Caliban's AquaOpti 85L

[Bert2oo1]

Lots of pressure yours one of my favorites too.

I'm feeling the pressure don't worry [emoji16] I know what I want but it's the plants and keeping it algae free that will be the hard part.

 

[Caliban07]

Thanks yeah it's a blank canvass now. Won't be getting plants till the weekend.

I think have about £100 of unused stuff.

£47 on rock.
£33 on eco complete
£15 on drainage cells
£5 on substrate support material
£12 on dark sand

Lol love wasting cash me.

 

[Bert2oo1]

Thanks yeah it's a blank canvass now. Won't be getting plants till the weekend.

I think have about £100 of unused stuff.

£47 on rock.
£33 on eco complete
£15 on drainage cells
£5 on substrate support material
£12 on dark sand

Lol love wasting cash me.

Haha tell me about it I've spent over $600 so far and I'm not even halfway there! So much for that house deposit haha

 

[TMaier]

Just take all that leftover stuff and build another tank[emoji12]

 

[Aquatecture]

The 10g jungle

It's nice! So much variety of plants. It does look like a jungle but it has order! Tastefully done, really.

 

[Aquatecture]

Here it is. A lot more simple. Sometimes less is more.

Hope you like it.

It's difficult to grasp a sense of height from the pictures but the left corner is mounted about half way up the tank.

I can see the depth alright. Well balanced scape !

 

[Autumnsky]

Please take this as a friendly thought and not that I have any ill intent to be annoying, or disrespecting your tank.

If you set up DW and stones using the rule of 1/3rd's grid, the DW should be over towards center about an inch or 2cm or so, can't tell for sure the # of inches part, with the gap of the DW branches at the 1/3rd line then the center long stone needs a second stone behind it as it seems to look too much like a row/fence of stones,

Then maybe a way to get the right small stone to the right side 1/3rd lower line. Which might happen if you slide the whole thing over the 1 inch or so.

Then lastly, if you were to use the rule of 1/3rds lines on the bottom of the tank looking down from the top to the substrate - the whole bit might need to be closer to the front on the front 1/3rd line or to the back to the rear 1/3rd line.

Thats just my 1/3rd (not even 2 cents) cents about it. Recently reading about the grid thing and it does make the vision more pleasant to observe - natural in a completely staged way. Please do not think of this as critical, you make beautiful tank scapes. (I am hiding right now as I hit the post button.)

 

[nirbhao]

Here it is. A lot more simple. Sometimes less is more.

Hope you like it.

View attachment 292727

View attachment 292728

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It's difficult to grasp a sense of height from the pictures but the left corner is mounted about half way up the tank.

Really gorgeous.

 

[Caliban07]

Just take all that leftover stuff and build another tank[emoji12]

Noooo lol I'm done. My days of multiple tanks are over. 4 tanks was not good when I think about it. Makes me realise how patient and understanding my partner is to be honest.

 

[Caliban07]

I can see the depth alright. Well balanced scape !

Thank you [emoji4]

 

[Caliban07]

Please take this as a friendly thought and not that I have any ill intent to be annoying, or disrespecting your tank.



If you set up DW and stones using the rule of 1/3rd's grid, the DW should be over towards center about an inch or 2cm or so, can't tell for sure the # of inches part, with the gap of the DW branches at the 1/3rd line then the center long stone needs a second stone behind it as it seems to look too much like a row/fence of stones,



Then maybe a way to get the right small stone to the right side 1/3rd lower line. Which might happen if you slide the whole thing over the 1 inch or so.



Then lastly, if you were to use the rule of 1/3rds lines on the bottom of the tank looking down from the top to the substrate - the whole bit might need to be closer to the front on the front 1/3rd line or to the back to the rear 1/3rd line.



Thats just my 1/3rd (not even 2 cents) cents about it. Recently reading about the grid thing and it does make the vision more pleasant to observe - natural in a completely staged way. Please do not think of this as critical, you make beautiful tank scapes. (I am hiding right now as I hit the post button.)

Don't hide haha. I can see what you mean. I think the rule of thirds (although has been the basis of aquascaping for many years) is just that, a general guideline. Maybe I could add some plants in those areas that would completes the thirds.

I did run out of small rock to be honest and it was getting a bit late to be smashing it up in the back garden. I did want to add some more. All thought are welcome as always.

At this point I don't feel disappointed when I look at it like I did with the other attempts which Is good enough for me at present. Perhaps I will make small modifications over time but I'm just really looking forward to getting this think planted right now. The only issue I have is selection. The best shop for selection still only has the most common plants. I'd like to try ammania bonsai or plants like Rotala and some limnophilas are unobtainable locally.

 

[Caliban07]

Really gorgeous.

Thank you very much [emoji846]

 

[Caliban07]

Just ordered some blyxa japonica. I'll only be placing two, one on each side. At the weekend I'll be making some minor adjustments to the scape but it will be complete.

I'm thinking of glueing some moss to some stainless steel mesh (thin strips) and slotting them in between the crevices in the rock. I'll be adding a few more pieces of rock at the back right side and raising the right side ever so slightly.

At present I'm thinking of using more fore ground plants. To add height at each level. The Monte Carlo patch will be made narrower along the front to allow more planting at the back. I'll be adding a touch of red so maybe AR mini as again I've never tried it.

Really excited about the blyxa though. It isn't stocked anywhere locally and is sold out most places online. It wouldn't have worked in the previous scape attempts but I'm confident of placement in this one.

Trying to stick with a gradually higher foreground theme as I don't want too much height at the back except perhaps in the back left corner.

I'll also be sticking a black background on too.

 

[flchamp89]

Sounds awesome. I like the moss idea.

 

[Caliban07]

Sounds awesome. I like the moss idea.

Thanks. It does sound awesome and picturing me planting in my head looks awesome. How it's going to go down is another story [emoji23]

 

[flchamp89]

Ive used window screen before. Was nice because it was pliable.

 

[Bert2oo1]

I just got some blyxa myself I've heard it's not the easiest thing to grow either. The moss idea sounds awesome! Can't wait to see how it looks once your done! I'm also considering hygrophila pinnadifita, looks really interesting.

 

[Fresh2o]

Blyxa japonica is not difficult. Once it gets going it will start spreading and eating up real estate. It is nice in that it only gets to a certain height.

 

[Caliban07]

Blyxa japonica is not difficult. Once it gets going it will start spreading and eating up real estate. It is nice in that it only gets to a certain height.

The height is what I'm interested in I don't want a lot of height just carpets and bushes/privet type plants.

I'm thinking of trying some Pogostemon helferi again too.

 

[Caliban07]

I just got some blyxa myself I've heard it's not the easiest thing to grow either. The moss idea sounds awesome! Can't wait to see how it looks once your done! I'm also considering hygrophila pinnadifita, looks really interesting.

How are you finding it. The moss will hopefully look good but I'm not sure which type to use. Any moss experts give me any ideas? I'd like it to be a fine, smaller variety,