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Return of the nry :) 'Sticks and stones' Rescape/new pics!

nry

Member
Joined
23 Oct 2007
Messages
1,225
Location
Cumbria, UK
We're changing the living room carpet in ~1 month so the tank has to come out. I've ran it for a good while now, and it hasn't done bad. I'm just about happy with it now though I've been battling spirogyra for months now - it never gets bad, but even stripping all I can see each week results in the same amount being back a week later.

I've also had green water for ~2 weeks now! I think I over-cleaned my filter the week before it started which likely caused an ammonia spike. Water change and 3-day blackout in progress as I type so fingers crossed.

I don't want to keep any of the plants/hardscape from the tank, partly to try and eradicate the spirogyra, partly because I want a radical change from the mixed wood/rock scapes I've stuck to.

Still putting the ideas together, but for those that want a reminder of my setup:

Jewel 60x30x30cm/15 UK gallon aquarium
2x15w T8 tubes
FE CO2 injected into cheapy eBay £5 inline diffuser which works great
TetraTec EX600 with glass lily pipes
Inline heater
EI fertilisation scheme

Rasbora maculatus
Pygmy cory
Mixed shrimp which I may 'swap' for some nicer ones, maybe bumble-bee shrimp or ones that will not breed in fresh water, I have far too many of the things now, it's silly :)
Will possibly add 3-4 oto's if the LFS have any in once the tank settles a bit.

I'll take a picture if the green water clears before the tank get stripped :)

I'm kind of after ideas/inspiration really. I've not been around much for a while, kids, work, course study etc. but the tank is still going strong. I've really liked the crypts in the tank, not into carpets or high-maintenance stuff anymore so no carpets, stem plants really. The p.helferi always does well and looks nice, and I'm looking to use rock as the only hardscape this time. Will use a plant substrate (either Tropica or AquaBasis+) and probably a darker sand like I have now.

Suggestions welcome and I'll try to keep this thread updated as time progresses, layout suggestions or inspiration welcome!
 
Re: Return of the nry :) 60x30x30 rescape ideas

Oh and no moss, nice as it is I hate having to pick the tiny bits of it out of the plants and it always ends up growing where you don't want it :)
 
Re: Return of the nry :) 60x30x30 rescape ideas

Welcome back mate! Good to see you :wave:

Cool, rocks eh? Get yourself some nice graded gravels! A really well done natural look with graded gravels is awesome in my view :)
 
Re: Return of the nry :) 60x30x30 rescape ideas

Graded gravel, forgot I liked that look, cheers!
 
Re: Return of the nry :) 60x30x30 rescape ideas

Let's just say that I had my second disaster in 4 years of this tank...I upped the CO2 slightly to try and aid clearing the green water, however a few days later I knocked the lights off to give it a black-out too but forgot to turn the CO2 down or off....which has gassed all the fish :( I went to do the water change last night to find none anywhere, just one or two shrimp struggling around...

Whilst this does mean I have more time to play with a re-scape I hadn't been considering a change of stock too...
 
Re: Return of the nry :) 60x30x30 rescape ideas

It is a clean slate though not the best way of getting one!

Stuck what to do now. My LFS had a huge amount of galaxy rasbora's in, I'm tempted to try a biotope...
 
Re: Return of the nry :) 60x30x30 rescape ideas

George is blazing a trail into very aesthetically pleasing biotopes at the moment. Have you seen them? Not totally sure on the Galaxy habitat, chinese ponds/streams isn't it?

Sounds like a great idea. Maybe try to breed them too?
 
Re: Return of the nry :) 60x30x30 rescape ideas

The biotope idea means I have a focus, though I want low maintenance at the moment as life is a tad busy. I've got some ideas of the type of scape I like and have the time to think now.
 
Re: Return of the nry :) 60x30x30 rescape ideas

Galaxys come from pretty uninspiring habitats, just think jungle and gravel/sand base. There's some pictures in a pfk and it shows a concrete ditch entriely chocked with plants and looking pretty iffy. They're Inle fish so Mimicing Georges last scape would be a good start. I'd add moss though, increased chance of breeding success even if not biotope correct.
 
Re: Return of the nry :) 60x30x30 rescape ideas

I'm edging away from a biotope now, have got too much inspiration from the more normal arty scapes!
 
Re: Return of the nry :) 60x30x30 rescape ideas

On Monday I ordered:

10L of black FloraBase
6 bits of manzanita wood
5kg of Seiryu Stone

From PlantedBox (cheers guys!).

Hoping it will arrive tomorrow, so I can have some initial play with layouts :)
 
Re: Return of the nry :) 60x30x30 rescape ideas

Forgot to add the piccies here :)

Current scape which is likely to stay:

2.jpg


3.jpg


Don't mind admitting I blatantly nicked ideas for the hardscape and (a little) layout from another member on here ;)

Struggling on the planting scheme - I though I was happy with a crypt wendtii or 3 as a rear centre piece, with some crypt parva around the rocks, however I'm edging back towards some p.helferi instead of the parva, it always grew well and it settled in lovely just before I ripped my old scape down. I had a lovely crypt wendtii brown as the centre piece in my old scape, it was stunning beyond I didn't wish to keep anything in case the spirogyra came back.

Are there any other options around for a compact, slow growing foreground plant nowadays? I don't want a carpet at all, so HC/glosso are out. This tank will be low maintenance in respect of the plants :)
 
Re: Return of the nry :) 60x30x30 rescape ideas

looking great!

maybe close the gap up between the 2 outer, smaller rocks? so it looks like it's connected. a little like a 'foot' almost
 
Re: Return of the nry :) 60x30x30 rescape ideas

Plants will close the gap in my mind, alongside blending in the rear 'triangular' rock too.
 
Re: Return of the nry :) 60x30x30 rescape ideas

Only negative is that I have a slight dusting of white mould on the FloraBase...guess it needs planted pretty soon after laying really as it is shipped 'damp'. Should be planting in a week or so with luck.
 
Re: Return of the nry :) 60x30x30 rescape ideas

You could part fill the tank with water temporarily to stop the mould maybe? Just drain it off when you're ready to plant... Not sure how that will affect planting.
 
Re: Return of the nry :) 60x30x30 rescape ideas

Close to buying the plants, however I'm a tad torn between a centre piece crypt wendtti green or to go for one of the finer leaved stem plants instead, maybe hemianthus micranthem​oides?

If I'm trying to make the tank look bigger than it really is, then HM may be a good choice? I'm then stuck on the plant to use around the rocks - might stick with my original p.helferi thoughts, it got lovely and tight and bushy (ooh-err!) in my last scape and it if it'll do the same in this layout then I think it'll work well.

That is the only two plants I can settle on for now. Unsure if it needs any more really - not up for a carpetting plant this time around even though I always look at HC carpets and think they look lovely. Guess I've been there and done that, and got a bit bored of having to maintain it all the time.
 
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