# Need help with 55 gal aquascape



## Anti-Pjerrot (Mar 12, 2006)

I been thinking of this (convex) Aquascape for a really long time (actually since august :heh: ) but I can't figure out some details (mostly midground)

The wood design is this










Background plants will be a thin part of Vallisneria nana just behind the centre of the wood and with Eleocharis acicularis in the sides.

The thick branches will be cowered in moss and with several Microsorum pteropus ''Narrow'' close to the centre.

In front of the central wood will be a bush of Rotala green - creeping over.... what?

I just can't get the rest... I can't find any inspiration of a good midground combo.

Some thoughts are:

Background and sides will be white (green vs. white). Maybe Glossostigma eleatinoides in the front combined with some patches of Eleocharis parvula.

I got a lot of dark grey granite rocks in all good sizes. I thought of using them around the base of the wood - but I don't want a regular border of stones.

I thought of using some Anubias nana under the Rotala. Then some different sizes of rocks mostly cowered with Glossostigma and Eleocharis parvula and some moss.

Ideas and thoughts: Vallisneria - vertical cool feel - soft wood and moss/ferns - Appears partly dark and heavy - contrast with Rotala green (focal point), unsure area - Anubias may not be a good contrast - Maybe some Hydrocotyle verticillata spread lightly with some low brown crypts (Cryptocoryne beckettii ''petchii'') - soften rocks with Glossostigma and Eleocharis parvula.

I want to use a bigger rock in the right side (focal point) with some higher Eleocharis behind to highlight the rock - not very dominative since it's not that big - just a little division.

Any comments on my thoughts are welcome - i got almost everything ready - most plants are ready in another tank - tech is almost done (Just need some fiddling with CO2)

I just need some pics - inspiration and ideas. I want the feel i got when i saw the pics from the ADA gallery - the light green tanks.


----------



## FelixAvery (Mar 29, 2007)

rotala infront of wood? me thinks you might want to have it as a background plant
here are some suggestions that might help you

background: thin bit of rotala red behind the wood, rotala green on each side. and a thin covering of elocharis vivipara to soften things up(right at the back)

midground: assorted crypts planted around the driftwood, at the sides of the wood some low borders of hemanthius micranthemoides (pearl grass)

forground: sandy forground in a outward curve from front left corner to back right corner, line the divide in substrate with small ish rocks tied with moss, and even smaller rocks tied with riccia (infront of the moss rocks). Directly behind the rocks hairgrass or similar

that planting plan is a combination of the plants used in two of my favoirte amano scapes
it will look lovely

crypts are THE best midground for wood tanks, the dark greens and browns will create a great midground between the light green of the forground and the color of the wood and rotala red

thats just another idea if your stuck for scapes
this tank looks really promising, is that red moor wood from aquaessentials?

good luck, felix


----------



## zQ. (Dec 15, 2006)

How about some rocks and Blyxa J ? ? ?


----------



## 29Bubbles (Oct 11, 2006)

No help here, but I LOVE that wood... where'da get it?????


----------



## ranmasatome (Aug 5, 2005)

moss the stones for midground??


----------



## Anti-Pjerrot (Mar 12, 2006)

*Update: Planted and awaiting algeehell *










Just a quickshot of what i have done last week - the midground will be changed and altered over some time - the anubias on stone is just for now - i need to find a good midground combo - but i havent found the right thing yet... maybe the scape will reveal what it needs when it grows in.

Sorry for the - no background, tech/stuff - low quality image... My tripod is out of the house for now and i diddent want to make a trouble since its just a preview.

Comments are welcome


----------



## zig (Jul 3, 2005)

Very nice start, could you give some technical details of the setup please, is that a sand substrate, have you used the Tropica plant substrate underneath it?


----------



## Anti-Pjerrot (Mar 12, 2006)

Tech:
Tank: 250L (66 US fluid gallons - 55 UK gallons)
Light: 2 x 39W T5 @ 10000K + 2 x 39W T5 Planta/grolux 
One plant and one 10000K is connectet to a sunriser that simulates sunrise/sunset over 12 hours
Filtration: Eheim 2224
CO2: For now im using easycarbo (kinda like excell) but as soon as i get a splitter needlevalve im hooking it on my pressurized. I already got a reactor installed:








Theres 10 L of Tropica Aquacare plant substrate (good stuff!) and ~ 40kg of floodsand 2-3 mm in grainsize on top. 
No heater - and i use tabwater and dosing EI after a 50 US gal size tank due to the lack of fastgrowers.


----------



## Anti-Pjerrot (Mar 12, 2006)

Hey - so i diddent get a splitter - so i got another CO2-tank...

I did this trick to improve CO2 diffusion in the reactor:
A glass diffuser stuffed into the reaktor gives a satisfiing result -better diffusion, and no bubbel build up.










so far this is how it looks - sorry for the lame quality of pic - im still just growing plants here - not much care for plant trimming yet. Theres a lot of dust in the water yet, and the substrate needs a bulldozer to get it back into scape...


----------



## kurt182 (May 7, 2007)

I have that same filter. How did you build that reactor? Im trying to get all the tubes and cords out of my tank and that looks good.


----------



## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

I would suggest that you put in some sort of red accent plant, perhaps some Ludwigia arcutata; it would provide some contrast but not overwhelm your scape. Possibly behind the driftwood right of center as a location?


----------



## Anti-Pjerrot (Mar 12, 2006)

Long time since an update...

I removed the vallisneria and hydro.
Trimmed the rotala, moss and ferns
rearranged the anubias
trimmed the eleocharis 1/8:










I trimmed down to 2-2,5cm










I got a background - white board and with a 8W T5 lamp in between the glas and background










This is not a final shot or anything - this is just a quickshot i did this evening.
The eleocharis should be kept lower - need for another trimming...

Im getting some eleocharis vivipara for the background, and a coloured plant - Didiplis diandra/Ludwigia repens/arcutata (DonaldmBoyer) or something like that to place behind the left bush of rotala.

I need something to soften the "ring of anubias" so i thought of some riccia to place in between the anubias? How does that sound? Any better ideas?

Any other thoughts on how to improve?


----------



## Chuppy (Aug 5, 2007)

Very Very great scape.... sort of jealous>=( lol


----------



## warr40 (Aug 16, 2005)

WOW nice tank i really like the driftwood


----------



## Anti-Pjerrot (Mar 12, 2006)




----------



## krisw (Jan 31, 2005)

Really nice scape. You're making me want to setup another "grass" tank! The only critique I'd say is probably something that you can't do much about at this point. To me, I'd move the whole wood structure and plants forward about 3 inches. I think it looks really nice though. Keep posting updates!

Oh, and your vortex youtube video is pretty neat!


----------



## Anti-Pjerrot (Mar 12, 2006)

*Update (End) of the 55 gal aquascape*

So a final picture...









(Sorry for the glassware)

Now its gone...

I used the plants/hardscape for the Art of the Planted Aquarium in Hannover, sold all the fishes and shrimps. Now its just an empty tank.

I plan on doing a perfect 60.

DIY ADA cabinet, OptiWhite rimless 60x30x36cm, aquasoil, 4x24W pendant, all glass equipment... So until then


----------



## krisw (Jan 31, 2005)

It was a beautiful scape! Good luck with your next scape!


----------

