i am interested in your adventure. i hope you post pics as soon as you have them! good luck!
moogoo's 30 gal. sacred tree - SCRAPPED.. redo to come
Hey all. I'm pretty much a newbie around here and to the planted tank hobby, but I've always been ambitious and adventurous and it's not gonna change when it comes to this. I've been in the fish hobby roughly 7 years already and have kept african cichlids mostly on a very limited college student budget (which was a feat in itself).
So now, with a somewhat recent trip to Japan last year and seeing some amazing planted tanks (no, i didn't get to see the amano tank, i didn't even know they existed then), I've decided to get my hands in on a planted tank.
As of right now, I've been playing around with a 10 gal tank I had lying around to get my bearings and figure out the right ways of doing things. I guess I'm going through the usual newbie troubles of algae bouts and slow growth, but things are turning around as I learn more and more every day from this forum. I will be adding DIY CO2 to the 10 gal tank soon and will be dosing ferts as soon as it comes in. With a little time, I'm sure my 10 gal will grow in really well and make a very nice home for my dwarf puffer and cherry shrimp.
So enough with my little introduction. This photo journal is about my 30 gal tank. As of right now, I have nothing to show for except an empty tank and equipment. Unfortunately, I had some troubles with my lights as my strip light came with two broken bulbs and the extra bulb i ordered also came broken.
Sucks, but I called in the broken bulb and they said they'd send out a new one. I still need to call about my strip light and see what they can do for me there.
My 30 gal tank is a standard tank. It's only 12" deep, which doesn't give me many options to really give any depth to an aquascape. So in order to do so, I'm going to try to take advantage of perspective with plant sizes to give a feeling of depth.
The scene I would like to create is a "sacred tree" scene. I ordered a piece of driftwood from drsfosterandsmith and wasn't too happy with the piece I got at first. But after looking at it a bit, I saw an aged, great tree trunk. My vision is this. Imagine yourself walking through the woods and you suddenly come across an opening. The land is green and sloping with lots of dense foliage in the distance. A small creek shimmers by with tiny white rapids from the distant forest down the sloping hills off into the distance where it vanishes into more woods. Then upon this cliff like hill, stands a great, aged tree. Growing valiantly on its own upon the hill.
It's pretty difficult to envision i'm sure, but that's the best I can describe it. I will be posting pictures as the hardscape and planting begins. As of right now, I painted the back of my tank with black paint. I also modified my piece of driftwood a bit by drilling into it and adding bamboo chopstick pieces as branches. I intend to tie moss (not sure which yet, probably xmas) to all the branches of the tree and let it grow out and fill out the top of the tree. I plan on doing HC for the green sloping hills. And other plants, i'm not sure yet.
I hope this will become an active thread some day like so many other great ones i've read here already. I'll be sure to update this soon with details on equipment, setup, etc. I will post a sketch of my vision if I have time. Until then...
So now, with a somewhat recent trip to Japan last year and seeing some amazing planted tanks (no, i didn't get to see the amano tank, i didn't even know they existed then), I've decided to get my hands in on a planted tank.
As of right now, I've been playing around with a 10 gal tank I had lying around to get my bearings and figure out the right ways of doing things. I guess I'm going through the usual newbie troubles of algae bouts and slow growth, but things are turning around as I learn more and more every day from this forum. I will be adding DIY CO2 to the 10 gal tank soon and will be dosing ferts as soon as it comes in. With a little time, I'm sure my 10 gal will grow in really well and make a very nice home for my dwarf puffer and cherry shrimp.
So enough with my little introduction. This photo journal is about my 30 gal tank. As of right now, I have nothing to show for except an empty tank and equipment. Unfortunately, I had some troubles with my lights as my strip light came with two broken bulbs and the extra bulb i ordered also came broken.
Sucks, but I called in the broken bulb and they said they'd send out a new one. I still need to call about my strip light and see what they can do for me there.My 30 gal tank is a standard tank. It's only 12" deep, which doesn't give me many options to really give any depth to an aquascape. So in order to do so, I'm going to try to take advantage of perspective with plant sizes to give a feeling of depth.
