Fluval Edge - Iwagumi Aquascape

[gBOYsc2]

Well..it's my break so I draw this as a start .

Hopefully my set up turned out much better than what it's in this picture -roll-

Btw..I hope you guys can guess where the fish are

Haha I like the drawings! I would really recommend checking out a PAR 30 or 38 LED bulb. They are quite pricey around 75-80 bucks but have 50,000 hour bulb life(iirc), and will simply screw into a regular old light socket, which should make a retrofit fairly easy..... I think LOL. Your stock lighting will definitely be insufficient. It will have trouble reaching out outer edges of the tank so look into one that has a wide spread angle. I would also recommend checkin out the Planted Tank website and Aquatic Plant Central site for other ideas on upgrading your lighting. You will be able to find a TON of fluval edge mods on those sights.

Edited February 17, 2011 by gBOYsc2

[CursiveDuck]

Have you done any over the top views, as great as the side drawing is sometimes its easier to go about the layout from both angles. I've found making a square like you did but consider it as your looking from the sky downwards, this way you can label what plants your going to grow. And where the rock is going to be. This way you can determine your exact requirements you'll need instead of going into it blindy lol. (Which I've done and hello Green algae bloom lol)

[Ishkabod]

I only see 2 inescapable challenges that come with the Edge if that is what you are set on useing(i know i did and i love mine)

1. the area you have to get your hand into work with the plants and plant them and get the rocks going is very small.

2. Lighting in the front, sides and corners is very inadaquite so i highly reccomend you add LED lights if this is what you really want to do it in.

Other than that I have my Edge Planted and i LOVE IT. The lighting is continueing to be a problem but i hope to find some low light forground plants soon. I bought one of the LED bubble wands that they have at big al's and put that just infront of the opening of the tank top and it does an amazing job giving light to the plants and catching that blue blaze on the tetras.

Here is a website i found a wealth of information on how to design and build what you want. It has detailed steps and pictures and diagrams to get the best possible aquascape of whichever type you would like. You do need CO2 and you can find a cheaper alternative From Fluval (you might find it online or can get it ordered in at your favorate store) It uses small co2 disposeable cartriges and i got the entire setup for 50 bucks.

Good luck

L

My link

[BettaVishVish]

thanks for the link and suggestion. Lots of things going on in the last couple weeks that made me had to put this on hold. I should be back on this again in the next week.

[jcgd]

Your plan picture looks good. Are you planning in injecting co2? I don't know from experience but I've heard the once you fill the tank you want to run high levels of co2 and apparently that helps to prevent the hc from melting. You may have trouble all around without co2. You should look into it more so you don't fill the tank and wipe out your hard work!

[BettaVishVish]

@jcgd: thanks. I was thinking about that.. but still haven't decided yet

still need to do a research for that.

[jcgd]

I have a 5.5 iwagumi started recently. I got HC and Dwarf Hairgrass from Pisces. It's the aquaflora stuff that's in little cups. The stuffs grown emmersed so it's perfect for a dry start. The two cups would be enough to nearly completely fill the edge and I had a bunch of scrap left over. I found seriyu stone at petland of all places, but expect to pay for it. They messed up for me and charged me $4/kg cause they couldn't find any other pricing but I wasn't arguing.

Dry starts IMO are far superior. Easier to plant (waaaaay easier), the plant settles in better and throws down a better root system and it spreads much faster. I've read that HC can be planted to ideal ways. One is individual stems (good luck) which fill in more quickly but is less dense, and as little plant nodes or little bunches; probably around .5cm around. The second method should spread more slowly but apparently in a nicer, denser way.

Once you flood the tank you have to giver with the CO2. Same goes for direct underwater planting. They plants are often grown emersed when farmed and when you throw them in water they are prone to melting, hense why many people lose it when they come home with it. That reason as well as it's not an easy plant to start with. I really would recommend trying it without CO2.

This is what it should look like freshly planted as a dry start after hours of hell with tweezers.

I can remove the pic if you don't want it in your thread. It's a terrible pic anyway, but it gives you the idea. Hope it helps!

Edited March 15, 2011 by jcgd

[BettaVishVish]

@jcgd: cool...Thanks for sharing. You can leave the picture here, it gives me a boost to continue on the plan

when did you get the plants from Pisces? cause I did't find HC there..maybe you got them all before me hehe. I'll check again this week

What kind of substrate you're using?

[jcgd]

I'm trying out the fluval substrat stuff for shrimps. They also have the plant type but I don't really know if there is much of a difference. It could be a marketing ploy. It is really similar to the ADA stuff or aqua soil or whatever. It's kinda like granules of soil that slowly breakdown to muck.

They HC and hairgrass was the aquaflora stuff in the little tubs. They have some above the nano tank displays but also above each of the plant tanks on a little shelf way at the back. Check every plant tank cause you have to kneel down for some and that's where the good pickin' is. Check literally every tub for the best and greenest batch and try to get there after a shipment before they brown. They seem very pricey but they cover a lot once broken up.

[Ron]

I found seriyu stone at petland of all places, but expect to pay for it. They messed up for me and charged me $4/kg cause they couldn't find any other pricing but I wasn't arguing.

Which Petland did you find Seiryu stones at? At $4/kg, I would have bought all they had.

Ron

[jcgd]

I got my rocks at the petland in crowfoot, by chapters. They are individually packaged in plastic. But I wouldn't count on that price. I didn't clear them out cause I had the majority of it and I wasn't about to lose my price if a manager walked over.

I also got 5 pounds for 10 bucks at big al's but they only had the two rocks I bought and they didn't know what it was or how to price it. They don't even have a bin for it. I told them it wasn't lace rock because that's what they thought it was.

I'm getting about 40 pounds in from the states in a week or two and I might make up some nano packages, but its not cheap. Probably 6 bucks a pound. Ill have to see.

[Ron]

I just brought up 40 lbs from the states so I am set but if I found some at the LFS for $2/lb, I would still buy it even though I don't need it.

[BettaVishVish]

if you're in Calgary and willing to sell the rocks..let me know.

[jcgd]

Mine haven't arrived yet but I'll let you know when they do. I was gonna put a few nano packages in the auction as well.

[BettaVishVish]

I did start 3 weeks ago, but didn;t use dry start method for many different reason...including "I better do this now..or never" reason

Attached is the picture where the plant is now floating because the roots are not planted well. I've been told if I use dry start, this 'floating' plant will not happen.