# First Iwagumi Tank - 2.78 G



## Al3x (Sep 3, 2016)

This is a very impressive tank! I thought it was 5-10 gallons at first; I was very surprised when I realized it was only 2.8.

(I'm also jealous of your shrimp's color) 

If you're looking for things we would add, this is what I think:
- Staurogyne repens peeking out from behind the rocks on the left and middle would look really nice IMO.
- If you're up to it, moving the hardscape a few inches to the right would move the focal point to the right in compliance with the rule of thirds (golden ratio). Sloping the substrate more would be a nice touch as well.
- I think the two anubias at the top of the rock take away from the focal point and the striking profile of that centerpiece stone. I like the other anubias pieces though, so maybe move the top two next to the others?

Other than those few things, I can't imagine a nicer looking tank!


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## paosquared (Apr 5, 2012)

thank you for the comments!

guess i can try some stauro. can you indicate using ms paint where exactly you think they should go? my only concern is that it might take over the monte carlo. 
RE: the hardscape; i've only got about an inch and a half between the largest rock and the wall. i can try to move it, though. i'll try to pick up some substrate from my buddy next time i see him so i can slope it more.
i'll move the anubias too and take another pic when i get home. by the top two, you mean the one on the very top and the one on the left side of the large stone? 

thanks!


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## paosquared (Apr 5, 2012)

Al3x said:


> This is a very impressive tank! I thought it was 5-10 gallons at first; I was very surprised when I realized it was only 2.8.
> 
> (I'm also jealous of your shrimp's color)
> 
> ...


don't mind the mess, i'll clean it up later and add more substrate to the back. i've moved the main rock to the right, angled the small rock on the front right a bit upwards. moved the other rocks to the right, and removed the anubias. i'll figure out where to put them later.

you don't think that the anubias looks better in that empty crack?  should i put any of it back?


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## IntotheWRX (May 13, 2016)

paosquared said:


> don't mind the mess, i'll clean it up later and add more substrate to the back. i've moved the main rock to the right, angled the small rock on the front right a bit upwards. moved the other rocks to the right, and removed the anubias. i'll figure out where to put them later.
> 
> you don't think that the anubias looks better in that empty crack?  should i put any of it back?


i kinda like it without the anubias. shows off the rock more. but thats my opinion 

i like your lighting and the carpet looks healthy. adding some stem plants in the back to give it a background would looks nice too. give it more depth.


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## paosquared (Apr 5, 2012)

welp moving stuff and adding substrate around made a giant mess. so i'm starting over and i'll just replant the carpet.
any suggestions, or should i just keep the basic layout and make the sloping more dramatic?


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## Al3x (Sep 3, 2016)

In my opinion you should keep the layout but move it an inch or two to the right and slope the substrate more.


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## paosquared (Apr 5, 2012)

slope it which way? i actually tried to slope this when i first scaped it, but eventually it flattened out a bit. guess i should stick with a more gentle slope.


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## Nazegoreng (Sep 25, 2016)

Beautiful tank! Can I ask how you achieved the sunset background?


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## paosquared (Apr 5, 2012)

Nazegoreng said:


> Beautiful tank! Can I ask how you achieved the sunset background?


basically, you first need a frosted background - i just used a frosted textured folder, but most hardware stores in the US have frosted window films that cling on without adhesive. After that, I hooked up an LED fixture to a simple switch and wall plug. Then I took cellophane in different colors and placed it over or behind the light to get the effect I wanted. Pretty simple!


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## paosquared (Apr 5, 2012)

Al3x said:


> In my opinion you should keep the layout but move it an inch or two to the right and slope the substrate more.


which way to slope it though?

Bump:


IntotheWRX said:


> i kinda like it without the anubias. shows off the rock more. but thats my opinion
> 
> i like your lighting and the carpet looks healthy. adding some stem plants in the back to give it a background would looks nice too. give it more depth.


thanks man! gonna pick up some stauro repens tmw and see what i can do with it.


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## Al3x (Sep 3, 2016)

Make the back deeper than the front. 

For this you can use substrate supports, which are just corrugated plastic. You stick em in the substrate and they act like little walls preventing the substrate from sliding down. 

Some use corrugated plastic, some use disposable cutting boards, cut to size. Some companies sell them. Google can tell you a bit more. 


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## paosquared (Apr 5, 2012)

i've done exactly that! i just used a clear plastic clipboard i had lying around and cut that with a hacksaw. unfortunately while filling it seems that some of the substrate slid down anyway. i'm worried the substrate is too deep in the front now. i wanted it a little deeper than before so that the monte carlo could root better, but perhaps it's too thick or there's not enough of a slope. should i replant? what do you think?

anyway i left some room to put stauro repens in assorted spots. i think it definitely looks nicer than before, thanks for the tips! now i just need to decide if i want to reshape and replant. note that the slope on the back left can't be too high - the filter intake is there, and so is the output. i noticed that if the slope is too high, the substrate gets pushed down even if the filter's on its lowest setting. to compensate i made the right side quite high and i think it looks pretty good.

here are some pics. pardon the mess; i'm still cleaning up! also, man is it tough to re-separate and re-plant a formerly established carpet.


