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Chris, I think you should just stop now …… adding water and plants might spoil it !!!!

A couple of weeks on from my holiday and the tank has generally recovered from the effects of neglect + very heavy trim. However I recently returned from 5 days away with work to find an algae problem has hit the tank …… so far the tank has been algae free since the start so it is a bit of a...

Really impressed with all your tanks …..this one looks bigger 60l. What lens have you used on the FTS and close ups ?… lighting is really good also.

Thanks for the comments ……ref all the cuttings…. it hurt me to put them in the compost as this is the first time I have trimmed so much plant mass from the tank in one go! I was considering using them to start a new scape with the empty 45P that is sat in my garage but decided against embarking...

Results of major hacking session yesterday …….. now looks a right mess but hopefully a few weeks of regrowth and it won't look quite so sickly! So, From this: Minus this: To this: I also dosed the tank with some fenbendazol in a effort to kill the planaria. Based on my calculations...

A while since I have updated on the journal…… Just come back today from a 2 week holiday ….. auto feeder and a rudimentary auto doser for ferts set up before I went as the scape has not bee left alone for more than a couple of days up to now. Half expected to come home to an algae swamp full...

A further development on the 'missing' amanos any the mystery worm like parasites…. watched one amano die yesterday at the front of the tank and within a few minutes a few of the small flatworms exited the body! Not pretty. Hopefully this was not the same fate suffered by the Ottos (only seen...

Thanks Felix, Jim & Greenfinger for the positive comments. A few iPhone pics following trim yesterday ……… probably need to hack back even harder as still looking a bit overgrown despite half a bucket of greenery removed!

Thanks Mr T…..Big trim in the morning …..scape has grown on a couple of weeks since this picture and barely any of the hardscape is now visible!

Not done an update on this one for a while …busy at work etc As a consequence of being busy I have recently let the scape grow on a bit and have been a bit lax on the trimming. It is 5 months old now and it is interesting to see how different plants seem to grow and dominate parts of the scape...

I have been looking for some inspiration for my empty 45P sat in the garage ….think i have found it after seeing this really unusual scape. Love it.

Lauris, Jordi, Andy & Ryno … thanks for the positive comments.

Downside of more ferts + CO2+ flow = more maintenance…… Being new to this hobby in the past 12 months or so I have perhaps a bit shy when it comes to getting the pruning scissors out and having a good hack back. Hence scape looking a bit wild this morning with the 'big red root' now barely...

Have since tweaked up flow +CO2 and gone to 10ml on the green bright and loads of fresh growth with no more new holey plants! weekly maintenance now taking twice as long though!

thanks for the comments guys …… I think I will resist the urge to add them for now as 6.0 and below seems to be on the borderline for these attractive little fish.

I have a 160l high tech setup with medium soft water at pH 6.0 - 6.2. I have been looking at adding some galaxy rasbora but most of the internet info pages suggest that they are best kept in slightly alkaline waters as per their 'home' location. Anyone out there got experience of keeping...

Up to day 75 (ish) Following problems with holes in sturogyene and some green spot algae on anubias I have upped the CO2 (dropper now much lighter green rather than blue-green) and upped the fertilisers (now 10ml ADA Green Brighty special lights + 5ml Tropica Premium per day). Been doing this...

from this to this (day 55)……..

I have just added first batch of fish to the tank at 60 days in (30x ember tetras) ….obviously now a new dynamic in tank chemistry as fish+fishfood = fishpoo have potential change things! Any thoughts on revised fert regime anyone? My current mix was not derived from any scientific principles...

Thanks for the tip Alto ….I will back off CO2 50% for the first day to give them a chance. Especially as i am not around for much of today so don't want to come back to a tank of floating livestock!!

Julian, they were all from the same batch of tropica 1 2 grow gel pots but this could still be answer. combination of location in tank vs light and likely lower CO2? I have inserted a root tab in the substrate in this area in case it is a root nutrition thing.

