# Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones" 9 months on



## B7fec (29 May 2010)

Hi All,

Well I've finally got round to posting up some pics of my rescaped 90x45x45 opt white (As promised Chilled ).I used my local surroundings, beaches, cliffs and valley's as my inspiration. This scape has now been going for 3 weeks and the plants have just started growing in well although I did trim few plants before I took the pics. Also today added 2 of tropica's new plants, Echinodorus vesuvius and Hygrophila pinnatifida. 
I've only one setup photo which is pretty poor sorry taken from my phone as I left my camera at the office.

So for the spec.......

90x45x45 TGM Opti-white tank
Eheim pro 3 thermo filter
Arcadia T5 Luminaire 4 x 39 watt (only using 2 x 39watt - Tropica plant pro's, on for 5 hours)

Pieces of driftwood off my local beach
Dragon stone 
ADA power sand special
ADA clear super & bacteria 100
ADA Aqua soil - Africana 
ADA Aqua soil - Africana powder
Zambezi sand
3 graded gravels

Plants
Hygrophila pinnatifida
Echinodorus vesuvius
Xmass Moss
Needle Fern
Anubias bart v. nana
Cyperus helferi
Eleocharis parvula
Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides (marÃ­tima)
Juncus repens
Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
Microsorum pteropus 'Windelov'
Pogostemon Helferi
Rotala sp Green

Ferts
TPN+ 8ml a day
Easy Carbo 8ml a day
Was dosing this much in my previous scape and had no real Algae problems apart from when maturing a new filter, so far in this scape not a spot of Algae   

Full Tank Shot Rescaping 




Full Tank Shot Finished




Some other shots












My Favourite Pic   




Comments welcome.......Thanks for looking.......Cheers Ben


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## Nelson (29 May 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

well i love it   .really like the dragon stone layout and graded gravel.
is that just zambezi sand or have you used other sand as well.


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## B7fec (29 May 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Thanks Neil!!   Well spotted mate, yeah it is mostly Zambezi with abit of finer natural/light colured sand mixed in too, I had a small bit left over from a previous scape.


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## George Farmer (30 May 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Brilliant, Ben!

The unique combination of the 'sticks n stones' works really well (I can't help humming the Jamie T tune right now!)

The open space in the foreground contrasts nicely with the background, and as the plants around the stones mature to soften the transition I think this will be an excellent aquascape indeed.

I'm not sure sure on the pale sand though; it's a little too distracting for my taste and I'd consider a darker silica sand personally, as this would harmonise better with the graded gravels and zambezi, in my view.  That's just my taste though, so ignore me totally if you like!


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## B7fec (1 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Hi George,

Thanks for your encouraging, inspiring words! As for the Song....... I know it well! :loll: 

I wanted the foreground to be on the whole clear of planting so I had more room to view the fish, my previous scape was more dutch style and the fish were hiding amongst the heavy planting and extreme growth, so this feels like a breath of fresh air now. I have to agree with you regarding the sand though, I wanted that contrast with both sandy foreground and aqua soil background and at first a couple of days into the scape the finer capped sand was much less visible however now the finer sand seems to have made its way up to the surface on top of the zambezi and is much more prominent. I have more zambezi so will plan to take out as much of the lighter sand and put the zambezi in, in it's place. I was also thinking of adding a darker ADA sand.......What are the thoughts on that? :?: 

I don't mind the ADA soil and the sand mixing up a bit however I don't want the path/valley and foreground to become overwhelmed with the soil and the depth of the tank to be lost, so I plan on constant maintenance  to ensure this doesn't happen. I am also planning on the Dwarf Hairgrass to be grown tight up against the sand foreground or as tight to it as possible, like you've said George I'm hoping this will soften the transition between the 2 substrates and stop the mixing up to a degree.


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## John Starkey (1 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Loving the hardscape Ben and a nice combination with the wood,love the title too,
regards,
john.


