My Photography

My Photography
Off topic post, recently a bit active in photo shooting more than aquascape. The reason why I do that is to understand the nature, like Mr Takashi Amano does. So is a helpful skill to develop our aquascaping and some nature behaviour. The place I am staying has such a limited stone scape, but worth for deep in study of the formation. If you like my photography, please drop a 'LIKE' on my link. Thank you very much.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Apple snail & shell detoriation

Snail spawns on the a leaf

Baby snail's size about 2mm

Teenager snail size about 6mm

Turning to adult, size is bigger approx. 1cm

Snails & shrimp was playing together.

This is serious! Shell detoriation of an adult snail.
The most important thing to remember is that the rigidity of the shell is provided by a strong, calcified inside, with a protective protein layer at the outside. It's the latter that prevents the chemical detoriation of the calcium at the inside. Once the protective outer layer is damaged, the calcium layer is exposed to the water. This shouldn't be a big problem, as long as the water is rich in calcium and is not acid, but once the pH of the water drops and the water becomes acid (pH below 7), the calcium starts to dissolve. As long as this process advances at a slow speed, the snails is often able to enforce the calcium layer, although only at the inside. The outside of the shell is dead material, and cannot be repaired by the snail itself, so once damaged, it will stay that way. The oldest parts of the shell (the shell top) and those places that are often hot when a snail fall on the bottom are also the places that are most vulnerable as the protective outer layer is often damaged at those parts. Problems arise once the shell is detoriated that much that holes are formed, exposing the soft tissues below. In case of large holes, the snail can get problems with keeping the mantle cavity open, with lung collapse and other problems as result. Nevertheless, smaller holes an pose a problem as well, especially in a crowded tank, as other snails and fish won't hesitate to eat the exposed tissues. Luckily, snails do have some kind of repair system: they simply calcify the exposed tissues to protect them.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Return with a new design!!!

Lately very busy until not enough time to take care the tank, it was like a jungle, but after changed of water, cleanned the canister filter, and did some rescape works, now looks better.

The plant above is ELATINE TRIANDRA, it is a fast growing plant, but after few triming works, it's melting. Fertilizer & lighting all good, still have no ideas why & how now.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Fianlly! new generation of apple snail

After the last "Woo~hoo" of the snails, now can see some youngs crawling in the tank. Hopefully it grows in a healthy manner and seeing more and more young generation. It is very cute with a tiny round and transparent shell, and very hard working eating those algae day & night. It's size getting bigger just in a week and can't really imagine how fast it grows. Anyway, what can we do is waiting them to grow.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

ADA International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest (IAPLC) 2008 winners' photo

Finally some of the ADA International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest (IAPLC) 2008 photo can be found online, here are the winners' photos. Ranking from #1~27, they have done an amazing job. Congrats to all of them!!



1 Cheng Siu Wai HONG KONG

2 Yutaka Kanno JAPAN

3 Hsu Yung Lin TAIWAN

4 Cliff Hui HONG KONG

5 Long Tran Hoang VIET NAM

6 Lee Do Jae KOREA

7 A.J. Judy Prajitno Putra INDONESIA

8 Lee Chun Ho KOREA

9 Yuji Yoshinaga JAPAN

10 Hiroyuki Yamabe JAPAN

11 Fumio Hara JAPAN

12 Weerayut Soemphornphoemsuk THAILAND

13 Toshiharu Ishiwata JAPAN

14 Masashi Ono JAPAN

15 Peter Kirwan IRELAND

16 Ichiro Hamano JAPAN

17 Wong Wai Hung HONG KONG

18 Huu Lan Nguyen VIET NAM

19 Su Kun Cheng TAIWAN

20 George Lo U.S.A.

21 Junichi Itakura JAPAN

22 Xuanthuy Nguyenthi VIET NAM

23 Koji Nakamura JAPAN

24 Takehiko Honoki JAPAN

25 Truong Thinh Ngo VIET NAM

26 Takeshi Kato JAPAN

27 Chen Tse Hsin TAIWAN

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Pogostemon & Hemianthus Callitrichoides pearling


HEMIANTHUS CALLITRICHOIDES
Hardiness: Moderate
Light Needs: High
Plant Structure: Stem
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Genus: Hemianthus
Region: Central/South America
Location: Cuba
Size: Individual stem width: 0.5cm (0.25in)
Growth Rate: Medium
Grown Emersed: Yes






POGOSTEMON HELFERI
Hardiness: Moderate
Light Needs: Medium
Plant Structure: Stem
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Pogostemon
Region: Asia
Location: Thailand
Size: Stem width: 2-5cm (1-2 in)
Growth Rate: Medium
Grown Emersed: Yes

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Apple snails' happy hour!!


