Critique my aquascape Triangular 70cm scape- First time

[Alex Papp]

Hi,
I need some advice on a triangular scape that I was trying out. I've kept plants in my tanks successfully for 5 years now, but I've never actually aquascaped any of my tanks, I've just put some wood in the middle and tied some anubias on.
This tank will have a Kessil A160E, so I can grow some stem plants, with Scaper's Soil, and no Co2 (for the near future at least) It measures 70lengthx35widthx40height cm.
I realize it looks quite bad, but I was wondering if anyone had any ideas to improve it.
The larger piece of wood is put their to cover up a very flat topped stone. I feel like I need some wood traveling up to the top left hand corner, maybe coming out of the tank.
The rocks I have is quite flat, so if anyone has any other different styles of hardscape I could do please tell me.

Thanks for the help, (if I can be helped)

Alex

 

[Keith GH]

Alex

I realize it looks quite bad, but I was wondering if anyone had any ideas to improve it.

I like it very much when you admit it requires improvement.

I am going to go way way back to lets start over again.

First step make a mock tank and use sand as a substrate.

Its a lot easier and safer working from the front.

Those rocks are boring, flat and, completely uninteresting.
Here you have two options one easy the extremely hard. First buy new rocks that are full of character or, try to do something with what you have.

Once you have made that decision then and only then can you start creating an average or an excellent aquascape.

Keith

 

[Tbone]

Maybe if you could find a way to break those rocks up they would form some naturally interesting shapes for you to work with???

Then you’d also have a range of sizes for different purposes

 

[Alex Papp]

First step make a mock tank and use sand as a substrate.

Yes good idea, it is hard to move the rocks while in the tank, and quite annoying to constantly stand back and see what it looks like.

 

[Alex Papp]

Tbone, thanks. I'll try to break them up a bit.
I have no shops that sell good hardscape supplies near me so if I got new rocks I'd have to get them online which I don't really want to do.

 

[Alex Papp]

Keith GH - ready to fill with sand

 

[Keith GH]

Alex


Good you are off to a big learning curve.

Before you break any rocks ask on the forum if any member knows of where you can get quality rocks in or close to where you live.

Keith

 

[Alex Papp]

Keith GH I will be buying some rocks soon locally.
Thanks for the idea.

 

[Nigel95]

Great idea to make a scape box!

 

[Alex Papp]

Hi everyone.
Just to give context to this tank, I had already had fish and plants in it. While the tank was empty I put both in plastic tubs (with the filter running).
However, I couldn't keep them long term in here and I've had trouble getting hardscape - all the shops I tried only had a few pieces left (waiting for a new order to arrive) or were closed.
I put them back in the tank for now. This is not the final Scape at all, just needed to put something together quickly
the rock at the back is to keep the wood down, I know the left rock is way too flat and I know I shouldn't have the Amazon sword right in the middle.

 

[Alex Papp]

Hi,
Not been active for a while, I decided to go to Aquarium Gardens in the summer (once I had saved up enough money- I'm only 15) and buy the hardscape there. Went with Mountain Stone and Manzanita wood.
Steven from AG helped me.

And this is the bus stop (if anyone apart from me goes from Huntingdon Station to AG by bus).

 

[Siege]

Hi Alex. It was good to see you again just before Christmas. Hope you got back to London smoothly!

Steve.

Ps. Pictures donot do your hardscape justice!

 

[Alex Papp]

Many months later I got the plants from them. I went there as I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted so I thought I being there in person would be better since I could see all the plants. It was the 23rd of Dec, so stock was slightly lower, but they had nearly everything I wanted. Once again, thanks to Steve.
I chose:
-Back, left to right
Myriophyllum Mattogrossense
Gratiola Viscidula
Rotala H'ra
Pogostemon Erectus
Scrophulariaceae sp. ADA TISSUE CULTURE

-In between each block of plants I put some
Cryptocoryne spiralis tiger ADA TISSUE CULTURE, just for fun, dont know how it will turn out.

