20H re-scape

[mpodolan]

Hey all. I decided that I wanted to re-do my 20H. I purchased some manzanita branches, seiryu stones, and ADA Aquasoil Amazonia II to use in this re-scape. Here is some info about the rest of the setup.

20H
Pressurized CO2 w/ Rexulator and DIY reactor
AH Supply 55W retrofit kit
Cascade 700 canister filter

Planned flora
Val nana
Blyxa japonica
Echinodorus Tenellus mixed with Ranalisma Rostrata
Erio Type 2
Rotala wallichi or vietnam
flame moss
I have all of these plants, but I may make some changes to the list once I start planting

Pre-existing Fauna
Cobalt Blue gourami
3 otocinclus
Tiger barbs
clown pleco

Here's a pic of the previous setup with flourite substrate on 10/16/07

Here it is after AS was added today

And here is my first crack at a new hardscape


As always, comments and criticisms are very much welcome. Any suggestions for changing the hardscape? Thanks for looking and for any comments!

[CmLaracy]

looks great, nice manzanita and seiryu

[mpodolan]

Thanks Cm! Here are some shots of filling the tank. This method works great. The tank is crystal clear, except for some bubbles. Some of the wood isn't quite waterlogged enough yet, so it's trying to float, but that should go away shortly.

[ringram]

Looks great. You certainly have a good start there.
Any ideas on plants? I would plant anubias or narrow leaf java fern at the base of those branches and maybe a low ground cover, like HC or glosso, surrounding everything.

[AgNO3]

I really like the way driftwood looks. The rocks are neat too, what are they called? I can't wait to see how it turns out!

[mpodolan]

Originally Posted by ringram

Looks great. You certainly have a good start there.
Any ideas on plants? I would plant anubias or narrow leaf java fern at the base of those branches and maybe a low ground cover, like HC or glosso, surrounding everything.

Thanks! Yea, I posted some of the potential plants in the initial post. But, like I said, I'm very open to suggestions! I might give anubias a try, as I haven't attempted them yet

[mpodolan]

Originally Posted by AgNO3

I really like the way driftwood looks. The rocks are neat too, what are they called? I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Thanks, I'm really digging the look of manzanita right now. The rocks are seiryu stones, which I got from another member on here. I'll probably do some planting tomorrow, so I'll definitely need more feedback then!

[mpodolan]

OK, so I did some planting today. I have val nana in the back right, blyxa in front of the val, e. tenellus/ranalisma rostrata mix as the foreground, erio type 2, juncus repens, sag subulata, and flame moss. I have some anubias nana on the way, which I plan to put at the base of the manzanita. The stone in the middle is just holding down the manzanita for now. I'm gonna pull it and boil it some more right now. Let me know what you think!

Full shot

Left

Right

Sorr for the poor photo quality. I was in a hurry.

[CmLaracy]

I agree with the narrow leaf java fern idea

[mpodolan]

I decided on the anubias instead of the fern, as I had java fern in here before, and I wanted to try something different.

[CmLaracy]

narrow leaf is much different imo, and has a great look

[turbosaurus]

I never thought I'd say this- but..

I think you have TOO much wood in that tank. It pulls my eyes in every direction. I think if you removed some of it, it would make it more harmonious. right now it seems a little, I don't know, a little cluttered?

[mpodolan]

Thanks for the input. It's actually all out right now, as I needed to soak it some more. I'll try some different setups once it's ready to go

[jaidexl]

Looks good, can't wait to see it fill in!

[mpodolan]

Thanks! I've been out of town for a few weeks, so I just set my light timers to 5-6 hours and let it go. It's totally overgrown right now, but I'll post some pics in the next couple days. I'll be doing a big trim sometime this week so I'll probably do some re-arranging, too