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## LondonDragon (1 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Dragon stone works much better than syriu stone, I have to get my hands on some after all!!
Loving the tank, great work


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## B7fec (2 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Cheers LD,
Gotta say Dragon Stone is my fav too! so much texture and colour.


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## B7fec (7 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"@4weeks*

Ok so thought I'd let you in on a change I've made to the scape. Have taken Mr Farmers advice on the sand front and have taken out the lighter Zambezi/natural sand and replaced it with the darker ADA Sarawak sand. As George suggested, this darker sands really tones in more with the overall scape, working very well with the Africana ADA soil.
On the plant front everything is growing well, Rotala has been cut back in places but is now reaching the water top again,  and there are shoots appearing from the Eleocharis parvula,Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides (maritime),Lilaeopsis brasiliensis and Echinodorus vesuvius and the moss has had a small trim in places.  

Here's some update pics,













Comments welcome


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## mr. luke (7 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

LOVE that foreground detail


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## George Farmer (7 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Coming along very nicely, Ben!

Another lovely 'scape to keep our eyes on over the coming weeks and months.

If you haven't thought about it already I would consider allowing all the stems to grow to the surface and prune them into a "V" formation.  This would accentuate the rocks really well and improve the overall composition.  I would even go as far to say you could use your cuttings when you next do a prune on the Rotala and plant into the rear corners more to really go to town on the V-shape.  This would mean re-considering the plants currently in the corners, however, so it's your call...  Perhaps use them to soften the transistions between the sand and stones.  This is a fairly major shake-up to the design though, so please ignore me if you like!

In true Blue Peter style - here's one I did earlier using Rotala in the V-shape, as discussed.


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## Nelson (7 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

still looking great   .
i disagree with you and George about the sand though  :silent: .i liked the original more   .


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## B7fec (7 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				mr. luke said:
			
		

> LOVE that foreground detail



Cheers mate, I'm loving the clear foreground and centre to this setup, it's giving me a good view of my fish, plants and scape details. Have added a lot more gravel with the sand change to keep things separated a bit more.



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> Coming along very nicely, Ben!
> 
> Another lovely 'scape to keep our eyes on over the coming weeks and months.
> 
> ...



Cheers for the words of wisdom George  
In my head I have already been thinking of trimming the Rotala into a shape, I was thinking a curved shape from the middle to the end, however I can see where the 'V shape maybe more composition friendly and I see where your coming from where it may mirror the hardscape......I get it!!!!  
I have also been toying with the idea of closing the gap at the back of the valley, filling it in with the cuttings, but am unsure wether I'd loose to much depth? Or wether it'd look any good?
As for the corners and using the Trimmings of Rotala, I have planted some off cuts into the far right corner of the tank already but they are not yet visible behind the Helferi which seems be stalling slightly. In the Far left corner I have a  
Microsorum pteropus 'WindelÃ¸v' but this seems to be suffering with the leaves turning slightly black on the edges..........any ideas?


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## Graeme Edwards (7 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Hey Ben,

Looking good mate. 

I love the mixture of sand and gravel and they all match the tones of the Dragon stone, and so it should. Graded gravel should represent the stone of which it has been ground off in nature.
I would however try and arrange the graded gravel in a way that compliments the lines you have created in your composition. Its perhaps a little too random at the moment. Natural graded gravel tends to settle in dips, behind rocks etc, perhaps think about that and see if you want to waft it around a bit.

The back left of the scape does looking like its missing something...... more stems maybe? It depends on the look. Its all too easy to say you should do this and that. But its your scape, so do what you feel sits with your vision. 
My eye says it needs something, yours however may say something els.

Cheers.


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## B7fec (8 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				nelson said:
			
		

> still looking great   .
> i disagree with you and George about the sand though  :silent: .i liked the original more   .



