[Ryzilla]

Originally Posted by zergling

Tom, while I like your idea and seriously considering to do this with the new tank I'm getting this saturday, one thing comes to mind though..

What if your scape includes strong sloping?

It's easy to get the lower parts wet with water, but what about the peaks? To get the higher slopes wet with water, you'll flood down the lower parts, which may or may not experience algae growth....

This was my exact thoughts. You might have to mist the aquarium daily maybe more then daily to keep the roots and leaves moist. I see how this could work with a level surface, as I have done this with HC in my 2.5g. If the degree of the slope is subtle then some foreground plants would be eigth to half submerges like dwarf hairgrass. Even HC has some height to it so the degree of the slope would have to be more subtle then that of hairgrass.

All in all this makes sense. At the point were you add water the plants are very efficient and effective at taking up nutrients and growing. They could outcompete the algae initially making it more stable from the point of fish introduction. This also eliminates the need to pack your tank with fast growing stems like Green Hygo that you will never use in a scape. I think I am going to experiment with this when I rescape my tank in the near future.