Help With Building A New Aquascape?

[orador223]

Ok, so I ordered 3 new bags of substrate, 2 floramax original 15lbs each (pic 1), 1 floramax midnight 12lbs (pic 2), and I currently have 50lbs of pool filter sand in my main tank, which I will still want to leave in (pic 3). I want some advice on how to arrange the 3 substrates, i'm planning on doing sand on the bottom, then the original floramax, then the midnight for a top layer with everything banked towards the back of the tank, I think there's a more creative way to do this though that I can't think of.

I'm also trying to reorganize the tank at the same time, this is the decor I have in my tank, 2 medium pieces of driftwood, 1 jumbo piece of driftwood, 1 asian gazebo, 1 lava rock, 1 other rock, lots of slate slabs, and a turquoise rock.

My plants: lots of aponogeton bulbs, one lily bulb, cryptocoryne balansae, marimo moss balls, another type of crypt, needle leaf fern, hornwort, and java moss.
Can also add some plants from my other tank: amazon swords, water sprite, hydrocotyle japan, guppy grass, and pennywort.

pic 1-

pic 2-

pic 3-

Open to all suggestions! Thanks! The tank is 65 gallons by the way

 

[Mebbid]

The 3 substrates will eventually all become mixed. I would probably avoid using the sand on the bottom because you don't want it compacting preventing the plant roots from growing into it.

I've seen people do separations in the substrate but those eventually become mixed over time. For example I've seen a nice river of white sand running through a tank of black substrate.

 

[orador223]

The 3 substrates will eventually all become mixed. I would probably avoid using the sand on the bottom because you don't want it compacting preventing the plant roots from growing into it.

I've seen people do separations in the substrate but those eventually become mixed over time. For example I've seen a nice river of white sand running through a tank of black substrate.

So how would you do it?

 

[Mebbid]

I would probably get some black aquarium gravel of a similar grain size and mix it all together. Even if you try to layer the black over the standard color every time you pull up a plant it will pull of some of the bottom layer up with it. If it was all mixed together it would make a nice blend of black with a splash of the red / brown.

That's how I would do it anyways. But personally, I trim, replant, and move plants quite often so the mixing would be more of an issue for me than some other people.

 

[orador223]

I would probably get some black aquarium gravel of a similar grain size and mix it all together. Even if you try to layer the black over the standard color every time you pull up a plant it will pull of some of the bottom layer up with it. If it was all mixed together it would make a nice blend of black with a splash of the red / brown.

That's how I would do it anyways. But personally, I trim, replant, and move plants quite often so the mixing would be more of an issue for me than some other people.

I rarely move my plants and vacuum less than a regular tank since it's a PT, so I don't think that i'll have an issue with mixing

 

[Tobykourtney]

I rarely move my plants and vacuum less than a regular tank since it's a PT, so I don't think that i'll have an issue with mixing

I thought the same thing with my tank and it did mix over time doesn't look to bad though. I used cichlid sand and eco complete on top. Now it's just salt and peppered.

 

[orador223]

I thought the same thing with my tank and it did mix over time doesn't look to bad though. I used cichlid sand and eco complete on top. Now it's just salt and peppered.

It's rather easy to unmix though since the floramax particles are much heavier than sand and sand gets sucked up by a gravel vac very easily

 

[GodFan]

I would make a hilly substrate. Maybe have the driftwood partially buried in a hill.

 

[orador223]

I'm thinking maybe something as complex as this

 

[MATESkid2016]

That looks sick!

 

[orador223]

That looks sick!

Indeed it does, mine won't come out half as good as that though i wonder how that sand is so clean, i can never get mine like that

 

[aquandrew]

ever heard of the International Aquatic Plant Layout Contest? they have some INSANE tanks
http://twistedsifter.com/2011/05/top-25-freshwater-aquariums-in-the-world/

 

[MATESkid2016]

No I haven't but Ill check out the link

 

[MATESkid2016]

Those are amazing!! It's amazing what you can do with plants and water

 

[aquandrew]

Those are amazing!! It's amazing what you can do with plants and water

i know i wish i had the money to do that!! lol that was only 2010 though. in the march or april issue of tropical fish hobbyist they had the top 10 planted tanks and the first prize was a jungle canopy made to look like the amazon lol i liked it so much its going on my fish collage

 

[MATESkid2016]

Omg that's crazy!! I've always wanted to have a gigantic ecosystem of a tank from each continent with fish, reptiles, and birds so that they had the space to all live together

 

[aquandrew]

Omg that's crazy!! I've always wanted to have a gigantic ecosystem of a tank from each continent with fish, reptiles, and birds so that they had the space to all live together

have you ever seen when a stranger calls? i want what they have, a glass room made like a rainforest with birds and animals then a pond on the bottom for fish. that would be so cool