  Don't tell me that now..........I was in 2 minds mate, to be honest I was unsure when I started changing the sands over, but now I love it, it works so much better with the tones of the Dragon stone and Africana, it also seems to really make the colours of the plants and fish standout a lot more. In the flesh the sand is quite a bit darker than the photos portray.


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## Tony Swinney (8 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Hi Ben

This is looking lovely   Great rock arrangement, and the grading into the sand is looking good too - I prefer the new sand as the colours of the sand / gravels / rocks  are more subtle and from the same palette now.

Great stuff   

Tony


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## Mark Evans (8 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

I'm with everyone on this. points from each person.

The gravel is great, however, like Graeme says it should be reserved for around rocks and nooks and crannies. This is where it forms naturally in rivers etc.

The stem's could of been placed in the rear corners, or in a addition, add more to the left corner and then trim like George has mentioned. You can take the cuttings from the middle left and place those in the back left.

This has masses of potential.


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## Nelson (8 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

guess i'm the odd one out   .i know nothing   .


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## B7fec (8 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				Graeme Edwards said:
			
		

> Looking good mate.
> 
> I love the mixture of sand and gravel and they all match the tones of the Dragon stone, and so it should. Graded gravel should represent the stone of which it has been ground off in nature.
> I would however try and arrange the graded gravel in a way that compliments the lines you have created in your composition. Its perhaps a little too random at the moment. Natural graded gravel tends to settle in dips, behind rocks etc, perhaps think about that and see if you want to waft it around a bit.
> ...



Hi Graeme.......

Cheers for the words mate, TBO I have struggled in the back corners and of both sides, the planting in these areas hasn't quite worked out in the way I had in mind, so yeah am actually thinking about changing both corners. Seeing as the Rotala is rocketting this is an option and the fact that I can use cuttings of the Rotala I already have and I like the look of one stem plant domenating the whole back of the tank. Although is there a stem plant that you or anyone else could suggest that would complement the Rotala and scape? I was then thinking of using the Helferi and repens which I have in one corner to break up the transition between foreground and the stem plant background. One plant that has popped into mind that I think would bring in some earthy tones is Crypt wentii tropica.......decisions.....decisions!!

Regarding the graded gravels yeah I know exactly what you mean, some of the gravel is well out of place, however in some places I have deliberately done this to stop the sand and soil mixing, until the carpeting plants have grown in to help stop the mixing, I'm then planning on removing most of the "out of Place gravel"  

A quick question does gravel slow down or stop runners from plants spreading? As aqua soil is so light and plant friendly......


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## B7fec (8 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				Tonser said:
			
		

> Hi Ben
> 
> This is looking lovely   Great rock arrangement, and the grading into the sand is looking good too - I prefer the new sand as the colours of the sand / gravels / rocks  are more subtle and from the same palette now.
> 
> ...



Cheers Tony! I'm humbled by the master of hardscaping saying I have a "Great rock arrangement"   

The colours are much more tonel and look fab in the flesh......however I'm now thinking of buying some more Dragon stone and crushing it up to replace the graded gravels with.......just thinking it will go that one step more and look very natural......

By the way thanks for the sticky vinyl site, will be placing an order with them soon!


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## B7fec (8 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				saintly said:
			
		

> I'm with everyone on this. points from each person.
> 
> The gravel is great, however, like Graeme says it should be reserved for around rocks and nooks and crannies. This is where it forms naturally in rivers etc.
> 
> ...



Hi Mark,

I couldn't agree more mate......TBO this is exactly what I wanted to happen......the finest heads in the business coming together with ideas, suggestions, etc. All the ideas can only improve my overal scape so I'm taking everything on board  
Thanks also for the kind words.....if this scape turns out half as good as yours I'll be a happy man!!


