# Wabi-Kusa Style



## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

Before I start, I'll admit that this tank totally bites off of ADA's new Wabi-Kusa concept. For those who have never seen a wabi-kusa, the idea is to grow a ball of emersed plants semi-emersed or submersed.

That said, there's a bunch of things going into this idea:

-Wabi-Kusa Style
-Ikebana Style
-Hawaii Biotope

In addition to the wabi-kusa concept, I'm trying some ideas from Ikebana arrangement. I also wanted to make this a "Hawaii Stream" biotope, and all the plants were collected from a local stream. Well, enough explanation-- photos!










The empty tray . . . I mean aquarium.  Lighting is an overhead 19w spiral florescent. My friend Long is working on some of the plants. 










Lay out decorative white sand and a pot for the emersed plants.










Fill the pot with some old flourite, and soaking it to wet the florite and sand.










First plants go in-- support "mid-ground" plants. They are not submersable plants, and I don't know the species. They grow semi-emersed, and look sort of like emersed lobelia (but aren't).










Stems. I think they are an ammania species, but not sure.










Finished Planting with Pennyworts, aquatic and terrestrial mosses tied to the rocks in the appropriate locations.


I'll show some more photos when the water clears!

I'm planning to stock the tank with fancy guppies and wild-form cherry shrimp-- both invasive species that have unfortunately taken up permanent residence in Hawaii streams, but are rather conveniant for the purpose of this biotope.

I'll give some explanation on ikebana with photos afte the water clears.


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## Anti-Pjerrot (Jan 20, 2006)

Interesting project. Keep us updated.


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## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

Very nice, SC...loving that container too.


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## medicineman (Sep 28, 2005)

Another creative creation from Japan style aquascaping. Kinda looks like a cut out vivarium, quite neat actually. I wonder if this is doable for the long run on certain extreme climates (dry weather, winter), unlike in a vivarium where the condition is much more under control.

I cant wait to see the ikebana (japanese style flower arrangement) part in the setup.


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## danepatrick (Jul 17, 2006)

i know you were going for a stream, but it looks like an island in itself, which i think is even cooler! either way, it's amazing!


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## aelysa (Oct 20, 2006)

I can see it looking lovely on my coffee table, then the dogs and cats drinking out of it and leaving slobber trails in the water.:icon_bigg


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Nice! Would love to see some better exposed pictures (looks like they're being exposed to the desk lamp). Doing something very similar to this at work but in a round dish instead of the nice tank that you have it in.


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## Roy Deki (Jan 13, 2004)

Steven,

Nice work, where did you get the glass tray...umm tank?


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## aesthetics808 (Dec 29, 2002)

hey steven where do you get the wild cherry shrimp in hawaii.im on oahu so what streams did you go to?i didnt know we had wild cherrys here.


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## Subotaj (Oct 16, 2006)

AWSOME!
:thumbsup:


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## xcooperx (Jun 21, 2006)

thats very interesting, i also thinking of making one after i read the ADA catalog, but i dont have any luck in growing aquatic plant emersed they used to dry out. what are all the plants?


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

I had exposure compensation on negative 2 for those photos (accident). >.<

The ikebana concepts are in the arrangement. While I was studying in Tokyo this summer, we were given a demonstration by an Ikebana Master as part of the program. His assistants taught us some of the basics before the demonstration. The most basic uses a large dish, and placing the spike stone (which is used to hold the flowers in place) in on the right or left side, in the front or back. For this, I had a pot instead, and placed it in the back left. In Japan, the position is decided on the season-- in the summer, the plants are put in the back so that one feels "cooler" by seeing more water in front. In the winter, the plants are brought to the front to create more sense of "warmth." It's hot year-round in Hawaii, so I figured it would be alright in the back. Besides, I wanted to use moss-stones, and in a way, I do bring the plants "to the front" this way.

Thanks for the comments/compliments all!

Dane-- Though using biotope plants and fish, I never really had the intent to recreate the sense of a stream. The goal was more a living ikebana, as idealistic and pretty as possible. The fish, fancy guppies, are also not meant to create a sense of "nature" so much as "fantasy."

