260L AquaScape - Lost in Teldrassil

Discussion in 'Aquascaping and Member's Setups' started by Aeralon, Aug 20, 2014.

  1. Aeralon
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    Aeralon Algae harvester

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    Howzit guys

    And so begins my first APSA scape thread for my 260L tank.

    Here are the technical specifications, followed by a brief pictorial history of the tank.

    TANK DIMENSIONS: W1200 x D450 x H480 (mm)
    VOLUME: 260 litres
    ILLUMINATION: 3 x 45W (135W) Juwel HighLite Day T5’s + Reflectors
    ILLUMINATION TIME: 11 hrs with 3hr siesta at midday
    FILTER SYSTEM: Cascade 1500 Canister Filter (1275 lph)
    SUBSTRATE: ADA Power Sand Special L ; ADA Bacter 100 ; ADA Aqua Soil - Amazonia
    FERTILIZERS: Seachem: Flourish ; Flourish Excel ; Flourish Iron ; Flourish Potassium ; Flourish Trace
    C02 SUPPLY: 2 bubbles per second
    WATER CHANGE: 50% every week
    TEMPERATURE: 26.5 C
    pH VALUE: 6.4

    FLORA
    Bolbitis heudelotii ; Cryptocoryne parva; Didiplis diandra ; Glossostigma elatinoides ; Hemianthus micranthemoides ; Lagarosiphon major ; Ludwigia arcuate ; Ludwigia x lacustris ; Riccia fluitans ; Rotala sp. 'Colorata' ; Rotala sp. 'Green' ; Rotala wallichii ; Sagittaria subulata ; Syngonanthus sp. 'Belem' ; Taxiphyllum barbieri

    FAUNA
    Danio margaritatus ; Hemigrammus erthrozonus ; Mikrogeophagus Ramirezi
    Ancistris; Farlowella ; Otocinclus
    Caridina multidentata ; Neocaridina heteropoda var. Fire Red ; Palaemonetes paludosus



    2014-06-01
    Tank02_2014-06-01b.jpg
    Rushed the initial planting as I was flying overseas the next day.

    2014-06-15

    Tank02_2014-06-15.jpg
    Returning home 2 weeks later, I was pleased to see everything had not only survived but was growing very well.

    2014-06-28
    Tank02_2014-06-28.jpg
    A month in and the scape is ready for its 1st proper trim.

    2014-07-26
    Tank02_2014-07-26.jpg
    By end of month 2 some plants had been removed, moved around and new midground species introduced as focal points. The Rotala's growth rate is incredible and requires regular management to prevent it from taking over.

    2014-08-20

    Tank02_2014-08-19.jpg
    It has taken just under 3months for the glosso to form a thick carpet in the foreground. The addition of the Ludwigias in the background has introduced much needed colour to the scape (thank you BetterWeather)

    I acquired a tripod to improve on my photography this weekend, and I am super stoked at what I have been able to achieve with my old Canon IXUS digital compact camera by playing with the ISO and manual exposure settings. This final image was taken in the evening when only the back T5 is on... the strong silhouettes of the wood against the bright background is what inspired the name for this scape, as I can lose myself in this underwater world for hours at a time. :)
     
    Jacobus Roux, avatar, shihr and 6 others like this.
  2. Joshua Tree
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    Joshua Tree Valued Contributor

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    Very nicely done. Congrats.
     
  3. A.W.O.L
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    A.W.O.L Green fingers

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    Simply spectacular! Well done! What wood is that and where did you find it if I may ask.
     
  4. JP01
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    JP01 Moderator Staff Member

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    Awesome scape and that wood is just amazing.
     
  5. Henk Marais
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    Henk Marais Green fingers

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  6. Chongkie
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    Chongkie Aquascaper

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    Very nice! Really liking it!

    Love the last photo, where the wood is nice and dark, and draws you to the back of the scape. :thumb:
     
  7. Aeralon
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    Aeralon Algae harvester

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    Thanks! ADA refer to it as Hornwood. Over the past couple years I have collected some interesting pieces from aquarium stores around the country. It is a dense wood that takes about 2weeks to become waterlogged and will release a lot of tannin during the curing process, which is why I prefer to weigh the branches down at the bottom of the pond instead of in the tank. The wood goes very dark underwater and is an integral element in all of my hardscapes.

    My next thread will feature my 450L tank which has some really beautiful pieces of Hornwood in it. Here is a sneak peek :)

    Tank03_8117_sml.jpg
     
  8. PsyXe
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    PsyXe Green fingers

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    Lovely, and I like the name! I actually think WoW and aquascaping should go together more often :D
     
  9. shihr
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    shihr Administrator Staff Member

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  10. Slagter
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    Slagter Aquascaper

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    Awesome stuff bud! Which stores did you buy the Horn Wood from?
     
  11. avatar
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    avatar Algae harvester

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    Fantastic work dude, a truly beautiful scape and awesome growth rates!
     
  12. JP01
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    JP01 Moderator Staff Member

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  13. Aeralon
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    Aeralon Algae harvester

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    So "Lost in Teldrassil" is 3mnths old today. Spent a few hours trimming and tidying before taking these pics.

    2014-08-30

    APSA_2014-08-30_18h00@135W.jpg
    18h00 - Lights are at 100% = 135W of illumination.

    I increased my CO2 to 3bps at the beginning of the month and the growth rate of the glosso and Ludwigia showed a marked acceleration. The Sagittaria also began sending out numerous runners which I painstakingly had to extracted from in between the glosso and relocated to more appropriate locations.


    2014-08-30

    APSA_2014-08-30_19h00@45W.jpg
    19h00 - Lights drop to 33% - Only the back 45W T5 stays on until lights out at 21h00.

    The strong silhouettes of the hornwood against the bright fine leafed background is much more striking now that I have removed most of the moss that was smothering the wood. I am so loving my Electric Blue Rams... these little guys have such great personality and are always busy investigating their environment. They have shown little to no interest in the fire shrimps thus far, but that will unfortunately change as they mature o_O


     
  14. HC
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    HC Plant menace

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    @Aeralon epic scape man, Really love this scape.. The green and the red mixture of the plants really look awesome.

    Please let me know when you will be trimming the following:

    Will be keen to get me claws on the above mentioned.
     
  15. shihr
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    shihr Administrator Staff Member

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    looks really cool!

    u sure you got Ludwigia x lacustris though? and not ludwigia brevieps? i dont think ive seen Ludwigia x lacustris in SA...

    anyways, another tip is to trim your moss instead of removing it.. moss eventually grows more mature looking and bushier..
     
  16. Ebrahim
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    Ebrahim Green fingers

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    Brilliant scape and brilliant name aswell
     
  17. Aeralon
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    Aeralon Algae harvester

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    Thanks Ebrahim. Naming my creations is very important to me, whether it be my Oil paintings, my MMO characters or my Aquascapes ... I believe that names contain great power and can help evoke a specific response in a viewer.

    As a game designer, I have been greatly inspired by the creative genius of Blizzard Entertainment and this Scape is dedicated to a time in my life when I would spend countless hours exploring the breathtaking locations & environments within World of Warcraft. Aaaah... those were the days. :rolleyes:
     
    Ebrahim and Linxie like this.
  18. Aeralon
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    Aeralon Algae harvester

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    Don't know why that reply got uploaded twice o_O
     
  19. Linxie
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    Linxie Aquascaper

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    Stunning scape! It reminds me of Guild Wars :)
     
  20. Adrian
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    Adrian Aquascaper

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    Awesomeness
     

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