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## B7fec (8 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Ok......after some thinking about the background plants and taking on board info from the holy trinity.....(George, Graeme and Saintly)   :loll:  I have started to look for some inspiration and I think I've found some on the new Tropica website. Natures Reflection, one of Dan Crawfords and Goerge's master pieces uses a plant called Aponogeton crispus 'Red' I really like the texture of the leaves and the red earthy tones of the plant which should complement the scape in both texture and colour. Here's the idea.......The left hand side of the tank currently has Microsorum pteropus 'WindelÃ¸v' which is getting very lost so I'm thinking of removing this and replacing it with the trimmings of Rotala sp. green, this will then bring Goerge's idea in of extending the Rotala into the far left corner. Then to break the transitions up a bit I'm thinking of planting Aponogeton crispus 'Red' infront of the Rotala in the left corner leading to the Lilaeopsis brasiliensis and so on into the Eleocharis parvula. My thinking behind this is the Aponogeton crispus 'Red' can contrast and break up the Rotala while still adding something to the overall look and balance of the scape.

Would really like to know your thoughts on this? :?:   

As fr the right hand side still thinking.................


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## George Farmer (9 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				B7fec said:
			
		

> ..I'm thinking of planting Aponogeton crispus 'Red' infront of the Rotala in the left corner


A. crispus 'Red' is a beautiful plant but it does grow very large, in terms of height and broad leaves.  By placing it in front of anything you run the risk of blocking anything from view placed behind it.  Instead you could place the crispus behind the Rotala, perhaps?


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## B7fec (9 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> B7fec said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Cheers for that George.....in which case I'll shelve that plant as I'm very keen on extending the Rotala in both sides of the tank, giving the whole setup uniformity. In the scape you've shown me on the previous page what is the red plant in the mid ground on the right hand side? Is it a crypt?


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## B7fec (9 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Can anyone tell me what this red plant is in the mid ground tight to the glass on the right hand side?




[/quote]


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## beeky (9 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

I'm guessing on Cryptocoryne wendtii 'brown'.


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## samc (9 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

looks like crypt wendtii 'tropica' to me


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## George Farmer (9 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

I think it's C. wendtii 'Tropica'.  'Brown' can look similar.  Sometimes you never can tell with crypts!  That's part of their appeal for me.


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## B7fec (9 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Cool thanks guys, I have been looking and thinking maybe going for Cryptocoryne undulate infront of the rotala? Still liking the Aponogeton crispus 'Red' maybe for the other corner behind the rotala? instead of all the Cypres and Repens I have there at the moment? Whats the thoughts on that?


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## George Farmer (9 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				B7fec said:
			
		

> Whats the thoughts on that?



My thoughts are go for what _you_ think will look best... 

There's sometimes a delicate balance with sticking to what you have and making the most of it, and creating new design ideas with new plants and layout.  In this case I prefer your plan to the current layout.

Think about how the colours, textures and forms will interact with one another and affect the composition as a whole, especially once the plants have grown-in.  If you're not experienced with the plants then this will take some imagination, and possible trial and error.  

No one has come up with a killer 'scape in terms of perfect plant choice and layout on their first attempt, IMO - yet, but the standards are getting better all the time as more info is available on places like this.  You're certainly heading in the right direction, as did members like Andy Hart (UKAPS Featured Scape).

One last piece of practical advice; if you're uprooting plants and messing with the substrate etc. then perform at least one 50% water change directly afterwards.  This will minimise the potential of nuisance algae caused by tiny ammonia spikes.


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## B7fec (9 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Thanks for the words and info George.......I can certainly see now where improvements can be made I simply need to choose what is in my opinion going to look best and on what side. Having absolutely no algae in the tank what so ever I will take on the advice about a 50% WC after the planting to keep that algae at bay!

Off now to order some plants!!  

Oh and really should think about doing some work.......  

Thanks for all the help!!


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## Nelson (21 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

come on Ben,any updates ?.
you really are slacking mate   .


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## B7fec (21 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				nelson said:
			
		

> come on Ben,any updates ?.
> you really are slacking mate   .



