les Posted December 1, 2011 Report Share Posted December 1, 2011 Now this might sound a little dense but as far as this topic goes I am walking with a white stick so I have been reserching Iwagumi ( As I have a love for all things Nipon Gin) but was wondering if you could incorperate NPT with this form of Aquascaping? Cheers Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted December 2, 2011 Report Share Posted December 2, 2011 I LOVE iwagumi style. I thought Amano came up with the style though? You could do that with a NPT, you would have to have layers of tiles under the substrate to build up height and different levels, you can't have the substrate to deep. Also because you use a small shallow rooted ground cover the nutrients need to be close to the surface (in my tank with glosso I mix sand and Amazonia together.) To take up the nutrients you will need floaters like frogbit, this is what Diana used to take up the waste in her tansk with only ground covers. Doing a DSM will be easiest I would think since it gives teh glosso a chance to get established before it is flooded. Glosso is probably the best choice, HC doesn't grow all that well without CO2 while glosso will still go crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les Posted December 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2011 Ok Mighty Matt You do realize that I dont have a clue what you just said DSM? Glosso? and Amazonia? I only now a bit about IWAGUMI becouse I have watched a few Vids of it and like that style and I understand the layout of it as it is very similer to the structure of Zen landscaping so the principles of it I can comprehend There are some Iwagumi where the plants are not all low growing and it was one of these that I wanted to try first. The rock layout is tipical with low growing plants souround but in the background there is long hair grass that exsentuates the current in the tank and adds to the strength of the centre rock feture If you get my drift Cheers Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachSlices Posted December 2, 2011 Report Share Posted December 2, 2011 HC or JHG or glosso or UG at the front and around the sides of rocks then blyxa behind the rocks or long hairgrass. the really really long hairgrass is Eleocharis vivipara i had it once flies with the current. Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted December 2, 2011 Report Share Posted December 2, 2011 I've never had luck with HC or UG in an NPT. Glosso and JHG grow crazy for me though. Blyxa is a great choice for an NPT as it is deep rooted and very fast growing. If you have enough you should be able to do away a lot of the floaters. DSM is the dry start method, it's when you grow the carpet without water initialy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les Posted December 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2011 Come on guys you are talking klingon and we arnt even star trecking whats HC< UG and NPT ? Thanks for the DSM answer Matt and I am getting the long hair grass tomorow as I saw it at a shope yesterdayand I have found a good suply of diferent rocks they have so many its like rock heaven Cheers Capt Kerk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted December 2, 2011 Report Share Posted December 2, 2011 You used NPT stands for natural planted tank. HC, it's a tiny stem plant that creeps along the substrate. UG is utriculata gramiflora, it's a bladderwort that forms a carpet. Was it Vivipara? Or the really common on that gets around 15cm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les Posted December 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2011 Thanks Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 Blyxa aubertii would be a great choice for a taller back ground plant, it sways in the current like the hair grass does and grows alot faster with a bigger root system. Jeff at Liverpool Creek sells it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les Posted December 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 I got some today so all I need now is some ricia and substraight and I can set it all up Cheers Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les Posted December 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2011 OK so I got the substrate but now I dont like the rocks I have I tried setting them out and they just dont do it so I am going to get my brother to get me some granite from south of the river in the hills, so now will wait for them, My lord Amazone substraight is an arm and a leg and I am going back for some enzym stuff on friday I got the ADA cataloge and cant stop rereading it Cheers Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted December 6, 2011 Report Share Posted December 6, 2011 What enzym stuff? A lot of that ADA stuff is just snake oil. The substrate is good though. Which one did you get? I, II or "new"? I ment to take a picture of the setup Wolfy did in someone's shop, it looks great. Can you get honey comb rock in Perth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les Posted December 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2011 hey matt its Amazon New the guy at the shop said it wouldnt give as big a spick while the tank was settling in, The Riccia rocks I got on inspection are onlybits of slate with the edges rounded over so I will make my own next time. The said the Enzym stuff wasnt esential so I may not get it but and I have all the liquid ferts I need to keep thins going but he did recomend supper sand for the area I will plant the Dwarf Hair Grass in as he said it is a bulk feeder and I will get the best coverage that way as it wil just take off. He was very helpfull and did say even though he stocked all the ADA stuff that there where other things I could do to get the same effects and he gave me an ADA book for free. This guy is ammazing he grows all his own plants and all the FS north of the river send customers to him if they are serias about a planted tank . Yes I can get those rocks hear as I seen them when I was at the shop but I want a gray rock with plenty or cracks in it so if I get granit I can do some shaping with an angle grinder and age the rock for a while Cheers Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted December 7, 2011 Report Share Posted December 7, 2011 You mean power sand? I don't believe it's the nutrients in it, hair grass seems to spread better in a finer substrate. I had a massive amount of riccia I could have given you but I melted it with my Dino spit It's a shame sieryu rock is so hard to come by, it looks absolutly spectacular. Make sure you post pictures off them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les Posted December 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2011 I will. but I have a new three footer that I got of road side colection with hood and light it is just ammazing and I will do that up first as an NPT that way I can look for the rocks that I realy want, the rocks are realy important as they will give strength to the whole scape but the NPT will be all drift wood I have some lovly pieces all coverd in moss. Cheers les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted December 7, 2011 Report Share Posted December 7, 2011 Will you be using soil? Or some other mix. If you haven't read Ecology of the Planted Aquarium yet I suggest you do, you would love it :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les Posted December 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2011 Hey Matt your up late. Where do I find a copy the title sounds like somthing I would read Cheers Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted December 8, 2011 Report Share Posted December 8, 2011 Amazon.com or google the name of the book and you can buy it as an Ebook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les Posted December 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2011 Thats great Matt, Ill use Amazon for the Iwagumi and the method Jarrod and Busman Paul used the subsraight that producess its owen CO2 as there results were terrific and Idont want to get into CO2 injection quite yet Cheers Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadoh Posted December 8, 2011 Report Share Posted December 8, 2011 DIY CO2 isn't that hard if you wanted to go down that track. I added it to my tank with the algae and it seems to be helping to slow the growth (as well as the H2O2 dosing) I may be imagining it, but I noticed a growth spurt in my tank this morning after 4 days with the extra CO2... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted December 8, 2011 Report Share Posted December 8, 2011 Soil will also produce its own CO2, lots off it aswell, its got lots off other benifits such as high CEC so it won't leach nutrients after it has been soaked a few weeks and its jam packed full of microscopic life which really helps with the ecology off the tank. Diana says somewhere in her book about soil being better than a more concemtrated additive which only gets a thin layer, I'll have to try find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les Posted December 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2011 Hey Jarrod I will most prob set up a DIY CO2 as I have one I had going in the shrimp tank and I have lots of yeast but not till I have the tank setteld if I can get mine to look half as good as yours Ill be happy Hey Mighty Matt, Jarrod can back this up we dont have soil hear its sand so I was going to use the Laterite like in the thread but I wont use marble chips becouse I will use my bore water which has quite a bit of calcium bicarbonate in it and top ups should replenish that I will most prob start it on the week end as I have to finish of the rest of the garden before Christmass and I have four pairs in spawn tanks at the moment and I havent bought a Turkey yet LOL the presure is on Thanks for all the input I will definatly use it as this tank goes ahead and I will try for pics if Alex or Kevin will help Cheers Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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