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Comp_Nov09: Foothill Valley

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aquaticmaniac

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18 Oct 2008
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Location
London
Name: aquaticmaniac

Tank Dimensions (Height/Width/Depth): 10cmx21cmx10cm

Aquascape Name: Foothill Valley

Hardscape/Materials used: Stones, sand, small pebbles, twigs, and rock chips.

Plants: Java moss, Eleocharis sp., spiky moss, a few bits of fissidens, and unIDed moss.

Fertilisation: N/A

About the aquascape: Today I received the 3mm thick plexiglass that I will be using to make the tank. I also have been finalising my hardscape with a rock I found in the garden. The rock had been in my 40g, but I had decided it was too small. I broke it into pieces and am still deciding on the final arrangement.
I am waiting for some java moss to arrive, but I'm invisioning a scape with low moss growing amongst the rocks. I would have preferred to use a carpeting plant, but since I don't have decent substrate, I will be going with moss and having fun with that instead. According to my calculator, the volume comes to 2.4 liters.

The plants are all from other set ups I have (except the Java moss which was kindly donated by saintly). The substrate is nothing special, which is why I'm not even attempting more difficult stems, etc. Lighting is negligible, and is basically provided by the larger tank beside it. (In the final week, I put this tank in the window with 8h of light per day.)

Total cost: £3.83

Here are some shots of a few of the hardscape ideas I've been playing around with.

I'm liking this one so far. Ignore the little rocks in the background :D
option1.jpg


I like this one also.
option2.jpg


I'm not sure about this; it's not ideal, but I was just playing with more height.
option3.jpg


Plexiglass in all its film-protected glory
pi097.jpg


EDITED TO ADD: As it's come to a close, the 'scape did reasonably well with no ferts, CO2, decent lighting, etc. Obviously it could have been much better with a bit more care and attention. There was a small build up of diatoms near the bottom, but no major algae problems to speak of. For spending under a fiver, though, I'm happy with the outcome. I'm definitely reusing the tank I made; I love the proportions.
 
Re: Comp_Nov09: Untitled

Strangely enough, the second one is the first one I put together. I try too hard :p It's raining like crazy, and I've got some things to do, so I may not be able to do the tank today. Will update with changes :thumbup:
 
Re: Comp_Nov09: Untitled

I like the first one, great sense of scale! Careful not to scratch the plexi....
 
Re: Comp_Nov09: Untitled

I finally got some OK pics to post. I can't seem to get photos without something reflecting on the glass :twisted:

Because of the size of the tank, I had to change the layout of the hardscape I had chosen, but staid within the same vein. When I first heard about the contest, I wated to do a bonsai forest with tons of tiny 'trees'. I wasn't able to do that, but I threw a few into this 'scape to see how they go. Overall, I'm happy with how it turned out, but the rocks on the right side bug me for some reason.

Things I would do differently with insight...thinner substrate. I think this would have achieved the deceptive feeling that this is a larger tank. I would love to redo this when the contest is over :D

I've got a few different mosses in the front: java, spiky, and some moss I had taken from the garden and submerged over a month ago. There's also a bit of Eleocharis, and the little trees have java moss (you can't really see them that well in these photos).

These were taken just after a trim and WC.

2qleg0p.jpg


pi092.jpg


2rwkr40.jpg


Still no name for it :oops:
Tell me what you think :D
 
Re: Comp_Nov09: Untitled

aquaticmaniac said:
I finally got some OK pics to post. I can't seem to get photos without something reflecting on the glass :twisted:

Tried turning the lights out in the rest of the room? I make everyone turn off the TV :lol: Failing that try and get the right angle.
 
Re: Comp_Nov09: Untitled

I don't have a light on the tank, so the light in the room actually helps :p When I try to take some better photos, I'll hang a light above it and switch all the other lights off. Thanks :)
 
Re: Comp_Nov09: Untitled

Thanks :D I agree on the substrate, James. I was going to buy some off of ebay, but ran out of time *kicks self*. If I get the chance to redo it, I'm definitely going with darker substrate.
 
Re: Comp_Nov09: Untitled

The plant health isn't fabulous, as I didn't put a light on it the whole time :oops: For the past 5 days or so it has been in the window, so the plants perked up a little. I didn't give it a trim before the final photos. I can't wait to redo this :)

picofinal.jpg


picochallengefinal.jpg


picofinals.jpg
 
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