Ben's Kitchen Tank Project Log

[BenPursglove]

Harlequins? Shrimps?

Harlequins are on the possible list, shrimps definately!

Kitchen-office, hmm, I like it. Never like to be far from a scooby snack when i'm working!

Nice job on the custom stand, looks slick. Regarding stocking, really depends on what decor you're going for in the tank. Also, are you sure you want to limit to one species? What's your reasoning?

I'm right next to the fridge <burp> Having seen other's planted tanks, 1 large shoal of small fish looks great as it doesnt take away from the scape layout and planting.

Start your aquascaping first, get the hardscape and planting done, then think about fish.
You have then something to look at and visualize different types of fish, choose whatever you think would work best with the aquascapes qualities.

Agreed

 

[BenPursglove]

Akadama grading 101

After reading that Akadama soil can be used as a reasonably good substrate here: LINKY and being as I have a few bags knocking around that I use in bonsai, I thought "hey why not give it a go". Although it is a cheap substrate it should be noted that it will take a lot of work (approx 4 hours) to prep ready for going in the tank.

Akadama is fantastic in bonsai as it is porous whilst also free draining. It apparently has a good CEC which allows it to lock in nutrients for the roots. Sounds great for substrate. A bag of Akadama contains pieces from dust up to 8mm in size. We grade the contents to remove the "fines" and get different graded pea sizes. Fines are removed as they will clog up the free draining nature of the soil. I can only assume the same would be true for water movement through it when used as a substrate...

For grading I use a sieve set like this: LINKY

Pics numbered to save on post length:
1. Sieving station set up
2. The fines to be disposed of
3. The free dried roots that also come in Akadama also to be disposed of
4. Resulting graded Akadama after 2 hours sieving
5. Second round - rinsing more dust off
6. Third round "floating" more roots off
7. 1/2 bucket of the good stuff
8. Done!




I will be using the second from the left pea size in pic 4 above (approx 2-3mm) as it should make a nice fine planting medium for roots to go bonkers in.

I'm thinking that as the Akadama is a dark rust colour when wet, some similar coloured rocks would look cool and give a nice contrast to the green of plants - now off to find em

 

[Million]

Cool, progress. Have you got any pics of your bonsai? Any further inspiration on your aquascape?

 

[keenonfish]

Cool, progress. Have you got any pics of your bonsai? Any further inspiration on your aquascape?

I wonder if you could get a sort of boszi shaped bit of driftwood and attach riccia or Java / some other moss to make it look like a mini tree. Not sure if it would work but it looks good in my head

 

[BenPursglove]

Cool, progress. Have you got any pics of your bonsai? Any further inspiration on your aquascape?

There is much work done on the tank today, pics to follow after I resize and the filter clears the tank up

On the bonsai - off topic but hey it's my thread besides, they never miss a photo opportunity Spring is about to be sprung so some look a bit leafless...

Hornbeam group, potted up last year from some rooted cuttings


Japanese Larch, no wiring done it was this shape from the garden centre. Bought as a potted tree and bonsai trained by moi


From left to right, Japanese Larch, Hornbeam grown from a tiny cutting, Kashima Maple buds just bursting, Korean Hornbeam


Shampaku Juniper in windswept style, picked this up as an unstyled upright mega cheap.


Cotoneaster Microphyllia bought as a potted garden shrub, in trianing 3 years. The long branch on the right is about a metre long and is being used to thicken up the trunk.


I have some others but these are the ones closest to being fully styled / trained.

 

[Underwurlde]

Be CAREFUL when using soil as a substrate - adding water to soil may start an ammonia leeching process.

Check for levels of ammonia in the water with that soil substrate immersed in what... what are the levels. If they are high, it may take up to a month to leech all the ammonia out of it before it can be used in a tank that also houses fish!!!!

Perfect stuff to use IMHO (hell I use garden soil that I've DUG UP - perfectly fine).


Andy

 

[BenPursglove]

Thanks for the heads up Andy. Akadama is pretty much inert as it's dug up then baked to harden it. For this reason I've added a touch of peat moss to the base layer and some slow realese fert pellets. Fish won't be going in until I have fully planted and it's grown in for a bit.

 

[Million]

Your Kashima maple is beautiful, you've got a talent there. I used to grow bonsai, but managed to lose a few in quick succession and just didn't start any new ones. May look out for potentials this spring - I have the perfect stone for a root over rock style

 

[BenPursglove]

<OFF TOPIC>

Your Kashima maple is beautiful, you've got a talent there. I used to grow bonsai, but managed to lose a few in quick succession and just didn't start any new ones. May look out for potentials this spring - I have the perfect stone for a root over rock style

Thanks a million Million the thing with bonsai I have found is; "you win some, you loose some. Patience reaps major rewards and dont forget to water and feed daily in the growing season"

For anyone interested, if you have a imported Japanese maple or pine it has just tripled in value. DEPRA have recently placed BANS / MAJOR RESTRICTIONS on trees imported from anywhere outside UK due to some tenaciuos beetle that got in and bored lots of holes in lots of trees. It's reported that there will be no Japanese imports for 3 years or so.......
</OFF TOPIC>

 

[BenPursglove]

Update with lots of progress...

After a day looking for rocks to suit Akadama, I stumbled on some named as "flame rocks", blah I thought as I was hunting for some compressed volcanic stuff similar to seiryu but to no avail.

But then upon looking at the flame rocks I thought that they would cool alongside the substrate...Then all of a sudden I thought...The tank is in my kitchen, the substrate is a hot (orange) colour, these rocks are too (and interesting)...let's make the scape "hot"

So is born my first planted tank, named just as pretentiously as all the rest: Hot Stuph

 

[BenPursglove]

Hot Stuph...The hardscape is dry looking but I want to get the feel of a watering hole and not an oasis in the desert. Cactus should be there but I don't know of any so grasses it has to be...

 

[BenPursglove]

This is a long post so result first then show and tell after...

Hot Stuph so far



I'm fairly happy with the effect for my first go at planted. I have tried my best to capture a vision of an arid oasis scape.

There are still a lot of air bubbles to work their way out of the substrate - has took 4 hours so far watching them piff out. Akadama sure is porous...

 

[BenPursglove]

What I did...
Akadama is inert so you must have ferts, got peat moss compost and some slow release ferts and mixed with the seived Akadama, result:


Added a nice thin layer of peat moss and akadama + slow release ferts to bottom of tank:
woot, does this look like fish, NO! But still it has got to be done!

 

[BenPursglove]

Next step was to reasonably cap off with some Akadama so the peat and ferts wouldn't decide to float upwards...

 

[BenPursglove]

I had already thrashed out how the rocks be layed (this took loooong time believe me), here is the final: