# Check out my Wood



## TBRO (10 Dec 2009)

A farming friend was draining a small pond on their land and found these bits of wood for me. They were laughing at the fact that only I could value some rotten wood from the bottom of a pond! We think they are old pine tree stumps.Still I think there is some really cool stuff here. I was never quite happy with the redmoore roots I have so this stuff should be good - already pre-soaked  Just got to design a descent layout now, was thinking wood with small cat growing on it - T


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## Dan Crawford (10 Dec 2009)

Sweet! Nice work pal, you have a ready made hardscape with that tree stump


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## jarthel (10 Dec 2009)

I am drooling with envy! 

I am thinking of looking around the river this weekend hoping for a nice find!


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## aquaticmaniac (10 Dec 2009)

Ooooh, the elusive cat wood! Very nice stuff that, nice texture


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## a1Matt (10 Dec 2009)

TBRO said:
			
		

> Just got to design a descent layout now, was thinking wood with small cat growing on it - T




  

Just make sure the cat\wood relative placement observes the golden ratio and your onto a winner.


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## Mortis (13 Dec 2009)

Your cat is quite shiny !!


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## TBRO (13 Dec 2009)

My cats are great fun but try tying moss to wood in the presence of a cat, then you learn the definition of annoyance


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## TBRO (14 Dec 2009)

I couldn't resist having a play with some of this wood. As I was trimming the moss in my Nano I thought why not. I've never really liked the wood in my big tank, so I had another go. 

Christmas Time !




I had everything required - Wood, cotton, moss, cat.....




Here's a terrible picture of the tank before I started messing around. 




Heres a couple of shots with the new wood, water is still a bit murky but I quite like it. The open patch on the far left is reserved for some nice crypts as it's kind of dark. 








Any suggestions on wood placement welcomed - This is my play tank, so it's all for fun    Tom


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## rawr (15 Dec 2009)

That's a great improvement, nice looking tank there.


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## TBRO (2 Jan 2010)

A little update. Few shots showing the Java fern and bolbitis growing in. Looks a bit unbalanced currently as I pulled up the left hand Rotala green (was getting very leggy) and replaced it with Rotala Rotundifolia and Ludwigia Ruben, this should add some non-green colours. Also got some emperor tetras, thay are really nice little fish, constantly showing off to each other!


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## NatureBoy (5 Jan 2010)

that's a healthy looking fish!


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## TBRO (7 Feb 2010)

This scape is nearing it's "completed" state, a bit more work on the stems is needed and I hacked back the Pogestemon at the front, that gap is slowly being filled in by hair grass and HC. Here's some snaps I took with only the back lights on. Will post some finished pics in a couple of weeks, not that a scape is every really finished but I'm itching to try something new!-  Tom


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## anshuman (10 Feb 2010)

wow, i was really envy of that wood at start, then i saw you immerse it in your tank and basically totally covered it. you may have as well used some coloured pipes or something to scape your moss  , sorry dont mean to be  harsh but i was kinda in love with that wood. in starting pics. u hurt me by totally hiding it


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## anshuman (10 Feb 2010)

BTW gorgeous planted tank for a play tank. its completely planted, i am sure you dont even bother bout oxygen for the fishes.


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## TBRO (10 Feb 2010)

I Know what you mean, the wood is more visable in real life. I think the camera hides it in shadows. The stems a pretty rampant and I've never been known as the most disciplined weilder of the sciccors. I'm planning a more concave scape to make more of the wood for my next go.

Here's a shaky iphone shot of some ideas for wood composition


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## Garuf (10 Feb 2010)

how bigs that first hunk of wood? Any chance you have any smaller bits knocking about you want to sell?


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## TBRO (20 Feb 2010)

*Re: Check out my Wood (Night of the long Scissors)*

OK so I turn my back on this tank and everything goes mental. So I got medieval on my stems, brutalising them back.

Hope they grow back, should look nice in a couple of weeks, still can't really decide on the shape the stems should be making.

Sorry Garuf, no wood for sale but if they ever let a pond or lake run dry near you, get your wellies on....


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## Steve Smith (20 Feb 2010)

Great stuff!  Got a real jungle going on there, looks ace


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## TBRO (25 Mar 2010)

I thought I was done with this scape but the stems went all "day of the triffids" again and I had to punish them. I ripped up almost all of the pogostemon, which revealed some really nice bolbotis and java fern, the is also a nice patch of staurogyne wich I uncovered. I have decided to let the hair grass have the front area, it needs to be trimmed in a couple of weeks after the roots take hold. Overall I really like the dark layers created by the moss and ferns.




Lost plants...














Any thoughts on further scaping?


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## Mark Evans (26 Mar 2010)

I've always found your tank to be in amazing condition when it comes to plant health.

Another one with great plant growing abilities.

any thoughts on a re-start?


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## TBRO (26 Mar 2010)

Hey saintly, thanks that is praise from Ceasar indeed   

 I want to see how it looks when the hair grass has made a nice carpet. I want to re-scape with more wood and a lot less stems, they look nice but I can't keep on top of them. My main problem is leigions of shrimp, no idea how I would get them out to drain the tank. Might just have to accept a few casulties


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## Mark Evans (26 Mar 2010)

TBRO said:
			
		

> Might just have to accept a few casualties



guilty of that myself I'm afraid.


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## Dan Walter (28 Mar 2010)

Hey T, can you (or anyone!?) tell me what the moss that is pictured up from the centre is...Is it weeping? 







Tank's looking good and healthy btw.

Cheers

Dan


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## TBRO (28 Mar 2010)

Hey Dan, it's Christmas moss actually it seems to grow like that when under strong lights. Tom


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## Dan Walter (28 Mar 2010)

It's perfect for what I'm planning, cheers Tom


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## TBRO (15 Apr 2010)

I was inspired by Aaron to pull out all my stems! They look nice but I just can't keep on top of them. So now it's a ferns and moss scape. Also waiting for the hair grass to fill in. Sorry about the cloudy, post water change pic. I might try and add some more wood between the 2 main pieces, thoughts ?


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## Mark Evans (15 Apr 2010)

TBRO said:
			
		

> thoughts ?



cracking!


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## TBRO (15 Apr 2010)

Cheers mate, I think this scape is much more balanced and even comes close to 1:1.6 (although I only notice this afterwards). Was painful to tear up all those stems but it was worth it, I also get to see more of the crypts that were being swamped.


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