Check out my Wood

[TBRO]

A farming friend was draining a small pond on their land and found these bits of wood for me. They were laughing at the fact that only I could value some rotten wood from the bottom of a pond! We think they are old pine tree stumps.Still I think there is some really cool stuff here. I was never quite happy with the redmoore roots I have so this stuff should be good - already pre-soaked Just got to design a descent layout now, was thinking wood with small cat growing on it - T

 

[Dan Crawford]

Sweet! Nice work pal, you have a ready made hardscape with that tree stump

 

[jarthel]

I am drooling with envy!

I am thinking of looking around the river this weekend hoping for a nice find!

 

[aquaticmaniac]

Ooooh, the elusive cat wood! Very nice stuff that, nice texture

 

[a1Matt]

Just got to design a descent layout now, was thinking wood with small cat growing on it - T

Just make sure the cat\wood relative placement observes the golden ratio and your onto a winner.

 

[Mortis]

Your cat is quite shiny !!

 

[TBRO]

My cats are great fun but try tying moss to wood in the presence of a cat, then you learn the definition of annoyance

 

[TBRO]

I couldn't resist having a play with some of this wood. As I was trimming the moss in my Nano I thought why not. I've never really liked the wood in my big tank, so I had another go.

Christmas Time !

I had everything required - Wood, cotton, moss, cat.....

Here's a terrible picture of the tank before I started messing around.

Heres a couple of shots with the new wood, water is still a bit murky but I quite like it. The open patch on the far left is reserved for some nice crypts as it's kind of dark.

Any suggestions on wood placement welcomed - This is my play tank, so it's all for fun Tom

 

[rawr]

That's a great improvement, nice looking tank there.

 

[TBRO]

A little update. Few shots showing the Java fern and bolbitis growing in. Looks a bit unbalanced currently as I pulled up the left hand Rotala green (was getting very leggy) and replaced it with Rotala Rotundifolia and Ludwigia Ruben, this should add some non-green colours. Also got some emperor tetras, thay are really nice little fish, constantly showing off to each other!

 

[NatureBoy]

that's a healthy looking fish!

 

[TBRO]

This scape is nearing it's "completed" state, a bit more work on the stems is needed and I hacked back the Pogestemon at the front, that gap is slowly being filled in by hair grass and HC. Here's some snaps I took with only the back lights on. Will post some finished pics in a couple of weeks, not that a scape is every really finished but I'm itching to try something new!- Tom

 

[anshuman]

wow, i was really envy of that wood at start, then i saw you immerse it in your tank and basically totally covered it. you may have as well used some coloured pipes or something to scape your moss , sorry dont mean to be harsh but i was kinda in love with that wood. in starting pics. u hurt me by totally hiding it

 

[anshuman]

BTW gorgeous planted tank for a play tank. its completely planted, i am sure you dont even bother bout oxygen for the fishes.

 

[TBRO]

I Know what you mean, the wood is more visable in real life. I think the camera hides it in shadows. The stems a pretty rampant and I've never been known as the most disciplined weilder of the sciccors. I'm planning a more concave scape to make more of the wood for my next go.

Here's a shaky iphone shot of some ideas for wood composition

 

[Garuf]

how bigs that first hunk of wood? Any chance you have any smaller bits knocking about you want to sell?

 

[TBRO]

Re: Check out my Wood (Night of the long Scissors)

OK so I turn my back on this tank and everything goes mental. So I got medieval on my stems, brutalising them back.

Hope they grow back, should look nice in a couple of weeks, still can't really decide on the shape the stems should be making.

Sorry Garuf, no wood for sale but if they ever let a pond or lake run dry near you, get your wellies on....

 

[Steve Smith]

Great stuff! Got a real jungle going on there, looks ace

 

[TBRO]

I thought I was done with this scape but the stems went all "day of the triffids" again and I had to punish them. I ripped up almost all of the pogostemon, which revealed some really nice bolbotis and java fern, the is also a nice patch of staurogyne wich I uncovered. I have decided to let the hair grass have the front area, it needs to be trimmed in a couple of weeks after the roots take hold. Overall I really like the dark layers created by the moss and ferns.

Lost plants...

Any thoughts on further scaping?

 

[Mark Evans]

I've always found your tank to be in amazing condition when it comes to plant health.

Another one with great plant growing abilities.

any thoughts on a re-start?