Hardscape Ideas and Opinions

BioHazard

BioHazard

Here and There
Mar 15, 2009
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PA
Hi! Looking for some comments/criticism/ideas for the 20 gallon I'm working on. I'm gonna be painting the back really really dark blue. It will be planted with anubias, crypts, spiral vals, java ferns, flame moss and a marimo ball. The substrate will be flourite black sand. The stock will be a bamboo shrimp, 2 peacock gudgeons, 6 kuhli loaches and 8 neon tetras. I might add a couple of ghost shrimp and/or a brig snail.
I would like the tank to look like a river bed.
I've been playing around with composition a bit. How does this look? Remember, there will be plants added also.
P1060167.jpg

P1060169.jpg

P1060170.jpg

P1060171.jpg

Any suggestions? I'd appreciate any help.
:help:
 
Oh, also... its a glass tank, but it's got that whitish, opaque stuff on it. I scrubbed it with a sponge and ammonia, but it hasn't come off. Any idea what it is, or how to clean it off?
 
So far so good
 
As far as the aquascaping, looks great.
The white stuff IMO is 'hard water' stains.
I get this in my tanks that have been set up for a long time. The best way I have found is to soak the sides in white vinager.(just keep flipping the tank in the bath tub or slop sink).
I would never wash anything fish or aquatic with ammonia, I use kosher salt, white vinager and a 'fish only' scrubbing brush.
Good luck...
Send pics when done.
 
thesixis said:
As far as the aquascaping, looks great.
The white stuff IMO is 'hard water' stains.
I get this in my tanks that have been set up for a long time. The best way I have found is to soak the sides in white vinager.(just keep flipping the tank in the bath tub or slop sink).
I would never wash anything fish or aquatic with ammonia, I use kosher salt, white vinager and a 'fish only' scrubbing brush.
Good luck...
Send pics when done.
Click to expand...

Cool! I work at a grocery store anyway, so I can pick up some white vinegar and a scrubby sponge.
The reason I used ammonia is because I figured I could rinse it out really well, and any leftover ammonia would "cycle" out. It didn't get the hard water stains off, so I'll try this.
 
It's hard to tell without the plants in there but with the driftwood on the left side of the tank, be careful of drawing the eye out of the tank. You will want to try and keep the viewers eye within the tank and if the stick is pointing towards the outside of the tank the eye may wander away from the tank. But, once its planted that might not be a problem.

Proportions between the hardscape material look good. You also might find that the hardscaping isn't tall enough but since you are adding some taller plants in there that may prove to be a non issue as well.

One of the best things about planted tanks, for me at least, is that they are always evolving. Its a never finished piece of art. I will get my tank to a point where I am ready to take a photo of it and then as soon as I take the picture I dive in a rearrange things again. I think you have a great start. I love the stones btw!
 
Hurley said:
It's hard to tell without the plants in there but with the driftwood on the left side of the tank, be careful of drawing the eye out of the tank. You will want to try and keep the viewers eye within the tank and if the stick is pointing towards the outside of the tank the eye may wander away from the tank. But, once its planted that might not be a problem.

Proportions between the hardscape material look good. You also might find that the hardscaping isn't tall enough but since you are adding some taller plants in there that may prove to be a non issue as well.

One of the best things about planted tanks, for me at least, is that they are always evolving. Its a never finished piece of art. I will get my tank to a point where I am ready to take a photo of it and then as soon as I take the picture I dive in a rearrange things again. I think you have a great start. I love the stones btw!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm a little worried about that too. The main reason that branch is like that is because I'm going to have the powerhead there for the bamboo shrimp. I might consider mounting it on some acrylic and pointing it the other way, or putting it at a different angle. I have a feeling I'll be rearranging it a million times, but that will give me something to keep me busy while I'm cycling it later this month.
 
20Ls are great tanks, but they suck for being planted due to being so shallow. Spiral vals will be a pita- they will quickly cover the surface, consider using corkscrews instead. (Also remember,most vals don't like Excel but corkscrews tolerate it the best imo.)

Everything else will also eventually give you size or height problems- some sooner than others. You miigh consider either a few parva swords or even a compacta sword as a 'centerpiece". Also look at the wendelov java over the standard java. The wendelov tends to bush more than the regular one which will break the surface in a 20L.

Oh- did I mention I have a few planted 20Ls? :p The very wise RTR wrote someplace he had given up planting in shallow tanks. Unfortunately, I read it after the fact :p If its not too late, consider using a 29. It has the same footprint as the 20L but is 6 inches deeper :-)

Sorry for not answering the hardscape part. But my feeling is it has to please you, so if you like it thats all that counts ;-).
 
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