# 130Ltr - Rescape - Fake plants!



## skeletonw00t (18 Aug 2012)

Hi all,

After a lot of thought I have decided to tear down my current scape & redesign my tank.

The reasons are:
1. the scape is circa 18 months old & is in need of a big clean
2. maintenance is just not possible any more due to time constraints

I have decided to go down the route of fake plants - I have seen some decent scapes done using the Sydeco range of plants from Rosewood.

So I have ordered the following:

http://www.rosewoodpet.com/catalogue/de ... 4ewg%3d%3d
http://www.rosewoodpet.com/catalogue/de ... 4ewg%3d%3d
http://www.rosewoodpet.com/catalogue/de ... 4ewg%3d%3d
http://www.rosewoodpet.com/catalogue/de ... 4ewg%3d%3d

along with:

http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/unipac- ... -3012.html
http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/unipac- ... -3014.html

I'm hoping it will look decent enough & with no light required & a strong filter it should require very little maintenance.

I'll update with pics when I do the scape next weekend.

PS. Does anyone have any tips on how to clean the tank out once its emptied? I have algae on silicone that just won't scrub off!


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## skeletonw00t (20 Aug 2012)

Right so I emptied the old layout today and was left with this:






I won't be adding the gravel/sand/plants until the weekend so I had a play with the Okiishi rock I ordered & thought about this:





I don't think theres enough rock there so I have ordered another piece of the one on the right - will rotate it another way round and place in the top left. Also I ordered O/R1 which is a small piece - and will place that on the right hand side.

Won't really know how to do it finally until the plants arrive & I can have a play around.

Anyone have some advice on what sand I should use? I was thinking a fine white ish sand?


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## Antipofish (20 Aug 2012)

Hi mate.  Fake plants huh ?  Good for you  I reckon with decent fake plants it can look really nice.  Having said that I hope the ones you ordered look less plasticky in life than the images seem to be.     (no offence).  Some of the silky ones I have seen were quite good.  Either way I reckon you will be able to make it look pretty decent and I am looking forward to more pics as it progresses.

As far as removing stubborn marks, I have heard that hydrogen peroxide is good as long as you rinse and dechlorinate afterwards.  I hope I am not giving bad advice suggesting that but I know some people have used it on planted tank glassware.  I actually used cillit bang to remove stubborn marks on a drop checker and then washed and washed again with no problems.

LOVE that stone. Its amazing what you can do with resin.

Don't forget that you will still have maintenance to do... cleaning the glass and washing the plants.

As far as sand goes, I think that a whitish sand would be a tad bright.  Have you considered Unipac Samoa ?


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## skeletonw00t (20 Aug 2012)

Thanks mate - I'll check out the Samoa.

Yeah I know what you mean about those plants. I hope they don't look plasticky too - they weren't cheap!

They are the same ones used in this PFK article:

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/c ... p?sid=4189

So I hope they are of similar quality.

PS. just had a look at the Samoa sand - perhaps a bit dark?

I was hoping for something a bit lighter so it's more like this:

http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/images/ ... 0xl_01.jpg


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## HarryRobinson (20 Aug 2012)

The sand you've linked us to there skeleton is called Unipac maui sand, i have it and it looks great IMO 

But really, PLASTIC plants on an Aquatic PLANT forum? Not really mate haha, ive seen a few scapes that look totally outstanding with plastic plants


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## skeletonw00t (20 Aug 2012)

Haha yes it is a bit blasphemus isn't it! 

I just honestly don't have the time/interest to keep a planted tank looking healthy anymore. So i thought I'd give a scape a go where i have no plants. To be honest if these plants arrive & look crap then I may even just attempt some sort of rock only scape.

I just want an easy to maintain scape that always looks good & can have some pretty fish/shrimp in


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## skeletonw00t (20 Aug 2012)

Love this scape george did using plastic plants:

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/m ... p?sid=3753

I hope i can get something close.. But now am starting to worry that the resin rocks won't look as good with plants added :/


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (21 Aug 2012)

Just knowing they were fake plants would piss me off. Just go for low tech?


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## Antipofish (21 Aug 2012)

I dont think fake plants would piss me off.  At the end of the day its all about what the tank owner is happy with and has time for.  Low tech still requires more input than "no tech" LOL.  

If that is Maui sand, then I would say go for it.  You could mix and match to get exactly what you want, but seeing that AE pic I agree the maui looks good with that resin rock.