The scene I would like to create is a "sacred tree" scene. I ordered a piece of driftwood from drsfosterandsmith and wasn't too happy with the piece I got at first. But after looking at it a bit, I saw an aged, great tree trunk. My vision is this. Imagine yourself walking through the woods and you suddenly come across an opening. The land is green and sloping with lots of dense foliage in the distance. A small creek shimmers by with tiny white rapids from the distant forest down the sloping hills off into the distance where it vanishes into more woods. Then upon this cliff like hill, stands a great, aged tree. Growing valiantly on its own upon the hill.
It's pretty difficult to envision i'm sure, but that's the best I can describe it. I will be posting pictures as the hardscape and planting begins. As of right now, I painted the back of my tank with black paint. I also modified my piece of driftwood a bit by drilling into it and adding bamboo chopstick pieces as branches. I intend to tie moss (not sure which yet, probably xmas) to all the branches of the tree and let it grow out and fill out the top of the tree. I plan on doing HC for the green sloping hills. And other plants, i'm not sure yet.
I hope this will become an active thread some day like so many other great ones i've read here already. I'll be sure to update this soon with details on equipment, setup, etc. I will post a sketch of my vision if I have time. Until then...
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Sounds cool..can't wait to see!
Sorry for the lack of updates recently, but really haven't had much to update. Still waiting on replacement bulbs from big al's since the ones that came with my strip light were broken upon delivery.
I also realized tonight that I ordered the incorrect Hydor inline heater, so I have to return it and get the correct one. I guess it's not a big deal since I have to wait for the bulbs anyway. Also, still waiting on a regulator but I got my CO2 cylinder today. I have my DIY reactor ready to go as well. As of right now I still need:
- Rocks (will go looking for some tomorrow)
- CO2 Regulator
- Replacement CF Bulbs
- Plants
- Fish
Of course, the plants and fish will come last. Once I get the equipment set up and running, I'll go ahead and order the plants. I'm still undecided on the particular mixture of plants, but I know for sure that I will be doing HC and xmas moss on the "sacred tree".
Below are some pictures of the empty tank as it sits right now and also a shot of my bare "sacred tree" (i.e., drift wood will bamboo chopstick pieces stuck into it). This is a total long shot, but I'm hoping the xmas moss will grow in and fill out the entire tree and make it look like a really nice underwater "bonsai" worthy of being called sacred. I want my scape to really give a feeling that you're coming into an opening and seeing a great tree in the distance on a cliff.
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On a side note, I stopped by a local fish store tonight just to see what they had available. I found that they had rummy nose tetras, which is great cause I've only been able to find them online recently. They are $5/fish though, so I'll need to do some price comparisons. They had a decent rock selection there, but I found nothing too usable for what I am envisioning. In addition, I'd rather get the rock for free somewhere nearby. I did manage to pick up a decent piece of zebra rock and only $2/lb, which is way cheaper than aquaforest. Pretty happy about that. I'm not sure how I'm going to work it into my aquascape just yet, but it is pictured below. Thanks for checking up on my tank and I will be sure to update again soon. Hopefully on Monday after I've found the right rocks to set up an actual hardscape with substrate.
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Quick question for anybody who knows. I have an extra bag of flourite and plan on using it under 2 bags of eco-complete. I've read that this is okay to do. My question is, do I still need to rinse the flourite first since it will be on the bottom and under all the eco-complete? My first inclination is "no" but I thought I'd ask and see what someone else's experiences are. Oh, and please excuse the crappy quality, underexposed photos. It was late and I was just snapping away with the on board speed light.
I also realized tonight that I ordered the incorrect Hydor inline heater, so I have to return it and get the correct one. I guess it's not a big deal since I have to wait for the bulbs anyway. Also, still waiting on a regulator but I got my CO2 cylinder today. I have my DIY reactor ready to go as well. As of right now I still need:
- Rocks (will go looking for some tomorrow)
- CO2 Regulator
- Replacement CF Bulbs
- Plants
- Fish
Of course, the plants and fish will come last. Once I get the equipment set up and running, I'll go ahead and order the plants. I'm still undecided on the particular mixture of plants, but I know for sure that I will be doing HC and xmas moss on the "sacred tree".