Woooo...hoo! What were these 2 lovely snails doing? Hold in that position almost half an hour and climb on each other....I think 2 of it crossover, do hope to see baby snails in my tank soon.....

Saturday, September 20, 2008

These are the mediums in canister filter

Just replace a new canister filter few days ago, all are back to normal. At the same time, replace some mediums. Yes of course, the beneficial bacterial is a must in the canister filter to convert toxic Ammonia to Nitrate as fertilizer. Diagram above showing how I place the mediums layer by layer.
1. Top layer with JBL Symec to collect any dirts from the tank.

2. Layer 2 using ADA Bio Rio provides the ideal home for a long term and stable colonization of bacteria and maintain the conditions of aquarium water.

3. Layer 3 with JBL PhosEx Plus binds excess phosphates quickly and reliably without releasing them again, to prevent any algae bloom.

4. Bottom layer is bamboo charcoal to absorb unnecessary substances, excess nutrients and to improve the clarity of water. Its porous surface provides good water circulation thereby prevents clogging and provides home for bacteria colonization.

Algae Treatment & Prevention

Type of algaeCauseSolution
Black Beard Algae (BBA)Low CO2Add CO2, trim, spot treat with Excel
Blue Green Algae (BGA)Low nitrateBlackout + add nitrate
CladophoraLow nitrate + Low CO2Add nitrate, add CO2
DiatomsExcess silicates, Low lightWait, add catfish, use RO water/sponge
Green Dust Algae (GDA)SporesWait out life cycle, remove + WC
Green Spot Algae (GSA)Low phosphate + Low CO2?Add phosphate, possibly add more CO2
Green Water (GW)Ammonia + high lightReduce light, Wait, Small WC, UV filter
Hair AlgaeExcess nutrients, silicatesWC, Excel, feed less, is something limited?
HydraStowaway in live foodUse cleaner live food, flubendazole, H2O2
Milky WaterBacteria bloomWait out, protect filter, add fish slowly
StaghornAmmonia + low CO2Remove, WC, protect filter, Excel
String AlgaeExcess nutrientsWC + get biofilter working

Monday, September 8, 2008

Canister Filter K.O.!

After 2 and half years of using the canister filter, finally the motor is dead, the whole eco-system in the tank has stopped, need a replacement motor to prevent any problems arise.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Planning to rescape the tank

I was a bit busy recently and the aquatic tank lack of caring cause some univited friends, they are "Algae-". At the moment sourcing and gather some suitable stones for the next scape. Roughly has an idea how to do it and the plan is still under developement. Perhaps some fishes will add back to the tank in the future.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Received the letter and certificate from ADA

Just received the letter from ADA few days ago, and 2008 ADA International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest certificate that for me to keep. Well, for a new/beginner got ranking at #382 isn't a bad result and hope that can do better than this in future.

Monday, August 4, 2008

ADA world ranking no.382, Is me!!

Finally the ADA International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest 2008 was announced,and I got a place in the world rank at no. 382, not bad ranking for my first submission. And I am at 26 out of 120 in Malaysia ranking.

