# One Man Iwagumi Challenge!



## NanoDan (Oct 11, 2008)

use some more common and inexpensive stone that most of us can afford just to see how well it will look.


----------



## Fishly (Jan 8, 2010)

I agree. 

Aquascaping is an art form. We poor people should be allowed to join in. 

Starving aquascapers unite! Bring on the slate, the lava rocks, the play sand, the MTS, the DIY CO2, the native plants, and the cheap fish!


----------



## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

Let's see what you can do with lace rock and java fern!


----------



## Armonious (Aug 16, 2010)

Out of those two options, I would have to go with Hakkai Stone. 

It is rare enough that if you guys can get a nice supply of it, I say go for it and build a nice display iwagumi out of it.


----------



## Diegosaenz (Aug 4, 2010)

its so rare that when you google and image of it, theres none... lol


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Seiryu.


----------



## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

In regards to starving aquascaping, if there's anyone who can claim to have been there, it is definitely me (and probably still to this day, I mostly get brought left-overs and that's my meal for the day). For the past two years I grossed maybe $10,000, the bulk of which went to rent - there were more than a few times were the decision was either food or aquascape. For me that decision usually was aquascape. You can take that as a measure of obsession or stupidity - personally I wouldn't recommend it, but in all honesty I'd probably do it again. It's too bad aquascaping isn't recognized as an art yet by the government. Otherwise we could totally get some grants to live in a studio!

That was all during the Iwagumi Cubed time, and I used Seiryu almost exclusively (as well as pressurized, et cetera) - so possessing Seiryu definitely isn't a measure of wealth, rather possessing the right tools is more a measure of priority (in this case, food vs. aquascape, or quality over quantity in terms of gear). It's no secret that half the battle is having an eye for the right material. 

So I totally get where you are coming from and understand. But at the same time don't feel that seiryu is exclusive in any real cost measure. In terms of overall rarity for a larger setup, that's a whole different debate and one that's pretty universal for any rock type. 

That being said, if the people want to see a lace stone iwagumi, then I'll have to do one at some point.


----------



## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

Shame that this thread got derailed so fast.

I already voted over on the facebook page for Hakkai, hopefully we can get more actual votes here. Go go go Hakkai!


----------



## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Dollface is totally whipping out the Hakkai pom-pom's for this one, I think!


----------



## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

Yes I am.


----------



## blair (Feb 8, 2009)

What a ridiculous initial response and a complete undermining of the amazing opportunity presented. He did not ask what backyard boulders you want to see incorporated into this challenge. If you feel incompetent with the materials you have at hand that is your own problem. We all face difficulty with regards to hardscape material availability and selection.

Previously, I had ordered Zebra Rock from AFA, and to be honest was quite disappointed with the rubble I was sent. But after further research and probing I learned that good stone is just tough to come by. I set out to a local landscape supply center that had Zebra Boulders and bought two of them for 19 cents/lb. I rented a demolition hammer from the Home Depot and broke my own abstracted fragments from the large behemoth.

It comes down to desire and determination to deal with the cards you've been dealt. I agree with Frank; I would opt for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a month (or longer if it was some amazing peanut butter) to get my hands on some great rock. Something as exclusive as Hakkai (Jeff at ADG has the only set in the USA as far as I am aware) should not go unused. His offer to get this out there and published is splendid. Nobody has this rock to work with, but it is pure art and I will be damned if it should be sacrificed to see cinder blocks used because they are commonplace.

Lets see this challenge manifest  One vote here for Hakkai cast over on the facebook page!


----------



## AoxomoxoA (Apr 22, 2010)

LOL :fish:


----------



## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

I'd vote if I could figure out what Hakkai stone was.


----------



## blair (Feb 8, 2009)

http://www.adgshop.com/

The central tank image is a fantastic display of Hakkai stone. It is a dark and deeply porous stone unique to Japan's Mount Hakkai region. Their are regulations preventing its collection, but Amano was granted special permission to acquire several pieces for personal use. This is where Jeff's stones came from: Amano's personal stock.


----------



## wakewalking (Jan 18, 2010)

hakkai or you could just paint amano black and dump him in a tank.


----------



## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

I vote for Hakkai.


----------



## skbensin (Sep 4, 2009)

blair said:


> If you feel incompetent with the materials you have at hand that is your own problem.


