Two New But Probably Old Aquascaping Ideas I'm Toying With, Part I - APE - Aquatic Plant Enthusiasts

ukamikazu · 04-26-2009, 01:38 PM

Hey Everybody!

I've had an idea that I'm pretty sure is very old but the inspiration came from somewhere else. I was going through an old book about the history of English gardens and it mentioned that initially the first cultured gardens looked like little more than wild weed patches. Now each plant was specifically placed, it was just arranged to look like it wasn't planned and then allowed to grow as it wished with the occasional pruning.
As time went on, the art of the formal English style garden became what it is today, with some of the original features of that first wily patch: Tight bushy groupings allowed to grow out and random splashes of colour within certain patches and ranks and small engineered hillocks for show pieces or to tie a certain theme together.

Now, I've been thinking about this and Orlando's recent photos have helped me do that. Nature is a bizarre aquascaper but still ordered in a chaotic way that is amazingly consistent. We try and capture some of that but our human fondness for arranging things betrays the ruse. I have accidentally rediscovered what is probably an ancient principle using a vaguely tiered system.

What I am posting is a picture of my newest tank. It is a 20 tall and it was meant to be a nursery tank for our mollies. Well, my little babies need something nice especially since they are herbivores and they need to feel safe so plants are once again the answer. This tank is only a moth old and the growth has been phenomenal.

Now here's the deal: The plants were chosen from my stock tanks and pretty much thrown together at random. I was just trying to be cost concious and get something going in there for them and I am pleased with the results. It looks haphazard but I think, and I will gladly accept any reprisal for making this statement, more natural than Takashi Amano's creations. Less planned, but obviously maintained.

AquaZilla · 04-26-2009, 01:40 PM

I like it

Tons of color, and to top it off healthy stands of stems

-Orlando

ukamikazu · 04-26-2009, 01:45 PM

From right to left:

Bacopa caroliniana, then nested between it is Rotala macrandra 'Narrow Leaf'. In the front is Eleocharis acicularis and Glossostigma eltinoides growing in between each other.

Center back is a piece of driftwood totally covered in Micranthemum umbrosum, directly in front of it is Alternanthera reineckii.

To the immediate right of this are several young Nymphaea zekeri 'Red Tiger' that trail towards the rear.

The entire right side is a grouped and some what tiered planting of Vallisneria gigantea, Ludwigia repens and Rotala rotundifolia all allowed to fill in as they wish.

With the exception of the lotuses, these are all pruned weekly to allow light to penetrate at all levels.

ukamikazu · 04-26-2009, 01:58 PM

Now mind you, a month ago it all looked rather sparse but now it is just going and going. It actually surprised me the rate at which it filled in: Just over a week. The 2nd week was a heavy pruning. Just yesterday, I chopped the Bacopa down some and everthing is making runners like wild.

There is barely even a hint of green dust algae, but I thank the mollies for that. Featured prominently in these photos is "Big Momma" and some of her babies. So many babies...

AquaZilla · 04-26-2009, 03:04 PM

Aqua-soil?

ukamikazu · 04-26-2009, 04:00 PM

Nope. I am a plain Jane Flourite man. However, I do use EI but only with the Seachem Flourish line. They have a handy dosing schedule they publish that I stick to. I also over drive all my light systems to 5 WPG, as inaccurate as that measurement is. My CO2 stays right at 21-25 ppm depending on the time of day (lower in the morning and higher in the afternoon).

Interspersed throughout the Flourite substrate are the Flourish plant tabs.

No secrets, all pretty simple really. I try not to complicate things because keeping up with weekly water changes and prunings is difficult enough. I try and get what I can off the shelf or modify what I already got depending on how I'm budgeted every month. The budget has everything to do with how I run my show. I think I do okay.

AquaZilla · 04-26-2009, 04:06 PM

[/quote]No secrets, all pretty simple really. I try not to complicate things because keeping up with weekly water changes and prunings is difficult enough. I try and get what I can off the shelf or modify what I already got depending on how I'm budgeted every month. The budget has everything to do with how I run my show. I think I do okay.[/quote]

Amen to that!

04-26-2009, 01:45 PM	#3 (permalink)
ukamikazu Moderator Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Austin, Texas, USA Posts: 619	Here is what you're seeing. From right to left: Bacopa caroliniana, then nested between it is Rotala macrandra 'Narrow Leaf'. In the front is Eleocharis acicularis and Glossostigma eltinoides growing in between each other. Center back is a piece of driftwood totally covered in Micranthemum umbrosum, directly in front of it is Alternanthera reineckii. To the immediate right of this are several young Nymphaea zekeri 'Red Tiger' that trail towards the rear. The entire right side is a grouped and some what tiered planting of Vallisneria gigantea, Ludwigia repens and Rotala rotundifolia all allowed to fill in as they wish. With the exception of the lotuses, these are all pruned weekly to allow light to penetrate at all levels. Last edited by ukamikazu; 04-26-2009 at 01:48 PM. Reason: Additional details...

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04-26-2009, 01:40 PM	#2 (permalink)
AquaZilla Administrator Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 2,736	I like it Tons of color, and to top it off healthy stands of stems -Orlando

04-26-2009, 01:58 PM	#4 (permalink)
ukamikazu Moderator Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Austin, Texas, USA Posts: 619	Now mind you, a month ago it all looked rather sparse but now it is just going and going. It actually surprised me the rate at which it filled in: Just over a week. The 2nd week was a heavy pruning. Just yesterday, I chopped the Bacopa down some and everthing is making runners like wild. There is barely even a hint of green dust algae, but I thank the mollies for that. Featured prominently in these photos is "Big Momma" and some of her babies. So many babies...

04-26-2009, 03:04 PM	#5 (permalink)
AquaZilla Administrator Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 2,736	Aqua-soil?

04-26-2009, 04:00 PM	#6 (permalink)
ukamikazu Moderator Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Austin, Texas, USA Posts: 619	Nope. I am a plain Jane Flourite man. However, I do use EI but only with the Seachem Flourish line. They have a handy dosing schedule they publish that I stick to. I also over drive all my light systems to 5 WPG, as inaccurate as that measurement is. My CO2 stays right at 21-25 ppm depending on the time of day (lower in the morning and higher in the afternoon). Interspersed throughout the Flourite substrate are the Flourish plant tabs. No secrets, all pretty simple really. I try not to complicate things because keeping up with weekly water changes and prunings is difficult enough. I try and get what I can off the shelf or modify what I already got depending on how I'm budgeted every month. The budget has everything to do with how I run my show. I think I do okay.

04-26-2009, 04:06 PM	#7 (permalink)
AquaZilla Administrator Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 2,736	[/quote]No secrets, all pretty simple really. I try not to complicate things because keeping up with weekly water changes and prunings is difficult enough. I try and get what I can off the shelf or modify what I already got depending on how I'm budgeted every month. The budget has everything to do with how I run my show. I think I do okay.[/quote] Amen to that!