I dont see why the resin rock will look out of place with plastic plants tbh.  I think that rock looks as real as real rock does   I am very much looking forward to seeing it all.  If you dont like the plants, theres a home for them here as Im setting up a w. african breeding tank and may just go no tech with that 

You know rock and Manzy (or any wood but esp manzy) looks REALLY nice too....


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## skeletonw00t (21 Aug 2012)

Is the maui sand very fine? I don't want it too thick.

I was thinking about something like play sand? I will also add gradianted pebbles to make it more natural around the rocks


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (21 Aug 2012)

Urrrgghhh!


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## skeletonw00t (21 Aug 2012)

Jealousy


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## ian_m (21 Aug 2012)

The problem with plastic plants is algae, now you have no real plants in your tank the algae will have "first dibs" on any nutrient in the tank, this I suspect soon be coating everything. Been there, done that got the tee shirt.

I have tried numerous times using plastic plants, as previously my big plecs either ate or ploughed up real plants, but I always quickly ended up with BBA covering the silk plants, thread algae sprouting off everything else and glass coated in green dust. Yes easy enough to clean off, plastic plants wipe/scrape clean and bleach solution restores the silk plants but really quite a "faff" having to remove the all plants every couple of months and then put them all back.

Been much better and less fiddly maintenance since I went CO2, attack of diatoms when tank first started but virtually no signs of algae at alll, just lush green quick growing plants.


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## skeletonw00t (21 Aug 2012)

I would highly doubt I'll be getting algae when i won't be running any lighting (except when viewing)?


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## Antipofish (21 Aug 2012)

skeletonw00t said:
			
		

> Is the maui sand very fine? I don't want it too thick.
> 
> I was thinking about something like play sand? I will also add gradianted pebbles to make it more natural around the rocks



Hi, if the maui is done on the same principal as my samoa you can get fine and coarse.  Fine is about 1mm and coarse is about 3mm.  I like the idea of graduated pebbles around the rocks regardless of the sand.  Dont forget without real plant roots in your substrate, fine sand will be more in jeopardy of compaction so stick to a thinner layer as much as possible.


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## HarryRobinson (21 Aug 2012)

I'd go with the coarse, with your tank being much larger than mine, im sure it should look fine  I'm not fond of sand imo but thats just me


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## Antipofish (21 Aug 2012)

HarryRobinson said:
			
		

> I'd go with the coarse, with your tank being much larger than mine, im sure it should look fine  I'm not fond of sand imo but thats just me



Hey Harry. The fine grade unipac "sand" even is still nothing like playsand.  Even though they call it sand I think of it more as "fine gravel" personally.


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## HarryRobinson (21 Aug 2012)

Oh yeah i know that  It's just playsand in general looks terrible imo


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## Antipofish (21 Aug 2012)

HarryRobinson said:
			
		

> Oh yeah i know that  It's just playsand in general looks terrible imo



And I think its a very personal taste issue because you say it looks terrible yet lots of others love it   It is also the most suitable substrate for some setups    Stick coarse gravel in a tank for sand loving cichlids and they will not thank you for it.  Cories also do better on finer grain stuff to prevent damage to their barbels.


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## skeletonw00t (21 Aug 2012)

I like sand though :/ mmm what to choose.


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## skeletonw00t (21 Aug 2012)

Do you have any pics of the maui sand in your tank at all? 

It looks nice. I think a 12.5kg bag & a 2.5kg bag would do it?


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## Antipofish (21 Aug 2012)

skeletonw00t said:
			
		

> I like sand though :/ mmm what to choose.



Ultimately choose what you like the look of most matey.  Its YOUR tank after all


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## skeletonw00t (22 Aug 2012)

Don't suppose you have some photos of the maui sand IN a tank? Can't seem to find any...

Edit - just found some. I really like it. Currently torn between that and a sand... Unsure. Where is the best place to buy the unipac sand?


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## skeletonw00t (22 Aug 2012)

15kg of Maui sand ordered


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## nry (22 Aug 2012)

15kg may be sufficient, I reckon I used 15kg in my 60cm x 30cm aquarium, I bought a 25kg bag for £15.99 in a local shop, 5kg individual bags were £5.99 each, it was cheaper to buy more than I needed


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## HarryRobinson (22 Aug 2012)

Ive got alot left over from my 2.5kg bag if you need some, its coarse though, you could probably use it around the rocks as a transistion?


