Scaping with Mini Landscape Rock - advice/help

[Rob P]

So, i'm going to be rescaping my tank with mini landscape rock. I've received 15kg which turned out to be 5 pieces, two quite thin (6/8cm) but tall (26cm), one 'chunk', one reasonably large flat piece and a smaller pointy piece.

Here they are in a line...



and from above



I've only messed around with them out of tank on a piece of cardboard the size of the tank base, as current tank still full of old scape, plants and fish. These will be transferred to a temp tank while I rework it.

My goal is something simple but prominent, something that allows planting a choice of stems/vallis round the back with some low/carpeting varieties further forward and a few plants in the gaps, perhaps some weeping moss on the rocks themselves. I have a fairly level substrate currently but intend to build it up at the rear and create an effect of graded gravel sliding down the gaps back to front, with a sandy front area.

Some layouts I have tried:







However, I keep coming back to a 3 main rock layout as something I prefer, like these...





The two tallest rocks seem to lend themselves to being upright, creating the main impact. These in situ on the substrate would stand about a foot tall in a 45cm high tank.

This also leaves me the larger flat piece (2nd from left in the all pieces laid out pictures) that i've struggled to place in any of the ideas so far, to break up and use in the foreground. I've not clagged anything with a hammer yet as been there/done that before (and regretted it! ). I've tried to pay attention to some rules, traingles, 3rds etc but not sure I quite grasp it all

So, If anyone would care to give pointers, advice, opinions etc, i'd love to hear

Regards,
Rob

 

[Tim Harrison]

Trying to smash that stuff with a hammer ain't always that successful cause it's often very hard and finely crystalline and I'm not sure that the freshly exposed faces and edges are all that aesthetically pleasing. I personally would invest in some more, which would give you more options...it's what I did. I found a high street retailer that buys wholesale from ALF Ltd they brought 2 x 20 Kg boxes in for me so I could cherry pick the pieces I wanted.

 

[Rob P]

Although I make it sound quite heavy handed (clagged), I was thinking along the lines of grooving with an angle grinder and going for a controlled break.

I think you may be right about getting a bit more though...

 

[Rob P]

Took a hammer to one piece and split as hoped for!! Had a re-jig and came up with something I really liked. Picture taken in dark conditions with flash but idea quite visible. Think I probably need to get hold of a few smaller pieces to dot around, but do like the shape this creates...



Opinions?
Rob

 

[Andy D]

I like this final shot the best by far!

 

[Lindy]

Yup, last one looks interesting and I can imagine plants growing between the rocks.

 

[Rob P]

Thanks! I still really like it and sure I will once positioned inside the tank

When I look at the shape of the structure, it makes me feel that to get good flow in the tank I would be better moving the spraybar to a side of the tank so it a) shortens the length of the bar and increases outflow velocity (can be bolstered with Koralia pump) and b) sends flow along the length of the tank, so flow is not stalled by hitting the 'wall' created by the scape.

I need to build up substrate at the rear to support the structure and not sure of the best way. At the minute I have JBL aquabasis covered with sand and it's relatively uniform, can I add more aquabasis on top of the sand at the rear and then cap with another kind of substrate? Thinking of the really fine gravels unipac do, spilling down between the rocks.

 

[Kev_M]

That last attempt is sublime.

 

[dan4x4]

I also like the last attempt best, sounds silly but I purchased a load of rocks a while back when I had a bigger tank, I wanted to make a bridge if you like in one corner so two pieces holding one up on the top but it never looked right. it was also murder for collecting all the dead bits of plant etc.

 

[Rob P]

Well i'm nowhere near settled on a layout yet. I have a new tank on order and it's at least 8 weeks away so plenty of time... lol

I still really like the last layout I posted, although I do have major concern about getting decent flow around it. The more I read on issues people have the more it always points to distribution and flow. Having a tall mountain range splitting the middle of the tank doesn't lend itself well to assisting with good flow!!

It also appears that even people who get it right and know what they are doing still have issues with algae on the rocks, so again this is a consideration for me as it looks like there'll be some rock cleaning to do regardless. I have just this week in my current nonsense tank removed the rocks in there and scrubbed them in the sink. So much easier than having to fiddle around inside the tank between plants, fish and decor!!

All food for thought!

Rob