Need layout & plant suggestion for new aquascape: Personal playground

[V31]

Hi all,
I'm preparing new tank (50x25x30cm - LxWxH) with 55W PL light (one tube), EDEN501 filtration, pressurized CO2 injection. Right now I have almost everything but certainty of layout.. I love low green lawns combined with elechocharis, HC, utricularia or glossostigma and stones. Something like this:


I played with my stones during one week and I got this:
front view


top view



I have several questions:
1) What do you think about substrate sloping?
2) What do you think about stones positioning?
3) What's your plant suggestion regarding technical equipment listed above?
4) What fertilizer would you use and what substrate would you use (both could be ADA)?
5) Would you use two kinds of substrate/gravel as Amano does nowadays? Why?

I still don't know when I establish this tank 'cos I don't have several things. I have relatively lot of time to play with stones, substrate sloping etc. I'd be really glad if you reply on this post with any opinion.

Thanks.
Regards Lukas

[|squee|]

1) The sloping is fine!
2) The stone on the right that is pointing to the right can be pointed to the right more perhaps. Otherwise not bad!
3) You can try perhaps Japanese hairgrass in the foreground with normal hairgrass amongst the stones, and long hairgrass at the back?
4) Go with ADA all the way then, Step 2, Brighty K!
5) No I won't. It's too much work imho to maintain that clean sand foreground, although it really looks nice.

[bhargavs]

Only one suggestion, I feel the rock on the left side is more eye catching. You need to balance the right side. Other wise everything looks cool.

[ronald_t80]

nice layout there!!! juz wondering wat type of substrate are those in the pics? dun look like ADA to me????

[brianclaw]

The slope's fine. It's the choice of rocks that's a problem. Most of them are going to be lost once the plants grow in, especially for most of the rocks on the right. Even if you were to go for small plants like Hemianthus Callitrichoides as a foreground, it does grow out(when it forms a proper carpet) to a certain thickness and unfortuneately, this will cause most of the rocks you have chosen to be swallowed up.

[V31]

thanks for answers.

2ronald: it's japanese lava called Fujizuna, it's exported from Japan. I was curious about its attributes. Right now it's used for designing new layouts

2brianclaw: yeah, you're right.. it's the thing I'm worried about. I'll try to rescape it with bigger pieces (like on left side).

I'll probably use eleocharis (I must have it in all tanks ^^) and ?? (h. callitrichoides??) .. hard times of decision

[brianclaw]

Let's try answering the other questions you've asked, starting from...

3) What's your plant suggestion regarding technical equipment listed above?

Foreground: Mixture of HC + Japanese Hairgrass(they're not as tall as regular hairgrass and the blades are slightly curved compared to normal hairgrass)

Background: Hairgrass + E. Tenellus. The difference in blade size make an interesting combo and breaks the monotony.

Plants chosen are smaller in size and make the aquascape look bigger than it actually is.
This will be the same for your choice of inhabitants later on... The smaller they are, the bigger the tank looks.

4) What fertilizer would you use and what substrate would you use (both could be ADA)?

I don't usually use base ferts and usually rely on the substrate and water column dosing.
I have been using ADA Aquasoil Amazonia Powder with some success. The smaller granule size makes planting a breeze and same reason as the plant choice, the smaller granules compliment the size of the enclosure.
I also love using Seachem's Onyx Sand, it's a pain to wash, but it's quite worth the effort.

5) Would you use two kinds of substrate/gravel as Amano does nowadays? Why?

That depends on what I want my layout to look like. Most times I tend not to though, it's a real pain in the behind to keep the bare subatrate clean. I want to spend more time enjoying my hardwork than actually working on it.
Hope this helps.

[Freddy]

First of all, nice collection of rocks you have there. As the the questions,

1) Nice sloping there, just to be careful with the substrate as they might slowly erode down with time.. Try using those rocks to keep the substrate in place.
2) I loves the placement..
3) Hairgrass and HC
4) ADA powersand and Amazonia + Step 2 and Brighty K
5) Most probably not, will requires lots of work to keep the substrate and gravel apart..

