• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Windswept Eternity

Well I've lost a bit of tension with lowering the stump and burying the rocks but I've tried to get it back by banking the substrate and adding scree to the central focal point which is mysteriously shrouded in shadow...;)
26215644344_8bc1ccdf95_c.jpg
26216455603_47395fd75e_c.jpg
I've attached 3 species of moss and a liverwort to the branches in places where they can grow emersed and submersed...I'm hoping the stump will eventually get covered.

P.S. repositioning the stump has allowed me to lower the light by 10cm, to the manufacturers optimum of around 20cm without putting some of the plants in shade, and the HC cuba is pearling:)
 
Last edited:
Troi said:
Well I've lost a bit of tension with lowering the stump and burying the rocks but I've tried to get it back by banking the substrate and adding scree to the central focal point which is mysteriously shrouded in shadow...;)
Click to expand...

If I were you I would use bigger rocks in that area to create a more natural appearance :) The rest looks great.
 
AnhBui said:
If I were you I would use bigger rocks in that area to create a more natural appearance :) The rest looks great.
Click to expand...
Thanks AnhBui...and I spent hours breaking those rocks up...You think maybe I went too far:(

Seriously tho' if you mean the scree I tried using bigger pieces and it just didn't look right, although there are some bigger pieces but you can't see them 'cause they're in shadow.
The original rocks underpinning the stump are still there buried in the substrate with just the tips poking out like icebergs. They form a semi circle holding back the banked Amazonia and forming the back wall to the scree, just like a corrie or cirque...;)

I think my aim was to make the scree rocks relatively small to maintain a sense of scale. For me trying to make what is a very small tank look big is the main challenge...the aspect ratio helps a great deal as well:)

Berlioz said:
I like it more like this, Tim. :)
I can picture what you're trying to do. In a couple of months I see it looking more like the moss covered rocks and wood I see in the shallows nearby.
Click to expand...
And thanks Berlioz, you're spot on with your with your assessment, it's all part of my let it evolve philosophy on this one...;)
 
Looks realy great, just waitin now to let it grow in. I guess the main focal points will be everything popping the surface and flowering. But i know what you mean, whit the little details you describe with the rocks.. In front of the tank it looks just the way it should and perfect, but impossible to get it on picture as the eye sees it... Next to the photic sneeze reflex and the constant glass cleaning this is also an issue i constantly run into. How do i take a picture of what i realy see? For contest scapes this is realy something to think about while building, the ones knowing how to manage this are the average winners i guess. :)
 
zozo said:
Looks realy great, just waitin now to let it grow in. I guess the main focal points will be everything popping the surface and flowering. But i know what you mean, whit the little details you describe with the rocks.. In front of the tank it looks just the way it should and perfect, but impossible to get it on picture as the eye sees it... Next to the photic sneeze reflex and the constant glass cleaning this is also an issue i constantly run into. How do i take a picture of what i realy see? For contest scapes this is realy something to think about while building, the ones knowing how to manage this are the average winners i guess. :)
Click to expand...
Thanks Marcel, you're so right about that...although I have to say for me this scape is by far the most instantly photogenic I've done so far.
I say instantly...I didn't really like the images of my other scapes I could never capture what I was after at the time and I could never do them justice, but looking at them in retrospect they seem OK now.
But then again, I only use a phone camera and don't edit the pics, bar a bit a cropping occasionally.
Greenfinger2 said:
Hi Tim, The Shallow Looks fantastic :thumbup: Love the little W-K too :cool:
Click to expand...
Thanks Roy, I've since taken some substrate out of the little W-K it wasn't in proportion to the size of the glass...fussy I know, but the Devil is in the detail;)
The hardest thing is then keeping the inside of the glass clean without uprooting the plants:arghh: I don't know how you manage it, you must have the patience of a saint:angelic:
 
Troi said:
The hardest thing is then keeping the inside of the glass clean without uprooting the plants:arghh: I don't know how you manage it, you must have the patience of a saint:angelic:
Click to expand...

Yes the glass staines over time when spraying ferts or tap water, one way which could help a lot and preventing mineral deposit on the glass is spray demineralized water day after spraying ferts. If the glass gets to full with water after spraying take a syringe with a needle and suck the excess of water out again. ALso could use a syringe to add fertilized water to the substrate without touching the glass.

I've also noticed that stains disappear as long as a film of water is on the glass, so spraying demiwater and taking pictures while glass is still wet gives about the clearest results. Anyway thats how i keep my 33cl Wabeer Kusa glass relatively clean for over 6 months now without wiping with cotton sticks which doesn't realy help much. If you have some uggly staining a coton stick dipped in vinigar could help a bit but it's more smearing around then cleaning. Demiwater is the secret anyway. :)
 
Thanks Marcel...I think I've got some in the garage, and on that note I'm going to install a water butt in the garage this weekend and use rainwater for the scape.
The water round here is very hard, so I'm hoping rainwater will reduce limescale etc in the tank as well.
 
Always wanted to have a go at Bucephalandra...especially as I'm trying to miniaturise everything to maintain a sense of scale; they are a great substitute for the usual Anubias.

I found these two mini varieties or species, not sure which, online and went ahead and bought them.

After accepting that for an extortionate amount of money I could only expect a rhizome and few tatty leaves, I was, for once, pleasantly surprised by the size and quality of the plants.

And they've fitted in nicely just as I imagined. Also, a small piece broke loose so I positioned it where it can easily grow emersed too...excited to see how they do;)

26252079283_476b25a6be_c.jpg
26252080573_1fa133c883_c.jpg
26762844982_e7c028e86c_c.jpg
 
Last edited:
Yeah you're right, I considered these as well, but Anubias spp. varieties ain't as small, and have a habit of reverting to ancestral type if not kept in the right environmental conditions...;)
 
Troi said:
After accepting that for an extortionate amount of money I could only expect a rhizome and few tatty leaves, I was, for once, pleasantly surprised by the size and quality of the plants.
Click to expand...
These look great, where did you get them from? These are the next plants I want to add to my tank... I like your revised version. Sometimes when things go t#ts up it works out great.
 
Did you make offers or just pay the full price?

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: tim
Made and offer of £10.00 for the Bucephalandra "Lamandau Mini Purple" and it was accepted straight away...maybe there's even more leeway;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top