# 56G Column Zenscape (low-tech iwagumi style)



## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

background - this is the first "big" tank I've ever owned (30"x18"x24"), and it'll also be my first planted tank ever. I've had a couple 10G tanks 8 years ago while I was in college, and I've had an 8G BiOrb for my Betta for the past year. 

I recently quit my job and finished my last day at the old company last Thursday, before starting at a different company next Monday (2/28). I wanted to reward myself for this, and also wanted a project that I could start in the week off in between. I wanted something that I could reap long term satisfaction from, and something that would make my home more peaceful. So I decided not to get a fancy watch and go for a fish tank. I have no idea how a fish tank even got into the running, but it did and won out.

So in a quick 5 days, I've spent $700 on tank, stand, halide (which won't even be used), substrate (organic miracle gro potting mix + black gravel + the "dark" flourite), 25lbs of seiryu stone, used fluval g6 filter + parts that were missing, hydor eth300 heater, 10 pots of Lilaeopsis Mauritiana, and a pair of long tweezers. The missing g6 filter parts should get here by EOW, and the flourite as well (just got a delayed shipping notification , was supposed to be here today, 2/23). Hoping the Lilaeopsis gets here Friday too...hoping the G6 works flawlessly...should be a big weekend! I'm nervous about it all coming together w/o any more headaches.

I plan to not bother with Co2 and so i am going with just 'low tech' plants. Aside from the Lilaeopsis, I might do some sort of moss but haven't decided yet. Would be open to suggestions.

So here's where I'm at with my hardscape; rocks came in today and I spent a couple hours playing with the composition. 

okay - here we go.

FTS










Looking down from the top right side









from leftish









closeup of the centerpiece









please excuse the dirty glass and the brushes inside i used to landscape with. I'm not quite pleased with the transition from the centerpiece to the ridgeline on the right side, so will play more tomorrow.


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

I think it looks great.roud: 

I do have one thought to throw out there. Last tank I set up, I put a rock about one inch from the glass, and a week later found out that I couldn't clean the glass in that one spot. Now there is forever something on the glass there until I feel like rearranging the tank:angryfire It looks like some of yours may be close as well, so it may be something to think about if that could potentially be a pain in the butt later on. But it looks like only at the back so you might not have a problem if it's going to be hidden.


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Loop said:


> I do have one thought to throw out there. Last tank I set up, I put a rock about one inch from the glass, and a week later found out that I couldn't clean the glass in that one spot.


I have this same problem with a piece of wood in my 20 Long. Makes me crazy. 

Love the scape here though and wouldn't want to disturb it too much.


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

thanks guys (and gal! just read in bob's 10g betta journal that betta maniac is a lady)! that is good advice that comes with experience  when my flourite comes, I'm going to remove one stone, put on flourite, remove another stone, etc - one at a time. when i do that, i'll shift everything forward by a couple inches. 

ps. what do you guys use to clean your glass?


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

I've got one of the floating magnet cleaners, but I keep forgetting to buy a regular sponge to get some hard to reach places. I have a taped on black background, and I can't use the magnet there without ripping off the tape, so I need something to clean there as well. I would have painted the back glass instead if I had thought of this first.

BTW, I don't have that much experience, just good at making alot of mistakes in the short time I've been in the hobby.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

same! it drives me crazy when there is a little spot that cant be cleaned. the scape looks pretty nice though


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

hrm...as it turns out, i don't think my plants from sweetaquatics will ship until next week  from all the reviews I've read, seems like they are slow to process orders/ship, and very slow to respond to any emails. what a bummer.

magnet cleaner - i've never seen/heard one, but the concept intrigues me  not sure i'll be able to use it either though...my back glass is covered with "black" window tint from home depot.

I've got one of them long handled sponge things...hopefully that'll be enough.

thanks bob!


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

It's called Mag-Float. Two magnets. One side with a scrubber goes inside tank, one soft side for outside of tank. You just hold the outside part and move across the glass pulling the inside magnet with it. I've got a small one for my 29G and it works well. You can find them at most places that sell fish stuff. I've heard not to buy the knock off brands but I don't remember why so I would recommend the "Mag-Float" brand. Small ones are under $10 usually.









Good for quick cleaning when you don't feel like sticking your hand in the tank.


