[nonamethefish]

Okay, surely not ready for show, but here it is. I'd love to here any comments you have regarding driftwood or any other things. It was added after this pic, but now a very branchy piece of "driftwood" takes up most of the center. I'll have to post a pic later.

Thanks!

BTW, ignore my "water change bucket"(AKA yogurt tub) on the top. I did a 40% wter change with it yesterday...makes good excercise and its about time to invest in a python. :roll:

 

[bms]

I can't see the piocture.

 

[Daemonfly]

Pic is hosted at Imagestation which is unreliable at best.

 

[nonamethefish]

Any suggestion for a image host?

 

[cactusdoug]

Check out photobucket.com

CD

 

[nonamethefish]

Thanks cactusdoug! Very convenient!


Might as well give you guys some insight on previous layouts. AS you can see, the driftwood on the left has a java fern "attached"(which the BN plecos would want to push off). Originally, this piece of wood was standing upright, until I decided to put it in this position. Then, I added a smaller plant in front of the larger one(barely noticeable in this pic, they fit so well). The goal of this aquascape is get people to look closer into the tank for new things. The colony of ivory montezumae swords and there fry should accomplish that quite well.

The driftwood on the right has a little cave. This piece was originally propped up on two rocks, but I removed them. Now, it(sand) looks quite flat. This cave(and a PVC pipe in ther back)is meant to serve as a spawning place for the plecos...but they don't use it to often.

The piece on the far left is really odd. Looks almost like a quarter of a hollw log in person. I may lay it down flat, but that might take away from the height effect that is needed on this rather tall tank.

The branchy piece of driftwood is probably a shrub or something that dried up and fell into the water. I don't know how long it will last. The "trunk" Is behind the middle piece of driftwood and its branches go right and forward across the tank. Perhaps I will tie pieces of java feern or moss to it.

 

[bms]

I recommend you add some fast growing stem plants... so they get tall and cover the back of the tank that will give the tank a very different look.

 

[nonamethefish]

Also what I was thinking. This tank also needs a black background. One step at a time though!

Does anyone have any suggestions regarding the driftwood?

 

[tanVincent]

Hi,

Let's be honest, you need a lot of things

Cheers
Vincent

 

[neonfish3]

a substrate would be nice.....

 

[Gomer]

2 obvious comments first:

A background makes for a huge improvement

...followed closely by something instead of a peppering of red and black things on the gravel. While you odn't need a plant substrate with a fern tank, something that looks more natureal would really help.

One thing your tank lacks is a lack of focus....negative or possitive space. Not sure how I would arrange things (I a type that just has to do things to see what works)...but I don't like the current layout.

 

[nonamethefish]

Thanks for the input!

Tanvincent: I'll have to agree. But it will all come with time.

Neonfish3/Gomer:

LOL. That gravel was leftovers fromthe setup as it was about 3-4 years back into my hobby. Isn't that stuff just beautiful?! :roll:

The main stuff is playsand. I may add some laterite in the future. I think that the pure playsand could use something dark to mix though.

I've taken some pics of the new submerged branchy piece. Feel free to criticize its placement. This tank is not going for a real "formal" look, but rather a low maintenance, natural looking tank. Of course, there will be a foreground and a background and the plants will be grouped to look good, but I doubt this will end up with little streets and plants marching up the back in organized rows. It will also have to serve as a happy home for a group of ivory montezumae swords.

Thanks for the input once again!

Here are some pics

The whole tank. Admire the placement of the plants... :wink:

The left side. Sorry about the darkness. As you can see, I decided to lay the left piece of driftwood on its side. The BN pleco pair likes to use it as a hangout now.

The piece of driftwood on the right is actually 2 "pieces". The real one has a cave connected to a piece of PVC which sticks out from the back and is hidden from view by the driftwood. The second piece if a fake log which I couldn't resist cause it actually looks pretty real(and will be smothered with plants to make it look realer). The holes make it look kinda cheesy though. It has a big hole in the back, but you can't see that from front view and thats good. One hole has been plugged with java fern. Ignore the female monty, she's still kinda shy

Here's a look at the branchy piece. Not to sure what to do with it, but it adds some dimension to the tank. The montys also enjoy it.

 

[tsunami]

That's a really hard piece of wood to work with, IMO. The branchy lines seem very rigid and straight.

First of all, get more gravel. You need this for positioning your wood. Your gravel seems to be way too thin. Aim for a 3" deep substrate at least. You can do this with sand and have a white sand foreground.

...and if you go for the white sand foreground, plant only the left side. Wrap those lumpy pieces of wood in Java Fern with a couple Anubias barteri v nana as accents. Try using Java moss rocks at the bottoms. Basically, have a mound of green on the left with all the branches sticking out from it.

Hope this helps,

Carlos

 

[mm12463]

Just curious - but why shouldn't we be seeing your tank? I don't get it.

 

[Jeff Kropp]

Where to begin...

Aquascaping basics begin with consideration of your hardscape and intent. How much lighting do you have and how does it light the tank. Does it spread out evenly or is it concentrated in one area? What is the shape and placement of tank in your room. Does it need a back ground? What contributions do ambient light offer? What type of filtration are you using and how does its implementation affects water circulation? Does the water push out over the surface or plunge down to the bottom? How will you hide your mechanisms? What type of fish do you keep. Do they have behaviors that are influenced by the structure of your tank? Are they from a particular biotope that could be emulated? As you consider each of these elements, place your components in relationships that reflect your primary intent. Many people find thinking in terms of triangles is helpful.

You might find hornwort is good addition to your current plant selection. It does not grow roots but has traditionally been held in bunches with plant weights.

Not liking the lead, I've recently discovered that butterfly hair clips work very well. You can steal them from girlfreinds if you like drama or you can get them from drugstores and beauty supply stores. Look for the better molded resin types with stainless steel springs. Many are designed to hold hair loosly and not crimp hair. This is good. Look for clips that do not close compleatly and have tines that are neither too closely or too widely spaced. The ones I use sink but are not super heavy so you will need to tuck them into your gravel. When your plants get too tall, cut off the weaker bottom halves and reclip the tops to continue growing. These bunches will give your tank some vertical greenery without requiring a whole lot of gardening expertise.

Good luck and happy gardening.

Jeff

 

[nonamethefish]

I added a black background. It really makes a difference!