Beginner at work Part 2

[grey_fox]

I think I am more into the zen design.... looking for huge driftwood. Hehe got any to sell ranmasatome?

[ranmasatome]

How big you need?? i only got 2 pcs taht are about 2 ft in size....dont think big enough for you right?? my rocks definately big enough for you..and they look zen..haha... feel free to come down to view la.. no obligations one..see see talk cock only...when you have time la..
Go Teos and see la.. they got tonnes of wood..although i would reccomend getting the ones that look like the ones you have in the tank now..cos..2 diffferent types of wood in one tank is a nono..

[grey_fox]

I think a 2 feet one would be ok. 2 feet in height or breadth? Got picture bro? I can come down, but only on weekends, weekdays normally I'd be too drained at the end of the day. Where do you stay btw?

Teos is damn far... LCK... only been there during my army training haha.

[ranmasatome]

you want the branchy branchy one ah??
I used to go to teos area almost every day when i was in army.. armour!!
Actually what wood are you using for this tank... if it doesn't match then dont bother coming down.. cos cant use anyway..

[grey_fox]

Yo ranmasatome.

The current DW I have is not the light colored one, its like the below example.



I am looking for that sort of DW actually. Lol, I was from 6 SIR so not much farms there but she-male farms only...

[StanChung]

hey greyfox,

sounds like you already got a sketch in your head. helps to visualize what you wanna do.
ah everybody here always has excess wood or stones... i have kilos of it inviting termites. heck...may make it look better!
so buy more so you have options.

[grey_fox]

Just need 1 nice big one only actually. the LFS around my place sells really puny ones... too small already. There is one that is selling mangrove roots but don't really like the color, too light colored for my taste and the branches look like twigs...

I think I know of one place that sells such huge woods, over at Rainbow Aquarium @ Serangoon, however, since they can sell a tiny (looks juvenile) cardinal tetra for $1.10... I cannot imagine how much it will cost me...

[StanChung]

haha 2.50 for a cardinal...tourist prices perhaps? or trying to recoup loss.

must say if you see the right piece...just pay and go[bargain by all means]. it's a piece of art.
lucky they sell by weight or size...if not

[grey_fox]

Lol, yeah.

Today I made a new discovery. My tank is 5 x 2 x 2 feet instead of 4.8 x 1.5 x 2 feet....

Urgh...

So my tank is 149.63G / 566.34L

Urgh...

Which means I need to re-calculate my dosing scheme again...

Urgh...

[vratenza]

hmm that's interesting... how did you make that mistake? Urs custom made?

[StanChung]

Lol, yeah.

Today I made a new discovery. My tank is 5 x 2 x 2 feet instead of 4.8 x 1.5 x 2 feet....

Urgh...

So my tank is 149.63G / 566.34L

Urgh...

Which means I need to re-calculate my dosing scheme again...

Urgh...

that's too funny...but it was working anyways. why change when it ain't broke. i guess it's all about perfection...haha

[grey_fox]

hmm that's interesting... how did you make that mistake? Urs custom made?

Lol, the tank is a custom made tank. My dad was the one who bought it which used to house his aro until it died.

So anyways, I guess I measured the tank by mistake :P

[grey_fox]

that's too funny...but it was working anyways. why change when it ain't broke. i guess it's all about perfection...haha

Precisely

[grey_fox]

Ok guys... I've come out with a layout plan already. Would love some feedback on this.



The questions I have are the following before I start on the re-scape. Design layout will be based on the triangular scape.

1. Tellenus field or Riccia? I am looking for a 'soft' looking foreground OR should I just use the HG as the entire foreground?
2. Should I use a different background than the vallis?
3. Would the layout look awful?

I have tons of Vallis in the tank and healthy ones too. My Amazon & the E. Rose is really blooming, so I will be keeping these. The other bloomers, namely the difformis, cabomba, etc will be removed, I will post in the market place to have this for sale or donated if anyone wants.

I have gotten all the intended items already, HG, etc. Thinking of starting it ASAP before the plants that I bought die off. I am soaking the DW (it sunk already) for formality sake now.

If this layout is going to happen, looks like I'm in for another back-breaking session..

[|squee|]

I think the Echinodorus belong to the background instead of in front of the driftwood, especially the one in the hairgrass field. But that's just me.

Soft looking will be hairgrass. But it's difficult to pull that off. I'd go for tennellus... Riccia is too notoriusly difficult to maintain long term.

The layout won't look awful imho... I've always liked two mounds in a big tank coupled with schooling fish. The driftwood will be very important.

Good luck!

[ranmasatome]

there will be no point haveing a gap of e.tellenus between the Val nanas and the hairgrass because you wont be able to see it from the front.. just stretch your hairgrass all the way back to the nanas.

i suggest going e.tellenus..i really really do.. but if you're stubborn.. well..lets just say the maintenance is done by you...not me...i've already been down that road..and dont EVER want to go back there...its like a very very bad dream almost.

Like Squee mentioned.. some of the amazons should be behind driftwood..however..the triangle you have now going with all 3 echins is nice.. try to maintain that..somehow or rather without blocking out the driftwood too much

just a note.. it will also be tremendously hard to monitor where each and every grass is going to grow.. you lines will definitely be blurred unless you're extremely vigilant...when it spreads over..theres no stopping it...

Bet it was a challenge riding that bike with all that wood eh? or was that not you??

[valice]

Regarding the riccia floating, there was an article in AquaJournal that mentioned that Amano used hairgrass to prevent it from floating up... And sometimes we see that in his scapes where the riccia and hairgrass grows together...

So maybe you wanna try that...

[ranmasatome]

doesn't really work too well valice... the growth rate is too fast and it overcomes EVERYTHING in the tank.. after a while, parts of it starts flaoting up and infecting the other plants in the tank.. to maintain it, the trimming is just insane.

[StanChung]

for foreground if you can find it... dragon claw aka chendol plant aka Utricularia graminifolia...

otherwise go with the riccia and feel the pain of rescaping oft
i call it beginner plant. almost instant gratification. it's like lice. can't get it out of my moss...

ok sorry, just saying most of us[oldies] were there. not saying you shouldn't try at least once...but just to let you know what you're getting into.

J moss or sg moss makes a nice deep green lawn and is easier to control.
wire mesh, tiles, glass or wood. up to you. good luck

[grey_fox]

In accordance to my layout plan, I have tried to keep the entire layout as what I have planned... now to wait for the HG & E. Tellenus to spread. I will make way for the blyxia once the LFS has it. I have re-used most of the tellenus I had before. This took me a total of 9 hours.... I have not trimmed the HG yet, waiting for it to get a foothold first. Likewise for the rest of the plants.





And lastly what the tank was like before.