# My 2 gallon Iwagumi? *Page 6. Update! 3.9.07*



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

I was thinking, which one should I post it in. Either the photo album or the Planted Nano tanks. Then I read the description of the two threads, and Nano Tanks are for discussion. And this is to show off your photos. Well I chose this because there are more people who reply here :-D.

I'd like to thank Turbomkt for the Cherries, and Matthew_Mahling for the rocks, blyxa japonica, and hairgrass.

Here you are:









Stats
Light: 18 watts CF (the mini aqualight by Coralife)
CO2: pressurized
Substrate: "Shrimp Ichiban Sand" on top, ADA AS on bottom
Fauna: 6 Cherry shrimp, 4 Bee shrimp (one kind of disappeared...), 1 Amano shrimp, 1 Endler's Liverbearer fry and 2 Corydoras Hasbrosus.
Flora: HC, Eleocharis parvula, Blyxa Japonica
Ferts: Seachem Nitrogen, Seachem Phosphorus, Seachem Potassium, and Seachem Flourish
Ph:6.2-6.4 area
GH: dunno
KH: 2 degrees
Temp: 26 degrees Celsius

Any comments welcome. I will try to update the pics, regardless of how many comments I get :-D. I just wanna keep this page bookmarked to keep it as my journal, because I don't really want to make a personal one.

This is what is was before: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/p...ndiegoryus-2-gallon-tank-iwagumi-attempt.html

I think I actually beat my clado. Now to kill the BBA. I hope my CO2 will take care of it. Just afraid of overdose because of my shrimp.

Please help me make this tank better!


----------



## mr.sandman (Nov 7, 2006)

Your shirmps and especially your Corydoras Hasbrosus makes your tank look very big.(except for the diffuser, but you can hide it behind that rock) I love it, nice work roud: .


----------



## Ankit (Dec 15, 2006)

Nice looking setup 

How much was your pressurized CO2? Pretty ambitious for a 15 year old! 8)


----------



## James From Cali (Dec 15, 2006)

Its a major change from what it was before. It does seem bigger than what it is. Your shrimp are going to be happy!


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Thank you everyone.

Yes the diffuser puts everything to scale, but ignoring the diffuser, the tank does seem a lot bigger than I realized :-D. Next time I take a picture, I'll take out the diffuser.

Ankit: the pressurized cost me in total about 100 dollars. I paid about 50 for an azoo regulator, and another 50 in tubing, cylinder, and adapter. I used a paintball cylinder, with a On/off valve, which is CGA 320 fitting. Looks pretty nice. 

For this tank I've spent like $200 :-D.

Yes I am very ambitious about this hobby. Every since I started this hobby, I've always wanted a green field with iwagumi style rocks. Amano's glosso tanks would amaze me very much. So I used a 2 gallon, to make it cheaper on me to make a great iwagumi tank. Now I just need to wait to let the plants fill in. One day's growth is great with CO2 :-D.


----------



## aquarium boy (Jul 28, 2004)

> How much was your pressurized CO2? Pretty ambitious for a 15 year old! 8)


so just becuse hes 15 it means he cant afford a co2 system?

>thread starter.
very nice aquarium it reminds me alot of oliver knott and amano's tanks.


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

:-O!!!!!!

REMINDS YOU OF OLIVER KNOTT AND AMANO'S TANK?!?!?! AWESOME! That is one of my goals in life LOL.

I love you for saying that.

Ok that was my kid side. Sometimes you'll see me spazzing out about stuff. :-D.
THANK YOU AQUARIUM BOY!

Well I don't blame Ankit for saying that. I mean, what do you REALLY expect from a 15 year old? Well to make changes to that, I made Y.A.A., and to make people aware this isn't just a hobby for you older people :-D. I love fish tanks.


----------



## fish_lover0591 (Nov 11, 2006)

Wow i really like it  One question where do you buy your Co2 cartridges ?


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

I buy my co2 from the internet :-D. More specifically, Amazon.com. It's a 20oz paintball cylinder by Brass Eagle. I filled mine at Sports Chalet, if you have them at New York. Then I got a On/Off valve seperately. I've heard that the built in ones aren't so reliable so I got a seperate one and I'm pleased.


----------



## fish_lover0591 (Nov 11, 2006)

oh ok thanks


----------



## Matthew Mahling (Sep 4, 2005)

Looking good. Did something go wrong with the first attempt, or you just changing things up?


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Well my first setup got too much BBA and clado while I was in Japan. I also bought the substrate in Japan, so decided to save what I could and start from scratch. It's doing great so far.


----------



## Solstice (Jan 9, 2006)

Nice job Ryu! roud:

For a little constructive criticism, I'm not entirely thrilled by your rock placement. I think the plants and everything will grow in to make a really beautiful tank regardless of how your rocks are setup, but I think that by just turning one of the rocks around and eliminating the sharp V shape you have there will give the tank a much more serene and natural look. Make one of them face the other instead of them turning away from eachother. Plus it will be a little more in-line with the actual rules of iwagumi if that's what you're going for. I chose not to call my tank an iwagumi tank because I wasn't really following any of the principles. 

