# New scape in the works.



## Garuf (4 Nov 2008)

Hello, so stagnation of scape, uni and a busy social schedule has seen both of my tanks go from thriving, the only issues being dissatisfaction with the original hardscape to massive jungles of algae. 
December the 12th sees Ukaps descend upon TMG and I'm seeing this as the perfect opportunity to splash and out get a really special scape. 
This is my initial idea based around a left to right arrangement:





All I need really would be to find some suitable wood. I'd like to reuse my ferns and anubias so on the wood I'd attach anubias petite bolbitis and needle and narrow java fern,I'd also reuse the mosses I've picked up along the way.
Anyone have any suggestions on everything else? I'd really like to give hiargrass a go but I don't know if it'd look right. 
As always criticism is openly encouraged.


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## Thomas McMillan (4 Nov 2008)

Sexy. 

No, seriously I'm a big fan of your scapes so I know it'll be great. If you just keep the hardscape like that and get the planting how it was when you did that scape with the french name then it'll be awesome for sure.

For planting, I think you've got a good idea in mind. The mix of what I call 'jungle leaved' plants like ferns and anubias will look great with the sort of grassy look of hairgrass, bolbitis and moss. Any other plants that go with those two themes would look good IMO, maybe Crypt Wendtii and E Tenellus (I don't think you were a fan of these in your previous scape though?) or maybe Crypt Parva for a smaller option - really nice plant. Then maybe some HC for the foreground and Rotala green for the back but it might be nice to stay quite low-tech what with your busy schedule. 

Are you planning to plant right accross the tank or have a sand foreground/right hand side?

(I love it when you tech-savvy guys get on photoshop or whatever and knock up scape plans. It makes me so jealous and fills me with inspiration. lol)


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## Garuf (4 Nov 2008)

Paint... photoshop is for jesses. 
Thanks for the tips, low maintenance is going to be the key word with this scape, Ideally I'd like to do away with stems entirely or at least get something a bit different in there (I can't get stems to grow in that ada way everyone loves to save my life). 
I was thinking blyxa rather than E t, I really do begrudge that stuff, it's just never what you want. 
I wasn't going to do a sand foreground, not in this tank anyway.   

I really want to try and break the norm with this tank but I'm finding it hard.


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## Wayney (4 Nov 2008)

It looks the 'dogs cahuna's' mate  , How big is the tank gonna be? 
I really hope you can find some similar wood to your sketch  coz it looks awesome 8)


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## Thomas McMillan (4 Nov 2008)

Blyxa would be good I think.

Being original is good, but there's nothing wrong with following the trend if it looks good and you like it. Especially in this hobby, most things seem to have been done at least once.


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## Thomas McMillan (4 Nov 2008)

Paint? MS Paint? Well I never. 

If you ever do find wood like that, make sure there's a bit for me


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## Steve Smith (5 Nov 2008)

Looks good mate.  If you can find some wood that shape it'll look awesome 

I like the blyxa idea, but would this suit a low tech setup?


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## Garuf (5 Nov 2008)

Thanks guys, I'd really like to give crypts another go my first experiance with them wasn't great. I think parva would be the way to go. The tank btw is 60x30x30 I was planning on going larger and custom but finances don't allow. 
Other plants I'd like to use are as follows: Downoi, stragauye and vallis (possibly that crypt that looks like vallis but isn't).

I'm going to crack on and do another *Ms Paint* drawing and see where it gets me.
I just hope I can find some suitable wood. 
Here's a scape similar to what I have in my minds eye.




I'm not strictly going low tech, just lowering the level of maintenance, I'll still be carrying out EI and co2 dosing, I'm just planning on using plants that will take longer to form a completed scape and require less teasing than stems.


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## Garuf (5 Nov 2008)




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## Thomas McMillan (5 Nov 2008)

Should look good. The only thing I don't like about the example you gave is that it doesn't look that 'grown in'. The plants are really low and it doesn't work for me. 

(Not your paint example, the photo of the actual scape.) Your Paint exampleould  looks good though, should be great.


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## Steve Smith (5 Nov 2008)

I like it a lot mate.  I would only say that to me, it doesn't look that original.  Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but as you said in your initial post you wanted to try and go with something different.

I think it will look good


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## Garuf (5 Nov 2008)

This is very true.
Back to the drawing board!


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## Mark Evans (5 Nov 2008)

it may not be original, but, you certainly have a skill in foreseeing what the finished article will look like. vision mate. now its just about producing something left of middle    i wish i could do that, rather than the hit and hope aproach...ive been lucky so far. I will fall one day, im sure.


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## Garuf (6 Nov 2008)

Thanks Mark, I've been scratching my head all day and I think I can make more of the tank if I rely less on the wood as a hardscape and more as a planting aid. 
The Idea I have in my head is something like a long branch running left to right again covered in ferns and anubias coming from a thicket of something like diplidandra... Infact, it's not all that dissimilar to what I've already drawn. I might just scratch that all together. Alternatively I was thinking going for a more vertical arrangement with all the ferns on a vertical branch in one corner a few branches leading to centre and a hairgrass/hc meadow.  
Then again... Iwagumi anyone?


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## Thomas McMillan (6 Nov 2008)

Please don't do an iwagumi


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## Garuf (6 Nov 2008)

I've never done an Iwagumi though...


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## Dan Crawford (6 Nov 2008)

Whats wrong with iwigumi? have i missed something?


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## Garuf (6 Nov 2008)

I personally love Iwangumi's that's why my cube is going to be rescaped as one...
I also really like wood based scapes, so that's where I'm going with this scape, I just wish I could find some nice wood to work with.


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## Garuf (6 Nov 2008)

See, Iwagumi's are nice!