My 'fish tank' (as so described by my kids/wife/friends etc) now actually has some fish in it! Called into the Abyss at Stockport this evening as I was passing on my way back to North Wales ….picked up 30 Ember Tetras that are now happily relocated into the scape. Really pleased with them so...

Thanks for the suggestion Ed …problem will be trying to get a bit more circulation in this area given tank layout etc.

I have had my new tank going for around 60 days now (see Big red rootscape in journals section) and so far all is generally well. However, I have recently cut out a couple of Staurogene Repens plants that are showing loads of little holes all over leaves (see photo) I have loads of this...

So far generally trouble free but have noticed a bit of a problem. See picture below ….. I have cut out a small section of sturygene repens that seems to have gone all holey! Problem was restricted to a couple of plants only that were located directly under the CO2 diffuser. Rest of the same...

Day 55 - updated photos Still no fish as yet …. looking at adding them this weekend. Down to 2 choices at moment …….. either 30 ember tetras or 30 mosquito rasboras. May add some galaxy rasboras to mooch around the lower reaches of the tank as well.

I did first big trim of Monte Carlo yesterday plus some re-arranging of RHS corner of the scape. Hacked off approx 4 inches of root (underwater hacksaw job!) at the back RHS also to give more room for relocated Pogo Erectus …aim is to grow a big cushion of this to balance the scape up a bit...

I will try to get a photo of the tank with just RGB on ….. The red in these makes the CRS stand out really well also and and creatures seem more active that in the 'midday sun' effect of the main LEDs.

Thanks for the comment … i am a few weeks ahead of you with planting vs you emerald isles scape - I look forward to seeing it fill out. Not has Ottos before but i think they are great little creatures and seem very happy in their new environment (and pay for their keep at the same time with...

I have played about with the light controller a bit myself and concluded that you can adjust the intensity of the light OR use the timer setting ….but not both! I can't understand why the thing is programmed this way. However, this has not proved to be a problem as I think my light needs to be...

Thanks for the positive comment Greenfinger. Generally I am happy with it but a few things are in need of adjustment. Made a mistake on position of the root on day 1 as I haven't left enough room behind it and the back wall of the tank. This means the background stem plant haven't really got...

I have been thinking of how I can provide a little bit more cover for fish exposed to the strong LED lights (other than floating plants which will all get blown to the left hand end of the tank). The area of the tank with the sand path does not need much in the way of direct light so i was...

Thanks for the suggestion BB I had not heard of the Threadfin rainbow fish (Iriatherina werneri) before you suggested it ….certainly something a little bit different from the usual. I will have a look for these as i don't recall seeing them in any of the LFS that I visit. I guess they will...

Thanks for the feedback Robert. Not sure on fish as yet. Want something (or things) that : a) give a nice contrast to green plants, b) shoal well c) stay in top half of tank, d) don't mind 80W+ of LEDs with not much cover, and e) Won't bother/eat my crystal red shrimp! ……… answers on a...

The Monte Carlo carpet has grown in really well and is now a dense layer about 1cm thick I guess. I have not used this plant before so would welcome any advice as to what point I should do a first trim on it? If so then how hard to cut it back?

Thanks for the positive comment ….I nearly cut the anubias rhizome into a few shorter sections when I first planted them out. May still do this with the largest one as it does look a bit odd all bunched up.

I quite like the idea of harlequins but like most fish i am not sure if 80w+ of LED death ray will upset them! Hence I am waiting for the background foliage to thicken up a bit. Plan was for the Aponogenton to grow to about 80cm long and provide some cover …. looking for plan B now that plan has...

Moss is Christmas moss that was spread out quite thinly and held in place with some moss thread i bought off the internet from an HK store. looking at the stuff it seems to just be really fine fishing line. It has really taken well and seems to stay fairly compact. The guys at TGM advised me to...

Day 40 (today): Have dropped back to 50% weekly water changes for last couple of weeks as algae not an issue at present …just start to a see a little on the front glass by time of water change. Leaving back and side walls alone as ottos seem to be looking after this for me. Background plants...

