Aqua scape help

[Irishlad123]

Hi im relatively new yo the hobby and I have boight my first 200l tank. I have never awuascaped a tank before only have a little knowledge of plants in aquariums. My substrate is gravel but i have lots of root tabs. My main attraction in this tank is the big driftwood piece in the middle how can i make this pop. Currently in the tank is some christmas moss, some type of crypt, floating plants and some other small plant I think it could be anubias nana. I have relatively hood lighting one bulb is red and the other blue and i think their T6 the wriying is kinda faded. Any advice greatly appriciated.

 

[Irishlad123]

Any plant suggestions would be extremely helpful.

 

[Colin_T]

Put a picture on the back of the tank. You can buy them from pet shops and tape them on the outside of the back.

Ambulia, Hygrophila polysperma and narrow Vallis are all good plants that can be grown along the back of the tank.

Hygrophila ruba/ rubra is a good plant to grow on the sides because it only grows to about 6-8 inches.

Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta) is a good floating plant that can also be grown in the substrate where it turns into a lovely light green shrub about 6 inches high.

 

[Byron]

I agree with a background, but I would not suggest any sort of picture. I use black construction paper on my tanks. The fish and plants and wood will stand out much more without competition. Having said that, one thing that does work is a rock wall sort of picture, not brick or anything that obviously unnatural, but odd sized stones in a uniform tone. But black is just about the best background provided it is not shiny (things reflect, which looks odd and may bother the fish).

 

[Retired Viking]

I agree with the others, I would also suggest a darker gravel depending on what type of fish. The driftwood look nice and is a good start. Some Java Ferns would go well with it.

 

[Irishlad123]

Thankz for the advice is their any bushy plant to go more towards the front of the that i could use. For the wood what anubais if any woild you recomend theirs so many to choose from. My lfs is selling bacopa on sale is this plant worth getting or is it more of a high tech plant

 

[Byron]

Thankz for the advice is their any bushy plant to go more towards the front of the that i could use. For the wood what anubais if any woild you recomend theirs so many to choose from. My lfs is selling bacopa on sale is this plant worth getting or is it more of a high tech plant

In my experience, bacopa did not do very well. Stem plants are fast growing, and that means brighter light and more nutrients in balance than for say Anubias or Ferns. Plants like swords are also relatively fast growers and require a lot of nutrients, but their enormous and extensive root systems make supplementing the nutrients with substrate tabs fairly easy. Stem plants tend to require more nutrients in the upper water colum, as they take up nutrients via roots and leaves (all aquatic plants do) but roots will grow from the nodes along the stem as much or sometimes more than those in the substrate.

 

[Carolyn N]

I agree with the above, a dark background, I prefer black, really adds to the drama of the tank. One of the first
things I do when setting up a new tank, is add a black background. Good Luck