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

dunno what that shipping delay was about...the flourite came today. so i adjusted my hardscape while putting in 30 lbs of flourite and an 8.8 lb bag of fluval stratum. once the intake parts come for my G6, I'll fill'r up and start cycling.

should i wait until i'm done cycling before planting? or would it be okay to plant while cycling? 

FTS









Closeup on main seiryu









Sideview









as you can see, while adjusting the hardscape i shifted everything closer to the front, so there's a good 2-3 inches from the back now at the closest point. thanks again for saving me from trial and error there!

I'm a little concerned that my plan to use Lilaeopsis Mauritiana for carpeting may not result in what i had in mind...seems like the Lilaeopsis Mauritiana might be too tall. trying to picture infront of my stones..seems like they'll be so tall that my mountains might appear more like hills


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## agimlin (Sep 25, 2010)

i would plant before you start the cycling as it will speed things up a bit. i like the scape by the way


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## karatekid14 (Jan 16, 2011)

Looks great!


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

thanks!

I'll wait for the plants then...prolly get here next Thurs/Friday. so prolly no new pics until then.


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

That looks great this way too. You seem to have a talent for putting rocks together or something. I stare at a couple rocks, shifting them around for an hour and never like the way they look. I've never heard of problems planting before cycled. Plants should be fine and I've always heard it helps the cycle along. Wish I could help with your carpet plant, but I don't know about the height of Lilaeopsis Mauritiana. I can make a guess at something to help you though. How much are the stones burried? If they are an inch or two in the substrate, maybe you can lift them out more. It may not have the look that it does now, but once the carpet fills in around it it should give you the same height on the stones you have now with just substrate. I only say this because mine were buried alot because I wanted it to look as if it was part of the ground and not sitting on top, but once some plants started spreading around it, I thought the stones looked too short. Don't blame me if it looks bad though, this is just a suggestion. You seem to be doing good on your own instinct with the scaping.


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## simplefin (Oct 6, 2010)

A few questions about your scape. 

I noticed you are using the Miracle Gro potting soil as a substrate with a flourite cap. Im a little worried about the depth of your soil under the cap. Are you using the soil to build up underneath your hardscape? If so, I would be worried about 2 things.

1. the soil compacting, and causing anaerobic conditions.
2. with that much soil, you may be introducing to many nutrients and this could lead to a massive algae outbreak. You might be able to avoid this by limiting and reducing your lights. 

Just a few thoughts for you...


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## simplefin (Oct 6, 2010)

other then that, I love the hardscape. I cant wait to see it planted. I have a 56 column I just started up myself ( a week old) and I love it. 

Subscribed!


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

i think you're right loop. the current look is what i want the end result to look like...so i need to scape with that in mind. the Mauritiana will grow to around 3"...so i might have to raise my mountains by 2" or so cuz it really isn't buried much at all..wish the stones were taller. 

thanks simplefin! most of what is beneath the hardscape is just petco black gravel stuffed into pantyhose  so across all parts of the tank, the uppermost layer is 2" mix of fluval stratum and flourite, beneath which is 2" of soil.

i might need more gravel though to put beneath the hardscape per the grass height concern. hrm.....guess i'll have to go to petco again tomorrow...


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

didn't end up getting more gravel. just shifted things around.










also, trying to get a refund on my plant order. they're not sure when they'll be able to ship due to storm damage. i was counting on getting them this week since i placed the order last week..with the new job next week and travel, i'll have to figure out plants later after i get settled into the new job. 

might try a moss floor i think though...spilling out from the middle of my mountain. any suggestions anyone?


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

zenche said:


> might try a moss floor i think though...spilling out from the middle of my mountain. any suggestions anyone?


So are you saying it will look like a volcano with mossy green lava coming down?


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

haha, i suppose you could say that  

but as i'm reading more...seems like moss would be a real pita.


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## Xalyx (Sep 26, 2010)

What type of moss? I don't agree with that idea though, moss SOUNDS nice but when it's in your tank you'll be like "Oh...."


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

hrm, what would you recommend?

i do kinda like this idea of a green volcano though


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

That's what I thought about using moss as a carpet too. I've been looking for a carpeting plant for a while now, but it seems like most of them can be a pain from what others have said. I'm looking for low maintenance. I still think the rocks look good though. I need to get some of those fancy ADA rocks but I didn't want to pay for them. I've tried to find something I like locally, but no luck so far. I fear Mr.Amano will get my cash afterall.