I'd also move the diffuer over to a corner. Eventually it will hopefully get hidden, but in the meantime, keep it anywhere but the center. 

PS. Soooo jealous about your pressurized CO2. One of these days....


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Yah I kept the CO2 under the outflow of the filter. But it's not helping much so I will move it to a corner now.

Thanks for the tip on the rock placement. So you'd want one rock facing the same direction? I'm gonna go later tomorrow to study more on Iwagumi principles. I didn't before I made this lol. I'll also look at more iwagumi tanks for help on rock placement. It's still young so I can do all these changes without too much trouble. I'll get on it as soon as finals week end.

Thanks much for the constructive criticism. I want more posts like this :-D. Helps a lot.


----------



## Solstice (Jan 9, 2006)

But of course 

There's probably a lot out there to read and I'm by no means an expert (or even very knowledgable for that matter) but from what I've read in the past Sanzon Iwagumi is the most prolific form and involves 3 stones, 1 larger and 2 smaller arranged in the golden triangle. The two smaller stones lean in towards the larger stone and represent a Japanese scene of two smaller Buddah bowing to a larger Buddah. 

There are other forms but this was the best documented form I found when I was looking for info when laying out my tank. I eventually decided to go with other inspiration and not do an iwagumi tank.

Whether or not you decide to go with traditional iwagumi or not, I think moving the stones a little more off-center and making them not face directly away from each other will make an already beautiful tank just a little more pleasing


----------



## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

Nice tank, sandie.
How are the hasbrosus cories?


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Thanks dufus and Solstice. Tomorrow definitely, or I think, I will change the rock layout after reading more on principles of Iwagumi/Aquascaping.

The cories are fine. Just never had them before so I dunno if this is normal behavior. But it seems to be healthy behavior :-D. They also eat the shrimp food so its fine. I also put pieces of algae wafers so that the cories get a more nutritious meal rather than nutrients meant for shrimp.


----------



## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

Cool critters they are. i want some pygmyeus cories.
BTW: where'd you get them?


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Well since you're in Texas, it won't help much. I got it at an LFS in San Diego called Aquatic Warehouse. Sorry can't help you. Not the internet .


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

WOW! I REALLY like this rock scape now! Water is a little foggy but here it goes. It's the same two rocks BTW.










I will post clearer picture as soon as it clears. Better photo too. This one was a quick snapshot. My hands were wet :-D.

Edit: Critique please!


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

*Update 1.31.07*

Well here it is a lot more clearer. Please give me some feedback/critique, whatever you wanna say.

1.31.07


----------



## John P. (Apr 10, 2004)

Looks well, but you might consider more plant mass.


----------



## Lucky_13 (Apr 18, 2006)

the rocks look great like that. but i agree, more plants!


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

What do you mean by more plant mass?

Well I'm still in the beginning stage of my tank so you have to wait until my HC fills in.

Also the blyxa will hopefully eventually grow to at least halfway up the tank. and the Dwarf hairgrass will also hopefully start to spread. I only have two plants of dwarf hairgrass because I had a die off. But blyxa is growing fine. Hc is also spreading fast so time will tell.

Should I buy more hairgrass?


----------



## ianiwane (Sep 7, 2004)

Also, with iwagumi you normally want 3 rocks. Odd numbers good, even numbers bad. esp number 4.


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

O yah and a friend told me he liked the old scape better. Which one do you like?


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

So... what should I do? I have another rock, which is more blue but the same type of rock. What I have in there is Seiryu rock, with a little more white than usual. The one I have is more awkward shaped and I tried to work with but it didn't work very well.

Do I cram another rock into there?

Is a nano iwagumi impossible, well at least in my tank with my rocks? Should I just call it nano tank instead of iwagumi? I will experiment once more after I research more.

I remember amano saying plant in odd groups but dont remember about rocks.


----------



## ianiwane (Sep 7, 2004)

Haha, crack the rocks to look like how you want. I sugest moving the rocks back a bit too.


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Thanks. Today, I actually took my weird shaped rock, and decided to break into pieces. I threw it up and let it fall on gravity. [email protected] THING WON'T BREAK!! All I got were very small chips.

Do you think a hammer would do the trick? After all, a hammer can break a diamond.

Yah I also did consider moving the rocks back, but after a day's worth of work I called it done :-D. I will do that tomorrow after I crack the rock. If it be possible.

Also I noticed that the breaks were sooo smooth. It looked very very unnatural. So maybe breaking it would be unadvised. Well I'll break it for aquscaping's sake and tell you what happened.


----------



## aquarium boy (Jul 28, 2004)

instead of breaking up the rocks or anything try to add the third rock in the middle and make kind of a triangular shape with them if i remember right thats like the "shape" of something that i cant remember right now but its what they shape alot of there stuff after (mainly bonsai).
what i would do to keep with the iwagumi style is to make the sort of broke-up triangle of rocks in the middle of the tank and put the blyxa as a back ground plant in another triangle behind the rocks with the hair grass planted 
around and through the rocks and to finish it off have the hc as a forground
plant around everything else. i might draw something for you to see what im talking about later.


