# Easy! Wabi-Kusa - update page 4!



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Wow sweet. Now go get an aesthetically nice looking pot and put it in there. ADA sells them lol. So you just took a mud from a nearby river and plants started popping out? That is great. Planning to put any fish perhaps?


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

Wow that is awesome!!


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## guitardude9187 (Aug 22, 2006)

very nice but comparing the size of the tank to the CD in the back ground i wouldn't put any fish nor frogs in there


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

maybe a dwarf frog, for a little while.


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## guitardude9187 (Aug 22, 2006)

those are known to be escape artist, much like the amano shrimps


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

wow, didn't know that.
what if he put some kind of cover/tube over it, then he could get some spring peeper tree frogs, or something of the sort.


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## frozenbarb (Dec 16, 2006)

hi i like that very nice, i need you to tell me every step please =D i really like it

so let me get this straight, you walked to a lake pulled some mud out, bot a ball applied the mud all over the ball,,, put some moss on there, got a bowl filled with gravel and plants grow out of the mud without adding any seeds?

wth?

And didnt the mud slide off the ball?


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## eklikewhoa (Aug 29, 2006)

I have seen starter pods in the ADA catolog but wonder who actually sells them here in the states.


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## jmy808 (Dec 24, 2006)

Very nice, I like it! 
Jay


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## LittleMy (Jan 30, 2007)

*Wow*

WOW WOW WOW. I just researched Wabi-Kusa. So cool. 

Must have one NOW. Last night I went shopping for a good 'dish'.

Katya


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## intermision (Nov 7, 2005)

Any updated pics?


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## joejoe123 (Aug 22, 2006)

yep we need to know the step by step detail i love and have to have one now (lol)
joey


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## frozenbarb (Dec 16, 2006)

i know right that looks so awesome i jus made my own took couple hours to install a light in top of my desk nad make the bowl but i have no idea where to get river mud with unknown plants everywhere


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## fish_miser (Mar 21, 2007)

thats nice, i love it


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

hey guys im so pleased you like it!
there has been substantial growth since i took the picture so i will post a pic later!

heres how to do it, i will do another one in a bit and take a photo every step 

Location:
go down to your local stream and bring the tools you need and a board to work on

Ingrediants:
substrate ferilizer tab or ball (i used a JBL 7 ball)
suitable bowl or container
light (I used a cheap 1.99 ikea lamp)
Scissors
Tweezers
Cotton
Board to work on
Terrestrial plant ferteliser (optional, might have some in your garage?)
Trowel

Instructions:
The best way to build theese is on location.
ok the main thing about this is the substrate, I used some mud from right beside my local stream, Use your hands to squish it into a palm sized ball.
Take your root tab or fert ball and push it to the center then re-squeeze the ball. Find a relatively flat surface to work on and put down your board, press the ball down onto it so the bottom becomes flat.

First things first, moss, look around you for as many different types as you can find and wrap them around the sides of the ball, then wind your cotton around them to secure them and tie it off.

Now you need to think about you center peice, it should be quite tall and slow growing, I used a bamboo like grass plant, but you may be able to find a sapling (rowan works well) use your tweesers to plant it.

Next thing is some fast midground plants, look around the edge of the water for some quite small plants, that look cool, dig them out carefully and plant naturally around the center peice.

Finally foreground, ive used some really tiny hc like plants and some stone roses which i found in a rockery, just use them to patch the gaps between the plants so you can see no mud, thats it! your done, take it home and put in a bowl with a sandy bottom and focus a light on it, or put it by a window.

Additional tips: some of the plants you will plant will start to wither and die, just pull them out and go hunting for a replacement in your garden. A nice addition to the wabi-kusa is floating plants, which i have atm in mine.

to sum up:
Collect tools
Dig up some mud
Squeeze into ball
insert the ferts
Wrap with moss
Plant a centerpeice
Midground Fastgrowers
Ground Cover
Put it in a pot

thanks for listening guys 
i wish you all good luck with your own foray into wabi-kusa


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

*Lots Of Pics*

























there ya go! as you can see the growth in a couple of days is really good!
and another plant sprung up that i hadent planted


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

Wow that is awesome! Thank you you for the explanation and great pictures, very creative  But, I don't think I have such a vast variety of plants in local lakes :icon_frow


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## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

Dude you are in Florida, you have a multitude of plants available to you.


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

SCMurphy said:


> Dude you are in Florida, you have a multitude of plants available to you.


