FFXI Tribute Aquascape

**Kristen** · 3rd Jul 2008, 00:22

Some time back, I used to spend hours a day online, playing Final Fantasy XI online. Some of the places were stunning, to say the least. Also, I happened to have made some very interesting friends and enjoyed myself immensely. Lately, in order to pay homage to the game I once devoted so much time to, I decided to make a sort of tribute tank.

Decided to set up a planted tank based on one of my favourite zones in the game - the Sanctuary of Zi'tah. I loved it because of all the glowing crystals!

Here's the tank Mr Lee Hsien Loong has provided for me with his kind GST package:

Am using GEX soil as the top layer and some brand I can't remember as the base. Sadly, only after I dumped in the soil did I realize the colours were not exactly the same -_-; This is my first use of 'real' soil, not gravel, as substrate. Look! AQ on monitor! /forum trawler.

I planned the following setup for the tank and hope to house some tank bred Galaxies. Wood will be ADA stuff bought from a fellow AQ-er XD

A - hairgrass (Hopefully will carpet like my pic... it's taking so long in my big tank)
B - unidentified. Please help - I buy plants because they look pretty >_<;
C - Echi. something or other.
D - Nanas
E - petit nanas
F - Taiwan Moss
G - Amethyst crystals

Please help ID the following plants - because I have no clue o-0. Top one is to be placed in locations B while the bottom is C.

If you have any suggestions, please do pass them on. Thanks in advance! ^_^

**Panut** · 3rd Jul 2008, 00:27

Bro.. your drawing...

and the plants.. whoo.. so lush!

**Kristen** · 3rd Jul 2008, 00:29

Originally Posted by magic4lifez

Bro.. your drawing...

and the plants.. whoo.. so lush!

Thanks XD and HOPEFULLY... they will be as lush in real life

**k3nlim** · 3rd Jul 2008, 00:31

wah..you can draw very well...my apple look like pear in still life

The plant on the left seems to be japoncia if i'm not mistaken

**Panut** · 3rd Jul 2008, 00:38

Plant on the left is Blyxa Japonica. on the right is a crypt i think.
oh, i thought the plants were yours..

**Cacatuoides** · 3rd Jul 2008, 03:04

plant on the right looks like Echinodorus Uruguayensis

**Kristen** · 3rd Jul 2008, 07:17

Originally Posted by magic4lifez

oh, i thought the plants were yours..

Well, they are mine XD just not planted yet. I thought you were talking about the drawing with tons of grass.

Originally Posted by Cacatuoides

plant on the right looks like Echinodorus Uruguayensis

Cool so I have Japonica and Uruguayensis. Now to research >_>;

**zephyros** · 3rd Jul 2008, 08:38

hope to see more of it, very interesting concept and i myself enjoy the game too

**CK Yeo** · 3rd Jul 2008, 09:11

E. uruguayensis potentially grows huge and will over-shadow everything. You might want to reconsider something smaller for your tank.

ck

**illumnae** · 3rd Jul 2008, 09:45

the E. uruguayensis will definitely outgrow your tank. I have one in my 4 foot tank and it's huge! For something similar to the back corners of your drawings where C is, perhaps you could consider Crypt. x willisii? It's not exactly the same, but it would suit the dimensions of your tank and act as a longish narrow corner plant

but great concept nonetheless, maybe i should try to scape my next tank after WoW which was my consuming hobby prior to aquatics. Naxxramas theme Undead fishtank anyone?

**Burnz** · 3rd Jul 2008, 09:58

illumnae, I'll donate some fishbones to your WOW undead fishtanks to go with the concept

**zephyros** · 3rd Jul 2008, 10:09

Originally Posted by illumnae

but great concept nonetheless, maybe i should try to scape my next tank after WoW which was my consuming hobby prior to aquatics. Naxxramas theme Undead fishtank anyone?

side track

maybe u layer the bottom of the tank with some miniature
skulls .. that will be cool

**FishSoup** · 3rd Jul 2008, 11:22

Oh gosh another FFXI player!!!!

Or more like ex-player. I was so horrendously addicted to it, only stopped after 4 years.

Anyway, great idea for the scape... now you got me inspired. Maybe i'll model my next tank after Yuhtunga Jungle.....

**Kristen** · 3rd Jul 2008, 11:50

Originally Posted by FishSoup

Oh gosh another FFXI player!!!!

Or more like ex-player. I was so horrendously addicted to it, only stopped after 4 years.

Anyway, great idea for the scape... now you got me inspired. Maybe i'll model my next tank after Yuhtunga Jungle.....

