1-mth update of my 4ft tank

[yokogi]

hi guys,

Any comments & recommendations for me to improve my tank?? I'm still not satistied leh.

My pictures here Update - 06Jun05

[vinz]

Honestly... I don't know what to say except too many types of plants. I cannot detect the design you are trying to go for. No focal point.

Why pet-peeve that I've yet to voice... what's with Singaporean aquarists and meshes... they are ugly. Plants seldom cover the edges of the meshes sufficiently and they show up at the edges of the carpet. The flatness and arches are unnatural looking. Try to use pebbles and wood like amano. Or at least hide the edges of the meshes.

I apologise that I have nothing nice to say about your scape. No offence meant. I'll be happy to share with you what I know of scaping concepts with you at the workshop.

[vinz]

Do pardon my frankness... I rather give you truthful and constructive comments then just empty encouragement with useless comments. Certainly, I do encourage you to keep at it.

[bclee]

Look at the pictures in various galleries to get inspirations.

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2005.cgi
http://www.plantella.com/

errr... unfortunately the AQ gallery is not up yet.

BC

[|squee|]

yokogi, I'm no pro but I'd just say my peice lah.

You did not prepare the tank sufficiently for the photo, there's a lot of equipment and generally the sight of equipment is not a good thing to have in a photo And I think you took the photo with flash. Try disabling the flash and depending on the tank lighting.

I see you also did a bit of terracing? ( not sure here ) If you're going with terracing, a Dutch scape should look better. I can't tell you about Dutch scapes, but here is a good link:

http://www.ntnu.no/~foksen/Aquascaping.htm

[joestoys]

Sorry to say..... the tank is too busy..... too many kind of plants - all screaming for attention so the focus point is lost. i understand a beginner tends to buy buy buy all kinds of plant and loaded into their tank.... i used to do that... experiment end the tank look like a "Chup Par Lang" tank.... totally no artistic touch.

try to do research, look up reference pictures and plan the layout of the tank.

I notice your return tube is hanging above the water line, as i will cause CO2 lost.

[yokogi]

thanx for the comments, guys! i share the same sentiments that my scaping sucks so it's alright.

vinz i'll need all the help if u would share. cya at the workshop.

yes |squee|, i did a terracing with acrylic sheet, but end up covering up with plants at the front. you think i shd just remove the acrylic and do a slope-up?

joestoys - how will the return tube cause CO2 inefficiency huh? it should be submerged under the surface?

btw all meshes have been removed except the arched on with taiwan moss. i was thinking of doing a home for the shrimps since they dun have much hiding place?

[juggler]

At least you tried to group the plans together...
When the tank matures, I am sure the messiness will not be this obvious.

I am no expert but here are some personal observations/suggestions:
- cover all the foreground with the same plants, maybe with your APP. You can use more hairgrass to cover the right side to fill the gaps left by the removed mesh.
- why not use the floating vallesneria for your background on the centre to right?
- the driftwood looks too central to me.

Cheers!

[gsander]

I like the pic of the ram!

Don't give up! This is where we learn and gain experience!

[yokogi]

At least you tried to group the plans together...
When the tank matures, I am sure the messiness will not be this obvious.

I am no expert but here are some personal observations/suggestions:
- cover all the foreground with the same plants, maybe with your APP. You can use more hairgrass to cover the right side to fill the gaps left by the removed mesh.
- why not use the floating vallesneria for your background on the centre to right?
- the driftwood looks too central to me.

Cheers!

yes i noticed potential in the APP as they started to show signs of runners after i added a reflector to my lights. previously they were slow growing & growing tall instead.

the vals i've given to my friend who wanted it. i only kept 4 stalks & a baby plugged into the left back.

the bogwood is a BIGBIG problem. it's currently tied to a big rock with taut fishing line otherwise it'll be swimming around in my tank.
for anyone who still doesn't believe that my bw doesn't sink, come to my hse i'll prove it then u'll have to buy me dinner

[rocketshrimp]

All DW, BW float initially.....keep it weighed down and it will sink after a month or two.

