# Planted Tanks > Aquascaping >  Bedrock Scape

## inrewind

Hi guys,
just wanted to share my current 2ft planted tank scape.
DSM was started in early Jan, tank was flooded on 08April14, livestock added 2 weeks ago.
So far the normal suspects algae have appeared and gone, but I am still trying to find the nutrient balance.
The photo was taken almost immediately after I trimmed the HM on the right hand background, so you won't be able to see it except from the reflection.
I did buy more Brevibora dorsiocellata initially, but 6 have gone to fish heaven by suicidal act of jumping. 
I added floating plants to disperse the lights and so far none have jumped out...yet.
I couldn't think of a name for this scape, so I'm just gonna call it Bedrock since the tank is beside my bed.

Details.
Tank Size: 60cm x 30cm x 36cm Low iron tank 
Lights: Green element (6 hours duration)
Filtration: Eheim 2215 + steel lily pipes + Gush inlet guard
CO2: 1bps (switched on an hour before lights are on, switched off an hour before lights are off).
Cooling: Dymax fan (27 - 29oC) x 2
Fertilisation Regime: Tropica specialised fertiliser + Tropica premium fertiliser 
Soil: ADA Amazonia New (normal + powder)
Hardscape: Rocks
Plants: HC and HM
Livestock: Brevibora dorsiocellata x 2, Boraras naevus x 8, Otocinclus affinis x 4, Cherry shrimps


Front tank shot


Rasbora dorsiocellata


Boraras naevus


Otocinclus affinis


Neocaridina davidi

Please feel free to comment!

----------


## raytan12

Nice scape! Noticed that you have the same tank size and using green element EVO too. Does your HC pearl?
How long ago did you setup your tank? Your HC looks lush.

----------


## inrewind

Thanks! Yes, both HC and HM pearl, although I think its because I do pump quite a bit of CO2 before I added livestock. Now that it's 1bps, it does not pearl that often. Anyway, pearling is nice but it is not an indication of good growth.

----------


## inrewind

The photos below were taken from the time of set-up, DSM, and flood.


Final rock placement. It was not fun bringing all these rocks home on a motorbike, and it was not easy placing the rocks in the tank. Took me about a week before I finally decided on this scape. On hindsight, I should have removed the front left rock, and maybe twist the right hand most rock to the right. I was expecting a resistance of flow due to rock placement so opted to put the lily pipe on the left. In the end, I moved it to the right and replaced the ugly skimmer with an inlet shrimp guard instead.


DSM comparison after 3 weeks. I failed miserably last time but this time it was much better. I followed what a friend's brother did for his DSM, which was to cover 2/3 of the tank with cling wrap and cover the rest with a towel. It seemed to work very well. Lights were on for 10hours, but only 4 LEDs were turned on as to not raise the temperature up too high.


Slowly flooding the tank with an air-tube. I stopped midway to plant 10 pots of HM, before continuing to flood.


Shot of tank immediately after flooding. This took around 2hours to fill up as I kinked the air-tube so I encountered minimal disturbance when flooding.


HM for background. Notice the corrugated board to hold up the soil.


HM pearling. Though it's not an indication of good growth, pearling does give a sense of serenity. 


Added yamato after 2 weeks. The tank was cycled within a week as I used media from another tank. 


This was taken a week after livestock was added, and before HM was trimmed.

Sorry for the many photos guys, just hope my experience will benefit others as I have benefitted from others here. 
Feel free to ask me if you have any questions, and I will try my best to answer.

----------


## rc311

Wow bro... 2 months plus of DSM, I really admired your patience... 

Btw I saw your SS jet style outflow is halfway submerge, are you doing it on purpose to get some aeration?

----------


## inrewind

Haha, trust me, I almost flooded it within a week but told myself repeatedly to not do so. I will move the lily pipe slightly higher at night to increase surface agitation for aeration, & will move it back down in the morning just before my solenoid is switched on.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

----------


## thebaldingaquarist

One word, SWEE. (nice).

nice work. when the HM grows and starts to balloon over the rocks, will be nicer.

But do note that if HM don't get enough light at the lower tiers, the HM will brown out from the bottom.

----------


## inrewind

Thanks! I am planning to add another set of green element soon. It will probably be turned on half-strength, since I have minimal plant mass. I do notice that some of the HM have transparent new growth, and I've read that it could be a lack of micro. Anyone has experience with this?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

----------


## Urban Aquaria

I noticed you have 3 powered outflows in total and each pointed at different levels of the tank to get a counter-clockwise flow pattern... very interesting circulation layout!  :Well done:

----------


## inrewind

That said, adding another set of lights would be my last resort. The way I see it, I don't have that much plant mass to warrant another set of lights. I'm hoping I can eventually find the right balance of nutrients. 

