Iwagumi

[arif_93]

anyone got any ideas how to create an iwagumi aquarium i have the sand and thats it lol and the tank.
i just need to kno wat decor to use ie stones and plants also were i can buy it online thanks

 

[Dave Spencer]

Here is a crappy photo of the bare bones of an Iwagumi I am wrestling with at the moment, and hope to have up and running in about one month.

The substrate is ADA Aqua Soil Amazonia powder which is great for scaping with. The rocks are from the mountain I live on. Make sure you are bold with your choice and size of rock. They have to look interesting and musn`t be overwhelmed by the plants, but need to have that natural, grown in look ie they have to belong in amongst the plants, as if they have been there before the plants. Placement of the rocks is key, but there will be plenty of advice on that from this forum.

Iwagumis are different to other planted tanks in that the emphasis is on the rocks. Plant choice is generally limited to carpetting plants such as HC, Glosso etc. and possibly some grass type plant to give the greenery some relief.

A lot of my favourite aquascapes are Iwagumis, so I am looking forward to another Iwagumi journal.

Cheers, Dave.

 

[paulioo]

Just a quick word of warning and this comes from personal experience. Although an Iwagumi aquascape consists of only rocks and carpeting plants, during the initial weeks you need to fill the tank with as many fast growing stem plants as possible.

I had a hellish time with mine at first with every conceivable type of algae present. So even although your finished scape will contain only HC, Glosso or Hair Grass don't forget to pack it full of stem plants initially. As the carpeting plant begins to take over, you can then slowly start to remove some of the stem plants. Eventually over time your tank will resemble a completed Iwagumi style aquascape.


Paul
p.s I've not posted on this forum for about 1 year, so hello to everyone that doesn't know me