"Prairie Lands"... job done

[Anubia]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... fishy heaven

Something new is always good. Harlequins are too much used these days. You see them everywhere. And me myself had them for the last year. Got bored of them. Tetras is good choice as is guramis. Your scape is very fresh and unique. Dont go the same path as everyone. No to harlequins for me

Cheers mate. I feel that the scape is a bit different from the 'norm' and for the first time, fish choice is important to me. I rack my brains constantly.

Why not go for something different like Splash Tetras,

Hi Mark...I've always fancied a large shoal of Gold ring Danio's....(Danio Tinwini).......They wouldn't be such a common choice and are a lively fish that would bring a smile to your current bored outlook.......

I also think it's time you got that manual flymo out bud...enjoy the cutting session.

 

[Mark Evans]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... pre-trim

...I've always fancied a large shoal of Gold ring Danio's....(Danio Tinwini).......

i'll check em' out

I also think it's time you got that manual flymo out bud...enjoy the cutting session.

I keep staring at it, wondering how i'm going to cut the whole thing. The foreground is easy, it's the rest of it that's got me thinking. (scratches head)

 

[Mark Evans]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... trim of a life time

OK, it's done 8)

before i started. i thought it'd be easy ish. It's actually turned into the trim that decides the over all look. I've cut the foreground as per usual, but cut out large clumps of grass at the back and sides, but left other areas.

I've cut out stray runners of tenellus that were growing around the back and thinned the acicularis a little.

The one thing that disturbs me now...in a big way, is the clump of crypts to the right... They long wrong.

I'll look at the images I've taken, and decide whether to take them out or not...probably will.

This image is directly after trimming and removing cut leaves.

just replacing image with a better one
Hopefully the trim has achieved some kind of order in the scape and given it a bit of 'shape'

Another trim or 2 should just about finish it off.

Shorty, I'll post a short vid of trimming.

Thanks for looking.

 

[Mark Evans]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... trim of a life time

images after a water change. 😀

The pink tinge is from the hagen glo, i've just had to put in...the other just blew.







here's a vid.

The thing that comes into view @ 2.00mins is my belt.... 😵

 

[Ian Holdich]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... trim of a life time

Great pics and great vid, Mark. Those Gourami's are great, i know your not keen, but i think they look great in there!

If you were gonna get rid of all the fish, i personally would put a big group of sunset gourami's in there. In know you're after tetras, but they do suite the scape IMO.

 

[Tom]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... trim of a life time

I didn't realise you could trim the foreground like that - from my experience it just dies, but obviously not!! Is that tenellus all the way to the front now, or still Lilaeopsis? (I think I'm right there was some at the start?!)

Tom

 

[andyh]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... trim of a life time

Mark

Really great video, especially seeing how you prune the tennelus. As i am about to attack mine 😉

Trying really hard not to make any gags/jokes about your belt at 2mins........must try not to be rude.......ukaps rules forbid it

 

[Mark Evans]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... trim of a life time

Trying really hard not to make any gags/jokes about your belt at 2mins........must try not to be rude.......ukaps rules forbid it

i didn't even look at the vid until i uploaded it. I blushed 😳

Is that tenellus all the way to the front now, or still Lilaeopsis?

mainly lilaeopsis mate. From the vid, you can see me cutting just the tenellus. Once established, it's a nightmare! I guarantee, it'll grow 2 inches in 2days!

Most of the foreground is lilaeopsis.

Ian, i'm at my wits end deciding on fish!

 

[chrisfraser05]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... trim of a life time

still in awe at this tank 🙂🙂🙂

 

[Tony Swinney]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... trim of a life time

Nice trim Mark - its taking on a really nice shape now, and won't look too manicured once it grows in again

Knw what you mean about the right hand crypts - they jump out a bit, maybe nicer with brown leaved crypts in there

For some reason the vid wont work for me, just opens a new window in Safari with nowt in it. I'll try Firefox.

Tony ( off to trim mine now )

 

[George Farmer]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... trim of a life time

Great video mate.

It's easy to take your work for granted these days, with you posting regularly and consistently such high quality stuff. I, for one, really appreciate it and on behalf of UKAPS, thank you.

Fish choice is a real tough one in here. It's a groundbreaking aquascape, and deserves appropriately carefully selected fish.

 

[Mark Evans]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... trim of a life time

still in awe at this tank

cheer Chris. It's at the stage where it's 'fun' the trimming bit is, for me, as creative as the initial layout part.

Knw what you mean about the right hand crypts - they jump out a bit, maybe nicer with brown leaved crypts in there

There going mate. they just look wrong now.

Hope you got the vid working mate?

It's easy to take your work for granted these days, with you posting regularly and consistently such high quality stuff. I, for one, really appreciate it and on behalf of UKAPS, thank you.

It's no problem mate. ... I do it for the love mate. A tad obsessive maybe, but that's me 😀

and deserves appropriately carefully selected fish.

I need to get in a fish shop or 2. When i see the fish, I'll know instantly i think.

 

[andyh]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... trim of a life time

I need to get in a fish shop or 2. When i see the fish, I'll know instantly i think.

Mark - Just thought it worth a mention but one of the best traditional fish shops around our area is Wharf Aquatics, not sure if you have ever been, but they have hundreds of tanks of fish and there is some real rare stuff at good prices. When i want fish this is where i go.

They are at Pinxton (near Mansfield, basically junction 28 of the M1.) You should get over there, If you do let me know and if i can make it will meet you up there for a coffee!

 

[Mark Evans]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... trim of a life time

They are at Pinxton (near Mansfield, basically junction 28 of the M1.) You should get over there, If you do let me know and if i can make it will meet you up there for a coffee!

sounds like a plan mate. It's not far from me neither. (rolls the dice...gets 6) now beat that

 

[George Farmer]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... trim of a life time

MA @ Crowland, Peterborough, is also excellent for fish. 😉

 

[andyh]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... trim of a life time

They are at Pinxton (near Mansfield, basically junction 28 of the M1.) You should get over there, If you do let me know and if i can make it will meet you up there for a coffee!

sounds like a plan mate. It's not far from me neither. (rolls the dice...gets 6) now beat that

andyh - takes dice from Mark and shoves it up Marks.............................................................nostril

 

[Mark Evans]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... trim of a life time

The crypts to the right are gone 😀 looks much better.

 

[Mark Evans]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... trim of a life time

here's with the clump of crypts removed. I simply cut them down to the substrate. maybe they'll grow back, i dont know.



You can also see, that the right side of the foreground needs to grow in some more, so maybe my 8 week deadline is not so real, but you know, i'm actually relishing the thought of this tank running a few months, trimming and shaping.

 

[Krishs Bettas]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... crypts removed

Hi Mark,

The scaoe looks super . Can I ask you how did you get the crypts (before you cut them back) grow "compacted" - like in a bush, sorry I'm not good at explaining

Krish

 

[Mark Evans]

Re: "Prairie Lands"... crypts removed

I'm not sure mate.

The bullosa that you see was planted with just one plantlet. I had just the one pot which i split and planted randomly.

However, I've found the plants out of the flow, grow bigger than the ones in the flow....dramatically different actually.

guys, i'm really sorry for the constant posting. I'm close to breaking point with regards to boredom, but then thats what forums are for no? 😀