Below are some pictures of the empty tank as it sits right now and also a shot of my bare "sacred tree" (i.e., drift wood will bamboo chopstick pieces stuck into it). This is a total long shot, but I'm hoping the xmas moss will grow in and fill out the entire tree and make it look like a really nice underwater "bonsai" worthy of being called sacred. I want my scape to really give a feeling that you're coming into an opening and seeing a great tree in the distance on a cliff.
On a side note, I stopped by a local fish store tonight just to see what they had available. I found that they had rummy nose tetras, which is great cause I've only been able to find them online recently. They are $5/fish though, so I'll need to do some price comparisons. They had a decent rock selection there, but I found nothing too usable for what I am envisioning. In addition, I'd rather get the rock for free somewhere nearby. I did manage to pick up a decent piece of zebra rock and only $2/lb, which is way cheaper than aquaforest. Pretty happy about that. I'm not sure how I'm going to work it into my aquascape just yet, but it is pictured below. Thanks for checking up on my tank and I will be sure to update again soon. Hopefully on Monday after I've found the right rocks to set up an actual hardscape with substrate.
Quick question for anybody who knows. I have an extra bag of flourite and plan on using it under 2 bags of eco-complete. I've read that this is okay to do. My question is, do I still need to rinse the flourite first since it will be on the bottom and under all the eco-complete? My first inclination is "no" but I thought I'd ask and see what someone else's experiences are. Oh, and please excuse the crappy quality, underexposed photos. It was late and I was just snapping away with the on board speed light.
You look to be going on the right track!
I wouldn't rinse the flourite because it will be topped off. Unless you plan on sturring up your substrate or something
Keep the updates coming!
-Andrew
I wouldn't rinse the flourite because it will be topped off. Unless you plan on sturring up your substrate or something
Keep the updates coming!
-Andrew
Well, this project is slow moving indeed. I've received all my replacement bulbs, so my light strip is ready to go. What I'm waiting for now is a replacement Hydor inline heater (I ordered the wrong size by accident) and a CO2 regulator (ordered, just waiting for it to come).
So, I found some rocks the other weekend when I went hiking in the park. I found two types. I don't know what they exactly are but to make sure I could use them, I cleaned them with warm water and a brush, then boiled them for 2 hours. I've had them soaking in two separate buckets (for each respective rock type) and did a water test after 4 days of soaking to compare with regular tap water parameters. Unfortunately, my pH test is mid-range and only goes up to 7.6 so it doesn't do me any good! The good news is that the rocks don't seem to change my gh and kh. The one type of rocks that I really like look like they it may be rust, but i'm not sure. It doesn't seem to come off at all when I scrub it though.
So, I'm getting a little impatient with setting up my tank. I've been so excited about it and with the equipment hangups and lack of adequate rocks, I've had to wait and wait. And now Spring semester has started, so time is even more scarce. Thus, my plan now is to do the hardscape with what I have and to use the rocks that I like. I'm gonna go for it! Below is a very, very, VERY quick sketch of the vision that I tried to describe in the first post. I've tried to label the plants that I know I want. The main "dense foliage" part in the back is still very up in the air.
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As you can see, this is a horrible sketch, but it's just to get an idea. Basically , HC will cover most of the foreground area and the part going up and around the tree's base. To the right, I want to have crystal riccia on both sides of the stream/river. At the very back on the right, I want to eventually grow out a huge, dense java fern. I may add some stem plants in this area as well. Depends what I get my hands on and how it looks. Right in front of the end of the stream/river, I'll place a rock with anubias nana attached to it to block the end. The tree foliage will be christmas moss, which I hope will grow out nice and full so I can trim it like a bonsai tree. Behind the tree, I will plant some dwarf hairgrass as background foliage. There will be a zebra rock in the left foreground half-buried with flame moss growing around it. As the note says, the left back portion will be the dense foliage and the kinds of plants are still up in the air. Although I'd like to have at least each of those listed.