Day 1 : (January 16th) Ammonia spike been and nearly gone so hopeful that my new filter has a healthy bacteria colony on the way (I helped it along by seeding it with some filter media from the other tank) Plants arrived via post & collection - (mostly gel tissue culture pots but some regular...

28 days before planting: After trawling the forums for pros & cons of dry vs wet start I decided on hardscape first + water only to give my new filter a chance to deal with the ammonia spike from the new ADA substrate. This would also give me chance to change my mind on hardscape positioning...

Finally got round to recording this one (only been planted 40 days!) … so here goes (assuming I can remember how to post photos off flicr etc!) This is my second attempt at an aquascape after a 30litre / 45cm tank started around this time last year (see planted tank gallery section for...

So much for best intentions……..90cm scape started in the new year but not quite got round to putting in a journal as of yet. Plan to start this tomorrow in the journal section under the title 'big red rootscape'.

Thank you guys for the posts on this. I will give vine wood a miss ..... I should have realised that the words 'relatively cheap' and 'aquascaping' don't often appear in the same sentence !!!! Pity, as the vine wood shapes are exactly what I was looking for. I will give eBay man a go.

Has anyone had any recent positive experience using vine wood? I am about to start a new 90cm tank and large (and really interestingly shaped) sandblasted bits are relatively cheap compared to alternatives. Various internet threads say it rots quickly (i.e. less than 12 months) …… but is this a...

Paid a visit to the Green Machine today with the aim of 'just having a look around' as it is a good few months since I last visited. Ended out walking out with an Arcadia 15w LED light strip for the current tank and placing an order for a new 90cm tank!!! I installed the LED unit tonight with...

Back from the Alps …resisted the urge to collect a load of rocks for a mountain style scape. Scape in good shape after 2 weeks away but population of CRS decimated by hungry Ammanos ….. came home to find biggest ammano munching its way through a small CRS! I had not realised that this would be a...

Thanks for the positive comments Mr T. Glad I went for the 45cm tank for a first effort and resisted the urge to go for the 90cm …..a big pot of algae soup if you get it wrong! So far no algae issues with my tank and I am now playing with CO2 and light levels to try to slow down the growth...

Thanks for the positive comments…..it was supposed to be loosely based on a few gorges I have hiked around in the Yorkshire Dales and Snowdonia. In mine and many of the other scapes on this forum much of the carefully place rock work gets totally obscured by plant growth ……perhaps less time...

A month on from a major pruning and everything growing back fast….. tank is still shrimp only but they seem very camera shy!

I bought one of these 4 months ago from CO2Art and have found it to be a really good bit of kit for the money. I had an initial problem with the unit buzzing when energised but this was soon sorted out by dismantling the cover on the actuator pin and stretching the spring a little to give more...

Did get chance to hack back the undergrowth today……. Went from this Down to this ………. Scape now looking more like what I had intended it to look like (the canyon is back!) …… I think I still need to do some more cutting back in top right corner. I am a bit sad ref hacking back the...

Thanks for the positive comments on this guys ….always good to know people think you are heading in the right direction with something new. I would agree that it looked its best around Day 70, with hardscape / plant mix OK. Its all gone a bit mad since then with the top half of the planting...

Day 7: Plants in …over ordered on the HC pots so left in bottom of tank while I think of what to do with them! Day 15: Added 4x ammano shrimp when diatom algae began to appear. These things are like locusts and tank was algae free within 24 hours. HC was looking a little yellow in the...

Thanks for the tip X3NITH ….. think I am on the right track. So back to the story….. Day 1: Hardscape set out after about a week of playing about. Trying to create a rocky canyon inspired by a few places I know from walks in nearby Snowdonia. I work in quarries so managed to get the rocks from...

if at first you don't succeed …try try again

If someone out there can tell me how to download pictures from flicr into a post then my pictures will follow!

Like many of the people using this forum I seem to have caught this aquascaping bug by chance. The following dozen or so steps just about sum it up really: Step 1. buy 'low maintenance' goldfish pet for daughter……Step 2. watch said 'low maintenance' pet die due to lack of maintenance (and...