New 100 gal

[AfflictionX]

What do you think!?! Criticism appreciated... Hardscape in the right side of the new 100 gal freshwater. Plants coming soon! Need ideas for the left side. It will be covered in jungle Val but no other plans yet.

 

[mbsqw1d]

Loving it so far, I'd leave the left side quite sparse, as it is, to be honest. I'm not sure about the colour of the gravel, its quite bright compared to the black substrate. Where will the val be planted? Along the back/right?

 

[ClownLurch]

Love the rocks and sand. The gravel....not so much. Black or grey gravel would look better. Sort of more natural.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I like it! I think the lighter river rocks could work, once it's all planted up and filled out. The contrast might not occur quite like that in nature, but both are pretty natural colours and not brilliant white or ugly blue or pink gravel, so I think it comes down to personal preference. You could add some darker river stones mixed into those to blend it a little more if you wanted, or leave it as is. If you love it, then blow aquascaping trends and go with it

 

[AfflictionX]

This is the full tank currently. Plan to changeout almost everything. They were just extra plants from other tanks

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

I would personally get more dragon stone and move the other closer together.

I would also remove the river rock and some sort of black/dark grey.

It's going to look amazing with plants!

 

[AfflictionX]

Thanks for the advice! I might watch it a few days before making a final decision. I am also iffy on the gravel. I actually do like the contrast in colors: it’s more or less the different textures I think that are Bothering me

 

[Retired Viking]

Hello and welcome to the forum, so far it looks nice, like the rocks. I would add maybe a piece of driftwood. The plants will make a difference when you add them. Please post some pictures when you do. Have you decided on what fish you will have?

 

[Colin_T]

The gravel will end up mixing.
If the rocks are sharp, they could damage the fish if the fish panic and swims into the rocks.

 

[Barry Tetra]

I think you should remove the gravel as other said it’s quite bright.

What kind of fish are you plannong to get?
your substrate look quite sharp so not recommended for corydoras

Dragon stone also sharp for fish like discus and other cichlids.

 

[squidneh]

While I personally quite like the contrast between the gravel and the sand, as mentioned already, they will likely end up mixing either while you are planting the tank, during water changes/cleaning, and/or from fish moving them around. You could try adding some lighter colored stones/pebbles instead of the gravel, because then at least if they get moved aorund it's easier to put them back in place.

I love it overall though, and I think it will look great when you get the plants in and they mature.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Have a look at aquascaping articles and pictures using contrast to get some ideas http://scapefu.com/contrast-aquascaping/

I've seen people use supports to sort of hold layers of substrate in place. You could use the plastic egg crate stuff underneath that dragon rock area to raise it higher, and make it into a 'mountain. then silicone seal some perspex or something to the edges of the top crate to help hold the river rocks and dragon stone in place, then have the black sand spilling down over the edge to a lower level in the tank. Use plants that have decent roots to help hold the river stones from being knocked down too easily, and you've reduced the mixing of substrate and given your scape and added dimension by introducing some height on one side. I think a lot of aquascapers use soil not so much for the plants, but because it's easier to create layers that will hold with soil than it is with substrates like sand and gravel.

Just an idea though! http://scapefu.com/contrast-aquascaping/
Nice image of a little 'hill' to the side,and contrasting sand to create a little river scene https://aquascapinglove.com/basics/aquascaping-basics-planted-aquarium-substrate/

Aquascape of the Month June 2012: "Mountain And River of My Country"

ASW kicks off the summer series of Aquascape of the Month with an inspiring layout all the way from Vietnam's own Trieu Duong Le. [ATTACH] This...

www.aquascapingworld.com

I know it would be a pain to tear it back down and rescape it, but it's easier to do it now than to be unhappy with it six months from now when it's full of fish and plants, and better to be happy with the result. You might also decide you don't want to build height into it, and just take some inspiration from these scenes to tweak the textures or planting style. But if you like the contrast, there's no reason you shouldn't have it.

 

[mbsqw1d]

I think the whole scape as it is looks superb (I'd be happy if it were mine), apart from it looks like youve accidentally spilled a bag of sweetcorn in.

 

[CassCats]

id stick some moss on the rocks to cushion any sharp edges, take a file to the edges if you feel anything sharp too...

So moss, and then the vals. A simple scape would be nice.