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75 gallon open forground

59K views 84 replies 55 participants last post by  helgymatt 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Step 1 these are all the tools I used for the layout.


Step 2 75 gallon cherry combo and canopy by oceanic


Step 3 5 Lb Co2 bottle, regulator and aquamedic in-line reactor, 2080 Professional III by EHEIM and 65 watts X 4 PC by Coralife (Retrofit) Manzanita driftwood and Texas fossil rock.


Step 4 a division is created to separate the two substrates from mixing.


Step 5 Bacter 100 Clear super and Tourmaline BC are added followed by power sand and Amazonia in the back and white quartz sand in the front.

Step 6 the Layout is done fast using a simple combination of rocks and driftwood.










Step 7 Moss, Anubias, Java fern and bolbitis rhizomes are placed in position.




Step 8 Cryptocorines, Cypherus, Isoetes, Blyxa and ranunculus are planted in the back. Water is added and done!




Thank you for all the NASH members who show up to help me do the installation just so I could concentrate on the planting.

Thank you guy's!
 
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#3 ·
Very NICE Luis. I like your helper in one of the pics there. I think its Thanh right. I was invited to see you set up a tank by Dan, Rudy and Thanh. I really wish I could have made it but our stay was only for a week.

I am working to setup my 72 bowfront also. I got some Manzanita from Dan through Rudy. Now saving some money to get the lights and an eheim canister filter.

Keep the updates coming.

Mahalo, Ike :)
 
#10 ·
Good job,
Now you needed an open top and an ADA tank and pendant.
Empty foreground???
Looks like being lazy is now in vogue:)
Look at Dutch foregrounds from year's past, they are bare.
But a nice foreground is hard for many folks, this prevents the scape from too much growth and the rock/wood kepts a sense of design still and fish only folks like the open space for fish.

You could have used more plants, especially in the background.
And some more Anubias on the rock area. But that's the way things go :)

I have a very cheap ADA like product made here in the USA also Luis, looks like the Soil and has the same color and size.

But it's much cheaper than Onyx and Floruite and much cheaper than ADA obviously.

It cost about the same as MPV turface............(15$ for 50lbs).

I'm running a test right now on it with two tanks, onhe with ADA, the other with Tom's SSS(Secret substrate sauce-haha).

I've paided too much for substrates for too long.
Ferts are cheap now, cables are out the window, RO, forget it, test kits, forget them too, not much left:)

A nice tank, and I do think ADA's prices on their tanks are well worth the $$ for rimless tanks, AF sells them for 480$, an ugly looking rimmed tank with an ugly center brace will run 200-300$.

Tanks are the hardest DIY projects, so I'll leave that to local folks.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
#11 ·
Thank you for the advise Tomas! Just for the record there is lot's of plants in the back, they just need to grow a bit more =0)
I will take pictures every week to show the progress of this easy to maintain layout.
Please keep me posted with the results of your test.
Cheers,
Navarro
 
#12 ·
Now, that's what I'm talking about! About time we see another piece from Luis;) The pleasure was all ours, man! It was really awesome seeing you do the magic. Although, I have to admit, it looks really easy and nice now, guys. It wasn't when he was setting things up. We must've spent at least 4 hours in there. It was worth it, though, cus you don't get this kind of experience everyday. I definitely learned way more than before when I would just read on-line from people's experiences. Seeing things in person puts you in a whole new perspective that oftentimes will take away the bias easily developed from just by reading from on-line sources.

For instance, before, I would see a tank on-line and wonder,"Why did this person design this tank this way? Why did he place the rock this way and not the other? Etc....." But being able to see the tanks in person gives you that 3-D analytical experience, and thus completes the whole picture. You therefore understand a little better why the person designed the tank the way he did. To give another example, the recent tank scaped by Jeff Senske; the one with rocks. You just have to go to the gallery and check out the tank yourself. It definitely speaks way louder at you than from just looking at the pictures. Honestly, the pictures don't do that tank justice, at all.

Sorry, I digressed:) Luis, don't forget to post updates!
 
#18 ·
Like I said before and I will say it again, ya really gotta see all these tanks in person to make those comments. To me, it really is unfair to those scapers. And believe me, before I also based on the photos alone when making comments about the hardscapes, but once I got the chance to check them out in person I took the opportunity. The rocks are awesome!
 
