# Open foreground or planted foreground?



## Tom (16 Sep 2008)

I was just interested to see what others preferred in a scape. I personally go for the open, sandy foreground every time without thinking about it, but I'd like to try more foreground plants in the future...

Comments?


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## LondonDragon (16 Sep 2008)

I prefer planted, I love my glosso hehe


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## Garuf (16 Sep 2008)

Depends on the plant, I now have both styles and the sand is easier to manage, but the foreground of hc in my nano looks really special to me. I wish I could get U G to grow as well as hc does for me.


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## Thomas McMillan (16 Sep 2008)

I think it depends on the scape and the feel you are trying to achieve, but generally speaking I prefer sand.


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## aaronnorth (16 Sep 2008)

Thomas McMillan said:
			
		

> I think it depends on the scape and the feel you are trying to achieve, but generally speaking I prefer sand.



exactly what i was going to post   - and what looks best to go with that scape

if i had to choose, *thinks again*... i suppose it would be open ground.


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## George Farmer (18 Sep 2008)

Depends entirely on the 'scape - both aesthetically and in terms of sustainability.

I've yet to try open sand.  I will next time in my 60cm.


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## John Starkey (20 Sep 2008)

Hi All,i have now got a sturogoyne and glosso foreground and i love it,i may try an open foreground in my new setup, regards john


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## oldwhitewood (25 Sep 2008)

I think open foregrounds are really cool. What is great about them is you don't have to worry about trimming a foreground plant and keeping that looking good. There are drawbacks to using them though, with a system using aquasoil the technique is to use small rocks between the soil and the sand creating a kind of barrier, often these rocks are dressed with moss. I found in my last setup the shrimp would always throw the aquasoil granules over the rocks and onto the sand, so it proved quite difficult to keep the sand clean. Also the moss grew very well on the rocks I used and therefore became a bit unruly and difficult to control. You end up with this thin strip of sand with an overpowering feeling of the plants coming in over the top, that is the mistake I made in my last layout, so if I were to use it again I would definately try to use more sand in a v formation so if anything the foreground was bigger. 

In my new setup I'm not using sand I'm using e tennellus, this may well prove too problematic for me and I may well go back to using sand again as I do love the fresh and modern look to it. I did want to try growing a foreground again though as I fancied a change.


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