# Mopani Wood Scapes?



## James D (11 Mar 2014)

I haven't noticed many scapes on the web that use Mopani wood to any great effect, I'm just wondering why, It's got a great texture. Maybe it's just because the shape of it that it doesn't really lend itself to aquascaping?

Another question, how would Mopani wood look underwater, combined with another type of would like Redmoor root or Manzanita would the difference in colour and texture look to obvious or would they blend in quite well?

If anyone has any pics of interesting Mopani scapes I'd love to see them as it's something I'm thinking about trying.

Thanks

James


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## Sacha (11 Mar 2014)

Mopani wood is the only hardscape in my tank. One piece is covered in Christmas moss, the other is covered in Java fern. I'll post pictures on this thread this evening.


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## tim (11 Mar 2014)

Mopani definitely has potential
http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/nice-unique-90-cm-mopani.30575/
Would love to see that piece used in a scape.


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## James D (12 Mar 2014)

> I'll post pictures on this thread this evening.



Cheers, I'd be interested to see them.




> Would love to see that piece used in a scape.



I doubt that would fit in my tank!


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## Sacha (12 Mar 2014)

Damn, I forgot last night. Will do it today. 

My tank is nothing special, but it's healthy and lush, and I like it.


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## Sacha (12 Mar 2014)

This is a photo I took a couple of weeks back, before I attached the moss to the wood: 




 

As you can see, the wood on the right hand side is covered in Java Fern. I took some more pictures today.


This is the wood on the left: 

(The moss only went in a week ago. It will look much better in a couple of months when it's grown in)



 

This is the wood on the right: 




 



 

And this is a wide view. Hopefully you see what I am trying to do with the symmetry of the wood.


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## Alastair (13 Mar 2014)

Very nice sacha


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## James D (13 Mar 2014)

Sacha, that tank looks beautiful mate, really lush.... not really a Mopani based scape though  , I can hardly see it!

I bit the bullet and bought a boxful of Mopani in some interesting shapes, it's flipping massive though, I don't know if I'll have any room left for water!


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## Sacha (13 Mar 2014)

Thanks a lot for all the kind comments. 

I guess the Mopani is more obviously visible in person. In a two dimensional photo, the plants and wood just blend in together. 

My attitude on this tank was: the fish and plants are the stars of the show. The hardscape exists only to house the plants and give shelter for the fish... 

I guess if I was forced to label this scape, I would call it 'Dutch inspired'...


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## zanguli-ya-zamba (13 Mar 2014)

Hi James,

the only wood I can find here is Mopani.
In my two journal you will see it under water. I invite you to check it.
http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/zangulis-na-90x45x50.29337/
http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/forest-of-congo.23941/

Sorry but on the second journal pic are in poor quality.
If you want to have close up pic of the wood to see the texture I can so it, I have a lot of Mopane wood sitting in my veranda, just ask 

cheers mate


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## zanguli-ya-zamba (13 Mar 2014)




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## James D (13 Mar 2014)

Thanks for the answer Zanguli, you're lucky to have all that nice wood lying around, I had to pay a fortune for mine from ebay!

I was just looking at your tanks in the links, that Forest of Congo one is like what I had in mind for mine so thanks for posting. 

Mopani really does have some interesting shapes and textures, I'm dying to get stuck into my new scape but the old one's only been going for a couple of months.... the Mrs would kill me if I ripped it all out now.


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## Wallace (13 Mar 2014)

I've just been out and bought a lovely piece of what I believe to be Mopani from my local Maidenheads, and it doesn't need soaking either! I've just dropped it in the bath to see if it wood ( ha see what I did there? ) float or not and it didn't, result. 

Just giving it a little soak and a scrub now, will post a pic up of it later on. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Wallace (13 Mar 2014)

As promised, the little piece to the right is a piece that I had to cut off of the back so that it will fit into tank. 

It's 385mm from right to left, 250mm tall and now 290mm front to back. 






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## James D (14 Mar 2014)

Nice one, a bit of a tree trunk effect!


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## Andy Thurston (3 May 2014)

Loads of tannins in there. 3 months after the cube got flooded, its still staining the water
I've never seen a piece i'd really like in a scape


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## frothhelmet (17 May 2014)

problem with mopani is that almost all pieces are two-dimensional and therefore boring as hell. hard to get the goodly wood!


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