LOL!! Oh god, I HATED that place... Cursed Goblins who aggro everything... I was thinking of doing Jugner Forest with it's fallen logs and moss. Fellow FFXI-ers! XD If we were still playing we could form static party.

Originally Posted by illumnae

the E. uruguayensis will definitely outgrow your tank. I have one in my 4 foot tank and it's huge! For something similar to the back corners of your drawings where C is, perhaps you could consider Crypt. x willisii? It's not exactly the same, but it would suit the dimensions of your tank and act as a longish narrow corner plant

Darn... might want to keep that for my big tank then. The crypt looks good, but I'm worried about it melting? I heard they are hard to keep >_< So far I have been lucky...

Anyone have suggestions for plants that can mimic the tall straight tree trunks from the zone picture above? Hopefully something in a dark green colour.

Also, I see some people mix other plants in their hairgrass carpet in other threads. Is the final grown in effect good? What kinds of plants should I mix for the 'wild' natural look?

**FishSoup** · 3rd Jul 2008, 16:28

Yuhtunga Jungle is wonderfullll!!!!! Onions gave so much XP, and were so easy to kill... and the gobs add excitement

you really got me itching to go back.. though now i think my gear would be all backdated and un-uber, not after 2 years' absence

And yes, Jugner would be another great zone to scape a tank after. And it would be quite easy too, i imagine, you could do a low-tech and it would be simply spectacular.

About crypts, they're pretty easy plants actually, there might be initial melting, but after they grow back they're really quite hardy.

About the tall tree trunks, i think only dw tied with moss would really look like that.. you could try Hygrophila corymbosa as a broader-leaved, thinner-stemmed alternative.

**Kristen** · 3rd Jul 2008, 16:58

Originally Posted by FishSoup

Yuhtunga Jungle is wonderfullll!!!!! Onions gave so much XP, and were so easy to kill... and the gobs add excitement

you really got me itching to go back.. though now i think my gear would be all backdated and un-uber, not after 2 years' absence

And yes, Jugner would be another great zone to scape a tank after. And it would be quite easy too, i imagine, you could do a low-tech and it would be simply spectacular.

About crypts, they're pretty easy plants actually, there might be initial melting, but after they grow back they're really quite hardy.

About the tall tree trunks, i think only dw tied with moss would really look like that.. you could try Hygrophila corymbosa as a broader-leaved, thinner-stemmed alternative.

Onions rocked, until they put the whole party and the n00b WHM standing too close to sleep. Actually ah... If we go back now and start with new character, we'd be in the same time zones as those crazy exp-mad prob-Gil-selling Japanese players who get the uber exp o-0. Just a thought. /twitch.

BACK TO FISH. The giant hygrophila looks pretty good actually, since it stands tall at the back and seems pretty straight. Might pop down to c328 to take a look see.

**FishSoup** · 3rd Jul 2008, 19:58

Gahhh.. go back now... SORELY tempted. Well, just tell me if you ever decide to. I think just ONE person asking me to restart would be enough to get me, well, restarting.

About the hygrophila, it supposedly sheds all its underwater leaves once the part above water assumes emersed form. i was thinking that the stem portion remaining underwater would then really look like tree trunks

though you might have to tweak the lighting to make sure the underwater plants still get light.

**Kristen** · 3rd Jul 2008, 23:42

Originally Posted by FishSoup

Gahhh.. go back now... SORELY tempted. Well, just tell me if you ever decide to. I think just ONE person asking me to restart would be enough to get me, well, restarting.

About the hygrophila, it supposedly sheds all its underwater leaves once the part above water assumes emersed form. i was thinking that the stem portion remaining underwater would then really look like tree trunks

though you might have to tweak the lighting to make sure the underwater plants still get light.

Lol dude don't tempt me! Maybe when this AQ hobby finally impoverishes me to the point where I eat my fish we can go back to FFXI XD

Anyway, I went to C328 to look for the plant, but sadly, they didn't have it - or else looked quite blur when I asked for Giant Hygrophila. My shi fu was not there, so he cannot help me ;-;

I got these two plants for the mean time, and intend on planting them sort of mixed together because I think they have nice contrasting textures and colours (the one on the right actually is a darker green...).

Any idea what they are? The one on the left has flowers!!! They are cheap so they are temporary until I get the Giant Hygrophila. Ignore my camera-whore fishes. Sometimes it's hard to get decent pics of things in my tank because they swim up and think it's lunch time when I appear <_<;