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Critique my hardscape First hardscape mock up
- Thread starter Steve711
- Start date
I'm confused as to tank viewing angle - tank dimensions & viewing angles (1 side, 3 sides etc) & plant & fish goals are all helpful info
Big Rock scapes impact flow significantly so plan suitable filters
Substrate in water tends to shift a fair bit over time so keep this in mind re shoring up any terraces
Know what your rocks look like wet & under your lighting when planning rock position
Big Rock scapes impact flow significantly so plan suitable filters
Substrate in water tends to shift a fair bit over time so keep this in mind re shoring up any terraces
Know what your rocks look like wet & under your lighting when planning rock position
Thanks for your reply, sorry about lack of info, it was a rushed post.
The tank is 100cmx50cmx50cm.
The rock layout I am planning is in the left hand third viewed from the front.
The plan is mainly to plant heavily with fast growers and be more selective over time, fish will be a shoal of something small along with some shrimp and otocinclus.
There will be two Eheim 2028 filters and C02 with in tank C02 indicator and backed up with a PH probe.
I plan on supporting the substrate with plastic inserts/supports.
The rocks all need cleaning and scrubbing up a bit. I will see what they look like wet as well.
All advice and comments welcome, thanks.
The tank is 100cmx50cmx50cm.
The rock layout I am planning is in the left hand third viewed from the front.
The plan is mainly to plant heavily with fast growers and be more selective over time, fish will be a shoal of something small along with some shrimp and otocinclus.
There will be two Eheim 2028 filters and C02 with in tank C02 indicator and backed up with a PH probe.
I plan on supporting the substrate with plastic inserts/supports.
The rocks all need cleaning and scrubbing up a bit. I will see what they look like wet as well.
All advice and comments welcome, thanks.
I've had a rethink and got hooked on dragonstone so here is a new layout, obviously it will look a lot different with gravel but I don't want to put that in yet until I'm happy with the rock layout (which I pretty much am after a number of mock ups).
Opinions welcome.
I know some will say there is no point to the heating cable but I've had good success with them in the past and it's easier to put it in now and switch it off if I don't want to use it rather that wish I had and have to take everthying out.
Opinions welcome.
I know some will say there is no point to the heating cable but I've had good success with them in the past and it's easier to put it in now and switch it off if I don't want to use it rather that wish I had and have to take everthying out.
The dragonstone at the front is very distracting, and will throw off the balance of the Scape; while hiding view behind it imo, I'd move the big stones on the left, to the right in place of the smaller ones.
Big at the back, to small at the front, this way you gain perspective and don't lose any viewing area
Big at the back, to small at the front, this way you gain perspective and don't lose any viewing area
Cadfiel
Member
May I ask, what are the black plastic mess / support you have the rock sitting on and mores the point, where can I get something similar? Id like to have some larger rocks in my new tank and was worried about them sitting on the glass bottom but your solution seems far better.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Cadfiel
Member
Mess, bah sorry mesh...MESH, the thing that looks like broken beach tennis racket - which on reflection could be ideal and cheap alas I'm nowhere near the beach.
Thanks for your reply and advice Aqua360, after a lot of messing around with different layouts I stayed with the one in the photos. They don't really show the layout that well but there is plenty of swimming and viewing space.
Hi Cadfiel, sorry for the delay in replying, the black mesh stuff is 'aquarium egg crate', there's lots of it on ebay, reefers use it a lot.
The plastic support tubes are just plumbing overflow pipe cut to length with corresponging grooves cut in for the egg crate to sit on, I used a Dremmel with a cutting disc but a hack saw would also work. The egg crate is easy to cut either with scissors or wire cutters.
I used them for exactly the reason you mentined, I too don't like the idea of rock sitting directly on the glass.
Hope that helps.
Hi Cadfiel, sorry for the delay in replying, the black mesh stuff is 'aquarium egg crate', there's lots of it on ebay, reefers use it a lot.
The plastic support tubes are just plumbing overflow pipe cut to length with corresponging grooves cut in for the egg crate to sit on, I used a Dremmel with a cutting disc but a hack saw would also work. The egg crate is easy to cut either with scissors or wire cutters.
I used them for exactly the reason you mentined, I too don't like the idea of rock sitting directly on the glass.
Hope that helps.
Keith GH
Member
Steve
To me your hardscape is extremely confusing I just do not know where to look.
The dragon stones look like you have stood them all up and pushed into a corner as if one huge rock.
First impression looks like you fitted what you could into the back and back RH corner then decided to place more rocks in a line in front of every thin.
My recommendation would be go back to your mock tank (which is always a good start) use something as your substrate. Get that right first, mark out your open spaces.
Post photos of that first when all OK work on your rocks and DW until its the best you can do with what DW and rocks you have.
Keith
To me your hardscape is extremely confusing I just do not know where to look.
The dragon stones look like you have stood them all up and pushed into a corner as if one huge rock.
First impression looks like you fitted what you could into the back and back RH corner then decided to place more rocks in a line in front of every thin.
My recommendation would be go back to your mock tank (which is always a good start) use something as your substrate. Get that right first, mark out your open spaces.
Post photos of that first when all OK work on your rocks and DW until its the best you can do with what DW and rocks you have.
Keith
Hi Keith and thanks for your input it's much appreciated.
I have decided to leave the layout as it is and I know it's easy to say but the pictures don't really show how it looks 'in real life'.
Like a lot of us I expect I will change things around in time.
It's my first experience with dragon stone and in fact creating a 'scape' as back when I had my 5ft tank (14 years ago) 'aquascapes' weren't so popular, people just had flat gravel and some bogwood so it's all a new learning process for me.
Anyway, here's another pic but still doesn't show how it really looks for real.
Plants are arriving on Friday so I'll post more pics once all planted and filled.
Cheers.
I have decided to leave the layout as it is and I know it's easy to say but the pictures don't really show how it looks 'in real life'.
Like a lot of us I expect I will change things around in time.
It's my first experience with dragon stone and in fact creating a 'scape' as back when I had my 5ft tank (14 years ago) 'aquascapes' weren't so popular, people just had flat gravel and some bogwood so it's all a new learning process for me.
Anyway, here's another pic but still doesn't show how it really looks for real.
Plants are arriving on Friday so I'll post more pics once all planted and filled.
Cheers.
Keith GH
Member
Steve
As long as you are happy and prepared to learn as you go along that is all that matters.
Keith
As long as you are happy and prepared to learn as you go along that is all that matters.
Keith