World Ranking TOP1-584 (PDF) http://www.adana.co.jp/pdf/ranking0801.pdf

World Ranking 585-1170 (PDF) http://www.adana.co.jp/pdf/ranking0802.pdf

They are from Malaysia:
59 Hsu Yu Feng
89 Chung Wei Cheong
94 Chan Lai Chong
103 Yong Chee Choon
114 Chung Wei Woon
131 Yeo Siak Leng
148 Kevin Teoh
166 Yee Kin Cheong
177 Johnson Pang
179 Chong Kwan Yew
180 Isaac Goh
191 Kho Thong Kway
206 Quah Yi Bang
222 Tai Teck Leong
242 Ong Katherine
246 Kelvin Lim Choo Meng
256 Foo Wei Li
289 Yap Wee Kong
291 Sin Yee Yeong
298 Khong See Mon
300 Tan Chun Yih
308 Zaini Suleiman
320 Talib Junos
325 Lou Kak Soon
326 Mansor Abdullah
348 Chong Siow Fung
382 Jason Chuah
398 Chong Ah Guan (Gavin)
407 Kenny Tay
451 Lee Soon Ghee
462 Ng Kim Sung
479 Yee Guan Xian
516 Pang Swee Leong
517 Liew Chai Yuen
547 Stan Chung
595 Lim You Shyang
599 The Kwee Hua
601 Liew MS
604 Adelyn Wong S
618 Yee Pin Xian
624 Choo Wee Seong
627 Teoh Ee Seang
639 Lim Wei Yang
649 Evane Gan
661 Norlizah Abdullah
668 Tan Hua Liang
689 Daniel Yap Foong Wei
698 Kow Cheong Yang
710 Lim Sharon
712 Rock Lim
719 Wong Joon Yee
727 Ng Beng Chye
729 Nasir Abas
753 Bin Muhamad Adis Khairunnazar
775 Lim Yoon Thiam
807 Tan Sock Khim
808 Yap Kam Foo
831 Lau Weng Leong
832 Tan Han Keong
836 Saw CH
837 Jonathan Yap Foong Keng
845 Lim SC
855 Thong How Siong
859 Ng Yee Lin
873 Ho Lai Heong
875 Jason Kew
877 Ng Yee Loon
883 Liew Tian Fook
893 Kenny Chan
899 Lim You Feng
907 Ronnie Chio
914 Tan Chun Sian
917 Mei Chee Seong
919 Liau Kian Yian
934 Ng Choon Liang
935 Choo Chert Kian
939 Saadon Kasmon
942 Hans Toh
944 Ng Pei Ling
946 Firaud
948 Zainal Abidin
951 Chang Weng Seong
956 Loo Jing Yuan
957 Lim Yoon Cheong
967 Goh Siew Yong
976 Ng Zhi Biao
979 Teh Ming Hua
984 Teoh See Tiong
986 Teoh Chew Kim
998 Chan Kin Tong
1006 Lim SS
1007 Tam Chee Yuen
1011 Gary Teh Chong Mow
1035 Ng Han Kok
1040 Soh Tian Poh
1041 Foo Yong Chieh
1048 Choo Chert Fong
1053 Ng Liang Choon
1064 Danny Teh Meng Soon
1065 Chin Siew Yin
1068 Yap Kok Wai
1075 Amir Vijaya
1081 Lua Lee Teck
1083 Andrew Seow
1092 Feleene Teh Mee Fong
1100 Ong Kean Sin
1108 Sin Teck Hock
1110 Khairul Aman
1111 Ong Yu Jin
1114 Ho Sharine
1120 Wong Tony
1124 Tan Boon Hock
1125 Lee Yean
1127 Ng Choon Chu
1129 Sin Wee Kiat
1132 Ng Chin Huat
1139 Khairul Azhar
1146 Roslan Abdul Ajiz

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

These are the things in my hood

In the first place, please don't mind the photo shows a bit underexpose, because used high shutter speed to take photo, it will cause the lights look a bit dim, and also the old rusty metal clip & messy hood. This is a custome made aquarium hood that fits in 3nos. 32W NEC 8000K circular light, 2nos. 22W Philips 6500K circular light, and 2nos. 9W red PL-C tube light(bought it wrong, suppose need blue colour instead of red). For the reflector part is using the aluminium foil that normally use in microwave oven.

Some explaination of what is the K, Color temperature is a characteristic of visible light that has important applications in lighting, photography, videography, publishing, and other fields. The color temperature of a light source is determined by comparing its chromaticity with that of an ideal black-body radiator. The temperature (usually measured in kelvin (K)) at which the heated black-body radiator matches the color of the light source is that source's color temperature; for a black body source, it is directly related to Planck's law. Yellow-red colors are considered warm, and blue-green colors are considered cool. Confusingly, higher Kelvin temperatures (3600–5500 K) are considered cool and lower color temperatures (2700–3000 K) are considered warm. Cool light produces higher contrast and is considered better for visual tasks. Warm light is preferred for living spaces because it is considered more flattering to skin tones and clothing. Color temperatures in the 2700–3600 K range is recommended for most general indoor and task lighting.

From the photo above can compare between the 8000K & 6500K colour temperature of the lights, the lower the K value means the more yellow or warm in the flourescent tube. 6500K is the good colour temperature for a healthy plant to grow and almost like the outdoor(places near to Equator, such like South America, Africa and Asia), and when reach to 8000K is almost like in the middle of the mountain, some people using over 10000K of tube lights, the brightness is like standing on top of the mountain looking out from their eyes.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Update: 3' Aquatic Tank

The photo above is a month plus without a good care and left behind, then overwhelm with black brush algae. After replace with the 8000K flourescent light, can see some good sign on the red leaves plant. Certainly, the Micranthemum umbrosum drying without the consistent dosage of nutrient
Thereafter put in some time to do the trimming work, now the tank(aquascape) looks better and tidy.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Installed new lights

I have found a circular light from a local electrical shop, it is 8000K colour temperature with 2360lm and the cost is only RM18(US$5.45). It's brand is NEC - After Glow 3-band Type Daylight Color( FCL32EDF/30-SHG ), fully made in Japan.




" With a color temperature of 8,000K EDF-SHG* lamp emits light that emphasizes white colors and creates a cool, refreshing and clean-looking ambiance. This lamp is better suited to situations such as living rooms, bedrooms, corridors and kitchens where lights are turned off last of all."

After installed and tried for a week, plant grows and carpet plants producing O2, compare to existing Philips 32W circular tube light not doing so well.