# ADA mini M perspective style - "Through the woods" 8/4 IAPLC results



## legomaniac89 (Mar 16, 2008)

Those are some sick rocks you found there, but I agree that they may not be high enough. They'll probably get buried under the Eleocharis once it gets growing. You can try adding a bit more Aquasoil underneath them to help raise them up a bit.

BTW, I think it looks great, but the iwagumi purists are going to have a fit that you're using stem plants


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

New pictures of the rescape









Limnophila sp. vietnam close up









And what I thought was a cool picture of my shrimp swarm. All started with just 15 super reds.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Thanks for the advice legomaniac! I did just that and I think it looks a lot better!

Do I have an annoying username? no one ever comments on my threads


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## v369 (Nov 14, 2010)

good looking shrimp.
nice setup.


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## jmowbray (Dec 20, 2009)

What kind of rocks are those?


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Thanks v369!

jmowbray, those rocks are Seiryu stone that I bought from Aqua Forest in SF. Those shrimp are actually in a separate shrimp tank. Seiryu leaches stuff that will kill CRS so this tank will have to make do with only my super reds.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

little update.

Not much has happened since last time. I trimed and replanted the limnophilia so it looks a little more bushy. The lower leaves are dying off but the new growth is super green, good contrast to the darker hair grass. 

My staurogyne tropica sp 049 isn't doing too well. I grew it emmersed so the old leaves are dying away.

And yes, I need to clean my lily pipes











Top down view to show the rock layout












Here are the scapes from the 2010 book of ADA that served as my inspiration in case someone hasn't seen them yet. These tanks are a lot bigger obviously, but I hope my choice on stem plant will work out since the limnophilia is small and has smaller leaves compared to the ones used in this layout.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

I guess no one cares.

Maybe if I had a fancy nick name for my tank... "Out of the forest"... "Forest clearing"..."Mountains in the distance"..."pho dac biet"...


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## PUMPKINHEAD (Nov 5, 2010)

I like how its come along,sucks that I can't see it over on baaps. This is Brandon by the way,like it matters,lmao. Don't be discouraged its like when I first got on Sfbaaps and felt like everyone was only buddy buddy with "known" people but in reality it just takes time I guess.

Or maybe your name DOES suck,just messin.


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Funny Tu haha 

Your tank is coming along nicely man. Keep up the good work! The belem is already starting to spread since last I saw. 

You should see the belem that I got from you now.


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## !shadow! (Jan 25, 2010)

l agree those rocks are some of the best i've seen on this forum. Good job with the scape as well


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Thanks guys for the responses!

This thing is taking it's sweet time to fill in the blank spots in the carpet, but having multiple tank syndrome really helps when you have to wait this long. There's always something to do on the other tanks


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

update:
Added a mini branch of driftwood w/ some fissidens attached to complete the forest look









close up of the fissidens









This tank is going to be co2-less for a while. I sold my paintball regulator to someone, so I gotta wait until I get some parts to hook up my old azoo regulator.

In the mean time, I had to cut my lighting, and since I had the light lifted as high as it could go already, I had to add some window netting to block the light. From what I'm told, this cuts the light by 30%


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## Zareth (Dec 13, 2010)

Looks really good, I love fissidens and I love the perspective style. 
And your rocks are top notch! 

Dont feel bad, no one comments on my Iwagumi either


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

!!! I got super excited when I saw my thread at the top! Thanks for the comments! haha


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## PUMPKINHEAD (Nov 5, 2010)

Tu, you can pay me to bump your thread if you want. Idk,for the right price I might do it hourly on the hour.

Tank looks good!


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## Hobbes1911 (Mar 2, 2009)

I really like the look of how the grass moves between the mountains into the back. Gives the setup a deeper perspective. 

Personally, I'm not sure about the fissidens branch .... I like it but I don't know if it really fits into the setup.... But that's just my 2 cents.

Keep up the good work, and I really like your hardscape.


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## zyn1 (Aug 26, 2010)

this is looking great


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## swoof (Jun 30, 2010)

The tank looks really good. Keep us updated on how it looks over time 

roud:


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Hobbes1911 said:


> I really like the look of how the grass moves between the mountains into the back. Gives the setup a deeper perspective.
> 
> Personally, I'm not sure about the fissidens branch .... I like it but I don't know if it really fits into the setup.... But that's just my 2 cents.
> 
> Keep up the good work, and I really like your hardscape.


