before Roeper.
Speaking of the HC. Back in the day, I swore that I hated HC as it was a PITA to cut. Well, after dealing with UG which is a HUGE PITA, HC is downright pleasant. Meaning, UG is, hands down, _the_ most time-consuming carpet plant I've had to deal with. The cutting isn't the problem -- it's the netting of all the clippings. It takes forever to clean up. Don't get me wrong, I love UG carpets; it's just that I no longer hate HC.


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## Outlawboss

I have to agree with some of the other posters here that this is one of my favorite tanks on the forum. Even among your own tanks UG, this one is special. That carpet is...stunning. The rock placement, the plant selection, even the great photography all fantastic. I'm so glad you document your tanks well.

One question; what color temp are those Ott lites? I think they come with a 10,000k by default, but I remember reading in one of your posts that you are not fond of the 10k color. Having just received some 10k bulbs from AFA and finding that I don't like them either. Way too blue for me.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Outlaw*! That means a lot. It really does.
The bulbs in this tank are 10,000k; they're the thirteen watt Coralife bulbs that you find at most LFSs.
I'm not absolutely certain what temperature the stock Ott-Lite bulbs are. They are definitely not as blue as 8,000 - 10,000k, though. I'd wager they're in the 5,000 to 7,000k range.
I've changed a bit when it comes to my color temp preference. When given the standard choice range between 5,000 - 10,000k, I find that the hard and plantscape dictates what temperature I prefer. 
For a hardscape using lots of DW, mosses, and darker-green plants (ferns and what-have-you), I like to hit the lower end of the spectrum, maxing at 6,700k. Conversely, for a rock and carpetscape such as riverrun, I like the crispness of the higher end of the spectrum.
I find that the bluer light accentuates a 'scapes lines much more distinctly bringing out the details of the rocks and carpet while the driftwood 'scapes benefit from the more muted lighting of the yellows.
The color I like best is 8,000k. It's here that I can have the benefits of both without suffering the drawbacks of either. Finding bulbs in this temp is difficult, however.
I'd say just use the 10,000k bulbs you got and see if they grow on you. Initially, I hated 6,700k, but it's grown on me. I then stopped liking the 10,000k bulbs as they reminded me of the inside of a refrigerator or the DMV (which are kind of the same thing: cold). Now, I'm cool with them. (Get it--? Cool.)


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## Outlawboss

I like the idea of the 8,000k bulb. Unfortunately you're right about them being hard to find. Google searches have come up with a big nada.

What I did find were these Current USA bulbs that have a 6,700/10,000 combo. Seems like that would average out around 8,000k so maybe that's a good one to try.

I will try leaving the 10,000k on there, see if it grows on me, but they're just so...cool (but not in a "cool" way). 

Thanks UG! :icon_smil


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## Ugly Genius

Samurai are cooler than ninjas. I've been watching a lot of old samurai movies as of late, and there is no doubt in my mind that samurai are _way_ cooler than ninjas.

There's something about the samurai's relentless pursuit of honor, skill, and beauty in life and death that just....












































...make them way cooler than ninjas.

Tank-wise, things are still going well. It could use a trim, but I, the samurai Ugly Genius, don't feel that a thicker-than-is-prudent carpet infringes on my honor. So I'll wait a week before trimming.


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## jman

My goodness, that's just awesome.


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## AlexXx

My fav of your tanks.


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## Damian

This is wonderful. Great inspiration for my pursuit of a tank which will hopefully flourish as great as yours has.


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## Outlawboss

I think the samurai UG's armor would be green, or better yet "Emerald". Looking awesome.


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## MrJG

Beautiful man, just awesome. I have to agree with everyone else. Everything from the hardscape to plant selection is great and executed to perfection.

How does the u. gibba not drive you crazy though? 

Also I didn't get a chance to return your message. Thank you very much for your reply. Well said for choosing "the one" and then following the placement of other stone with flow in consideration. If this tank alone isn't a grand example that you've done well with this I don't know what is.


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## chumblaka

Ugly Genius said:


> Here's a technique I use when setting up a hardscape.


Your tank is sick! Your advice on how to setup a hardscape is great! I will definitely take it to mind when I go looking for rocks and setting up my tank. Thanks for the great pics. BTW something I like to ask and IDK if it has been answered, what kind of camera do you use and how do you shoot?


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## CL

There are only so many times that I can say that this tank is amazing, so, I'll have to say it's astounding this time.


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## Ugly Genius

Dunno if any of you remember the "Jelly Bolt Algae" from Source, but I've got it going on in riverrun, too.

















"Jelly Bolt Algae", for those who don't know, is the name I gave a particular type of algae that grew in Source several months ago. It's a very pretty algae in that it branches like Staghorn, but is gelatin-like and billowy.

This time around, the "Jelly Bolt" is darker hued than it was in Source.

The above photos do not do it justice as it is incredibly beautiful in person. It looks like a strand of tiny dark pearls.


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## A Hill

That looks like sinking mini riccia to me... Any better pictures?

Either way it looks great.

-Andrew


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## tizzite

That rock really is beast. Amazing tank. I'm going to go rock hunting at my local bonsai store now.


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## fish_fasinated

UG your scapes are always wicked awsome!


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## Cheapskate

looking really good. Nice tip on the "star/costar rock" approach to aquascape. I am still working on mine, but that might be just the right conceptual boost to take my hardscape to the next level (where it doesn't look like a kindergarten class designed my tank, lol)


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Hey UG, I feel like I've asked this before, but what's your experience with UG? Because I'm thinking about getting some for my tank.


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## problemman

I have to say this is the only iugwami setup i have ever liked.

i would love to get some UG from you


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, everyone!

riverrun's still doing it's thing. 








Not much has changed. I bought a heater for it; a twenty-five watt Fluval Edge heater. (Ill-timed as I had this tank heaterless for most of the winter and now with summer approaching...oh well...)

riverrun has two shrimp. I have no idea what kind they are. They are somewhere between yellow and green.









_They love each other._​
This tank had recurring GSA, so I started dosing phosphates as I hear that a lack of it can lead to GSA. We'll see if it turns out to be the case. So as of now, I'm dosing N, K, P, and micros. This is the first time in years that I've had to do a full dosing regimen. This is probably because I have so few shrimp and no fish in it.

Anyway, that's pretty much it.

Iwagumi tanks are pretty boring to journal. The only updates one can give are: I need to trim; I just trimmed; or I bought a heater.

In this case the update is, I need to trim and I just bought a heater.


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## Craigthor

Well in that case its time for a rescape


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## CL

The thickness of the hc and ug is amazing, and the rocks protruding out of the pillow of bright green looks very cool.


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## benon

I live about 2.5 miles from AFA and ride my bike to and from that area. Nothing like biking back with rocks and an Eheim 60.

Never considered buying rocks at Katsura, but that is a good idea. I feel like such a sucker buying rocks at AFA. I always walk to the counter feeling like an idiot.

" HOW MUCH ??? !!! "


----------