#19 · (Edited)
well..i'm not saying those rocks aren't good or nice.. like i said the tank looks great.. but i'm just bothered by the colour of the rocks in terms of uniformity with the entire scape..but then i know this is a young tank.. so perhaps when it ages.. so will those rocks blend in..:) Perhaps the best way i can say it now is that it "lacks flow" because of the rocks

As for photography and picure judgements.. well.. IF you send a tank for a competiton.. i dont think the judges would come over to personally inspect your tank. its all picure based until you win and they wanna do a interview or soemthing. so if something doesn't look good on pic then well... good luck. i know its unfair.. but everyone has been on that end.
 
#20 ·
There is no substitute for seeing any tank in person, putting up a nice, focused, properly exposed shot of a tank is the best alternative. Without critiquing photos, this hobby goes no where. We get it, you love Luis's and Jeff's tanks and I do not doubt that they kick butt in person. Some day I'll come to Houston and check them out. In the mean time, I have pictures on the internet.

As for the tank, I find that the rock work is contrived. Although they vary in shape and size, they are placed in a line and are relatively equidistant to each other. I would recomend removing a few to break up the line they create. This will also connect the front of the tank to the back and allow a path for the eye to follow. as it stands there is no "poetic relationship" between the foreground and background.

The other aspect of the layout which I find weak are the two "book ends" of driftwood. each are too similar in shapes, size, and angle. They do not fit with the dramatic sweeping centerpiece that you have chosen. I would take one, maybe even both out and use different textures of stem plants in there place.

Lastly, I want to see what it would look like if the Cyperus bent over in the opposite direction... All these lines imply a whole lot of movement to the left. If the current stays the same, you'll need something strong on the right to anchor and balance the composition.

Just my 6 cents...
 
#21 ·
Thank you all for your input! but I will not make any changes , the tank will change with time and time is what makes the difference when it comes to aquascaping, Moving things around when you have two substrates is not a good idea so I will hold my ground, as for the rocks, well, I don't have access to different rocks but even if I did I will stay with these. I have used them before and they look much better with time.
Again thank you for your advise I will keep it in mind for the next one.
 
#22 ·
Navarro said:
Thank you for the advise Tomas! Just for the record there is lot's of plants in the back, they just need to grow a bit more =0)
I will take pictures every week to show the progress of this easy to maintain layout.
Please keep me posted with the results of your test.
Cheers,
Navarro
Sounds good.
I like the grassy feel in the rear, that will look nice over time.
I recently did a little 4 gal with a lazy foreground.

It's a non CO2 tank though.........something I have not tried this approach in scaping with. My moss died back a little in the changeover but is still nice.

About them rocks up front, they will be covered with moss, Anubias, so we don't need to worry, they are there for good now:) They just keep the sand seperated.

You can also wrap the mossy branches with 50% Riccia and then the Ricca lets loose on it's own and you do not need to trim it! There is always some entangled in the moss to grow back out.

This design is very well suited to client tanks also, many of which you can only work on from the rear(which is where all the plants that need pruning are).

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
#24 ·
Aaron said:
We get it, you love Luis's and Jeff's tanks and I do not doubt that they kick butt in person.
You got that right! And I'm sure many will too, once they have the chance to see the tanks in person. I'm not making any advertisements for them, but merely speaking from my own experience, which has been nothing but positive. My point was simply that, having witnessed these hardworking people set up the tanks in person, I would think they at least deserve the credits for wanting to share these experiences with others on-line, including photographies. As for the hardscapes, I realize it is purely a matter of personal preference. Heck, not even everyone agrees on the winning contest entries. End of my discussion with this topic.

All in all, I like this tank. The rocks were arranged very nicely and did well in obscuring the boundary between the sand and the substrate. Perhaps more pictures of this tank at different angles should have been taken to show how all the different factors tie up; the rocks, the plants, the wood, etc... I think that would've given people a better understanding on its design methodology, thereby giving a more complete critique. Of course I know when people look at a tank on-line they only see it from one angle and in two dimension. My suggestion, therefore, is for others to take pictures of their tanks in at least 2 different angles; top view, front view, and side view. I will also do that from now on.

Good job, Luis!
 
#26 ·
Luis muito bonito! The composition is very well balanced. I love those little details, such as the small rocks completing the big ones, or the small rocks covered with moss between naked rock. The rock type is also good. It is very natural, with little holes and different forms and textures. With time, some green algae will give it an even more natural feeling. I noticed, from some previous setup tanks, that you are training this type of layout. From what I saw, you have been improving your skills and this one is by far the most impressive layout you have made in this type.

As for the plants, you said it yourself. More time is needed to let them show their beauty and compose more the layout. Time is the key factor but, a good setup from the start like this one is a great help for things look nicer when " judgement day" arrives.

Regards,
André
 
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