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Really like the clean look out of your 1st scape! Great job there! Planning to send it in for competition?
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Hi guys, just wanted to share two different scapes I had for my 48cm tank here.
I try to list the plants to the best of my knowledge, please correct me if I am wrong.
Tank was bought second hand from Bro Urban Aquaria, previously his scape was '23 Litres "Sand Cats" Tank'.
Scape 1.
Tank Size: 48cm x 22cm x 22cm Low iron tank
Lights: Up-aqua Z series 45cm (8 hours duration), later changed to 2ft Green Element (7 hours duration).
Filtration: Eheim 2224
CO2: Ceramic disc diffuser 1bps (half an hour before lights on, an hour before lights off).
Cooling: Dymax fan (27 - 29oC)
Fertilisation Regime: EI (Seachem NPK, Comprehensive, Iron)
Soil: ADA Amazonia New
Hardscape: Rocks
Plants: HC and Jap Hairgrass
Livestock: Ember tetras x 10, WCMM x 1, Oto x 1, Nerite snails x 2
Previously, I owned a 45cm normal tank and planted whatever was cheap and available.
So this time round, I decided to plan my scape and also to try the Dry Start Method (DSM).
I was very unsuccessful with DSM, and after almost 3 months, I gave up.
I decided to flood and blast CO2 for the first two weeks to aid in the transition of the HC.
Fortunately, this worked for me.
I started EI after two months.
The problems I faced with this scape was hair algae on the HC carpet and massive melting of the hairgrass.
The main rock blocked the flow and this caused the hairgrass to melt.
Due to space constraints, I could not place the lily pipes differently.
I did try to put a small powerhead, but it was very unsightly.
I decommissioned the tank after almost eight months.
A sparsely planted tank is way harder to maintain, especially if you have no prior experience.
48cm Tank Shots.jpg
Higher resolution HERE.
Scape 2.
Tank Size: 48cm x 22cm x 22cm Low iron tank
Lights: 2ft Green Element (7 hours duration)
Filtration: Eheim 2224
CO2: Ceramic disc diffuser 1bps (half an hour before lights on, an hour before lights off).
Cooling: Dymax fan (27 - 29oC)
Fertilisation Regime: EI (Seachem NPK, Comprehensive, Iron)
Soil: ADA Amazonia New
Hardscape: Lava rocks
Plants: Glosso, mini fissidens, E.tenellus, Christmas Moss, C. wendtii, Mini nana, Rotala najean (?), E. vesivius, Blyxa japonica, etc.
Livestock: Ember tetras x 6, WCMM x 1, Boraras x 4, Sakuras, Oto x 1, Nerite snails x 2
To be honest, I did not plan much for this layout.
When I started this scape, some fellow forumers were buying unzan stones and I was attracted to the pockets of these stones.
I found some similar looking, but way cheaper lava rocks from Yun Feng aquarium.
I chopped up and smeared some mini fissidens on two of the lava rocks and placed them in a covered tupperware.
After about two months, the rocks were almost fully covered.
You cannot really see the lava rocks with mini fissiden from the photo because I got a little worried about algae and began planting heavily without putting too much thought.
I added more and more plants, some bought in haste, some given free by awesome fellow forumers.
As you can see from the photos, E.tenellus really took over.
I know its not the best plant for such a low profile tank, but I liked the fact that the leaves become red with proper lighting/nutrients.
That said, I am still battling hair algae with this scape although it is not as bad as the first scape.
GSA has disappeared after I raised the lights higher and added more floating plants.
Glosso is creeping, but still reaching out for lights.
It is not the most ideal looking tank, but am still working on it.
I will be removing the E.tenellus soon, hopefully haha.
Right now, its almost a jungle.
48cm Tank Shots_1.jpg
Higher resolution HERE.
Thanks for your time guys!
Any feedback/critique/comments of any form is welcomed.
Happy holidays!
Really like the clean look out of your 1st scape! Great job there! Planning to send it in for competition?
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Yeah, i agree with qngwn... your first scape has a really professional layout, gives the impression of a much larger tank. If the equipment and glassware are removed for the photo shoot, it can definitely be submitted as a competition quality scape.
Maybe can consider trying it again with another tank for competition, since you now have experience with that kind of layout.
Btw, its actually okay to have some algae in parts of the tank, i've discovered that as long as it doesn't show up in the photos it actually doesn't matter in competitions, since they are all judged by photographs only.