Don't worry...we have all been there before (about the scaping). Part of the learning process. Keep at it. I have seen worst

My 2 cts...concentrate on the foreground...it will usually help to group together all the different variety of plants you have. sort of a base.

[|squee|]

yes |squee|, i did a terracing with acrylic sheet, but end up covering up with plants at the front. you think i shd just remove the acrylic and do a slope-up?

btw all meshes have been removed except the arched on with taiwan moss. i was thinking of doing a home for the shrimps since they dun have much hiding place?

I'm a fan of natural looking stuff, so sloping for me

I don't know about shrimps... they should be happy enough in any thickly planted tank. The leaves of numerous plants provide far more hiding spaces than an arch

[yokogi]

i'm really waiting for the APP to spread out. but it seems a portion starting to turn yellowish. if they die, it'll be my 2nd failure

great news! i saw BuBBLiNG under the leaves of my tiger lotus, pennyworts and even 3 mini bubbles on the taiwan moss!!!

however i noticed the bubbling leaves are restricted to higher-level closer to water surface. i already have 30W x 3 Arcadia lights plus 30W x 2 reflectors for a 50G tank - still not enough light to penetrate to bottom???

think i have an idea what to do with all the advices now. thanx guys! will submit my "masterpiece" design sometime later for more comments

[bclee]

i'm really waiting for the APP to spread out. but it seems a portion starting to turn yellowish. if they die, it'll be my 2nd failure

great news! i saw BuBBLiNG under the leaves of my tiger lotus, pennyworts and even 3 mini bubbles on the taiwan moss!!!

however i noticed the bubbling leaves are restricted to higher-level closer to water surface. i already have 30W x 3 Arcadia lights plus 30W x 2 reflectors for a 50G tank - still not enough light to penetrate to bottom???

think i have an idea what to do with all the advices now. thanx guys! will submit my "masterpiece" design sometime later for more comments

APP turning yellow is a sign that they are low on N. Dose more KNO3, you will find them perking up.

BC

[yokogi]

sorry i'm no good in ferlization. is there a product name i should look out for?? what is the recommended dosage for 50G? my gu jing chow also have entire leaves browning.

[vinz]

It's good you're attending the beginner's workshop... I'll be talking about the dynamics of the planted tank (i.e. the so called "ecology" of a planted tank) and of course introduction to fertilisers, among other topics...

I should be posting up a topic list soon.

[gregorsamsa]

Hi,

i may not have any good scapes, but i have some advice derived from looking at the many galleries as well as staying at kinokuniya browsing Mr Amano's Nature Aquarium series.

1.i belive you are new to the planted tank hobby? it can be seen by the myriad species of plants that you have. You have what Mr Tom Barr calls "collectivitis". But its good that you got for yourself a 4 feet tank. its easier maintanence wise and has lots of room for Scaping.

2. I'm not a fan of acrylic terracing. Sloping is cool but i still have yet to figure out the effect it has on the appearance of the plants(maybe my gradient ain't that steep?). Alternatively, you can try terreacing with wood or rocks. for that unfortunately, you have to tear down your tank to do that. Amano's Nature aquarium 1 is a good guide.

3. get your hardscape right. I think the first thing most people should do is find those rocks and wood before buying the plants. There are some people who do without these hard materials. But most people get wrong looking pieces of wood and rocks. Since you are a member of arofanatic's, you can take Burnz's scape as a guide.

4. if you like to collect plants, you may try the Dutch Style of aquascaping. You can refer to WildGinger's recent posting. Im sure he'll be more than willing to help

5. Lastly, since you are attending the workshop. maybe after that you can try getting a small 2 ft tank and practice. Due to time space and financial constraints, students (like I) can't put up many tanks or do not have enough equipemtn to go around. As such, the learning curve is very slow. Viewing the galleries provided, doing some sketches of your future tank, and then practicing it is very helpful.

Hope it helps