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## Xalyx (Sep 26, 2010)

You still haven't said what you have in mind, there's a lot of different types of moss! From that hardscape your scaping skills look better than mine so :\ I'm pretty sure it'll work out.


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

thanks guys  i just google image searched for "mountains" over the course of a few days to get a sense of what i wanted 

as for the carpet...i'm too newb to know what plants even look like by name. looking through that plant search (which i just discovered, and it's freaking awesome!!)...i just want something that'll be short and low maintenance. i like the look of HC (which, thanks to plant dictionary, i now know to be Hemianthus callitrichoides), but it seems to require more light and Co2 

oh, and loop - re: stones...yea, i tried locally too. "rockery" doesn't even exist when i search for it in chicagoland  LFS had stones too, but none like the seiryu which i immediately fell in love with via photos on forums here.


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

I'm still going to try a few landscape companies for something interesting, but it's hard to compete with most of ADAs selection, so I'm not too confident. If I find anything really nice I'll probably buy a large amount and sell some here. Not for a profit, just to share some nice cheap alternative.


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

where are the rocks listed on ADA? don't really see anything (with pictures anyway).

my g6 intake replacement came, and the filter is up and running now...yes, i filled the tank up. figured might as well, and skim off the floaters that were inevitable. 

what to do for carpet....hrm...


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

Click on "Shop" at the top of their page. Then click "Layout Materials" on the left side. Then "Stones". It takes you here.

http://www.adana-usa.com/index.php?main_page=afa_product&cPath=7_14


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

oic. but you have no idea on the size of the stones right? just total weight? not ideal to help plan something that's visual, imo.

bought some marsilea minuta from the SnS. we'll see how that works out


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

planted the Marsilea Minuta. i felt weird planting them...like i was doing it wrong or something.

anyway, some pics

fts









angled looking down









i added 4 tiger barbs + 1 rainbow shark who had been lonely in a bamboo bowl, to speed up cycling the tank over the weekend. they seem to get along pretty well. the rainbow likes to school with them sometimes, and he does the chasing when there is chasing between the two species.


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

tank was all cycled, and i had some ~25 red cherry shrimp in the tank (after i removed the barbs), but made the grave error of adding some liquid algae remover, which resulted in the loss of nearly all my shrimp and my rainbow shark by the next morning. should have read the label more closely, it warns against use if you're keeping invertebrates. still, doesn't explain how my rainbow shark was killed by it too.

anyway...that was a few days ago. did heavy water changes daily since, water is back to shrimp safe now. put back in the 3 shrimps i was able to save, along with bunches of camboda. 

just hoping some of our sellers here get the right stuff in this week for me to fill this baby up 

i'm torn between what to stock though....here are the 3 options i've been mulling over.

1) CPDs + 1 other type of danio + amano shrimps
2) Emperor Tetras + 1 other type of Tetra + amano shrimps
3) CPDs + Emperors + Amanos
4) HUGE school of cardinal tetras, like 40-60 of them. 

There's something interesting about keeping one "type" of fish, be it tetras or danios, hence option 1 and 2. What do you guys think?


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## WeedCali (Jun 21, 2010)

Very nice!


Poor Rainbow Shark  I was so sad when I lost mine :[


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

thanks!

yea, i had had him for close to a year now too ><


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## mofiki (May 18, 2010)

go with barbs and amanos


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Nice rocks and arrangement!


You may want to reduce your light (time or intensity) if you are getting algae. Algae eliminator products are not a long-term solution.

Why did you plant big stem plants in your foreground? They'll obscure the hardscape and the 'lawn' effect I thought you were going for. honestly, that plant species doesn't really fit the look of the tank. Maybe try a tall grassy plant behind the rocks? Giant hairgrass or Val. nana amongst others.


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

I don't really see much algae in the tank since I've gotten proper lighting. the rocks are a bit green though and I was hoping to get rid of that. I've got the 2x24w T5H0 + the 4 CFLs set on the same timer for 9 hrs/day. 

And I didn't have enough plants before to outcompete algae i think, which hopefully now I have enough plants of.

re: Cabomba in the foreground - it's there right now cuz that's where I have the most space. i was thinking of letting it grow, and then trimming it down so each bunch is only 2" tall, and use the trimmings to spread out across the foreground so then I'd have a 2" carpet of it....kind of looks like evergreens don't it? 