Right now I'm pumping 1 pump of Tropica Specialised Fertiliser and 2 pumps of Tropica Premium Fertiliser (as recommended by Green Machine) every 2 days. I do add 1ml of excel daily. I do a minimum of 25% water change every week. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

----------


## inrewind

Haha, I am obsessed with circulation after my last failed scape. The powerhead is on the same timer as the solenoid, & the skimmer is only half-strength so that the HM behind the rocks get some circulation. There are still dead spots, but I guess it can't be helped.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

----------


## alchemistkc

Sweet!
How do you capture those macro images?

----------


## inrewind

I used a Sigma 70-300mm with macro capabilities between 200mm to 300mm. Although not truly a macro lens, the effective range is good for skittish aquarium inhabitants.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

----------


## Ingen

Nice scape, i like it.

----------


## inrewind

Thanks ingen!

----------


## nicholasliao

Thanks for the write up about rocks placement as well as the trials and tribulations of dsm. Looking forward to more updates to benefit my future scape.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk

----------


## inrewind

Thanks Nicholas. I will be making an update soon, although it won't be much of an update. But I do hope my experience will benefit you as others have benefitted me.

----------


## inrewind

Certain parts of the HC lawn have been attacked by hair algae. With no test kits available on hand (buying the API Freshwater Master Test Kit soon) right now, I have resorted to a few things I have read online. I have done a 3-day blackout, decreased my lighting by an hour (switched on for a total of 5 hours now), upped my CO2 to around 1.5bps, performed daily 20-30% water change for a week now, and I have stopped dosing Seachem Iron.

I have read online that red nose shrimps will eat hair algae, but also read that they munch on the leaves once algae have been eradicated. My issue with adding red nose shrimp is that I will be away for more than 2 weeks, and thus I cannot observe their behaviour. There will be someone at home to continue helping me pump Tropica fertilisers though. Any of the AQ members here have any experience with this?

Also, if you have battled and successfully won over hair algae your suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance.

----------


## Urban Aquaria

Those steps you took should help reduce the hair algae growth to more manageable levels.

To further reinforce the battle against hair algae, perhaps you can try dosing AlgeExit. Run it though the 4 week treatment course, just follow the recommended weekly dosages, it's effects will be very gradual (not immediate). I noticed the treatment slowly kills off almost all the green filamentous green algae (including hair algae) in the tanks that i use it in, and it carries on working even after i stop dosing it, and the hair algae never came back.

Next step.... put in 100pc of malayan or cherry shrimps (and do not feed them). Not kidding, the difference in algae levels will very noticeable, and the smaller the shrimps the better as they are the ones that can reach in between the tiny HC leaves/runners and pick out the algae too. Since your HC carpet is already well established, the small shrimps shouldn't be able to uproot the plants.

Alot of people find that their shrimps don't have any effect on algae, its because they simply have too few to have any noticeable effect, 10-20 well-fed shrimps in a 2ft tank are only good enough for decoration purposes. On the otherhand, it needs a small army of 100s of hungry shrimps to really pick though and consume the algae.  :Grin:

----------


## inrewind

Hi Urban Aquaria, thanks for your suggestions. I forgot to state that I am in the third week of using AlgeExit, & have yet to see any difference. It might be working in the sense that it's slowing down the rampant growth, but I don't actually notice any significant difference yet. I'm dosing about 6ml every week or the past 3 weeks. I read your post that it worked for you, but somehow it's not working for me. Do you overdose?

Haha i never thought about putting that much shrimps in my tank. I have around 30 plus cherries now, & they already cost me quite a bit. Malayan should be cheaper though, I think I might just get that. 

It's just disheartening knowing that I did not experience any melting for my HC & HM in the initial stages, to come to this stage where I have to battle hair algae again. I'm not sure if it's my dosing or my lights are too strong, but I hope it won't go too haywire when I come back from my holiday.

On the other hand, I just bought 10 red nosed shrimps from C328 earlier, & drip acclimatising them now. Hopefully they will do the job. Will also keep in mind to not feed the shrimps to encourage them to feed on the algae.

Thanks Urban Aquaria!

----------


## Urban Aquaria

I didn't overdose the AlgExit, only followed the recommend weekly dosage of 1ml per 10L. The effect is indeed very slow and gradual, so much so that i also didn't notice much difference in the initial weeks, until i took the photos to compare the before and after results. I did notice that after i stopped treatment, the algae continued to die out even more in the weeks following so i guess it has a longer-term residual effect.

