Hi all. I'm interested in setting up a new nano tank with a couple of large dark stones in the centre, a tall eleocharis in the background and a shorter eleocharis in the foreground. I'm not a big fan of HC/MC carpets aesthetically, I prefer the slender grass blades of the eleocharis. This idea is inspired by some of the ADA gallery tanks, though many of these use utricularia in the foreground, however we cannot get this plant in Australia. I'm interested to see if anyone has done a tank like this before, or if anyone thinks it will or will not look good, or has any suggestions of different species to use to preserve the grassy look. Thanks everyone!
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Eleocharis-only tank?
- Thread starter Matty599
- Start date
That’s such a stunning Iwagumi - i especially love the use of Utricularia graminifolia as the front carpet - it creates the impression of movement and provides much more texture than Eleocharis acicularis Mini alone will
The use of those fish which reflect the colours of the manten stone, greatly enhance scape feel/vision
(And no ugly massive Amano shrimp 😀)
Mixing in various Eleocharis variants, or adding some (small amounts) Lilaeopsis may provide more texture, also when trimming, make sure to do this from the top down, angled, rather than horizontal cuts
This will also allow you to leave some longer grass stems through the carpet area - more like a natural meadow vs a nicely cut (& manicured) lawn
I’ve never managed to do a proper Iwagumi, I always get distracted into adding more plants ... which is something you can consider adding as the scape progresses (also small twigs reaching up through the grasses - though best to keep these easily removable for trimming sessions)
Blyxa is too heavy and dominating for my taste, so I’d not add any of this
There are some very delicate grassy looking Eriocaulons (if you have access to these species)
Junius repens can be used very sparingly for texture as well
When creating transitions between front carpet and taller grass background, use triangular or ragged edges, which will again contribute to the feeling of movement
Use of a point source light (Kessil, AI Prime style) and some (very) gentle surface agitation will enhance the textures/depth of the scape, stone shadows will also be more dynamic
(LEDs such as Twinstar, Aquasky etc produce a much flatter even appearance)
The use of those fish which reflect the colours of the manten stone, greatly enhance scape feel/vision
(And no ugly massive Amano shrimp 😀)
Mixing in various Eleocharis variants, or adding some (small amounts) Lilaeopsis may provide more texture, also when trimming, make sure to do this from the top down, angled, rather than horizontal cuts
This will also allow you to leave some longer grass stems through the carpet area - more like a natural meadow vs a nicely cut (& manicured) lawn
I’ve never managed to do a proper Iwagumi, I always get distracted into adding more plants ... which is something you can consider adding as the scape progresses (also small twigs reaching up through the grasses - though best to keep these easily removable for trimming sessions)
Blyxa is too heavy and dominating for my taste, so I’d not add any of this
There are some very delicate grassy looking Eriocaulons (if you have access to these species)
Junius repens can be used very sparingly for texture as well
When creating transitions between front carpet and taller grass background, use triangular or ragged edges, which will again contribute to the feeling of movement
Use of a point source light (Kessil, AI Prime style) and some (very) gentle surface agitation will enhance the textures/depth of the scape, stone shadows will also be more dynamic
(LEDs such as Twinstar, Aquasky etc produce a much flatter even appearance)
Thank you, alto. Awesome info! Really helpful. Quite excited about this build now - I think I will mix eleocharis acularis, lileopsis brasiliensis and marsilea in the foreground. Kessil lights are really pricey in Australia - I think I may stick with the Twinstar for now, but I agree it would be lovely to see some glitter lines. We have eriocaulon in Australia as many grow here naturally, so perhaps either cinerum or shiga might add some detail, but I don’t wish to detract from the grassy meadow feel.
you can achieve this with ease and dont need to use Co2. I did this in a low tech 3 foot tank with LED lighing and using liquid ferts. And the Hairgrass covered the substrate quickly over a few months. Was using Fluval Stratum substrate.
Anyway near Melbourne?
https://www.facebook.com/aquariumin...zNTU3NjEwODYwOTc4MTI3XzM1NjYxNzI0MDAxMjE5NzM=
https://www.facebook.com/aquariumin...zNTU3NjEwODYwOTc4MTI3XzM1NjYxNzI0MDAxMjE5NzM=
zozo
Member
I consider you extremely lucky and able to turn the table to use short hair grass in the front and a long Utricularia in the back.
Utricularia volubilis is native to Western Australia, i assume it would be peanuts for you to acquire it.
https://cpphotofinder.com/utricularia-volubilis-770.html
I'm in Europe and its extremely rare to find, i once tried seeds but i messed it up 🙁
Anyway, i'm not 100% sure to say it would be a first timer, but in my search i never found one aquascape containing this plant.
Sadly in Sydney, a lot of the aquascaping community will be going there according to the Facebook group.
Zozo that’s so interesting, I used to live in WA and visit regularly so perhaps in the future I might be able to do something with that plant. Possibly would grow too large for my current tank dimensions though unfortunately. Would look awesome in a pond style scape!
Zozo that’s so interesting, I used to live in WA and visit regularly so perhaps in the future I might be able to do something with that plant. Possibly would grow too large for my current tank dimensions though unfortunately. Would look awesome in a pond style scape!
Green Aqua used Eriocaulon Dong Ha in this 60P
Jurijs mit JS recently did a livestream from Green Aqua and reminded me of this Eriocaulon 🙂
Jurijs mit JS recently did a livestream from Green Aqua and reminded me of this Eriocaulon 🙂