----------



## sNApple (Nov 6, 2005)

Maybe put the left rock behind the other one to make some depth? Or add another rock to make it a true iwagumi set up .


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

This is the same tank same rocks. The awkward one I was talking about is the one in the back. I ditched this tank because I hated the look of flourite and what it does to my plants. It kills them lol. I love the soil I have now. Nice and black and packed with nutrients. Plants are loving it in the new soil. Also, after this picture I went to japan. And the BBA outbreak was horrific. Covered every piece of Japonica and HC. Thats why you see less Blyxa in my tank now. I used to have stubs of stems. Now I have leaves and they are growing and spreading

So would this scape actually be better?


----------



## aquarium boy (Jul 28, 2004)

that looks more like iwagumi style put the 3rd rock in and just let the plants grow.


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Ok, right now my hand are wet from messing with the 3rd rock. And placing the other two in different spots, while making the water very very cloudy...

Anyway my conclusion is, MY TANK IS TOO SMALL FOR 3 ROCKS. Unless I get another even smaller one.

I am trying some scapes now. Will post back. The water is soooo stinking cloudy. GRR. I hope this isn't harmful to my shrimp. If the bee's die, screw them. I can wait until my f!cking scape comes done. I feel so frustrated right now. Gotta be calm. Scapes wont be born in madness.


----------



## ianiwane (Sep 7, 2004)

All three rocks are too much the same size. There should be one centerpiece rock and 2 smaller ones flanking it. You could get away with 3 rocks if you had 2 smaller ones. The Beauty of the Japanese Garden


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Well I tried many scapes. I took my rock and broke it and lost the main big piece. Here is a little picture by picture "story." In chronological order.

This is the tank without the rocks.









Here is my "workshop"









Here are some scapes that I tried with 3 rocks but didn't like at all.

















I hated the third rock, so I took a hammer.









Didn't work well so I took a nail.









This is what happened to the nail with no success on cracking the rock.









I eventually got small pieces.









This is what's left of the rock.









And then next I threw it up with the hope of cracking it into two small pieces. I threw it up way high, and it landed on my next door neighbor's house. Gone forever. Not really but I didn't bother to go and ask :-D. This is where it went. On the other side of the wall.










I used the small rocks and eventually returned to my old scape but with small rocks as accents that I think will eventually be covered by my HC anyway. I'll post a pic once it clears.


----------



## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

OOPS!
oh well, live learn, bust some rocks...repeat!


----------



## retoid (Jan 2, 2007)

using a something like a heavy duty railroad spike or thick durable chisel makes it easier to split rocks more accurately.

...and a hammer of course.


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

I'll keep that in mind next time I crack a rock :-D. 

Well here it is a little more clearer. 








Not much. I'm keeping this scape. I'm tired of everything right now. Just lemme relax and enjoy my scape. I'll post another pic as soon as my HC fills in. Mebbe in a month or two.

Thanks much to everyone who has helped me. Comments/criticism/w/e else you wanna say, welcome.


----------



## aquarium boy (Jul 28, 2004)

does your dad have a sledge hammer? when i need to crack a rock i just get one and in 1 hit its smashed to peices.

your tank looks good like you have it now.


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

No sledge hammer. My dad isn't a workshop kind of fellow. He's azn lol. Not to be racist, but do you see many azn dads with sledge hammers? :-D. 

I just can't wait until it all fills in!


----------



## sNApple (Nov 6, 2005)

sandiegoryu said:


>




LOL, oh my...


----------



## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

If you had a dremel or a grinder, you can score a rock a little then hit the crap out of it.


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

> LOL, oh my...


yes my friend also pointed that out. I swear, I did not see that when I scaped it. I was imagining a tall rock with two more rocks leaning toward it.

It was totally unintentional. But funny. :-D.


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

*2.3.07 Crayfish Update!*

Sweet. I just got my dwarf crayfish from Pedro, aka Milalic. All three arrived fine and alive and one is in my nano while the other two are in my 10 gallon. Do you think I could put all three in my nano? I'm thinking no, but at this second the crayfish are smaller than my amano shrimp.

Here's some pics of the lone dwarf crayfish in my nano.



























They all look like a different crayfish lol. These guys are AWESOME in the almost 3 hours I've had them :-D.


----------



## Zulu (Aug 18, 2005)

sandiegoryu said:


> Here are some scapes that I tried with 3 rocks but didn't like at all.





sNApple said:


> LOL, oh my...





sandiegoryu said:


> yes my friend also pointed that out. I swear, I did not see that when I scaped it. I was imagining a tall rock with two more rocks leaning toward it.
> 
> It was totally unintentional. But funny. :-D.


I'm glad I wasn't the only one that saw that, haha.


----------



## fish_lover0591 (Nov 11, 2006)

lol i seen that^^ also  I really like your dwarf crays and the new layout !


----------



## James From Cali (Dec 15, 2006)

The Crayfish look great. I want some now lol.