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## skeletonw00t (22 Aug 2012)

Thanks Harry.

Wow Nry thats cheap - i just paid £27 from aqua essentials for a 12.5kg bag & 2.5kg bag - including delivery.


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## skeletonw00t (22 Aug 2012)

Thanks Harry.

Wow Nry thats cheap - i just paid £27 from aqua essentials for a 12.5kg bag & 2.5kg bag - including delivery.


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## HarryRobinson (22 Aug 2012)

Did you get coarse 3mm or fine 1mm?


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## skeletonw00t (22 Aug 2012)

Fine


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## HarryRobinson (22 Aug 2012)

Give us a shout if you want some coarse for transition, sure we can come to a reasonable price


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## skeletonw00t (22 Aug 2012)

Plants (lol) arrived today so I had a play with the layout, I'm thinking something like this?







With the white sand sloping towards the rear obviously. 

Looks good I think! Impressed with the plants - and like the red one in the middle.

Anyone have any scape advice?


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## HarryRobinson (22 Aug 2012)

Some advice, Clean your glass!


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## skeletonw00t (22 Aug 2012)

Haha don't worry this is all just experimentation.

I am draining the tank first & bleaching to remove stubborn algae.

Then glassware will replace the spray bars also.

Really impressed with the plastic plants though.


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## HarryRobinson (22 Aug 2012)

Yeah those plastic plants do look pretty cool i must admit, make sure to clean off every last little bit of the bleach because your live stock (if your having any) wont thank you for it  What glassware you getting?


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## skeletonw00t (22 Aug 2012)

I have some lilly pipes in the loft that I have had for a few years but never used. They were Poweren ones off ebay


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## Antipofish (22 Aug 2012)

I am WELL IMPRESSED with those plants mate...  you might be starting a new craze !!! LOL.  I would like to see some carpet type plants coming down between the smaller rocks over to the right and then continuing over to the right side of the tank and maybe a little forward.  I think that would give the impression of greater length.


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## johnski (23 Aug 2012)

"Plastiscaping"


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## skeletonw00t (23 Aug 2012)

Thanks 

I have changed it slightly & will experiment more before cleaning out the tank and doing the scape properly.

Only thing I'll miss is watching the growth of the plants - but I suppose this is the trade off of having very little maintenance.


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## Lindy (23 Aug 2012)

I think it looks fantastic and will be following to see how maintenance goes with algae etc.

Cheers...


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## sr20det (23 Aug 2012)

The light does look very good, so much so, that you could well get Algae, same time, if you have a tank full of algae eaters, bang, happy days


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## ian_m (23 Aug 2012)

When I ran my Vision 180, with plastic and silk plants for a month odd with no lights, plastic plants still aquired a black slimey coating of BBA.

Reason for a month odd with no lights was, light unit "blew up" (took it apart burnt out PCB) and local fish shop ordered a replacement (should have ordered a T5 unit, but had quite a few T8 spare tubes so ordered T8), but arrived to them damaged and a smashed tube.... . They reordered and wrong unit arrived....finally 3-4 weeks later odd correct unit arrived and all OK.


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## skeletonw00t (23 Aug 2012)

Mmm well i'll see how it goes with no lights (just for viewing). I can't see how algae would thrive as there simply won't be enough light/nutrients for it to grow (only fish waste). The tank is heavily over filtered too.

I have 4 otto's and some cherry shrimp though too - they don't make much difference though in all honesty.


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## nry (25 Aug 2012)

The lack of live plants has nothing to do with algae, and it needs little nutrients.


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## Ian Holdich (25 Aug 2012)

^^^^true dat...i have seen many a plastic plant tank with little or no algae.


good luck with it mate!


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## skeletonw00t (25 Aug 2012)

Emptied tank to clean it all today. Still couldn't manage to scrub off the green algae from the silicone.

I have filled the tank up with warm water & bleach and am going to leave it to soak for a day or two.

Is it safe to do this? The bleach won't corrode the silicone or anything?


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## Antipofish (25 Aug 2012)

It depends how strong the bleach is, LOL.  No it should not do any damage but I would not leave it longer than 24 hours.  Did you try Cillit Bang ?  Or hydrogen Peroxide ?  Whatever you use remember to rinse, rinse, re rinse and rinse again.  And use a bigger than normal portion of Prime when you fill with water


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## skeletonw00t (26 Aug 2012)

Tanks all clean & ready now...