Looks like all the things you have done should be able to combine forces to beat back the hair algae.  :Well done:

----------


## inrewind

Great, so Algexit continues to work its magic even after you stopped dosing after the 4th week? I understand using Algexit (or any other chemicals in fact) is not the best solution, but I want to stop or at least halt the track of the hair algae and try to find the right nutrient balance at the same time. I'm hoping the test kit that I'm receiving soon will aid me to understand my water chemistry a little better. As of now, the red-nosed shrimps seemed to be making their way around the tank and eating whatever they can. Hopefully, it'll be a good winning fight for me. Thanks for your advice! 

If anyone has any other suggestions, please tell me. Whatever info that is helpful, will be greatly appreciated!

----------


## Urban Aquaria

> Great, so Algexit continues to work its magic even after you stopped dosing after the 4th week?


Yeah, thats what i noticed after i finished the treatment 2 months ago... i was hoping the green fuzzy algae on my driftwood will recover and grow back again, but it has continued to slowly die off as the weeks go by, until now the driftwood almost looks like back to its brand new original condition.  :Smile:

----------


## inrewind

> Yeah, thats what i noticed after i finished the treatment 2 months ago... i was hoping the green fuzzy algae on my driftwood will recover and grow back again, but it has continued to slowly die off as the weeks go by, until now the driftwood almost looks like back to its brand new original condition.


Haha, I guess growing algae is easy but choosing and maintaining the right algae for the right look is super hard!

----------


## inrewind

You can see the almost immediate effect of adding red-nosed shrimps. The photo on the left was taken this morning at 7am, and the photo on the right was taken about half an hour ago. I have never been successful with hair algae, but with recommendations from good AQ bros, seems like its a win. at least for today!

----------


## rc311

Awesome, Guess they really did some nice hard work ...

----------


## roxnork

How long are your lights turned on a day? Perhaps you can reduce the duration that the light is turned to, say, 5-6 hours per day. Hope you are winning the battle!!

----------


## inrewind

> Awesome, Guess they really did some nice hard work ...


Yes, they made neat work of the hair algae. Very efficient algae crew.




> How long are your lights turned on a day? Perhaps you can reduce the duration that the light is turned to, say, 5-6 hours per day. Hope you are winning the battle!!


I have reduced the lights to 5 hours a day for the past week. The improvement was only seen today, a day after the red nose shrimps were added. Thanks!

----------


## inrewind

An update on my Bedrock scape 2ft tank.

It has been almost two months since flooding. 

I am going on a vacation for two weeks, wanted to see if the tank can be maintained easily during this short period.

Problems faced with this scape such as;

Hair algae was the worst, until the recommendation of an AQ member to add red nose shrimps. Red nose shrimps removed the hair algae within 2 days. I have stopped dosing Algexit, and the hair algae have remained at bay as I stopped dosing Seachem Iron.The growth of HM was explosive, until 3 weeks ago when it started melting.From test kit, it looks like a lack of nitrate. I started adding dry fertilisers bit by bit, bringing it up to around 20ppm. I will be using the EI method when I am back, so I can monitor the growth and adjust accordingly.Shrimps getting trapped in the Eheim skimmer. I tried putting SS grade mesh (too fine and clogs easily), cut-to-size media filter bags (unsightly) but have decided that I cannot prevent shrimps from kamikaze-ing. I have put the skimmer on timer instead, turning on for half an hour every 6 hours.

I am taking several actions such as;
Stocking up on NTUC distilled water to top up tank as it is easier for my parents to help me top up.Stop addition of dry ferts.Cutting the lights to 5 hours, instead of 7 hours.Continue to pump Tropica Premium and Specialised ferts daily (weekdays only).Feeding once a week. I have bought small containers so can dump the feed into the tank easily.

If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to add.

I did not use my macro lens this time, just a normal 18-200. Pardon me if the thread is photo intensive, but this thread also serves as a reminder for me.

Thanks for your time guys!




Front tank shot.
Notice the two post-its on the side of the tank. This is just to show my parents the max level that the water can be topped up to in regards to the positioning of the outlet.


Trimmed HM


Trimmed HC

----------


## inrewind

Update before decomming tank.
Tank will be fully decommissioned with items put on sale later.


This shot was taken after a pathetic attempt of replanting the HC.
HC carpet and HM background uprooted.
This was due to lack of trimming, so the bottom part rotted and having more than 70 cherries just hasten this uprooting process.
Overall happy with the progress of this tank, but will remind myself to trim aggressively and to keep population of cherries in check for the next scape.
Not much issue with algae, other than hair algae.
EI dosing worked for me, plants are green and healthy.
The two single HM that hitchhiked with the HC became two rather full looking bush in the foreground.



Cherries and red nose shrimps having breakfast.



Next project already on the way, first week of DSM with only Monte Carlo so far.

----------


## mUAr_cHEe

So excited.

Bigger tank. Bigger expectations.


