Soar.

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Graeme Edwards

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Hi guys,

Well you may remember my last design SHAKKIE . Well i thought it was time for a change.
Shakkie was a sustainable aquascape and hopefully a successful one at that. It was entered into THE International Aquatic Gardeners - Aquascape contest 2006, results out NOV 11th, fingers crossed, and maybe if George pushes it in the right direction, in a future issue of PFK with a write up from ME :D

So why "Soar" i here you ask!
Well Soar is a place me and my fiancé visit at least once a year camping and we just love it. Cliffs, coves blue waters and sandy beaches......Ahhhhhhhhh.





The design is loosely based on the cliffs and coves that i visit. So i wanted to create a sense of the coast, cliffs and grassy hills with bracken and gorse.
The rocks/stones i am using are collected from the spot its self.This is going to be very simple but hopefully have the desired effect and response.

Ive decide to use some of my ADA substrate that Ive had in waiting. There is ADA power sand special and ADA aquasoil Malaya. I also have a bottle of Brighty step1 which i think ill use on this design.

I used some card to keep the power sand from mixing into the silver sand.

Then in goes the silver sand after it has been washed.And some aquasoil.


Then in go the rocks. I haven't even coincided the golden rule, triadic formations or anything like that, i just went with what i felt did the job. I haven't decide if this is the front or the next picture.







After the rocks where arranged it was time to add the water. I used mature water from another tank and no fresh tap water was added. The filter is already mature. I'm hoping that doing this will help keep that algae at bay.



I think it looks best from this side!








Plants

Vesicularia dubyana
Riccia fluitans
Hemianthus callitrichoides ''Cuba''

At the moment im on day 2. I will do the first water change tomorrow ( 50% )and then every third day there after (50%). The Co2 has been set @ 2 bubbles per second this should ( guesstimated ) give around 40ppm and on 24/7.
I will dose step 1 after each water change, I'm going to go for only five drop, thats only because there is few plants and no other reason, i will monitor the plants and go from there.
I am lucky to have my Corydras Pygmaeus spawn earlier this month and they are growing nicely. Hopefully thew will end up in the nano if all goes well.

Regards,
Graeme.
 
I can already see this is going to be a great aquascape Graeme, even better than the previous.

The stones and their composition are awesome.

You have a talent, that I for one admire (and envy).

We should have plenty of decent pics for that potential article soon. I should be able to organise a visit by Neil Hepworth too, or you bring this baby to the PFK studio (assuming it all works out). Hopefully along with mine!! ;)
 
BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! I know people say very nice to almost all pictures, but this really is flipping awesome. I love the way you have the rocks positioned, you say you got the rocks from the place? They look beautiful aswell, i'm after some rocks like that for my nano.

Neal
 
Lovely tank Graeme, as George says will be a quality layout once matured :) And I'm very jealous of the rocks! They are exactly what I'm after! Im sure this will be an inspiration to many non-planters when its gets into PFK :)

Sam

EDIT - I also love the picture of the rock on the sand, that's a amazing pic, you have a eye for a nice layout AND decent photo.

EDIT 2 (keep thinking of things!) - I think you've capture the illusion of scale in the layout too, I can just picture it being by the sea and the rocks being huge boulders, much respect :)
 
BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! I know people say very nice to almost all pictures, but this really is flipping awesome. I love the way you have the rocks positioned, you say you got the rocks from the place? They look beautiful aswell, i'm after some rocks like that for my nano.

Thanks.

fishkiller_nomore Posted Today, 10:49 PM
I have to say I really, really like this!!! The rockwork is awesome! Do tell, how many minutes/hours/days(? ) did it take before you came up a rock scape that's "just perfect"?

I spent around half an hour arranging the rocks, i did have a play before that... to select which rocks to use and then thought about it for about three days.

Themuleous Posted Today, 10:49 PM
Lovely tank Graeme, as George says will be a quality layout once matured And I'm very jealous of the rocks! They are exactly what I'm after! Im sure this will be an inspiration to many non-planters when its gets into PFK

Sam

EDIT - I also love the picture of the rock on the sand, that's a amazing pic, you have a eye for a nice layout AND decent photo.

Thanks Sam. I hope i can inspire other people to do similar things.
Aquascaping and photography are my two most important interests outside of work.

Ooops nearly forgot the fiancé is the first, get that in before i get an ear bending :X
 
dasmall1 Posted Yesterday, 11:22 PM
Beautiful...

Inspiring...

Great work so far! Is this the final scape or are u adding more plants?

Thats it for the plants, its just a waiting game now for them to fill out.

mikster Posted Yesterday, 11:33 PM
yet again another great nano mate.

Cheers.

craynerd Posted Today, 01:22 AM
Awesum mate, great rock formation...well impressed.

Any plans to go bigger scale at some point?

Cheers mate.
I have another nano to play with ( PFK cube when it comes ) that may go to my dads, ill still design it though, ya know get him up and running etc. After or before i have a 45cm 90L to design then all being well a 60cm to dabble with. :p

lljdma06 Posted Today, 01:55 AM
QUOTE(craynerd @ Oct 23 2006, 07:22 PM)

Any plans to go bigger scale at some point?






That is a beautiful nano Moody. The rock formation is impressive. It looks big. Excellent illusion.

Cheers, thats the whole idea with a nano is to create an air of illusion when sized is concerned.


First water change done today 50% with dechlorinated tap water.
5 drops of Brighty step 1 added. Im not sure if this is enough, dosing every third day seems abit light, so after the initial week/weeks i may add 10 drops every third day or 5 every other.

The HC is pearling already.



I took about 30 photos to get this less than perfect shot, a digital camera from the stone age ( fiancé's !!!!! ) and some hand help close up filters can be abit tricky. Id love a Digital SLR with macro a lens, next year maybe.
 
Would you like to come up with a design for my PFK cube? I'd like it to look something similar to your current one, but with plants that I have listed on my thread "What plants for a nano".

Neal
 
Great pearling shot, Moody! Those shots are the best. :)

llj
 
where did you get the stone moody as i`m after some similr to that for the nanno i`m setting up
 

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