I'm still here mate.....just waiting for the tank to recover from my very harsh trim!   TBH I'm really happy with how this setup is maturing so may get some updated pics up late tomorrow. About a week or so ago  I trimmed the Rotala right back to under 4" or so to get it to bush out, as well as trimming the moss and the Hygrophila pinnatifida. All has come back thicker and more compact with around 2 inches of growth since the trim. I have also added some Aponogeton crispus 'Red' and some crypts from my other setup, Wentti ''Tropica','Green' and Undulata, all of which have settled in well!


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## B7fec (23 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Ok......just for you Neil!  

A quick photo update.....not the best sorry as was rushing but at least you can all see the progress  
As I said above I have added some Crypts, various ones, some Aponogeton crispus 'Red' and also have now spread the rotala right across the back which I'm liking a lot......however really want it to grow in now and fill the space above, I hate waiting!! I have also crushed some Dragon stone and used it as a more authentic gravel.  

Full tank shot @ 5 weeks or so.......
















The Dragon stone crushed gravel








Comments welcome!! Cheers Ben


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## Garuf (23 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

It's absolutely beautiful, keep up the great work! I personally don't much like the gourami but at least he's a great home to live in. 

The proper gravel grading is really great, I'd be tempted to see if I can get some landscape rock shards for the more common landscape rock.


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## LondonDragon (23 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

WOW amazing tank  makes me want to grade the front of my tank also!! Looking really great, congrats


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## Nelson (23 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

 stunning.
i'm lost for words   .


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## NeilW (24 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Looks great!   

Thats a really good idea about crushing some dragon stone to get the matching gravel that would come out of it.  I reckon you could even find a grade of gravel size between the size of the sand and the size of the existing gravel just to finish it off and get a super smooth blend.

Nice work


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## B7fec (24 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				Garuf said:
			
		

> It's absolutely beautiful, keep up the great work! I personally don't much like the gourami but at least he's a great home to live in.
> 
> The proper gravel grading is really great, I'd be tempted to see if I can get some landscape rock shards for the more common landscape rock.



Hi Garuf, Thanks for the comments mate, ATM the Blue Gourami's in there as a temporary measure while I get my other tanks sorted....he's happy at least.


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## B7fec (24 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				LondonDragon said:
			
		

> WOW amazing tank  makes me want to grade the front of my tank also!! Looking really great, congrats



Cheers LD!! There's some inspiration from your tanks in this setup!


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## B7fec (24 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				nelson said:
			
		

> stunning.
> i'm lost for words   .




Steady on now Neil.......Lost for words surely not......  Cheers mate........lets be having some updates on setups please


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## B7fec (24 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				NeilW said:
			
		

> Looks great!
> 
> Thats a really good idea about crushing some dragon stone to get the matching gravel that would come out of it.  I reckon you could even find a grade of gravel size between the size of the sand and the size of the existing gravel just to finish it off and get a super smooth blend.
> 
> Nice work



Cheers Neil for the comments mate, I'm actually on the look out for another smaller but sharp looking gravel for that ultimate blend! Been to a few garden centres etc....but nothing yet, might have to get the hammer out and smash up some more Dragon stone but grind it a bit smaller this time.......mind took me long enough the first time!


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## NeilW (24 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				B7fec said:
			
		

> I'm actually on the look out for another smaller but sharp looking gravel for that ultimate blend! Been to a few garden centres etc....but nothing yet, might have to get the hammer out and smash up some more Dragon stone but grind it a bit smaller this time.......mind took me long enough the first time!



Sounds good! Keep up the good work


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## arty (25 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Nice Tank


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## George Farmer (25 Jun 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Coming along beautifully!

I'm about to set up a new 60cm and am strongly considering going for a similar design with the use of graded gravels.  

Superb photography too.

Inspirational stuff!


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## Nelson (24 Jul 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

a month without any updates   .
come on Ben,pull your finger out   .