Thank you!

The fissidens branch was kind of an after thought, something thrown in after to see how it'd look. I'll keep it and see how it looks once the limnophilia grows in more. I'm thinking about replacing the front 2 inches of hairgrass with some e. trianda but not so sure just yet.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

New shots

























Oh and took some pics of my shrimp tank, this is where all my super reds come from


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## Zareth (Dec 13, 2010)

interesting, I might be inspired enough to try some flame moss in the foreground of my tank when i flood it to give it a similar look.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Zareth said:


> interesting, I might be inspired enough to try some flame moss in the foreground of my tank when i flood it to give it a similar look.


Give it a try! It's something new and different, and I really like it. When I first saw it at aqua forest and in the ADA book I hated it but it grew on me.


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## beedee (Jul 1, 2010)

nice dude! i wish my belem would hurry up and fill in!


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## amphirion (Nov 13, 2008)

@lego: im having a fit. lol...
@iwannagofast: i really think that the stemmed plants have to go---they detract from the amazing rocks that you have back there---either that or you need to shift the stems behind the rock...i know you wanted a foreground of trees. maybe substitute for a different plant? have you ever considered: Lobelia cardinalis, or Ranunculus inundatus? both i think would make better candidates for what your looking for. i like what you did for the hardscape and the right side of the tank. the fissidens definitely helps give the forest look.


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

IWANNAGOFAST said:


> New shots


This tank is looking really good. I agree that the stems have to go. But I think that left rock arrangement is bad***. It looks really cool. The rightmost rock looks a tad off. I think you should tilt it more to the right and push it down a bit.

Don't be discouraged about thread replies. It really does snowball. As you "earn" it people tend to subscribe and check it more often and it gets pulled up more often. It just takes time. Lookin' good though. Keep it up.


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## ddtran46 (Jul 8, 2008)

IWANNAGOFAST said:


> Maybe if I had a fancy nick name for my tank... "Out of the forest"... "Forest clearing"..."Mountains in the distance"...*"pho dac biet"*...


I was cracking up when I read this. hahah

I really like the tank.


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## cervantesmx (Feb 16, 2011)

I like the way it looks, any chance we'll see any fishes in there soon? - I feel there's something missing :/


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Another update before I move this tank into my cubicle at work.


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## .Mko. (Sep 23, 2010)

So natural! love it =)
Great tank


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## .Mko. (Sep 23, 2010)

the mix of hairgrass and various other plants in the hairgrass makes it seem so wild
i am entranced O_O


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

haha thanks mko! I'm hoping the hydrocotyle will eventually spread out and cover a larger portion of the hairgrass. Thing grows with the quickness!


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

I think it looks great. Very natural. Whats wrong with keeping CRS with Seiryu stone? my crs are fine with it.


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## lasutaku (Jun 15, 2007)

I really like your tank. i'm definitely going to try the "new style" iwagumi for my next tank.


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## fishboy87 (Feb 19, 2008)

I really like your tank alot. You bring alot of originality to the typical iwagumi style. I never really cared for the only HC style tank other than for their hardscape. Great job!


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate your comments.



> I really like your tank. i'm definitely going to try the "new style" iwagumi for my next tank


Yeah! I think it would look even better in a bigger tank but no new tank set ups for me for a while...

I moved the tank into my office, unfortunately, it kinda got shuffled around during the move and the aquasoil shifted, I tried to get the rocks back in place but they're not in the same spots anymore

Here are some iphone shots


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

bsk said:


> I think it looks great. Very natural. Whats wrong with keeping CRS with Seiryu stone? my crs are fine with it.


I've heard that the seiryu stone leaches stuff into the water increasing the GH and since CRS like low GH it'll eventually kill them.

I've put a few of my CRS culls into this tank so we'll see how long they last.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Small update.