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Thanks everyone for the comments, but no more comments on the strange scape please . Crayfish are great. I just noticed that it made itself a home in the crack between the two big rocks. Now there is a mound of substrate covering a part of the HC. I'll just keep it like that since the HC will cover it anyway. :-D.

I can't wait until HC covers everything in sight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I need more hairgrass. I only have one little leaf now. Kind of sad. Slowly the numbers disappeared.


----------



## fish_lover0591 (Nov 11, 2006)

not to get too off-topic but How big do those crays get ?


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

I've read they grow up to 2 inches. Right now they are like an inch.


----------



## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

Not big at all IME.
i think all 3 would be alright in there if you wanted, but i think 10 gallons would be better for all three, so you're fine how it is.
The dwarf crayfish is an awesome animal, and apparently almost as easy as RCS to breed.


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Do you know if dwarf crayfish fry swim? Maybe I should ask this on the shrimp section. I was wondering if they swim because if my dwarf crayfish in the 10 gallon breed, i wanted to know if i should cover the filter cover. I'm thinking they dont, since the adults don't. Otherwise I will put the male into my 2 gallon since I saw that one was male in the 10 gallon and the one in the 2 gallon was female.

Also a bee shrimp died today. I saw him this morning kind of pale looking, also blue instead of black, and it was half gone this morning. Most likely eaten. I did a water change yesterday so I did one today and everything seems fine today. Right now I'm more interested in the survival of my crayfish :-D.


----------



## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

Some of Amano's iwagumis these days are just one big ass rock in a tank. Good effort dude-- definitely a young aspiring aquascape. 

Keep us updated.

それに、日本人ですか？それて、おれのおなじにっけいだけですか？


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Honestly, I was waiting for you to reply LOL. I have seen a lot of your tanks and they are great. I love them as much as Amano/Oliver Knott's tank lol. I also LOVED your aquascaping comic LOL. OK trailing off here. I also saw your earlier tanks and you seem to have improved MUCH. I hope to improve as you did. 

はい、　日本人です。　そして　にっけいです。　でもかんじは、　ちょっとしかよめません。　（＊。＊）
おやも二人とも日本人です。

I'm about to get another 10 gallon up and running. Maybe another iwagumi? Still pondering what style I should venture into this time. I love iwagumi tanks the most though. Getting aquasoil, and I'm gonna try to make this a low tech tank. Perhaps driftwood and moss.　The tanks will mostly be for shrimp/crayfish so that is why I chose aquasoil. I'll start a journal as soon as I get started. Maybe next week? Depends on when the aquasoil comes. Can't wait!


----------



## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

The fry will get sucked up. the adults swim, put your hand next to one, it shoots backward. the fry do the same, but primarily crawl.

How do you tell male from female? i didn't know you could.


----------



## aquarium boy (Jul 28, 2004)

nice little crayfish i use to find those in a creek by my house i would catch some that were 4-8" long lol. the layout of the creek looks alot like iwagumi style...
about your hardscape layout i dont really see anything wrong with it lol
it looks alot like amanos iwagumi layouts with the giant mountan in the middle
or alittle off to the side.

(one thing you need to know is crayfish will eat your fish if you put any in there)


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Thanks aquarium_boy, and these are dwarf crayfish. They are only known to eat fish/shrimp when they have been underfed. Right now it is hiding and not really looking for food, yet it eats whatever passes by him. I usually drop crushed snails where he is and delightfully eats them.

And dufus, I think the adults don't swim at all. They jump back, but straight back, not up. Well maybe there are cases where they may jump back/up. I'll put my pregnant one if I ever get one into my 2 gallon as it has a sponge on the intake.

Here is a great thread on how to sex dwarf crays, and I THINK crays in general: Petshrimp.com Discussion Forum :: View topic - Sexing cajuns

I just netted them, and put the net against the glass, looked at them at an angle, and I could see. I tried flipping one but it just spazzed out so I put him back in. But I found out later that it was a male. I tried looking for my other one in my 10 gallon but couldn't find him :-(.

So there is a definite male in my 10 gallon, a female in my 2 gallon, and if the third one in my 10 gallon is a male as well, I'll put him in my 2 gallon, taking out my amano and putting him in the 10 gallon.


----------



## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

おれはそんなにすげえやつじゃねえ。まだまだながいみちがあるらしい。

I stay away from Iwagumi just because I like to do new stuff, and iwagumi is so dominated by so much Japanese stone-arrangement theory that it's hard to do much new to it. On the other hand, I love the use of eleocharis vivipara with them. I'd try that plant out-- just because I REALLY want to use it but don't have a lay out it'll work with. Right now considering a next lay out, I'm jumping at any excuse to try vivipara.  Stunning. IMO iwagumis are great for learning from though-- even without doing an "iwagumi" perse, there's just so much to learn about general appearence-balance and mid-ground construction from it, so it's worth doing.

