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Progression - ADA 75P - partially planted

Kalum

Kalum

Member
Joined
8 Jan 2018
Messages
1,090
Location
Scotland
My previous scape in this tank ended here: The Island - ADA 75P - It's been a while....

Easy title as i'm hoping that after just 3 years in hobby i've at least progressed a tiny bit and able to put into practice what i've learned so far (with a lot still to learn). Main idea of this scape will be keeping things simple, no chasing the mystical red dragon (red rotala etc..) with high light and will be focusing on good steady growth and general tank health

Tank – ADA 75P (140L)
Stand – ADA Garden Stand
Light – Chihiros Vivid with Chihiros hanging kit
Filter – Eheim Pro 4+ 350t with course foam, Matrix and Purigen
Co2 – Co2Art Pro-SE & inline diffuser via 2kg FE
In/Outlet – Cal Aqua Influx X3 lily pipe & Chihiros Stainless outflow

Hardscape – Seiryu stone & Manzanita wood
Substrate – Tropica soil & powder
Ferts – EI

Plant list (updated):
  • 3 x Rotala h'ra (1-2 grow)
  • 1 x Rotala Green (1-2 grow)
  • 2 x Eleocharis Acicularis Mini (1-2 grow)
  • 2 x Staurogyne Repens (1-2 grow)
  • 1 x Hygrophila Araguaia (1-2 grow)
  • 1 x Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis (1-2 grow)
  • 1 x Lilaeopsis Novae-Zealandiae (pot)
  • 1 x Hygrophila Pinnatafida (1-2 grow)
  • 2 x Bucephalandra Mini Needle Leaf (dennerle in-vitro)
  • Bucephalandra Braun Rot (from previous scape)
  • Bucephalandra Lamandau Red (from previous scape)
  • Bucephalandra Theia (from previous scape)
  • Bucephalandra Biblis (from previous scape)
  • Microsorum Trident (from previous scape)
  • Mini Christmas Moss (from previous scape)
 
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Nice rock work and plant list @Kalum

Interested to see what manzanita you’re adding, looking set to be a great triangular layout.
 
Cheers @Geoffrey Rea, funnily enough I'm just making my way through your decandance journal as the last time I was on it was only on page 3 or 4 I think

The manzanita is where it might get slightly controversial as the ideas I had in my head and the initial 5min mock up didn't fit any particular style, rule or golden ratio...

But here I am with a pretty traditional triangular layout. Quite enjoying winging it and just doing what feels right to the eye rather than days of planning the hard scape and overthinking it like previously
 
Kalum said:
Quite enjoying winging it and just doing what feels right to the eye rather than days of planning the hard scape and overthinking it like previously
Click to expand...

It’s liberating just winging it, you have all that experience running in the background accounting for inflow/outflow/distribution/how it will grow out going on in the background anyway... Nice to simply trust in that experience and get in a creative flow state.
 
Not sure there's much 'experience' to draw on quite yet @Geoffrey Rea but the little voices do help steer me in a direction :lol:

Plans for today since i was late and didn't get my @Aquarium Gardens order in till Sunday are:
  • Mock up manzanita and finalise hardscape
  • Partially plant with what i'm reusing from my old tank (pretty much just epiphytes)
  • Flood and start water changes from today
 
Kalum said:
Not sure there's much 'experience' to draw on quite yet @Geoffrey Rea but the little voices do help steer me in a direction :lol:
Click to expand...

The only way to find out what unconscious competence we have is to test it. Scaping off the cuff then reviewing afterwards, it becomes interesting to see what we’ve accounted for e.g. flow patterns on a small scale, mm perfect space left for an inlet/outlet, low/high flow areas and plant planning that suits areas inch by inch... All in automatic, it goes on and on the more experience we add, either through rescaping or viewing other people’s setups across time. It’s fun, building up that 10’000 hours.

Usually lots of declarative and procedural knowledge operating/those little voices. For example:

Kalum said:
it might get slightly controversial as the ideas I had in my head and the initial 5min mock up didn't fit any particular style, rule or golden ratio...

But here I am with a pretty traditional triangular layout.
Click to expand...

More scapes, more traditions on the large and small scale to fall back on when creating.

Anyway I’ll shush and look forward to your creation, subscribed. Looking forward to seeing the manzanita in and your EAPLC entry was really great @Kalum 👍🏽 Well done on your ranking!
 
noodlesuk said:
Amazing hardscape, very dramatic. Following this with interest, to pick up some tips!
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Thanks noodles and always happy to share the good and the bad, it's a learning curve for all of us
Inked_aqua said:
Nice! The hardscape has a great flow to it 👌
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much appreciated inked aqua

Geoffrey Rea said:
The only way to find out what unconscious competence we have is to test it. Scaping off the cuff then reviewing afterwards, it becomes interesting to see what we’ve accounted for e.g. flow patterns on a small scale, mm perfect space left for an inlet/outlet, low/high flow areas and plant planning that suits areas inch by inch... All in automatic, it goes on and on the more experience we add, either through rescaping or viewing other people’s setups across time. It’s fun, building up that 10’000 hours.

Usually lots of declarative and procedural knowledge operating/those little voices. For example:



More scapes, more traditions on the large and small scale to fall back on when creating.

Anyway I’ll shush and look forward to your creation, subscribed. Looking forward to seeing the manzanita in and your EAPLC entry was really great @Kalum 👍🏽 Well done on your ranking!
Click to expand...
that's it mate, you push yourself into the unknown and you either swim with the dolphins or sink to the reef below, either way the view is great and you learn something along the way

appreciate that Geoffrey and please do anything apart from shush, love a discussion and a bit of banter and the last thing I want is a boring journal :thumbup:
 
spent the past hour debating with myself if the top branch is too much or not :crazy: but it needs something as the planting will be pretty simple, lack of stems means having to add drama and texture in other ways.......this certainly does that but does it detract from the rest of the scape....possibly, does it look good.....possibly, is it tomorrows decision.....definitely

DSC00645-2.jpgDSC00648-2.jpg
 
CooKieS said:
I think it looks cool!!
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glad i'm not the only one at least @CooKieS :lol: appreciate the input

Wolf6 said:
I prefer it with the branches in place. Rockscapes are often pretty, but get boring very fast. The wood adds lasting interest, at least to me.
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couldn't agree more @Wolf6, the branches following the rocks are there to stay, it's the 'feature' piece i'm mainly debating. I want to try and roughly follow the golden ration thinking and give the scape a main and also secondary focal point to draw the eye across the scape
 
below is another option from the pre-selected wood i had out for this scape and initially i'm not feeling it, BUT i need to try and think of the finished article after grow out and it would allow me to place and use moss better than the dominant branch above and it gives slightly more flow to the scape but a lot less drama

will revisit my manzanita box tucked away in the garage and see if there are any other pieces worth considering after my coffee

DSC00653-2.jpgDSC00655-2.jpg
 
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PARAGUAY said:
Very end wood looks a little out of place? Prefer it with wood reaching accross
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agree @PARAGUAY that's my initial thoughts as well, planted would soften this but it still doesn't quite fit with the rest of the scape

taking photos is proving to be quite useful as it gives me a different perspective (weirdly)
 
I agree with Paraguay, that the branch looks a little out of place but I'm also not sure the branch looks right when reaching out into the water column as it goes against the other wood (growing up rather than down following the rockwork). I think as the rocks are so nice I'd at least try that piece of wood to follow them in the same way as the other wood does.

I'm not an aquascaper though.
 
Loving the look of this, as a complete noob to scaping I think they all look cool, but for personal preference I like the last image a lot
 
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