2.5 gal "Arroyo"

[Bonefish]

Update: 12/01/09
Months of progress


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Original post:
Long time lurker, long time nano fan, first time poster. I'm hoping to get some suggestions on my newest nano endeavor. I just moved halfway across country with my fish supplies and my two bettas, and I've gotta get my 2.5g set up soon so my betta can come out of her temporary jar home. Here's what I've got laid out so far for the hardscape:


filter and heater out


filter in

What do you think of the hardscape? Is it too simplistic? Do I need bigger stones? A third stone to make an iwagumi? More soil?

I kind of like how the two stones look, but at the same time I feel like it's missing some kind of drama or balance.

Equipment list:
2.5 gal
ADA Aquasoil Amazonia
Hagen Elite Mini-Filter
27W CF home depot lamp
Hydor mini-heater 7.5 W (may replace with a small Marineland heater if the room is too cold)

Fauna:
Will eventually belong to my ancient female betta and possibly a snail.

I'm planning a trip to the LFS later this week, and I'm thinking the aquascape might work out like this:

or


Can't decide whether to fill in the valley area or not.

The green upfront would be H.c., and in the back I'd have dwarf hairgrass with maybe some Blyxa or dwarf sag mixed in.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Thanks for reading!

[mgdmirage]

I think it looks awesome, too bad the stones aren't an inch or so taller though. I think it will look great with what you have planned! I suggest a background though

[Phoenix-cry]

I love the hardscape. I agree with mgdmirage, need some taller background plants in the end. Great start!

[Craigthor]

I agree larger rocks would make it more defined. Sure the bettas will love there new digs though.

Craig

[Craigthor]

I agree larger rocks would make it more defined. Sure the bettas will love there new digs though.

Craig

[Bonefish]

No update yet, unfortunately. I was going to hit the LFS last week but ended up getting sick. And then, to top it all off, I found out that the store is going out of business at the end of the month. Bummer.

Hopefully I'll have some aquascape updates by Tuesday.

mgdmirage - I really wish the stones were just a few centimeters bigger, too. I have a few bigger rocks sitting around, but they're a different texture/color (porous and cold gray), which I think would seem too stark for the tank. As for a background, I do have a few pieces of blue aquarium backing that I might try. I'm also thinking of planting a "curtain" of regular hairgrass in the back to hide the heater.

Phoenix-cry - Thanks for the suggestion! I'm thinking a tall grass might look best. I'll see what the store has in stock.

Craigthor - I'm hoping this'll appease my angry little fishies.

[Ugly Genius]

The color and texture of those rocks are amazing. Is there any chance of you finding more? If you added a bunch, say five or six more, you'd have a really interesting rockscape.

[Francis Xavier]

I have to agree with the above if you can find some larger rocks and some more of the same type, you could make something really rocking.

[Bonefish]

Ugly Genius & Francis - I'm gonna see what I can do about finding more matching rocks. I'd love to add more depth and volume to the hardscape.

[april_tanks]

As for whether or not to have the HC fill in the valley, I would say yes because it looks nice and the HC will eventually grow that far unless you clip it. I love the way you have it set up and wouldn't change. I bet your betta will look it xD

[Francis Xavier]

The reason behind finding more of the same type rocks is that you can make the iwagumi more dynamic and interesting, bigger stones so they aren't overshadowed by the plants.

It's like some of my earlier scapes, cool to look at the first few times, then would get boring over time since there's not much "new" to see or to think you could see, so to speak.

[Bonefish]

Back from the LFS with an update. I've got some good news and bad news.

Bad news first: the LFS didn't have any of the plants I'm looking for, so I'll have to order online. There is a silver lining: ordering online allows me a much greater selection of plants to choose from.

The good news is that I found more pieces of petrified wood for the iwagumi. The biggest piece still isn't as tall as I'd like, but I'm hoping that the mound of soil it's on will help make up for its lack of height. Right now there are seven rocks total in the layout. I'm mostly pleased with how it looks at the moment.


This photo doesn't show the true colors of the rocks. They're more of a pinkish tan. My camera sucks and darkens everything


Angle at which you view the tank from the computer desk. It was tough to get the layout to look okay from multiple angles.

Any other suggestions re: rock positions? Like I said, I'm pretty happy with this. I'm hoping the larger rocks and more dynamic sloping will keep the scape exciting.

Next conundrum is plants. I've had a change of plan from my first post. Here's what I'm thinking now:


The Pelia and HC I can order from the site I'm looking at (AZ Gardens), but I have no idea where to get UG, nor do I know how hard UG is to maintain in a nano under the conditions I've got. Micro sword, which I can also get from AZ Gardens, might be a decent (and more hardy) substitute for the UG, though I'm in love with how UG looks in the photos I've seen of it.

Hopefully I'll get to ordering the plants over the weekend.

EDIT: It turns out that one of the online stores that sells UG is located about 30 minutes from my house. Gonna give them a call to see if they do pickups in person. Nothing like saving on shipping!

[leaf]

A little warning on az gardens... they do charge shipping after you've been billed and can be expensive... 20-60 dollars! The problem is they don't ask you what method and ship without the cost being approved by you. Expect a box handling fee if your order is under $100. They also have a tendency to substitute out of stock plants/fish, for cheaper, more common plants/fish (WITHOUT CHANGING THE PRICE BILLED TO YOU!!!!) Always call first to see if they have the plant you want in stock.

[yikesjason]

I recommend something other than micro sword, it is taller than you think and would block out most of what you have planned for behind it.

[Ugly Genius]

Your proposed layout kinda-sorta reminds me of this tank.
This one, too.
Check those threads out for some insight and ideas.