The embers all died on me. I put in some green neons, which I can now never EVER see because all they do is hide... boo. I'm going to just put some fancy guppies or something so I can actually see some fish swimming around


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## swoof (Jun 30, 2010)

If it wasn't for the shrimp i'd say some Cherry Barbs or albino Cherry barbs would look neat in there, if you don't mind the redness of the males, lol. I just don't know how Cherry Barbs would be with shrimp.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Hmm.. maybe, they might be a little too large for this size tank. There's some really nice guppies at my LFS so I'll probably go with those


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

i love this tank. it looks so nice. the rocks looks so good. 

Amy


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Thanks SkyGrl! if only my fish would come out


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

lol i feel your pain. one of my very favorite fish are plecos... they are just so cute! but you never see them... get some white cloud minnows, i swore i would never buy a tetra type fish but i was impressed with their brave nature. they are always scoot scooting around. 

Amy


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## lasutaku (Jun 15, 2007)

You can try mini rasboras, they always hang out in the open in my tank


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Added 4 fancy male guppies. I had moved away from these because they were too common, but man, they got some nice color, and they're actually out and about! 

Gets my coworkers to stop asking me "where the heck are the fish?!"


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Some quick and dirty cell phone shots, It's not this yellow in person, iphones can't take that great of pictures. The hydrocotyle is a weed! No co2, just a bit of excel and some ferts each day and look how much it covers! 

All my fish died  I put a few green neons in, they didn't survive because I think the temp was a little too cold for them (72). The bodies disappeared, and probably fouled the water. When I added the guppies, they probably couldn't stand the bad water and subsequently died soon after. Funny thing is, shrimp and otos are doing fine.

Probably going to go with white clouds next since they can stand the colder water and bring in some fire reds to add some color to the tank.


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

Bummer about your fish. White clouds are awesome, but can be jumpers IME.

I like the scape a lot - how often do you trim the hydrocortle? I just hacked the bejeezus out of the stuff in my Finnex. Totally took over the tank.


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## Beijing08 (Oct 13, 2010)

Love it! I'm going to start something along the lines of this "perspective style" concept.
which hydrocotyle species is that?


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Thanks Beijing08 and roybot73!

It's Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides

I haven't trimmed the hydrocotyle THAT much, but yeah it grows super quick. No co2 helps slow the growth but not that much. I'm going to be hooking up my co2 again after I test my regulator for leaks.

As far as jumpers go, it's not too much of a concern, I'd rather have the random 1 or 2 jump than all die due to the cold...


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

More pics.
I swapped the lights out to LEDs. Check it out here
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals-photo-album/123506-mr-aqua-11-4-riparium-7.html

I also hooked up my co2 finally and I have to say Co2 is a godsend. Everything is super lush and all my algae is gone. This tank is getting... maybe .8bps diffused through the archaea super diffuser. No drop checker on here but plants start to pearl by lunch time.









CPO from scipio. I got 4 of these but only brought 1 into work. The rest are at home w/ my shrimpies









Ferts. Can't be bringing in baggies of white powder to work. I know the ADA thing is a waste of money but it looks cool... the other bottle is excel. 1 squirt of ADA brighty special lights and 2 squirts of excel a day.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Added some ludwigia arcuata









It's a little messy right now but should start to straighten itself out in a few days









Also got some downoi from speedie408, very nice!


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Glad you like the downoi bro. 

For some reason that clump of fissidens is bothering me. it keeps telling me "I don't belong here!" I can't suggest anywhere else to put it either so haha. Otherwise, tank looks good mang! I like how the rocks are getting that rustic look with the algae growing on them.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

Awesome tank. I really am getting sick of "natural style" tanks, only because I feel like I am looking at the same thing over and over. I love it when someone puts a twist on it because I actually enjoy the style/concept, it just great to see a new twist.

I do agree about the moss though, it looks a bit overgrown, disproportionate in size to the rest


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## demonr6 (Mar 14, 2011)

Looks nice, its a forest you got going on there..


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Thanks guys! I agree the fissidens is in need of a trim.

I'm actually going to be taking out the branch and use another piece of wood.


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## Born4spd (Oct 22, 2010)

Wow, this tank looks great!