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## B7fec (24 Jul 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Typical.....   I was waiting for this!!   

Actually update with pics tomorrow......had a good trim of the Rotala this morning and have started to shape it into a "V shape" everything else is growing well and I'm well pleased with it all........   Photo's tomorrow mate so keep those eyes peeled!!


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## B7fec (25 Jul 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

So as promise.......Neil!! ( Getting on my case.....again  ) I have messed around with cs5 a bit and borrowed some ideas from Dan Crawford....ADA enteries on the planted tanks page......and come up with this........ which I'm really proud of. All has been going very smoothly with all the plants growing really well. I am trimming at least once every week to keep the Rotala in shape. I must say a huge thanks to everyone that posts on this forum as it has helped me produce this tank, Cheers all!  






All comments welcome.......


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## Garuf (25 Jul 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

absolutely stunning. Very well done!


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## Nelson (25 Jul 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

thats fantastic   .no wonder you've been hiding it from us   .
really grown in now.i might have to copy half of it   .
great photo as well.


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## George Farmer (26 Jul 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Very nice!  Congratulations.


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## B7fec (30 Jul 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				Garuf said:
			
		

> absolutely stunning. Very well done!



Cheers Garuf!


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## B7fec (30 Jul 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				nelson said:
			
		

> thats fantastic   .no wonder you've been hiding it from us   .
> really grown in now.i might have to copy half of it   .
> great photo as well.



Thanks mate, copy and paste away!!   

The photo is alright but on the next one I am going to remove the power head etc.... and get a bit closer for a sharper image.


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## B7fec (30 Jul 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> Very nice!  Congratulations.




Thanks George, I feel that I'm finally getting the scape closer and closer to what I had in mind, I'm also now thinking of putting a single fish species into the Tank, any suggestions of what might suit? am running short of inspiration.......


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## Nelson (30 Jul 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

microrasbora kubotai.


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## B7fec (30 Jul 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				nelson said:
			
		

> microrasbora kubotai.



Thanks for the suggestion Neil, I did have 20 of these a while back in another Tank and although absolutely beautiful fish I found that the merged into the green of the plants and were hard to see.

I was thinking about RED PENCIL (MORTENHALERI) but the cost of them puts me off a bit.......


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## Graeme Edwards (31 Jul 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Fecci, its like a fine Italian cheese, this has matured into something strong and with interesting layers   

Looks really nice mate, perhaps a tad to much open foreground, but thats me being very picky. Everything looks great. And you cant go wrong taking a creative leaf out of Dans book Ben. 

Good work mate.

Graeme.


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## B7fec (31 Jul 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				Graeme Edwards said:
			
		

> Fecci, its like a fine Italian cheese, this has matured into something strong and with interesting layers
> 
> Looks really nice mate, perhaps a tad to much open foreground, but thats me being very picky. Everything looks great. And you cant go wrong taking a creative leaf out of Dans book Ben.
> 
> ...


  A fine cheese indeed!!   Cheers mate, yeah know what you mean about the foreground, but after my first scape which had very little open space for viewing the fish I wanted this design to be more viewing friendly......but agree I may have left a tad to much foreground, also it has been a pain maintaining the clean look of the sand as the gravel constantly drifts onto it.....so a smaller foreground may have ment less cleaning of the sand.....  

As for the plants they have really taken off and matured better than I could of ever hoped for! I am struggling bait with photographing the scape and doing it justice as the scape looks so different in the flesh...... It's a battle to get all the various greens to stand out and show off the plants for the better. Anyway, no doubt I'll see you soon, planning on a trip up your way soon


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## Nelson (10 Nov 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

must be about that time again   .


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## Arana (10 Nov 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Glad i didn't miss this, Great job


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## B7fec (15 Nov 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Update coming soon folks....... the tank has been coming along nicely, even if I did manage to smash my ADA inlet pipe! will try and get some photo's up soon!

