Steps in Rescaping 3ft tank

[freezze]

Hi ,

gg to rescape my 3 ft tank once i done the tank cover (done) and the t5 light..

i will be topping up the substrate and wash all the stuff in the tank.. still thinkin whether wann to wash the substrate or not..

any idea on how to rescape..


Present condition of the tank


Rocks for the rescaping


DIY tank cover

[|squee|]

Group the plants together in groups and plant them as you like. Try not to leave empty spaces. Get more plants to fill up the spaces if needed. More plants help in deterring algae too.

You might want to create a "shoreline" with the rocks and have a white sand foreground, while the Echinodorus plants dominate behind the rocks. Here's a pic for your inspiration:

[freezze]

from the pic... look like i need alot of rock in order to create that...

[Nicky]

Did you notice your rocks are very shiny, like a layer of lacquer has been applied? I'm not sure if this is harmful to your tank.

[ranmasatome]

its wet nicky..

[freezze]

the rock is just wet.. i just fished the rocks out of the bucket..

[freezze]

if i empty all the water in the tank to do the landscape how long do i need to "cure" it before i can place the critter back in (save half the present tank water)

[|squee|]

I personally will feel it's safe enough to put the fishes back in the same day, unless they're sensitive ones like Discus, Angelfish etc.

You need not recreate the entire line of rocks, probably just use them to "define" different plant groupings.

[freezze]

just wondering whether 4 nos of t5 (39w) is too much light for a 3ft tank?


DIY 4nos of T5 (issit bright??)

[AquaObsession]

sell them to me if u dun want...hahaha kidding.. btw, ur T5 rite, u using parabolic reflectors...how much did u pay for the DIY kit including the parabolic reflector... coz delightings has a DIY costing about $80, but the twin set cost about $250,,,why is that such a big difference in price..

I would say that ur lights are bright for a 3 feet, but ur plants will like it a lot with proper dosage of CO2 and fertiliser... in case u see algae growth too much, just off one of them

[freezze]

yup, i using those reflector. The cost for the light is $194.

now the light is abt 4.5wpg.

gg to start rescape the tank this weekend..

[freezze]

just tested switching on all the 4 of the T5 lights.. all the plants in the tank started bubbling like fizzy drink.

[PeterGwee]

Now, you need to keep up on the nutrients and CO2 or else you will have an algae farm. Running at such high intensity requires loads of attention and effort.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[grey_fox]

yeah, I second PeterGwee!

I have 8 x T5HOs tubes and am afraid to use past 6 T5s. algae farm I had and back-breaking experiences that came along with that.

[freezze]

i schedule the light to be on.
front - 3 hrs
all - 4 hrs
back 3 hrs.
total 10hrs of lighting

[eggy]

wow... you mean your lights can be controlled individually and they can be switched on and off automatically???
thats something new to me... cool.....
too back dated liao... hehehe

[freezze]

just attach a timer to each individual plug .. then it will on by itself.

[eggy]

oh kkk.... i thought the lights were connected by just one plug....
like this u need alot of plugs lor...hehe

[freezze]

yup .. using 3 timers .. 2 of the lights and one for the co2.

[freezze]

finally finished rescaping my 3ft tank after 12 hours of soaking my hands in water...


Removed all the fishes and plants (found that only one yamato survived )


I toppled up the substrate with a bag of black gravel and created two mini hill on both side.


After that, i position the DW and rocks(pick from my workplace)


Start the planting process


left side of the tank


Right side of the tank


final product from the 12hr labour..

Feel free to comment on the landscaping.....