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Need some suggestions

Mortis

Member
Joined
17 Jun 2009
Messages
410
Hi, Im going to start a nano planted soon and needed advice/suggestions for it
The tank is a 12" (L) x 10" (W) x 12" (H) that I had lying aroud with 1x 18W + 1x 24W 6500K lights, DIY CO2 + Excel, EI Ferts

So far, Ive put in the substrate, scaped it a bit and added a couple of rocks. Ive attached a photo of what it loks like currently. I apologize for the dirty glass and bad phone camera photo, my regular cameras battery was dead and didnt feel like waiting for it to charge.



The scape Im going for is kind of like the one you see in some movies like Jurassic Park. A dark, stormy night with a group of people moving through a field of long grass. Unfortunately for them, there is a bunch of stealthy velociraptors in there who are grabbing people one by one an all you see is a bit of grass rustling. The survivors head to the top of a nearby hill to get a better view and .....

The plan I have for this scape is to have hairgrass on top of the hill and coming down from there. I dont know if you can make out from the picture but Ive used the substrate to make a kind of ridge coming down the hill. There is going to be hairgrass from the hill going behind it and from the ridge to the front glass, I will plant Utricularia Graminifolia. Im using UG for the foreground instead of just hairgrass for a couple of reasons - because I think it is an interesting plant and because it will give the impression of swaying grass once it grows.

The first thing I need help with is making the hill look more natural. I know I could have sieved the substrate to get it t an even particle size but I didnt have a sieve or patience so Im okay with that. As for the hill, is it OK where it is ? I know that it looks like a slice of a scene the way it is now. Should I move it, make it higher, lower it ? Are the rocks fine ? Should I stick some smaller pebbles/rocks into the hill to break it up a bit ? What would be the best way to improve the current hill and make it more natural ?

The next bit of scaping I need help with is the familiar driftwood 'tree'. Im still looking for the perfect piece though. For arguments sake lets say it is an inch thick and a little less than double the height of the 'hill' and ends in three branches. For the 'leaves', Im going to use fissidens moss.
Now, there are three possible positions for it:

1] on the left hand slope of the hill growing straight up
2] left side towards the back corner leaning towards the corner diagonally opposite
3] A tree that has just fallen cos of the storm. Again, the base will be in the back left corner with the branches towards the front, at a slight angle away from the the side glass. This is an idea for an alternate 'after the storm' scape. Same grassy hill and field, no velociraptors :lol: with the falen tree and maybe a gradient grey background

What position for the 'tree' would suit the scape ?

I was also planning on adding some red stems to the background somewhere. Either Rotala indica or wallichi. Which one should I use ? Where should I add the bunch ? Should I not add any at all ?

Thats about it for now ! Look forward to hearing all your suggestions !
 
it seems you have to movie scene in your head. great explanation....so, shouldn't you decide if the hill is big enough, or where the tree should go?....we cant see your vision.

UG, IMO wouldn't look like swaying grass, but e acicualris would
 
Isnt UG a bit more floppy/wobbly types than acicularis ? Atleast is seems that way from the pics Ive seen.

Like I said, although the scape is INSPIRED by a movie scene, I also want it to look more natural. Hence, the questions.
 
wow :woot: really good idea of wht u want.
Can't wait to see it with the plants, sounds like its gona be really good. :thumbup:
 
BTW when Hairgrass is planted on a slope, does it grow vertically or does it grow perpendicular to the slope ?

Also, any suggestions on the current scape ?
 
I was fiddling about with my tank while waiting for the plants and wood to come and changed the rockwork a bit. Let me know what you think. I feel its better than the old scape but Im open to suggestions on removing or moving some of the rocks.

Front view :



Top View :

 
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