Last edited by Urban Aquaria; 28th Dec 2013 at 14:04.
Very nice scape! i like the first one!
I am balding but i am still young!
The 1st pic is nice.
Thanks for the kind words guys! i'm not looking to send in for competition, my standard are no way near fellow forumers here. I have a 2ft ready for scaping right now, hopefully that'll turn out good.
A few more saved images of the first scape in my phone.
Side view.
This is the first view I see every morning as the tank is beside my bed.
I tried to maintain the slope at 18cm, with corrugated board planted in as bank support.
Tank.JPG
HC grew rather well after flood.
It was not the healthiest, but it was not dying/melting either so I count that as a success haha.
Tank_3.JPG
With a very unsightly powerhead and a DIY top-up bottle for when I'm going on a holiday.
The melting of the hairgrass was getting really obvious by this point.
Tank_2.JPG
by means of keepin the rock and fissidens in a tupperware, its dry? not in water? where do you keep them at?
Always there to help even if i can't i'll try my best to
I sprayed daily with dechlorinated water and then covered the tupperware tight. It was placed just beside the 48cm tank.
I believe he kept it moist, and with a little light, kept the fissidens alive and help it root to the Lava rock..Originally Posted by KilliNewbie
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the 1st layout is very well done.
Able to show skill with 1st few tanks is promising, take a high resolution shot without equipment before you submit. It's worthy...
Learning the hardway, not the highway.
Photo Blog - impervious-endeavors.blogspot.com
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"if he cant be bothered to take the time to write his question properly, why should I take the time to answer him."
Thanks felix! Unfortunately that scape has been decommed. But will try harder for the next one. It's always good not to rush, although it gets really hard to contain the excitement of flooding haha.
Tank (040114) 1.jpg
Update of tank as of 4th Jan 14.
Higher resolution HERE.
A few changes were made. It still looks messy, with not much thought put into plants placement. I was hoping for a total rescape, but did not want to spend too much when I am likely to decommission this tank early this year.
1. Most of the E.tenellus carpet were removed.
2. Glosso trimmed vigorously as suggested by bro Cephelix.
3. The bunch of mini nana that was tied to a lava rock was separated into smaller bunches, glued to rock and placed on substrate.
4. HC tied loosely to rocks. Some were placed on the lava rock and some on the substrate. I understand HC floats in the wild, so hopefully the ones on the lava rock will survive and grow. This is more of a try-out. If successful, will consider this method for the next scape.
5. Added a few buceps (Alamanda V1 Blue, Ulu Kapus Thin Red, Pampandoi, Red Flame).
6. Also added pogostemon helferi.
7. Livestock now includes of 4 amano shrimps to help battle hair algae, 4 Microrasbora erythromicron, 4 CPDs, 4 Boraras merah, 1 Oto, 1 lonely Sakura.
8. Placement of CO2 diffuser changed nearer to outlet to increase CO2 circulation.
Currently using a frosted Oyama paper backing, considering to change to black.
Comments/critiques are most welcome!
center mid plant nearer to glosso making the feel weird to me. like throwing the wrong weight balance.
4: to my experience on DW for hc. won't look nice unless they grow strong enough, only managed to do it on DW that was placed at the waterline. meaning partily emersed growth. don't recall about it being a floating plant actually. a picture reference would be good.
7: cpd? just added before this post? if they dig in the wrong place or untie the hc. you know what to do liao.
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Learning the hardway, not the highway.
Photo Blog - impervious-endeavors.blogspot.com
Semi-Active currently
"if he cant be bothered to take the time to write his question properly, why should I take the time to answer him."
I don't think is feasible to tie HC to lava rock, it will melt.
That would be the pogostemon helferi. I agree with you, I might move them around but not too sure where yet. Probably will remove the blyxa on the right side and perhaps the pogostemon helferi bunch can go there?
Yeah, you're right. HC needs to be near the water line for it to grow good if its not planted into a substrate. But I'm hoping with diligent EI, it might grow in an acceptable manner. I will wait for a few weeks, just to see how it goes. Here is the link that I drew my inspiration to grow HC this way.
Haha, for now the CPDs are rather good. They are not uprooting anything (yet). But once they do, then I will remove the HC.
Last edited by inrewind; 4th Jan 2014 at 19:08. Reason: Added link
If it does melt, then I would remove the HC totally. Its kind of like a try-out, so not too bothered if it does not succeed.
Frosted oyama is the normal sticker type. Got it nearby my place in East side.
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