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Wow. Finally a large tank that has some great 'scaping. The tree stumps look amazing, and in really good position. Would be good to resist the urge to fill the sides with too many stems, think that would ruin the centre mound layout.
Keep thinking this tank needs moss... and lots of it! :D

Really nicely done and lots of potential.
 
Well Jay, if I can get my scape to have a similar feel to yours I will be well chuffed. There is balansae on the left side, problem i have is this is the side where all the filter inlets and outlets will be. Unfortunately the 'clear' tubing i ordered looks rather opaque. At the moment there are only two filters on here. These are the dogs body co2 injectors and inline heater carriers. I have two other filters to put on yet in about a month when the fish are ready to move in to their new home.
 
sanj said:
Well Jay, if I can get my scape to have a similar feel to yours I will be well chuffed. There is balansae on the left side, problem i have is this is the side where all the filter inlets and outlets will be. Unfortunately the 'clear' tubing i ordered looks rather opaque. At the moment there are only two filters on here. These are the dogs body co2 injectors and inline heater carriers. I have two other filters to put on yet in about a month when the fish are ready to move in to their new home.
Thank you.

Having to hide pipework is always a bit of a pain. Putting balansae there sounds good, lovely plant.
Really looking forward to watching this tank mature. Started it every well, better than the usual look of a big ol' tank.

I just keep looking at it! :lol: Imagining the layout in a couple of months time... So envious. :D
 
LOL I love it. Nothing like a massive scape done well. I understand its too late now but had you considered raising the substrate under the right hand log so that the top reaches the surface? You scape does look amazing though.
 
Graeme Edwards said:
Hey Sanj, this is looking swish to the wish.... Are you fully planted yet?
:thumbup:

Hey thanks Graeme, it is almost all planted, the photos dont show it well, but also alot of my plants are not in great condition, the wait was a lot longer than I had expected and some of them deteriorated to varying degrees. Hope that will reverse now. :D

Been doing some PAR readings, quite a range with full lighting (8x54w) 230 at the centre surface down to 45-50 in the bottom corners and this is with T5 lighting 18" above the water surface on a tank 28" deep. I just hope that range is not going to cause havoc. I have half lighting on for 8 hours and full for 2 hours at the moment, might extend full lighting to 4 hours not sure yet. No pearling, but then these are mostly ferns and crypt and its early days. drop checker is light green, it s that cal aqua one with the reagent solution already mixed in a bottle.
 
FishBeast said:
LOL I love it. Nothing like a massive scape done well. I understand its too late now but had you considered raising the substrate under the right hand log so that the top reaches the surface? You scape does look amazing though.

I did consider that yes, but I found it would upset other balances in the scape, the left trunk is the main focus the right is meant to be a support to it leaning slightly to give some weighting to the layout.

Wow! Kudos for doing such a great job with the hardscape in such a large tank.

His has the biggest potential of any aquascape I've seen in a long time. :D

Thanks dude, that is a slightly scary comment, what if I mess it up lol. It was somewhat stressful aswell as enjoyable, did not want to screw up after all the time and effort culminating on the last week. Still there are things that can be improved, limiations that prevent from doing exactly what I envisioned, but i think perhaps many feel the same with their scapes.

Thanks for the comments Chillipepper and others.
 
That is well executed, reminds me of the scale of Oliver Knott's discus scapes. I secretly harbor ambitions to do one of these tree stump scapes one day :lol:
 
that looks amazing agree with above ive always wanted to do something like this since seeing a picture in a book once of a discus tank tht looked very similar :)
 
The tank would look great with some sort of emmersed plants on the sides, that would probably hide some pipework, with Micranthemum or other stems dangling from wall planters hooked on the rim.
 
On my old 8x2x2 i initially ran 5 external filters: 2x Tetratec ex1200s (co2 carriers and inline heaters) 1x Eheim 2080 and 2x Fluval Fx5s. I then removed one FX5, now im thinking of going down to 3 by removing either the Eheim or the Fx5. FX5 piping would be less intrusive as it is black and have placed black background on the leftside upto the wall. Not sure yet, I also want to add a UV onto the filter (primarily to keep Mcyobacteria down), but with fx5 will have to use a reducer to 16/22. To compensate for flow I have added another Vortech MP40 from the old reef.

Currenly the two Vortechs at either end (staggered with on further back and one further forward) are at approx half power each therefore providing 12,000lph turnover during the day. Oh yes I replaced one Tetra with an Aquamanta 400 because the tetra was leaking...again!. Although the Tetra and Aquamanta are rated at 1200 and 1400lph respectively, to be cautious they probably are nearer 1500lph combined and then either will be using the Eheim (rated 1700lph) 1200lph real or the Fx5 (rated 2300lph) which is 1900lph more realistically.

Either way I make up turnover at approx x10 if one takes into account hardscape displacement. I estimate actual water is prolly 1,200 litres.

Only think is less biological filtration, but still its 3x externals, dont think it will be a probelm, but then this is not fish light.

I think that is where I may let down on some peoples tastes, I have many rainbows and and am in the process of setting up 3 systems including this one. I have a few species that are pure bred from reputable breeders and only 1 to three generations (F1s and F3s) from the wild populations.
 
ghostsword said:
The tank would look great with some sort of emmersed plants on the sides, that would probably hide some pipework, with Micranthemum or other stems dangling from wall planters hooked on the rim.

I thought about growing somthing on the main tree as it reaches a couple of inches out of the water, but there is no controlled humidity as it is an open environment so what ever is is has to be ok with that and not dry out. Your idea is certainly worth thinking about. Thanks
 
Why not use normal ferns.:) Try Adiantum capillus-veneris.
maiden_fern.jpg
 
Right well i took some rough and ready PAR readings and they do vary as might be expected with the t5s running doen the centre of the tank in only a 10" or so wide pendant.

Lighting regime at the moment is:

15:30 - 23:30 (8 hours) 216 watts Plant Pro

19:30 - 21:30 (2 hours) 432 watts Plant Pro + Osram 880

CO2

13:30 - 22:00 2x 5kg CO2
drop checker is light green.

Somewhat scary is the amount of PAR at 100% lighting, baring in mind these are 18" above the water and the tank itself is 28" deep.

216w:
PARhalflight.jpg


So broadly speaking these are ranges of PAR, higher under the centre of the pendants lower towards the ends, lower still moving away from pendants front to back. Same goes at the substrate and is lowest in the corners around 23 at lowest. Over shadowed by a plant or hardscape it can go lower even in the brightest parts of the tank.

432w:
PARfulllight.jpg


So yeah, Ouch! ET phone home. I am thinking as with the short 1-2 hours burst with Metal Halides with T5s some people do, this wont be too much of an issue as long co2 and nutrients are plenty.

Oh and I wont be making the mistake of my 2006 disaster aka Tank of Death. Ever since 00:00 to 12:00 O2 Pump on.
 
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