Nice job so far, keep us updated on your progress.

[lorba]

To make your plants grow better and faster, such as glosso, you can try dropping some ADA Green Gain every water change, or every 3-4 other days.

[StanChung]

Hi Lukas, How's it going?
Any updates?

1) What do you think about substrate sloping? Look ok.

2) What do you think about stones positioning?
Looks good, I'd raise the an inch or so out of the gravel if possible or get larger ones. look for really veiny ones with lots of texture.
3) What's your plant suggestion regarding technical equipment listed above?
Small plants. Utricularia graminifolia fg. Elecharis acicularis- mid ground and Eleocharis vivipara bg. + a few Pogostemon helferi as accents. Moss on rocks if you intend to use white sand.
4) What fertilizer would you use and what substrate would you use (both could be ADA)? ADA! simple but a little bit expensive unless you're good at mixing up your own special brew. Soil would be ADA-
5) Would you use two kinds of substrate/gravel as Amano does nowadays? Why?
I have 3 tanks that use Shirui sand. [like powder really]
High maintenance but the effect is fantastic, nice and bright. the fishes and plants look great.
Trick is to rinse the sand thoroughly before adding in so that when you disturb it later it won't cloud the water.
Use small moss stones to border the sand and soil.
The sand and soil level must be the same, otherwise overspill will happen. If that happens, better the sand onto the soil than the soil onto the sand!
To clean, suck sand out into a pail with a fine netting over the hose outlet.
The sand can then be recycled!

[V31]

Thanks for all responses.
There's no progress with anything in my planned aquarium 'cos I have lot of work with my exams (semester ended so quickly ).

However as you could saw in some thread here on AQ, I write for one aquarist's bulletin. I've decided to write about stones positioning in next issue and that's why I play more with stones for my aquarium. I'd like to have everything perfectly prepared I don't have to hurry.

I'll keep you updated with some photos. Nowadays I cannot collect new and bigger stones because of weather (rain, wind, snow : now and again).

As for the substrate, I have big sack of Akadama. I'll probably use it instead of ADA soil. It has similar attributes and as I know Takashi Amano used to use it as well. It's much cheaper (14L for 15USD) than ADA Soil. I have it in small aquarium and eleocharis roots must love it, because of it's fast growth. As for ferts, I've tried to mix my own once but there was a problem with tank's size I used them for. It was too small and I decided not to use it regularly because of algae problems. Now I'd like to bet on ADA

As for the plants. I see that eleocharis is the best choice and I'm glad, it's my favourite plant. I've to think about next ones.

This picture shows the next possible way I can go with my tank..
Bright sand for the foreground, than rocks and plant in the background
ADA Tank

this one is also outstanding, with partialy covered stones
ADA Tank

[V31]

Trick is to rinse the sand thoroughly before adding in so that when you disturb it later it won't cloud the water.
Use small moss stones to border the sand and soil.
The sand and soil level must be the same, otherwise overspill will happen. If that happens, better the sand onto the soil than the soil onto the sand!
To clean, suck sand out into a pail with a fine netting over the hose outlet.
The sand can then be recycled!

Thanks for ideas, I have white sand in one small aquarium and it gets dirty very fast in spite of the fact there are only some boraras. Maintenance I do is sucking about half centimeter layer of the sand and replacing it with new one. You're right, it looks great. But costs lot of time to keep it clean

[V31]

Had to take some relax. Scaping was fun, but I don't like it so much..



There's something wrong on my stones. I discovered some pyrite points on them.. even if they're nice, they're useless

[StanChung]

How does 'fools gold' affect the water? Why are they useless? Toxic?

[V31]

How does 'fools gold' affect the water? Why are they useless? Toxic?

There are two possible options:

1. As I know from our local discussion forum : Pyrite (or fools gold) may contain and release these elements: Co, Ni, Cu, Mn, also As, Sb and sometimes Au a Ag. This could be a problem.
2. It also be just mica (i'm not sure in these english terms about stones and chemistry), nontoxic as I know for aquarium.
3. .. who knows what it really is

I will have to test it somehow..