Only problem is the algae on the silicone which just won't come off.

Shame really as it's a nice tank apart from that


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## Antipofish (26 Aug 2012)

So have you tried either of those things I suggested ?

The other thing you can do is to SOAK some rolled up kitchen roll in bleach and then lay it along the silicon and hold it in place with clingfilm, then leave it a while.  maybe having neat bleach on it will work ?

Also, send Clive a PM in case he has not seen this thread ? He may be able to help.  Shame to leave it like that


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## skeletonw00t (27 Aug 2012)

Yes tried everything mate - no luck 

Going to just have to live with it I suppose.


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## Antipofish (27 Aug 2012)

skeletonw00t said:
			
		

> Yes tried everything mate - no luck
> 
> Going to just have to live with it I suppose.



Hmm if it was ME, (and Im just saying, LOL) then I would have the tank re sealed.  Its such a great tank, seems a shame to have mucky sealant     Is that an option ? I know it will delay you but I cant help feeling that it will always be there niggling you and then if/when you get algae on your plastic plants you will be even more annoyed.  

Go on,  take it in and get them to take it apart and re silicone it


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## skeletonw00t (27 Aug 2012)

Where could i get that done & how much would it be?


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## Antipofish (27 Aug 2012)

skeletonw00t said:
			
		

> Where could i get that done & how much would it be?



Where abouts are you in the country ?  I suspect the first port of call would be to put a post up on here saying "I live in XXXX, can anyone tell me of any decent tank makers in this area?"   You may even find a decent glazier knows what they are doing, or the LFS's near you should be able to recommend someone.  As far as how much will it cost, you will need to ask whoever you find.


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## skeletonw00t (30 Aug 2012)

Ok so finally picked up my gravel today & have completed the scape, what do you think:














Can't wait to add a lot of colourful fish.

Hopefully it will be nice & easy to maintain too!


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## sr20det (30 Aug 2012)

Thats awesome.


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## tim (30 Aug 2012)

hope this goes well for you mate looks really nice dont think i wouldve added small pebbles but very nice looking tank


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## skeletonw00t (30 Aug 2012)

Yeah i agree tim. Not sure about them myself really.

Dont think they are needed really & tey dont really blend in. Tempted to remove...


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## Ady34 (30 Aug 2012)

skeletonw00t said:
			
		

> Yeah i agree tim. Not sure about them myself really.
> 
> Dont think they are needed really & tey dont really blend in. Tempted to remove...


Think if you grouped a few of them together around the base of some of the larger rocks they would work quite well at softening the transitions between hard scape and substrate
Looks good though mate  
Cheerio
Ady


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## skeletonw00t (30 Aug 2012)

Ok i'll try that.

You're right though they will probably be more effective in groups rather than just dotted around!


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## HarryRobinson (30 Aug 2012)

Looks absolutely awesome mate!


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## Antipofish (30 Aug 2012)

Im well impressed !  I agree, group the pebbles more.  If you were to do that you could actually add more !!!  What fish are you gonna have  ?


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## skeletonw00t (30 Aug 2012)

Unsure about the fish, something like:

10 tetras
10 rummynose
5 -6 gourami's
ottos

Not really sure though.
I'd like to try dwarf cichlids...


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## Antipofish (30 Aug 2012)

I have a lovely shoal of wild caught Pentazona Barbs (tremendous irridescence compared to tank bred ones) that would look lovely in there.  A pair of Pelvicachromis Taeniatus would be fantastic too


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## skeletonw00t (4 Sep 2012)

Some pics of the fish 






















Thoughts? I got 2 rams - a male and a female I think!


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## skeletonw00t (4 Sep 2012)

Some pics of the fish 





















Thoughts? I got 2 rams - a male and a female I think!


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## HarryRobinson (4 Sep 2012)

cant see the pics mate :O


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## Antipofish (4 Sep 2012)

Me neither


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## skeletonw00t (4 Sep 2012)

Uploading pics from an iphone is such a pointless excercise lol :/


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## Antipofish (4 Sep 2012)

skeletonw00t said:
			
		

> Uploading pics from an iphone is such a pointless excercise lol :/



Get a Galaxy S3 then and give me your iPHONE


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## HarryRobinson (4 Sep 2012)

Google Nexus 7 Tablet all the way


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## RoughIt (5 Sep 2012)

skeletonw00t said:
			
		

> Some pics of the fish ....Thoughts? I got 2 rams - a male and a female I think!



