Wow... That's a bit rude. I agree that it took us off topic pretty quickly but I think that was unnecessary. My vote is for Hakkai. That being said, I would love to see professional Iwagumi style done in lava rock or anything that has become blase in the world of novice aquascaping. While you called what was suggested incompetence, I consider it a challenge to take a "everyday object" and reinvent it, which is a common artistic exercise.


----------



## TeamTeal (Mar 31, 2010)

hakkai stone, just because seiryu stone seems to be really common


----------



## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

We are pleased to present you the first American Hakkai stone iwagumi:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJdMXgW0E2I

Please enjoy.


----------



## theblondskeleton (Aug 28, 2009)

Most excellent! Congratulations! You guys should be very proud - that is some beautiful stone and inspirational work - though the soundtrack was a little dated, haha...


----------



## deleted_user_7 (Jul 7, 2003)

Well done, but I just don't like the of type stone. You did a good job using it but I just don't like Hakkai stone... it seems to rounded for me personally. 

But you used the Hakkai well ad it looks great! I never realized how tall the larger ADA tank were, either. 

Someone said good stone is hard to come by, and it is. I like looking for stone in nature and out of the thousands of rocks I've seen while hunting for aquarium rocks, I've only found seven that I fell in love with. 

Finding that perfect set of rocks for your tank, then testing it and seeing it bubble when introduced to an acid is heartbreaking when you dont want your water chemistry to change.


----------



## thrak76 (Aug 3, 2009)

Very cool. Thanks for giving us the chance to see this design process. I'm glad that the Hakkai stone won out.


----------



## Armonious (Aug 16, 2010)

Nice video Xavier. It is my opinion that you cannot beat a video when describng an aquascape setup. It not only lets you look into the different aspects of the tank itself, but gives inspiration from its creators. Most things that I've learned about the little aspects of aquascaping have come from watching video of hobbyists at work.


----------



## Kisho3 (Nov 26, 2009)

I personally like the look of the seriyu stones more. It looks more mountainous and natural. But either way ti depends how you arragne the rocks. I've never had any ADA products before =D But I go out to nature and find stuff and use it. ^_^ I make the best with what I have, it all comes down to creativity. With creativity anyone can make anything epic.


----------



## Tommo (Aug 14, 2010)

Great video  

Thanks for the link .


----------



## Finalplay10 (Jun 29, 2010)

Wow that was an inspirational video. I love the rocks personally. I especially love how the rock closest to the front glass almost looks like a skull that has been beaten and battered by time. Normally something like that would look unnatural but in this case it just seems like it belongs. Nice seeing how you guys were getting the rocks to flow from right to left. You could definitely see that you knew what you were doing. Beautiful scape and hope you post some more pictures once it fills in.


----------



## Swan900 (Apr 27, 2010)

Looking forwards to seeing it fully grown in. Great video.


----------



## blair (Feb 8, 2009)

Kisho3 said:


> I personally like the look of the seriyu stones more.  It looks more mountainous and natural. But either way ti depends how you arragne the rocks. I've never had any ADA products before =D But I go out to nature and find stuff and use it. ^_^ I make the best with what I have, it all comes down to creativity. With creativity anyone can make anything epic.


You may wish to rethink the descriptive quality of that sentence. Something "mountainous" would hardly appear more "natural" in an aquarium. Certainly ethereal, expansive, or even intriguing, may be just a few ways to describe this difference, but Hakkai stone by nature is presented in a form and scale more realistic and therefore "natural" to the intended use.

Why must everyone interject an alternative desire? The scape was done in Hakkai. Seiryu was not chosen. If you wish to see a different type of scape make a separate post requesting this. ADG has many tanks to work with and I am sure more designs will come our way if this is received well. Personally, I think its brilliant.

Excellent scape Frank. Thanks for sharing Jeff's work and ADG at its finest! Great to see a video of the dynamics in true motion and the hand gestures indicating movement and intention -- a glimpse in the mind of the designer and the dialogue exchanged.


----------



## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

scape looks pretty cool, but to be honest i'm more impressed about how evenly it is planted. super clean.


----------



## J.farrand (Jul 12, 2010)

I like using stones collected around my location. Then apply Amano's philosphy and technique. It bonds you to the real vison trying to be accomplished. Nature. Hakkai all the way! 
On another note: I am trying spread planted tank hobby in the Maine and New Hampshire. Year one.


