# New Scape nature SA tank



## Fred13 (7 Mar 2021)

Hello,
As I am coming closer to finish my SA tank I thought that it is a good idea to post it and get some feedback before I glue everything together.
I am not exactly aquascaping this time. I am primarily freestyling since I want a natural south American tank.
I will strictly use plants from this region only and my lightning intensity will be fairly low. I ll stil use co2 though.
120 x 50 x 55  330 liters
Iron wood
Only medium to coarse sand and nutrition tablets.
Loa rock


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## alto (7 Mar 2021)

And leaf litter?


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## alto (7 Mar 2021)

Oops missed the feedback bit

I really like the scape, some closeup photos would be useful
If you’ve more wood, consider adding another piece to the left island for asymmetry 

This is an interesting thread worth following to the end (and does have lovely D filamentosus) 33 gallon long - Dicrossus filamentosus and friends



> So...this tank has been stripped down, cleaned and reborn. I really think the play sand was causing, or least contributing to sickness and disease, because when I scooped it all out, it smelled putrid. It was about 1" deep at most but I guess that's deep enough to harbor anaerobic bacteria and who knows what else. Personally, I'll never use play sand again. I can't say with 100% certainty that was why this tank wasn't thriving, but I don't want to repeat that experiment and have tons of fish slowly wither away.



I’m always cautious with sand, especially sand that is not purpose sold (I’m hoping that Carib Sea will have run some analyses on their sands (though I’m unaware of any specific legislation requiring such) re fish safety, I’m dead certain that the sellers of play sand and pool sand and paver sand have not)

And while the above anecdote isn’t common, it’s been reported more frequently than “rare”

Your description of medium to coarse sand sounds excellent, but it also looks to be fairly deep at the back so just be aware that it _can_ be problematic (and now that I’ve brought this up, tank will run perfectly  )


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## Fred13 (7 Mar 2021)

alto said:


> Oops missed the feedback bit
> 
> I really like the scape, some closeup photos would be useful
> If you’ve more wood, consider adding another piece to the left island for asymmetry
> ...


Thank you for the helpful feedback Alto
+1 for the addition of a piece of wood at the left side. I have a few more pieces I could try out!
I am also aware about the sand issues and it is actually the first time I am using sand. It is the "Guemmer Sand", a German brand which is 0.7 to 1.2mm.
It is pretty high at the moment but it is wet, I believe it will settle down a few centimetres when I fill the tank with water.
I may consider add some lava rock such is JBL volcano mineral underneath to help with aeration.


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## Fred13 (11 Mar 2021)

Small adjustments while I progress..


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