Llj's 2010 8G "pre-Journal" Journal

[lljdma06]

Hello Everyone,

As many of you know, I spent 3 weeks in Lago di Como doing a voice program. My voice benefitted from this, but there were other benefits as well. I was able to visit some of the gardens and take about a million photos!

I had dismantled my 8g nano before I left, and I chomping at the bit to set it up again.

I was truely inspired by what I saw. The gardens are lovely and the natural landscapes are stunning. I am looking forward to redoing the 8g and perhaps capturing the essence of what I saw.

A little rock garden with a fountain. There are shrines set up along the main streets in Dongo, where I stayed, especially next to the church.

A "fountain" of blooming Wisteria at Cadenabbia.

A little piece of a wall, I think this was at Tremezzo.

Part of the Gardens at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo. I loved this hotel, it was gorgeous. Didn't stay there, but the landscaping was amazing.

One of the smaller ponds at the Villa Carlotta Botanical gardens at Tremezzo. There was a huge brown carp in it.

Another section of the Villa Carlotta. Ferns, mosses, etc.

A row of azaleas at Villa Carlotta. Potential for a Dutch-style scape, no?

Vally of Palms at Villa Carlotta.

More ferns and mosses.

Another possible Dutch scape.

This place was amazing. I don't think your Planted Tank Moderator could have been more pleased. Thanks for looking! Feel free to offer comments and suggestions.

llj

 

[kiriyama]

Really like the pictures, very nice, always been a big fan of portrait style landscapes, think I have just been inspired to save up for a camera, it's been ages since I took pics.
You have plenty of material there to use for insiration for your tank, knock yourself out
The wall (3rd pic. ) would be amazing if you could recreate it..

 

[steelhealr]

Lots of ideas for a planted tank. Funny, I see these things online that go underwate, connect to an airhose and the bubbles make it look like an underwater stream. I guess, too corny to be put in an elegantly planted tank. SH

 

[lljdma06]

Lots of ideas for a planted tank. Funny, I see these things online that go underwate, connect to an airhose and the bubbles make it look like an underwater stream. I guess, too corny to be put in an elegantly planted tank. SH

Not corny at all, in fact, several top ADA scapes in the past few years featured effects just like what you're describing. It is used to create waterfalls. Check out the link below, SH.

http/www.aquascapingworld.com/magazine/March-2008/Magazine/Creating-A-Waterfall-in-a-Planted-Aquarium.html

Glad I dug this up. Might try it.

 

[Ryefish]

Lots of ideas for a planted tank. Funny, I see these things online that go underwate, connect to an airhose and the bubbles make it look like an underwater stream. I guess, too corny to be put in an elegantly planted tank. SH

Not corny at all, in fact, several top ADA scapes in the past few years featured effects just like what you're describing. It is used to create waterfalls. Check out the link below, SH.

http/www.aquascapingworld.com/magazine/March-2008/Magazine/Creating-A-Waterfall-in-a-Planted-Aquarium.html

Glad I dug this up. Might try it.

i have just youtube'd this and it looks amazing! if you make one, we need pics!

 

[lljdma06]

Yes, I'm thinking about. As much as I love color, I'm favoring the pictures with the mosses and ferns more. I think it would be very interesting to recreate a waterfall effect.

Llj

 

[Dave Spencer]

....I think it would be very interesting to recreate a waterfall effect.

Llj

I never thought I would see the day.

Nice to see you getting the photography bug, too. The third picture could actually be passed off as a picture of one of your tanks.

Dave.

 

[lljdma06]

....I think it would be very interesting to recreate a waterfall effect.

Llj

I never thought I would see the day.

Nice to see you getting the photography bug, too. The third picture could actually be passed off as a picture of one of your tanks.

Dave.

What?! I never said I didn't like Nature style scapes, Dave. I do. I just wanted to take my own photos for inspiration rather than rely on copying another hobbiest's work. Not that copying is bad, I just never was keen on it. Also, I have always enjoyed taking photographs, you have just never seen anything other than tank pictures from me. I really need to get some of the other photos posted. There are some landscape photos that are pretty amazing. It was stunning country. You see snow-capped mountains, then you see well-established palm trees growing in the gardens. I loved it! I must go again next May if I can manage it.

Back to scaping, so far, I like these three the best.

But I do like some ideas from other pictures as well. The aquatic plants I see are H. verticilata, mosses, e. tennelus, eleocharis species, susswassertang or another type of liverwort, fissidens, anubias, maybe bolbitis and needle leaf java fern. Many of these are plants I already have experience with, so it's just a matter of arranging them. The challenges will be creating the rockwork and the wall. Superglue, superglue, superglue!

llj

 

[ian]

i like the last pic, I think it could be done quite well in an aquarium.

 

[lljdma06]

i like the last pic, I think it could be done quite well in an aquarium.

I do too. I have to remember, though, that this tank is only 8g, so I don't have much room to work with. Here is another photo that I dug up. From a path that I walked up at Bellagio, one of the prettiest towns on the planet!

This coupled with this...

would, I think, take working with moss to a new level, at least for me. Even if it doesn't constitute an entire wall, it would be interesting to play with depth using rock work rather than wood. I figure I can use some Iwagumi rocks in this? They would just be used differently. I think I would need something with more crevices.

llj

 

[Ryefish]

ooooooohh.. i like the planning that is going on with this. i am getting rather excited the picture from the path, i can see that in a tank

 

[lljdma06]

ooooooohh.. i like the planning that is going on with this. i am getting rather excited the picture from the path, i can see that in a tank

Yeah, I'm getting excited too. One more paycheck has to come in and I'll be in business to start the setup. Looking forward to it.

llj

 

[lljdma06]

ooooooohh.. i like the planning that is going on with this. i am getting rather excited the picture from the path, i can see that in a tank

Yeah, I'm getting excited too. One more paycheck has to come in and I'll be in business to start the setup. Looking forward to it.

llj

Well, paycheck came and paycheck went. Went to my poor Buckwheat. See the thread below...

Lily in a Box

With his medical expenses (glucose checks and insulin), looks like I have to put this rescape off until I return to work in the Fall. It's ok, I can still dream, and he's so much more important to me.

llj

 

[lljdma06]

Been a while since I've looked at this... Still want to, and with AGA, may pick this up again in November/December. Might as well go ahead and make a "pre-journal" journal out of this.

SuperColey1 sent me this cool scape... Yeah, linking to another forum, I let all of you do it all the time...

Sky Cliff IAPLC 2010

I loved that it was so overgrown and that it incorporates many of the elements of the Italian rock gardens from the previous pictures in this thread. Can't believe it only ranked at number 80. Oh well, can't please everyone.

Getting a little tired of staring at that empty 8g.

Note to Biulu, the scaper is from Mexico!

llj

 

[ian]

I still like the last photo, the thing is you have done 'dutch' before, and this would? Be another Dutch scape.