Cheers Ben


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## George Farmer (15 Nov 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				B7fec said:
			
		

> Update coming soon folks....... the tank has been coming along nicely, even if I did manage to smash my ADA inlet pipe! will try and get some photo's up soon!
> 
> Cheers Ben


Ouch!  Sounds expensive.

Looking forward to the updates...


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## Dan Crawford (16 Nov 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> Ouch!  Sounds expensive.


It is, don't you remember George  

Looking forward to the update Ben, I love this tank.


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## George Farmer (16 Nov 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				Dan Crawford said:
			
		

> George Farmer said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Of course mate.  I still suffer from post traumatic stress disorder whenever I'm cleaning glassware!!


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## B7fec (20 Nov 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

So......Dan, George and the rest of you on the forum of course, here is the tank a good few months down the line, I haven't done much with it apart from weekly maintenance, water change, trim etc...... Oh and smashing my ADA outlet, which yes guys was very expensive! Actually to cap it off I had just told the kids off for trying to wash it when I dropped it! Typical.....and you should of seen the kids faces! They couldn't stop laughing!

Full tank shot




Other shots







All comments welcome.....I know it looks very jungle like....and that is exactly what I like and envisaged the tank looking like, I love it, hope you guys do too!!  

Thanks for looking Ben


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## Nelson (20 Nov 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

wow   .thats wild......


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## B7fec (20 Nov 2010)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

 YEP!! haha


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## B7fec (18 Feb 2011)

Well 9 months on and this scape has gone from the sparse......to the over grown jungle look and now to this.......After I took the photo on the above post I decided on a massive trim, All the Rotala green was trimmed to 2"'s above the substrate(Still waiting for it to grow up the back again....) Moss was cut right back and in places removed totally and the now the whole scape is growing really nice, even after an algae outbreak!

FTS




Bit of a close up.....




Cheers Ben


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## marthin (18 Feb 2011)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*

Absolutely stunning!


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## Tony Swinney (18 Feb 2011)

That looks tremendous Ben, still looking wild, but with a hint of trimmed   

Nice choice of plants in there too.

Tony


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## Mark Evans (18 Feb 2011)

lovely mate! 8) 

 is where my moss came from?


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## Nelson (18 Feb 2011)

thats so much better than the jungle,imo anyway   .
going to look fantastic when the rotala green grows back.
well done mate   .


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## B7fec (18 Feb 2011)

marthin said:
			
		

> Absolutely stunning!



Cheers!



			
				Tony Swinney said:
			
		

> still looking wild, but with a hint of trimmed



Thanks Tony, maybe Wild with a hint of trimmed is this seasons new black??  



			
				Mark Evans said:
			
		

> is where my moss came from?



Thanks Mark, sure is where the Moss came from, you can see how dense the growth was, compared to now..... (Actually the tank although having nice healthy plants was a right mess, with it being so over grown......I much prefer it now.



			
				nelson said:
			
		

> thats so much better than the jungle,imo anyway.
> going to look fantastic when the rotala green grows back. well done mate



To true Neil! Thanks mate, it's lighter and much nicer to look at now, The Rotala is so fast growing after it's major trim, I'm trimming it every day or 2, to get it into a nice shape.

Also I forgot to mention I started dosing with Tobi's ferts as of today.......so will keep a close eye on things and keep you informed of plant health.


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## Mark Evans (18 Feb 2011)

B7fec said:
			
		

> Also I forgot to mention I started dosing with Tobi's ferts as of today.......so will keep a close eye on things and keep you informed of plant health



They work mate


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## nry (18 Feb 2011)

Lovely!  Nice choice of scape name too, think I named mine later than you but never noticed you had the same name!


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## John Starkey (19 Feb 2011)

Hi Ben,just read this from start to date,its a lovely aquascape,i love the foreground especially now the the plants have softened the edges so to speak,

cracking job

John.