Roy-- I bought the tank at Tokyu Hands in Ikebukuro (Office supplies section) for 800yen. You might be able to find something like this if you look around locally (though I never have).

aesthetics808-- They live in just about every stream. I'd avoid using wild-caughts though, they can have things like nematoads. Just buy them from the LFs-- they all sell them for 10/$1, less if you are HAS.

cooper-- I saw the wabi-kusa at LFs when I was at Japan, it's interesting but far over-priced for a ball of pond weeds. 


No idea what most of the plants are. I just planted them based on my observations of their growing in nature.


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

Little Update:

My computer is in the shop, so I got no photoshop . . . 














































I added 4 male guppies, and about 20 neocaridina denticulata (wild form cherry shrimp)


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## fish_lover0591 (Nov 11, 2006)

ummm can't the shrimp escape ? but other then that it looks awesome !


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

cool tank. Where do you find all these "styles" Like iwagumi, and wabi-kusa?


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

fish_lover, they can get out, but won't normally. Cherry Shrimp (unlike Amanos) will stay put unless scared for the most part. Besides, they're only 10shrimp/$1, I'm not too scared of loosing some to stress or guppy attacks (if they happen).

dufus-- wabi kusa is a pretty new idea of ADA on which information isn't widely available online or in English speaking sources. However, the idea/name is derived from the Japanese aesthetic sense "wabi-sabi."

Just do your research online and you can find information about rockgardening, flower arrangement, bonsai or any other type of Japanese art.


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## sNApple (Nov 6, 2005)

sweet styles mon , good to see new things


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## fish_lover0591 (Nov 11, 2006)

oh ok  well keep us updated on how it goes


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## spypet (Sep 15, 2006)

Steven, what do you do to keep the water from spoiling with no filter or aeration? do you simply do a water change every week and leave it at that? I'm surprised you put so many relatively large fish in there; I would have gone with fewer smaller fish. thank you for exploring this unusual display and sharing your experience with us.


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

In high school, I learned to trust my house water. It's really good stuff. Also, I'm trying to do water changes very frequently, 3+ times per week if I can. I can do them really easily with this tank after all.

As for the guppies, I needed a fish that could be seen easily from above. These red guppies are easy to spot above the white sand. It'd hard for me to say why but, both in my vision of it, and especially now seeing it, the fancy guppies were always the perfect fish for this tank. They've been in there for some time now and seem to be doing great-- very lively little guys.


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## Nightshop (May 12, 2006)

Very awesome, coincedentally I read about Wabi-Kusa in the new ADA Cateloge then came home to find this very topic when you created it. I like it a lot!


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## sammiewags (May 9, 2011)

Is it possible to find another clear glass cheaper than $70? :/ I really want to try this..


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## rj55021 (Apr 4, 2011)

Google it now ! lol

That is an amazing scape.

Really love it


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## sammiewags (May 9, 2011)

I've been googling all morning!! lol


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Love it, want to replicate it, but this thread is like 5 years old.


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## rj55021 (Apr 4, 2011)

Da Plant Man said:


> Love it, want to replicate it, but this thread is like 5 years old.


lol that is true.

I am looking for a nano similar to the one he used. 

I can already see this nano on my granite counter  :bounce:


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## plecostomouse (Jun 9, 2011)

nice!


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## pedropete (Feb 27, 2012)

i want to replicate it, too, and i don't think it'd be that difficult.... you could even hide a small filter under the rocks/planted side, right? one thing that seems to be a stumbling block is finding a proper glass box. has anyone else built one more recently?


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

Dude this is from 2006.


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## zchauvin (Apr 16, 2011)

Dollface said:


> Dude this is from 2006.


He may have 11 post, but pretty sure they know that.


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## Guest (Jan 7, 2014)

I just started something similar for the past 4 months or so and they totally rock. I used a 16 quart clear storage bin that cost me $3, some clay from my garden, and few plants that I'm experimenting. So far the 2 original guppy fly that was in there had populated into over 20 guppies in a 4 months time. Yes, this is an old thread but nonetheless a cool idea to play with instead of the boring aquarium tanks without the balance of water and land.


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