# Zebra Rock



## kimbm04r (Apr 22, 2005)

I was at my LFS last night and found 3 small pieces of Zebra Rock. I think this is a very attractive rock and want to put it into my 5 gallon tank that I am setting up for the Contest. I have it setting in the bare tank right now and really like the looks of it with the Eco-Complete substrate.

My question is this. What plants would you recommend to use with this rock? I was thinking of going with mostly Asian plants but I like this rock so much I want to use it as the hardscape. Would the Asian plants still be okay for this? And if so which ones would you recommend?

Thanks in advance.


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## kimbm04r (Apr 22, 2005)

*Zebra Rock installed*

I got the Zebra Rock in the tank last night. What do you think? I also have this in my Contest Journal.










Edit: that is not the background, it has a towel hanging behind it so hide the wicker sofa it was setting on. I am considering painting the back of the tank black.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

Myra, 

I like the looks of the rock. The color is a bit too striking though the right setup and plants could make it look like snowcapped mountains. Did they have any smaller rocks of the same type? It's a general rule that smaller rocks are at the base of larger ones. Just observe next time you are outside and you'll see what I mean.

Also, I would offset the rocks just a tad more as they are too centered at the moment. I hope all this helps out.


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## kimbm04r (Apr 22, 2005)

Would you move them more left or right? If I go left I don't know about the filter getting in the way. I tried to keep them to one side but maybe a little more would help. Can I shorten the intake of the filter to get it above the rocks and not have any problems with the filter?

These are about the smallest they had. Would it do any good to buy a larger one and break it into smaller pieces? I don't know if it would look natural if I break one.

The color may not be all that correct as I had to modify the picture to have it so it would show up well enough.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

If you're worried about the filter intake then move the rocks more to the right side. Have the largest one in the back and the smaller two in front of it. It would probably be a good idea to get another larger rock and break it into small pieces. Make sure and wear goggles when you do that.  The smaller pieces may look odd at first, but once the rocks age with a little algae and such it will look fine.


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## kimbm04r (Apr 22, 2005)

*Another pic of Zebra Rock Layout*

Okay, I went back to the LFS and they had a few small pieces of the Zebra Rock. I bought several and have a new picture. I moved them to the left and put in three small pieces (you may not be able to see the one). I took out the filter and put in a Stingray Filter.

What do you think of this? Do I need to make any more changes?


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

That looks a lot better I think. If you plant it taller towards the back left and have it slope at an angle into a foreground towards the right side it could look really nice.


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## brianclaw (May 17, 2005)

How about a really minimal set up of nothing but HC and those rocks? Make it so that the gravel is sloping from left to right and back to front with the biggest rock on top of the hill and the smaller ones to help hold the shape of the slope with HC covering the gravel...


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## kimbm04r (Apr 22, 2005)

You can't really see it to well in the pic but it is sloping from the left back toward the front center and the right back toward the front center. There is somewhat of a dip in the center back of the tank at the point of the filter. The big rock is (somewhat) on the top with the smaller rocks lower. Should I build up the back left a little more and make the right side more flat to get the effect you are discribing?

I wish I could get rid of the shadow from the hood to see the thing better. Maybe I will see what happens with the lid off.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Keep them coming. How about plants? 

I have a melon sword, riccia, glosso, and baby tears already that I could use. I could probably pull some plants from my 29 gallon as well but at the moment I can't recall what all I have in it.

I am working on a layout scheme utilizing plants I already have. I will post it when I have a chance.


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## kimbm04r (Apr 22, 2005)

*Plant Layout Scheme*

Here is another picture of the tank layout. I have made a scheme for the plants. Let me know what you think. I am open to suggestions for the plants as well if you have any that would work better.

It now slopes from the back left corner down to the front right corner.










1) Proserpinaca Palustris L. 'Mermaid Weed'
2) Micranthemum Elatinoides 'Baby Tears'
3) Riccia (covering canvas)
4) Glossostigma Elatinoides
5) Vesicularia Sp. 'Christmas Moss'


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

I like all of your plant suggestions except for the sword plant. Most swords are way too big for a tank that small. I suggest you substitute a stem plant of some sort with small fine leaves to give the illusion that the tank is larger than it is.


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## kimbm04r (Apr 22, 2005)

Thanks for the comments. I agree with you about the sword plant but I wasn't sure if I should go with stem plants or not. Now that you have suggested them what about Proserpinaca Palustris L. (Mermaid Weed)? I just picked some up at the LFS this weekend. I don't know, maybe the leaves on it would be to large. Is this a true aquatic plant or should I go with something different and if so, what would you suggest? What do you think of the plant layout scheme?


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## kimbm04r (Apr 22, 2005)

*Day One Planted*

I finally was able to get started on the planting of this tank today.

I have everything in it that I have mentioned except the Riccia and the Christmas Moss (just won it on aquabid today). This Riccia is on pieces of canvas in a different tank at the moment. I will probably put it in the tank in a few days after it starts growing. The canvas in the picture is acting mainly as a place holder at the moment.

And now for a picture...










Hopefully the mermaid weed will stand up in a couple of days and you will be able to see the Baby Tears that is in front of it better.

I have modified the previous post on the plant layout to include the plants that are now going into this tank.

Suggestions/comments as always are welcome and encouraged.

Thanks.


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## kimbm04r (Apr 22, 2005)

*And my husband's 2 cents worth...*

Last night, my husband was setting at the table working on a drawing of a house and he looked up at me and stated out of the clear blue "ya now, with all the tanks you have it sure would be nice if you would have one with Neons in it. I think those are my favorite."

Okay, so what are your ideas on Neon Tetras for this tank? I hadn't any thoughts into putting fish into this tank because I was planning on Red Cherry Shrimp but I have some of those in another tank already. Can I put these in a tank with Cherry Shrimp? How many can I put in a 5.5 gallon tank with a half dozen shrimp and 2 or 3 otos? Or should I just go Otos and Neons?

As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thanks in advance.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

Myra, this looks a ton better than your original layout. 

As for the fauna I would start out w/ a trio of cherry shrimp, 6 neons and 1 otto. That should be plenty of fish and the cherry shrimp...well you know how they breed.


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