Thought I'd help with your i-Woes.    

Doug.


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## skeletonw00t (5 Sep 2012)

Thanks mate - where was i going wrong?


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## Antipofish (5 Sep 2012)

skeletonw00t said:
			
		

> Thanks mate - where was i going wrong?



Buying an iPHONE


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## RoughIt (5 Sep 2012)

skeletonw00t said:
			
		

> Thanks mate - where was i going wrong?



Glad to help.   

The code that you put between the Img tags shares the web page, not where ImageShack store the image.
All I did was right click then 'Copy Image Location' on the ImageShack photo, then paste this between the Img tags.
I have no idea if this method is achievable on an iPhone though.

Hope that helps.

Doug.


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## RoughIt (5 Sep 2012)

I've just had a bit more of a play with the ImageShack sharing methods.

The URL which appears to be needed to go between the 'Img' tags is the 'Direct Link' option under 'Links to share this image' ( I don't have an account to test this though).
Another method is to copy and paste the 'Forum' option code as is, under 'Embed this image' without using any other tags.

Both of these methods I imagine would work on your iPhone.

Doug.


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## skeletonw00t (9 Sep 2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dx87bEX ... ata_player

Quick vid of feeding time


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## Gary Nelson (9 Sep 2012)

It looks very nice, lovely clean simple lines too, and seeing as all your fish are showing lovely colours I'd say you have cracked it mate


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## nry (9 Sep 2012)

Just need to ditch those plastic plants for real ones now


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## skeletonw00t (9 Sep 2012)

Nah  

Much less hassle this way & can focus on enjoying the tank rather than silly things like CO2, Ferts & algae.


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## Antipofish (9 Sep 2012)

skeletonw00t said:
			
		

> Nah
> 
> Much less hassle this way & can focus on enjoying the tank rather than silly things like CO2, Ferts & algae.



What makes you think you wont get algae just because you have plastic plants?


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## skeletonw00t (9 Sep 2012)

Because I don't have aquarium lights on 7-9 hours a day lol


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## Antipofish (9 Sep 2012)

skeletonw00t said:
			
		

> Because I don't have aquarium lights on 7-9 hours a day lol



That still does not guarantee you wont get Algae !!! My mate has a fish tank with fake stuff in it.  Lights on for an hour each night, no more.  Sometimes not at all.  He still has to wash the plants every month.


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## skeletonw00t (9 Sep 2012)

Time will tell i guess. Not to big a deal washing them once a month though I guess. I'd say I probably will have to do that to be honest - rather that though!


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## Antipofish (10 Sep 2012)

Absolutely ! But just wanted you to realise it was not a recipe for algae free.  Once a month is not a lot of cleaning and you get a rescape to boot hehe.


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## Gill (10 Sep 2012)

I can see that you have used high quality plants from the Sydeco range of plants, and are those the new Okishi Resin hardscape rocks(they are not cheap).


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## skeletonw00t (10 Sep 2012)

I might add some bleach to the water to prevent algae - i'd have to use plastic fish then too though!


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## skeletonw00t (10 Sep 2012)

Yeah those are the ones Gill.

Really impressed with the rocks - can't believe how real they look!

The plants are good too but would be even better if they made ones that are replica's of real plant species.


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## Gill (10 Sep 2012)

yes, thought i recognised them, from the ones george used in one of his scapes.

there is a alot more choice now on ebay from china, and they do look good


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## skeletonw00t (10 Sep 2012)

Cool I'll have a look as I do want a few more plants at the rear of the tank


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## skeletonw00t (11 Sep 2012)

Added some cherry shrimp. About 30... They lasted about 1 minute and then got eaten.

Well annoyed - i didn't think any of the species i have would be a problem with shrimp.

I hope a few managed to survive & hide but i doubt it!


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## tim (11 Sep 2012)

Rams will def eat them mate go amano


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## skeletonw00t (11 Sep 2012)

Will amano shrimp be ok? With them being larger and all


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## tim (11 Sep 2012)

Kept amanos with my rams unfortunately rams only lasted about 6 months


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## Antipofish (11 Sep 2012)

I have Amanos in with Apistos and Pelvicachromis so I think you will be fine with them with Rams


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## Ady34 (22 Oct 2012)

Hi,
hows this running mate, any issues?
Cheerio,
Ady.


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