Mister got the wood to build the stand today. Once the fellow at Swiss Tropicals gets back from travels, I'll be ordering the custom corner Hamberg Mattenfilter. After initial contact, he gave me a suggestion for an appropriate submersible pump I'm going to take. I will likely wind up putting a stainless steel mesh across the front of the corner HMF so when time comes, I can pull the foam for cleaning without completely wrecking house. Mister, who used to build ponds commercially in VA, is going to devise a sort of spray bar to emulate a waterfall that will have good circulating flow without plastering the shrimp against the opposite wall or, frankly, not doing any good at all. This may involve getting a higher gph pump and setting up a hydra (multi-head) output to ensure the waterfall effect + complete circulation. I think it'd be interesting to have low flow water vents off the wall side of the rock to ensure there won't be any dead spots.
I'm going to go with Miracle Gro Organic Potting soil, covered with a cotton/poly blend canvas mesh (Graph N' Latch Canvas, 36-Inch by 60-Inch, Amazon, 5 holes per inch) topped with red clay, which will in turn be covered by black sand. It amuses me the most expensive part in this setup will be the substrate, not the lights. The mesh will help me keep things in place, and off the filter after I wet, knead (that's how we get air out of bread dough
) and shape the potting soil base landscape. The 36" side of the mesh will go across the short side to make sure of full coverage, as it's easier to trim off than it is to add on. I figure the nutrients will filter up through the mesh into the clay while keeping the largest MTS out of it for a little while until the cotton melts. By then, the top layers will be well set. Polyester is often used in floss filtration, so I have no worries there. The mesh be run through sanitize cycle in my front loader with vinegar to make sure it's safe. To assist with bio and add a little realism to the picture, I'll be scattering bits of crushed red lava rock in the ground cover. If you've ever been up to northern California around the Shasta area, you'll see the stuff ev ur whur from when Shasta was active.
Other than the water added to wet the potting soil, the rest of the planting will be done before the tank is filled. I'm going to use Indian Almond Bark curls and green filter sponge to make the "pine trees" with chopped peacock moss packed into the sponge. It'll take a while to grow out, but I suspect the end result will be lovely. The "willow" tree planned for the front 1/3 area past the waterfall will be manzanita (as soon as I find an appropriate piece), with bits of green sponge stuffed with weeping moss. On the tops of the branches, I'll have fluffy bits glued on with thin strips of sponge (1 cm) to make sure the willow effect happens. We'll see if it winds up a disaster hahaha The idea is with the eventual water flow, the willow should appear to be blowing in the wind. It may be that this gets grown out separately, and added in when it's well-established.
I've decided to go with Finnex Planted+ 24/7, which Amazon has at the mo for 116/ea. I'll see how it goes with one, since most of the plants will be low light (moss abound!), but fully prepared to get two.
Again, if anyone sees something wrong, please let me know. The inhabitants will be neocaridina, snails, otocinclus and celestial pearl danio. This is the first time I'm attempting something so ambitious, it's going to take a lot of time and effort. I know there are plenty more knowledgeable people here than I, and I definitely value any cautions, recommendations and feedback.
