# I really need Ideas



## Ashton (7 Sep 2008)

Hi, Iâ€™ve only just discovered this form and hope you can give me some advice about one of my tanks.  Iâ€™m down to 3 small aquariums at the moment, a 35 litre Arcadia Arc, a 20 litre Arcadia Arc and a 28 litre Aqua One 320 which Iâ€™m setting up as a shrimp only tank.  

I love the idea of aquascaping but arenâ€™t very good with ideas, this is my 35 litre which Iâ€™m quite happy with, the plants are mainly different types of Anubias tied to the big piece of bogwood, a couple of Crypts and the little Pogostemon Helferi which I tied to a flat piece of slate.  I use Tetra Optimat CO2 (when I remember) and use an 18 watt Superfish lamp.

The shrimp tank is still growing, and I mainly want that to feature mosses, so am not really bothered about aquascaping, but my problem is the 20 litre Arcadia Arc.  Iâ€™ve tried all sorts and spent a fortune on plants and dÃ©cor.  At the moment Iâ€™ve got 2 pieces of Java Fern (Windelov) tied to slate and it looks 






Sad isnâ€™t it, Iâ€™ve tried CO2 (the Tetra one) and it really is too big for the tank, I feed the plants with Seachems Flourish Excel on a daily basis (when I remember) and plant food once a week.  Iâ€™ve only got a Betta and 2 Otocinclus in there so have the scope for a nice little tank.  I donâ€™t want bogwood as its one of those tanks that the slightest trace of tannin and it looks awful.  Iâ€™m using a 11 watt light, but have 2 Arcadia Arc Pods both a 9 and 11 watt but am not sure which of the 2 11 watts gives off the best light. 

I really like the idea of the â€œlittle mountainâ€ in the featured aquascape, but where would I get a stone like that from?

Any ideas would really be appreciated, it canâ€™t be any worse than it is now.


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## Thomas McMillan (7 Sep 2008)

The best thing to do first is learn how to grow plants, and you're doing that so it's a step in the right direction.

As far as aquascaping goes, it's just a matter or trial and error and finding your style. I found that it was good to start by copying other people's aquascapes, they will evolve into something similar but with your own touch. So find something that you like by looking on this forum or other sites and try to replicate it yourself.

The rocks in the featured scape are mini landscape rocks from aqua essentials, one of our sponsors. (http://aquaessentials.co.uk/)

Hope this helps.


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## GreenNeedle (7 Sep 2008)

With tanks that small I would ditch CO2 injection and just add the excel as the CO2 source.  If you want a cheaper version then aquaessentials.co.uk sell a product called EasyCarbo which is half the price for the same product.

I think the little mountain scape is made up of "mini landscape rocks" from aqua essentials.  Then they are arranged to form the mountain.  The plant food here is Tropica Plant Nutrition plus (TPN+) daily and easycarbo is used for CO2 added twice weekly after a 50% water change.

How much light (WPG) is above the Arc?  I would add 1ml of TPN+ each day and 1ml Easycarbo twice a week.

AC


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## Ashton (7 Sep 2008)

Thanks for the advice, I'm getting 11 watts at the moment with about 14 litres of water in the tank.  I'm OK with growing plants that tie on, its the planted ones (apart from Crypts) that I have problems with, and also the design.  But I'll have a good look round this site to see if I can get some other ideas, but do like the little mountain, its now working out how many rocks I'll need    Thanks again


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