Xmas gift 200lt - Rounded stones - Aquascaping

FAAO · 01-16-2009, 01:10 PM

Hi,

Before all, I hope that you had a good Xmas and I wish you an Happy New Year, all the best!!!

This Xmas I offered a different gift to a friend... a new planted tank.

Trying to do always something different, this time I used some big round rocks and plants with very thin leaves to break the round shape.
I know that is a bit symmetric but I will try to solve that with time pass adding some plants or with the trimmings.

So… here it is the step by step of the layout from 2008.12.20 (yyyy-mm-dd):

The aquarium (100x45x50cm)

Placing the rounded rocks on the better place… I hope! It isn’t easy to work with them, they are rounded and you need to fill the bottom with some soil and others small rocks to equilibrate them.

ELOS Terra Zero (2 packages) over the first layer of ELOS Terra.

ELOS Bottom Mineral (5lt) over Terra Zero from ELOS.

One test with white sand on the front of the layout, later I replaced it with black sand because it gives more contrast with the plants and it is homogeneous with small and big rocks.

After planted, top view of the layout. I used the following plants: Cyperus helfery, Juncus repens, Echinodorus tenellus e Cryptocoryne parva.

View from the right.

View from the left.

Panoramic picture of the layout.

Another Picture, frontal top view.

Planted zone.

Start filling the aquarium with water, very slowly.

Picture of the place where is the aquarium near of the Xmas tree. You can see at the right a banner of my last workshop there, local retailer.

The aquarium filled with water and a bit cloudy.

Again the planted zone.

Panoramic picture.

And finally a general picture of the aquarium with me (at the right) and the owner of Orniex (local retailer) Joaquim Gomes.

Some updated pictures from today 2009.01.16 (yyyy-mm-dd)

I hope that you like it and please feel welcome to comment and criticise!

Jeff.:P:. · 01-16-2009, 01:48 PM

I love it, something different and very exciting. Congrats

SOLOMON · 01-16-2009, 03:29 PM

Another great scape!

How is the ELOS substrate going so far?

DonaldmBoyer · 01-16-2009, 03:33 PM

As usual, Filipe, a masterpiece! Perhaps you can come up to St. Louis and gift me with a new scape!

I think it is symetrical, but in this case, you can get away with it. You don't see this type of symmetry so cleanly and purposefully done, and it is (obviously) just a tad different on each side of the tank to lessen the mirror effect. Very well planted, clean....an accent plant of some sort would have been a nice effect, but unneccesary.

GOOD JOB!!!

Me gusta muchisimo!

rodrigaj · 01-16-2009, 04:45 PM

Unique.

For some reason, it reminds me of Stonehenge.

gsparsan · 01-17-2009, 02:00 AM

Really nice.

I am preparing a 35L betta tank for my Nephew's birthday as a gift and this is very inspiring.

Sunstar · 01-17-2009, 10:42 AM

The way I will phrase this will sound bad, but it's not meant to be. The aquarium looks like an overgrown rock dump, like one you might find at a corner of a feild or someone's back yard. plants fill in and make it an attractive looking feature.

It sort of resembles nature taking over.
Someone said stone henge, I agree. Or stones from an old ruined castle in england, or a wall by an old farm or cemetry.

I do like this very very much. Your aquariums have always been inspiring. keep it up!

jaidexl · 01-17-2009, 02:36 PM

Wow, I wish you were my friend!

Sunstar, your comparison makes perfect sense to me. Filipe used only a few species which really creates the natural look you're talking about, when nature grows over our clutter.

Sunstar · 01-17-2009, 04:24 PM

Yeah, good, someone got what I meant. If it were not for the fish, I would think it was taken outside.

FAAO · 01-19-2009, 02:24 AM

Hi,

Thanks for the comments and kindly words!

Quote:

Originally Posted by SOLOMON

Another great scape!
How is the ELOS substrate going so far?

I'm a bit suspect to talk about ELOS... But if you want MHO, I just say that is the best soil that you can find on the market! Quality, durability and very well balanced.
For your information, I use since 2005 the same soil on my 60lt aquarium. I only need to add some Bottom Mineral, or Terra Zero or Terra Uno on each setup to renew the soil and it will be brand new again...
In a few weeks I will share here in the forum my new 60lt setup, a full planted layout where I have used the same soil of “Pinheiro Manso” with 10 months old.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonaldmBoyer

As usual, Filipe, a masterpiece! Perhaps you can come up to St. Louis and gift me with a new scape!

Who knows some day!

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonaldmBoyer

I think it is symetrical, but in this case, you can get away with it. You don't see this type of symmetry so cleanly and purposefully done, and it is (obviously) just a tad different on each side of the tank to lessen the mirror effect. Very well planted, clean....an accent plant of some sort would have been a nice effect, but unneccesary.

It is very difficult to equilibrate those rocks as you can see on the step by step, I need to use some soil down the rocks to give them that shape, otherwise they fall.
I’m not worry about the symmetry, this is one thing that I can work and with some trimmings or adding some plants, I reduce a bit the size of the left stone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunstar

Yeah, good, someone got what I meant. If it were not for the fish, I would think it was taken outside.

Terrestrial, nature, aquatic… who cares?!
Anyone can imagine whatever he wants! Your point of view is absolutely right.