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## Dan Crawford (6 Nov 2008)

Iwigumis are quality if done right, they are real hard to do right so no doubt many people are put off by the challenge?


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## Steve Smith (6 Nov 2008)

Maybe Thomas was refering to how popular they are.  Iwagumi's are very popular and I guess you see a lot of them (or attempts).  Personally I love them   If they are done right of course.

Hope my comments earlier didn't put you off Garuf   What you have planned will look ace if you do go for it!


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## Garuf (6 Nov 2008)

No, no. Not at all. 
I'm foolhardy. I really like the Idea of an Iwagumi but I like wood more so that's what I want to produce, that and Â£70 worth of anubias bolbitis and ferns already in my possession it seems foolish not to use them...

I scoured AE earlier today looking for redmoor and they have nothing in stock that I like the looks of I'd really like some of that old black wood stuff.

This being original lark really is very difficult, I might just get some neon gravel and a seizure inducing castle and call it a day.


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## aaronnorth (6 Nov 2008)

> This being original lark really is very difficult, I might just get some neon gravel and a seizure inducing castle and call it a day.



already taken   

I love the example you have given, dont know whether you were going to or not but you could attach some emerged moss on the wood to make it slightly more original? Or is this scape more or less out the window?


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## Garuf (6 Nov 2008)

I'll still be going ahead, the scape will just go through a refinement process then end up looking nothing like it stared as because I couldn't find any nice wood.  
I've tried emmersed moss before, it never really worked for me. I don't know if that's just because I was unlucky though...


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## vauxhallmark (6 Nov 2008)

Try Green Machine's website for wood.


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## Thomas McMillan (6 Nov 2008)

Yeah, TGM have some individual redmoor, try them. 

It's not thamoret I have anything agains Iwagumi's... I just think they've been done. It's not original anymore,  plus they are hard to get right, as has been said. I don't like rocks as much as wood like you said Garuf, and I just think the scape you had in mind is nice.

Go with what you want though obviously  I'm sure whatever you do will look great


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## Garuf (7 Nov 2008)

I'm loving the ADA Iron wood! I think I'll be using that, I might have to take out a loan though boy is it expencive! 
I've been looking and I might actually do an Iwagumi, I like the idea of a challenge.


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## jay (7 Nov 2008)

Nothing against ADA or the people that are selling their wood, but I have found you can get the same great results with the branchy, thick, dark wood that is in almost every Maidenhead Aquatics lately. I'm using it and Mark has some great big lumps he's going to be using in his 120cm. Check it out mate.


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## Garuf (8 Nov 2008)

I'd use it but I can't get any, there's no maidenheads in Stoke or Leeds.
Does anyone know if unipac will sell direct? Might be worth giving them a call?


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## Themuleous (8 Nov 2008)

Garuf said:
			
		

> Does anyone know if unipac will sell direct?



No they dont, they only sell wholesale to the trade.

Sam


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## Steve Smith (8 Nov 2008)

You might be able to get your new LFS to try and get it from them?


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## Garuf (30 Nov 2008)

Okay, so this project is still on, Ada day I'll be collecting plants and aqua soil.
So, inspire me. I really don't know what to do. 
If all else fails I'm going to fall back on this scape, so can people help with plant choice? I'm going to be trying to go lower maint. I'd like to try Ultricia gramnifolia again but I'm scared since I got my fingers burnt with it in my cube. 
So yeah, I have loads of ferns to use so I'm thinking something that will give me maximum soil use with the ferns on some wood. 
The needle leaved fern is actually huge, I've got 2 fist sized balls of rhizome, about 200 leaves on each bunch. I might sell them on to help raise some funds.


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## Thomas McMillan (30 Nov 2008)

I like UG, so that's a good idea. What ya mean you got your fingers burnt last time?   

I'm a big fan of low-maint too. Let us know how it goes!

PS  - I'd be interested in the ferns if you decide to sell up


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## Garuf (1 Dec 2008)

I got some for my nano from AE, it arrived looking ropey and then melted up something rotten, despite being in a 5gal tank with aquasoil and 4bps of co2.


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## Dan Crawford (1 Dec 2008)

Hi mate, it's been said the UG doesn't like a nutritious substrate. I got 4 pots from TGM, i put one pot in my Dennerele nano where it's in inert gravel and it's doing great. I also have some still in pots in my other tanks and it's still doing great. I intend to plant it in my 80cm where i'll add some to the aquasoil and some to the Zambizi pathway and see how it goes, i'll do it this week and let you know how i get on.


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## The Green Machine (1 Dec 2008)

Garuf,

ever given lillaeopsis brasiliensis a thought, it really is a very pretty plant and shows red in its tips when established.

The UG can be tricky but if they are at all ropey to start then it will be very difficult , if not impossible to get them successfully established.

See you on 12th,

Jim and Mark.


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## Garuf (3 Dec 2008)

Hello guys, no I hadn't considered LB would you use it as an accent plant (like downoi) or as a carpet? I'm thinking I'd use it in the Downoi sense myself... 
I suppose I could fall back on the hc meadow thing but it's been done so many times and I thought I'd give something different ago. 
I could do hairgrass too, so many choices. I'm thinking wall of stems these days but I'm easily swayed. 
Any input is welcomed. 
I can't wait for the 12th, get me some wood .


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## Garuf (11 Dec 2008)

It's just occurred to me, I'm not going to be able to set up a tank till after christmas as I'll be home for 2 weeks. Anyone know what the best plan would be?
I could set up the tank as a new set up but I'd only be around for a week to do water changes before going home for 2 weeks. 
Alternatively I could leave the plants in the old tank but not set up but I'm scared of algae taking hold on them while I'm gone. 
Anyone got any helpful hints?


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