If you're curious about how I plan on doing the river, I have a DIY underwater river plan in the works. Whether it works or not is still up in the air. I'll do a picture log as I put it together, so if it does end up working, I can write up directions for others to use. But essentially I want to create the effect of an actual moving stream/river.
Anyway, comments on the mockup are appreciated. Suggestions for plants for the dense foliage or to replace what I've got in the mockup now are welcome. If you can think of something better that would give my vision more realism, I'd like that. Being a newbie, my plant knowledge is still very limited. Thanks! And please stay tuned for hardscape pics.
So, I found some rocks the other weekend when I went hiking in the park. I found two types. I don't know what they exactly are but to make sure I could use them, I cleaned them with warm water and a brush, then boiled them for 2 hours. I've had them soaking in two separate buckets (for each respective rock type) and did a water test after 4 days of soaking to compare with regular tap water parameters. Unfortunately, my pH test is mid-range and only goes up to 7.6 so it doesn't do me any good! The good news is that the rocks don't seem to change my gh and kh. The one type of rocks that I really like look like they it may be rust, but i'm not sure. It doesn't seem to come off at all when I scrub it though.
So, I'm getting a little impatient with setting up my tank. I've been so excited about it and with the equipment hangups and lack of adequate rocks, I've had to wait and wait. And now Spring semester has started, so time is even more scarce. Thus, my plan now is to do the hardscape with what I have and to use the rocks that I like. I'm gonna go for it! Below is a very, very, VERY quick sketch of the vision that I tried to describe in the first post. I've tried to label the plants that I know I want. The main "dense foliage" part in the back is still very up in the air.
As you can see, this is a horrible sketch, but it's just to get an idea. Basically , HC will cover most of the foreground area and the part going up and around the tree's base. To the right, I want to have crystal riccia on both sides of the stream/river. At the very back on the right, I want to eventually grow out a huge, dense java fern. I may add some stem plants in this area as well. Depends what I get my hands on and how it looks. Right in front of the end of the stream/river, I'll place a rock with anubias nana attached to it to block the end. The tree foliage will be christmas moss, which I hope will grow out nice and full so I can trim it like a bonsai tree. Behind the tree, I will plant some dwarf hairgrass as background foliage. There will be a zebra rock in the left foreground half-buried with flame moss growing around it. As the note says, the left back portion will be the dense foliage and the kinds of plants are still up in the air. Although I'd like to have at least each of those listed.
If you're curious about how I plan on doing the river, I have a DIY underwater river plan in the works. Whether it works or not is still up in the air. I'll do a picture log as I put it together, so if it does end up working, I can write up directions for others to use. But essentially I want to create the effect of an actual moving stream/river.
Anyway, comments on the mockup are appreciated. Suggestions for plants for the dense foliage or to replace what I've got in the mockup now are welcome. If you can think of something better that would give my vision more realism, I'd like that. Being a newbie, my plant knowledge is still very limited. Thanks! And please stay tuned for hardscape pics.
UPDATE (56K Warning)
After a long, GRUELING night of planting (the HC took FOREVER), I pretty much finished the planting. This picture does it no justice as I think it looks tons better in person. This picture was snapped w/ my cell phone so sorry for the poor quality. I will post pictures from my SLR once I get home. Comments are welcome! Oh and the gap on the right next to the filter intake, I was thinking of putting java fern there, but I think I want to put something else, but don't know what? Suggestions are welcome!!!
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btw. how do you edit the thread title? I need to put the 56K warnings in.
After a long, GRUELING night of planting (the HC took FOREVER), I pretty much finished the planting. This picture does it no justice as I think it looks tons better in person. This picture was snapped w/ my cell phone so sorry for the poor quality. I will post pictures from my SLR once I get home. Comments are welcome! Oh and the gap on the right next to the filter intake, I was thinking of putting java fern there, but I think I want to put something else, but don't know what? Suggestions are welcome!!!
btw. how do you edit the thread title? I need to put the 56K warnings in.
1 - 20 of 66 Posts
