Aquascape Advice

[Rak9378]

Hey everyone. I have a 54g bow front that has been up and running for a few months. The whole art of aquascaping is new to me (as is aquarium keeping in general LOL). I recently made some changes but it doesn't feel done yet (will it ever?? ) I still feel like the center foreground can benefit from something just not sure what yet. I think the right side (when facing the tank) could also be filled in a bit more. But then again I think I just may be addicted to buying stuff from my LFS!! Anyway, any suggestions/feedback would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Rodeo one]

I think it looks really good! You could put a Tiger lotus or lily in the front. Love them.

 

[Super_Blueberry]

Looks great! Don't make the oversight that I did though. Plants grow. They can get big. Before you worry about 'filling' in an area, take some time to see if what you already have will fill it in for you in time. Otherwise, you'll make more work for yourself rearranging and removing plants like I had too.

 

[DragonFish71]

Stay on topic please. This is about the OP's tank, not someone else's shrimp.

 

[Mebbid]

I actually really like your scape. I personally would add something near the top of your rock to ad a splash of color. Other than that I don't see any major suggestions. I like the area in the front, it gives a bit of swimming room for fish.

Stay on topic please. This is about the OP's tank, not someone else's shrimp.

? I don't see anything that's off topic.

 

[DragonFish71]

I actually really like your scape. I personally would add something near the top of your rock to ad a splash of color. Other than that I don't see any major suggestions. I like the area in the front, it gives a bit of swimming room for fish.



? I don't see anything that's off topic.

mebbid,

That's because I already deleted those off topic posts. I have to post a warning in the thread. Mod duty and all.

 

[Ayi]

Add some anubias to the top rock.

 

[Old Scales]

Sorry Dragon. I was the guilty party, I forgot. OS.

 

[Rak9378]

I think it looks really good! You could put a Tiger lotus or lily in the front. Love them.View attachment 213019View attachment 213020

Thanks Rodeo. Its a little hard to see in the pic but I actually have a Dwarf Lilly to the left of the lace rock in the foreground. But I really love the plant in the pic you posted on the right. Is that Tiger Lotus?

Looks great! Don't make the oversight that I did though. Plants grow. They can get big. Before you worry about 'filling' in an area, take some time to see if what you already have will fill it in for you in time. Otherwise, you'll make more work for yourself rearranging and removing
plants like I had too.

Thanks Super_Blueberry that is something I am definitely taking into consideration. Its the main reason I'm debating whether or not I should try to fill in the space on the right. I may just put another piece of rock for now and see how the surrounding plants grow in.

I actually really like your scape. I personally would add something near the top of your rock to ad a splash of color. Other than that I don't see any major suggestions. I like the area in the front, it gives a bit of swimming room for fish.

I am planning on adding some moss to that top rock. Its already on my shopping list for the next trip to the LFS. Any suggestions for type?

Add some anubias to the top rock.

Thanks for the suggestion. I hadn't really considered that since there is a large Radican Sword at the base of the rock but Anubias might look good at the top left and would have the added benefit of blocking the intake tube. Thanks again.

 

[Rodeo one]

Pretty sure that s a dwarf lily & the Tiger Lotus is the one in the pic on the right.

 

[Rak9378]

Pretty sure that s a dwarf lily & the Tiger Lotus is the one in the pic on the right.

Thanks! I will be sure to check for it at my LFS. Yours looks like it is doing really well. Do you CO2 or any ferts?

 

[Rodeo one]

I don t use Co2, just Excell daily , Flourish & Iron once a week and Seachem root tabs.

 

[Mebbid]

I am planning on adding some moss to that top rock. Its already on my shopping list for the next trip to the LFS. Any suggestions for type?

I would suggest either Flame moss or Christmas moss. I have a ton of christmas moss that looks great anchored to a rock. It can be difficult to find either of those types in a lfs though. The only Moss I've ever actually seen in a store has been java moss.

 

[Rak9378]

I don t use Co2, just Excell daily , Flourish & Iron once a week and Seachem root tabs.

Great, thanks for the info!

I would suggest either Flame moss or Christmas moss. I have a ton of christmas moss that looks great anchored to a rock. It can be difficult to find either of those types in a lfs though. The only Moss I've ever actually seen in a store has been java moss.

Thanks Mebbid I will definitely look into those two. In case I can't find any at my LFS, what online retailer do you use?

 

[DragonFish71]

Another nice moss is subwassertang. Check it out, see what you think. You can usually get a good sized portion from dealers on aquabid.

 

[Rak9378]

Another nice moss is subwassertang. Check it out, see what you think. You can usually get a good sized portion from dealers on aquabid.

I will check it out! Thanks!

 

[Rak9378]

Here is an updated pic of my tank. I would like to add more plants but I think I'm reaching a point where I need to provide some extra fertilization. I am currently dosing Flourish 1-2x per week and I used Flourite under my substrate. My lighting consists of a T5 HO with two 10k daylight bulbs and I run it for 8 hours a day on a timer. I am thinking of starting a dosing schedule with Excel and adding dry macro ferts using the EI method. I'm also considering cutting back the amount of time the lights are on. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure there is a bunch of information I'm not providing so feel free to ask any questions.

 

[Rodeo one]

Your tank looks really good.
Here s what I ve learned from the forum ( I m no expert here, so hopefully others will chime in).... Lo to med plants need 6500 to 10000k, you need to use a carbon source daily (Excell or gluterhyde sp?) & to avoid algae, run lights 6 hrs a day. Best of luck & again, you ve done a nice job there .

 

[Brookster123]

Looks really nice!

 

[Sk3lly]

10,000k is just the spectrum rating of the bulb. You want it at 6500k