First Scaping Attempt

[NathanPrince]

Ok guys so, here's my first real attempt at scaping a tank properly and I wanted to do something low tech and easy to maintain.

Attempting a Triangle kinda thing with it and keeping it as cheap as possible and as few varieties of plant as possible, just to keep it tidy.


So after not being able to find any Tesco cat litter in any of my local stores I opted for Sophisticat Pink as recommended to me by FishyJake, went and bought a massive bag from PAH only to use a few handfuls of it

Ignore the dirty glass

Just around 1cm deep, took an age to clean but well worth it. Also note my amazing bin liner background

On with the placing of my wood with Java Fern stems attatched, I bought the Ferns from my LFS who only sell it in bunches of single stems so I stuck them into some embroidery mesh like used for moss carpets then ties that to my wood. Used the Golden Ratio for placement

Also tried my best to slope the play sand front to back, we'll see how long that lasts

After much head scratching and sorting the Vallis in height order (Triangle scape and all ) I started planting it up along the back behind the wood, and then placed my Crypt Wendtii Green around the bogwood.

Then the equipment got put back in along with the fish, my ever growing female fighter population, few guppies and 3 gourami... I know this doesn't sound the best combo in the world but for 6 months they've been perfectly fine and never any aggression. I've always made sure I study my Bettas carefully to not get any feisty ones. Worked out so far

Now I just need to think of something to fill in the right hand side, I am gonna attempt a moss carpet with the heaps on Xmas moss I have and I also have a bunch of this stone:

Thinking perhaps breaking it up and making some caves/rock formations out of it?



That's all for now, all comments and critiques welcomed

 

[flix_cw]

This has great potential, will keep an eye on it! Crypt wendtii can grow quite big, are you using it as a foreground plant?

Are you dosing anything?

 

[NathanPrince]

Thanks

I have it in the foreground of my other tank and it just grows outwards rather than up so I think it should be ok where it is for now.

Currently not dosing anything, gonna chuck in some root tabs and see how it gets on with that alone, if that doesn't work I'll start dosing excel and dry ferts. This is more of an experimental scape than anything hence the low demanding plants

 

[JenCliBee]

This has great potential, will keep an eye on it! Crypt wendtii can grow quite big, are you using it as a foreground plant?

Are you dosing anything?

I agree, this does have potential. I think you need a bigger piece of wood though?.

A more defined slope from left to right would have given a much better feel but over all apart from the sparseness (which i'm sure will be filled in soon enough). The scape will look very nice.

Look forward to seeing it progress mate

 

[NathanPrince]

I was looking at different wood but just couldn't find anything I liked, they were either too big or too small, or not the right shape

Eventually the wood will be replaced by something with a little better, would you go for a root like piece or driftwood kinda thing?

Thinking of adding some stargrass to the right hand side and either a riccia or moss carpet of some sort

 

[JenCliBee]

I was looking at different wood but just couldn't find anything I liked, they were either too big or too small, or not the right shape

Eventually the wood will be replaced by something with a little better, would you go for a root like piece or driftwood kinda thing?

Thinking of adding some stargrass to the right hand side and either a riccia or moss carpet of some sort

If it was me i would add a root piece like redmoor, manzy or sumatran but a good piece may be even harder to find.

Stargrass can grow like a weed and once grown, it will detract from the triangle scape if it was put to the right?...if it was me i would have used it behind the wood instead of the vallis (i hate vallis lol) or even something like Crypt Balansae or Aponogeton crispus, they would have given a bit of texture and imo would look really nice .

Moss or riccia sounds fine, riccia can be a pain to keep maintained though... my choice would be moss.

 

[NathanPrince]

AquaEssentials have a few nice pieces of wood in at the minute for cheap, may order some soon.

That's where I'm stuck now, I don't know what low tech plant I could use over there without detracting from the focal point I would of used the stargrass but I have heaps of Vallis that I got sent so thought I may aswell use it, plus the fish haven't came out of it since

I do have quite a bit of Xmas moss I'm not using so that could be a start?

I wanna use up some of this rock I got but dunno what I could do with it without taking the eye away from the left hand side again

I thought this wouldn't be so hard, how wrong was I haha

 

[NathanPrince]

What about this piece, quite like it but would it be big enough?

http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/sumatra-driftwood-nano-a18-p-5664.html

Sorry if im not allowed to link

 

[kyleb2003]

Can't tell the dims of your tank but that piece of wood is quite small (but as you'll see from my sig I do like big pieces!), perhaps go for something that would reach the surface.

You could use the rocks on the far right back corner with just a couple of stems behind, or the crispus/balansae that you mentioned, that could look nice unless you want to keep the right side completely clear.