それて、さいしょ、みんなは目がへたでしょう。おれもおなじということ。よくれんしゅうしたらじょうずになる。ほかのほほがないなあ。つずいてがんばれくれよ。丸山君のすいそをみるとたのしみにして。あたらしいすいそせかいもたのしみにして。

PS--アメリカで育ったのはかんじがわからねえとしかたがねえなあ。おれもよんせいだし、こどものときにえいごしかしゃべらなかった。まだへたで、しゃべらねえようだ。もちろんけいごとか、かんじとか、ぜんぜんむりだろうなあ。それに、アニメがすきだし、このしゃべるかったをつかうもしかたがねえ。:hihi:

Those who can't speak Japanaese, gomen! Er, sorry! :hihi:　I'm studying Japanese now, so I kind of get too excited at any chance to practice. :biggrin:


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Ok, writing in japanese is hard so I will speak in english.

I'm first generation actually lol. I was born in Japan, so I'm an immigrant, although I have spent mostly all my life here in San Diego.

And I really think you are very good at aquascaping. Just have to show you talent :-D. Someday you will reach Amano/Oliver Knott status. I hope so. Someday me too. Yah I'm also guessing Iwagumi is great for leaning because it has many rules etc. Nature scapes also have some rules but they have more freedom IMO, and I think nature scapes are more personal preference. I just like Iwagumi A LOT because its so calm and the fish look like they are flying over the low foreground plants and the shrimp climbing the rocks that jut out. So beautiful :-D. I just wanna see an Iwagumi scape in person! I failed to see one in Japan, but I saw other very cool scapes. That was why I made my nano an iwagumi type tank. Maybe not exactly following the rules but I can't wait til the HC fills in.

Eleocharis Vivipara seems like a pain to maintain, but probably looks very cool if used correctly. Can't wait for you new scape with vivipara! I need a job lol. Then I can have fish tanks all over the house!

Thanks Steven and also for influencing me to continue this hobby, although I was planning not to every quit :-D. Just made me feel like I could get WAY BETTER! 

P.S. I've never seen you do an Iwagumi! I'd love to see one. Unless you already did, I'd love to see it!


----------



## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

Only younger minds have such crazy ambition, so it's refreshing to see some. :icon_lol: 

Being able say stupid crazy upstart ideas like "get as good as Amano" makes me feel like a Jump character. :hihi: But, zettai, shindemo shiyo! lol

BTW-- If I did an iwagumi, I don't think I could do it better than Amano's. The art of iwagumi is pretty damn well developed. Though I guess theoretically there's always room to improve.

You're most recent stone arrangement is definitely a big improvement. Even with just two main stones I think it flows well. Heck, not knowing the rules is ok too. Amano was self-taught too.


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

I love Jump characters lol. But kind of repetitive lol. Always a theme of a young kid doing something and saying "I'LL BECOME NUMBER ONE!" LOL. I say lol too much.

And they are not stupid crazy upstart things. :-D. Just thoughts of the youth. Dreams. And your still young too. At least you looked young in your pictures of yourself aquascaping. Maybe aquascaping makes you young?! OOO crazy thought.

Thanks for the comment on the rocks.

From what I've read Amano started with fish as a little kid and he wanted books about fish. Then he ventured into plants and then he got freaking crazed about it. Sounds like me lol. I started with fish as a little kid. Fascinated and always loved the aquarium(the exhibit kind)/tide pools. Maybe I'm following the path of Amano! But at least I have guidance and I don't have to discover things on my own lol. That would SUCK. All I have are neighborhood ponds as a plant source LOL. and little creeks with no plants at all and I never go places like that anymore anyway. 

Also I don't think I have enough money for my 10 gallon lol. I was taking a shower and reviewing my funds, and realized I had minimal money left! Man I really want to work at petsmart which is walking distance away from my house. In the summer... definitely. Then I will get more and more and more and aaaaah the dreams.

Edit: nvm I have enough money left :-D.


----------



## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

Aaah!! The dreams!  

Sorry I was un-clear. When I say "stupid, crazy, upstart" I mean = "totally bad-ass" :hihi:

Yeah, I'm young too, 20 years old. I kept fish and loved reading about all sorts of animals as a kid but got into aquascaping at 17.

What interested me about Amano's childhood was that he originally had a love of plants, but only got into fish on sheer accident! His Mom buying him a book about fish because the book about plants he wanted was out of stock. Go figure. When I was a kid, I thought plants were boring. :hihi:

I remember when I had only the funds to pull off Nanos here and there too. All my "older work" was like that. On the other hand though, having to scrounge and never having what I needed made me try extra hard, and made me work to learn stuff so it can be good too. Even now, my biggest tank is only 18gallon. People ask me "When are you going to do a big tank" and I still think to myself, "wait, 18g isn't a big tank?" :hihi:

IMO, I'd rather have a small well-done tank than a large mediocre one. :icon_conf


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Ooo he had plants first. I remember something about his mom and fish book lol.

Ditto on the last sentence. I've always thought, 10 gallon is nano?!!? :angryfire I still do, just not as much.

We're so having a conversation lol. :icon_lol: 

Supplies i need for 10 gallon are, Driftwood, filter, heater. And plants but I think I can start with what I have on hand. And all of you didn't really give a damn about that but this is a lot for personal reference. :red_mouth 

BTW I live like 10 mins away from clairemont. One of my friends live there hehe. Where do you get your wood btw? I'm also interested in trying some branchy driftwood. Where I go to only has blocky type. Not many branches. O, I remember now. You get them from Hawaii! Darn.

