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40cm driftwood cube

I

icepotato89

Member
Joined
8 Jul 2011
Messages
109
Location
Melbourne, Australia
this is my new project. a 40cm rimless opticlear cube.

eheim 2215
200w hydor inline heater
x3 24w t5ho (for now)
pressurized co2
EI dosing
aeration at night

this was my first attempt. it looked really good for a day, then i wokeup the next morning and hated it. for me the rocks looked too heavy and this style scape has been done to death.
DSCN3217.jpg


second attempt, looks good to me at the moment and has a different feel. i toned down the rocks and tried to blend rocks and wood together. we'll see how i like it tomorrow but i think i'm pretty close to planting.
DSCN3222.jpg


im looking for good cretique for improving the hardscape.
 
thanks, not sure what species the wood is. the guy didn't know. now i'm thinking the two bits of wood that cross at the top are wrong. maybe i should snap off some of the peice on the right side?
 
here is a loose plant list
HC foreground
staurogyne portovelho, crypt wendii, crypt brown midground
rotala green, rotala colorata background
weeping moss, needleleaf java, bolbitis on wood
i also want to work in hygrophilla pinnatifida and proserpinaca palustris somewhere.
 
Really nice layout, both of them. I like the first one. :) Would look amazing with backlighting.

The plant choice is spot on, but wouldn't palustris leaf shape contrast too much with the rest? Needleleaf mixes very well with pinnatifida. :)
 
Really nice! What is the lighting, 3 x 24w or 3 x8w giving you 24watts? Cant wait to see this take shape.
 
i finished the planting last night and filled it up.

last night
DSCN3229.jpg


tonight
DSCN3245.jpg


as you can see the wood is releasing some tannin. i'll need order some purigen. ive got lily pipes and inline CO2 coming soon.

this is inside the cabinet, it is full to the brim with equipment for both tanks. its barely eneough:
DSCN3244.jpg
 
I think you brought the wood and rock together very well. Some natural talent there on your part.

I think though in planted tanks, the hardscaped transforms considerably when plants are added and can change the whole impact. I think in the end those rocks will only give some hint that they are there, but maybe that is what you intend. It can be so easy to lose the hardscape completely though.
 
thats very true sanj, i always struggle to keep the hardscape strong when the plants grow in. i think it mostly comes down to effective trimming but you need to be very careful. with driftwood scape especially, the ones that i like best have a slightly overgrown look. keeping it inbetween manicured and messy can be very difficult and its one of the reasons i am challenging myself with this scape, its the only way to improve. we'll see how i go....
 
added a 100ml purigen bag last night and the water is free of tannins. a few days ago i introduced some hengelis, otocinclus and RCS. CO2 is via atomizer now.

DSCN3261.jpg
 
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