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Paulthewitt
Member
I think the first one looks better than the second. But still just does look quite right. Can’t put my finger on it though; and with plants it could go away...
Appreciate the input @mort, the upper branch in the first option is certainly 'out there' in all senses of the word and the 2nd option just didn't quite look right and was unnatural toward the right hand side
Cheers @Paul Kettless it's always good to see how many people prefer X or Y as it shows how we all see things differently
Thanks for the kind words @SRP3006, really happy with how the stone has turned out and it's just a shame most of it will be covered up....
Always find that with stone hardscape and it's frustrating you don't see a lot of the hard work underneath, but plants are king and these just provide the backbone and structure for them most of the time
That's it @Paulthewitt, i've got a very rough idea of how i want this to look but i'm even winging that and changing it as i go with what looks right to me so it's nigh on impossible for anyone else to have an idea of what i'm trying to do here
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Wood pointing up! Yah! Can tell by that indentation on the manzi next to the loctite 😂
Unfortunately i've lost most of my small leaf buce in the transition between tanks with them just melting within days which is pretty gutting, most of the larger leaf buce were completely fine. I'll be swapping out some of the buce down the line to add more smaller varieties again but for the time being i'll enjoy what i've got
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update of what has been happening since first fill above
Daily life has started like this at 8:30am....
The first week it sat very bare due to the first world problems of the great plant shortage of 2020/2021
While I wait on my AG order I had chanced my luck that Pets at Home had some old stock and picked up some green gold
Day 6 I got to tickle the tweezers and prep and plant, but was pretty much over before it started....so still looking very bare but it's better than nothing
Day 7 I got bored of not being able to plant anything so decided to have a spring clean
Daily life has started like this at 8:30am....
The first week it sat very bare due to the first world problems of the great plant shortage of 2020/2021
While I wait on my AG order I had chanced my luck that Pets at Home had some old stock and picked up some green gold
Day 6 I got to tickle the tweezers and prep and plant, but was pretty much over before it started....so still looking very bare but it's better than nothing
Day 7 I got bored of not being able to plant anything so decided to have a spring clean
Paulthewitt
Member
Looking good
The plant shortage is a pain! I also found the dwarf hairgrass at pets at home for 3 for £12... best price I could find, and in stock via click and collect (or postage... but I'm cheap!)
It may not be where we want to buy from, but when in stock you have little choice... not to mention money talks and highlights that on this product at least, perhaps more specialised providers are making quite a profit!
Despite Pets at home being huge, I still imagine most people after aqua scaping plants don't go there as a first port of call.... (hence it still being in stock)
The plant shortage is a pain! I also found the dwarf hairgrass at pets at home for 3 for £12... best price I could find, and in stock via click and collect (or postage... but I'm cheap!)
It may not be where we want to buy from, but when in stock you have little choice... not to mention money talks and highlights that on this product at least, perhaps more specialised providers are making quite a profit!
Despite Pets at home being huge, I still imagine most people after aqua scaping plants don't go there as a first port of call.... (hence it still being in stock)
Cheers @Paulthewitt, yeh it's definitely an inconvenience but like most things in the last year we just need to take it in our stride and attempt to adapt i suppose...
It's probably had the opposite effect on me than it has in the past and i'm very relaxed about this scape and it allows me to focus on getting everything else on point, another learning curve of trying to manage the start up of a scape with a carpet with a very low overall plant mass
P@H has always had good deals on the basic tropica range but definitely push the boundaries with quality control compared the likes of AG and some of the plants are not always in the best of condition, but it serves a purpose and good prices if you do find some good ones. It certainly helped me and was happy with 'old' stock in this instance!
It's probably had the opposite effect on me than it has in the past and i'm very relaxed about this scape and it allows me to focus on getting everything else on point, another learning curve of trying to manage the start up of a scape with a carpet with a very low overall plant mass
P@H has always had good deals on the basic tropica range but definitely push the boundaries with quality control compared the likes of AG and some of the plants are not always in the best of condition, but it serves a purpose and good prices if you do find some good ones. It certainly helped me and was happy with 'old' stock in this instance!
not called Bob
Member
the more specialised retailer will probably need to have easier to keep in stock plants at a higher price than PAT in part due to volume threw the door as the ranges in the shed is a lot smaller than the specialised outlet and also to offset the higher costs with stocking much more interesting and hard to keep plants, with out making said plants appear very expensive, if their true cost to the retailer was past on.
seems the same with pond plants, the ones that grow like weeds and are easy to propagate in the trade, suddenly seem to go for the same price as something that would have taken longer to get to point of sale.
@Kalum the current setup looks nice,
Paulthewitt
Member
True - i'm not wanting to sound to annoyed about pricing ...its only a couple of quid. But I have to say that the pets at home plants I got were healthier than some other suppliers, including two pots of Blyxa Japonica from Pro-shrimp which was all but dead and has not made it. It was so far gone that it was clear they should not have sent it out in that condition as it was clearly brown mush. Something I would accept from a shed selling things cheaper, but something I am quite upset about from a smaller provider who you would think would value the custom and aim to please. Instead they lost a customer at the start of the hobby, who likely would have repeated business (although I am hardly a big spender!). The mind boggles!
Hi all,
There is a more complete discussion of the economics of plant production in <"What's the demand for high street planted aquarium shops?"> and things haven't got any easier in the ten years since that thread.
cheers Darrel
<"Pretty standard in "horticulture">. When you have many shops selling non-aquatics you know that are considerable proportion of the aquarium plant buying public aren't particularly knowledgeable.
There is a more complete discussion of the economics of plant production in <"What's the demand for high street planted aquarium shops?"> and things haven't got any easier in the ten years since that thread.
cheers Darrel
I think with the current goings on we will see even more political red tape pricing rather than true cost, so i doubt it is something that will change and we will have to adapt to that just as the businesses will have to.
With regards to pro shrimp directly, i've used them many times before (but not for plants) and they have been great. It just so happens that i placed an order for some buce yesterday so will see what that is like when it turns up.
With regards to pro shrimp directly, i've used them many times before (but not for plants) and they have been great. It just so happens that i placed an order for some buce yesterday so will see what that is like when it turns up.
while we are on the topic of plants, I used the delay to slightly change my order with AG.....
Out goes the vallisneria nana, in comes h'ra (I caved after initially saying no stems) and hygro pinnatifida (my nemesis)
6 x Eleocharis Acicularis Mini
2 x Staurogyne Repens
1 x Hygrophila Araguaia
2 x Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis
3 x Rotala h'ra
1 x hygrophila pinnatafida
Out goes the vallisneria nana, in comes h'ra (I caved after initially saying no stems) and hygro pinnatifida (my nemesis)
6 x Eleocharis Acicularis Mini
2 x Staurogyne Repens
1 x Hygrophila Araguaia
2 x Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis
3 x Rotala h'ra
1 x hygrophila pinnatafida
Karmicnull
Member
Jayefc1
Member
Scape looks really nice mate if you want some pinta next time I trim il gladly send you some mate
without a doubt, just like various other plants some grow it with ease and others can't make it work for love nor money. It survives for me but doesn't seem to do much else.....i suppose this will be a reflection on if i have actually 'progressed' like the title if i can make it work this time round!
Cheers bud that's much appreciated.....i may well need some after I nuke this batch
Day 12 - Added some mini xmas moss which had lived between all 3 previous tanks in the last year since I got it from @Iain Sutherland, wanting to soften and blend the top piece of wood once grown in