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## B7fec (19 Feb 2011)

Mark Evans said:
			
		

> They work mate



so I've seen  



			
				nry said:
			
		

> Lovely! Nice choice of scape name too, think I named mine later than you but never noticed you had the same name!



Cheers mate......


			
				john starkey said:
			
		

> Hi Ben,just read this from start to date,its a lovely aquascape,i love the foreground especially now the the plants have softened the edges so to speak,cracking job, John.



Thanks John, it's been quite a journey, plenty of up's and huge downs! But finally think I am happy with the way this scape is maturing. Now the plants have soften the edges it does look far better, however they are also doing a great job keeping the sand clean, holding back the aqua soil and gravel etc.


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## George Farmer (19 Feb 2011)

*Re: Fec's 90cm opti-white "Sticks n Stones"*



			
				B7fec said:
			
		

>


I really like this Ben.  The contrast between negative and full space is huge, but it works in a refreshing way.

It's look very nice after the trim too, and will improve with time of course.  You've had lots of practice now with pruning technique etc. so we'll be expecting big things from you now!  No pressure...  

Sorry to hear about the glassware accident.  I recently broke a Cal Aqua 17mm inlet so can empathise completely.


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## B7fec (19 Feb 2011)

George Farmer said:
			
		

> I really like this Ben. The contrast between negative and full space is huge, but it works in a refreshing way.
> 
> It's look very nice after the trim too, and will improve with time of course. You've had lots of practice now with pruning technique etc. so we'll be expecting big things from you now! No pressure...



Thanks George, yeah just a bit of practice! mind all experience for future scapes!

This was at the beginning of the scape......




Then for the major overgrown look......(Mind the plants were so healthy!! Poor photo though, sorry!)




And now to this.......with a lot of trimming, as George pointed out!


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## Mark Evans (19 Feb 2011)

Ben! In the middle pic, left branch, the moss looks awesome.

Is this crimbo moss? and how did you get that look?


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## B7fec (19 Feb 2011)

Mark Evans said:
			
		

> In the middle pic, left branch, the moss looks awesome.
> 
> Is this crimbo moss? and how did you get that look?



All the Moss in this tank is crimbo moss, it seems to grow so quick and healthy for me. I kept pruning the moss frequently, keeping it in a general shape but not so much it looked un-natural, as soon as it seemed to lose shape and get un-wildly I simply cut it back a bit and it just grew like that (As long as I kept trimming it). It's doing exactly the same again this time, although after the major trimming of the whole tank it has taken around 2 weeks for all the plants to start recovering again. 

I noticed in your high res shot of you scape last night last night your moss on the branches is doing exactly as mine was.
I'll put a post on your thread mate......to show you what I mean.


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## Mark Evans (19 Feb 2011)

cheers Bud


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## B7fec (19 Feb 2011)

Here's a Crimbo Moss shot...... this is due a small trim, I'll take off all the longer Moss end's......and do the same next week and so on.......this always gives me a really healthy, compact and bushy Moss, which reaches for the light.....


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## Mark Evans (19 Feb 2011)

So, Ben. really sorry for these questions...Do you take it right down to the wood almost?


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## B7fec (19 Feb 2011)

Mark Evans said:
			
		

> So, Ben. really sorry for these questions...Do you take it right down to the wood almost?



Ask away mate, I'm glad I can help! I normally take it right down to the wood leaving about 5mm of growth until it starts growing/reaching for the light, I find this then thickens up and will stay compact, then once the moss reaches for the light I tend just to trim any stray ends  back to the main growth and maybe a mil or 2 into it. keeping this up produces the most amazing effect.


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## George Farmer (19 Feb 2011)

I can feel moss-love in the air!


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## B7fec (19 Feb 2011)

Moss love is in the air.........or a pint or 2 to much!


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## Mark Evans (20 Feb 2011)

Thanks for that Ben. 

There'splenty of moss love flying around


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