Projects
Sharing some of our Creations
It gives us great pleasure to share some of the setup we have done. This will give you some idea of what we do and how we do it.
Phoenix
This was one of Gautam's first attempt in creating a stem plant layout on the lines of those created by Mr. Amano. In fact he selected the plants after seeing a similar layout in an ADA Aqua Journal.
The beauty of the tank is in it’s layer of green mosses and fern covered driftwood with the vibrant red backdrop of Eustralis stellata, Nesaea red and Ludwigia arcuata. It is as if from the ashes of dead tree the new life is rising like a phoenix.
He had entered this tank in the International Aquatic Plant Layout competition held in 2009.
The learning in setting up this tank is that while a tank with stem plants is easy to start with but from the point of view of maintenance it is one of the most difficult. However, it was a real satisfaction to see the strands of Polygonum growing out of water and growing tall to even overshoot the lighting fixture hanging from above.
Technical Specifications:
Aquarium - W60 x D30 x H36
Lighting - ADA Solar II, turned on 10 hours per day
Substrate - ADA Amazonia, Power Sand Special (S), Penac W, Penac P, Bacter 100, Clear Super, Tourmaline BC
CO2 - Pressurized
Fertilization - Brighty K, Step 2, ECA, Green Gain and Green Bacter
Water change - Weekly 50 %
Filtration - Eheim 2215, NA Carbon, Bio Rio, Tourmaline F
Water quality - Temperature 25 degree centigrade, ph 6.5, KH 4.5, NO3 5 mg/ l, PO4 negligible
Hardscape - Indonesian driftwood and Fuji stone
Plants:
Eleocharis parvula, Glossostigma elatinoides, Echinodorus tenellus, Riccia fluitans, Vesicularia dubyana, Singapore Moss, Vesicularia ferriei, Weeping Moss, Vesicularia montagne, Christmas Moss, Anubias nana, Anubias nana ‘Petite’, Microsorum pteropus ’Philippine’, Bolbitis heudelotii, Cryptocoryne wendtii cTropica‘, Myriophyllum matogrossense, Eustralis stellata, Nesaea red, Ludwigia arcuata, Didiplis diandra, Rotala rotundifolia "Green", Nesaea green, Rotala wallichi, Micranthemum umbrosum, Hemianthus micranthemoides, Lilaeopsis brasiliensis, Polygonum sp.
Fishes:
Pencil fish (Nanstomus beckfordi), Ottocinclus sp., Cherry shrimp
Enchanted Woods
“Enchanted woods” was Gautam's earlier attempt in trying out an iwagumi layout. Adip helped me in setting up the tank and this tank also got a first prize in the Indaquaria exhibition held in February 2009.
To be frank the layout too a large extent was an accidental outcome and not a carefully planned aquascape. All the glossos initially were growing tall instead of crawling on the substrate. They even started climbing up hanging on the leaves of the Echinodorus tenellus. Gautam realized quickly that the lighting was insufficient and after he trimmed the layer in the front they started crawling. However the ones in the back had totally overwhelmed the tenellus and had already created an intense jungle by growing above the tenellus. He then intentionally allowed the central glosso mound to grow taller than the surroundings. A part of the mound even went out of the tank water.
The central glosso mound was so thick that even the cardinals feared venturing into it as if it was a forbidden forest having it’s share of unknowns. Hence the name “Enchanted woods”.
Technical Specifications:
Aquarium - W90 x D45 x H45
Lighting - ADA Solar I, turned on 8 hours per day
Substrate - ADA Amazonia, ADA Amazonia II, Power Sand Special (M), Penac W, Penac P, Bacter 100, Clear Super, Tourmaline BC
CO2 - Pressurized
Fertilization - Brighty K, Step 2, ECA and Green Gain
Water change - Weekly 50 %
Filtration - Eheim 2217, NA Carbon, Bio rio
Water quality - Temperature 25 degree centigrade, ph 6.5, KH 4.5, NO3 5 mg/ l, PO4 negligible
Hardscape - Manten stone
Plants:
Eleocharis parvula, Glossostigma elatinoides, Echinodorus tenellus, Riccia fluitans
Fishes:
Cardinal tetra, Queensland rainbow, Ottocinclus sp., Cherry shrimp
Fallen Titan
“The Fallen Titan” is another landmark and will remain very special for Gautam. This tank was setup for his good friend and well wisher Mr. Kanad Neogi.
Initially, between 2004 and 2007 Gautam had graduated from laterite to commercial packaged substrates. He had setup some tanks using AZOO plant base and then in August 2007 found out that ADA product range which was available in India, courtesy his good friend Adip. He had already purchased Mr. Amano’s book on Nature Aquarium and was overjoyed that he could finally try his hand in replicating some of his master pieces.
The outcome was the “Fallen Titan”.
The tank was conceptualized as a room divider and can be seen from 3 sides. He tried to replicate the scene of a big tree growing by a riverside which has fallen down and is now overgrown with ferns. If you see from the shorter side the tank you get a sense of a forest beyond. He used seven pieces of driftwood to create the structure of the tree.
Technical Specifications:
Aquarium - W150 x D60 x H60
Lighting - ADA NA MH 150 W x2, turned on 10 hours per day
Substrate - ADA Amazonia II, Power Sand (L)
CO2 - Pressurized
Fertilization - Brighty K, Step 2, ECA and Kanad’s own concoction
Water change - Weekly 50 %
Filtration - Eheim 2217 x 2, Ceramic rings
Water quality - Temperature 24 degree centigrade, ph 6.5, KH 5, NO3 5 mg/ l, PO4 negligible
Hardscape - African mangrove roots and other driftwoods
Plants:
Hygrophila polysperma, Anubias nana, Anubias barteri, Blyxa japonica, Bolbitis
heudelotii, Microsorum pteropus 'Java Fern', Microsorum pteropus 'Narrow Lea',
Microsorum pteropus 'Philippine', Cryptocoryne undulata 'Red', Cryptocoryne wendtii
'Tropica', Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia, Echinodorus tenellus, Rotala wallichii
Fishes:
Neon Tetra, Ottocinclus sp, Cherry shrimp and some rainbows