I will post update of the tank in a month or so when plants fill in more. Otherwise I don't think I'll post much here unless you (Steven Chong) reply again hehe. Right now, my head is saying, SCREW EDUCATION! Go for aquascaping! But HOW?! Probably head to learn about business to open an LFS maybe?! Work at one so I get more background? Ooo the dreams!  

P.S. I'm starting to love smilies.

Edit: I go to sleep now!


----------



## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

Well, don't screw Education . . . that's bad . . . and besides, people would think you're weird then for being a Japanese American who doesn't care about education. :hihi:

Claremont is a bit farther than 10min from San Diego. It's annoying that there are so many places named things like clairemont, montclair etc. that it gets confusing. :icon_conf

Yeah, I get them from Hawaii. If you have streams, you should check them. Or else I could bring you back some in March when I go back home for spring break.

Right now I'm studying Economics at CMC. Maybe you've got the right idea by going into business. I might go for my MBA after I graduate.

conversation :lol:


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

O, well I literally live 10 min from Clairemont town square. Where they have Petco, Pacific Theaters (I think they still do), and Michaels. Maybe Clairemont is bigger than I thought.

Well I don't mean screw education. I mean, screw school LOL. I mean I have subject I love such as photography, which I am taking now, and I'd love to learn more on psychology. Right now school is just boring. Nothing very interesting besides photography.

And yes I will go check out streams. I know a few, just dunno where. I've been hiking lots when I was little. Used to go camping a lot too, near lakes. Wasn't into aquascaping back then! Dammit. Would've had the chance to get some great things lol.

And I'm not Jap American. Totally Japanese. No american passport. Just live here :-D. But I'm pretty much Japanese American, just no officially hehe.

Edit: ANOTHER BEE SHRIMP DIED! Argg. Well I guess I should give up on them for the time being. I only have 2 now :angryfire . The wild one I have is the strongest one, still alive. Cherries were barely moving too, so I did a quick water change, added prime etc. Cherries are moving now and crayfish is just still hiding in his crack. Sometimes poking his face out. O yah, and the dead shrimp, wasn't even dead and his swimmers and tail was gone! I netted him out and put him in the 10 gallon for shrimp food and I noticed that his mouth was still moving and his feet were fidgeting, so I just euthanized him with my tweezers... crushed. Poor fellow. It might've been after death reflexes, but it was pretty scary. I need an acidic ph test kit. I only have high range ph kit. !!!!


----------



## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

your cray fish may have gone on a murder rampage!


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Actually, the first death looked to be a stressed shrimp. this morning though I did not see a stressed shrimp, but I saw a dead one, and all the other shrimp in the tank where just not doing anything. Also my cories were acting weird. Right now all seems well. I think I'm overfeeding. There always seems to be left overs.

Dammit I just noticed my amano is gone! This proved my water had some **** in it. I hate looking for corpses...

Also, what do you think a high tech dosing regime would be for a nano tank using the Flourish line of ferts? I looked on the fertilator on APC and it guided me to dose 2 ml of Nitrogen, PHos, and Pot once a week. I was dosing .2 of each... No wonder my HC isn't taking off. Is this correct though? Seems kind of high.


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Oooo i found it. Kind of creepy... Sorry no pics I gotta do hw. Why am I not so freaked out about these deaths?! I guess I already have enough problems. I hate my chem teacher lol. Such a horrible teacher who expects you know everything. And I'm not a stupid kid.


----------



## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

You're dosing pot once a week! that may be the cause of death, stoned to death(jk)


----------



## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

nice tank, lol dufus


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Thanks Felix. 

Updates for the tank: Another cory died, this time by the hands of my dwarf crayfish. I think I'm underfeeding. My CO2 diffuser broke but a friend is giving me one for now. I have to pay him back. So when I got my CO2 turned off, my HC stopped growing... Grr. I see a LITTLE growth but this past week I only saw a growth of like 1mm. I think its just getting acclimated to the tank and sending roots before it grows. But the HC is also getting yellow in older leaves. The blyxa japonica also has rotten roots. Two plants actually floated to the top with no roots in sight, but I see roots up on the glass. They have most likely rotted. I believe this is a deficiency in K. I'll be dosing twice a week now, rather than once.

I also got a 2.5 gallon instead of a 10 gallon. Realized that I was limited on funds once again because of all the spending on the pressurized. Well the 2.5 gallon has been running for a day now. Pretty horrible looking right now. I'm getting weeping moss for tying on dritwood. Just need driftwood!! This tank will be dedicated to dwarf crayfish. Light: 20 watt screw in CF, Substrate: Aquasoil, Filter: Zoomed 501 (yes I'm spoiling myself), Plants: HM, Crypt lucens (Just for now, might keep HM in there).


Also, the Blyxa has gotten red. I believe this is a good sign. High light means red blyxa right? Thats good. But I might not like the look of red. It's still pretty small but we'll see.