Anyway, your pics are damn sharp. This is the other dark side of this hobby. One good glass could easily afford you another tank.

----------


## inrewind

Actually, it's the same sized tank haha. But I got an ADA tank as a gift earlier this year, so am using that one soon, & selling this one instead. 

I do have an interest in photography, but the good lenses are not attainable because of my thin wallet haha. There are a few Nikon lenses that I've been drooling for awhile, but can only afford second hand so will have to wait.

----------


## mUAr_cHEe

seems like you are a strong believer of DSM. I am still wondering if I should do that for my set up.

----------


## inrewind

You can read up about the advantages of DSM online. To me, DSM is beneficial because the emersed plants can take root faster in this environment. The only disadvantage would probably be being patient! It all depends on the threshold of the individual though. For me, the minimum wait would be 2 months before I would actually flood the tank. During this period, rescaping is possible, & much much easier. So I would recommend DSM to you, or any AQ bros.

----------


## mUAr_cHEe

I am aware of the benefits of DSM but I am just worried that I lack the discipline. And also of those living with me.

I can imagine my father looking at the water-less fish tank, referring me as a big rice bucket and a crazy kid then proceed to flood my tank with water straight from the tap.

----------


## Darkstalker

> You can read up about the advantages of DSM online. To me, DSM is beneficial because the emersed plants can take root faster in this environment. The only disadvantage would probably be being patient! It all depends on the threshold of the individual though. For me, the minimum wait would be 2 months before I would actually flood the tank. During this period, rescaping is possible, & much much easier. So I would recommend DSM to you, or any AQ bros.


Sigh, same goes for me wife.. Just started DSM not long ago, 2 weeks and my wife complaining.... Why still no fish.....

----------


## dhmy2kgto

Hi inrewind, may I ask something about the DSM you have done and currently doing for your new set up? The towel covering the top of the tank covers the entire top of just the 1/3 that isn't covered by the cling wrap? And any specific type of towel used? Thanks!!

----------


## inrewind

Haha I too have received offer from my parents to help me flood my tanks each time I DSM. But they usually give up after a month haha.

----------


## inrewind

> Hi inrewind, may I ask something about the DSM you have done and currently doing for your new set up? The towel covering the top of the tank covers the entire top of just the 1/3 that isn't covered by the cling wrap? And any specific type of towel used? Thanks!!


The towel covers up to 1/3 of the tank. But that depends on the temperature. I try to not to let it go over 30C. Some of my friends cover the whole tank with Saran Wrap & sprays every morning, but that doesn't work for me. I spray only when I see the sides of the tank are dry, which is once every 3-4 days. I also don't spray any ferts, the new aquasoil probably provides enough. Just use a clean normal towel. Hope that helps.

----------


## dhmy2kgto

> The towel covers up to 1/3 of the tank. But that depends on the temperature. I try to not to let it go over 30C. Some of my friends cover the whole tank with Saran Wrap & sprays every morning, but that doesn't work for me. I spray only when I see the sides of the tank are dry, which is once every 3-4 days. I also don't spray any ferts, the new aquasoil probably provides enough. Just use a clean normal towel. Hope that helps.


I see, very helpful information. Will try it when I set up my next scape. Thank you!

----------


## sfk7

Inrewind, you always have a good eye for rocks! New scape is looking good

----------


## inrewind

> Inrewind, you always have a good eye for rocks! New scape is looking good


thanks skf7! planning to flood the tank in about two months' time.

----------


## welly

Wow your plants are growing very well bro

----------


## inrewind

> Wow your plants are growing very well bro


Thanks Welly! This tank has unfortunately been decommed last Sat to make way for another scape.

----------


## Shadow

The new scape looking good  :Well done:

----------


## inrewind

> The new scape looking good


Wow thanks Shadow. I take that as a compliment, since it's coming from you!

----------


## gilch icariel

Very nice scape! I like it! By the way, where did you get the HM? Looking forward to your new scape too. Post it up soon!

----------


## Ingen

Did you experience any melting problem after your flood your tank?

----------


## fstyle28

Gorgeous setups. 2 thumbs up

----------


## inrewind

> Very nice scape! I like it! By the way, where did you get the HM? Looking forward to your new scape too. Post it up soon!


Thanks! I got the HM from East Ocean. I did not include them in the DSM, they were added when the tank was flooded. Should be flooding the new scape soon. 




> Did you experience any melting problem after your flood your tank?


Hi Ingen, it's normal to experience melting. But since the roots were already established, the HC bounced back rather quickly. I did not add any livestock so I could blast the CO2, up to 3-4bps. 




> Gorgeous setups. 2 thumbs up


thanks, hopefully the next scape will turn out ok too.

----------


## kuxion

nice!!!!!!!!!!

----------