----------



## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Thank you all for the compliments, it's Jeff aquascape / design and video editing work, I just was there offering a second opinion and doing some video shooting. I will pass your compliments to Jeff.

This is the kind of a rough draft for the new kind of video content we want to put out - so keep a look out for more cool stuff. Seiryu will definitely get its turn.


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Amazing scape guys!

What type of plant is that being used? It looks kinda like glosso but also kinda looked like crypt parva.


----------



## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

It's 100% glosso.


----------



## trackhazard (Aug 24, 2006)

One Man Challenge my foot! I saw 2 men in that video!

Great job. Music was perfect IMO. I liked how you could tell what was going on w/ the hand movements w/o having to hear dialogue.

If I had one request, it would be a FTS from a couple weeks later with the tank grown in. But that would mean waiting that much longer before cutting together a video.

- Charlie


----------



## Tommo (Aug 14, 2010)

trackhazard said:


> One Man Challenge my foot! I saw 2 men in that video!
> 
> Great job. Music was perfect IMO. I liked how you could tell what was going on w/ the hand movements w/o having to hear dialogue.
> 
> ...


 
LOL @2 men !!

And i agree it would be great to see the tank after a few weeks


----------



## beedee (Jul 1, 2010)

great video and i'd love to see an update in the future.

nice work!


----------



## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

We fully plan on having updates on this tank! You guys will get to see it as it comes to fruition for the final scene, no doubt about that. Hopefully this video serves as a framework for all of our future like work to help pump some more inspiration into the hobby.

In RE: to two men, haha, well you can hardly blame me for not being able to stay behind the camera once the stones started going in! It was still one man since Jeff did all the work though! Believe me, we were just as excited putting it together as people are to see it.


----------



## MARIMOBALL (Mar 18, 2007)

Please please please do not put cardinals in that awesome tank. Can we vote on fish selections. I would love to see a school of green neon tetras. of all the the tetras they would complement this tank the best. My 120P has a school of about 100 green neons and they look fantastic with the ADA 8K metal halide bulb.My second sellection would be Asain rummynose. I want first dibs on the left over Hakkai stone I will even Purchase an ADA tank that will fit the Hakkai stone. If you guys sell the stones.


----------



## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

awesome video! do you have any hakkai stone for sale?


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

haha, after all thet jeff went through to get the stones, i doubt he would sell them for any price. they are amano's private stock afterall!!


----------



## jargonchipmunk (Dec 8, 2008)

zeldar said:


> haha, after all thet jeff went through to get the stones, i doubt he would sell them for any price. they are amano's private stock afterall!!


not any more. They're not exclusive anymore. They've been used in America now. Expect to see them in WalMart next year. hehe.


----------



## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Believe me, I wish we had enough Hakkai to sell. Those stones pictured are the only 7 in America that we know of.

Marimo, I'll pass the idea to Jeff on a fish vote.


----------



## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

+1 on the updates. Tank looks really nice and i love how there is like a mini valley on the left side.


----------



## reybie (Jun 7, 2007)

It's been 11 days, I wanna see a picture! lol


----------



## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

very nicely done, im sure it will be beautiful...

sorry to hear that you must make the decision of plants vs tacos... But so go the woes of man kind...

Interestingly enough i swear I have seen rocks like that in texas... *shrugs* maybe just similar... im a country boy and have spent alot of time in the woods and up and down creek beds... its not a rock that I can say i have seen recently... but i swear I have seen rocks like it before... definately keeping an eye out for them now that i know you people will sell your soul for them...


----------



## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

We've brought you guys an update of the Hakkai stone iwagumi exactly two weeks later! 

Check it out here

Some added features of the video we included were basic trimming techniques in addition to showing how we dose the tank after water changes (using Brighty K and Green Bacter).


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Very nicely done! Looking classy.


----------



## Armonious (Aug 16, 2010)

Nice update. The tank seems to be filling in quite nicely.

Just curious, what type of camera setup do you guys use for these videos? It seems very good quality.


----------



## phan10ms (Sep 7, 2009)

Update on this?


----------



## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Jeff is working on an update for this layout right now, it hit a good peak in growth.


----------



## phan10ms (Sep 7, 2009)

Can't wait!


----------

