Banks Of The Rio De La Palma

[Ps3Steveo]

Time for a new journal as the old scape has changed so much, I'm going for more of a Cuban river nature aquarium look. As I'm using my old plants and hardscape (smashing the rocks a bit first tho as you only saw about 20% of them before lol), I'm going with a Cuban river in the rainy season as HC can grow a metre above the waterline in it's natural habitat but is submersed when the storms come. It's going to have two rocky banks with redmoor and that's as far as I've got so far, my bath is full of plants lol and the hardscape is done. I'll see if I can get some pic's up once the laptop works.


Specs

Tank: Arc 60
Lighting: 18W Arc Ellipse, soon to be 24W LED
Filter: Hydor Prime 20 600LPH
Heater: 50w
Substrate: Colombo Florabase Brown
Hardscape: Redmoor & Mini Landscape Rock
Stock: Cherry Shrimp, CRS & Ember Tetra or Chilli Rasbora
Plants: Various Cryptocorynes, Microsorum Pteropus Needle & Narrow, HC, Anubias Petite, Aponogeton Crispus Red, Fissidens Fontanus, Weeping, Xmas & Peacock Mosses.

I'll get some pics up soon as the laptop decides to charge.

 

[ainsy]

Can't wait to see this one dude - if it's anything like your others it will be epic!

 

[bae1994]

Sounds very cool

 

[ian]

and here it is lol!

looking forward to it Steve.

 

[JonE]

Sounds like this will be another good scape mate. Now hurry up with the pics!!

 

[Ps3Steveo]

I'm trying I'm trying lol, shoddy thing won't charge, been trying all day, in between scaping of course, got some dwarf sag coming soon for it too and I'm thinking of replacing the narrow fern with Hygro Pinidifidatatatata lol can't remember the spelling.

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Ok guys here's a few pic's to start with, waiting for the Sag and Hygro to be added. It's currently housing a Cherry Shrimp and my Badis after I put all the stock in Eden he didn't like the Rasbora lol. I'm gonna be adding 20 or so Ember Tetra as I love the way they shoal and more Cherries and CRS as they breed. Should be adding the stock next week, I don't think the ammonia will be to high after shifting the substrate as it had a 100% water change and the filter is mature with Purigen in it so I'm sure the Badis will be ok for now.


After it was emptied, was only meant to be clean up of Cuban Delight lol

RDLP 4 by ps3steveo, on Flickr

Mass of plants before a major trim

RDLP 1 by ps3steveo, on Flickr



RDLP 2 by ps3steveo, on Flickr


Finished scape before the plants turn up

RDLP 3 by ps3steveo, on Flickr


Hope you like, I'm hoping the HC will do the usual and spread everywhere, I want it to carpet the bottom of the riverbed part and move up the banks and grow between the rocks and Crypts a little, it should do as soon it will have 8 x 3W high power LED's, you can't really see the narrow fern as I had to hack 90% of the leaves off as they were brown but I'm gonna add the Hygro beside it amongst the wood and the Sag will be dotted round the edge of the banks.

 

[JonE]

Looking good mate, your really rather good at this Whats the plant at the front left? some kind of Crypt?

Jon

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Yeah Cryptocoryne Balansae, thanks for the kind comment dude, Balansae is one of my fav's as it has wicked leaf texture, you wouldn't believe it but there is about 150 crypts in there, most are behind the wood so they grow up to fill in the back ground as they all grow quite tall.

 

[JonE]

Thats a lot of Crypts! I like the textured leaves of the Balansae, thats what drew my attention to it.

 

[ian]

again steve, it looks great! it's like a evolution of the previous scape. Well done mate.


ps...you rescape more than me!lol

 

[lljdma06]

This is quality stuff. He rescapes better than I do too. LOLOL

L

 

[tanksalot]

That looks fantastic already - like it's been growing for ages!

How long did it take to plant it up - you must have been going cross-eyed

 

[Ps3Steveo]

@ Ian, thankyou dude, more than you? Doubt it lol.

@ Liz, thankyou very much, I don't think I scape that good lol, only been doing the fully planted thing for about a year, but again thankyou.

@ Elaine, thank you very much, it took about 2 hours to catch the shrimp, fish and empty it & about 4 hours to sculpt substrate, trim all plants and roots, plant and fill.


Thanks again guys it means a lot, esp to my poor back lol.

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Toying with differnt stocking ideas ppl, I have a slight dilema, was thinking maybe a pair of electric blue rams or apisto's but that would mean having to get rid of my cherries as I put like 100 in Eden and I don't want them out competing my CRS in there and also the extra bio load that the 100 cherries would make up in that small tank. What do you think, no cherries and some apisto's or rams, or, cherries and 25 ish ember tetra?