Comp_Nov09: Forgotten Lair

[Gill]

Name: Gill

Tank Dimensions (Height/Width/Depth): 10 - 6 - 6 - Novelty Light Bulb

Aquascape Name: Forgotten Lair

Hardscape/Materials used: Crushed Slate, Shattered Slate, Powdered Slate, Cotswold Bluff Chippngs, Potting Compost.

Plants: Terrestrial Moss - Grown Emersed in a Bucket for a few Months = Whatever has been growing in it.

Fertilisation: N/A

About the aquascape:
Ok so to say that this one was tideous is an understatment. I do not have steady hands and using Hammer and Chisel was a little precariuos to smash and shatter the slate (Left Over from past Tanks).
I had an idea to carve (Dremmel) more interesting shapes in the Bluff Chippings, but it did not look very good.
As I was shattering the Slate I remembered that the Slate from the Rainbow Crabs Tank(Previuos Owners) was very soft and could be crushed into a Very Very Fine Substrate, so that was the next job using a Hammer.
I decided that I was going to get a pot of HC from PAH but decided against that due to money restraints (So Skint), and Decided to try some of the Moss i have been growing in the Garden.

So with that out of the way here are some pix. There are a lot of them.


Photos:


Moss and Bluff

Carving Bluff

Soft Slate to be crushed into Substrate

End Result

Firstly Adding Some Sand and Pea Gravel as a Base

Added some of the Crushed Slate

On Top of the Sand Mix I added some Potting Compost and then some of the Bluff Chippings.
Onto this I placed a Clump of Moss and Started to Play Around with the Positioning of the Shards of Slate.
This was the worst bit as using tweezers to manouver in such an awkward space was time consuming and tediuos. Once I was happy with the placement I added smaller lumps of slate and stones or support. I basted in a little water to allow things to settle before carrying on any further.

I an Happy with the End Result, but may tinker with it a little.
I used lots of tiny flat peices of shattered slate to create lots of tiny caves and cave entrances within the scape. Which I hope is Visible.
For the final Shoot I will be using my Dad's new Sigma Macro Lens. Just need to learn how to use it, as it is Huge and Bulky.

 

[Nelson]

now that i like .

 

[Jack middleton]

The size of the vessel is similar to mine, its a nice design that, very imaginative!

 

[Gill]

Thanks Guys, was a Pain to do with tweezers. One more to go and then that my Entries done, and i actually spent some money on the next one.

 

[AdAndrews]

Very, very nice, well done

 

[Gill]

Thanks, as i was saying to someone else. I almost gave up a few times trying to scape this as it was so fiddly and annoying.

 

[Tony Swinney]

Looks cool Gill. Picos are fiddly enough to scape, but giving yourself a narrow bottle neck like that to work through, must have made it a real pain !

Tony

 

[Gill]

Looks cool Gill. Picos are fiddly enough to scape, but giving yourself a narrow bottle neck like that to work through, must have made it a real pain !

Tony

Thanks it was sooooo Annoying, Now that it has settled and all the bubbles have gone. I am very happy with the end result.
Just going to start the last one and then thats it.

My Wife is not Moaning which is good, because they take up no more space than a sheet of A4 paper.

 

[Themuleous]

Thats pretty awesome, Gill, nice one

Sam

 

[James Marshall]

That's incredible Gill.
I love this kind of thing, the light bulb container forces the viewer to regognise just how small the scape wthin must be.
You've really got me thinking now .

Cheers'
James

 

[Gill]

That's incredible Gill.
I love this kind of thing, the light bulb container forces the viewer to regognise just how small the scape wthin must be.
You've really got me thinking now .

Cheers'
James

Exactly, I had beenw anting to do something with this for a while now.
I was in the garage earlier and the Screws/nuts/bolts organiser got me thinking about exactly how small I could go.
Those tiny little compartments are like 5long by 1high by 3deep and i am itching to try something in them. But I know i the whole scape may not be under water, so i am thinking about what i can achieve in it.

 

[Gill]

Taken Down as forgotten about and water turned into a milky smelly mess.