• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Dave's TMC Signature Island

Hi Dave, when i look at your tank photo, it keeps giving me an illusion that you were shooting the photo from a low angle, but in fact you were not.
then i realized, perhaps it is due to your soil level, it is rather flat. When you have a flat substrate level like that, you lose some depth in your layout and your photo will look like shooting from an angle from below.

why not reduce the front level of your substrate say 2-3cm and add higher level at the back? this way the perspective of your tank may look better.
just my personal opinion. your tank is already quite nice as it is.
 
Hi stormy, thanks for you thoughts. You make a very good point! I do have some spare substrate I could use for this to bank it up towards the back a little.

I will consider doing this next week hopefully :)

Thanks for sharing your ideas. Will post some pics when I've done it .

Cheers
Dave
 
Boredom within our scapes is what leads us to improve our next layout. It's a good lesson.

This is good layout, but to echo George, a mixture of plants could improve the foreground. Even 'break' it up, with an additional 'clump' of something different altogether. A small crypt sp. just to stop the linear appearance.

I'm not dissing this by any means mate. It's very good indeed, but mixing plants, especially in the foreground can be a wonderful thing.

here's a couple of random foregrounds I did a while ago. Even shaping the same plant can add interest. Just trimming the Staurogyne at different heights can work.

7122288395_1c9698da20_b.jpg
foreground1 by saintly's pics, on Flickr

6601665209_a2b5577f4c_b.jpg
crop by saintly's pics, on Flickr
 
Thanks mark I really appreciate your input. Some very inspirational pictures :)

I have just received & planted some mini hair grass from Hogan53 amongst the SR, I will get some pictures soon. Hopefully once it's integrated together the foreground will look better.

I agree about the linear approach I have somehow taken on, must be the way my mind works! However it's not so natural so I will try and put a small crypt in there as well to break up the linear feel. Hopefully this and the mini hair grass will be an improvement :)

Thanks for everyone's opinions, the more the better!
 
After taking the advise of a few UKAPS members, I decided to have a play....

I received some mini hairgrass yesterday, which I have planted in and around the Staurogyne. I've planted it in small clumps so it does look a bit like each one has been placed there by something other than nature, but I am hoping once it grows in and it mingles with the SP it will look more natural.

I have also worked in a couple of Wendtii brown crypts, one in the centre and one to the right in the foreground. I like the one in the centre as it adds a new colour to the mass of green. Once this grows I hope it will become more of a feature. The one to the right in the foreground is there to add a bit of 'randomness' and also adds a different colour.

I really enjoyed the 'tweeking', whether it's for the better of worse I don't mind, I still enjoyed perfecting the scape :)
The great thing about this tank is that it's low enough down that I can just sit on my stool in front of the tank with my arm bent over the glass using my planting tools to maintain it. :thumbup:

I will be borrowing an SLR camera this week, been dying to take some pictures with anything other than my iPhone!

Here's how it stand today:
10234001764_4007d1f97c_b.jpg
TMC Sig17 by dpierce5, on Flickr
 
I love it mate, really nicely done. It looks really clean and well looked after. You've used the texture brilliantly IMO. This take some skill!

If you don't mind, I'm going to share this on the ukaps Facebook page for the world to see.
 
I love it mate, really nicely done. It looks really clean and well looked after. You've used the texture brilliantly IMO. This take some skill!

If you don't mind, I'm going to share this on the ukaps Facebook page for the world to see.
Nice one Dave.... Your global now!
 
Thanks Ian & Tim!

Yeah of course you can Ian, I'm privileged!

I feel it's going to take another 8 weeks or so for everything to grow in and mix together naturally. I only have 6.5 hours of light a day so things grow slowly, but I don't mind as long as everything grows healthy.
 
Quick update...

Not much to report, still waiting for the hairgrass and Staurogyne to mingle together.

I have been getting small amount of brown algae appear on rocks and old leave's. So I've purchased a light suspension kit which is arriving in the next couple of days. Hopefully raising the light will help sort this.

I have taken a few close up of some plants....

Java Fern, Crypt and Moss near surface.
10463880474_acb75eae6c_b.jpg
Java2 by dpierce5, on Flickr


Grass, crypts, staurogyne and anubias mixing together amongst the rocks.
10463892734_25a4493bd0_b.jpg
Java by dpierce5, on Flickr

Anubias with 4-5 new leaves sprouting all of a sudden, you can see small brown algae on the rocks and slight bits on the anubias in this shot.
10463899154_b567562813_b.jpg
Anubias by dpierce5, on Flickr


Need to clean rocks and raise the light!

Will update when I get the light suspension kit.

Cheers
Dave
 
Looking good dave, think the HC is a good addition to the Stauro as others have said, softens the lines.
4 or 5 Otos will also be beneficial to keeping the rocks and plants clean, failing that a soft toothbrush at WC will clean them right back up.:thumbup:
 
Well the suspension kit isn't the most elegant thing I have ever seen! But it was only £25 and it does the trick :)

I raised the light by quite a bit so let's see if the brown algae disappears! If not within a week I will raise it further and possibly increase the co2 a notch. Still running just one 24W bulb.


10558946096_66de14c682_b.jpg
TMC 18 by dpierce5, on Flickr

10558955816_8dc2dc50b1_b.jpg
TMC21 by dpierce5, on Flickr

10559015264_21a4f2faf5_b.jpg
TMC19 by dpierce5, on Flickr
 
Looking good Dave, just do what I did and hang the light from the ceiling - mine was up all of 45 minutes... Then the mrs came home... To be honest I got of lightly as I thought I might be joining my light and also be hanging from the ceiling!

I decided to design and have an aluminium bracket made for my lights (NA style) to fit the 600mm width of the TMC, I'll post some pics up when I get it if you like.
 
Back
Top