 

[JenCliBee]

That's where I'm stuck now, I don't know what low tech plant I could use over there without detracting from the focal point I would of used the stargrass but I have heaps of Vallis that I got sent so thought I may aswell use it, plus the fish haven't came out of it since

Tbh most will work low tech if you have the light (contradictory i know lol), you may have to dose carbon and ferts but i would advise you do that anyways, hydrocotyle(sp) is a good one as is hairgrass... they will both grow in lowtech/lower light, they just grow slower. Micro sword would work as would dwarf sag or various low growing crypts. There are actually quite a few plants that will work well, it's just weather you like them or not?.

Take no notice of me with vallis lol, i just hate it but...... that's not saying it doesn't look good in a tank. I would just opt for others because i prefer them .

I do have quite a bit of Xmas moss I'm not using so that could be a start?

Definitely mate, ive done many moss carpets in my time and xmas is one of the best imo for it, take a look at Ian's, his is really starting come into it's own now.

I wanna use up some of this rock I got but dunno what I could do with it without taking the eye away from the left hand side again

If you use wood like ive linked to or what you have linked to, the rock can be placed around the base of that wood, you may need to break the pieces up a little but it's certainly worth it...again take a look at Ian previous scape, excellent use of the rock at the base of some lovely wood. This will be your main focal point and then you could (if wanted) add a little mound to the right hand side like Steve did in his Cuban scape i think it is?.

I thought this wouldn't be so hard, how wrong was I haha

It's fun though, admit it ..... you will probably change it often to start with untill you find something that really does catch your eye

What about this piece, quite like it but would it be big enough?

http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/sumatra-driftwood-nano-a18-p-5664.html

Sorry if im not allowed to link

I would be inclined to go for something more like This!! or This!!.... i know the second piece is large and expensive but it could work well if modified slightly and your willing to spend that much money. The piece you picked would look quite lost in your tank i think.

 

[NathanPrince]

Hmm I know what your saying, I prefer the 1st piece really I like it when they stretch across the tank like that one would, for £20 its a lot cheaper than my LFS too Hmm could be a potential purchase

So I reckon with a piece of wood like that, rocks around the base but kinda plant the crypts amongst the rocks rather than out in the open kinda thing? Just means struggling for ages tying the Java Fern back onto the new wood if I get some

I may attempt a moss carpet later on see how it looks, got plenty of mesh and moss so I can give it a bash, Ideally dont wanna use Sagittaria on that side as its a bit too Vallis like for my liking, want something different, quite like the Hydrocotyle with its short height and round leaves, would be a mice contrast IMO

 

[JenCliBee]

Hmm I know what your saying, I prefer the 1st piece really I like it when they stretch across the tank like that one would, for £20 its a lot cheaper than my LFS too Hmm could be a potential purchase

So I reckon with a piece of wood like that, rocks around the base but kinda plant the crypts amongst the rocks rather than out in the open kinda thing? Just means struggling for ages tying the Java Fern back onto the new wood if I get some

I may attempt a moss carpet later on see how it looks, got plenty of mesh and moss so I can give it a bash, Ideally dont wanna use Sagittaria on that side as its a bit too Vallis like for my liking, want something different, quite like the Hydrocotyle with its short height and round leaves, would be a mice contrast IMO

Sounds like a plan mate, yes definitely the crypts between the rocks but without losing them with growth, you could even try P.helferi if you think the light would be upto it?, and you definitely plan on dosing EC and ferts. There is also plants like blyxa japonica and staurogyne repens, these grow quite well under low/medium lighting.

There's a few choices for you anyways lol, i'm sure whichever route you chose it will end up stunning .

 

[NathanPrince]

Well I've been eyeing up some Hydrocotyle Sp. Japan which I think would look pretty nice on the right behind the moss carpet (when its done). May order a pot of it and try it out.

I thought about the dosing and remembered adding Excel to my other tank killed my Vallis so ideally I wanna try something else without going pressurized, dry ferts are a dead cert though

Just need to wait til tuesday to order some wood and I can hopefully get it looking a little better

 

[JenCliBee]

Well I've been eyeing up some Hydrocotyle Sp. Japan which I think would look pretty nice on the right behind the moss carpet (when its done). May order a pot of it and try it out.

I thought about the dosing and remembered adding Excel to my other tank killed my Vallis so ideally I wanna try something else without going pressurized, dry ferts are a dead cert though

Just need to wait til tuesday to order some wood and I can hopefully get it looking a little better

Vallis is usually ok aslong as the dose isn't to high, the only problem here is the dose that you have to use may not be enough for the other plants .... but that's just another down side for me with vallis lol.

Unfortunately there really isn't any other methods apart from pressurised or carbon supplements. I wouldn't advise the yeast diy method due to instability and it being a potential algae magnet, so not really sure where you would go there tbh

 

[NathanPrince]

I guess just suck it and see, if it dies I'll replace it with stargrass because that loves Excel, growing like mad in my other tank

Do you know much about the Hydro sp. Japan? Requirements and stuff, never used any before but it seems to be a nice plant to use in scapes like I want