Start-to-Finish Iwagumi Aquascape Tutorial

This is the story of the Ratcliffe Evagumi. In this video I will show you the entire process from start to finish, including my top three techniques used in this build, as well as all the mistakes I made along the way. Let's begin with the substrate system. I start by adding a 2 liter bag of PowerScent Advance in the back of the aquarium. This will ensure a good water circulation and a nutrient deposit. Next comes the APT Start. It is a powerful substrate booster for new aquariums. It will enrich the substrate in macro and trace elements, but also accelerate tank cycling and make it ready for planting and livestock introduction. Next, I cover everything with a good amount of aqua soil and make sure to perfectly level the substrate. With the substrate in place, it is time to add the hardscape. I decided to use the K-Stone for its beautiful mixture of warm colors. The main stone, Oya-Ishi, goes in first and is supported by a smaller stone, Soya-Ishi. Next, the secondary stone, called Fuku-Ishi, is positioned on the opposite side. It is the second largest stone and balances out the composition. For visual expression, I'm using additional smaller stones, called Sute-Ishi. These are the smallest rocks and they are likely to be swallowed by plants. Finally, one more stone is added in the back to increase the sense of depth. The hardscape is completed by adding a thin layer of aqua soil powder. A look from above shows the position of the hardscape in the middle third of the aquarium. This is when you would usually add your plants, but I decided to use a method that is going to give me an unfair advantage. To avoid algae in melting plants, I am using a method that is used by top aquascapers around the world. For this, the aquarium has to be filled with water. Make sure to cover the soil with kitchen towels. This will prevent water from disturbing the substrate. Fill in the water very slow to begin with and increase the speed once the water level rises. Once the aquarium is filled, start the filter. To prevent the powder type soil from being moved around, adjust or modify the flow accordingly. Now it's time to add some beneficial filter bacteria to the water column. In this build, I use APT Start and in addition I squeeze out a sponge from a mature filter. The final step is to switch off the light. And if you haven't guessed by now, the technique I'm using is called the dark start method. It is an easy way to pre-cycle your soil and filter. Allowing you to skip the daily water changes and will give your plants stable water parameters from the start. Simply let the aquarium run with soil substrate and hardscape, but without lights and CO2 for a minimum of two weeks. Fast forward and one big water change later, it is now time to add the plants. Choosing the right plants can be overwhelming. For this reason, I created a list of plants from inspirational layouts and after observing them, I was able to see some patterns. I highlighted the repetitive plants and created a new list just with them. The first plant I use is Rechia fluitans. This floating moss gained popularity thanks to Takashi Amano, who cultivated it attached to flat rocks. I recommend using small quantity of Rechia and a thin fishing line to keep it attached permanently. The remaining foreground is blended with Micranthemum Cuba. To help dwarf plants anchor in substrate, I like to keep a small portion of the rockwool attached. For this, cut away all but one centimeter of the rockwool and divide it from the bottom. This way, you don't cut any runners and each portion covers a greater area. As you can see, I have covered the foreground as well as the middle path, all the way to the back of the aquarium. In the midground, I use Eleocharis pusilla and Hellantium tunnelum green. The combination of thin hair-like leaves of the dwarf hairgrass combined with the broader leaves of the pygmy chainswort will provide a wild and untamed look. In the background, I use Eleocharis parvula and Juncus rapens, as they will grow taller and create a steady transition towards the back. The aquarium is once again slowly filled, but this time with reverse osmosis water. For this, I'm using the Arkamai Aqua 1900 and a floating valve from Amazon to prevent the water from overflowing. Once the aquarium is filled up, it is time to add back the minerals. APT Sky has been specifically developed for planted aquariums and you can easily calculate the right amount with a handy calculator on the 2-hour aquarist website. For the next two weeks, I stick to the following maintenance routine. 50% water change every 2-3 days. Daily dosing of APT Zero fertilizer from day 1. And a moderate light schedule of 7 hours per day at 50% intensity. Before we get to how this aquascape has turned out, let's check out the hardware I used in this build. The aquarium is lit by the Live Aqua Master Pro. This light has great color rendition and is fully customizable inside the Max Living app. The canvas of the build is a UNES 60U aquarium measuring 60x36x36 cm. It offers highest clarity and true uninterrupted display thanks to 45° precision cut mitered edges, almost invisible silicone work and low iron glass. Plus, every UNES aquarium comes with a matching premium rubber mat. Behind the aquarium, I have used the Live Aqua backlight. A light screen is definitely an expensive and not necessary purchase, but it really makes the whole aquarium shine like a diamond. The UNES 60U is standing on a black cabinet from European Aquaristics. This cabinet has a classic design and has adjustable feet as well as round holes on each side for filter and CO2 installation. To fully customize the cabinet, I attached a wall-mounted power socket and to see things in the dark a motion sensor LED strip. To inject CO2, I am using the Live Aqua single gauge regulator. It is by far the most beautiful CO2 regulator I have seen. The bubble counter has a non-return valve already built in and a solenoid is also already attached. The aquarium is filtered by the BioMaster 350 Thermal. I love this filter for its quick access pre-filter and the build quality. Some of the original filter materials were swapped out for biological NeoMedia. In the top compartment, I added filter floss to help remove small floating particles. The filter tubing is cut and an inline CO2 diffuser from Live Aqua is installed. The original filter in and out flow pipes are replaced by Aquareo NeoFlow. What I really like about them are the customization options. And this wraps up the gear overview of this build. Now let's return to the Red Cliff Iwagumi and check out how it has turned out. The system I have used to build this aquascape has worked like magic. It has enabled the best plant growth I have ever had. And it took me close to no effort to achieve it. So far, you have learned two out of three techniques that have enabled this. First, using reliable hardware and a solid substrate system. Second, pre-cycling the aquarium with the darkstart method. The third technique is nothing you can buy with money. It is something that 100% depends on you. So, do you know what it could be? I'll get to it in a moment. For now, just look how this cape has evolved after only a few months. This aquascape is looking absolutely amazing. The plants are pearling like crazy and have exploded in growth. Thanks to my friend Juan Pujares, I found the Hecarimus rhodoi to fit perfectly into the layout. My initial goal was to achieve a wild mix of green carpeting plants, allowing the keystones to stand out. I also wanted the Eleocharis parvula and Yonkus repens to grow taller in the rear corners. And while the plant choice of carpeting plants allowed me to achieve a perfect look, I struggled to match Yonkus repens to fit with the rest of the layout. I ended up cutting it short in hope of Halantium tenellum filling in the gap, which never really happened. And while I was focused on fixing the background, I totally missed to properly maintain the carpet, allowing it to grow way too tall. After trimming Micranthemum cuba, I discovered it has already turned yellow and started melting from underneath. Now, this brings us to the last of the three techniques. Mainly, proper and regular maintenance. My lesson learned here is to never neglect trimming a carpet, as the next time can be already too late. I should have maintained a shallow and compact growth as it was in the beginning. In addition, I regret I haven't removed the Yonkus early on when I first noticed it doesn't fit into the layout. This way, I could have filled the gap with simply more of the existing plants. But instead, I kept riding a dead horse, resulting in a patched carpet and algae outbreak due to the excessive organic wastes. On the positive side, the recently added Nymphaea gardneriana has reproduced nicely and will be replanted into my other aquariums. And as this project comes to an end, here are the winners of the Tropica Merch giveaway. JimmyMana3626 and Deriv6390. Guys, please send me an email via the about page of this channel. With this out of the way, it is now time for something new. Let me know in the comments below, what I should do next inside the UNS60U aquarium. Thanks for watching and see you in the next video.