I guess this is where the fissidens im getting came from


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

I removed the whole branch. I was pulling the fissidens off it to expose the wood but I didn't like the way it looked so I pulled the whole thing out. I brought in another piece. It's a little smaller, but I think it fits a little better.

I also moved one of the rocks on the right side (the one that looks white) It used to buried in that spot with just the top 1 cm popping up. It looked good at first but after the grass grew in thick you couldn't even see it. Hopefully in a month or so it'll get the dark green algae on it and match the rest of the rocks.


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

looks great! 

Amy


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## psalm18.2 (Oct 16, 2010)

They allow fish tanks at work? Nice.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

haha I have to keep myself from staring at it all day! Seems like my boss always walks by my cube right as I'm stealing a glance at the tank, why does he never see me when I'm actually working!?!


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

New pics, played around with a photo editor on my iphone. 

I removed the fissidens branch, you couldn't even see the branch anymore under all the fissidens. Replaced it with a smaller more spindly looking piece of wood. Added a few more stems to the front, ludwigia arcuata, some rotala colorata (I had 1 stem left over from a few months ago and grew it out. And also some stem I grabbed from my LFS, don't remember the name.










The CPO was chillin on this top rock, looked like a Mufasa surveying his kingdom









Downoi from speedie408 is doing really well even in the softer east bay water









Thanks for looking!


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

looks awesome! 

i love the mufasa pic! so cute cute!!!

Amy


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Thanks SkyGrl!


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

one of the main reasons i love this tank is that the entire sustrate is being used. the grass covering is saweet! i need more plants.. AFTER i move tho!

Amy


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Do you guys know that feeling you get when you finally get something that you've been searching oh so long for? I have that feeling today. 

I've been searching for Oryzias Woworae since October of last year, I think they were discovered in the wild not too long before that. I just got them in today. I'm so happy, they're very active and already starting to color up.


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Where'd you pick up those Rice fish Tu? How well do they school, if at all? Tank's looking better n better man. Actually, it looks way better now that you got rid of the fissidens and twigs. Nice job!


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

great addition of colorful fish! very unique!

Amy


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

I got them from mgamer20o0 in the powerseller section. Neptunes got some in a few months ago but they were out of my price range at the time, and when they got them in again they had ich. I guess since they're pretty prolific the price has dropped a bit. I remember they were going for about 30-40 bucks a pop in october on Aquabid. 

They're not super tight schoolers like rummies, but I would equate them more to like, CPDs in terms of behavior


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## PUMPKINHEAD (Nov 5, 2010)

Very nice dude! Those fish are dope.


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## swoof (Jun 30, 2010)

I picked up a group of them in a group buy a few months ago, we got a pretty good price for the time. It's really neat seeing the females carrying the eggs too. Good luck with them  We had problems with ich when we first got them, some people had no luck treating it and some didn't show signs of ich for months. Keep an eye on them.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

I only got 4 males, I don't want any breeding going on in my work tank haha. The females aren't too colorful so I didn't want to get any. Coworkers come by all the time to look so tank has to look colorful all the time haha


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

I normally don't like tanks without lots of color, but I love this tank. 'grats on having an awesome tank


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## Kazuya (Apr 4, 2011)

Looking really great in those last pictures.

What is the name of the plant on the back right side by the heater?


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

That plant in the back is more of the Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides, it just spread up instead of out.

and thank you all for your comments 

I sent this tank into IAPLC, will be cool to see what place I get compared to some of the best aquascapers in the world, I'm not expecting much but we'll see.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

So, I placed 1356 with this shot... a little disappointing but i didn't expect much without a tank that's fully grown in.


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## PUMPKINHEAD (Nov 5, 2010)

GOODJOB Tu!! I like the rice fish you got...i jocked your style and copped my own a few weeks back. The males coloring is outrageous,huh?


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## actioncia (Jun 9, 2005)

That is really a nice tank you've got there.


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## BioTopic (Jul 26, 2011)

IWANNAGOFAST said:


> Thanks for the advice legomaniac! I did just that and I think it looks a lot better!
> 
> Do I have an annoying username? no one ever comments on my threads



I like your Username
:hihi:

And I think your aquarium is neat stuff


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Thanks! unfortunately this tank is no more. I quit my job so i tore down the tank.


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