Good point. My parents would think I am crazy if I asked them to make a 30 minute trip to the Everglades so I can pick out some aquatic plants  

Maybe when I get my 27 gallon tank I can go there for kayaking (we bought a kayak today) and pick some plants


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

lol res guy, im sure there are plenty more plants in florida compared to scotland! lol, and theese are not all aquatic plants most of them are semi aquatic or emmersed, the only true aquatic is the lillies and theese new little things that have grown out of the side without me planting them, are you sure theres not a local stream? instead of going to the everglades?


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## Color Me Blue (Nov 10, 2005)

This is soooooo cute!! 

Question: Do you add water as water evaporates?


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

yeh i add a little water each week when the lillies get low, but there is very little evaporation, probably due to the fact lots of the water is absorbed into the mud and the lillies covering the surface

wow just now i moved one of the lillies to look under it and there is a large white root coming out of the ball, i cant see what plant its from but fingers crossed it will be cool!


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

FelixAvery said:


> lol res guy, im sure there are plenty more plants in florida compared to scotland! lol, and theese are not all aquatic plants most of them are semi aquatic or emmersed, the only true aquatic is the lillies and theese new little things that have grown out of the side without me planting them, are you sure theres not a local stream? instead of going to the everglades?


I see, yeah you are probably right! I guess that I just never looked for these things (I just got into the whole plant thing 2 months ago) locally. There might be some nice plants at a local park now that I think about it:biggrin: I was thinking of going to that park (Tropical Park) to get some wild fish and maybe even shrimp from that lake for a 27 gallon I want to get anyways. Last time I went I caught a mosquito fish with a Wendy's cup I found (harder than it sounds) and I have it still living in my 55 gallon turtle tank  [/boasting]



FelixAvery said:


> yeh i add a little water each week when the lillies get low, but there is very little evaporation, probably due to the fact lots of the water is absorbed into the mud and the lillies covering the surface
> 
> wow just now i moved one of the lillies to look under it and there is a large white root coming out of the ball, i cant see what plant its from but fingers crossed it will be cool!


Hmm, yeah I bet the water lilies at the surface of the water traps most of the evaporation, which the plants must be loving 

Awesome man! Be sure to get some pictures once the new plant grows!


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

lol I have to work out how to use macro on my dads camera first
if any of my tanks ever get really nice, my dads a professional photographer so im sorted for pics, but he is usually busy with work  lol

if theese plants start getting out of hand should i prune them?


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

This wabi kusa idea would be awesome on a larger scale. put like a small pool or pond in the livingroom, put a mangrove in the middle of the island and moss, and stuff, and you could put goldfish or even koi if big enough.


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## mrbelvedere (Nov 15, 2005)

dufus said:


> This wabi kusa idea would be awesome on a larger scale. put like a small pool or pond in the livingroom, put a mangrove in the middle of the island and moss, and stuff, and you could put goldfish or even koi if big enough.


True, but would be difficult unless you had a sunroom, greenhouse, or MH suspended from the ceiling.


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

yea, but heck, what's 400$?lol


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## yoko (Mar 16, 2007)

FelixAvery said:


> ...
> I used a ball of river mud with a *jbl sevenball *in the center, then i planted it out and tied moss around it, set it in a bowl of water and sand, turned a light on it... et viola!...


So, I was at the Sacramento River today and I saw this plant that looked like an air plant, but it was rooting to the ground. I dug it up with my hands (had no tools/unprepared), made a ball of mud the size of my fist and put it in a ziplock bag (that I had).
When I got home I put it in a bowl, but it is all muddy. Is this because I did not reinforce the ball of mud with the moss???

It's not as pretty as it was at the river :icon_frow 

What is this "jbl sevenball" you mentioned??


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## intermision (Nov 7, 2005)

I think it's a filter ball.


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## frozenbarb (Dec 16, 2006)

http://www.cavyrescue.co.uk/products/JBL-The-7-Balls--.shtml

he said it was a fertilizer


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

yeh in order for theese to look decent they need 100% ground cover, otherwise the mud is unattractive


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

http://www01.megarotic.com/files/ff306f1f7f2ce72122447bf452c7baa8/lost.314.hdtv-caph.avi
yay new lost episode^^ r-click to download
here is a new pic of my wabi-kusa


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## Gerald the Mouse (Jun 19, 2006)

I want to do that. It looks so cool... and green.


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

you should its deady easy! i found all the plants near my stream, and some grew themselves!


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

Looking real nice Felix! Some great growth! I totally want to try this ...


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

if you try it defo post up some pictures!


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

Check this out, it's like Azoo made this just for wabi kusa!
http://www.azoopalm.com/aquarium/glass/AZ33070.html


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

dufus said:


> Check this out, it's like Azoo made this just for wabi kusa!
> http://www.azoopalm.com/aquarium/glass/AZ33070.html


lol Yeah seriously, nice find


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

http://www.adana.co.jp/_e_product/145_index.html
the ada version


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

guys just to let you know ill soon be doing a fully illustrated pdf guide to wabi kusa!


