# New Driftwood Scape



## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

Hey folks- so after a couple months of careful planning, here's my new driftwood scape in progress. Finished product photos will be added when the dust settles (literally).

This first batch of photos is the before tank- it's been sitting for a couple weeks w/o attention on account of vacation.


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

Here's some work in progress. I used black panty hose filled with old substrate to delineate the border between Seachem Flourite sand and - I know this is crazy- marine substrate. It looks like someone's sleeping in the tank!

After a lot of research and careful poling on this forum, I went with Seachem Pearl Beach substrate hoping to buffer my water. If it makes things worse, I'll yank it out- I'm not planting in it. I have pool filter sand waiting in the wings if this doesn't work out.


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

Ok, I got impatient and took some photos before the water totally cleared. More photos to come once things grow in.


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## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

Nice piece of driftwood


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

Thanks, I got it from Tom Barr.


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## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

You got it from the expert...no wonder. Lucky you! 

I can hardly find any decent looking driftwood small enough to fit into a 15 gallon tank these days.


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

Yeah, he's a great source. Lots of different sizes and always throws in extras. It's true- smaller tanks are harder to shop for. Smaller pieces are usually less interesting, it seems. Good luck!


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## Daniil (Oct 30, 2009)

The trick with panty hose is actually a great idea to separate substrate.
Thanks for sharing.


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

Thanks! I actually saw someone else on this forum do it and thought "wow! so easy! And free!"

I also like how removable it is. I don't have to epoxy something to the glass. The funny thing is that in some spots, the panty hose trapped air and ballooned a bit- but because they're covered in black substrate, you can't tell.


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## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

Yes, old pantyhose is very useful for putting rocks that you want to hide to ease removal in the future. It is also flexible enough for you to shape according to what you wish. You can use them to form border, prevent landslide as well as forming height.

Too bad, I don't wear pantyhose...neither is my wife. :biggrin: So, I have to purchase nets for the same purpose


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

Just a quick update- against all odds, the marine substrate is doing exactly what I wanted it to! My pH is a comfortable 7.2ish and the CO2 is plentiful.  I actually kicked my 20lb CO2 tank finally.

There's some minor plant growth but not enough to be photo worthy yet- soon, though.  I can tell the plants are happy- just not photogenic.

I also experimented with a spray bar- right now, I have a Waterplant CO2 inline diffuser that now goes through a spray bar. Wasn't sure this would create adequate contact time but when angled towards the far bottom corner, it works great! Very few bubbles return to the surface. I added a wave maker at the surface for more surface water movement (previously I had issues with low O2). Also working great!

Fingers crossed this trend continues!


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

Here's a photo from a couple weeks ago- added some B. Japonica (not doing the greatest, however- the angelfish pick at it). Everything's filling in. 

Not crazy about some of the plant layouts- thinking of swapping the red lilies on the mound down to where the blyxa is, blyxa onto the mound. Not sure. 

Thoughts?


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## DogFish2.0 (Oct 7, 2011)

I really like this scape. Simple & elegant.

I think it might improve the focal point if the java on the far ends of the branches was moved to the main trunk of the driftwood. Allow that to fill in before training it out to the ends.


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

Thanks, Dogfish 2.0- that's a good suggestion. That NLJF filled in pretty quick and does look a little extra muppet-y now. So maybe this weekend I'll swap the lillies and the blyxa. I have hair grass in another tank that I'm thinking about for this one. But not sure about that. 

-Emily


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

I played with the plants yesterday and I think this looks nicer- the Staurogyne repens is in the foreground on the mound, on the right, behind it is the blyxa japonica, then some crypts. I put the staurogyne 'porto velho' in the marine substrate below the mound- we'll see what happens there.

I moved the cyperus helferi over a bit- this got it out of the flow path a bit so it won't get as battered. I also moved the NLJF as suggested- you may have noticed my FS post. ;-) Had a bit too much.

Got rid of the spray bar since I got a new regulator set-up and somehow in setting this up, my Waterplant diffuser got busted. Whatever- I think this looks nicer anyway.  Sorry the last shot is so blurry. Didn't notice until i went to upload it. :-/


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