[Rawkus]

Hi all, not been active in here in a while (couple of moves and a dormant tank). Trying to start my tank off again but taking a bit more care and time this.

Took me an age to land on a substrate and went with Fluval Stratum due to availability at my LFS.

Previously had a mix of driftwood and rocks but decided to go purely with rocks this time. Against my better judgement and advice from my other half I mixed the rock types dramatically (I like to think it contrasts tonight's derby if you're a football fan).

I would have liked a single large rock on the blue side but I got what I could at the time. Tried a few layouts and got it as good as I could. Would welcome any thoughts and recommendations.

Any ideas on plants would be welcomed too, I'll have LEDs and still considering CO2.

Maybe a better angle but bad flash

Finally

Cheers

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[Solcielo lawrencia]

What's your goal? Considering the uniform size of the rocks, it's clearly not going to make a nice hardscape using them alone. They could work well in a nature-style layout, though.

 

[Rawkus]

Hi Solcielco,

My goal is to form the basis for a decent planted aquarium. I'm kind of figuring it out I go. I don't really have a grand plan I'm taking one step at a time. Once I have the hardscape fixed I will start selecting plants, perhaps this is not the right way.

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[burr740]

I think you should pile them up more into one or two groups, instead of being spread out like that. Also not sure about having two distinctively different types. Might be better just using one or the other.

 

[Rawkus]

Hi Burr, I spent an age trying to stack the blues on the left but it just never looked good to me. I should maybe go on the search for a large version and save the reds for another time. Sorry not very good on my rock types.

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[burr740]

No worries. I literally spent weeks rearranging a single pile of rocks not too long ago. The girlfriend thought I was crazy, lol

* As for being piled up or spread out, having them spread out may look fine once it's filled in w/plants. Maybe have a couple together and the rest scattered out a bit. I still go with only one kind though.

 

[Solcielo lawrencia]

Those red rocks have to go. It's way too distracting.

 

[Mastertech]

Chose only one rock style. (That's more natural) then no matter if you clump them or spread them out make one large focal point on one side (either forward or backward of the tank) then make a smaller focal point on the opposite quadrant. Keep the numbers odd. Odd numbers in everything, rocks/groups, accent stones, plants, fish Etc. But don't make them all 1's or all 3's and so on, you'll be surprised how much better it looks.

 

[Aplomado]

Like they said, use one color of rock.

I think the hardscape needs a lot of work. I recommend looking a pictures of aquarium hardscapes you like and work on it some more. Just scattering rocks on the bottom isn't especially good looking.

 

[Rawkus]

Advice is appreciated, insults aren't; Aplomado. Scattered implies random and no thought, to which this isn't.

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