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## tpl*co (Nov 4, 2006)

OK, totally ignorant on this? Wabi Kusa is a planted moss ball? Yours is emersed can they be submersed too? Totally new to this .

Also, aren't you worried about fresh water pathogens and parasites from the waterways? esp. if you add fish? Also, are there any laws about collecting?

Tina


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

wabi-kusa is simply a representation of nature on a small scale

you goto a location, be it a a river, garden or lake and use the earth and plants from that location to reconstruct it

the aim is to look as natural as possible!

your right, basically they are a planted tied moss ball, and can be any way you want it, either sitting half in half out of water(like stevens) fully submerged(like turtles) or fully emerged but sitting in water(like mine)

they are a great way for budding scapers to practice without spending money, and are really easy to get right!


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## yoko (Mar 16, 2007)

haha I am going to post pics of my wabi-ugly. It is a ball of mud with a plant.... :tongue:


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

go fore it im sure its great!
heres some more pics


































































there ya go


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## cjyhc4 (Dec 18, 2006)

That is incredibly awesome. I'm off to go shopping for a bowl/dish/aquarium thing and a few other things (like fertilizer). Tomorrow morning I'll go digging around the local pond. I think I'll take some Java Moss with me, just in case I can't find a moss growing down there, it is the end of winter in Missouri after all.


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

cool! im glad so many people are being inspired to try this!
hopefully we will get a subforum, and then we will have a proper place to post all this

today im making a new one, im just setting up a white box now for photos


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

This is really interesting. I might try to make some "starter pods" and have "centerpiece plants" seperate and maybe see if there is any interest in the swap n' shop section. Would be fun to get them out into the hobby... might go make one today...

Good job.

-Andrew


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

pleased you like the idea!
hope u make LOADS of money and be like the new ada


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

Felix- i love your sig "that wabi- kusa guy".
I made a quick WK out of a cd case top, i think i'll post it later.


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## fish_lover0591 (Nov 11, 2006)

Felix i think this is a sweet idea but you may have to start dosing ferts since some of the new leaves are yellow around the edges


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

^^ my first WK, now a month old. Bursting with life unfortunately my center peice plant grew over 30 cm high (12"?) and fell over, so i broke it into little peices and replanted









^^ the WK i made in my photo tutorial
i looks really cool, i am not dosing any ferts with it to test if they are really needed, not too much growth in 2 weeks so i think it probly does need them









the WK i helped my little brother to make last week
growing nicely!


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

additional: dident get much repsonse i guess people missed it
Full WABI-KUSA Guide, PHOTOS!
oh and thanks for all the nice comments


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

Great wabi-kusas man, congrats on bringing it to the hobby


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

im going to buy this and do a major wabi kusa project

im thinking, a different nature biotope in the 3 small ones; edinburgh, japan, desert(no water obv)

and in the larger container, i will have an small off center island, with a moss and emmersed hc ground cover, and a small bonsai. probly fish too!

edit: i really cannot take credit, steven chong inspired me 
thanks steven!


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

cool.
is that an axe nockoff?


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

axe nockoff? sounds like some dodgey russian woodcutter


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

in your bro's WK pic, there is a bottle of stuff that says "LYNX" boost.
AXE is the real maker, i think it's a generic brand of shower stuff.


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## Blitzhill (Oct 25, 2006)

Actually, I think Lynx and Axe are the same brand--just called differently in different countries. Might be wrong though. By the way Felix, you also inspired me to do a WK, thanks!


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

ahh i understand lol
yeh blitzhill is right
guys soon there will be a website for WK up!
so if you have any pictures you want to add to the gallery there pm me
or if you would like to add any content or suggestions at all!
blitz you should post your WK here


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

if any young entrepeneurs want to get in on a great business oppertunity please pm me. i have started work on a line of WK products! today in chemistry class my teacher showed me how to make a fert, and i researched what should work
ive made three different blends and am currently testing them. using cooch grass as it grows so fast, tomorow i will be able to measure the difference!


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

FelixAvery said:


> if any young entrepeneurs want to get in on a great business oppertunity please pm me. i have started work on a line of WK products! today in chemistry class my teacher showed me how to make a fert, and i researched what should work
> ive made three different blends and am currently testing them. using cooch grass as it grows so fast, tomorow i will be able to measure the difference!


You already know I'm in with you right?

-Andrew

(Yeah, I'll be the USA Wabi-Kusa guy... Going to start on some starter pods this week... Anyone interested? PM me.)


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## tak13 (Jan 12, 2010)

It looks awesome!
I gonna start one soon!


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