Right now its kind of boring. HC isn't growing but kind of slowly dying. I'm gonna move my dwarf crayfish. When I put him in there all this started happening, but I don't blame him. :-D.


----------



## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

the crayfish is well cool, put killing corys? maybe hes has not enough territory in such a small tank? he might feel threatened? sad to hear about all your tank problems


----------



## Matthew Mahling (Sep 4, 2005)

I hated the third rock, so I took a hammer.










Sorry to hear that.

They are very tough to break. I've tried too.


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Sorry to revive such an old thread with no updates to be said.

I have a question from one of the beginning posts that led me to change my hardscape.

this is before:









this is after I rescaped:










I believe it was Solstice and other members that recommended I change the hardscape to get rid of the sharp V. They had said it's not a true Iwagumi. well here is Amano defying the Iwagumi rules.


















Especially the first one. Do you see a sharp V? Yes I do too!

Just wondering, which one do YOU truly prefer. Before or after?



On a side note: I don't think I should be having this much trouble with pressurized co2. My problem is keeping it at a level I want. Before while I was still doing this journal, I could get a good rate and marked the spot on my needle valve that worked the best. Then the CO2 would shut off via solenoid/timer. Then in the morning when the CO2 is on, NO CO2 AT ALL! I had school so I came back and it was still this crap. I marked the spot on the needle valve and that did not change. I looked at the working pressure, and it is actually higher. WTF? So I raise the needle valve just a tad and it comes BURSTING with CO2 possible damaging my glass diffuser. So I shut down the needle valve and it stops. So I raise it again on the spot that I marked. Co2 is coming out but a little too much so I lower the pressure via needle valve and it comes bursting. I LOWERED THE PRESSURE AND IT COMES BURSTING?!?! WTF?!?! 

Anyway my co2 regulator is an Azoo Regulator. I have a paintball canister. WTF IS WRONG HERE? I also got another glass diffuser from a friend because my original one broke in my hands. Just holding it. WTF?! Pressurized is sure killing me. I used Excel for the week I didn't have my diffuser and it worked SPLENDID! I wasted around 100 dollars on a stupid piece of crap. Can someone help me? I'm broke now and I have 100 dollars worth of CRAP. I thought pressurized was set it and forget. This is more stupid than DIY CO2. OOO MY GOD SO FRUSTRATING. Maybe I should copy and paste this onto Equipment if I don't get good answers here.


So my main question is, do you like the first scape or the second. Just imagine it full of HC and blyxa in the background if you can :-D.

Edit: Well I did some searching and I may go for an inline needle valve once I payback the people I owe.


----------



## aquarium boy (Jul 28, 2004)

i like the setup you have now. imo there is no writen rules in aquascaping
everyone has the option on what they like and what they dont.
the setup you have now looks more like an iwagumi sence your tank is only 2 gallons your very limeted on space.

and the problem your haveing with your co2. im going out on a limb by saying this but could it be your co2 tank? is it just a regular regulator on a paintball tank? your tank might be geting low.
another thing you might want to look at is the needle valve.
it might have gone bad somehow.


----------



## Storm_Rider (Sep 30, 2006)

i have always liked the semi un-natural V's. they stylish! the second amano tank you posted is my favorite one, but you already know that.


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Yah I know you do Oliver :-D. I have revealed your true name!


I think its the needle valve. I have just read other problems on it. I have only read problems of inconsistent bubble rates but the bubble rate has been fine for me. But another said that it doesn't work after solenoid turns on via timer. So for right now my solution is to keep it on a bubble rate that I like, which I JUST figured out how to do. Next I will keep CO2 running 24/7 and turning up/down the water flow on my filter every morning/night. I just hope I remember to do that. I have a airpump that I may hookup on timer but right now I'm going to sleep.

I think I'll keep it as it is right now. My HC is somewhat filling in. I just needed to plant more in the beginning grr. Just my blyxa is getting eaten. Now it seems to be fine but its slow growing right now. So small blyxa!


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

*Update *just because :-D.**

HC is filling in slowly. I fiddled with the CO2, calming my anger, and I found a system that works great! According to the chart I have 33.2 ppm of CO2 right now. HC is pearling, and fishes are not gasping at the air. Good signs! 

Well here you are:









And a little picture I took just for fun and memories of having this cabinet. Just for the day I get rid of it :icon_lol: 







'

Wait what's that tank over there?!?!?! Well here you are.








A sneak peak on my crayfish tank. Planning on weeping moss that are hopefully coming very very soon.

And I don't need any feedback on the 2.5 gallon. BTW its been 19 days since the last picture of my nano. Wowza. Not much growth hehe. Well that will soon change. HC is taking off now.

BTW my inhabitants as of now are: 2 Bee shrimp (one pregnant wild!), around 6 cherry shrimp, one oto, one dwarf cory. and about 7 baby endlers. O yah, and about 20 baby cherries.

What has changed? Well the cory is left at one. Wild bee shrimp is pregnant. Added the oto from the 10 gallon. and the 7 baby endlers. Hurray! Is this overstocking?

