# Bucephalandra tank



## Martin in Holland (24 Jan 2015)

In my LFS I was asked if I could make something nice of this



 
......the bark back should stay (it is kit and difficult to remove without scratching the glass)....so I gave it a try...
They have in that shop a big number of Buce. and I was thinking of using those, but NOT on the back bark.
I did this (see pictures below)


 


 


 
I might change the angle of the "tree" a bit (turn it a bit higher, clock wise)


 


 


 
There will be more Buce. planted on the "tree" at a later stage, the shop owner was a bit afraid that the new/ fresh water would melt his Buce. so I only used cheap once for now


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## Mick.Dk (24 Jan 2015)

Very, very nice Martin.
For the sake of visual........I would really consider moving the intake to same side as the spraybar. It is HYSTERICAL green and eye-catching.
In my opinion it would be a shame to general layout,to try cover it in tall plants or ex. Anubias. Layout need the vertical Right/Left.
Goes against general rules, I know - but you should still be capable of creating good flow, with such set-up
- hope you don't mind, Martin - I really rarely comment negatively on other peoples scapes......but this really deserve not to be disturbed.


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## naughtymoose (24 Jan 2015)

Really nice Martin. Is the bark background the sort of thing sold for vivariums etc? Will it last OK in water? It looks like a great way to had a natural background to a tank for a mossy wall.


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## dw1305 (24 Jan 2015)

Hi all,





naughtymoose said:


> Really nice Martin. Is the bark background the sort of thing sold for vivariums etc? Will it last OK in water? It looks like a great way to had a natural background to a tank for a mossy wall.


 I'm interested in any details about the bark back-ground as well.

Darrel


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## Another Phil (24 Jan 2015)

Hi Martin,
looks good. Nice that there's no obvious saw marks on the branches.




dw1305 said:


> I'm interested in any details about the bark back-ground as well.


FWIW I had cork bark (local garden centre - flower arranging section) in my tank for about 15 years and after that time it had become very soft and although bits didn't fall off in the tank it fell apart very easily in the hand. (now it's dried out it's also shrunk to about 2/3 the original size). I'd stuck 2 bits to a piece of slate with silicone sealant and fishing line to form shelves and after maybe 12 years one of the pieces of fishing line cut through the cork, so I assume that is about when it softened.
    Cork  does eventually sink, but obviously takes a lot longer than wood, maybe a year for 3/4" thickness? Never noticed any adverse effects from it.

It's 15 years+ since I last researched setting up tanks but back then cork floor tiles were a no-no for aquarium use due to the glue used, but the hobby has changed a lot.

cheers phil


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## Martin in Holland (25 Jan 2015)

Mick.Dk said:


> Very, very nice Martin.
> For the sake of visual........I would really consider moving the intake to same side as the spraybar. It is HYSTERICAL green and eye-catching.
> In my opinion it would be a shame to general layout,to try cover it in tall plants or ex. Anubias. Layout need the vertical Right/Left.
> Goes against general rules, I know - but you should still be capable of creating good flow, with such set-up
> - hope you don't mind, Martin - I really rarely comment negatively on other peoples scapes......but this really deserve not to be disturbed.



Your right about that intake, it is really ugly, but those things are not mine to decide (I will try anyway). I don't mind any comments at all, as this is always a good way to learn (two see more than one)...although I don't quit understand what you mean with "vertical Right/Left".....what I want to achieve is an open clear structure were that tree get central stage, I'm hoping by tilting it a bit clockwise to bring it more in balance.


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## Martin in Holland (25 Jan 2015)

naughtymoose said:


> Really nice Martin. Is the bark background the sort of thing sold for vivariums etc? Will it last OK in water? It looks like a great way to had a natural background to a tank for a mossy wall.



This bark back ground was already in this tank for atleast 2 years, it looks like cork, not sure though.


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## Mick.Dk (25 Jan 2015)

What I ment was the line of plants, going from upper right corner to lower left corner - very nice, eye-pleasing to the beholder ( = costumer )

The intake truoble me only because this is a public tank, on display all the time. On a private or photo-related tank, you can just move the intake at your own pleasure. In this tank I would fear eye of beholder (= costumer) will see intake before noticing the overall impression of a good layout !!


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## Martin in Holland (25 Jan 2015)

Mick.Dk said:


> What I ment was the line of plants, going from upper right corner to lower left corner - very nice, eye-pleasing to the beholder ( = costumer )
> 
> The intake truoble me only because this is a public tank, on display all the time. On a private or photo-related tank, you can just move the intake at your own pleasure. In this tank I would fear eye of beholder (= costumer) will see intake before noticing the overall impression of a good layout !!



Got it...thanks for the input.
I will try to move the inlet, or at least change it for a less eye catching one.


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## Martin in Holland (5 Mar 2015)

The tank has been sold, soon I can make a new one again, great practice this way.


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## alto (5 Mar 2015)

Did you happen to get any recent pictures?

Is the tank sold with all contents then?


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## Martin in Holland (5 Mar 2015)

alto said:


> Did you happen to get any recent pictures?
> 
> Is the tank sold with all contents then?


Yep...the whole tank as seen...no chance for me to take more pictures


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## alto (5 Mar 2015)

What are the odds of the substrates mixing? or do you have a solid divider in place?

I suppose if it arrives a mess, the buyer can call the shop to call you ...


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## Martin in Holland (5 Mar 2015)

I made sure to have enough small stones in any hole between the substrates (done this before, never had any problems) to prevent substrate mixing. If a tank is sold it will be taken down for the most part, transported and set up again in the new owners home as it was, in this case they only let the water out put wet newspaper on everything (also more newspaper was added to stable the whole scape) and moved this way.


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