# 5ft Tank Scape Critique



## Harry Muscle (Oct 17, 2007)

I'm working on an aquascape for my 5ft (18" front to back, 24" tall) tank and I'm looking for some input on the manzanita that I've put together so far.

I'm looking to create that feeling of it being the edge of a river. This will be a low maintenance tank with a large array of plants ... I'd say close to a jungle tank but a bit more manicured.

I'm trying a tree trunk style layout at the moment. I'm open to any and all suggestions, good or bad.

Here's a front shot. Ignore the rocks at the moment they are there just to hold things up. The wood planks are there to give a sense of where the gravel depth will be and to show the tank dimensions.










Here's two side shots. The tank will be viewed mostly from this angle cause that's the direction of the sofa.



















And here's the other side.










What do you guys think? BTW, I will be adding rock work of some sorts using dragon (Ohko) rock.

Thanks,
Harry


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

looks nice, I would make a row of rocks though under that long root coming out, or plant crypts under the root and take the 2 rocks out from under the long root.


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## Harry Muscle (Oct 17, 2007)

DutchMuch said:


> looks nice, I would make a row of rocks though under that long root coming out, or plant crypts under the root and take the 2 rocks out from under the long root.


Here's a few shots after I added some rocks ... the rocks were sort just thrown together to give some extra context to the wood. Not really sure what to think of this scape yet.





































Thanks,
Harry


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

I must say I like the rocks. hm.
I would incorporate them some how with the tank once you plant it, so its not SO bare but its nice and covered up a little bit, enough to tell there are rocks under/behind the roots.


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## Harry Muscle (Oct 17, 2007)

I decided to try adding some branches to the escape. I also raised the gravel level to reduce the mangrove look I was getting. So in these pictures the bottom you see is going to be the top of the gravel.



















I think the branches are starting to give the scape a less artificial look, but I'm open to opinions, etc.

Thanks,
Harry


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

Anubias leaved tree spotted...!


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

I really like the wood, and I don't think you need any rocks at all. If you want to visually anchor the roots, just plant dense, short growing plants around them. If you want to use rocks, try some rounded river pebbles that look like they have been tumbled in rushing water.

I can see the output of the filter on the left and the intake on the right to create some current that makes the plants sway and suggest the flow of the river. Tall, slender leaved plants would be good for this, like _Vallisneria_ or _Hygrophila corymbosa angustifolia_.

It can be difficult to unify the composition in long tanks like this, you've made a great start!


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## Harry Muscle (Oct 17, 2007)

Here's what I've put together so far.




























I'm not sure about the long root though. I might remove it. I'm also still playing around with adding more smaller roots at the base of the stump. Not sure if that might be too much wood though.

And I'm mostly stuck in figuring out how to incorporate some of the dragon rock I have into this scape.

Feel free to comment, offer opinions, suggestions, etc.

Thanks,
Harry


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

I like the bottom root it makes a border... imo.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

I like the long root too, it sets the arrangement apart from most stump compositions and balances the long branches at the top. One question and one suggestion:

How are you attaching the different pieces of wood together? I've struggled with this in the past, and your work looks really good.

--begin rant--
One common failing of driftwood arrangements is leaving the saw-cut ends visible. This always bothers me. If you have a Dremel or a die grinder, you can get a structured tooth tungsten carbide cutter to fit. These come in various shapes, and work really well to sculpt the cut ends so that they look like natural weathered breaks instead of something that just left the lumber yard.
--end rant--


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## Harry Muscle (Oct 17, 2007)

Michael said:


> I like the long root too, it sets the arrangement apart from most stump compositions and balances the long branches at the top. One question and one suggestion:
> 
> How are you attaching the different pieces of wood together? I've struggled with this in the past, and your work looks really good.
> 
> ...


I've been using marine epoxy and stainless steel screws to hold everything together. I start with Weld-On Marine Weld in the syringe which sets quickly. I mix in a bit of brown paint pigment to blend in the epoxy with the wood. Once that's dried enough I go over it with PC-11 marine epoxy which is more of a paste that allows sculpting but takes longer to set. I also tint this epoxy but in addition I sprinkle saw dust from the wood to better blend in the glued joints. For the branches I also used stainless steel screws to provide more support.

Here's a picture of the back of this piece that shows what I've done:










Thanks,
Harry


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Thanks, it looks great!


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## Harry Muscle (Oct 17, 2007)

The driftwood is now all done and I'm playing around with the rock scape. Please let me know what you guys think of this rock layout. For some reason the rocks are proving harder for me to scape that the driftwood.




























Don't forget that there will be about 3" of gravel so the bottom portions of the wood and rocks will be hidden by that.

Thanks,
Harry


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

what color is the substrate? is it like GRAVEL from Petco or something or is it aquasoil?


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

I really love the graceful driftwood!

Maybe the reason you are having trouble with the rocks is that they suggest a very different style than the wood. The wood is all smooth, flowing curves, and the rocks are jagged and remind us of miniature mountains. Also, the rocks are all bunched in one place, instead of being distributed around most of the "roots".

Two suggestions: first, leave the rocks out completely and use the topography of the substrate to tell the rest of the story. Second, instead of jagged rocks, use smooth rounded stream stones to simulate a gently flowing current. If you need some contrast, use stones and substrate that are different colors than the wood. Keep in mind that the wood will darken a lot after it has been submerged for a while.


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## Harry Muscle (Oct 17, 2007)

Michael said:


> I really love the graceful driftwood!
> 
> Maybe the reason you are having trouble with the rocks is that they suggest a very different style than the wood. The wood is all smooth, flowing curves, and the rocks are jagged and remind us of miniature mountains. Also, the rocks are all bunched in one place, instead of being distributed around most of the "roots".
> 
> Two suggestions: first, leave the rocks out completely and use the topography of the substrate to tell the rest of the story. Second, instead of jagged rocks, use smooth rounded stream stones to simulate a gently flowing current. If you need some contrast, use stones and substrate that are different colors than the wood. Keep in mind that the wood will darken a lot after it has been submerged for a while.


Thanks for the feedback ... you might be on to something. In the mean time here's the latest version actually in the tank. No gravel though.



















Thanks,
Harry


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

Nice!!!!!!


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

The wood looks even better in the tank, and the rocks are better too. Try using a few rocks on the left side of the wood among the roots, and leave some gaps in the rocks on the right side.


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## blissskr (Jan 7, 2018)

Looks nice, what type of fish are you considering for the tank?


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## Harry Muscle (Oct 17, 2007)

Michael said:


> The wood looks even better in the tank, and the rocks are better too. Try using a few rocks on the left side of the wood among the roots, and leave some gaps in the rocks on the right side.


Thanks. I did just that. Here's the final result:



















Thanks,
Harry


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## Harry Muscle (Oct 17, 2007)

blissskr said:


> Looks nice, what type of fish are you considering for the tank?


It's a big tank so it'll get filled slowly but I'm aiming for a community tank with mostly small species. I'll probably start with Ottos, corries, and some of the small rainbow species.

Thanks,
Harry


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Looks great!


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## phreeflow (Aug 4, 2007)

Looks very nice! Very creative


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