Edit: I got ADA pincettes hurray! My dad used the other one for taking off bathroom gunk... EW. So I got pissed off at him and he bought me ADA pincettes. Hurray! They are awesome.


----------



## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

I actually don't care for those V-shape iwagumis Amano does. They look a bit too over-the-top for me


----------



## Storm_Rider (Sep 30, 2006)

is that what i think it is sandie?

YES! i have also revealed your true name:angryfire


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

I guess Iwagumi has its preferences. Perhaps Mr. Amano got bored of his regular layouts and started doing new things eh?

And too bad but my name is on my sig OLIVER. Yes that is what you think it is. And I forgot but I thank Storm_Rider for the 2.5 gallon. :-D.


----------



## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

Sorry I missed this thread . I have to say throwing the rock at the neighbors house cracked me up:hihi: .

I do like your new scape. Amano has a darker rock so thats why I think he can pull it off really nicely in his smaller tank. I really don't like the bigger one though. Its a bit weird for me.

ADA pincettes are sweet. I'll get some someday...

Tank might be getting a bit overstocked not too sure just don't add much more:icon_lol: 

Great job!
-Andrew


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

*Update 3.9.06*

Hurray! Update! Quick overview: HC filled in more, still not all the way, and I planted Eleocharis Parvula. Hairgrass is starting to take off and Blyxa is doing GREAT. No red though, which is good since I wanted green. It used to grow red, but all the red leaves died. I dunno why but HC is now not showing any more defficiency so all must be well :-D.

Here are many pics :-D. During taking pics I took out the diffuser so some have it some don't :-D.





































Should I enter the AGA competition? Someday? I really want to for Nano tanks. IMO, not too many of the nano tanks are nice... But I dunno I guess they entered because they thought theirs looked awesome like how I am thinking right now. Just after it fills in nicely. GROW YOU STUPID PLANTS! FASTER!

And I'm really begging for some constructive criticism. Anything! PLEASE! I know all you aquascaping gurus out there, please reply! Maybe I should change the title to "AQUASCAPERS CLICK HERE!"

Currently have GSA, and BBA. GDA went away after I put otto. 

Wild bee shrimp is supposed to hatch her eggs very very soon. So scared...


----------



## Yzmxer99 (Aug 7, 2006)

Sandie, As a fellow nano'er who would love to enter the AGA comp one day, I can tell you that you are off to a great start there. Nano's are difficult and easy at the same time. They require :

-patience-

-The HC will grow, just let it sit there. When it grows out some, like a single layer, take a small quarter size section and replant. It will thicken real quick.

-Let the tank stabilize and the algae will go. Let the otto work on the brown algae. Then prune away, or spot treat with excel, the BBA. Nanos only have so much livestock, you have to let the clean up crew work. But because of the limited livestock it needs help. Scrape, clean, wipe the tank weekly, or bi-weekly the GSA until it stabilizes. I find a toothbrush works great for "brushing" away the GSA from a nano. Plus bump your fleet dosing, if your using it, to combat the GSA. If you need excel to battle the algae don't be afraid to double dose with the Co2 running.P.s. Hc in my tank LOVES excel. But...

-Remember there is a finer line the nano's walk between algae and crystal clear tanks. Take your time, test the water, figure out whats off and try to correct it. 

-Push the Co2 hard in a nano, the vertical water colum is not that high, so it doesn't have the same dwell time as in say a 75g. 

That is the magic of nanos, you learn quick and at a low cost. 

I like the hardscape and plant selection/layout. Give it time and be patient.

Mistakes are fairly easy to correct in a nano, don't be afraid to experiment.


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Thank you very much for the knowledge Yzmxer99! I love your nano. It's great. Didn't you enter the contest? I remember seeing your tank in it. Otherwise it was just my imagination. LOL. Couldn't find your ADA mini though.

Right now everything is going fine. Shrimp are alive, healthy, breeding. Plants are growing, etc etc. Just need to get rid of my BBA. Started doing double doses of Excel.

And don't worry I've experimented with a few scapes... One scape known between me and a friend as HIDE YOUR EYES KIDS! "Penisgumi" :-D.

You can open your eyes now. But how do you know when to open them when they are closed?

What do you mean by fleet dosing? I dose Seachem ferts. It is doing swell ATM. Just hope HC could grow a little more faster.


----------



## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

your nano is very nice. I love the rock placement, and the composition. If I had to change one thing, I would change up the blyxa in the back and move it all over to the right side and maybe incorporate either U. gramnifolia or dwarf harigrass to the left to emphasize the bold taller leaves and blend into the thinner smaller leaves going left. It looks too symmetrical as it stands, but you are close.


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Wow. That is a great idea. I've always wanted an excuse to buy me some Utricularia(sp?) Graminifolia! Hmm... But maybe that would be too much for such a small sized tank? Maybe I should ditch the hairgrass? Or keep it near the midground on the right side and the utricularia graminifolia can go to the left... WOW.

I agree it looks too symmetrical. Thanks for the great idea. I'll try to experiment with what I have at the moment, then decide if I want to try myself at U. graminifolia. If I can grow HC does that mean I can grow this plant?


----------

