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The Dark Side or What Lurks Beneath

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Ok...as much as I'm an advocate of the low-energy I have to admit this high-energy malarkey has gripped me and I've been completely seduced by the Dark Side...as Tom Barr so eloquently puts it, I've become 'addicted to the dope'.

So I thought what the heck why not go the whole hog and buy some Gucci substrate as well. So I brought some Columbo Flora-Base Black and some very expensive rocks as well - both of which really goes against the grain.

I tore down the high-energy soil substrate layout in what used to be Georges shallow (mine now) and set up a more conventional 60 x 30 x 40(h) cm 70l tank, with the intention of experimenting with stem plants since I've never really had that the much success with them the low-energy way.

This is what I've managed to come up with so far:-

The rocks

HardScapeRocks.jpg

The manzanita

HardScapeWood.jpg

I'll be planting as soon as I've been down the shops to buy super glue for the Anubias.
 
Cool, a new journal. I feel the journals are becoming less. I know what u mean I have four low techs and am planning.g my first serious high tech 🙂 from walstads to high energy doping 😉

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Looks good so far. I would only suggest to give a bit more slope from the edges to the centre...

Will follow

cheers

GM
 
jack-rythm said:
Cool, a new journal. I feel the journals are becoming less. I know what u mean I have four low techs and am planning.g my first serious high tech 🙂 from walstads to high energy doping 😉

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Click to expand...

Good luck with that, looking forward to it.

gmartins said:
Looks good so far. I would only suggest to give a bit more slope from the edges to the centre...

Will follow

cheers

GM
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion...which I have now implemented, along with more substrate at the back. I was half toying with the idea before, but decided against it - muddled thinking on my part - something to do with giving the stems as much height as possible so I could view them in all their glory; probably overcompensating for the characteristics of the shallow. Anyway, I think it looks better now.

foxfish said:
Be careful with your choice of stems as anything that grows fast is a pain to maintain in a injected tank!
Plants like polysperma grow inches a day & put down extensive roots that are a pain to pull up!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the sage advice. TBH Hygrophila spp. are about the only stems I've had any degree of success with the low-energy way, so I'll be staying clear of them for this scape.

I'll be hitting my LFS tomorrow but I've already brought the following locally, which are in a temporary holding tank:

Rotola rotundifolia
Ludwigia arcuata (in a bit of a sorry state)
Hemianthus (Micranthemum) micranthemoides
Alternanthera reineckii 'Pink'
Myriophyllum tuberculatum
Ludwigia repens (I think, which may go in the low-energy tank)

I also thought I might try Hemianthus callitricoides 'Cuba' in part of the foreground.
 
Hey troi, welcome to the dark side. Look forward to seeing this one planted and am really glad to see ludwigia repens, a real beaut of a plant that seem to be very under used. I can see that wood looking awesome covered in Taxiphyllum barbieri 😉
Shame to pull down the soil tank though, it was looking great.
 
Nice variety of leaf shape and colours to play with. This month's ADA journal is dedicated to stems, in case you want to have a read.

Some Eleocharis parvula in between rocks may make a good complement to H. callitrichoides as well.

GM
 
easerthegeezer said:
Hey troi, welcome to the dark side. Look forward to seeing this one planted and am really glad to see ludwigia repens, a real beaut of a plant that seem to be very under used. I can see that wood looking awesome covered in Taxiphyllum barbieri 😉
Shame to pull down the soil tank though, it was looking great.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I think it's Ludwigia repens, it was an unnamed special at Maidenhead Aquatics. I might put some T. barbieri on the wood, but I will have to take care trimming it; any fragments I leave take hold and threaten to overrun the tank in no time flat.

I suppose you're right about the soil tank, but I kinda learnt all I could from it, so unfortunately it was time to move on...
...do not underestimate the powers of the Dark Side...

gmartins said:
Nice variety of leaf shape and colours to play with. This month's ADA journal is dedicated to stems, in case you want to have a read.

Some Eleocharis parvula in between rocks may make a good complement to H. callitrichoides as well.

GM
Click to expand...

There are some pretty sexy plants out there, my selection was largely down to what was available locally, putting them all together without clashing or playing eyeball ping-pong will be a challenge.

I'll have to see if I can get a copy of the Aqua journal (I don't subscribe), looks like it could be well worth a read.

Funny you should mention the Eleocharis parvula in between the rocks I had thought exactly the same thing...great minds...

Just took a rubbish snapshot of the newly sloped substrate; still might need a bit more work, looks a little too high on the left now.

HardScapeMoreSubstrate.jpg

Ian Holdich said:
Nice hardscape Troi, looking forward to seeing it planted!
Click to expand...

Thanks Ian, I'll probably make a start with the planting tomorrow.
 
Alastair said:
Looking forward to this one mate, I've gone from the dark side to the light side so curious to see how you get on doing the opposite. Love the scape so far


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Click to expand...

Cheers Alastair. Well, if I make the reverse transition half as well as you have I'll be doing very well indeed...the force is strong with you.
 
How can you tell? 🙂 Thanks Tim I only hope my attempts at planting do it justice, such as it is.
 
Super Glue really works :!: 8) No more cotton thread, fishing line, or elastic bands for me. Having never used super glue before I decided to break with convention and get the epiphytes in first instead of the foreground planting. I'm amazed that despite the soaking wet it bonded fast in seconds.

SuperglueWorksFTSL.jpg

SuperglueWorksFTSR.jpg

SuperglueWorksFTSOH.jpg

But then I forgot I had an prior engagement so I had to go mid way through the creative process...I'm an artist darling don't interrupt while I'm working...thank goodness for kids and their sandwich bags.

SuperGlueWorksDentist.jpg

The foreground was next - what a nightmare planting in moist Flora-Base. And then when I topped up the aquarium...how much mud and fine sediment - and people worry about soil...OMG 🙄

But that's a photo opportunity for another day :!: 😀
 
Thanks Jack.

FTS of the finished scape - well almost finished - just need to trim here and there and move a few things around. I decided not to go with the wood; as good as it is I felt the scape looked better without, and the idea is to experiment with as many plant spp as poss so it would only have got in the way. And anyway the stems at the back will eventually fill the space...I hope.

ftsiso100-1.jpg
 
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