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aquascape plan "take 1" thoughts

plantnoob

plantnoob

Member
Joined
27 Apr 2010
Messages
502
nowhere near ready to order plants yet ( probably 2 months time ) but best to make mistakes in ms paint than with the real thing i figure .i am going for a triangle scape . no experience with plant choice in terms of mixing them together , so i just went with some i liked the look of . any thoughts or suggestions gratefully received . the ludwigia sp is this 1
Plant Details
tank footprint is 80x35cm 45cm high
8473770335_0708750d3f_z.jpg
scape1 by mark pettican, on Flickr

full planting list
1 Hygrophila corymbosa 'Siamensis'
2 hygropjila polysperma
3 Limnophila aquatica
4 Microsorum pteropus
5 Limnophila aquatica
6 ludwigia sp
7 ludwigia sp
8 Cryptocoryne beckettii 'petchii'
9 Vallisneria americana 'mini twister'
10 Vallisneria americana 'mini twister'
11 Cryptocoryne wendtii 'green'
12 Staurogyne repens
13 Staurogyne repens
14 Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba'
 
Looks good.
I'd maybe move plant 4 (microsorum), and either one of 6 or 7 (ludwigias), as microsorum is a rhizome plant and needs to be attached to a host such as wood or rock with the roots out of the substrate. It looks like the central brown structure may be roots/wood so this would be a better position for the microsorum.
Other than that, everything else seems well suited to give a nice fore, mid and background planting scheme with the crypts well suited to their positions in and around the wood where it may be more shaded. The ludwigia will add a nice splash of colour and focal point.
Cheerio,
Ady.
 
thanks ady , the brown scribble is indeed supposed to be wood . i should have said that i was intending to attatch the microsorum ti its own rock . but im always open to listen to the voice of experience . do you think the 2 would look better swapped , or was it just the growing method for the fern that drove the thought ?

just thought of another question . for the stated footprint , i have absolutely no idea of the quanities of each i would need to order
 
Hi, yeah sorry, I've added a little to my original post...I should really stop doing that!
The microsorum will be fine rooted to a rock, so if you would like it there for a contrast in green colour/leaf shape etc then it will be fine, however I always think personally it looks nicer amongst wood/roots. I had thought about swapping its position with one of the ludwigias because of its growth requirements, but now think that the two clusters of lidwigias around the wood will add a good focal point/colour contrast at an appropriate position within the scape, so it may be best to leave them both where the are....you can either add some microsorum between/below them on the wood, or not depending on the actual piece of wood you use....there may not be room or it may not suit.....also you may like the contrast it provides in the original position 4.
As for quantities, its tricky to say, I'd be inclined to allow room for growth which will allow better distribution to the plants in the early stages as you optimise flow within the tank. It will also be cheaper :) Space around each plant will allow for easier access to co2 and fertilisers and will be easier in the beginning. In which case one specimen may be sufficient for many of the single species you have on the list. For multiple ones such as the ludwigia, limnophilia and stauro, I'd go for two pots so you can get a good amount in each position. If you buy good quality plants you can split the pots into several plantlets which go quite far. You can always add to them in the future, but some such as the hygrophilas are fast growers so will multiply quickly and fill out the space. The hc again can be separated to provide several smaller portions from a single pot, but it depends on how fast you want a carpet or if your after an instant impact. You could get 3 or 4 pots of this to help with the foreground carpet.
You do want a good plant mass from the start, but i think that in an 80cm, with the number of different species you have, then one of each other than the carpet and multiple positioned ones will be enough.
Cheerio,
Ady
 
brilliant , thanks ady . some good advice there . glad to hear your thoughts on the colour/positioning of the ludwigia , as the focal point was exactly what i was trying to acheive there . good to know i picked the right spot too . ( shows me ive learned something from all the late nights of reading :) ) i am going to go for quality plants as you reccomend , in fact i chose my list from TGM website , which is where il most likely order from .
 
Sounds good mate.
Using many different species like you are gives you the opportunity to see which ones work well for you, some may thrive, others fare not so well in which case you can swap them out and try something new. You will get a good feel for their growth characteristics, trimming techniques etc and it will help you decide on their usefulness in this and different layouts. I think choosing plants you like the look of is a great start, there is plenty of contrast within your choices so it will be a nice looking Dutch inspired triangle scape. Kind of wish I had done that at some point!
Look forward to seeing more of your set up when you get it all together.....maybe do a journal so you can reference progress, and get feedback and advice if and when needed :)
Cheerio,
Ady.
 
il be sure to do a step by step journal for sure although not much point starting it yet , it would just read bought tank,scrubbed tank,ordered filter , bunged in some ammonia :) .give me 6 to 8 weeks though and hopefully i should be in a better place to crack on with things . just put that little list together on tgm.........£102 ! i can see the missus' reaction now , " your hobbies are always so expensive ! " :)
 
plantnoob said:
il be sure to do a step by step journal for sure although not much point starting it yet , it would just read bought tank,scrubbed tank,ordered filter , bunged in some ammonia :) .give me 6 to 8 weeks though and hopefully i should be in a better place to crack on with things . just put that little list together on tgm.........£102 ! i can see the missus' reaction now , " your hobbies are always so expensive ! " :)
Click to expand...
Ha, yeah it's frightening!
Best to ensure good co2, distribution and appropriate low lighting from the off to look after your investment :)...its crushing to even think about melting £102 worth of plants!! I'm sure you'll be prepared though with all the research and planning your doing.
Cheerio,
Ady?
 
the light unit on the tank is dead so the decision wether or not to replace was made for me . plan is 2x25w t5 , i dont really feel it neccesary to go too high atm as from what ive been reading flow and distribution of co2/ferts is more important to get right . 1st purchases are filter,heater and powerhead . then whilst the cycle does its thing i can work on the flow . ive got some mad idea about cutting up lots of little squares of paper and dropping them in so i can see exactly where the flow is going and fine tune positioning of spraybar/powerhead until ive got good even flow . then il get the co2 set up and do the same with that , ie play around with the position of the in tank atomiser , moving the drop checker around until i know im getting good even distribution of co2 . i figure that should hopefully give me a pretty decent foundation to build on
 
Hi, why not just set your co2 up and use the micro bubbles to identify circulation, flow patterns and possible dead spots.....that way you won't need to foul up your tank with horrible little bits if paper :)
All sounds good, good luck.
 
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