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

Looks good as it is. It's actually better to have a slope more on one side than the other as it accentuates the focal point, so what you've done here is good. You really only need to bank it really high in one corner. So the fact the filter impeded sloping on the left side ended up working in your favour.
Maybe just stick with all Monte Carlo? May not need any taller plants in my opinion.


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## paosquared (Apr 5, 2012)

Opare said:


> Looks good as it is. It's actually better to have a slope more on one side than the other as it accentuates the focal point, so what you've done here is good. You really only need to bank it really high in one corner. So the fact the filter impeded sloping on the left side ended up working in your favour.
> Maybe just stick with all Monte Carlo? May not need any taller plants in my opinion.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


thanks for the encouragement! whew, okay. worked out i guess.

well, i already ordered the stauro and the person's meeting me tomorrow so i don't really have a choice, hehe. worse comes to worst i'll give it to my buddy.


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## paosquared (Apr 5, 2012)

here it is cleaned up, with anubias added, and with a simpler background. shrimp are still acclimating


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Looks good. Couple things I would do if it was mine, but ultimately its your setup so do what you want.

- Level the substrate in the front
- Reduce or loss the anubias on the small stones. It's gobbling them up and your losing the stone arrangement
- Your doing an iwagumi so your into the aesthetics, put the filter on the left side so nothing interferes with the background. Is that a powerhead? If yes, lose it.


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## paosquared (Apr 5, 2012)

mm, agree on the anubias. and the rock. i really like the anubias on the rock, so what i did instead is to pull the rock up so it's more prominent, and reduce the number of anubias.
can't hang the filter on the left side unless i wanna go topless which i don't really want to do since i'm a bit paranoid. i certainly will for more cosmetic photos though, but i'm reserving that for when the carpet's filled out again. i can live with the filter being there for now.
that's a digital thermometer which is a stand in until parts come in for the DIY temperature regulator come in 
here's a pic after those changes. still a bit cloudy. and shrimp are in now!

you guys think i should add an anubias to the left side gap of the main rock? it kinda looks like a dragon's head and it'd be like he was breathing green fire


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## Al3x (Sep 3, 2016)

I think the rescape worked very well! Personally, I think the Anubias looks great now, but do what looks best to you. 




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## paosquared (Apr 5, 2012)

thanks everyone! now to wait for plants to grow in again. i'll post later today when i put the stauro in. Al3x, where were you thinking i should place it?


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## Al3x (Sep 3, 2016)

I was thinking on the right next to the big rock or in a bush behind the rocks in the middle. 


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## paosquared (Apr 5, 2012)

added the stauro and i gotta say, it's a nice textural contrast. what do you think about my placement? I added some to the left of the left rock, behind the middle rock, in front of the main rock, and to the right of the main rock.


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## Al3x (Sep 3, 2016)

I dig it [emoji1303]


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## paosquared (Apr 5, 2012)

An update!

Changed the background to an autumn-themed one for now. Will change it to Xmas theme soon enough 

Stauro is growing in very nicely, a bit slow on the left hand side though. Did a trim earlier this week on the monte carlo. I've gotten rid of the floaters since it looks much cleaner without them. This pic is right after my weekly water change.

I've lost a few shrimp probably due to me accidentally restarting my cycle a few weeks ago. Will wait until tank stabilizes a bit before I get more. Otherwise, everything is good. I have a bit of a copepod outbreak right now but I assume it'll go away eventually.

I haven't been feeding this tank much at all due to the decent amount of algae forming on the rocks. They are getting close to finishing it off so I'll probably supplement soon 

Thanks again for all the advice! What do you guys think of it now?


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## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

Beautiful little tank!


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## Digitalfiend (Aug 29, 2014)

Looks good. Glad you ditched that drop checker - that that thing looked HUGE.


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## paosquared (Apr 5, 2012)

Small update: added a holiday themed background. The Stauro repens is doing amazingly well.


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## paosquared (Apr 5, 2012)

been a long time since i updated this and i totally forgot i made this thread so here's a pic i took today post-cleaning. still needs a trim some time this week though!


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

Looks good! I agree the S. repens needs a haircut.


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## Alf2Frankie (Mar 29, 2017)

Looks great! Have your shrimp been breeding since placed in this tank?


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

wow liking it a lot


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## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

That blue background looks good. Nice tank


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## paosquared (Apr 5, 2012)

Alf2Frankie said:


> Looks great! Have your shrimp been breeding since placed in this tank?


like rabbits. it took them a few months before they got comfortable enough to do so, but now i'm finding new babies all the time. i give my culls to a buddy who has a 50g planted turtle tank. most of them survive since there are so many hiding places, but some of them end up as turtle food.


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## Alf2Frankie (Mar 29, 2017)

That is awesome [emoji122], I am definitely looking to do a similar setup with painted cherries.


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