New 12 Gallon Long!(PICS)

[Deathuall]

Wow, so, you have no idea how hard it is to get one of these in the UK, I eventually gave in and made a somewhat cheap deal with a contact my girlfriend has in the States in Marine depot.

Anyway, always admired these tanks, and now I finally have one! So I'm going to be patient and take my time with this. Already have all the things I need for the tank, just want some feedback on hardscape ideas! Thanks in advance!



That is one of the layouts I've tried, I ended up leaving it this way for now since I had to go to work last night and thought maybe a few hours away will help give a new perspective when I come home.

My inspiration for the layout are based of these extraordinary mountain ranges!

[vvDO]

You should definitely grind up some moss and apply it to the rocks at differing heights.

Looking forward to see where you go with this!!

[Imi Statue]

Really good inspiration! Like the layout so far but the gravel bed is a little um...flat, maybe have some height difference(s) on at least one of the 3 peaks.

Will be watching this thread for sure.
Thanks for sharing!

[Deathuall]

Originally Posted by vvDO

You should definitely grind up some moss and apply it to the rocks at differing heights.

Thanks vvDO, already have some Fiss from my other tank that I plan to use, its growing in every crook and cranny because of the grind up method! haha but I also plan on getting some Mini Pelia as well.

Originally Posted by Imi Statue

Really good inspiration! Like the layout so far but the gravel bed is a little um...flat, maybe have some height difference(s) on at least one of the 3 peaks.

Thanks Statue, yeah your right, I don't plan to keep it flat, I just wanted a concept to show whilst still showing where there is plenty of room to change/add. I've got half a bag of AS Amazonia 9L left for when I have time to play around with the hardscape. Got another 9 hour shift tonight so I can start anything tomorrow where I'll have a couple of hours to play! haha

[becky3086]

Your rocks are just wonderful. I can't wait to see how this turns out!

[assasin6547]

Are those mountains legit? This is going to be great when it's finished! I would add some more smaller stones that are different heights.

What lighting are you using?

[Kai808]

Wow Beautiful Stones! The 12g long is a challenge to create depth with hardscapes. I guess like some other people have mentioned another set of smaller stones will help. Where did you get these stones from? I usually have to hammer and chisel away to create nice mountain peaks. I'll definitely be following this.

[joey24dirt]

Looks great man. Where did you get those rocks? Also what are the tank dimensions? I had a nightmare getting hold of the clearseal tank I'm using at the mo

[Deathuall]

Originally Posted by assasin6547

Are those mountains legit? This is going to be great when it's finished! I would add some more smaller stones that are different heights.

What lighting are you using?

Yup, they sure are. They're named the ''Qiankunzhu mountains'' located in Chinda. I've still got some spare rocks to play with and the rest of the day as well

The lighting is actually a cheap set of 2 T5 21W bulbs which I took off my other 3ft tank.

Originally Posted by Kai808

Wow Beautiful Stones! The 12g long is a challenge to create depth with hardscapes. I guess like some other people have mentioned another set of smaller stones will help. Where did you get these stones from? I usually have to hammer and chisel away to create nice mountain peaks. I'll definitely be following this.

Yeah, but its a challenge I think worth accepting haha! I got the rocks from a revered UK Aquatics store which I recently visited first hand called The Greenmachine. Previously I had purchased some of these rocks online from a different aquatics specialist store at some a good price, but the downside to this was that I don't get a first hand experience in selected the rocks that I wanted and had to hope for at least some common characteristics with them when they arrived in the post.

The same rocks at The Greenmachine were slightly more expensive however it gave me the opportunity to select my own rocks and with my own little area (somewhat like a sandpit) with a measured out perimeter of my tank to see how the rocks would look in the tank and in soil.It was such a worth while trip that I spent about 5 hours in the store talking to the owner (who was very friendly and resourceful)

In addition, so far I haven't had to hammer or chisel any of the rocks I bought myself yet which is great because I have done with some of the rocks i bought online, which ends up removing certain aspects I later want but cant have haha. Also, I've clustered some of the rocks together to give an impression of bigger rocks too.

Originally Posted by joey24dirt

Looks great man. Where did you get those rocks? Also what are the tank dimensions? I had a nightmare getting hold of the clearseal tank I'm using at the mo

Bought them from an Aquatics store called The Greenmachine over in Wrexham Wales. The dimensions are 35.4"x 8.4"x 9.4". I know what you mean, it seems nearly impossible to get a tank of these dimensions or similar here in the UK.

[joey24dirt]

Yeah I've ordered off green machine before. Expensive stuff on there like. Ordered a nice new co2 diffuser then lost the bloody thing haha

[Deathuall]

Wow, for everything else I've simply bought off eBay because I'm still not at that point in my life where I make 2 million a week and can afford to dish out £70 on a glass diffuser haha

[Deathuall]

Hardscape recreated, had some time to actually think about the layout with given feedback as well! what do you guys think? any possible improvements?

Had to take into account the stability of the rocks as well, because during the set up, 1 or 2 may have accidentally hit the glass as it lost balance. Not to worry though, no chips etc, just need to be a bit more cautious and as for now, all are completely stable. Tested by means of vigorously shaking the desk haha!

[vvDO]

Level out the front substrate. Build up the substrate to each rock grouping leaving a valley between the 2 left-sided groupings and the right side. IMO your first hardscape looked better, your substrate only needed sloping.

[AdamC13]

I also liked the first one better but the only thing I would change is you seem to have them in a straight line all the way across I'd move one or two closer to either the front or back glass and leave one in the middle but either way it does/will look good. Amazing rocks

[rocksmom]

Another vote for your original layout. A little more substrate in the back to create a slope and you'd be good to go!