-For the foreground
Helanthium Tenellum
Hydrocotyle Tripartita

-For the hardscape
Hygrophila Pinnatafida
Bucephalandra Biblis and Theia
Riccardia Chamedryfolia (Haven't attached yet, waiting for slime on wood to go)

I will add H. araguaia for mid ground, and possibly get some rare plants from Aquasabi in the future.

 

[Alex Papp]

@Siege Thank you very much for your help, and for the car ride.

Here are some pictures of the scape 1 week, 3 days old.

 

[Alex Papp]

In terms of equipment, the tank has a
JBL CrystalProfi Greenline e701with standard media + filter floss
Aquarebell Glass Inlet/Outlet
EHEIM skim 350
A very old Aquael Gold heater that I'm just using to keep the tank above 20°C. I have an EHEIM 100W I plan to use.

-For CO2 I have
Machine Mart disposable welding cylinder (£14 for 600 grams, expensive, but works out cheaper than any gas refill place or LFS near me, unfortunately)
JBL u001 regulator
Co2 Supermarket Solenoind, connected with metal tube to reg to stop explosions
JBL 2-in-1 Bubble counter/ Non return valve
Aquario Neo medium diffusor

-For lighting I have
Kessil A160WE Tuna Sun, at 60% Brightness (Will ramp it up.)

-For Ferts I'm doing EI every day, 15ml of Micro or Macro from APF UK

Unfortunately, at 60% brightness the Scrophulariaceae sp isn't growing very fast, its farthest away form the light. Some plants are also being towards the light. Because of this, I will use the Kessil on my smaller 45cm tank and I will buy a Chihiros A601 Pus. Until it comes I'll move the Kessil around. Its a very good light, if only my tank was 10cm shorter.

 

[Kalum]

Fair play Alex you're doing better at 15 than i did when i started a year ago at 32, all i'd say is focus on good growth instead of fast growth. Maybe move the Kessil further to the left in the mean time and see how you get on with it being closer to the plant mass. As long as things are growing well with no algae then you're onto a winner, fast growth with algae (blasting light) will just give you a headache and you'll spend more time trying to fix it rather than enjoying it. It's early days since you've set up this tank so just have a bit of patience and it'll get even better

 

[Alex Papp]

Thanks Kalum,
I had the light in the middle of the plant mass, but the plants on the far right started to melt a little. Obviously once the light intensity was higher, later on, it would get brighter on the right side anyway. However I really didn't want to risk this plant melting away as I really like it. You're right I need more patience because although I'm doing everything to prevent algae (all the water changes) I feel like I'm putting a lot of CO2, Ferts and Light into the tank, to get fast growth- it doesn't feel sustainable.
I'll switch to the Chihiros anyway, because I'd like to use the Kessil on something else, but don't worry I'll keep it on a low setting!

 

[Alex Papp]

Hi all,
Here is an update.The tank is nearly a month old now. I've been doing daily 90% water changes, I'll now do every other day (for the next month?). No algae issues yet.
-What's changed:
attached riccia to wood
trimmed and replanted the myriophyllum
added the lagenandra meedboldi green
added some horned nerite snails
putting a little more CO2 and ferts in

Any tips or ideas would be appreciated. Is it time to trim the h. pinnatifida? @Siege - the ADA tiger crypt I've got is red in the high-light area but has a green stripe down the middle of each leaf in the shady area.
Here are the pictures:

I'm still moving the Kessil A160WE around every day, the hydrocotyle tripartita isn't grown as fast though as it doesn't get enough light. The Chihiros A601 Plus from China still hasn't arrived- how can Chinapost take 4 days to deliver a phone, and DHL take nearly the 3 weeks for the light?

 

[Alex Papp]

Shall I put this in journals?

 

[Alex Papp]

@Aquarium Gardens @Siege
Here's the photo I did for IAPLC 2019. I took it in May. The plants have changed because the Myriophyllum never recovered from the brown algae. Instead is Pogostemon ocotpus. Thanks for all your help, and my requests for annoying plants (they are for another project). Its grown in a lot since this picture, I'll probably do a final picture in a few months and then re-scape.
The plants are now so dense and big that the sand is almost in darkness (I haven't trimmed for 2 weeks) but I want to get some nice emerged growth.

Who can guess the fish? I'll send you some plants if you can.