FresH2O's Shrimp Tank

[Fresh2o]

Cut a piece of cardboard(or something similar) to match the footprint of the tank..lay out the rocks on top to play around with diff configurations...

sit in silence...

I was thinking of doing that or using an old towel with the dimensions marked out with tape or a Sharpie.

Never seen the brown flecks in my BDBS tanks. Do they feel of the same material?

Jesse

I did not feel them but they look rougher in texture. There are also flecks of yellowish-brown "glass" in there.

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[Fresh2o]

Okay AA, I need some opinions! I have some driftwood and stones that can be use as a foundation for the moss (thanks Fish Wrangler for the insight). Both hardscape items will have moss glued and/or tied to them. I could do DW or stones or some of each. Not sure if it will matter what I use since the plan is to cover them as much as possible with moss.
Here is a pic of the goal. Notable differences are the shape of the tank (square/cube) and colors of substrate and walls.

Here is the DW. Water is low because of displacement:

Here is stones #1:

Here is stones #2 (minor difference):

I have some smaller stones (not pictured) that can be placed in front of the larger stones as a transition.
Let me know what you think!


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[TheresaM]

Rachel just posted this yesterday: Tuesday Tip- Using superglue to attach low light plants

 

[Tbox]

Super glue seems to be a game changer. Any brands to avoid?

 

[fish wrangler]

I like the driftwood the best. Maybe use some of the small and large rocks with the driftwood to add different shapes and add some height.

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[Brookster123]

I'd use the dw for foreground and some of those big ol boulders for background, create the mountainous terrain and such..

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[Fresh2o]

...yes, keep the comments coming...
Rachel rocks. Met her earlier in the year at a local fish club monthly meeting. Wealth of info. Great combo of passion + career.


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[Tbox]

I'm always partial to DW.
Since you have bigger rounded type rocks, here's a Bob Ross painting that uses a nice rock transition like fish wrangler said.
AA really has me wanting a 20L and 40b.
Looking forward to the moss filling in your tank fresh!


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[Tbox]

Bob Ross paintings

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[Fresh2o]

Bob Ross. So relaxing.
Another layout...Combo #1:

I removed the large, flat 8 lb stone and now there is no height in the center.
Will try another arrangement with less stones and more DW.
Regarding weight, the stones combined were about 30-35 lbs. Is that too much for this tank? Also, there is a very thin layer of sand versus a 2" layer of coarse gravel. Should I put something under the stones to help distribute the weight? Such as egg crating (the white plastic grid and not the corrugated foam)? Or I was thinking of squares of food grade silicon sheets; the kind you place on the counter to protect it from hot items. Concerned about singular pressure points.


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[Brookster123]

That's more.like it!

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[fish wrangler]

It wouldn't hurt to use some egg crate and is probably a good idea.

This is my favorite layout so far.

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[TheresaM]

I like this last layout best!

The shrimp definitely prefer driftwood over rocks but the combo is nice. Rock colors contrast well with the black sand.

 

[tiger terror]

Another layout...Combo #1:

I


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I like this one...Will you be filling the gaps between the stones?

sit in silence...

 

[Eggheadfish]

That's the ticket fresh! I have an ungodly amount of weight in rocks in my 90g no prob, also have a few rocks sitting on styrofoam in my 40. I prefer to err on the side of caution but haven't had issues not doing it.

 

[Fresh2o]

It appears that the DW + stone combo is a winner. Thanks for the input. I have egg crate in the garage; I can break out a few squares. As for gaps, I'm hoping the moss will grow in. I could try moss balls.
Moss package arrived this afternoon! Fissidens fox (Mini Fissidens) and Red Moss. Bonus cholla wood and shrimp food thrown in as well (shout out to junglefowl). Going to drop them into the shrimp tank and let the fluff up.

Hopefully tonight I can start gluing moss to the sticks and stones.


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[TheresaM]

Looking forward to seeing the red!

I always soak my cholla first, having it floating and spinning in the tank drives me crazy

 

[Fresh2o]

First attempt at gluing moss to stone: Take 1
Selected a stone and one golf ball size clump of Mini Fissidens:

First I separated the moss into strands. Initially I clipped the strands into 1/2" sections but gluing them on was tedious. I later worked with longer strands:

Good news: I did not glue my fingers to the counter or themselves. Here is the first attempt:

I understand that the white color (the glue) will disappear eventually and the moss should grow over it. Here it is in the tank:

My wife says it looks like a hair transplant. The good thing is that I can always glue on more moss as needed. 1 stone down, 5 to go. Plus 3 pieces of DW. Some will go on the substrate (via the SS mesh).
All for now...


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[PassengerTN]

Love seeing progress!

Jesse

 

[TheresaM]

Interesting, thanks for posting the pics!

Wonder how it would work with subwassertang.....