Garden Tank

[stargate_geek]

My first big attempt at a 'scaped tank!

So here's the tank now:



I know, it's U-G-L-Y!!! (the powerhead is on the front because I was testing it and messing around with it and it was annoying to put in back if i kept pulling it from the tank!)

My plan is to make it look like a garden. Complete with "raised beds" and a "tree."

Here's the layout for the "beds"



The cresse you see is the 'magic focal point' of 1:1.618 That's where the "tree" is going. But that's the idea I was thinking for the walls. I'm using red slate "chips" for the wall thing.

So my ideas so far are:

- Plants that look similar to those found in a garden, or close enough My hygros (fav plants!) will be staying
- Two rock walls/raised beds (about 3-4" high) the majority of plants will be planted behind/in this
- A "tree" made of a branchy piece of drift wood with moss tied onto it
- I'm going to use fissiden fontanus on the "walls" as a those bushes (they're evergreens) that hang down like this
- I want to get some hairgrass too, as "decorative" grass, I'm also going to be using micro sword and possibly some sags
- White sand is going to be the "pathways" substrate (maybe some slate '"stepping stones" too?) But I'm going to use something else in the beds, still deciding...

Any input would be loved Thanks for looking! I'll try and update this as I go, as a journal

[ValorG]

Woot on tree!!! I want to make a tank with a big bonsai looking tree in it, cuz i love bonsai too. ;p

You just gotta look for that perfect piece of wood.

[stargate_geek]

Originally Posted by ValorG

Woot on tree!!! I want to make a tank with a big bonsai looking tree in it, cuz i love bonsai too. ;p

You just gotta look for that perfect piece of wood.

Yeah, I love the look of them I have this wood (plus more that badcopnofish sent!):



I meant to say as well... This tank is going to somewhat have an 'artificial' look to it since it's a based of something man made (a garden) but I want it to look as natural and balanced and awesome as possible! I don't want anything "cheesy" in it.

[Bk828]

nice, a while back before my rescape i had the same idea but i took it a step further, made a walk way as well lol

[stargate_geek]

I knew I'd seen that idea somewhere Just couldn't remember where it was!

I'm using smaller pieces of slate for my walls then you did, and a tree instead of a hut

I had another idea as well. Basically taking a mirror and making it a "pond" sort of. I would silicone sand to the edges so it's not all square and stuff... will that work?

[stargate_geek]

Opps! Forgot to update as I went... so here it is (in three posts)

The wall:

Step one: get rocks. I used this brand

Then rinse it (it was about as bad as florite red... which make sence )




So then I made a "frame" for the shape of the wall out of plastic mesh. I took pictures, well, I thought I did... turns out I didn't, opps

Well, anyways. Tried a few different ways of making it, and finally figured out that sticking the flat backs of the stones to the mesh (with a glob of silicone) worked best. (The water bottles and stuff is to keep the frame in shape, since it's curved) You can see in the upper left corner another one I made. It didn't look good, it showed lots of silicone from the front, and it was hard to make, and not many of the stones worked well for it. (I was stanking them on top of each other)


I was going to have two walls... but upon finding out how hard they were to make... I'm happy with just the one!

Up next, installing the wall/new substrate!

[stargate_geek]

Step one was the remove remaining fish (I've been slowly moving them to other tanks over the past two weeks so as not to throw a cycle)

Then remove all plants to a bucket.



Then a cleared a space in the sand (that was what my substrate was before, 100% pool filter sand) Please pardon the dirty look of it. I left mulm on there so it wouldn't cycle, or would at least cycle quick!




Then I placed the wall and a 2" or so layer of Schultz Aquatic Soil. I chose this because 1) it's cheap, 2) I could buy it local, 3) I don't mind the color and 4) it's better for roots then sand! I read about it a lot, most complaints were that it was to light (weight wise.) Also, cheap.



However, I added about 1/2"-1" of regular gravel on top of it. (the net is because as I moved the sand around, some roots that broke off kept coming to the surface, so I'd put them there/scoop them out.)




Next: planting!

[Chrisinator]

Wow! Awesome start!

[stargate_geek]

I started by planting these plats in front of the filter intake. I forget the name L. something I think... Edit: Limnophila Aromatica!



Then I planted the HC. I still have about a 6x6" square of the stuff... I think I'm going to plant more of it... or RAOK it out...




More stems planted



Here you can see the substrate layers, and the wall (The top of the wall will, one day, be lined with moss (like hedges) to cover it.) Also, what's the plant in front of the Limnophila Aromatica?



Here's a picture of it today, getting clearer!



I have not done the right side yet. Which is why plants are still floating (I also have too many plants)

I'm debating if I should do a "rock garden" or a "tree" on the right side. What do you think?

Tree - branchy piece of driftwood with moss tired to it to make it look like a tree
Rock garden - rocks used to make different levels and then some "grassy plants" planted in and around that.

I might be able to do both, in a way, but I'm not sure if it would be too "cluttered" or not?

[stargate_geek]

Originally Posted by Chrisinator

Wow! Awesome start!

Thanks

[Chrisinator]

Wow! Even awesome-r! I thinky ou have L. aromatica! No positive though.

[stargate_geek]

Originally Posted by Chrisinator

Wow! Even awesome-r! I thinky ou have L. aromatica! No positive though.

That's it! Now that I see the name, I remember it, thanks

[@marko@]

limnophila aromatica?

HC will spread much better if planted peice by peice...

i like what you have going there. i reccomend that you use the tree look.

[stargate_geek]

Originally Posted by @marko@

HC will spread much better if planted piece by piece...

Do you mean, stem by stem It took me about 4 hours just to finish doing it in chucks!

Well, maybe when my aquascapeing tools arrive from guppy, I'll feel motivated to do that. Or, at least, smaller chucks.

How far apart should I plant them? (It's my first time with HC)

[Chrisinator]

I think it would be hard to plant HC piece by piece without tweezers and such! I think maybe cut the piece that you have right now in half and plant them abotu 1 inc apart from each other or so. Good luck!