If it doesn't work, I suppose I could always remove and put them in the biorb with my betta.


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

well, i ended up going for a mix. placed an order from Zid here, for 15 amanos, 10 CPDs, and 8 emperor tetras. 

zid ships on saturday, so they'll probably get to me next monday/tuesday. in the mean time, i decided to move my betta in here so he could swim in the big tank for at least a little bit. here he is


















didn't have much time to try to shoot him under the right light/angle. depending on the angle of light, he is usually black with blue/turq highlights, though other times he is more of a copper/bronze highlight. 

oh, and i saw a shrimp in there today  hope he survives.


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

You're betta looks almost EXACTLY like the one in my avatar does now (his fins filled in with the grey/silver). I'm willing to bet he'll be just fine in there with the mix of fish and shrimp you've chosen (though if you still have the barbs in there, watch his fins carefully to make sure they're not nipping him).


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

wow, your betta changed a lot then! from white to grey like that? crazy.

no barbs. only thing in the tank right now are two gold spotted plecos L001 that i got from the LFS yesterday


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

Cool Betta. I haven't seen many with a silver/gray color like that. I had this idea before to stock my 29G with a betta and a ton of RCS, and have it heavily planted so the RCS can survive and keep breeding amongst the plants where the betta can't get them all. This kinda makes me want to do it again, but I don't know what I would do with my current stock in the 29.


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

As long as you feed your betta well, I think you could make it work with RCS. i moved my betta back into his Biorb since I noticed his fins were getting a bit torn in the 56G. I'm guessing the flow is too strong for him and he mighta been getting them torn against the seiryu stones. 

In the Biob, I actually have 2 RCS that survived the noalgae mess in the 56G. I've his big "ball" of plastic plant that sits around the biorb outflow...they hide in that, and I've seen my betta try to get to them through it, it's kinda funny 

what do you have in your 29G? any chance of trading them locally?


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

zenche said:


> what do you have in your 29G? any chance of trading them locally?


Right now I've got some Tiger Barbs, Black Neons, and a BN Pleco. I'm sure I could probably be fine with the Neons and the BN. I don't think they would bother a Betta, but my Tigers are jerks and I'm sure would shred his fins in no time. I'm sure I could find a home for the Tigers, but I think I like them too much to get rid of them. I have no choice but to start collecting tanks I guess. Too many ideas for tanks i want to keep.:icon_bigg


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

haha, yea, only problem would be the barbs. 

i've no space for another tank, thankfully. lol, otherwise, this could get out of hand


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

pic of it last week...lost all my fish due to ich >< $200 down the drain...salt + heat treatment didn't work, and switched to meds too late i guess. 

moved all 15 amano shrimp into the biorb, tearing down the 56G now...gonna rescape.


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## Gookis (Dec 28, 2010)

Loop said:


> I think it looks great.roud:
> 
> I do have one thought to throw out there. Last tank I set up, I put a rock about one inch from the glass, and a week later found out that I couldn't clean the glass in that one spot. Now there is forever something on the glass there until I feel like rearranging the tank:angryfire It looks like some of yours may be close as well, so it may be something to think about if that could potentially be a pain in the butt later on. But it looks like only at the back so you might not have a problem if it's going to be hidden.





Sorry if someone already mentioned these but check out NanoMag Magnetic Algae Cleaners. For glass and acrylic. Super slim magnet for in the tank. Less then 1/8" thick! And super strong magnet. Sounds like I sell them but I promise I don't. I've had the same issue in the past and I've since made sure all my furniture is away from the glass but since I found these little guys I don't worry so much!

Matt


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

already had gotten one of the ones mentioned earlier.

they work well enough, but they don't seem to be able to scrap off diatoms. would the nanomag handle better?


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

plants due this saturday:

E. Tennelus
bacopa
Lysimachia nummularia
Ludwigia Repens
Cryptocoryne Wendtii plants
dwarf hairgrass
apongetons
Hygrophila Difformis
Rotala Colorata
Echinodorus Angustifolia
Alternanthera Reineckii
Pogostemon erectum
Java Moss
Java Fern
Tiger Lotus
Red Rotala macrandra

yay


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

shutting this down.

redone tank is getting its own journal


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