My Simple DW Scape Updates 17 April 2012

This is 1 and a half month into scaping this tank, harvested the rotala indica few times..from 3 pots, i manage to get 6 pots worth of rotala, very fast grower

My polysperma seems less red, sigh...only those near the water surface is red.. 

My microswords carpeted nicely... hehe hope it get more dense...

Broke Bike Mountain.....My Trip to Pasir Ris Fish/ Aquaplants Farms

I wanted to share something very funny, during my 6km cycling trip to Pasir Ris Farm... i managed to do something very very out of the world... I managed to broke my friend's bike...LOL

If you wonder what i broke, see below pictures...i am very proud of myself for being able to break the bike's shaft...LOL

Now you know how hilly the farm roads are, and do not mess with me or you will end up just like this bike...LOL

How To Tie Moss on Stainless Steel Mesh

Happy Good Friday!!, I am stucked in Sg due to an unforeseeable massive jam of Causeway...lol, therefore i have some extra time to post something interesting and helpful for newbies

HOT TO TIE MOSS ON SS MESH

Grab a SS Mesh

Notes: 

1)Test the mesh using a magnet prior buying. If the magnet sticks to the mesh, it means its not a enough for aquarium or constant soaking of water. General code for SS mesh which can be used for Aquarium/weather-proof is SS316(one of the best and most expensive). The cheaper version is SS304, which is OK for normal use but it willhave orange stains if soak in water for a long period. See your HDB S.S. handrails where there are normally SS304, are there a orange tint on the handrail??

Updates, another top grade of SS which i found out not long ago..SS904, its used to make ROLEX...hahaha, if you want to earn your rolex, you should visit these sites below

Patric's website 

George Brandon's website

2)Wash the prior use:- some have a layer of oil between them to prvent them from sticking together and to ease  separation between layers

3)You can use plastic mesh aka egg crates, mosquito mesh etc, but some plastic mesh or mosquito nets are too filmsy, may not be as nice as SS mesh

Lay your moss a piece at a time and try to arrange them in the same direction if possible. for my case, this are Thai Java moss, extremely hardly( Special thanks for the past contribution of AQ member Yan). 

Lay a second piece of Moss, and continue on till all area are covered

Did you notice I lay them quite loosely as so they can absorb lights and space for them to grow. If you tie to thickly, the underneath parts will brown and rot away...

Now the victim eh moss is ready tie it up with a string of fishing line... I am out of fishing line, so I use the normal cotton thread

Tie from the side and take your time... the key is patience, no need to tie them too nicely as moss will grow and cover the lines in few weeks time

Tah dah... completed..put into your tank, and wait for it to grow...

I posted the result of the grown for my riccia here:- tied to SS mesh, you can see how riccia outgrow the threads eventually.

http://theplantedtankblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/riccias-growth.html

Fyi, the same method can be used for a variety of moss and a variety of stuffs like driftwoods, bogwoods, rocks, stones.. the application of the mesh is varies, some lay them on the foreground of the tank and it will grow into a nice foreground, great place for fish and shrimps..some use bigger mesh to make a moss wall... 

Some use smaller mesh and tie the moss directly onto DW to create a nice leaves like look... thats what i did for my RED EARTH tank...

Riccia's Growth

Hi all, A friend of mine was wondering how fast can riccia grow in my tank, well lets see it for yourself.

This my Riccia dated 25/3/2012

This is my riccia dated 5/4/2012

They sure grow fast... hehe, under high light + CO2, they grown into a lawn and all the lines are covered..hopefully i can harvest some in 2 weeks time and sell off some healthy Riccia in forum...hehe 

Pasir Ris Fish Farms Trip

UPDATE on 1July2022, The farms are required to be shifted due to major roadworks, please check online for latest info.

I cycled to 4 farms today namely Mainland, Hiap Kun, OTF, Tropical, Iwarna ... all i can say is WAH LAU EH... the farms are damn far apart and a lot of hilly road.  most of them sells focus on fish. NOte for cyclist, DO NOT CYCLE with a bike without GEAR... i made that mistake today and damn the roads are hilly... leg pain but its fun..

Thanks to Shun Kun and PJNEC of AQ, I manage to find this all these farms which entertain WALK IN IDIOTS like me, go so far to buy some plants... lol.. however, i can say its an eye opener for me as normally farms do not open to public...its great to visit so many farms in a span of 1-2 hours.. i mainly touch and go.. hehe  

Mainland is somehow like Qian Hu, best for family gathering or trip, fishing pond, resting area, sells food and birthday area not bad...but not much plants to choose from (2 miserable looking tanks) and their fishes are kept in green water(algae) condition..not very nice

Hiap Kun is the smallest of all the farms i visited, they have more small fishes like rams, tetras but their fishes are very healthy, plants are miserable though ..2 tanks with less than 10 plants each.. i think they sell for fun..lol

OTF only have 6 tanks for plants, but they are very healthy. I did not take pictures as the auntie is LOOKING at me..LOL. they have healthy stock of rocks, driftwoods and bog wood..too bad i cant take too many pictures with all the aunties looking at me...i know i am a bit attractive and macho..too bad la, that is the irony for looking good...LOL

Tropical are decent and they sell jelly fish...yes, live jelly fish.. but they are quite expensive to keep..for me i stick to fish and plants.... tropical have 2 tanks selling plants and they focus on equipment and tanks... tonnes of rocks but nothing catches my eyes...i like fish aka NGIAU..LOL

Iwarna have ample parking, drinks and food for sale, 2-3 fishing ponds, a lot of Marine stuff and corals... hehe not too bad.. as you can see below, thats how the aquatic plants grow before they were sold in LFS... hehe. 

OTF Pics

Iwarna ponds

Some plants are grown emerge

Vallisneria Plants

Some Floating plants

Tonnes of Vivarium Plants

My favourite spot... hehe aquatic plants... 

Tropical ;- jelly fish

Notes: Equipment are sold at a higher price than LFS, if you are hunting for equipment its better to go LFS, for exotic plants its better to go to fishfarms